Toledo Speedway

(FLAT ROCK, Michigan - July 28, 2012) - It’s a race that will be talked about for a long, long time.  5 different leaders, side by side, sometimes 3-wide racing and just great action from the front to the back.  A stellar field and superb driving by the entire 24 car field set the stage and wrote the book on what race fans come to see at the local short tracks across the nation every summer weekend.  This story will not do this race justice—you really need to talk to the fans that were at Flat Rock to witness this incredible race.

And Saturday night at Flat Rock Speedway, the ARCA Moran Chevrolet Late Models put on perhaps the best race in years for the division at the fast and extremely competitive ¼ mile paved oval.  Grand Rapids, MI driver Mike Root charged to the front after dropping back as far as 20^th and powered by Harold Fair Jr. and then Scott Hantz on the high side with 3 laps to go to win the sensational Moran Chevrolet Stan Yee Memorial 150 in front of an excellent crowd on a perfect evening.  Dick Barker, representing Moran Chevy, presented the Gold Cup to Mike, while Ann Yee awarded Root the 5 foot Stan Yee Memorial trophy in victory lane ceremonies.  The 150 lap race was also leg number 5 of the ARCA Allegiant Gold Cup Series.

34 cars filled the pit area for this race, which has become widely known for its great competition and excitement.  Saturday’s race rose to the top of the charts for Late Model racing in this area, bar none. Current Allegiant Gold Cup point leader Dakota Carlson started the night off by setting the Fastime Racing Engines and Parts/Diamond Racing Products fast time with a lap of 11:671, netting the Cedar Springs, MI driver a $100 gift certificate from Fastime and a $333 cash bonus, courtesy of Bob Fox of Diamond Racing Products.  Dakota pulled the number 14 for the inversion for the prestigious race.

While there were 8 yellow flags during the race, all were for minor incidents or spins.  The pace of the race was incredible throughout the entire distance.  Joe Hawes jumped out into the lead at the green, as he and Brent Jack pulled out to a slight advantage over the field.  Jack decided to go to the very quick outside groove and grabbed the lead on lap 14.  The first yellow appeared on lap 20 when Danny Slater spun, bunching the field for a double-file restart.  Jack took off and held the point as the pack began to sort things out.  Root, who started 4^th, dropped back quickly and was in 20^th spot by lap 20.  Hantz had moved from his 11^th starting spot to 5^th, while first-time Flat Rock visitor Jeff Ganus was up to 7^th from 12^th by that time.  Ganus used the outside lane for much of the race and was very quick and impressive in his first visit to “The Rock”.

By lap 25, Ganus moved up to 4^th spot and was second by lap 27.  Hantz was on the charge and at lap 40 took over 2^nd from Ganus as the pair put on a great battle door to door.  Scott got by Jack on lap 45 and started to move away.  Ganus also got by Jack’s #41 and grabbed second spot on lap 64.  At the lap 75 mark, the top 10 runners were Hantz, Ganus, Jack, Paul Pelletier, Carlson, Harold Fair Jr., Ricky Kargel, Eric Lee, Mike Luberda Jr. and Dan Ford Jr.

In the next 5 laps, Carlson continued his steady progress to the front as he zoomed into 3^rd spot, again using the second groove.  However, Pelletier’s car began to show its strength as Paul dipped low under Dakota 2 laps later to grab 3^rd place and now began to challenge Ganus for 2^nd spot as Hantz continued to set the pace.

With 50 laps to go, it was Hantz, Ganus and Pelletier as that trio stretched their advantage over Carlson, Fair Jr., Jack, Lee, Kargel, Dennis Strickland and Luberda.  This group traded positions with passes high, passes low and 3-wide racing as the leaders got into heavy lapped traffic at the lap 108 mark.  Pelletier had to stab the brakes going into turn 1 to avoid a lapped car, causing Paul to spin and bringing out the yellow at lap 114. 

And now the real battle ensued.  Although the action was excellent through the entire field up to that lap 114 mark, the ultimate in action and excitement was about to begin.  On the re-start, Hantz and Ganus went at it door to door, with Ganus staying on the high side and Hantz low.  For a dozen laps, the duo put on a fabulous show for the fans, with Ganus actually taking the lead at the stripe for 4 of those laps.  Fair Jr. began to reel in the pair and began his move for the lead.  On lap 130, Strickland, who had moved up to as high as 6^th, slowed, eventually forcing Dennis to pit.  Fair nosed under Ganus for second on lap 132 and tucked in on Hantz’ rear bumper.

