All Stars Invade Western PA

This coming weekend at a pair of tracks in Western PA marks the first time that Tony Stewart brings his revived All Star Circuit of Champions to our area. The NEW All Stars, who competed in Florida and Ohio earlier this year, just spent a weekend wrestlin' with the PA Posse. It's finally time that they ventured over to our area to battle at two of the premier facilities on this side of the state.

The rejuvenated touring series is set to make their first visit to the region while carrying the strongest contingent of drivers in quite some time. Featuring some new faces to mix in with the familiar, here are the drivers following the series thus far:



ASCoC Standings:
1. Dale Blaney 2. Ryan Smith 3. Cody Darrah 4. Sheldon Haudenschild 5. Danny Holtgraver 6. Chad Kemenah 7. Tim Shaffer 8. Parker Price-Miller 9. Andrew Palker 10. Danny Smith 11. Paige Polyak 12. Caleb Helms 13. Greg Wilson 14. Travis Philo

Located between the sprint car hotbeds of Ohio and Central PA allows the chance for a few other invaders to make some noise. Expect the likes of Jac Haudenschild and Lee Jacobs from the Western tier. A Central PA driver or two may sneak over to try and grab some of the loot that is up for grabs as well.

Another noteworthy topic to touch on is the RETURN of "The Mouse" Kenny Jacobs. Jacobs has not been behind the wheel of a 410 Sprint Car for a number of years but will make his 2015 debut in a team car to Chad Kemenah and fielded by Rob Hunter Racing at Lernerville Speedway. He'll follow that up the next night by competing at Mercer Raceway Park.

Do not be fooled by all this talk of invaders and All Star regulars. They'll face some stiff competition as they look to trump the Western PA Posse on their home turf. The contingent from our area will be led by Ed Lynch, Jr, Jack Sodeman, Jr, Carl Bowser, Rod George, Brandon Matus, A.J. Flick, Eric Williams, Adam Kekich, and Brandon Spithaler, all of whom are expecting to park their machines in victory lane this weekend.

Who's Hot?
This is the section where we tell you which drivers are on a hot streak, while we are simultaneously crossing our fingers in hopes that we don't jinx any of them. So with that said...

Cody Darrah - Coming off $18,900 Weikert Memorial win
Dale Blaney - Fast and consistent, he has just reclaimed the points lead
Tim Shaffer - All-time ASCoC winner at Lernerville & Mercer
Ed Lynch Jr. - Winner of Lernerville's first 2 sprint car features
Danny Holtgraver - former Lernerville track champion
Adam Kekich - Winner of Mercer's $4,000 opener


The History - All Star Sprints:
At least 377 career All Star wins will be represented by drivers for this weekend's doubleheader. Here's the list:

Dale Blaney [115], Kenny Jacobs [98], Tim Shaffer [54], Danny Smith [33], Chad Kemenah [27], Greg Wilson [22], Danny Holtgraver [9], Ed Lynch Jr [8], Lee Jacobs [2], Cody Darrah [2], Rod George [2], Parker Price-Miller [1], Brandon Matus [1], Cole Duncan [1], Sheldon Haudenschild [1], Ryan Smith [1]

The History - Lernerville Speedway:
The All Star Circuit of Champions have a rich history in Western Pennsylvania, especially when considering the two venues that they're about to visit.

Lernerville Speedway will be hosting their 34th series race. Dating back to the 1st one that took place in 1989, 20 drivers have nabbed a series victory at the historic 4/10 mile oval. Tim Shaffer leads the way with 4 series victories at Lernerville.

What do Tim Shaffer, Chad Kemenah, Ed Lynch Jr., Dale Blaney, Danny Smith, Kenny Jacobs, Danny Holtgraver and Lee Jacobs all have in common? They'll all be in attendance Friday, and each one has recorded a series win at the historic speedway.

ASCoC Winners [33 races]: Tim Shaffer [4], Keith Kaufman [3], Chad Kemenah [3], Bobby Allen [2], Ed Lynch Jr. [2], Mark Kinser [2], Dale Blaney [2], Jeff Shepard [2], Dean Jacobs [2], Robbie Stanley, Sammy Swindell, Fred Rahmer, Tyler Walker, Kasey Kahne, Ryan Coniam, Danny Smith, Stevie Smith, Kenny Jacobs, Danny Holtgraver, Lee Jacobs

The History - Mercer Raceway Park:
Saturday evening will mark the 18th time that the All Star Circuit of Champions will visit the 3/8 mile D-shaped oval. Since the 1st race was held back in 1981, 12 different drivers have been able to find victory lane.

This tricky track has been tamed by one driver in particular. Just as the case was with Lernerville, Tim Shaffer leads all drivers with 3 series wins at "The Park".



ASCoC Winners [17 races]: Tim Shaffer [3], Jeff Shepard [2], Daryn Pittman [2], Danny Holtgraver [2], Bobby Allen, Johnny Beaber, Dean Jacobs, Mark Keegan, Shane Stewart, Ed Lynch Jr., Jac Haudenschild, Dale Blaney

How to Follow:
If you can't make time this weekend to visit either Lernerville Speedway or Mercer Raceway Park, well first of all shame on you. Luckily we'll still help you out because we care about each and every DIRT fan...just don't let it happen again.

Looking for video? Look no further as Speed Shift TV has you covered with LIVE video. Single night viewing can be ordered for $24.95, meanwhile the two-day pass for both ASCoC-sanctioned events can be purchased for a reasonable $44.95.

Live timing and scoring will also be available both nights through the Race-Monitor app for mobile devices.

Maybe you're on the go, and LIVE video or timing and scoring just isn't option. Unfortunately you'll have to resort to Twitter for the remainder of the evening. Luckily you can find more than enough info to cover the action on our own account (@TheDirtNetwork) as well as @ASCoC, @Lernerville, and @MercerRaceway.


**Editor's Note: Much thanks to Mike Leone and Eric Westendorf for the track-specific win totals