Seneca Sprints
2001 News Archive 

July 13 & 14, 2001
Seneca Sprints Flex Their Muscles
At Area Tracks

Leading the way for the Seneca County Sprinters was Fostoria's Scott Kraylek in the 305 division. Kraylek is a second generation Sprint driver. Kraylek broke Bryan Scott's winning streak in dramatic fashion in taking wins at Attica & Fremont on consecutive nights. In the same division, Fostoria's Jamie Miller won the B-Mains on both nights.

At Fremont in the 410 division, Bettsville's David Harrison, another second generation driver, led all 30 laps of the feature in capturing the win in dominating fashion. This was Harrison's first feature win at Fremont in the Super Sprint division.

Below are the complete Feature Event results of the Seneca Sprinter's from the two tracks this past weekend.

Attica
305 Division
1 - Scott Kraylek, 3 - Chris Lang, 4 - Bill Kraylek, 7 - Brandon Martin, 12 - Justin Stout, 13 - Mark Lang; 19. Jamie Miller

Fremont
410 Division
1. David Harrison; 13. Ricky Ferkel; 20. Bobby Distel.
305 Division
1. Scott Kraylek; 6. Jamie Miller; 9. Brandon Martin; 10. Bill Kraylek; 15. Chris Lang; 19. Justin Stout

Wendell Smith, living in Bettsville, died Wednesday, July 18, 2001 at the age of 72.
Wendell Smith is 19th in all time feature wins at Fremont, with 16 wins. He was a brother of Jimmy Smith, who was killed in a racing accident in the late 1960's. Wendell has served as mayor of Bettsville, and was retired from the C. E. Basic Co., where he worked for 38 years.

To see Wendell Smith's obituary from the Advertiser-Tribune, click here.

Fostoria's Scott Kraylek continued his hot streak, as he once again outgunned Bryan Scott in 305 action at the Brad Doty Classic at Attica on Wednesday, July 18. Kraylek has now won 3 consecutive features at Attica & Fremont. His #21 sprinter has looked very strong, and he has turned consistently crisp laps at both tracks.
Below are the complete results of the Seneca Sprinters from the Brad Doty Classic.

305 Feature
1. Scott Kraylek, 3. Bill Kraylek,7. Justin Stout, 10. Mark Lang

410 Feature
(Ricky Ferkel was the only 410 Seneca Sprint on hand, and he failed to qualify for the feature in this very tough field of cars.)

What has caused such a dramatic turnaround for Fostoria's Scott Kraylek? Crew members say that a new engine has made most of the difference. While the engine has no doubt made a big difference, Kraylek's driving has been nothing short of superb. Last weekend at Portsmouth he won his 4th race in as many starts. This past Friday night he finished 4th at Attica, and won again in Fremont the following night. That's 5 wins in 6 starts, a remarkable accomplishment. All in all, the Seneca Sprints continue to dominate in the 305 division.

In 410 action at Fremont, David Harrison continued to run well in finishing 4th, behind John Ivy, Alvin Roepke & Rob Chaney.

Below are the complete Feature results of the Seneca Sprints at Attica & Fremont this weekend.

Attica
305
3. Bill Kraylek, 4. Scott Kraylek, 5. Justin Stout, 6. Brandon Martin, 7. Keith Whaley, 11. Chris Lang, 19. Jamie Miller, 20. Mark Lang

Fremont
410
4. David Harrison; 15. John Finsel; 16. Bobby Distel; 17. Bruce Robenalt

305
1. Scott Kraylek; 2. Brandon Martin; 7. Jamie Miller; 8. Keith Whaley; 17. Bill Kraylek; 19. Mark Lang

It was a weekend of hard luck for several Seneca Sprints, but overall the Seneca drivers finished as strong as usual.

At Attica, halfway through the 305 Feature, race leader Shawn Chaney suffered an engine failure, turning the lead over to Mark Lang with Brandon Martin passing Bryon Scott on the restart to take second. With Martin hot on Lang's bumper, the pair approached lap traffic. Suddenly, Wayne Garrett spun in turn four in front of the leaders, taking out both Lang & Martin. This turned the lead over to Bryon Scott, who held off a hard charging Scott Kraylek for the win. Scott Kraylek & Brandon Martin were heat winners.
Ricky Ferkel was the only Seneca to show in the 410 division, as he finished 17th in the Feature.

