October 1, 2022 – Sandusky, Ohio – Andrew Bogusz took the lead for the final time on ala 5 double-file restart and never looked back as he captured opening night of the Bev Jaycox Memorial Cavalcade Saturday night at Sandusky Speedway. It was 16-year-olds second Maxima Racing Oils Must See Racing Midwest Lights feature win of the season.
On a lap 5 restart, series point leader Cody Gallogly assumed the pole position and Bogusz assumed the outside lane. On the restart Bogusz surprisingly powered into the lead and never looked back. He would build a 0.039 second lead at the checkered as the remainder of the event went caution free.
In victory lane even Bogusz surprised himself when he took the lead on the restart convincingly. “I honestly thought he (Gallogly) was gonna get me on that restart” explained Bogusz.”Hes got a way better car than we do. Mine is more of a dirt car then he has. I didn’t know I’d have that speed to carry me through the turns. I just sent it in, pinned him down, and rocketed off.
“The car felt great the first half of the race. Towards the end the steering started getting stiff. I kept fighting. When I saw the white flag, I just let it play out and got the win”.
Following Bogusz to the strip were Gallogly J.J. Henes rounding out the top three.
Sawyer Stout was the nights quick qualifier with a lap of 16.388 seconds. Stouts night would come to an end prematurely after making contact with the front stretch wall.
Heat race victories went to Charlie Baur and Gallogly.
The MSR Lights Series will be back in action Sunday afternoon at Sandusky Speedway for another full program of racing.
September 27, 2022 – The Maxima Racing Oils Must See Racing Midwest Lights Series will be back in action this weekend when the series makes its first-ever appearance at Sandusky Speedway as part of the annual Bev Jaycox Memorial Cavalcade presented by Budweiser. The weekend will feature two complete racing programs for the MSR Lights October 1-2.
The expected list of entrants is expected to the biggest of the year highlighted by a handful of drivers who have competed in the MSR National Series the past two seasons. Newly crowned MSR National champion Charlie Schultz, Joshua Sexton, Tim Henthorne, and Rick Holley are MSR National drivers expected to compete this weekend. Holley will be making his first MSR Lights start.
Cody Gallogly is the current MSR Lights points leader on the heels of his two feature victories in 2022. He currently holds only a 13-point lead over 2020 series champion J.J. Henes.
Other drivers expected to compete this weekend include Charlie Bauer, Andrew Bogusz, Lauren DePasquale, Junior Gould, Bobby Komisarski, Dale McQuillen, and Sawyer Stout among others.
This weekend’s events will mark the final stretch of races towards the 2022 MSR Lights championship with only the season finale on October 15 at Lorain Raceway Park remaining.
For more information on Must See Racing please visit the new and improved website www.mustseeracing.com or like and follow us on Facebook.
September 24, 2022 – Meridian, Idaho – Colton Nelson survived a first lap pileup and cruised to his second consecutive Pink Lady Classic victory Saturday night at Meridian Speedway in front of a packed grandstand.
The Speed Tour and NSRA event, with a promotional co-sanction with Must See Racing, has become the premier winged pavement sprint car race in the entire country in recent years. The race has been referred to as the Knoxville Nationals of pavement. This year’s field included drivers from 7 states and Canada.
Polesitter Aaron Willison got the jump at the start and lead the first 38 laps and was the leader at the conclusion of the first of three segments. The first segment featured 2 red flags including a lap one pileup that ended the night for several cars.
Willison would draw a 6 for the inversion of the second segment. Willison, who was the events fast qualifier, would not be one of the 10 cars to advance to the final segment. He spun after contact with Troy DeCaire and was forced to go to the tail. He wouldn’t be able to work his way back into the top 10.
Casey Tillman would win the second segment and the right to start on the ole for the final 24-lap segment alongside Colton Nelson who finished second in the Second segment.
When the green flag waved to start the final segment, Nelson powered into the lead and never looked back as he went on to win the event and collect $20,000 in the process. Nelson methodically worked his way into the lead by the start of the third segment from the 22nd starting position.
“It feels really good” explained Nelson in victory lane. “We earned this the hard way. The last time we locked in and didn’t have to run any of the qualifying races. We came from 22nd, avoided all the cars in the lap one crash. And worked our way to the front and got it done”.
“I made zero contact on that first lap crash. It was just duck and dive. Luckily, I didn’t get hit, nothing. At the start of the final segment, I knew I had to get on the motor and not let Tillman paly any games with me on that restart. Once I got in front of him it was clean sailing from there” concluded Nelson.
