All-Stars head to Canada while the Outlaws head to the Wild West! Hodnett your winner tonight at Port Royal.
Dale Blaney- Current All Star Circuit of Champions National Point Leader
While the World of Outlaw Sprint Car Series head to Kansas this weekend for the Boot Hill Showdown at Dodge City Raceway in Dodge City, Kansas; the All Stars will be pregaming for a Canadian swing at two Canada facilities. After the All-Stars visit the KC Raceway in Chillicothe, OH this Friday night for an Ohio Region $5,000 to win event, they will head north of the border to parts of Quebec, Canada for two full nights of racing on Monday and Tuesday evening. Autodrome Grandy and Autodrome Dummond will host the traveling 410 sprinters on Monday and Tuesday night. Fully Injected’s own Danny Holtgraver will be making an All-Star appearance this coming weekend at KC-Raceway; as well as traveling to Canada to compete at both Autodrome facilities. Holtgraver, the Pittsburgh native and 3rd place finisher in final Ohio Sprint Speedweek points in 2011, is excited about traveling with the All-Stars for the next 4 events. After competing at 3 tracks in 2 countries over a 5 day period, Holtgraver and the rest of the All-Stars will get a day to regroup and refocus on Wednesday, before racing at Mohawk International Raceway in Akwesasne, New York on Thursday.
In Pennsylvania news; Greg Hodnett picks up his 2nd Pennsylvania speedweek victory in a row tonight at Port Royal Speedway in Port Royal, Pennsylvania. Hodnett, the 2010 Pennsylvania speedweek champion, also picked up the win last night at Hagerstown Speedway in Hagerstown, Maryland. Tyler Walker, a past King of California, had the speedweek points lead going into tonight’s event. Tomorrow, the PA speedweek series heads to world famous Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania for the $10,000 to win Mitch Smith Memorial.
Thanks for check us out here at www.fullyinjected.com!
More to come soon!
Pennsylvania Speedweek Sprint Series continues; Fully Injected’s young talent ready for triple header weekend.
Adam Kekich working in his race shop- Fully Injected photo.
Pennsylvania is highlighted on the map as having the competitive edge in many different forms of athletics. High school football in western Pennsylvania, for example, stands out continuously with all star talent and division 1 college recruits. Wrestling in the state of Pennsylvania may be the best country, if not the world, in the high school level. Each year, Pennsylvania high school grapplers are recruited by top notch division 1 and 2 schools all across the country while also competing in a annual tradition where high school wrestlers from Pennsylvania take on the best in the United States; better known as The Dapper Dan Classic. In the NCAA division 1 national wrestling championships this past year , there were more All Americans from Pennsylvania than any other state. The Penn State University women’s volleyball program is almost unstoppable; winning multiple national titles in consecutive years. Obviously, there is also rich tradition in Penn State Football, Pittsburgh Steelers football- with a record number of Super Bowl wins-and of course… sprint car racing.
Sprint car racing in Pennsylvania is no different; having probably the best local competition in the country- if not the world. The Pennsylvania Posse hold a rich tradition in central Pennsylvania as being the best “local” sprint car drivers in the world; defeating incoming travelers such as the All Star Circuit of Champions and World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, in dominating fashion. Each and every race season, the top 410 sprint car teams in the state compete in a week long trek across parts of the Keystone State (and a chunk of Maryland) to race for the Pennsylvania Speedweek Sprint Series title. 8 races in a 9 day stretch is the only obstacle standing in the way from one driver being crowned Speedweek champion.
Lincoln Speedway’s sprint week opener saw Cory Haas pick up the $7,000 pay day; withstanding charges from Brian Lepp0, Fred Rahmer, Daryn Pittman, and Brian Montieth during the main to pick up the win. The Bedford Speedway fairground’s monster half mile hosted the PA 410′s on Sunday evening; resulting in a win by previous World of Outlaw full time traveler- Daryn Pittman. The California Kid, Tyler Walker, grabbed the win at the Grandview Speedway last night over a full field of top notch winged warriors. With three races in the books, Daryn Pittman, the Owasso, Oklahoma native, stands out as being the most consistent traveler of the speedweek sprint series thus far by not finishing outside of the top 3 in the first three night’s of competition. Tonight’s event is the only race not in the state of Pennsylvania as Pennsylvania speedweek visits the Hagerstown Speedway in Hagerstown Maryland. Along with speedweek points being tallied this week, Pennsylvania sprint car points continue to be added up- with Fred Rahmer still leading the central Pennsylvania sprint car points standings thus for in 2011.
Western Pennsylvania will light up the night sky this weekend with three potential nights of sprint car action for most 410 teams in this half of the state. Fully Injected’s own, Brandon Matus and Rod George, both plan on having a three day weekend swing across western Pennsylvania with stops at three different facilities including Lernerville, Mercer, and Tri-City. Matus, the 4th generation driver and Wampum, Pennsylvania native, is ready to rock for three consecutive nights; starting at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pennsylvania on Friday night, Mercer Raceway Park in Mercer, Pennsylvania on Saturday, with Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pennsylvania rounding out the weekend on Sunday. Matus, who scored a runner-up finish at the Mercer facility last Saturday, suffered engine problems at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway this past Sunday but still plans on rallying and racing all three nights. Speaking of rally- Rod George, a veteran of the sport and once a Pennsylvania Posse regular, had a rally of a run in Saturday night’s feature event at Mercer Raceway Park. George started 15th and cruised through the field to find himself on the podium. Brandon and Rod have yet to win in the 2011 season. That luck may change as soon as this weekend.
Adam Kekich, the pilot of the Agway, 5K 410 sprinter out of Hermitage, Pennsylvania, will be back in action this Saturday night at Mercer Raceway Park as well. “We changed some things on the car and we are ready to get the car back out on the track” quoted the 18 year old first year 410ci competitor; “I’m still trying to talk my dad into going to Tri-City Speedway (Franklin, PA) on Sunday…we’ll see.” Adam, and the rest of the 5K operation, will continue to prepare this week in hopes of bringing home another top 5 performance; matching or doing better than his 4th place run just a few weeks ago.
