NEWS AND NOTES

Jimmy McCune Rules Must See Racing Opener At Anderson

ANDERSON, Ind. – Four-time defending Must See Racing Sprint Car Series champion Jimmy McCune made one thing abundantly clear Saturday night at Anderson Speedway: he’s not about to slow down.

McCune charged to his milestone 30th career Must See Racing victory and sixth at Anderson during the season-opening Must See Racing 50, firing past Tom Jewell on a lap-19 restart and never looking back.

The Toledo, Ohio veteran led the final 32 laps uncontested en route to his fourth-straight season-opening victory with the 410ci winged asphalt sprint car tour.

“I’m pretty dang pleased,” said McCune, who started 10th. “We made a lot of changes over the winter, and this is one of the places where we knew we had to get better. We’d been so strong over the years, but just missed something last year and I think we got a lot of it back tonight, for sure.”

Saturday night’s marathon feature took more than an hour to complete the 50-lap distance, in part due to a 20-minute red flag with six laps complete for a track wrecker that was stuck deep in the mud in turn one, after steady morning rains drenched the already-saturated grounds.

Despite that delay, the racing on the track was fast and furious throughout the night.

Jewell and 16-year-old rookie Trey Osborne led the field to green from the front row, after engine issues for provisional polesitter Ryan Litt left the Canadian unable to take the start under power.

Osborne stumbled on the green flag, allowing Jewell to get away and pace the first four laps, before a spinning Tom Geren in turn three brought out the first caution of the night and bunched the field up.

That incident was followed two laps later by a hard crash between Christian Koehler and Joshua Sexton in turn one, eventually leading to the delay for the stuck wrecker.

Both Koehler and Sexton were uninjured in the crash, which occurred while the pair was racing for 12th.

Jewell held serve once racing finally resumed, while McCune – who was up to fifth at the time of the yellow – got up on the wheel and started making moves. He passed Tyler Roahrig for fourth on lap seven, then dispatched Geoff Kaiser for third on the 11th revolution with a dive in turn two.

A three-wide move in slower traffic gave McCune the second spot on lap 14, setting him up on Jewell’s back bumper when Jerry Caryer smacked the outside wall off turn four to draw the third and final caution flag of the night with 18 laps in the books.

Jewell attempted to time the ensuing restart and get away from McCune, but McCune gave Jewell a shot in the back nerf bar that sent Jewell sideways, allowing McCune to duck to the inside and get away.

From there, it was all but over as McCune pulled away to a straightaway-plus advantage over the rest of the field, cruising to the twin checkers over a 32-lap, green-flag run to the finish.

“Unfortunately for him (Jewell), he likes to play with the starts,” McCune noted. “I’ve told him not to do that, but he waited for me to thump him … and he wrung the tires. I just ran on by after that.”

McCune’s nephew, Anthony McCune, powered past Jewell with an inside dive in turn four coming to three laps to go and hung on for second. The run tied the 21-year-old’s highest Must See Racing finish.

“This was a really good night; we just started really far back and had to pick our way through the field,” said Anthony McCune. “Jimmy got a really good start, got ahead of me and passed cars way before I could. That was the difference tonight, but I’m pleased with our effort tonight.”

Jewell completed the podium and lamented the restart where he lost the lead, but still carried a smile after a strong run to open the season.

“If we keep running like this, a win will come,” Jewell noted. “Gene (Fogel, car owner), had it dialed in. You always want to win, but we’ll take this one. … Jimmy just flat hit me, anticipating my start. I’m not really mad at him; it just happened. We’ll learn from all this and come back stronger next time.”

Roahrig and Joe Liguori, a pair of rookie-of-the-year contenders, were fourth and fifth, respectively.

RESULTS: Must See Racing Sprint Car Series; Anderson Speedway; May 4, 2019

1-800-RADIATOR A-Feature (50 laps): 1. #88 – Jimmy McCune [10], 2. #8 – Anthony McCune [8], 3. #7 – Tom Jewell [3], 4. #99s – Tyler Roahrig [4], 5. #13 – Joe Liguori [5], 6. #10N – Geoff Kaiser [7], 7. #9s – Charlie Schultz [9], 8. #81 – Trey Osborne [2], 9. #71 – Brian Vaughn [21], 10. #11g – Tom Geren [16], 11. #99k – Brenden Torok [18], 12. #15t – Tim Henthorne [17], 13. #4L – Anthony Linkenhoker [19], 14. #32 – Todd McQuillen [14], 15. #26 – Jeff Bloom [6], 16. #75c – Jerry Caryer [11], 17. #85 – Rick Holley [13], 18. #22 – Tony Grams [15], 19. #51s – Joshua Sexton [12], 20. #10k – Christian Koehler [20], 21. #07L – Ryan Litt [1].

