Third annual retro summit race results

[larrymatt]

HERSHMAN LEADS THE WAY IN THIRD ANNUAL RETRO SUMMIT… RADISICH AND CUSTER ALSO VICTORIOUS

Ron Hershman was the big winner, winning three classes at the Third Annual Buckeye Retro Series (BRS) sanctioned RETRO SUMMIT Classic held at Debbie Baldwin-Elavsky’s Route 93 Raceway in Akron, OH on Aug. 24-25. Chris Radisich scored two wins while house pro Willy Custer annexed one checker.

FORMULA ONE/INDY

Qualifying was first on the agenda for the 30-car F1/Indy field, and quickly demonstrated how close the action was going to be all day long. Hershman stamped himself as the driver to beat by ripping off a new track record of 4.758 on the fast 155’ original American Blue King circuit, edging out Tom Lauterbach (4.848) and Custer (4.886). The quality of the field was apparent as only a little over three tenths of a second separated the first through 18th qualifiers.


Ron Hershman - 4.758
Tom Lauterbach - 4.848
Willy Custer - 4.886
Rick Bennardo Jr. - 4.913
Greg Fox - 4.946
Mark Kitto - 4.948
Bud Bartos - 4.957
Chris Radisich - 4.968
Gary Culy - 4.971
Dave Simerka - 4.984
Ross Scharf - 5.002
Den Krivacek - 5.004
Al Rutti - 5.009
Dave Gardiner - 5.033
Mike Panko - 5.0400
Ron Smith - 5.0407
Rick Bennardo Sr. - 5.044
Dan Myers - 5.049
Rick Maynard - 5.074
Brian McPherson - 5.077
Larry Mattingly - 5.082
Mark Gardiner - 5.154
David Krumnow - 5.2014
Gary Hayworth - 5.2018
Ken Kanyok - 5.209
Earl Graybill - 5.233
Brian Russo - 5.344
Matt Esterday - 5.471
Avry Daly - 5.658
Rick Esterday - 6.037



F1/INDY MAINS

D-Main

Gary Haworth always insists that he races much better than he qualifies. He proved his point at The SUMMIT by leading the D-Main from start to finish to handily take first place honors. Haworth received some early pressure from Brian Russo and Ken Kanyok in the early going, but began to take command in the third heat to eventually win by three laps over Kanyok at the finish. Russo was in the hunt, until falling victim to Rt. 93’s notorious gutter black lane, but still managed a strong third place finish, eight laps off the pace. Earl Graybill was fourth, followed by Matt Esterday, Avry Daly, and Rick Esterday, who was an early drop out.

C-Main

This one was a dog fight from start to finish, with Rick Bennardo Sr taking a hard fought win. Bennardo, Larry Mattingly and Brian McPherson were in a virtual dead heat thru the first three segments, until Bennardo went up by three at the half way point, with Dan Myers displacing Mattingly for the third position. Bennardo maintained a comfortable three-lap advantage the rest of the way, despite encountering traffic problems on the yellow lane. Meanwhile, Mattingly, Myers and McPherson traded the runner-up spot back and forth for the next three heats. Myers prevailed for second, edging McPherson by track sections. Rick Maynard made a late race surge to nail down fourth over Mattingly. David Krumnow was sixth, ahead of Mark Gardiner.

B-Main

After battling with Ron Smith during the first two segments of the contest, the story of the B-Main was all Dave ‘Shadow’ Simerka, as he took command after that and never looked back. At that point the race was for the second spot as Smith and Ross Scharf had a spirited duel, until Scharf took over for good in the seventh heat to take the position by four-laps. Smith settled for the third slot, in front of Den Krivacek, Dave Gardiner, Mike Panko, Gary Culy and Al Rutti, who nursed home his car after an early race crash.

