Griffith leads wire to wire in non-stop AFCS feature at Attica; Missler drives to late model victory; Foos wins 305 shoot-out

Friday, May 13, 2022

By Brian Liskai

 

ATTICA, Ohio – It’s been awhile since Cale Griffith visited victory lane at Attica Raceway Park. That streak ended Friday, May 13 as the Sandusky, Ohio driver, who was the 410 sprint champion at the track in 2014, lead all 30 non-stop laps Friday for the Eric Phillips 34^thAnniversary Classic presented by Integrity Auto and Truck Sales of Bucyrus  on American Powersports/Edward Jones Mike Neill Financial Advisor Night.

The win wasn’t easy as Griffith had to deal with lapped traffic with Cole Macedo glued to his rear bumper. It was Griffith’s fourth career win in the Callie’s Performance Products 410 sprint division and was worth $4,000. Macedo’s second place finish solidifies his position atop the All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads/Kistler Racing Products Attica Fremont Championship Series presented by the Baumann Auto Group.

“It’s been awhile. I was kind of watching the board there and in the middle of the race the cushion got kind of gnarly down here (in turns three and four) so I just got away from it. I didn’t want to run against it because …last week I got a big bite of cushion on the last lap and did a tail dragger getting into turn one. I didn’t want to be in a bad position. This is big for those guys (crew)…all the work they’ve done. Ten years ago on Friday the 13^th it was two months from now I broke this leg…blew it in half so this is a pretty big deal for us. I’ve personally struggled on these tires. We’ve had a few slip away there at Fremont, we had one last year  that we raced like crazy with my pal Chris Andrews…he was just a little better than us that night. I have to thank Jeff Ward, Mike for doing all this , my dad and my brother for filling in, Gary, Duane and Jack for putting the AFCS on….man this is big,” said Griffith aboard his Jeff Ward Demolitions/Griff’s Engines backed machine.

Bellevue, Ohio’s Ryan Missler, a five time Attica late model champion, held off Rusty Schlenk in a heated battle then survived a caution with just three laps to go to claim the Dirt Nerds Podcast/Propane.com UMP Late Model victory. It was Missler’s 17^th career late model win at Attica, placing him fourth on the track’s all-time win list for the division.

“When the cushion is like that here you’re bound to beat up some sheet metal. What a race…I’m tired. I just can’t thank enough everybody that helps me out. We’re busier than heck at work…busier than we’ve ever been. I have to thank Weekley Electric, MGX Technologies, HAFTAL, Kepling Flooring, Jackson Farms, my wife, my father-in-law and Evan who help me out a crap ton. It feels to get our first win of the year and hopefully many more,” said Missler beside his Rocket Chassis, Handy Graphics, York Fabrication, Stakt Products, Big D’s Pizza, Elite Motorsports, Accuforce, SCS Gearbox, Maga Lifts, Missler’s Sweets backed machine.

Fremont, Ohio’s Matt Foos took the lead on lap seven and held off Jamie Miller on a one lap shoot-out to score the Fremont Fence 305 Sprint A-main win. It was Foos’ 5^thcareer win in the division. The victory also inches Foos closer in the battle for the NAPA Auto Parts of Bryan AFCS presented by Jason Dietsch Trailer Sales title.

“We had a really good car. Put ourselves in a good position starting up front…starting fourth is good in any division because everything is so tough. I knew we were good but I’ve gotten complacent before and stayed up on the rim and not moved around but my brother made sure I didn’t do that again. I knew Jamie (Miller) was behind me and I figured the best defense was to block the top because he’s so good on the top. I felt like if I got a good enough start he couldn’t slide me. I love my dad and he’s a wizard with the wrenches and he makes everybody on this team’s jobs easier. But it feels so good to get one without him…don’t take that the wrong way but it’s a confidence booster that we know what we are doing. I think we have our stuff together. We’re doing some R and D stuff with Doug Berryman and he’s got us on point,” said Foos beside his  Level Performance, Mitten Painting, Fremont Fence, Rohr Total Lawn Care, DJ Johnson & Family, M&L Excavating, Level Utilities, Chuck’s Budget Brakes, The Car Spa, Berryman Racing Shocks, Kear’s Speed Shop, 818 Club backed #12.

