The 2011 Kistler Racing Products Fremont/Attica Sprint Title (F.A.S.T.) Championship Series presented by Engine Pro & PAC Valve Springs is about to push off in grand fashion. The quest for the Kistler Cup kick-offs with a pair of $3,000 to win events over Easter weekend for the 410 sprint car division in Northern Ohio. The feature events at Attica Raceway Park and Fremont Speedway will also start 22 cars, two more than the usual 20. Drivers have their sights set on the $10,000 to win championship, but 12 grueling weeks lie ahead over the upcoming summer months to ultimately decide who will be named the 2011 F.A.S.T. Champion.
Going into its third season of operations, the F.A.S.T. Series has distributed more than $150,000 in cash, prizes, and contingency awards to local sprint car teams. Also, increased exposure has been brought to the area through the hard work of a group of fans from the stands at the two area dirt tracks. Recently it was announced that a $3,000 cash bonus would be given out to any 410 driver that can sweep the F.A.S.T. championship, the Attica Raceway Park championship and the Fremont track championship. This will be a tough feat to accomplish as many outsiders have described Attica and Fremont as one of the toughest weekend packages in the country.
Attica Raceway Park will kick off the F.A.S.T. season this coming Friday, April 22nd, with the 410 sprint cars competing in the first of six $3,000 to win events in 2011. Byron Reed was a dominant force last season at “Ohio’s Finest Racing” speed plant and picked up three of his five F.A.S.T. feature wins at the 1/3-mile semi banked clay oval located inside the Attica Fairgrounds. That success was the launching pad for the “Monclova Missile” en route to claiming his first career F.A.S.T. Kistler Cup, as well as picking up his 6th Attica Raceway Park track championship in the process.
Fremont Speedway will host its first F.A.S.T. event of the season on Saturday, April 23rd, which will also serve as the opening event for the speedway’s 60th year of racing. The end of last year saw 2009 F.A.S.T. Champion Craig Mintz rise above the competition and pick up the final two 410 sprint car features contested at “The Track That Action Built.” The late season charge by the #09 Top Gun Enterprises entry solidified the team’s first career Fremont Speedway track championship and brought them a third place finish in the F.A.S.T. standings behind Reed and Mark Keegan.
The fierce Northern Ohio sprint car competition that produced 13 different feature winners and only 3 multiple feature winners in 2010 will continue into the new year as teams regroup after a lethargic start to the season thanks to Mother Nature’s constant rain, snow, wind, and cold weather.
Here’s a look at some of the contenders competing in the 2011 Kistler Racing Products Fremont/Attica Sprint Title Championship Series:
Byron Reed #5 – Some bad racing luck has the B&S Racing team retooling a bit early on heading into the start of the Kistler Racing Products F.A.S.T. season. After engine woes on opening night and catching a rut and flipping while leading the Attica Spring Nationals, the “Monclova Missile” is ready to reclaim his 2010 dominance. Reed led the F.A.S.T. Kistler Cup point standings nearly the entire season after a hot start. An odds-on favorite whenever the team unloads at Attica or Fremont, the Pro Shocks, Black Swamp Media Group backed #5 is poised to repeat in 2011.
Craig Mintz #09 – A chassis change over the off-season for this Gibsonburg, Ohio native has the Top Gun Enterprises, Real-Geese, Ti22 Performance backed #09 team hoping for big things in 2011. While his F.A.S.T. title defense ended up a little short, he did collect the lucrative 2010 Fremont Speedway track championship for the first time adding his name to a long list of racing legends. The change to GF1 Chassis by Ti22 has made the team fast right out of the gate with Mintz claiming the 3rd place finish on opening night at Attica.
Phil Gressman #53 – Emotions are running high for the Genzman Racing Enterprises, Ludwig Propane, Kear’s Speed Shop backed #53 team after the loss of local racing legend & car owner De Genzman leading up to the start of race season. Gressman was strong out of the box in 2010 and picked up a feature win early on at Attica helping him become a fixture inside the top-10 throughout the season. Some costly crashes over the hot summer stretch dug the team into a hole, but they resurrected the season and finished inside the top-5 in points. “The Ohio Gasman” will be on the hammer with his sights set on the 2011 Kistler Cup title.
