ALLSTAR: J&J Auto Racing weekly news 2004-09-21

J&J Auto Racing Teams are Victorious Versus Outlaws, All-Stars PA Posse, and Wissota

McKENZIE, TN - J&J Auto Racing teams have been streaky during the 2004 racing season and the winning continued this past week as J&J teams swept the Outlaws program, claimed the highest paying All-Star race of the season, scored another victory on Pennsylvania soil claimed a WISSOTA sprint car feature. Donny Schatz won his third and fourth consecutive World of Outlaws Sprint series features by sweeping the One-Third Mile Short Track Nationals at Eagle Raceway, while Phil Gressman defeated the All-Stars and picked up $12,000 for his win in the Hoosier Fall Classic at Lawrenceburg Speedway. Fred Rahmer wrapped up the Susquehanna Speedway Park track championship with his seventh win of the season at SSP on Thursday night. Loren Langerud was victorious at Brown County Speedway in South Dakota taking the Western 100.

WORLD OF OUTLAWS

Donny Schatz and his ParkerStore #15 J&J have been tough to beat the past two weeks in World of Outlaws Sprint Series action. Schatz, fresh off the $25,000 Gold Cup victory, swept both nights of the One-Third Mile Short Track Nationals at Eagle Raceway this past weekend. Schatz raced his #15 J&J to victory from the pole on Friday night and from the third starting spot Saturday to continue his WoO winning streak. He has won the last four races and five of his last six.

"Jack Elam builds a great racecar," said Schatz following his sixth WoO victory of the season. "It feels good to keep winning races. We have been consistent all year, but hadn't led many laps or won races. The past two weeks we've been starting close to the front and that's been a big plus. The guys on this team have worked really hard all year and to get a run like we are on right now makes all the hard work worth it."

Schatz, who won last year's One-Third Mile Short Track Nationals, led 23 of the 30 laps on Friday night and the final 25 of 40 laps on Saturday night.

ALL-STARS

Phil Gressman picked up his first win of the year Saturday night at Lawrenceburg Speedway in the Haulmark All Star sprint car X-1R 50 lap 22nd annual Hoosier Fall Classic. Gressman raced the #70 Premier Pallets J&J owned by Pete Grove from his 11th starting position to claim the $12,000, the biggest payday for the series this season.

"I've been telling Jack (Elam) that we were getting a lot closer to getting a win," said Gressman following the victory. "The last five or six races things have been coming together. I have to thank Pete Grove and (Crew Chief) Craig Stevens for believing in me, it's been a long summer for us and I can't thank everyone enough. We're just glad to win a race."

Gressman started on the inside of the sixth row in the 50-lap race and made his way to the front during the early stages. Another J&J racer, Bobby Clark, paced the field from lap 11 through 24 in his #8 J&J, wrenched by Andy Potter. By lap 19, Gressman had the #70 J&J in second and a three-way battle for the lead resulted in Gressman taking the top spot coming out of turn four on the 25th lap. Gressman won the race back to the flagstand and was able to hold off several competitors during the final 25 laps to win the race.

"We were really good," continued Gressman. "The car was locked down and the way we raced up to the front, I was like 'Man, did we get to the front too quick?' I knew it would be tough to stay up front the final 25 laps, but things went our way. We've got about eight shows on this car and it just keeps getting better."

Clark finished third in the #8 J&J.

Susquehanna Speedway Park

Fred Rahmer claimed his seventh win of the season at Susquehanna Speedway Park last Thursday night. Rahmer got the lead from fellow J&J runner, Eric Stambaugh, and worked lapped traffic masterfully in the Joe Harz Racing #88h J&J to score win number 32 of the season. The victory also clinched the SSP track championship for Rahmer.

"Winning the championship is good because this is a fun race track," said the driver of the Joe Harz Racing No. 88H sprinter. "The track was really good tonight. It was good to see a good field of cars come out tonight and hopefully the fans got a show."

Eric Stambaugh took the early lead in the Floyd Swope-owned #4 J&J and held the spot while Rahmer worked from his sixth starting spot up to the back bumper of Stambaugh. Rahmer closed the gap to within one car length on lap 15 and two laps later, he took the inside line from Stambaugh in turn three and took the lead for good.

"I got pinned behind a couple lapped cars, then he got pinned behind them too," Rahmer added. "He was really good and I was worried about him starting up front because he's a good racer. But we started up front too and you better make something happen."

Stambaugh finished second ahead of another J&J driver, Lance Dewease, in the Hamilton Motorsports #77 J&J. Cris Eash brought the #17e E & G Classics J&J home fifth giving J&J four of the top five spots. Blane Heimbach (#12 GOFF Racing J&J) finished seventh and Doug Esh (#30 Leach Motorsports J&J) came home eighth.

"It's been an exceptional year, especially after last year," said Rahmer. "I had 33 wins once before and I'd like to at least beat that. I'm just glad to win any race we can because you might never win another one."

WISSOTA

Loren Langerud won the WESTERN 100 WISSOTA sprint car race on Saturday night at Brown County Speedway in Aberdeen, SD. Langerud raced the B&L Racing #56l J&J to a heat race victory and the feature event. The win was the team's 13th of the season.

-j&jar-