Ohio's Fun Place to Race!!
2024 Race Season |
 | June 24, 2017 |
 On a beautiful Saturday June evening, many familiar names made another appearance in victory lane, two of them for the first time this season. Sixty Six cars and trucks pulled into Midvale Speedway for Week #8, Adventure Harley Davidson Mid-season Championship night at "Thunder In The Valley". Skies were sunny and it was 77 degrees at race time.
The first feature to take to the track was the 15 lap Finish Line Motor's Mini Truck's feature. The #87 of Andrew Fishburn and the #4 of Tim Scott led one of the biggest fields of Mini Truck's down for the start. Fishburn would lead lap 1, but Rich Schweitzer in the #84 would take to the high lane on lap 2 and take over the top spot. Colt Locker in the #118 was also able to get around Fishburn and settle into the second spot. As the laps clicked away, Locker hounded Schweitzer for the race lead as Fishburn and Scott would battle for 3rd about a straightaway behind, soon being joined by the #95 of Michael Varnes. On lap 9, Locker's persistence paid off as he was able to make the outside pass on Schweitzer to take the lead. Locker seemed to be battling a loose truck off the corners, each and everytime he went back to the gas pedal, the bed of that truck would swing out towards the wall. The only caution flew on lap 11 for a large piece of debris in turn four. Back under the green flag, Schweitzer would battle hard in the outside lane, actually leading lap 12 by inches, but Locker wanted to show he had what it takes to put his truck in victory lane. Bill Aubihl was able to fill in and pick up two wins this year and now Colt was able to claim his first of the season. Following the Somerdale OH driver in the My Water Doctor, Townhouse Drive Thru, GM Electric, RV Parts Express, Team B.B.D and Drunken Uncle Bar and Grille sponsored #118 was Schweitzer, Scott, Fishburn and Varnes.
The McIntosh Oil Company Late Model's took to the track with the #45 of Phillip Cox and the #22 of "The Codeman" Cody Jaberg leading the field to Chief Starter Terry Colletti's green flag. Jaberg, who led about 7/8 of last week's feature, would lead the opening lap. Ryan Tedesco in the #701 was able to get around Cox and swing to the high side of Jaberg into turn three. Tedesco would power around the outside off of turn four and lead lap 2. Tom Stankiewicz in the #42 moved up to the second spot, just before Jimmy Carter looped the #2 machine in turn 2. "El Presidente" was making a substitute appearance for Alex Rosenberry this week, which also allowed Mr. Carter to get some seat time before the Freedom 100 next Mon. So, Tedesco and Stankiewicz would lead the field to green for the lap 4 restart. Tedesco would regain the top spot and he pulled Bubba Smith in the #12 with him in the bottom lane. Bubba seemed to have the better car, especially with four new American Racer shoes, but Tedesco was just good enough to keep the #12 at bay. Then, Bubba got the break he needed. Mack Gribble, driving his own #24 this week, spun on the back straightaway, bringing out the second and final caution on lap 7. On the restart, Bubba was able to get a good launch off turn four and power out to the lead. Tedesco stayed right in his tire tracks with Stankiewicz and Bryant Smith in the #1 in a four car train at the front. As the leaders entered lapped traffic on lap 20, Bubba slid up just enough, allowing Tedesco to peek to the inside off of turn four. Bubba would close the door on the front straightaway, stalling Tedesco's momentum. That was as close as he would get on this night, as Bubba went on to pick up his third victory of the season and second in a row. Rounding out the top five behind the North Canton OH driver in the Finish Line Motor's, Finish Line Designs, Smith's Auto Sales and Freedom Auto Finance sponsored #12 was Tedesco, Stankiewicz, Bryant and Carter.
