Andrews Gets Late Race AFCS 410 Victory at Attica; Markham Earns Late Model Win; Harble Scores 1st 305 Win
By Brian Liskai
Attica, Ohio – Chris Andrews knew he had to switch something up in order to wrestle the lead away from Cale Conley Friday at Attica Raceway Park. Andrews, a two-time Attica 410 track champion, searched around on the track and found something in the middle and took the lead from Conley with two laps to go and went on to score his eighth career win at Attica on Kear’s Speed Shop/Carpenters’ Union 744 Night.
Attica’s defending Summit Racing Equipment UMP Late Model track champion Ryan Markham held off Doug Drown to score his 15th career win at “Ohio’s Finest Racing” speedplant. Markham, from Ashland, Ohio, now sits alone in third on the track’s all-time late model win list.
Newark, Ohio’s Mitch Harble has run 410 sprint cars the majority of his driving career. A deal was struck Thursday night for Harble to drive Matt Russel’s 305 sprint car and it paid off. Harble led all 25 non-stop laps to score his first ever Attica win.
In the Callie’s Performance Products 410 Sprint feature, Conley, who scored Attica’s opening season win, bolted into the lead and but Andrews, from Sandusky, Ohio, began searching the track’s surface and found grip in the middle of turns three and four and raced under Conley late before executing a slider in his Mackey Motorsports machine in turns one and two with two laps to go.
“Cale got me opening night and he was not going to get me again. The one thing I couldn’t do was keep following him because 
of the dirty air. I started moving to the middle in one and two and running bottom of three and four and I could get to him but I just couldn’t seal the deal. I saw five to go and I knew I had to do something different. I just sailed it in there…that cushion was pretty sketchy. The car was good. Duane and Ken Mackey put us in some good stuff. Glen wrenching on this thing and Doug Berryman with the shocks…this thing is hooked up,” said Andrews beside his Kistler Racing Products/Scotty’s Body Shop/Griewahn’s Concrete/Design Graphics Group backed machine.
of the dirty air. I started moving to the middle in one and two and running bottom of three and four and I could get to him but I just couldn’t seal the deal. I saw five to go and I knew I had to do something different. I just sailed it in there…that cushion was pretty sketchy. The car was good. Duane and Ken Mackey put us in some good stuff. Glen wrenching on this thing and Doug Berryman with the shocks…this thing is hooked up,” said Andrews beside his Kistler Racing Products/Scotty’s Body Shop/Griewahn’s Concrete/Design Graphics Group backed machine.The point standings in the $10,000 to win All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads/Kistler Racing Products Attica Fremont Championship Series Presented by the Baumann Auto Group will get a big shake-up following the 410 feature Friday as the series heads to Fremont Speedway Saturday, June 29. Also, Kear’s Speed Shop celebrating their 50th anniversary, handed out over $10,000 worth of manufacturer products to the race teams at Attica.
Markham had to survive several restarts with Drown, who has two wins on the season at Attica, right on his rear bumper. Markham was an expert handling a very thin cushion in turn two to score his first victory of the season.
“We’ve been starting at the back all year and working our way to the front. Luckily tonight we got a good starting spot…the competition here every week is just stellar and sometimes you start back there in 10th and it’s a tough deal. It was good to have some clean track tonight. I kept getting a push in one and two but if your pushing that means the rear tires are hooked up and you’re not spinning. Toward the end I got up on the wheel a little more and made sure I didn’t make a mistake,” said Markham beside his Harriger Towing/Matco Tools/Kingdoms Cup Coffee/The Beer Barrel/Accuforce/Innovative Graphics/Hickory Hollow Concrete backed machine.
In the non-stop 25 lap Fremont Fence 305 Sprint feature, Harble grabbed the early lead, nearly gave up the point in heavy lapped traffic and survived a bobble on the cushion in turns three and four late in the race to earn his first ever Attica win.
