From Eldora Speedway
* Smorgasbord of Sprints to Close Out Eldora’s 60th Season
* Three Point Champions to be Crowned Following Saturday’s Competition
* Cooler Fall Nights Prompt Earlier Start Time for Eldora Finale
SMORGASBORD OF SPRINTS TO CLOSE OUT ELDORA’S 60TH SEASON
ROSSBURG, OH (October 8) – A smorgasbord of Sprint Car racing will close out Eldora Speedway’s 60th season of racing Saturday night (October 12) in grand style with the UNOH Sprintacular. The bountiful menu includes three touring sanctioning bodies (All Star Sprints, NRA Sprint Invaders, BOSS Sprints), winged (All Stars, NRA) and non-winged (BOSS) Sprint Cars, engine sizes of 410 (All Stars, BOSS) and 360 cubic inches (NRA) and two season-ending point chases (All Stars, BOSS).
Of the three groups, the All Star Sprints have the most storied history. Since Brad Doty won their debut on May 3, 1981, the All Stars have competed an additional 131 times, with 41 different drivers advancing to victory lane. Headlining that list is Kenny Jacobs with 21 triumphs, followed in order by Joey Saldana with 11 and the groups most recent Eldora winner (June 22), Jac Haudenschild with eight.
The 360 Sprint division came on the scene in 1994, and after swapping around sanctioning bodies over the first five years, the NRA Sprint Invaders was established as the group of choice in 1999. Since the April 23, 1994 debut won by Rick Daugherty, the 360 Sprints have contested 114 feature events, with 36 different drivers sharing victory honors. Tim Allison heads up that list with 14 checkered flags, while Phil Gressman sits closely behind at 13 wins and Kyle Sauder rests in third with 11.
For the upstart BOSS (Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series) group, this will be their second Eldora appearance. The three-year old group made their Eldora debut during last year’s Blue Collar Base, with Luke Hall taking home that win.
THREE POINT CHAMPIONS TO BE CROWNED FOLLOWING SATURDAY’S COMPETITION
ROSSBURG, OH (October 8) – Saturday’s (October 12) UNOH Sprintacular will be the deciding factor in three point chases. On the line will be the All Star Sprints National and Ohio Region titles, while the BOSS Sprints will bring their hotly contested point battle to the .500-mile clay oval. Rounding out the ‘all Sprint Car’ tripleheader will be the NRA Sprint Invaders, who crowed their 2013 champion, Butch Schroeder, earlier this fall.
Dale Blaney enters Saturday’s fray with a 37 point margin over defending champion Tim Shaffer in the All Star Sprints national point chase, while Shaffer holds a slim three-point margin over Blaney in the group’s Ohio Region point battle.
For Blaney, a championship title would be number four for him, and tie him with Frankie Kerr, Kenny Jacobs, Chad Kemenah and Shaffer who sit on top of the championship roster with that many crowns. If Shaffer drives out of Eldora with the All Star Sprints championship, it would be title number five and put him on the top of the list.
After a brief introduction in 2011, last season marked the first point-chasing schedule for the non-winged BOSS (Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series), with Dustin Smith taking home that initial championship. The 2013 campaign has not been as successful for Smith, who is buried 13th in the cumulative chase. Coming into Saturday’s contest, five drivers have a legitimate shot at capturing the BOSS championship.
Second generation driver Tony Beaber is clinging to an eighteen point margin over Brandon Spithaler, who in turn sits sixteen markers ahead of Mike Miller. Completing the top five are Aaron Middaugh, 51 points from the top and Kirk Jeffries, 80 points away from a title.
It will a non-points event for the NRA Sprint Invaders; however 2013 champion Butch Schroeder will take to Eldora’s famed high banks in search of career win number five. Schroeder’s championship found him leading J.R. Stewart, Beau Stewart, Jared Horstman and Shawn Dancer.
COOLER FALL NIGHTS PROMPTS EARLIER START TIME FOR ELDORA FINALE
ROSSBURG, OH (October 8) – With the crisp air and cooler temperatures that annually invade the Buckeye state at this time of the year, Eldora Speedway officials have announced an earlier start time for Saturday’s (October 12) season finale; an ‘all Sprint Car’ tripleheader. The UNOH Sprintacular, featuring All Star Sprints, NRA Sprint Invaders and BOSS Sprints will see the hot laps getting underway at 4:30 p.m. and the first race taking the green flag at 6 p.m.