From BRian Liskai
ATTICA, Ohio – What a difference seven days can make. A week ago Brandon Martin tangled with Dean Jacobs and ended up crashing at Attica Raceway Park. On Friday, Martin dominated the O’Reilly Auto Parts 410 Sprints, leading all 30 laps – including several restarts with Jacobs on his rear bumper – to earn his second career win on Edward Jones of Clyde/Mike Neill Financial Advisor/Bud Light Night.
“I tell you what, he (Jacobs) wasn’t going to pass me…that’s for damn sure. He took out a fast race car last week and it killed us…it’s been a long week. These guys got me back out here…my car is torn up bad,” said Martin beside his Burns Electric/Oak Ridge Festival backed #9x.
Martin, whose shop is literally within view of Attica Raceway Park, tried for 11 years before getting his first win at his hometown track on July 1. Now he has two wins in one season, both coming on Kistler Racing Products Fremont Attica Sprint Title (FAST) nights. He becomes the first repeat winner of the 2011 season at Attica Raceway Park.
“I’ve got a lot of catchin’ up to do…we’ve been doing this for a long time. It’s been tough…I’ve had a lot of great people behind me…a lot of the race track guys and people in the area of Attica. It’s good to be here tonight with Stan Cortad (car owner). Jimmy Havens and Rick Benson work real hard on this thing,” said Martin in the Engine Pro Victory Lane. “I did a lot of praying this week and it helped me out…someone was looking out for me this week.”
Caleb Griffith and Paige Polyak banged wheels coming to the checkered in the Fremont Fence 305 Sprint feature, with both spinning across the start-finish line. It was wreckers AND checkers for Griffith, who earned his second victory of the season. Griffith, a former track champion, also scored his first career Attica win on July 1.
“We were racing hard there and I gave her the slider that at the end and we just ran out of room. She (Polyak) ran a heck of a race…I really have to hand it to her,” said Griffith beside his Al Davis Carpet/Balleville EZ Shop/Fremont Fence backed #40 that sat in the Engine Pro Victory Lane hooked to a wrecker. “A lot of times when you’re running second it’s easier to see what you need to do…I’ve given up a lot of races like that.”
Defending national UMP late model champion Rusty Schlenk dueled with Devin Shiels through most of the Fultz Fabrications and Speed Shop Late Model feature before pulling away late for his second win of the season at Attica. It was his 11th career victory at “Ohio’s Finest Racing” speedplant as he now has 10 overall victories in 2011.
“I was nervous starting 10th..the redraw nearly killed me tonight. I was a little tight in the heat so we freed it up for the feature and the car was awesome. I have to thank all my guys. We finally made the right calls for once here tonight,” said Schlenk beside his Micro Armor Lubricants/Main & Company/Lazer Chassis/Complete Truck Repair backed #91.
Martin and Brad Haudenschild would lead the field to the green in the 410 sprint feature, with Martin rim-riding into the lead. Haudenschild, Phil Gressman, Craig Mintz and Chris Andrews would give chase. Gressman would drive under Haudenschild into second on lap two, but Haudenschild would fight back two laps later. The car on the move was 10th place starter Dean Jacobs who moved into fifth place by the third circuit.
Martin set a blistering pace, encountering lapped traffic by the eighth lap while Haudenschild and Gressman battled for second with Mintz and Jacobs right on their rear bumpers. Haudenschild reeled in Martin who was finding his way through the traffic difficult. Martin escaped disaster on lap 10 when he tried to lap Todd Heller and they made contact, sending Martin toward the infield. Martin was able to gather his machine back up and continued to lead.
Gressman would move back into second on lap 11 with Haudenschild, Mintz, Jacobs, Bryan Sebetto and Andrews in tow. The caution would fly for a Bryce Dickson spin on lap 12, giving Martin a clear track. Now the car on the move was six-time Attica champion Byron Reed who had moved from his 17th starting spot to 10th. Haudenschild’s good night would turn bad on lap 13 as he spun while running third. On the restart, Martin would pull away from Gressman who now was battling Mintz and Jacobs for second with Sebetto racing Mike Linder and Kevin Lee hard for fifth.
Just as Martin was catching the rear of the field again on lap 20, Gressman’s night would end as he coasted to a stop with mechanical woes. The restart order was now Martin, Jacobs, Sebetto, Mintz, Linder and Reed. Again Martin would pull away from the field as now Jacobs and Sebetto were locked in a battle for the runner-up spot with Mintz, Linder, Reed, Lee and Jody Keegan in tow.