A-Main

Ron Hershman and Willy Custer had a classic gun fight in the A-Main trading the lead several times through the course of the race. The high flying duo were deadlocked at the end of one, with Bud Bartos in hot pursuit. Custer led heat two by one-lap, while Chris Radisich moved into third. Hershman moved ahead by a lap after three complete segments, while Tom Lauterbach slid into third. Hershman maintained his lead at the mid-way point of the race, but fell two laps behind Custer after the fifth heat. Hershman was now also looking at Radisich, who moved into a tie for the second position. Custer maintained control by two-laps in the next segment as well, with Hershman and Radisich racing it out for second. Hershman pulled even with Custer in the penultimate heat, while Radisich began to fade. The final segment saw Hershman record 36-laps on the white lane to Custer’s 35-laps on yellow. Hershman tallied 280-laps, a new track F1/Indy record, to Custer’s 279 total. Ricky Bennardo Jr. used a 36-lap run on the orange lane to knock Radisich, who was struggling on black, off the podium. Lauterbach lost fourth by track position, while Greg Fox, Bud Bartos and Mark Kitto finished sixth through eighth.



FORMULA ONE/INDY OVERALL FINISH

1. Ron Hershman - 280
2. Willy Custer - 279
3. Dave Simerka - 275
4. Ricky Bennardo Jr - 274
5. Chris Radisich - 272-15
6. Tom Lauterbach - 272-11
7. Ross Scharf - 271
8. Greg Fox - 269
9. Bud Bartos - 267-16
10. Ron Smith - 267-12
11. Mark Kitto - 265-9
12. Rick Bennardo Sr - 265-8
13. Dan Myers - 262-15
14. Brian McPherson - 262-5
15. Den Krivacek - 261-13
16. Dave Gardiner - 261-8
17. Rick Maynard - 260-14
18. Mike Panko - 260-3
19. Larry Mattingly - 259
20. David Krumnow - 255
21. Mark Gardiner - 253
22. Gary Culy - 248
23. Gary Haworth - 244
24. Ken Kanyok - 241
25. Brian Russo - 235
26. Earl Graybill - 228
27. Matt Esterday - 214
28. Avry Daly - 211
29. Al Rutti - 208
30. Rick Esterday - 86


CAN-AM

Willy Custer proved to be the fastest man in the 32-car Can-Am class during time trials, as the rising Retro star borrowed a chassis from Bob Dempsey minutes before tech opened, and proceeded to scorch the King track with a lap of 4.660. Ricky Bennardo Jr. (4.739) edged Bud Bartos (4.743) and Ron Hershman (4.781) for runner-up honors.



Willy Custer - 4.660
Ricky Bennardo Jr. - 4.739
Bud Bartos - 4.743
Ron Hershman - 4.781
Den Krivacek - 4.806
Chris Radisich - 4.807
Mark Kitto - 4.818
Mike Garrett - 4.827
Brian McPherson - 4.8491
Tom Lauterbach - 4.8495
Ross Scharf - 4.853
Bob Dempsey - 4.855
Gary Culy - 4.856
Dave Siemerka - 4.865
Al Rutti - 4.906
Dave Gardiner - 4.920
Mike Panko - 4.9953
Greg Fox - 4.9555
Rick Bennardo Sr. - 4.964
Ron Smith - 5.019
Mark Gardiner - 5.032
Dan Myers - 5.038
Larry Mattingly - 5.067
Matt Esterday - 5.089
Rick Maynard - 5.097
Gary Haworth - 5.123
David Krumnow - 5.184
Brian Russo - 5.209
Avry Daly - 5.283
Earl Graybill - 5.297
Ken Kanyok - 5.349
Rick Esterday - 5.399


CAN-AM MAINS

D-Main

Rick Maynard is not accustomed to racing in the D-main, as he normally is found near the top of the leader board. Maynard made the best of the situation on this day, however, and took command at the drop of the green and led the entire race to claim the victory. Maynard quickly built up a five-lap lead by the second segment over his closest pursuers, Gary Haworth and David Krumnow. Maynard increased the margin to six-laps by the sixth heat, with Krumnow moving past Haworth for second. Krumnow cut the margin to four in the seventh heat, and made a valiant charge in the final segment, but fell one lap short of Maynard. Haworth also managed to make up ground and finished three laps off the pace to finish third. Earl Graybill was further back in fourth, followed by Avry Daly, Brian Russo, Ken Kanyok and Rick Esterday, who once again exited early with mechanical ills.

