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(complete results for all classes are posted on an earlier thread)
“Rumble in the SeaGate Centre,” Toledo, Ohio
Saturday, Dec. 20, 2008
Stanbrough puts on show for Schrader, crowd
By RON WARE
Classic Motorsports
TOLEDO, Ohio -- Jon Stanbrough may have had the best seat in the house Saturday, but Ken Schrader probably got the best view.
Stanbrough put on a show on the final night of the “Rumble in the SeaGate Centre,” slicing and dicing his way through lapped traffic for a convincing victory over Billy Wease and Schrader in the 60-lap midget feature. From his vantage point several car-lengths behind, Schrader could only watch in admiration as his teammate for the weekend deftly showed his skill.
Racing indoors, the longtime NASCAR Sprint Cup driver said, isn’t terribly complicated.
“It’s easy,” Schrader said with a smile. “All you’re doing is turning left.
“But he’s so good in traffic. That’s what it’s all about.”
The 41-year-old Stanbrough has long been regarded as one of the nation’s top non-winged sprint car drivers, as his 15 overall victories in 2008 attest. But now, racing indoors on concrete instead of outdoors on dirt, he’s won twice in three starts for Rick Daugherty’s Peterbilt of Northwest Ohio team.
“I’ve been doing this a long time,” said Stanbrough, from Avon, Ind. “One thing I think I’ve learned is to be patient. Sixty laps is not a long way on this racetrack, but you do have to make it through all of them. Be patient, be smart and try not to make any mistakes.”
A lack of patience -- and a broken radius rod -- doomed Lou Cicconi Jr., who has qualified no worse than second in the three Rumble Series races but has yet to finish better than 10th. Glued to Stanbrough’s tail through the first 43 laps, Cicconi tried to pass high and low but eventually spun in turn two while trying the outside groove.
Stanbrough pulled away from Wease and Schrader, with Tony Elliott and Matt Westfall completing the top five in the 14-car field.
Wease, the winner here on Friday, gave car owner Randy Burrow the series point lead but, like Schrader, had nothing for Stanbrough.
“His car kind of turned better than mine did,” Wease said. “It was kind of a weird racetrack. The grip changed in ways we didn’t expect. We just kind of missed it.”
John Ivy bagged the 40-lap winged outlaw modified midget after Charlie Schultz, the winner on Friday, exited with an engine problem. Brian Sebetto, Devon Dobie, Damen Bock and Dalton Adkins won in karts, while Bryce Dickson, Austin Nemire, Nick Ley and Cooper Clouse took home quarter midget victories.
The Rumble Series wraps up its season Dec. 26-27 with the 11th annual “Rumble in Fort Wayne,” where Tony Stewart will compete both nights with the midgets. Stewart and Wease are the defending champions at the Memorial Coliseum Expo Center.
Schrader, 53, sounded like he’s open to an invitation again next season.
“It’s fun, man,” he said. “It’s good racing. You’re limited with what you can do (as a driver) in December. The Rumble Series does a great job.
“And I really like watching the kids. They’re great to watch.”
As he found out on Saturday, some of those middle-aged guys aren’t too bad to watch, either.
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