Trey Jacobs finally gets 410 win at Attica; Schlenk earns thrilling late model win; Miller nabs 4th 305 victory

Friday, July 30, 2021

By Brian Liskai

ATTICA, Ohio (Friday, July 30, 2021) – Trey Jacobs has finished second at Attica Raceway Park three times this season, including being nipped last week by .084 seconds. This Friday Jacobs, who came into the night leading the 410 sprint points at “Ohio’s Finest Racing” facility, took the lead late in the race to earn his first career win at Attica on Kear’s Speed Shop/True Alpha Wealth Management Night.

Jacobs, whose father Dean won Attica’s track title in 2011, became the seventh different first time 410 sprint winner in 15 events at the track in 2021. Attica’s 2016 rookie of the year also won last Saturday at Wayne County Speedway.

“I’ve run second here too many times. Finally it seems like we’re really getting rolling after coming about as close as you could possibly get last week. We had that restart there with not very many laps to go (six laps) and I knew the bottom was really good and I was able to make it work. As soon as I cleared Stewie (Stuart Brubaker) I knew I couldn’t let this one get away from me. I started over driving entry a little bit and got hung out in the middle…with a couple to go I told myself to calm down. I knew I was fast enough on the bottom to get by those guys so they would have to really come on and rip the curb to get a run on me to get by. It’s a huge relief to finally get that first one at Attica. I’ve been down on this horse track countless times with my dad and I’ve always dreamed of getting down here. I hope this is the start to many to come,” said Jacobs beside his Performance Foot & Ankle, Thrifty Muffler, VIB-ISO, All Overstock, Tim Yerian, Integrity Auto and Trucks Sales backed #3J.

In a fantastic UMP Late Model A-main, McClure, Ohio’s Rusty Schlenk used a late race restart to drive around Ryan Missler to score his third victory of the year at Attica. It’s his 31^st career win at the track as he sits atop the all-time win list for the division. The 25-lap A-main saw Schlenk, Missler and Doug Drown battle throughout. Schlenk was leading last week at Attica and jumped the cushion and smacked the front stretch wall which injured his hand.

“We’ve had a rough couple of weeks. I made a joke on Facebook last week that I was washed up after putting it into the front stretch wall while leading. So I had to come back and prove to everybody that I have a little bit left in me. We lost power steering in the heat race…that’s why I went to the bottom and ran around the bottom the whole heat just trying to get a re-draw. I suffered it out in the heat race with one hand and no power steering and got a re-draw and that put us up front to have a chance to put on a show for everyone,” said Schlenk beside his Buckeye Concrete, VP Fuel, Tom Finch Auto, Bilstein Shocks, Landrum Springs, Dominator Race Products backed #91.

Fremont, Ohio’s Jamie Miller, a two-time Attica 305 champion took the lead at the drop of the green for the non-stop 25 lap 305 feature and never looked back. Miller, who hasn’t finished out of the top four all season long at Attica, earned his fourth win of the year and 31^st of his career to sit second on the track’s all time win list for the division.

“I definitely have no complaints. This thing was fast. There was a little rubber up top there and that’s a little different for here but we’re really good up there and I just road it out and parked it. I was looking ahead and watching and all the lapped cars went to the bottom. I was like this can’t be happening,” said Miller of his : Smitty’s Pizza, JLH General Contractor, Queen of Clean, Rohr Total Lawn Care, Sonic Hauling, Phil Rister, Sloopy’s Pizza, Reedtown Tavern, Crown Battery, Schreiner Farms, Roberts & Sons Contracting, Fostoria Mod Shop, Kenny Kalb Farms backed #26.

In the 30-lap Callie’s Performance Products 410 Sprint A-main, Nate Dussel grabbed the early lead but he and DJ Foos made contact while battling up front with Dussel flipping and Foos heading to the pits. That put Brian Smith into the top spot and he held it for a lap before Brubaker charged to the lead.

The caution flew on lap five, wiping out a huge lead for Brubaker. When the green flew Brubaker began to pull away from Chris Andrews while Travis Philo, Smith, Caleb Griffith and Jacobs battled hard for third. That war for third went on for several laps until lap 16 when Philo took a nasty crash off turn four; he was okay.

