Flat Rock Speedway

Flat Rock, MI—May 26, 2018: The 2 hour rain delay prior to the start of practice was well worth the wait! Brian Bergakker snared the lead from Jimmy Thiel with 15 laps to go to win the Diamond Racing Products Joy Fair Memorial 100 lap feature for the ARCA Moran Chevrolet Late Models Saturday night at Flat Rock Speedway. The 100 lap event was completed in just 24 minutes and 5 seconds. The race was also the first for the ARCA Late Model Gold Cup Series.

Debbie DeLong, Joy’s daughter, presented Brian with the Gold Cup and a special trophy and a $100 bonus in honor of Mark Fair, Joy’s son and Debbie’s brother, who passed away recently. Race sponsor Bob Fox of Diamond Racing Products also greeted Brian in the Monroe Asphalt Winner’s Circle.

The rain set in around 2 p.m. and continued through 4 p.m., allowing track officials to dry the surface. With the track just about ready, another rain cell hit the track, with the hardest rain of the day. Within 20 minutes, it had quit and after another effort by the track crew and staff, the track was ready and the sun actually made its appearance, setting up a perfect evening for the race.

Steve Needles started things off by setting the Moran Chevrolet/VanDoorn Racing Development Fast Time with a lap of 11:767 to collect $100 from each sponsor. Steve selected the 12 chip for the inversion, putting first-time visitor Brandon Lyons and local Jimmy Thiel on the front row. Just .24 seconds separated the top 12 in the 23 car field.

Lyons charged into the lead at the green and the only yellow of the night appeared on lap 19 when Derrick Sheppard spun. The field was lined up for the re-start, and the next 81 laps were consecutive green flag racing, providing 2 and 3 wide racing around the entire ¼ mile paved oval. With 22 of the 23 cars running at the finish, the action was incredible as they battled to move up through the field. Thiel shadowed Lyons for the first half and then pushed the #09 to the number 1 spot at the half-way mark. Jimmy began to stretch his lead as Bergakker and Needles, along with Justin Schroeder, Craig Everage and Paul Pelletier began to show their speed as the laps clicked off. Begakker moved into second at lap 56, while Needles got to third spot at lap 58. Lyons began to fade just a bit as things tightened up as the laps wound down.

Pushing the #12 in and out of traffic, Bergakker began to cut the gap on leader Thiel and had began to close in by lap 70. At lap 80, the lead duo now ran in tandem. Brian dove low on Jimmy entering turn 3 on lap 85 to take the point and stayed in command to take the checkered flag for his first Flat Rock win in just a handful of starts at the track. Thiel was second, Needles rode home third, 2017 race winner Schroeder was fourth and Everage was fifth. Pelletier, Brian Ross, Dennis Strickland, Frank Jiovani, and Jack Varney Jr. completed the top 10 finishers. The race was completed in just 24 minutes and 5 seconds, a track record. Mike Root, Lyons, Tadek Stadniczuk, Justin Claucherty, Jeff Vrsek, Scott Pemberton, Terry Bogusz, Joe Hawes, Tommy O’Leary IV, Stan Yee Jr., Sheppard, Chris Benson and Rob Randa completed the finishing order. Bergakker also collected the Moran Chevy Hard Charger $50 bonus, along with a Penske Shock $100 certificate, as did Everage for his 5^th place run.

The Gold Cup Series sponsors are Diamond Racing Products, Moran Chevrolet, Dani’s Transport, Royal Truck and Trailer Sales, DTS Drive Train Specialists, Francis Engineering and HABCO Tool and Development.

With the delay in the start time, the ARCA Street Stock division ran features only. Grant Hedges led every lap to edge out Rob Moore to win the DTS Drive Train Specialists Street Stock A Main 25 lap feature race. Hedges stayed glued to the bottom of the track the entire distance and withstood the pressure from Moore to score the victory. The red flag stopped action on lap 13 when Guy Fire and Greg Studt tangled, resulting in a pile-up in turn 1. Hedges kept the number 1 spot after the race resumed on his way to the win over Moore, Rob Moore Jr., Ray Morneau Jr., Rob Randa, Jeff Metdpenningen, Jeff Luttermoser, Arnold Kirsch, Fire and Scot Bunge. Clarity Patton, James Baber, Collin Barron, Craig Lange, Gary Calhoun, Scott Selmi, Studt, Wilburn Parks and Joe Haener were next in line. David Liaeff did not start the feature race.

Former champion Anthony Camilli made his return to the track this year after several seasons away and topped Rich Abel to win the 15 lap DTS Drive Train Specialists Street Stock B Main caution-free 15 lap contest. Vaughn Chambless, James Pankow, Troy Brehmer, Jerry Farmer, Ian Jezylo, Chris Diovardi, Trevor Farmer, LJ Farmer, Jonathan Rangel, Les Syring and Gary Navarre completed the finishing order. Fire set the Fastime Racing Engines and Parts quick time for the 33 car field at 13:647, with Pankow the top man for the B Main at 14:154.

Saturday, June 2 is the UAW Local 3000 Autograph Night and Monroe County 4-H Youth Night at Flat Rock Speedway! Fans can walk onto the track and meet the drivers at 6:15, with racing at 7 p.m. The Moran Chevrolet Late Models, Victory Lane Quick Oil Change Figure 8’s and the DTS Drive Train Specialists Street Stocks will be on hand to greet the fans. The TKC Go-Karts will stage a pair of exhibition races to start the night.

Sunday, June 3, the track will team up with Local 3000 to host Eli’s Block Party North Car Show at the speedway, to fight Childhood Cancer. The car show will take place in the parking lot, with raffles, drawings, food and live music by Detroit Trouble. The event runs 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Car registration and more information is available at www.elisblockparty.org.

More details will follow soon.