Toledo Speedway

(TOLEDO, Ohio - October 1, 2011) - A pair of Snowball Derby wins, numerous big event victories and championships and now a Glass City 200 title.  Birmingham, AL driver Augie Grill added that crown to his impressive resume by winning Saturday night’s Great Lakes Helicopters Glass City 200 at Toledo Speedway in front of a good crowd on a very cold and windy evening.  Grill’s victory was worth $7,850 out of a purse of over $57,000 in cash and awards.

Grill, in competition for the first time at Toledo, was at the wheel of Canadian Jerry Artuso’s #5 machine.  The veteran steadily picked up speed during practice Friday and Saturday, ending up 4^th in the PASSTIME qualifying session.  JR Roahrig led 7 cars that dipped into the 14 second bracket and set a new track record with a lap of 14:718, collecting the $500 PASSTIME bonus for fast time.  Roahrig was in the same car owned by Bobby Blount that had held the mark of 14:809, set by Derrick Griffin last April.  Mike Root, Johnny VanDoorn, Grill, Nick Grodi, Harold Fair Jr., Mike Luberda, Dennis Strickland, Brad Rogers and Johnny Belott rounded out the top 10 qualifiers for the 40 cars in the pit area.

The DTS Drive Train Specialists 25 lap B Main saw the top 6 cars move to the 200.  Steve Sauve sailed away to the win over George Rangel, Justin May, Derek Wiley, Marcus Malcuit and Howard Kelley Jr.  Terry Bogusz, Steve Peters, Tom O’Leary IV, Scot Bunge, Trever McCoy, Craig Everage and Todd Perkins trailed the top 6.

A total of 13 cars were inverted by a random draw, putting Barry Hartwell and Jake Francis on the front row.  The Moran Chevrolet Camaro Indy 500 replica pace car led the field to the green, but Brad Rogers looped his car coming out of turn 2, stacking up a handful of cars.  Howard Kelley Jr. and Marcus Malcuit did not return after the red was displayed to clear the track.  3-time Glass City champ Steve Sauve was also involved and would end up dropping out later on from the damage in the incident.  Francis jumped into the lead on the second try, but Grill was on the move immediately.  By lap 12, Augie had already moved from 10^th to 3^rd and was second on the next circuit, reeling in Francis.  The first segment of the race (101 laps) was plagued with yellow flags.  Scott Hantz, who started in the back row, also moved up quickly, coming from 29^th slot to 17^th by lap 17, only to have a trailing arm break, ending his bid for his first Glass City 200 win.  Another yellow came out on lap 20 when Hartwell and Brent Jack tangled in turn 3.  Harold Fair Jr. had no place to go and spun backwards into the mess, forcing him down pit road.  Grill continued to motor out front with a sizable lead, but the man on the move was Luberda.  Mike, coming off 2 big wins in season-ending races in Michigan, began to catch Grill and looked very strong.  On lap 54, Luberda’s dreams of the big win were dashed when his car went up in a wisp of smoke entering turn 1, bringing out the yellow again.  Ron Allen, who cranked a great lap in qualifying with the only V-6 in the field, got crossed up with Rick Sheppard on lap 61 while running in the top 10 and slammed the turn 3 wall hard, ending his evening.  Roahrig’s car began to slow at lap 76only to also have a flat tire, which brought out the yellow and halted his bid for a win in the prestigious event.Grill brought the field to the lap 101 mark and a 20 minute break, with Strickland second and VanDoorn third.

17 cars answered the bell for the final segment of 99 laps and Van Doorn was like a heat-seeking missile as he tracked down Grill.  Fair Jr., the defending race winner, ducked down pit road on green on lap 117, adding to his tough night.  Johnny zipped by Strickland for second and tucked in on Grill’s back bumper, ready to pounce on the leader by lap 122.  2 laps later, VanDoorn nosed under Grill going down the back chute and grabbed the number 1 spot.  Grill stayed within 2 car lengths of the leader as VanDoorn stayed in command.  Brent Jack, also a top 10 threat, pitted on green on lap 126 as the race smoothed out for a short time.

Coming out of turn 4 on lap 136, VanDoorn’s car encountered engine trouble.  Johnny moved up the track going down the front straight and put his hand out to give Grill the bottom lane, but Grill narrowly escaped spinning his machine as he tagged the left corner of VanDoorn’s car going into turn 1.  Johnny came to a stop in the back-straight, bringing out the yellow and ending what looked like a potential victory for the #61 machine.  On the re-start, 1999 race winner Tim Felver had problems and slowed as he tried to enter pit road, as the field avoided a potential accident.  Mike Root, who stayed in the hunt the entire race, has his engine sour on lap 145 and called it a night.