At Fremont, David Harrison won the B Main & Bobby Distel scored a heat win in the 410 division.
As Distel and his crew were preparing for the feature, they noticed that Bruce Robenalt had stopped on the track with a flat left front tire in the B Main. Immediately the entire crew, including Distel, grabbed wrenches, jack and a front wheel and dashed toward the track, as Robenalt was pushed to the exit. The tire was mounted, and Robenalt pushed off in time to restart the race at the tail. Robenalt passed four cars within the span of 3 laps to reach a transfer spot, when a fuel line came loose causing flash fires, and his early retirement. Nevertheless, this is a fine example of one Seneca Sprinter dropping everything to help one of their own, and this writer applauds him and his fine crew for their efforts.
In 305 action, Jamie Miller won the B Main and Scott Kraylek continued his consistent ways in finishing second in the Feature.

Below are the complete results for the Seneca Sprints in this weekends feature events.

Attica
410 A Main
17. Ricky Ferkel
305 A Main
2. Scott Kraylek (Heat Winner), 7. Chris Lang, 9. Keith Whaley, 12. Justin Stout, 17. Mark Lang, 18. Brandon Martin (Heat Winner), 19. Bill Kraylek

Fremont
410 A Main
5. David Harrison (B Main Winner); 15. Ricky Ferkel; 16. Bobby Distel (Heat Winner); 20. Jon Finsel.
305 A Main
2. Scott Kraylek; 5. Bill Kraylek; 9. Jamie Miller (B Main Winner); 10. Keith Whaley; 12. Mark Lang; 15. Josh Hill; 18. Brandon Martin

Promotor Jim Ford and the "Track That Action Built" celebrated the 50th anniversary of the historic 1/3 mile clay semi-banked oval in grand fashion with a doubleheader weekend. Few tracks in the entire country have as long and rich a history as that which is enjoyed at Fremont. It is often said with much truth that "If you can win at Fremont, you can win anywhere." Even with competing races at Knoxville, Iowa and Portsmouth, Ohio, the track was able to attract a top notch field of cars on a night that boasted one of the richest purses in in the track's history. Saturday's action was climaxed by a 50 lap 410 Feature event.

In Friday night's feature action in the 410 division, David Harrison finished 9th and Bobby Distel 17th.
In the 305 division, Jamie Miller made a strong showing in finishing 3rd behind 15 year old Gibsonburg sensation Craig Mintz and winner Bobby Foster.  Scott Kraylek came from deep in the field to finish 6th, and his cousin Bill Kraylek was 8th.

In Saturday's 50 lap 410 Anniversary Feature, all talk of fuel stops proved to be for naught, as the race went 47 laps before a caution was brought out for a Greg Wilson spin. The race was lined up behind 2 pace trucks and 2 classic historic racecars from days gone by, presenting a wonderful feel for the rich historic past contrasting the fast technology of the present. Jon Finsel came away with the win in the B Main in his 360 F1 car. David Harrison was the top Seneca finisher in finishing 10th. Other Seneca Feature finishes included Bruce Robenalt at 15th, Bobby Distel 18th & Jon Finsel at 19th

At Portsmouth Saturday night, Scott Kraylek started 3rd and dusted the field to come away with the $1000 winner's purse. Kraylek has won 3 times at Portsmouth this season, with 8 wins overall, 6 coming within the past 5 weeks. Joe Laugherty made a weekend trip to Pennsylvania with his #21J 410 sprinter, making the 22 car features on both nights. On Saturday night at Mercer he finished 16th, and he scored a 17th place finish at Tri-City Sunday.

It is an inevitable fate for anyone who drives a sprint car for any length of time, but it is also one for which one is rarely prepared. Three Seneca Sprints of the 305 division suffered heavy damage in crashes at Fremont Speedway this weekend. In the B Main Friday night, Mark Lang had a scary head on collision with the wall, destroying his #65 sprinter. Thankfully he walked away from the crash, but he still suffers from back and neck injuries recieved in the mishap. Mark has decided to hang up his drivers suit for the year, opting to come back next year with a new car and a better motor. On Saturday night his brother Chris Lang had a bad flip, destroying his #29 sprinter. He too has opted to hang it up for the year and build a new car for next season. In the 305 Feature Brandon Martin heavily damaged his #11 sprinter while leading the race in lapped traffic. This talented young driver has suffered nearly identical fates for each of the last two weeks. An unfortunate display of his frustrationed followed, for which he is now surely regretful. He is confident that he will have his car ready for Friday's race at Attica. Lets hope that all of our Seneca Sprinters can rebuild their cars and return to the dirt ovals soon.