C-Main

In a race that wasn’t decided until the final segment, three drivers traded the front position around in merry-go-round fashion. Ron Smith, Mike Panko, and Dave Gardiner all recorded 33-laps after the first heat, with Greg Fox, Matt Esterday, and Rick Bennardo Sr. close behind with 32-laps. Gardiner and Bennardo jumped to the front at the close of the third heat, while Smith fell to third. Bennardo and Smith raced nose to tail thru the next four heats, as both drivers entered the final heat tied with 232-laps. Fox had assumed third, four laps back. In the crucial final run Smith nailed 34-laps on green, with Bennardo recording only 32-laps on yellow, giving the win to Smith. Fox held on to third, edging Gardiner by one-lap. Dan Myers, Larry Mattingly and Esterday trailed, while Panko tailed the field after dropping out in the seventh segment.

B-Main

The B-Main turned out to be a two-man affair between veteran racers Tom Lauterbach and Dave Simerka. The pair were deadlocked following the first heat, just in front of Gary ‘Hip’ Culy. Lauterbach went up by one-lap after two heats and never surrendered the lead again. Simerka kept the pressure on, but fell three-laps down by the end of the sixth segment. The ‘Shadow’ regained momentum in the final two heats, but finished one-lap off the pace. All Rutti finished a solid third, in front of Bob Dempsey, Ross Scharf, Culy, Brian McPherson and Dave Gardiner, who retired early.

A-Main

This race featured the much anticipated show down between Ron Hershman and Willy Custer. When the dust settled Hershman once again prevailed, winning by two-laps and setting a new track record of 287-laps in the process. Hershman jumped on top immediately, with Custer remaining close. Custer pulled even after the fourth heat, but Hershman slammed the door after that, racing to a comfortable two-lap spread for the remaining distance. Bud Bartos trailed in third place for the entire contest, finishing seven laps down. Chris Radisich corralled the fourth spot over Mike ‘Raisin’ Garrett, Mark Kitto, Rick Bennardo Jr., and Den Krivacek.



CAN-AM OVERALL FINISH

1. Ron Hershman - 287
2. Willy Custer - 285
3. Bud Bartos - 280
4. Chris Radisich - 278
5. Mike Garrett - 275-4
6. Tom Lauterbach - 275-1
7. Dave Simerka - 274
8. Rick Bennardo Jr - 272-15
9. Mark Kitto - 272-14
10. Ron Smith - 266
11. Al Rutti - 265
12. Rick Bennardo Sr - 264
13. Bob Dempsey - 262
14. Greg Fox - 261
15. Mark Gardiner - 260-19
16. Ross Scharf - 260-8
17. Rick Maynard - 257
18. David Krumnow - 256
19. Den Krivacek - 254-20
20. Gary Culy - 254-5
21. Gary Haworth - 254-2
22. Dan Myers - 251-16
23. Brian McPherson - 251-8
24. Larry Mattingly - 250
25. Matt Esterday - 243
26. Earl Graybill - 235
27. Avry Daly - 230
28. Brian Russo - 226-12
29. Ken Kanyok - 226
30. Mike Panko - 203
31. Rick Esterday - 52
32. Dave Gardiner - 31

WORLD SPORTS CAR COUPE

1. Willy Custer - 277
2. Chris Radisich - 271
3. Ron Hershman - 269
4. Dave Simerka - 268
5. Greg Fox - 266
6. Ross Scharf - 261
7. Bob Dempsey - 258
8. Dan Myers - 257
9. Larry Mattingly - 252
10. Brian Russo - 239
11. Avry Daly - 224
12. Gary Culy - 221
13. Gary Hayworth - 183

RETRO ANGLEWINDER

1. Chris Radisich - 199
2. Dave Simerka - 198
3. Ron Hershman - 185
4. Dan Myers - 145
5. Ricky Bennardo Jr - 94
6. Earl Graybill - 33