Thanks for checking us out here at www.fullyinjected.com
And as always…
“What He Said…” featuring Danny Holtgraver.
Check out this video clip featuring Danny Holtgraver and Garrett Fuchs of Team Fully Injected as they reflect on their Ohio Sprint Speedweek experience!
“What He Said…” featuring Danny Holtgraver of team Fully Injected!
Monday Night Review: Just a few days behind…
I know, I know; I’m a day behind- but its not my fault. I recently moved to a new location and was without internet for a few days. But, I’m back online and back on track with this week’s edition of Monday Night Review.
Brandon Matus and Rod George relaxing at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway before heat race action – Fully Injected Photo
In the previous post, I highlighted some of Team Fully Injected’s positive results from over the weekend. It was a great weekend for the FI driver’s and their teams as two competitors at two different facilities in two different parts of the state, entered victory lane with a Fully Injected decal. Danny Holtgraver, Pittsburgh native and currently 3rd in All Star Circuit of Champions-East points standings, was one of those drivers; a long with Cory Haas from York, Pennsylvania- who won the PA Sprint Speedweek opener at Lincoln Speedway.
The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series made an appearance to Princeton Speedway over the weekend. Donny Schatz, a familiar face to World of Outlaw victory lane, tackled the Minnesota based facility and took home the $10,ooo all for himself. The 40 lap event drew 26 entries with Jason Sides setting fast time for the evening. Schatz, a 4 time consecutive World of Outlaws Champion, was followed across the line by Jason Sides and Steve Kinser when the checkers flew.Local upper midwest hotshoe, Mark Dobmeier, was 5th- after leading the first portion of the 40 lapper. The event on Sunday at Husets Speedway was cancelled due to ongoing rain showers throughout the evening. No make up date has been determined.
The ‘Greatest Show on Dirt’ next invades the Dodge City Raceway in Dodge City, Kansas for the two night Boot Hill Showdown next weekend. Schatz currently sits on top of the points standings by 29 markers over the Brownsburg Bullet, Joey Saldana going into the Kansas event.
All Star Circuit of Champions Ohio Sprint Speedweek is finally wrapped up for the 2011 season. Tim Shaffer, the defending All-Star champion and 2010 Knoxville Nationals Champion, took the Ohio Sprint Speedweek crown over Harford, Ohio native,Dale Blaney, Fully Injected’ Danny Holtgraver, Danny Smith, and Greg Wilson. Tim Shaffer capped off a consistent week by capturing the $10,000 to win Speedweek finale at Fremont Speedway in Fremont, Ohio on Saturday night. The All Stars will tackle the K-C Speedway highbanks next Friday evening before venturing above the northern border for the canadian swing. 4 races in 7 days will highlight the All-Star calendar in the coming week.
Local fans wearing Fully Injected gear – Fully Injected Photo
Ohio drivers will also return to FAST action this coming weekend. The Fremont Attica Sprint Title competitors will have a double race weekend with events being held at the usual FAST venues known as Attica Raceway Park and Fremont Speedway on Friday and Satruday night. Bryan Sebetto still sits on top of FAST points by 13 markers over Byron Reed. Sebetto and Reed both have two FAST wins in 2011.
Pennsylvania is in action all week! 410 sprinters will be treking across parts of Pennsylvania and Maryland for their annual Pennsylvania speedweek. Lincoln Speedway’s speedweek opener saw Cory Haas take home the $7,000 top prize, while former outlaw and now PA Posse representative, Daryn Pittman, took home the $5,000 at Bedford Speedway on Sunday. The Pennsyvlania sprint speedweek had an off night last night- while tonight they tackle the Grandview Speedway bullring near Allentown, Pennsylvania. Check back here all week for PA Speedweek notes and highlights.
King of Indiana Spring Series 2011 ended last weekend with a DD punch! After Shane Cottle picked up the win at Paragon Speedway on Saturday evening, and Blake Fitzpatrick snagging the Sunday night Kokomo Speedway victory – it was Dave Dareland who proved to be most consistent and was crowned the 2011 KISS Champion. He would earn his KISS title by 16 points over all time KISS win and championships leader Jon Stanbrough, and youngin’, Chris Windom.
The stars and cars of Indiana wingless sprint car competition will soon be hitting tracks all over the state on consecutive nights as the USAC National Sprint Cars Indiana Sprint Week kicks off on July 8th! More to come on that later.
The Howard Kaeding Classic will kick off this Friday night at the Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, California, and will consistent of two full nights of 410 sprint car action. The King of West Series will sanction this two night event with Tim Kaeding still sitting on top of the points standings entering the event. Evan Suggs, Brent Kaeding, Jonathon Allard, and Willie Croft round out the top 5 in the points standings.
Don’t forget to check out the Danny Holtgraver interview that will be posted this evening; a long with some random in-car camera footage that was taken at Attica Raceway Park in Attica, Ohio during the first night of Ohio Sprint Speedweek.
More to come this week! Keep up with us online here at www.fullyinjected.com!
and as always- RACE OPEN WHEEL!
Fully Injected’s Kolten Gouse adds to Magaro family efforts at National Open charity event.
Fully Injected is proud to be a part of this year’s 49th Annual Williams Grove National Open charity auction to help benefit the injured driver’s fund. Kolten Gouse, a regular supporter of the Fully Injected mission and employee of Kasey Kahne Racing with Joey Saldana, has jumped on board this year to help charity event founders and promoters, Lisa and Vince Magaro, by adding a large list of items that will go up for auction on October 1st at Williams Grove Speedway. All proceeds from the auction will go towards the injured driver’s fund to help benefit injured drivers when they are not able to compete and earn a living racing a sprint car.
“I really want to thank Lisa and Vincent Magaro for allowing me to be a part of this,” quoted Kolten…”allowing me to participate in their efforts means a lot.”
