Chad Blonde Takes SOD King Engine Bearings King of Michigan Race at Hartford
In a night of firsts, Engine Pro Sprints On Dirt presented by ARP made their maiden appearance on the newly reconfigured Hartford Motor Speedway 3/8 mile oval, and the show, before a huge crowd, was a real hit. Chad Blonde, winner of the last SOD feature on the old track configuration last September, charged to his first win of the season in the first of four King Engine Bearings King of Michigan 2017 races.
After battling rain for most of May, Hartford Speedway owner Tim Dibble and his track crew now had a sunny, hot, and windy race day to contend with. Through their hard work, they were able to get the new clay surface under control.
The night started out with Chad Blonde, Joe Swanson, and Boston Mead winning the Lane Automotive/MSD Ignition Fast Master awards as fast qualifiers in their respective heat race qualifying sessions. Unfortunately for 17-year-old Mead, his night was over due to engine problems.
Gregg Dalman showed early speed, leading flag to flag in the Engler Machine & Tool heat race from the pole position. Mark Aldrich took the the COMP Cams heat race after the original start was called back. On the second start, point leader Dain Naida made heavy contact with the turn 3 wall ending his night early. Thirteen-year-old Andrew Scheid lead the entire RockAuto.com heat race on his way to his first SOD race win.
After a complete restart for the King Engine Bearings King of Michigan 25-lap feature, Blonde wasted little time charging into the lead from 3rd and driving away from the field. The red flag flew on lap 7 when Brett Man flipped hard in turn 3. Back under green, Blonde drove off to a convincing 10-second win over Chris Gurley and Jay Steinebach. Joe Swanson took 4th and top SOD sprint car rookie contender Andrew Scheid came home 5th.
Qualifying – Lane Automotive/MSD Ignition Fast Masters $50 each
| Group | Time | # | Driver |
| Engler Machine & Tool Heat | 14.775 | 5B | Chad Blonde |
| COMP Cams Heat | 15.050 | 7J | Joe Swanson |
| RockAuto.com Heat | 15.480 | 27B | Boston Mead |
Heat Races – Winners $100 each
| Engler Machine & Tool Heat #1 | |||
| # | Driver | Contingency | |
| 1 | 49T | Gregg Dalman | |
| 2 | 0 | Steve Irwin | Kistler Racing Products |
| 3 | 5B | Chad Blonde | Racing Optics |
| 4 | 41 | Thomas Schinderle | |
| 5 | 11 | Trey Smith | |
| 6 | 18 | DJ Lamance | |
| 7 | 58 | Tony Bures | |
| 8 | 27X | Jared Lamberson | |
| 9 | 17 | Dustin Carl | |
| COMP Cams Heat #2 | |||
| # | Driver | Contingency | |
| 1 | 1a | Mark Aldrich | |
| 2 | 7J | Joe Swanson | Allstar Performance |
| 3 | 19 | Brett Mann | Racing Optics |
| 4 | 46 | Robert Huisken | |
| 5 | 20A | Andy Chehowski | |
| 6 | 47 | Robert Bullock | |
| 7 | 8 | Justin Ward | |
| 8 | 17x | Dain Naida | |
| RockAuto.com Heat #3 | |||
| # | Driver | Contingency | |
| 1 | 77 | Andrew Scheid | |
| 2 | 12 | Chris Gurley | Kistler Racing Products |
| 3 | 10S | Jay Steinebach | Racing Optics |
| 4 | 10J | Chris Jones | |
| 5 | 19J | Linden Jones | |
| 6 | 91L | Alexis Adgate | |
| 7 | 27 | Brad Lamberson | |
Feature
| # | Driver | Awards | Contingencies | |
| 1 | 5B | Chad Blonde | Rod End Supply | |
| 2 | 12 | Chris Gurley | Rod End Supply | |
| 3 | 10S | Jay Steinebach | Rod End Supply | |
| 4 | 7J | Joe Swanson | Schoenfeld Headers | |
| 5 | 77 | Andrew Scheid | ATL Racing Fuel Cells | |
| 6 | 0 | Steve Irwin | ||
| 7 | 41 | Thomas Schinderle | Allstar Performance | |
| 8 | 19J | Linden Jones | ||
| 9 | 11 | Trey Smith | King Racing Products | |
| 10 | 1a | Mark Aldrich | ||
| 11 | 49T | Gregg Dalman | Keizer Aluminum Wheels | |
| 12 | 46 | Robert Huisken | ||
| 13 | 10J | Chris Jones | ||
| 14 | 20A | Andy Chehowski | ||
| 15 | 27X | Jared Lamberson | ||
| 16 | 58 | Tony Bures | ||
| 17 | 8 | Justin Ward | ||
| 18 | 47 | Robert Bullock | ||
| 19 | 19 | Brett Mann | ||
| 20 | 17 | Dustin Carl | ||
| 21 | 91L | Alexis Adgate |
KSE Racing Products Hard Charger – Linden Jones
BR Motorsports Contingency (feature top 10 draw) – Andrew Scheid
DMI (Diversified Machine) Contingency (feature 12-16 draw) – Andy Chehowski
Perfit Corporation Lucky Dog – Jay Steinebach
For more information about Engine Pro go to www.enginepro.com. For more information about ARP, go to www.arp-bolts.com. The full 2017 Sprints on Dirt schedule, rules, current news, and other information are available at www.sprintsondirt.com.
Engine Pro Sprints On Dirt presented by ARP is brought to you in 2017 by many important sponsor partners including: Engine Pro (Title Sponsor), ARP (Title Sponsor), Hoosier Racing Tire (Official SOD Tire), MAHLE/Clevite (Beyond Limits Challenge Sponsor), Driven Racing Oil (Battlegrounds Bash Sponsor), King Engine Bearings (King of Michigan Sponsor), Lane Automotive/MSD Ignition (Fast Masters Sponsor), Engler Machine & Tool (Heat Race Sponsor), COMP Cams (Heat Race Sponsor), RockAuto.com (Heat Race Sponsor), The Perfit Corporation (Lucky Dog Sponsor), KSE Racing Products, and XYZ Machining. In addition, SOD contingency sponsors include: Allstar Performance, ATL Racing Fuel Cells, BR Motorsports, Diversified Machine Inc. (DMI), K2W Precision/Keizer Aluminum Wheels, King Racing Products, Kistler Racing Products, Maxim Racing, Motor City Racing Promotions, Racing Optics, Rod End Supply, Schoenfeld Headers, Simpson Racing Products, Walker Performance Filtration.