Next to hit the 3/10 mile oval was the South Philly Pizza Compact 15 lap fast feature. Bobby Gainer in the #17x and Larry Ennis Jr in the #20 led the field to green. Ennis would lead lap 1 and was trying to pick up a win for his dad, Larry Sr, who had some medial problems last week. It was good to see Larry Sr in the crowd, cheering his son on!! Kyle Finlayson in the #15 would take the brother's Shreffler 3-wide mid pack. Finlayson was able to make that 3rd groove work as he disposed of Brent in the #24 and Ryan in the #99. Kyle Rector, filling in for Dan Buckey in the #69, was able to take over the lead on lap 3 via the high lane on Ennis. While Rector led, Ennis, Zack Cogar in the #58, and Finlayson were all in a wad, battling for 2nd. Rector was continuing to set a torrid pace out front, but it would cost him. Rector ran two laps under his qualifying time, bringing out the races only caution and sending Rector to the tail on lap 8. That put Finlayson and Cogar on the front row for the restart. Cogar, trying to win his first career fast feature, presented the colors during an emotional pre-race ceremony with his Brother Cody, who is deploying this coming week with his Army National Guard unit out of McConnelsville OH. We wish Cody a safe and speedy return home and thank him for his service! Finlayson was able to get the advantage on the restart and pull Brandon France in the #38 with him on the inside. Finlayson would lead as France, Cogar, Brent Shreffler and fastest qualifier Jeffrey Orr in the #36 waged a war for second. Finlayson, who has had many gremlins keep him out of Finish Line Motor's Victory Lane the past year or so, was able to finally capture the W that has eluded him. Following the Bolivar OH driver in the Finlayson Towing, Finlayson Trucking, Outlaw Vinyls, Shutterbug Photography sponsored #15 was Brent, France, Orr and Britt Vanmeter.
The Summit Racing Economy Modified's were up next for their 25 lapper. Mike Bowers in the #02 and Mark Willison Jr in the #98 led the field to the stripe. Bowers was able to pull out front as Todd Ripley in the #00 battled with Willison for a couple laps, until he finally cleared him on lap 3. Lucas Ripley in the #0 was able to follow his Dad up to 3rd using the inside lane and a lap later the #55 of "The Rooster" Brandon Bailey was up to 4th. As the first 3/4 of the race wound down, the only machine that was willing to go to the outside was the #38 of Kevin McClintock. He was able to take advantage of Willison and Rooster getting together to move by them and then used that high line to get around Lucas after a 5 lap battle. After clearing Lucas, he took a run to the inside of Todd, but found the door was quickly closed. McClintock would look to the outside, only to find that door closed as well. The first caution flew on lap 20 as Lucas Ripley and Willison Jr got together in turn two. Ripley was forced to retire with a flat right front tire, as his luck continues to be terrible. I'm guessing Lucas will buying out all the rabbits feet in the local stores this week, something has to give for the #0 guys. The only other guy that didn't want to see a caution was Bowers. He had the race in control and nobody was making the outside work except McClintock, who I mentioned earlier. On the restart, Todd Ripley put the hammer down and took over the race lead, pulling Rooster with him in the high lane. "Big Mac" Doug McMillen in the #54 and Willison got together on lap 22, bringing out the 2nd and final caution. Todd needed that 1st caution, he didn't need the 2nd. He found himself with Rooster to his outside, who was looking for his 3rd win in 4 weeks. At the drop of the green flag, the veteran Ripley did everything in his power to try to break the momentum of that White, Blue and Green #55, but it wasn't enough. Bailey would go on to pick up his 4th win of the season. Completing the top 5 behind the Leesville OH driver in the Scio Car Wash, Vaughans Pub & Grille, Dover Hydraulics sponsored #55 was Todd, McClintock, Bowers and Lee McCreery.
