Eldora Speedway
Smorgasbord
of Sprints to
close out Eldora's 60th season
ROSSBURG, OH (October 8) –
A smorgasbord of Sprint Car racing will close out Eldora Speedway’s
60th season of racing Saturday night (October 12) in grand style with
the UNOH Sprintacular. The bountiful menu includes three touring
sanctioning bodies (All Star Sprints, NRA Sprint Invaders, BOSS
Sprints), winged (All Stars, NRA) and non-winged (BOSS) Sprint Cars,
engine sizes of 410 (All Stars, BOSS) and 360 cubic inches (NRA) and
two season-ending point chases (All Stars, BOSS).
Of the three groups, the
All Star Sprints have the most storied history. Since Brad Doty won
their debut on May 3, 1981, the All Stars have competed an additional
131 times, with 41 different drivers advancing to victory lane.
Headlining that list is Kenny Jacobs with 21 triumphs, followed in
order by Joey Saldana with 11 and the groups most recent Eldora
winner (June 22), Jac Haudenschild with eight.
The 360 Sprint division
came on the scene in 1994, and after swapping around sanctioning
bodies over the first five years, the NRA Sprint Invaders was
established as the group of choice in 1999. Since the April 23,
1994 debut won by Rick Daugherty, the 360 Sprints have contested 114
feature events, with 36 different drivers sharing victory honors. Tim
Allison heads up that list with 14 checkered flags, while Phil
Gressman sits closely behind at 13 wins and Kyle Sauder rests in
third with 11.
For the upstart BOSS
(Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series) group, this will be their second
Eldora appearance. The three-year old group made their Eldora debut
during last year’s Blue Collar Base, with Luke Hall taking home
that win.
THREE POINT CHAMPIONS TO BE
CROWNED FOLLOWING SATURDAY’S COMPETITION
ROSSBURG, OH (October 8) –
Saturday’s (October 12) UNOH Sprintacular will be the deciding
factor in three point chases. On the line will be the All Star
Sprints National and Ohio Region titles, while the BOSS Sprints will
bring their hotly contested point battle to the .500-mile clay oval.
Rounding out the ‘all Sprint Car’ tripleheader will be the NRA
Sprint Invaders, who crowed their 2013 champion, Butch Schroeder,
earlier this fall.
Dale Blaney enters
Saturday’s fray with a 37 point margin over defending champion Tim
Shaffer in the All Star Sprints national point chase, while Shaffer
holds a slim three-point margin over Blaney in the group’s Ohio
Region point battle.
For Blaney, a championship
title would be number four for him, and tie him with Frankie Kerr,
Kenny Jacobs, Chad Kemenah and Shaffer who sit on top of the
championship roster with that many crowns. If Shaffer drives out of
Eldora with the All Star Sprints championship, it would be title
number five and put him on the top of the list.
After a brief introduction
in 2011, last season marked the first point-chasing schedule for the
non-winged BOSS (Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series), with Dustin Smith
taking home that initial championship. The 2013 campaign has not
been as successful for Smith, who is buried 13th in the cumulative
chase. Coming into Saturday’s contest, five drivers have a
legitimate shot at capturing the BOSS championship.
Second generation driver
Tony Beaber is clinging to an eighteen point margin over Brandon
Spithaler, who in turn sits sixteen markers ahead of Mike Miller.
Completing the top five are Aaron Middaugh, 51 points from the top
and Kirk Jeffries, 80 points away from a title.
It will a non-points event
for the NRA Sprint Invaders; however 2013 champion Butch Schroeder
will take to Eldora’s famed high banks in search of career win
number five. Schroeder’s championship found him leading J.R.
Stewart, Beau Stewart, Jared Horstman and Shawn Dancer.
COOLER FALL NIGHTS PROMPTS
EARLIER START TIME FOR ELDORA FINALE
ROSSBURG, OH (October 8) –
With the crisp air and cooler temperatures that annually invade the
Buckeye state at this time of the year, Eldora Speedway officials
have announced an earlier start time for Saturday’s (October 12)
season finale; an ‘all Sprint Car’ tripleheader. The UNOH
Sprintacular, featuring All Star Sprints, NRA Sprint Invaders and
BOSS Sprints will see the hot laps getting underway at 4:30 p.m. and
the first race taking the green flag at 6 p.m.
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