Below are the official results of the Seneca Sprints as provided by Fremont Speedway for this past weekend.

Friday - Fremont Speedway
410 Division
9. David Harrison, 17. Bobby Distel

305 Division
3. Jamie Miller, 6. Scott Kraylek, 8. Bill Kraylek, 15. Josh Hill, 17. Chris Lang, 20. Justin Stout.

Saturday - Fremont Speedway
305 Division
3. Bill Kraylek; 9. Keith Whaley; 15. Jamie Miller; 16. Josh Hill. 18. Brandon Martin; 20. Justin Stout.

410 Division
10. David Harrison; 15. Bruce Robenalt; 18. Bobby Distel; 19. Jon Finsel

Jamie Miller's #4M 305 Sprinter has been turning heads for more reasons than one. Pictured above is the experimental clear poly nose wing that he has now run for the last 3 weeks. This unique wing was given to him by Coyote Racing Components,  manufactured by Brown Precision of Fostoria, Ohio, to test it's performance and refine it's design. Miller, who has gone through a number of wings this season, is very happy with the wing. He says that it has already been hit several times by other cars during those 3 races, yet the wing shows no visible signs of damage. In fact, while I was talking to him about the wing, he punched the front of it with his hand and it bounced right back into shape with no visible damage. This clear poly wing is believed to be the first of it's kind ever run in competition.

"Jamie Miller is running a nose wing that we are experimenting with for the future," says Coyote Racing Representative Shawn Russell. "This wing is made of a Dent/Nick resistant material called poly carbonate, which the Automobile Industry is using at this current time.Yes, this is the first (poly carbonate) wing that we have made, we built it as a test unit.

As far as an advantage to running this piece, its being experimented to take the blows of rocks at high speeds without the result of dents that aluminum recieves.Which in turn should last longer than any normal nose wing. The weight of this unit is very close to aluminum if not lighter.

Jamie has been running this wing for about 3 weeks now. With a little more testing we hope to have this available to the public very soon. Updates and Availability will be posted on our website."

The nose wing is one of the most frequently replaced parts on most sprint cars. The side boards are the most vulnerable parts of the standard aluminum wing, and this design appears to have that problem covered. While decaling and painting are still points of concern, this experiment in alternative materials in the construction of nose wings is still one very much worth watching.

For more information about Coyote Wings go to www.brownprecisionltd.com.

It was a light weekend of racing for Seneca Sprinters as rainouts and the Sandusky County Fair idled several tracks on Saturday night.

David Harrison survived a crash riddled 410 feature at Attica Raceway Park to finish 4th behind Todd Kane, Boston Reid and Jim Nier. Harrison started in the front row of the event alongside Jason Dukes. On then 3rd attempt the race was finally started, and Harrison and Dukes made contact in turn 2 allowing Rodney Morgan to take the early lead. Jon Finsel finished 15th. All in all, the event proved to be a costly one for a number of teams in terms of damaged equipment.

In 305 action, Brandon Martin proved that he can bounce back from adversity and run strong after two straight hard luck weekends. Martin passed Brock Mayes on lap four, and was the strongest car in the field for most of the event. At the halfway point it appeared that Brandon's tires were beginning to give up on him. Bryan Scott began to close in, finally passing him for good with 4 laps to go. Martin finished 2nd with Scott Kraylek 3rd and cousin Bill Kraylek coming away 5th.

Below are the complete results for the Seneca Sprints at Attica Raceway park Friday night.

Attica - Friday
410 Division
4. David Harrison; 15. Jon Finsel

305 Division
2. Brandon Martin, 3. Scott Kraylek, 5. Bill Kraylek, 16. Justin Stout, 17. Jamie Miller

Attica Raceway Park hosted one of the most exciting races of the season Saturday night as the All Star Circuit of Champions returned to the banked dirt oval. Kenny Jacobs raced  wheel to wheel for many laps with Byron Reed before taking the checkered flag with a narrow lead. Earlier in the race the crowd held their collective breath as Jacobs, Reed and Greg Wilson exited turn 4 at 3 abreast, in a virtual tie for the lead! David Harrison of Bettsville was the only Seneca Sprinter to qualify for the 40 lap feature event, and he finished 23rd. Barely missing the star studded 24 car field was first alternate Bruce Robenalt of Tiffin.

Unfortunately Attica did not post the 305 results from Saturday night, which was won by Bryan Scott. The top 22 in points were invited to the feature-only event, but only 11 showed. Among the Seneca county drivers competing in the 305 feature were Bill Kraylek, Scott Kraylek, Brandon Martin, Jamie Miller, Justin Stout, Keith Whaley.
.