The auction is just one of the many festivities going on that afternoon at Williams Grove Speedway. Other activities include a cookout, World of Outlaw Sprint Car Series driver autograph session, free giveaways including items endorsed by Redbull, and appearances by Ms. Pa Posse, Ms. Motorsports, and Ms. Dirt Trackin. The afternoon/evening will conclude with the charity auction and the $50,000 to win Williams Grove National Open sanctioned by the World of Outlaw Sprint Car Series later that night.
Some of the items to be auctioned off that Saturday afternoon include:
- Denny Hamlin’s NASCAR Texas Sprint Cup win champagne bottle which is autographed.
- Kasey Kahne signed merchandise including an Authentic New Era Red Bull cap which was donated by Tyler Altmeyer of Fully Injected.
- Simpson Helmet signed by 43 NASCAR Sprint Cup Superstars.
- Kyle Busch autographed item
- 49th Annual Williams Grove National Open Sideboard Autographed by the stars of the World of Outlaw Sprint Car Series and Pennsylvania Posse.
Thanks for checking us out here at www.fullyinjected.com!
And as always; RACE OPEN WHEEL!
Fully Injected Weekend Recap; Two for Two!
Cory Haas in victory lane with Tyler Altmeyer and Ty Basinger of Fully Injected – WRT Photo
Fully Injected’s weekend couldn’t have ended on a better note. With Saturday night marking the first appearance of a Fully Injected decal and endorsed driver in victory lane at Lincoln Speedway just outside of York, Pennsylvania- Sunday reached further heights as Danny Holtgraver would start a streak of FI victory appearances with his domination at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway. Kittanning, PA resident, Rod George and Wampum, PA native, Brandon Matus, also had successful weekends on the racetrack; concluding in top five finishes at Mercer Raceway Park and Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway.
Cory Haas, 358 sprint car champion and now full time competitor in the 410 ranks from York, Pennsylvania, beat the best in central Pennsylvania on Saturday evening; winning the opening night of Pennsylvania Sprint Speedweek 2011 at Lincoln Speedway in south central Pennsylvania for a $7,000 victor spoil. Haas, a previous Lincoln Speedway 358 track champion, added another win to his 410 career belt- but only this time, with a Fully Injected decal on the sideboard. We hope to have Cory Haas’ support for the rest of the 2011 season and seasons to come. Cory and the rest of the 11c team will be in competition again Friday evening for the $10,000 to win Mitch Smith Memorial at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, with a chance of an 11c team appearance at Hagerstown Speedway for the speedweek event this week.
Danny Holtgraver at PPMS – Rick Rarer Photo
Danny Holtgraver recently ended his trek across Ohio with the All-Star Circuit of Champions for the annual Ohio Sprint Speedway. Danny ended the week with great results, valuable knowledge, and a whole new outlook for the rest of the 2011 season and seasons to come. The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania native and defending Lernerville Speedway Track Champion, made each and every show that the All-Stars contested during Ohio Sprint Speedweek; even enduring some flooding along the way. Some of his highlights were top five finishes at the Limaland Motorsports Park event, and Fremont Speedway for the 50 lap, $10,000 finale; which was won by eventual Speedweek champion-Tim Shaffer. Danny would finish 3rd in the final Ohio Sprint Speedweek points; only behind champion and mentor, Tim Shaffer, and Dale Blaney. Danny Smith and Greg Wilson would finish tied for 4th, with Ohio legend and past FAST Champion, Byron Reed finishing 6th. Young Holtgraver now sits 3rd in All-Star Ohio Region points standings. He will compete at the K-C Raceway in Chillicothe, Ohio next weekend.
Brandon Matus, the youngster from Wampum, Pennsylvania, had a fashionable evening at Mercer Raceway Park in Mercer, Pennsylvania on Saturday; ending his stretch of what seemed to be never ending bad luck and bringing home a runner-up finish. Bob Felmlee was Saturday night’s winner at the Mercer bullring. Unfortunately, Matus would not be able to continue that positive consistency last night at Pittsburgh; mechanical failure would keep the Matus Motorsports 13 from finishing. He will try again next weekend in busy Fourth of July weekend fashion.
Rod George at PPMS – Rick Rarer Photo
Rod George, a Kittanning resident and long time veteran of the sport, rallied from a 15th starting position at Mercer Raceway Park on Saturday evening to finish 3rd in the feature event. He would make another top five appearance on Saturday night at Pittsburgh; coming home 5th behind winner and teammate, Danny Holtgraver, Ed Lynch Jr., Andy McKisson, and Dan Kuriger. George will compete three nights next weekend; beginning at Lernerville Speedway on Friday night, Mercer Raceway Park on Saturday, and ending the three day Fourth of July sweep at Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pennsylvania on Sunday.
Much more to be posted in the weekly ‘Monday Night Review’; Open wheel coverage from around the country highlights the write up which is posted each and every Monday night!
Cory Haas in victory lane with Fully Injected decal on the sideboard! Holtgraver top five at Fremont- Rod George and Brandon Matus top 3 at Mercer!
As the Ohio Sprint Speedweek came to an end tonight at Fremont Speedway in Fremont, Ohio; another notorious sprint car speedweek kicked off at the Lincoln Speedway in south central, Pennsylvania. The 2011 Pennsylvania Sprint Speedweek kicked off this evening with a bang and will continue to highlight the sprint car racing world’s calendar for the next week.
Cory Haas, a 358 sprint car champion and recent class graduate, who now competes in the 410ci class on a full time basis, brought home the $5,000 payday and his first speedweek win of his sprint car career this evening during the Pennsylvania Speedweek Opener at the Lincoln Speedway just outside of York, Pennsylvania. Haas would hold off charges by the likes of Fred Rahmer, Brian Leppo, and eventually Daryn Pittman and Lincoln Speedway Champion, Brian Montieth, to win the 30 lap main event. Fred Rahmer was the evening’s fast timer of the 32 sprint car entries. Pennsylvania Sprint Speedweek continues tomorrow at the Bedford Speedway in Bedford, Pennsylvania.
Interestingly enough, Cory Haas not only won the 30 lap A-main event in fantastic style; using the bottom line with perfection and riding inches from the gaurdrail- but also won with a Fully Injected sticker on the side panel. Haas is Fully Injected’s first winner of 2011.
