Linder Returns To Racing Roots & Takes Attica 305 Loot, Hahn Scores 1st Career Win, Ball Just Keeps Going…And Going…
By Brian Liskai: (Attica, OH) Mike Linder learned how to drive a sprint car by competing in the 305 sprint division at Attica Raceway Park in the ’90s. That has propelled him to several feature wins and two track championships at area tracks in recent years in the 410 sprints. He returned to his racing roots Friday at Attica, leading all 30 laps to win the 305 Sprint Engine Builders Challenge on Burns Electric Night.
Gibsonburg, Ohio driver Ken Hahn finally shook the monkey off his back to score his first career victory in the 25-lap feature for the Fultz Fabrications & Speed Shop Attica Late Models.
Art Ball, 68, is like the Energizer Bunny…he just keeps going, and going, and going….and winning! The Tiffin driver – who has won feature events in five different decades – took the checkered flag in the dirt truck main.
ImageLinder, who leads all 305 drivers in career wins at “Ohio’s Finest Racing” venue with 25 victories, piloted a 305 owned by friends Rich Farmer and Tom Everett and built by his dad, Jim Linder, to the $1,200 payday.
“I grew up in this division….people don’t know how tough it really is. There are some very good young drivers in the 305s. Bryan Sebetto and Cap Henry raced me hard….you add a veteran like Andy Shammo….these guys are as tough as the 410 sprint drivers we race every week,” said Linder beside his R&R Auto Wrecking, Burns Iron & Metal backed #29.
“This is even more special because my dad built this chassis. We tried to run it as a 410 and it just wouldn’t work. I don’t know if it was the weight of the motor or the horsepower or what. I like running for Rich and Tom…we ran their car on asphalt last year and won for them,” Linder added.
ImageHahn, 42, son of long-time late model driver Bill, couldn’t believe he finally found victory lane.
“I’ve had such horrible luck, especially lately. It seemed every time I was on the verge of a win, something would happen. When we had all those yellows in the closing laps, I kept expecting something to break or fall off the car. Then it got hot – around 240 degrees – and I kept thinking ‘let’s get back to racing.’ When we were racing it would run only 230,” said Hahn beside his Bestwick-Bruan Co., Pro Hardware sponsored #27.
Ball, who has won nearly 300 features in a career that has spanned 45 years and includes wins in open, stock cars and now trucks, dedicated the victory to late car owner and friend Roy Pierce.
“Roy kept me racing…he was a true friend,” said Ball beside his Magers Lumber, Chaney Roofin, Clouse Construction sponsored #01. “I want to thank my crew and family and Keith Pierce for all the hard work they do in the shop during the week. I’m still having fun.”
“We got a new truck and we couldn’t get it to run so we loaded up this old one and here we are…maybe she has a little more life left in her,” Ball added about his Fabrication Shop, Smitty’s Tavern, Ritzler Accounting truck.
In the 305 sprint feature, Linder jumped into the lead at the drop of the green from his outside front row starting spot. with fourth place starter Bryan Sebetto and pole-sitter Mark Whaley in tow. Cap Henry, 16, would storm from his 7th starting spot into the third position on lap four and began putting pressure on both Sebetto and Linder. Those three would pull away from the rest of the pack, with Henry moving under Sebetto for the runner-up spot on lap 4.
Linder would pull away slightly until he hit lapped traffic on lap 7, allowing Henry to close. The second-year sprint driver would drive under Linder several times but couldn’t complete the pass. Meanwhile Sebetto, who has a win at Attica this year, and 10th starter Andy Shammo, who also has an ARP victory, stayed close.
With 7 laps remaining, disaster would strike for Henry, who slide off the turn 1 banking due to a broken rear suspension bolt, to bring out the caution. That gave Linder an open track with Sebetto, Shammo, Dustin Dinan and Stuart Brubaker following. On the restart, the field would grind to a halt for a flipping Coty Runion who was okay, but done for the night. Linder would hold off Sebetto the remaining distance for the win.
In the late model feature, Clint Coffman, who scored his first career victory two weeks ago at Attica, would grab the early lead with Chuck Hummer and Hahn following. Hahn would move around Hummer on lap 3 and fly around Coffman a lap later for the lead. Meanwhile, Ryan Missler began his charge, racing side by side with Coffman for several laps before taking second on lap 7 in the caution-filled main.
