RECAP: Fathers Day Sunday Special at Toledo!

June 20, 2023 21:00

RECAP: Fathers Day Sunday Special at Toledo!

June 19, 2023 -- The Sunday Afternoon Fathers Day Sunday Special presented by Monroe Asphalt proved to the hype, as four big divisions provided a wonderful afternoon of racing under the beating sun in the heart of Lucas County. With warm temperatures, the track provided a number of unique moments that set the afternoon up right for great racing and big moments.

In the Safety-Kleen Factory Stocks division, Steven Smith would take the fastest time of the day with a lap of 12.513 seconds, just .022 seconds over Craig Osenbaugh in the #99 car.

In the Salenbien Trucking and Excavating Late Model Sportsman Division, Jim Froling would set the fastest time of the day with a lap of 17.071 seconds over Ron Allen in his familiar #69 car.

In the 500 Sprint Car Tour, Kody Swanson blazed a fast time in the #77 Sprint Car, putting down a lap of 14.716 on the half mile over Kyle O’Gara, Bobby Santos III, Tyler Roahrig, and Taylor Ferns.

The Midwest Modifieds qualifying times proved to be very close, as Kyle Purvis sat the fast time with 16.191 seconds on the half mile.

1.199 seconds separated the entire field of modifieds, with the top four of Kyle Purvis, Trevor Berry, 2022 winner Blake Rowe, and Danny Jackson separated by less than two tenths of a second.

500 Sprint Car Tour

Kody Swanson simply can’t stop winning at Toledo.

The six-time winner of the USAC Silver Crown Rollie Beale Classic at Toledo came with the fastest time in qualifying, and once racing got going under the sun, he didn’t look back.

Swanson drove from starting seventh and took the lead on lap 5 from Dakoda Armstrong. He would drive away afterwards, winning over Tyler Roahrig, Bobby Santos III, Dakoda Armstrong, and Kaylee Bryson in her 500 Sprint Car Tour debut rounding out the top five.

40 lap feature finish:

1. 77-Kody Swanson; 2. 56-Tyler Roahrig; 3. 22a-Bobby Santos III; 4. 1-Dakoda Armstrong; 5. 26-Kaylee Bryson; 6. 53-Justin Harper; 7. 24-Jackson Macenko; 8. 74-Tony Main; 9. 27-Nick Marcott; 10. 77s-Quintin Saayman; 11. 64-Jake McElfresh; 12. 67-Kyle O’Gara; 13. 55-Taylor Ferns; 14. 11-Tom Paterson; 15. 55n-Tommy Nichols; 16. 28-Jeff Bloom; DNS 4-Cory Butler

Swanson is expected to return to Toledo on Saturday, August 5th as a part of the USAC Silver Crown series 100 lap feature. He’ll be looking to capture his fifth consecutive win in the Rollie Beale Classic, breaking his own record in this historic evening of open-wheel racing action.

Tickets are available now! Click the link below for more information.

Hemelgarn/Super Fitness USAC Silver Crown Series 100 fueled by Marco's Pizza, plus Vintage Race Car Display, Late Model Sportsman, and Factory Stocks

August 05, 2023 - 07:00 PM EDT

Toledo Speedway

Toledo, OH

Safety Kleen Factory Stocks

Heat Winners: Steven Smith, Gabriella Grigsby

In the 20-lap Safety-Kleen Factory Stocks division, Brad Turner in the #72 Ford would get an early jump over Josh Bunting in the #18 while sliding into the lead of the feature. This would hold for four laps until Bunting would take a strong move on the outside and slide into the lead of the feature with Randy Padgett Jr, Dale Buttrey, and Steven Smith in tow. The race would stay largely green throughout until lap 16, when a number of cars would be involved in the first caution of the day including Logan Bunting, who would end his night early on lap 16.

On the late restart, Bunting in the green #18 would barely pull ahead and hold the lead of the race over 2022 division champion Randy Padgett Jr.

Fast qualifier Steven Smith would come home in third followed by Dale Buttrey and Craig Osenbaugh to round out the top five.

Brad Turner would come home sixth with James Rae seventh, and Gabriella Grigsby, Matt Bunting, and Jim Wahl rounding out the top ten.

This is Josh Bunting’s second win of the season and 12th all-time, keeping him in fifth all-time on the Toledo Speedway Factory Stocks all-time wins list.

The Safety-Kleen Factory Stocks division will return on August 5th as a part of the Hemelgarn/Super Fitness USAC Rollie Beale 100 fueled by Marco’s Pizza at Toledo Speedway! For more information on this night of racing coming up in a short time, click the link below.

Hemelgarn/Super Fitness USAC Silver Crown Series 100 fueled by Marco's Pizza, plus Vintage Race Car Display, Late Model Sportsman, and Factory Stocks

August 05, 2023 - 07:00 PM EDT

Toledo Speedway

Toledo, OH

Midwest Modifieds Tour

Blake Rowe led every lap in a dominant, exciting performance in the Midwest Modifieds Tour return on Sunday, performing a great drive during a chaotic race at Toledo Speedway.