Ohio Sprint Speedweek came to an end tonight at the Fremont Speedway in Fremont, Ohio. Tim Shaffer, the 2010 Knoxville Nationals Champion and All Star Circuit of Champions Champion, ended his speedweek with reasonable fashion, winning the 50 lap finale and taking the $10,000 payday. Danny Holtgraver, the 2010 Lernerville Speedway Track Champion and Pittsburgh, PA native, earned a top five finish at the Ohio finale- crossing the line in 4th place. Greg Wilson and Dale Blaney, Wednesday night’s winner at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio, rounded out the top 3.
Donny Schatz of Fargo, North Dakota captured tonight’s World of Outlaw Sprint Car Series main event at Princeton Speedway in Minnesota. Jason Sides, and Steve Kinser rounded out the podium finishes.
Mercer Raceway Park in Mercer, Pennsylvania had their usual Saturday night regular show featuring 410 sprint cars and a slew of FI endorsers. Veteran, Bob Felmlee, took home the win in the sprint car class main evening over Fully Injected’s Brandon Matus and Rod George. Brandon Matus continues to turn around his luck at Mercer- slowly transforming his bad luck results at the Mercer based bullring and converting them into front pack fininshes.
Keep up with more action this weekend here at www.fullyinjected.com . The Monday Night Review will have a complete weekend recap and results with special coverage for all Fully Injected team members!
Team Fully Injected busy all weekend in western Pennsylvania; Holtgraver 3rd at Limaland.
The World of Outlaws may be busy in the upper midwest at Princeton, and the All Stars may be finishing their Ohio Speedweek trek at Fremont- but the famous Open Wheelers of Pennsylvania start their annual quest for a Pennsylvania Speedweek Title tonight at Lincoln Speedway in south central Pennsylvania. A full week of open wheel, 410 Sprint car action is on tap in the Keystone state.
Last night it was Kyle Sauder in victory lane at Limaland Motorsports Park with the All Star Circuit of Champions. The All Star sanctioned event was the seventh event on the Ohio Speedweek schedule- with the finale being tonight at Fremont Speedway in Fremont, Ohio. Tonights event boasts a $10,000 payday. Fully Injecteds own Danny Holtgraver finished on the podium last night; crossing the line with a 3rd place finish. He will be competing tonight at the Finale. The rest of the Fully Injected western Pennsylvania gang will be busy at Mercer Raceway Park and Pennsylvania Motor Speedway this weekend for Saturday and Sunday events.
Doug Esh was your winner at Williams Grove last night over Brian Monteith and Aaron Ott. Williams Grove will host a Pennsylvania speedweek show later this week. Friday night will be the $10000 to win Mitch Smith Memorial.
More to come as the weekend and the week continues…Keep up all weekend at fullyinjected.com. Pictures and video to be posted this week.
World of Outlaws action..KISS, All Star Speedweek Finale, PA Speedweek kickoff, PPMS Flight of the Phoenix- all on tap this weekend!
Unfortunately, Fully Injected hasn’t been updated quite as often as it should be. I am currently in the process of moving homes and I will not have internet again until Tuesday. But, the good news is you can still get all of the weekend quick notes plus the Monday Night Review at their usual times.
More video footage will be posted this coming week with more in car camera clips from Attica Raceway Park featuring the D4 of Danny Holtgraver.
The new shirts look awesome and I’m very excited to get those on the market.
Thanks for keeping up with us at www.fullyinjected.com
And as always; Race Open Wheel!
Sharon Speedway Speedweek event in the books!
After all of the dust settled at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio- it was Hartford native, Dale Blaney, who would be declared victor and given the spoils. Blaney would take the lead from defending All Star champion Tim Shaffer just before the half way point and never look back; scoring his 2nd Ohio Sprint Speedweek victory of 2011. Blaney would lead Sam Hafertepe, Tim Shaffer, Brian Bowman, and Daryn Pittman in the top five across the line in that order. Forty five cars signed in for the All Star sanctioned- $5000 to win, 30 lap Ohio Sprint Speedweek event. Tomorrow, The All Star Circuit of Champions head back west to Millstream Speedway in Findlay, Ohio for yet another round of 410 speedweek action.
Danny Holtgraver, the 2010 Lernerville Track Champion and Fully Injected endorsed driver, had another solid finish this evening with the All Stars during their Sharon Speedway Speedweek stop. The Pittsburgh native bagged another top ten finish as he continues to perform at the top of his game with the All Stars in 2011. Danny would qualify this evening 11th out of the 45 entries- transfer through his heat by way of a fourth place finish- and cap off the evening by crossing the line 10th in the A-main. Tomorrow night- his trek continues through Ohio as he also will be competing at Millstream.
Adam Kekich and Brandon Matus were two other Fully Injected endorsed drivers on hand at Sharon Speedway this evening with the All Star Circuit of Champions. Adam, at just 18 years old, continues to improve each and every week as he moves along through his first year of 410ci Sprint car competition. Although he did not transfer from the B to the A main- the youngster and second generation driver did not act deterred, but accepting of those results- knowing that he is still on a learning venture while racing some of the best drivers in the region, and even the country. He will be back in action again Saturday evening at the Mercer Raceway Park in Mercer, Pennsylvania; where he had a top five finish last Saturday night- coming home 4th.
Brandon Matus, the Wheelman from Wampum, had a similar evening as his teammate Adam Kekich. Brandon would get stuck behind the 8 ball early by qualifying outside the inversion and failing to transfer through his heat to the main event. The 4th generation driver’s evening would end in the B-main, but his positive outlook did not. Brandon expressed no real disappointment for the evening but instead used it as a stepping stone. Matus is still fairly new to the 410ci racing world and will try to rebuild momentum this Saturday and Sunday evening’s. He will be back in action at Mercer Raceway Park and Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway.
Lots of Fully Injected random news to be discussed including new video to be posted next week along with information regarding the National Open injured drivers fund auction that Fully Injected will be a part of!
