Dietrich scores Attica win to open Ohio Sprint Speedweek

Friday, June 10, 2022

By Brian Liskai

 

ATTICA, Ohio – Danny Dietrich could have stayed in Pennsylvania and continued his success and chase points but the Gettysburg, Pennsylvania driver opted to chase the 40^th Annual Cometic Gasket Ohio Sprint Speedweek presented by Hercules Tires and it paid off Friday, June 10 as he scored his first ever win at Attica Raceway Park.

The victory is the seventh overall win for Dietrich in 2022 and his first ever at Attica and came on the Bert and Brigitte Emick Classic on Ohio Laborers/Ohio CAT/True Alpha Wealthy Management Night. The victory is the 16^th with the Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 for Dietrich and came on the night the Emicks, who ran the series from 1980 through 2002, were honored. It was the 136^th appearance of the All Stars at Attica and the 250^th Ohio Sprint Speedweek A-main in the event’s history.

While the final stats will show Dietrich led all 35 laps for the $6,000 payday, it wasn’t easy and included near disaster on lap 16 when he got off the back stretch. A restart with just four laps to go gave the field a shot at Dietrich but he executed a flawless restart and drove to the win over Bill Balog, Justin Peck, Cap Henry and 23^rd starting Zeb Wise.

“Holy shit I didn’t even know where I was going it was that dusty down the back stretch when that happened. I had no idea. I just know it took off down the banking to the right and I had to pitch her sideways to try to get back on the track. I wasn’t expecting the 23 car. I was glad to save it and glad the cautions fell when they came because it was getting pretty tough. I never really had to move anywhere other than the top … a couple of times I went to the bottom down there in one and two. It really didn’t feel bad just didn’t feel like I did on the top with clean air and a clean race track. We had a really had a good car. I have to thank Joey, Jake, Eric…my owner back home (Gary Kauffman). We could be back home racing for points but we’re here racing for Ohio Speedweek points and hopefully we can win this at the end of the week,” said Dietrich beside his Sweeney Car dot com/Pace Performance/Bollinger Construction/RV 4 Wheel Drive backed #48.

Hartland, Wisconsin’s Bill Balog got to Dietrich a couple of times but a caution would negate his challenges and he settled for a runner-up finish.

“The cautions hurt us but we needed that run. We didn’t need that last caution. I thought I was going to be able to make something happen but congratulations to Danny…he did a great job. Anderson’s Maple Syrup, Wayne Corini, Howard Law…thank you guys for letting me do this. That’s best we’ve ever been here…probably best we’ve ever been in Ohio. The stuff we did over this week we probably should have done weeks ago. You do the best you can and try to do what you can do. These things are finicky…I think we’re getting closer in Ohio,” said Balog.

Monrovia, Indiana’s Justin Peck nipped former Attica Champion Cap Henry to round out the podium.

“I think it might have been a little different race had I not blown it off the edge there on the last lap in the dash. It is what it is. My guys gave me a really good car all night. I think we needed just a little bit more right rear stick there in the feature. My forward bite is crazy these RPM chassis are nuts … they have so much forward bite in them. I think we missed our little fine tune there in the feature. The HP Engines are hitting, the Tree Center and Coastal Race Parts have our backs and Tom Buch has put us in a really good position to come out here and race for a living. It’s the first night of nine…we have a long stretch ahead,” said Peck.

Rusty Schlenk took the lead of the Dirt Nerds Podcast/Propane.com UMP Late Model feature with just six laps to go after a spirited battle with JR Gentry and drove away to his second victory of the year at Attica, the 33^rd of his career at the track.

“I made one mistake that nearly cost us there on the cushion in three and four. But this Dominator Chassis we built this winter is handling perfect and I hope we have a lot more wins coming,” said Schlenk beside his Velicita Fire Suits, VP Fuels, Dominator Race Products, Bilstein Shocks, Lendrum Springs, Tom Finch Auto backed #91.

At the drop of the green for the 35-lap All Star feature, Dietrich jumped into the lead with Parker Price Miller, Cory Eliason, Balog, Trey Jacobs  and Peck in tow. Eliason grabbed second on lap four just before the red flew for a Skylar Gee flip which also saw Tyler Courtney and Hunter Schuerenberg get together. On the restart Dietrich pulled away from Eliason while Price Miller was locked in a great battle with Balog and Peck. Price Miller spun on lap eight, collecting Cole Macedo.

Once again on the restart Dietrich pulled away as Balog took second with Eliason, Peck, Jacobs and Cap Henry giving chase. Near disaster struck on lap 16 as Dietrich slipped off the back stretch which allowed Balog to close. Entering heavy lapped traffic on lap 18, Balog was nipping at Dietrich’s rear bumper. A caution for Eliason who tangled with Peck battling for third gave Dietrich a clear track that he used to his advantage to build another sizeable lead. With just 11 laps to go the car on the move was the previous week’s All Star winner at Attica, Zeb Wise who had charged from 23^rd to 7^th.

A final caution on lap 31 gave Balog another shot at Dietrich but a flawless restart saw “Double D” pull away for the win.

Attica Raceway Park will be back in action Friday, June 24 with the Attica Fremont Championship Series 410 and 305 sprints in action along with the Attica/Oakshade Late Model Series Challenge.

For more information go to www.atticaracewaypark.comor follow the track on Twitter @atticaracewyprk or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/atticaracewaypark and Instagram at attica_raceway_park.

About Ohio Cat – http://www.ohiocat.com

Ohio CAT is a top Caterpillar dealer, employing over 1,100 people in more than 20 locations.  Ohio CAT has received numerous awards for customer service and business accomplishments, as well as being named 2015 leading skid steer loader dealer in the world as well as gaining top sales in excavators and repeated awards leading the Ohio market in skid steer loader sales. With staff nearly doubling since 2010, Ohio Cat completed construction of its renovated Broadview Heights corporate office in 2016 to accommodate recent years of rapid growth.

About True Alpha Wealth Management – www.truealphawm.com

True Alpha Wealth Management strives to understand what matters most to you so together we can create a financial plan that is unique to you, your family and your business. True Alpha can help with sustaining your lifestyle, give advice on and the management of generational wealth strategies, purchasing a dream home, funding for college or philanthropic intentions. True Alpha offers thoughtful guidance that will help you navigate fluctuations in the market and changes in your life. True Alpha offers retirement plan consulting that provides innovative advice and guidance to properly structure your company’s retirement plans. True Alpha Wealth Management is located in Sandusky, Ohio.

About Ohio Laborers

Tonight’s races are sponsored by the Ohio Laborers and Ohio LECET in conjunction with LIUNA – the Laborers’ International Union of North America. There are 23 local union halls  throughout Ohio representing 20,000 union laborers. Laborers build roads, construct buildings, install gas and water lines, clean hazardous waste, and much more. When you see Ohio Laborers  working on the road, please remember to keep them safe – slow down and move over!    

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