Retro on the royal... Fastraxxx

**larrymatt** · 05-22-2014, 07:18 AM

‘RETRO ON THE ROYAL’ … FASTRAXXX RACEWAY
Buckeye Retro Series (BRS)

By Larry Mattingly

ATTEE, HENRY, HERSHMAN WIN AT FASTRAXXX

FREMONT, OH … Three different drivers were victorious at the RETRO ON THE ROYAL CLASSIC held Sat. May 17 on the original 95 foot American Raceways Royal road course at Fastraxxx Raceway in Fremont, Ohio. Michigan’s Rich Attee took the top honors in Formula One/Indy competition, while Ron Hershman and Cap Henry took honors in Can-Am and Group 7-68 action in the non-point Buckeye Retro Series (BRS) post season event.

CAN-AM RESULTS

QUALIFYING

Ron Hershman broke his existing one lap qualifying record of 3.598 by two thousandths of a second with a run of 3.596 to lead an 18 car field. Sano Dave Fiedler was second, turning a lap of 3.618, followed by Cap Henry (3.690), Ohio Challenge Cup (OCC) Champion Eric Shirey (3.760) and Rick Stagen (3.761).

1. Ron Hershman – 3.596 NTR
2. Dave Fiedler – 3.618
3. Cap Henry – 3.690
4. Eric Shirey – 3.760
5. Rick Stagen – 3.761
6. John Miller – 3.780
7. Greg Fox – 3.785
8. Rich Attee – 3.812
9. Dennis Clark – 3.817
10. Gary Haworth – 3.829
11. Greg Krumnow – 3.830
12. Dave Geehring – 3.890
13. Craig Sharfenberg – 3.896
14. Larry Mattingly – 4.005
15. Dan Myers – 4.042
16. Matt Easterday – 4.092
17. Alex Stoudinger – 4.513
18. Rick Easterday – 4.748

CAN-AM MAINS

B-Main…

Dan Myers and Craig Sharfenberg were the early pace setters in the nine-man round robin contest, until Myers spurted ahead for good at the end of the sixth heat. After that the battle was for the second position, with Sharfenferg, Larry Mattingly and Dave Geerhing all in contention. Geehring registered a strong 44-lap effort in the final segment to make up a three lap deficit and claim the runner-up spot, four laps behind winner Myers. Mattingly was third, beating Sharfenberg by track position. Greg Krumnow was a close fifth, only six laps off the lead pace. Gary Haworth was further back, followed by Matt Easterday, Alex Stoudinger and Rick Easterday.

A-Main…

The nine-man A-Main round robin was less dramatic, as fast qualifier Ron Hershman cruised to a nine lap margin of victory over Rich Attee. Hershman averaged 43.6 laps per segment and ran a total of 349 laps enroute to his victory. The closest battle was for third, as Dave Fiedler edged Cap Henry, who was driving a borrowed RPM entry, by only half a section to nail down the final podium spot. Greg Fox was next in line, trailed by John Miller, Eric Shirey, Rick Stagen and Dennis Clark.

CAN-AM OVERALL FINISH

1. Ron Hershman – 349
2. Rich Attee – 340
3. Dave Fiedler – 338+4.5
4. Cap Henry – 338+4
5. Greg Fox – 331
6. John Miller – 330
7. Rick Stagen – 329+5
8. Eric Shirey – 329+4
9. Dan Myers – 326
10. Dave Geehring – 322
11. Larry Mattingly – 321+16
12. Craig Sharfenberg – 321+11
13. Greg Krumnow – 320
14. Dennis Clark – 316
15. Gary Haworth – 314
16. Matt Easterday – 307
17. Alex Stoudinger – 269
18. Rick Eastersay – 255

FORMULA ONE/INDY RESULTS

QUALIFYING

Dave Fiedler was the top qualifier in the Formula One/Indy ranks with a time of 3.808, just edging Ron Hershman (3.875) and Rich Attee (3.890). Eric Shirey (3.956) and John Miller (3.963) rounded out the top five in time trials.

1. Dave Fiedler – 3.808
2. Ron Hershman – 3.875
3. Rich Attee – 3.890
4. Eric Shirey – 3.956
5. John Miller – 3.963
6. Greg Fox – 4.006
7. Rick Stagen – 4.056
8. Dan Myers – 4.081
9. Larry Mattingly – 4.114
10. Dave Geehring – 4.172
11. Matt Easterday – 4,189
12. Dennis Clark – 4.200
13. Rick Easterday – 4.471

FORMULA ONE/INDY MAINS …

B-Main

Dan Myers picked up his second main win of the day, after a race long battle with Dennis Clark ended in the seventh heat when Clark knocked the motor out of his car. With Clark in the pits, Myers cruised to an easy victory over second place finisher Dave Geehring. Larry Mattingly overcame gear issues in the first segment and managed to claw his way back through the field to end up on the third step of the podium. Matt Easterday was fourth, in front of Rick Easterday and Clark, who ended up a DNF.

