Toledo Speedway

(TOLEDO, Ohio - May 31, 2013) - The next 2 races for the ARCA Glass City Gold Cup Late Model Series will pay tribute to a pair of drivers that were heroes to fans and racers alike.  Saturday, June 22 Flat Rock Speedway will host the Joy Fair Memorial 100, sponsored by Diamond Racing Products.  The following Sunday, June 30 the action moves to Spartan, MI (Lansing) Speedway for the Charlie Ryan Memorial 100.

The Joy Fair Grandstand at Flat Rock will be filled with fans and members of Joy’s family for the 2^nd race in honor of Fair, who passed away in December of 2011 at the age of 81.  Harold Fair Jr. was the winner of the 2012 edition of the event.

Fair is one of the legendary short track drivers in the country, amassing over 800 wins in a career that spanned 6 decades.  Joy is the all-time win leader at Flat Rock with 159 victories and 10 track championships, and his record at Toledo, Flat Rock’s sister track, is nearly as impressive.  The driver of the school-bus yellow number 1 captured 97 Toledo wins and netted 7 track titles, not to mention hundreds of wins and more championships at tracks in several states and Canada during his illustrious career.

Chargin’ Charlie Ryan was a mainstay at Spartan Speedway and other mid-Michigan asphalt tracks during his sterling career, piloting the #24 to several track titles and countless wins.  Ryan passed away in 2004 at the age of 40 due to a heart attack.  His younger brother, Tim, has followed in Charlie’s footsteps and is a competitor in the Late Model class. 

Ryan’s last race car, the red #24, has been restored and will be at Spartan June 30 as a tribute to “Chargin’ Charlie”.

Last season’s Spartan race was the first ARCA Late Model Gold Cup race held outside of Flat Rock and Toledo.  Mike Luberda came home with the victory in the 100 lap main event.

A field of 20-25 cars is expected for each of the 100 lap contests, both of which will award the winner with $2000.  Each race pays $500 to start.

Fair Jr. and 2012 Flat Rock champ Paul Pelletier lead the list of entries for the June 22 Diamond Racing Products Joy Fair Memorial 100.  Nick Bailey, Mike Young, Steve Cronenwett Jr., Dennis Strickland and Marcus Malcuit have also filed entries.  The Spartan entry list includes most of the same drivers.  The updated entry lists will be available next week.

The Flat Rock race will be taped by the Buckeye Cable Sports Network (BCSN) and will be televised on the Toledo-area local cable access channel Sunday, June 23 as part of the “Sunday Night at the Races” show at 9 p.m.  The telecast will also be available on-demand and can be ordered by going to www.bcsn.tv.

The remaining ARCA Glass City Gold Cup events include the Parts Galore 100 lap race at Toledo Friday, July 12, the Saturday, July 27 Moran Chevrolet/Stan Yee Memorial 150 and the Series concludes at Toledo Friday, August 16 for the Miller Lite 100, a combination point race with the Main Event Racing Series.

A total of 3 provisional starting positions in the final points of the Series are set aside for the season-ending Great Lakes Helicopter Glass City 200 presented by the Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Express and Francis Engineering at Toledo, which is set for Saturday, September 28 this year.  The race will celebrate its Silver Anniversary in 2013.

The entry blank may be downloaded from www.flatrockspeedway.com or www.toledospeedway.com.

It is located under the forms button.  For additional Series information, call 419-727-1100.