By Brian Liskai - UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions PR

(Camargo, IL) Ohio Sprint Speedweek usually determines who will wear the University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions’ crown at season’s end. This year, the 31st Annual Ohio Sprint Speedweek features eight racing events over nine days at seven different race tracks in the Buckeye State.    

It all kicks off Friday, June 21 as Kistler Engines Presents the Ohio Sprint Speedweek on TPC Food Services/Ohio Cat Night at Attica Raceway Park . This will mark the 99th UNOH All Star show at Attica . Earlier this year current All Star point leader Dale Blaney, a four time Ohio Sprint Speedweek champion, took the victory at Attica . Blaney now has 13 series wins at Attica and has 95 total All Star victories for his career, just three behind tying Kenny Jacobs for the series all-time feature wins.    

Last year at Attica’s speedweek event, Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania ’s Danny Holtgraver scored his first career UNOH All Star victory. Race-long leader Cap Henry spun trying to avoid a flipping car with just four laps remaining. Currently Holtgraver, who has scored four sprint feature wins in non-All Star racing this season, sits fourth in the series’ national points and second in the Ohio Region standings. Henry, who has two non-sanctioned sprint car wins in 2013, is third in the UNOH All Star national points and fifth in the Ohio Region.

There is a little extra incentive at Attica as the top two finishers in the feature event that are running Kistler Engines will receive $500 from the engine builder.

The All Star drivers always have their hands full with the Attica regulars like six time track champion Byron Reed, who is coming off a weekend sweep at Attica and Fremont Speedway. Defending track champion Craig Mintz has run consistently in the top five every week at Attica. Throw in Caleb Griffith, who scored the win at the track in the 360/305 sprint challenge, Bryan Sebetto, who has an All Star win at Fremont this season and a non-sanctioned win at Attica, currently sits fourth in the series’ Ohio Region points, rookie D.J. Foos, Brian Smith who has a win at the track, and a host of others and you have a recipe for excitement. Holtgraver has a non-sanctioned win at Attica in 2013 as does Shane Stewart. And former track champion Dean Jacobs is expected to be behind the wheel of a new ride for speedweek.

The UMP Late models will also be in competition at Attica . Gates will open at 4 p.m. with racing underway at 7:45 p.m. Tickets are $22 for adults; $20 for seniors; $10 for teens ages 11-15; with kids 10 and under getting in free. Pit passes are $30.

For more information go to www.atticaracewaypark.com.

Check out last week's racing action through the lens of our local area photographers...

A collection of photos from Action Photos from Burns Electric/ Ohio Logistics Mid-Season Championship Night have been posted in the photo gallery.

Several shots from Rick Sherer have also been added.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PHOTOS

Reed Breaks Into Attica Victory Lane; Scott Nabs First Late Model Win; Dussel Again In 305 Sprints; Ivy Earns Truck Victory

By Brian Liskai

(Attica, OH) Byron Reed has been around sprint car racing long enough to know sometimes all you need is one good run to boost your confidence. The Monclova, Ohio driver started the year a little slow, but over the past month the team has picked up the pace and it paid off at Attica Raceway Park Friday as he took his first win of the season on Burns Electric/Ohio Logistics Mid-Season Championship Night.
 
Reed, a six-time Attica track champion in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 410 Sprints, dueled with Travis Philo the first half of the race before taking the lead. He then survived a late race restart and held off Craig Mintz for his 29th career win at “Ohio’s Finest Racing” speedplant.
 
“We came into the season with a new tire package and we changed a lot of what we do. We over thought and made too many changes. We got down on ourselves and it snowballed. We went back to the basics and it’s paying off. We got a lot of help from Maxim Chassis and my confidence is a lot better,” said Reed beside his Crown Battery/Reebar Diecasting backed #5. “Speedweek starts next week and I’m excited. We’re going to run most of the shows and I think we can get on a roll.”
 
With double points on the line, Ontario, Ohio’s Cody Scott new he had to have a good run in the Summit Racing Equipment UMP Late Models if he wants to unseat four time track champion Ryan Missler. Scott did just that, passing Missler with eight laps to go to take the lead and then held off Missler on a late race restart to claim his first ever feature win.
 
“Those yellows flags were terrible. I didn’t know if I had enough to hold off Missler and I saw Dusty (Moore) came up so I was just hoping I could hang on,” said Scott beside his Fultz Fabrications and Speed Shop/Bubba’s Crap & Scrap/M.R. Trucking/Innovative Graphics backed #92. “I’ve had a lot of help from Keith Berner and my parents…if it weren’t for them this would never have happened. This is my first real full season running. Being in high school I didn’t run too much and last year we had a blown engine at the start of the season. I want to thank Bernie…he comes over all the time to help, This is awesome…a dream come true.”
 
Bradner, Ohio’s Nate Dussel is having a dream season and it continued in the Foster’s Auto Body 305 Sprints as he passed Dustin Dinan on the white flag lap and went on to score his third win of the year at Attica. It is the 7th total win for Dussel in 2013 as he has four at Fremont Speedway. He now has 8 career wins at Attica.
 
“He (Dinan) drove a great race. I just kind of snuck up on him late and used lapped traffic. I could probably run the bottom as good as he could but I wasn’t going to pass him down there. I tried in one and two but was about spinning out so I just followed him in one and two and built momentum in three and four. This is a dream season and it’s because of all the hard work these guys put in to build an awesome program,” said Dussel beside his Berrier Fabrications/Dussel Welding/Kylynn Manufacturing/Gressman Powersports/Conrad Transport backed #1.
 
Fremont, Ohio’s John Ivy has five dirt trucks wins at Fremont Speedway in 2013 to go with a pair of 305 sprint wins there. Ivy added to his season win total by driving from his 12th starting spot into the lead on lap 11 and driving to his first truck win at Attica. It was the second career dirt truck win at Attica for Ivy, who is a former 305 and 410 sprint champion at the track.
 
“I’m glad I made it through that crash. I hit pretty hard there,” said Ivy of his Diversified Machine & Welding/Sonny’s Machine Shop/Level Performance backed #00. “This thing has been good all year and a lot of fun. I went forward in both the 305 and truck tonight…that’s all I can ask for.”