Blaney holds off Smith for $20,000 Fremont cash

Saturday, Sept. 20, 2008
Contact: Brian Liskai
liskai2x@cros.net

When the red #2 sprint car pulls into the pits, it sits in a
little trailer pulled by a small motorhome. But, when it hits the race track
with Dale Blaney behind the wheel it becomes the car to beat. That was the
case at Fremont Speedway Saturday, as the Hartford, Ohio driver held off a
charging Stevie Smith to take home the $20,000 payday - the richest in the
track's 57-year history on Abdoo Wrecking Presents the Jim Ford Classic.

It's been a very profitable two weeks for Blaney, as he won the $10,000
feature and the $50,000 check for claiming the O'Reilly All Star Circuit of
Champions title the prior week.

"I'm so happy for George Fisher....everything this car earns he puts right
back into it. That's the only way we can race...there's not one dog-gone
sponsor on this thing. George builds the engines and sets the car up and
pays the bills," said Blaney in the Engine Pro Victory Lane.

In the split Fremont Federal Credit Union 305 Sprints, rookie Jake Trevino
claims his first career feature win, while Steve Rando became the first
repeat winner in the other main. By virtue of his fifth place feature
finish, Stuart Brubaker claimed the 2008 championship at "The Track That
Action Built," having also won the title at Attica Raceway Park.

In the championship race for the Fremont Fence Dirt Trucks, Steve Endicott
took the feature win, with Jim McGrath claiming the track title.

Greg Wilson grabbed the lead at the drop of the green for 35-lap 410 sprint
feature with Blaney, Ed Lynch Jr., Tim Shaffer and Byron Reed in tow. Wilson
could not shake Blaney who raced under him the first seven laps when they
hit lapped traffic. Blaney continued to pressure Wilson when the caution
flew on lap 10 for David Harrison. That gave Wilson a clear track and he
used it to pull away slightly from Blaney.

But Blaney pulled back close on lap 14 and executed the slide job in turns
three and four a lap later for the lead. The leaders were quickly in the
lead again on the fast surface with Blaney pulling away while Wilson had his
hands full with Shaffer for second.

With 20 laps in the books, last year's $15,000 Fremont winner, Stevie Smith
came alive. The New Oxford, Pa. driver moved into fifth from his 7th
starting spot then grabbed fourth two laps later. Smith drove around Shaffer
for third on lap 23 and past Wilson for second on the next circuit.

Then the race was on. Smith began to reel in Blaney who was mired in heavy
lapped traffic. The second and final caution would fly on lap 27 with a
lapped machine separating the top two while Wilson, Shaffer and Lynch
rounded out the top five.

"I saw Stevie was in second and I knew I would have to drive my tail off. I
saw George (Fisher) on that caution pat his head and I knew Stevie was up
top. So I moved up a little hoping to stop his run on the restart," said
Blaney.

But, with eight laps to go the huge crowd knew the leaders would get to
lapped traffic late in the race. With four laps to go, traffic came into
play. Blaney made a daring move on the bottom and split three lapped
machines for the winning edge.

"I got a great run on the bottom and made some room and luckily got by those
lapped cars. You take chances when there's that much money on the line,"
said Blaney.

Smith would finish second with Wilson, Shaffer and Brock Mayes rounding out
the top five.

In the first 25-lap 305 sprint feature, Dustin Keegan jumped into the early
lead with Trevino battling Zack Kramer for second.The red would appear on
lap two involving D.J. Foos, Jimmy Colvin, Todd Heuerman, Brad Haudenschild
and Matt Merrill - none were able to restart but were okay.

Keegan again pulled away, while Kramer slipped past Trevino for second on
lap four. Trevino would return the favor a circuit later and began putting
pressure on Keegan. The trio would race each other hard the next six laps
before Trevino would slide under Keegan for the lead on lap 11.

Now the car on the move was Coty Runion who moved from his fifth starting
spot into second on lap 12. Runion began to close on Trevino as they hit
lapped traffic on the next circuit. However, Zack Kramer would not give up
on trying for his first win and would drive back around Runion on lap 15,
only to see Runion return the favor on the next lap. Trevino could not shake
Runion or Kramer, but drove through lapped traffic like a seasoned veteran.

Trevino would take his first checkered over Runion, Kramer, Bobby Clark and
Bill Kraylek.