The yellow appeared on lap 135 when Eric Lee got into Carlson, with Lee accepting the blame and giving Carlson his spot back.  Eric pitted with front-end damage.  It was now time for Mike Root to show his stuff.  Root had climbed all the way up to 6^th for the double-file restart on lap 135, while Pelletier was also very impressive, moving from 14^th spot back to 5^th in 21 laps.

It was back to racing and Root went to work, moving to 3^rd spot by lap 140, setting his sights on Hantz and Fair Jr.  Root got by Fair, again on the high side, at the lap 145 mark.  The lead trio put on yet more incredible racing.  Hantz was low, Root along-side in the high groove and Fair right there also.  Mike nosed out front on lap 147, but just by inches as the last 4 laps saw those 3 run under a blanket. On the white, Root had the advantage, but Hantz charged hard on the inside lane for a final shot to grab the lead back.  Mike stayed up high and grabbed the huge win as the crowd roared its approval several times after the race and during the post-race interviews.  Hantz was second, Fair Jr. third, Pelletier fourth and Michael Simko came home fifth.  Craig Everage was sixth, Carlson seventh, Kargel eighth and Ganus slipped back to ninth in the final stages of the event.  Chad Guinn came from 23^rd spot to grab 10^th at the finish. 

Luberda, Jack, Ford Jr., Derek Wiley, Terry Bogusz, Hawes, Chris Benson, Lee, Strickland, Stan Yee Jr., Ron Allen, Jimmy Thiel, Steve Cronenwett Jr. and Danny Slater filled out the final finish.

Yee Jr. and Thiel captured the 15 lap last-chance races, which moved both drivers into the 150 lap event.  Benson and Ford Jr. also advanced via their second place finishes in those 2 races.  The remaining drivers that competed Saturday were Nick Grodi, Matt Hall, Jason LaDuke, Lori Hall, Jim Alvis, Scott Pemberton, Brad Turner, Dan Trosen Jr., Steve Hawes and Derrick Sheppard.

The ARCA Parts Galore Figure 8 division thrilled the crowd with their usual action-packed intersection near-misses in the 20 lap feature.  Dennis Whisman stayed in command from the start and notched the win over Gary Cronenwett, Greg Studt, Robbie Loving, Jeremy Miller, Steve Chartrand, Ray Gaddis (in his first race in over 10 years), Stephanie Bradley, Ian Jezylo and Sam Hall.  Scott Apperson, Jermy Vanderhoof, Allen Bland Jr. and Jeremy Fragazzi were next in the running order.  Vanderhoof set quick time with a lap of 20:388.

The ARCA DTS Drive Train Specialists Street Stock A Main 25 lap feature was slowed by a red flag and several yellow in the first 7 laps.  Scott Selmi took the lead on the green flag.  The race was stopped at the lap 7 mark when Craig Lange had a radiator explode, watering down the track surface.  When racing resumed, Selmi stayed in the top spot as a good stretch of green flag racing brought the challengers to the front.  With 3 laps to go, rookie Brandon Randa looped his car on the back chute, with the leaders bearing down.  The yellow quickly appeared and everyone missed Brandon, who was in his first race at Flat Rock (the son of former Late Model driver Rob Randa).  On the double-file restart,  Scott was able to hold off a hard charge by Tim Moore to take his first win of 2011.  Third was a fast-closing Tadek Stadniczuk, fourth was Rob Moore and fifth went to Frank Jiovani, followed by Kyle Worley, Landon Schuster, Clyde McKee, Grant Hedges and Rich Frantz. 

Aaron Greathouse led the first 2 laps of the Street Stock B Main, but 2 other drivers also took turns up front.  Mark Lavoie took the lead when Aaron dropped out, and then Rick Bennett took up the challenge for the lead, running door to door with Lavoie before pulling into the number 1 spot on his way to the victory.  Rich Abel closed in late and was second, Don Roberts was third, Lavoie fourth and Steve Theobald fifth.  Tim Moore set the Fastime Racing Engines and Parts quick time for the 30 car field at 13:560, while Abel led the B cars at 14:487.

Glass Unlimited will sponsor the Saturday, August 4 event at Flat Rock Speedway.  The ARCA Moran Chevrolet Late Models, the Parts Galore Figure 8’s and DTS Drive Train Specialists Street Stocks will all be in action.

The pit area will open at 3 p.m., practice begins at 4, time trials are at 5:30 and racing begins at 7 p.m.  Tickets will go on sale at 4:30 p.m. race day at the track.  Fans may purchase their tickets online at www.flatrockspeedway.com. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/toledoflatrock or follow us on Twitter @flatrockspeed.