OVDCA wraps up its season at Midway
Saturday, Spetember 18th, 1998
Midway Speedway
September 18-The Ohio Valley Dwarf Car Association wrapped up its 1998 season at Midway Speedway in Crooksville, OH on Friday Night. Due to the efforts of club members Nelson Glick and Gordon Wallace, and OVDCA associate sponsor Paula's Pizza of Orient, the event featured a $500 to win purse and trophies for the top three finishers. Over 30 Dwarf cars filled the pits, with OVDCA regulars, a number of West Virginia racers, and several other long distance travelers making up the competitive field. West Virginia's Randy Tripplett, walked away with the big paycheck, after battling with fellow Pennzoil sponsored teammate Terry Hall. OVDCA regular Tracy Fritter was third, with Larry Coen, who made the long drive from Lewisville, OH in fourth, and Greg Watson in fifth. The difficult and slick 3/8 mile dirt track provided a challenge to the Dwarf Racers, as the heats were plagued with a number of spins and accidents. Heat one went to Mitch Herrick, followed by Coen, Rick Brown, Gerald Jonas, and Max Evans, all of which transferred to the A-Main. Heat two was a contest between Tripplett and Jeff Staggers, who has always performed well at Midway, with the win going to Tripplett. The remaining transfer spots went to Fritter, Buddy McBride, and Mark Bernard. The final heat race was awarded to Hall, as numerous spins and difficulties with the lineup led to an early checkered. Also transferring to the A-Main were John Evans, John Cougar, Gordon Wallace, and Wayne Fitzpatrick. The remainder of the cars were positioned for the B-Main, with Ricky Taylor and Reed Rutter bringing the cars to the green. Taylor's early lead was short lived, as Watson moved to the front on the second lap. Taylor held on for second, with Mike Hickman, Ike Carter, and Shiloh Miller taking the final A-main spots. Herrick and Tripplett lead the cars to the flag for the A-Main, with Hall and Coen making up row two. Tripplett moved into an early lead, as the pack jockeyed for position behind him. After only a couple of laps, Staggers spun entering turn one, and the ensuing melee collected Bernard, McBride, Jonas, and several others. Staggers, Bernard and McBride were done for the night. As the action resumed, Tripplet and Hall pulled away in their fight for the front spot, with Harrick and John Evans close behind. Mechanical woes struck both Harrick and Evans, dropping the from the race, and opening positions for Fritter and Coen to join the front pack. After several spins, the pack was tightly packed behind Tripplett, with several drivers having made big moves through the field. B-main winner Watson had moved from his sixteenth starting spot to sixth, after working with his way through traffic with Gordon Wallace. B-main transferee Mike Hickman had also driven into contention. Fritter remained posed for an opening was Hall and Tripplett waged their personal war for the lead, but Tripplett would not be denied, taking the checkered and the $500. The final results showed Hall in second, with Fritter third, Coen fourth, and Watson fifth. Hickman was sixth, Cougar seventh, and Fitzpatrick finished eighth to lock up the 1998 Ohio Caverns/OVDCA points championship. Wallace and Max Evans rounded out the top ten. Fitzpatrick was one of only two drivers who attended all seventeen OVDCA race events, and was a consistent top finisher in his Dwarf Car Company manufactured Ford Sedan, powered by a GSXR engine. A driver best known for his asphalt track abilities prior to the '98 season, Fitzpatrick improved significantly on the dirt tracks, with top five finishes at two of the Attica events. Always a threat to win at Shady Bowl, Wayne was a consistent top five, and often top three finisher. The Fitzpatrick racing team is made up of crew chief Jack Van Dyke, brother Ed Fitzpatrick, and Lee Van Dyke. Sponsors include Accurate Fabrication, Hall Electronics, and Maximum Street Performance. Chad Pendleton's dominant performances early in the season enabled him to hold onto second in the points, despite moving to complete in the sportsman stock car class at Columbus Motor Speedway in the late summer. Chad had seven OVDCA feature wins to his credit. Success has followed Chad, with one feature win in the sportsman car, and consistent top five performances at CMS. Third in points is OVDCA president Greg Watson. Club responsibilities had prevented Watson from focusing his attention on racing in previous years, but a partnership with car owner Marvin Sweazy in '98 enabled the duo to improve significantly. Greg also credits OVDCA volunteers Jack Van Dyke (tech), Joan Staggers (lineups) and Shawn Sell (lineups) for making race day activities smoother and less time consuming. Mike Weisberg capped off his rookie year with awards for both fourth place in points and the 1998 OVDCA Rookie of the Year. Mike is backed by his dad Bob, and sponsored by J.C. Whitney & Rolling Steel. Bill Hostetler had an up and down year (literally) after several significant crashes at Shady Bowl and a flip at Columbus, but also put together a number of top finishes to finish fifth in points. Bill is backed by Midwest Distributor, West Liberty.