Toledo Speedway

(FLAT ROCK, Michigan - June 23, 2012) - Second generation driver Harold Fair Jr. survived numerous yellow flags and sped to victory in the Diamond Racing Products Joy Fair Memorial 100 lap race for the ARCA Allegiant Late Model Gold Cup Series Saturday night at Flat Rock Speedway.  Fair, who passed away in December, was represented by his wife, children, grandchildren and great, great grandchildren in pre and post-race ceremonies. 

Track management announced that the grandstand will now be known as the Joy Fair Grandstand at the ¼ mile paved oval where Fair collected 159 feature wins and 10 track titles during his illustrious career.  A huge #1 and Fair’s name were painted on the infield grass by race director Jason Sanderson for the event.

An outstanding field of 32 ARCA Moran Chevrolet Late Models were on hand for this prestigious event.  Dakota Carlson led the group in time trials and set the Fastime Racing Engines and Parts quick lap at 11:763.  With 18 cars locked in by time, the top 4 cars came out of the 15 lap last-chance race.  Brian Nester topped Ron Allen,Stan Yee Jr. and Jim Alvis in the race.  Fifth place finisher Chris Benson moved to the 100 lap event as Dave Kuhlman withdrew after qualifying for the feature due to an illness in his family.  Joe Hawes and Claude Plante Jr. were the provisional starters to fill the 24 car field.

With an inversion of 11, Jimmy Thiel started on the pole and grabbed the lead on the green.  The action started on lap 5 when Eric Lee slammed the backstretch wall with the right side of his car, bringing out the red flag.  The caution flag also slowed action time and again as the 24 car field had a difficult time of stringing together a long stretch of green flag racing.  At lap 17, Gold Cup point leader Mike Root pitted with a broken rocker arm.  Carlson was on the move and got to 5^th by lap 21 from his 11^th starting spot.  Paul Pelletier picked his way to the front, getting to 2^nd spot on lap 24 and closed in on Thiel.  On lap 30, the lead duo tangled and Thiel spun.  The 2 drivers could not agree to what happened, and both cars went to the tail.  Harold Fair Jr., who was rolling along in the top 5, now took control of the event.  Mike Luberda Jr., running in the top 5, dropped out at lap 40 with a hole in his radiator. 

At lap 50, it was Fair, Carlson, Ricky Kargel, Dennis Strickland and Steve Cronenwett Jr.  At the lap 72 mark, Pelletier, edging his way back to the front with the aid of the double file restarts and a fast car, dove under Carlson in turn 3.  The pair touched fenders, sending Carlson up the track, but a great save by Dakota kept the race green, but also dropped him back to 9^th spot.  More yellows continued to plague the event, but Fair built up nearly a straight-away lead as he motored to the victory.  Strickland took second, Chad Guinn took his fast car to third spot at the finish, Pelletier was fourth and Derek Wiley drove a steady race to take fifth spot.  Carlson, Craig Everage, Claude Plante Jr., Jack Varney Jr. and Mike Simko completed the top ten. 

Cronenwett Jr., Allen, Yee Jr., Joe Hawes, Terry Bogusz, Kargel, Alvis, Jared Allison, Thiel, Nester, Luberda Jr., Benson, Root and Lee completed the final rundown.

After taking a 12 year break to raise a family, Danny Gaddis returned to the winner’s circle with the checkered flag in the 20 lap ARCA Parts Galore Figure 8 feature.  Early leader Chuck Pankow gave up the lead to Danny on lap 4 in the all-green flag event.  Gaddis had plenty of company as Robbie Loving applied the pressure for the final 15 laps.  Jeremy Miller and Dennis Whisman joined the battle for the lead but Gaddis was not to be denied as he zipped to the win over Loving, Miller, Whisman, Greg Studt, Gary Cronenwett, Scott Apperson, Billy Earley, Allen Bland Jr. and Pankow.  Loving and Bland Jr. won the heats, with Bland notching his first-ever Figure 8 race win.  Cronenwett set fast time at 20:923.

Nick Shanks scored his first-ever feature win by taking the victory in the 25 lap ARCA DTS Drive Train Specialists Street Stock A Main event.  Nick led every lap, despite challenges from Scott Selmi, Grant Hedges and Dan Ford Jr. (driving Danny Slater’s #3).  Each of that trio took a shot at the lead during the contest.  Ford Jr. made a move for the win with 3 laps to go, but the duo tangled, sending Shanks spinning.  Ford took the blame, giving Shanks his top spot back.  Nick held on for his big win over Hedges, Selmi, Tim Moore, Frank Jiovani, Clyde McKee, Landon Schuster, Darrell Krause, Billy Cronce and Troy Brehmer.

Paul Duffin took the lead on lap 10 as he took the win in the 15 lap B Main over Tom Jacobs, Anthony Camilli and Don Roberts.  Camilli led the event for 9 circuits until Duffin motored by, and Jacobs grabbed second on the final lap of the race.  Tadek Stadniczuk set the Fastime Racing Engines and Parts quick time with a lap of 13:592, but suffered a flat tire during the main event.  Jacobs led the B cars at 14:494.  Heat race winners were Rich Frantz, Rob Moore, Steve Chartrand and Duffin.

Saturday, June 30 Flat Rock Speedway will start racing ½ hour earlier at 6:30 p.m.  The Moran Chevrolet Late Models, DTS Street Stocks and the MCR Dwarf Cars will be in action.  The night will conclude with the 250 lap Enduro race, which was rescheduled from the April 28 rain-out.

The pits will open at 2:30, practice begins at 3:30, time trials are at 5 and racing starts at that 6:30 special time for this date only.