September 7, 2022 – Charlie Schultz is less than two weeks removed from his first career Must See Racing Sprint Series presented by Engine Pro championship. As he reflects back on the series of events the night he clinched the title, he realized what an emotional roller coaster it was.
At the next-to-last event at Lorain Raceway Park on August 6, he got caught up in a first lap accident that eliminated him for the night and giving him a DNF. At that point, it looked as if he had buried himself with a very slim chance of being able to contend for the title with only one race left.
But things turned around at the series finale at Jennerstown, Pennsylvania on August 27. Series points leader Joe Liguori had a mechanical problem and was unable to finish his heat race. Series rules dictate he had to start last in the feature event. With only a single point separating the two drivers going into the final feature event, whoever finished ahead of the other driver would win the title. Schultz finished two spots ahead of Liguori as Liguori gave a valiant effort in his quest to come from the rear.
“I think with the drop thing I was 6 points down going into the season finale at Jennerstown,” explains Schultz. “You never want to win one because someone has problem. You wanna race it out the best you can. He (Liguori) was able to capitalize on my bad luck at Lorain and I was able to capitalize on his bad luck at Jennerstown.”
In a show of true sportsmanship, Schultz and his John Reiser Motorsports team quickly went to work trying to help Liguori get a rear end and driveline replaced in time for the feature event after Bobby Santos III loaned Liguori the parts he needed.
“After the night at Rockford I got tore up coming for the checkered. Joe was one of the first one to come over and offer me anything I needed to get the car fixed. Joe and I have been friends for a long time. It wasn’t a matter of who won the championship. We all were gonna have a good time celebrating the championship regardless of who was the champion.”
Moments after capturing the MSR championship Schultz proposed to longtime girlfriend Debbie Walker in victory lane.
“She and I had talked about it over the last year or so. We’ve been dating for the last four and a half years. I was joking around with her niece and nephew one night at dinner and said the next time I win I should aske her to marry me. Unfortunately, I didn’t win a race all summer” laughs Schultz. “But when you win the championship it’s kinda the time and place. If I had lost the championship, it might have been saved for a different time. Everything kinda went our way and it seemed like a good way to top off a good night.
Outside of Must See Racing circles, the 44-year-old Schultz may be an unknown to many due to his many years of competing in Supermodifieds. That may soon change with an MSR championship under his belt to go along with a Midwest Supermodifed Association title he claimed several years back.
“I’ve been pretty fortunate with the Supermodified deal to have had a fair amount of success. We struggled at first when we first came over to do the sprint car stuff. Ultimately, we won the championship, and it shows that you’re a consistent driver. With the way the MSR points structure is, you can’t sit of at any point during the day. If it opens some eyes, great. I’m 44 years old and have accepted the fact I’m no going to NASCAR or anything like that. But I’m definitely gonna enjoy this one” concluded Schultz.
JENNERSTOWN, Pa. (Aug. 27, 2022) – Bobby Santos III may have completed an unblemished run through the Must See Racing Engine Pro Sprint Car Series on Saturday night at Jennerstown Speedway, but the bigger headline was the crowning of a new tour champion.
Ohio’s Charlie Schultz rallied from a six-point deficit entering the David D. Mateer Memorial Race at the half-mile Pennsylvania oval, overtaking Joe Liguori on the final night of the season to secure his first Must See Racing title in his sixth season competing with the traveling winged asphalt sprint car series.
It marked one of the most storybook comebacks in series history, after Schultz lost the point lead three weeks earlier due to a crash at Lorain (Ohio) Raceway Park and thought he was out of the title hunt.
“It wasn’t so much a matter of rallying the team as it was that we just don’t quit,” said Schultz, who finished third in the 30-lap feature to capture the crown. “I’m probably pretty dumb, because I should have just quit after (the crash at) Lorain. I was pretty hard on myself, but a lot of this comeback tonight was thanks to the crew I had around me.
Charlie Schultz (right) and John Reiser (left) pose as the 2022 Must See Racing sprint car champions Saturday at Jennerstown Speedway.
“J.J. Henes … , Kasey Jedzrejek, Sawyer Stout and (team owner) John Reiser didn’t let me give in when, maybe, I wanted to … and I’m glad they kept pushing me because it got us here to this moment tonight,” he added. “To add my name to the elite list of champions that have won a title with Must See Racing is something that I’ll carry with me no matter what I do going forward in my racing career. It’s special.”
