Cory Eliason picked up Friday's All Star win at I-96 Speedway (TJ Slideways Photo) (Video Highlight from SpeedShiftTV.com)
LAKE ODESSA, Mich (August 17, 2019) - Utilizing finesse, patience, and other's misfortune, Visalia, California's Cory Eliason earned his second Ollie's Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 victory of the 2019 season on Friday night at I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa, Michigan. The $5,000 triumph, his first since scoring a monster payday at Virginia Motor Speedway at the beginning of the points schedule, was accomplished from the outside of row three, eventually taking command on lap 19 and holding off a championship contending Dale Blaney, as well as Premier Motorsports' Justin Peck, at the end of 30 circuits.
"We just kept getting better and better as the feature went on," Cory Eliason expressed, driver of the Rudeen Racing No. 26 entry. "Things went our way tonight and we were able to capitalize. It feels great to be standing out here."
Starting from the outside-pole position, Clute, Texas’ Aaron Reutzel earned the early jump, blasting off to a near-straightaway lead with just three circuits knocked off the scoreboard. A caution on lap four slowed the pace early, and although the initial caution left little effect on the running order, it was the caution on lap eight that left the front-runners in a tangle.
As race leader Aaron Reutzel was attempting to check-up for spinning car at the exit of turn two, Gio Scelzi, who was battling in the second position, made contact with Reutzel’s rear bumper sending the California-native out over the edge of turn two and ultimately upside-down. As a result, Aaron Reutzel was forced to go to the work area; both drivers would not return.
With Reutzel and Gio Scelzi out of the picture, it was Hartford, Ohio’s Dale Blaney who inherited the top spot, now with Eliason and Skylar Gee in tow.
Traffic eventually found its way into the picture by lap 14 creating a sudden roadblock for Blaney. As traffic intensified, so did Eliason’s pressure on the leader. By lap 17, Blaney’s advantage was scraped down to a car length, stuck behind slower cars with Eliason continuing to breath down his neck. The following circuit, Eliason made a big bid for the lead, nearly getting under Blaney as the duo battled off of turn four to complete lap 18. It only took Eliason one more lap to turn his near-takeover attempt into an official lead change, recreating his dive through turns three and four to successfully drive by the six-time All Star champion.
From that point forward, it was all Eliason at the front of the field, leading the final 12 circuits to score his second victory of the 2019 season. A caution with four laps remaining gave Eliason a stir, but Blaney and Justin Peck, who slipped into a podium spot from 11th just beyond halfway, was no match for the Rudeen Racing entry.
Tony Stewart’s All Star Circuit of Champions will continue their march through Michigan and Indiana with a one night stand at Plymouth Speedway in Plymouth, Indiana, on Saturday, August 17. Like their trek to Michigan one night prior, the trip to the Hoosier State will be a first and only for the traveling All Stars in 2019.
Plymouth Speedway in Plymouth, Indiana, will open pit gates at 2 p.m. on Saturday, August 17. A mandatory All Star drivers meeting will take shape at 5:30 p.m., followed by hot laps at 6:30 p.m., sharp. Those wanting to learn more should visit Plymouth Speedway online at www.plymouthspeedway.net.
Contingency Awards/Results: I-96 Speedway - August 16, 2019:
Entries: 29
C&R Racing All Star Warm-Ups: Aaron Reutzel - 13.306 seconds
Lincoln Electric Fast Qualifier: Aaron Reutzel - 13.202 seconds *NTR
