PACKED HOUSE HITS FLAT ROCK FOR GREAT SHOW
PACKED HOUSE HITS FLAT ROCK FOR GREAT SHOW
(Flat Rock, MI—June 14, 2014) - Mother Nature delivered another beautiful night for racing at Flat Rock Speedway for the School Bus Figure 8 race Saturday night. A standing room-only crowd jammed “The Rock” for a great night of entertainment and racing the entire evening.
The School Bus Figure 8 race thrilled the crowd in the finale of the night, as Ray Gaddis took the checkered flag over Danny Gaddis, Robbie Loving, Jack Franzil, Dennis Whisman, Billy Earley and Jeremy Vanderhoof. Vanderhoof rolled his bus over to the delight of the huge crowd after getting slammed by Whisman just a few laps into the event. Just as the race was coming to a close, Franzil dropped his bus on its side to cap off a sensational night of fun and entertainment. Suburban Oil, Sportway Batting Cages and Go Karts, Glass Bowl Lanes, Parts Galore, Burge Wrecking and the Flat Rock Speedway Fireworks show supported the race as bus sponsors.
The ARCA Moran Chevrolet Late Models put on a great 50 lap feature event for the fans, with Steve Cronenwett Jr. taking the big win, making it 5 different winners in 5 events so far in 2014 for the class. The top 10 qualifiers had race fans draw for their starting positions, with Cronenwett on the front row. Steve took off and set sail, as fast qualifier Paul Pelletier (11:683) began to work his way up to battle for the lead. Paul powered his way by Steve Jr., using the outside groove to take the number 1 spot on lap 26. But on a lap 28 double-file restart, Cronenwett stood on the throttle as the lead duo ran door to door until Steve pushed out front on lap 32 and stayed there for the final 18 circuits to pick up the victory. Dennis Strickland made a late-race charge and got by Pelletier for second in the closing laps. Pelletier was third, Derek Wiley was close behind in fourth and Stan Yee Jr. took fifth, followed by Chris Benson, Jeff Plumb, Jeff Vrsek, Terry Bogusz and Frank Jiovani. Cronenwett Jr., Plumb and St. Mary, OH driver Nick Katterhenry took the heat race wins. 22 Late Model were on hand.
Billy Earley made it 2 in a row via his win in the wild 20 lap ARCA Praxair Figure 8 feature race. The 16 car field battled hard and made some hair-raising, breath-taking moves at the intersection the entire event. Earley held off Dennis Whisman and Jeremy Vanderhoof for the “W”, with Jeremy Miller fourth and Robbie Loving fifth. Greg Studt, Dan Apperson, Scott Apperson, Randy Roberts and rookie Ethen Lambert completed the top ten finishers. Dan Apperson and rookie Race Loving notched the heat race wins. Vanderhoof set the Fastime Racing Engines and Parts quick time at 20:965.
The first-ever Flag Pole Race at Flat Rock was very entertaining as Robbie Loving and Ian Jezylo swapped the lead lap after lap until Loving nosed out Ian for the win. The race has 2 stacks of tires, one in the front straight and one on the back straight. Each car must go around the tires each and every lap. Cars dodged each other as they circled the stack, with Loving and Jezylo changing lanes, going with a short turn and sometimes a sweeping turn, then sliding back out into ongoing traffic! Race Loving, Archie Padgett, Jeff King, Vanderhoof, Bill Carberry and Craig Lange were next in line at the finish.
Lange came back to win the Figure 8 Boat race (yes, boats/trailers towed by race cars on the Figure 8 track)! Lange and Jeff King slammed into Archie Padgett’s boat and also Bill Carberry’s, while King lost his boat in the process but continued on. “The Destroyer” Jeff King totally destroyed a boat and trailer after the race, as he crashed into the boat as the crowd roared!
And next Saturday it’s the very first ROAD RAGE race at Flat Rock Speedway! The field of race cars follows a pace car around the track; you can’t pass it! The pace car may go high, he may go low; he may go fast, he may go slow……..and when the pace car leaves the track, the next flag is the checkered flag! The speedway will also offer more great racing with the Moran Chevrolet Late Models, Praxair Figure 8’s and the DTS Drive Train Specialists Street Stocks Saturday, June 21. Race time is 7 p.m.
Flat Rock Speedway is located on Telegraph Road, just 5 minutes from I-75 or I-275. Log onto www.flatrockspeedway.com for further information, or like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/toledoflatrock or follow us on Twitter @flatrockspeed.