Blaney gets late race UNOH All Star win to open Jim Ford Classic at Fremont

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FREMONT, Ohio (Friday, Sept. 12, 2014) - Dale Blaney has often said he would rather be in second late in a race. The reason? So he can watch where the leader is running and choose where to make a move for the win.

He did just that Friday on All Pro Cylinder Heads Night at Fremont Speedway to open the 7[sup]th[/sup] Annual Jim Ford Classic with his 14[sup]th[/sup] University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions victory of 2014.

The numbers just keep piling up for “The Low Rider” as he looks to wrap up his unprecedented fifth career UNOH All Star championship. The victory was the fourth overall for the year at Fremont Speedway and ran his career total at the track to 23 to move him into a tie for 20[sup]th[/sup] on the track’s all-time win list. Blaney sits atop the UNOH All Star career win list with 113 victories. It was the 115[sup]th[/sup] appearance of the UNOH All Stars at Fremont Speedway and Blaney leads all drivers in series wins at “The Track That Action Built” with 17 victories.

In the first half of the race, Blaney witnessed a tremendous battle between Bryan Sebetto and Brandon Wimmer. Once in lapped traffic with eight laps to go, Blaney moved around Wimmer for second and pressured Sebetto. Blaney would drive off the bottom of turn two on lap 27 to take the lead with Sebetto now applying the pressure. Sebetto would spin in turn two on lap 29 setting up a green, white checkered finish. Blaney would pull away for the win.

“I watched a hell of a race. Those guys were dicing and it was awesome for me to sit there and watch them. I watched where they raced. The top got a little bit better down there (in three and four). I could see Bryan made a good lap around there on that restart and I started to run up there and I was just kind of trying to run where they weren’t. Down here (in one and two) it was survival. I was a little snug and got better and better as the race went on,” said Blaney beside his Kennedy Cattle/Ti22 Performance/Penske Shocks/Gf1 Chassis backed #14K.

In the 30-lap UNOH All Star feature, Sebetto and Wimmer brought the field to green with Sebetto, a former Jim Ford Classic winner, grabbing the top spot over Wimmer, Cap Henry, Blaney, Cole Thomas, Craig Mintz and Brandon Spithaler.

On lap two Gary Taylor would tumble in turn three with Brandon Matus stopping in turn two. On the restart Jody Keegan would hit the cone on the front stretch necessitating another start. When the green flew so did Sebetto, pulling away slightly from Wimmer, Henry, Blaney, Thomas, Mintz, Spithaler and Lee Jacobs.

Sebetto would catch the back of the pack on lap eight and narrowly avoided disaster when Taylor Ferns got sideways in front of him in turn three, allowing Wimmer to shoot into the lead with Henry, Blaney, Thomas, Dean Jacobs and Mintz in tow.

The caution flew on lap 13 when third place running Henry suffered a front axle failure and stopped on the track. On the restart Sebetto drove around Wimmer to regain the lead with Blaney, Thomas, Dean Jacobs, Spithaler and Mintz in pursuit.

With 10 laps to go the leaders again found heavy lapped traffic and Wimmer drove into the lead on lap 21. Sebetto blasted back by a lap later, bringing Blaney to second. While Wimmer and Blaney battled fro second, Sebetto pulled away slightly.

With five laps to go Blaney had secured second and was closing on Sebetto with Wimmer, Thomas, Dean Jacobs and Byron Reed in tow. Blaney would rocket off the bottom of turn two on lap 27 to take the lead. Sebetto challenged to his outside while Wimmer, Dean Jacobs, Thomas and Reed trying to stay close.

As they took the white flag, Sebetto tried a move in turn two and it backfired as he spun to bring about the green white checkered finish. On the restart it was Blaney over Wimmer, Dean Jacobs, Mintz, Reed, Rob Chaney and Thomas.

Blaney would pull away the last two laps for the win with Wimmer, Dean Jacobs, Mintz and Reed Rounding out the top five. Chaney would grab sixth with Lee Jacobs rallying those final two laps for seven with Thomas, Caleb Griffith (up from 21[sup]st[/sup]) and D.J. Foos (up from 16[sup]th[/sup]) rounding out the top 10.

“It’s been an awesome year and my guys have given me an awesome race car and I’m just the lucky guy who gets to drive it. I love coming to Fremont…the fans…everyone treats me great here,” said Blaney.

Wimmer expressed his frustration with another second place run to Blaney.

“I hate to add up how many times I’ve run second to that guy. He drives me nuts. He’s just tough to beat. You mess up one time and he’s buy you. We’re happy to be up here on the front stretch though. I have to thank the Hammer family and hopefully we can get one spot better for the big one tomorrow,” said Wimmer beside his Hammer Pallets/Crown Battery/Meggit Powder Coating/Gressman Powersports//OC Shocks backed #24H.

Last week’s Fremont winner Dean Jacobs would drive from ninth to a third place finish.

“This was as challenging, challenging race track tonight. The bottom was really sticky. If your car could roll there you were good and if you missed it a little bit you got in that slick spot and you got loose. But it made it great because it made the guy in the seat do his job,” said Jacobs of his Jerry McClure Racing/Harbach Electronics/Hochstetler Truck and Auto Repair/Gressman Powersports/Mac & Bob’s Towing backed #9.

The UNOH All Stars will be back in action Saturday at Fremont Speedway for the 50-lap $10,000-to-win event.

