RECAP: Bergakker Wins 4th Joy Fair Memorial 100 at Flat Rock!

May 31, 2023 16:00

RECAP: Bergakker Wins 4th Joy Fair Memorial 100 at Flat Rock!

Saturday, May 27 -- Middleville’s Brian Bergakker made history this Memorial Day weekend, winning his fourth DTS Drive Train Specialists Joy Fair Memorial 100 at Flat Rock - his third consecutive win in this annual tradition. The Joy Fair Memorial 100 came on a beautiful day in southeast Michigan, with a packed day of action including packed features from both the Moran Chevrolet Outlaw Super Late Models, as well as the Midwest Modifieds Tour and the R&M Recycling Figure 8 Divisions.

Pre-race, the Fair family came with a special presentation on the Flat Rock front stretch, and also gave the command to start engines.

Racing began at 7 PM.

MMT LCQ

In the Midwest Modifieds Tour Last Chance qualifier, only the top eight would move on to compete in the main feature in a feature of 11 cars. Up front, Petosky’s Buddy Gray would pull ahead of defending DTS Drive Train Specialists Street Stocks Champion Jeremy Vanderhoof and pull away by lap 6 of the 15-lap feature. The #40 of Larabee and the #27 of Nick Larabee would battle hard for the transfer, and the two drivers would eventually make contact in turn 2 with the #40 of Chris Stark going around from 8th place. Larabee would retire on lap 10 with mechanical issues, and at the finish, only 8 cars would remain in the transfer.

Justin Claucherty, a familiar name to Flat Rock, would make an impressive move on the outside of Buddy Gray with just three to go until the checkered flag, and pull away to take the win in the feature.

DTS JFM100

The DTS Drive Train Specialists Joy Fair Memorial 100 at Flat Rock would begin under cloudy skies, as well as an inadvertent fly-by from a sky-diver who happened to swing over the track while the race began.

Honestly, this was completely unintentional... pic.twitter.com/MZCywJWDy0
— Flat Rock Speedway (@LevelPebble1953) May 28, 2023

Max Fair would dominate with the race lead during the early stages of the race over the #45 of Conner Zbozien and the #72 of Scott Hantz. The driver to beat, Brian Bergakker, would drive from ninth to fifth by lap 16. At this point, the top 7 drivers would seemingly link together, nose-to-tail in a race for anyone to win!

The first change of the lead would come on lap 22, as Conner Zbozien would take the lead from Max Fair on the inside in a great battle between the two young driver.

Fair would quickly fall back while stranded on the outside, while Zbozien established a lead over teammate Scott Hantz in the familiar orange colors of the #45 and #72.

Hantz and Zbozien would battle tightly beginning on lap 28, with Hantz peeking on the inside to pass the young driver out of turn 4, but Zbozien using the lapped #76 car of Rob Randa as a pick to pull through on the outside.

Hantz stuck behind Randa, this would allow both Brian Bergakker and Justin Schroeder to pass the #72 on the outside, handing second and third to two former winners of the Joy Fair Memorial 100, while Zbozien looked to drive into the horizon.

On lap 40, the first caution of the day would come out as Nick Bailey would spin. This would bring a restart with Zbozien alongside Brian Bergakker, who had climbed from ninth all the way to second in just a few short laps. On the restart, Bergakker would pull ahead on outside, and on lap 45, the order took the form of Bergakker followed by a trio of Zbozien, Schroeder, and Paul Pelletier in the #44.

Another caution would come soon after near halfway, and this time on the restart Paul Pelletier would pull into second, keeping Bergakker honest while he trailed ahead.

On lap 85, a great battle for third would take place featuring the likes of Schroeder, Hantz, Craig Everage, Eric Lee, and Chris Benson.

On lap 92, the race would be thrown into a loop as Justin Schroeder would go around while battling with Craig Everage. On the restart, the two black and green cars of Brian Bergakker and Paul Pelletier would start ahead of the two orange cars of Conner Zbozien and Scott Hantz.

Followed would come a flurry of cautions and restarts, as intense racing throughout the pack would end in unfortunate cautions on laps 93, 94, and 96. The final incident of the day involved at least four drivers out of turn four.

With a final shootout on lap 96, this time it would be Bergakker and Pelletier starting ahead of Zbozien and Everage. Bergakker wouldn’t look back.