Ford Performance Heat #1: Lee Jacobs
All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads Heat #2: Skylar Gee
Hunt Brothers Pizza Heat #3: Gio Scelzi
JE Pistons Dash presented by Fatheadz Eyewear: Dale Blaney
Classic Ink USA Screenprinting B-Main Winner: Tony Stewart
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet A-Main Winner: Cory Eliason
MSD Performance Hard Charger Award: Dan McCarron (+12)
Cometic Gasket Most A-Main Laps Led: Cory Eliason (19-30)
Rayce Rudeen Foundation First Non-Transfer: George Hobaugh
(Lincoln Electric, MSD Performance, Fatheadz Eyewear, Rayce Rudeen Foundation, Cometic Gasket: Need decal to qualify for contingency award)
Qualifying
Group (A)
1. 11-Dale Blaney, 13.316; 2. 26-Cory Eliason, 13.328; 3. 71p-Parker Price-Miller, 13.440; 4. 81-Lee Jacobs, 13.569; 5. W20-Greg Wilson, 13.712; 6. 4-Danny Smith, 13.716; 7. 16c-Gregg Dalman, 13.775; 8. iO7-Mark Coldren, 13.781; 9. 22M-Dan McCarron, 13.817; 10. O7-Gerard McIntyre, 13.859
Group (B)
1. 13-Paul McMahan, 13.316; 2. 14-Tony Stewart, 13.317; 3. 99-Skylar Gee, 13.532; 4. 85-Dustin Daggett, 13.541; 5. 70X-Justin Peck, 13.557; 6. 97-Max Stambaugh, 13.733; 7. 27K-Brad Lamberson, 13.752; 8. 11R-Chase Ridenour, 13.757; 9. 4L-Ryan Ruhl, 13.786; 10. 71E-Tyler Esh, 14.170
Group (C)
1. 87-Aaron Reutzel, 13.202; 2. 71-Gio Scelzi, 13.233; 3. 70-Brock Zearfoss, 13.515; 4. 71m-Paul May, 13.631; 5. 2L-Landon Lalonde, 13.802; 6. 21-Brinton Marvel, 13.878; 7. 18J-RJ Jacobs, 14.158; 8. 40-George Hobaugh, 14.183; 9. 14W-Chad Wilson, 14.373
Heat #1 - Group (A) (8 Laps) - Top 6 Transfer
1. 81-Lee Jacobs [1]; 2. 26-Cory Eliason [3]; 3. 71P-Parker Price-Miller [2]; 4. 11-Dale Blaney [4]; 5. W20-Greg Wilson [5]; 6. 4-Danny Smith [6]; 7. O7-Gerard McIntyre [10]; 8. 22M-Dan McCarron [9]; 9. 16C-Gregg Dalman [7]; 10. IO7-Mark Coldren [8]
Heat #2 - Group (B) (8 Laps) - Top 6 Transfer
1. 99-Skylar Gee [2]; 2. 85-Dustin Daggett [1]; 3. 13-Paul McMahan [4]; 4. 70X-Justin Peck [5]; 5. 11R-Chase Ridenour [8]; 6. 97-Max Stambaugh [6]; 7. 4L-Ryan Ruhl [9]; 8. 27K-Brad Lamberson [7]; 9. 14-Tony Stewart [3]; 10. 71E-Tyler Esh [10]
Heat #3 - Group (C) (8 Laps) - Top 6 Transfer
1. 71-Gio Scelzi [3]; 2. 70-Brock Zearfoss [2]; 3. 87-Aaron Reutzel [4]; 4. 71M-Paul May [1]; 5. 21-Brinton Marvel [6]; 6. 18J-RJ Jacobs [7]; 7. 2L-Landon Lalonde [5]; 8. 40-George Hobaugh [8]; 9. 14W-Chad Wilson [9]
Dash #1 (6 Laps)
1. 11-Dale Blaney [2]; 2. 87-Aaron Reutzel [3]; 3. 99-Skylar Gee [1]; 4. 71-Gio Scelzi [6]; 5. 81-Lee Jacobs [4]; 6. 26-Cory Eliason [7]; 7. 85-Dustin Daggett [5]; 8. 70-Brock Zearfoss [8]
B-Main (10 Laps) - Top 6 Transfer
1. 14-Tony Stewart [1]; 2. 27K-Brad Lamberson [2]; 3. 4L-Ryan Ruhl [3]; 4. 22M-Dan McCarron [6]; 5. O7-Gerard McIntyre [5]; 6. 2L-Landon Lalonde [4]; 7. 40-George Hobaugh [7]; 8. 16C-Gregg Dalman [8]; 9. IO7-Mark Coldren [10]
A-Main (30 Laps)
1. 26-Cory Eliason [6]; 2. 11-Dale Blaney [1]; 3. 70X-Justin Peck [11]; 4. 13-Paul McMahan [9]; 5. 99-Skylar Gee [3]; 6. 71P-Parker Price-Miller [10]; 7. W20-Greg Wilson [13]; 8. 85-Dustin Daggett [7]; 9. 81-Lee Jacobs [5]; 10. 21-Brinton Marvel [15]; 11. O7-Gerard McIntyre [22]; 12. 22M-Dan McCarron [24]; 13. 27K-Brad Lamberson [20]; 14. 18J-RJ Jacobs [18]; 15. 11R-Chase Ridenour [14]; 16. 70-Brock Zearfoss [8]; 17. 2L-Landon Lalonde [23]; 18. 14-Tony Stewart [19]; 19. 87-Aaron Reutzel [2]; 20. 71-Gio Scelzi [4]; 21. 97-Max Stambaugh [17]; 22. 4L-Ryan Ruhl [21]; 23. 4-Danny Smith [16]; 24. 71M-Paul May [12] Lap Leaders: Aaron Reutzel (1-7), Dale Blaney (8-18), Cory Eliason (19-30)
2019 All Star Circuit of Champions Driver Standings (After 8/16/2019):
1. Dale Blaney - 3202
2. Aaron Reutzel - 3176
3. Cory Eliason - 3154
