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Shaffer continues to win...takes 2nd Annual Duel in the Dirt at Lernerville

SARVER, PA (9-3-10) By Brian Liskai – Tim Shaffer picked right up where he left off…winning sprint car races.http://ascoc.allstarsprint.com/images/victorylane/2010-09-03%20lernerville%20all%20stars%20tim%20shaffer%20paul%20arch%20photo%20381%20%2843%29%20-%20copy.jpg

After having won sprint car racing’s biggest jewel – the Knoxville Nationals – the Aliquippa, Pa. resident took a few weeks off from racing. But it didn’t show Friday, Sept. 3, as he put on a dominating performance at Lernerville Speedway to take his 12th win of the year with the O’Reilly Auto Parts All Star Circuit of Champions

Shaffer’s win in the Second Annual Duel in the Dirt is his 17th overall feature victory of 2010 as the defending All Star champion continues his march to the $50,000 series championship. Friday’s win is Shaffer’s 31st career All Star victory, moving him into 15th on the all-time win list.

“Winning the Knoxville Nationals sure puts the pressure on me. Every body at home is like ‘you should be able to go up there and win,’ but it’s a different night and in dirt track racing anything can happen. But the guys had the car great,” said Shaffer beside his VRP Shocks, Kistler Engines, J&J Auto Racing, sponsored machine.

It took five tries to finally get a lap in for the feature with Carl Bowser looping it out on the initial start followed by Dean Jacobs getting crossed up on the second attempt and Eric Williams getting upside down on the third. Bowser again spun on the fourth try at the start. The fifth time was the charm and Dale Blaney, who won the last time the All Stars visited the historic Lernerville Speedway, grabbed the early lead. But a caution on the second circuit for track champion Danny Holtgraver who spun, would again bunch up the field.

On the ensuing restart Blaney would drive the George Fisher Racing, Ti22 Performance machine back into the lead with Lance Dewease, Greg Wilson and Shaffer in tow. Shaffer would drive his Aaron Call/Janet Holbrook owned machine under both Wilson and Dewease with a perfect slide job coming out of turn two on lap five to grab second. Shaffer, a former Lernerville track champion, began to reel Blaney in and two laps later, took the top spot as they raced into lapped traffic. By lap 18, Shaffer had seven lapped machines between himself and Blaney.

Jacobs would spin on lap 24, but Shaffer had seven lapped cars separating him from Blaney and would set sail to victory lane. However, the crowd was treated to a great battle for third as Dewease and Lernerville legend Ed Lynch Jr. would swap the position each lap over the last four circuits before Lynch would take it at the checkers.

“In sprint car racing you can never give up and run it hard all the time. I didn’t know how many lapped cars were between us on that last yellow…I just knew I had to run hard,” said the driver known as the “Steel City Outlaw.”

For Blaney, a three-time All Star champion, it’s hard to be upset finishing behind the hottest sprint car driver in the country.

“The track was great…if you were really hooked up like he (Shaffer’s) was. That was just kind of an old-fashioned whippin’ they gave us right there…they’ve been going awful great,” said Blaney. “Someone is going to have to beat this guy one of these days…he’s doing a heck of a job.”

Lynch, a multi-time Lernerville champion, was excited about his third place finish.

“We had a heck of a race going on…inside, outside just trying to get a podium finish. Lance is a good clean, hard racer,” said Lynch beside his Howard Concrete, J&J Racing, Kistler Engines, Ultralight Brakes backed machine.

