Craig Mintz earns first Speedway victory of season in Fisher car
Craig Mintz had yet to win a race this season at Fremont Speedway.
Since opening night, the Gibsonburg driver finished no worse than seventh in the 410 sprints. Mintz led all 30 laps Saturday in a George Fisher car for his 15th career victory on Ohio Laborers Night.
A caution with two laps to go put DJ Foos on his rear bumper. Mintz, a three-time Fremont track champ, got an excellent restart and survived a last-ditch slider from Foos to drive to the win.
Mintz was hit with a chunk of mud and taken for a check-up at the local hospital last week.
"Janet Holbrook gave $500 to fast time in memory of George Fisher and we’re running one of his race cars," Mintz said. "Hats off to DJ, there’s not a lot of drivers out there like him who won’t just destroy the race car in that situation.
"He left me room and raced me clean. I didn’t get a good start so I knew it was coming. Give props to my race team. It's a special night."
Foos edged closer to Cole Macedo in the standings for the All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads/Kistler Racing Products Attica Fremont Championship Series with a second-place finish.
Macedo was upset with his performance in the Fort Ball Pizza Palace 410 Sprint feature but redeemed himself with a dominant performance in the Great Lakes Super Sprints (360c.i.) feature, leading all 25 laps and at one time by half the track.
Macedo scored his sixth feature win of the season at Fremont – four 410 victories and a pair of GLSS wins to run his career total at the track to 10. It was his ninth overall victory in the Ray Brooks Racing entry this year.
"I really don’t know what happened," Macedo said. "The first five or six laps we were really good and then I got really tight and burnt the brakes right off the thing. The last 10-15 laps I was all over the place. I’ve lost a race this year because I lost brakes and I didn’t want that to happen again.
"Almost gave it away quite a few times. I’m pretty bummed out about the 410 show. We have a good piece to take to the Trophy Cup."
The Fremont Federal Credit Union 305 Sprints will open the Sandusky County Fair in August and in order to be eligible to compete in the event, drivers had to compete in two weekly events at Fremont Speedway. Foos, therefore, hopped in the Burmeister Racing 305, and won.
He battled Jamie Miller throughout the 25-lap feature and a late-race caution. Miller led the first 11 laps of the race with Foos taking over on Lap 12.
Miller used lapped traffic to regain the lead on Lap 20, but a caution reverted back to the last fully scored lap. Foos then held on for the win, the 24th of his career at the track.
Miller’s second-place finish edges him closer to Paul Weaver in the NAPA of Bryan AFCS standings.
“I’m very happy to be in Victory Lane," Foos said. "This has not been our year but we’re finding speed in the 410 deal. It’s a pretty good piece and we’re getting it tuned up and hopefully be standing up here for the fair."
Jeff Babcock and Cory McCaughey put on a show in the Burmeister Trophy Dirt trucks, swapping the lead back and forth the last six laps before Babcock was able to drive to the win, the second of his career at the track.
"Cory raced me very clean," Babcock said. "That was a lot of fun to run side by side like that lap after lap and not hit each other. When we took the white I knew I had to go up top and block him and it worked out."
Speedway is host Saturday to 410 and 305 sprints, and trucks.
This article originally appeared on Fremont News-Messenger: Babcock wins Burmeister Trophy race at Fremont
