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2009 SEASON NEWS
MOTHER NATURE WASHES OUT CHAMPIONSHIP HOPES; CHARLIE GOES USAC
The final race of the PPG/MSA Vibrance Collection Series season at Lorain Speedway has, in recent years, been filled with drama, as the championship was not decided until after the checkers were thrown. This year, all the drama was washed out as Lorain Speedway pulled the plug on the supers due to predicted poor weather conditions. For the 2nd year in a row, Charlie finishes the season 2nd in points behind the Reed's Salvage #8 of Timmy J. May Motorsports teammate Tim Ice was tied for 3rd with MSA Rookie of the Year, ACME Racing's Trent Stephens.
The unanimous highlight of the season would be capturing the title of KING OF WINGS at Oswego Speedway. The $10,000 payday was the biggest ever for winged supermodifieds and Charlie won in dominating fashion.
Charlie would like to thank car owner's David and Lori May, his parents Anna and Al, the IBT crew Kenny Hutchinson, AJ Lesiecki, and Brendon Kopis for all of their support and hard work over the long off-season and a longer summer schedule of racing. Also on the thank you list are the sponsors who make it happen week in and week out: PPG, Frank May Garage, Burke's Home Centers, Hempel Int'l Transport, DEI, Carrillo, Hawk Brakes, Howe Racing, Ice Oil Company, AP Racing Products, ProGram Engineering, and RAM Engineering.
But the biggest thank you goes out to the fans. Without the fans there would be no supermodified racing at all.
The weekend was not a total loss as Charlie and the crew packed up and headed to the world famous Winchester Speedway to drive the Dick Myers' owned, RAM Engineering 50m in the USAC National Sprint Car event on Sunday. Afer about 40 laps of seattime at Sandusky Speedway (thank you Kevin Jaycox) on Saturday morning, the car was loaded up and sent off to await the 34* banking at Winchester.
Getting the car driveable on the high banks behind him, Charlie timed in 14th quickest in the field of 20 cars. Tracy Hines put the Tony Stewart Racing #21 on the pole with a new non-winged sprint car track record of 13.96, besting the previous track record held for over 30 years by his father.
Charlie started on the pole for his heat and brought home the white Mopar-powered Beast Chassis in 4th. Having his work cut out for him by virtue of qualifying 14th, Charlie was ready to tame the banks. Battling an ever increasingly loose car, Charlie managed to avoid the attrition that met many competitors to come home in 11th.
The "off" season for Charlie will be filled with kart racing and another midget run in the Rumble at Ft. Wayne.
A FEW MORE PODIUMS FOR CHARLIE
I texted someone on Saturday to say, "It's always sunny in Sandusky!" when everyone was asking if the Open Wheel Cavalcade was going to happen. Well, it never did rain at the Speedway, although 20 miles away it rained all day long. With Mother Nature cooperating the racing activities got underway.
Qualifying saw Charlie put the fast May Motorsports #7 in P2 behind PPG/MSA points leader Timmy J.
Starting 4th in his heat race, Charlie wasted no time in getting to the front and cruising to another heat race win. Teammate Tim Ice finished 4th.
Track owner Kevin Jaycox put on a Top 12 Shootout for the top points leaders. Citing concerns for possible wrecks, the #8 of Timmy J., the #19 of Trent Stephens and the #49 of Randy Burch did not compete. Adding 13th place in points #78 Mark Sammut to the field, 10 of the best in the midwest took the the track.
Charlie rolled off 8th and in typical Chargin' Charlie fashion got out front and left the field scratching their heads. The half a track lead gave Charlie the win and the cash from the track onwer. Ice didn't fare as well, as some mechanical woes from last week's accident snuck in and put Tim pitside early on in the race.
Charlie also ran the Caged Karts Saturday night. If you have never seen them in action, you are missing some great racing. Charlie likens it to racing at Daytona or Talledega, as drafting is the key to success. Qualifying proved that as the karts were a full 2 seconds slower than they were in practice. Charlie held off a draft train to capture a heat race win. He started outside the front row and got drafted by and was left to battle for 4th place as the leaders headed off into the night. Joe Warren captured the 20 lap feature win on the big half mile.
After a long night of camping fun, the teams were up early to get ready for the 30 lap feature event. Two practice sessions to get the final setups under the cars and then it was race time. A small but enthusiastic crowd was on-hand to watch the 21 winged warriors of speed take the green. A Saturday mishap left the #44 of Mark Miller on the trailer, motor woes in the final practice session kept the #21 of Matt Palmer from making the call, and motor problems for the #64 of Jim Paller left him loaded up as well.
Randy Burch and Rich Reid paced the field and Reid got the jump and led the first half dozen circuits as Charlie and Timmy J. were slicing their way to the front. Timmy J. got there first and never looked back. Charlie had a few chances on restarts to make a move but Timmy fended them off. The wildest ride of the race was when the #28 of Bobby Dawson went into turn 1 hot and spun in the grass 2 times and never lost power to the car, pointed it in the right direction and rejoined the field. Ice had more problems when a bolt on the front spindle broke and sent him pitside. He was able to return to competition but many laps down.
Charlie settled for 2nd place ahead of London, Ontario's Mark Sammut. The rest of the Top 10 were Randy Burch #49, Trent Stephens #19, Jon Henes #36, Bobby Dawson #28, Kyle Edwards #11, Rich Reid #55 and Denny Fisher #81.
For pictures and a full race recap, visit
www.midwestsupers.com.
With only 1 race left in the supermodified season, Charlie sits 20 points behind Timmy J. for that elusive first ever Championship. A win for Charlie and bad luck for the #8 team is about the best chance Charlie has to take the May's back to the head table at the banquet.
Dress warm this weekend and see you at Lorain Speedway!!
ANOTHER PODIUM FOR CHARLIE
The small crowd on hand was treated to a competitive race when the non-wing supermodifieds made their first appearance at Sandusky Speedway in 26 years.
Twenty-three of the ultra-low, 800hp machines took time and PPG/MSA rookie Trent Stephens showed he was fast without the wing, too, and set fast time at 16.237 seconds. After many changes to the Oswego setup under the car, Charlie put the May Motorsports #7 in the field with 7th fastest time. Teammate Tim Ice slotted the #77 just behind Charlie.
