Shaffer breaks All Star dry spell with Attica win; Bores earns 1st late model win of 2020
Friday, Sept. 4, 2020
Contact: Brian Liskai
By Brian Liskai
ATTICA, Ohio – It had been since February 2019 since Tim Shaffer stood in victory lane with the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions Presented by Mobil 1. The Aliquippa, Pa. driver – a four time series champion – ended that drought Friday, Sept. 4 at Attica Raceway Park, opening the Attica Ambush with his 67th career All Star win, leading all 40 laps.
The victory was the second on the season at Attica for Shaffer and the 19th of his career at “Ohio’s Finest Racing” speed plant on Murphy Tractor and Equipment/Stillwater Metals/Core & Main Presented by Kistler Racing Products/Kistler Engines Night. Shaffer’s victory aboard the Brian Grove Racing #28 came on the 127th appearance of the All Stars at Attica Raceway Park.
“It’s been awhile…I haven’t run with them (All Stars) steady. But, we’re building a team. We can only run a limited schedule and boy we 
have to make it worthwhile when we do. Hats off to my guys, Rider Engines, RPM Chassis, Momentum Shocks…just everybody stepped up and here we are,” said Shaffer beside his Canton Erectors/Rudzik Excavating backed machine.
Shaffer, who pays very close attention to the shock packages on the sprint car he drives, said that is the key to winning.
“You have to pay attention to the shocks. These kids are getting harder and harder to beat so we have to get our car really nice. Actually I have one of Keith (Berner) shocks on the right front and the other three are Momentum. They are just all working together. I got some stuff from Keith for my late model too. It’s all about enjoying yourself and this is about making a living and the late model is for playing,” Shaffer added.
Shaffer had to survive a restart with five laps to go and made a change in his racing line, moving to the high side.
“You have to move around. This is Attica and if you don’t move around you’re going to get your ass handed to you. It definitely changes throughout the night and I just hoped I was doing the right things,” the winner added.
Bixby, Oklahoma’s Shane Stewart gave Shaffer all he could handle late in the race but settled for second in the Indy Race Parts #71.
“We haven’t raced that much together Bernie and I but every time we do this car is fast. I started to fade a little the last 10 laps, I think we were running out of fuel. Hopefully we can make some adjustments and contend again tomorrow,” said Stewart of his Jonestown KOA/Capital Renegade/Indy Race Parts backed machine.
Fairland, Indiana’s Cale Thomas made a late race charge to round out the podium in the Pete Grove Racing #70.
“I feel back to about 10th at the beginning and I just had to remember this is the Attica I grew up learning to race on from about five or six years ago. I moved the wing back and was able to race the middle of the track,” said Thomas of his Lumber and Things/River City Wood/Lutes Custom Cabinetry, Premier Pallet backed sprint car.
Bellevue, Ohio’s Mike Bores took the lead on lap 18 of the Dirt Nerds Podcast/Propane.com Late Model A-main and withstood a caution with just six laps to go to win his first feature of the season and taking home the $3,000 payday. It was Bores sixth career win at Attica.
“I was nervous when I saw that 79 car (Doug Drown) up to third on that last restart. I was counting the laps down and thought ‘hear comes hammer down Doug Drown.’ I want to thank my wife and little boy, my crew, Noah, Frank, Nick, Brent, Burns Electric, Underground Utilities, Accuforce, Clements Racing Engines and Roeder Racing,” said Bores in victory lane.
Cale Conley and Jac Haudenschild brought the field to green for the 40-lap All Star feature but the initial start was called back and Conley was moved back a row for jumping. When the green flew again Shaffer bolted into the lead with Haudenschild, Conley, Trey Jacobs, eighth starter Shane Stewart and Cory Eliason giving chase. While Haudenschild hounded Shaffer, Conley and Stewart battled side by side over several laps for third.
A caution with 11 laps in kept Shaffer out of lapped traffic and he again pulled away when the green reappeared while Haudenschild and Stewart battled for second. Stewart took the runner-up spot on lap 18 just before a caution flew at the half-way point.
On the ensuing restart Stewart drove to Shaffer’s outside to challenge but Shaffer hit his marks and began to pull away again, building his lead to nearly a second and half with 14 laps to go. With 10 circuits remaining heavy lapped traffic faced Shaffer with Stewart, Haudenschild, Conley, Eliason and Thomas staying close. At one point Conley, Eliason and Thomas were three wide battling for fourth.
The final caution flew with five laps to go when Conley and Eliason made contact battling for fifth with Eliason stopping with heavy front end damage. When the green flew Shaffer moved his restart marks to the high side of one and two and it paid off as he drove away for the win over Stewart, Thomas, Conley, Paul McMahan and the night’s hard charger Rico Abreu who charged from 23rd to sixth. Haudenschild, Ian Madsen, Cole Duncan and TJ Michael, who came from last, rounded out the top 10.
Defending Attica late model champion Doug Drown and Jerry Bowersock led the field to green for the 30 lap late feature with Drown grabbing a commanding lead over Rob Anderzack, Bowersock, Dave Hornikel, Devin Shiels and Matt Irey.
Irey worked his way up to second on lap 11 and was closing on Drown when the leader got tangled up with a lapped car and spun. Irey now led Anderzack, Bores, Hornikel and Ryan Missler. Just as Irey was pulling away something broke and he went to the pits, handing the lead to Bores who took second just a half lap earlier.
Bores pulled away on the restart as Anderzack had to deal with Bowersock and Hornikel with Missler, Shiels and Markham in pursuit. With eight laps to go the car on the move was Drown who had worked his way from the tail up to fourth.
A final caution with six laps to go put Anderzack, Bowersock, Drown and Missler right on Bores’ rear bumper. Bores got an excellent restart while Drown blasted into second and started to close on the leader. Bores made no mistakes the final hand full of laps to score the win over Drown, Markham, Anderzack and Bowersock.
Attica Raceway Park will be back in action Saturday, Sept. 5 on Core & Main/All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads Presented by Kistler Racing Products/Kistler Engines Night. The All Stars will be gunning for $10,000 while the Fremont Fence 305 Sprints will battle for a $1,000 pay day.
Keep tabs on the ongoing race schedule at www.atticaracewaypark.com or follow the track on Twitter @atticaracewyprk or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/atticaracewaypark and Instagram at attica_raceway_park.
About Core & Main
Core & Main is the Nation’s largest distributor of Waterworks products. Core & Main distributes a complete line of water, sewer, fire protection, and storm drain products to serve the needs of both contractors and municipalities in all aspects of public works and private construction industries. These products are integral to building, repairing and maintaining water systems and serve as part of the basic municipal infrastructure required to support population and economic growth, and residential and commercial construction. The nearest Core & Main locations are in Ashland and Amherst! Find out more at hdswaterworks.com
About Stillwater Metal – www.stillwater-metal.com
Stillwater Metal is located in Kenton, Ohio and handles all of your steel siding and roofing needs.
About Murphy Tractor and Equipment – www.murphytractor.com
Murphy Tractor & Equipment Co., Inc., one of John Deere’s largest North American construction equipment dealer organizations, was founded in 1982. Headquartered in Park City, Kansas, the organization has 29 locations throughout the states of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Staffed by over 650 employees, each location has a full complement of equipment and parts inventories, service technicians and field service capabilities. As one of John Deere’s largest North American construction equipment dealers, Murphy Tractor is committed to being the product and support supplier of first choice by customers in the markets that use the products we represent.
