By Todd Tappel
FREMONT, Ohio – Gressman Powersports was the big winner at Fremont Speedway as they provided the horsepower for all three feature winners on Gressman Powersports/Level Performance Night. All three feature winners received a $200 bonus courtesy of the Fremont Ohio engine builder. Carrying the Gressman colors to victory lane were Cole Duncan in the Fort Ball Pizza Palace 410 Sprints; Nate Dussel in the Fremont Federal Credit Union 305 Sprints and Shawn Valenti in the AAA Ohio Auto Club Dirt Trucks.
Duncan’s win was his first of the year at Fremont and he led all 30 laps in the 410 Sprint A Main. It is the Lockborne, Ohio driver’s second career victory at Fremont.
The victory was hard-fought though as lapped traffic kept the running order tight.
“A few times I thought they cost us and a couple of times I thought they probably helped us,” commented Duncan beside his Motor City Auto Transport/Gressman Powersports/Wolfden Products/Industrial Special Powdercoating backed #22.
“It was a lot of fun racing tonight. I have to thank Scott Gressman first of all. He builds the power plant and it was fast. I have to thank Matt Hummel…he went to work on the shocks this week and that’s why we’re standing in victory lane,” added Duncan.
Travis Philo was the early challenger until he clipped an infield tire barrier on lap three and was forced to retire on lap five. The race would go non-stop after the lap five caution and the new challenger would be Byron Reed. Duncan’s lead was like an accordion, depending on when he and Reed caught the lapped cars.
While the lead pair battle raged, fast qualifier Caleb Griffith moved into the third spot bringing Chris Andrews with him. Andrews would eventually settle into third and closed in on the leaders. However, Duncan worked the lapped traffic to perfection to close out the race. Reed would finish second over Andrews, Rob Chaney, and points leader Brian Lay.
Dussel led all 25 laps in the 305 Sprint feature, holding off Tyler Gunn on the last lap. The win was the second on the season at Fremont for Dussel who now has 15 career victories at “The Track that Action Built.”
“There’s not a kid in the pits that doesn’t deserve a win more than he (Gunn) does. He works his tail off. He’s raised so much money for the Kick It deal and he’s just a super kid. If I would have gotten beat by him…so be it,” said Dussel beside is Berrier Fabrication/Design Graphics Group/Conrad Transport/Gressman Powersports/Kistler Racing Products backed machine.
“We have been so inconsistent this year. We think we found something and we’re running better. It feels good to be running competitive again,” added Dussel.
Josh Harrison had his best run of the season going as he held the second spot from lap four until spinning out on lap 10. That would put Gunn in the second spot as he passed Bobby Clark one circuit before the lap 10 caution. Gunn stayed within striking distance and made a charge on the last lap. Dussel protected the bottom and Gunn moved to the top in three and four but Gunn’s momentum was cut short when Dussel shot to the top on the front stretch. Finishing behind Gunn were Clark, Dustin Dinan, and TJ Michael.
The Dirt Truck feature was anti-climatic as Shawn Valenti used his outside front row starting spot to record his 10th win of the season in convincing fashion. Valenti now has 19 career victories at Fremont.
The talk of the race was the grinding crash on lap four. John Ivy and Brad Keckler made contact on the front stretch sending Keckler’s truck flipping. Jimmy McGrath, Jr. ended up on his side and Brian Melnek’s ride sustained heavy damage. Once the debris was cleaned up, Valenti set sail in the Jeff Babock-owned ride sponsored by Craig Miller Trucking and Best Performance Motorsports. Dan Roepke held second the entire race, finishing ahead of Kent Brewer, Matt Foos, and Cory Ward.
“We got lucky and got an outside front row starting spot. The way Rich (Farmer, promoter) had the track tonight there was a nice cushion and the truck was awesome. Everything just went my wife. I have to thank Gressman Powersports….everything they do for me is pretty special. Jeff Babcock for putting me in this thing,” said Valenti beside his Story Equipment Repair/KS Sales and Service/Day Dream and Memories Crafts and Antiques backed #7b.
Fremont Speedway will be shut down the next three weeks for the Sandusky County Fair. But, the Track That Action Built will re-open on Saturday, Sept. 6 for Tank’s Meats Night – Salute to Fremont Champions. It is the championship for the $10,000 Kistler Racing Products FAST (Fremont Attica Sprint Title) Championship Series for the 410 sprints. It is also the championship for the JLH General Contractor FAST 305 Sprints with the dirt trucks also in action.