For more information go to www.allstarsprint.com Qualifying - Kistler Engines

1. 2L-Ed Lynch Jr., 13.075; 2. 83-Tim Shaffer, 13.225; 3. 2-Dale Blaney, 13.230; 4. 89G-David Gravel, 13.243; 5. 6-Bill Rose, 13.287; 6. 22C-Cole Duncan, 13.299; 7. 8-Mike Lutz, 13.303; 8. W20-Greg Wilson, 13.352; 9. 30C-Lance Dewease, 13.368; 10. 94-Jack Sodeman Jr., 13.373; 11. 25-Jimmy Segar, 13.426; 12. 5-Byron Reed, 13.444; 13. 6F-Bob Felmlee, 13.446; 14. 10-Carl Bowser, 13.480; 15. 39-Keith Kauffmen, 13.486; 16. 22-Brian Ellenberger, 13.504; 17. 4-Rod George, 13.554; 18. 97-Dean Jacobs, 13.563; 19. O-Brandon Wimmer, 13.567; 20. O8-Dan Kuriger, 13.579; 21. 51K-Doug Kekich, 13.607; 22. 7-Eric Williams, 13.649; 23. 9-Kevin Shaeffer, 13.654; 24. 24S-Brian Steinman, 13.658; 25. D4-Danny Holtgraver, 13.708; 26. 12-Jared Ridge, 13.714; 27. O4-Cap Henry, 13.758; 28. 15-Scott Priester, 13.774; 29. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild, 13.962; 30. 33-Brent Matus, 14.101; 31. OX-Andy McKission, 14.200; 32. 13-Brandon Matus, 14.482; 33. 7X-Herman Bertolini, 15.164; 34. 70X-Michael Bertolini, 15.623

Heat 1 - MSD Ignition (8 Laps - Top 5 Transfer)

1. 6F-Bob Felmlee; 2. 4-Rod George; 3. 2L-Ed Lynch Jr.; 4. 30C-Lance Dewease; 5. D4-Danny Holtgraver; 6. 6-Bill Rose; 7. 51K-Doug Kekich; 8. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild; 9. 7X-Herman Bertolini

Heat 2 - Kear's Speed Shop (8 Laps - Top 5 Transfer)

1. 94-Jack Sodeman Jr.; 2. 83-Tim Shaffer; 3. 97-Dean Jacobs; 4. 7-Eric Williams; 5. 10-Carl Bowser; 6. 22C-Cole Duncan; 7. 33-Brent Matus; 8. 70X-Michael Bertolini; 9. 12-Jared Ridge

Heat 3 - All Pro Heads (8 Laps - Top 5 Transfer)

1. O-Brandon Wimmer; 2. 9-Kevin Shaeffer; 3. 39-Keith Kauffmen; 4. 25-Jimmy Segar; 5. 2-Dale Blaney; 6. O4-Cap Henry; 7. 8-Mike Lutz; 8. OX-Andy McKission

Heat 4 - Outerwear's Performance Products (8 Laps - Top 5 Transfer)

1. O8-Dan Kuriger; 2. 24S-Brian Steinman; 3. W20-Greg Wilson; 4. 22-Brian Ellenberger; 5. 89G-David Gravel; 6. 5-Byron Reed; 7. 15-Scott Priester; 8. 13-Brandon Matus

B-Main - University of Northwestern Ohio (12 Laps - Top 4 Transfer)

1. 5-Byron Reed; 2. 8-Mike Lutz; 3. 22C-Cole Duncan; 4. O4-Cap Henry; 5. 33-Brent Matus; 6. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild; 7. 6-Bill Rose; 8. OX-Andy McKission; 9. 13-Brandon Matus; 10. 7X-Herman Bertolini; 11. 51K-Doug Kekich; 12. 70X-Michael Bertolini; 13. 15-Scott Priester; 14. 12-Jared Ridge [DNS]

A-Main - O'Reilly Auto Parts (30 Laps) [#]-Starting Position

1. 83-Tim Shaffer[5]; 2. 2-Dale Blaney[2]; 3. 2L-Ed Lynch Jr.[6]; 4. 30c-Lance Dewease[4]; 5. w20-Greg Wilson[1]; 6. 8-Mike Lutz[13]; 7. 94-Jack Sodeman Jr.[3]; 8. 22c-Cole Duncan[12]; 9. 22-Brian Ellenberger[15]; 10. 89g-David Gravel[11]; 11. 6f-Bob Felmlee[8]; 12. 4-Rod George[16]; 13. D4-Danny Holtgraver[23]; 14. 39-Keith Kauffmen[10]; 15. 10-Carl Bowser[9]; 16. 9-Kevin Shaeffer[21]; 17. O4-Cap Henry[24]; 18. O-Brandon Wimmer[18]; 19. 25-Jimmy Segar[7]; 20. O8-Dan Kuriger[19]; 21. 97-Dean Jacobs[17]; 22. 5-Byron Reed[14]; 23. 7-Eric Williams[20]; 24. 24S-Brian Steinman[22]

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