At lap 150, the top 5 were Grill, Strickland, Belott, Chad Guinn and Dakota Carlson.  Those five drivers would remain in that running order for the final 50 laps.  With 30 to go, Strickland was 2 seconds behind Grill, but could not cut the gap.  The best battle was between Belott and Guinn, who diced back and forth for the final 60 laps.  Guinn spun on lap 182, but came right back to challenge for the 3^rd spot.  At the checkered flag, Grill scored the big victory, with Strickland second, Belott third, Guinn fourth and Carlson fifth.  Jack Varney Jr. was sixth, Steve Cronenwett Jr. seventh, Ricky Kargel eighth, Hartwell ninth and Grodi tenth.  Just 10 cars of the 31 car field finished the event.  The top 5 cars finished all 200 laps.

The top 10 cars, along with 15^th and 20^th place, all received bonus money courtesy of Francis Engineering.  Cronenwett Jr. took the $250 Burge Wrecking Most Improved position award, moving from 27^th to 7^th spot.  Grill also collected the $200 halfway bonus from Francis Engineering, a pair of 2 roundtrip tickets to Florida, courtesy of Allegiant Travel and a $250 product certificate from Penske Shocks. 

In other awards, Steve Peters won the random draw for 4 Hoosier Racing Tires, courtesy of Pat Moran and Moran Chevrolet of Clinton Twp, MI.  The $100 All Star Performance product certificate winners were Varney Jr. and Grodi.  Carlson and Felver took the $100 Lane Automotive certificate awards. DTS Drive Train Specialists contributed $50 product/parts certificates in a random draw.  The winners were Tim Felver, Paul Pelletier, Nick Grodi and Marcus Malcuit.  Howard Kelley Jr. also was a recipient of a DTS certificate in lieu of his finish in 30^th spot.

Lap money sponsors were Port City Racecars, PNC Bank, Super Health Store, DVD Dave, Paul and Iris Anton, Naughton Insurance, Performance Images, Rick Eshelman, Great Lakes Racing Frequencies, Quality Inn and Suites, Ray’s Door Service, Remerica Real Estate-Rosann Carey, Lite-In-Up, Mars Trucking, Glass Unlimited, Driven Women, Dan’s Vending, In memory of Danny Clapsaddle, McIntosh Oil, Mike and Patty Sheldon, In Memory of Harry M. Sheldon, Cousino Farms, Rand Thompson, Tim Horton’s of Buck Road and Maumee, In Memory of Ted Stadniczuk, Barb Mott, Mac and Al’s Garage, Happy 70^th Birthday Ken P, Naughti Turtle Bar and Grille, In Memory of Barbara LoPiccolo, Michigan Auto Racing Fan Club, In Memory of Louis Trepanier, LeClair Fuels-In memory of Frank Illig, Mike Damic Racing Photography, Northwest Firestop, Cannan Construction, Dave White Chevrolet, White Family Collision and Bob Wheaton.

Additional sponsors for the Great Lakes Helicopters Glass City 200 included EarSmart of Northwest Ohio, Allegiant Travel, Francis Engineering, Moran Chevrolet, DTS Drive Train Specialists, Sunoco Race Fuels, Bazell Race Fuels, Port City Racecars, Kish Ambulance, All Star Performance, Lane Automotive, R & M Recycling, Burge Wrecking, PNC Bank, Penske Racing Shocks and PASSTIME. 

Jeremy Vanderhoof backed up his 2011 championship title by winning the 25 lap ARCA Parts Galore Figure 8 feature race.  Robbie Loving, Danny Gaddis (in his first-ever Toledo race), Greg Studt, Dennis Whisman, Tim Murphy, Archie Padgett, Alan Bland Jr., Troy Herrmann and Billy Earley rounded out the top 10.

The 25 lap ARCA R & M Recycling Street Stock division ran a 25 lap main event, with Matt Ringger lead the early stages of the race.  Dennis Whisman slid into the lead with about 10 laps to go and took the checkered flag ahead of Ringger, Kyle Huston, Archie Padgett, Rich Abel, Landon Schuster, Lonnie York, Ian Jezylo, John Rabideau and James Good.  Whisman set fast time at 11:812.

Back on the ½ mile, the ACME Dismantling Sportsman class took to the track for a 40 lap main.  Howard Kelley Jr. took the lead on the green, with Kyle DeLisle in tow.  As the duo approached a lapped car, Kelley shot up the track to avoid contact.  DeLisle snuck the nose of his car in the opening and grabbed the top spot.  Ron Allen would move into second several laps later and chase down Kyle.  On lap 22, that duo tangled, bringing out the yellow and sending both drivers to the tail of the field.  Kelley inherited the lead and sped away to the victory over Dave Arnold Jr., Allen, Mike Young, DeLisle, Tom O’Leary IV, Greg Stilwell, Randy Cornett, Norm Lewallen and Kevin Stahl Jr.  Allen led the 22 car filed in time trials with a lap of 17:126.