Cory Eliason won the All Star stop at I-96 Speedway (Chad Warner Photo) (Video Highlights from FloRacing.com)
LAKE ODESSA, Mich. (August 20, 2021) - Snapping a Series winless streak that was quickly approaching an entire year, Visalia, California’s Cory Eliason finally broke through on Friday night and secured his place in FloRacing All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 victory lane, doing so during Michigan’s second and final All Star invasion of the season with an appearance at I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa. Eliason, whose last All Star victory prior to I-96 occurred during Tuscarora 50 preliminary action at Port Royal on September 10, 2020, is certainly no stranger to success at the Lake Odessa short track. In fact, Eliason earned a victory at I-96 Speedway in 2019; his second Series victory during his first full-time run with the All Star Circuit of Champions.
Taking command on lap 13 of 26, Eliason earned $5,000 for his efforts, forced to survive a green-white-checkered finish while fending off a slew of All Star full-timers including Tyler Courtney, Spencer Bayston, Justin Peck, and Hunter Schuerenberg.
“It’s been a long road this year. It’s definitely made me question ‘what am I doing’ week in and week out. This definitely gets the monkey off of our backs. I wish it wouldn’t have taken this long because I think we finally found something,” Cory Eliason said in victory lane, driver of the Rudeen Racing, Hager Realty Services, Rayce Rudeen Foundation, No. 26 sprint car.“The guys have been working really hard, but it’s been a struggle for all of us. But Kevin Rudeen is probably the greatest boss that any of us could ever have. He’s always motivating us and keeping us pumped up, even after nights where we may run 20th. He’s always on our side.”
Starting sixth on the I-96 grid, it was obvious that Eliason was a threat right from the start. The Rudeen Racing entry powered ahead to third by the completion of lap one, all before inheriting the second spot just two circuits later. Zeb Wise, the evening’s outside-pole sitter, led the first three circuits, but hard contact with the turn four wall ended his campaign at the front of the field. Ian Madsen, substituting for Nashville’s Paul McMahan aboard the CJB Motorsports No. 5, was the heir to the top spot.
Madsen took advantage of the ensuing restart and jumped to a commanding lead, but traffic, which entered the picture with barely ten laps recorded, interfered with his momentum. Eliason quickly reeled in Madsen and made his first bid for the lead on lap 12, diving to the bottom of turn one before sliding across Madsen’s nose at the exit of turn two. Madsen returned the favor in turn three, actually splitting Eliason and a lapped car to take back command. Unfortunately for Madsen, Eliason was too tough to shake, losing command to the blue and white No. 26 at the exit of turn four on lap 13.
A caution on lap 15 would settle things down and rid the track of traffic. The remaining laps would see Eliason do his best to outrun Madsen and Courtney, but the pair would shrink the gap in the closing circuits. A red flag incident on the final circuit, setting up the aforementioned green-white-checkered finish, would give Eliason the clean air and clear track that he needed. Ian Madsen would actually make hard contact with the turn four wall on lap 23; he limped home 13th.
“Clean air is always good, but it’s still a 50/50 chance, especially with guys like Tyler Courtney and Spencer Bayston behind you,” Eliason continued. “You don’t know what those guys are doing and they could come at any time. That’s pretty much the name of the game.”
With the risk of severe weather a factor in northern Indiana, the FloRacing All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 replaced Saturday’s previously scheduled appearance at Plymouth Speedway with action at Waynesfield Raceway Park in Waynesfield, Ohio. The event at Plymouth Speedway will not be rescheduled.
Originally slated to host the regionally-based FAST Series on Saturday, August 21, the All Star Circuit of Champions will now co-sanction the event which will award a $5,000 payday. Tony Stewart’s All Stars last visited the Waynesfield highbanks during Ohio Sprint Speedweek with Elk Grove, California’s Kyle Larson scoring the main event victory; it was Larson’s second Speedweek triumph in three starts.
For those who can not witness the All Star Circuit of Champions live and in person, FloRacing.com, the official media partner and broadcast provider of the All Stars, has you covered. To access live and on-demand racing action from the All Star Circuit of Champions, visit FloRacing.com and become an annual PRO subscriber. Race fans can see all the USAC and dirt late-model action they want in addition to Eldora Speedway’s slate of races and those of the All Star Circuit of Champions. The subscription unlocks access to premium content across the entire FloSports network. Watch the events across all screens by downloading the FloSports app on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire and Chromecast.
