Brock Mayes Captures First All Star Win; Tim Sabo Bags Late Model Loot at Attica
By Brian Liskai: (Attica, OH) Brock Mayes wasn’t even sure he would be racing Friday night. But his crew talked him into making the short trek from their Bucyrus, Ohio shop to Attica Raceway Park and it paid off as he nursed a deflating right rear tire the final five laps to edge a hard-charging Byron Reed by a wheel in a near photo finish for his first O’Reilly All Star Circuit of Champions feature win.
The 2006 All Star Circuit of Champions points runner-up saw his former crew chief decide to hang up his wrenches this week, and coupled with his full-time job, Mayes felt there would be little time to prepare his car for the Coors Light/ Underground Utilities/Bazell Race Fuels Night at “Ohio’s Finest Racing” venue.
Image”My long-time crew chief decided to step back for awhile, and with my job…we can’t race if we don’t work…I didn’t think we had time to get the car ready. Dad (Jim Mayes) and the rest of the guys rolled up their sleeves and convinced me we could do this and here we are,” said a jubilant Mayes beside his J&F Construction, Oberlanders Tree Service sponsored #11B.
“We picked up our first 410 sprint win here last year and to score our first All Star win at Attica after travelling all over the past three years…it’s something I’ll never forget,” continued Mayes, who began racing in the 305 sprint division several years ago at Attica.
Defending All Star Champ Greg Wilson – who opened Attica’s 2007 season with a feature win – appeared to have the race well in hand but slipped over the edge of the track exiting turn four and hit the front stretch wall on lap 35, flipping out of the lead. When the yellow replaced the red flag, and Mayes shoved off as the leader, he felt the right rear losing air.
Image“I knew the right rear was going down and it was pushing so hard driving off the left rear. I kept thinking ‘I’m not gonna make it.’ Byron showed me his nose a few times and I made up my mind I wasn’t coming off the bottom, that he would have to drive around me. I just had one foot on the throttle and one on the brake all the way down the straightaway to keep the car from driving across the track. It was a handful,” Mayes added of his last five laps aboard the Henik Masonry/Kinn Brothers Heating & Cooling sprinter. Reed made a late charge for second and almost won it. “I wanted it real bad, but you can’t win them all,” Reed said beside his Reebar Die Casting sponsored sprinter. “I knew Brock would race me clean. This is a little different car and I think we’re finally getting the hang of it.”
Mark Keegan started the main from the pole, with outside pole man Brandon Martin grabbing the lead at the start. Mayes, meanwhile, moved up from fourth to snare the lead on lap 11. Reed, who started seventh, was on the move and took over second on lap 13 and began chasing Mayes. Reed and Mayes raced side by side for several circuits right before a slowing John Ivy brought out the caution on lap 24. Wilson, now third, was off like a rocket after the restart and rode the high groove into second on lap 25 and he drove around Mayes to lead lap 26. Wilson was a rim rider until he made contact with the wall, bringing out the red flag on lap 35.
Mayes was now in the lead for the restart over Reed and 11th starting Shane Stewart.
Mayes with a now obviously low tire got a good restart to lead over Reed, who kept trying the middle groove while Mayes rode low. Reed went high off turn four on the last lap to try and slingshot around Mayes to win, but came up a bit short at the finish and the pair brushed wheels after crossing the finish line, flattening Reed’s left rear tire.
Keegan would storm back to finish third followed by Stewart and 13th starting Chad Kemenah.
“There’s a cushion up there,” Keegan said after finishing third, using the high groove after the last restart. “But there’s a fine line running on the cushion or running over the edge and Greg Wilson found that out.”
ImageIn the 20-lap feature for the Fultz Fabrications & Speed Shop Attica Late Models, a crash on the initial start took out the cars in the inside first three rows, moving 7th starting Jerry Bowersock to the pole. The Wapokenta, Ohio driver would lead for a short time before third starting Tim Sabo would race under him and pull away for the $1,000 prize with an added bonus of $50 from Fultz Fabrications & Speed Shop.
“We’re waiting for the motor for my normal ride, so we put my car together. After the way it handled tonight, we might have to stick with it,” said Sabo beside his Kingsway Auto Parts/C.A. Customs sponsored late model. “I like running this bigger paying shows at Attica..we always seem to run well.”
Clint Coffman would come home second followed by 10th starter Devin Shiels, 12th starter Ryan Missler and John Mayes Sr.