On the restart 11^th starting Jacobs drove under Andrews for second but Andrews fought back retaking the position on lap 19 with Jacobs returning the favor a lap later just before the red flew for Andrew Fike whose car caught fire; he was okay. Brubaker continued to lead but now Jacobs applied pressure to his inside when the green came back out. Brubaker and Jacobs ran side by side for the lead for three laps before Jacobs powered off the bottom into the top spot just before the final caution flew with six laps to go.

Jacobs was just too good on the low side of the track and drove away for the win over Brubaker, Andrews, Griffith and Cole Macedo.

Pole-sitter Doug Drown grabbed the lead at the drop of the green for the 25 lap Dirt Nerds Podcast/Propane.com late model feature with Devin Shiels, Missler and Schlenk right that to challenge. Missler moved into second on the second lap with Schlenk taking third a circuit later just before a caution. The next two green flag laps saw Drown challenged by Missler and Schlenk before another caution. When the green flew the battle was on. Missler grabbed the lead on lap eight but Drown continued to hound him with Schlenk, Ryan Markham and last week’s winner Mike Bores staying close.

Missler encountered lapped traffic by lap 14 and Drown and Schlenk were there to pounce. Schlenk moved into second on lap 17 just before a debris caution. Schlenk used the restart to drive to Missler’s outside and when the leader pushed up the track Schlenk pounced into the lead. Schlenk pulled away the final five laps to take the win over Missler, Bores, Matt Irey and JR Gentry.

Miller immediately grabbed the lead of the Fremont Fence 305 Sprint A and quickly used the cushion to build a sizeable lead over Steve Rando and Justin Lusk. Young Bryce Lucius came on strong with 10 laps to go and took third while Matt Foos charged into fourth. With five laps to go Miller had put three lapped cars between himself and Rando. Foos drove into third on lap 22 and when Rando made contact with the front stretch wall on the last lap Foos grabbed second. Miller drove to the win over Foos, Kasey Jedrzejek, Lucius and Rando.

Attica Raceway Park will take a couple of weeks off for the Attica Independent Fair and will get back to racing on Friday, Aug. 20 with the All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads/Kistler Racing Products 410 Attica Fremont Championship Series Presented by the Baumann Auto Group, the UMP late models and the NAPA of Bryan 305 AFCS Presented by Jason Dietsch Trailer Sales in action.

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

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Conley holds off Jacobs for Attica 410 win; Weaver earns 5th 305 victory; Bores holds off Markham for late model win

Friday, July 23, 2021

By Brian Liskai

ATTICA, Ohio – Cale Conley held off Trey Jacobs to score his second career 410 sprint car win at Attica Raceway Park Friday, July 23 on Baumann Auto Group/NAPA Auto Parts/Advanced Drainage Systems Night. Conley’s margin of victory was only .084 seconds over current Attica point leader Jacobs.

Conley, from Vienna, West Virginia, led all 30 laps of the Callie’s Performance Products 410 Sprint A-main, but Jacobs made things very entertaining the final six laps. The victory was worth $4,000 thanks to Spanky’s Pizza of Carey, Ohio.

“I saw him coming. That was way too close of a victory to be comfortable about. I’m still a little bit puckered up after that. I was up here for that front row challenge and I knew I wanted to start out front here. There’s too many good cars here. I said if anyone could start at the back and come up front it would be that 3J car of Jacobs and sure enough there he was at the end. I’m really happy to hold him off because he’s pretty solid on the bottom and the top was getting pretty thin. The car was great thanks to Brian and Stacie Kemenah…this thing was really fun to drive. I’m grateful to be here,” said Conley beside his Ravici Racing/The PM Company/Brilex LLC/Precision Garage Door backed #3c.

With his third place finish Craig Mintz gained valuable points on All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads/Kistler Racing Products 410 Attica Fremont Championship Series Presented by the Baumann Auto Group point leader DJ Foos who charged from 14^th to a sixth place finish.

When leader Rusty Schlenk jumped the cushion in turn four and slammed into the front stretch wall Mike Bores was there to take advantage and drove to his sixth career Dirt Nerds Podcast/Propane.com UMP Late Model win at Attica. It wasn’t easy for Bores as former track champions Ryan Markham, Devin Shiels and Matt Irey pressured Bores the final 14 laps.

