Haudenschild,Swindell & Bacon Capture Wild Wins At Eldora
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ROSSBURG, OH (October 12) –Jac Haudenschild (All Star Sprints) lived up to his moniker as ‘the wild child’, while Kevin Swindell (NRA Sprint Invaders) threaded a needle that no one else dare try and Brady Bacon (BOSS Sprints)rode the wall for 25 laps Saturday night as 119 Sprint Cars jammed the Eldora Speedway pit area for the UNOH Sprintacular.
After capturing the six-lap dash race, Haudenschild earned himself the pole starting position for the All Stars’ 30-lap season-ending event. With his mastery of the Eldora .500-mile clay oval well chronicled, everyone predicted a yawner.
Haudenschild didn’t let the naysayers down, as he darted into nearly a full straightaway lead over the field.
That lead was minimized when Sam Hafertepe, Jr. and Caleb Helms collided in turn one to bring out the red flag and halt the race. In the melee, Kevin Swindell protected his runner-up positioning by doing a series of spins and narrowly missing the stopped cars. In doing that; however, Swindell suffered some wing damage that virtually took him out of the running.
On the restart, Haudenschild again showed his prowess but lapped traffic soon came into play, and the field inched their way into Haudenschild’s playground. Randy Hannagan was the first to show his cards and narrow the lead. He brought with him Shane Stewart which led to a three-way battle that had the crowd literally on their feet.
With ten laps to go the trio swapped the lead multiple times around the track, pulling the infamous Eldora ‘slide job’ on each other, yet when they would cross the finish line, Haudenschild would manage to inch back out front.
It continued that way right up to the closing laps, as eventual series champion Dale Blaney decided to join the fun; bringing with him Tim Shaffer to set up a wild five car battle to the checkered.
In the waning laps, all five had heavy lapped traffic enter the mix; finding them using the entire 90’ width of Eldora.
Actually tagging the wall coming out of turn four, Haudenschild nosed ahead of Hannagan to take the victory, his ninth career All Star win at Eldora, by .047 seconds over Hannagan. Blaney, who swapped engines after time trials, crossed the line third, followed in close order by Stewart and Shaffer.
Multiple caution periods added to the attrition rate during the NRA night capper, but that didn’t diminish the intensity of the race; particularly up front. Butch Schroeder, who captured the NRA title last month, shot into the early lead and looked to be en route to his fifth career NRA event on the Eldora high banks.
But, enter Kevin Swindell. Fresh from the All Star race, Swindell had insider knowledge on the track conditions, and near the half-way point of the 20-lap chase, reeled in Schroeder.
After Swindell pulled up alongside Schroeder to identify himself as a contender, the defense was on. Schroeder and Swindell slid each other through the turns, and then, with seven laps to go, the pair encroached upon lapped traffic which sent both of them to the low side. Schroeder, in trying to save his lead, went what seemed as low as you could go in turn three. Swindell was convinced there was even more room there and somehow put his car between Schroeder and the inside wall to take the lead he was to hold to the finish.
Schroeder hung on for second, while Chuck Hebing came in as a newcomer and pulled off a strong third place finish. Jared Horstman and Bryan Sebetto completed the top five.
As the winged warriors of speed completed their final laps of the 2013 season at Eldora, the non-winged BOSS (Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series) moved to the track with their 24-car starting field that had been pared down from the 54 entries.
Thinking that the previous two features had set a standard unable to be beat, the non-wingers proved that to be a fallacy. Luke Hall out powered Matt Westfall at the dropping of the green flag on, what was soon to be, a 25-lap non-stop affair.
Westfall never let Hall out of his sight, and waged a wild battle up front that was quickly joined by Bacon. As Westfall and Bacon fought for the runner-up honor, Hall looked to be in clear sailing. However, Westfall and Bacon found themselves getting quicker in their battle and soon perched themselves on Hall’s tail. In a daring, up against the wall move, Bacon swept by both of them on lap nine.
That momentum remained with Bacon as he began to upon up some distance over the field. And, as quick was Bacon became, Chris Windom became even quicker. Buried deep in the field (12th) at the start, Windom had his work cut out for him, but he was relentless in his charge to the front. He disposed of Hall and then challenged Westfall in a battle that he won out with ten laps to go.
He tried to get up to Bacon, but ran out of time and had to settle for runner-up honors, as Westfall hung on to third. Dallas Hewitt and Gary Taylor came on strong in the closing laps to complete the top five.
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