Toledo Speedway

With the entire Midwest under an Excessive Heat Warning Friday, the ARCA Allgiant Air Gold Cup went on as scheduled at Toledo (Ohio) Speedway on Friday. Harold Fair Jr. won the race.

It was the temperature and high heat indices that was the story prior to the race. At qualifying it was 96 degrees and a heat index of 105 according to the National Weather Service. The race was scheduled to start just after 7:30 with a temperature of 95 degrees and an heat index of 103 but it was put on hold about a half hour while several heat induced medical emergencies occurred on pit road and were taken care of by the EMTs.

When the cars took to the frontstretch about 8:15, the temperature had dropped to 90 degrees but the heat index was still 103. Luckily for drivers and the sparse crowd that braved the heat, a light cloud cover appeared in time for the start of the race. At the halfway point the drivers all came down pit road and ARCA officials provided them with water (no work was allowed) by this time the temperature had dropped to 87 degrees and a heat index of 98. At race end it was 84 with a heat index of 93, because of the high oppressive humidity.

Now for the race ...

Harold Fair Jr., won his second consecutive Gold Cup race and the win put him alone at the top of career Gold Cup wins with 12. Although Dakota Carlson could keep up with Fair Jr. for several laps after a caution, Harold quickly built his lead. At the end he beat Carlson by over a straightaway. “It was pretty good. The car never went away, on rails all night. I pretty much was only driving it at 50-60 percent ... why drive harder if I could stay in the lead. I have a lot people to thank, Carl (Baumgardner) from Royal Truck and Trailer, Jim from Performance Engine, Terry with Senneker Performance, my Dad (Harold Sr.), ARS Shocks, my wife and kids, Katelyn, Max and Luke, Port City Keyser, think that’s everyone. It was a fun one for me, but a rather warm one,” said Fair Jr.

Dakota Carleson, finished a career second place (tied). “The car was loose the first 50 laps ... and went the other direction the second half and got very tight. Then the brake bias got stuck and my brakes were pretty much gone by the end. If we could ever keep our stagger I think we’d have something. I could half stay with Harold (Fair Jr.) for a few laps after the caution. I’m looking forward to Flat Rock’s 150 in a few weeks,” said the driver of the Performance Engineering, Tony LeClair Racing #8.

Chad Guinn posted his second consecutive third place finish. “We were just riding around, taking our time. Thought the car would come in a little better ... we started out too low with the tire pressures and it didn’t come in,” said the driver of the PB Fabrication, M&M Heating and Cooling, M&M Recycling, CGS Imaging #0.

Finished fourth was Nick Grode, who returned to the series after missing the last couple of races. “We’ve been running the Main Event series and were not able to make the last couple shows. “We were doing pretty good out there until towards the end the car got too tight. I want to thank my sponsors, Dick Crown Racing, Offshore Performance Center, Trailer Wiz, The Delp Co., Productive Tools and Equipment, Warpaint Decals and Posters, Interstate Batteries.

Dennis Strickland finished fifth and at the end of the race felt lucky to be there. “The oil pressure gauge was showing 100 pounds and it should only be about 60 (pounds). I wasn’t sure if it was the gauge or the engine, so we had to pedal it down to make sure we got to the end. Also the car wasn’t handling the best. Even with the car off, the gauge is still showing 40 (pounds),” said Strickland.

Going into the race, Claude Plante Jr. was leading the points. He led the first 25 laps but then he began dropping back with a sick engine. He was planning on coming in on lap 37 to check it out but never got there. In turn three of lap 36 he and Jack Varney Jr. (his cousin) tangled. Claude got the worse of it with his Precisionwerx, DTS, High Performance Motorsports, RJS, Newby Race Engines, Vans Tire #16 receiving extensive front-end damage. “It was a valve spring and I was on my way in when we crashed. I’m done for the rest of the year, I don’t have the money to fix all that’s damaged,” said the very dejected driver. It was the second race in a row that the driver leading the points before the race wrecked and didn’t finish the race (thus losing the points lead).