Contingency Awards/Results: I-96 Speedway | Friday, August 20, 2021:
Entries: 21
C&R Racing Hot Laps: Zeb Wise | 13.795
Dixie Vodka Fast Qualifier: Ian Madsen | 13.341
Ford Performance Heat #1 Winner: Tyler Courtney
All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads Heat #2 Winner: Cap Henry
Hunt Brothers Pizza Heat #3 Winner: Geoff Dodge
Kear’s Speed Shop Dash presented by Elliott’s Custom Trailers and Carts Winner: Ian Madsen
FloRacing A-Main Winner: Cory Eliason
Hercules Tires A-Main Hard Charger: Frankie Nervo (+9)
Qualifying
Group (A)
1. 5-Ian Madsen, 13.341; 2. 26-Cory Eliason, 13.393; 3. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg, 13.422; 4. 11-Spencer Bayston, 13.444; 5. 10-Zeb Wise, 13.479; 6. 13-Justin Peck, 13.497; 7. 7BC-Tyler Courtney, 13.503; 8. 17B-Bill Balog, 13.527; 9. 91-Kyle Reinhardt, 13.544; 10. O7-Skylar Gee, 13.597; 11. 4-Cap Henry, 13.604; 12. 7m-Geoff Dodge, 13.650; 13. 5S-Max Stambaugh, 13.705; 14. 85-Dustin Daggett, 13.754; 15. 97-Greg Wilson, 13.785; 16. 7-Zane DeVault, 13.840; 17. 12-Corbin Gurley, 13.866; 18. 71h-Ryan Ruhl, 13.869; 19. 21N-Frankie Nervo, 14.132; 20. 11C-Joe Conway, 14.997; 21. 39-Tylar Rankin, NT
Heat #1 - Group (A) (8 Laps) - Top 8 Transfer
1. 7BC-Tyler Courtney [2]; 2. O7-Skylar Gee [1]; 3. 11-Spencer Bayston [3]; 4. 5-Ian Madsen [4]; 5. 5S-Max Stambaugh [5]; 6. 7-Zane DeVault [6]; 7. 21N-Frankie Nervo [7]
Heat #2 - Group (A) (8 Laps) - Top 8 Transfer
1. 4-Cap Henry [1]; 2. 17B-Bill Balog [2]; 3. 10-Zeb Wise [3]; 4. 26-Cory Eliason [4]; 5. 85-Dustin Daggett [5]; 6. 12-Corbin Gurley [6]; 7. 11C-Joe Conway [7]
Heat #3 - Group (A) (8 Laps) - Top 8 Transfer
1. 7M-Geoff Dodge [1]; 2. 91-Kyle Reinhardt [2]; 3. 13-Justin Peck [3]; 4. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg [4]; 5. 97-Greg Wilson [5]; 6. 71H-Ryan Ruhl [6]
Dash #1 (6 Laps)
1. 5-Ian Madsen [4]; 2. 10-Zeb Wise [6]; 3. 7BC-Tyler Courtney [7]; 4. 4-Cap Henry [3]; 5. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg [8]; 6. 26-Cory Eliason [5]; 7. 7M-Geoff Dodge [2]; 8. 11-Spencer Bayston [1]
A-Main (25 Laps)
1. 26-Cory Eliason [6]; 2. 7BC-Tyler Courtney [3]; 3. 11-Spencer Bayston [8]; 4. 13-Justin Peck [12]; 5. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg [5]; 6. 5S-Max Stambaugh [13]; 7. 97-Greg Wilson [15]; 8. 4-Cap Henry [4]; 9. O7-Skylar Gee [11]; 10. 21N-Frankie Nervo [19]; 11. 10-Zeb Wise [2]; 12. 7-Zane DeVault [16]; 13. 5-Ian Madsen [1]; 14. 85-Dustin Daggett [14]; 15. 91-Kyle Reinhardt [10]; 16. 7M-Geoff Dodge [7]; 17. 12-Corbin Gurley [17]; 18. 71H-Ryan Ruhl [18]; 19. 39-Tylar Rankin [21]; 20. 11C-Joe Conway [20]; 21. 17B-Bill Balog [9] Lap Leaders: Zeb Wise (1-3), Ian Madsen (4-12), Cory Eliason (13-25)