Ricky Ferkel traveled to Lernerville, PA, this weekend and came away with a 19th place finish in the 24 car field.

The All Star Circuit of Champions will return to Attica Raceway Park on Labor Day, after running in the Sharon Nationals the previous two nights. The following weekend the All Stars will feature two nights at Fremont Speedway.

Attica
410 Division
23rd; David Harrison - Alt.; Bruce Robenalt

305 Division
(No official results found)
  Bill Kraylek, Scott Kraylek, Brandon Martin, Jamie Miller, Justin Stout, Keith Whaley

Holiday weekend racing action at area tracks kicked off with Attica Raceway Park's third Open Wheel Shootout of the season, with over 100 sprinters in 3 divisions on hand.

In 410 action, pollsitter David Harrison of Bettsville was hooked up early as he lapped 7 cars by lap 10. Roaring around on the cushion, he continued to build a huge half lap lead until a caution flag quickly erased it. Following the restart Shane Stewart passed 3 lapped cars before finally passing Harrison for the win. Harrison finished 2nd ahead of Butch Schroeder, Todd Heller and John Ivy.

In 360 action Mark Dussel of Fostoria finished 12th in the feature, also finishing 2nd in the B-Main. The feature winner was Bobby Clark.

In the 305 feature Bill Kraylek finished a strong 3rd after having been passed by 15 year old sensation Craig Mintz of Gibsonburg on the last lap. Scott Kraylek and Brandon Martin rounded out the top 5. The feature winner was Bryan Scott.

On Sunday, Fremont Speedway hosted the Baumann Automotive Group 305 Sprint Invitational, boasting the richest 305 purse in the country this season. 50 of the best 305's in the country were on hand. Brandon Martin and Bill Kraylek qualified 2nd and third respectively, and finished in those same spots in the fast car dash. Heat winners included Justin Stout and Scott Kraylek, and Jamie Miller won the C-Main. In the feature, Brandon Martin finished an impressive 2nd, and Bill Kraylek finished 8th. Bryan Scott of Castalia won his 17th feature of the season, and has been the winningest 305 driver in the country this season.

Bruce Robenalt of Tiffin traveled to the star studded Sharon Nationals this past weekend with the All Star Circuit of Champions. Several Outlaws and PA Posse drivers were also on hand. Lady luck was still not with him as he finished 10th in the B-Main on Saturday after qualifying mid-pack, and engine damage ended his hopes for Sunday just after firing it up. This was Robenalt's 4th engine failure of the season, and he has also suffered several flips this season. If anyone has a good luck charm that works, this guy could certainly use it! The Saturday race at the Sharon 1/2 mile oval was won by Todd Schaffer, and Greg Hodnet was declared the winner on Sunday after Kenny Jacobs and Jason Johnson were both disqualified for rules violations. Lance DeWease, Mike Wagner and P. J. Chesson were also disqualified. Chad Kemenah of Burgoon reclaimed the All Star points lead after having lost it Saturday night to KJ.

No Seneca sprinters were on hand for the All Star show at Attica Raceway Park on Labor Day. This may be the first All Star show at Attica for quite some time at which not one car from their home county was in the pits. Danny Smith led from wire to wire to claim the feature win.

Below are the results for the Seneca Sprints at Attica and Fremont this week.

Attica Raceway Park Open Wheel Shootout III
410 Division
2. David Harrison (Heat Winner), 20. Jon Finsel

360 Division
12. Mark Dussel

305 Division
3. Bill Kraylek, 4. Scott Kraylek, 5. Brandon Martin, 13. Justin Stout

Fremont Speedway Baumann Automotive Group 305 Sprint Invitational
2. Brandon Martin; 8. Bill Kraylek; 17. Scott Kraylek (Heat Winner); 21. Justin Stout (Heat Winner)

Attica Raceway Park "Attica Ambush" - All Stars
(No Seneca Sprints)

Fremont Speedway closed out it's Super Sprint season in grand fashion in hosting the All Star Circuit of Champions for a two day event. A large canopy, well stocked with great food and soft drinks was set up across from the pits for the benefit of the drivers and their crews. Track promoter Jim Ford and All Star officials Randy and Lisa Hammer provided the whole setup.

