When the 2nd week of September rolls around, many All Star sprint car fans head to Lawrenceburg Indiana for the annual Hoosier Fall Classic. This race has seen many changes through out the years. It started in early October at Avilla then switched the Lawrenceburg's old old track a few years later. Then the old raggedy grandstands came down and the new ones when up along with several other improvements. Even the morons that tried blowing our world up couldn't stop the Hoosier Fall Classic. A few years back, on that very memorial September 11th weekend, all races were canceled all over the US, except the Hoosier Fall Classic. Sprint car fans in Indiana sure in the hell wasn't going to let a bunch of no good rag-heads scare them. Finally, we got the new 3/8 mile Lawrenceburg Speedway that has played host the past 2 years to the ever changing but classic event. Once a 50 lap A, and a few twin A Mains, now features a 35 lap A Main event on the Saturday finale.
34 cars were ready for opening night on Friday. If you have ever been to the new Burg, you know the typical track is fast and heavy. This night was no different, not to the liking to many drivers as they seemed very vocal about the narrow track. Aaron Higgins, Brandon Martin, Butch Schroeder, and Brandon Wimmer took the heat wins. Dickie Gaines took a nasty tumble in heat 2 after getting up on the cushion and actually bicycling a winged car before launching into the air. Dickie was OK but done for the weekend.
Ryan Bunton charged from 8th to 3rd in the B Main before right right rear tire fell off and he went for a tumble. Danny Smith held on to take the win. Dale Blaney ran away with the Dash.
The Pick 6 draw put Rob Chaney and Bill Rose on the front row of the 30 lap A Main. scheduled to be the last A of the night, the sprints were pushed off first due to it being later than the Lawrenceburg would have liked it to be when the A Mains were started. You have to give Dave Rudisell and crew props for catering to the sprint car fans the majority of the time.
Chaney and Rose pace the field to the green. Rose gets a nice start and takes the lead. An instant battle begins. Chaney and Rose battle nose to tail side by side for the next handful of laps. Add Blaney into the mix as well by lap 5. Lap 7, Jim Nier gets loose, almost at the flag stand, and digs into the track, sending him on a wild ride end over end. Up to this point, no matter how narrow the track was, the battle was excellent. Rose gets a great restart and stays in command. Chaney and Blaney, quickly pressure Rose. Lap 9, Blaney gets a great run and takes over the lead. Just after lap 9 is complete, Brandon Martin takes a nasty ride in turn 3. it looked totally like something broke as he drove straight into the wall and destroyed his mount. Blaney stays out front on the restart as Rose holds very strong and trys to regain the top spot. A lap 12 and 16 caution slows the pace again. 14 to go and Blaney is still battling a stout Rose. After this restart, Blaney starts to use his magic and opens up the biggest lead of the night. Each lap, he pulls farther ahead. Randy Hannagan is making a late race move up from his 8th place starting spot. Lap 25, Tim Shaffer slows with a flat right rear. David Gravel has a great run end bad on the restart after he takes a wild tumble in turn once he got over the cushion and into the goo. Rose and Hannagan try to mount a charge the last 5 laps but, Blaney is just too strong. Blaney wins. Rose, Hannagan, Cale Conley, and Greg Wilson, up from 10th, round out the top 5.
Yes, the track was fast, heavy, and narrow with many drivers saying they hoped it would be slicker the next night BUT, the first half of the race was excellent. Rose, Chaney, and Blaney had a great battle upfront. I have seen dry slick, or medium slick, or tracks in between that haven't produced that much action in an A Main for the lead. In today's sprint car world, yes a true fact for winged cars anyways, the track must be slicked up some for to be a superior track for all involved but, just because it isn't, doesn't mean the race will be bad.
When people talk, Dave Rudisell and his crew at Lawrenceburg Speedway listen. Much to the driver delight, a drier, wider track, greeted the 34 cars ready for action on Saturday. We gained 4 cars, Ron Blair, Paul May, Cole Duncan, and Adam Strausser but, Brandon Wimmer, Dickie Gaines, Jim Nier, and Shane Wade didn't make a return visit. All but Wade crashed hard on Friday. Wider track but same type of heat races on Saturday. Pretty much whoever started on the front, stayed on the front. Except Bill Rose continuing a strong weekend. Jerrod Hull, Bill Rose, Butch Schroeder, and Ron Blair took the heat wins. Brandon Wimmer did just enough of a roll in heat 3, after contact with Cole Duncan, to smash his top wing.
