Mintz Gets Attica 410 Sprint Win; Ivy Gets 305 Victory On His Birthday; Ball Nabs 3rd Truck Win
By Brian Liskai: (Attica, OH) Craig Mintz was able to capitalize on the misfortune of Brock Mayes to score his second Kistler Racing Products FAST (Fremont Attica Sprint Title) Championship Series feature win at Attica Raceway Park on Burns Electric Night.
A few weeks ago, Mayes looked to have a feature win at Fremont, and tangled with a lapped machine, with Mintz going on to the victory. It was the exact same scenario at Attica for the Mid-Season Championship Night Friday. Mayes was flying to what appeared would be a dominating victory when he tangled with a lapped machine on lap 8, getting upside down. Gibsonburg, Ohio’s Mintz then overtook Bryan Sebetto on lap 19 after a great side-by-side battle that lasted 11 laps and went on to his fourth career Attica victory.
“It looked like Brock had the fastest car again but again he ran into bad luck,” said Mintz beside his Real Geese Decoys, Erie Shore Propane, Keller Chevrolet, KS Sales and Service backed #09.
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F.A.S.T. 410 Sprints – Craig Mintz
“We’ve been going down to Skyline and we’ve learned how to drive on a slick track and that helped us tonight. Pat Harger put a great set-up on this thing and it was fast. The track was fast and demanding but thankfully for me, the lapped cars did a great job of holding their line,” added Mintz, thanking his dad, Les for all his efforts
Fremont, Ohio’s John Ivy celebrated his 40th birthday in style, leading all 25 laps, but having to hold off a late race challenge from Nate Dussel, to score his 9th career victory in the Fremont Fence 305 Sprints.
“The yellow helped me out. I got to focus again and get the thing straight again. He showed me there the bottom the last lap and I thought I had to give it a whirl,” said Ivy beside his Adkins Sanitation, Last Call Bar, Level Performance, Sonny’s Machining and Welding backed #94.
“Rich Farmer started out the deal, and me, Joey, Nate, my brother, Sonny, Grandpa Joe and Ron McComas…they all pitched in to get us back out racing…just so many people helped out,” said Ivy, a former 305 and 410 Attica champion.
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Dirt Trucks – Art Ball
“The Ageless One” Art Ball of Tiffin, Ohio, took the lead on lap six of the dirt truck feature after an awesome side-by-side battle with Dan Hennig, and went on to score his third victory of the season and his 11th career truck feature to tie Cory Ward for the most in the division history.
“This is a big weekend for us with what’s going on tomorrow,” said Ball, 70, who will be inducted Saturday into the Fremont Speedway Hall of Fame. “I wasn’t thinking about it out there, but this is a great points night for us as well,” he added about the double points night for the mid-season championship.
Mintz and Mayes paced the field at the start of the 410 sprint feature, with Mayes pulling away at the green. The caution would fly on lap three for a spinning Matt Linder, and on the restart all eyes were on Bryan Sebetto, who was using the high groove to sling-shot from his sixth starting spot into second while Mintz and Lee Jacobs battled for third.
Mayes hit lapped traffic on the eighth lap, and entering turn three got together with Scott Curren, with both ending up on their lids. Sebetto took top wing damage in the crash, but he was in the lead. On the restart it didn’t look like the damage had an impact on Sebetto’s car as he pulled slightly away while Mintz, Jacobs, Jody Keegan, Chris Andrews and 12th starter Mike Linder battling hard for second.
ImageTwo laps later, Mintz began to close on Sebetto who hit lapped traffic by lap 14, as Jacobs also closed. Mintz and Sebetto would race nose to tail over the next five circuits before Mintz would execute a slide job for the lead on lap 19. Then it was Mintz’s turn to pull away as Sebetto and Jacobs raced side by side for second with Linder moving into fourth. The battle for second would go up in smoke…literally…on lap 21 as Jacob’s engine let go. Linder would move into second on lap 22 but Sebetto and Jody Keegan would engage him in a torrid battle. The car on the move was FAST point leader Brandon Martin who had steadily worked his way through the pack from his 19th starting position and was sixth by lap 24 and would move into the top five a lap later.
Mintz would cruise to the victory while Linder, Sebetto, Keegan and Martin would round out the top five.