Attica Raceway Park will be back in action Friday, May 11 for World Auto Parts of Huron Night featuring the World Auto Parts 410 Sprints, 305 Sprints, Fultz Fabrications & Speed Shop Attica Late Models and the dirt trucks. Gates open at 5 p.m. with racing action at 8 p.m.
For more information log onto atticaracewaypark.com
OFFICIAL RESULTS
Attica Raceway Park (5-4-07)
O’Reilly All Star Circuit of Champions
Qualifying – Huggins Cams
1. 8J-Kenny Jacobs, 11.801; 2. W20-Greg Wilson, 11.925; 3. 11B-Brock Mayes,
12.036; 4. 24-Rob Chaney, 12.060; 5. 11M-Brandon Martin, 12.078; 6. X-Mark
Keegan, 12.088; 7. 15C-Chris Andrews, 12.268; 8. 5R-Byron Reed, 12.286;
9. 2-Dale Blaney, 12.287; 10. 20E-Brian Ellenberger, 12.301; 11. 16J-Lee
Jacobs, 12.362; 12. 8H-Shane Stewart, 12.370; 13. 4-Danny Smith, 12.380;
14. 3X-Chad Kemenah, 12.387; 15. 1W-Paul Weaver, 12.406; 16. 28-Brian Paulus, 12.419; 17. 2M-Dustin Daggett, 12.451; 18. 11N-Ed Neumeister, 12.491; 19. 6-Bill Rose, 12.523; 20. 53-John Ivy, 12.535; 21. 98-Bruce Robenalt, 12.544; 22. 3L-Mike Linder, 12.564; 23. 12-Caleb Griffith, 12.624; 24. 4K-Kelly Kinser, 12.641; 25. O-Gus Wasson, 12.765; 26. 6K-Chris Knopp, 12.821; 27. 10-David Harrison, 12.821; 28. 71M-Paul May, 12.854; 29. O9-Craig Mintz,12.874; 30. 14H-Todd Heller, 12.949; 31. 91-Aaron Middaugh, 13.030; 32. 3T-Tony Beaber, 13.175; 33. 48S-Andy Shammo, 13.235; 34. 16-Lee Stark,13. 239; 35. 31-Chuck Wilson, 13.339; 36. 27-Cody Jacobs, 14.332; 37. 48-Mike Burkin, 14.360
Heat 1 – Crown Battery (Top 5 to A)
1. 2M-Dustin Daggett; 2. 8J-Kenny Jacobs; 3. 2-Dale Blaney; 4. 4-Danny Smith;
5. 11M-Brandon Martin; 6. 98-Bruce Robenalt; 7. O-Gus Wasson;
8. 48S-Andy Shammo; 9. 48-Mike Burkin; 10. O9-Craig Mintz
Heat 2 – Hoosier Racing Tire (Top 5 to A)
1. 3L-Mike Linder; 2. 3X-Chad Kemenah; 3. X-Mark Keegan; 4. 20E-Brian
Ellenberger; 5. W20-Greg Wilson; 6. 14H-Todd Heller; 7. 6K-Chris Knopp;
8. 16-Lee Stark; 9. 11N-Ed Neumeister
Heat 3 – Engler Machine & Tool (Top 5 to A)
1. 12-Caleb Griffith; 2. 6-Bill Rose; 3. 16J-Lee Jacobs; 4. 11B-Brock Mayes;
5. 1W-Paul Weaver; 6. 31-Chuck Wilson; 7. 91-Aaron Middaugh; 8. 10-David
Harrison; 9. 15C-Chris Andrews
Heat 4 – Taylor Wings (Top 5 to A)
1. 53-John Ivy; 2. 5R-Byron Reed; 3. 4K-Kelly Kinser; 4. 8H-Shane Stewart;
5. 24-Rob Chaney; 6. 28-Brian Paulus; 7. 71M-Paul May; 8. 3T-Tony Beaber; 9.