4. Paul McMahan - 3070
5. Brock Zearfoss - 2994
6. Greg Wilson - 2962
7. Gerard McIntyre - 2872
8. Skylar Gee - 2802
9. George Hobaugh - 2462
10. Tony Stewart - 1790
2019 All Star Circuit of Champions Winners:
Bubba Raceway Park, Fla. (1/31/2019): Tim Shaffer
Bubba Raceway Park, Fla. (2/1/2019): Tim Shaffer (2)
Bubba Raceway Park, Fla. (2/2/2019): Tony Stewart
Volusia Speedway Park, Fla. (2/6/2019): Shane Stewart
Volusia Speedway Park, Fla. (2/7/2019): Brad Sweet
Virginia Motor Speedway, Va. (4/11/2019): Cory Eliason
Port Royal Speedway, Pa. (4/13/2019): Lance Dewease
Attica Raceway Park, Ohio (5/24/2019): Aaron Reutzel
Fremont Speedway, Ohio (5/26/2019): Aaron Reutzel (2)
Outlaw Speedway, N.Y. (6/7/2019): Brock Zearfoss
Stateline Speedway, N.Y. (6/8/2019): Dale Blaney
Weedsport Speedway, N.Y. (6/9/2019): Danny Dietrich
Attica Raceway Park, Ohio (6/14/2019): Kyle Larson
Muskingum County Speedway, Ohio (6/16/2019): Dale Blaney (2)
Wayne County Speedway, Ohio (6/19/2019): Aaron Reutzel (3)
Wayne County Speedway, Ohio (6/22/2019): Buddy Kofoid
Dirt Oval at Route 66, Ill. (6/29/2019): Aaron Reutzel (4)
Lernerville Speedway, Pa. (7/5/2019): Aaron Reutzel (5)
Sharon Speedway, Ohio (7/6/2019): Dale Blaney (3)
Utica-Rome Speedway, N.Y. (7/12/2019): Aaron Reutzel (6)
Orange County Fair Speedway N.Y. (7/13/2019): Danny Dietrich (2)
Lebanon Valley Speedway N.Y. (7/14/2019): Brock Zearfoss (2)
Plymouth Dirt Track, Wis. (7/25/2019): James McFadden
Jackson Motorplex, Minn. (7/26/2019): James McFadden (2)
Knoxville Raceway, Iowa (7/27/2019): Gio Scelzi
34 Raceway, Iowa (7/28/2019): Tony Stewart (2)
I-96 Speedway, Mich (8/16/2019): Cory Eliason (2)
About the All Star Circuit of Champions:
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 2019, MAVTV Motorsports Network will continue to be the official television home of the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 and will broadcast ten high-profile events.
About Ollie’s Bargain Outlet:
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet, Inc., founded in 1982, is one of America’s largest retailers of closeouts and excess inventory, offering real brands at real bargain prices. Famous for its signature catch-phrase Good Stuff Cheap, Ollie’s has a huge variety of famous brand-name merchandise in every department – food, books, housewares, toys, electronics, domestics, clothing, furniture, health and beauty, flooring, seasonal items and so much more – at up to 70 percent off the fancy stores’ prices. You never know what you’ll find at one of Ollie’s 330 “semi-lovely” stores in Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. For more information, visit www.ollies.us. Like us on Facebook or find us on Twitter at @OlliesOutlet. Ollie’s is a publicly-traded company on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol OLLI.
About Mobil 1:
The world's leading synthetic motor oil brand, Mobil 1™ features anti-wear technology that provides performance beyond our conventional motor oils. This technology allows Mobil 1 to meet or exceed the toughest standards of car builders and to provide exceptional protection against engine wear, under normal or even some of the most extreme conditions. Mobil 1 flows quickly in extreme temperatures to protect critical engine parts and is designed to maximize engine performance and help extend engine life.
For more information, visit mobiloil.com, on Twitter @Mobil1 and, on Facebook, www.facebook.com/mobil1.
Mobil, Mobil 1 and Mobil 1 Racing are registered trademarks of Exxon Mobil Corporation or one of its subsidiaries.
#Photo Credit: TJ Slideways
Contact: Tyler Altmeyer
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1
(724) 954-4915, pr@tonystewart.com