After celebrating atop the wing and enduring a champagne shower from an elated Reiser, Schultz made it a night to remember by surprising his longtime girlfriend, Debbie Walker, with a marriage proposal.
“Debbie and I have been together for about four and a half years, and I’ve been seriously considering asking her to marry me,” said Schultz, with a sly smile. “I want to do that tonight in front of everyone.
“We have a lot of friends watching the livestream tonight, but let me tell you … we’re bringing the party to Lorain, Ohio tomorrow and it’s going to be a big one!”
Meanwhile, Santos surged late to capture his fourth Must See Racing sprint car win in four appearances this season, using a lap-20 restart as fuel to chase down and pass race-long leader Ryan Litt.
Bobby Santos won Saturday’s Must See Racing sprint car season finale at Pennsylvania’s Jennerstown Speedway.
With a sweeping, inside move entering the first turn, Santos passed Litt with 10 laps left and drove away by 5.472 seconds to earn a $3,000 payday and his second career David D. Mateer Memorial victory.
“Ryan was great; dirty air was really tough behind him and I’m not sure if we were going to have anything for him if not for the restart,” explained Santos. “I got the right yellow and it worked for us.”
Despite the elation of victory, Santos noted the bigger picture – that his thoughts were with a Jennerstown Speedway track worker who was struck on pit road while attempting to clean up a trail of fluid that had been laid down earlier in the main event.
The incident led to a 45-minute stoppage during the Must See Racing feature. The track worker was awake and alert, according to track officials, before being transported by air to a local hospital for further observation.
“Obviously, our main hope is that everyone is OK after that,” Santos said. “It was a scary ordeal, but it sounds like he’s going to be able to make a recovery and that’s the most important thing from all this.”
Prior to the stoppage, Litt led the first 19 laps of the feature uncontested and appeared to be on his way to his second win of the season. He ultimately finished a distant second to Santos in the end.
Behind Schultz, fast qualifier Mike McVetta ran fourth. Liguori, who broke a u-joint in his heat race and had to start from the tail of the feature field, got to fifth but could advance no further and fell three points shy of the 2022 title.
Liguori scored the most aggregate points during the nine races run this season, but Schultz was the beneficiary of Must See Racing’s drop rule, requiring drivers to throw out their worst night of the year.
McVetta kicked off the program by setting the fastest time in qualifying at the .522-mile, polymer-asphalt oval with a lap of 15.321 seconds (122.655 mph). It marked the second time in McVetta’s Must See Racing career that he topped the qualifying charts, as well as the first time this season.
McVetta collected a $500 bonus from American Racer Tires, in memory of David D. Mateer, for his fast qualifying effort behind the wheel of the Dick Myers Racing-prepared No. 50m sprint car.
Todd McQuillen and Litt split the pair of eight-lap heat races held prior to the title-deciding main event.
While the Must See Racing national sprint car season has concluded, three races remain for the crate-engined Must See Racing Midwest Lights Series, starting with a doubleheader weekend during the Bev Jaycox Memorial Cavalcade, Oct. 1-2 at Sandusky Speedway.
For more information on Must See Racing, visit the sanctioning body’s website at www.mustseeracing.com.
Must See Racing Engine Pro Sprint Car Series; Jennerstown (Pa.) Speedway; Aug. 27, 2022
Dowker Engines Time Trials (best of two laps): 1. Mike McVetta, 50m, Myers-15.321; 2. Bobby Santos III, 22a, Fieler-15.357; 3. Joe Liguori, 13, Liguori-15.382; 4. Charlie Schultz, 9s, Reiser-15.594; 5. Ryan Litt, 07L, Litt-15.741; 6. Rick Holley, 85, Holley-16.097; 7. Jason Blonde, 42, Nosal-16.150; 8. Todd McQuillen, 2k, Koyan-16.763; 9. Adam Biltz, 8a, Reiser-17.153; 10. Tom Geren, 11g, Geren-17.216; 11. Joshua Sexton, 3k, Koyan-17.529; 12. Anthony Linkenhoker, 4, Linkenhoker-19.154; 13. Jeff Bloom, 26, Bloom-NT; 14. Tom Jewell, 7, Fogle-NT.
ARP Heat #1 (8 laps, all transfer): 1. Todd McQuillen [4], 2. Tom Geren [2], 3. Adam Biltz [3], 4. Joshua Sexton [1], 5. Anthony Linkenhoker [5], 6. Jeff Bloom (DNS), 7. Tom Jewell (DNS).
