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Fremont Pit Notes
Story by:
By Brian Liskai
07/16/2001:
David Harrison's win Saturday in the 410 sprint feature was the second of his career at Fremont Speedway. He scored another feature win a few years ago in the 360 sprints. He still has a ways to go to catch his dad, Darl Harrison, who has 19 career feature wins to sit 19th in the all-time career feature win list at the track. Daryl was the 1960, '61 and '62 track champion.
Scott Kraylek became the 286th different driver to win a feature at Fremont Speedway in its 50 year existence. Kraylek used the win to celebrate his 35th birthday at midnigt Saturday (Sunday morning).
Phil Gressman, driver of the Dwight Reidling #9 410 sprint, celebrated his 33rd birthday on Sunday. Roger Shammo, driver of the #10 305 sprint, celebrated his 39th birthday on Sunday also.
Steve Edwards of Greenwich, Ohio, started the year driving the #1a blue and silver 305 sprint. He changed the number to #6e and the color to orange and blue to try and change his luck.
Bryan Scott, who has won six features in the 305 sprint division in 2001 at Fremont, came roaring up through the pack from his 12th starting position, only to suffer a flat right front in a battle for second with a handful of laps remaining. He still maintains the point lead in the division. His wife's luck was better, as she won the Sandusky County Fairboard's 50/50 raffle worth over $1,100.
Jim Linder, 58, came out of retirement Saturday to pilot Keith Brewer's #3 sprint car. The car is his son, Mike's backup car. The crew had fun with Jim, putting duct tape over Mike 's name on t-shirts and writing Jim's name in. Also, on Mike's car is his website address, www.mikelinder.com. On Jim's car the crew wrote "Jim Linder.old"
The Keegan name is synonomous with Fremont Speedway. Keegans (Gug, Mark, Willie, Jim, Dan, Joe, Jody and Pat) have accounted for 147 feature wins. The Linder family (Jim, Fred and Mike) have won 72 features.
Kenny Clark completely rebuilt an old Bobby Allen chassis that is owned by De Genzman. The car even sported a nice looking new paint job with Genzman's old late model number 53.
Dirt Truck driver L.J. Connors was back in competition Saturday after a hard hit in turn 2 on July 3. Connors had nothing but praise for the emergency crew at the track and all the support crew. He also had a heart felt thanks for B&D Motorsports, Jim Maglosky, Rex Haubert's race team, keith Hartlaub and the crew of Joe Hartlaub's #1 truck and Jay Boyd and John King and the 27B truck team for all their help. "You never are sure you have friends in racing until you're down and out, ready to quit but your friends come through for you," said Connors.
Defending track champion Danny Roepke is all but elminated from claiming the title again. Brian Sebetto, driver of the #01 truck, used the speedway's "engine claim" rule against Roepke Saturday. Sebetto, who has won a feature this year, posted the necessary $500 for Roepke's engine and the $50 fee for pulling it. Had Roepke accepted, he would have gotten the $500 and Sebetto's engine. Roepke, who has won three features this year, finished second in Saturday's feature. Because he refused the claim, he lost all pay for the night and all of his season's points (he was leading the points going into Saturday). According to the division rules, if Roepke refuses a second claim, he has to sit out the next four nights of racing. There are other stipulations in the rules, such as Sebetto had to be on the same lap as Roepke at the end of the feature. Also, each driver is only allowed two claim opportunities each year.
John Wisbon, by virtue of his third place finish Saturday in the Burmeister #16, took the 410 sprint point lead by one point over John Ivy. Wisbon is the fourth different driver in the last four weeks to lead the point standings. There are only 18 points separating the top five in the point standings (Todd Heller is 5th with 734 points).
Another bike went home with a lucky fan (10 years old and under) Saturday. The Tackle Box II bar and grill has sponsored several bikes for fans this year. The Fremont Theatre Service will be sponsoring a bike soon. Sabo Racing has also sponsored a bike giveaway.
Cortney Rapp, who was severely injured in a crash on opening night in the 305 sprints, has been showing great improvements and has visited the race track on several occasions. Fremont Speedway's fans showed why they are some of the greatest in the country by contributing over $1,600 to help Rapp pay her medical bills.
Jim Dayton, driver of the #2x sprint car, who was seriously injured in a crash during Speedweek, was in the pit area Saturday at Fremont. He has a lot of rehabilitation ahead of him.
Thanks to the Baumann Automotive Group, the 410 sprint feature on July 28 will pay $3,000 to win.
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