Todd Ridgeway
Area Auto Racing News
June 5, 2011
South Amherst Ohio resident Bobby Dawson went into Sandusky (OH) Speedway last Saturday night and blasted his way to the front getting the win in the 30 lap Midwest Supermodified Association (MSA) presented by Town Money Saver feature race. The third race of the 2011 schedule this was Dawson’s second of the young season as he also won the first Sandusky visit just two weeks ago. This was the third MSA career victory for Dawson and the No. 28 Reed Salvage led team.
Race winner Bobby Dawson celebrates his MSA win @Sandusky Speedway on 6.4.11 with his Mother and Father. Photo by Todd Ridgeway
With the possibility over bad weather in the area, the Sandusky Speedway management wasted little times in get the action off. No sooner heats where completed than the feature races started. The MSA feature was the second event on tap as the 15 car field was pushed to life. A few pace laps later, a wave to the fans and the race was on as pole sitter Denny Fisher went straight to the point like a bullet while outside front row starter Jim Paller dropped in second. Just a short way into the race the pace was slowed as a caution would fly when Rookie driver A J Lesiecki found himself stopped at the top of turn three with a broken race car. The No. 8 car of Dave Shullick Jr. also went pit side for some pit crew attention. However, Shullick Jr. did rejoin the field at the tail. Just a quick clean up on this night and it was back to racing action. Fisher continued to set the pace as the field scattered for positions behind him. Dawson, who had started seventh in the field, was working his way to the front picking off one car at a time. The two Stout Team cars of Liquid Lou Cicconi and fast qualifier Trent Stephens where both coming as well at a very fast pace.
Bobby Dawson (28) sails to the lead past Denny Fisher (81) in MSA action @Sandusky Speedway 6.4.11. Photo by Todd Ridgeway
As laps where laid down at a staggering pace, Dawson would sail past Fisher going into turn one and off of turn two he was the leader just before the halfway point. Once in front in clean air Dawson could now settle down and run his line. Both Cicconi and Stephens would move into contention to challenge for the top spot. But Dawson would have nothing to do with it, as he held his own. At one point Cicconi had a shot as lapped traffic came into play and he and Dawson rubbed tires. But, it was just not meant to be as Dawson went on to get a very popular victory with the Ohio fans taking the checkered flag. Cicconi finished second, Stephens grabbed third, Fisher, and Paller rounded out the top five. Stephens’s fast time of the day was 14.592 around the famed oval. The two heat winners included Fisher and Jon Henes. The 30 lap feature race was slowed by just one yellow flag.
“You know something, I have to thank my crew, all the guys, the Reed’s for everything, level
Liquid Lou Cicconi was the first to congratulate Bobby Dawson on his big Sandusky MSA victory. Photo by Todd Ridgeway
performance, that thing was again on rails,” stated the happy winner. “We made a little spring change on it before the feature and the car just hooked up and went anywhere I wanted. We come up on some lapped cars there at the end and Lou snuck a tire in on me, we bumped a little bite, but like he said that’s just hard racing. To win two in a row is just fantastic. The really came to me, I mean it just got so comfortable. I went by Paller on the low side, Denny on the high side, and I knew when I put the car there it was going to stick. I drove it in a ton, it just planted and came off the corner. It was just smooth sailing from there,” finished Dawson.
“We had a good run actually,” said runner up Cicconi. “We where struggling all night, we tried something with the car that was totally different, and it worked real good. We worked good on the outside, which is a first for us. When I won at ACE (NC) I was making fun of Bobby Dawson saying he was to old. I will never do that again, because he is kicking my butt. I was just trying to drive smooth and fast hoping for lapped traffic because I knew that was the only chance I had to pass him,” finished Cicconi.
Third place Stephens has finished in top three of all the first three MSA 2011 races. “We just seem to be missing it by .01 seconds,” stated Stephens. “I mean, I can’t complain, three top three finishes that’s real good. But, the crew is working just as hard as they ever had, eventually we will hit it right. Hopefully we will win one here sometime. I could tell I was keeping up with them, and if I got a good turn in I could catch them a little, I was hoping for more cautions. 30 laps just wasn’t long enough to run them all the way down,” finished Stephens.
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at Flat Rock, so, we are using that event as one of our headlining events at Flat Rock for the year.” “It’s very, very inviting to a race fan to see one of those high powered fast race cars on that little quarter mile track., and you can race two wide at Flat Rock as well. Hopefully everything will come together and it should be a great year,” finished Schultz.
Champion of 2010 on them as well as two very tall trophies.
