After 3 Weeks, Midvale Beats The Weather

What an incredibly beautiful Saturday to kick off Mother’s Day weekend, until the end of the program, when the “R” word approached. Despite the late drops, week #2 is in the books. Seventy Nine cars and trucks made the pull to “Thunder In The Valley” and it was 65 degrees and sunny at race time for Kent State Tuscarawas Night.

The CRS Truck Series season opening 30 lap feature was first up. Billy Lundberg in the #42 started on the pole with the #05 of B.J. Wollerman along side. Lundberg was able to scoot out front to lead lap 1 over the side by side battle of Wollerman and the #23 of Bobby Schramm. Schramm was able to take the spot and set his sights on the leader. On lap 4, Schraam put his Johnson Racing Enterprises machine in the outside lane. He would lead by a few feet over Lundberg on lap 5 and finally cleared the #42 on lap 6. The #21 of Brandon Huff was able to take over the third spot behind Lundberg and T.J Stineman was up to 4th. On lap 9, Stineman was able to move around Huff and into third with the top 5 all nose to tail. Stineman, a CRS Truck Series winner last season at Midvale, was able to move up to second after Lundberg studdard out of turn two. The first caution flew on lap 18 as Lundberg looped his machine in turn four. That put Schramm and Stineman side by side for the restart. Schramm was able to hang on to the top spot as Huff passed Stineman back, for second. The final caution flew on lap 22 as Wollerman spun in turn four. Lundberg and the #32 of Rookie Greg Schramm were also involved. Lundberg and Wollerman’s nights would be finished. Under the caution, Stineman pitted for fresh rubber and a chassis adjustment, he would restart 6th. That move, coupled with Lundberg’s misfortune, landed the fastest qualifier Bailey Delfosse along side the #23. On the final restart, Schramm was able to jump back out front with Delfosse and Huff side by side. On lap 25, Huff got into the tailgate of Delfosse and the field checked up. Stineman blasted around the outside, to take over second. Schramm would be able to keep a 4 or 5 truck length lead in between himself and Stineman, to bring home his first visit to Midvale Speedway’s Naak Tuning Victory Lane. Following the Wellington OH driver in the Johnson Heating INC, S&W Chassis, Wiggins Construction and Wigged Chassis sponsored #23 was Stineman, Delfosse, Huff and Greg rounding out the top 5.

Next up was the McIntosh Oil Company Late Model’s for their 30 lap feature. Steve Black in the #1 and Aaron Prater in the #44 brought the field to Chief Starter Terry Colletti’s green flag. Prater would jump out front with Black and Ryan Tedesco in the #701, right behind. On lap 2, Tony Urdiales in the #88 moved by Bob Schneider Jr in the #17, to 4th. On lap 3, Tedesco, Urdiales, opening night feature winner Albert Francis in the #33 and Brandon Short in the #18, were all able to shuffle Black outside the top 5. Prater had worked up a few car length lead, but it was quickly erased by lap 8, leaving the front 5 all nose to tail. Prater opened the bottom and Tedesco took it heading into turn three on lap 9. Coming off turn four, Tedesco would take over the race lead. The first caution would fly on lap 10, as Prater spun off of turn two. Francis was also tangled up in the accident. Francis and Prater would both head pit side for adjustments and fender pulls. Tedesco and Urdiales would put on a heck of a show on the restart. They traded the lead several times for 3 laps, until Urdiales cleared Tedesco into turn three on lap 12. That dropped Tedesco into the clutches of Short. In only his second Outlaw Late Model race, Short would put his machine in the outside lane and take over second on lap 14. The top 4 would remain nose to tail as Short started to work over the #88. On lap 19, Short again took to the second lane. He powered around Urdiales and into the race lead. The second caution flew on lap 21 as the #1 of Black got real high in turn four. As he tried to not knock down the fence, the car got a bite and shot him to the inside and into the door of Francis, who was as low on the track as he could go. The #33 came close to going over, but landed back on all four, with a ton of right side damage. A tough break for the 16 year old who took home the opening feature of the season. John Sanquist Sr in the #66 was also involved in the melee, but was able to continue. On the restart, Urdiales absolutely nailed it, to take back the top spot. A lap later, a caution for debris would slow the field again. This time, Short was on the outside for the restart. The duo would trade the lead back and forth for the better part of 3 laps, until Short was able to clear Urdiales off turn two on lap 27. The final caution flew on lap 29, as Sandquist had his hood fly up and cover his windshield off turn two. That set up a green-white-checkered finish between Short and Urdiales, youngster vs veteran. Short learned something from Urdiales on the previous two restarts and was able to clear Tony into turn one and set sail for his first career Outlaw Late Model victory of his career. Completing the top 5 behind the Brookpark OH driver in the Direct Detail, Amsdell Companies, Earnest Performance and Hutter Race Engines sponsored #18, was Urdiales, Tedesco, Schneider and Mike Enos.