2021 All Star Circuit of Champions Winners:
1. Screven Motor Speedway, Georgia (January 29, 2021): Donny Schatz
2. Screven Motor Speedway, Georgia (January 30, 2021): Aaron Reutzel
3. East Bay Raceway Park, Florida (February 2, 2021): Donny Schatz (2)
4. Volusia Speedway Park, Florida (February 3, 2021): Logan Schuchart
5. Volusia Speedway Park, Florida (February 4, 2021): Carson Macedo
6. Attica Raceway Park, Ohio (April 3, 2021): Justin Peck
7. Virginia Motor Speedway, Virginia (April 15, 2021): Tony Stewart
8. Williams Grove Speedway, Pennsylvania (April 16, 2021): Kyle Larson
9. Port Royal Speedway, Pennsylvania (April 17, 2021): Logan Wagner
10. Bedford Speedway, Pennsylvania (April 18, 2021): Anthony Macri
11. Sharon Speedway, Ohio (May 1, 2021): Justin Peck (2)
12. Tri-City Raceway Park, Pennsylvania (May 2, 2021): Sam Hafertepe Jr.
13. I-96 Speedway, Michigan (May 14, 2021): Tyler Courtney
14. Dirt Oval at Route 66, Illinois (May 15, 2021): Kyle Reinhardt
15. Circle City Raceway, Indiana (May 20, 2021): Tyler Courtney (2)
16. Circle City Raceway, Indiana (May 21, 2021): Tyler Courtney (3)
17. Gas City I-69 Speedway, Indiana (May 22, 2021): Cap Henry
18. Kokomo Speedway, Indiana (May 23, 2021): Zeb Wise
19. Port Royal Speedway, Pennsylvania (May 31, 2021): Lance Dewease
20. Fairbury Speedway, Illinois (June 3, 2021): Tyler Courtney (4)
21. Wilmot Raceway, Wisconsin (June 4, 2021): Tyler Courtney (5)
22. Plymouth Dirt Track, Wisconsin (June 5, 2021): Bill Balog
23. Angell Park Speedway, Wisconsin (June 6, 2021): Bill Balog (2)
24. SW Attica Raceway Park, Ohio (June 11, 2021): Ian Madsen
25. SW Fremont Speedway, Ohio (June 12, 2021): Cole Duncan
26. SW Wayne County Speedway, Ohio (June 14, 2021): Kyle Larson (2)
27. SW Sharon Speedway, Ohio (June 15, 2021): Danny Dietrich
28. SW Waynesfield Raceway Park, Ohio (June 16, 2021): Kyle Larson (3)
29. SW Muskingum County Speedway, Ohio (June 17, 2021): Justin Peck (3)
30. SW Portsmouth Raceway Park, Ohio (June 19, 2021): Paul McMahan
31. Stateline Speedway, New York (July 9, 2021): Hunter Schuerenberg
32. Sharon Speedway, Ohio (July 10, 2021): Spencer Bayston
33. Lake Ozark Speedway, Missouri (July 23, 2021): Cap Henry (2)
34. Lake Ozark Speedway, Missouri (July 24, 2021): Christopher Bell
35. Humboldt Speedway, Kansas (July 25, 2021): Tyler Courtney (6)
36. I-70 Motorsports Park, Missouri (July 27, 2021): Brian Brown
37. Mo. State Fair Speedway, Missouri (July 29, 2021): Tyler Courtney (7)
38. 34 Raceway, Iowa (July 30, 2021): Kerry Madsen
39. Knoxville Raceway, Iowa (July 31, 2021): Kerry Madsen (2)
40. I-96 Speedway, Michigan (August 20, 2021): Cory Eliason
2021 All Star Circuit of Champions Driver Standings (as of 8/20/21):
1. Tyler Courtney - 4918
2. Cory Eliason - 4614
3. Hunter Schuerenberg - 4548
4. Cap Henry - 4482
5. Zeb Wise - 4444
6. Bill Balog - 4420
7. Paul McMahan - 4308
8. Justin Peck - 4116
9. Kyle Reinhardt - 3998
10. Rico Abreu - 3302
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.
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#Photo: Chad Warner
Contact: Tyler Altmeyer
FloRacing All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1
(724) 954-4915, pr@tonystewart.com