Twice’s Nice; Ryan Smith Sweeps All Stars Double Down At Mansfield

Story By: TYLER ALTMEYER / ALL STAR CIRCUIT OF CHAMPIONS – MANSFIELD, OH – The “Kunkletown Kid” Ryan Smith cashed in for a grand total of $10,000 on Friday night at Mansfield Motor Speedway, sweeping the entire “Double Down at Mansfield” program that included two main events, one of which a make-up feature that was originally scheduled for Sunday, May 28.

Joining a short list of competitors who have accomplished two Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions main event victories in one day including Dave Blaney, Sammy Swindell, Bobby Allen and Fred Rahmer, Smith’s Friday night sweep raised his season win total to three with “America’s Series,” now with six over the course of his young career.

“This is a night to remember, for sure,” Ryan Smith said following his second main event victory at Mansfield Motor Speedway. “There are a lot of great people who helped put this deal together at the beginning of the year. Those same people have been working hard all season long. To close out our All Star schedule with a win was big, but to get two in the same night is a whole different story. I’m excited to get to Eldora tomorrow. There’s no reason why we can’t keep this momentum going.”

Double Down at Mansfield Feature Finale report:

Waterville, Ohio’s Travis Philo and Lemoore, California’s Carson Macedo led the 26 starters to green on Friday night during the “Double Down at Mansfield Motor Speedway” feature finale. Philo worked to the front early, chased to the flag stand for the first time by Macedo and Ryan Smith. Philo led the first 21 circuits of the 30-lap finale, withstanding two restarts after a pair of cautions on laps four and eleven, as well as periods of traffic.

While Philo set the pace, the battle for second was hot with Smith and Macedo exchanging positions on several occasions, twice during the first four circuits. By the midpoint of the 30-lapper, Philo’s command all but diminished as Macedo and Smith made their way to the back bumper of the Control Design Solutions/Banshee Graphics/No. 5T.

On lap 20, Smith worked around Macedo to take second, soon followed by a bid for the top spot on lap 22. The pilot of the Tom and Sherry Leidig/Warko Group/Speciality Rigging/Slade Shocks/Rick’s Auto Body/Auto Electric of Jupiter, FL./No. 59 used the bottom edge of the speedway to slingshot underneath Philo at the exit of turn two, ultimately making the winning move stick as the pair raced through turns three and four.

From that point forward, Smith raced on top of the field unchallenged, surviving a pair of cautions on laps 24 and 25 to earn the main event victory. Despite a late attempt to work back around Smith using the very topside of the speedway, Macedo would cross under the final checkers second, followed to the finish by Travis Philo, Chad Kemenah and Joey Saldana.

May 28 make-up A-main report:

Brad Haudenschild and Tim Shaffer led the make-up feature to green to kick-off the evening at Mansfield Motor Speedway. Shaffer earned the early advantage, leading Brad Haudenschild, Jac Haudenschild and Ryan Smith by the flag stand for the first time. Despite a caution on lap three involving T.J. Michael and Jordan Mackison, Shaffer’s command at the front of the field was uninterrupted for the first ten circuits.

Meanwhile, the “Kunkletown Kid” Ryan Smith was in hot pursuit of the “Steel City Outlaw,” moving into second by lap two, eventually allowing traffic to slow Shaffer’s momentum at the front of the field. By lap 10, traffic intensified enough to give Smith his first bid for the top spot; a slidejob between turns three and four. Shaffer’s momentum was enough to allow him to cut back under Smith, leading the pair in a drag race back to the flag stand. Unfortunately, red flag conditions took over the speedway, this time for Brad Haudenschild who was racing inside the top-five. Haudenschild walked away unharmed.

Green flag conditions returned on lap 11 with Shaffer still in command. Despite Shaffer’s ability to pull away during the restart, Smith was back on his bumper by lap 19, simultaneously navigating through traffic while tracking down the Aliquippa native. On lap 26, Smith made another huge bid for the top spot, but this time he succeeded; pulling even with Tim Shaffer as the pair raced down the backstretch, ultimately holding the position through turns three and four.

From that point forward, it was all Ryan Smith, withstanding a final caution on lap 27 to pull away by nearly two seconds at the final checkers. Tim Shaffer held on to finish second, followed by Lee Jacobs, Jac Haudenschild and Chad Kemenah.

“I can’t say enough about this team and how hard they work,” Ryan Smith explained following his first main event victory on Friday night. “It feels great to park this car back in victory lane. We’ve been hungry for another one of these since we got it done in New York a few months back. We have a new set of Slade Shocks on this car car tonight that Eric Slade allowed us to use. It has made a world of a difference so far.”

The Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions will officially conclude the 2017 season tomorrow evening – Saturday, October 14 – at the legendary Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. Joining a field of non-wing sprint cars, as well as the NRA Sprint Invaders, the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions will headline #LastCallForMethanol at the World’s Greatest Dirt Track. A $5,000 top prize will be awarded, as well as the crowning of the 2017 Arctic Cat All Star champion.

Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio, will open gates at 1:00pm on Saturday, October 14. A mandatory meeting for all full-time teams and staff will be conducted at 3:00pm, followed by a mandatory drivers meeting for all of those entered for action at 3:50pm. Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions hot laps will hit the historic half-mile at 4:30pm. Those seeking additional information should visit Eldora Speedway live on the Web at www.eldoraspeedway.com.

Contingency Awards/Results: Mansfield Motor Speedway- Friday, October 13, 2017:
Double Down at Mansfield Motor Speedway
EMi Driver’s Meeting: 39 Entries
State Water Heaters Warm-Ups: Joey Saldana – 14.402 seconds
Lincoln Electric Fast Qualifier: Ryan Smith – 14.527 seconds
Ford Performance Heat #1: Chad Kemenah
All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads Heat #2: Caleb Helms
Hunt Brothers Pizza Heat #3: Carson Macedo
Daido Engine Bearings Heat #4: Ryan Smith
JE Pistons Dash #1: Travis Philo
Kistler Racing Products Dash #2: Carson Macedo
Classic Ink USA B-Main: Broc Martin
Daido Engine Bearings Main Event Winner: Ryan Smith
MSD Performance Hard Charger Award: Hunter Schuerenberg
Outback Steakhouse A-Main 5th Place Finisher: Parker Price-Miller (6th)
Outback Steakhouse A-Main 10th Place Finisher: Brandon Spithaler
Outback Steakhouse A-Main 15th Place Finisher: Caleb Helms
(Lincoln Electric, Daido Engine Bearings, MSD Performance, Outback Steakhouse: Need decal to qualify for contingency award)

Qualifying

Group (A)
1. 10H-Chad Kemenah, 14.641; 2. 7K-Cale Conley, 14.741; 3. 81-Lee Jacobs, 14.808; 4. 44-Trey Starks, 14.816; 5. 71-Joey Saldana, 14.825; 6. 97-Broc Martin, 14.91; 7. 9M-Jordan Ryan, 15.195; 8. 13-Brandon Matus, 15.206; 9. 51-John Garvin, 15.453; 10. 59N-Bryan Nuckles, 99

Group (B)
1. 12N-Cole Duncan, 14.658; 2. 17-Caleb Helms, 14.671; 3. 5T-Travis Philo, 14.672; 4. 6M-Jac Haudenschild, 14.684; 5. 49x-Tim Shaffer, 14.789; 6. 20N-Hunter Schuerenberg, 15; 7. 95-Hunter Mackison, 15.179; 8. 35-Travis Esh, 15.512; 9. 7-Troy Kingan, 15.521; 10. 16-Danny Mumaw, 15.609

Group ( C )
1. 1080-Jordan Mackison, 14.588; 2. 3G-Carson Macedo, 14.594; 3. 8M-TJ Michael, 14.691; 4. 19-Mitch Harble, 14.778; 5. 4-Cap Henry, 14.817; 6. 33W-Michael Walter, 14.822; 7. 45-Trevor Baker, 15.017; 8. 9C-Roger Campbell, 15.461; 9. 33-Brent Matus, 16.417; 10. 22M-Ray Miller, 16.679; 11. 5-Andy Teuesten, 99.39

Group (D)
1. 59-Ryan Smith, 14.527; 2. 7C-Caleb Armstrong, 14.76; 3. 22-Brandon Spithaler, 14.896; 4. 23-DJ Foos, 14.919; 5. 33M-Max Stambaugh, 14.944; 6. 9P-Parker Price-Miller, 15.127; 7. 38K-Brad Haudenschild, 15.15; 8. 33D-Tyler Dunn, 15.564

Heat #1 – Group (A) (8 Laps) – Top 5 Transfer
1. 10H-Chad Kemenah [2]; 2. 71-Joey Saldana [4]; 3. 81-Lee Jacobs [1]; 4. 44-Trey Starks [5]; 5. 7K-Cale Conley [3]; 6. 13-Brandon Matus [9]; 7. 97-Broc Martin [7]; 8. 59N-Bryan Nuckles [10]; 9. 9M-Jordan Ryan [6]

Heat #2 – Group (B) (8 Laps) – Top 5 Transfer
1. 17-Caleb Helms [3]; 2. 12N-Cole Duncan [4]; 3. 5T-Travis Philo [2]; 4. 49X-Tim Shaffer [5]; 5. 20N-Hunter Schuerenberg [6]; 6. 95-Hunter Mackison [7]; 7. 7-Troy Kingan [9]; 8. 35-Travis Esh [8]