The Buckey Mowing Street Stocks pulled on to the Speedway for their 20 lap capper to the night. Kylee Wood in the #22 and Gabe Pringle in the #7 brought the field to the line for the start. Pringle would take the lead heading into turn three and lead the opening circuit. Colt Locker in the #118 put his Camaro in the outside lane and the #88 of Dennis Wood filled the bottom behind his daughter. The first caution flew on lap 3 as the #12 of Jeff Kuykendall and the #55 of Robbie Kordiac made contact in turn four. On the restart, Pringle was able to clear Kylee into turn one and Locker followed him on the bottom. Locker immediately started to put the heat on Pringle. The battle of the Camaro’s, old vs new, just like the drivers. The difference was, the old veteran was in the newer Camaro and the rookie was in the older one. On lap 9, Dennis was able to get around Kylee for 3rd and three laps later, Kuykendall was able to take over 4th. On lap 12, the caution flew as the #8 of Kyle Grove and the #22 of Kylee made contact. On the restart, Pringle was able to fend off Locker as the final caution flew on lap 14. The field got stacked up and the #21 of Mark Lushes came to a stop in turn four. Pringle was able to get another good restart, to hang on up front. On lap 17, Locker got into the wall off turn four, allowing Dennis to get around and move up to second. D Wood was all over the rear decklid of the #7. Pringle had to make his machine nice and wide. Pringle would hang on in the battle between Champions, picking up his first feature win of the early season. Following the Midvale OH driver in the 99.9 WTUZ/BIG Z Sports, Geno’s Garage, Boulevard Cleaners & Tuxedo Shop, Ridgway’s Auto Repair, Garrett & Son’s Construction and Keith’s Cars sponsored #7 was Dennis, Locker, Grove and Kylee.

The Vanmeter’s Auto Repair Modified’s hit the Speedway for their 25 lap feature with the #09 of Phillip Cox and the #69 of Don Rufener III bringing the field down for the start. Cox would set the pace early, with Mike Stone in the #331 and opening night feature winner Rick Sibila in the #02 close behind. The first caution came out on lap 2 after Rufener and Lee McCreery in the #2 made contact in turn two. Cox would jump out on the restart as Stone and Sibila battled side by side for second. Stone would get loose in turn four and loose several spots as Sibila set his sights on the leader. As Sibila looked to the outside of Cox, Doug McMillen in the #54 worked his way to the inside of Sibila for second on lap 7. On lap 9, Cox got loose in turn four, stacking up the field. That allowed Sibila and fastest qualifier Brandon Bailey in the #55 to sweep around the outside of them all. As “The Rooster” followed in the tire tracks of Sibila out front, Lucas Ripley in the #0 was able to take 3rd away from Cox on lap 15. The final caution flew on lap 16 as Cox and McMillen got together in turn two battling for 4th. Cox spun and collected the #99 of Derek Grewell and the #67 of Bob Page, who had no where to go. Page and Grewell were unable to continue. On the restart, Bailey was able to power around the outside to deny Sibila a second consecutive win to start the year. Bailey had a rollercoaster 2018 but is starting off 2019 in top form. Completing the top 5 behind the Leesville OH driver in the Scio Car Wash and Dover Hydraulics sponsored #55 was Sibila, Ripley, McMillen and McCreery.

