From Tyler Altmeyer
INDIANAPOLIS (August 31. 2016) — The Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions will celebrate the upcoming holiday weekend in a big way; competing in two areas of the Buckeye State for a pair of $10,000 top prizes. “America’s Series” will visit familiar territory during their holiday tour of Ohio, entering action at Attica Raceway Park in Attica, Ohio, and the Wayne County Speedway in Orrville, Ohio. The weekend will ignite officially on Saturday, September 3, with the inaugural Dirt Classic Ohio in Attica, Ohio.
The inaugural Dirt Classic Ohio, the fourth and final Arctic Cat All Star appearance at Attica Raceway Park in 2016, will not only award $10,000, but also the coveted golden ticket; an automatic A-main pass for the $20,000-to-win/$1,000-to-start Dirt Classic finale at Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, September 24.
The Dirt Classic Ohio will feature a complete, full points, Arctic Cat All Star program; an important step in the 2016 Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions title chase. Dale Blaney, the defending Arctic Cat All Star champion and major favorite during any program at the Attica highbanks, has won two out of three All Star events at Attica Raceway Park in 2016, finishing seventh during his most recent appearance during Ohio Sprint Speedweek presented by Cometic Gasket. Recent NASCAR Cup winner Kyle Larson won the Attica speedweek program, his first of two Ohio Sprint Speedweek victories.
Wayne County Speedway will host the second $10,000-to-win program for the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions during Labor Day weekend. “Orrville’s Historic Oval” will celebrate the life of Pete Jacobs on Sunday night, September 4; the original founder of Wayne County Speedway who passed in 1970. Just like Attica Raceway Park, Sunday’s program will be the fourth and final Arctic Cat All Star appearance of 2016. California native Rico Abreu was victorious during the last two Arctic Cat All Star visits to Wayne County Speedway, with local, Wooster native Jac Haudenschild scoring the first.
With only seven events remaining on the 2016 Arctic Cat All Star schedule, the race to the championship has officially hit the homestretch. The top three competitors in the title chase, all of which Ohio natives, are separated by a mere 66 markers, with former champion Chad Kemenah holding down the top spot over Dale Blaney and Sheldon Haudenschild.
With one victory on the tour thus far in 2016, it is Kemenah’s ability to maintain consistency that has kept the former series champion at the top of the heap. The Alvada, Ohio, native owns 21 top-five finishes on the season, the most of any full-time competitor in 2016.
Seven-time main event winner Dale Blaney trails Chad Kemenah by eight points entering the pair of $10,000 programs. Blaney, the defending series champion and 2016 point leader during certain segments of the season, has scored 28 top-ten finishes out of 36 feature starts in 2016, 19 of which inside the top-five.
Wooster, Ohio’s Sheldon Haudenschild will enter Labor Day weekend just 66 points out of the championship lead. The second generation racer found victory lane six times thus far in 2016 with the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions; ranked second in the win column just behind Dale Blaney. Haudenschild is also the most recent winner during Arctic Cat All Star competition, scoring $5,000 at Millstream Speedway in Findlay, Ohio, on Sunday, August 28.
Cap Henry and Danny Holtgraver currently sit fourth and fifth in the championship standings, respectively. They own a combined total of 34 top-ten finishes on the tour in 2016, as well as three victories – all accomplished by Holtgraver. Henry will enter Labor Day weekend fourth in the championship race trailing Kemenah by 288 markers, followed by Holtgraver who trails the top spot by 306 markers.
Attica Raceway Park will open pit gates for the Dirt Classic Ohio at 3:00 pm on Saturday afternoon, September 3. A mandatory drivers meeting will be conducted at 5, followed by hot laps at 5:40. Those seeking additional information should visit Attica Raceway Park live on the Web at www.atticaracewaypark.com, or visit Dirt Classic live on the Web at www.dirtclassic.com.
Wayne County Speedway will open pit gates for the Pete Jacobs Memorial at 3:00 pm on Sunday afternoon, September 4. A mandatory driver meeting will be conducted at 5:30 pm, followed by hot laps at 6:10. Those seeking additional information should visit Wayne County Speedway live on the Web at www.waynecountyspeedway.com.
Current Arctic Cat All Star Standings: (8/31/2016)
1. Chad Kemenah: 4334
2. Dale Blaney: 4326
3. Sheldon Haudenschild: 4268
4. Cap Henry: 4046
5. Danny Holtgraver: 4028
6. Kraig Kinser: 3984
7. T.J. Michael: 3854
8. Caleb Helms: 3712
9. Andrew Palker: 3494
10. Lee Jacobs: 3432