Seneca Sprints News Archive
See Also
Seneca Sprints See Also
Special Report - Exclusive
Interview with Janet Holbrook - New Owner of Attica Raceway Park
Seneca
Sprints 2002 - Previews, Notes & Rumors
Special
Report - Feb., 2002 - Robenalt Running In Florida Nationals, Optimistic
About 2002
April
6, 2002 - Feese Tops All Stars At Eldora
April
13, 2002 - GUEST REPORT - Crowd Pleaser Wins At Eldora - By Bruce Robenalt
It was a night of shattered track records in both divisions. The Outlaws had 6 new track records and the NRA 360's also had 6 new track records, but eventual winner Craig Dollansky had the fastest lap with the Outlaws at 12.707 seconds! MAN that is fast! In the NRA it was Tim Allison with a time of 13.895.It was a very exciting night at Eldora with the track seeing over 2 inch's of rain the night before, the track was still tacky and fast after 55 laps of feature racing! There were no Seneca Sprints in the Outlaws! However, Chad Kemenha made a very good showing. Jim Dayton was also there! In the NRA it was the first night on the job for Jeff Potts, former Seneca Sprint driver as the NRA competion director! The only Seneca Sprint at the track was NRA driver Mike Dussel driving a black and gold #6, who finished 7th in the non stop 20 lap feature! Other drivers racing in the NRA were Mike Linder in a rare Eldora apperance, Dustin Keegan running his yellow #17 305 car and Tony Beaber running his 3t car. Dollansky was the Outlaw winner followed by Tim Shaffer, Mark Kinser, Brian Paulus and Steve Kinser who had a scary moment as his son Kraig flipped hard in turn 4! Stevie Smith and Danny Wood also flipped in turn 1 in the dash, everyone walked away ok! In the NRA it was Darren Long winning with early leader Mike Brecht second, Tim Allison third, J. R. Stewert 4th and Kyle Sauder 5th.
After the races there was a band playing down the road at a bar in Burketsville! The lead singer was the brother of Jac Haudenchild who had a strong car early in the night before engine problems sidelined him! The bar was packed and at 1 time the lead singer asked how many race fans were there, and the place went nuts! Jac did make an apperance there as well as many other drivers and crew member and lots of fans!
There were at least 8 engine faliures Saturday night, but the racing was great!
NOTE: Thanks for the report Bruce! Let's hope others will submit similar reports in the near future.
The All Star Circuit of Champions opened the northern portion of their schedule on a cold night at Eldora in front of a hearty group of fans with 39 cars in the pits.
The only Seneca Sprinter on hand was Bruce Robenalt in only his second attempt at the legendary 1/2 mile oval in his #98 Eagle sprinter. His #2 power plant was used due to the engine problems encountered in Florida. Bruce was forced to miss his scheduled time trial attempt due to trouble with the throttle. The team managed to get the car going in time to qualify tail, but he was given only 1 lap to qualify on and was forced to settle for a disappointing 31st quick time at 14.708. In the 3rd heat he started 8th and finished in the same position. Bruce did an excellent job of avoiding a spinning Sean Walden in the 7J car as he exited turn 4, gassing past the spinner without a flinch. In the B Main Bruce started 9th and was able to manage an 8th place finish. Struggling from behind all night at Eldora is extremely difficult, but Robenalt drove consistently good laps throughout the evening's events.
In the feature event Chad Kemenah and Jim Neir threatened to check out on the field early and were dicing it up all around the racetrack. With Kemenah just in front of Neir half way through turn 4 Kemenah's engine failed and a hard charging Neir tangled wheels with him causing his sprinter to roll overtop of the 15K before slamming into the wall. As the red flag flew Kemenah quickly unstrapped himself from his ride, jumped out of the car and ran straight toward Neir's car to check on his condition. Thankfully both men walked away from the twisted mess uninjured.
From that point on the race was owned
by 20 year old Blake Feese in the 1F in dominant fashion. But the most
amazing run of this feature was turned in by Dean Jacobs who turned in
no time in qualifying, started last in the event and fought his way to
a 4th place finish. The All Stars return to action on April 19 & 20
in the Spring Nationals at Attica Raceway Park.
For the second consecutive year Bruce Robenalt and the Robenalt Racing Team made the long trek to Florida for the All Star Circuit of Champions annual winter nationals. Since moving up to the 410 division a few years ago, they have been committed to making the annual series. Typically these events comprise the most talented field in all of sprint car racing with the exception of the Knoxville Nationals.
