All Stars To Challenge PA Posse During Four Consecutive Nights Starting Thursday At Grandview

Story By: TYLER ALTMEYER / ALL STAR CIRCUIT OF CHAMPIONS – BROWNSBURG, IN – Moving south from the Empire State to the Keystone State, the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 will continue their August campaign with a four-pack of programs in Central Pennsylvania, set to challenge the world-renown Pennsylvania Posse on four consecutive nights, all vying for a total winner’s share equaling $23,000.

The Central Pennsylvania quadruple-header will activate on Thursday evening, August 23, at the always-racey Grandview Speedway in Bechtelsville. The annual Thunder Cup: Smoke on the Hill program will award a $5,000 top prize which will also feature All Star owner, Tony Stewart, in competition. Freddie Rahmer, son of Central Pennsylvania legend Fred Rahmer, is the defending All Star winner at Grandview, holding off Ryan Smith and Greg Hodnett to do so.

Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg will host the traveling All Stars on Friday, August 24, for the highly anticipated Jack Gunn Memorial. The annual program will feature a pair of 20-lap features in 2018, each awarding a $4,000 top prize; the first twin feature format at the world-famous paperclip since 2015. Tony Stewart’s All Stars last visited Williams Grove Speedway in April with Lance Dewease picking up the high dollar payday. Dewease went on to sweep the weekend with the All Stars, also winning the Keith Kauffman Classic at Port Royal Speedway the following evening.

The ‘Fabulous’ Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown will welcome the All Star Circuit of Champions for their first and only appearance of the season on Saturday, August 25. A surprise at the time, it was local favorite Glenndon Forsythe who earned the $5,000 share in 2017, doing so by holding off eventual Series champion for the sixth time, Chad Kemenah. Proving the true competitiveness of the Pennsylvania Posse, Kemenah was the only full-time All Star to finish within the top-ten a year ago. The Series will look to alter that statistic in less than a week, as well as take home the $5,000 winner’s share.

Capping off their four-race tour of the Keystone State, the All Star Circuit of Champions will invade BAPS Motor Speedway near York Haven on Sunday, August 25, and will honor the life of Justin Snyder with the annual Salute to the Troops. Awarding a $5,000 top prize, the BAPS appearance will also be loaded with additional incentives including a $500 ‘Fast Time Award’ and a $500 ‘Hard Charger Award.’ Like Grandview and Lincoln, the BAPS Motor Speedway visit will be the first and only of 2018 for the traveling All Stars. Greg Hodnett is the defending Salute to the Troops event winner.

A battle that may not be settled until the Kokomo Speedway finale in October, the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 driver title chase is close with three competitors within 20 points. Lemoore, California’s Carson Macedo, driver of the Gaerte/Norman No. 3G who owns a pair of All Star victories this season, is now in charge of the driver championship standings, holding down a six-point advantage over Clute, Texas, native, Aaron Reutzel.

Reutzel, who is solidly in charge of the win column with seven victories in 2018, led the Series’ driver standings entering the recent New York swing, but contact with a fellow competitor while battling for the top spot at Lebanon Valley Speedway ultimately ended his command. After suffering from a flat tire, Reutzel eventually returned to the speedway, but only recovered to finish tenth. A top-five performance by Macedo propelled him to the top of the charts.

Six-time and defending All Star champion, Chad Kemenah, is currently third in the title chase trailing Macedo by 16 markers. Although behind the eight ball early in 2018 due to a series of disappointing results, Kemenah recovered quickly and is now in the hunt for an unprecedented seventh All Star championship.

A pair of sprint car Hall of Famers, Jac Haudenschild and Dave Blaney, currently sit fourth and fifth, respectively, in the All Star driver championship chase. Each ‘Buckeye’ own one victory on the season, as well as a combined 18 top-five finishes.