“You can’t mess around with them (lapped cars too much) because you don’t know where that second place guy is. I knew Markham was coming…someone was coming from up top. I just had to protect the middle…the race track was good tonight,” said Bores beside his Underground Utilities Inc./AccuForce/Burns Electric/Steins Honey/Yetter Dun Boom Mowing/Cam-Tech backed #94.

Fremont, Ohio’s Paul Weaver, defending and five time Attica 305 champion, took the lead of the 25 lap Fremont Fence 305 Sprint A-main on lap 13, survived a caution with four laps to go and drove to his fifth win of the season. It was the 61^st of his career in the division and 64^th overall Attica win (three 410 victories) to lead all drivers in career wins in the history of Attica Raceway Park.

“That wasn’t fun….that was a workout. I’ve got the identical set-up…I put the same set-up on it when we went to Portsmouth, Atomic, Wayne County. I know what the car’s going to do. It might not win all the time but it’s comfortable. I have to thank Bob Hampshire for one hell of a motor, Kenny Greber kind of come on board and helped me a little bit with some parts, Pam and Steve Brown of B&B Drain Services, M&L Excavating and Dave Rice,” said Weaver.

Weaver, the 2020 NAPA Auto Parts of Bryan 305 AFCS Presented by Jason Dietsch Trailer Sales champion, padded his lead in the AFCS points with the victory.

Prior to the 410 A-main, Rich Farmer of NAPA Auto Parts offered a $10,000 to pole-sitter Chris Andrews to go to the tail and come back and win. Andrews unfortunately crashed out of the A-main on lap 13.

So the front row of the feature saw Conley and Ricky Peterson charge to the green with Conley gaining the advantage as Peterson got locked in a tremendous battle with Stuart Brubaker for second while Jacobs and Craig Mintz stayed within striking distance. A caution for debris on lap six wiped out a substantial lead for Conley as Brubaker had moved into second over Peterson, Jacobs, Mintz and Cole Macedo.

A couple of cautions prior to the half-way point kept the field close, wiping out big leads for Conley while Brubaker, Peterson and Jacobs battled extremely hard for second. With eight laps to go Conley’s lead has dissipated as Brubaker, Jacobs and Peterson closed. Unfortunately for Peterson his great run came to an end when he slammed into the front stretch wall with just six laps to go.

On the restart Conley took off but in a few laps Jacobs, utilizing the low line, closed and was racing inside the leader when a caution flew with just three laps remaining. Again Conley got an excellent restart on the high side of the track but Jacobs closed quickly on the bottom and as they charged to the checkers Jacobs was beside Conley who took the very close win. Mintz, Brubaker and Macedo rounded out the top five.

Schlenk jumped into the early lead of the late model A-main with Shiels, Bores, Markham, Larry Bellman and Irey in pursuit. While Schlenk pulled away the battle for second heated up with Bores taking the spot on lap four only to see Shiels regain the position on lap eight with Bores back into second a lap later. Schlenk slipped off the cushion exiting turn four on lap 10 and hit the front stretch wall, ending his night and handing the lead to Bores.

Bores pulled away on the restart as Shiels, Irey and Markham traded positions lap after lap. With nine circuits remaining, Markham had caught Bores and blasting away at the cushion drove side by side with the leader. The high line in turn two was tricky and a couple of minor bobbles allowed Bores to pull away slightly. The remaining five laps saw Markham, Shiels and Irey swap positions nearly each corner.

On the last lap Bores had to be conservative with a lapped car and Markham gave one final try to his outside only to fall short. Bores scored the victory with Markham, Shiels, Irey and Bellman rounding out the top five.

Steve Rando grabbed the early lead of the 305 A-main over Kyle Peters, Seth Schneider, Logan Riehl and Weaver. Rando built a big lead but a couple of cautions early on kept he field close as Schneider took second on lap four with Weaver into third. Weaver grabbed second on lap eight and immediately closed on Rando, driving under him to take the lead on lap 13.

Weaver pulled away steadily as Rando ran unchallenged in second while Schneider, Riehl and Jamie Miller battled for third.  A final caution with four laps to go gave Rando one final chance but Weaver was too strong and drove to the win with Miller, Schneider and Matt Foos rounding out the top five.

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