Nitro Black Heat #2 (8 laps, all transfer): 1. Ryan Litt [2], 2. Charlie Schultz [3], 3. Mike McVetta [6], 4. Jason Blonde [7], 5. Bobby Santos III [5], 6. Rick Holley [1], 7. Joe Liguori [4].
American Racer David D. Mateer Tribute (30 laps): 1. Bobby Santos III [4], 2. Ryan Litt [2], 3. Charlie Schultz [3], 4. Mike McVetta [5], 5. Joe Liguori [12], 6. Jason Blonde [6], 7. Rick Holley [1], 8. Todd McQuillen [7], 9. Adam Biltz [8], 10. Tom Geren [9], 11. Joshua Sexton [10], 12. Anthony Linkenhoker [11], 13. Tom Jewell [13], 14. Jeff Bloom [14].
Lap Leader(s): Rick Holley Grid, Ryan Litt 1-20, Bobby Santos III 21-30.
Hard Charger: #13 – Joe Liguori (+7)
Unofficial Final Standings: 1. Charlie Schultz-689, 2. Joe Liguori-686, 3. Rick Holley-568, 4. Tom Jewell-549, 5. Jacob Dolinar-509, 6. Joshua Sexton-493, 7. Ryan Litt-444, 8. Todd McQuillen-442, 9. Jason Blonde-430, 10. Adam Biltz-416.
August 25, 2022 – Holly, Michigan – The Must See Racing Sprint Series Presented by Engine Pro is set to conclude its 2022 season this Saturday night August 27 amid a tight points battle at the historic Jennerstown Speedway in Jennerstown, Pennsylvania.
Jennerstown Speedway is one of the most iconic and history laden speedways on the East Coast. The track opened in the 1920’s as a half-mile dirt fairgrounds speedway that hosted motorcycle events. Sprint cars were a regular staple at the speedway as early as the 1930’s.
The speedway is also the site of Jan Opperman’s unfortunate accident on June 20, 1981, during a URC event. Opperman would perform a hard flip in turns 1 & 2 that would be his final race. He would receive sever head injuries that would leave him as an invalid. Opperman, considered one of the greatest sprint car divers of all-time, would pass away in 1987 from injuries resulting from that gloomy 1981 day.
The track was paved in 1987 and has operated as a paved track ever since.
Saturday’s MSR event will not be the first appearance of winged sprint cars to the 0.522-mile speedway, but it will be the first appearance since 2020. Past MSR events have regularly drew big crowds to the track that seats 7500 spectators.
Joe Liguori leads Charlie Schultz by a slim margin of only 13 points heading into the series finale.
The MSR regulars will also be racing for their biggest purse of the season with $700 to start and the winner assured of a $3,000 payday. The event is expected to draw a healthy field of cars to the fastest track they will race at all season long.
Bobby Santos III headlined the entry list. Santos has only made 3 MSR appearances in 2022 but so far has captured every event he has competed in and will be a formidable Jennerstown opponent. Jason Blonde, fresh off his “Bob Frey Classic / Jerry Caryer Memorial 40” victory at Lorain Raceway Park August 6 is also expected to compete.
Other drivers expected to compete include Anthony McCune. Jacob Dolinar, Jeff Bloom, , Adam Biltz, Tom Jewell, Ryan Litt, Joshua Sexton, Charlie Schultz, Joe Liguori, Todd McQuillen, Anthony Linkenhoker, Tom Geren and home state Pennsylvania driver Rick Holley among others.
HOLLY, Mich. (Aug. 23, 2022) – The battle for the Must See Racing Engine Pro Sprint Car Series championship has come down to one final showdown between two journeyman veterans of sprint car racing.
Indiana’s Joe Liguori and Ohio’s Charlie Schultz will engage in a no-holds-barred duel for supremacy – and a sizable trophy – during Saturday night’s David D. Mateer Tribute at Pennsylvania’s Jennerstown Speedway, the final stop of the year for Must See Racing’s traveling national sprint car tour.
Liguori holds a 13-point edge over Schultz in the aggregate standings entering the high-speed half mile, but there’s some additional math that will come into play when it comes to determining the eventual champion.
By rule this season, each Must See Racing driver must drop their lowest points-scoring night from their year-end total, throwing a substantial wrench into the works and opening up several pathways for both drivers to secure the national title.
Factoring in the current drop races for both drivers, Liguori’s advantage over Schultz slims from 13 to just six points, meaning that the Jennerstown finale affords Schultz a chance to come from behind.
Should neither Schultz nor Liguori have to use Jennerstown as their drop night, Schultz would have to out-score Liguori by seven points across qualifying, heat races and the 30-lap feature in order to secure his first Must See Racing championship.
