Rohrer Claims Win In Thrilling Main Event 100 At Midvale

By Adam Mackey

 

            Wet and cool conditions greeted race fans at Midvale Speedway, this past Friday, July 4 for the Downtown Ford 100.  The Main Event Racing Series was joined by Pure Stocks, Compacts, and Figure 8’s.  A nice crowd gathered despite the weather conditions and the drivers thanked them by putting on one of the best Super Late races in recent years.

            In qualifying, point leader Don Harvey, Jr. ripped off the fastest lap with a 13.610.  Harvey drew the eight pill, putting Todd Ripley and Doug Sommers on the front row for the 100-lap grind.

            At the drop of the green, Ripley pulled ahead to set the pace.  Behind him, drivers were racing two, three, and even four wide trying to pick up spots.  Barberton event winner, John Ambrose, got caught in the third lane for a few laps and unbelievably only lost a spot or two during the process.  The first caution came out for a John Crumrine spin in turn three while trying to pass Ripley for the top spot.  Several other drivers accrued body damage as a result.

            Back to green it was Tim Ice’s turn to battle the leader.  Ice, driving his brand new racer for the first time, raced hard in the outside lane.  Just as Ice was starting to clear the Gnadenhutten, Ohio competitor, the yellow came back out for a grinding crash in turn one involving Mike Miller.  Miller was okay but the car suffered heavy damage.

            Several laps into the next run, Ice slid high entering turn one.  Gary Whipkey dashed by to the inside and then drove into the outside lane on the backstretch.  Ice, trying to get back to the bottom, made contact with Harvey resulting in a spin.  Harvey continued, while Ice retired from the event.

            Whipkey became the third driver to attempt a lead pass the next time Chuck Barrett waved the green.  In fact, Whipkey did scoot by on the inside heading into turn three a few laps after the restart.  However, shortly thereafter, caution negated his pass because of a Crumrine/Sommers mishap on the frontstretch.  Officials reverted back to the last completed lap.

            After a couple of minor spins and restarts, Ryan Tedesco started to put on a show.  While running fifth, Tedesco decided to try the outside lane.  First he picked off Rohrer, then Harvey, but while getting ready to take second, Whipkey decided it was time to get out and go, and that he did as he shot into the lead past Ripley on lap 39.  Tedesco followed into second.  Moments later, Harvey was trying to move into third and the two made contact resulting in a turn three accident.  Ripley was done, while Harvey returned only to retire a few laps later.

            With Tedesco in second, most knew that Whipkey would have his hands full.  Things changed though, a couple of moments later as Tedesco nudged the leader in turn two, checked up and Rohrer shot by to the inside.  Coming off of turn four, Rohrer and Tedesco made some contact and Tedesco was relegated to fourth behind Crumrine.

            Over the next thirty to forty laps, Rohrer hounded Whipkey for the lead.  Whipkey’s car looked unstable entering the turns, checking up much sooner than his opponent.  Despite the slight problems entering the turns, Whipkey made no mistakes, kept his car on the bottom, and held Rohrer at bay for a huge portion of the race.

            With about fifteen to go, Rohrer displaced Whipkey from the bottom lane coming off of turn two.  Side-by-side entering three, the two slammed doors, Rohrer slid sideways, and Whipkey again raced out front.  Two laps later, Rohrer made a move coming off of two that mirrored his earlier effort.  This time though, the Miller Lite/Esber Beverage #7 shot into the top spot.  Crumrine followed into second as Whipkey settled in third.

            Over the last ten circuits, Rohrer held the advantage, but Crumrine tried his hardest to make another race out of a lead battle.  Coming under the checkered, Rohrer took his series leading 17th race win, while Crumrine capped off an awesome run with a second place finish.  Whipkey, Tedesco, and Jimmy Carter rounded out the top five.  The rest of the top ten were Sommers, Bob Gainer, Rick Sibila, Joel McKnight, and John Stroble.

            In what many people have deemed one of the best contested Main Event races ever, drivers proved for at least one night that Super Late Model racing can still be exciting at Midvale Speedway.