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Mike Lutz leads 30 laps to win Sprint Feature
at Lou Blaney Memorial, Jim Rasey wins third night of the 2010
BRP/Hoosier Tire Modified Tour
HARTFORD, Ohio (July 7, 2010) – Local drivers and rookies came together for a jam-packed night of racing to honor dirt track racing's best. It was the Lou Blaney Memorial at Sharon Speedway and featured a $3,500-to-win Sprint A-Main event, part of the DirtCar Challenge Sprint Series, a collaboration of several area dirt tracks hosting a 10-race series. It was also the third night of the 2010 BRP/Hoosier Tire Modified Tour, a $2,000-to-win feature with bonus lap money. NASCAR driver Dave Blaney, one of the track's owners, says he and his brother, Dale, along with Kahne and Stewart, were there to have fun but they were going to try to win. “I'm actually looking to run sprints a little more,” Blaney said in a pre-race press conference. Blaney said he was humbled at the turnout for the Lou Blaney Memorial. “It's nice to see everyone again...it's been fun to get together for the past few years and hopefully we can keep doing this,” he said. Rod George set out quickly to lead the B-Main Sprint event, but Dave Blaney split Aaron Shaffer and Jack Sodeman Jr. to take second. On lap number four, Blaney was able ot pass, leaving George to battle with Sodeman. Sodeman passed with two-to-go to take second. Williams dove in on the last lap to finish third, one spot ahead of George, rounding out the four who'd advance to the A-Main. The 24-car, 30-lap Sprint feature at Sharon Speedway saw Mike Lutz (Mercer, Pa.) in his white Centerline Boring Inc. machine jump out to a commanding lead on the first lap. Brian Ellenberger (Butler, Pa.) fell to second, with Sheldon Haudenschild (Wooster, Ohio) dicing in on him. By lap five, Haudenschild was knocking on Lutz's door. It didn't take long for the leaders to get into lap traffic, running quick laps before a seventh lap caution. Dale Blaney was running fourth before that caution and Tony Stewart had moved up from starting 19th to tenth. On the restart, Haudenschild did an about-face in turn two, bringing out the caution and sending him to the back of the field. That pulled Ellenberger back into second, Blaney into third and put Tim Shaffer fourth and put Ed Lynch Jr. (Apollo, Pa.) in the top five for the first time in the feature. A fast restart saw Lynch jump up one spot before Haudenschild went end-over-end in turn three and bringing out a red flag. Fans were still holding their breaths from a fast-paced restart that saw Dale Blaney when Eric Williams (Greenville, Pa.) went flying through turn three on the ninth lap, ending upside down and bringing out another red flag. Lutz stayed out front with a commanding lead, with Ellenberger in second ahead of Shaffer as Blaney looked wide for a chance to take the position. Laps 12, 13 and 14 were exciting for Sharon Speedway fans with Stewart, Lynch and Bob Felmlee (Franklin, Pa.) in the World of Wheels Spring cars running wheel- to-wheel. Dave Blaney pulled to the infield on the 17th lap, ending his night early. Lap number 25 saw brother Dale Blaney also come to the inside. With two to go, the field was quickly changing, with Shaffer getting within striking distance before Lutz set sail. Felmlee was rubbing the wall, losing valuable real estate and putting Stewart in the top five. Lutz led all 30 laps to win the A-Main event, with Shaffer coming in second, Ellenberger finishing third, Lynch fourth and Stewart rounded out the top five. Stewart and Kahne did an interview in the Bob and Chuck Eddy pace truck with Mike Ackelson from WFMJ-21 during the intermission. Stewart, the winner of the first Lou Blaney Memorial, said it was “pretty cool” to have had raced against Lou Blaney in the past. “Of course, we didn't know then that we'd lose him so soon,” Stewart said. Stewart described Wednesday's race as a chance to get away, noting he ran two weeks ago in North Dakota. He said he and Kahne both own World of Outlaw Sprint cars. Kahne said that he tries to run dirt track races as often as he can. “It's nice to be back because last year we had a lot of fun, good race, good crowd,” Kahne said. Don Gamble, a longtime racing insider, spoke of Lou Blaney's memory during an intermission presentation. “We lost Lou last January at age 69. He started out working on the Blaney farm and in their lumber