27-Cody Jacobs
Haulmark Dash
1. 11B-Brock Mayes; 2. W20-Greg Wilson; 3. 24-Rob Chaney; 4. 5R-Byron Reed; 5. 11M-Brandon Martin; 6. 8J-Kenny Jacobs
B-Main – University of Northwest Ohio (Top 4 to A)
1. O-Gus Wasson; 2. 11N-Ed Neumeister; 3. 71M-Paul May; 4. 6K-Chris Knopp; 5. 31-Chuck Wilson; 6. 10-David Harrison; 7. 91-Aaron Middaugh; 8. 16-Lee Stark; 9. 3T-Tony Beaber; 10. 48-Mike Burkin; 11. 27-Cody Jacobs; 12.48S-Andy Shammo; 13. 14H-Todd Heller; 14. 15C-Chris Andrews 15. 28-Brian Paulus; 16. 98-Bruce Robenalt
A-Main – MSD Ignition Starting Position [#] – 40 laps
1. 11B-Brock Mayes[4]; 2. 5R-Byron Reed[7]; 3. X-Mark Keegan[1]; 4. 8H-Shane
Stewart[11]; 5. 3X-Chad Kemenah[13]; 6. 4-Danny Smith[12]; 7. 8J-Kenny
Jacobs[6]; 8. 12-Caleb Griffith[20]; 9. 2M-Dustin Daggett[15]; 10.
11M-Brandon Martin[2]; 11. O-Gus Wasson[22]; 12. 53-John Ivy[18]; 13. 24-Rob
Chaney[3]; 14. 16J-Lee Jacobs[10]; 15. 20E-Brian Ellenberger[9]; 16. 6-Bill
Rose[17]; 17. 71M-Paul May[24]; 18. W20-Greg Wilson[5]; 19. 2-Dale
Blaney[8]; 20. 3L-Mike Linder[19]; 21. 6K-Chris Knopp[23]; 22. 11N-Ed
Neumeister[16]; 23. 1W-Paul Weaver[14]; 24. 4K-Kelly Kinser[21]
Fultz Fabrications & Speed Shop Late Models
Heat 1 – Bell Helmets (Top 4 to A)
1. 2C-Clint Coffman; 2. 240-Benny Lester; 3. 1-Jim Fleming; 4. 2D-Curtis
Deisenroth; 5. 12-Michael Stiltner; 6. 77-Steve Kester; 7. 69-John Mayes
Jr.; 8. 101-Chester Fitch
Heat 2 – Friendship Food Stores (Top 4 to A)
1. 27H-Bill Hahn; 2. 50-Ryan Missler; 3. 51-Devin Shiels; 4. 27-Ken Hahn; 5.
45-Mike Marteney; 6. 31-Bill Clapp Jr.; 7. 41-Steve Fultz; 8. 9-Roger Inks
Heat 3 – Tin Lizzy Collision of Tiffin (Top 4 to A)
1. 95J-Jerry Bowersox; 2. 99M-John Mayes Sr.; 3. 34-Ky Harper; 4. 5H-Ernie
Haynes; 5. 23-Ben Elliott; 6. 12P-Jeff Pelton; 7. 29-Matt Potts; 8. 30-Nate
Potts
Heat 4 – Pepsi (Top 4 to A)
1. 21-Larry Kingseed; 2. 84-Tim Sabo; 3. 25-Chuck Hummer; 4. 99-Steve Sabo;
5. 48-John Bores; 6. 15B-Mike Bores; 7. 77C-Craig Corfman; 8. 8K-Kevin
Koerper
B1-Main (Top 2 to A)
1. 45-Mike Marteney; 2. 31-Bill Clapp Jr.; 3. 69-John Mayes Jr.; 4. 77-Steve
Kester; 5. 41-Steve Fultz; 6. 9-Roger Inks; 7. 12-Michael Stiltner; 8.
101-Chester Fitch
B2-Main – Computer Man Inc. (Top 2 to A)
1. 48-John Bores; 2. 23-Ben Elliott; 3. 8K-Kevin Koerper; 4. 77C-Craig
Corfman; 5. 12P-Jeff Pelton; 6. 29-Matt Potts
A-Main $1,000 To Win Starting Position – 20 laps
1. 84-Tim Sabo[9]; 2. 2C-Clint Coffman[6]; 3. 51-Devin Shiels[10]; 4.
50-Ryan Missler[12]; 5. 99M-John Mayes Sr.[8]; 6. 95J-Jerry Bowersox[7]; 7.
21-Larry Kingseed[11]; 8. 27-Ken Hahn[14]; 9. 45-Mike Marteney[17]; 10.
34-Ky Harper[2]; 11. 99-Steve Sabo[16]; 12. 5H-Ernie Haynes[15]; 13. 31-Bill
Clapp Jr.[19]; 14. 48-John Bores[18]; 15. 25-Chuck Hummer[1]; 16. 1-Jim
Fleming[4]; 17. 23-Ben Elliott[20]; 18. 2D-Curtis Deisenroth[13]; 19.
27H-Bill Hahn[3]; 20. 240-Benny Lester[5]