(Fremont, OH) There was drama, late race passing and track championships on the line...it all played out Saturday, Sept. 12 at Fremont Speedway on Kistler Racing Products Night.
When all was said and done, Monclova, Ohio's Byron Reed, the defending Fremont Speedway 410 sprint champion, got his first victory of the season, but it wasn't easy and he and Phil Gressman traded slide jobs the last three laps as the crowed roared their approval.
Bucyrus, Ohio's Brock Mayes' fourth place run was good enough to claim the track championship by just three points over Reed in the Fort Ball Pizza Palace 410 Sprints. Also, Gibsonburg, Ohio's Craig Mintz finished third in the feature to lock up the first ever Kistler Racing Products Fremont Attica Sprint Title (FAST) Championship series.
In the Fremont Fence Dirt Trucks it was much more subdued. All Steve Endicott had to do was take the green flag and the track championship was his. However, the Risingsun, Ohio driver wasn't going to settle for that, as he took the lead on lap 8 and held off Dan Hennig for his second feature victory of the season.
"My guys have been on me because I've been out here riding around and not trying to win. Right before the feature we saw the track dried out so made a bunch of changes and it paid off," said Endicott beside his Endicott Trucking, Bob's Machine Shop backed #8 truck. "Boy, track champion sounds great!"
In the 30-lap 410 sprint feature, Caleb Griffith jumped into the early lead with Andy Shammo, Reed, Gressman, Mayes and Mike Linder waging a torrid battle behind. Reed moved into second on lap three and began chasing down Griffith and caught him on lap 11 with Gressman and Mike Linder nipping at their rear bumpers. Griffith and Reed would battle hard over the next five laps. Reed would use lapped traffic to drive under Griffith into the top spot on lap 16, but Griffith would race him had to the outside. Gressman then closed and would drive into second on lap 19, bringing Linder into third a lap later.