For more information go to www.fremontohspeedway.com
Fremont Speedway – 8/9/2014
Gressman Powersports / Level Performance Night
Fort Ball Pizza Palace 410 Sprints (25 Cars)
[#]-Starting Position
Qualifying – Fricker’s Restaurant/Callie’s Performance
1. 40DD-Caleb Griffith, 12.805; 2. 5R-Byron Reed, 12.824; 3. 16-Chris Andrews, 12.847; 4. 14H-Todd Heller, 12.888; 5. 9X-Rob Chaney, 12.912; 6. 97-Bryan Sebetto, 12.921; 7. 22-Cole Duncan, 12.941; 8. 5T-Travis Philo, 12.958; 9. 2+-Brian Smith, 13.007; 10. 45L-Brian Lay, 13.009; 11. 60-Jody Keegan, 13.031; 12. O9-Craig Mintz, 13.047; 13. 35-Stuart Brubaker, 13.073; 14. 9-Dean Jacobs, 13.193; 15. 11F-DJ Foos, 13.219; 16. 55F-Taylor Ferns, 13.268; 17. 7C-Caleb Armstrong, 13.374; 18. 83M-Broc Martin, 13.397; 19. 40I-Mark Imler, 13.544; 20. 3T-Tony Beaber, 13.725; 21. 68G-Tyler Gunn, 13.740; 22. 39M-Matt Merrill, 13.893; 23. 7K-Kyle Pitts, 13.964; 24. 73-Joe Armbruster, 14.030; 25. 3J-Johnny Beaber, 14.845
Heat 1 – American Power Sports (8 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 35-Stuart Brubaker[2] ; 2. 55F-Taylor Ferns[1] ; 3. 22-Cole Duncan[4] ; 4. 45L-Brian Lay[3] ; 5. 40DD-Caleb Griffith[6] ; 6. 14H-Todd Heller[5] ; 7. 39M-Matt Merrill[8] ; 8. 40I-Mark Imler[7] ; 9. 3J-Johnny Beaber[9]
Heat 2 – Kistler Racing Products (8 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 9-Dean Jacobs[2] ; 2. 5T-Travis Philo[4] ; 3. 60-Jody Keegan[3] ; 4. 9X-Rob Chaney[5] ; 5. 5R-Byron Reed[6] ; 6. 7C-Caleb Armstrong[1] ; 7. 3T-Tony Beaber[7] ; 8. 7K-Kyle Pitts[8]
Heat 3 – Hoosier Racing Tires (8 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 83M-Broc Martin[1] ; 2. O9-Craig Mintz[3] ; 3. 16-Chris Andrews[6] ; 4. 2+-Brian Smith[4] ; 5. 68G-Tyler Gunn[7] ; 6. 73-Joe Armbruster[8] ; 7. 11F-DJ Foos[2] ; 8. 97-Bryan Sebetto[5]
Dash – Borer Glass & Mirror (6 Laps, finishing order determined first 6 starting positions of A-feature
1. 5T-Travis Philo[1] ; 2. 22-Cole Duncan[2] ; 3. 9X-Rob Chaney[3] ; 4. 5R-Byron Reed[5] ; 5. 40DD-Caleb Griffith[6] ; 6. 16-Chris Andrews[4]
B-Main – Computer Man Inc. (10 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 14H-Todd Heller[1] ; 2. 11F-DJ Foos[2] ; 3. 7C-Caleb Armstrong[3] ; 4. 39M-Matt Merrill[6] ; 5. 7K-Kyle Pitts[7] ; 6. 40I-Mark Imler[4] ; 7. 73-Joe Armbruster[8] ; 8. 3T-Tony Beaber[5] ; 9. 3J-Johnny Beaber[9]
A-Main – (30 Laps)
1. 22-Cole Duncan[2]; 2. 5R-Byron Reed[4]; 3. 16-Chris Andrews[6]; 4. 9X-Rob Chaney[3]; 5. 45L-Brian Lay[8]; 6. 2+-Brian Smith[7]; 7. 40DD-Caleb Griffith[5]; 8. 9-Dean Jacobs[13]; 9. O9-Craig Mintz[10]; 10. 83M-Broc Martin[17]; 11. 60-Jody Keegan[9]; 12. 7C-Caleb Armstrong[16]; 13. 14H-Todd Heller[11]; 14. 35-Stuart Brubaker[12]; 15. 68G-Tyler Gunn[18]; 16. 55F-Taylor Ferns[15]; 17. 7K-Kyle Pitts[20]; 18. 11F-DJ Foos[14]; 19. 39M-Matt Merrill[19]; 20. 5T-Travis Philo[1]
Hard Charger: 83M-Broc Martin[+7]
Fremont Federal Credit Union 305 Sprints (28 Cars)
[#]-Starting Position
Heat 1 – American Power Sports (8 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 25-Jason Keckler[1] ; 2. 36-Seth Schneider[4] ; 3. 18-Bobby Clark[8] ; 4. 10-Josh Harrison[5] ; 5. 39C-Scott Riley[2] ; 6. 5R-Jordan Ryan[6] ; 7. 11G-Luke Griffith[9] ; 8. 22M-Dan McCarron[3] ; 9. 32-Ryan French[7] ; 10. O6 -Jeremy Aumend[10]