After two early cautions at attempts to start the 305 sprint feature, Ivy would move from his outside third row starting spot to the outside pole when the green would finally fly. While Ivy began to pull away, it was a great battle for second between Josh Muntz, Shawn Valenti, Nate Dussel, Jake Trevino, Paul Weaver and Stuart Brubaker. The action would grind to a halt on lap five when D.J. Foos took a nasty flip in turn one (he was uninjured). On the restart, Ivy again used the high line to pull away while Valenti moved into second, Muntz to third, Dussel and Trevino rounding out the top five.
The race than began taking its toll on equipment. Brubaker retired after making contact with the front stretch wall, also collecting Trevino who dropped out. As the laps ticked off, Ivy was steady out front, with Muntz taking second, bringing Weaver and Dussel along.
Things got very interesting with five laps to go. Muntz would retire to the pits with equipment issues, and as Ivy began catching traffic, Dussel and Weaver began to close while Bobby Clark and 20th starting Zack Kramer raced into the top five. Dussel and Weaver engaged in a great battle for second as Ivy’s lead vanished. With two laps remaining, Weaver would get into a lapped machine and spin in turn one, setting up a two lap dash to the checkered.
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305 Sprints – John Ivy
On the restart, Ivy went back up top, but Dussel showed him his nose as they raced to the white flag. Ivy’s experience showed, as he went to the bottom of turns three and four the last lap to block Dussel to score the win. Clark would finish third while Kramer’s solid run from the tail would get him a fourth place showing while Dustin Dinan rounded out the top five.
A the drop of the green for the 15-lap dirt truck feature, Dan Henning and Art Ball would literally race side-by-side the first nine laps for the lead while Brian Arnold would patiently following in their tire tracks. With five laps remaining, Ball began to pull away ever so slightly while Hennig had to deal with Arnold. Hennig’s great run would end on lap 13 when he spun, setting up a two-lap dash to the finish.
Ball would hold off Arnold for the win, while Paul Brown Jr., who ran in the top five the entire race, would come home third, Dwight Waltermeier fourth and Kent Brewer fifth.
Attica Raceway Park will be back in action Friday, June 12 for another Kistler Racing Products FAST Champion Series event on American Powersports of Findlay night featuring the 410 sprints, Fremont Fence 305 Sprints and the Fultz Fabrications and Speed Shop UMP Late Models. The late models will be running for double points.
For more information log onto www.atticaracewaypark.com
Attica Raceway Park – 6/5/2009
Burns Electric Night
410 Sprints
Kistler Racing Products FAST Points Night #7
Heat 1 – Ultra Schield Race Products (8 Laps – Top 5 Transfer)
1. O9-Craig Mintz; 2. 15C-Chris Andrews; 3. 53-Cole Duncan; 4. 312-Mike Linder; 5. 5R-Byron Reed; 6. 9Z-Duane Zablocki; 7. 10-David Harrison; 8. 20X-Craig Keel
Heat 2 – Bell Racing (8 Laps – Top 5 Transfer)
1. 25-Lee Jacobs; 2. 48S-Andy Shammo; 3. 12-Caleb Griffith; 4. 69-Scott Curren; 5. 98-Bruce Robenalt; 6. 27-Scott Euler; 7. 40-Mark Imler; 8. 2+-Brian Smith