Heat #3 – Group ( C ) (8 Laps) – Top 5 Transfer
1. 3G-Carson Macedo [3]; 2. 4-Cap Henry [5]; 3. 1080-Jordan Mackison [4]; 4. 45-Trevor Baker [7]; 5. 33W-Michael Walter [6]; 6. 33-Brent Matus [8]; 7. 5-Andy Teuesten [10]; 8. 22M-Ray Miller [9]; 9. 19-Mitch Harble [1]; 10. 8M-TJ Michael [2]

Heat #4 – Group (D) (8 Laps) – Top 5 Transfer
1. 59-Ryan Smith [4]; 2. 22-Brandon Spithaler [2]; 3. 9P-Parker Price-Miller [6]; 4. 33M-Max Stambaugh [5]; 5. 7C-Caleb Armstrong [3]; 6. 33D-Tyler Dunn [9]; 7. 9C-Roger Campbell [8]; 8. 23-DJ Foos [1]

Dash #1 (4 Laps)
1. 5T-Travis Philo [1]; 2. 12N-Cole Duncan [2]; 3. 71-Joey Saldana [4]; 4. 17-Caleb Helms [3]; 5. 10H-Chad Kemenah [5]

Dash #2 (4 Laps)
1. 3G-Carson Macedo [2]; 2. 59-Ryan Smith [3]; 3. 22-Brandon Spithaler [1]; 4. 1080-Jordan Mackison [4]; 5. 4-Cap Henry [5]

B-Main (12 Laps) – Top 4 Transfer
1. 97-Broc Martin [3]; 2. 13-Brandon Matus [7]; 3. 9M-Jordan Ryan [6]; 4. 95-Hunter Mackison [5]; 5. 33D-Tyler Dunn [11]; 6. 33-Brent Matus [12]; 7. 9C-Roger Campbell [8]; 8. 7-Troy Kingan [10]; 9. 22M-Ray Miller [13]; 10. 19-Mitch Harble [2]; 11. 8M-TJ Michael [1]; 12. 23-DJ Foos [4]; 13. 35-Travis Esh [9]; 14. 59N-Bryan Nuckles [14]; 15. 5-Andy Teuesten [15]; 16. 6M-Jac Haudenschild [-]; 17. 38K-Brad Haudenschild [-]; 18. 51-John Garvin [-]; 19. 16-Danny Mumaw [-]

A-Main (30 Laps)
1. 59-Ryan Smith [4]; 2. 3G-Carson Macedo [2]; 3. 5T-Travis Philo [1]; 4. 10H-Chad Kemenah [9]; 5. 71-Joey Saldana [5]; 6. 9P-Parker Price-Miller [12]; 7. 81-Lee Jacobs [11]; 8. 49X-Tim Shaffer [13]; 9. 20N-Hunter Schuerenberg [18]; 10. 22-Brandon Spithaler [6]; 11. 7K-Cale Conley [17]; 12. 33M-Max Stambaugh [15]; 13. 1080-Jordan Mackison [8]; 14. 9M-Jordan Ryan [23]; 15. 17-Caleb Helms [7]; 16. 7C-Caleb Armstrong [16]; 17. 95-Hunter Mackison [22]; 18. 33W-Michael Walter [19]; 19. 13-Brandon Matus [20]; 20. 9C-Roger Campbell [24]; 21. 35-Travis Esh [25]; 22. 33D-Tyler Dunn [26]; 23. 4-Cap Henry [10]; 24. 45-Trevor Baker [14]; 25. 12N-Cole Duncan [3]; 26. 97-Broc Martin [21] Lap Leaders: Travis Philo [1-21]; Ryan Smith [22-30]

Make-up A-main from May 28:

A-Main (30 Laps)
1. 59-Ryan Smith [3]; 2. 49x-Tim Shaffer [2]; 3. 81-Lee Jacobs [7]; 4. 6M-Jac Haudenschild [4]; 5. 10H-Chad Kemenah [11]; 6. 23-DJ Foos [10]; 7. 33M-Max Stambaugh [9]; 8. 22-Brandon Spithaler [8]; 9. 13-Brandon Matus [12]; 10. 9M-Jordan Ryan [15]; 11. 17-Caleb Helms [6]; 12. 95-Hunter Mackison [14]; 13. 15H-Mitch Harble [16]; 14. 7C-Caleb Armstrong [18]; 15. 16-Danny Mumaw [13]; 16. 9C-Roger Campbell [22]; 17. 33-Brent Matus [23]; 18. 35-Travis Esh [21]; 19. 3G-Carson Macedo [5]; 20. 7-Troy Kingan [24]; 21. 38K-Brad Haudenschild [1]; 22. 51-John Garvin [20]; 23. 1080-Jordan Mackison [19]; 24. 8M-TJ Michael [17] Lap Leaders: Tim Shaffer [1-25]; Ryan Smith [26-30]