Kemenah Charges From 17th To Win 2018 All Star Sprint Opener At Bubba Raceway Park

Story By: TYLER ALTMEYER / ALL STAR CIRCUIT OF CHAMPIONS – OCALA, FL – Six-time and defending Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 titlist, Chad Kemenah, kicked-off his 2018 campaign in a big way, not only scoring the All Star Circuit of Champions season opener at Bubba Raceway Park worth $5,000, but doing so from the inside of row nine.

Kemenah, pilot of the familiar, DKW Transport and Bonnell’s Rod Shop-backed, Hunter Racing entry, advanced sixteen positions during his charge to the front of the field, ultimately withstanding a competitive field and ten cautions, two of which resulting in open red flags, to earn a 34th-career All Star victory; his first ever in the Sunshine State. Kemenah’s efforts also earned him the MSD Performance Hard Charger Award.

“Smoke” Tony Stewart finished second during the All Star opener at the Ocala, Fla., venue, followed by Dave Blaney, Parker Price-Miller, who led the first 21 circuits before giving up the top spot, and Carson Short.

“We were really consistent the last two years, so I hope this is a sign because I need to win more,” Chad Kemenah said in Bubba Raceway Park victory lane. “Starting that far back and working to the front says a lot about our efforts in the winter time. My brother, his wife, and Luke are always working in the shop. Rob and Rita Hunter just give us what we need to compete and compete competitively, anywhere we go. That’s all we can ask for.”

By the midpoint of the 30-lap program, Kemenah was racing within the top-five, soon pressuring those battling for podium positions just in front of him including Dave Blaney, Tony Stewart, and race leader, Parker Price-Miller. A caution on lap 20 would give Kemenah another prime opportunity to advance, ultimately driving by Dave Blaney and Tony Stewart on the ensuing restart, all while utilizing the bottom of the speedway.

Two circuits later, Kemenah was pressuring Price-Miller for the top spot. Despite leading over half of the main event, and surviving six cautions during the first 20 circuits including three consecutive that plagued the initial start, Price-Miller’s efforts soon wore out, eventually surrendering the point position to Kemenah at the exit of turn four on lap 22.

“When my brother came out during the [open] red, he asked me what I thought,” Kemenah continued. “I told him I felt good. I just needed to bide my time because there were cars everywhere. The race track was beautiful. The mechanic did his job and all I had to do was drive it.”

Even with four more cautions halting his momentum, a pair on lap 23 and another pair on lap 27, Kemenah was invincible, stretching his final margin of victory to 3.067 seconds despite the race ending with a small string of only four consecutive laps.

“I’m not sure anyone was going to have anything for those guys,” Tony Stewart, owner of the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1, said of Chad Kemenah. “We just needed things to go green for a little while longer. I’m proud of my guys. I think this team has gained a lot over the winter. I feel really good about how things got started.”

“This really says what my team is about,” Chad Kemenah added. “We never quit.”

The Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 will continue the 2018 season with another round of Winter Nationals competition at Bubba Raceway Park on Friday, February 2.

Bubba Raceway Park will open pit gates at 9 a.m. during the next two days of Winter Nationals competition. The mandatory All Star drivers meeting scheduled for Friday, February 2, will be conducted at 5:30 p.m. followed by hot laps at 6:45.

On Saturday, February 3, starting times will move ahead one hour with the All Star drivers meeting scheduled for 4:30 p.m. followed by All Star hot laps at 5:45 p.m., sharp. Those seeking additional news and notes such as general admission gate times and ticket prices should visit Bubba Raceway Park on the Web at www.bubbaracewaypark.com.

Contingency Awards/Results: Bubba Raceway Park- Thursday, February 1:
7th Annual Winter Nationals
EMi Driver’s Meeting: 35 Entries
State Water Heaters Warm-Ups: Parker Price-Miller – 12.025 seconds
Lincoln Electric Fast Qualifier: Ian Madsen – 11.392 seconds (NTR)
Ford Performance Heat #1:Carson Short
All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads Heat #2: Mark Smith
Hunt Brothers Pizza Heat #3:Cale Conley
Mobil 1 Heat #4: Paul McMahan
JE Pistons Dash #1: Parker Price-Miller
Wix Filters Dash #2: Tony Stewart
Classic Ink USA B-Main: Sheldon Haudenschild
Daido Engine Bearings Main Event Winner: Chad Kemenah
MSD Performance Hard Charger Award: Chad Kemenah [+16]
(Lincoln Electric, Daido Engine Bearings, MSD Performance: Need decal to qualify for contingency award)

Qualifying

Group (A)
1. 49x-Tim Shaffer, 11.475; 2. 27-Greg Hodnett, 11.703; 3. 17-Caleb Helms, 11.766; 4. 21-Carson Short, 11.835; 5. 44-Trey Starks, 11.956; 6. 91-Anthony Fiore, 11.98; 7. 51-John Garvin, 12.013; 8. 7J-Joe Swanson, 12.323; 9. 40-Mark Imler, 12.399

Group (B)
1. 24-Rico Abreu, 11.474; 2. 2M-Kerry Madsen, 11.509; 3. 48-Danny Dietrich, 11.653; 4. M1-Mark Smith, 11.718; 5. 45-Trevor Baker, 11.994; 6. 49H-Bradley Howard, 12.153; 7. 1080-Jordan Mackison, 12.321; 8. 1P-Curtis Evans, 12.35; 9. 40H-George Hobaugh, 12.601

