Cory Eliason wins at Wilmot Raceway for second consecutive All Star victory

WILMOT, Wis. (August 21, 2020) - For the second time in as many starts, Visalia, California’s Cory Eliason is an Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 main event winner, accomplishing his feat during All Star/IRA Outlaw Sprint Series co-sanctioned action at Wilmot Raceway in Wilmot, Wisconsin, on Friday evening, August 21. Impressive, nonetheless, leading 21 circuits of the 30-lap contest while maneuvering through wave after wave of slower traffic, the 2020 All Star championship hopeful was forced to manhandle an ill-handling car, as ignition trouble kept the Rudeen Racing powerplant from reaching full potential.

Despite the loss of horsepower, Eliason held strong, ultimately holding off advancements by Ian Madsen, Hunter Schuerenberg and Tyler Courtney during a pair of green-white-checkered restarts. The Wilmot Raceway victory, Eliason’s first with the Series at the southern Wisconsin short track, was accompanied by a $5,000 top prize.

“This just goes to show how hard these guys work back at the shop,” Cory Eliason said in victory lane, driver of the Rudeen Racing/Hager Realty/Rayce Rudeen Foundation/Rudeen Management/No. 26 sprint car. “It was an eventful few weeks for us with all the racing at Knoxville, but it was nice to come to a place like Wilmot and run at a track that really reminds me of back home in California. I’m not really sure what happened, but by lap three, the motor started to really go flat. Honestly, that may have helped me overall because it didn’t allow for the tires to spin. But regardless, I can’t thank Kevin Rudeen and his family enough for what they do for this race team. I’m sure they were all watching at home tonight.”

Starting third on the feature grid by way of dash result, Eliason’s initial jump proved to be an instant turning point, allowing the driver of the familiar blue No. 26 get around pole sitter Hunter Schuerenberg to secure second by the completion of lap one. At the time, Aurora, Illinois’ Blake Nimee was the main event leader, followed by Eliason, Aaron Reutzel and Schuerenberg.

By lap five, the top three found themselves staring at the back of the field, which was stacking up to be two and three wide and engulfing all lanes of the speedway. The gaggle of slower cars actually proved to be a major benefit for Eliason, who was chipping away at Nimee’s lead in a hurry.

Just four laps later, Eliason was all over Nimee for the top spot, eventually utilizing a slingshot move into corner three to blast around the race leader and a slower car. The move was successful, leaving Nimee in his tracks with Aaron Reutzel and Ian Madsen in tow.

With a caution on lap 15 making way for a clear track and clean air, Eliason’s campaign at the front of the field was relatively uneventful during the middle segment of the main event, that until caution flags reappeared with only two laps remaining, brought about by two-time All Star Circuit of Champions champion and current point leader, Aaron Reutzel, who did a 360-degree spin while battling in the fourth position.

The ensuing restart was only a tease, as Tyler Courtney, who had battled his way from tenth to second, and looked strong enough to challenge Eliason for top honors, spun to a stop in turn one collecting a handful of other competitors. Contact between Ian Madsen’s front bumper and Courtney’s rear bumper ignited the small pileup.

Despite the pause, and a sour engine, Eliason held tough on the following restart, keeping Ian Madsen, Hunter Schuerenberg, Zeb Wise, and Gerard McIntyre at bay.