"This is unbelievable. I have to thank my uncle and aunt for putting me in
this car, my mom and dad for all their help and all our great sponsors like
Zamora Roofing, Mahoney Drywall, East of Chicago Pizza, Phase 1 Printing,
Mr. Appliance and El Rays Enchalada Hut," said Trevino in the Engine Pro
Victory Lane. "It got a little scary late in the race when some of those
lapped cars got sideways in front of me...my heart was in my throat."

In the other 24-lap 305 sprint feature, Steve Rando jumped into a commanding
lead with Craig Kays, Matt Ferrell and Travis Hoffbauer in tow. The racing
would slow on lap five for a Brad Bowman spin, but it was costly for Kevin
Lee, who came into the final race just four points ahead of Brubaker. Lee's
mount would coast to a stop and would not refire.

On the restart Rando, who won the 305-360 challenge a month ago, would again
pull away with Kays battling Hoffbauer and a closing Dustin Dinan for
second. The red would fly on lap 16 for a Adam Thacker spill (he was not
injured), which proved costly for Kays who had to exit when his muffler fell
off.

This time on the restart Rando could not shake Hoffbauer who raced under him
on several occasions while Dinan ran on their rear bumper. With just three
laps remaining, Rando - who has suffered mechanical woes while leading
several times this season - would have his hands full as the front wing
collapsed on his mount.

However, Rando was able to nurse his car home to the checkered with
Hoffbauer settling for second while Dinan, A.J. Sleek and Brubaker rounded
out the top five.

"Finally something didn't break completely while we were up front. Man this
thing was a handful without that front wing though...it was tough to turn,"
said Rando beside his Davis Fabrication, Garza Construction, Loadmaster
Trailers, Attitudes Hair Salon backed sprint car.

Jimmy McGrath Junior took the lead at the drop of the green of the dirt
truck feature with Andy Maynard, Steve Endicott and Bob Dible in tow. The
yellow would fly on the next lap and the red would follow a lap later for a
four truck incident involving Todd Keegan, Donald Fitch, Cory Ward and Loren
Schwochow. The crash was disastrous for Ward who came into the night just
three points out of first place in the point standings. All were okay but
were unable to restart the race.

Another lap and another yellow still saw Jimmy McGrath Jr. in the lead with
Endicott and Dible battling for second while Maynard and Art Ball ran side
by side for fourth. However, McGrath would exit the track on lap six with
mechanical woes, handing the lead to Endicott.

Endicott and Dible - teammates - battled side by side for the lead with Ball
right on their rear bumper until David Severs got upside down on lap 14.
Severs was taken to the hospital for a check-up. The race resumed with
Endicott and Dible battling hard before another caution on lap 17. Because
of the length of time of the race, the track management made the decision to
checker the race with Endicott, Dible, Ball, McGrath Sr. and Dwight
Waltermeier rounding out the top five.

"This is the best year of my career. We've been up front battling all year,"
said Endicott. "I have to thank my sponsors Stylecrest, BMS Engines and
Bob's Machine Shop."

Fremont Speedway will put a wrap to the 2008 season on Saturday, Sept. 27
with the 410 sprints taking off the wings as will the 305 sprint cars.

The Fremont Speedway (09-20-08)
Fort Ball Pizza Palace 410 Super Sprints
Scott Lucius Qualifying
1. 15C-Chris Andrews, 12.17; 2. 5R-Byron Reed, 12.19; 3. 2-Dale Blaney,
12.19; 4. B20-Butch Schroeder, 12.26; 5. 24H-Rob Chaney, 12.27; 6. 83A-Tim
Shaffer, 12.34; 7. 10-David Harrison, 12.39; 8. 9-Craig Keel, 12.40; 9.
W20-Greg Wilson, 12.41; 10. 4M-Jamie Miller, 12.41; 11. 19-Stevie Smith,
12.46; 12. 2L-Ed Lynch, 12.46; 13. 55-John Ivy, 12.49; 14. 11B-Brock Mayes,
12.50; 15. 16-Brian Sebetto, 12.50; 16. 59-Lee Jacobs, 12.50; 17. 6X-Todd
Kane, 12.51; 18. 5T-Travis Philo, 12.52; 19. 1X-Randy Hannigan, 12.54; 20.
11M-Brandon Martin, 12.58; 21. O9-Craig Mintz, 12.61; 22. O-Brandon Wimmer,
12.62; 23. 6F-Bob Felmlee, 12.65; 24. 5B-Chad Blonde, 12.65; 25. 48-Mike
Burkin, 12.69; 26. 6-Mike Dussel (R), 12.70; 27. O4-Cap Henry, 12.72; 28.
5A-Rob Eyler, 12.79; 29. 14H-Todd Heller, 12.82; 30. 9M-Dean Jacobs, 12.82;
31. 38K-Duffy Smith, 12.83; 32. 60-Jody Keegan, 12.83; 33. 11N-Ed
Neumeister, 12.84; 34. 7T-Troy Vaccaro, 12.86; 35. 312-Mike Linder, 12.88;
36. O2-Brian Smith, 12.90; 37. X-Mark Keegan, 12.91; 38. 26-Cody White,
12.93; 39. 10S-Roger Shammo, 13.08; 40. 27-Scott Euler, 13.09; 41. 1XL-Matt
Linder, 13.12; 42. 22-Cole Duncan, 13.48; 43. 14-Willie Keegan, 13.83; 44.
11-Josh Harrison, 13.84