With five laps to go, Martin had built a sizeable lead over Jacobs, Sebetto, Mintz and Linder. Again, just as Martin was about to encounter heavy lapped traffic, the caution flew for a tangle between Haudenschild, Dickson and Matt Linder, setting up a three-lap sprint to the finish. Martin was able to pull away on the restart and would drive to the win with Jacobs, Sebetto, Mintz and Reed rounding out the top five.
Jimmy Colvin and Zack Kramer would lead the field to the green in the 25-lap 305 sprint main. But, it was third place starter Paul Weaver who would blot into the lead with Colvin, Kramer and Paige Polyak in tow. Weaver would pull away as Colvin and Polyak battled hard for second. Dustin Dinan would spin on lap 7 to bring out the first caution, wiping out a big lead for Weaver. On the ensuing restart, Polyak would race to Weaver’s inside as 9th place starter Griffith quickly closed to make it a three car battle. Polyak would take the lead on lap 10, bringing Griffith into second and dropping Weaver back to third. Polyak would ride the bottom groove while Griffith blasted around the top as the pair raced side-by-side for the lead until the caution flew on lap 13 for a Jim Cushing and Jordan Ryan spin.
When the green came back out, Polyak had learned something from Griffith and abandoned her low line to rim-ride in turns three and four. That allowed her to pull away from Griffith as Weaver and Stuart Brubaker battled for third. With five laps to go, Polyak had caught the back of the field and Griffith began to close as they raced into heavy traffic. Griffith attempted a slide-job for the lead in turns one and two on lap 23, but Polyak – who was seeking to become the first female feature winner in the history of Attica – was able to maintain the lead. As the pair came to the white flag, the crowd was on their feet as they ran side-by-side with Brubaker and Weaver ready to pounce.
When Polyak and Griffith hit turn three for the final time, Griffith blasted to the inside and slid up beside Polyak who drifted down. The pair banged wheels as they exited turn four and both tried to hold on and race to the checkers. Both went spinning across the start-finish line with Griffith winning by a nose. Polyak would maintain second with Brubaker, Weaver and Nate Dussel rounding out the top five.
The early portion of the 25-lap late model feature was a crash fest with four cautions over the first six laps. Larry Kingseed and Ky Harper would lead the field to the green with Kingseed getting the upper hand. The caution would fly on lap three for John Bores and Matt Irey spins. Kingseed and 7th place starter Devin Shiels would battle hard for the lead on the ensuing restart with Harper, Schlenk and Wayne Maffett Jr. in tow. However, the caution would come right back out for a Jim Fleming and Wayne Miller tangle. On the restart Shiels would drive under Kingseed for the lead with Schlenk around Harper for third. The caution would fly on lap six for a Rick DeLong/Ken Hahn tangle. Shiels would lead on the restart with Schlenk moving into second.
A lap and another caution for a Justin Chance spin. A lap and another caution for Harper whose machine stalled as he tried to exit the track. Finally, after five cautions in just eight laps, the race would find a groove. Schlenk would drive around Shiels for the lead on the restart and slowly pulled away. Shiels would run comfortably in second with a tremendous battle being waged for third between Ryan Missler, Maffett, Mike Bores and Dan Wallace. With 10 laps to go Schlenk held a five car length advantage over Shiels as the battle for third continue to heat up with now Steve Kester joining Missler, Maffett Bores and Wallace.
Schlenk would encounter lapped traffic with six laps to go, but Shiels could not mount a challenge. Schlenk would go on to his 11th career Attica win with Shiels, Missler, Maffett and Kester rounding out the top five.