Check back here all weekend for updates and results!! New T’s out soon!
Monday Night Review: 6-20-11 Quite the tall tale.
2011 Western Pennsylvania ‘Team Fully Injected.’
Adam Kekich, Brandon Matus, Scott Priester, Rod George, Kevin Schaeffer, and Danny Holtgraver. (From Top Left to Bottom Right) – Rick Rarer and Cory Stivason Photos.
Even as summer continues to unfold, rain still acts as a major burden. This week for example; the All Star Circuit of Champions have suffered two consecutive rain-outs on the Ohio Sprint Speedweek tour; one being at Millstream and the other tonight at Waynesfield. The KISS/MSCS race at Tri-State Speedway in the heart of Indiana suffered a loss due to weather on Sunday. Even on Friday, during my trip to the upper northwest section of the Buckeye State for the Attica Raceway Park opener of Ohio Sprint Speedweek, racing was pushed back roughly 45 minutes due to a lingering rain shower. It’s an ongoing tale of frustration and hopelessness, but, time will go on and hopefully the weather will not. The season is approaching its half-way mark; and way past that for some, so hopefully the iffy weather clears and the racing begins.
Team Fully Injected had a weekend for the books. Multiple top five appearances for the “FI” team filled the stat charts for the weekend including double top five appearances for Scott Priester and Rod George at the Lernerville Speedway and Mercer Raceway Park. The two sprint car racing veterans and western Pennsylvania natives proved that experience comes with age- as both had great weekends and positive outcomes. Priester was 5th at Lernerville and 2nd at Mercer; while Rod George was 3rd at Lernerville and 3rd at Mercer Raceway Park.
Priester not only had a double top five weekend, but he did it in two different cars. He was the pilot of his own equipment on Friday night at the Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pennsylvania, before jumping ship, and climbing aboard the Dionise #15 on Saturday for the Mercer portion of the weekend.
Adam Kekich, the 18 year old 410ci sprint car rookie from the New Castle area of Pennsylvania, brought home a top five finish on Saturday night at the Mercer Raceway Park in Mercer, Pennsylvania. Kekich started up front and kept the car in the top five; bringing home a 4th place finish. “We are really happy with our finish…” quoted Adam regarding Saturday night’s performance; “You just can’t beat experience.” The second generation driver will try to continue the positive momentum into this week as he will invade Sharon Speedway with the rest of the All-Stars on Wednesday evening for night #6 of Ohio Sprint Speedweek.
Kevin Schaeffer, of Kittanning, Pennsylvania, had a turn-around night on Friday evening at Lernerville Speedway. A long season of “bad pill-pulling” plagued the three time Lernerville Speedway Track Champion until this past Friday night; Kevin started up front in his heat race and pulled away from the rest of field in convincing fashion. The heat race win would only start things off for the local racing hot shoe as he would capitalize on the rest of the night with a top five performance; coming home 4th. Kevin, who works and manages his family tire shop when not racing, will have to sit on the sideline for one week until his motors are returned from being fine-tuned and freshened.
Although not having the best of weekend’s, Brandon Matus of Wampum, Pennsylvania, will look to get a jump start on turning his luck around Wednesday night when the All-Stars invade Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio. The 4th generation driver will try to re-find the momentum that he had at the beginning of the season when he finished in the top 5 for three consecutive weekends.
Lernerville Speedway had repeat winner, Brian Ellenberger, back in victory lane over the weekend for the regular Fab Four event. The Butler, Pennsylvania native and once World of Outlaws regular, almost made a clean sweep of the weekend; but fell short in the closing laps of the A-main on Saturday night at Mercer Raceway Park. Jack Sodeman Jr. claimed the victory at Mercer. Sodeman Jr. was 2nd at Lernerville the evening before.
Gerard McIntyre Jr. took home his first career 410 victory at Williams Grove Speedway over the weekend; while Aaron Ott, the son of popular engine builder, Don Ott, took home the winner’s check at Lincoln on Saturday. After a 3rd place finish at Williams Grove on Friday night, the California Kid and once King of California champion, Tyler Walker, took home the Port Royal Speedway victory on Saturday night over South Dakota native, Justin Henderson. Walker, Henderson, Ott, and McIntyre will now turn their focus to next weekend as Pennsylvania Sprint Speedweek kicks off at Lincoln Speedway in south-central Pennsylvania. 8 races in 9 days will highlight the central PA sprint car racing enthusiast calendar, as the best in Pennsylvania 410 racing will travel across parts of Pennsylvania and Maryland for over a week for at least $5,000 to win per event.
Fred Rahmer continues to lead the Central PA 410 points standings; while Billy Dietrich sits on top of the current Central PA 358 points standings with five wins. The 358 PA title is worth $6,000 and is presented by Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic.
Danny Holtgraver, who is currently on the road with the All-Star Circuit of Champions for the annual Ohio Sprint Speedweek, is currently 2 for 2 in A-main appearances and 2 for 2 in top 15 finishes in Ohio Sprint Speedweek competition. Danny currently finds himself 5th in the Ohio Region All Star points for 2011 as well as being in the top 10 in speedweek points. Danny currently sits sixth in the current Ohio Sprint Speedweek standings; only behind leader Tim Shaffer, Danny Smith, Byron Reed, Stevie Smith, and David Gravel. Gravel is the defending Speedweek champion. The next event for Danny and the rest of the All-Stars is tomorrow night at the Fremont Speedway in Fremont, Ohio.
For most of the Fully Injected team; the plan for this week and weekend includes racing at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio this Wednesday evening, Mercer Raceway Park on Saturday night, and Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway on Sunday.
The World of Outlaw Sprint Car Series will invade parts of the upper midwest again next weekend. Princeton Speedway and Huset’s Speedway will play host for the ‘Greatest Show on Dirt’ next Saturday and Sunday. Craig Dollansky is currently the man to beat with the traveling outlaws; sweeping both events at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, North Dakota this past Friday and Saturday. Donny Schatz still sits on top of the current World of Outlaw points standings; just ahead of Joey Saldana and Jason Meyers. While on the topic of midwest and Huset’s Speedway news, Mark Dobmeier, a Grand Forks native, found victory lane at Huset’s Speedway this past Sunday evening during a regular weekend event over Lynton Jeffrey, and Gregg Baker. Dobmeier is certainly a name that the Outlaws don’t take lightly when racing at the Brandon, South Dakota facility.