If Liguori were to stumble and Jennerstown became his drop race, Schultz would have to earn a combined 83 points between qualifying, heats and the main in order to overhaul Liguori, who would inherit a 76-point night in that scenario.
A bad night for Schultz at Jennerstown would clinch the title for Liguori, who earned last year’s Must See Racing Driver of the Year award.
Liguori would have been named champion officially in 2021, had the COVID-19 pandemic not put a one-year pause on the season-long points format, and he’s eager to put that conversation to bed Saturday.
“This is what we’ve worked all year for,” said Liguori, an owner-driver who works on his own equipment, following the most recent race at Lorain Raceway Park on Aug. 6. “It’s a one-night showdown for all the marbles, and I couldn’t think of a better guy to race for this title than Charlie. We’ve both put so much into racing over the years and we both know how to race one another cleanly and fairly. It’s going to be a show that I hope the fans really enjoy.”
Schultz is aiming to rebound from a crash on lap two at Lorain that put a damper on his title hopes. While he’s far from out of the equation, there is still a path that allows the former supermodified ace to control his own destiny in the championship battle.
A perfect 100-point night – setting fast time, winning his heat race and winning the feature – would guarantee Schultz the championship no matter what Liguori does at Jennerstown.
That’s something that Schultz nearly achieved on opening night at South Boston (Va.) Speedway in April. He came up one position short to eventual winner Bobby Santos III, who will be returning to the Must See Racing field this weekend.
This time, Schultz hopes to get revenge and seal the deal on both the race and the series title.
“We know what we have to do, and that’s the beauty of the format this year,” noted Schultz, who drivers . “We’re trying not to over-think things and we’re just going to go out and go as fast as we can in every single session all night long. If we can do that and the points fall our way, then we’ll have what we came for. If it doesn’t work out, then someone I really respect and enjoy racing with, in Joe, will be celebrating.
“One way or another, the party will be at one of our trailers after the race Saturday night!”
Whichever driver prevails on Saturday will become the sixth different champion in the 13-year history of Must See Racing, joining Troy DeCaire (2010-’11), JoJo Helberg (2012), Brian Gerster (2013-’14), Jimmy McCune (2015-’19) and Anthony McCune (2020).
No season champion was crowned last year due to format changes required by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Liguori and Schultz may be leading the championship fight, but the rest of the Must See Racing Engine Pro Sprint Car Series field will also be back in action during the upcoming David D. Mateer Tribute at Jennerstown, including Santos, the returning Mike McVetta, recent winner Jason Blonde and more.
The event honors the late Mateer, who served as the director of racing for Specialty Tires of America for many years. Specialty Tires of America manufactures the American Racer tires used on all Must See Racing national and crate sprint car entries throughout the season.
HOLLY, Mich. (Aug. 16, 2022) – The recent Bob Frey Classic at Lorain Raceway Park proved for a veteran driver that he is finally starting to come into his own with the Must See Racing Engine Pro Sprint Car Series.
Past series rookie-of-the-year Rick Holley, a native of Nelsonville, Ohio, is coming off a career-best third place finish with Must See Racing. A week and a half ago at Ohio’s Lorain Raceway Park, he started from the pole in the 40-lap feature and led laps early before holding off a late, spirited charge from series point leader and open-wheel veteran Joe Liguori.
The race prior at Michigan’s Berlin Raceway, Holley started from the pole as well and ran in the top two for nearly half the race before fading to fourth at the checkered flag – then a career best before topping it a week later.
His recent run has featured the kind of performances that have opened the eyes of many race fans, as well as Holley himself.
“If not for that yellow for debris just before halfway, I really believe we had a chance to finish second at Berlin,” Holley said, reflecting on his efforts. “My car was really hooked up in that feature and I knew that we had the track position to be able to capitalize on some of the speed that we’ve found recently. We went out the next race at Lorain and did just that, and we ended up on the frontstretch.
“We’ve been gaining on this thing every week, and we’ve got a lot more to get, I think … so expect more finishes like this out of us going down the stretch. But it has a bit of a pleasant surprise, even for me.”
Holley recently started a trend with having fans sign the tail tank of his white No. 85, having provided permanent markers to fans after races at Birch Run (Mich.) Speedway, Berlin and Lorain in recent weeks.
What started as an alternate way for fans to get involved when he ran out of autograph cards turned into something that Holley admits has brought him “a lot of joy” after he climbs from his race car.