Lap Leader(s): Tom Jewell 1-18, Jimmy McCune 19-50.

Hard Charger: #71 – Brian Vaughn (+12)

Hamilton Trucking Time Trials (best of two laps): 1. #88 – Jimmy McCune, 11.006 seconds; 2. #9s – Charlie Schultz, 11.047 seconds; 3. #8 – Anthony McCune, 11.075 seconds; 4. #10n – Geoff Kaiser, 11.075 seconds; 5. #26 – Jeff Bloom, 11.095 seconds; 6. #13 – Joe Liguori, 11.179 seconds; 7. #99s – Tyler Roahrig, 11.207 seconds; 8. #7 – Tom Jewell, 11.217 seconds; 9. #81 – Trey Osborne, 11.268 seconds; 10. #07L – Ryan Litt, 11.361 seconds; 11. #75c – Jerry Caryer, 11.414 seconds; 12. #10k – Christian Koehler, 11.657 seconds; 13. #51s – Joshua Sexton, 11.878 seconds; 14. #85 – Rick Holley, 12.019 seconds; 15. #32 – Todd McQuillen, 12.328 seconds; 16. #22 – Tony Grams, 12.401 seconds; 17. #11g – Tom Geren, 12.421 seconds; 18. #15t – Tim Henthorne, 12.443 seconds; 19. #99k – Brendan Torok, 12.629 seconds; 20. #4L – Anthony Linkenhoker, 13.098 seconds; 21. #71 – Brian Vaughn, NT.

Heat #1 (10 laps): 1. Tony Grams [5], 2. Brenden Torok [2], 3. Tim Henthorne [3], 4. Todd McQuillen [6], 5. Anthony Linkenhoker [1], 6. Tom Geren [4], 7. Brian Vaughn (DNS).

Heat #2 (10 laps): 1. Ryan Litt [4], 2. Jerry Caryer [3], 3. Trey Osborne [5], 4. Tom Jewell [6], 5. Joshua Sexton [1], 6. Rick Holley [7], 7. Christian Koehler [2].

Heat #3 (10 laps): 1. Jeff Bloom [2], 2. Charlie Schultz [5], 3. Joe Liguori [1], 4. Jimmy McCune [6], 5. Tyler Roahrig [7], 6. Anthony McCune [4], 7. Geoff Kaiser [3].

Jimmy McCune Sweeps Saturday Must See Practice At Anderson

ANDERSON, Ind. – Jimmy McCune got his Must See Racing Sprint Car Series title defense off to a fast start on Saturday evening at Anderson Speedway by sweeping practice for the season-opening Must See Racing 50.

McCune, the four-time defending series titlist, was fastest in both sessions and set the fast lap of the day – 11.110 seconds (81.008 mph) – during the second and final round with his No. 88 Abe’s Auto Parts/B&B Machinery Movers sprinter.

His nephew, Anthony McCune, was second-quick in Happy Hour with a best lap of 11.165 seconds (80.609 mph) with the similarly-schemed No. 8 B&B Machinery Movers machine.

Making his first winged sprint car appearance since 2016, home-state driver and outlaw late model ace Tyler Roahrig was third overall (11.311/79.569), followed by Charlie Schultz and National Sprint Car Hall of Famer Jeff Bloom.

Sixth was series rookie Joe Liguori, with fellow rookie Trey Osborne, Geoff Kaiser, Canadian Ryan Litt and Tom Jewell completing the balance of the top 10.

Hamilton Trucking Time Trials will kick off at 7 p.m. local time.