STOCK CAR

1. Ron Hershman - 173
2. Chris Radisich - 162
3. Dave Simerka - 154
4. Larry Mattingly - 150
5. Brian Russo - 135
6. Avry Daly - 130
7. Gary Culy - DNS


RETRO FLEXI

1. Chris Radisich - 200
2. Ron Hershman - 198
3. Greg Fox - 190
4. Ross Schaef - 187
5. Dan Myers - 184
6. Gary Haworth - 153
7. Brian Russo - 146
8. Avry Daly - 111
9. Willy Custer - 95


SUMMIT SUMMARY

The third annual RETRO SUMMIT Classic was an overwhelming success, as 32-racers from six states generated 97 total entries over the two day event. Not to shabby for a race staged on the third weekend of August, and before the start of the traditional slot racing season. The inaugural Buckeye Retro Series event is in the books … Hats off to Route 93 Raceway for staging the third rendition of this race. Track owner Debbie Baldwin-Elavsky and track manager Steve Ross are the consummate hosts. Debbie treated the racers to breakfast, lunch and dinner on both days, provided more snacks and desserts that can be described, and even had free pizza for those who came in early to practice on Friday. Debbie has returned Rt. 93 to glory in memory of her late husband, Frank. And, she isn’t finished yet, as some big plans are in store for the future. Stay tuned … Rt. 93’s 155’ American Blue King was in superb condition, producing record times and lap totals throughout the course of the weekend. After being refurbished last year by Gary Gerding the 93 King is, by far, the best ‘original’ American Blue King track in the nation … Can old dogs learn new tricks? Apparently, as former wing car standouts Mike ‘Raisin’ Garrett and Greg Fox have ‘unretired’ and joined the retro ranks. Garrett was a former Group 7 open racer, while Fox was a standout in Gr. 27 on the old Tri-State USRA circuit … Mike Panko made the trip back from his home in Denver, CO to compete in the race. Mike said he misses his ‘rust belt’ friends and plans to move back to Ohio soon … It was great to have Retro East regular Brian Russo join the fray. Brian had his 10-year-old grandson Avry in tow, and the young man quickly became popular with everyone. Highlight of the weekend was when Avry beat Grandpap in their Can-Am main … Toledo’s Bob Dempsey was a pretty fair competitor throughout the Midwest on the outlaw midget circuits during the 1970s, and was the recent subject of a great story in the Toledo Blade newspaper highlighting his outstanding open-wheel career … Always good to have visiting track owners join the racing action. Mark Kitto (MMW), Brian McPherson (REM) and David Krumnow (Fastraxxx) attended The SUMMIT. Krumnow is putting the finishing touches on a recently acquired 95’ original American Black Royale, and can’t wait to host his first retro race on the unique track. Krumnow is also exploring the possibility of opening a second raceway in the Norwalk, OH area … Something ‘borrowed’ was the theme for Chris Radisich at the SUMMIT. The New Zealand-native borrowed Hip Culey’s Retro Anglewinder chassis, and a Pro Slot Big Dog motor from Ron Hershman and walked off with the RA win. Chris did the same thing for Retro Flexi; borrowed Culey’s Demon-powered car and came home the winner … A big shout out to Shontel Howard, who served as race director for both days. Shontel, owner of Dallas Slot Cars in Dallas, TX, made a detour to Akron enroute to the USRA wing car Nats in Chicago. Shontel is rapidly becoming a big retro enthusiast, and has started a retro program at her track. She will be staging her first major retro event, The Demon, on sat. Nov. 30. Sounds like a perfect way to kick off the holiday season.

NEXT RACE: Sat. Oct. 12 REM Raceway, Mentor, OH

[Bill from NH]

Nice report Larry !!

[oldweirdherald]

There were photos of this event posted on Facebook.

2013 Retro Summit BRS/IRRA LLC Event 8-24-13

and 3 more here

PK @ OWH