MERCER, PA. (Saturday, May 10, 2014) – It was the Wayne County (Ohio) Connection Saturday at Mercer Raceway Park. Wooster, Ohio’s Jac Haudenschild reversed the roles on Dalton, Ohio’s Lee Jacobs from the previous night’s racing to score his 27th career University of Northwestern Ohio All Star Circuit of Champions win. And, Lee’s uncle, Dean Jacobs, from Wooster, Ohio, would round out the podium.
At Lernerville Speedway on Friday, Haudenschild chased Jacobs to the finish. The pair had also ridden to and from the track together so the ride home contained some light-hearted banter. This time Haudenschild would ride home with Jacob’s dad, Kenny but the banter was just as fun.
“I should have ridden home with Lee so I could rub him a little but to have the weekend we all had is fantastic,” said Haudenschild
“I have to thank Rick and Barb Rogers for the opportunity they have given me. I said last night this team was starting to gel….I think we’re going to have a good year,” continued Haudenschild beside his Mondak Portables/Rich Rogers Construction/Triple X Racing backed #9. “It’s just taken Scott (Benic, who is the son of Mercer’s track manager Frank Benic) and me a little time to figure each other out but we’re getting there.”
“It wasn’t easy, the Jacobs boys ran really good here and Lee’s coming really fast,” the happy winner added. Haudenschild was relieved to see that final caution with five laps to go because he was in heavy traffic at the time. “The lapped traffic is really tough here, you’re in it really quick and there are a lot of cars.”
For Jacobs, the second place run coming a day after his first UNOH All Star win was the capper for a fantastic weekend.
“This was just an unbelievable weekend. I have to thank John and Amanda Lewis for all they’ve done for me and my cousin Cody for working his butt off and giving me a great race car,” said Jacobs beside his Butlerbuilt seats, Crown Investments, New Leaf Tree Service, OC shocks, HP Engines, Outerwears, TSR, Simpson Indy, Fire & Ice Pub, Vortex Wings backed machine.
The weekend was the debut of Dean Jacobs in the Joe and Diane Seeling owned #97 and it couldn’t have worked out a whole lot better.
“I had a car that could win tonight and you can’t ask for much more. It’s just so hard to pass at Mercer. That was a hell of a race until that caution. Lee and I had a shot at Haud in lapped traffic. Then on the restart Haud had a lapped car between himself and Lee and I had one in front of me. I got a run on Lee but followed him off the back stretch and we lost Haud,” said Dean Jacobs beside his Northwest Ohio Towing and Recovery/NAPA Truck and Auto Center backed machine.
“I have to thank Joe and Diane and my crew of Floyd Green and Ronnie Landon. It was just a fun night of racing,” added Dean.
Haudenschild put himself in position for the win by taking second in his heat and, then, winning the dash. That put him on the pole for the 30 lapper presented by Bonnell’s Rod Shop. To his outside was Trey Gustin. Lee Jacobs and Cole Duncan occupied row two, with Rod George and Dean Jacobs in row three.
Haudenschild powered off turn four with the lead, with Lee Jacobs slipping past Gustin to take second. Haudenschild began to open up a comfortable lead when track favorite Rod George spun in turn two with just four laps in the books.
On the restart, Haudenschild jumped out to a five car length lead, and he stretched his advantage in the 21 lap green flag run. During this stretch, Dean Jacobs started to press Lee for second. Danny Holtgraver advanced to fourth, and he was trying to close in on the Jacobs duo, while Gustin held his own in fifth.
Unfortunately, Holtgraver’s bid for a podium finish ended in turn one on lap 25, when he popped the right rear tire. At the same time as Holtgraver came to a stop, so did Scott Priester at the opposite end of the speedway. Holtgraver was able to duck into the pits for a new shoe, but Priester was finished for the night.
That set up a five lap dash to the finish. Haudenschild had a lapped car separating him from second place runner Lee Jacobs. Dean Jacobs was still on his tail, but several more lapped cars were placed before Dale Blaney and others still on the lead lap.
Haudenschild sped away at the drop of the green and completed the final five rounds without incident. Lee Jacobs led his uncle Dean to the wire for second. Dale Blaney was fourth at the finish, with Ed Lynch, Jr. logging his first top five run of the season. It was only his second outing of the season.
Tim Shaffer hustled to the sixth spot, just ahead of the fading Gustin. Chad Kemenah, Cole Duncan, and Caleb Helms rounded out the top ten.
