From J&J
McKENZIE, TN (Sept. 3) – J&J Auto Racing teams had a successful Labor Day weekend with Danny Holtgraver scoring a pair of wins versus the All-Star Circuit of Champions, while Jeff Swindell put up back-to-back wins in the ASCS Lucas Oil National Series at Dodge City Raceway Park. Ray Allen Kulhanek scored a pair of ASCS Gulf South event wins in Texas, while a pair of J&J racers, Jerod Roller and Morgan Turpen, defeated the USCS in Georgia. Robbie Stillwaggon was victorious with the URC in Delaware.
ALL-STARS
LERNERVILLE SPEEDWAY
After winning at Lernverville earlier in the season, Danny Holtgraver was excited to return to his home track for Friday’s All-Star Circuit of Champions race. The home town boy didn’t disappoint leading the final 20 laps on his way to victory.
“I was so excited about this weekend,” said Holtgraver. “We’ve run well at Lernerville, so I knew we had a good shot at winning. The guys had the car awesome tonight. Everything went our way.”
Holtgraver was followed by fellow J&J racer and former Lernerville track champion Tim Shaffer. Shaffer drove the No. 83 CH Motorsports J&J and continues to lead the All-Star championship standings.
Ed Lynch, Jr. (No. 2L J&J) was sixth and David Gravel (No. 89g J&J) was seventh.
WAYNE CO. SPEEDWAY
After qualifying 16th in the field of 27 cars, Danny Holtgraver didn’t pack it in for the night. Instead, he kept plugging away and by feature time his No. D4 Kargo Quality Cars and Trucks/Alternative Power Sources/Spinneweber Auto Sales sponsored J&J was a rocket. The 22-year-old put on a clinic most veteran racers would be proud of. He drove from 16th-starting position and into the lead on lap 25 of the 30-lap race and would go on to score his ninth triumph of 2012.
“What an unbelievable weekend…what an unbelievable night,” admitted Holtgraver, who won Friday and finished second Saturday at Attica after starting 11th. “I watched the B-main and the dash and it was pretty much no passing and a little dusty. Then we go out for the feature and the track just got awesome. To come from 16tth with just one yellow…I still can’t believe the car was that good.”
David Gravel joined Holtgraver on the podium after racing the No. 89g DDR J&J to a third-place finish. Tim Shaffer was fifth in the CH Motorsports No. 83 J&J.
ASCS – LUCAS OIL NATIONAL SERIES
Jeff Swindell was dominant in the two-night Wicked City Shootout at Dodge City Raceway Park in Lucas Oil American Sprint Car Series presented by MAVTV action. On Saturday night, Swindell drove Randy Washburn’s No. 0 Pride Ag Resources backed J&J from fourth and into the lead on lap nine before dealing with Brian Brown for the top spot. Once pulled away from Brown, he was able to run his own race en route to his third career Lucas Oil ASCS feature win.
The victory locked him into Sunday’s main event and Swindell took complete advantage making it a perfect weekend in Randy Washburn’s No. 0 J&J. It wasn’t easy though as Swindell exchanged the lead early with Brown once again and then was dealing with fellow J&J racer, Danny Wood (No. 81 J&J) for the second spot. Swindell took advantage of Brown having to slow for lapped traffic on lap 20. Swindell would keep the No. 0 J&J in the rubber during the final laps to score the weekend sweep.
Wood would end up finishing fourth in the No. 81 J&J.
ASCS – GULF SOUTH
Ray Allen Kulhanek claimed his fourth and fifth Griffith Truck and Equipment ASCS Gulf South Region feature wins of the season driving David and Beverly Miller’s No. 21T J&J this past weekend. First on Saturday at Gator Motorplex in Willis, Texas in an ASCS Gulf South region event where Kulhanek raced to the lead on lap six and then went unchallenged for the win.
Then on Sunday at Golden Triangle Raceway Park in Beaumont, Texas, driving David and Beverly Miller’s No. 21T J&J. He made it exciting racing from eighth and into the lead before spinning after contact. He was able to keep going, but dropped to sixth and then charged back into the lead.
USCS
SUGAR CREEK RACEWAY
Jerod Roller raced his No. 5 J&J to his second victory of the season on Friday at Sugar Creek Raceway in Blue Ridge, Ga. The third racer withstood several challenges during the 25-lap race, but he wasn’t to be denied a trip to victory lane.
Seventeen-year-old Eric Riggins, Jr. (No. 47 J&J) race from ninth to finish third and join Roller on the podium. Morgan Turpen (No. 80 J&J) came home fourth.
TOCCOA SPEEDWAY
After finishing fourth Friday night, 19-year-old Morgan Turpen came away with the win in the 25-lap USCS Red Dirt Rumble Round #3 at Toccoa (Ga.) Speedway. Turpen, who was victorious in heat action earlier in the program, started on the pole and led every lap to earn her first USCS triumph in 2012 and third overall. It wasn’t easy as she had 12-time feature winner Tim Crawley trying everything he could to get around her. The J&J driver was up to the task and she treated the fans by leaping to the top of the wing with the checkered flag in the post-race celebration.
URC
It’s been a solid season for Robbie Stillwaggon in the Rislone URC Sprint series. He won a heat race and led the final lap of the feature event to take the No. 89 J&J to victory. The win helped him takeover the top spot in the season-long championship battle as well.