Although the KISS, King of Indiana Sprint Series, may have suffered another rain out this past weekend- a busy double header weekend lies ahead as Jon Stanbrough, Brady Short, and the rest of the best wingless drivers in Indiana will head down the homestretch of the 2011 KISS season. Jon Stanbrough still sits on top of the current KISS standings.
Jonathan Allard was all smiles this past Saturday evening after winning the annual Jim Raper Memorial Dirt Cup at Skagit Speedway in Burlington, Washington. The win was worth $40,000 and it was over some great west coast 410 sprint car competition. Tim Kaeding, the current King of the West Series points leader, was 2nd- followed by Jac Haudenschild, Sam Hafertepe Jr., and Shane Stewart rounding out the top 5.
Five races in five nights highlights the Fully Injected schedule for this week and weekend; starting at Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio on Wednesday evening for an Ohio Sprint Speedweek invasion. Keep up here at www.fullyinjected.com for all results pertaining to Pennsylvania Sprint Speedweek, Ohio Sprint Speedweek, and all things Fully Injected!
and as always; RACE OPEN WHEEL!
‘Behind the Scenes w/ Scott Priester: A Trip to Rimersburg’ now posted! Check it out!
‘Behind the Scenes w/ Scott Priester: A Trip to Rimersburg’
Episode Four of Fully Injected’s Behind the Scenes series; taking a trip to Rimersburg, Pennsylvania to hang out with sprint car veteran and Challenger Raceway Track Champion- Scott Priester.
A Danny Holtgraver “Out-of Car” Experience at Attica Raceway Park!
Hang on tight and watch Pittsburgh native and 2010 Lernerville Speedway Track Champion, Danny Holtgraver, tame the bullring of Attica Raceway Park during the All Star Circuit of Champions Dash on opening night of Ohio Sprint Speedweek 2011.
Fully Injected has a fantastic weekend!
Team Fully Injected pulled off another fantastic night at the races with 3 more top five finishes to be added to the overall weekend top five list! Scott Priester, Rod George, and Adam Kekich all rolled in with top five finishes at Mercer Raceway Park in Mercer, Pennsylvania this evening. To go a long with that, Fully Injected teammate Brandon Matus scored a heat race victory to add to the FI set of accomplishments for the weekend. Matus would also score a top ten finish at Mercer; coming home ninth!
Scott Priester was the evening’s top Fully Injected finisher at Mercer Raceway Park. He would finish second behind Jack Sodeman Jr., with teammate Rod George finishing 3rd. Fully Injected’s newest member, 18 year old Adam Kekich, finished 4th- holding off veteran Brent Matus who was fifth.
The pair of sprint car veteran FI reps, Rod George and Scott Priester, ended their weekend’s with consistency; both recording double top five finishes. Congratulations to all “FI” team members!
Danny Holtgraver would compete in night number 2 of Ohio Sprint Speedweek at KC Raceway in Chillicothe, Ohio this evening. After timing in 10th quick and transferring from his heat to the main event by way of finishing 5th; the Pittsburgh native earned an 8th place starting position and would hold on to finish in the top 15; Holtgraver would cross the line in 15th position. Dale Blaney picked up the win over last night’s winner, Tim Shaffer, Cole Duncan, Randy Hannagan, and David Gravel. There were 47 cars that signed into the event. Tomorrow night Ohio Sprint Speedweek will visit the Millstream Speedway in Findlay, Ohio.
You can keep up with everything Fully Injected here at www.fullyinjected.com!
Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to check back Monday evening for the Monday Night Review!
Friday night news and quick notes…Holtgraver in-car camera footage coming soon!
Friday night can only be described with one word: “Impressive.” Fully Injected had one of it’s best nights of the season so far in 2011. Not only did Danny Holtgraver have an outstanding night with the All Star Circuit of Champions at Attica Raceway Park in Attica, Ohio, but, team driver’s like Kevin Schaeffer, Rod George, and Scott Priester also all had impressive finishes; with those being at the Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pennsylvania. All three would come home in the top 5.
Danny Holtgraver would time 6th quick of the 48 sprint car entries last evening. A 6th fastest time in the qualifying finish would put the Pittsburgh native in the inversion; allowing him to start fifth in his respective heat race. Danny would transfer from his heat to the main event with a 4th place finish, and also earn himself a spot in the evening’s dash. Positive results continued for the D4 team as a fourth place finish in the dash would line Holtgraver up on the outside of row two for the 40 lap A main event. 40 laps proves to be a test of endurance and stability at a small 3/8′s bullring like Attica Raceway Park. Young Holtgraver proved that he can rally with the best as he would hold a top three position for much of the race; holding off the likes of Danny Smith, and Byron Reed. Unfortunately, a last lap mistake from the result of no brakes and hard racing with a fast slicking race surface, would induce a 360 degree spin for the D4 machine. Luckily, Danny would keep the car moving and keep a top 10 finish in his reach; he would cross the line 8th -holding off Jason Johnson and Brandon Martin. The Steel City Outlaw – Tim Shaffer, would pick up the 40 lap victory and the $5,000 payday. He would hold off late charger Danny Smith and PA native, Stevie Smith.
Danny and his father look on as D4 teammate,Garth, makes last minute tire preparations and selections.
Lernerville Speedway seemed to a positive results breeding ground last night for Fully Injected members. Kevin Schaeffer and Rod George kicked things off with heat race wins over the eighteen Friday night entries. Brian Ellenberger would continue his hot streak in western Pennsylvania; grabbing another Lernerville win over Jack Sodeman Jr. Fully Injected had three individuals finish in the top 5; those being Rod George 3rd, Kevin Schaeffer 4th, and Scott Priester- representing Carl Bowser- 5th. Excellent night at the races!
