Mintz’s Bid for 3rd Fast Title Gets Off to Great Start with Fremont Win
FREMONT, Ohio – Craig Mintz has not raced a lot the past couple of years as the Gibsonburg, Ohio native devoted his time to his business and his growing family. The two-time champion of the All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads FAST 410 Championship Series Presented by Ohio Logistics decided 2018 would be the year to once again go after a series title and it got off to a great start as he scored a thrilling victory Saturday, April 21 at Fremont Speedway.
The win was the 11th of Mintz’ career at “The Track That Action Built” to open the historic oval’s 68th season of racing on Smith Family Foods Night. In the 30-lap feature he first had to hold off defending FAST champion D.J. Foos early and then late in the race Cap Henry gave Mintz all he could handle
“That just shows the ups and downs of racing and shows you how mentally tough you have to be to be in this game. You build a new race car and destroy it in one lap and then you put a new car together and come here and win races. This crew battled and battled and battled and here we are in victory lane. I know my wife’s sitting at home pretty mad..I’ll text her and hopefully she will forgive me,” said Mintz beside his Eagle Ignition Leads/Real Geese/ Design Graphics Group/ KS Sales & Service/ Anjulina’s/Linder’s Speed Equipment backed #09.
“I seen his (Henry) nose there a couple of times and it was a matter of taking up as much room as I could in turn one and trying to hold my line in three and four. I love racing with Cap…we have raced each other since we were five,” Mintz said. “To open the year at Fremont and the FAST deal with a win is a huge confidence booster.”
The evening’s fast qualifier Chris Andrews and Mintz brought the field to green for their 30-lap A-main with Mintz gaining the advantage as fourth place starter Foos drove into second. Mintz set a blistering pace and just as he was ready to drive into heavy lapped traffic by lap five the caution flew.
The restart order was Mintz, Foos, Andrews, Nate Dussel, Henry, Stuart Brubaker and Broc Martin. Mintz pulled away when the green flew but when he closed in on the back of the pack Foos, Andrews and Henry closed. Henry took third on lap 14 and at the half-way point the crowd were on their feet as Mintz, Foos and Henry sliced through traffic battling for the top spot.
With 10 laps remaining Andrews had caught the lead trio as the top four ran nose to tail. Henry took second on lap 21 just before the caution flew with eight laps to go. The good news for Mintz was a clear track while the bad news was Henry looked to have the fastest car on the track. When the green reappeared Henry drove to Mintz’ outside several times. Exiting turn four with five laps to go Henry got sideways and spun, ending his entertaining run.
The last five laps featured a tremendous battle with Mintz continuing to lead while Dussel took second with Andrews and Foos challenging. At the checkers Mintz won by a car length over Andrews who rebounded nicely with two-time 305 track champion Dussel rounding out the podium. They were followed by Foos, Martin, Brubaker, Gunn, Brian Smith (up from 18th), T.J. Michael and Tracy Hines rounding out the top 10.
The FAST 410 Championship Series competitors will be back in action Friday, May 4 at Attica Raceway Park followed by the second trip of the year to Fremont Speedway on Saturday, May 5 as part of the open-wheel shootout.
The JLH General Contractor FAST 305 Championship Series presented by Engine Pro will kick off their season Friday, May 4 at Attica Raceway Park followed by their first appearance of the year at Fremont Speedway on Saturday, May 5 as they take on the 360 c.i. sprints in a special challenge race as part of the open-wheel shootout.
About the FAST Championship Series:
The FAST Series was started as a way to promote the great racing fans have enjoyed in Northwest/North Central Ohio at Attica Raceway Park and Fremont Speedway – thus the FAST acronym stood for Fremont Attica Sprint Title. Over the past couple of years the series has expanded to include other tracks and is now known as simply the FAST Championship Series.
Those who are seeking additional information regarding the 2018 All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads FAST Series presented by Ohio Logistics, or the 2018 JLH General Contractors FAST ‘305’ Series presented by Engine Pro, can do so by logging on to the official online home of the FAST Series at www.fastondirt.com. Be sure to stay updated on everything FAST related and ‘Like’ FAST on Facebook at fb.com/fastondirt and follow FAST on Twitter at @FASTseries.
FAST On Dirt, Inc. would like to thank the following contributors to the 2018 FAST Series point fund: All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads, Ohio Logistics, JLH General Contractors, Engine Pro, Kistler Racing Products, Engler Machine & Tool, CP-Carillo Pistons, Design Graphics Group Inc., SCS Gearbox, Reebar Die Casting, Hoseheads.com, Level Performance, Young’s RV Centers, Gressman Powersports, Hoserville Ohio, Jon Wright’s Custom Chrome Plating, Fremont Fence, Baumann Auto Group, Fricker’s, Goofy Golf, NAPA Auto Parts, Hoosier Tire, UNOH, Welty Financial Services, EZ Shop, US Army, Weld Racing Wheels, Joe and Fran Darmofal and the Pub 400 of Fremont
About All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads:
All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads, based in Johnstown, Ohio, is the Industry Leader in Small Block Chevy Aluminum Cylinder Heads, as well as the new Generation 3 and Mopar W9RP, catering to the hard core racer always looking for the perfect design for a specific application. Whether it’s Sprints, Super Late Models, Drag Racing, Off-Road, Marine or Road Racing, you can count on All Pro. Visit www.allproheads.com for more information.