Missler would try to driver under Hahn on several caution flag restarts, but couldn’t get the pass completed. Hahn would streak under the checkered flag with Missler, 7th starter Ernie Haynes, Coffman and John Mayes Sr. rounding out the top five.
ImageOnce again, the dirt truck feature was a dandy featuring side-by-side racing for the top five positions throughout the 15-lap affair. Cory Ward would grab the initial lead, with Steve Endicott and Brian Arnold racing him three-wide for several laps. Meanwhile Ball steadily climbed from his 7th starting spot to four by lap 6. As Ward and Arnold battled for the lead, Ball and Bob Dible would race door to door for third. Ball would move into third on lap 8 and would overtake Arnold the next circuit.
Ward and Ball would race side by side the next three laps before Ball gained the slight advantage on lap 12. Ball would hold off repeated attempts by Ward to score his third career truck win at Attica. Ward, Dible, 11th-starter Shawn Valenti and Arnold would round out the top five.
Attica Raceway Park will be busy Friday, June 8, as the rained out O’Reilly All Star Circuit of Champions 30-lap feature from May 25 will be run, as will the Budweiser Night show featuring another 30-lap, $3,000 to win feature for the World Auto Parts of Huron & Cleveland 410 Sprints, and the regular program of 305 sprints, Fultz Fabrications & Speed Shop Attica Late Models and dirt trucks.
For more information log onto www.atticaracewaypark.com or call (419) 680-5606. Click on Read More below for the official results from Burns Electric Night.
Attica Raceway Park (6-1-07) Burns Electric Night
305 Sprints – Engine Builders Challange
Heat 1 – Bell Helmets (8 laps, top 4 transfer to A-Main)
1. 9Z-Duane Zablocki; 2. O1-Bryan Sebetto; 3. O4-Cap Henry; 4. 49-Coty Runion; 5. 11-Shawn Colvin; 6. 31-Chad Gullett; 7. 18-Todd Heuerman; 8. 65-Mark Lang; 9. 4T-Jim Taddeo; 10. M28-Josh Muntz; 11. 51S-John Taylor
Heat 2 – Friendship Food Stores (8 laps, top 4 transfer to A-Main)
1. 34-Mark Whaley; 2. 29L-Chris Lang; 3. 14-Chad Wilson; 4. 25-Chris Pifher; 5. 82-Travis Hoffbauer; 6. 23-Chaud Laux; 7. 1J-Jeremy Shambaugh; 8. 25P-Mark Pridemore; 9. 74L-Chad Levingston
Heat 3 – Tin Lizzy Collision of Tiffin (8 laps, top 4 transfer to A-Main)
1. 5-Dustin Dinan; 2. 3J-Bobby Foster; 3. 71-Bill Kraylek; 4. 1A-Matt Lucius; 5. 55-Benny Bowman; 6. 15H-Mitch Harble; 7. 36X-Dustin Keegan; 8. 5JR-Jimmy Mcgrath; 9. 311-Aaron Moloney; 10. 24X-Tom Nichols
Heat 4 – Pepsi (8 laps, top 4 transfer to A-Main)
1. 35-Stuart Brubaker; 2. 29F-Mike Linder; 3. 48S-Andy Shammo; 4. O2-Kevin Lee; 5. 21-Bryan Scott; 6. 10-Brad Haudenschild; 7. 92-Brandon Perkins; 8. 22D-Dan Hammond; 9. 13-Larry Felver Jr.; 10. 40-Bobby Davis
B1 Main (10 laps, top 2 transfer to A-Main)
