 Despite the local weather forecasts and the threat of rain, a field of nearly 100 cars competed this past Saturday night, June 11, at Midvale Speedway. Late Models, Sport Stocks, Pure Stocks, and Compacts were all on hand and put on great races for the fans in the stands.
Tom Feller, Jr. and Bob Schneider, Jr. started up front for the 25-lap Performance Race Fuels Late Model feature. Feller moved into the lead when the green dropped, and after one circuit, Schneider and the rest of the field were dicing for positions. Contact then took place up front, creating a chain reaction crash that involved nearly everyone. Most damage was cosmetic, but the crash did eliminate a couple of cars. With a couple of cars up front going to the pits for repairs, Tom Garbrandt moved into a better starting spot and became the favorite to win. Lap-after-lap the Uhrichsville, Ohio driver held onto the lead in front of John Crumrine, Mike Miller, and Phil Rozum. Eventually, some contact between Miller and Crumrine sent Miller to the tail, as the point leader admitted fault. That moved Rozum into the third spot behind Garbrandt and Crumrine. With just a few laps to go, Rozum started working on the second spot and Garbrandt tried to pick up the pace a little to stay out front. While doing so, the veteran driver was clocked under his time sending him to the tail and creating an approximate five lap shootout for Crumrine and Rozum. With both drivers looking for their first feature win of the season, Rozum went to the outside lane and raced side-by-side with Crumrine over the final circuits. Each lap, the Cleveland, Ohio driver inched forward, but at the end ran out of time as Akron, Ohio driver John Crumrine picked up the victory. Following the Allied Auto/Tallmadge Asphalt #44 were Rozum, Dave Watson, Miller, and Bubba Smith. Greg Beule came home sixth, while Mark Enos, Tom Feller, Jr., Garbrandt, and Bob Eichel completed the top ten. Todd Ripley and Garbrandt won the heats, while Garbrandt won the pursuit. Dave Watson set the fast time.
Paul Murray and Don Rufener, Jr. started on the front row for the 20-lap Tusco Net Sport Stock feature. Earlier this season, the duo ran side-by-side for the whole race, not allowing anyone to pass, but this past Saturday things worked out differently. With cars singling out somewhat, Doug McMillen was trying to work past Murray. Some contact going into turn one created another chain reaction crash that had Kurt Waller climbing the right side of Josh Grove’s car and hitting the wall. Waller was eliminated, while Grove made repairs. Back to green, it was Roger Linard making his way to the front. The Dover, Ohio driver racing in his final full season at Midvale, was in the lead and had Keith Thomas, last week’s winner, hounding him from behind. In the end though, it was Linard picking up the victory, with Thomas, John Tantarelli, Jr., Kevin McClintock, and Grove completing the top five behind the Rick Watson Trucking/Shook Auto #2. Gabe Pringle, Don Rufener, Jr., Murray, Glen Jewell, and Chris Kail completed the top ten. Linard and Murray won heats, while Thomas won the pursuit. The night’s fastest qualifier was again Wes Gilland.
Paul Parson started on the pole of the 15-lap Papa John’s Pure Stock feature event. When the green dropped, it was Parson racing out front with outside polesitter, Joe Oliver sliding back in the outside groove. Adam Mackey moved into second but the division’s fastest cars, Scott Archer and Al Street were moving to the front. After a three-wide move by Archer, the Canton, Ohio driver went around Parson for the lead spot. Street followed shortly thereafter, and moved into second. Side-by-side racing continued for the third, fourth, and fifth spots as Parson, Mackey, Schweitzer, and Smart all did battle. At the finish, Archer picked up his second feature win of the year, while Street came home second, Parson third, Mackey fourth, and Schweitzer fifth. The rest of the top ten were Smart, Oliver, Doug Higgins, Steve Archer, and Bryant Smith. Street, John Leasure, and Chris Miller won the heats, while Higgins won the pursuit. Street set fast time.
In the fast feature for the Musick & Myers Heating & Cooling Compacts, a Daytona style side-by-side race through the field was taking place. With Jack Grove in the lead, Adam Mishler had moved into second. The duo were racing for the top spot, while a whole gaggle of cars followed. As Mishler started to take hold of the lead spot, his car slid just high enough in turn two to allow top qualifier Dale Beatty to thread the needle. That stuck Mishler in the third groove and out of the top five. Beatty raced out front for the victory, his first of the season. Behind him were Grove, John McNutt, Josh Irwin, and Russell Grandison. Troy McMath, Tom Barrett, Mishler, Jason Morgan, and Perry Nave finished off the top ten.
In the second Compact feature, Kenny Ford raced his way to the front in a battle with Mike Hostetler, Eric Feister, and Mike Gribble. At the checkered, the Louisville, Ohio driver, Ford, came across in first while Hostetler, Feister, Gribble, and Lissa Courtney completed the top five. The rest of the top ten were Jesse Page, Earl Scranton, Mike Pyle, Chris Smith, and Bill Burkholder.
Kenny Jewell picked up the feature win in the third Compact main event. The Canton, Ohio driver was followed by Bill Wilkin, Johnny Campbell, Pat Carnes, and Richard Duvall. Mike Jones, Ryan Kopp, Cody Shuss, Joe Elerick, and Tammy Ondo finished off the top ten.