About JLH General Contractor:
Based in Fremont , Ohio and owned by long-time racing supporter Jon Horn, The JLH Co. LLC is your one-stop for custom home remodeling, plaster restoration, and drywall installation services. Their dedicated craftsmen will help you build the home you want out of the house you have. You can also trust JLH for construction services, including garages and pole barns. JLH also provides custom siding, roofing and window installation. Visitwww.jlhcompany.com for more information
About Ohio Logistics:
Headquartered in Findlay, Ohio, Ohio Logistics provides all the assets and operational support necessary to meet your most sophisticated logistical requirements. The company’s story is one of very impressive growth. Started in June of 1988, Findlay’s Tall Timbers Distribution Center, Inc. opened in the General Purpose Foreign Trade Zone #151 in the Tall Timbers Business Park. By 1996 the company had grown to 5 locations in 3 States and started doing business as Ohio Logistics. Currently Ohio Logistics is in 18 locations in 6 states operating over 6,000,000 square feet. Built on a sound financial base, Ohio Logistics will strive to exceed your expectations regarding your leasing and supply-chain management needs. Visit them online at www.OhioLogistics.com
About Engine Pro
Engine Parts Group, Inc. the parent of Engine Pro was founded in 1989 by independent engine parts distributors looking for a way to work cooperatively in buying and marketing. Today it functions as both a distribution network for brand name internal engine parts and as a specialty engine parts producer, marketing under the Engine Pro name. Engine Pro sells exclusively to engine builders, machine shops and jobbers. As part of our tradition of specializing in distributing engine parts to engine professionals, Engine Parts Group now serves more than 12,000 customers from 36 distribution centers. Engine Pro products high performance engine parts and the line continues to grow with the frequent addition of new parts and applications. Engine Pro brand products are designed to offer the highest quality in high performance parts along with a moderate price to give racers and performance engine builders a more affordable way to do what they do best—win races. Find the nearest Engine pro distributed at enginepro.com
Smith Family Foods Night
April 21, 2018
Fremont Speedway
Qualifying
1.16-Chris Andrews, 12.078; 2.8J-Jess Stiger, 12.228; 3.97-Broc Martin, 12.268; 4.4H-Cap Henry, 12.325; 5.3J-Trey Jacobs, 12.364; 6.68G-Tyler Gunn, 12.371; 7.22M-Dan McCarron, 12.384; 8.35-Stuart Brubaker, 12.470; 9.23-DJ Foos, 12.477; 10.09-Craig Mintz, 12.579; 11.1-Nate Dussel, 12.588; 12.41-Thomas Schinderle, 12.697; 13.9Z-Duane Zablocki, 12.701; 14.4T-Tracy Hines, 12.749; 15.2+-Brian Smith, 12.765; 16.4N-Jim Morris, 12.799; 17.5K-Adam Kekich, 12.807; 18.00-Thomas Meseraull, 12.966; 19.91x-Aaron Middaugh, 13.037; 20.20I-Kelsey Ivy, 13.072; 21.7-Shawn Valenti, 13.102; 22.14H-Todd Heller, 13.145; 23.8M-TJ Michael, 14.656;
Heat 1 (8 Laps)
1. 09-Craig Mintz[1] ; 2. 4H-Cap Henry[3] ; 3. 16-Chris Andrews[4] ; 4. 22M-Dan McCarron[2] ; 5. 9Z-Duane Zablocki[5] ; 6. 91x-Aaron Middaugh[7] ; 7. 4N-Jim Morris[6] ; 8. 14H-Todd Heller[8]
Heat 2 (8 Laps)
1. 35-Stuart Brubaker[2] ; 2. 1-Nate Dussel[1] ; 3. 8J-Jess Stiger[4] ; 4. 8M-TJ Michael[8] ; 5. 4T-Tracy Hines[5] ; 6. 3J-Trey Jacobs[3] ; 7. 5K-Adam Kekich[6] ; 8. 20I-Kelsey Ivy[7]
Heat 3 (8 Laps)
1. 23-DJ Foos[2] ; 2. 97-Broc Martin[4] ; 3. 68G-Tyler Gunn[3] ; 4. 00-Thomas Meseraull[6] ; 5. 41-Thomas Schinderle[1] ; 6. 2+-Brian Smith[5] ; 7. 7-Shawn Valenti[7]
A-Main 1 (30 Laps)
1. 09-Craig Mintz[2] ; 2. 16-Chris Andrews[1] ; 3. 1-Nate Dussel[6] ; 4. 23-DJ Foos[4] ; 5. 97-Broc Martin[7] ; 6. 35-Stuart Brubaker[3] ; 7. 68G-Tyler Gunn[9] ; 8. 2+-Brian Smith[18] ; 9. 8M-TJ Michael[11] ; 10. 4T-Tracy Hines[14] ; 11. 00-Thomas Meseraull[12] ; 12. 3J-Trey Jacobs[17] ; 13. 4H-Cap Henry[5] ; 14. 9Z-Duane Zablocki[13] ; 15. 22M-Dan McCarron[10] ; 16. 7-Shawn Valenti[21] ; 17. 5K-Adam Kekich[20] ; 18. 41-Thomas Schinderle[15] ; 19. 20I-Kelsey Ivy[22] ; 20. 91x-Aaron Middaugh[16] ; 21. 8J-Jess Stiger[8] ; 22. 4N-Jim Morris[19]
Hard Charger: 2+ Brian Smith +10
Sources: Brian Liskai/FAST Championship Series PR