By: Ron Burt
I will have coverage next week of the James Dean Classic for Gas City I-69 Speedway. At the time we are going to press only 9 points separate Justin Grant 2093 and Brady Bacon 2084. Kyle Cummins sits back a distant 3rd with 1966. Only 5 races left to decide the crown for the 2023 season for the USAC Sprints.
This past week Logan Seavey on September 15th won the feature at Circle City Raceway in Indianapolis for USAC Sprints. He only led one lap, the last lap, but that was the one that counted. It was so close it was a photo finish at the line with Shane Cottle. The following night in Haubstadt, Indiana, at Tri State Speedway Brady Bacon won and took home $20,000.00. It was the richest event ever held at the Speedway.
The USAC National Midgets will also race Thursday, with many drivers doing double duty racing both events. There’s one driver in the USAC Midgets to watch at Gas City. Logan Seavey started a streak of 11 consecutive top-5 finishes with the USAC National Midgets that started at Gas City in June during Indiana Midget Week. At Gas City Seavey was 110 points out of the championship lead and was 6th overall in the standings. After leading the final two laps of a 30-lap feature with Emerson Axsom, Seavey scored his and Abacus Racing’ first ever USAC victory. Since that point, the team has been nearly unstoppable, winning four, finishing second on three occasions, taking third another three times and a fourth. Logan Seavey currently has a 171-point lead as the series returns to the 3/8 dirt oval.
In the USAC Midwest Thunder Midgets. Zach Wigal, the 16-year-old Ohio driver we’ve been following picked up his 6th feature win of the season in this very competitive class. With only a handful of races left he’s still in the championship hunt. Zach is only 29 points behind the leader Bryce Massingill from Troy Ohio. His recent win at Circle City Raceway last week was needed and big for him. Ottoville’s Abby Hohlbein is in 7th place in the point standings. The USAC Thunder Midgets are off this week because of the James Dean Classic.
At Oakshade Raceway in Wauseon, Adam Lantz won the Papa Boiler Dominator Super Stock Spectacular for the 2nd time in his career. Craig Dippman took 2nd followed by Dylan Burt. Cater Murday won his 3rd UMP Late Model feature of the summer. The unofficial 2023 Sportsman track champion, Josh Robertson from Defiance, picked up another victory. The Compact Stock A Main had a rough start with caution flags waving but once things settled down Eric Carr, who started on the pole, pulled away from the field to lead all the way to the checkered flag. It was the 5th feature win of the season for the unofficial 2023 track champion.
The Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions were at the “Action Track” Freemont Speedway for two nights of the 16th Annual Jim and Joanne Ford Classic for the Winged 410 Outlaw Sprints. New Jersey’s Kyle Reinhardt drove around Parker Price Miller on the last corner of the last lap to take the $6,000 win Friday by just .093 seconds. Rounding out the top 5 was Tim Shaffer, Kerry Madsen, and Zeth Sabo. The Dirt Trucks were also in action. Keith Sorg won the feature with Jamie Miller 2nd and Jeff Babcock 3rd.
On Saturday Zeb Wise led the last half the 16th Annual Jim and Joanne Ford Classic at Fremont Speedway and survived a late race challenge from Friday night’s winner and a caution with just two laps to go to pick up the $10,000 payday and his first ever Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions. It was Zeb Wise’s eighth All Star win of 2023 and the 12th of his career with the series. This gives his Rudeen Racing team momentum heading to the season finale at Eldora Speedway next Saturday and the $80,000 team title. Wise took the lead from two-time and defending All Star champion Tyler Courtney on lap 20. Wise started in the outside-pole position, slipping back to third at the initial start before making his charge to the front. The top 5 drivers held nothing back and put on a show for the fans battling side-by-side through lapped traffic. Finishing behind Zeb Wise, 2nd Kyle Reinhardt, 3rd Kerry Madsen, 4th Parker Price Miller, and 5th Cole Duncan.
Until next week, keep your wheels down. Ron out! ohiosportsblitz@yahoo.com
