Records likely to fall in Glass City 200 at Speedway

9/28/2001

With the forecast of excellent racing weather, a strong field of cars and drivers and the new asphalt surface on Toledo Speedway's half-mile oval, look for track records to fall tomorrow and Sunday during the running of the 13th Budweiser Glass City 200 presented by WNWO TV-24.

In addition to faster laps - Frank Kimmel shattered the one-lap record by almost 2 mph, raising it to 110.03, during the ARCA RE/MAX Series two weeks ago - fans can expect to see plenty of wheel-to-wheel action from the late models.

Looking over the track's new coat of asphalt, speedway general manager Scott Schultz said, “The track used to level off in two different areas, but now it's straight within six feet of the wall. It's opened up the second lane and appears to be a little more forgiving, because the banking now keeps the car going through the corner and allows the driver to get a good grip.”

This weekend's program will boast the biggest purse ever for the late models at Toledo Speedway, with $7,000 going to the winner, on back to $1,000 to start the 200-lap race. The basic purse stands at $68,900, with contingency awards pushing the total to more than $70,000. A field of more than 50 cars is expected for the season-ending classic.

Among drivers already filing entries for the race are Dave Kuhlman and Dennis Berry, who each won a 100-lap qualifying race for the 200 at Toledo Speedway on Sept. 2. Those wins won't necessarily give the duo an edge on the competition this weekend though, as they were earned in the last races run on the oval's old surface.

Tomorrow, practice will begin at noon, followed by time trials at 4 p.m. Kayo Lumber has posted $500 for the fastest qualifying time for the 200. A complete sportsman show with a 40-lap feature also is planned, along with BFI and Wynn's last-chance races for the late models, all of which begins at 6 p.m.

Sunday's show has the front gates opening at 10:30 a.m. The 30-lap B Main gets the green at 1 p.m., followed by the 30-car Budweiser Glass City 200.