mill. When he got into high school he became a basketball star and scored 1200 points when he played for Hartford High,” Gamble said. “He started racing in 1958, but if we go back a little bit, his father George Blaney had a few cars in the early 50s.” Gamble noted that Lou Blaney began racing in a coupe his father owned. “He was loved by so many of the fans,” Gamble said. A representative of the Fraternal Order of Eagles, Scott Oliver, presented Kate Blaney with money raised by several chapters in the name of Lou Blaney. The check was for $1,000 in the memory of Lou Blaney. Tony Stewart presented a family photo from last year's Lou Blaney Memorial to Dave Blaney to say thanks from the NASCAR drivers for getting to race at Sharon Speedway. Emma Blaney, Dave Blaney's daughter, presented the elder Blaneys with scrapbooks made with contributed photographs and memories from family, friends and fans. Sprint heat winners were Mike Lutz, Dale Blaney, Brian Ellenberger and Kasey Kahne. The first Big Block Modified B-Main saw rubbing and scrubbing among Kevin Fink, Jeff Miller, Gary Smoker and Dean Pearson, with the top two drivers advancing to the A-Main. Fink and Miller held off the challenges to advance. The second consi put Mike Turner (Butler, Pa.) out front, a few carlengths ahead of J.R. McGinley. Behind them, there was hot racing between Kevin Hoffman and Chris Haines, but it was in vain.: eight laps weren't enough for Haines or Hoffman to get into the A-Main. Jim Rasey (Southington, Ohio) jumped out to a lead after starting the A-Main as the pole sitter, but Mike Turner (Butler, Pa.) flipped through the backstretch and brought out a complete restart. As Jim Weller Jr. (Hubbard, Ohio) and Rasey set the pace, the rest of the field shuffled through turn three with some trading paint. Weller made a move on Rasey to take first, but Rob Kristyak (Bristolville, Ohio) was looking inside and outside for his opportunity. Rod Jones (West Middlesex, Pa.) held onto a secure fourth as Kevin Bolland (New Brighton, Pa.) dodged and darted through the pack to move into fifth by the seventh lap. Jeremiah Shingledecker found an outside groove to run during laps seven and eight and started gaining momentum. The 10th lap $100 bonus went to Rasey, holding off Weller. Shingledecker moved into third, as Kristyak and Dave Murdick were rubbing doors around the 3/8-mile dirt oval at Sharon Speedway. A 20th lap caution in turn three changed the game. It claimed Shingledecker and Weller. The restart saw Rasey stay on the lead, with Murdick, Kristyak, Bolland, Rex King Sr. behind for a single-file restart. It was the chance Bolland had needed, grinding on Kristyak's door, making a move on the front straight to take third and forcing Kristyak to fall to fifth. Just a few laps remained when Shingledecker passed Rex King Sr. Rasey took the checkered, followed by Murdick in second, Bolland in third, Shingledecker in fourth and Rex King Sr. rounded out the top five. It was the first feature win of 2010 for Rasey. “I tell you what, this was the most important race I wanted to win all year long. This was for Lou. Had to win this one,” Rasey said. “I probably followed Lou a thousand laps here.” BRP Modified heat winners were Rob Kristyak, Jim Weller Jr., Kevin Bolland and Dave Murdick. Lou Blaney Memorial (July 7) results: 410 Sprints A-Main: 1.) Mike Lutz 2.) Tim Shaffer 3.) Brian Ellenberger 4.) Ed Lynch Jr. 5.) Tony Stewart 7.) Kasey Kahne 8.) Bob Felmlee 9.) Matt Reed 10.) Davey Sammons 11.) Pete Miller 12.) Paul Kish 13.) Brent Matus DNF: Dale Blaney, Rod George, Dave Blaney, Cole Duncan, Sheldon Haudenschild, Jack Sodeman Jr. 410 Sprints B-Main: 1.) Dave Blaney 2.) Jack Sodeman Jr. 3.) Eric Williams 4.) Rod George 5.) Aaron Shaffer 6.) Nathan Stein 7.) Lindsay Enscoe 8.) Gale Ruth Sr. DNF: Jack Whitmore, Gale Ruth Jr., Andy Paden, Tim Kaeding 410 Sprints Heat 1: 1.) Mike Lutz 2.) Tim Shaffer 3.) Brandon Wimmer 4.) Jody Keegan 5.) Pete Miller 6.) Ruth Gale Jr. 7.) Eric Williams DNF: Andy Paden 410 Sprints Heat 2: 1.) Dale Blaney 2.) Cole Duncan 3.) Paul Kish 4.) Matt Reed 5.) Brent Matus DNF: Rod George, Nate Stein, Jack Sodeman Jr. 410 Sprints Heat 3: 1.) Brian Ellenberger 2.) Sheldon Haudenshild 3.) Ed Lynch Jr. 4.) Davey Sammons 5.) Tony Stewart 6.) Jack Whitmore DNF: Dave Blaney, Tim Kaeding 410 Sprints Heat 4: 1.) Kasey Kahne 2.) Bob Felmlee 3.) Danny Holtgraver 4.) Brandon Matus 