Mercer Raceway Park – 5/10/2014
All Star Circuit of Champions (25 Cars)
[#]-Starting Position
Qualifying – Kistler Engines1. 14K-Dale Blaney, 13.558; 2. 10H-Danny Holtgraver, 13.585; 3. 9W-Jac Haudenschild, 13.666; 4. 15-Scott Priester, 13.738; 5. 2L-Ed Lynch Jr., 13.832; 6. 40-Caleb Helms, 13.888; 7. 97-Dean Jacobs, 13.958; 8. 81-Lee Jacobs, 13.959; 9. 23JR-Jack Sodeman Jr., 14.015; 10. 80-Trey Gustin, 14.021; 11. 49-Cole Duncan, 14.026; 12. 8-Rod George, 14.036; 13. 63-Chad Kemenah, 14.051; 14. 5K-Adam Kekich, 14.057; 15. 57X-Andrew Palker, 14.117; 16. 45-Tim Shaffer, 14.146; 17. 10-Carl Bowser, 14.185; 18. 56-Ralph Spithaler, 14.280; 19. O8-Dan Kuriger, 14.283; 20. 13-Brandon Matus, 14.303; 21. 38-Dennis Wagner, 14.378; 22. 49H-Brad Howard, 14.603; 23. 33-Brent Matus, 14.928; 24. 2S-Francis Sesco, 14.931; 25. 7-Eric Williams, 99.999
Heat 1 – Kears Speed Shop (8 Laps – Top 9 finishers transfer to the A-feature)1. 97-Dean Jacobs[2] ; 2. 80-Trey Gustin[1] ; 3. 45-Tim Shaffer[6] ; 4. 15-Scott Priester[3] ; 5. 63-Chad Kemenah[5] ; 6. O8-Dan Kuriger[7] ; 7. 49H-Brad Howard[8] ; 8. 7-Eric Williams[9] ; 9. 14K-Dale Blaney[4]
Heat 2 – All Pro Aluminum Heads (8 Laps – Top 9 finishers transfer to the A-feature)1. 81-Lee Jacobs[2] ; 2. 49-Cole Duncan[1] ; 3. 10H-Danny Holtgraver[4] ; 4. 2L-Ed Lynch Jr.[3] ; 5. 10-Carl Bowser[6] ; 6. 13-Brandon Matus[7] ; 7. 5K-Adam Kekich[5] ; 8. 33-Brent Matus[8]
Heat 3 – Dragon Race Fuel (8 Laps – Top 9 finishers transfer to the A-feature)1. 8-Rod George[1] ; 2. 9W-Jac Haudenschild[4] ; 3. 23JR-Jack Sodeman Jr.[2] ; 4. 40-Caleb Helms[3] ; 5. 57X-Andrew Palker[5] ; 6. 56-Ralph Spithaler[6] ; 7. 2S-Francis Sesco[8] ; 8. 38-Dennis Wagner[7]
Dash – UNOH (6 Laps, finishing order determined first 6 starting positions of A-feature1. 9W-Jac Haudenschild[1] ; 2. 80-Trey Gustin[2] ; 3. 81-Lee Jacobs[4] ; 4. 49-Cole Duncan[3] ; 5. 8-Rod George[5] ; 6. 97-Dean Jacobs[6]
A-Main – University of Northwestern Ohio (30 Laps)1. 9W-Jac Haudenschild[1]; 2. 81-Lee Jacobs[3]; 3. 97-Dean Jacobs[6]; 4. 14K-Dale Blaney[11]; 5. 2L-Ed Lynch Jr.[9]; 6. 45-Tim Shaffer[16]; 7. 80-Trey Gustin[2]; 8. 63-Chad Kemenah[13]; 9. 49-Cole Duncan[4]; 10. 40-Caleb Helms[10]; 11. 23JR-Jack Sodeman Jr.[12]; 12. O8-Dan Kuriger[19]; 13. 5K-Adam Kekich[14]; 14. 13-Brandon Matus[20]; 15. 10H-Danny Holtgraver[7]; 16. 57X-Andrew Palker[15]; 17. 8-Rod George[5]; 18. 56-Ralph Spithaler[18]; 19. 7-Eric Williams[25]; 20. 49H-Brad Howard[22]; 21. 2S-Francis Sesco[24]; 22. 38-Dennis Wagner[21]; 23. 33-Brent Matus[23]; 24. 15-Scott Priester[8]; 25. 10-Carl Bowser[17]Hard Charger: 45-Tim Shaffer[+10]