Fan Notes from Attica All Stars

Attica Raceway Park (Tom Myers ) Attica, Ohio, 5/25/18 – The All Star Circuit of Champions showed up on Friday May 25th to start their Memorial Day weekend Triple Header……Attica on Friday, Wayne County Saturday and Waynesfield Sunday. Because of all the racing on consecutive evenings, the All Stars attracted a superior field of cars. I mean, the field was stacked. You couldn’t hope for a better group of sprint cars and boy, did they ever put on a great show!

We arrived at 6:45, and time trials were underway. The weather was warm and sunny, with hardly a breeze and no threat of rain. It was just wonderful, 80 degree weather. Dust was rising from the track as the cars wings were visible flying around the turns. Clods of dirt soared high into the air and the sound of racing engines echoed around the fairgrounds.

As pops and I walked to the track from the parking lot, I was soaking it all in and feeling thankful. I love Memorial Day weekend. There are parades and the high school band always plays Sousa marches. I love marches. I remember playing in the band on Memorial Day. One year, when I was a kid, I was privileged to play taps during the Memorial Day service on the circle…..at the center of our town….Sharon Center, Ohio. It’s humbling when they read the names of all the young men and women…true American heroes, who died in battle, to preserve the Republic and protect our way of life and to protect their families and countrymen. Some of the names of folks buried at the local cemetery died in the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, the Civil War, WW1, WW2, Korean War, Desert Storm, etc.. We have lost our best and bravest and on this weekend and every day we say, Thank you veterans and thank you to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their families and fellow countrymen.

Cory Eliason Memorial Day weekend also means family time, grilling out and having fun. Fun for me includes auto racing and Memorial Day weekend is awesome because of the Indianapolis 500. I wait for it and watch it on TV every year. Some year I hope to go to the 500. It’s on my bucket list. This weekend is also great because of local dirt track racing and the All Star Sprints who sanction races and attract some of the best racers from around the country. What more can you ask for?

In addition to the All Stars, who, by the way, have a very strong group of cars this year, we had in attendance Rico Abreu, Cory Eliason, Brady Bacon, Geo Scelzi, Dominic Scelzi driving Max McGee’s 11 car, Joey Saldana, Lee Jacobs and Tim Shaffer, as well as some of the local FAST guys who are always very tough here. There were 43 cars in the pits and they put on a great show.

When we arrived and got seated during time trials, the track was already dusty and slick at the top, especially at the exit of turn 2. Cars would almost get sideways exiting turn 2 as there was no traction left and there was no cushion there either. Some racers slid off the turn and had to keep a foot in it as they found themselves on the backside of the backstretch. Conversely, there was a rather tall cushion in 3 and 4 and at the entrance to turn 1 that the drivers were leaning on.

They qualified 43 cars in 25 minutes and Jac Haudenschild had quick time. Chad Kemenah had to change a motor after time trials and was starting near the back of his heat. Brian Lay also had motor issues as well and didn’t recover all evening. The track crew watered the surface after time trials and that made the track tacky from top to bottom for the heats.

Gio Scelzi The heats were very racy after the track work. The top 4 cars would go to the A main. In the first heat, Craig Mintz wins it followed by Dave Blaney, Cap Henry, and Byron Reed. Chris Andrews and Reed traded slide jobs and raced back and forth before Reed finally grabbed the last transfer spot. In heat 2, Jac went backwards. Stuart Brubaker wins it followed by Cale Thomas, D.J. Foos and Chad Kemenah, who made some aggressive moves at the start to come from the back and secure a transfer spot. Heat 3 got us Joey Saldana at the front followed by Aaron Reutzel, who put on a show by wildly flying around the top, busting the cushion and racing on the edge of disaster. Gio Scelzi was third followed by Caleb Helms who held onto the last transfer. In heat 4, there was a nice back and forth battle between Travis Philo and Brady Bacon. Bacon, like Reutzel, was aggressively ramming the cushion and flying around the top. On the second to last lap Bacon finally got by Philo. Tim Shaffer finished 3rd followed by Dominic Scelzi. Heat 5 was really wild as Carson Macedo spins it after a wheelie in turn 2 and has to restart at the back. At the restart, Paul McMahon and Rico Abreu started trading sliders for the lead. There was a yellow on lap 5 and then the fireworks started. On the restart Tyler Esh spins forcing another restart. Now Macedo was up to 5th from last. Carson, like Bacon and Ruetzel, was wildly leaning on the cushion and never lifting around the top in a furious attempt to transfer. As the heat goes green again, Macedo races past Spithaler who then passes him back on the next circuit. McMahon and Abreu continue their battle up front as Abreu busts the cushion too. Macedo passes Spithaler back as Abreu jumps the cushion in turn 3 and spins out on the final lap! The finish would be McMahon, Macedo, Spithaler and Esh.