Griffith bolted into the lead for the 30 lap 410 sprint feature while Macedo, Byron Reed and Craig Mintz battled for second. Macedo took second on lap 10 with Reed fending off Mintz for third while John Ivy and Paige Polyak battled for fifth. Griffith blasted the cushion to maintain the lead while Macedo tried every lane to stay close.

Heavy lapped traffic came into play with eight laps to go and Macedo was within a couple of car lengths of Griffith while Reed, Mintz, DJ Foos, Polyak and Travis Philo gave chase. Griffith stayed patient in traffic and drove to the win over Macedo, Reed, Foos and Philo.

Cautions plagued the first half of the UMP late model feature with Missler holding the lead over Devin Shiels who had scored the first to feature wins of the year at the track, and Rusty Schlenk. The trio raced side by side and nose to tail the first half of the race. Schlenk moved into second on lap 17 and closed on Missler and drove to his inside numerous times until a caution flew with just three laps to go. Missler got a great restart and pulled away as Schlenk faded. Missler drove to the win over Shiels, Doug Drown, Schlenk and Justin Chance.

Cautions kept the field close the opening laps of the 305 sprint A-main with Kasey Jedrzejek leading Brandon Moore, Foos, Kelsey Ivy, Jim McGrath, Jamie Miller and Paul Weaver. Foos took second on lap four and quickly closed on Jedrzejek and took the lead on lap seven. Foos ran a steady pace continuing to lead Jedrzejek, Moore, Miller and Weaver with Miller taking third on lap 15.

After taking the white flag, Miller drove into second just before Moore and Weaver made contact battling for fourth with Moore spinning, setting up the one lap sprint to the win. Foos got an excellent restart and took the victory over Miller, Weaver, Jedrzejek and Ivy.

Attica Raceway Park will host the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series Friday, May 20 with the 305 sprints also in competition for the Kistler Engines Classic.

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Jacobs gets late race 410 AFCS victory at Attica; Shiels perfect in late models; Logan Riehl earns exciting 1st career 305 win

Friday, April 29, 2022

By Brian Liskai

ATTICA, Ohio – Defending Attica Raceway Park 410 track champion Trey Jacobs has lamented the struggles his team has had late in the races during the first part of the year. The team proved they can adjust and the Shreve, Ohio driver got by teenager Ryan Timms coming to the white flag to earn his third career win at “Ohio’s Finest Racing” speed plant Friday, April 29 on Smith Paving Night.

The win – worth $4,000 thanks to Big D’s Pizza of Clyde – will help Jacobs edge closer to Cole Macedo (who finished third Friday) in the All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads/Kistler Racing Products Attica Fremont Championship Series Presented by the Baumann Auto Group standings.

“It got a little hairy there in lapped traffic. I was really good on the bottom and I felt like I could just kind of maintain on the top. Lapped cars were holding their line but they were running the bottom in my line so I tried to move around at the wrong time and got dicing it up there with the 18 car (Macedo and Tyler Gunn). Luckily it seemed like lapped car moved out of the way and I was able to track down…that young Timms kid is one hell of a race car driver. I’m telling you what, 15 years old to come here first time ever and do that is pretty damn impressive,” said Jacobs beside his Integrity Truck and Auto Sales of Bucyrus, Performance Foot and Ankle, VIB-ISO, Dac Vitamins & Minerals, Tim Yerian backed #3J.

“We’ve been really good unloading out of the box we just seem to not making the right adjustments by A-main time. Part of it is I gained a little bit of wait on my left hand ring figure during the off –season so I think I’m turning the wheel a little too much…I’m left hand down on the wheel so we just had to compensate for that. Once we got that dialed in we’re good to go know,” joked Jacobs of his recent marriage.