Attica Raceway Park will be off next week for the Attica Independent Fair. Ohio’s Finest Racing speedplant will close out the season with three straight Saturday night shows, Aug. 20 and 27 and Sept. 3. For more information go to www.atticaracewaypark.com
Attica Raceway Park – 8/5/2011
Bud Light / Edward Jones Night
O’Reilly Auto Parts 410 Sprints (25 Cars)
[#]-Starting Position
Heat 1 – Engine Pro (8 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. O9-Craig Mintz[3] ; 2. 16-Bryan Sebetto[4] ; 3. 312X-Chris Andrews[1] ; 4. 2+-Brian Smith[6] ; 5. 91-Aaron Middaugh[2] ; 6. 60-Jody Keegan[8] ; 7. 5R-Byron Reed[7] ; 8. 15H-Mitch Harble[5] ; 9. 98-Robert Robenalt[9]
Heat 2 – Ultra Schield Race Products (8 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 97-Dean Jacobs[1] ; 2. 53-Phil Gressman[3] ; 3. 9X-Brandon Martin[4] ; 4. 1X-Matt Linder[6] ; 5. 45L-Brian Lay[5] ; 6. 11D-Bryce Dickson[2] ; 7. 9W-Lance Webb[7] ; 8. 45T-Bob Tucker[8]
Heat 3 – Bell Racing (8 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 45-Kevin Lee[1] ; 2. 312-Mike Linder[2] ; 3. 10-Brad Haudenschild[7] ; 4. 9Z-Duane Zablocki[3] ; 5. 51-Brad Bowman[5] ; 6. 5T-Travis Philo[4] ; 7. 14H-Todd Heller[8]
B-Main – Computer Man Inc. (10 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 60-Jody Keegan[1] ; 2. 5R-Byron Reed[4] ; 3. 5T-Travis Philo[3] ; 4. 11D-Bryce Dickson[2] ; 5. 14H-Todd Heller[6] ; 6. 15H-Mitch Harble[7] ; 7. 9W-Lance Webb[5] ; 8. 45T-Bob Tucker[8] ; 9. 98-Robert Robenalt[9]
A-Main – (30 Laps)
1. 9X-Brandon Martin[1]; 2. 97-Dean Jacobs[10]; 3. 16-Bryan Sebetto[8]; 4. O9-Craig Mintz[4]; 5. 5R-Byron Reed[17]; 6. 312-Mike Linder[7]; 7. 45-Kevin Lee[11]; 8. 60-Jody Keegan[16]; 9. 2+-Brian Smith[6]; 10. 9Z-Duane Zablocki[9]; 11. 91-Aaron Middaugh[13]; 12. 51-Brad Bowman[15]; 13. 312X-Chris Andrews[5]; 14. 45L-Brian Lay[14]; 15. 5T-Travis Philo[18]; 16. 1X-Matt Linder[12]; 17. 14H-Todd Heller[20]; 18. 10-Brad Haudenschild[2]; 19. 11D-Bryce Dickson[19]; 20. 53-Phil Gressman[3]
Hard Charger: 5R-Byron Reed[+12]
Fultz Fabrication & Speed Shop Late Models (30 Cars)
[#]-Starting Position
Heat 1 – Engine Pro (8 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 11-Ky Harper[1] ; 2. 50Y-Ryan Missler[3] ; 3. O1-Justin Chance[8] ; 4. 15B-Mike Bores[2] ; 5. 77-Steve Kester[6] ; 6. 69-John Mayes Jr.[10] ; 7. 9C-Troy Cattarene[4] ; 8. 12-Michael Stiltner Jr.[7] ; 9. 42-Bob Myer[9] ; 10. 2B-Rocky Owens[5]
Heat 2 – Ultra Schield Race Products (8 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 91-Rusty Schlenk[3] ; 2. 27-Ken Hahn[8] ; 3. 40-Wayne Maffett Jr.[2] ; 4. 21-Larry Kingseed[6] ; 5. 55TW-Dan Wallace[7] ; 6. 99-Steve Sabo[1] ; 7. 30-Nate Potts[4] ; 8. WD40-Dusty Moore[9] ; 9. 28-Roddy Schroyer[5] ; 10. 12MX-Wayne Miller[10]
