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| Monday, April 20th |
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Ohio's Fun Place to Race!!
2026 Race Season |
 | March 5, 2011 |
CLICK HERE FOR MALL PHOTOS
CLICK HERE TO SEE SPRING IMPROVEMENTS 4-14-11
CLICK HERE TO SEE OFFSEASON IMPROVEMENTS 11-2-10
CLICK HERE TO SEE OFFSEASON IMPROVEMENTS 10-28-10
Midvale Speedway Scheduled To Open Saturday
After a very wet spring, Midvale Speedway drivers may finally get to shake off a winter's worth of rust this coming Saturday night, April 30. Originally scheduled for April 16, the opener was pushed back a week due to construction delays at the track. Then this past Saturday, April 23 was canceled during qualifying after rain hit the speedway.
This Saturday's program will be action packed. It will mark the return of the Open Wheel Modified division, after a six year hiatus. The class, a fan favorite, was put back onto the docket this season after hearing from fans over the last few seasons. The class now runs an affordable Crate Engine and the response from drivers has been outstanding. There have already been 12 different Modified cars at the track, with more being built.
Joining the new division will be Late Models, Pure Stocks, Outlaw Compacts, Stock Compacts, and Figure 8's. All classes will be running for double points. At intermission, the first of eight Spectator Drag events this season, will be run. The winner from each of the eight events this season will be locked into the Spectator Drag Championship race set for October.
Pit gates will open Saturday at 2, hotlaps and grandstands at 3, qualifying at 4:45, and racing at 6:30. Grandstand admission will be $12 for adults, $10 for seniors 62+, $8 for kids 6-15, and children 5 and under are free. Pit admission is $25 for members and $30 for non-members.
Saturday Test Canceled
Open Practice Still Scheduled For Sunday
It's starting to feel a lot like racing season again. Mainly because torrential rain has postponed a Saturday event at Midvale Speedway. The first of two test and tunes scheduled for this weekend was called off early Saturday morning, but day two is still planned.
There hasn't been any on-track activity yet at the 3/10-mile speedplant, as the facility itself has been undergoing a facelift. Construction crews have been refurbishing the pit area since the end of last season. New concrete pit pads, a new concession stand, brand new poles and catch fencing from turn two, down the backstretch, and into turn three. New concrete walkways that will take fans to their seating in the third turn or atop turn two near the concession stand. The latest phase of the project has been the repaving of the pit area after drainage was installed.
Teams will get their first in-person look at all of the improvements on Sunday afternoon. The Midvale Karting Series will be practicing on their new small oval from 8:30-11:30 a.m., while the big cars will take to the track at 12:00. Practice is scheduled to run until 5:00 in the afternoon.
The Sunday practice is important for everyone but extremely crucial for the new Economy Modified division. It will be the first time that drivers in that class have had the opportunity to fine tune their new rides with the crate engines. The practice should answer the question of "what gear should I run?"
In addition to practice, season memberships and pit pads will be sold. Pit admission for Sunday, April 17 is $10 per person, while grandstand admission is free.
For additional info, visit www.midvalespeedway.com.
Richard Lushes Obituary/Arrangements
CLINTON -- Richard A. Lushes, 60, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, April 10, 2011.
A life resident of the Akron area, he was owner-operator of Barberton Speedway for the past 15 years and was an avid NASCAR fan.
Preceded in death by his father, Tony and grandparents, Tommy and Hettie Campbell; survived by his wife of 10 years, Debra; sons, Richard Jr. (Marcene) and Mark (Denise); five grandchildren; stepchildren, Tammy (Richie) Zimmerman and Joshua Hanna; mother, Mary Peterson; sister, Susie (Dale) Shreffer; brother, Paul (Julie); Sandy (Larry) Kitchen, mother of Richard Jr. and Mark; numerous nieces and nephews and other family members and a host of friends.
Funeral service will be held Thursday 11 a.m. at the Campfield-Hickman-Collier Funeral Home, 566 W. Park Ave., Barberton 44203 with Pastor Jim Roma officiating. Burial at Hillside Memorial Park. The family will receive friends on Wednesday from 4 to 8 p.m. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the family in care of the funeral home.
Barberton Speedway Owner Passes
It is with our deepest sympathy to announce that longtime Barberton Speedway track owner/promoter Richard Lushes has passed away unexpectedly in his sleep. It happened just hours after their season opening race this past Saturday night. Richard was truly a great guy to work with and many are glad they had the pleasure of knowing him. Once arrangements are announced, information will be posted here.
