Back To PA For All Star Circuit of Champions

Story By: TYLER ALTMEYER / ALL STAR CIRCUIT OF CHAMPIONS – INDIANAPOLIS, IN – In hopes of finding a stretch of sunshine long enough to string together an entire weekend, the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions will travel back to The Keystone State to kick-off the month of June, this time navigating throughout parts of Western Pennsylvania for scheduled appearances at Lernerville Speedway and Mercer Raceway Park on Friday and Saturday, June 2-3, respectively.

Each facility was originally scheduled to host the Arctic Cat All Stars in early May, but each denied by inclement weather.

Tony Stewart’s Arctic Cat All Stars will launch the first weekend of June with a Friday night visit to Don Martin’s Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pennsylvania. A facility certainly familiar to Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions competition, Lernerville Speedway has hosted “America’s Series” on 37 different occasions in nearly 50 years, most recently on May 13, 2016. Current World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series Rookie of the Year contender Sheldon Haudenschild was the victor, holding off Pittsburgh’s Danny Holtgraver and eventual Series champion Chad Kemenah at the final checkers. It was a first-ever Arctic Cat All Star win at Lernerville Speedway for the Wooster, Ohio, native, becoming just the 24th to do so since the Series first visited Sarver in 1970.

Mercer Raceway Park in Mercer, Pennsylvania, has not hosted an Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions event in nearly two years, with the lone attempt in 2016 washed away by Mother Nature. A total of three events were conducted at the Mercer short track in 2014, followed by three more events in 2015. The most recent, hosted on July 4, 2015, was won by the “Kunkletown Kid” Ryan Smith; a Rookie of the Year contender with the Arctic Cat All Stars in 2015 who scaled back to a local schedule in 2016, all before returning to full-time competition in 2017. Like Lernerville Speedway, Saturday’s Arctic Cat All Star visit to Mercer Raceway Park will be a first and only occurrence for the Series this season.

“I think I speak for everyone when I say we are excited to have the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions back in Western Pennsylvania,” said Eric Williams, Mercer Raceway Park promoter. “We had to wait an extra month because of the weather, but we don’t plan to wait any longer. This is a great opportunity for our Western Pennsylvania fans to experience two, great nights of sprint car action right in their own backyard. Hopefully everyone takes advantage of it and enjoys themselves. Mercer Raceway Park is open to free camping the entire weekend and has a car wash right down the street; a perfect combination for racers and fans alike.”

With only one event officially in the books since late April, losing six of the last seven programs on the schedule due to Mother Nature, the championship point chase remains competitive with only 94 markers separating the top-two in the standings, followed by a mere-six point separation between second and third, and a 58-point gap between third and fourth.

Alvada, Ohio’s Chad Kemenah, the five-time and defending Arctic Cat All Star champion, holds the top spot in the current championship chase, earning one victory on the season, as well as eight top-ten finishes in 12 contested events. The 2017 Roy Morral Tribute champion at Bedford (PA) Fairgrounds Speedway leads Caleb Armstrong in the chase for the title, followed by Caleb Helms, Ryan Smith and “Mad Max” Stambaugh. Stambaugh, who has one top-ten finish during Arctic Cat All Star competition in 2017, as well as eight feature starts in 12 attempts, currently leads the Arctic Cat All Star Rookie of the Year standings aboard the familiar Ray Marshall Motorsports/No. 33M entry.

Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pennsylvania, will open pit gates at 5:30pm on Friday afternoon, June 2, followed by a mandatory drivers meeting at 6:30pm and hot laps at 7pm. Mercer Raceway Park in Mercer, Pennsylvania, will open pit gates as early as 3:00pm on Saturday, June 3. A drivers meeting will be conducted at 5:30pm, followed by hop laps at 6:30pm, sharp. Those seeking additional news and notes should visit each facility live on the Web at www.lernerville.com and www.mercerracewaypark.com.