PRACTICE RESULTS: Must See Racing Sprint Car Series; Anderson Speedway; May 4, 2019

1. #88 – Jimmy McCune, 11.110 seconds

2. #8 – Anthony McCune, 11.165 seconds

3. #99s – Tyler Roahrig, 11.311 seconds

4. #9s – Charlie Schultz, 11.399 seconds

5. #26 – Jeff Bloom, 11.555 seconds

6. #13 – Joe Liguori, 11.573 seconds

7. #81 – Trey Osborne, 11.580 seconds

8. #10n – Geoff Kaiser, 11.593 seconds

9. #07L – Ryan Litt, 11.625 seconds

10. #7 – Tom Jewell, 11.882 seconds

11. #71 – Brian Vaughn, 11.889 seconds

12. #51s – Joshua Sexton, 11.982 seconds

13. #85 – Rick Holley, 12.059 seconds

14. #10k – Christian Koehler, 12.184 seconds

15. #75c – Jerry Caryer, 12.263 seconds

16. #22 – Tony Grams, 12.284 seconds

17. #11g – Tom Geren, 12.315 seconds

18. #15t – Tim Henthorne, 12.456 seconds

19. #32 – Todd McQuillen, 12.553 seconds

20. #99k – Brendan Torok, 12.723 seconds

21. #4L – Anthony Linkenhoker, 13.482 seconds

ANDERSON, Ind. – A healthy crop of 15 Must See Racing Sprint Car Series drivers and teams officially kicked off the 2019 season with open practice on Friday night at Indiana’s Anderson Speedway.

The group in attendance accounted for two-thirds of the expected entries for Saturday’s Must See Racing 50 at the high-banked, quarter-mile bullring, with three rounds of practice fully completed.

While no official times were taken during the evening, veterans and rookies alike got a chance to shake down their machines and get a feel for the race track ahead of the season-opening event.

Among the returning stars looking to get a head start on the competition was Lorain, Ohio’s Charlie Schultz, a former Midwest Supermodified Ass’n champion who finished third in points last season and is entering his third full-time season with Must See Racing this year.

On the unofficial stopwatch, Schultz was among the top-three quickest cars on Friday. He’s hoping to build on his Anderson run from a year ago, when he finished fourth after a top-five qualifying effort.

“The car felt really good,” said Schultz. “We made some changes over the winter and updated a few things, and went off what we had from here last year for our notes and baseline (setup). That was where we started off at here, and I think right out of the trailer we were pretty good.

“I can’t say we’re out of the ballpark for tomorrow; I think we’re in good shape.”

Four-time defending series champion Jimmy McCune was keeping his cards close to the vest Friday, not wanting to give anything away at a track where he’s won five times before in Must See Racing action.

“We just went out to shake everything down and make sure we actually had brakes this time,” McCune noted. “All in all, we’ve got our car in working order and we know what we need to get it fast, so we’re looking for a good day tomorrow to get our run at another championship off to a solid start.”

On the flip side of the coin, two rookies taking their first laps at Anderson in winged asphalt sprint car competition Friday afternoon were 16-year-old Trey Osborne and 14-year-old Brenden Torok.

Osborne showed out strongly in veteran car owner Mike Blake’s No. 81 entry, getting up to speed quickly around the same track at which he’s earned three wins in Kenyon Midget Series competition.

“The Kenyon car compared to this was a different world,” Osborne explained. “When you turn in the corner with this thing, it just sets (down) and hooks. It’s a lot different than the Kenyon car, which you’re muscling around a good bit. … Mike has this car set up well, though. I’m not having to work it too hard.”

Torok nearly didn’t make it to the race track this weekend, but with some hauling assistance from John Reiser, was able to make his first laps in the Dave Koyan-owned No. 99t on Friday afternoon.

“I’m just glad to be here; today was so much fun,” Torok noted. “I can’t say thank you enough to John, Charlie (Schultz) and the whole JR Motorsports team for helping to get our car here this weekend. Without them, we wouldn’t have been able to do this deal. It was a solid afternoon, I feel like, and I kept learning every time I got out on the track. The last session, I really felt like we got the handle figured out.

“Saturday is about keeping the car in one piece and not trying to take more than the car and the track are willing to give us, but I feel good about things. This place is tight, but it’s a lot of fun to drive.”

Also taking laps on Friday were Anthony McCune, Tom Jewell, Brian Vaughan, Todd McQuillen, Jerry Caryer, Joe Liguori, Tyler Roahrig, Jeff Bloom and Tony Grams.

Anthony Linkenhoker and Rick Holley were at the track on Friday, but didn't arrive in time to turn laps during one of the three practice sessions held throughout the evening. Both veterans plan to compete during Saturday's racing program, however.