Midvale Speedway Postpones Practice & Season Opener
Test and tune, scheduled for this Saturday and Sunday, April 9-10, has been postponed by Midvale Speedway officials. The renovation project in the pit area has been held up a bit by the rough weather, not allowing the new pavement to be put in place. The practice dates will now be held next Saturday and Sunday, April 16-17. The season opener will now be Saturday, April 23.
The April 23 opener will feature racing in all five of the regular divisions, as Late Models, Modifieds, Pure Stocks, Outlaw Compacts, and Stock Compacts will all be dueling for double points. The event, sponsored by McIntosh Oil Company and Finish Line Motors, will also feature an appearance from the Easter Bunny before it hops its way across the world overnight.
The April 16 and 17 test and tune dates will have on track action from 12:00-5:00 both days. Pit admission is $10 per person, while grandstand admission will be free.
Midvale Speedway Racecar Show This Weekend
Event At New Towne Mall From Friday-Sunday
The 2011 Midvale Speedway racing season unofficially starts this weekend with the annual race car show at the New Towne Mall. The newly painted rides will be on display from Friday, April 1 thru Sunday, April 3. The event leads up to next weekend's practice and the April 16 season opener.
Over 20 teams entered their newly painted cars on Thursday night along with representatives from the Midvale Karting Series. Cars from the Main Event Racing Series, the McIntosh Oil Company Late Models, the newly formed Modified division, Pure Stocks, and Compacts are on hand. There is also a ride from the Bounty Series Late Models. It is truly one of the best turnouts in recent years.
Midvale Speedway officials have the 2011 season pocket schedules available at their booth as well as division rules and the ability to purchase pit pads and register car numbers.
Fans wishing to view the cars may do so on Friday and Saturday from 10 - 9 and Sunday from Noon - 6. For information on racing at Midvale Speedway, visit www.midvalespeedway.com.
MARCH 29 UPDATE #2: Cars will enter the mall on Thursday night at 9. If you don't have anything to do and would like to help out, we could always use a few extra pushers to get the cars inside. Some drivers don't bring a whole lot of help.
MARCH 29 UPDATE: The mall show is coming this weekend. Those entered need to arrive Thursday night about 8:30 or so. The cars will enter the mall around 9:00. Please remember not to spray tire shine, etc inside the mall as it will make the floor slick. If you have any small leaks, please place a sheet of something underneath to catch the drips. Looking forward to seeing all the new looks.
MARCH 28 UPDATE: Some new pictures have been added to the offseason improvement photo gallery. Mall show coming this weekend. Looking forward to it. A nice field is entered.
MARCH 27 UPDATE: A new batch of tires has arrived. Bill Ditto is usually at the track weekdays between 10 and 4. Stop in to buy some tars.
MARCH 18 UPDATE: Track improvements went well this week despite wet weather early on. The bottom row of pit pads are now all concrete. The new concession stand also arrived for the pits. The far end of the pits will be next to see new concrete, while drainage is about to be placed in the lower portion of the pits before the new asphalt is put down.
From a racing standpoint, all 10 of the crate engines were sold. A new order has arrived and will be available as soon as the seals are put in place. Contact Randy at Smith's Auto Sales to get yours. 330-453-3747
MARCH 10 UPDATE: Car show entries are starting to come in. Last year's show was a little down, due to it being scheduled so late in the game. This year's show already has more cars entered. However, there are still some spots available and I would like to see them filled up. The cars will enter the mall on Thursday night, March 31 at 9 PM and will be on display from Friday, April 1-Sunday, April 3. To enter, email info@midvalespeedway.com.
MARCH 6 UPDATE: The swap meet is now history. Up next is the 2011 New Towne Mall car show. There are still spots available. Those with nice looking cars are asked to enter by emailing info@midvalespeedway.com. The event will be from April 1-3.
MARCH 1 UPDATE: The 2011 racing season at Midvale Speedway is just around the corner and the 2011 Pro-Formance Swap Meet will be held this coming Saturday and Sunday, March 5/6 at the Stark County Fairgrounds. Midvale Speedway will have a display booth set up with information for the new season.
The official 2011 pocket schedules will be ready for pickup as well as division rules for the upcoming season. Drivers may also reserve their numbers for the new campaign and sign-up for the New Towne Mall Car Show that will be held. Plenty of space is available for the April 1-3 event.
Important dates to remember are the aforementioned March 5/6 swap meet, the April 1-3 car show, the Test & Tunes on April 9, 10, and 15, and the 2011 Season Opener on April 16.
For more information on the upcoming swap meet, visit www.autoevents.com. For information on the speedway, visit www.midvalespeedway.com.
