Flat Rock Speedway

Jimmy Theil won his first long distance race, taking home the Stan Yee 150. Not saying that it was a surprise win, but since the annual 150 lap race has changed to the Stan Yee 150 in 2009, it's been tough going for our weekly drivers … the only other weekly driver to win was Eric Lee who won in 2011.

"Honestly I was just driving the car nice and smooth every lap. I didn't drive it hard until I got to lapped traffic, they wanted to race me a little bit. I had a lot more car left … I was just saving tires until the very end. Justin (Schroeder) and Harold (Fair Jr.) race really hard and I thought I was in trouble on the last caution. I didn't need it but I knew I had a fast car, because Justin has a fast car and Harold does too. I want to thank my sponsor, Dusty's Collision, my dad, my son, Matt and Jeff Bullock … and I want to thank Terry Senneker Racing Chassis and Terry and Heather and the whole crew down there because they're the ones that made this happen tonight, and made my car really fast."

Three-time Gold Cup champion (2002, 2007, 2008) Harold Fair Jr. finished second, the same place he's finished in all four Gold Cup races this season "I screwed up. On the second or third restart I got hung up outside. I was going to try and get down and dinked around out there and I shouldn't've done it. I should've just dropped back those eight spots, and kind of killed my right rear tire. (After the last caution) … I messed around and got into Justin (Schroeder), one (person) told me there, the other clear. I'd like to thank ARCA and the Yee family for putting this on, Royal Truck and Trailer; Senneker Performance; Classic to Current Fabrication; Francis Engineering; and Churchill Transport, great people."

Making his second appearance at Flat Rock, his first in outlaw LM (the other was a CRA template bodied car) was Steve Dorer. Steve was the lone, non-Senneker Performance car in the top driving a FLF Racecars built car. "We had a bit distracted to start with and the track's hard on tires. First off, I want to say thank you to Tim Curry of FLF Race Cars for giving me the opportunity to drive it (the car). I run these cars as well and I think they're probably the best cars a guy could have and I get great support from them. I also want to thank Race Car Engineering for all the support they give me, Michael Williams, my crew chief, Bubba, Chris, Judy Curry, my dad's here today, Jim Rupert, another guy that helps me, thank you. And all you guys for coming out … the Yee family for the opportunity to race at this track. The last race I ran here was a template. I don't get to race the Outlaw car much, and it might've been nice to have one race under my belt before I did it … or if it was another 150 laps maybe I could've passed them," said the driver from Lakeland, Fla. (Steve formerly drove at Spartan in Lansing when he lived up in Michigan).

Justin Schroeder finished fourth, only the second time this season he hasn't won, winning three of the five races this season. "The caution with 15 (laps) to go helped me a bunch. I was to the inside there and it got a bit crowded and it knocked the toe out and got really tight. All in a good week. Have to thank Austin here, he put a lot of hours in at the shop. Found our motor was broke on Tuesday and changed it out, put an old one in with 15-16 races on it … come out here and not skip a beat. We held back and thought we played it right, but once the toe got knocked out it was just hold on. I thought (Scott) Pemberton was going to get me, but he ran me clean. I raced really fun with (Steve) Dorer, he raced me clean too. I have to give congrats to my buddy Jimmy Thiel over there … Before the 100 he and I told each other to go get (the win, which Justin did). Tonight, before the 150 I told him one of us has to go get it again … keep it with the hometown boys to get the big wins. Says a lot about us."

Scott Pemberton finished fifth. "Me and the guys worked awfully hard to get this thing to make it around this little race track. We're close to beating this Flat Rock Speedway, it's a challenge to making a car get around this place. You have to have a lot of patience out there. It was pretty good pace out there. The cars, everyone saw, were awful fast, all within a few ticks of each other it was bumper to bumper.

Tidbits from the Stan Yee 150

1. Jimmy Thiel's best finish prior to his win was 13th (2009)
2. Jimmy is the 30th different driver to win a Gold Cup race. He's the 20th different driver to win a Flat Rock Gold Cup race.
3. It's his seventh career ARCA win
4. An odd tidbit, this is only the third time that a car starting with a "0" has won the Yee/150 (Nick Bailey #0 (Aug. 2015), Dennis Strickland #06 (July 2004))
5. The Stan Yee 150 has had seven different winners in a row
6. This is the 96th race in the Gold Cup series.
7. It's the first time that a Flat Rock weekly driver has won the Stan Yee 150 since Eric Lee did it in 2011.
8. 2017 is the first time since 2011 that a Flat Rock weekly driver won both the Joy Fair 100 and Stan Yee 150. (Dennis Strickland won the 100 in 2011 and Justin Schroeder won it this year)
9. Besides Thiel's career best finish in the Stan Yee 150, Steve Dorer (third, first race), Justin Schroeder (fourth, previous fifth) and Scott Pemberton (fifth, previous 19th), Justin Claucherty (sixth, previous 20th), Andy Bozell (seventh, previous ninth)
10. Craig Everage was the fast qualifier, 11.609. An unusual thing about Craig's car is it's a V6.
11. Points leader going into the race and defending Gold Cup champion, Steve Needles broke in hot laps and didn't compete. I was told that it was possibly an engine problem.
12. B main: Brian Maxim, Tom Cronenwett, Jimmie Ward Jr and Kevin Stahl Jr.; Chris Benson (mechanical) and Tadek Stadniczuk (engine) were unable to run the B main.

Brian Maxim won the B main. He led all 15 laps and got an additional $75 in lap money. "It's my first time racing here, so really didn't have any expectations. We normally run at Berlin, and sometimes at Kalamazoo. I'd like to thank my sponsors, my uncle Jim (Maxim) a realtor, my cousin Justin (Maxim) an attorney and Grandwood Lounge.'

Scott Apperson won his second career Figure 8 feature, "I want to thank Matt and Justin Bullock for all their help and my sponsors H2E Canoe AC/DC Deer Processing, A&M Transmissions, Jim's Butcher Shop. I'm happy to win another feature against the tough competition in this division."

Paul Martell, Facebook… "I had a good car in the Toledo Enduro and was running well. It's just a shame I got caught in someone else's wreck and got knocked out. That's the nature of the little bullring though. I'll have it back together and ready to run at Flat Rock August 4th."