“It wasn’t something that I was expecting to do, for sure,” Holley explained. “We just didn’t have enough autograph cards, so I offered to let some of the kids at Birch Run sign my race car instead. It really took on a life of its own after that.
“To get to see how happy a young kid is when they put their name on that tail tank makes what we do worth it, that’s for sure.”
A laugh followed when Holley was asked if the signatures have helped make his sprint car any faster.
“I don’t think it’s responsible for any of our gains, but I like to think so, just to smile about it,” he said.
Prior to this season, Holley had been running a dirt sprint car chassis outfitted with pavement parts and setups with Must See Racing, but during the winter he bought a purpose-built pavement chassis from Steve and Joshua Sexton that was originally campaigned by Frank Neill during the mid-2010s.
Holley said that the change in chassis has made “an incredible difference” in his comfort behind the wheel.
“This car doesn’t flex in the same places that my old dirt car did; it does what you need it to do as a driver for pavement racing,” Holley explained. “The old dirt car was kind of worn out … and when I got in this thing the first night (of the season) at South Boston (Speedway), it was a dream to drive.
“Even though we had steering problems, engine problems and everything else go wrong that night … I could tell the car was going to be good to us, and I think you’re starting to see that now.”
With a third-place finish in his pocket and victory lane in sight, Holley closed by warning the field that he’s coming for more nights on the frontstretch – and he’s doing so sooner, rather than later.
“I hate to say that you’ll see us finishing in the top two soon, because I don’t want to jinx it, but I really believe that we will be,” Holley said, leading to a smile from his son and crew chief, Chance Holley.
“Don’t let him fool you, we know what we have,” Chance added. “We just have to show it from here on out.”
Holley, three-time season winner Bobby Santos, title rivals Liguori and Charlie Schultz, the returning Mike McVetta, and the rest of the Must See Racing Engine Pro Sprint Car Series field will be back in action during the upcoming David D. Mateer Tribute at Pennsylvania’s Jennerstown Speedway.
The event, which will feature the championship-deciding event for the Must See Racing Engine Pro Sprint Car Series, honors the late Mateer, who served as the director of racing for Specialty Tires of America for many years.
Specialty Tires of America manufactures the American Racer tires used on all Must See Racing national and crate sprint car entries throughout the season.
SOUTH AMHERST, Ohio (Aug. 6, 2022) – Cody Gallogly moved one step closer to his first Must See Racing Midwest Lights Series championship by dominating Saturday’s event at Lorain Raceway Park, held as part of the inaugural Bob Frey Classic.
Gallogly kicked off the program by setting a new Midwest Lights track record (13.171 seconds/102.498 mph) in qualifying, then led 27 of 30 laps around the three-eighths-mile paved oval for his second win of the season with the crate-engined sprint car tour.
He added four tallies to his championship lead over rival and runner-up finisher J.J. Henes, giving the Baltimore, Ohio, driver a 13-point cushion with two rounds remaining.
“We know that, when we’re on top of our game, we’re a championship-caliber team,” said Gallogly, who won by 8.183 seconds, in victory lane. “I feel like we proved that tonight. This car was set on kill from the moment we rolled out for qualifying … and in that feature I thought we were as good as we’d been all day long.
“The motor had been laying down in the last two races; it just wasn’t running right and that was hurting us,” he added. “J.J. obviously took advantage of that with his wins, as he should have, but we’re back running how we need to be now and it’s going to be a battle these last few races, that’s for sure.”
Including lap money, Gallogly banked $1,375 for his Lorain Raceway Park victory.
An invert of four placed Joshua Sexton on the pole for the feature, but outside front-row starter Sawyer Stout got the jump on the initial start, leading the first three laps in John Higgins’ iconic red No. 92.
Stout was passed by Gallogly, who started fourth, on lap four after washing up the track in turn two and opening the bottom lane for the eventual winner. Stout later retired from the race with battery issues.
Once he took the lead, Gallogly was unstoppable, running away by more than a half lap in a caution-free feature that took just six minutes, 57 seconds to complete.
After coming home a distant second, Henes admitted that he just “didn’t have the speed” to contend with Gallogly and that his team has work to do in order to rebound over the final two races.
“Today was not a good day for us,” admitted Henes. “The last few races we’ve been really fast, and Cody’s had problems, but now that he’s got those gremlins fixed it was heads up tonight and he was just a lot better than we were. I like it more in a way – we don’t want to beat him when he’s down – but we also don’t like getting our butts kicked like we did in this one.