Heat 3 – Friendship Food Stores (8 Laps – Top 5 Transfer)
1. 1X-Matt Linder; 2. 60-Jody Keegan; 3. 11B-Brock Mayes; 4. 16-Bryan Sebetto; 5. O4-Cap Henry; 6. X-Mark Keegan; 7. 11M-Brandon Martin; 8. 3J-Kevin Lee
B-Main – Computer Man Inc. (10 Laps – Top 5 Transfer)
1. 9Z-Duane Zablocki; 2. 27-Scott Euler; 3. X-Mark Keegan; 4. 11M-Brandon Martin; 5. 3J-Kevin Lee; 6. 2+-Brian Smith; 7. 40-Mark Imler; 8. 10-David Harrison; 9. 20X-Craig Keel
A-Main – (30 Laps) [#]-Starting Position
1. O9-Craig Mintz[2]; 2. 312-Mike Linder[12]; 3. 16-Bryan Sebetto[6]; 4. 60-Jody Keegan[10]; 5. 11M-Brandon Martin[19]; 6. 15C-Chris Andrews[7]; 7. 5R-Byron Reed[13]; 8. 12-Caleb Griffith[11]; 9. X-Mark Keegan[18]; 10. 48S-Andy Shammo[4]; 11. O4-Cap Henry[15]; 12. 98-Bruce Robenalt[14]; 13. 3J-Kevin Lee[20]; 14. 9Z-Duane Zablocki[16]; 15. 53-Cole Duncan[9]; 16. 27-Scott Euler[17]; 17. 25-Lee Jacobs[3]; 18. 11B-Brock Mayes[1]; 19. 69-Scott Curren[5]; 20. 1X-Matt Linder[8]Fremont Fence 305 Sprints
Heat 1 – Ultra Schield Race Products (8 Laps – Top 5 Transfer)
1. 94-John Ivy; 2. 28-Shawn Valenti; 3. 36X-Dustin Keegan; 4. 40-Bobby Clark; 5. 2-Tim Kern; 6. 3X-Josh Burdette; 7. 51-Brad Bowman; 8. 29-Chris Lang; 9. 83X-Nate Reeser
Heat 2 – Bell Racing (8 Laps – Top 5 Transfer)
1. 35-Stuart Brubaker; 2. 11F-D.J. Foos; 3. 13-Junior Felver; 4. 22D-Dan Hammond; 5. 10X-Dustin Stroup; 6. 72C-John Bartlome; 7. 65-Mark Lang; 8. 71-Bill Kraylek
Heat 3 – Friendship Food Stores (8 Laps – Top 5 Transfer)
1. 1-Nate Dussel; 2. 80-Jake Trevino; 3. 19R-Steve Rando; 4. M28-Josh Muntz; 5. 41-Dustin Dinan; 6. 1W-Paul Weaver; 7. 67M-Matt Ferrell; 8. 8K-Zack Kramer
B-Main – Computer Man Inc. (10 Laps – Top 5 Transfer)
1. 1W-Paul Weaver; 2. 51-Brad Bowman; 3. 3X-Josh Burdette; 4. 67M-Matt Ferrell; 5. 8K-Zack Kramer; 6. 72C-John Bartlome; 7. 65-Mark Lang; 8. 71-Bill Kraylek; 9. 83X-Nate Reeser; 10. 29-Chris Lang
A-Main – (25 Laps) [#]-Starting Position
1. 94-John Ivy[6]; 2. 1-Nate Dussel[5]; 3. 40-Bobby Clark[9]; 4. 8K-Zack Kramer[20]; 5. 41-Dustin Dinan[15]; 6. 19R-Steve Rando[2]; 7. 2-Tim Kern[13]; 8. 22D-Dan Hammond[10]; 9. 3X-Josh Burdette[18]; 10. 51-Brad Bowman[17]; 11. 67M-Matt Ferrell[19]; 12. 1W-Paul Weaver[16]; 13. M28-Josh Muntz[1]; 14. 28-Shawn Valenti[3]; 15. 36X-Dustin Keegan[4]; 16. 80-Jake Trevino[12]; 17. 35-Stuart Brubaker[7]; 18. 11F-D.J. Foos[11]; 19. 10X-Dustin Stroup[14]; 20. 13-Junior Felver[8]
Computer Man Dirt Trucks
Heat 1 – Ultra Schield Race Products (8 Laps)
1. 32H-Dan Hennig; 2. P51-Paul Brown Jr.; 3. 18W-Cory Ward; 4. 33-Brian Arnold; 5. 4J-Jeremy Lozano; 6. 92-Jordan Schwochow; 7. 21R-Dana Frey; 8. 84-Adam Jones
Heat 2 – Bell Racing (8 Laps)
1. 39-Dwight Waltermier; 2. O1-Art Ball; 3. 8K-Kent Brewer; 4. 30-Dave Gibbs; 5. 71-Craig Holland; 6. 56-Alex Weichman; 7. 9-Curt Inks; 8. 4S-Keith Sorg
A-Main – (15 Laps) [#]-Starting Position
1. O1-Art Ball[3]; 2. 33-Brian Arnold[4]; 3. P51-Paul Brown Jr.[6]; 4. 39-Dwight Waltermier[7]; 5. 8K-Kent Brewer[5]; 6. 18W-Cory Ward[8]; 7. 56-Alex Weichman[12]; 8. 71-Craig Holland[10]; 9. 9-Curt Inks[14]; 10. 32H-Dan Hennig[2]; 11. 92-Jordan Schwochow[11]; 12. 4S-Keith Sorg[16]; 13. 21R-Dana Frey[13]; 14. 30-Dave Gibbs[1]; 15. 84-Adam Jones[15]; 16. 4J-Jeremy Lozano[9]