RECAP: Studt Wins Corrigan Race Fuels 100 | Diovardi, Kemp, Sheppard Take Big Wins!
RECAP: Studt Wins Corrigan Race Fuels 100 | Diovardi, Kemp, Sheppard Take Big Wins!
Greg Studt made history Saturday Night at Flat Rock, becoming the first driver in history to win back-to-back Corrigan Race Fuels 100 street stock A-Main features under the lights on Saturday night. His win was just one of the biggest moments of a huge Saturday night at Flat Rock Speedway.
The DTS Drive Train Specialists Street Stocks division Corrigan Race Fuels 100 came along with a 25-lap B-Main feature, the Kids Power Wheels Derby, the Safety-Kleen Enduro 250 division feature, the return of the Midwest Classic Racers to Flat Rock, as well as the Monroe Superstore Fireworks!
Under the sun in Flat Rock, the Kids Power Wheel Derby delighted fans and provided some rough-and-tumble racing for kids who attended. Some driver families showed out, as well as some new fans to Flat Rock Speedway who came to see one of the most unique kid events in Metro Detroit.
In DTS Drive Train Specialists Street Stock qualifying, Landon Schuster would set the fastest time with a lap of 13.350 seconds, just six one-thousands over Douglas Litogot in second place.
In the Safety-Kleen Enduro division, Brad Turner would put on a stormer, taking the fastest lap of qualifying with a time of 14.491 seconds.
In the Midwest Classic Racers division, Matt Kemp would start off on the right foot in his drive for five-straight, as he would qualify with the fastest time with a lap time of 12.767 seconds.
Corrigan Race Fuels 100
The festivities were all-out for the Corrigan Race Fuels 100 at Flat Rock Speedway! For the first time at Flat Rock in Street Stock competition, the driver introductions would be completed on the side of the grandstands. Drivers walked to their cars from the speedway concourse, throwing out free shirts, hats, and other pieces of merchandise to the fans in the stands.
The pace car would become a parade of members of the Michigan Fraternal Order of the Police - led by a Flat Rock police cruiser.
The pace car would pull off, setting the stage for the biggest street stocks race of the season.
Caleb Barron maintained the early race lead over Greg Studt in the 100-lap feature after the #103 started on pole.
Greg Studt ran the high side early in the feature, attempting to take an early lead over Barron. He would wait for the moment, and it would come on lap 18.
Studt finally got past the #103 on lap 18, gapping the driver and the pack behind after an impressive move to take the lead on the outside.
Studt would take a wide-ranging lead over Barron as the cars of Rangel, Vanderhoof, and Litogot looked to follow and pass by the driver of the #103.
Douglas Litigot passed three consecutive cars on the outside lane, passing Vanderhoof, Johnny Rangel, and Caleb Barron to go from fifth to second in only a few short laps. Vanderhoof would follow through, this time taking the inside from Barron.
While Studt would begin to control his gap over Litogot in the #71 and Vanderhoof in the #4, the race for third would begin with Barron followed by an extremely close group of cars behind. While the front pack developed a few valleys between the front three cars, the mid-pack became the star of this portion of the race. Side-by-side, three wide, and other wild racing became a great watch for fans in attendance.
The first caution flag of the night would come adjacent to halfway, as Kyle Worley and Kenyon Knight would have an incident in turn 2 on lap 52.
On the restart, Studt would start alongside Litogot, with Vanderhoof and Rangel filling in row 2.
The trio became Studt, Litogot, and Vanderhoof after the restart. The three cars would form a breakaway pack by lap 63, Studt playing defense against a fast group of cars in Litogot and Vanderhoof.
Rob Moore Jr and Ron Allen would pass Johnny Rangel, moving into third and fourth in front of the young driver.
Jeremy Vanderhoof would have engine issues shortly after, resulting in a spin by Landon Schuster in the 118 after some fluid had pampered the track.
On the restart, Litogot and Studt would look to settle the score, both drivers searching and fighting for grip around the tight corners.
Studt needed to drive as cool as possible for the last corners with Litogot nearly under his car.
Studt, the four-time previous champion of this race, used experience and his calm demeanor behind the wheel to not put a single wheel wrong, and take the Corrigan Race Fuels 100.
Litogot would come home in second place, the young driver putting on an impressive performance to follow-up his first ever feature victory last weekend.
Rob Moore Jr would come home third, followed by young drivers Jonny Rangel and points leader Kenyon Knight. Rob Randa would come home sixth, followed by Ron Allen and Caleb Barron. Jeff Metdepenningen and Lonnie York in the #25 would fill out the top ten.
DTS Drive Train Specialists Street Stocks B-Main
The B-Main took an interesting route to complete its course in the 25-lap Corrigan Race Fuels/DTS Drive Train Specialists B-Main feature.
