Hantz Rolls Again at Toledo; Root Hantz Group/Allegiant Air Gold Cup Champ
Hantz Rolls Again at Toledo; Root Hantz Group/Allegiant Air Gold Cup Champ
TOLEDO, OH: (7-31-09): Scott Hantz made it 3 for 3 and a clean sweep in ARCA Late Model action at Toledo Speedway this season, taking win number 3 Friday night in the 75 lap Hantz Group/Allegiant Air Gold Cup Series feature event. Mark McElyea and his company, Car Credit Medic, sponsored the night of racing. Mark presented the trophies to the winners in the Glass Bowl Lanes Winner's Circle. Grand Rapids, MI driver Mike Root sealed up the Gold Cup championship, which consisted of the 3 events at Toledo and two races at Flat Rock Speedway this year.
A total of 24 cars made the trip to the Glass City oval for the Late Model division's final tune-up prior to the Glass City 200 October 3. Hantz again set quick time with a lap of 15:019, then rolled a seven to set the inversion for the 75 lap contest. Australian Andrew Hagan and Mike Root led the field to the green flag and ran side by side until Root, in his customary hard charging style using the outside groove, took control. The first 30 laps ran green as Root built up a sizable lead. Harold Fair Jr., Ron Allen and Hantz worked their way steadily to the front with both Allen and Hantz getting by Fair Jr. on lap 17. At lap 27, 2nd fastest qualifier Brent Jack went down pit road with radiator trouble. Hantz slid by Allen and had just passed Root for the lead at the lap 30 mark, but the only yellow of the race appeared when Jay Sommers got crossed up in turn 3 and Roger Blackstock tagged him. Both drivers were ok but done for the night. That put Root back on top, but on the re-start, Hantz wasted no time and grabbed the point and set sail. Allen took second from Root on lap 35. For the next 30 laps, the field stretched out as Hantz sailed along. At lap 67, Jake Francis made a great save after getting into the infield grass in turn 3. He kept control of his machine and pitted to end his night. Allen, running second, tried to track down Hantz but the Pleasant Lake, IN driver continued his strong season and sailed to victory. Allen came home second, Root was third, Fair Jr. fourth and Hagan fifth by just a nose after a great battle with Dakota Carlson for the final 10 laps. Seventh was Dennis Strickland, eighth was Jeff Bailey, ninth went to Joe Hawes and Guy Pritchard finished in the 10th spot. Strickland, Sommers and Keith Nelson captured the heat races. Third fastest qualifier Paul Pelletier encountered engine trouble and started scratch, took the green flag and dropped out.
Root's 3rd place run netted him the Hantz Group/Allegiant Air Gold Cup title, giving Mike a $1000 bonus, the championship jacket and Gold Cup, which will be awarded at the track's annual awards banquet in November. Fair Jr., the 2-time defending Gold Cup king, wound up second in the final point tally and notching $600. Strickland ($400), Allen ($300) and Paul Pelletier ($200) completed the top five in the final points. The top 3 will also receive two roundtrip tickets from Toledo to Florida, courtesy of Allegiant Air. The 3 highest point finishers that do not qualify for the Glass City 200 will also receive starting spots in the 21st running of the event, which will return as a 200 lap race this season.
The ARCA Speedway Tire and Auto Factory Stocks treated the crowd on hand for the Kid's Night promotion to an action-packed group of events! In the 20 lap A Main feature, Cory McCaughey took the lead on lap 7 from Dave Arnold Jr. and held back the effort of Eric Huston to grab the victory. Just as McCaughey took command, Arnold Jr. lost it coming into the front straight and slid driver's door first into the wall, crunching his machine and ending his night. Dave climbed from the car and helped hook it up to the flatbed. Cory took off on the restart and held on to the lead despite several yellows that erased his margin over Huston. He had enough to take the win over Huston, Landon Schuster, Josh Bunting, Matt Ringger, Tim Shine, rookie Mike Hammer, Amanda Bland, Alan Bland Jr. and Don Cox. Desi Kesler took his first-ever win in the wild 10 lap B Main, topping Craig Osenbaugh, Randy Padgett, John Rabideau, Dylan Winterhalter, Dan Gregg and Kevin Little.
Huston posted fast time for the 29 car field at 11:882. Heat race winners were Matt Ringger, Cox, Ryan Beabout, and Andy Holly, who just returned from a tour of duty in Iraq. Kent Jones took the last-chance race win over Dusty Brunt, Bland Jr. and Beabout, with those 4 drivers moving into the A Main field.
Current point leader Brad Turner zipped to victory in the 20 lap ARCA 4 Cylinder feature, taking the lead from Perry Marlow on lap 9 and sailing to the win. Marlow was second, his son, Michael Marlow, was third, David Price fourth and Matt Brazeau fifth, Dave Stadniczuk sixth and Nick Walentowski seventh. Michael Marlow won the heat, while Brazeau set fast time at 13:034.