A few other odds and ends…
The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series would see Craig Dollansky pick up his 3rd win of the 2011 W0O season. The native of Elk River, Minnesota would hold off Donny Schatz and Bill Rose to capture 40 lap, $10,000 to win main event. Speaking of Bill Rose, he would have an impressive evening all together at the River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, North Dakota with the ‘Greatest Show on Dirt’; finishing 2nd in his respective heat, winning the dash, and holding on for a 3rd place finish. Excellent evening for the 2011 World of Outlaws Rookie of the Year contender.
Gerard McIntyre Jr. would pick up his first career Williams Grove victory last night over Brian Montieth and Tyler Walker.
Shane Stewart, in his Rock Star Energy Drink, Makita, ART Chassis, would win for the 2nd night in a row at the Skagit Speedway in Burlington, Washington. The Bixby, Oklahoma native has now swept preliminary action at the Jim Raper Memorial Dirt Cup at Skagit Speedway and goes into the final evening of competition being the point leader and in great contention to win the $40,000 A-Main.
Coleman Gulick grabbed the Gas-City wingless win last evening; holding off Shane Cottle, and Brett Burdette.
In ASCS regional action, legend Wayne Johnson, promoter and driver, Tony Bruce Jr., Ryan Grubaugh, and Channin Tankersley would all grab victories.
Stay tuned for a full in-car video recap from Friday night’s All-Star event at Attica Raceway Park featuring Danny Holtgraver. The video will be posted in the coming evenings. Also- the “Behind the Scenes with Scott Priester: A Trip to Rimersburg”, will also be posted in its entirety Monday evening!
‘Behind the Scenes w/ Scott Priester Racing: A Trip to Rimersburg
Holtgraver set for Ohio Sprint Speedweek Kick-Off at Attica Raceway Park!
As the old saying goes, “to be the best, you have to beat the best….”and that is exactly what Danny Holtgraver has been setting out to do so far in 2011. Competing with the All-Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Car Series and making repetitive trips out east to compete in Pennsylvania Posse territory- Danny has made it clear that he has the determination and drive, no pun intended, to learn, race, and eventually win with the best.
As a kid only in his early 20′s, and already having a track championship to his credit, young Holtgraver certainly has been making the right steps in becoming a successful sprint car racer. As the reigning Lernerville Speedway Track Champion, Danny decided to forfeit all plans of defending that title and instead, hit the road as often has he could to race with the regions best; the All Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Car Series.
Danny Holtgraver at Lernerville Speedway – Rick Rarer Photo
This weekend will certainly be no different, as Holtraver and the rest of the D4 team, will head west to the Attica Raceway Park in Attica, Ohio to kick off his 8 race in 9 day rally against the All-Star Circuit of Champions, and the best that Ohio can offer, for the Ohio Sprint Speedweek Title. It will be nothing but sprint cars and highways for the next week; competing against such names as Dale Blaney, Tim Shaffer, Byron Reed, Greg Wilson, Brad Sweet, Kasey Kahne, David Gravel, and Dean Jacobs.
Late night car wash visits and highway miles will plague the D4 team for the next several nights, along with early morning wake up calls and endless afternoon car preparation. Danny’s father and Crew Chief, Dan, and crew members, Garth and Robbie , will be on the road with the D4 team the entire week.
Fully Injected will be making a few trips to random Ohio Sprint Speedweek stops- including tomorrow’s event at Attica Raceway Park in Attica, Ohio. We will be taking some video footage the entire night, as well as some in-car camera action, to bring you up close and personal with Attica Raceway Park’s 3/8′s mile bullring.
Don’t forget to check out this weekend’s episode of “Behind the Scenes.” Tonight, I will be making a trip north to Rimersburg, PA to visit the home of Fully Injected teammate Scott Priester and Scott Priester Racing. That video will be posted early next week.
Thanks for checking us out here at www.fullyinjected.com!
and as always: Race Open Wheel!
Jim Raper Memorial/Ohio Sprint Speedweek/WoO River Cities…all on tap!
Kevin Schaeffer at Lernerville Speedway – Rick Rarer Photo
After suffering some mechanical issues last Friday night at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pennsylvania, Kevin Schaeffer, a three time Lernerville Speedway track champion, will look to rebound this weekend and turn around what has been a “down season.” Kevin is one of the newest members of the Fully Injected team and will most likely return to the Sarver 4/10′s mile this Friday night with hopes of returning home exhausted from a photo shoot in victory lane.
Fully Injected’s lone Illinois native teammate, Destini Clark, was hard at work last weekend racing at the 34 Raceway in Burlington, Iowa. In the 305ci class, she finished a solid 9th out of the 21 starters in the main event. Her crew chief and father, Jim Clark, quoted that: “Its been a tough season with all the rain outs…we haven’t had an opportunity to race much…this was a great weekend for us and a big turn around!” Good luck to her this weekend as her and her father hope for the wet weather spell to finally vacate the area for good.
Interestingly enough, one of the biggest paying 410 races in the country is this weekend- and its non-sanctioned. Some of the best 410 sprint car drivers in the country will be heading to Skagit Speedway in Burlington, Washington for the 40th Annual $40,000 to win Jim Raper Memorial. Many of the King of West Series regulars such as Tim Kaeding, Jason Statler, Evan Suggs, and Jonathan Allard are expected to participate in the event; along with many other big names in sprint car racing such as Jac Haudenschild, Jayme Barnes, Roger Crockett, Sam Hafertepe Jr., Ian Madsen, Travis Rilat, Jason Solowold and ASCS National Tour point leader, Shane Stewart. The three day weekend will kick off Thursday evening with a full show, followed by a full show Friday night- and end with the $40,000 to win main event on Saturday night. Shane Stewart is the defending champion of this event.
Ohio Sprint Speedweek kicks off Friday evening with a stop at Attica Raceway Park in Attica, Ohio. Kasey Kahne and Brad Sweet will be competing in the first six nights of Sprint Speedweek action.
