Attica Raceway Park Moves To Saturday Nights, Big Shows Highlight Schedule

By Brian Liskai

(Attica, OH) There’s still plenty of racing excitement at Attica Raceway Park during August. “Ohio’s Finest Racing” speed plant moves to Saturday nights and will wrap up it’s 25th anniversary season in a historic way.

It begins on Saturday, Aug. 17 with WNWO NBC Toledo Channel 24 Night with the O’Reilly Auto Part 410 Sprints in their final Kistler Racing Products FAST (Fremont Attica Sprint Title) Champion Series points event at the track for 2013. The series – split evenly between Attica and Fremont Speedway – rewards the champion with $10,000. Attica ’s feature will pay the winner $3,000 on Aug. 17.

Also racing will be the Summit Racing Equipment UMP DIRTcar Late Models, Foster’s Auto Body 305 Sprints and Bob’s Machine Shop Dirt Trucks.

Saturday, Aug. 24 will be the night Attica Raceway Park crowns its 2013 champions on Kistler Racing Products Night. Double points will be on the line for all four divisions. Last year local driver Brandon Martin claimed the feature win in the 410 sprints while Craig Mintz picked up the track title. In the late models, Ryan Missler would score the feature win to wrap up his fourth straight track championship. Teenager Jordan Ryan would get his first career win in the 305 sprints with Nate Dussel locking up the track title. Dan Roepke Jr. would get the dirt truck victory with Andy Keegan taking home the track championship.

This year, Mintz has had consistent top five runs and leads the 410 sprint points with former 305 sprint track champion Caleb Griffith within striking distance. Travis Philo has had a solid year including scoring his second career feature win and sits third in the standings with rookie D.J. Foos fourth and Duane Zablocki rounding out the top five.

To show how level the playing field is, there have been 10 different 410 sprint winners in the 10 races held this season at Attica .
In the late model point standings, Missler – though winless at Attica in 2013 – has a slight lead as he looks for his fifth straight track title. Youngster Cody Scott picked up his first career win earlier this year is looking to dethrone Missler. In fact, Scott is the only driver in the track’s top 10 in points who has a feature win in 2013. Matt Irey, Mike Bores and John Mayes Jr. are within striking distance of the title.

In the 305 sprint division, Nate Dussel’s five wins has him eyeing a second consecutive track championship. But, Dustin Dinan has caught fire as of late and his three feature wins has him just a handful of points out of a title. Young Jordan Ryan is also a contender for the championship. Jacon Keckler and last year’s rookie of the year Tyler Gunn round out the top five in points.
In the dirt trucks Dustin Keegan’s consistent top five finishes has him atop the point standings, but Dan Roepke Jr. has posted two wins and is there to take the title should Keegan falter. Brian Sorg, Kyle Cline and Art Ball are still in the tick of the title hunt as well.
Attica ’s season concludes on a historic note.

For the first time ever the track will host the Lucas Oil Late Model Series for a $10,000-to-win affair along with the University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champion Sprint Cars on Detroit Chcolat Night, Friday, Aug. 30.

On Saturday, Aug. 31, the UNOH All Stars return for the traditional Baumann Auto Group Attica Ambush with the late models, 305 sprints and dirt trucks also in action.

As of Aug. 1 Williamson, West Virginia’s John Blankenship leads the Lucas Oil point standings over “The Coronel” Steve Francis with Jimmy Owens, “The Real Deal” Don O’Neal, Earl Pearson Jr., Dennis Erb Jr., Jared Landers, Eddie Carrier Jr., Billy Moyer Jr. and Jerry Lierly. Owens leads the series with five wins in 2013 with Erb scoring four victories, Blankenship with three and Pearson with a pair.

Prior to Attica’s race the Lucas Oil series had two huge weekends with the 31st Annual Sunoco North/South 100 at Florence (Kentucky) Speedway and the 21st Annual Comp Cams Topless 100 at Batesville (Arkansas) Speedway along with the 10th Annual Scorcher at Volunteer (Tennessee) Speedway and the Whiskey City 50 at Lawrenceburg (Indiana) Speedway.

The UNOH All Stars have made two appearances at Attica in 2013. Current series point leader Dale Blaney of Hartford , Ohio , scored the win during the annual Spring Nationals while former Attica track champion Chris Andrews picked up his first career series win to open the 31st Annual Ohio Sprint Speedweek in June.

As of Aug. 1, Blaney had recorded five All Star wins in 2013 and is tied atop the series’ all-time win list with Kenny Jacobs with 98 victories. Blaney also recently wrapped up the UNOH All Star’s $10,000-to-win Western Region championship and leads the $20,000-to-win Ohio Region points over four time series champion Tim Shaffer.

For more information go to www.atticaracewaypark.com.