Toledo Speedway

TOLEDO OH (5-27-08) - If milestones in motorsports matter, then ARCA veteran Ron Allen has met a major one.

The longtime Lincoln Park, Michigan ARCA racer earned his 100th career ARCA-sanctioned victory Sunday night at Toledo Speedway with a win in the ARCA National City Bank Sportsman division. Allen passed Chad Guinn on lap nine of the 50-lap main event and never looked back. Images by Dennis Oblander 

"This is huge for me, personally," said Allen. "Each and every racer understands what it takes to excel in this sport - the constant commitment it takes to run competitively - and do it over the long haul. This is absolutely huge, and I'm proud that these victories were all ARCA-sanctioned. That makes it worth even more to me."

It didn't seem to matter what type of car Allen climbed into either; he was an ARCA winner in Late Models, Sportsman cars and Street Stocks in three decades.

Allen's momentous victory had been a labor of love that stretched back to 1979, when, still in high school, he built his first racecar, a '69 Chevy Chevelle, for the quarter-mile at Toledo Speedway. Pushing 30 years later, he's still very much in the game, and on top of his game.

"I feel like I'm a better driver now that I ever was. Experience definitely pays off in this business; and I feel like I can use my experience to my benefit. I understand better now - when to make my moves and when not to. There's a fine line there.

"The fans have been great along the way, which makes this experience that much better. It's hard to win one ARCA race - to do it a hundred times is a lot harder, obviously. The whole thing really means a lot to me, and I have a sense that the people who follow ARCA racing, from fans to racers, appreciate it too."

In addition to his impressive victory total, Allen's wins were accompanied by several hard-fought track championships over the years.  At present, Allen has earned nine titles along the way. They include Sportsman division championships at Toledo in 2000, 2001, 2004, 2006 and 2007, a Late Model championship at Toledo in 2002, the overall Toledo/Flat Rock Late Model championship in 2002 and Street Stock championships at Flat Rock in 2000 and 2002.

Allen's 100th victory came at the same track that nearly took his life on the same Memorial Day weekend three years ago. Allen was involved in a fiery crash that took months of physical therapy before he would return to the driver's seat at the tail-end of the 2005 season. In his first race back from the accident, he did what he so often did before the wreck; he won the race.

"Yah; my accident really shook me; it really makes you think about so many things....my family. I really didn't know how I'd react when I started racing again. I wasn't out to prove anything to anyone other than myself. I just wanted to know if I could still do it, and do it as well as I did. There was only one way to find out. And having gone through that experience only makes winning my 100th race that more meaningful."

Allen is currently third on the all-time ARCA-sanctioned winner's list behind legends Joy Fair and Bob Studt.

"Ron's 100th victory is a very big deal," said Studt, who won multiple ARCA-sanctioned Figure-8 titles over the years.

"I think that one of the amazing things about Ron is that it didn't matter what type of racecar he drove, or whose racecar it was, he could win in anything he sat in. And truth be known, he didn't always have the best equipment out there, but he still won races. He won in cars that most drivers wouldn't be able run the top-five. If he ever lacked in equipment, he could make up with driving. That's what separates Ron from the rest."

Allen hopes to add to his victory lane total this Friday night, May 30th at Toledo Speedway on Armed Forces Night where the ARCA National City Bank Sportsman division headlines the racing activity in companionship with the ARCA-sanctioned Figure-8s and Factory Stocks. All military personnel will be admitted free of charge. Allen also plans to take a run at Flat Rock Speedway this Saturday night, May 31st in the ARCA-sanctioned Street Stock division, which joins the ARCA Lincoln Welders Truck Series for Heritage Newspapers Night. Figure-8s and 4-Cylinders will also be in competition.

Ron Allen would like to thank his sponsors......

S&J Asphalt
National Machined Engines
Royal Truck & Trailer
Worthington Poured Walls
Thomson Automotive Racing Engines