Heat 2 – Kistler Racing Products (8 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 8I-John Ivy[1] ; 2. 6-Dustin Dinan[2] ; 3. 1-Nate Dussel[5] ; 4. 3J-Trey Jacobs[3] ; 5. 7A-Alvin Roepke[4] ; 6. 7M-Brandon Moore[8] ; 7. 2F-Matt Foos[7] ; 8. 1M-Mike Moore[6] ; 9. 1X-Dean Jacobs[9]
Heat 3 – Hoosier Racing Tires (8 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 68G-Tyler Gunn[2] ; 2. 1W-Paul Weaver[1] ; 3. 12-Kyle Capodice[3] ; 4. 8M-T.J Michael[4] ; 5. 19R-Steve Rando[6] ; 6. O2-Kevin Lee[5] ; 7. 2-Ricky Peterson[8] ; 8. O3-Jim Cushing[7] ; 9. 20i-Kelsey Ivy[9]
B-Main – Computer Man Inc. (10 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 5R-Jordan Ryan[1] ; 2. O2-Kevin Lee[3] ; 3. 11G-Luke Griffith[4] ; 4. 2-Ricky Peterson[6] ; 5. 7M-Brandon Moore[2] ; 6. 22M-Dan McCarron[7] ; 7. 32-Ryan French[10] ; 8. 20i-Kelsey Ivy[12] ; 9. O6 -Jeremy Aumend[13] ; 10. 2F-Matt Foos[5] ; 11. 1M-Mike Moore[8] ; 12. O3-Jim Cushing[9]
A-Main – (25 Laps)
1. 1-Nate Dussel[2]; 2. 68G-Tyler Gunn[3]; 3. 18-Bobby Clark[5]; 4. 6-Dustin Dinan[7]; 5. 8M-T.J Michael[6]; 6. 36-Seth Schneider[1]; 7. 12-Kyle Capodice[10]; 8. 11G-Luke Griffith[18]; 9. 3J-Trey Jacobs[9]; 10. 5R-Jordan Ryan[16]; 11. 19R-Steve Rando[15]; 12. 8I-John Ivy[11]; 13. 25-Jason Keckler[12]; 14. 7A-Alvin Roepke[14]; 15. 10-Josh Harrison[4]; 16. 2-Ricky Peterson[19]; 17. O2-Kevin Lee[17]; 18. 7M-Brandon Moore[20]; 19. 39C-Scott Riley[13]; 20. 1W-Paul Weaver[8]
Hard Charger: 11G-Luke Griffith[+10]
AAA Auto Club Dirt Trucks (25 Trucks)
[#]-Starting Position
Heat 1 – American Power Sports (8 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 7B-Shawn Valenti[6] ; 2. 99X-Gene Portidge[4] ; 3. 8KB-Kent Brewer[9] ; 4. O1-Art Ball[8] ; 5. 115-Ben Good[1] ; 6. 22-Brandon Leighton[3] ; 7. 7-Dana Frey[7] ; 8. 3-Andy Earnhart[5]
Heat 2 – Kistler Racing Products (8 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. OO-John Ivy[2] ; 2. 5JR-Jimmy McGrath Jr.[1] ; 3. 3X-Brad Keckler[3] ; 4. 2-Matt Foos[8] ; 5. 45M-Brian Melnek Jr.[7] ; 6. 4S-Keith Sorg[5] ; 7. 13-Cody Benyak[6] ; 8. 14-Steve Pocock[4]
Heat 3 – Hoosier Racing Tires (8 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 88-Dan Roepke Jr.[1] ; 2. 33-Jeff Ward[6] ; 3. 18W-Cory Ward[8] ; 4. 5-Jim McGrath[7] ; 5. D1-Dustin Keegan[2] ; 6. 9-Curt Inks[4] ; 7. 36M-Cory McCaughey[3] ; 8. 79-Andrew Lutman[5]
B-Main – Computer Man Inc. (10 Laps – Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 7-Dana Frey[4] ; 2. 36M-Cory McCaughey[6] ; 3. 9-Curt Inks[3] ; 4. 79-Andrew Lutman[9] ; 5. 13-Cody Benyak[5] ; 6. 3-Andy Earnhart[7] ; 7. 14-Steve Pocock[8] ; 8. 22-Brandon Leighton[1] ; 9. 4S-Keith Sorg[2]
A-Main – (20 Laps)
1. 7B-Shawn Valenti[2]; 2. 88-Dan Roepke Jr.[3]; 3. 8KB-Kent Brewer[6]; 4. 2-Matt Foos[1]; 5. 18W-Cory Ward[5]; 6. 5-Jim McGrath[4]; 7. 7-Dana Frey[16]; 8. 36M-Cory McCaughey[17]; 9. 99X-Gene Portidge[11]; 10. 9-Curt Inks[18]; 11. D1-Dustin Keegan[15]; 12. 13-Cody Benyak[20]; 13. 79-Andrew Lutman[19]; 14. O1-Art Ball[7]; 15. 33-Jeff Ward[10]; 16. OO-John Ivy[9]; 17. 3X-Brad Keckler[8]; 18. 5JR-Jimmy McGrath Jr.[12]; 19. 45M-Brian Melnek Jr.[14]; 20. 115-Ben Good[13]
Hard Charger: 7-Dana Frey[+9]
©2014 – Results Provided by: Computer Man Inc. Fremont, OH