David Harrison of Bettsville was the only Seneca driver to qualify for the feature events. He finished 14 on Friday night for TW Metals Night, and a strong 9th for Saturday's Chuck Kear Memorial. Ricky Ferkel, Bobby Distel and Bruce Robenalt were on hand but failed to qualify for the 24 car fields. Brandon Martin made his 410 debut this weekend, narrowly missing the feature on both nights. (see story below) Mike Wagner won his first All Star feature on Friday night followed by Byron Reed, Greg Wilson and Chad Kemenah. Saturday's feature was won by Butch Schroeder, who finished ahead of Rob Chaney and Kenny Jacobs.

In Saturday's 305 action, a caution with about 5 laps to go set up a very entertaining shootout to the finish between weekly front runners Bobby Foster, Scott Kraylek and Bryon Scott. Foster won on this night with Kraylek & Scott 2nd and 3rd. Other Seneca Sprints on hand included Justin Stout, Bill Kraylek, Mark Lang and Jamie Miller.

Attica has concluded their 2001 season, and Fremont will run their final event of the season on September 15. Fremont Speedway will host it's annual awards banquet on November 10 in Fremont. No banquet is scheduled for Attica Raceway Park.

Seneca Sprints will continue to cover it's drivers at other tracks for the balance of the season. Fremont Speedway will close out it's 50th season next weekend as the 305's headline the final 2001 show. Seneca Sprints will continue to cover it's drivers at other tracks for the balance of the season. During the off-season a series of articles and past driver interviews will be featured.

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September 9, 2001
- Seneca Sprints Exclusive -
Brandon Martin Makes 410 Debut At All Star Show

Brandon Martin Before the B-Main at Fremont
Photo By Stephen J. Hartzell - Sept. 7, 2001

If you combine a good rolling chassis, a good 410 engine, an All Star show and an 18 year old 305 driver who's never driven a 410 sprinter in his life, what do you get? At first glance you might assume that this is a volitale combination, but Brandon Martin handled the situation well, and an interesting drama unfolded for the All Star fans at Fremont Speedway.

D. Genzman bought a rolling Eagle chassis off of Jimmy Dayton, and put a good 410 engine in it. Make no mistake about it, this is no patchwork ride! Then Gensman decided to give young Brandon Martin a trial run in the car, which was still bearing Dayton's number 2.

As the gates opened on Friday night, word spread like wildfire through the pits after the blue and white #2 rolled out of Martin's hauler. "It's a little scarey, he's too calm" said one Martin crew member before hotlaps. Mere weeks after an unfortunate temper outburst at the same track, Brandon was indeed the definition of calm in the face of great pressure, and Jimmy Dayton was right there with him to help insure that the young driver was properly focused on the task at hand.

In hotlaps Martin tiptoed through the turns and gassed in the straightaways. It became quickly apparent that this car was not suffering from a lack of power, and that the driver was being appropriately cautious. Then came a rain delay, after which a new set of hotlaps and qualifying began, giving Brandon another warmup race. In qualifying he turned a surprising 13.249 time to earn 24th quick time in the 44 car All Star field, and making the inversion. For Martin the butterfies got a little smaller at that point, but they quickly grew to even larger proportions as the team realized that they were starting on the pole of the 4th heat. Still he was calm and focused, as more and more attention was directed at him. As the green flag flew to start the 4th heat Martin again exhibited patience as his car slowly drifted back to about 5th. Mike Wagner got sideways going into turn 1 and eventually took a nasty flip, also causing Bobby Teeple to run over Martin's right rear. Teeple spun out, but Martin continued on as the tire began to go flat. He pulled off at the entrance ramp in hopes of being able to change the tire in time to restart, but it was not to be, and the race restarted without him.

In the B-Main Martin started 6th and held that position for the first half of the race. At that point he seemed to find a line that he was comfortable with and he began to move forward, passing his way into 5th, just 1 position away from the transfer. He then closed in on Bob Lime and began to look for a way to get around him. After a caution the race restarted for a 2 lap dash to the finish. When the white flag flew the front of the field became incredibly tight, and a half dozen cars blasted through turn four within a whisker of one another, with Martin among them on the high side of the track looking to challenge. Rodney Duncan got loose at the beginning of the front stretch throwing the jumbled group of cars into a wild scramble with most lunging for the brake. Martin stayed on the brake a little longer to avoid collision. Surprisingly no ones car was significantly damaged, but at the same time no one in the stands or in the pits seemed to know who finished where. In the end Martin was scored 10th, just behind Duncan, but nonetheless a mere heartbeat away from making the All Star field on his first night in a 410 ride.