Timmy J. led the field of MSA and Oswego regulars to the start of the feature but it was shortlived as Jim Paller collected Lou LeVea, Sr. before they crossed the starting line. Once things got underway, Charlie worked his way to the front in usual Chargin' Charlie fashion. Ice brought out a caution when he spun in turn 3. He was able to refire and join the tailend of the field.
Nearing the halfway mark of the race, Charlie was runnnig in 3rd behind Oswego and Indy veteran Joe Gosek and Stephens. That's when Ice's night went from bad to worse as he was collected by Ray Graham's #90 machine. Tim made hard contact with the turn 2 wall but walked away from the incident. The car, however, was brought off the track on the flatbed.
After refueling during the red flag to clean up Tim's car, Charlie was ready to make his move back up front, but the "double 0" Joe had other ideas and set sail, cruising to yet another feature win at Sandusky Speedway. Charlie managed to hang on for a third place finish.
Charlie and car owners David and Lori May were excited with the finish, as the car Charlie competed in, in year's past, has been only put into service for the Budweiser Classic at Oswego. Charlie thanked the fans and sponsors, owners and crew for the hard work that was put in to make this show successful.
Next up for Charlie will be a return to Sandusky Speedway for this weekend's Open Wheel Cavalcade.
With only two points races left this season, a championship trophy is still within reach and is the goal of the entire team.
For more information about the Open Wheel Cavalcade visit
www.sanduskyspeedway.com.
CHARLIE NOTCHES FIRST DIRT WIN
It was another off weekend for the PPG/MSA series, so Charlie did what every racer does in his free time: hops into something with 4 wheels and races.
Charlie notched his first ever dirt track win at Great Lakes Speedway Saturday night driving in the Clone Kart class. After making some adjustments after the second heat race, Charlie lined up 2nd on the start of the 20 lap feature and was battling for the lead the entire race. A late race caution looked like it might take away his chance of a win, as the leader was battling a loose condition and Charlie was making up ground every lap. When the green flew again, it took Charlie only 2 more laps to take the point and set sail for a win.
Also competing at Great Lakes was Jonathon Lesiecki, younger brother of IBT Motorsports crew member, AJ. Jonathon nearly lapped the field in notching yet another win in the Quarter Midget 120 class. Rounding out the field were Nate Metzger, Landon LaLonde, and Sam Stout.
Up next for Charlie is the much anticipated return of the non-winged supermodifieds to Ohio at Sandusky Speedway on September 19, 2009. Most of the PPG/MSA regulars will take the wings off, put on some body work and join a group of 8-10 Oswego non-winged regulars for 40 laps. Charlie will be piloting the Skip Matzak car that is part of the May Motorsports stable, while Tim will put on the body work from last year's Oswego show. Some of the series regulars have competed in the non-winged Classic at Oswego, so the learning curve will not be as big as one would think. It's pretty much throw out the setup notes and hope you are close in practice.
That leaves only 2 points races left on the schedule: The Open Wheeled Cavalcade at Sandusky Speedway on September 26th and 27th, and the seson-ending race at Lorain Speedway on October 3rd. For more information on both events visist www.midwestsupers.com,
www.sanduskyspeedway.com, or
www.loraincountyspeedway.com.
BOB FRAPPLES TOPS KARTINGTON
Team owner David Ecellstone needed to find a driver for one of his 4 team cars at Kartington Speedway. He struck gold with an unknown driver: Bob Frapples. Frapples took to the quarter midget with the prowess of a champion and the grace of a bear caught in a trap. After winning his first heat race and a second place finish in heat two, Bob paced the field of youngsters to the green flag for the main event.
The quick pace of the race was slowed when Skylar Bates looped it in the tunnel turn of the unique Kartington tri-oval, leaving Frapples and teammate Hurricane Garcia, who returned to quarter midget competetion after a year's absence, to battle out front.
This side by side action allowed Bates to retake the lead just past the halfway mark. While manuvering through lapped traffic, the green 88 of Skylar took a wild tumble of the long back stretch, ending up on his dome in the brush. Skylar climbed uninjured from his broken ride to the applause of the crowd.
With 6 laps to go, the race restarted with Frapples and Garcia battling side by side lap after lap. When the checkered flag flew it was Frapples, Garcia, Sluggo, and Cody.
The final laps of the race were not run without controversy as Garcia approached the flagman to express his displeasure that there was not a "two laps to go signal" given. He was told to get over it and pack up his car.
All kidding aside, Charlie was like a kid in a candy store strapping into the way undersized (left leg and arm hanging way outside the body panels) quarter midget to have fun with the kids. The #88 of Bates was a fast car and the side by side competition up front allowed him to prove his mettle until misfortune struck. The youngster was the consumate professional to congratulate and thank Charlie for racing with them and having a great time while doing it. After making sure he was ok from his wild ride, Charlie offered some advice and everyone gathered for a group victory lane photo.
A footnote to all the fun had today, Charlie also swept the Clone Division, taking both heats and the 25 lap main event.
Next up for Frapples will be a run at the Waynesfield Speedway in October.
Next up for Charlie is the Friday night portion of Classic Weekend at Oswego Speedway on September 3, 2009. Charlie and the May Motorsports team have decided to concentrate on the MSA championship run and not attempt to run the Budweiser Classic this year.
ANOTHER TOP 5 FINISH FOR CHARLIE
Gibson and Jimmy Paller paced the 19 car PPG Vibrance Collection Super Series field to the start with Gibson wasting no time immediately taking the lead. Charlie Schultz and Timmy Jedrzejek were the two to watch out for as they started in the 6th row, but the place to be was upfront at the start. Paller, Jack Smith, Denny Fisher, and Jon Henes settled in behind Gibson as the race shook out in the first few laps.
The first yellow flag would fall on lap 10 for Joe Armbruster, who spun his #73 machine in turn 2. He would rejoin the field at the tail, as Gibson led Paller, Smith, Fisher, and Henes to the restart. As the green flew, Smith was able to power his #09 machine by Paller. Two laps later, Fisher followed suit, getting around Paller for the 3rd spot. Tim Ice would work his way into the top 5 on lap 14 with a pass over Henes.