The fast Finlayson Towing Compact feature had the #69 of Dan Buckey and the #443 of Eddie McLean on the front row. Once again, the Compact guys showed everyone how to race hard, without causing any cautions. McLean would lead lap 1 by a foot and Buckey would lead lap 2 by inches. Buckey would clear McLean on lap 3 of the 15 lap race, to take over the top spot. Josh Beall in the #86 and Josh Peebles in the #78 battled for 3rd behind the lead duo until Beall would have problems, relegating him to the infield. Brandon France in the #38 would battle his way from the 8th starting position, to 4th by lap 7 and 3rd by lap 9. On lap 12, France would take over the second spot and started to put the pressure on Buckey for the lead. Heading into turn three, coming to the white flag, France got into the back of Buckey, getting him out of shape. France let out of the throttle to let Buckey gather his machine up, but Buckey never lifted. In a great demonstration of car control, Buckey kept his #69 pointed directly into Naak Tuning Victory Lane. Following the Sherrodsville OH driver in the My Water Doctor, Buckey Mowing and Snow Removal sponsored #69 was France, Kyle Rector, Peebles and Jeffrey Orr.

The second Finlayson Towing Compact 15 lap feature would be a battle of attrition. The #13 of Larry Pastor and the #96 of Chris Caldwell started up front. Just at the conclusion of lap 1, Caldwell got into the turn four wall. He came down and contacted the #00 of John Hidey. Hidey did his best Joey Chitwood impersonation, going up on 2 wheels. He continued on 2 wheels for several yards and came to rest on all 4’s in the infield in turn one. The #17 of Laney Striejewske and the #9 of Gavin Roup were also involved. Laney, Hidey and Caldwell were unable to continue and the #32 of Blake Bitticker had electrical issues and was forced to pull pit side. That put the #52 of Jeremy Sallinger and the #4E of Gage Jaberg on the front row for the complete restart. At the drop of the green, Sallinger took the lead and the #7s of Savanna Alm moved to second. On lap 2, Alm went to the outside of Sallinger in turn three, when the two made contact, cutting the left front tire of Alm, bringing out the caution. Toby Cook in the #41 inherited the top spot for the restart with Jaberg on the outside. Cook would move out front with Roup taking over second. Ryan Alm in the #6R was able to take over third on lap 3 and started to work the outside of Roup. Coming off turn four, Roup tried to shut the door on Alm and the two made contact on the front straightaway on lap 7. Roup’s night would be over. On the final restart, Cook was able to take the lead and hang on for his first victory of the season. Completing the top 5 behind the Canto OH driver in the East of Chicago Pizza of Perry Heights, Ohio Heating & Cooling and Canton Auto Salvage sponsored #41 was Alm, Jaberg, Sallinger and Andrea Brokaw.

The final feature of week #2 was the Snap-on Tools by Doug Poole Mini Trucks for their 10 lapper. The #079 of Travis Layda and the #2 of Barney Gerber brought the field to green. Despite the rain drops, the race went caution free. Gerber was able to power out front. Eddie McLean in the #443 and Michael Varnes in the #95 tried their best to do something with Greber but neither driver was able to find a way by the veteran in the #2. Following the Dover OH driver in the RV Parts Express, Swiss Auto Mart, Pied Piper Muffler & Tire, Boulevard Cleaners &Tuxedo Shop, Bud & Tooties, Club McKay and Badstone Band sponsored #2 was McLean, Varnes, Scott Lindell and Layda.

CONGRATULATIONS to Derek Ellinger Jr, who won the $1000 scholarship to Kent State Tuscarawas!

Also, Congrats to Nancy Rosenberry, Michelle Dumont and Kristen Walker who won Mother’s Day ferns from Track Owner’s John and Kelley Chapman!

