Flat Rock's Stan Yee Memorial 150 goes to Mike Root

Field awaits the start of the Stan Yee Memorial 150 at Flat Rock (Photo by Rand Thompson)

Mike Root wins the 2010 running of the Stan Yee Memorial 150

The Moran Chevrolet/ Stan Yee Memorial 150 at Flat Rock Speedway has quickly become one of the most anticipated Super Late Model races of the season.  This year’s race was no exception, as 35 of the potent machines hit the track under hot and humid skies in a bid to see who would capture the biggest race of the year at the ARCA sanctioned “Level Pebble.”  Stan Yee was one of the top car owners in the Midwest for many years and his famed No. 33 cars won races all over the country with such storied drivers as Joe Ruttman and John Anderson among several others.  The stands were packed as the large crowd settled down for a night of great racing.

     Mike Root, defending 2009 ARCA Allegiant Air Gold Cup champion, set fast time on the hot slick track with an 11.599 lap, however due to the inversion, he was forced to start a deep 13^th in the field in his red no. 9.  The inversion put Scott “Hurricane” Hantz on the pole in his first start at Flat Rock in many years. Scott, who has dominated in the Toledo events the last couple years, is bidding to win the Gold Cup championship this season in his white and orange No. 72.  The last four spots in the field were filled with the two last chance races won by Keith Nelson II, and most importantly, Stan Yee Jr. in the famed yellow No. 33.

     Scott Hantz jumped in front at the start; however Eric Lee was having none of it, and challenged Hantz immediately from his 4^th starting spot. Eric wasted little time as he jumped to the outside as the two leaders ran side by side with neither one able to secure the advantage.  Lee was finally able to claim the top spot when the caution flew on Lap 5 for a minor spin by Ricky Kargel. Scott was able to hang right on the rear of Lee and made several valiant attempts to get by on the inside as the leaders ran side by side for multiple laps, but Hantz was thwarted by lapped traffic and had to fall back to 2^nd on a couple occasions. Finally, after several attempts, Scott was able to get by on Lap 42 and eventually pulled away by a few car lengths.  

     The car that was really picking up spots in the first 50 laps however, was Paul Pelletier in his satin black and neon green No. 44. Paul moved up through the field from 8^th to 3^rd, passed Lee for 2^nd on Lap 53 and then chased down Hantz getting on his rear bumper. The other car on the move was Mike Root as the fast qualifier moved up to 3^rd using the outside lane to his advantage.  Up until Lap 70, the racing had been very clean, with just a couple of minor incidents, but the sparks flew when Steve Cronenwett Jr. and Justin Schroeder made heavy contact with each other and the Turn 2 wall resulting in a red flag for cleanup.  These same two had a big incident last year that resulted in suspensions, so was it payback time?  Only the two drivers really know for sure, but both cars sustained major damage.

     On the restart, Pelletier was able to get under Hantz to take the lead, and at halfway, the top five were Pelletier, Hantz, Root, Mike LuBerda, and Harold Fair Jr.  Root was wasting no time as he passed Hantz for 2^nd on the outside and then passed Pelletier on Lap 83 to take the lead.  Traffic is always tight on the quarter mile, and Hantz and LuBerda went three wide with lapped traffic and made contact going into Turn 1. Neither car showed much damage, however Scott lost part of his RF fender and under the ensuing debris caution, he ran LuBerda up high to express his displeasure.  

     Mike Root was able to lead the rest of the way and eventually pulled away from Pelletier by nearly a half lap as his car was really hooked up. Dennis Strickland made a valiant charge the last third of the race as he passed LuBerda for 4th and then challenged Hantz for 3^rd, but Scott was able to hold him off. The final order was Root, Pelletier, Hantz, Strickland, LuBerda Jr., Harold Fair Jr., and Ricky Kargel with these 7 cars finishing on the lead lap.   Mike was awarded the large trophy by sponsor Pat Moran, Ann Yee and her grandsons. 

    The remaining event s of the evening were then concluded with a great 25 Lap Street Stock A main won by Chad Guinn over Dan Ford Jr., Tim Moore,  Dennis Whisman, Danny Slater and Rob Moore. Lonnie York won the 15 Lap Street Stock B main, with Jeremy Vanderhoof taking the top spot in the 20 Lap Figure 8 feature.