The yellow flew again at the race‘s half-way point for debris in turn 2. The top 5 at this point was Gibson, Smith, Fisher, Paller, and Ice. On the restart, Ice and Matt Palmer were both called for jumps. The caution flew for the 3rd and final time on lap 19, as Bobby Dawson’s Reed Salvage machine slowed drastically out of turn 4. A broken rod in the motor ended his night. At this point, Palmer and Ice were both penalized two spots for their prior jumps. This meant the new top 5 was Gibson, Smith, Fisher, Paller, and Schultz. Schultz was able to get around Paller for 4th on lap 22. Timmy J. was able to pick off Ice for the 6th spot on lap 25 and passed Paller at the start-finish line as the checkered flag flew.
Earlier in the day, Tim Jedrzejek was the top qualifier, as Schultz and Smith picked up heat race wins. The PPG Vibrance Collection Super Series returns to racing action on Friday, August 7, 2009 at the half-mile high banks of Toledo Speedway, located on Benore Road in Toledo, Ohio.
Also this weekend, Charlie returns to action in the Main Event Late Model Series at Shady Bowl Speedway in DeGraff, Ohio.
32nd ANNUAL HY-MILER NATIONALS IN THE BOOKS
Any fan of supermodified racing knows that Sandusky Speedway's Hy-Miler Nationals is the winged supermodified of the season they must attend. This year's version was full of surprises and some great racing.
The Friday Fast 40 kicked off the weekend in front of the largest crowd of the season to date who came to see 36 supers attempt to make the field. Charlie was fast in practice and backed that up with a 3rd place heat race finish behind Bobby Magner and Dave Shullick, Jr.
The ISMA feature rolled of just before midnight with Charlie in 11th and Tim in 5th behind the front row of Brandon Bellinger (#02) and Rob Summers (#97). The caution flew just as lap 1 clicked off for a spinning Trent Stephens (#19). Charlie was up to 7th on the restart.
Lap 8 saw another caution when Rich Reid (#55) collected Stephens on the front straight.
Going green the rest of the way, Charlie worked his was around lapped cars and into 3rd place. As the laps wound down, he was on the bumper of 3rd place Dave Shullick, Jr. who had caught Randy Burch (#49).
When all was said and done, Rockstar Randy Burch was in victory lane for the second time this season with his first ever ISMA win. Charlie earned another Hy-Miler podium finish behind Shullick, Jr.
May Motorsports teammate Tim Ice wrapped up 5th behind Summers, giving legendary car builder Jim Bodnar, 4 of the top 5 spots.
Saturday started out to be a washout, but the skies cleared and the predicted violent storms never made their way north to be a concern. The storms were far from over though.
Charlie set 3rd quick time in his Frank May Garage/DEI #7 and handily won his heat race in preparation for the 32nd Hy-Miler Nationals, rolling off 9th in the feature behind front row starters of Tim Ice (#77) and Jeff Locke (#37).
Ice pulled out to a comfortable lead until the #78 of Mark Sammut broke a rear end, causing a red flag for a clean up all around the track surface. With turn 1 completely blocked with race cars who spun in the mess, Ice and Locke were returned to their running postions prior to the oil-down.
Tim held off the best ISMA had to offer until lap 44 when Dave Shullick, Jr. took the top spot to the roar of the crowd. Chris Perley (#11) was looking to make history when he moved around Ice for second on lap 52.
A lap 61 caution for a slowing Randy Burch bunched the field back up and found Charlie in 8th place. Perley lived up to his Rocket nickname on the restart as he passed Shullick, Jr. on lap 62.
As the clock ticked past midnight, strange things began to happen on track.
On lap 63 the caution flew for a spinning Danny Lane (#9) and then again on lap 70 for Bobby Magner.
All hell broke loose on the restart as Lou Cicconi (#10) and Jeff Holbrook (#35) made contact on the front stretch with Holbrook flipping over and sliding wing side down along the concrete wall. Collected in the mayhem that followed were Tim Ice, Jeff Abold (#05) and Trent Stephens (#49). A shaken Holbrook emerged from the wreckage unhurt. One fan was transported to the local hospital with an eye injury. Stephens was the only car to return to the track.
Once things were sorted out, Perely set sail with Shullick and Mike Lichty in tow. Lichty was given the ISMA option to start the race after a broken torque arm put him pitside in his heat race.
Trent Stephens' long weekend ended on lap 90 when he brushed with Ben Seitz (#88) going into turn 1 and went on a wild ride into the soy fields past the tire barriers. Stephens was unhurt but the red flag was thrown as the safety crew worked to harvest the car.
With things back underway, it was a 10 lap shoot out to history for Perley who held off Shullick, Jr. for his record setting, 4th consecutive Hy-Miler Nationals win. Charlie held onto 5th place as the motor expired coming down to the checkered flag.
For complete results from the weekend, visit www.ismasupers.com.
Next up for Charlie is the $10,000 to win Mr. Supermodified show at Oswego Speedway and a shot at history for the single richest payday in supermodified history should he win and collect the AT&T $20,000 roll over bonus. Details are still under wraps as to which ride he will be in, but you can bet that it is a fast one.
While Charlie is in Oswego, the rest of the May Motorsports team will roll into Lorain County Speedway for the next leg of the PPG/MSA schedule. David and Lori will have an announcement as to who is going to fill in for Charlie later this week.
RAIN WASHES AWAY AUTO CITY (AND SPEEDROME, TOO)
The cars and stars of the PPG Vibrance Collection/MSA series made their only trip to Michigan this year only to have rain force the cancellation of the event. There is no rain date for this event.
The Auto City rain out gave us some time to get to the hotel early on the way to the Speedrome in Indianapolis on Saturday, so I took some time to sit with Charlie and look back on the first half of the season and look ahead to a busy second half.
PRGuy: At the halfway mark of the season, what grade would you give yourself and why?
Charlie: B+. The two DNF's really hurt the morale of the team, but the King of Wings win at Oswego totally changed that!
PRG: Speaking of King of Wings, when did it finally sink in that you had won the richest show in winged supermodified history?
CS: I would have to say Tuesday. With all of the well wishers calls and messages and then being a guest on Bobby G's on Monday night, Tuesday morning I was like, "I am the King of Wings!"
PRG: Saturday night was an emotional rollercoaster ride with the push off, then the 2 hour rain delay. Can you mentally prepare for a night like that?
CS: You have to prepare like it is going to be just another race and not let it get to you, but because I am a night person, I think the midnight start time worked to my advantage.
PRG: Are you planning on making a return to Oswego Speedway for the Mr. Supermodified show for the chance at the $30,000?