Dean Jacobs #97 – The team’s 2011 plans are not yet confirmed, but Wooster, Ohio’s “Deano” Jacobs is always a threat whenever the team unloads to race and no matter where the team starts the feature you cannot count them out of possibly visiting Engine Pro Victory Lane. The show in 2010 was the Northwest Ohio Towing & Recovery, NAPA Truck Center backed #97 as Dean piloted his machine to numerous hard charger awards and two feature wins during F.A.S.T. nights as the yellow blur passed more cars than anyone during F.A.S.T. competition, earning Dean the “Golden Steering Wheel” award at the Series banquet.
Bryan Sebetto #16 – The Fremont, Ohio native returns to the seat of the famous Burmeister Racing #16 in 2011. After an injury-plagued season in 2009, Sebetto was back behind the wheel full-time in 2010 and earned a top-10 finish in points. “Flipper,” as he’s known around the Northern Ohio pits, collected one feature win, but was a constant threat at Fremont on Saturdays. Some tough luck at Attica late in the season left many ‘what ifs’ to answer. The show for the fans is usually watching Sebetto fearlessly muscle around the high side at both of the 1/3-mile clay ovals.
Todd Heller #14 – This Whitehouse, Ohio driver dedicated his team’s attention to the F.A.S.T. schedule in 2010 and it paid off at season’s end as the Heller Racing #14 entry collected a top-10 finish in points. A seasoned veteran at Fremont Speedway and Attica Raceway Park, Heller has collected numerous top-5 finishes including a win at “The Track That Action Built” over the course of his career. He’ll be looking for more in 2011.
Kevin Lee #3J – “The Sulfur City Outlaw” and 3J Motorsports enter their third season of 410 sprint car racing together with car owner Jason Deel. The JD Automotive, Papa Jimmies BBQ & Pizza team has started strong out of the box in 2011 with back-to-back top-10 finishes in Attica’s first two feature events. The Green Springs, OH based #3J team has been on the verge of a victory for two years and after off-season thoughts of selling out all of their equipment, Deel and Lee are back looking for victory lane in 2011.
Mike Linder #312 – Mike Linder himself will be the first to tell you that 2010 was a disappointing season as the R&R Auto Wrecking, Linder’s Speed Equipment backed #312 failed to visit victory lane at either Fremont or Attica. The Fremont, OH based team did finish strong and launched themselves back into the top-10 in F.A.S.T. Kistler Cup points. Look for the #312, which is celebrating 50 years in racing with the legendary Linder family, to be on a mission for redemption in 2011.
Shawn Valenti #28- The 2010 KS Sales & Service/Cub Cadet FAST Rookie of the Year winner enters his sophomore season behind the wheel of a 410 sprint car. A rocky start to the 2011 season for the Risingsun, OH native saw the ECI Inc./ Kistler Racing Products backed #28 getting upside down on opening night at Attica. The team is looking ahead to the start of F.A.S.T. points racing.
Jody Keegan #60 – Clyde, Ohio’s Jody Keegan collected a handful of top-10 finishes in 2010 and showed great improvement behind the wheel of the Top Flight Kennel, Fred Wolf Auctions backed #60. The Keegan Motorsports team looks to power to the front this season after showing signs of greatness in 2010 before bad luck reared its ugly head. The Keegan name lives on in sprint car racing in Northern Ohio.
Duane Zablocki #9Z – “The Z Man” hails from Tiffin, OH and is among a select fraternity of drivers that have competed in every F.A.S.T. event held at Fremont and Attica in 2009 and 2010. Duane is a young driver who has shown that he can compete with the bigger budget teams, but a combination of bad luck and conservative racing has kept the family owned operation from showing what they are capable of. The Zablocki Construction, Distel’s Septic Services backed #9Z looks to build on experience and start claiming those top-10 finishes they are capable of.