1. 82-Travis Hoffbauer; 2. 31-Chad Gullett; 3. 18-Todd Heuerman; 4. 4T-Jim Taddeo; 5. 11-Shawn Colvin; 6. 1J-Jeremy Shambaugh; 7. 65-Mark Lang; 8. M28-Josh Muntz; 9. 23-Chaud Laux; 10. 25P-Mark Pridemore; 11. 51S-John Taylor
B2-Main (10 laps, top 2 transfer to A-Main)
1. 55-Benny Bowman; 2. 10-Brad Haudenschild; 3. 15H-Mitch Harble; 4. 22D-Dan Hammond; 5. 92-Brandon Perkins; 6. 13-Larry Felver Jr.; 7. 40-Bobby Davis; 8. 311-Aaron Moloney; 9. 24X-Tom Nichols; 10. 21-Bryan Scott; 11. 5JR-Jimmy McGrath; 12. 36X-Dustin Keegan
A-main Starting Position [#]
1. 29F-Mike Linder[2]; 2. O1-Bryan Sebetto[4]; 3. 48S-Andy Shammo[10]; 4. 5-Dustin Dinan[5]; 5. 35-Stuart Brubaker[6]; 6. 3J-Bobby Foster[11]; 7. 9Z-Duane Zablocki[12]; 8. 14-Chad Wilson[8]; 9. 31-Chad Gullett[19]; 10. 1A-Matt Lucius[15]; 11. O2-Kevin Lee[16]; 12. 36X-Dustin Keegan[21]; 13. 4T-Jim Taddeo[22]; 14. 55-Benny Bowman[18]; 15. 34-Mark Whaley[1]; 16. 29L-Chris Lang[9]; 17. 25-Chris Pifher[14]; 18. O4-Cap Henry[7]; 19. 49-Coty Runion[13]; 20. 82-Travis Hoffbauer[17]; 21. 10-Brad Haudenschild[20]; 22. 71-Bill Kraylek[3]
Fultz Fabrications & Speedshop Attica Late Models
Heat 1 – Bell Helmets
1. 5H-Ernie Haynes; 2. 27-Ken Hahn; 3. 21-Larry Kingseed; 4. 99M-John Mayes Sr.; 5. 48-John Bores; 6. 45-Mike Marteney; 7. 30-Nate Potts; 8. 77C-Craig Corfman; 9. 12-Michael Stiltner; 10. 41-Steve Fultz
Heat 2 – Friendship Food Stores
1. 50-Ryan Missler; 2. 2C-Clint Coffman; 3. O1-Justin Chance; 4. 25-Chuck Hummer; 5. 9-Roger Inks; 6. 12P-Jeff Pelton; 7. 23-Ben Elliott; 8. 99-Steve Sabo; 9. 29-Mike Stiltner
A-main Starting Position [#]
1. 27-Ken Hahn[8]; 2. 50-Ryan Missler[5]; 3. 5H-Ernie Haynes[7]; 4. 2C-Clint Coffman[2]; 5. 99M-John Mayes Sr.[3]; 6. 21-Larry Kingseed[9]; 7. 45-Mike Marteney[12]; 8. 48-John Bores[10]; 9. O1-Justin Chance[6]; 10. 12-Michael Stiltner[15]; 11. 25-Chuck Hummer[4]; 12. 30-Nate Potts[11]; 13. 99-Steve Sabo[16]; 14. 9-Roger Inks[19]; 15. 77C-Craig Corfman[13]; 16. 12P-Jeff Pelton[1]; 17. 29-Mike Stiltner[18]; 18. 23-Ben Elliott[14]
Dirt Trucks
Heat 1
1. 18W-Corey Ward; 2. O1-Art Ball; 3. 69-Mark Warnick; 4. 22-Todd Keegan; 5. 3X-Shawn Schultz; 6. 30-Dave Gibbs; 7. X-L.J. Conners; 8. 99-Jesse Worcester; 9. 37-Eric Devanna
Heat 2
1. 28-Shawn Valenti; 2. 8-Steve Endicott; 3. 17-Bob Dible; 4. 33-Brian Arnold; 5. P51-Paul Brown Jr.; 6. 4-Donald Fitch; 7. 92-Jordan Schwochow; 8. 34-Aaron Schatzinger; 9. 3R-Chuck Roelle
A-main Starting Position [#]
1. O1-Art Ball[7]; 2. 18W-Corey Ward[2]; 3. 17-Bob Dible[12]; 4. 28-Shawn Valenti[11]; 5. 33-Brian Arnold[4]; 6. 69-Mark Warnick[10]; 7. 3R-Chuck Roelle[18]; 8. 8-Steve Endicott[1]; 9. 3X-Shawn Schultz[3]; 10. P51-Paul Brown Jr.[9]; 11. 37-Eric Devanna[17]; 12. 92-Jordan Schwochow[14]; 13. 4-Donald Fitch[6]; 14. 22-Todd Keegan[8]; 15. 99-Jesse Worcester[15]; 16. X-L.J. Conners[13]; 17. 30-Dave Gibbs[5]; 18. 34-Aaron Schatzinger[16]