FEBRUARY 23 UPDATE: We are currently locking in sponsorship partners for the 2011 racing season. The official pocket schedules complete with sponsor names and logos will be printed next week to be released at the swap meet.
There are still some night's available for your business. The deals include tickets, logo placement, announcements during the evening, a location to meet and greet racefans to pass out info, and other opportunities while enjoying a fun employee night at the track.
For more information on becoming a partner for the exciting 2011 racing, email Adam at info@midvalespeedway.com or call 330-340-1566.
FEBRUARY 12 UPDATE: There are a handful of locals competing at New Smyrna Speedway in Florida this week. Main Event Racing Series competitor, Brian Short, is racing with the Crate Late Models, while other local Late Model competitors Foster Mackey and Mike Mazzagatti also raced on night one in the same class. Lorain Speedway modified driver Tigh Shaffer is competing with the IMCA Modifieds. Others may be there later in the week.
To see minute-by-minute updates, go to speed51.com. There will also be live radio broadcasts online later during the week.
Main Event competitor Drew Charlson is also racing in the ARCA event at Daytona. For info, go to www.arcaracing.com
FEBRUARY 3 UPDATE: As you may have noticed, the website was down for about one week due to a server crash at Tusco.net. They were having problems getting everything back up and running but most of the site has been made current again. There are still a couple of things, including pictures, that are not online. The schedule has also been updated to include the Super Cup Stock Car Series for an August 13 event.
Officials from Midvale Speedway have announced the 2011 preliminary schedule. While the schedule could see some minor tweaks between now and the racing season, most dates are confirmed. The official pocket schedules will be released at the March 5-6 Pro-Formance Swap Meet at the Stark County Fairgrounds. Other pre-season events include the New Towne Mall Car Show from April 1-3, and the test and tune dates of April 9, 10, and 15. The 2011 season opener is slated for Saturday, April 16 at 6:30.
All of the competitors will be enjoying the newly renovated pit area, while more improvements are coming this spring. Included in this phase of renovations were stands in turn three, catch fence on the backstretch and into the third turn, concrete pit pads, and freshly paved driveways throughout the pit area.
This season will see the return of the Economy Modified division and a more affordable Compact class. The Modifieds will be running crate engines that are available for $3,200 from the track. The Compact division, as it has been run the last few years, will be known as the Outlaw Compacts, while the new division will be named the Stock Compacts. Also running this year are the Outlaw Late Models, Pure Stocks, and Figure 8's.
The Main Event Racing Series will be making two appearances again this year. The annual Independence Day Weekend show on Friday, July 1 and the other race will now move to Labor Day weekend for Saturday, September 3.
The Bounty Series Late Models will make their second visit to the speedway on Saturday, June 11. In their first visit last year, fans saw an extremely exciting race turn ugly in the latter stages when several grinding crashes eliminated much of the field.
Other special event visitors include the Circle Track Mini Trucks and the Midvale Karting Series.
Two additional dates have been added to this year's schedule, as well. On Wednesday, June 15, the Fan Appreciation night with reduced admission prices returns. The other new date is Saturday, October 22 with the Halloween Compact 100 plus a demo derby and Spectator Drag Championship. There will be a trick or treat session and a costume contest in addition to another division or two, to be announced.
Each regular division will have one 50-lap feature to compete in. For the Late Models and Modifieds, their specials will be run on Memorial Day weekend. The Compacts and Pure Stocks will have their 50 lappers during the Wednesday night event.
This year will also see eight spectator drag qualifying events. Once a competitor wins a spectator drag event, he/she is locked into the spectator drag championship race in October. They also will be eliminated from competing in another spectator drag event until the finale. This will give everyone a chance to make it into Midvale Speedway victory lane.
In all, 25 nights of racing are scheduled for the exciting 2011 campaign. For more info on the new season, visit www.midvalespeedway.com.
2011 OFF-SEASON NEWS
JANUARY 25 UPDATE: Tony Diano Obituary
Visitation and Services - Family and friends will be received on Wednesday from 4 to 8 pm in the Rossi Funeral Home. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thursday at 10 am in St. Louis Catholic Church with Rev. Fr. David Menegay celebrant. Interment will be in the family plot at Calvary Cemetery.
