Father’s Day Classic at Toledo Speedway to Debut 500 Sprint Car Tour
On Sunday, June 18th the Auto Value Bumper to Bumper 500 Sprint Car Tour will make their debut event at the famed Toledo Speedway in Toledo, Ohio. The event will also be the first time that the series based out of Anderson, Indiana has ever competed in the state of Ohio. With two points earning events already wrapped up on the nine race schedule, the 2023 Championship is already taking shape as the Father’s Day Classic at Toledo nears.
The 2023 season started off with a dominating performance by Kyle O’Gara in the 23rd Running of the Glen Niebel Classic at Anderson Speedway. It was his second 500 Sprint Car Tour victory and also his second consecutive Glen Niebel Classic victory. O’Gara started the race in pole position and went on to lead all 75 laps.
Most recently, the series made their first of two trips to Marne, Michigan and Berlin Raceway on Saturday, June 10th. Tyler Roahrig once again set himself apart from the rest of the field in yet another dominating performance at Berlin Raceway. Roahrig began the feature event from the eighth starting position after setting quick time in qualifications and inheriting an 8-invert number. Roahrig dove under race leader Kyle O’Gara going into turn one in a surprise move on lap 10 and never looked back. He would go on to win by a margin of 2.9 seconds over runner up Bobby Santos in the 40-lap feature event. Roahrig’s victory makes it three in a row at the Michigan track for the Plymouth, Indiana native. The series will make an additional trip to Berlin Raceway on Saturday, July 22nd.
The June 18th event at Toledo Speedway will be the first visit to the Buckeye State for the 500 Sprint Car Tour since its inception in 2022. The track will be a familiar sight for fans and drivers alike as the track has been a mainstay on the USAC Silver Crown Series schedule. Many drivers that compete on the 500 Sprint Car Tour also compete in the USAC Silver Crown Series, specifically in the pavement events, and will have experience on the track even though it is a new track for the series. A handful of competitors have also raced a winged sprint car around Toledo’s half mile oval and will enter the event with a certain level of comfortability. The event will be the first time Toledo fans have seen non-wing sprint cars compete at the famed track since 2019 when Aaron Pierce drove his #26 machine to victory lane.
The 500 Sprint Car Tour will be joined at Toledo Speedway by the Midwest Modified Tour, Late Model Sportsmans, and Factory Stocks. General Admission gates open at 12:00pm and rotating practice begins at 11:30am. Qualifying for the 500 Sprint Car Tour is set to begin at 1:40pm with racing beginning at 3:00pm. The 500 Sprint Car Tour feature is the first feature of the afternoon and will be featured on FloRacing. Tickets for the event are on sale now and can be purchased here.
Entry List:
1 Dakoda Armstrong New Castle, Indiana
4 Cory Buttler Baltimore, Indiana
7c Caleb Armstrong New Castle, Indiana
11 Tom Patterson Argos, Indiana
14 Davey Hamilton Jr. Boise, Idaho
18 Travis Welpott Pendleton, Indiana
22 Bobby Santos III Franklin, Massachusetts
24 Jackson Macenko Cincinnati, Ohio
26 Kaylee Bryson Muskogee, Oklahoma
27 Nick Marcott Wayland, Michigan
51 Russ Gamester Peru, Indiana
53 Justin Harper Denver, Indiana
55 Taylor Ferns Shelby Township, Michigan
55 Tommy Nichols Tampa, Florida
56 Tyler Roahrig Plymouth, Indiana
64 Jake McElfresh Elwood, Indiana
67 Kyle O’Gara Camby, Indiana
74 Tony Main Farmland, Indiana
77 Kody Swanson Kingsburg, California
77 Quinitin Saayman Bapsfontein, Gauteng, SA
80 Billy Wease Fishers, Indiana