“Hopefully we can get this thing figured out and be faster next race,” Henes added. “We were just missing a little bit everywhere tonight, and you can’t do that and expect to win these races.”
Sexton completed the podium ahead of Michigan’s Andrew Bogusz and Dale McQuillen.
Teenager Charlie Baur won the first eight-lap heat race Saturday, his first heat win with the series in his rookie season behind the wheel of a sprint car. Stout claimed the second heat race victory with ease.
Jason Blonde captured the headlining Must See Racing Engine Pro Sprint Car Series feature Saturday night by leading 38 of 40 laps in the third annual Jerry Caryer Memorial Race.
Must See Racing Midwest Lights competitors will now have nearly two months to recharge before the penultimate race of the season, the Bev Jaycox Memorial Cavalcade on Oct. 1 at Sandusky (Ohio) Speedway.
For more information on Must See Racing, visit the sanctioning body’s website at www.mustseeracing.com.
Must See Racing Midwest Lights Series; Lorain Raceway Park; South Amherst, Ohio; Aug. 6, 2022
Qualifying (best of two laps): 1. Cody Gallogly, 27, Gallogly-13.171 (NTR); 2. J.J. Henes, 36JR, Henes-13.394; 3. Sawyer Stout, 92, Higgins-13.536; 4. Joshua Sexton, 51s, Sexton-13.792; 5. Andrew Bogusz, 17, Bogusz/Sachs-13.869; 6. Dale McQuillen, 21, McQuillen-14.415; 7. Charlie Baur, 23, Baur-14.458; 8. Tim Henthorne, 15t, Henthorne-14.570; 9. Lauren DePasquale, 18, DePasquale-15.264.
Heat #1 (8 laps, all transfer): 1. Charlie Baur [2], 2. Andrew Bogusz [4], 3. Tim Henthorne [1], 4. Dale McQuillen [3], 5. Lauren DePasquale (DNS).
SOUTH AMHERST, Ohio (Aug. 7, 2022) – Jason Blonde continued his habit of winning live-streamed Must See Racing Engine Pro Sprint Car Series races this season by topping the Jerry Caryer Memorial 40 at Lorain Raceway Park, held as the headliner of the inaugural Bob Frey Classic.
In front of a bevy of SPEED SPORT Network cameras, Blonde led 38 of the 40 laps at the three-eighths-mile paved oval and pulled away late from Ryan Litt, winning by 2.983 seconds in a race that finished in the early hours of Sunday morning due to several lengthy delays during the support division features.
Blonde’s victory was his second of the season with Must See Racing and the ninth of his series career, moving him into a tie with JoJo Helberg for third on the all-time list.
“That was fun, but it wasn’t easy,” Blonde noted. “Any time you’ve got Ryan Litt on your bumper, you’re going to be nervous. I actually didn’t feel that good about the car in the last five laps … and I was waiting for him to show me a nose or something, but I guess we still had a pretty big lead there. He said he was pretty tight, and I was tight (on corner entry), but just kept snapping it loose on exit and kind of dirt tracking it in the late laps.
“It wasn’t always pretty, but we’re glad we got the job done.”
Including lap money, Blonde collected nearly $4,500 in winnings for his Jerry Caryer Memorial victory.
The Litchfield, Mich., native was presented the winner’s trophy in victory lane by event namesake Bob Frey, a five-time winner of the Lucas Oil Little 500 for non-winged sprint cars and a four-time winner of the sprint car portion of the now-defunct Copper World Classic at Arizona’s Phoenix Raceway.
It was a moment the seven-time pavement sprint car champion called “really special” afterward.
“Bob Frey is someone who a lot of us looked up to through the years, and there’s a lot of history that he made with the cars he drove. To win a race honoring his career means a lot,” Blonde said. “There’s a lot of history in this team, though, also. Gary Fedewa has been bringing us to the track recently, and he won plenty of races for (owner) Tony Nosal in this car. It’s been cool to have Gary back at the track with us.
“Just a lot of people go into this team and into this sport … and we’ve got to all be thankful for that.”
Starting from the pole after an eight-car inversion, home-state driver Rick Holley led the field to green and paced the first two circuits, collecting $175 in lap money and a case of Pabst Blue Ribbon from fellow driver Joe Liguori for leading the opening lap – given in honor of late competitor Jerry Caryer.
Holley was holding Blonde at bay until a shocking crash off the second corner changed the entire complexion of both the race and the Must See Racing championship points battle.