CS: OH YEAH!
PRG: There is a lot of net chatter that you have a good chance to win that show as well. What do you think your chances are?
CS: I feel really good about it. No plans have been finalized as to which car I will be in, but it will be a competitive car for sure. Once a decision has been made, I will let all the fans know.
PRG: The second half of the season has the Triple Crown of Super Modified races in it: Hy-Miler Nationals, Mr. Supermodified and the prestigiuos Budweiser Classic. All 3 will be in different cars. Is there a different mental or physical prepartion for these races?
CS: The car setup will be the same. Two of the 3 are long distance races, so just staying hydrated before hand will be the key.
PRG: With pressure for the Mr. Supermodified show, have the goals for the second half of the season changed in anyway?
CS: From a driver and team standpoint, it just gives us a better outlook and more motivation to get to victory lane every week. David and Lori [May] set a goal to win the championship this year, and that still is top on the list.
PRG: Before the King of Wings race, some of the team's prerace patterns were not in place this year and we needed to get back on track or come up with a new superstition. Do you have any quirky things that you didn't do on race day that were the cloud over the car this year?
CS: (lots of laughs) Up until the KOW show, I had not taken a Goody's Headache Powder before a feature event all year, so I guess that was the trick.
CS: A BIG thank you to all of the fans of supermodified racing for your support and devotion, as well as David and Lori May, my parents, Al and Anna, my girlfriend Sara, all of the sponsors, Frank May Garage, Hempel Int'l Transport, Ice Oil Company, PPG, DEI, AP Brakes, Howe Racing, Carrillo, Burke's Home Centers, and a few more I cannot think of at the moment, and to the crew who help make the cars go fast each and every week.
CHARLIE CLAIMS KING OF WINGS
Mother Nature made her presence known with two rain delays, but Charlie let the super modified world know that he is the KING OF WINGS in winning the richest payday in winged supermodified history at the Oswego Speedway.
Charlie checked off "win at Oswego Speedway" 10,000 times from his preseason list of things to do Saturday night in front of a crowd that sat through a severe thunderstorm that didn't get the feature pushed off until nearly midnight.
Unloading fast from the trailer, Charlie set 3rd fast time behind ISMA Champion Chris Perley and MSA Champion Timmy J. A field of 35 supers, 4 heats and a 13 car consi later, everything came up 7's for May Motorsports as Tim and Charlie finished 1-2.
As the clock struck midnight, Ice and Joey Payne led the field of 26 to the green flag. In the inversion, Charlie started 10th. It was a short lived start as Jennifer Chesbro (#88) spun in turn 3 to bring out the first caution. Charlie was able to make it into the top 5 by lap 5.
A turn 1 wreck took out Bentley Warren , Kelly Miller, Jason Spaulding and Matt Palmer together. Palmer was the only one to restart the race while the rest went pitside with damage.
By lap 23 Charlie had used the lapped car of Jack Smith to pick Ice off and never looked back. Timmy J. and Doug Didero (#3) both went pitside with motor woes. Chris Perley was never a factor in the 50 lap event. A red flag for fuel set up the field for a 13 lap shootout, but Charlie vaulted ahead and beat Ice to the line by nearly a full straightaway.
Charlie's King of Wings makes him eligible to win another $30,000 in August should he choose to compete in the Mr. Supermodified non-wing event at Oswego Speedway. Another $10,000 payday with a $20,000 Roll Over Bonus from AT&T awaits the Lorain, Ohio native.
For a complete race racap by Chris Porter visit
SuperRacingNews.
Next up for Charlie will be the PPG/MSA event at Auto City Speedway and then a run over to the Speedrome in Indianapolis for a Kart show on Sunday before heading back to Sandusky for the prestigious Hy-Miler Nationals.
TROUBLES ABOUND IN THE MAIN EVENT
Ice/Schultz Motorsports took advantage of the cancelled PPG/MSA race at Motordrome to head south to Midvale Speedway for another round of action with the Main Event Racing Series on July 3.
Things got ugly for Tim when something broke in the rear and the #65 Ice Oil machine and he nearly took down the backstretch wall. Everything on the right side of the car was damaged, and Tim's night was done. Tim was a little sore, but said, "We'll put 'er back together and try again."
Charlie took the team car out for qualifying and was in the process of setting a lap that would have locked him into the inversion, but the gremlins struck and the rear axle snapped. The Ice crew was able to make the needed repairs on the car and Charlie rolled out 18th for the 100 lap feature event.
After 3 tries and alot of impatience, finally, Mike Scheffer and Scott Baker brought the field of 24 to complete lap 1. The caution-filled race came down to fuel mileage as Baker and Scheffer both pitted for fuel under caution in the last 10 laps. Charlie was holding his own in the top 10 when motor woes cut the night short with just 8 laps to go. Gary Whipkey, who had pitted twice for tires and fuel, came from the rear of the field to take the win. Charlie was credited with a 12th place finish.
DISAPPOINTMENTS CONTINUE TO PILE UP
The rains left early and a field of 21 supermodifieds made the trip to Sandusky Speedway for another night of action with the PPG Vibrance Collection/MSA tour on June 27.
This was the weekend that May Motorsports was hoping to grab the magic that last year netted 3 wins at the storied speedway. All signs pointed to that as Charlie and Tim both picked up heat race wins.
Chalie and Tim lined up 9th and 8th for the feature and the pace was fast and furious for the first half of the race as London, Ontario's Mark Sammut took the Curry Steel #78 to the point.
With the #28 Reed's Salvage/Stewart Appliance of Bobby Dawson in the lead, the caution flew when Tim made contact with a lapped car and had to pit for fresh left rear rubber. Tim was able to return at the tail end of the lead lap.
A brake check from near the front of the field collected the #49 Chevy Connection of Randy Burch, the #55 Riverview Lanes of Rich Reid and the #44 Haynes Racing of Bobby Haynes, Jr. Reid and Haynes were able to continue while Burch went pitside for repairs.
The restart saw Dawson still out front with Sammut, Jedrzejek and Schultz in pursuit. Making a pass under Sammut, the #7 Frank May Garage of Schultz broke a right front spindle and collected Sammut. Charlie's night was done while Sammut pitted for a flat left rear.