Some may ask why the average team would waste time and resources on such a series. "Being a firm believer that we rise to the level of competition required, nothing but good will come of this for our deal," says crew chief and car owner Rob Robenalt. "Our goal is to make shows. The level of competition is so great in Florida that I feel if we can make a show we will have done an outstanding job. We treat this as a family vacation. Our whole family goes, so the cost of travel is not included. A couple of key members of OUR TEAM are not going this year, and that sucks", he continued in listing this as the only negative.
In 2001 Bruce got his first taste of competition on this level. Racing all 4 nights at Volusia, he timed at mid pack on the first day, made the B Main and missed the feature by only a handful of spots. On the second night he bettered his time. His only major incident costed him a rear bumper. He borrowed one from Ryan Flynn of California in order to finish the 4 race series. This year he will race 7 of the 9 races in the series.
During the few years that the Robenalt team has been running in the 410 division, the team has become well known for their large pit crew as well as their fun loving demeanor. This large hands-on following was a great help to them in 2001 when it seemed as though the string of bad luck was never ending, and the crew was able to repeatedly complete large tasks in a short period of time. The Robenalt pits are never boring, and the tensions of a nights racing are often broken by a quick one-liner or a well placed wise crack. Rob Robenalt was named last year by one writer as "the most entertaining car owner to talk to", and Bruce Robenalt signed as many autographs in 2001 as any driver at Fremont Speedway, which the team considers as their home track. Their parties are quickly becoming legendary, and Fremont announcer Brian Liskai recently commented on "The Last Lap" that "These guys are professionals, and you do not want to try to hang with them all night" (at their parties). But don't believe for one second that they are not dead serious and professional about their racing.
"Everything about our deal is improved from last year", says Rob Robenalt. He says that they have more spare parts, a better shock situation and a much better attitude. When asked about rumored improvements in their engine situation he was mum, stating only that, "We have two engines." It is known, however, that both engines were run in Florida, and several areas have been identified and improved upon. The car will also sport a slightly different look. The frame and the tail tank will both be black, with the usual silver wings, yellow skins and red padding completing the look. Rob also indicated that in spite of a hard luck season in 2001, they have elevated their season goals. Last season the ultimate goal was to become competitive. This season they are pointing towards winning races. "We are prepared and focused", says Rob, "We feel that we can show noticeable improvement this season."
The Robenalts are sticklers for safety and they are keenly aware of
the inherent dangers of the sport. The tragic death of Ronald Laney in
a 360 race at East Bay had a noticeable effect on the entire team, and
it reminded Rob of just how brutal the sport can be. "Bruce and I met Ron
last year in Florida and we liked him a lot. Sometimes I hate this sport,
and knowing that my son is strapping in something that could hurt him,
and that I am involved...." But their great love of the sport assures that
the familiar #98 will be at the track for many years to come.
Here is some of the latest news about some of our Seneca Sprinters, along with a few rumors. If you are aware of anything else that might be news worthy, please drop me a line.
Attica Raceway Park
is under new management this season. The semi-banked oval is now under
the direction of veteran car owner Janet Holbrook after having been under
the leadership of Brad Cailor last season. Indications are that she is
going to increase the purses and establish a track point fund in an effort
to show greater support and appreciation for the drivers and racing teams.
A banquet has already been scheduled in November. She is also considering
the need for more grandstands in order to better accommodate the larger
shows. Fans will get an early chance to evaluate her management skills
when the track hosts the 2 day 1200 lb. Nationals in April. Holbrook appears
to be sincere in her desire to make a positive contribution to the sport
through her affiliation with Attica Raceway Park. My guess is that the
track, the racing teams and the fans will be much better served under her
leadership than they were under Cailor since she is a racing person who
genuinely loves the sport, and not just a business person. Lets hope that
this prompts our Seneca Sprints to support the track in greater numbers.
Some drivers who avoided the track in 2001 have already indicated to me
that they plan on giving the track another try.
For more information see the Seneca Sprints
Exclusive Interview with Janet Holbrook, which was actually posted
here 11 days before the transaction was formally announced by the track.
