Toledo Speedway

(TOLEDO, Ohio - July 2, 2010) - Daren Hagen and Henry Clarke were the big winners Friday night in the Hemelgarn Racing/Super Fitness-sponsored USAC doubleheader at Toledo Speedway.  Ron Hemelgarn presented the five-foot trophies to the victors in the Sunny D Winner's Circle. 

The USAC Midget 50-lap main was up first, with Jerry Coons taking the lead at the start. On Lap 9, point leader Bryan Clauson dropped out and on Lap 11, the first of two yellows appeared when Tracy Hines stopped on the track. Hines, second in points, was done for the night. Hagen grabbed second on the restart after a big scramble. Hagen took over the point after the second Lap 11 try and pulled away, but Daniel Bedford stayed in his tracks. The lead duo pulled away from the pack and set up a Lap 46 battle for the point. Hagen went up just a bit high in Turn 1 and Bedford ducked low. Hagen slammed the door and held on for the victory. Bedford was second, Dakoda Armstrong third, Caleb Armstrong fourth, and Levi Roberts fifth, followed by Henry Clarke, Mario Clouser, Jimmy Simpson, Dave Darland and Brad Kuhn. Simpson, Hagen, and Adam Kramer took the heat race wins. Hines set quick time for the 20-car field at 15.081 seconds.

Following the Midget portion of the event, the USAC Sprint Cars took to the half-mile paved oval for their 50-lap feature race. On the green flag, thrown by TV 24 weatherman Norm Van Ness, Levi Jones assumed control. A quick yellow on Lap 19 bunched the field, giving Henry Clarke a shot to battle Jones. On the restart, Clarke shot low going down the front straight and snared the top spot. Meanwhile, defending race winner Bobby East was on the move. East, from deep in the pack, moved to fifth by Lap 15 and reeled in the top four cars.  He got to third on Lap 21, chasing Clarke and Damion Gardner, who had moved into the second spot. A wild incident brought the red flag out on lap 32 when Gardner clipped the lapped car of Chad Atkinson, sending him over on his nose, flipping over and catching the Turn 3 wall up on all four wheels. Gardner emerged unharmed, but was done for the night. Shane Hmiel was on the fly, moving to second on the restart by Lap 38, while East dropped back a slight bit. Clarke and Hmiel sped away from the pack, setting up a last-lap effort. Entering Turn 4, Hmiel dipped low and tagged Clarke on the back bar, sending him sideways and up the track. Clarke gathered his machine back in and held on for his big win, with Hmiel second, East third, Levi Jones fourth, and Tracy Hines fifth. Clauson, Kody Swanson, JoJo Helburg, Jerry Coons Jr., and Tanner Swanson completed the top 10 finishers. Casey Riggs, A.J. Fike and Dave Baumgartner took the heat wins. Kody Swanson set a new record in qualifying with a lap of 14.668 seconds. Helburg, Chris Windom, and Hmiel also broke the old mark, held by Cole Whitt at 14.761.

A large group of 20 vintage race cars were on display in the spectator concourse. A total of 12 cars took parade laps prior to the start of the racing card.

Stock car racing returns to Toledo Speedway Friday, July 9 as the ARCA Allegiant Air Gold Cup Late Model Series contests the fourth leg of the five-race series. The Big Red Crème Soda feature will be 75 laps on the half-mile, with action also on tap with the ARCA Factory Stocks and 4-Cylinders. Defending champ Mike Root holds a slim five-point margin over Scott Hantz after the first three events. 

Practice begins at 4:30, time trials are at 6:15, and racing begins at 7:30 p.m. The July 9 show is also part of the Valvoline Instant Oil Change Summer Racing Series at the track. All tickets will go on sale at 4:30 p.m. at the track on race day. Seating for this race is general admission and on a first-come, first-serve basis.