The red flag flew on lap 19 as the #73 of Joe Armbruster and the #36 Miller's Homemade Ice Cream of Jon Henes. Caught up in the melee were Sammut and Reid. Reid was able to restart, but the other 3 were done for the evening.
Jedrzejek easily sailed to another victory and maintained the Championship Points lead. Rounding out the top 6 were: Dawson, Trent Stephens, Jack Smith, Denny Fisher and Tim Ice.
Visit www.midwestsupers.com for more results and photos.
Next up for the May Motorsports Team will be the $10,000 to win, King of Wings at the famed Oswego Speedway on July 11, 2009. Visit the track website at www.oswegospeedway.com for pricing and times.
MOTHER NATURE 1, MAY MOTORSPORTS 2 AND 4
Mother Natute won the battle on Friday night as the Main Event Late Model Series race at Barberton Speedway was postponed until Saturday night; however, the ICE/Schultz Motorsports team was not able to make the Saturday night show as it conflicted with the PPG/MSA Oswego Challenge race at Lorain Speedway.
After an early morning deluge of rain, the skies cleared for what was to be a historic night of racing at Lorain Speedway. Nineteen supers were on-hand for the first PPG/MSA/Oswego Winged Challenge race to be held at the South Amherst track.
Making the trip down from Oswego Speedway were Jason Spaulding (#23), Steve Gioia III (#9), Lou Levea, Sr. (#03), and Lou Levea, Jr. (#04).
Charlie showed the crowd that he was the master of Lorain Speedway when he went out and broke the track record in qualifying at 12.306 seconds. May Motorsports teammate Tim Ice qualified in the 4th spot.
Heat race 1 saw Tim bring home the #77 Frank May Garage/Oil Company machine in 4th place after contact with Bobby Dawson sent Tim to the tail of the field. Charlie survived the scary wreck in front of him to finish 3rd when Jim Paller (#64) tangled with Jon Henes (#36) on the start of the 2nd heat race. Paller ended up on his side, while Henes' Miller's Homemade Ice Cream machine was damaged beyond repair and may be done for the season.
Jason Spaulding led the field to the green with Gene Lee Gibson (#00) on the outside of the front
row. Spaulding led the first handful of laps while The Chevy Network #49 of Randy Burch was closing in from his 4th place starting spot. Charlie spun to avoid the Riverview Lanes #55 of Rich Reid when Reid's car pushed high in turn 3. Charlie rejoined the field at the rear, but was never a threat to win his 4th consecutive points race at Lorain Speedway.
Tim Ice had Burch in his sight as the laps clicked off. The cautions that flew when Trent Stephens (#19) broke on a restart and for Reid's spin in turn 3 turned out to be the last thing Ice needed as the advantage he had over Burch on green flag runs went away. Tim pulled up the the bumper of Burch a few times in the last 3 laps, but Randy was able to hang on for a very emotional, first ever, MSA feature win.
Rounding out the top 5 were Timmy J (#8), Charlie, and Bobby Dawson. For complete results visit www.midwestsupers.com.
Next up for Charlie is the second trip to Sandusky Speedway on June 27 for the PPG/MSA supers.
SANDUSKY MAGIC STILL THERE
Last season, Charlie was the master of Sandusky Speedway, sweeping all 3 PPG/MSA feature events, plus 1 ISMA win. Following up a season like that is a tall order, but Charlie and the May Motorsports team pulled into the pits ready to rock and roll.
Charlie clocked in the 2nd fastest time of the afternoon behind the #8 of Timmy Jedrzejek. Charlie picked up another heat race win when ACME Racing rookie Trent Stephens broke out of his qualifying time and was disqualified.
With the inversion, Charlie lined up 9th in the field of 21 heart pounding supermodifieds. May Motorsports teammate, Tim Ice, started in the 8th position and was up to 3rd place when contact with Timmy Jedrzejek put Ice to the tail of the field after spinning and just touching the tire wall at the end of the front straight.
Charlie worked high through traffic and was a man on a mission, getting a wheel under the #8 a few times. The brakes on the Reed's Salvage car were fading as the laps clicked off, but a caution on lap 16 and the red flag for refueling was all Jedrzejek needed to hold off Chargin' Charlie. Miscommunication pitside ended Tim's night under the red flag.
Rounding out the top 5 were Bobby Dawson #28, Denny Fisher #81 and Randy Burch #49. For all of the results and post race interviews, visit www.midwestsupers.com.
MAIN EVENT LATE MODEL EVENT AT KIL-KARE SPEEDWAY
Charlie quickly learned that the tricky little oval just outside of Dayton was going to be a tough one. Lap 3 of practice and Charlie found himself slapping the "Good Hands" sign in the middle of the back stretch wall. The ICE Motorsports crew went into overdrive to get the #65s back together for qualifying and the feature. Teammate and car owner, Tim Ice, led the field of 26 outlaw late models to the green flag for the 100 lap feature event. Tim set sail and never looked back, shaking the monkey of his back and picking up his first ever feature win at Kil-Kare, leading from flag to flag.
Battling a bent rear axle from the practice crash, Charlie man handled his FAST Racing Engines, ICE Oil Company #65s to an 11th place finish.
Up this week, the Main Event Late Model Series returns to Barberton Speedway Friday, June 19 and the PPG Vibrance Collection/Midwest Supermodified Association/Oswego Winged Challege Series rolls into Lorain Speedway on Saturday June 20. For schedules and pricing visit www.maineventracingseries.com and www.loraincountyspeedway.com.
GOOD DAY, BAD DAY
Charlie began his quest for the 2009 championship with a top 5 finish at Oswego Speedway.
After setting 4th fastest time in qualifying, he ran 5th in his heat race. A broken spindle mount nearly ended the day but the crew made the repairs and got Charlie ready for the feature.
A full field of 24 winged warriors took the the Big O for the feature event. With only 2 early cautions and a mid pack starting spot, Charlie worked hard to move up to 5th position in the late stages but the laps ran out and had to settle in behind Pat Lavery.
Taking his first PPG Vibrance/MSA feature win was rookie Trent Stephens in the ACME Racing #19. Rounding out the top 10 were Randy Burch (#49), Jason Spaulding (#23), Pat Lavery (#2), Charlie Schultz (#7), Tim Ice (#77), Doug Didero (#3), Tim Jedrezek (#8), Joey Payne (#99), and Jerry Curran (#24).
