ERIE, MI (May 27, 2017) – On a night when rain was a persistent threat, Ryan Ruhl drove to the win in the Engine Pro Sprints on Dirt presented by ARP Jim Coffey & Son Plumbing & Heating Dirty 30 portion of the NUVU Fuels Dual On Dirt. Ruhl mastered the 26 car field by being the fastest overall qualifier, dominating the Engler heat, and taking home the SOD Big Money check of $2,000 for winning the feature.
Although rain wiped out other western Michigan race events, it didn’t stop a near-capacity crowd from the rare opportunity to see two headline classes, the Engine Pro Sprints on Dirt presented by ARP and the American Ethanol Late Model Tour in one event. The show was a real crowd pleaser as light rain fell for hours during the program, but never enough to stop the action.
Ruhl, in his familiar blue #16, showed his strength early, being the Lane Automotive/MSD Ignition Fast Master in the Engler Machine & Tool Heat group. He then drove from his 4th place heat race starting position to an easy win. Not to be outdone, Chad Blonde showed his strength by taking the COMP Cams heat. Steve Irwin took the RockAuto.com heat from 3rd.
Eric Smith suffered mechanical woes early in the program as did Brad Lamberson and Thomas Schinderle keeping them out of competition.
Jay Steinebach overcame heat problems to take the B-Main from his 6th place starting position.
Gregg Dalman took the early lead in the feature over pole sitter Chris Jones. By lap 6, Chad Blonde was on the move taking 2nd and setting sail after Dalman. Blonde took the lead on lap 12 and looked like the car to beat. Dain Naida spun off of turn four on lap 15 just after moving into the top 5 from 10th. At half way it was Blonde, Dalman, Ruhl, Boston Mead, and Joe Swanson. Two laps later, Chris Jones race ending when he flipped off the back straight. A lap later, Ruhl, who started 9th, snatched the lead from Blonde. Brett Mann spun in turn 4 on the next lap and rookie Andrew Scheid was collected by Mann and flipped hard, ending a frustrating night for him. After refueling during the red for Scheid, Steve Irwin, who was in 4th, dropped out with engine problems. Back under green, Ruhl charged to win with Blonde staying within striking distance, but not able to mount a serious challenge.
Qualifying – Lane Automotive/MSD Ignition Fast Masters (fast qualifiers) $50 each
| Group | Time | # | Driver |
| Engler Machine & Tool Heat | 14.045 | 16 | Ryan Ruhl |
| COMP Cams Heat | 14.387 | 5b | Chad Blonde |
| RockAuto.com Heat | 14.234 | 7J | Joe Swanson |
Heat Races – Winners $100 each
| Engler Machine & Tool Heat #1 | |||
| # | Driver | Contingency | |
| 1 | 16 | Ryan Ruhl | |
| 2 | 71H | Ryan Grubaugh | Kistler Racing Products |
| 3 | 49t | Gregg Dalman | Racing Optics |
| 4 | 17X | Dain Naida | |
| 5 | 19 | Brett Mann | |
| 6 | 27X | Jared Lamberson | |
| 7 | 91L | Lexi Adgate | |
| 8 | 6 | Tyler Bearden | |
| 9 | 24 | Eric Smith (DNS) | |
| COMP Cams Heat #2 | |||
| # | Driver | Contingency | |
| 1 | 5b | Chad Blonde | |
| 2 | 11 | Trey Smith | |
| 3 | 10j | Chris Jones | Allstar Performance |
| 4 | 18 | DJ Lamance | Racing Optics |
| 5 | 1a | Mark Aldrich | |
| 6 | 20A | Andy Chehowski | |
| 7 | 58 | Tony Bures | |
| 8 | 17 | Dustin Carl | |
| 9 | 27 | Brad Lamberson (DNS) | |
| RockAuto.com Heat #3 | |||
| # | Driver | Contingency | |
| 1 | 0 | Steve Irwin | |
| 2 | 27B | Boston Mead | Kistler Racing Products |
| 3 | 7J | Joe Swanson | Racing Optics |
| 4 | 46 | Robert Huisken | |
| 5 | 8 | Justin Ward | |
| 6 | 77 | Andrew Scheid | |
| 7 | 10S | Jay Steinebach | |
| 8 | 41 | Thomas Schinderle (DNS) | |
B-Main
| # | Driver | |
| 1 | 10S | Jay Steinebach |
| 2 | 20A | Andy Chehowski |
| 3 | 91L | Lexi Adgate |
| 4 | 77 | Andrew Scheid |
| 5 | 17 | Dustin Carl |
| 6 | 58 | Tony Bures |
| 7 | 27X | Jared Lamberson |
| 8 | 6 | Tyler Bearden |
Feature
| # | Driver | Awards | Contingencies | |
| 1 | 16 | Ryan Ruhl | Rod End Supply | |
| 2 | 5b | Chad Blonde | Rod End Supply | |
| 3 | 49t | Gregg Dalman | Rod End Supply | |
| 4 | 27B | Boston Mead | Schoenfeld Headers | |
| 5 | 7J | Joe Swanson | ATL Racing Fuel Cells | |
| 6 | 17X | Dain Naida | ||
| 7 | 71H | Ryan Grubaugh | Allstar Performance | |
| 8 | 19 | Brett Mann | ||
| 9 | 10S | Jay Steinebach | King Racing Products | |
| 10 | 1a | Mark Aldrich | ||
| 11 | 18 | DJ Lamance | Keizer Aluminum Wheels | |
| 12 | 20A | Andy Chehowski | ||
| 13 | 46 | Robert Huisken | ||
| 14 | 17 | Dustin Carl | ||
| 15 | 91L | Lexi Adgate | ||
| 16 | 0 | Steve Irwin | ||
| 17 | 8 | Justin Ward | ||
| 18 | 11 | Trey Smith | ||
| 19 | 77 | Andrew Scheid | ||
| 20 | 10j | Chris Jones |
KSE Racing Products Hard Charger – Ryan Ruhl (8)
BR Motorsports Contingency (feature top 10 draw) – Jay Steinebach
DMI (Diversified Machine) Contingency (feature 12-16 draw) – Andy Chehowski
Perfit Corporation Lucky Dog – Steve Irwin
For more information about Engine Pro go to www.enginepro.com. For more information about ARP, go to www.arp-bolts.com. The full 2017 Sprints on Dirt schedule, rules, current news, and other information are available at www.sprintsondirt.com.
Engine Pro Sprints On Dirt presented by ARP is brought to you in 2017 by many important sponsor partners including: Engine Pro (Title Sponsor), ARP (Title Sponsor), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official SOD Tire), MAHLE/Clevite (Beyond Limits Challenge Sponsor), Driven Racing Oil (Battlegrounds Bash Sponsor), King Engine Bearings (King of Michigan Sponsor), Lane Automotive/MSD Ignition (Fast Masters Sponsor), Engler Machine & Tool (Heat Race Sponsor), COMP Cams (Heat Race Sponsor), RockAuto.com (Heat Race Sponsor), The Perfit Corporation (Lucky Dog Sponsor), KSE Racing Products, and XYZ Machining. In addition, SOD contingency sponsors include: Allstar Performance, ATL Racing Fuel Cells, BR Motorsports, Diversified Machine Inc. (DMI), K2W Precision/Keizer Aluminum Wheels, King Racing Products, Kistler Racing Products, Maxim Racing, Motor City Racing Promotions, Racing Optics, Rod End Supply, Schoenfeld Headers, Simpson Racing Products, Walker Performance Filtration.