Fan Notes from Wayne County Speedway All Stars

Mitch Harble (Tom Myers)  9/4/2016 - We have had this race on our calendar since it was first announced.......a $10,000 to win race for the All Star Sprints at Orrville's Wayne County Speedway for the Pete Jacobs Memorial. It's a big race, probably the biggest race at this track in a long time. 31 sprinters were on hand to battle for the All Star money....and All Star points for the top 3 guys, Dale Blaney, Chad Kemenah and Sheldon Haudenschild.  It was a beautiful day and a big crowd was on hand...hours before warm ups were to start.    

When I arrived at 4:00, the parking lot was already quite full. There were signs across the street from the track advertising overflow parking...in front yards and on the side of the road. The weekend had already given us wonderful weather Friday and Saturday. This day was no different. You couldn't ask for anything better. There were campers everywhere, motor homes, and the smell of barbecue grills going. When I parked, I noticed a German Shepherd pup inside a big motor home...and it was standing on the dashboard by the front windshield. Of course it was licking the window and excited because of the two people that were standing outside the motor home.  Just then, the side door opened and a woman stepped out and following her out and down the steps was a HUGE, HUGE dog, almost 4 foot tall from the top of it's back to the ground. I couldn't begin to tell you what brand that dog was. And I just started laughing. The folks were having fun and that's so cool. What a fun weekend...and yes, there's a race!

Danny Mumaw The track was in good shape and started out pretty smooth. It had good moisture in it all night too. In addition to the regular All Star drivers, Danny Mumaw, this year's Wayne County track champion, was on hand with his new Maxim chassis car. Brad Haudenschild, who was last year's track champion, was making a comeback following an unknown illness, and would be driving this evening for the first time in months. Brad is very fast here and gives the All Stars a good run every time they come to town. It was good to see Brad out there again. He's a good one. Others on hand were Brandon Spithaler, Brandon Hanks from Tennesee, Gary Taylor, again in the 97 car, Cole Duncan in his own family 22 tonight, youngster Clay Riney and Josh Davis, who normally competes at Atomic and other tracks south of here.

Brandon Spithaler Shedlon Haudenschild timed fastest with Dale Blaney second quick. Chad kemenah timed third quick. Someone was flying a drone during time trial. The little craft would speed back and forth in the infield between the two turns, hovering about 20 feet in the air.  I bet someone captured some cool footage. 

Heat 1 finished with Caleb Armstrong in front, followed by Kemenah, Taylor, Paulker, Mumaw, and Kinser. The top 6 were going to the A Main.  In Heat 2 it was Brad Haudenschild pulling away for the win, much to the crowd's delight. Duncan, Blaney, Marks, Shaffer and Dolick finished in that order behind Brad.  Caleb Helms pulled off with a broken drive line after the first lap. He would not make it back out the rest of the evening. In Heat 3, Cap Henry got out front, and he finished first with Sheldon Haudenschild closing in, TJ Michaels, Dean Jacobs, Lee Jacobs, and Clay Riney following. More mechanical gremlins hit the All Star regulars as Danny Holtgraver and Kory Crabtree pulled off.  Holtgraver broke a drive line but would return later. Crabtree would return for the B main but would pull off half way through that race.

Cole Duncan The track was still in good shape for the Dash and the B main.   Cap Henry would win the dash with Dale Blaney getting second. Sheldon Haudenschild finished 3rd, followed by Duncan, Lee Jacobs, Kemenah, Armstrong and Taylor.   In the B main, the top 6 would make it into the feature. The finish was DJ Foos, Hanks, Mitch Harble, Spithaler, Howard and Nuckles. Holtgraver didn't make it out for the B main but he did take a provisional and started the feature in the 25th spot.  

The 35 lap A main got underway and on the first lap, 3rd starting Haudenschild swept around the high side of Dale Blaney in turn two and then proceeded to throw a slide job at Cap Henry at the other end of the track entering turn 3.  When Sheldon exited turn 4 with the lead on the opening lap, it was all over. He just pulled away as the race went non stop for 35 laps. Sheldon used the extreme high line up against the cushion and the fence in both turns. The fastest way around here, when there is a cushion, is up against the fence and aggressive....like Larson and Abreu drive it. Sometimes on the exit of turn 2, Sheldon would put his RR up on the guardrail and ride it off of there. Sheldon was also able to navigate the middle and bottom of the turns as he moved through traffic, his car handling well no matter where he put it.  As the laps wound down and the dust started swirling around, the real race was going on for 2nd, 3rd, 4th as Blaney and Kemenah went at it and then Duncan came back up after falling back. Cole was driving it aggressive as well and this started to pay off as he moved past Kemenah and then Blaney with a few laps left to take the 2nd spot at the checkers.  Kemenah would finish 4th with Henry 5th and Marks finishing 6th.  Whew! Sheldon has 3 in a row and the points race is really tight. Blaney leads Kemenah by 8 and Sheldon is just 46 back now.

The All Stars are on to Port Royal for a regular race this Friday and the Tuscarora 50 on Saturday.