Group ( C )
1. 70-Dave Blaney, 11.521; 2. 4-Parker Price-Miller, 11.591; 3. 7K-Cale Conley, 11.663; 4. 5M-Max Stambaugh, 11.802; 5. 10H-Chad Kemenah, 11.813; 6. 17S-Sheldon Haudenschild, 11.836; 7. 17B-Steve Buckwalter, 11.841; 8. 5W-Lucas Wolfe, 12.02; 9. 4X-Danny Smith, 12.148

Group (D)
1. 18-Ian Madsen, 11.392; 2. 14T-Tyler Clem, 11.531; 3. 13-Paul McMahan, 11.728; 4. 14-Tony Stewart, 11.858; 5. 14G-Coleman Gulick, 11.895; 6. 2C-Wayne Johnson, 12.149; 7. 95-Hunter Mackison, 12.487; 8. 33-Brent Matus, 13.08

Heat #1 – Group (A) (8 Laps) – Top 5 Transfer
1. 21-Carson Short [1]; 2. 49X-Tim Shaffer [4]; 3. 17-Caleb Helms [2]; 4. 27-Greg Hodnett [3]; 5. 44-Trey Starks [5]; 6. 51-John Garvin [7]; 7. 91-Anthony Fiore [6]; 8. 7J-Joe Swanson [8]; 9. 40-Mark Imler [9]

Heat #2 – Group (B) (8 Laps) – Top 5 Transfer
1. M1-Mark Smith [1]; 2. 2M-Kerry Madsen [3]; 3. 24-Rico Abreu [4]; 4. 48-Danny Dietrich [2]; 5. 1080-Jordan Mackison [7]; 6. 1P-Curtis Evans [8]; 7. 49H-Bradley Howard [6]; 8. 40H-George Hobaugh [9]; 9. 45-Trevor Baker [5]

Heat #3 – Group (C) (8 Laps) – Top 5 Transfer
1. 7K-Cale Conley [2]; 2. 4-Parker Price-Miller [3]; 3. 5M-Max Stambaugh [1]; 4. 70-Dave Blaney [4]; 5. 10H-Chad Kemenah [5]; 6. 17S-Sheldon Haudenschild [6]; 7. 4X-Danny Smith [9]; 8. 17B-Steve Buckwalter [7]; 9. 5W-Lucas Wolfe [8]

Heat #4 – Group (D) (8 Laps) – Top 5 Transfer
1. 13-Paul McMahan [2]; 2. 14-Tony Stewart [1]; 3. 18-Ian Madsen [4]; 4. 14G-Coleman Gulick [5]; 5. 2C-Wayne Johnson [6]; 6. 95-Hunter Mackison [7]; 7. 33-Brent Matus [8]; 8. 14T-Tyler Clem [3]

Dash #1 (4 Laps)
1. 4-Parker Price-Miller [2]; 2. 21-Carson Short [1]; 3. 24-Rico Abreu [3]; 4. 2M-Kerry Madsen [5]; 5. 13-Paul McMahan [4]

Dash #2 (4 Laps)
1. 14-Tony Stewart [2]; 2. 18-Ian Madsen [1]; 3. M1-Mark Smith [4]; 4. 49X-Tim Shaffer [5]; 5. 7K-Cale Conley [3]

B-Main (12 Laps) – Top 4 Transfer
1. 17S-Sheldon Haudenschild [2]; 2. 51-John Garvin [3]; 3. 95-Hunter Mackison [5]; 4. 14T-Tyler Clem [1]; 5. 4X-Danny Smith [7]; 6. 17B-Steve Buckwalter [10]; 7. 5W-Lucas Wolfe [14]; 8. 1P-Curtis Evans [4]; 9. 91-Anthony Fiore [6]; 10. 40H-George Hobaugh [12]; 11. 33-Brent Matus [9]; 12. 7J-Joe Swanson [11]; 13. 40-Mark Imler [15]; 14. 49H-Bradley Howard [8]; 15. 45-Trevor Baker [13]

A-Main (30 Laps)
1. 10H-Chad Kemenah [17]; 2. 14-Tony Stewart [2]; 3. 70-Dave Blaney [13]; 4. 4-Parker Price-Miller [1]; 5. 21-Carson Short [3]; 6. 2C-Wayne Johnson [19]; 7. 27-Greg Hodnett [15]; 8. 95-Hunter Mackison [23]; 9. 17S-Sheldon Haudenschild [21]; 10. 17-Caleb Helms [11]; 11. M1-Mark Smith [6]; 12. 24-Rico Abreu [5]; 13. 2M-Kerry Madsen [7]; 14. 13-Paul McMahan [9]; 15. 44-Trey Starks [18]; 16. 48-Danny Dietrich [14]; 17. 14T-Tyler Clem [24]; 18. 5M-Max Stambaugh [12]; 19. 18-Ian Madsen [4]; 20. 51-John Garvin [22]; 21. 14G-Coleman Gulick [16]; 22. 1080-Jordan Mackison [20]; 23. 49X-Tim Shaffer [8]; 24. 7K-Cale Conley [10] Lap Leaders: Parker Price-Miller [1-21]; Chad Kemenah [22-30].