Heat 1 (10 laps, top 4 transfer to A-Main)
1. O9-Craig Mintz; 2. 6X-Todd Kane; 3. W20-Greg Wilson; 4. 14H-Todd Heller;
5. 24H-Rob Chaney; 6. 48-Mike Burkin; 7. X-Mark Keegan; 8. 11N-Ed
Neumeister; 9. 1XL-Matt Linder; 10. 55-John Ivy; 11. 15C-Chris Andrews

Heat 2 (10 laps, top 4 transfer to A-Main)
1. O-Brandon Wimmer; 2. 11B-Brock Mayes; 3. 5R-Byron Reed; 4. 83A-Tim
Shaffer; 5. 6-Mike Dussel (R); 6. 5T-Travis Philo; 7. 4M-Jamie Miller; 8.
22-Cole Duncan; 9. 7T-Troy Vaccaro; 10. 26-Cody White; 11. 9M-Dean Jacobs

Heat 3 (10 laps, top 4 transfer to A-Main)
1. 1X-Randy Hannigan; 2. 6F-Bob Felmlee; 3. 2-Dale Blaney; 4. 19-Stevie
Smith; 5. O4-Cap Henry; 6. 10-David Harrison; 7. 16-Brian Sebetto; 8.
312-Mike Linder; 9. 38K-Duffy Smith; 10. 10S-Roger Shammo; 11. 14-Willie
Keegan

Heat 4 (10 laps, top 4 transfer to A-Main)
1. 2L-Ed Lynch; 2. 5B-Chad Blonde; 3. 59-Lee Jacobs; 4. B20-Butch Schroeder;
5. 9-Craig Keel; 6. 60-Jody Keegan; 7. O2-Brian Smith; 8. 5A-Rob Eyler; 9.
27-Scott Euler; 10. 11-Josh Harrison

C-main (10 laps, top 5 transfer to B-main)
1. 312-Mike Linder; 2. 7T-Troy Vaccaro; 3. X-Mark Keegan; 4. 1XL-Matt
Linder; 5. 10S-Roger Shammo; 6. O2-Brian Smith; 7. 22-Cole Duncan; 8.
27-Scott Euler; 9. 26-Cody White; 10. 11-Josh Harrison; 11. 14-Willie
Keegan;

Dr. Ralph Peters A-Scramble (10 Laps)
1. 11B-Brock Mayes; 2. W20-Greg Wilson; 3. 2L-Ed Lynch; 4. 83A-Tim Shaffer;
5. 2-Dale Blaney; 6. 19-Stevie Smith; 7.5R-Byron Reed; 8. B20-Butch
Schroeder

B-main (15 laps, top 4 transfer to A-Main)
1. 24H-Rob Chaney; 2. 10-David Harrison; 3. 9-Craig Keel; 4. 16-Brian
Sebetto; 5. 15C-Chris Andrews; 6. 4M-Jamie Miller; 7. O4-Cap Henry; 8.
55-John Ivy; 9. 7T-Troy Vaccaro; 10. 60-Jody Keegan; 11. 48-Mike Burkin; 12.
10S-Roger Shammo; 13. 1XL-Matt Linder; 14. 5T-Travis Philo; 15. 5A-Rob
Eyler; 16. X-Mark Keegan; 17. 312-Mike Linder; 18. 38K-Duffy Smith; 19.
11N-Ed Neumeister