He would win a close battle with some of the quickest drivers in the local division, just pulling ahead and taking one of the biggest wins of the year, in itself making history for Bergakker as the first driver to win three in a row for the Joy Fair Memorial 100.

This win is Bergakker’s ninth at Flat Rock, moving him into unique company on the all-time wins list with drivers such as Stan Yee Jr, Mike Eddy, and fellow Joy Fair Memorial 100 winner Harold Fair Jr.

Conner Zbozien would finish in the runner-up position, with Paul Pelletier, Craig Everage, and Scott Hantz rounding out the top 5. 2022 champion Eric Lee would come home 6th, Chris Benson would take 7th after his win two weeks ago and Justin Schroeder, Hayden Sprague, and Derrick Sheppard would finish out the top ten.

The ARCA Moran Chevrolet Outlaw Super Late Models division will return to Flat Rock on June 10th as a part of the CNV Enterprises School Bus Figure 8! Tickets are available NOW by clicking the link below.

CNV Enterprises School Bus Figure 8: Online Ticket Presale SOLD OUT.

June 10, 2023 - 07:00 PM EDT

Flat Rock Speedway

Flat Rock, MI

MMT

From the Midwest Modifieds Tour:

“Mike Occhipinti crossed the start/finish line first in the Inline Tube Motor City 50 at Flat Rock Speedway (MI). Unfortunately, at Post-Race Tech, he was DQ'ed, handing the Victory to Brian Nester, who would, in turn, snap a nearly Six-Year Winless drought with the Win.

For Nester, the 48-year-old from Hamilton, IN, the All-Time Winningest Driver in Midwest Modifieds Tour History, the driver of the #11 Wheeler Trucking / Burkett Nester Racecars machine picked up his 32nd career checkered flag.

Brian Bergakker, who earlier in the night Win his Third in a row and Fourth overall Joy Fair Memorial in his Outlaw Super Late Model, inherited Second over Greg Fullarton with Economy Auto Parts Fast Qualifier and Points Leader, Matt Dimit and Bubba Smith completing the Top 5. Jay Palumbo and Chris Johnson posted career high finishes with Last Chance Race Winner, Justin Claucherty grabbing Eighth over Jason Congdon and Ron Maynard Jr., who finished off the Top 10.”

The Midwest Modifieds Tour will take a couple of weeks off before Race 4 on Father's Day Sunday, June 18th Toledo Speedway as part of the Fathers Day Sunday Special presented by Monroe Asphalt! Tickets are available by clicking below.

Father's Day Sunday Special! Presented by Monroe Asphalt: 500 Sprint Car Tour, Midwest Modified Tour, plus Late Model Sportsman & Factory Stock Features

June 18, 2023 - 03:00 PM EDT

Toledo Speedway

Toledo, OH

Purchase Tickets

Figure 8

Dennis Whisman Jr. took a convincing win in the 20-lap R&M Recycling Figure 8 feature to close out a great night of action on the quarter-mile.

This race would be highlighted by numerous lead changes, as Dennis Whisman Sr would lead the field to green and hold for the first four laps, before Brice Thomsen briefly took the lead on lap five, just before the 2 of Whisman Jr would pass both for the lead and the eventual victory.

This is Whisman Jr’s second victory of the year, becoming the first repeat victor in the Figure 8 division season so far. Jakob Lee would finish a strong 2nd place after driving from 7th, followed by last week’s victor Jeremy Vanderhoof. Scott Aspersion and Greg Studt would complete the top five.

The R&M Recycling Figure 8 division will return in just two Saturdays as a part of the CNV Enterprises School Bus Figure 8 on Saturday Night, June 10th! Tickets are available NOW - click the link below!

Up Next

Three highly-anticipated features are coming this Saturday, as the Enduro 250 division returns for the first time this season with their first race on June 3rd. The Street Stocks 50-lap feature is also coming up, one of the biggest races of the year for the DTS Drive Train Specialists Street Stocks division.

A new event from a touring series, the Great Lakes Legends Series will come to Flat Rock for the first time in series history this Saturday, their first ever race in the United States. The US Debut for this Canadian series looks to be a great day of entertainment.

Saturday is Jack’s Bicycle Scout Day! All Scouts in uniform are admitted FREE!

Spectator gates open up at 5 PM, and racing begins at 7.

Tickets for the June 3 Flat Rock Speedway event can be purchased at the gate on race day. Tickets are $15 for adults, kids 6-12 are $5, and kids under 6 are free! There is no advance sale for this race.