The All Star Circuit of Champions will visit trio of tracks during three-day New York road trip

The All Star Circuit of Champions will visit trio of tracks during three-day New York road trip

Story By: Tyler Altmeyer/ASCOC

Photos By: Tommy Hein/RacersGuide.com

BROWNSBURG, Ind. (August 15, 2018) – The Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 season is about to hit high gear once again, as the touring sprint car series sets aim for a trio of stops in the Empire State; three tracks in three days all while chasing a combined winner’s share equalling $22,000. The New York triple-header will activate a busy stretch of competition for the touring All Stars. The month will conclude with a four-pack of events in ‘Pennsylvania Posse Country’ on August 23-26, followed by a stop at Attica (Ohio) Raceway Park on Friday, August 31.

Checking off the schedule as the second New York swing of the 2018 season for Tony Stewart’s All Stars, the upcoming weekend will begin, officially, on Friday evening, August 17, with a visit to Utica-Rome Speedway near Vernon. The All Stars have visited Utica-Rome twice in Series history, never during Tony Stewart’s tenure as owner, with the ‘Steel City Outlaw’ Tim Shaffer earning the top prize during the last visit in 2012. The visit to Utica-Rome Speedway on Friday will award a $5,000 top prize.

Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, N.Y., arguably the largest oval on the 2018 Series schedule, will host the All Star Circuit of Champions on Saturday, August 18. Awarding a $10,000 payday, All Star competitors will attempt the tame Orange County’s sprawling 5/8-mile oval during their invasion of southeast New York; just the second-ever visit by the All Star Circuit of Champions in Series history. Sammy Swindell, the most recent All Star winner while in action at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa, is the defending Orange County Fair Speedway winner. Incidentally, Swindell’s victories at 34 Raceway and Orange County Fair Speedway were exactly one year apart – to the date.

‘The Valley Of Speed’ will host the All Star Circuit of Champions on Sunday evening, August 19, and will officially conclude the three-day swing through the Empire State. An oval just as demanding as Orange County Fair Speedway, Lebanon Valley Speedway in West Lebanon, N.Y., features an action-packed, high-banked, half-mile oval that is not for the faint of heart. The All Stars have made two prior appearances in West Lebanon, each during Tony Stewart’s tenure, welcoming two different winners to victory lane. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania’s Danny Dietrich is the defending All Star main event winner at Lebanon Valley Speedway. “Double-D” scored a $7,000 payday for his efforts, piloting the Tom Buch-owned No. 13 to an eighth-career All Star victory at the time. Like 2017, Lebanon Valley Speedway will award a $7,000 top prize in 2018, also awarding a minimum of $1,000 to each feature starter.

On top of what may go down as one of the closest point battles in Series history, Clute, Texas’ Aaron Reutzel will lead the All Star Circuit of Champions charge into New York as the current All Star driver championship leader, holding a mere-four point lead over Lemoore, California’s Carson Macedo. Despite an overwhelming lead in the win column with seven victories thus far in 2018, Reutzel and Macedo have nearly identical numbers in the top-five and top-ten columns. The Baughman-Reutzel Motorsports entry owns 20 top-ten finishes, 14 of which inside the top-five, during 28 feature starts. Macedo, driver of the Gaerte/Norman No. 3G, also owns 20 top-ten finishes, but 15 occurred inside the top-five.

Although nearly counted out of championship contention during the first half of the season, six-time and defending All Star Circuit of Champions title holder, Chad Kemenah, has worked his way back within striking distance and will enter the New York swing third in the driver championship chase less than 20 markers out of the top spot. Kemenah’s consistency is more than impressive, owning 26 top-ten finishes and two victories.

Jac Haudenschild, the Spring Nationals winner at Attica Raceway Park, is fourth in the driver title chase, followed by Lou Blaney Memorial winner, Dave Blaney. Paul McMahan, Parker Price-Miller, Cale Conley, Brandon Spithaler, and Carl Bowser round-out the top-ten in the current All Star driver championship. McMahan leads the bottom half of the top-ten with two victories on the season and trails Dave Blaney for fifth by just two points.

In addition to a loaded roster of All Star talent, Tony Stewart will join the Series during competition on all three nights, piloting his own Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing/Rush Truck Centers/Sage Fruit/Ford Performance/No. 14.

“I’m excited to get back on the track with these guys,” Tony Stewart said about racing in New York with the All Stars. “We have a talented group that follow our schedule full-time. They have proven time and time again that they can compete anywhere in the country. Being competitive against a group like this is one thing, but winning against them is another. It is a true challenge and I am excited to be a part of it at Utica-Rome, Orange County, and Lebanon Valley.”

Utica-Rome Speedway in Vernon, N.Y., will open pit gates at 4 p.m. on Friday, August 17. A mandatory All Star driver meeting will take shape at 5:30 p.m., followed by hot laps at 6:15 p.m. Those interested in learning more should visit Utica-Rome Speedway live on the Web at www.uticaromespeedway.com.

Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, N.Y., will open pit gates at 2 p.m. on Saturday, August 18. A mandatory All Star driver meeting will happen at 5:30 p.m, followed by All Star hot laps at 6 p.m., sharp. Those wanting to learn more about OCFS should visit the speedway on the Web at www.orangecountyfairspeedway.net.

Lebanon Valley Speedway in West Lebanon, N.Y., will allow pit access beginning at 3 p.m. on Sunday, August 19. A mandatory All Star driver meeting will take shape at 5 p.m., followed by All Star hot laps at 5:45 p.m. Those seeking additional news and notes should visit Lebanon Valley Speedway live on the Web at www.lebanonvalley.com.

All Star Circuit of Champions Driver Standings: (after 34 Raceway)
1. Aaron Reutzel – 3712
2. Carson Macedo – 3708
3. Chad Kemenah – 3694
4. Jac Haudenschild – 3538
5. Dave Blaney – 3510
6. Paul McMahan – 3508
7. Parker Price-Miller – 3466
8. Cale Conley – 3244
9. Brandon Spithaler – 3002
10. Carl Bowser – 2998

About the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1:
All Star Enterprises, LLC, wholly owned by Tony Stewart, d/b/a the All Star Circuit of Champions, is a winged sprint car series. The All-Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Car Series is one of the oldest traveling 410 sprint car organizations and is a staple of grassroots, open-wheel racing. Formed in 1970 by Bud Miller, the series has largely been considered the first ‘outlaw’ Sprint Car organization of the modern era. Motorsports entrepreneur Tony Stewart agreed to terms with Guy Webb to become the sole owner of the original winged sprint car tour in January of 2015. In 2018, MAVTV Motorsports Network will be the official television home of the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 and will broadcast eight high-profile events.