ATTICA, Ohio — Rudeen Racing’s Zeb Wise concluded Attica Speedway’s annual Attica Ambush with a feature score.
The $12,000 victory — the richest Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 prize in the track’s history — bumped Wise’s All Star victory count to four at the home of “Ohio’s Finest Racing.”
Wise now has 11 career All Star triumphs to his name, seven of which have occurred during the season.
Although Wise was able to turn up the volume late, it was Friday night winner, Kerry Madsen, who claimed the early race lead, driving on to command the first 17 circuits before being overtaken by the Rudeen Racing No. 26.
A mid-race caution on lap 16 is what set the winning tone for Wise, earning a great restart to take third from “Sunshine” Tyler Courtney, then sliding by Madsen in turn four just two circuits later.
Courtney would eventually follow Wise by Madsen the following lap, and despite wave after wave of two and three wide traffic, Wise held strong, leading Courtney, Madsen, Kyle Reinhardt and Chris Windom to the final checkers.
“Just by the way my car was handling, I knew I’d be good late. But as the race went on, I started to struggle more and more. Especially with traffic,” Wise said. “The lapped guys were having a race of their own, and they were putting on one heck of a show, I just didn’t know where I needed to go. I’m not sure where Tyler [Courtney] was behind me, but I knew he had to be close.
“Just hats off to this entire team,” Wise added. “We struggled some last night, but they gave me one heck of a race car tonight. They really make my job easy. Hats off to all of the fans. I love being at Attica and we love racing here.”
For the second straight night, Courtney ended up runner-up in his Clauson/Marshall Racing No. 7BC.
“We were just a little off there the second half of the race. Zeb did a hell of a job. He got by us on the restart and he could truck through one and two quite a bit better than everybody,” Courtney said. “I started catching him in traffic but then my lane got taken away down in three and four and I had to change my line in one and two. I felt like I was making up a little bit of ground and just couldn’t quite get off the corners as well as him.”
Despite bringing the Vermeer Motorsports No. 55 home in third, Madsen had a twinge of regret.
“I probably should have mixed my lines up there in one and two. I just kind of got too comfortable and stayed on the top there. I got passed by Zeb and Courtney and I probably could have utilized a lower line a little bit earlier. But it was a great weekend for Vermeer Motorsports and once again had a good race car,” Madsen said.
Feature Results (40 Laps)
1. 26-Zeb Wise[2]; 2. 7BC-Tyler Courtney[5]; 3. 55-Kerry Madsen[1]; 4. 45-Kyle Reinhardt[8]; 5. 4-Chris Windom[6]; 6. 33W-Cap Henry[9]; 7. 29-Carl Bowser[4]; 8. 9-Trey Jacobs[11]; 9. 42-Sye Lynch[10]; 10. 5-Byron Reed[12]; 11. 23-Cale Thomas[7]; 12. 88-Austin McCarl[13]; 13. 15K-Creed Kemenah[3]; 14. 8M-TJ Michael[17]; 15. 5T-Travis Philo[20]; 16. 22-Cole Duncan[21]; 17. 70-Kraig Kinser[23]; 18. 7N-Darin Naida[14]; 19. 50YR-JJ Hickle[15]; 20. 35-Stuart Brubaker[18]; 21. 97-Zeth Sabo[22]; 22. (DNF) 4S-Tyler Street[16]; 23. (DNF) 32-Bryce Lucius[19]; 24. (DNF) 5J-Jake Hesson[24]