Contact between incoming point leader Charlie Schultz and two-time defending Little 500 champion Tyler Roahrig, who was filling in for the injured Jimmy McCune in the familiar No. 88 sprinter, sent Schultz spinning off the second corner and ended the night for both veteran competitors.
Schultz tossed his steering wheel out of the car in frustration when he came to a halt before walking off to his trailer, his hopes of a maiden series title taking a major hit in the process with just one race remaining.
From there, Blonde took control of the race on the lap-three restart, surging into command from the outside of the front row and never looking back despite a mid-race duel through lap traffic with Ryan Litt.
Blonde weathered a restart with 16 laps left, following a turn-one spin by Jacob Dolinar, and went on to the comfortable victory over Litt. The Canadian settled for second one week after snapping a nine-year Must See Racing winless drought at Michigan’s Berlin Raceway.
“This was my first time here, so I had to learn everything as I went today,” explained Litt. “It’s a unique track and I like it, but we were just super tight in the feature and didn’t have much for Blonde there.”
Holley fended off a late challenge by Liguori to finish third, the best night of his Must See Racing career.
“The car was really good, and the scary thing is, we know it can be better,” tipped Holley. “These are the kind of nights we’ve been working for, and it feels good to finally put it all together like we did here.”
Liguori’s fourth-place finish allowed him to assume the point lead with only the season finale at Pennsylvania’s Jennerstown Speedway remaining. Todd McQuillen closed out the top five.
Must See Racing competitors will now have a two-week break to recharge before heading to Jennerstown for the David D. Mateer Tribute at the half-mile Keystone State oval.
For more information on Must See Racing, visit the sanctioning body’s website at www.mustseeracing.com.
Must See Racing Engine Pro Sprint Car Series; Lorain Raceway Park; South Amherst, Ohio; Aug. 6, 2022
Qualifying (best of two laps): 1. Tyler Roahrig, 88, McCune-12.690; 2. Charlie Schultz, 9s, Reiser-12.710; 3. Jason Blonde, 42, Nosal-12.724; 4. Joe Liguori, 13, Liguori-12.739; 5. Ryan Litt, 07L, Litt-12.739; 6. Adam Biltz, 8a, Reiser-13.110; 7. Todd McQuillen, 2k, Koyan-13.136; 8. Rick Holley, 85, Holley-13.150; 9. Jacob Dolinar, 8, McCune-13.222; 10. Joe Speakman, 72s, Speakman-13.460; 11. Joshua Sexton, 3k, Koyan-13.533; 12. Tom Jewell, 7, Fogle-13.599; 13. Jeff Bloom, 28, Bloom-13.692; 14. Tom Geren, 11g, Geren-13.846; 15. Bobby Komisarski, 81, Blake-14.025; 16. Tim Henthorne, 45, Bare-NT.
ARP Heat #1 (8 laps, all transfer): 1. Jeff Bloom [2][$100], 2. Tom Jewell [3][$50], 3. Joshua Sexton [4][$35], 4. Jacob Dolinar [6], 5. Joe Speakman [5], 6. Bobby Komisarski [7], 7. Tom Geren [1], 8. Tim Henthorne (DNS).
Nitro Black Heat #2 (8 laps, all transfer): 1. Ryan Litt [2][$100], 2. Joe Liguori [3][$50], 3. Charlie Schultz [5][$35], 4. Adam Biltz [1], 5. Todd McQuillen [7], 6. Tyler Roahrig [6], 7. Jason Blonde [4], 8. Rick Holley [8].
Fel-Pro Jerry Caryer Memorial A-Feature (40 laps): 1. Jason Blonde [6], 2. Ryan Litt [4], 3. Rick Holley [1], 4. Joe Liguori [5], 5. Todd McQuillen [2], 6. Jacob Dolinar [9], 7. Adam Biltz [3], 8. Tom Jewell [12], 9. Joshua Sexton [11], 10. Tom Geren [15], 11. Joe Speakman [10], 12. Jeff Bloom [13], 13. Tyler Roahrig [8], 14. Charlie Schultz [7], 15. Bobby Komisarski [14], 16. Tim Henthorne (DNS).
Lap Leader(s): Rick Holley 1-2, Jason Blonde 3-40.
September 24, 2022 – Meridian, Idaho – Colton Nelson survived a first lap pileup and cruised to his second consecutive Pink Lady Classic victory Saturday night at Meridian Speedway in front of a packed grandstand.
Liguori holds a 13-point edge over Schultz in the aggregate standings entering the high-speed half mile, but there’s some additional math that will come into play when it comes to determining the eventual champion.
