ROSSBURG, Ohio — After a rainy week, sunshine greeted the O’Reilly All Star Circuit of Champions sprint car teams for the Ohio Sprint Speedweek finale Saturday night at Eldora Speedway.
At the end of a non-stop 30-lap feature, Dale Blaney had his second Speedweek victory, but came up four points short for the Speedweek championship, with fifth-place finisher Randy Hannagan wearing the crown for the first time in his career.
Fast-qualifier Ed Lynch, Jr. started on the pole and took the early lead, but Blaney and Brock Mayes stalked him from the beginning on the historic half-mile dirt track.
Mayes slid under Lynch on lap six, with Blaney also passing Lynch. For the next 20 laps, Mayes and Blaney put on a show at the front of the field, running side by side on several occasions.
Mayes bobbled a bit in turn two on lap 24 and that was all Blaney needed to power George Fisher’s No. 2 around Mayes and into the lead.
“Brock ran a helluva race,” said Blaney. “… He did a fantastic job.”
From there, Blaney sailed uncontested to the $10,000 victory. Mayes finished second. Greg Wilson, Dean Jacobs and Hannagan rounded out the top five.
Seventy-nine drivers competed in Speedweek, with three of the seven events washed out by rain.
The summary:
Fast time: Ed Lynch, Jr., 13.656 seconds (36 cars).
First Heat: Lance Dewease, Ed Lynch, Jr., Jimmy Stinson, Tim Shaffer, Rob Chaney, Troy Little, Mike Dussell, Bruce White, Lee Stark.
Second Heat: Greg Wilson, Randy Hannagan, Chad Blonde, Jesse Hockett, Todd Kane, Paul May, Luke Hall, Chris Andrews, Mike Miller.
Third Heat: Kenny Jacobs, Dean Jacobs, Blake Feese, Dale Blaney, Brandon Martin, Brian Ellenberger, Jeremy Campbell, Ryan Myers.
Fourth Heat: Butch Schroeder, Brock Mayes, Brian Smith, Todd King, Lee Jacobs, Craig Mintz, Ian Louden, Tim Hunter.
Dash: Blaney, Mayes, Wilson, D. Jacobs, Hannagan, Dewease.
B Main: Ellenberger, Campbell, May, Dussell, Little, Hunter, Mintz, Louden, Miller, Stark, Hall, Andrews, White, Myers.
Feature: Blaney, Mayes, Wilson, D. Jacobs, Hannagan, K. Jacobs, Smith, Chaney, Kane, Campbell, Blonde, Lynch, Dewease, Schroeder, May, Hockett, Dussell, L. Jacobs, Feese, Ellenberger, B. Martin, J. Stinson, King, Shaffer.