“We put this deal together at about 10 last night….it feels unbelievable to finally be on the horse track at Attica. We’ve been 
trying to get here for 15 years. I have to thank my mom and dad, Matt Russell, Ryan Prosser and everyone on this team,” said Harble about his Cassandra Mayer Attorney/The Holden Agency/Tim’s Mid-Ohio Home Improvement/Shag-A-Lees/Tru Form Eyewear/Russell’s Property Maintenance/Ace Auto Performance backed #25.
trying to get here for 15 years. I have to thank my mom and dad, Matt Russell, Ryan Prosser and everyone on this team,” said Harble about his Cassandra Mayer Attorney/The Holden Agency/Tim’s Mid-Ohio Home Improvement/Shag-A-Lees/Tru Form Eyewear/Russell’s Property Maintenance/Ace Auto Performance backed #25.Conley and Andrews brought the field to green for the 30-lap 410 sprint feature but Nate Dussel spun on the start, collecting DJ Foos, Hunter Schuerenberg, Jess Stiger and Buddy Kofoid.On the second attempt at green, Conley rocketed into the lead over Andrews while Trey Jacobs and Chad Kemenah battled for third.
On lap five Dussel and Travis Philo would bring out the caution, wiping out Conley’s lead over Andrews, Kemenah, Jacobs, Brian Lay and TJ Michael. On the restart Conley, Andrews and Kemenah pulled away while Jacobs and Michael battled for fourth with Lay and Tyler Gunn staying within striking distance. A debris caution at the half-way point saw the running order Conley, Andrews, Kemenah Jacobs, Michael, Gunn, Lay, Stuart Brubaker and Max Stambaugh.
With 10 laps to go, Andrews had moved his line and was closing on Conley while Kemenah, Jacobs, Michael, Lay and Stambaugh gave chase. With five laps to go it was a great three car battle for the lead between Conley, Andrews and Kemenah. Kemenah would slide off the track in turn two a lap later but came back on still in third while Conley and Andrews raced side by side for the lead. Andrews through a slider on Conley in turns one and two with two laps to go and made it stick to take the lead.
Andrews drove to the victory over Conley, Kemenah, Lay and Jacobs.
Steve Kester and Markham led the late model field to green for their 25 lap feature with Kester grabbing the point over Markham, Drown, Mitch Caskey and Jeff Warnick. Markham drove the high line into the lead on lap two just before the caution came out for a Warnick spin which collected Bob Mayer. The early part of the feature had three cautions in the first five laps, slowing the pace. When the green came out for a restart on lap six, Markham had to fend off Drown while Kester and Dan Wallace battled for third.
While Markham and Drown ran nose to tail up front and Kester and Wallace battled for third, an entertaining race ensued for fifth involving Caskey, Jeff Geis, Matt Irey and Casey Noonan. A caution for debris with 10 laps to go bunched the field up and once again Markham was able to hold off Drown with Kester and Wallace resuming their battle for third but now joined by Irey. A final caution for a Nate Potts spin on lap 17 gave Drown one last shot at Markham. But, Markham didn’t make a mistake and drove to the win over Drown, Kester, Irey and Wallace.
The 305 A-main got off to a rough start as outside front row starter Luke Griffith got upside down as the field started to assemble. When the green flew, pole-sitter Harble bolted into the lead with Kyle Peters, who owns a victory at Attica this season, falling back into second with Jason Keckler, Jamie Miller, Paul Weaver and Zeth Sabo in pursuit. Miller took third on the second lap with Weaver moving into fourth.
Harble began to pull away from Peters while Miller and Weaver fought for third with Tyler Street, Kyle Capodice and Keckler giving chase. Harble ran into heavy lapped traffic by lap 11 and that allowed Peters to close to within a car length while Weaver moved into third. Weaver, who also owns a win this year at Attica, used lapped cars to take second on lap 14. Harble bobbled just once on the cushion in turns three and four with four laps to go but was able to maintain the lead.
Harble took the checkers in the non-stop race over Weaver, Peters, Miller and Capodice.
Attica Raceway Park will be back in action Friday, July 5 on Burns Electric/Sutton Bank/Craig Miller Trucking Fan Appreciation Night which features $10 general admission ticket prices along with $1 hot dogs and 50 cent popcorn. The AFCS 410 and 305 sprints and late models will be in action and following hot laps fans will be allowed to visit the teams in the pits prior to the night’s racing getting under way.
For more information go to www.atticaracewaypark.com or follow the track on Twitter @atticaracewyprk or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/