Tony Stewart's Ollie's Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions rolled into 34 Raceway west of Burlington Sunday night for the final night of their four race swing through the Midwest, and this one was special as it would pay tribute to the late Rayce Rudeen, the son of car owner Kevin Rudeen who fields the car #26 for Cory Eliason. The Rayce Rudeen Foundation seeks to fill the gaps in the system of care for those who on the road to recovery from addiction and, in this inaugural event that was being filmed for a later broadcast on MAVTv, the feature winner would take home a whopping $26,000.
Thirty-four 410 winged Sprint Cars would fill the pits at 34 Raceway on a warm, but still comfortable evening as the clouds from a line of storms well off to the west shielded the sun and allowed the track to hold on to the moisture creating a racing surface that would have both a low and high groove all night long as well as plenty of room to roam in between. The All Stars qualify in groups with the top four inverted for the lineup in each of the four heat races where the top five finishers transfer to the A-Main while the top two get to compete in one of two dashes that sets the first five rows of the features as the the two fastest drivers who don't crack the top two are also included. It is a nice format that definitely produces plenty of action during the heats, much better than lining up cars straight up by qualifying times and with the passing it makes for a wider race track as well.
At 34 Raceway there is a wall around turns three and four while turns one and two are open and that means that the cushion gets pushed right up to the rim making the margin for error very slim on that end of the race track. Trey Starks found that out on the opening lap of the B-Main as he jumped the cushion in turn one and went for a tumble, his second crash of the night as he also tipped the car over after spinning in turn four during his qualifying lap.
Missing the cushion in turns one and two would also play a big role in determining the night's winner, but more on that later.
Thirteen IMCA Stock Cars would set the table for the big finale as they would race twenty laps for $1,000-to-win with a stout front row of Tom Bowling Jr. and Damon Murty. It would be the fourth starting John Oliver Jr. that would quickly make his way to the front though taking the lead from Bowling on lap two. Shawn Ritter would be sent for a spin in turn one on lap five and soon after the caution waved Murty would make a quick turn on the back stretch and head to the pit area with an apparent mechanical problem.
On the restart David Brandies would find the bite that he needed down low to drive by the rim-riding Oliver to lead lap six and before the next lap could be scored Bowling was sideways in turn four with the car turning up on to its side before the banking sent it the rest of the way over onto its top. During the red flag Murty made his way back on to the track ready for the upcoming restart until an official went to his car and explained to him that he was now one lap down to the field after missing the previous restart.
Once back to green Brandies continued to make the low line work as Oliver continued to ride his favored high side and when Abe Huls moved in to challenge Oliver for second that allowed Brandies to ease away even further as the Wilton driver posted the big money win. Oliver would fight off Huls to take the runner-up spot while Jeremy Pundt fought off a last lap challenge from fourteen-year-old Dallon Murty to finish fourth.
The Sprint Cars were up next for thirty laps with an interesting front row of Rico Abreu and Tony Stewart set to bring the field to green. Earlier series point leader Aaron Reutzel had the first Dash well in hand before spinning his car in turn two handing the pole over to Abreu and dropping Reutzel back to a fourth row start.
The first wave of the green was short-lived as twelfth row starter Marcus Dumesney smacked the wall exiting turn four and slowed to a halt on the front stretch so the field was reassembled and we were ready to race. Abreu would set the pace as drivers searched high and low for their fastest lines only to have the caution wave again on lap four when Dumesney spun in turn four ending his evening.
The race would go green from there and it would be a good one with plenty of traffic causing the leaders to have to use different lines to maintain their momentum. Abreu had built up a big lead through lap ten, but when he missed that cushion in turn one Rico drove over the top of the track and somehow kept the car going racing down the push off lane and coming back onto the track exiting turn two right behind the new leader Tony Stewart.
Reutzel who made a big move early from seventh was now running third and appeared to have the top two in his sights, but his own stumble on the cushion kept him from challenging and he would soon yield the third spot to a hard charging Christopher Bell in the Swindell Speed Lab #39.
Stewart was working traffic like the old pro that he is leaving Abreu chasing still several car lengths back and soon Bell was there to challenge for second. The two young stars thrilled the large crowd with a trio of slide jobs and cross overs on laps eighteen and nineteen, but as Abreu warded off Bell it allowed Stewart to get even further away from his challengers and take the big win in this inaugural event. Abreu would hold on for second ahead of the tenth starting Bell while Reutzel would have to settle for fourth. Cory Eliason would bring the Rudeen Racing #26 in for fifth as James McFadden moved from twelfth to sixth. Dale Blaney would fade from third to seventh, Skylar Gee was eighth, Justin Peck finished ninth and Austin McCarl completed the top ten.
Sprint Car fans in the region still have plenty of dates at 34 Raceway to look forward to in 2019 as not only do the 305's race here weekly, the Sprint Invaders will be here on Saturday August 17th before a Labor Day weekend double header that you won't want to miss. The Lucas Oil ASCS National Series will be at 34 Raceway on Friday night August 30th and then on Saturday night the 31st the Lucas Oil POWRi WAR wingless Sprint Cars will tackle the high banks. Then to close out the season on Friday and Saturday September 27th and 28th the Sprint Invaders will be joined by the big money hunters for the second annual Fall Haul, and those are just the Sprint Car races that remain on 34 Raceways' schedule so I hope to see you there often over the next two months.
A big thank you to Jack Donlan and his friends and family for hosting us at another spectacular pre-race meal on Sunday and make sure that if you are ever around Princeton, Illinois, at dinner time that you stop in at his place Paisano's Ristorante!
Now comes the time for me to focus on the Knoxville Raceway for the next two weeks as Nationals time is upon us. Thursday begins the three night run of the 29th My Place Hotels 360 Nationals before Sunday night's 8th Annual Bell Helmets Capitani Classic. Then the following week it will be the granddaddy of them all, the 59th Annual NOS Energy Drink Knoxville Nationals. Hope to see you there!
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