FREMONT, Ohio — The late models made their only appearance of the year at Fremont Speedway Presented by Gill Construction Friday and the wait was worth it.
Rusty Schlenk and Ryan Missler battled each other and heavy lapped traffic the final eight laps with Schlenk using a lapped car to take the lead at the white flag and hanging on for his third career feature win at “The Track That Action Built” on Black Swamp Heating & Cooling Presented by Underground Utilities Inc. Night. It was the season finale for Fremont Speedway which honored the late hall of famer De Genzman.
Missler led the first 28 laps of the 30-lap affair while Schlenk, who started sixth, drove up to third in just two laps. Missler saw a nearly five second lead disappear when a caution flew on lap 12. Missler drove away when the green flew again over Colin Shipley, Schlenk, Devin Shiels and Jeff Babcock. Just past the halfway point Schlenk took second and quickly began closing on Missler as they raced into heavy lapped traffic and setting up the dramatic final three laps.
Following the checkers – which saw the top five finishes as Schlenk, Missler, Babcock, Shiels and Shipley – Missler drove into Schlenk.
“We gotta race with that spineless (bleep) all year long every year so he’s got one coming after that. I was in the damn infield down the back straight-away…I couldn’t get any lower on the race track. It’s not my fault he came out of turn two behind a lapped car and had nowhere to go. He tried running me over and pushing me into a tire and I hit the tire and held onto the lead so it shows who the better driver was in that aspect,” said Schlenk of his 11th win of 2024 which was worth $5,353.
“I say it every time I’m in victory lane here…man I wish this place would run us every week. I love this place,” added Schlenk.
Fremont Speedway’s Burmeister Trophy Dirt Trucks took on the street stocks and the feature turned out to be a crash fest with only six of the 20 starters taking the checkered flag. Fostoria, Ohio’s Shawn Valenti took the lead on lap four from Josh Robertson, survived five cautions and drove away to his eighth win of 2024 at Fremont over Robertson, Gabe Mueller, Adam Lantz, and 19th starter Zeth Sabo.
Valenti’s win moved him atop the track’s all-time win list with 82 victories.
“I know Paul Weaver (who has 81 wins at Fremont) was here tonight and I know he will be back battling with me. It’s good to break the tie and go into this off-season with the lead. It felt good to put it on the stock car guys tonight and defend our home turf. This is just an amazing truck and an amazing crew I have behind me,” said Valenti.