A-Main

Rich Attee was a surprisingly easy victor in the A-Main, as the Michigan racer led wire-to-wire to win by eight laps over top qualifier Dave Fiedler. Attee had a 42.9 lap average per segment and ran 343 laps in picking up his first ever BRS overall checkered flag. Ron Hershman was third finishing just one lap in front of Greg Fox. Rounding out the pack were Rick Stagen, John Miller and Eric Shirey, who experienced mechanical problems.

FORMULA ONE/INDY OVERALL FINISH

1. Rich Attee – 343
2. Dave Fiedler – 335
3. Ron Hershman – 331
4. Greg Fox – 330
5. Rick Stagen – 325
6. Dan Myers – 321
7. John Miller -313
8. Dave Geehring – 309
9. Larry Mattingly – 305
10. Matt Easterday – 296
11. Rick Easterday -281
12. Dennis Clark – 262
13. Eric Shirey – 213

GROUP 7-68 RESULTS

B-Main …

This race turned out to be a real barn burner as only five laps separated the first four drivers. Dan Myers was looking good for a ‘three-peat’ on the day, leading the first five heats, until giving way to Rich Attee.
Attee managed to pull out two a five lap margin over Myers and Dave Fiedler over the next two segments, but ended up holding on for dear life, as he struggled on red lane, while Myers and Fiedler finished on blue and yellow. Attee triumphed by a single lap at the finish over Myers, who garnered second over Fiedler by track position. Dave Geehring was in the hunt to finish fourth, ahead of Greg Krumnow. Chris Earnhart and Rick Stagen did not finish, as both drivers experienced mechanical issue.

A-Main

A borrowed James Merriman-built car from Larry Mattingly was all Cap Henry needed to win the A-Main, and the overall win for class honors. Henry led after every heat to average 30.6 laps and amass a total of 245 laps. Ron Hershman finished second, six laps down, ahead of John Miller. Matt Easterday was in front of Jim Mills and young Alex Stoudinger.

GROUP 7-68 OVERALL FINISH

1. Cap Henry – 245 (Automatic track record)
2. Ron Hershman – 239
3. John Miller – 231
4. Rich Attee – 225
5. Dan Myers – 224+7
6. Dave Fiedler – 224+5
7. Dave Geehring – 220
8. Greg Krumnow – 205
9. Matt Easterday – 195
10. Jim Mills – 186
11. Alex Stoudinger – 179
12. Chris Earnhart – 162
13. Rick Stagen – 93

FASTRAXXX FAST FACTS …

Twenty racers in attendance for a mid-May, non-point BRS event was outstanding, and bodes well for Fastraxxx, as it hosts its first ‘official’ BRS contest next Nov. 15. The date will also be the kickoff race for the Second American Raceways RETRO mini-series, which additionally includes events at Thazer Raceway and Route 93 Raceway … Hats off to Fastraxxx owner Chris Earnhart for hosting the race, and providing an outstanding barbeque lunch for the troops. The baked beans and coleslaw were to kill for… Earnhart tips that he plans improvements for his venerable original 95 foot American Royal. Earnhart hopes to upgrade the race direction system in the near future. The track surface will also be looked at for improvements as well. Earnhart says he would like to maintain the ‘character’ of the original particle board deck, and is searching for a method of fixing the old American t-slot system that was used to build the track back in the 1960s … Talking with perennial OCC flexi-car series champion Eric Shirey revealed that he with be switching his emphasis to retro racing next year. “I love the cars, and I want to race where the best competition is,” said Shirey. The former super modified competitor has raced retro twice, using cars provided by David Krumnow, and has been impressive in both outings. Shirey is in the process of assembling his own retro program for next season … Quite a bit of buzz going on about the new Great Lakes RETRO series, which will debut next season. Included venues will be Thazer and At The Track in South Bend, IN, Boogies in Lansing, MI, and Real Speed in Ft. Wayne, IN … Located adjacent to the Royal at Fastraxx is IMO the finest true oval track in the nation… a 90 foot Gary Gerding-built unit that features both a banked and flat turn. This is the track that Mark Greene had built for his now closed Keystone Raceway in Palmyra, PA, and later moved to St. Mary’s OH. Greg Krumnow conned me into hot lapping one of his sprint cars and, yes, I became hooked on oval and sprint car racing yet again… Cap Henry arrived at Fastraxxx with only a controller in hand, but managed to borrow cars from Ron Hershman and Larry Mattingly … After a first, second and fourth place finish in the days action, Rich Attee proclaimed, “I think I have found a new favorite track.”