The JD Byrider Street Stock's were up next for their 20 lap feature. Bob Passwaters Jr in the #74 and Tom Earley in his newly purchased #31E paced the field. Earley was able to rocket out front and brought his teammate Kyle Grove in the #3, which used to be the #31, to the second spot. The first caution flew on lap 6 as Passwaters Jr spun in turn four. After a 2 lap battle after the restart, Earley was able to prevail on the bottom as Grove tucked in between the leader and Mike Martin in the #11 who was 3rd. From Earley, who was the race leader, back to Ryan Tedesco in the #7G who ran 7th, the field ran tight together, nose to tail the final 11 circuits. Nobody had anything for the new #31 as Earley would bookend the first half of the season with wins in the opener and mid-season. Following the Canton OH driver in the Earley Racing, Herbs Transmission, Earley Limo and Rino Roofing and Construction sponsored #31E was Grove, Martin, Larry Smith and Josh Moss.
The final Mid-season Championship race was the 2nd 15 lap South Philly Pizza Compact feature. The #1 of Chad Smith and the #61 of Justin VanFossen started up front. After a botched start that had 3 or 4 cars tearing through the infield down the back straightaway. The only car that was not able to continue was the #169 of Marcus Cox. Smith would have the advantage into turn one but was fighting a car that was pushing like a dump truck. That allowed the #0 of Allen Clark to get by and swing to the outside of VanFossen. The duo would race side by side until the only caution waved on lap 4 for Jesse James in the #88, who spun in turn one. On the restart, Clark and VanFossen would trade the lead almost each and every corner over the final 11 laps. Those 2 put on a whale of a race. The #55 of Tyler Nign, the #18 of Tim Frederick, the #17 of Jeremy Ross and the #64 of Trevor Kohl were putting on a show of their own a few car lengths behind the lead duo. This group was 3-wide almost constantly, thanks to Kohl, who refused to give up the 3rd lane. Clark and VanFossen would continue to swap the lead without swapping a flake of paint. Frederick would dive to the inside off of turn four to give us a 3-wide finish at the line, but VanFossen was able to hang on to pick up his second win this season. Following the Tusky OH driver in the Owens Heating and Cooling sponsored #61 was Clark, Frederick, Nign and Ross.
Another exciting week is in the books. The track crew basically got the week off, because thankfully, there were no major incidents or accidents. There were very few cautions and nothing but exciting racing. Thank you to Adventure Harley Davidson for sponsoring our Mid-season Championship's, make sure you go check them out!!!
We now turn out focus towards one of the biggest weeks of the year for Midvale Speedway.
Make your plans now and get here early!! Pit Gates open at 2, Grandstands at 4, Qualifying at 6:30 with Racing Action taking the Green Flag at 8:00.
Check out midvalespeedway.com and on FB for more details this week.
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McIntosh Oil Company Late Model's
Fast Time: Bubba Smith 13.863
Heat 1: Jimmy Carter, Bryant Smith, Tom Stankiewicz, Bubba Smith, Ryan Tedesco, Mack Gribble
Heat 2: Gage Jaberg, Bob Eichel, Phillip Cox, Dave Martin, Albert Francis, Cody Jaberg
