2001 Ohio Valley Classic Modifieds Results
Saturday, April 7, 2001
Shady Bowl Speedway
DeGraff, Ohio
Rain Ends Shady Bowl Opener Early
by Shawn Sell
The 2001 Ohio Valley Dwarf Car Association kicked off at Shady Bowl Speedway near DeGraff, OH with a brief shower and lighting in the area ending action before the dwarfs could take the track for their feature event. 12 cars were entered for the event but separate incidents in the first practice eliminated two cars from contention.
An accident involving Bellefontaine's Brad Coons and Grand Blanc, Michigan's Rob Roney knocked the latter from the field with front-end damage. 2000 OVDCA rookie of the year, Josh Sell taking over the Mid-Ohio Harley Davidson-sponsored ride piloted last season by his father Mike, also was forced to call it an early night after knocking a hole in his oil cooler.
Despite the small field, the cars were broken into two heats for the evening. Bringing the field down to the green for first heat of the new year were Marysville's Mark Bernard and 1998 OVDCA champion and Marengo resident Wayne Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick got the jump from the outside pole leading all eight laps to pick up the win. Michigan's John Barnard moved around Coons, who recovered from his practice accident on the final lap to pick up second. The pole sitter Bernard took fourth, with Mike Weisberg, debuting a new Jaxports car taking fifth.
Heat number two was paced at the beginning by Max Evans of West Liberty. Evans jumped out to a sizable lead from his outside front row starting position, with 2000 champion Bill Hostetler in tow. Hostetler finally found his way around his longtime friend on lap six to take the checkered. West Liberty's Keith Bailey held on for third, with Mike Rector of Mount Vernon fourth and pole sitter Mike King from West Liberty fifth.
Following the rain, Shady Bowl promoter Charlie Stapleton agreed to allow the dwarfs to make up their lost feature this Saturday, April 14 giving the dwarfs double features this weekend. The field will start straight up from their finishing positions from the heat, with heat one starting on the inside row and heat two outside. OVDCA officials have also decided to allow the cars of Sell and Roney back into the field, starting in the sixth row.
With the start of the new season also came the debut of two new non-racing vehicles at the track. Hostetler brought out the official OVDCA pace car, a dwarf car with the roof cut off, to be driven this season by Francie Saylers. Mike Sell, after spending four years as a driver elected to sell one of his two cars and in its place acquired a Harley Davidson powered golf cart. The cart was painted by LeVan's Body Shop and bares a striking resemblance to the #03 car driven by Mike's son Josh. Look for these two new fun additions all season long at Shady Bowl.
Heat 1: Fitzpatrick, Barnard, Coons, Bernard, Weisberg.
Heat 2: Hostetler, Evans, Bailey, Rector, King.
Feature: To be made up 4/14.