On Saturday Martin timed 22nd quick, just ahead of Byron Reed, again making the inversion and again starting on the pole of his heat. He finished just shy of the transfer behind Mark Keegan, Dean Jacobs, Danny Smith, Troy Vacarro and Todd Heller, and finishing just ahead of Todd Kane and Jeremy Campbell. In the 15 lap B-Main Martin started 6th, and within a half lap he was in 4th. He held that position for the next 13 laps before falling behind Hysong, Roepke and Teeple on the last lap, missing the transfer by just 3.

Back in the pits after the feature, to my surprise Brandon appeared dejected. In reality he should have been celebrating. In his first 2 nights in a 410 sprinter he ran against some of the best drivers in the country, and represented himself and his car owner very well. In his first night in a 410 he should have been lapped traffic, but he proved otherwise. This guy has a real fire in his belly. No one expects more of Brandon Martin than does Brandon Martin himself. I believe he has a bright future ahead of him as a 410 driver, and he certainly deserves to have his trial run continued into the 2002 season.

As much as we all love this great sport, we are sometimes reminded that it can be very brutal and unforgiving. Tragedy struck at Fremont Speedway Sept. 15, and the entire racing community has been greatly affected. Jimmy Deel of Green Springs died of injuries recieved in an accident in the second turn of the fifth lap of the heat race. Deel, 53, was running in his second career sprint car race. His car shot up the track in turn 2 and hit the wall. It was the third fatality in Fremont's history, and the first in 26 years.

"Jimmy Deal always dreamed of driving a sprint car." Writes track announcer Brian Liskai. "He finally realized that dream a couple of weeks ago, but it was that dream that took his life... Deel's family was at the track, and told promoter Jim Ford that Jim would have wanted the racing to continue, and so it did."

"Our prayers and hearts are with Jim's family. The racing family is a very close-knit bunch, and I know all the fans, drivers, owners and crews said a prayer for Jim's family Saturday night," said track promotor Jim Ford. "This has really effected all of us."
 

            Those wishing to send cards or letters may do so to the Jimmie Deel Family, P.O. Box 691 Green
            Springs, Ohio 44836 or e-mail your condolences to his daughter, at jessica@cros.net.

            Memorial contributions may be made in Jimmie Deel's name to the Red Cross for New York City
            Disaster Relief Fund or to a charity of the donor's choice.

Bryan Scott picked up another feature victory, with 15 year old Craig Mintz 2nd ahead of Brian Smith. The top Seneca finisher was Bill Kraylek with a 7th place effort. Jamie Miller finished 2nd in the B-Main.

Below are the Feature results for the Seneca Sprints at Fremont on September 15, 2001.

7. Bill Kraylek; 10. Brandon Martin; 18. Jamie Miller

November 10, 2001
Fremont Speedway 50th Anniversary Banquet
Seneca Drivers Honored At Annual Event

TOP ROW - Bruce Robenalt, Shirley Kear, Bill Kraylek
BOTTOM ROW - Jeff Hites, Scott Kraylek, David Harrison, Jamie Miller

Fremont Speedway celebrated their 50th season in grand fashion at the P-K Hall in Fremont on November 10, 2001, with track announcer Brian Liskai acting as the Master of Ceremonies. Among the honorees were 6 Seneca county drivers.

In the Truck Division Jeff Hites of Tiffin finished 6th in season points.

In the 305 Sprint Division, Jamie Miller shared Rookie Of The Year honors with A. J. Sleek, & Gibsonburg teen sensation Craig Mintz. In season points, it was Bill Kraylek finishing 4th, Jamie Miller 8th, and Scott Kraylek 10th. Scot Kraylek was terrific in the second half of the season, and capped his season with 2 feature wins at Lawrenceburg, Indiana.

In the 410 Division, David Harrison, who recently moved to Fremont finished 4th, and Bruce Robenalt of Tiffin finished 9th in a technical tie for 8th with Jody Keegan. Harrison & Robenalt also received "Upside Down" awards for their flips at the "Track That Action Built".

Shirley Kear, owner of Kears Speed Shop announced their annual open house. Shirley is a longtime invaluable friend of all Seneca Sprinters, past and present, and her contribution to the sport in general has been imeasurable.

Promotor Jim Ford said that the schedule for 2002 would be similar to the 2001 schedule. He stopped just short of announcing a big event for the upcoming season with the Bauman Automotive Group, but he said that an announcement would likely be made within a month. Jim Ford was given a standing ovation by those in attendance for the fine job he has done in reviving the historic facility.