We Thank Kent Tusc and all of their staff for supporting Midvale Speedway and throwing out a couple dozen t-shirts to go along with the Scholarship!!

Join us Saturday Night May 18th as AG-PRO will present 5 regular racing divisions and Club Loose II will put on an exhibition at intermission. This will be the FINAL race where we start at 5:30. On Memorial Day Sunday, we move back to our normal 6:30 green flag starting time. Bring a friend and support your local track and its driver’s!!

Story By Chris Kail

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CRS Truck Series
Fast Time: Bailey Delfosse 14.821
30 Lap Feature: Bobby Schramm, TJ Stineman, Bailey Delfosse, Brandon Huff, Greg Schramm, Steve Hursey, BJ Wollerman, Billy Lundberg, Brian Taylor

McIntosh Oil Company Late Model’s
Fast Time: Albert Francis 13.882
Heat 1: Ryan Tedesco, Aaron Prater, Albert Francis, Bob Schneider Jr, Brandon Short, Tony Urdiales
Heat 2: Mike Enos, Gage Jaberg, Steve Black, Bob Eichel, John Sandquist Sr, Chris Grubbs
Feature: Short, Urdiales, Tedesco, Schneider Jr, Enos, Grubbs, Black, Eichel, Sandquist Sr, Francis, Jaberg, Prater

Vanmeter’s Auto Repair Modified’s
Fast Time: Brandon Bailey 14.808
Heat 1: Mike Stone, Rick Sibila, Lucas Ripley, Doug McMillen, Bob Page, Brandon Bailey, Kevin McClintock, Vanessa McCreery
Heat 2: Derek Grewell, Phillip Cox, Don Rufener III, Jerry Devore, Dan Gasser, Zack Leasure, Bobby Devore II, Nick Grubbs
Feature: Bailey, Sibila, Ripley, McMillen, Lee McCreery, McClintock, Stone, Gasser, Rufener III, Cox, Jerry, Leasure, Page, Grewell, Bobby, Grubbs

Buckey Mowing Street Stock’s
Fast Time: Kyle Grove 15.899
Heat 1: Dennis Wood, Kyle Grove, Jeff Kuykendall, Mark Lushes, Robbie Kordiac
Heat 2: Gabe Pringle, Kylee Wood, John Tantarelli, Colt Locker Feature: Pringle, Dennis, Locker, Grove, Kylee, Lushes, Kuykendall, Kordiac, Tantarelli

Snap-On Tools by Doug Pool Mini Truck’s
Fast Time: Eddie McLean 16.51
Heat: Michael Varnes, Eddie McLean, Barney Gerber, Scott Lindell, Travis Layda, Chad Squires
Feature: Gerber, McLean, Varnes, Lindell, Layda, Squires

Finlayson Towing Compacts
Fast Time: Karl Phillips 17.319
Heat 1: Brandon France, Jeffrey Orr, Kyle Finlayson, Josh Peebles, Mike Stuber, Karl Phillips, Kyle Rector
Heat 2: Josh Beall, Eddie McLean, Mike McDonald, Ryan Alm, Dan Buckey, Alan Clark, Curtis Finlayson
Heat 3: Savanna Alm, Gavin Roup, Toby Cook, Laney Striejewske, John Hidey, Blake Bitticker
Heat 4: Chris Caldwell, Eric Brokaw, Andrea Brokaw, Gage Jaberg, Jeremy Sallinger, Larry Pastor
Fast Feature: Buckey, France, Rector, Peebles, Orr, McLean, Kyle, Stuber, Clark, Phillips, Eugene Kopp, McDonald, Curtis, Beall
Second Feature: Cook, Ryan, Jaberg, Sallinger, Andrea, Eric, Roup, Savanna, Pastor, Bitticker, Striejewske, Caldwell, Hidey

THAN YOU to Shutterbug Photography by Dana for the pictures of the Fribsee race!!

Written by: Chris Kail & Matthew Helms