ORRVILLE, Ohio — For the second time in four starts, and for the second time this season, Hunter Schuerenberg is a Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 main event winner, accomplishing his recent feat in front of a packed house Saturday night Wayne County Speedway.
Schuerenberg, who earned his first All Star victory of the season at Lernerville Speedway on April 29, led all 30 circuits, fending off persistent challenges by Friday night winner and fellow All Star title contender Justin Peck.
Schuerenberg is now a three-time All Star winner with each triumph coming in a different state — New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio.
“I can’t say enough about how proud I am of this team. Giving Clinton and Danny more responsibility, and taking the wrenches out of my hands to focus more on driving, has been a big game changer for this team, and they’ve proven themselves,” Schuerenberg said. “Clinton has been a part of my family since he was ten years old. And he’s a race car driver, too, so he’s very good at understanding what I’m trying to relate. And Danny, I’m not sure I know anyone that likes working with tires as much as he does. He works harder at it than anyone in the pit area. This whole combination is special right now.”
Although Schuerenberg led them all, a caution with two laps remaining would actually stir the pot for Orrville fans, giving Peck one last chance to pounce.
The ensuing single file restart would ultimately prove to be unproductive for Peck, having to settle for second with Zeb Wise, Parker Price-Miller and a hard-charging Tyler Courtney in tow.
Wise, who started fifth, claimed the final podium spot in the final corner.
At the time of the final caution, traffic was a huge factor, finding the back of the pack for the first time on lap 23; prior cautions on laps three, eight, and 15 would help keep Schuerenberg’s nose clean.
“I would have rather raced through traffic than see that last caution come out,” Schuerenberg added, who scored $6,000 for his win. “I’ve grown to be really comfortable in traffic and I knew with slower cars on the bottom, I could use them as a block and keep others from racing below me. Actually, that caution made me nervous for those last two laps because I was getting so tight through the corners. Momentum changes like that sometimes gives your tires a chance to cool and lose pressure…it all worked out in the end.”
The finish:
Feature (30 Laps): 1. 55-Hunter Schuerenberg [2]; 2. 13-Justin Peck [3]; 3. 10-Zeb Wise [5]; 4. 11-Parker Price Miller [4]; 5. 7BC-Tyler Courtney [16]; 6. 101-Cale Thomas [6]; 7. 97-Greg Wilson [10]; 8. 26-Cory Eliason [11]; 9. 4-Cap Henry [7]; 10. 28-Brandon Spithaler [1]; 11. 17B-Bill Balog [9]; 12. 19-Chris Windom [18]; 13. 21-Carson Short [14]; 14. 3J-Trey Jacobs [13]; 15. 9K-Kevin Thomas Jr. [19]; 16. 7-Scott Bogucki [8]; 17. 91-Kyle Reinhardt [12]; 18. 38K-Chris Myers [24]; 19. 8-Zach Ames [22]; 20. 16-Danny Mumaw [23]; 21. 70M-Henry Malcuit [15]; 22. 9-Andrew Palker [20]; 23. 38-Leyton Wagner [17]; 24. 11H-Shawn Hubler [21]
Keyword: Schuerenberg Is Wayne County Star