RACE: Valvoline Runoffs: Weber repeats 1994 HP championship win
The final race on Friday at the Valvoline Runoffs had the small MG Midgets, Austin-Healey Sprites, and VW Scirocccos making up the field of H Production. Pole-sitter and 2001 champion Ron Bartell took the green and the lead in the opening lap. Chuck ...
The final race on Friday at the Valvoline Runoffs had the small MG Midgets, Austin-Healey Sprites, and VW Scirocccos making up the field of H Production. Pole-sitter and 2001 champion Ron Bartell took the green and the lead in the opening lap. Chuck Turner spun and was hit by Kendall Jones who had no place to go - the unavoidable accident took Jones out of the race.
Bob Weber took second in the first laps followed Doan Collishaw, Randy Canfield and Phil Chiles. The hot battle was for seventh between Don Barrack and John Salisbury.
In a surprise move, Weber took the lead and gave the fans a race to watch with the top three nose-to-tail.
Halfway mark showed the top five as Weber, Bartell, Collishaw, Salisbury and Barrack. However, the competition was heating up as positions in the top ten were changing. The fans at Mid-Ohio were definitely staying for the last race.
By lap fifteen, Collishaw made an picture perfect pass on Bartell for second and started to chase the leader Weber in the closing laps.
As the two lead cars passed slower traffic in the last laps, the difference between the Sprite and the Midget was one Scirocco. Collishaw was making one final effort to take the lead on the final lap, and coming out of the final turn, it was anybody's race.
Weber took the win by a mere 0.160 seconds. Collishaw kept his second with Bartell third.
The 1994 champion Weber stated: "Hard to commit time and effort for all events, glad I did. Always a challenge and a great group of guys to race with. My crew came thru this year - love the car."
"Ron let me get by him - took two laps to get up to Weber,' said Collishaw. "Almost got him - almost, almost."
Bartell admitted to allowing Collishaw to go by him. "The motor went south. I would like to thank my sponsor, Valvoline for a tremendous job."
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