SYLVANIA, GA. (2-11-12) By Brian Liskai- On a night when even the most talented of veteran sprint car drivers struggled, Tony Stewart once again proved he is one of the best racers of all time. The three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion put his winged 410 sprint car where no others dared to go on a frozen, rubber-down track, and passed Jason Sides coming to the white flag and went on to win his first ever University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions feature on the final night of the Second Annual Winter Freeze at Screven Motor Speedway.
In a bold move, Stewart, a former USAC sprint, midget and silver crown champion and Indy Car champion, took his Home Depot, Mobil 1, Coca-cola backed #14 to the high side of the frozen track with 10 laps to go while the other competitors stuck to the rubber on the bottom of the track. It paid off as he passed Fred Rahmer and Terry McCarl and quickly closed on race-long leader Jason Sides. As the leaders finished the 28th lap, Stewart drove around Sides exiting turn two to grab the lead and went on to the win.
On a cold, crazy night for the second night of action at Screven, Paul McMahan, Brad Wickham and Danny Lasoski experienced mechanical woes early in the night with McMahan and Wickham scratching from the action.
After just a lap of the 30-lap feature, Alan Krimes, Jack Sodeman Jr. and T.J. Winegardner get together on the front stretch bringing out the caution. Pole-sitter Sides would lead at the restart over McCarl, Rahmer, Stewart and Sam Hafertepe Jr. On lap 6, Mark Smith would stop on the speedway with mechanical difficulties bringing out another caution. On the ensuing restart, Greg Hodnett, Jac Haudenschild, Danny Smith and Sodeman spin together in turn one, with Haudenschild and Hodnett retiring to the pits.
On lap 7, fifth place running Hafertepe would spin in turn four with the restart running order now Sides, McCarl, Rahmer, Steward and Cody Darrah. On the restart, the single file parade around the bottom would continue through the halfway point until Pete Miller and Sodeman spin in turn four. It was Sodeman’s third incident during the race and he was sent to the pits.
With only 15 laps in the books, the UNOH All Star officials decided to bring the race to a halt for a fuel stop as the cars had run 55 laps under green and caution combined.
When the race resumed, Sides would continue to lead McCarl, Rahmer, Stewart and Darrah. But, with five laps to go, Stewart had grown tired of the bottom parade and put his car on the high side of the track where no one else had dared to go. Stewart quickly dispatched Rahmer and McCarl and set his sights on Sides. Exiting turn two on lap 27, Stewart, who won his first career World of Outlaws feature last season, drove around Sides and led the field the remaining two laps.
Sides would drive his Wetherington Tractor Service, King Racing Products, BR Motorsports machine home in second with Darrah in his Kasey Kahne Racing machine third. McCarl, Joey Saldana, hard-charger Dale Blaney (up from 22nd starting spot), David Gravel, Logan Schuchart, defending UNOH All Star champion Tim Shaffer and previous night’s feature winner Daryn Pittman rounded out the top 10.
The UNOH All Stars now move to Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Fla. Wednesday and Thursday, Feb. 15 and 16 as part of the 41st Annual University of Northwestern Ohio DIRTcar Nationals presented by Summit Racing Equipment. Each night will pay the feature winner $5,000.
Screven Motor Speedway – 2/11/2012
All Star Circuit of Champions (26 Cars)
[#]-Starting Position
Qualifying – Kistler Engines
1. 1-Sam Hafertepe Jr., 12.829; 2. 7S-Jason Sides, 12.847; 3. 4D-Cody Darrah, 12.902; 4. 14-Tony Stewart, 12.945; 5. 24-Terry McCarl, 12.956; 6. 51-Fred Rahmer, 12.967; 7. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 12.975; 8. 54-Cap Henry, 13.014; 9. 9-Joey Saldana, 13.017; 10. 77-Aaron Ott, 13.032; 11. 89G-David Gravel, 13.037; 12. 27-Pittman Daryn, 13.054; 13. 39-Greg Hodnett, 13.062; 14. 83-Tim Shaffer, 13.064; 15. 3-Pete Miller III, 13.099; 16. 87-Alan Krimes, 13.114; 17. M1-Mark Smith, 13.144; 18. 4-Danny Smith, 13.167; 19. 5-Jac Haudenschild, 13.236; 20. 94-Jack Sodeman Jr., 13.244; 21. 45-Paul McMahon, 13.322; 22. 2-Dale Blaney, 13.327; 23. O7-Mark Coldren, 14.045; 24. 6W-Brad Wickham, 14.273; 25. O7T-T.J. Winegrdner, 14.418; 26. 33-Danny Lasoski, NT
Heat 1 – Kears Speed Shop (8 Laps – Top 10 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 39-Greg Hodnett[2] ; 2. 87-Alan Krimes[1] ; 3. 1S-Logan Schuchart[4] ; 4. 5-Jac Haudenschild[7] ; 5. 1-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[6] ; 6. 77-Aaron Ott[3] ; 7. 14-Tony Stewart[5] ; 8. O7T-T.J. Winegrdner[9] ; 9. 2-Dale Blaney[8]
Heat 2 – All Pro Heads (8 Laps – Top 10 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 83-Tim Shaffer[2] ; 2. M1-Mark Smith[1] ; 3. 89G-David Gravel[3] ; 4. 7S-Jason Sides[6] ; 5. 24-Terry McCarl[5] ; 6. 94-Jack Sodeman Jr.[7] ; 7. O7-Mark Coldren[8] ; 8. 54-Cap Henry[4]
Heat 3 – Dragon Race Fuels (8 Laps – Top 10 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 4-Danny Smith[1] ; 2. 3-Pete Miller III[2] ; 3. 9-Joey Saldana[4] ; 4. 27-Pittman Daryn[3] ; 5. 4D-Cody Darrah[6] ; 6. 51-Fred Rahmer[5] ; 7. 45-Paul McMahon[7] ; 8. 6W-Brad Wickham[8]
Dash – Outerwears Performance Products (6 Laps, finishing order determined first 6 starting positions of A-feature
1. 7S-Jason Sides[3] ; 2. 14-Tony Stewart[2] ; 3. 24-Terry McCarl[1] ; 4. 51-Fred Rahmer[6] ; 5. 4D-Cody Darrah[5] ; 6. 1-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[4]
A-Main – University of Northwestern Ohio (30 Laps)
1. 14-Tony Stewart[2]; 2. 7S-Jason Sides[1]; 3. 4D-Cody Darrah[5]; 4. 24-Terry McCarl[3]; 5. 9-Joey Saldana[9]; 6. 2-Dale Blaney[22]; 7. 89G-David Gravel[11]; 8. 1S-Logan Schuchart[7]; 9. 83-Tim Shaffer[14]; 10. 27-Daryn Pittman[12]; 11. 4-Danny Smith[18]; 12. 87-Alan Krimes[16]; 13. 1-Sam Hafertepe Jr.[6]; 14. 54-Cap Henry[8]; 15. O7-Mark Coldren[21]; 16. 3-Pete Miller III[15]; 17. 51-Fred Rahmer[4]; 18. 77-Aaron Ott[10]; 19. 94-Jack Sodeman Jr.[20]; 20. 39-Greg Hodnett[13]; 21. 5-Jac Haudenschild[19]; 22. M1-Mark Smith[17]; 23. O7T-T.J. Winegrdner[23]
Hard Charger: 2-Dale Blaney[+16]