HARTFORD, Ohio — After nearly a week of rain, Mother Nature blessed Sharon Speedway with a beautiful day as the 96th anniversary season opened on Saturday night ushering in the new ownership team of Dave Blaney, Ryan Blaney and Will Thomas III.
Celebrating in the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Victory Lane in the Bala Management “Super Series” event on Barris Supply and Ohio Intra Express Night were A.J. Flick (Hovis Auto & Truck Supply “410” Sprint Cars), Chris Schneider (Gibson Insurance Agency Pro Stocks), and Garrett Calvert (Alcon Mechanical Econo Mods).
Flick had won 30 times throughout the region since his last Sharon Speedway victory on August 6, 2022. That victory drought ended on Saturday night as the fourth starting Flick passed Ryan Smith on lap three and led the rest of the way in the 30-lap Hovis Auto & Truck Supply “410” Sprint Car opener.
“I haven’t been in front of these fans here in quite a while,” acknowledged the 32-year-old Apollo, Pa. driver. “This is a hell of a field of cars so to be standing here on the frontstretch means a lot. We were so good here in 2022 then they changed the tires. I don’t know what it is about this place, but when it slicks off it gets so hard for us.”
Flick’s fifth career Sharon victory was worth $4,000.
Smith, who has two career Sharon victories, was second after leading the first two laps and earned $2,000. National Sprint Car Hall of Famer, Tim Shaffer, who has been fast throughout the region in recent weeks since stepping into Michael Dutcher’s No. 17GP, went sixth to third.
Polesitter Carl Bowser dropped to fourth at the finish. Ohio standout Cole Duncan raced from 13th to fifth.