For more information go to www.allstarsprint.com

Fremont Speedway - 9/12/2014
UNOH Night

All Star Circuit of Champions (32 Cars)
[#]-Starting Position

Qualifying - Kistler Engines
1. 14K-Dale Blaney, 12.664; 2. 16-Chris Andrews, 12.767; 3. 29-Bryan Sebetto, 12.825; 4. 91-Cale Thomas, 12.908; 5. 35-Stuart Brubaker, 12.988; 6. 24H-Brandon Wimmer, 13.035; 7. 53-Cap Henry, 13.072; 8. 81-Lee Jacobs, 13.080; 9. 22-Brandon Spithaler, 13.158; 10. O9-Craig Mintz, 13.181; 11. 9X-Rob Chaney, 13.254; 12. 9-Dean Jacobs, 13.258; 13. 5R-Byron Reed, 13.271; 14. 55F-Taylor Ferns, 13.283; 15. 1ST-Gary Taylor, 13.292; 16. 10-Carl Bowser, 13.296; 17. 11F-D.J. Foos, 13.323; 18. 9W-Derek Hagar, 13.337; 19. 6-Jac Haudenschild, 13.344; 20. 13-Brandon Matus, 13.351; 21. 45L-Brian Lay, 13.379; 22. 40DD-Caleb Griffith, 13.392; 23. 8M-T.J. Michael, 13.435; 24. 60K-Jody Keegan, 13.474; 25. W20-Greg Wilson, 13.490; 26. 39-Matt Merrill, 13.498; 27. 7C-Caleb Armstrong, 13.562; 28. 40I-Mark Imler, 13.629; 29. 2+-Brian Smith, 13.796; 30. 21-Travis Philo, 13.837; 31. 33M-Sheldon Haudenschild, 13.888; 32. 33-Brent Matus, 14.345

Heat 1 - Kears Speed Shop (10 Laps - Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 45L-Brian Lay[1] ; 2. 5R-Byron Reed[3] ; 3. 14K-Dale Blaney[6] ; 4. 11F-D.J. Foos[2] ; 5. 22-Brandon Spithaler[4] ; 6. W20-Greg Wilson[7] ; 7. 35-Stuart Brubaker[5] ; 8. 2+-Brian Smith[8]

Heat 2 - All Pro Aluminum Heads (10 Laps - Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 40DD-Caleb Griffith[1] ; 2. 9W-Derek Hagar[2] ; 3. O9-Craig Mintz[4] ; 4. 24H-Brandon Wimmer[5] ; 5. 55F-Taylor Ferns[3] ; 6. 21-Travis Philo[8] ; 7. 16-Chris Andrews[6] ; 8. 39-Matt Merrill[7]

Heat 3 - Dragon Racing Fuels (10 Laps - Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 6-Jac Haudenschild[2] ; 2. 8M-T.J. Michael[1] ; 3. 29-Bryan Sebetto[6] ; 4. 1ST-Gary Taylor[3] ; 5. 53-Cap Henry[5] ; 6. 9X-Rob Chaney[4] ; 7. 33M-Sheldon Haudenschild[8] ; 8. 7C-Caleb Armstrong[7]

Heat 4 - Kinsler Fuel Injection (10 Laps - Top 5 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 60K-Jody Keegan[1] ; 2. 9-Dean Jacobs[4] ; 3. 13-Brandon Matus[2] ; 4. 91-Cale Thomas[6] ; 5. 81-Lee Jacobs[5] ; 6. 33-Brent Matus[8] ; 7. 10-Carl Bowser[3] ; 8. 40I-Mark Imler[7]

Dash – Quality Inn/Comfort Inn & Suites (6 Laps, finishing order determined first 6 starting positions of A-feature
1. 29-Bryan Sebetto[1] ; 2. 24H-Brandon Wimmer[2] ; 3. 53-Cap Henry[5] ; 4. 91-Cale Thomas[6] ; 5. 14K-Dale Blaney[3] ; 6. 81-Lee Jacobs[4]

B-Main - MSD Ignition (12 Laps - Top 4 finishers transfer to the A-feature)
1. 16-Chris Andrews[1] ; 2. 35-Stuart Brubaker[2] ; 3. 9X-Rob Chaney[3] ; 4. 33M-Sheldon Haudenschild[11] ; 5. W20-Greg Wilson[5] ; 6. 7C-Caleb Armstrong[7] ; 7. 33-Brent Matus[12] ; 8. 10-Carl Bowser[4] ; 9. 40I-Mark Imler[8] ; 10. 21-Travis Philo[10] ; 11. 39-Matt Merrill[6] ; 12. 2+-Brian Smith[9]

A-Main - University of Northwestern Ohio (30 Laps)
1. 14K-Dale Blaney[5]; 2. 24H-Brandon Wimmer[2]; 3. 9-Dean Jacobs[9]; 4. O9-Craig Mintz[8]; 5. 5R-Byron Reed[10]; 6. 9X-Rob Chaney[13]; 7. 81-Lee Jacobs[6]; 8. 91-Cale Thomas[4]; 9. 40DD-Caleb Griffith[21]; 10. 11F-D.J. Foos[16]; 11. 45L-Brian Lay[20]; 12. 9W-Derek Hagar[17]; 13. 13-Brandon Matus[19]; 14. 6-Jac Haudenschild[18]; 15. 35-Stuart Brubaker[12]; 16. 33M-Sheldon Haudenschild[23]; 17. 29-Bryan Sebetto[1]; 18. 55F-Taylor Ferns[14]; 19. 22-Brandon Spithaler[7]; 20. 53-Cap Henry[3]; 21. 60K-Jody Keegan[22]; 22. 16-Chris Andrews[11]; 23. 8M-T.J. Michael[24]; 24. 1ST-Gary Taylor[15]
Hard Charger: 40DD-Caleb Griffith[+12]
 




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