Fort Wayne, IN (May 26, 2019) – In spite of the best efforts
by Hartford Speedway and Butler Motor Speedway, the Lane Automotive Sprints On Dirt
powered by King Engine Bearings / MSD Ignition / Motul races were both rained
out.
Watching the Hartford weather Friday morning, it was already
looking grim. Then, faced with morning
rains, already saturated grounds, a forecast for evening showers, and the
distance teams need to travel, owner/promoter Tim Dibble announced shortly
after noon that it was in everyone’s best interest to cancel the show. Although a difficult decision, especially after
being rained out for its season opener a week earlier, it was the right
decision.
Weather predictions for Saturday showed Butler Motor
Speedway was facing a narrow period of rain in the evening. Unfortunately, Mother Nature apparently
wasn’t watching, and around 2:30 PM a strong storm moved through dumping a
large amount of rain in a short time. Faced
with a considerable amount of standing water and a prediction of more rain to
come, promoters Denny Donaldson and Bob Garrett had to make a frustrating
decision to cancel the show. The race
was already a make-up date for the May 11 rain out at Butler.
Sprints On Dirt thanks both Hartford and Butler for their
hard work and support. Along with SOD,
they are struggling with weather woes this season.
SOD at Butler over the falls without a barrel, race rescheduled
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Fort Wayne, IN (May 12, 2019) – With rain percentages
looking better and better as the day went on Saturday, the first 2019 Lane Automotive
Sprints On Dirt powered by King Engine Bearings / MSD Ignition / Motul race at
Butler Motor Speedway looked good. Unfortunately,
Mother Nature apparently wasn’t watching the percentages.
As pit gates opened and the pits filled with cars, intermittent
sprinkles started. Just as SOD sign in
was winding down, rain increased, and it soon became clear to everyone watching
weather radar on their phones that we wouldn’t get the show in. After having put in a long week prepping for
the race, Promoters Denny Donaldson and Bob Garrett had to pull the plug and
cancel the show.
Butler and SOD officials went to work to replace the date,
and within a short time, it was agreed to reschedule the race for Saturday, May
25. It will be a two-day weekend for SOD
competitors with Hartford Motor Speedway on the schedule for Friday, May 24.
Chad Blonde (2nd), Ryan Ruhl(1st), Zane DeVault (3rd)
ERIE, MI (May 5, 2019) – The Lane Automotive Sprints On Dirt
powered by King Engine Bearings / MSD Ignition / Motul traditional season
opener at Crystal Motor Speedway, rained out a week ago, went off under a sunny
day Saturday. Ryan Ruhl was impressive in winning his Engler Machine & Tool
heat race and the twenty-five-lap feature.
In the feature, Ruhl took the lead from the pole at the
start, but the caution flag came out causing a complete restart. On the second start Ruhl and Joshua Turner
(Osseo, MI) battled side by side with Turner using the top of the track to grab
the early lead. But Ruhl (Coldwater, MI)
had his Smith Motorsports Krieger-powered, Maxim hooked up on the lower groove
and quickly moved into the lead. As the
race went on, Ruhl got stronger and stronger, turning laps near 98 mph on the Crystal
oval.
2018 SOD champion Chad Blonde (Litchfield, MI) used a slight
miscue by Turner to take second. Blonde
had a couple shots at Ruhl on the high side on restarts, but Ruhl was just too
strong and motored away to win by a wide margin. Blonde held on for second while Zane DeVault
(Plymouth, IN), last year’s SOD opener winner, was impressive in finishing
third in former SOD competitor, now car owner Greg Wheeler’s 360 ride. Turner took fourth and second-generation
driver Ricky Ferkel (Mt. Pleasant, MI) had a strong showing to finish fifth. Tyler Gunn (Napoleon, OH), easy winner of the
King Engine Bearings heat race, recovered from a spin and charged from last to
finish sixth.
Gremlins made the night difficult for some veteran drivers
as former SOD champions Brett Mann (Goshen, IN) and Steve Irwin (Fenton, MI) both
had engine problems. Michigan Motor
Sports Hall of Fame member Jason Blonde (Litchfield, MI) suffered the same
fate.
Garrett Saunders (Lakeville, IN), a standout in Plymouth
(IN) Speedway crate Pro Sprints, made his unlimited sprint car debut as team
mate to Zane DeVault. On the opposite
end of the spectrum, Kent Gardner (Fenton, MI) returned to SOD competition
after a twenty-six-year absence!
Crystal owner/promoter Ron Flinn, new SOD owner Dave Muzzillo,
and their staffs did a great job to kick off the 2019 season in front of a
great crowd.
Qualifying – Benic Enterprises Fast Masters (fast qualifiers)