The Hot Shot Engine Heater F.A.S.T. Rookie of the Year Contenders:
Brad Haudenschild #10 – Son of Ed Haudenschild and nephew of the “Wild Child” Jac Haudenschild, Brad enters his first full-season behind the wheel of a 410 sprint car. Known for putting on a show in the 305 sprint car ranks the Fredericksburg, Ohio native is ready for the challenges that lie ahead with more horsepower at his disposal.
Brad Bowman #51 – The Cleveland Golf, Srixon Golf Balls backed #51 is moving up the sprint car ladder in 2011. Bowman, from Shelby, OH, is familiar with Engine Pro Victory Lane in the 305 sprint car ranks and looks to improve each time he is pushed off to enjoy the thrill of victory in a 410 sprint car.
Invading the Northern Ohio area this weekend will be Miranda Throckmorton from Avon, Indiana. The 19-year old sensation and her M&W Aluminum Products backed #22 looks to make the tow if Mother Nature provides a positive forecast. Kody Kinser, son of Kelly Kinser, will also be watching the weather forecast and looks to make the tow to Northern OH from his Bloomington, IN home base. Jac Haudenschild and son Sheldon Haudenschild will also be in attendance this weekend competing against one another. With $3000 on the line each night, the car counts are expected to be high as the All Stars also have the weekend off from their 2011 schedule. Many of the traveling teams call Attica and Fremont home and will increase the level of competition if they show up to try to collect the loot.
A familiar face will be missing from the tracks, however, as local legend Mark Keegan has hung up his helmet and retired from sprint car racing. The impact that Keegan had on Northern Ohio sprint car racing dwarfs that of any other competitor. He made an impact on the track, helping local teams repair their cars to get back on the track, and was part of the group that brought racing back to the Attica Fairgrounds over 20-years ago. Mark was able to go out in grand fashion by collecting yet another feature win in 2010 at Attica and walks away on his own terms as one of the top drivers in the history of both local tracks. The “X” car will be truly missed by the fans and competitors.
For more information on admission prices, start times and directions to either Northern Ohio track Visit www.atticaracewaypark.com or www.fremontohspeedway.com for more information.
To find out more about the Kistler Racing Products F.A.S.T. Championship Series presented by Engine Pro & PAC Valve Springs visit www.fastondirt.com.
FAST on Dirt, Inc. would like to thank the following contributors to the 2011 FAST Championship Series point fund:
Kistler Racing Products, Engine Pro, PAC Valve Springs, KS Sales & Service, Engler Machine & Tool, Black Swamp Media Group, Kinsler Injections, SCS Gearbox, Reebar Die Casting, Design Graphics Group, Kear’s Speed Shop, Tailgators Bar & Grill, MyHeroCards.com, Hoseheads.com, Computer Man Inc., Level Performance, R&R Auto Wrecking, J&F Construction & Development Inc, NWOQMRA, Young’s RV, Hot Shot Engine Heaters, OC Shocks, FSR Radiator, Real Geese, GL Heller Company, High Vista Videos, Gressman Powersports, Action Photos, Hoserville Ohio, October Hills Farms, Attica Raceway Park, and Fremont Speedway.
Also, a very special thanks to all of our contingency award sponsors:
Pro Shocks, R2C Filters, Wings Unlimited, Outerwears, Kinsler Fuel Injection, DMI Race Components, Ti22 Performance, Rocket Headers, AllPro Heads, Hepfner Racing Products, KSE Steering, Kinser Filters, J&J Auto Racing, Weld Wheels, King Racing Products, TQ Fiberglass, Keizer Wheels, OC Shocks, Rod End Supply, Linders Speed Equipment, Saldana Racing Products, VRP Shocks, Hinchman Indy Uniforms, Zemco Headers, Triple X Race Components, Productive Tools & Equipment, Hilton Garden Inn, Fat Fish Blue/Toledo Funny Bone, Ghostly Manor, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, African Safari & Monsoon Lagoon