6/8/2023
Sharon Speedway
ALL STAR SPRINTS TO MAKE 1ST APPEARANCE OF 2023 AT SHARON ON TUESDAY FOR OHIO SPEEDWEEK PLUS NON-WING RUSH SPRINTS
By Mike Leone
June 8, 2023
(Hartford, OH)…The 41st annual Ohio Sprint Speedweek presented by Cometic Gasket is set to make a stop at Sharon Speedway this Tuesday (June 13). The Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 will feature the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply "410" Sprint Cars for $6,000 to-win along with the non-wing Terry Bowser Excavating RUSH Sprint Cars for $700 to-win. Warm-ups are slated for 6:30 p.m. followed by qualifying and racing.
Tuesday will mark the first of two appearances by the All Stars at Sharon in 2023 as Tony Stewart's Series will return for the $10,000 to-win “Lou Blaney Memorial” on July 8. Tickets for all events are available at the following link: https://sharonspeedway.simpletix.com.
Ohio Speedweek will feature eight nights of racing with Sharon being stop number five on the grueling swing through the Buckeye State. A $12,000 points fund is on the line with $5,000 to the champion; $2,500 for second, $2,000 for third, $1,500 for fourth, and $1,000 for fifth. On behalf of Tony Stewart Store, a victory bonus will also be up for grabs during Ohio Sprint Speedweek: if a driver wins three or more events, an extra $1,000 will be awarded per win.
After a five-year absence, Ohio Speedweek returned to Sharon in 2010 as hall of famer Tim Shaffer was victorious. In 2011, it was hometown favorite Dale Blaney winning the Sharon leg of Speedweek over a 45-car field. In 2012, in a stunning turn of events, local racer Brandon Matus came out victorious for his first career win with both the All Stars and at Sharon as 43 cars were on hand. The 2013 and 2014 events fell victim to Mother Nature.
In 2015, Dale Blaney won his second Speedweek race in three events at Sharon. Bryan Clauson topped a 51-car field in 2016 winning his first career All Star race before tragically losing his life in a racing accident later in the summer. In 2017, Kyle Larson scored a popular win over a big field of 48 cars. Larson's bid for two straight Sharon Speedweek wins failed when Christopher Bell made a late race pass to win in 2018 with 48 cars on hand. The 2019 Speedweek show was rained. In 2020, the "Lou Blaney Memorial" and Justin Snyder's "Salute to the Troops" events fell under Speedweek due to the COVID-19 pandemic as Cale Conley and Larson were victorious. Danny Dietrich won his first career Sharon race in 2022 topping a huge 53-car field. Last year saw Christopher Bell win his second Sharon Ohio Speedweek race.
Speedweek always brings a diverse field of competitors. Not only will the All Stars' base of full-time competitors led by two-time champion Tyler Courtney be in action, but also racers from all over the US and Australia in addition to the stars of central Pa., Ohio, and locally. The average car count since Speedweek returned to Sharon in 2010 has been 44.6!
Sharon has completed three "410" Sprint Car events thus far in 2023. Dave Blaney has been victorious in both of his starts winning over a 30-car field on May 13 for $3,000 and then most recently last Saturday night over a 31-car field for Western PA Speedweek worth another $3,000. In between on May 20, Donny Schatz won $10,000 for his first career Sharon "410" victory and second consecutive World of Outlaws win.
The Terry Bowser Excavating RUSH Sprint Cars will round out the two-division Sprint Car program on Tuesday night racing for $700 to-win, $160 to-start. The RUSH Sprints have made two appearances at Sharon this season with Chad Ruhlman winning both. The Erie, Pa. driver won the May 13 opener over a 23-car field then won the Thursday, May 25 $800 special with 22 cars on hand as an undercard to the World of Outlaws Late Models. Ruhlman has won 11 of the 26 races run all-time at Sharon as the four-time Series champion currently leads RUSH $5,000 to-win Sunbelt Weekly Series Championship points.
Summit Racing Equipment will present the hard charger award to the RUSH Sprint Car division. The driver that passes the most cars in the feature will receive a $100 Summit gift card. In the event of a tie, the tiebreaker will be the driver that finished highest in the feature.
There is no Sharon registration fee. One-way driver radios are mandatory; channel 454.000. AMB/MyLaps transponders are required; rentals available for $25. If you have yet to register for the 2023 season, please bring the registration form with you completed http://sharonspeedway.myracepass.com/downloads/get.aspx?i=713060
Fans can not only experience viewing from the frontstretch and backstretch grandstands, but also from the infield fan zone, which includes concessions and restrooms. Sharon is the only track in the area to have viewing from the unique infield perspective. There will be times throughout the night when fans can cross on the frontstretch back and forth.
Pit passes will go on sale at 4 p.m. with grandstands at 5. The All Stars drivers meeting will be at 6:00 p.m. Sprint Car motor heat is scheduled for 6:15 p.m. followed by warmups, Sprint Car qualifying and racing.
Reserved and general admission tickets for those 14 and over is $25. Patio seating upgrades are just $10 and fan suite seating upgrades are just $20 over the cost of general admission. These can be reserved online https://sharonspeedway.simpletix.com/. Children under 14 and parking are always FREE. Pit passes are $35. Tickets will be available at the gates on race day. A camping permit is $25 and must be reserved through the above ticket link. As a reminder, coolers nor outside food or beverages are not permitted.
The Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Big-Block Modifieds will make their first appearance of the season on Saturday, June 17 and will be joined by the Terry Bowser Excavating RUSH Sprint Cars, Gibson Insurance Agency Pro Stocks, and the HTMA/Precise Racing Products RUSH Sportsman Modifieds. Race time is 7 p.m.
Sharon Speedway is owned by the Blaney, Weller, and Kirila Families and is a 3/8-mile dirt track located on Custer-Orangeville Road in Hartford, Ohio near the intersection of Routes 7 & 305. For more information, check out the website at www.sharonspeedway.com or call 330-772-5481. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sharonspeedway and follow us on Twitter @sharonspdwy.
Article Credit: Mike Leone