Heat 3 – Bell Racing (8 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 3-Rick DeLong[1] ; 2. 48B-John Bores[2] ; 3. 5H-Ernie Haynes[4] ; 4. 51-Devin Shiels[9] ; 5. 1-Jim Flemming[8] ; 6. 25-Chuck Hummer[3] ; 7. 12M-Bobby Michaels[6] ; 8. 13-Mike Hudson[10] ; 9. 36-Matt Irey[5] ; 10. O6-Kyle Perry[7]
B-Main – Computer Man Inc. (10 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. WD40-Dusty Moore[8] ; 2. 69-John Mayes Jr.[1] ; 3. 9C-Troy Cattarene[4] ; 4. 28-Roddy Schroyer[11] ; 5. 36-Matt Irey[12] ; 6. 12MX-Wayne Miller[14] ; 7. 99-Steve Sabo[2] ; 8. 30-Nate Potts[5] ; 9. 12-Michael Stiltner Jr.[7] ; 10. 13-Mike Hudson[9] ; 11. 2B-Rocky Owens[13] ; 12. 42-Bob Myer[10] ; 13. 25-Chuck Hummer[3] ; 14. 12M-Bobby Michaels[6]
A-Main – (25 Laps)
1. 91-Rusty Schlenk[10]; 2. 51-Devin Shiels[7]; 3. 50Y-Ryan Missler[5]; 4. 40-Wayne Maffett Jr.[4]; 5. 77-Steve Kester[11]; 6. 55TW-Dan Wallace[14]; 7. O1-Justin Chance[12]; 8. WD40-Dusty Moore[16]; 9. 9C-Troy Cattarene[18]; 10. 21-Larry Kingseed[1]; 11. 36-Matt Irey[20]; 12. 28-Roddy Schroyer[15]; 13. 48B-John Bores[3]; 14. 15B-Mike Bores[9]; 15. 11-Ky Harper[2]; 16. 3-Rick DeLong[6]; 17. 27-Ken Hahn[8]; 18. 1-Jim Flemming[13]; 19. 12MX-Wayne Miller[17]; 20. 69-John Mayes Jr.[19]
Hard Charger: 91-Rusty Schlenk[+9]
Fremont Fence 305 Sprints (25 Cars)
[#]-Starting Position
Heat 1 – Engine Pro (8 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 9-Jimmy Colvin[1] ; 2. 27-Paige Polyak[4] ; 3. 1-Nate Dussel[9] ; 4. 94-John Ivy[2] ; 5. 5-Dustin Dinan[3] ; 6. 25-Jason Keckler[6] ; 7. 36X-Dustin Keegan[5] ; 8. M28-Josh Muntz[7] ; 9. 8J-Jess Stiger[8]
Heat 2 – Ultra Schield Race Products (8 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 35-Stuart Brubaker[5] ; 2. 40-Caleb Griffith[4] ; 3. 8B-Zack Kramer[1] ; 4. 13-Junior Felver[7] ; 5. 11F-D.J. Foos[8] ; 6. 36-Seth Schneider[6] ; 7. 22D-Dan Hammond[2] ; 8. 83X-Nate Reeser[3]
Heat 3 – Bell Racing (8 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 4M-Jamie Miller[1] ; 2. 1W-Paul Weaver[6] ; 3. OOS-Bryan Scott[2] ; 4. 5R-Jordan Ryan[4] ; 5. 717-Jim Cushing[3] ; 6. 1M-Mike Moore[5] ; 7. 55-Trey Jacobs[7] ; 8. 2-Nate Gressman[8]
B-Main – Computer Man Inc. (10 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 25-Jason Keckler[1] ; 2. 36-Seth Schneider[2] ; 3. 22D-Dan Hammond[5] ; 4. 36X-Dustin Keegan[4] ; 5. M28-Josh Muntz[7] ; 6. 83X-Nate Reeser[8] ; 7. 8J-Jess Stiger[10] ; 8. 1M-Mike Moore[3] ; 9. 2-Nate Gressman[9] ; 10. 55-Trey Jacobs[6]
A-Main – (25 Laps)
1. 40-Caleb Griffith[9]; 2. 27-Paige Polyak[7]; 3. 35-Stuart Brubaker[5]; 4. 1W-Paul Weaver[3]; 5. 1-Nate Dussel[10]; 6. 9-Jimmy Colvin[1]; 7. 8B-Zack Kramer[2]; 8. 94-John Ivy[12]; 9. 4M-Jamie Miller[6]; 10. 25-Jason Keckler[16]; 11. 11F-D.J. Foos[14]; 12. M28-Josh Muntz[20]; 13. 13-Junior Felver[11]; 14. 5-Dustin Dinan[13]; 15. OOS-Bryan Scott[8]; 16. 22D-Dan Hammond[18]; 17. 36X-Dustin Keegan[19]; 18. 36-Seth Schneider[17]; 19. 5R-Jordan Ryan[4]; 20. 717-Jim Cushing[15]
Hard Charger: 40-Caleb Griffith[+8]