Sunday saw the PPG/MSA supers move 2 hours west to Lancaster, New York and Dunn Tire Raceway Park for a 30 lap feature event. The day got off to a good start but didn't get any better.
Charlie timed in 3rd fastest and handily won his heat race. He lined up in the 6th starting spot next to Frank May Garage, DEI, Ice Oil Company teammate Tim Ice. Charlie was running in 2nd place on lap 10 when a broken hyme adjuster ended his day. Tim's day came to an eventful end around lap 20 when the steering arm assembly failed. Tim managed to keep the car out of the 4th turn wall but his day was also done.
Next up for Charlie will be another run at the Indianapolis Speedrome in the Chuck Rencurrel owned Kalamazoo Twister on May 31st.
MOTHER NATURE TAKES LORAIN OPENER
Sixteen of the fastest short track race cars in the world showed up this past Saturday for the PPG Vibrance Collection/MSA Season opener at Lorain Speedway ready to do action, but Mother Nature had other plans as persistent showers led promoter Terry Adams to cancel the evening's events.
There is no rain date for this show.
Next up for Charlie is a return to Oswego Speedway on Saturday, May 24, 2009 and then over to Dunn Tire Raceway Park in Lancaster, Pa on Sunday, May 25, 2009.
LET THE SEASON BEGIN
April showers bring May flowers and May begins the racing season for Charlie. The gang piled into the truck and the caravan headed west to Indiana for an ironman weekend of racing.
First stop, Angola Speedway in Fremont, Indiana for the Main Event Late Model Series. A record field of 44 Super Late Models were on-hand for opening night. Charlie teamed up with late model legend Tim Ice to attempt to make the A-Main. Both Charlie and Tim had to transfer through the B-Main, with Tim pacing the field for all 15 laps. Charlie brought the Ice Oil Company, Howe Racing, FAST Racing Engines team car home in 2nd place. Lining up for the feature in 15th and 17th respectively, Tim and Charlie had their work cut out for them.
Tim's night ended with 20 laps to go when debris knocked the belt off the water pump. Charlie managed to hang on for his second top 10 finish in the Main Event Series in as many attempts. John Doering, Jr. took the checkered flag as traffic made the last corner of the race exciting. Jimmy Carter tried to make it three wide out of turn 4 and nearly totalled the car after crashing hard into the outside barrier. Chad Finley and Mike Luberda, Jr. rounded out the top 3.
Three hours south in Indianopolis on Sunday morning, Charlie and crew member Brendan Kopis strapped in for the afternoon session of karting at the legendary Speedrome where they notched 5th and 9th place finishes. Then it was time to jump into the Chuck Rencorrel-owned Rev-O-Lution Munchkin for the midget portion of the weekend. Another May Motorsports crew member, A.J. Lesiecki, attempted his midget debut in the legendary Kalamazoo Twister.
Twenty-five midgets were on-hand for the first of 4 Rumble Series Stimulis Sunday Series events on the 1/5 mile speedway. Heat race finishes saw Charlie take a win in heat number 2, while A.J. grabbed his first top 5 in heat 1. Twenty-two drivers pushed off for the feature event. A broken ignition wire put A.J.'s first A-Main in a midget on-hold until May 31 as the car would not fire. Charlie pushed off 8th but was never a factor while being caught up in 2 seperate spins that left Charlie on the outside looking in for the checkered flag. Mario Marrietta piloted his #85 Kenyon Midget to victory circle followed by Billy Wease Hamilton.
Next up for Charlie is the PPG Vibrance Collection/MSA season opener at Lorain Speedway in two weeks.
BREAKING NEWS!
Charlie will again team up with midget owner Chuck Rencorrel to pilot the famous #56 Kalamazoo Twister Munchkin in the newly announced "Speedrome Sunday Afternoons" at the Speedrome in Indianapolis, Indiana. The dates for the summer series are May 3, May 31, July 19 and August 30.
Adding to the already busy day, Charlie and crew member, Brenden Kopis, will be running in the kart divisions.
Also on the racing card at the Speedrome will be Modifieds, Lucas Oil Quarter Midgets and Junior Sprints.
Pit gates open at 9 a.m., racing at 3 p.m.
For more information visit www.rumbleseries.com or speedrome.com.
A LOOK BACK AND A LOOK AHEAD
For all racers, the off season is a time to reflect on last year's accomplishments or what if's. Six wins, over 15 Top 5 finishes, over 20 Top 10 finishes, a 3rd place and a 10th place in the final point standings, a Top 20 points finish with ISMA, Rookie of the Year, Crew of the Year. DNFs, engine woes, a fiery ending to a rookie attempt in the Budweiser Classic.
Car owner Lori May summed it up best: "It's hard to say we won 6 races and do not have a championship to show for all of the hard work." In a nut shell, there is a desire to get back to the head table at the annual PPG Vibrance Collection/Midwest Supermodified Association awards banquet.
I recently sat down with the pilot of the May Motorsports #7, Charlie Schultz, to get some thoughts about the 2008 season and to look ahead to 2009.
Charlie points to the camaraderie of the team that lead to his most successful racing season to date. The attitude of the crew is, "We will win this week." Every week.
The one advantage that Charlie sees with the team is that the guys who wrench the car on race day are the same ones burning the midnight oil at the shop during the week. "These guys are the ones who know the ins and outs of the car. On race day, they know just what to do", says Charlie.
The highlight of the year came during the ISMA Hy-Miler weekend at Sandusky Speedway. Charlie picked up his first ever ISMA win on Friday night and was a favorite to pull off the double and win again on Saturday. At the end of 100 laps of fierce racing, Charlie settled into a 2nd place finish behind 2008 ISMA Champion Chris Perley.
2009 marks the first season that May Motorsports will go in to a season knowing they will campaign 2 championship caliber cars full time, and that suits Charlie just fine. Early on in 2008, late model legend Tim Ice was asked to shake down the backup car at Barberton Speedway. Those two hours set a new drive in Tim that his wife, Yevette, says was just waiting to get set free. Tim joined on as driver of the Frank May Garage, Ice Oil #77 at Lorain Speedway and the rest is history.
"Having Tim as a teammate has been great. We compare a lot of notes on race day and at the shop. And 'the other guy' lets me drive his late model sometimes," Charlie laughingly says.
