FREMONT, Ohio — With an $80,000 team title on the line next Saturday night at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway, leaving Fremont Speedway with a Jim & Joanne Ford Classic finale title would be the ultimate momentum kick for any All Star Circuit of Champions driver.
And that’s exactly what Zeb Wise and Rudeen Racing did, cashing in for not only their eighth All Star victory of the season, but a $10,000 payday in the process.
Wise, ace of the Rayce Rudeen Foundation/Sundollar Restoration No. 26 sprint car, earned his $10,000 payday from the outside-pole position, slipping back to third at the initial start before making his charge to the front.
The Angola, Ind., native used traffic to get himself to second on lap 15, then got by team championship rival and race-long leader Tyler Courtney with a move around the top on lap 20. The next 10 circuits would see Wise stretch his advantage to almost three seconds, that until caution flags waved on lap 31.
By that point, Kyle Reinhardt had already made his way to the second spot, utilizing some mid-race chaos to get around Courtney and Kerry Madsen. The Neptune City, N.J., native did everything he could to get to Wise in the final few circuits, but all was too late.
Even one final caution on lap 39 proved unworthy.
Reinhardt raced home second, followed by Madsen, Parker Price-Miller and Cole Duncan.
“I actually didn’t want to see that last caution come out because I wasn’t sure what to do after that. I was never in clean air by myself all race, so I really wasn’t sure,” Wise expressed. “Man, I say this every single interview, but all of this is because of the guys standing behind me. They really make my job easy out there. We had our Ford motor in tonight too, so hats off to them and all of their support.”
Officially, Wise and Rudeen Racing are on top of the current All Star team standings, holding down the fort by four markers over Courtney and Clauson Marshall Racing — making it the closest team race of Tony Stewart’s ownership tenure.