5.) Bill Jones 6.) Aaron Shaffer 7.) Lindsay Enscoe DNF: Gale Ruth Sr. BRP Modifieds A-Main: 1.) Jim Rasey 2.) Dave Murdick 3.) Kevin Bolland 4.) Jeremiah Shingledecker 5.) Rex King Sr. 6.) Paul Hebeck 7.) Rob Kristyak 8.) Mark Frankhouser 9.) J.R. McGinley DNF: Rod Jones, Brad Rapp, Jeremy Paup, Steve Barr, Jim Weller Jr., Jeff Miller, Skip Moore, Steve Feder, Ryan Hall, Dean Pearson, Kevin Hoffman, Rex King Jr., Tommy Kristyak, Gary Smoker, Charlie Donk, Kyle Fink, Mike Turner BRP Modifieds B-Main 1: 1.) Kevin Fink 2.) Jeff Miller 3.) Gary Smoker 4.) Eric Gabany 5.) Dean Pearon 6.) Carl Murdick 7.) Ron Eperthener 8.) Don Brown BRP Modifieds B-Main 2: 1.) Mike Turner 2.) J.R. McGinley 3.) Kevin Hoffman 4.) Chris Haines 5.) Shawn Fleeger DNF: Rodney Beltz BRP Modifieds Heat 1: 1.) Rob Kristyak 2.) Brad Rapp 3.) Rod Jones 4.) Tommy Kristyak 5.) Del Rougeux 6.) Carl Murdick 7.) Don Brown 8.) Eric Gabany BRP Modifieds Heat 2: 1.) Jim Weller Jr. 2.) Steve Feder 3.) Jeremiah Shingledecker 4.) Rick Hall 5.) Russ King 6.) Kyle Fink 7.) Gary Smoker 8.) Dean Pearson BRP Modifieds Heat 3: 1.) Kevin Bolland 2.) Roger Habeck 3.) Jim Rasey 4.) Jeremy Paup 5.) Mark Frankhouser 6.) Shawn Fleeger 7.) Kevin Hoffman DNF: Kevin Green, BRP Modifieds Heat 4: 1.) Dave Murdick 2.) Charlie Donk 3.) Skip Moore 4.) Steve Barr 5.) Rex “ Cooter” King 6.) Mike Turner 7.) J.R. McGinley 8.) Chris Haines The Lou Blaney Memorial also featured an exhibition by the Vintage American Race Cars. The following drivers took their vintage horsepower to Sharon Speedway's 3/8-mile oval: Chuck Dillon (TQ Midget), Cliff LaJouness (1968 Edmunds Copy Sprint Chevy 283), John Lawhorn (Sprint), Jim McDermott and Terry Wells (Vega Modified), George Oliver (1937 East Coast Modified), Don Tarr (Sprint), Jim Reese (Sprint), Larry Reed (Sprint), Keith Sawyer (Midget), OJ Tucker (Stock), Jack Lemmo (Corvette Stock Car) and Tony Gullatta (6 cyl. Chevy Pinto Body). The Lou Blaney Memorial, featuring Sharon Speedway announcer Jim Pollock, will be broadcast on www.thedirttrackchannel.com. The Modified portion of the broadcast will be live for public listening Thursday, July 8 and the Sprint portion will be uploaded and available on Friday. It'll be available for listening for one year. Another exciting night of racing comes July 9 for Friday Night Thunder, featuring Mod Lites, Sportsman, Micro Sprints, 2 bbl E-Mods and Hobby Stocks. Tickets for Friday Night Thunder are $10 and fans who bring tickets from Friday Night Thunder on July 9 will receive $3 off general admission tickets during Saturday 6 PAK on July 10. 6 PAK Saturday will be another points battle for the Gibson Insurance Agency 410 Sprints, Governor Insurance Inc. Big Block Modifieds, E-Mods, Pro Stocks, Limited Sprints and Hobby Stocks. Jack Sodeman Jr. has had a solid lead in Gibson Insurance Agency 410 Sprints, but Broc Martin and Russ Sansosti are looking for their turn on top the point standings. In Governor Insurance Inc. Big Block Modifieds, Rex King Sr. has a solid lead. In Pro Stock action, Tim Burns is looking to to break Alan Dellinger's points lead. Dellinger is also third in E-Mod action, behind Joe Gabrielson and Jeff Johnson, who currently leads the division at Sharon Speedway. Bill Fuchs and Michael Scharba are also close at one-and-two in Hobby Stocks respectively. Guy Griffin is the leader in Limited Sprints. Tickets for 6 PAK Saturday are $13 for adults, $5 for teens and children under 12 are free. Family passes are available for $32, which covers admission for two adults and up to four students. Tickets are available on sharonspeedway.com, at the speedway ticket windows, or by by calling (330) 772-5481 during office hours on Monday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. UPCOMING EVENTS: 6 PAK Saturday July 10, 17 and 24. Friday Night Thunder July 9 and 16. Northwest Pa. Truck & Tractor Pullers July 25. World of Outlaws Late Models and Fastrak Late Models on July 28. Fastrak Late Models, again, July 31. ASCS 360 Sprints, September 4. Bill Kirila Memorial, September 6. Sharon Speedway is a 3/8-mile dirt oval located in Hartford, Ohio. Sharon Speedway is one of the oldest, continuously running weekly racetracks in the United States. Visit sharonspeedway.com for a complete schedule, directions to the track and the latest news. Buckle up and hang on as Sharon Speedway brings you dirt track racing at its finest! |
