Toledo Speedway

The ASANorth Late Model division, USPRO and the USA Modifieds ran last Sunday. It wasn't an ARCA sanction event, but if you didn't go, you missed a good one.

The ASANorth and USPRO cars are template bodied Super Late Models with crate engines. I think the biggest lead of the
day was a half straightaway. There was a lot of close racing and even if you didn't know most of the drivers, the races were worth it, because they were so close.

Not to mention they started 34 some modifieds for the feature. Late Model veteran, Eric Lee ran his modified and finished 23rd after dropping out of the event.

But if you were there, you recognized one of our Street Stock drivers running in the USPRO race. Pat Zorn was driving his familiar #43, although it's black, instead of his familiar white Street Stock. He finished seventh, "Toledo was a good learning experience for me. I did end up seventh ... and probably should have been better, but I spun the car in turn two and it put me to the back. But I figure it was only my the fifth time racing a late model, and being the first time in one at Toledo so I guess I shouldn't complain ... especially with the car still being in one piece. There were a lot of the drivers were not as fortunate. I raced one time at Toledo in a sportsman car two years ago, but really didn't learn much seeing it was my first year racing," Pat
wrote me in an email. 

What has happened since the last Trackside Tidbit article ...

And a correction... The last late model night I had Bill Litogot's new sponsor wrong.  It's Blumslanding.org...
 

Derek Wylie won his second career A division feature May 24. 

This week, May 31, defending Street Stock A division champion, Regan Ford won his first feature of the year and his 23rd career A division feature. He is now only five wins away from tying Rick Bundon for third on the all time Street Stock win list. 

In the last two weeks, Rich Abel won his third feature of the year May 24th. After his third place finish (his worse of the year) on May 31, he is 255 points ahead of second place Jim Kourtakis. Guess Rich was serious a few weeks ago when he said he was trying to get as far ahead of the competition for when he takes a weekend off for his daughter Jenny's wedding (for veteran fans, yes, that's the daughter that raced street stocks).
 
This one's left over from the 24th ... I love it when the teams write me with tidbits on their drivers, sometimes you get some of the best tidbits that way...The Moore brothers, Tim #83 and Rob #82 finished third and fifth in the A feature, the first time they've both been in the top five in the same feature. It was Rob's career best in a points paying race (although he did win a non points A feature in 2006, the same year he won Rookie of the Year in the Street Stocks). After the 24th, Tim led the A points for the first time in his career but since has dropped to second 10 points behind points leader Dan Ford Jr.. Another fun factoid, Rob's fifth place comes with a Bus engine ... yep, those things that power those big yellow vehicles kids take to school. Imagine what he'll be able to do with they get their racing engine done. Thanks mom Gail for the email. 

The Figure 8's had their 100-lap race on the 24th. There were 16 cars on hand. Defending division champion Robbie Loving won his 26th career Figure 8 feature at Flat Rock. He's also won three Toledo Figure 8 feature and a late model win at each track, for a total of 31 ARCA wins. 

Brice Thompson returned to competition after several years absence aboard the Apperson's #02. He has the ride for the remainder of the 2008 season and all of the 2009 season. 

Another visitor to the Figure 8's was Danny Gaddis, racing one of Robbie Loving's backup cars. I'm not quite sure when's the last time he drove a Figure 8 car...quite a few years from my memory, although he does run the bus races fairly regularly. He finished...sixth. 

Some leftovers from a couple weeks ago... Got an email saying that the 4 cylinder race at Toledo on May 16, Jimmy Little had his best career finish in the feature, fifth... thanks for the update. 

Late Model veteran Paul Pelletier raced a Figure 8 on May 31 for the first time. He started 11th and finished ninth. All that with a steering wheel that moved up and down about six inches... 

Four Street Stock drivers were in the pits on the 31st but didn't race: Dave Golembiewski, 93 Dan Schuchardt, 87 Jerry Farmer, and 21 Steve Cronenwett Jr.

Figure 8 winner for May 31 was Dennis Whisman, his second of the season and his 38th career Figure 8 win at Flat Rock. 

Also Congrats to Ron Allen who officially won his 100th ARCA feature on May 25 at Toledo in the Sportsman division.  He's only the third driver to reach this milestone according to the ARCA program. The listing I had for him from his family he actually hit the 100th win last year, but one was a Street Stock win ran under ARCA rules when the track was owned by Sonny Adams. Joy Fair has 256 wins between Toledo and Flat Rock; Bob Studt has 157 wins between Figure 8 and Street Stocks. Chuck Hall has 121, but 31 of his wins came in the old Toledo Sportsman when the track was still owned by Sonny Adams.
 

The 14.908 second lap Harold Fair Jr. turned in qualifying was only the seventh time the 14 second barrier has been broken in the Super Late Model division at Toledo. The last time was when Jr. Hanley set the track record on Sept. 29, 2001 (five other drivers were in the 14 second bracket that day). Harold was 0.251 seconds faster than the second place qualifier of Brent Jack. "That was a lot better than two weeks ago. It was fun to drive a car that handled that well ... I could've steered it with one hand, it was that good. That was a nasty wreck between Brent Jurzik and Dave Kuhlman at the start of the race... really hate seeing stuff like that ... it was real ugly," said the driver of the Royal Truck and Trailer #71. 

Dennis Strickland led most of the first half of the race. He won his heat. 

Third went to Jake Francis making a rare start at Toledo. His sponsors are: Francis Engineering, Habco Tool, Bonner Farms, SB Cox, Sanders Excavating, ARS Services, Crower Cams, Center Tyler Auto, JR Collins Trucking and Campana Excavating. 

Brent Jack had a bad case of the racing gremlins hit his car tonight. I know they changed a driveshaft before qualifying and later when I walked by and asked a crew member what was up, I got "It's been one of those days where it seems to be everything's happening." His race was cut short, finishing 14th after completing 24 laps. 

Joe Bush was back, driving the Port City House car sponsored by Barrix Law Firm. He was running second to Fair Jr., late in the event but slowed on lap 47 with a sick sounding car. 

Bobby Cruz was unable to start the feature because of a crash in his heat race. Jeff Bailey had an apparent engine problem during hotlaps and was unable to compete.