Saturday’s racing program will be headlined by the Must See Racing sprint cars, with the Mel Kenyon Midget Series, late models, Legend cars and Midwest Champ Carts also on the racing card.

Pit gates will open at 3:30 p.m. local time, with rotating practice beginning at 5 p.m. Qualifying will start at 6:30 p.m. and racing will begin at 8 p.m., immediately following opening ceremonies.

The full night of racing will be broadcast live via pay-per-view on SpeedShiftTV.com, as well as recorded for tape-delay broadcast on MAVTV through the award-winning SPEED SPORT television series.

USAC infield reporter Georgia Henneberry will be the pit reporter for the SPEED SPORT telecast.

For more information on Must See Racing, visit the series on the web at www.mustseeracing.com.

Must See Racing Rookies Making An Early Impact

HOLLY, Mich. – It’s only one race into the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series season, but the verdict is already in that the tour’s deep rookie class is going to have a big impact throughout the year.

Not only did four of those rookie drivers finish inside the top 11 during the series’ season-opening event at Anderson (Ind.) Speedway on May 4, but at least two of the quartet is looking to make a concerted run at rookie-of-the-year honors this season with the 410ci winged asphalt sprint car tour.

Indiana’s Tyler Roahrig led the list with a fourth-place finish in the Must See Racing 50, piloting Wayne Stickney’s No. 99 to a strong result in what was Roahrig’s first winged event in three years.

While he isn’t committed to a full season as of now, Roahrig has momentum and hopes to run the next race on the schedule at Berlin Raceway in June, meaning another big performance could go a long way.

“We’re just doing things a race at a time right now,” Roahrig noted. “I’m pleased with our Anderson result, even though I honestly think we had a car that could have run in the top three. We just got shuffled back there in traffic and couldn’t quite get back what we lost, especially with the 8 (Anthony McCune) coming through there in the last few laps. We’ve got speed, though, and that’s a positive.”

Meanwhile, Tampa, Fla., native Joe Liguori is planning a full season with Must See Racing and found himself as high as a battle for second before fading back to fifth in the closing stages of the opener.

Liguori, who has run midgets and USAC Silver Crown cars for years but is new to winged sprint cars on pavement, was pleased with his run and hopes it marks the start of a consistent first season for him.

“We were pretty decent in the opener and I was happy with how we rolled out of the box,” said Liguori. “It was fun to be up there battling for the lead, but we just got too free, especially after the long red flag that we had. It’s a solid start, though … a nice step in the right direction that we can build on.”

Other standout performances from the Anderson opener included 16-year-old Trey Osborne, who ran eighth in Mike Blake’s iconic No. 81 car in his first winged 410 race ever; and 14-year-old Brenden Torok, who took Dave Koyan’s No. 99 entry into the top 10 before finishing 11th in his Must See Racing debut.

In all, nine of the 21 starters at Anderson were drivers who fit the Must See Racing rookie criteria, which states that a rookie-of-the-year contender must have four or less appearances with the series to be considered rookie eligible.

Tim Henthorne, Todd McQuillen, Rick Holley, North Carolina’s Tony Grams and Joshua Sexton were also among the rookies in action during the Anderson Speedway event on May 4.

Looking ahead to the next stop on the calendar, Grassy Creek, N.C. pilot Ivan Shaver; former 305 driver Bobby Komisarski, also from North Carolina; and Jacob Dolinar, one of the nephews of four-time Must See Racing champion Jimmy McCune, are rookies expected to join the series field at Berlin in June.

Dolinar will pilot the No. 13 car run in previous Must See Racing outings by H.D. Carter.

Across the board, Must See Racing president Jim Hanks is encouraged by the strong car count from the season opener and the infusion of new faces taking their shot at building a resume in pavement sprint car racing.

“All of us at Must See Racing are very pleased by the momentum we built during our season opener and excited to see drivers like Tyler Roahrig, Joe Liguori and the rest of our rookie class doing battle with the veterans of our series,” said Hanks. “They’ve already generated excitement and buzz with their impressive performances early on and we look forward to continuing to see their progression as the season continues.”

The June 1 appearance by the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series at Berlin will mark round one of the Engine Pro Fast Car Dash, with round two of the bonus program set during the series’ return to the seven-sixteenths-mile oval in Marne, Mich., in August.

The event will be taped for tape-delay broadcast on the award-winning SPEED SPORT series on MAVTV.