The final open-wheel race of 2009 at Toledo Speedway is set for Friday, August 7 when the Western Lake Erie Insulation Industry hosts the double-header featuring the MSA Super Modifieds and the Buckeye 305 Winged Sprint Cars! The ARCA Speedway Tire and Auto Factory Stocks will also be in action. The wild, ultra-fast open wheel cars run at breathtaking speeds on the big ½ mile paved oval and are always exciting! The pit area opens at 3 p.m., practice begins at 4:30, time trials are set for 6 and racing begins at 7:30 p.m. The front gates will open at 4:30. All tickets are general admission and are available on a walk-up basis beginning at 4:30 p.m. at the ticket office. The track phone number is 419-727-1100.
A total of 24 cars made the trip to the Glass City oval for the Late Model division's final tune-up prior to the Glass City 200 October 3. Hantz again set quick time with a lap of 15:019, then rolled a seven to set the inversion for the 75 lap contest. Australian Andrew Hagan and Mike Root led the field to the green flag and ran side by side until Root, in his customary hard charging style using the outside groove, took control. The first 30 laps ran green as Root built up a sizable lead. Harold Fair Jr., Ron Allen and Hantz worked their way steadily to the front with both Allen and Hantz getting by Fair Jr. on lap 17. At lap 27, 2nd fastest qualifier Brent Jack went down pit road with radiator trouble. Hantz slid by Allen and had just passed Root for the lead at the lap 30 mark, but the only yellow of the race appeared when Jay Sommers got crossed up in turn 3 and Roger Blackstock tagged him. Both drivers were ok but done for the night. That put Root back on top, but on the re-start, Hantz wasted no time and grabbed the point and set sail. Allen took second from Root on lap 35. For the next 30 laps, the field stretched out as Hantz sailed along. At lap 67, Jake Francis made a great save after getting into the infield grass in turn 3. He kept control of his machine and pitted to end his night. Allen, running second, tried to track down Hantz but the Pleasant Lake, IN driver continued his strong season and sailed to victory. Allen came home second, Root was third, Fair Jr. fourth and Hagan fifth by just a nose after a great battle with Dakota Carlson for the final 10 laps. Seventh was Dennis Strickland, eighth was Jeff Bailey, ninth went to Joe Hawes and Guy Pritchard finished in the 10th spot. Strickland, Sommers and Keith Nelson captured the heat races. Third fastest qualifier Paul Pelletier encountered engine trouble and started scratch, took the green flag and dropped out.
Root's 3rd place run netted him the Hantz Group/Allegiant Air Gold Cup title, giving Mike a $1000 bonus, the championship jacket and Gold Cup, which will be awarded at the track's annual awards banquet in November. Fair Jr., the 2-time defending Gold Cup king, wound up second in the final point tally and notching $600. Strickland ($400), Allen ($300) and Paul Pelletier ($200) completed the top five in the final points. The top 3 will also receive two roundtrip tickets from Toledo to Florida, courtesy of Allegiant Air. The 3 highest point finishers that do not qualify for the Glass City 200 will also receive starting spots in the 21st running of the event, which will return as a 200 lap race this season.
The ARCA Speedway Tire and Auto Factory Stocks treated the crowd on hand for the Kid's Night promotion to an action-packed group of events! In the 20 lap A Main feature, Cory McCaughey took the lead on lap 7 from Dave Arnold Jr. and held back the effort of Eric Huston to grab the victory. Just as McCaughey took command, Arnold Jr. lost it coming into the front straight and slid driver's door first into the wall, crunching his machine and ending his night. Dave climbed from the car and helped hook it up to the flatbed. Cory took off on the restart and held on to the lead despite several yellows that erased his margin over Huston. He had enough to take the win over Huston, Landon Schuster, Josh Bunting, Matt Ringger, Tim Shine, rookie Mike Hammer, Amanda Bland, Alan Bland Jr. and Don Cox. Desi Kesler took his first-ever win in the wild 10 lap B Main, topping Craig Osenbaugh, Randy Padgett, John Rabideau, Dylan Winterhalter, Dan Gregg and Kevin Little.
Huston posted fast time for the 29 car field at 11:882. Heat race winners were Matt Ringger, Cox, Ryan Beabout, and Andy Holly, who just returned from a tour of duty in Iraq. Kent Jones took the last-chance race win over Dusty Brunt, Bland Jr. and Beabout, with those 4 drivers moving into the A Main field.
Current point leader Brad Turner zipped to victory in the 20 lap ARCA 4 Cylinder feature, taking the lead from Perry Marlow on lap 9 and sailing to the win. Marlow was second, his son, Michael Marlow, was third, David Price fourth and Matt Brazeau fifth, Dave Stadniczuk sixth and Nick Walentowski seventh. Michael Marlow won the heat, while Brazeau set fast time at 13:034.
The final open-wheel race of 2009 at Toledo Speedway is set for Friday, August 7 when the Western Lake Erie Insulation Industry hosts the double-header featuring the MSA Super Modifieds and the Buckeye 305 Winged Sprint Cars! The ARCA Speedway Tire and Auto Factory Stocks will also be in action. The wild, ultra-fast open wheel cars run at breathtaking speeds on the big ½ mile paved oval and are always exciting! The pit area opens at 3 p.m., practice begins at 4:30, time trials are set for 6 and racing begins at 7:30 p.m. The front gates will open at 4:30. All tickets are general admission and are available on a walk-up basis beginning at 4:30 p.m. at the ticket office. The track phone number is 419-727-1100.