Chuck Pankow would start ahead of Robert Stewart, Ian Jezylo, and Chris Diovardi for the B-Main. The action would arrive very quickly for the field into each corner of the first laps of this big event.
Stewart would slide into the lead on the outside over Pankow, and Diovardi would follow suit. With Stewart establishing a lead, Diovardi would also look to pass Stewart on the outside for the lead on lap 4.
Into turn 3 on lap 4, Pankow would attempt to create a three-wide lead battle by diving to the inside of the #68 car of Stewart. Pankow would slide to the inside, and this move would lead to Diovardi establishing his first lead of the night.
Brandon Randa would close to the leading drivers of Diovardi and Ian Jezylo, passing Jezylo first and looking for more into the latter stages of the race.
Brandon Randa and Chris Diovardi would go side-by-side for the lead with less than ten laps to go, and Diovardi would slowly pull ahead, using the shorter track distance to his advantage.
On lap 21, the 67R of Brandon Randa would turn around, creating a showdown between Chris Diovardi and points leader Ian Jezylo for the win in the last 4 laps of the feature.
On the restart, Diovardi would slide through on the inside, with the #10 of Chuck Pankow towing just behind.
All three drivers battled intensely to the finish. At the line, the race would end with Diovardi winning ahead of Chuck Pankow, who would finish second by less than half-a-car over Ian Jezylo.
Brandon Randa would come home fourth, and Robert Stewart would close out the top five after an entertaining performance by all drivers involved.
Diovardi would get the opportunity to celebrate under the Monroe Superstore Fireworks in victory lane. Since 2019, only Billy Earley, William Sawalich, and Diovardi have been able to get their post-race victory lane moment while under the light of fireworks.
The DTS Drive Train Specialists Street Stocks division will be back for the third-consecutive weekend on August 19th as a part of Hungry Howies Pizza Night! Click below to learn more information on this big night of racing.
August 19, 2023 - 07:00 PM EDT Flat Rock Speedway
Hungry Howies Pizza Night: Outlaw Super Late Models, Figure 8, Street Stocks
Midwest Classic Racer Dwarf Cars
Matt Kemp looked to continue his impressive streak on Saturday, as the #5 car embarked on a drive-for-five Saturday at Flat Rock Speedway.
The 25-lap feature came with a great deal of chaos up front, as the small cars spread out and created a great amount of 2-and-3 wide action over the course of the clean and green feature event.
Zack Nichols would lead lap 1 and hold the lead for the majority of the race. Behind, the pack would shuffle in a number of ways, with drivers making some incredible moves throughout the pack.
Matt Kemp would need 18 laps to drive from sixth to the front, taking an impressive move on the inside of Zack Nichols in the 44 car to take the lead into Turn 1. This would be the pass for the win, as Kemp would go on to take his fifth consecutive Midwest Classic Racers Dwarf Car win at Flat Rock Speedway.
5 IN A ROW!! 2021-2023.I love @TheLevelPebble !! pic.twitter.com/B5H8pJS02s
— Matt Kemp (@KempRacing5) August 13, 2023
The Midwest Classic Racers are a touring series that stopped by Flat Rock Speedway twice in 2023. For more information on point standings, as well as the rest of their season schedule, head to http://midwestclassicracers.com/ for more information!
Safety-Kleen Enduro 250
Fraser’s Derrick Sheppard took his second win of the season on Saturday night, taking the Safety-Kleen Enduro 250 checkered flag in a dominant showing by the 2022 champion.
Sheppard drove from eighth to first by lap 105, making moves around a wide field of drivers in the Safety-Kleen Enduro 250 class.
Cody Remick, Brad Turner, and Rayce Metdepenningen all took turns up front over the first 100 laps of the feature race.
Sheppard would take the lead over Metdepenningen by lap 105, and would storm out to a wide lead over the pack behind.
Sheppard would win by over 14 seconds over Rayce Metdepenningen,
There is just one more race on the 2023 Safety-Kleen Enduro 250 schedule at Flat Rock Speedway - the Harris Mechanical Season Championships are coming on Saturday, August 26th! Click below to learn more about one of the biggest nights of action in the 2023 racing season.
Up next is Hungry Howie’s Pizza Night at Flat Rock Speedway! Action will come in droves, as the Moran Chevrolet Outlaw Super Late Models will be in action with the DTS Drive Train Specialists Street Stocks, as well as the R&M Recycling Figure 8 division. Click below to learn more about this exciting night of racing, as well as the time schedules for all the action this Saturday Night.
August 19, 2023 - 07:00 PM EDT Flat Rock Speedway
Hungry Howies Pizza Night: Outlaw Super Late Models, Figure 8, Street Stocks