A-main (35 laps) Starting Position [#]
1. 2-Dale Blaney[1]; 2. 19-Stevie Smith[7]; 3. W20-Greg Wilson[2]; 4.
83A-Tim Shaffer[4]; 5. 11B-Brock Mayes[5]; 6. 9-Craig Keel[11]; 7. 2L-Ed
Lynch[6]; 8. 1X-Randy Hannigan[15]; 9. 5R-Byron Reed[3]; 10. 59-Lee
Jacobs[13]; 11. O9-Craig Mintz[16]; 12. 24H-Rob Chaney[9]; 13. 4M-Jamie
Miller[23]; 14. B20-Butch Schroeder[8]; 15. O-Brandon Wimmer[17]; 16.
5B-Chad Blonde[19]; 17. 6-Mike Dussel (R)[22]; 18. 6X-Todd Kane[14]; 19.
6F-Bob Felmlee[18]; 20. 14H-Todd Heller[20]; 21. 16-Brian Sebetto[12]; 22.
312-Mike Linder[24]; 23. 15C-Chris Andrews[21]; 24. 10-David Harrison[10];

Fremont Federal Credit Union 305 Sprints
A-main#1 (25 laps) Starting Position [#]
1. 80-Jake Trevino (R)[3]; 2. 49-Coty Runion[5]; 3. 8K-Zack Kramer (R)[8];
4. 40-Bobby Clark[11]; 5. 71-Bill Kraylek[6]; 6. 55-Benny Bowman[14]; 7.
36X-Dustin Keegan[1]; 8. 28-Shaun Valenti (R)[13]; 9. 1-Nate Dussel (R)[9];
10. 11-Shawn Colvin[15]; 11. 1J-Jeremy Shambaugh[19]; 12. 8-Zack Ames[17];
13. 65-Mark Lang[16]; 14. 2N-Brian Neeb[20]; 15. 83X-Nate Reeser[18]; 16.
24-Mike Burkin[21]; 17. 11F-D.J. Foos (R)[4]; 18. 9-Jimmy Colvin (R)[2]; 19.
10-Brad Haudenschild[10]; 20. 39-Matt Merrill[7]; 21. 18-Todd Heuerman[12]

A-main#2 (25 laps) Starting Position [#]
1. 19R-Steve Rando[1]; 2. 82-Travis Hoffbauer[8]; 3. 5-Dustin Dinan[10]; 4.
15-A.J. Sleek[6]; 5. 35-Stuart Brubaker[11]; 6. 67M-Matt Ferrell[4]; 7.
3X-Brad Keckler[13]; 8. 9Z-Duane Zablocki[9]; 9. 27-Paige Polyak[15]; 10.
14-Chad Wilson[5]; 11. 66L-Brad Bowman[7]; 12. 22D-Dan Hammond[16]; 13.
4T-Jim Taddeo[21]; 14. 2K-Tim Kern[19]; 15. 25P-Mark Pridemore[14]; 16.
26-Zack Moore[17]; 17. 5D-Craig Kays[2]; 18. 61L-Adam Thacker (R)[18]; 19.
23-Cap Henry[3]; 20. 3J-Kevin Lee[12]; 21. 44-Jeremy Durst[20]

Fremont Fence Co. Dirt Trucks
A-main (20 laps) Starting Position [#]
1. 8-Steve Endicott[6]; 2. 17-Bob Dible[8]; 3. O1-Art Ball[3]; 4. 5-Jim
McGrath[12]; 5. 39-Dwight Waltermier[9]; 6. 8K-Kent Brewer[22]; 7. 20-Andy
Maynard[4]; 8. 53-Dan Roepke[10]; 9. 6-Linda Sabo[16]; 10. 23M-Brad
Mitten[1]; 11. 4X-Brian Sorg[15]; 12. 33-Brian Arnold[13]; 13. 91-Roger
Inks[21]; 14. O-Jim Keegan[5]; 15. 101-Chester Fitch[24]; 16. 62-Dave
Severs[19]; 17. 30-Dave Gibbs[14]; 18. 5JR-Jim Mcgrath Jr.[2]; 19. D4-Donald
Fitch[23]; 20. 16-Steve Sabo[7]; 21. 18W-Cory Ward[11]; 22. 92-Loren
Schwochow[17]; 23. 22-Todd Keegan[20]; 24. P51-Paul Brown Jr.[18]