Toledo Speedway

(Flat Rock, Michigan—April 30, 2011):  A cloudy, windy and very cool evening greeted race fans and teams for the 7 Up Season Opener Saturday at Flat Rock Speedway.  Dennis Strickland, Jerry Lee Jr., rookie Landon Schuster and Rich Abel started the 2011 season with victories. 

Despite the cool temperatures, the ARCA Moran Chevrolet Late Models put on a show, starting with qualifying.  A total of 26 cars were on hand, with 12 cars in the 11 second bracket.  Eric Lee posted the Fastime Racing Engines and Parts fast time with a lap of 11:682.  A seven car invert put Nick Grodi and rookie Derek Wiley on the pole for the 50 lap main event.  Grodi shot into the lead at the start and held the top spot for the first 24 laps.  A pair of yellows bunched the field in the first half of the event.  Defending champ Paul Pelletier was on the move and slid by Grodi on lap 25 to take the lead.  Paul encountered heavy lapped traffic on lap 28, going 4 wide into the front straight as rookie Wiley worked the bottom and Pelletier on top, which put Paul into the marbles and into a spin, bringing out the yellow.  Wiley, a former Street Stock driver who took last year off and put together his new Late Model ride, was strong out front.  He was soon to have company, however, as Dennis Strickland and Eric Lee moved into contention.

Some great racing in the top 5 saw a 3-wide move with Grodi, Lee and Strickland all together and Royce Cornett also in the mix.  Lee slid into second, but the caution on lap 29 wiped out that change of spots.  Wiley stayed in command until lap 39 as Strickland, at the wheel of his new car, went to the high side and took charge, sailing to the checkered flag. Wiley held off Lee in the closing laps to grab a brilliant second place run in his first Late Model race, with Lee third, Cornett fourth and Ron Allen fifth.  Keith Nelson was sixth, Terry Bogusz seventh (in his first race at Flat Rock), Pelletier charged back to eighth, Dan Ford Jr. came from the back twice for ninth and Joe Hawes also came from the tail back to tenth spot in the finish.  Cornett, Steve Peters and Donald Burkhart captured the heat races.

Another great finish saw Jerry Lee Jr. hold off several challenges from Greg Studt to win the 20 lap Parts Galore Figure 8 feature race.  A short field was on hand, but the action was, as always, exciting!  Lee darted into the lead at the green and had Jeremy Vanderhoof on his bumper.  Jeremy’s car jumped up to the high side while challenging for the lead, dropping him back several spots.  On lap 15 the red flag came out when James Rae took evasive measures at the intersection and turned right to avoid a wreck.  With the pack bearing down on him, several cars bounced off each other, with Vanderhoof  and Anthony Terris suffering the most damage and ending their nights.  On the re-start, Lee had Studt on the high side, on the low side and all over the track  for the final 5 laps.  Lee was able to stay out front for the victory over Studt, Dennis Whisman, Billy Earley, Robbie Loving (in Whisman’s back-up car), Steve Chartrand, Sam Hall, Stephanie Bradley, Vanderhoof and Terris completed the top ten.  Earley took the heat race win, with Studt setting quick time 20:355 in time trials on the Figure 8 track.

A long and rough 25 lap DTS Drive Train Specialists Street Stock A Main race saw rookie Landon Schuster lead every lap to take the big victory.  Numerous fender-banging incidents plagued the event, as Schuster, the 2010 Toledo Factory Stock champ, made his first attempt in the Street Stock class a night to remember.  Landon got a little loose late in the contest as Rob Moore displayed patience, staying glued to his bumper.  Rob looked to the inside on a few occasions but settled for second, with Dave Tanner third, Tim Moore fourth and Frank Jiovani fifth, followed by Brad Wyatt, Paul Duffin, Rich Frantz, Clyde McKee and Troy Brehmer.  Early front runners Danny Slater, Josh Bunting and Chad Guinn were non-finishers.

For the first 5 laps of the 15 lap B Main contest, Michael Phillips and Rich Abel ran door to door until Abel pulled out front on his way to the win.  Phillips took 1 more shot at victory on the last lap but came home second, Billy Cronce was third, Anthony Camilli fourth and Nick Grzesik fifth, with James Rae, Paul Falkenburg, Mark Lavoie, Kyle Metdepenningen and Jimmy Little next in line.  Guinn topped the 38 car field to set the Fastime Racing Engines and Parts quick time award at 13:371, while Rae had the fast B Main time at 14:340.  McKee, Wyatt, Dennis Whisman, Abel and Falkenburg were the heat race winners.

Saturday, May 7 is Action Painting/Fasten Right Roofing Armed Forces Appreciation Night at Flat Rock Speedway.  All military personnel will be admitted free to the grandstands with military ID.  The ARCA Parts Galore Figure 8’s, DTS Drive Train Specialists Street Stocks and the Jeff’s Collision 4 Cylinders will be in action.  Race time is 7 p.m.  Log onto www.flatrockspeedway.com for current information.