It’s not said very often that thankfully that part broke on the race car. For Lori Bunge-Hall, it was just that. She broke the oil pressure switch, and the car stopped on the track. The lucky part to the whole thing is the bolt on her panard bar was coming loose and that could’ve caused a lot bigger problem for Lori and the rest of the drivers. Lori becomes only the second female driver to race in the Gold Cup, Heather Williams was the other driver.

   On Saturday night, Lori finally put all her bad luck behind her and was able to finish her first feature of the year.

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And Saturday at Flat Rock, where the temperatures come race time was more or less back down to an average July day.

Paul Pelletier won his third Super Late Model feature at Flat Rock this year. ”It’s been a struggle for the us the last couple week, but hopefully it’s been a good show for the fans. There’s a lot of great guys out here. It’s all about the timing on the restarts with the double file restarts and the cone over in turn three-four now. I want to thank my sponsors Fraza Forklifts, Dusty's Collision, Exotic Automation, First Impressions Cement, ABC Plumbing, Berringer Law, Duane's Roadrunner's.”

Eric Lee had a tire going down but hung on to finish second. And I still owe a correction for his sponsors from the Spartan race... Eric’s sponsors are: Action Drywall Service, Arrow Uniform Rental, D&E Landscaping, Lee Motorsports Auto Sales, Whitney's Collision, Powertran Transformers, Applied Roofing, Z Corporation.

Dennis Strickland finished third said his car was good but not good enough to get to Paul…it was tight, he changed something on the car just before the race and it was not the right move.  But the points difference did not change and the #90 is still 35 in the lead,” said the driver of the Canton Tree & Cement, Strategy One Computers, Victory Christian Fellowship, Trenton Forging, Giles Auto Body #90 in an email.

Derrick Sheppard won his second career Super Late Model race, his first of the season.

Scott Pemberton won his heat race, his first career checkered flat at Flat Rock. He would like to thank A1 Auto Parts and Kendall.

Kyle Worley led most of the Street Stock A division. “These races get tougher and tougher out here. We got the car about an hour before we had to leave. Frank (Jiovani) raced me clean,” said the dejected driver.

     “It’s been a rough start to the year but I am glad to be racing again. I couldn’t do it without the help of some really great people, The Bolt On Speed Shop, Dr. Richard Strong DDS, Thompson Automotive,Budget Tire, Lou's Wolverine Transmissions ... also the help from Danny Dow for tuning the motor all night long. The biggest help is from mom and dad too,” Thanks for the message Kyle.

Grant Hedges finished third. “"Great night of racing tonight! It takes more then some crazy heat to scare off the Flat Rock fans! Had a lot of fun tonight, and it meant a lot to have a good run in front of my grandma, who is here all the way from Arizona! Hope all of the fans enjoyed the race, and lap after lap of side by side action! Looking forward to the 100-lapper next weekend!" Thanks for the email Grant!

Fourth place went to Landon Schuster. “It took it a while for the car to come in. We’ve had a rather rough year and I have high hopes for next week. Our car runs much better on the longer races.”

Fifth went to Scott Selmi. “It was a handful, this whole year the car’s been a handful. We’re getting closer, but wrestling the car wears me out.”

Selmi has the best average finish (in the top ten) of the Street Stock drivers with 3.6. He has five third place finishes and two fifths. Jiovani and Clyde McKee are tied for next in line with 3.8.

Mel Worley made his first start in 10-years “Kyle’s borrowed Ray Coop’s car the last couple week and we brought it in case is #15 problems. I figured I’d go out and have fun and then if he needed it, he could drive it.”

Welcome back to Lonnie York who returned to racing after skipping last year. His sponsor is All Good Contracting.

Robbie Loving won the Figure 8 feature. “It was a good battle with all the guys out there. I’m just happy to win. After the last red I had a tire going down or something was broke in the rear end. I want to thank my sponsors, The Motivational Cowboy, RJS, Leppen Chiropractor, Flo-Air, Blossom Florist, my family, crew and car owner, Robby Martel.  I just jerked the wheel when the 21 (Scott Apperson) spun as we came down to the checkered and hoped I missed him,” said Loving.

If anyone has anything they want to send me for the the column send it by Wednesday after the race and I'll add it to my article. You can send me a message on Facebook or send to icechips@hotmail.com