Rowe would get the jump over Jeremy Cooper, Buddy Gray and Brian Nester in the early portion of the race, putting together a great stretch of racing in the first portion of the event.

The first caution of the event would come on lap 14, involving Sam Bingham spinning in turns 3-and-4 off onto the inside of the track. Cautions would breed cautions on this day of racing, as one always seemed to lead to another during this 50-lap feature of racing. The caution would come out a second time on lap 20, as a number of pieces of debris would be found across the racing surface.

On the lap 20 restart near the halfway point of the race, Blake Rowe would take charge over Buddy Gray, Brian Nester, Kyle Purvis and Danny Jackson.

Brian Nester and Kyle Purvis would put on a great battle on lap 29, both drivers barely giving an inch in a hard and fair battle just before the caution would come out again on lap 30.

When back green, the race would go green all the way until lap 46 when a late caution would come out with just five laps to go, setting up an important few laps of racing.

The big one would take place on lap 46 off of a restart, as the #13 of Kyle Purvis and the #24 of Buddy Gray would get together, causing a pile-up involving a number of drivers on the backstretch and into Turn 3.

The five-laps-to-go green flag would end up being given four consecutives times during this afternoon of racing, as high stakes and a large field caused a number of moments with calamity.

On the final restart, Blake Rowe would leave no doubts as to the dominant car of the day - Rowe would win by 1.488 seconds over Danny Jackson in the #5. Flat Rock Midwest Modifieds Tour feature winner Brian Nester would finish third, and Doug Meyer would proceed Greg Fullarton to finish out the top five. Tim Burkett, Scottie Lamp, Luke Warhurst, Buddy Gray, and Matt Dimit would round out the top ten in this wild feature of racing.

This is Rowe’s second consecutive win in the Midwest Modifieds Tour at Toledo Speedway, and his third notable win in touring action - he also won the Glass City 200 ARCA/CRA feature in 2021.

Salenbien Excavating Late Model Sportsman

In a mad-dash of a race, the Salenbien Late Model Sportsman division would provide a wide dash of action to finish out the night at Toledo Speedway. What came was a story of four drivers in a lead pack, and four wild journeys to a 25-lap feature.

Kyle Worley, Howard Kelley Jr, Ron Allen, and Jim Froling would set out as the lead pack to start. Kelley Jr would get the early jump with Froling and Worley battling hard from lap 1 for second place, Ron Allen just behind.

The four cars would drive nose-to-tail for the first 7 laps, before Ron Allen would jump ahead of Kyle Worley for a move into third place.

On lap 12, Froling would jump to the outside to attempt a pass on Kelley Jr for the lead.

The first caution would come out on lap 20 (five to go!), with Kelley Jr going around from the lead after contact with Jim Froling.

Froling would take responsibility for the accident, tapping out and giving his place on track back to Kelley Jr in the #11.

On the restart, Kelley Jr would need to play defense against two drivers in unique positions - Ron Allen looking to take his 75th all-time win at Toledo in Late Model Sportsman competition, and Kyle Worley looking to take his first at Toledo. They went three wide in turns one and two, Allen jumping to the outside, and Worley jumping to the inside. Kelley would shock and hold onto the lead in the middle, just hanging on before yet another caution a lap later as Ron Allen would go around.

On the final restart of the night, Worley and Kelley would once again go side-by-side, this time with both drivers holding steady for more than a lap, each driver just barely inching ahead of the other with Kelley Jr on the inside, Worley on the outside. Kelley Jr would squeak ahead out of turn 2 with just three laps to go, and Jim Froling would take this opportunity to get back into second.

In the end, the attempts wouldn’t be enough.

In a mad dash to the checkers, Howard Kelley Jr would take the 30th Late Model Sportsman win in his career at Toledo Speedway over Jim Froling, Ron Allen, and Kyle Worley in a race that went down to the wire. George Rangel would come fifth to finish out the top five.

Up Next

The Salenbien Excavating Late Model Sportsman division and the Safety Kleen Factory Stocks division will return to Toledo on Saturday, August 5th as a part of the Hemelgarn/Super Fitness USAC Silver Crown Series 100 fueled by Marco's Pizza!

If you’re hooked to open wheel racing after Sunday’s day of racing, look no further as the USAC Silver Crown division attacks the track at Toledo Speedway! Big names like Kody Swanson and Taylor Ferns are expected to return and compete in this wild evening of racing.

The vintage race car show display at Toledo Speedway will RETURN for a second consecutive year to the high banks at Toledo after last year’s show, where the cars proved to be an instant hit with fans at the track.

Click below for ticket information to this wild event of racing!