The shop has been a flurry of activity since the season wrapped up in Kenly, North Carolina in November. The #77 has been updated. Parts replaced. New partnerships started. Motors rebuilt.
For all of the optimism at the May Motorsports garage, tough economic times weigh on Charlie's mind when it comes to the racing season.
"There are a handful of great owners whose season might end without the finances to make repairs. Car counts locally might be lower than expected, but the MSA/Oswego Challenge races should provide a quality field and quality racing."
That being said, there are still a few things on the list of things to do for Charlie in 2009:
1. Win a feature at Oswego Speedway
2. Win a feature at Toledo Speedway
3. Win the PPG Vibrance Collection/Midwest Supermodified Association Championship.
A busy racing schedule is on tap for Charlie. 29 races. 12 tracks. 6 States. 8,000 miles of travel. A full MSA schedule, five ISMA shows, five Main Event late model races, a planned run in the first ever televised winged sprint car show at Anderson Speedway the Wednesday before the Little 500, and the possibility of an ARCA Lincoln Welders Truck ride at the famed Winchester Speedway.
2008 SEASON NEWS
MSA BANQUET RECAP
Ten inches of snow couldn't keep nearly 200 owners, drivers, crews and fans away from the 2008 PPG Vibrance Collection/Midwest Supermodified Association awards banquet at the Westlake Holiday Inn on Saturday, January 10.
The evening started out with everyone catching up on racing tales and off-season updates. Dinner concluded with a video tribute to the 2008 sesason by Chris Nicastro. Then it was time to hand out the hardware to the top 14 drivers and owners and dozens of other member-voted awards.
Charlie was lightheartedly given the "Hot Lap Winner" award by MC and MSA President Kevin Jaycox for Charlie's aggressive approach to every practice session.
May Motosports teammate, Tim Ice, was honored as PPG/MSA Rookie of the Year for his 10th place finish in the final owner points.
Charlie took home the big trophy for his 3rd place season finish. Charlie was also presented with the prestigious Ralph Jaycox Achievemtent Award, honoring the driver who most embodies the spirit of the MSA on and off the track. Charlie was also voted Most Improved Driver by the members.
Owner Lori May was honored as MSA Woman of the Year, an award that was shared with Rhonda Burch, Nancy Henes, Sharon Jaycox, and Ronda Jedrezek for all they do to keep peace and order behind the scenes.
Taking home its second award of the 2008 racing season, the May Motosports crew was given the title of 2008 MSA Crew of the Year.
The 2009 PPG/MSA schedule was released on Saturday as well. The usual venues will get visits as well as a first time trip to Motordrome Speedway in Pennsylvania and a return to Auto City in Michigan. There are still negotiations to add dates at Spencer Speedway, Lancaster Speedway, and the East/West Shootout at Concord Motorsports Park.
Charlie and the crew kick of the 2009 racing season on January 24 in the O'Neill Expo Center at the Ohio State Fairgrounds in the Ohio Indoor Kart Series.
THE HIGHS AND LOWS OF INDOOR RACING
Indoor racing Christmas weeked? Nearly a full crowd saw over 250 cars each night compete in their respective divisions.
Charlie and May Motorsports supermodified crew member AJ Lesiecki took to the 1/7 mile indoor track in the 600cc sprint division and Charlied piloted the Chuck Rencorrel Kalamazoo Twister #56 for the second weekend.
First up was the 600cc division where Charlie piloted the Lou Cicconi Jr. owned #75 to 3rd fastest time and AJ wheeled the Jonothan Lisiecki owned #14 to 12th fastest time. Heat race action saw Charlie take an easy victory in the 3rd heat race, while AJ hung on for a 3rd place finish in the 4th and final heat, just missing a transfer spot into the A-Main.
AJ was in the right place at the right time and advanced to the feature event after the 2nd and 3rd place cars tangled.
Charlie and AJ lined up 2nd and 12th respectively for the start. The show got off to a bumpy start when the when AJ thought he was clear of the spinning #2 of Timex Morgan. However, contact was made, resulting in a bent front steering arm, leaving the young driver to manhandle the car for the next 35 laps before calling it a night. Charlie's night came to an end just before halfway with motor woes.
The highlight of the weekend was Charlie's 4th place finish in the Midget 60 lap A-Main. Starting off the day, Charlie time-trialed in at 7th fastest. A 3rd place finish behind 2007 MSA Champion Timmy J (#8) and former May Motorsports drvier Lou Cicconi(#75) locked Charlie into the show. Lining up 11th, Charlie picked his was through traffic and steered clear of a handful of accidents to stay on the lead lap. Winning the A-Main for the 6th time in a row was NASCAR star Tony Stewart(#2) followed by Timmy J and Mike Fedorcak(#97).
Saturday was not the follow up Charlie and AJ were looking for. Charlie was the first Midget to qualify and the slick track put him 19th of the 39 cars that took time. His 3rd place finish in his heat race left him outside looking in to the A-Main. Third place in the first consi and Charlie and the Rencorrel team sat dejected on the day.
A dead battery in the purple #14 left AJ missing the one and only practice session on the day, putting him behind the 8-ball. His one and only lap on the track before the heat race was his 20th place qualifying run. Before the heat races, the team discovered some engine problems that were resolved, but again the gremlins crept in and a full overflow canister spraying water over the right rear kept the car loose and left him starting 10th in the B-Main. He managed to move up two spots to an 8th place finish.
For full results from the weekend visit www.rumbleseries.com.
As the year winds to an end Charlie thanks everyone from the shop to the fans at the track for all of their support for all his racing endeavors this past season.
Tenatively up on the schedule next is a run in the Ohio Indoor Kart Series January 24, 2009 in Columbus, Ohio.
CHARLIE MAKES MIDGET DEBUT
Charlie added "Midget Driver" to his resume Saturday when he took over as pilot of the #56 Mike Fedorcak, Kalamazoo Twister Midget at the Rumble at SeaGate Center after Mike fractured his hand in a wreck on Friday night.
Charlie fit like a pair of worn jeans in the ride, getting comfortable in the first practice session. Charlie time-trialed a disappointing 14th as the motor just couldn't get up to temperature quickly in the cold arena.
Heat race 3 put Charlie on the pole and he led all 8 laps to earn a spot in the A-Main. Charlie lined up 11th for the feature and despite a bump that left the new Munchkin Chassis with a left front tire broken suspension, he managed to hang on to a 6th place finish.
