From Tyler Altmeyer | Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1
ROSSBURG, Ohio (June 16, 2023) - Rico Abreu may have been the man to beat, but Sam Hafertepe Jr. came out on top, scoring night seven of Ohio Sprint Speedweek presented by Cometic Gasket at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. The victory, Hafertepe’s first-ever 410 sprint car triumph at The Big E, secured the Texan a $12,000 payday, clinching the top spot on lap 20 when Rico Abreu surrendered the lead by visiting the work area. A flat tire led to Abreu’s misfortune, but Hafertepe ultimately capitalized, racing the final circuits unchallenged for his third-ever Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 victory.
Starting from the outside-pole position, Abreu earned the initial jump and led the first 19 circuits over Hafertepe, that until caution flags waved on lap 20 for a stopped Cale Thomas. Under caution, Abreu’s left rear tire went flat causing him to go to the work area; the rest is history.
Buddy Kofoid would chase Hafertepe to the final Whistle Stop event checkers, followed by Brent Marks, Anthony Macri, and “Sunshine” Tyler Courtney.
Abreu would power back to eighth.
“This one goes out to Miles Hill. He’s stuck by us through some pretty rough times, but I’m glad things are starting to pay off,” Hafertepe, driver of the Hill’s Racing/Cigar Port No. 15H sprint car, said. “Just super excited for our team. Obviously, Rico [Abreu] had it in the bag, but we were able to hang with him there at the beginning. His misfortune led to my fortune. Hopefully this gives us some great momentum moving forward.”
With only one round of Ohio Sprint Speedweek presented by Cometic Gasket remaining, the top two in the standings, Zeb Wise and Tyler Courtney, respectively, are only separated by four markers, with Penngrove, California’s Buddy Kofoid just four back from Courtney.
ON DECK:
Ohio Sprint Speedweek presented by Cometic Gasket will conclude with the $22,554-to-win Dean Knittel Memorial at Portsmouth Raceway Park in Portsmouth, Ohio, on Saturday, June 17. A sought-after prize on the All Star campaign trail, the Dean Knittel Memorial features the second-highest payday on the All Stars’ entire June slate, following only the $26,000-to-win Rayce Rudeen Foundation Race that was contested at Plymouth Dirt Track on Saturday, June 3.
For those who can not witness the All Star Circuit of Champions live and in person, FloRacing.com, the official media partner and broadcast provider of the All Stars, has you covered. To access live and on-demand racing action from the All Star Circuit of Champions, visit FloRacing.com and become an annual PRO subscriber. Race fans can see all the USAC and dirt late-model action they want in addition to Eldora Speedway’s slate of races and those of the All Star Circuit of Champions. The subscription unlocks access to premium content across the entire FloSports network. Watch the events across all screens by downloading the FloSports app on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire and Chromecast.
Tezos A Feature (30 Laps):
1. 15H-Sam Hafertepe Jr[1]; 2. 55-Michael Kofoid[3]; 3. 19M-Brent Marks[7]; 4. 39M-Anthony Macri[6]; 5. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[5]; 6. 26-Zeb Wise[11]; 7. 13-Justin Peck[8]; 8. 24-Rico Abreu[2]; 9. 29-Sye Lynch[15]; 10. 35-Zach Hampton[9]; 11. 5T-Travis Philo[13]; 12. 91-Kyle Reinhardt[12]; 13. 69K-Lance Dewease[14]; 14. 97-JJ Hickle[26]; 15. W20-Greg Wilson[23]; 16. 23-Zeth Sabo[22]; 17. 99-Skylar Gee[19]; 18. 2L-Logan Forler[16]; 19. 45-Tim Shaffer[21]; 20. 81-Lee Jacobs[18]; 21. 4-Chris Windom[25]; 22. 1-Nate Dussel[24]; 23. (DNF) 49X-Cale Thomas[10]; 24. (DNF) 101-Cody Maroske[20]; 25. (DNF) 11-Cory Eliason[4]; 26. (DNF) 11K-Kraig Kinser[17] LAP LEADERS: Rico Abreu (1-19), Sam Hafertepe Jr. (20-30)
2023 Ohio Sprint Speedweek presented by Cometic Gasket Standings (As of 6/16):
Zeb Wise - 660
Tyler Courtney - 656
Buddy Kofoid - 652
Chris Windom - 578
Tim Shaffer - 576
J.J. Hickle - 574
Cap Henry - 562
Skylar Gee - 558
Greg Wilson - 538
Cody Maroske - 534
2023 All Star Circuit of Champions OWNER Standings (As of 6/16):
Clauson Marshall Racing - 2374
Rudeen Racing - 2340
Vermeer Motorsports - 2244
Lane Racing - 2214
Bryan Grove Racing - 2170
Seeling Motorsports -2116
Bill McCandless Ford - 2088
Premier Motorsports - 1988
D3 Motorsports Group - 1864
2023 All Star Circuit of Champions DRIVER Standings (As of 6/16):
Tyler Courtney - 2374
Zeb Wise - 2230
Chris Windom - 2214
Tim Shaffer - 2170
J.J. Hickle - 2116
Scotty Thiel - 1988
Conner Morrell - 1864
Sye Lynch - 1758
Hunter Schuerenberg - 1592
Brent Marks - 1312
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Photo's: All Star Circuit of Champions | Paul Arch