Support classes for the Berlin race include modifieds, super stocks and the VROA vintage modifieds.

For more information on Must See Racing, visit www.mustseeracing.com.

Roahrig Finds Fun Factor In Return To Winged Sprint Car Racing

ANDERSON, Ind. – Even before he laid a tire onto the race track for Friday’s Must See Racing Sprint Car Series practice night at Anderson Speedway, Tyler Roahrig was already all smiles.

It had been three years since he had strapped into a winged asphalt sprint car to go racing, but the feel came back right away for the 28-year-old from Mishawaka, Ind.

The joy didn’t go away, either, even if Roahrig was admittedly “still in non-winged mode” during his first run of hot laps at the quarter-mile, high-banked paved oval.

“Man, I forgot how much fun to drive these things are,” Roahrig said after climbing from the Wayne Stickney-owned No. 99. “It’s been three years, and this practice has already reminded me how much I missed these winged cars are, especially at this place. I’m already having a blast with these guys.”

Roahrig noted that there was a certain aggression factor in driving the winged car versus the non-winged car that he had to readjust to between the first and second sessions on Friday.

“I’ve been so used to running without the wing here the last few years that I forgot how hard you could really run these things with the wing on top,” Roahrig noted. “The first session, I was still a little bit out to lunch, I guess you’d say, but the second session we picked up three or four tenths … and that was pretty much all me as the driver running it harder.

“But I really did forget how much enjoyment there is in running these things,” he continued. “It’s been since 2016 that I’ve run a winged car in the (United) States, and I’m really enjoying being back.”

Roahrig noted that his partnership with the Stickney Racing Team came in large part due to a race in his home state that never ended up happening because of a washout last fall.

“Wayne got ahold of me last year and wanted me to run a race in Fort Wayne at Baer Field (Motorsports Park), because I was going to be there anyways with my late model,” Roahrig recalled. “That race rained out, unfortunately, but we kept in touch over the winter and decided to come here for our first race of the season.

“I think we fit well together as a team, because these guys are serious racers, just like I am. They want to win, they work hard on their car and I know it’s a good piece,” he added. “A lot of good racers have not only driven this car, but won in it, and I hope I can be the next one to add my name to that list.”

Though he likely won’t contest the full Must See Racing Sprint Car Series schedule and contend for rookie-of-the-year honors due to a handful of late model conflicts, Roahrig does expect to race a good number of series events this season with Stickney’s team, including at least the first two events.

Roahrig also hopes to head east for the doubleheader weekend at Hillside Buffalo Speedway in Holland, N.Y., in late July, as well as hit the Border Wars doubleheader at Michigan’s Owosso Speedway and Ohio’s Sandusky Speedway in late August.

“I think we’ll definitely do a few more,” he noted. “It’ll kind of be on a week-to-week basis, but I’m really excited to race with these guys. Basically, I’m going to run the (No.) 99 car whenever I can. Whenever my schedule allows and their schedule allows is when you’ll see us.

“We could do anywhere around 10 races, I can’t really say for sure. We’ll see what happens.”

One thing was clear on Friday, though. Roahrig’s love for being back in a sprint car was virtually unmatched by any other force in the Anderson pit area, and he was quick to explain why, as well.

“Sprint cars are just a raw form of motorsports, in my opinion,” Roahrig noted. “They’re pretty simple and it’s just about whatever it takes to be fast, is how a sprint car is built … compared to a late model, anyways. My family actually started out in open-wheel cars, running in supermodifieds and sprints, so I’ve always been drawn to them. It has just taken me a while to be able to do it regularly.

“I love sprint car racing, though, and I have ever since I was a little kid. It’s good to be back.”

Saturday’s racing program will be headlined by the Must See Racing sprint cars, with the Mel Kenyon Midget Series, late models, Legend cars and Midwest Champ Carts also on the racing card.

Pit gates will open at 3:30 p.m. local time, with rotating practice beginning at 5 p.m. Qualifying will start at 6:30 p.m. and racing will begin at 8 p.m., immediately following opening ceremonies.

The full night of racing will be broadcast live via pay-per-view on SpeedShiftTV.com, as well as recorded for tape-delay broadcast on MAVTV through the award-winning SPEED SPORT television series.

USAC infield reporter Georgia Henneberry will be the pit reporter for the SPEED SPORT telecast.

For more information on Must See Racing, visit the series on the web at www.mustseeracing.com.