Three time and defending UMP Late Model track champion Devin Shiels held off challenges from JR Gentry to score his second straight win in the Dirt Nerds Podcast/Propane.com Late Models. It’s the 12^th career win for Shiels at Attica, moving him to sixth on the all-time division win list.

“I knew Gentry and Markham (Ryan) were going to be fast on the top so I moved around a lot to see which was better…I couldn’t make up  my mind. This car really likes the slick and the dirt has grip when you get here and then slicks off when the sprints run 30 laps. This car just comes alive. It was a total team effort. Jason pretty much changed the whole car after the heat race and went back to what we had last week and improved on it,” said Shiels beside his Magic Fountain Auto Wash, Rally’s Hamburgers, Dundee Products, Banshee Graphics, Salenbein Trucking & Excavating; Banshee Graphics backed #51.

Logan Riehl and Larry Kingseed Jr. literally ran side by side, nose to tail the entire 25 laps of the Fremont Fence 305 Sprints A-main. When the checkers flew Riehl, in only his third year of sprint car racing, won his very first sprint car feature by .207 seconds over Kingseed. In fact, the barn-burner feature saw only .63 seconds separate the top four – Riehl, Kingseed, Paul Weaver and Jamie Miller –  at the checkers.

“I don’t really know what to say….this is incredible. I seen Larry right there and he was with me the entire time. I just try to make the best 25 laps I can and see where we stand at the end of it. It feels pretty good to be in this division. There’s a lot of competition and about 10 to 15 cars can win every night. I have to thank my mom and dad, my brothers, my girlfriend, Riehl Custom Fab and Chassis Repair, A & M Transport, Cornerstone Farms, Bascom Diesel Supply, Ely Clouse Machining, Milligan’s Irish Pub and RPK Enterprises,” said Riehl.

Riehl’s win should move him from fifth to the top three in the NAPA Auto Parts of Bryan AFCS Presented by Jason Dietsch Trailer Sales points.

Ryan Timms jumped into the early lead of the 30-lap Callie’s Performance Products 410 Sprint A-main with Kyle Capodice and Tyler Gunn battling for second with Jacobs and Stuart Brubaker locked into a battled for fourth. Following a lap three caution, Timms pulled away  while the battle for second between Capodice and Gunn heated up.

Timms raced into lapped traffic by the seventh circuit with Gunn taking second and a lap later Jacobs grabbing third. Heavy lapped traffic came into play by the 10^th circuit and Gunn and Jacobs battled hard for second. Jacobs finally took the spot on lap 16 as the leaders were again mired in traffic. Gunn retook the runner-up spot on lap 21 only to see Jacobs regain the position a lap later.

Meanwhile Jacobs, Gunn and Cole Macedo closed on Timms. With five laps to go Jacobs was right on the rear bumper of Timms. Coming to the white flag Jacobs rocked off the bottom to grab the lead and drove to the win over Timms, Macedo, DJ Foos and Gunn.

Justin Chance jumped into the lead of the 25-lap UMP Late Model A-main but a hand full of cautions early on kept the field close. On a lap two restart Shiels drove around Chance to take the lead and a lap later JR Gentry took second while Chance was left to deal with a challenge from Ryan Markham.

Shiels and Gentry ran nose to tail until a caution with seven laps to go. On the restart Gentry tried to drive around Shiels but couldn’t make the pass. Shiels drove to the win over Gentry, Markham, Chance and Larry Bellman.

While Riehl took the lead in the 25-lap Fremont Fence 305 A-main, Larry Kingseed didn’t let him get away. A couple of cautions in the first 10 laps kept the field close. Riehl and Kingseed ran side-by-side lap after lap with Paul Weaver and Jamie Miller staying close. Coming to the checkers several lapped cars were right in front of the top four. Riehl was able to pick his spot and drove to the narrow win over Kingseed, Weaver, Miller and Matt Foos.

Attica Raceway Park will be back in action Friday, May 6 for Stillwater Metal/Bazell Race Fuels Night with the UMP late models battling for $3,000 to win. The 305 sprints and dirt trucks will join in the action.

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.

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