Ricky Ferkel will be running at least a portion of the World of Outlaws Gumout Series. His dad, the legendary "Ohio Traveler" runs the Gumout series. The team now has 3 power plants, and this should help make it possible for them to do a lot of racing this year. Look for Ricky to also run at Attica and Fremont as well as a few swings through some of the PA tracks.
A source close to the Brandon Martin racing team has confirmed that Brandon has purchased the De Gensman ride that he tried out at the end of last season, complete. Early impressions at Fremont last season seem to indicate that this is a pretty fair package. The ride includes a Jimmy Dayton chassis from last season and one of De Gensman's Ace engines. The team has decided against running the 410 at Attica early in the season. They feel that Attica's speed and banking may be a bit much for Brandon right now, and the risk of tearing the car up at that track is too great. They will run the 305 at Attica and the 410 at Fremont in order to give the young driver more seat time with the bigger power plant. The 305 will be ready for the opener at Attica, and the 410 will be ready for the All Star opener at Fremont. By the way, wait untill you see the cool new push vehicle they are building!!
Tim Kern is coming out of retirement to do some more racing this season. He will be running the #48 360 car for Wayne Couch, replacing Mark Wilkins. He is planning on running in about 17 sprint car events in 2002.
Past driver Jeff Potts has had a busy off season. With his Boss Bandits series now inactive, Jeff signed with Attica Raceway Park as the Tech director. He quickly resigned that position when the job he really wanted was offered to him. Jeff is now the Tech for the NRA. Since hanging up his helmet Jeff has been highly regarded as an official in various capacities, mostly being involved with the 360's as of late.
Joe Laugherty is working on a sponsorship deal that he hopes will allow him to run much of the All Star schedule in 2002. His new crew chief is Darl (FUZZ) Lyons. The team will also try to run Attica and Fremont when they get the chance. Joe made great progress as a driver this past season, and this reporter feels that he needs only to upgrade his equipment to become competetive. If an engine deal that he is currently working on comes through, Joe will certainly take a big step in that direction.
Scott Kraylek is hoping to run some 410 this season. He is currently working on it, and he feels that there is a "good chance" that it will happen. With other 305 studs like Bobby Foster apparently failing to find 410 rides, it would be great to see SK make the jump!
After an "up and down" 2001 season Mike Dussel will return in the 360 HDK Motorsports #28. Switching to a Maxim chassis, he is hoping to make a run at the NRA championship in the coming season, and to travel throughout the midwest in search of money shows.
Bruce Robenalt is planning on running the full All Star schedule, with the exception of "Thunder Through The Plains". Along with the All Star tour, they will also run some regular shows at Fremont, Attica and a few other tracks, after running a "strictly All Star" schedule in April & May. Bruce has already run this year at Putnam, Volusia and East Bay in Florida, showing particular promise at Putnam County. Their arsenal now includes 2 chassis and 2 engines of comparable quality from last season, along with a large crew that strongly feels that they have become "older & wiser" in 2001. The team tried out both engines in Florida, and have identified a few areas in which further improvements can be made before their next race at Eldora on the 6th of April. The team is also planning on unveiling a "special events" car with an entirely different paint scheme at Ohio Speedweeks. This reporter has seen this special "Blue 98 Car", and it is quite a contrast from the familiar yellow version, it having blue skins frame & tail tank, blue sideboards on a Coyote top wing and red padding around the driver compartment! Running strictly on Goodyears in 2001, all tire loyalties are now gone and the team has vowed to run whatever is fast at any given track. Chances are that you will see Hoosiers on the car most of the time. Following a season that was loaded with tough breaks, the team feels good about it's chances in 2002 and it seems clear that they are eager to prove themselves. They will open their northern All Star season at Eldora on April 6.
The Lang brothers, Mark & Chris, will both be back in action at Attica & Fremont in 2002 with new cars after late season crashes. Mark also has a backup car left from last season.
Keith Whaley will be piloting the same #37 sprinter in 2002 with some new sponsors and a new color scheme for the newly formed Whaley Brothers Racing team. His younger brother Mark Whaley will be driving a #34 J&J. Keith leaves the door open for changes in 2003, with the possibility of going 410 racing at that time.
Tiffin's Bobby Distel will be back
in the familiar #18 car, with the bulk of his work again concentrating
on Fremont Speedway. He does plan on hitting the early Attica shows before
Fremont opens to see how things go there. He would also like to run a few
early season non-winged shows in order to be better prepared for the big
non-winged show at Fremont later in the season.