Ryan Ruhl takes his 3rd SOD Mike Olrich Memorial win at Crystal Motor Speedway
Ryan Ruhl (Coldwater, MI) capped off a great weekend by putting on a dominating performance to win his third consecutive annual Mike Olrich Memorial last night at Crystal Motor Speedway. The race was the final points race for Engine Pro Sprints On Dirt Presented by ARP 2017 season. The 25 lap SOD feature was run caution-free and in record time. Ruhl also won the SOD King Engine Bearing King of Michigan race at Hartford Speedway Friday night.
The speedway was the scene of an epic battle; there was also an impressive race too! Track owner/promoter Ron Flinn went toe-to-toe for control of the track surface with Mother Nature. Flinn, who takes pride in his track prep, was challenged after SOD heats but before the SOD feature. Determined to win out, Flinn went to work bringing back the lost race surface. Crystal’s track prep vehicles/push trucks went to work on track. All 22 SOD cars then took over and wheel packed the track. Everyone was rewarded with a lightning-fast, fan-pleasing track.
Jay Steinebach and Brett Mann led the field to the green with Mann taking the initial lead. It was immediately obvious that the packed house was going to be treated to an all-out speed fest. Lapped traffic quickly made the leaders work hard, and Steinebach took advantage of a Mann check up to grab the lead. 4th starting Ruhl took the lead on lap seven though, and drove off into another time zone, expertly slicing through traffic. Steinebach faced a little pressure first from Mann, then from Dain Naida, but eventually opened up a comfortable gap. Mann got back by Naida on the last lap to claim 3rd.
Steve Irwin’s 6th place finish was enough to claim the Engine Pro Sprints On Dirt Presented by ARP 2017 Championship. Thomas Schinderle finished 2nd in points and is the 2017 Perfit Sprints On Dirt Series Rookie of the Year. 2015 SOD champion Gregg Dalman finished 3rd in points. Chris Jones came back from a heat race flip to start the feature and take 4th in points over Ryan Ruhl. Andrew Scheid claimed the 2017 Perfit Sprints On Dirt Sprint Car Rookie of the Year title and finished 8th in season points.
Qualifying – Lane Automotive/MSD Ignition Fast Masters (fast qualifiers) $50 each
| Group | Time | # | Driver |
| Engler Machine & Tool Heat | 12.136 | 17x | Dain Naida |
| COMP Cams Heat | 12.854 | 41 | Thomas Schinderle |
| RockAuto.com Heat | 12.166 | 16 | Ryan Ruhl |
Heat Races – Winners $100 each
| Engler Machine & Tool Heat #1 | |||
| # | Driver | Contingency | |
| 1 | 17x | Dain Naida | |
| 2 | 0 | Steve Irwin | Kistler Racing Products |
| 3 | 77 | Andrew Scheid | Racing Optics |
| 4 | 46 | Robert Huisken | |
| 5 | 20A | Andy Chehowski | |
| 6 | 21T | Troy Chehowski | |
| 7 | 91L | Alexis Adgate | |
| 8 | 28 | Brian Slusarski | |
| COMP Cams Heat #2 | |||
| # | Driver | Contingency | |
| 1 | 41 | Thomas Schinderle | |
| 2 | 89 | Chris Pobanz | Allstar Performance |
| 3 | 24 | Eric Smith | Racing Optics |
| 4 | 58 | Tony Bures | |
| 5 | 6 | Tyler Bearden | |
| 6 | 31 | Tanner Astrauskas | |
| 7 | 10J | Chris Jones | |
| RockAuto.com Heat #3 | |||
| # | Driver | Contingency | |
| 1 | 16 | Ryan Ruhl | |
| 2 | 10S | Jay Steinebach | Kistler Racing Products |
| 3 | 19 | Brett Mann | Racing Optics |
| 4 | 49T | Gregg Dalman | |
| 5 | 3A | Mike Astrauskas | |
| 6 | 9E | Tim Evilsizer | |
| 7 | 47 | Robert Bulloch | |
Feature
| # | Driver | Started | Contingencies | |
| 1 | 16 | Ryan Ruhl | Rod End Supply | |
| 2 | 10S | Jay Steinebach | Rod End Supply | |
| 3 | 19 | Brett Mann | Rod End Supply | |
| 4 | 17X | Dain Naida | Schoenfeld Headers | |
| 5 | 41 | Thomas Schinderle | ATL Racing Fuel Cells | |
| 6 | 0 | Steve Irwin | ||
| 7 | 49T | Gregg Dalman | Allstar Performance | |
| 8 | 77 | Andrew Scheid | ||
| 9 | 46 | Robert Huisken | King Racing Products | |
| 10 | 9E | Tim Evilsizer | ||
| 11 | 21T | Troy Chehowski | Keizer Aluminum Wheels | |
| 12 | 20A | Andy Chehowski | ||
| 13 | 58 | Tony Bures | 18 | |
| 14 | 91L | Alexis Adgate | 13 | |
| 15 | 28 | Brian Slusarski | 22 | |
| 16 | 24 | Eric Smith | 21 | |
| 17 | 6 | Tyler Bearden | 23 | |
| 18 | 89 | Chris Pobanz | 17 | |
| 19 | 3A | Mike Astrauskas | 16 | |
| 20 | 47 | Robert Bulloch | 9 | |
| 21 | 31 | Tanner Astrauskas | 24 | |
| 22 | 10J | Chris Jones | 6 |
KSE Racing Products Hard Charger – Tim Evilsizer (+6)
BR Motorsports Contingency (feature top 10 draw) – Dain Naida
DMI (Diversified Machine) Contingency (feature 12-16 draw) – Brian Slusarski
Perfit Corporation Lucky Dog – Chris Pobanz
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 (Hard Charger Sponsor), XYZ Machining (Season Sportsman & Crew Chief Sponsor). 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.