Preliminary wins went to Irwin, Shawn Musick, Ford, Wilkin, and Elerick. Beatty won the pursuit.
The next event is this coming Wednesday, June 15. Pure Stocks and Compacts will race and powder puff races for the ladies will be held. Dashes, heats, whips, and features will be run. Fans will be allowed to enter the grandstands for free, while pit admission will remain regular. The gates open at 5:30, qualifying is at 6:45, and racing action will start at 8:00. The following race will be on Saturday, June 18, as all four divisions will compete as well as the Legend cars. Admission prices will be back to normal.
The Late Model top qualifier All Parts & Supply is up to $100 if he can win the feature. The Sport Stock top qualifier will be running for the $175 Fuel Depot award and if the Pure Stock top qualifier wins the feature, he will pick up an additional $75 courtesy of J.D. Byrider of Dover. Roger Linard, the Sport Stock feature winner was the DLC Racing Equipment Hard Charger of the night. Linard came from the 10th starting spot to pick up the feature win.
Results For Midvale Speedway
Performance Race Fuels Late Models
Top Qualifier – Dave Watson 14.63
Heat #1 – Todd Ripley, John Crumrine, Phil Rozum, Todd Miller, Dave Watson
Heat #2 – Tom Garbrandt, Tom Feller, Jr., Bob Schneider, Jr., Bob Eichel, Greg Beule
Pursuit – Tom Garbrandt, Todd Ripley, Dave Watson, Phil Rozum, John Crumrine
Feature – John Crumrine, Phil Rozum, Dave Watson, Mike Miller, Bubba Smith, Greg Beule, Mark Enos, Tom Feller, Jr., Tom Garbrandt, Bob Eichel, Todd Ripley, Todd Miller, Bob Schneider, Jr.
Tusco Net Sport Stocks
Top Qualifier – Wes Gilland 15.40
Heat #1 – Roger Linard, Keith Thomas, Gabe Pringle, Wes Gilland, Kevin McClintock
Heat #2 – Paul Murray, Don Rufener, Jr., Chris Kail, Doug McMillen, Bill Hilliker
Pursuit – Keith Thomas, Paul Murray, Doug McMillen, Josh Grove, Gabe Pringle
Feature – Roger Linard, Keith Thomas, John Tantarelli, Jr., Kevin McClintock, Josh Grove, Gabe Pringle, Don Rufener, Jr., Paul Murray, Glen Jewell, Chris Kail, Doug McMillen, Wes Gilland, Kurt Waller, Bill Hilliker
Papa John’s Pure Stocks
Top Qualifier – Al Street 17.28
Heat #1 – Al Street, Joe Oliver, Lee McCreery, Adam Mackey, Paul Parson
Heat #2 – John Leasure, Doug Higgins, Tim Oliver, Steve Archer, David Breehl
Heat #3 – Chris Miller, Bryant Smith, Dick Aubihl, Tim Rodgers, Ken Feister
Pursuit – Doug Higgins, Al Street, Paul Parson, John Leasure, Tim Oliver
Feature – Scott Archer, Al Street, Paul Parson, Adam Mackey, Rich Schweitzer, Randy Smart, Joe Oliver, Doug Higgins, Steve Archer, Bryant Smith, David Breehl, Ken Feister, Bob Passwaters, Sr., Dick Aubihl, Dan Moore, Tim Rodgers, Mike Carnes, Chris Miller, Tim Oliver, Joe Fewkes, John Leasure
Musick & Myers Heating & Cooling Compacts
Top Qualifier – Dale Beatty 18.53
Heat #1 – Josh Irwin, Dale Beatty, Russell Grandison, Don Rufener, Jr., Jack Grove
Heat #2 – Shawn Musick, Eric Feister, Jesse Page, Kyle Grewell, Tad Grove
Heat #3 – Kenny Ford, Mike Gribble, John Wissman, Bill Burkholder, Bruce Gibson
Heat #4 – Bill Wilkin, Mike Jones, Pat Carnes, Kenny Jewell, Ryan Kopp
Heat #5 – Joe Elerick, Chester McMasters, Cody Shuss, John Wissman, Jr., Tammy Ondo
Pursuit – Dale Beatty, Tom Barrett, Jack Grove, John McNutt, Adam Mishler
Feature #1 – Dale Beatty, Jack Grove, John McNutt, Josh Irwin, Russell Grandison, Troy McMath, Tom Barrett, Adam Mishler, Jason Morgan, Perry Nave, Kyle Grewell, Shawn Musick, Don Rufener, Jr., Tad Grove, Tammy Rufener
Feature #2 – Kenny Ford, Mike Hostetler, Eric Feister, Mike Gribble, Lissa Courtney, Jesse Page, Earl Scranton, Mike Pyle, Chris Smith, Bill Burkholder, Jason Dotson, Bob Passwaters, Jr., Neil Rolli, John Wissman, Bruce Gibson
Feature #3 – Kenny Jewell, Bill Wilkin, Johnny Campbell, Pat Carnes, Richard Duvall, Mike Jones, Ryan Kopp, Cody Shuss, Joe Elerick, Tammy Ondo, John Wissman, Jr., Chris Bloom, Barb Feister, Chester McMasters
Written by: Adam Mackey |