Feature: Bubba, Tedesco, Stankiewicz, Bryant, Carter, Cody, Martin, Cox, Eichel, Gage, Francis, Gribble
Summit Racing Economy Modified's
Fast Time: Brandon Bailey 14.659
Heat 1: Mark Willison Jr, Doug McMillen, Todd Ripley, Kevin McClintock, Lucas Ripley, Brandon Bailey, Lee McCreery
Heat 2: Bill Shimko, Jason Grewell, Mike Bowers
Feature: Bailey, Todd, McClintock, Bowers, McCreery, Willison Jr, Shawn Kaufman, McMillen, Shimko, Grewell, Lucas, Cory Beatty
JD Byrider Street Stock's
Fast Time: Mike Martin 16.074
Heat 1: Tom Earley, Gabe Pringle, Ryan Tedesco, Kyle Grove, Larry Smith, Mike Martin
Heat 2: Bill Aubihl, Bob Passwaters Jr, Josh Moss, Curtis Collins, Gary Hoopingarner, Kenny Feister Jr
Feature: Earley, Grove, Martin, Smith, Mods, Tedesco, Pringle, Aubihl, Passwaters Jr, Collins, Hoopingarner
Finish Line Motor's Mini Truck's
Fast Time: Colt Locker 16.326
Heat: Rich Schweitzer, Andrew Fishburn, Colt Locker, Michael Varnes, Tim Scott, Barney Gerber, Derek Cordia, Roger Bausher
Feature: Locker, Schweitzer, Scott, Fishburn, Varnes, Frederick, Gerber, Cordia, Bausher
South Philly Pizza Compact's
Fast Time: Jeffrey Orr 17.485
Heat 1: Kyle Rector, Brandon France, Mike McDonald, Britt Vanmeter, Brent Shreffler, Zack Cogar, Jeffrey Orr, Kyle Finlayson
Heat 2: Jeremy Ross, Larry Ennis Jr, Josh Beall, Bobby Gainer, Tim Frederick, Ryan Shreffler, Jesse James
Heat 3: Justin VanFossen, Tyler Nign, Marcus Cox, Allen Clark, Trevor Kohl, Chad Smith, Tyler Eichel
Fast Feature: Finlayson, Brent, France, Orr, Vanmeter, Cogar, Ennis Jr, Rector, McDonald, Ryan, Gainer
2nd Feature: VanFossen, Clark, Frederick, Nign, Ross, James, Kohl, Beall, Smith, Eichel, Cox
Written by: Chris Kail |
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06/24/2017 Race
Late Models Listings |
| Finish Pos. | Driver |
| 1. | Smith, Bubba |
| 2. | Tedesco, Ryan |
| 3. | Stankiewicz, Tom |
| 4. | Smith, Bryant |
| 5. | Rosenberry, Alex |
| 6. | Jaberg, Cody |
| 7. | Martin, Dave |
| 8. | Racing, Slentz |
| 9. | Eichel, Bob |
| 10. | Jaberg, Gage |
| More |
06/24/2017 Race
Economy Modifieds Listings |
| Finish Pos. | Driver |
| 1. | Bailey, Brandon |
| 2. | Ripley, Todd |
| 3. | McClintock, Kevin |
| 4. | Bowers, Mike |
| 5. | McCreery, Lee |
| 6. | Willison Jr, Mark |
| 7. | Kauffman, Shawn |
| 8. | McMillen, Doug |
| 9. | Shimko, Bill |
| 10. | Grewell, Jason |
| More |
06/24/2017 Race
Street Stocks Listings |
| Finish Pos. | Driver |
| 1. | Earley, Tom |
| 2. | Grove, Kyle |
| 3. | Martin, Mike |
| 4. | Smith, Larry |
| 5. | Moss, Josh |
| 6. | Tedesco, Ryan |
| 7. | Pringle, Gabe |
| 8. | Aubihl, Bill |
| 9. | Passwater Jr, Bob |
| 10. | Collins, Curtis |
| More |
06/24/2017 Race
Mini Truck Listings |
| Finish Pos. | Driver |
| 1. | Locker, Colt |
| 2. | Schweitzer, Rich |
| 3. | Scott, Tim |
| 4. | Fishburn, Andrew |
| 5. | Varnes, Michael |
| 6. | Frederick, Tim |
| 7. | Gerber, Barney |
| 8. | Cordia, Derek |
| 9. | Bausher, Roger |
| More |
06/24/2017 Race
Compacts Listings |
| Finish Pos. | Driver |
| 1. | Finlayson, Kyle |
| 2. | Shreffler, Brent |
| 3. | France, Brandon |
| 4. | Orr, Jeffery |
| 5. | Vanmeter, Britt |
| 6. | Cogar, Zack |
| 7. | Ennis Jr, Larry |
| 8. | Buckey, Dan |
| 9. | McDonald, Mike |
| 10. | Shreffler, Ryan |
| More |
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