The World of Outlaws are also in competition this weekend with a stop at the always racey 4/10′s mile River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, North Dakota. North Dakota native and current World of Outlaws point leader, Donny Schatz, looks to capitalize racing in his home state.
Fully Injected will travel to the home of Scott Priester Racing tomorrow evening for episode number 4 of “Behind the Scenes.”
NEW T’s OUT JULY FIRST! STAY TUNED.
Monday Night Review: Weeks of Speed on the Horizon.
‘FI’ teammate, Scott Priester, at Lernerville Speedway over the weekend in his own Metplas, #11- Rick Rarer Photo
With the All Star Circuit of Champions getting a taste of PA Posse dirt over the weekend-resulting in a Lance Dewease win at Williams Grove and a Danny Dietrich win at Lincoln Speedway-the traveling 410 All-Stars will turn to a new focus: Ohio.
The All Star Circuit of Champion’s Ohio Sprint Speedweek; what more is there to say? Eight nights of sprint car racing in a nine day time span; filled with grueling miles of Ohio traveling, summer heat and muggy nights, sprint car upkeep and car maintenance, fierce competition, hot red tempers, and stereotypical track foods consisting of cold burgers, soggy fries, and over priced chicken sandwiches. But in all honesty, how can somebody not love every minute of that?
Attica Raceway Park in Attica, Ohio will be the initial launch site of Ohio Sprint Speedweek 2011. David Gravel was the 2010 Ohio Sprint Speedweek Champion and looks to defend his crown in 2011. After the initial start at Attica, the boys head to K-C Raceway in Chillicothe, Ohio for a $5,000 to win event on Saturday evening. On Sunday and Monday evening’s, the All-Stars will overtake the Millstream Speedway and Waynesfield Raceway Park for a pair of $5,000 to win events in upper northwest Ohio.
Tuesday night will consist of a familiar stomping ground for most of the Ohio travelers and FAST competitors; Fremont Speedway in Fremont, Ohio will be the environment shaken and stirred by the Ohio Sprint Speedway on Tuesday evening.
Soon after the checkers fall at Fremont, the Ohio Sprint Speedweek tour will then have to swing east to Sharon Speedway in Hartford, Ohio for a Wednesday night stop also worth $5,000. Thursday will allow for a breather and a cool down time for the 410 competitors. With no racing scheduled for Thursday evening, teams and drivers will have a chance to regroup and catch up before the last segment of the Ohio Sprint Speedweek takes off.
Consisting of stops at Limaland Motorsports Park and Fremont Speedway in upper northwest Ohio, the All-Star will end their Sprint Week with a bang. The main difference between the first stop at Fremont Speedway and the ‘Finale,’ is the extra $5,000 to the winner; equaling a $10,000 payday at the Sprint Week finale at Fremont Speedway on Saturday, June 25th. The hardest of hardcore sprint car fans will hit the highways with the race teams in hopes of clear weather and side by side racing at all 8 scheduled events.
In other random Ohio news; Danny Smith, Randy Hannagan, and Sheldon Haudenschild were all winners in Ohio this weekend- as well as Byron Reed who picked up the FAST victory at Fremont on Saturday night.
Brian Ellenberger made a sweep in Western Pennsylvania; taking victories at Lernerville Speedway and Mercer Raceway Park – Rick Rarer Photo
The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series will have their own share of action this weekend at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The North Dakota facility will host the ‘Greatest Show on Dirt’ for two full nights of action kicking off this Friday evening. Donny Schatz, a native of Fargo, North Dakota, recently took over the points lead at the conclusion of the Knoxville Mediacom Shootout at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa this past weekend. He currently has a slim lead over Kasey Kahne Racing’s own Joey Saldana.
Speaking of Kasey Kahne Racing, it appears that Kasey himself, along with KKR part time World of Outlaw’s star. Brad Sweet, will be racing in the first six night’s of Ohio Sprint Week.
FAST action as well as King of the West Series action, which I regularly keep up with and avidly post about, will have a weekend off. As far as the King of Indiana Sprint Series competition is concerned, they will be back in the saddle again. Next Sunday, June 19th, Jon Stanbrough and the rest of the KISS regulars will head to Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Indiana for another round of King of Indiana competition. In case readers were not already aware, all KISS races pay a handsome $2,500 to win with all feature starters guaranteed $250. KISS also has a $3,600 point fund with $1,000 being awarded to the champion. Jon Stanbrough, who was also the winner of the USAC Eastern Storm stop at Lernerville Speedway, has won a record 5 KISS titles since 2001 and owns 17 wins.
USAC Mopar National Midget Series ‘Indiana Midget Week’ came to a conclusion yesterday evening at Kokomo Speedway in Kokomo, Indiana. Michael Pickens, a New Zealand native, won the battle at Kokomo-leading the last 2 laps to score his first USAC win- but Bryan Clauson won the war; winning the 2011 Indiana Midget Week title. Bryan Clauson also leads the current USAC National Midget Series points standings over Bobby East and California native, Darren Hagen.
ASCS National Tour action saw Jack Dover return to victory lane for the 6th time in ASCS National Tour career over the weekend at Eagle Raceway in Eagle, Nebraska for the 2011 Eagle Nationals. The rising 360 national tour had 42 entries with heavy hitters such as Shane Stewart, Jason Johnson, Gary Wright, Johnny Herrera, Brady Bacon, Danny Wood, and Wayne Johnson all in attendance. Dover’s win was worth $6,000. Bixby, Oklahoma native, Shane Stewart, still sits on top of the points standings.
With June speedweek events on the brain, the 2011 Pennsylvania Speedweek Sprint Series will kick off in the near future; with action kicking off on June 25th at Williams Grove and lasting until Sunday, July 3rd – at Selinsgrove Speedway. Similar to Ohio Sprint Week, the Pennsylvania 410 Speedweek Sprint Series will feature an 8 race schedule in 9 days across Pennsylvania and Maryland. More on that to come later!
Much more to discuss this week. A trip to Scott Priester’s shop and another Fully Injected production is in store! Keep up with everything here at www.fullyinjected.com
and as always- RACE OPEN WHEEL
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