Wimmer made an excellent recovery and took the B Main win. Randy Hannagan kept his strong weekend a going by taking the Dash win. This night's Pick 6 saw Dale Blaney and David Gravel make up row 1 of the $10,000 to win A Main.
As the green waved, to no surprise, Blaney shot to the lead on the start. Before a lap was complete, Ron Blair's night went sour with a tumble in turn 4. his car just clipped Schroeder's car. Butch could re-fire but Ron was on the hook. Young David Gravel has been running very strong lately and shows it on this start as he shoots to the lead this time. Gravel's lead was short lived as Blaney took over on lap 2. Gravel was still holding strong in the top 5. Lap 8, Tim Shaffer's bad weekend continues as he loops it in turn 4 after trying to take the 3rd spot over. Shaffer's weekend was great because just by pulling pit side Saturday he clinched the 2009 All Star title. Anyone that know Tim tho, knows he likes to win and his luck on the track hasn't been too kind so far on this weekend. Blaney gets a great restart and starts to open up a huge lead as the laps pass by. At the half-way point, Hannagan is mounting a charge and closing some on Blaney. As this is going on, Dean Jacobs is charging from deep in the pack to the top 10. Just past half-way, it wasn't good to be 4th to 7th place on the track. Lap 22, Kody Kinser spins while running in 7th. Under the yellow, Sam Haferpete Jr, running 6th, stops. Lap 25, Gravel's excellent top 5 run ends with a blown tire. Blaney leads on the restart but, Hannagan looks strong. Just as Randy would catch Dale in traffic and look to be setting up a move, the yellow would fly. With a few laps into the run, Hannagan actually is catching Blaney. 5 to go, Hannagan is just a few car lengths away and Blaney looks to be losing ground off turn 2 each lap. Hannagan is now nose to tail with Blaney as the yellow waves for another Kody Kinser spin. Hannagan gets an excellent restart, pulls outside of Blaney in 1 but, Blaney has a better line off 2 and holds the lead. Lap 32, Hull and Chaney both stop on the track. Hull with a flat, Chaney seems to be out of fuel. There had been many laps ran under the caution. With just 3 laps to go on the restart, Blaney don't let Hannagan get such a good restart and motors to the lead. Hannagan trys one last ditch effort but Blaney is just too strong. Blaney sweeps the weekend. Hannagan, Dean Jacobs, up from 21st, Wimmer, up from 11th, and Danny Smith round out the top 5. Blaney is now 3 for 3 on the new 3/8th mile Lawrenceburg.
A much wider track made for some excellent 3 wide racing and allowed many guys to make charges from deep in the pack to the front. With that said, I totally thought Friday night's A Main was a lot better race. It depends what you want to see. Friday was fast, heavy, no big charges from deep in the pack but, up to 3 cars at a time fought, just a few car lengths apart, for over half the A. Saturday, the track was slicker, wider, and had great 3 wide racing, and guys making charges through the field, but it was for 3rd on back. After lap 2, every time Hannagan got a run on Blaney or even looked like he might have a chance to make a move, the yellow would fly. Blaney pretty ran away for the most part of the A and was never really heavy challenged for the lead after taking it on lap 2. Like he said, Hannagan got a great run on a restart but, he knew he had the better track position off 2 and really wasn't in any danger of losing the lead. So it really all depends what you like. I liked both A Mains. I prefer a race with a great battle for the lead, that's why Friday's get the edge of the weekend for me. Regardless, a pretty decent weekend of racing at The Burg.

Dean Jacobs announced the 97 team planned to take him on the 2010 All Star tour....USAC had dropped the USAC Midget date for October 3rd at Winchester. The 4th the Sprints will still be on hand but now the 3rd will feature the HOSS Sprints.

UPCOMING:
A huge weekend in Northwest Ohio. A big 2 day event at Fremont and then Non Wing sprints at Millstream Sunday.

FRIDAY:
$4000 to win Fremont OH, MSCS Bloomington IN

SATURDAY:
All Stars $10,000 to win Fremont OH, MSCS Haubstadt IN, HOSS Baer Field IN, USAC Midgets Columbus OH

SUNDAY: Millstream Findlay OH, $1500 to win non wing sprints.

I am heading to Fremont for both days and then on the Millstream Sunday. See you there.
Duane