In the first dash, Saldana wins it followed by Macedo, Mintz, Ruetzel, Helms and Brubaker. Ruetzel fed Brubaker a right rear on the first lap and he had to retire from the dash with a broken front end. The 2nd dash start was eventful as McMahon screamed past 2 cars into the lead riding low out of turn two. Philo, following hard behind, taps McMahon in turn 3 and they both spin out…..causing a restart. Cale Thomas rides to the win followed by Bacon, Dave Blaney, Byron Reed, McMahon and Philo.

The B main finish was Jac Haudenschild, Parker Price Miller, Lee Jacobs and Cory Eliason. Price Miller, like Abreu, was a victim of the cushion in his heat, relegating him to the B main. Abreu started 13th in the B and missed the transfer to the 40 lap A.

By feature time, the track was dry and dusty with a tall cushion. Saldana and Cale Thomas started at the front. Saldana grabbed the lead and raced out to a half-straight advantage with Thomas in tow. It stayed like that at the front for most of the race as other behind staged a torrid battle for position.

Cale Thomas won Friday at Attica with the All Stars Some were up against the cushion and that seemed fastest for the first ten laps until it started to go away. On lap 4, Blaney spins and Kemenah is in the infield with a broken racer. The running order was Saldana, Thomas, Macedo, Bacon, Mintz and Reutzel. When the racing resumed Saldana drove off again. Macedo and Bacon waged a mighty battle behind Thomas with Ruetzel nosing in there too. Macedo couldn’t quite get to Thomas. He had his hands full battling Bacon all evening, as they both traded 3rd and 4th …. lap after lap. Esh spins in turn 4 on lap 7. On lap 11 D.J. Foos curves into the infield in turn 1 with a broken front wheel. The running order now is Saldana, Thomas, Bacon, Macedo, McMahon and Mintz. Bacon and Macedo resume their battle when the green drops as Saldana and Thomas creep away. On lap 23, Helms and Blaney come together on the front stretch and Blaney goes end over end hard a few times. He was okay but exited his car slowly. The running order is still Saldana, Thomas and Bacon and Macedo.

The race goes green until lap 28 when 4th running Macedo tangles with Bacon and Bacon spins out into the infield, ending his race. Macedo keeps going and now sits in 3rd for the restart. Don’t look now, but Lee Jacobs, who started 23rd, is up to 7th. On the lap 28 restart, Thomas gets a good run on Saldana and squeezes the nose of his car between Saldana and the turn 1 infield tire. It was just enough, combined with a small nudge, to allow Thomas to get under Saldana and speed into the lead! After that it was a race for position behind the top two as Lee Jacobs uses the last laps to streak past Ruetzel, McMahon, Geo Scelzi and Macedo to finish 3rd!

Cale Thomas wins his first All Star race and it was a masterful drive. Nice Cale! Joey Saldana was very gracious and complimentary of Thomas in victory lane. Very classy Joey. After Jacobs in 3rd the finish was Macedo, Geo Scelzi up from 15th, McMahon, Ruetzel, Mintz, Brubaker and Cap Henry.

That was a great show, the drivers drove hard and the racing was great. Thank you Attica and Thank you All Star Sprints! Now onto Wayne County tomorrow.