Obituary -
ANTHONY “TONY” M. DIANO JR, age 73 of Louisville, passed away Saturday. Born in Canton to the late Anthony N. Sr. and Katherine (Capocci) Diano, he was also preceded in death by brother Donald J. Diano. He was an active member of St. Louis Catholic Parish. Tony was associated with Diano Redi Mix and Supply for over 60 years, working with his father for 40 years. Since 1990 he has been president of the company and working with his sister Darlene Diano Guynup. An avid racing fan, Tony was a champion race car driver from 1964 to 1975 and was an Inaugural Inductee into the Midvale Speedway Hall of Fame. He was still involved to this day with building racecars with his sons and grandson for the upcoming season. He was a generous supporter of Stark DD and the Special Olympics where he coached the Special Olympic Bocce Blast Team for 7 years. Tony was a longtime supporter of his father’s church, St. Anthony in Canton, Louisville YMCA, Louisville schools and the Perry Little League. He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Shirley (Smith) Diano, sons Mario (Carrie) Diano of Louisville, Anthony (Michelle) Diano of North Canton, daughters Maria Diano of Columbus, Michelle Diano of Canton, Christi Green of Massillon, Lynn Dye of Canton, grandchildren Nicholas, Marcus, Ashley, Amber, Amanda, Jonathon, sister Darlene (Claude) Guynup of Canton, special aunt Mrs. Sandy Marcoaldi of Canton, adopted sons (in his heart) Bill Milner, Tom McAdams and family, several nephews, cousins and friends.
JANUARY 22 UPDATE: Our thoughts are with the family of Midvale Speedway Hall Of Famer, Tony Diano, who passed away. Diano was the first of three generations of Diano's that raced at Midvale Speedway. He was inducted as part of the first Hall of Fame ceremony in 2007.
JANUARY 13 UPDATE #2: Tired of the long winter and want to see some racing already? I just updated my video site with our racing clips from various tracks in 2010. Go to www.racingvids.net/videoclips.htm to view. It may take a moment or two to load.
JANUARY 13 UPDATE: A few race teams have already purchased and picked up their Modified crate engines for the new division. To order yours, call Smith's Auto Sales at 330-453-3747.
JANUARY 1 UPDATE: The Modified rev limiter chip that will be used this year is 6200. They are available through Summit or Performance Bodies. The chip must be out of the reach of the driver.
DECEMBER 21 UPDATE: Economy Modifieds Returning To Midvale Speedway In 2011...Affordable Engines Now Available
After a five year hiatus, the Open Wheel Modifieds will be returning to Midvale Speedway in 2011. The division, a favorite of many fans, ran full time at the track from 1999 to 2004 but was dropped for the 2005 season due to a dwindling car count.
The number one reason for a small car count was cost vs. reward. While the division pay was so-so, the cost to run a car became unaffordable. In 2011, the division returns as a more affordable class, much like it was intended to be years ago.
The teams will be required to run a crate engine, which is $3,200 brand new. Some built engines that teams were running before the class was dropped were in upwards of $20,000. There will also be a shock claim of $75 and a carburetor claim of $350.
Track owner, Randy Smith, has recently ordered 10 engines. Drivers interested in purchasing one may call Smith's Auto Sales at 330-453-3747.
As of December 21, 30 drivers have already registered numbers for the new division.
The green flag will drop on the new season Saturday, April 16 at 6:30. For more information, visit www.midvalespeedway.com.
NOVEMBER 25 UPDATE: Special Award Winners At 2010 Midvale Banquet Announced
Most Improved Drivers - LM #90 Emerson Huffman, PS #75 Bob Passwaters, Sr., C #3 Kyle Grove
Rookies Of The Year - LM #99 Derek Grewell, PS #11 TJ Barker, C #21 Corey Evey
Sportsmen Of The Year - LM #12 Bubba Smith, SS #31 Bill Aubihl, PS #17 Bill Burkholder, C #33 Brad Henry
Hard Luck Drivers - LM #30 Tom Garbrandt, SS #38 Kevin McClintock, PS #75 Bob Passwaters, Sr., C #02 Jesse Page
Best Appearing Cars - #00 Todd Ripley, SS #38 Kevin McClintock, PS #5 Vince Martin, C #11 Bryce Allensworth
Outstanding Pit Crews - LM #27 Rich Marcum, SS, #17 Randy Smart, PS #85 Chris Mick, C #36 Rich Dunlap
Most Popular Drivers - LM #54 Doug McMillen, SS #17 Randy Smart, PS #49 Teddy Oliver, C #35 John McNutt
Young Gun Award - C #82 Don Boron, Jr.
Mr. Consistency Award - LM #53 Mike Miller
NOVEMBER 13 UPDATE: The Pure Stock max lift for a cam has been changed to .450. It was previously listed at .448. It has been changed since many stock cams come with a .450 lift cam.
NOVEMBER 11 UPDATE: Both sets of Compact rules for the Outlaw Compacts and the new Stock Compact class are now available by clicking on the Compact rules section.
Written by: Adam Mackey |
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