Riding the high from Friday night's feature win in the 600 Winged Mini Sprints, Charlie set fast time in the Lou Cicconi owned #75. He handily won his heat race and after lining up outside of fast qualifier John Ivy for the feature, was well on his was to back-to-back Rumble feature wins, when the motor gave up. John Ivy went on to win the A-Main.
The MSA was well represented at Toledo with Timmy J, Matt Palmer, Ryan Klinglehofer, Moe Lilge, and Charlie making a run for the A-mains. Motor woes and setup problems kept Klinglehofer and Lilge from making the show both nights. Palmer finished 7th on Friday but did not compete in the Saturday portion. Timmy J finished 2nd on Friday and 5th on Saturday.
Charlie would like to thank Lou Cicconi, Sr. and Jr., Midget owner Chuck Rencorrel, and the crews of both teams for the opportunity to compete this weekend.
Next up for Charlie will be runs in both cars at the Rumble in Fort Wayne this coming Christmas weekend.
For more results and information about the Rumble Series, visit www.rumbleseries.com.
Click here to read article from Bell Racing.
CHARLIE IS KING IN THE GLASS CITY
Legendary open wheel racer Lou Cicconni tapped Charlie to pilot the famous neon orange and yellow #75 600cc Micro Midget this weekend in the Rumble in the SeaGate Centre in Toledo, Ohio.
Starting scratch on the field in heat race number 2, Charlie made quick work of the field to take the 4th and final transfer spot for the 40 lap feature event.
Charlie started the feature on the outside of row 1 and stayed with race leader Mike Iles (#711) until the opportunity to pass came just before midway.
A few cautions and a red flag didn't slow and tangling with a lapped car didn't keep Charlie from pulling away on the ensuing restarts. One final restart with 9 laps to go put Iles on Charlie's bumper. Rounding out the top three was John Ivy(#02).
Charlie pulled into victory lane and did his now familiar victory wing dance. Well, almost. He settled for the roll cage as the 600 midget wings are not as sturdy as the supermodified wing.
Charlie thanked the crowd, Lou and Mr. Cicconni for the opportunity to drive the car and take it to victory lane. Check back for more updates from Toledo and Day 2 of the Rumble!
CHARLIE 2 FOR 3 IN C-BUS
Charlie and crew members Brenden Kopis and Kenny Hutchinson made the trip to Columbus for the Ohio Indoor Kart Series this past weekend. It may have been
cold and snowy outside, but the racing action kept things hot indoors.
Charlie showed why he was the man to beat as he won two features, first in the Flat Head Briggs followed by a dominant run in the Outlaw class. Squeezed in
between was his first venture into the Senior Caged Kart class for Thrash Motorsports, where a midrace tangle mixed up the field and Charlie had to settle
for a 3rd place finish.
Brenden earned his first feature start by taking the last transfer spot in the B-main in a hard fought battle. Starting scratch on the field in the feature,
Brenden held on to bring home the black #04 to an 8th place finish.
Jumping into the #04 kart for the Over 35 class was Kenny, who was getting his feet wet as well in his first venture into racing, finishing 2nd in his feature event.
Charlie, Brenden and Kenny would like to thank winning engine builder Ryan Prosser for all of his help this weekend, and of course no indoor weekend would
be complete without Charlie's dad, Al, in the pits.
Next up for Charlie will be the Rumble in Toledo December 19-20. For more information on the Rumble Series visit www.rumbleseries.com
OHIO INDOOR KART SERIES KICKS OFF DEC. 6
Charlie is no stranger to victory lane in the Ohio Indoor Kart Series. On Saturday, December 6, 2008, he hopes to bring home some more hardware as the series kicks off at the Ohio State Fairgrounds O'Neill Building. Charlie will compete in the Open Briggs, Outlaw and Caged divisions. Charlie and his dad, Al, have been a fixture in the series for years making the Prototype Machine/www.charlieschultz.com karts one of the karts to beat.
SOUTHERN NATIONAL PODIUM FOR TEAM MAY
May Motorsports ended the 2008 season with a great run at Southern National Speedway in Kenly, North Carolina Sunday, November 9. A small contingent of MSA and ISMA stars took the high banks of Kenly for the first time since 2000 in a 50 lap exhibition race to set in place a return to the speedplant in 2009.
After making repairs from an accident at Concord Motorsports Park the night before, Doug Didero in the Paul Calloca XTreme Chassis #3d set fast time of the 9 supers. Charlie wheeled the Frank May Garage/DEI #7 to second fastest time. May teammate Tim Ice put the Frank May Garage/Ice Oil Comany/DEI #77 in the fifth fastest slot.
Making one of a few appearances this season, second generation drivers Brandon Bellinger and Keith Shampine jumped in the Howie Lane owned Essex Seafood #97 and #9.
The field of 9 was paced to the green flag of the feature event by Bellinger and Ice. The pace was slowed early on when Larry Lehnert (#92) spun exiting turn four. The restart saw London, Ontario, Canada's Mark Sammut Currie Steel #78 take the lead and never look back.
Bellinger brought out the next caution while spinnig off of turn two trying to pass Ice. Charlie was in striking distance in 3rd when the green flag flew and battled hard with teammate, Ice, for the second spot.
Sammut cruised to his second feature win of the season followed by Schultz and Ice, in his rookie of the year best 3rd, to round out the podium.
Rounding out the field were Randy Burch (#3b), Doug Didero (#3d),Shampine, Bellinger, Scotty Martel (#14) and Lehnert.
Car owners David and Lori May, Charlie and the crew would like to extend a great thank you to Southern National owner Del Richards for a great day of racing. Hopefully this is the start of a long relationship with the supers and the speedway.
With the super modified season concluded, don't look for Chargin' Charlie to sit still. Deals are in the works to compete in the next two legs of the Rumble Series in Toledo, Ohio and Ft. Wayne, Indiana in December.
Charlie sends out a BIG THANK YOU to all of the fans who have suported the supers this season and looks forward to making another run at the championship title in 2009!
IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN NORTH CAROLINA
Thirteen of the fastest short track race cars converged on the fastest tri-oval short track in the country for the 2nd Annual East/West Shootout at Concord Motorsports Park. As expected, the cars were wicked fast, running more than 2 full seconds faster than the Whelen Tour Modifieds qualified.
The car count was not what was anticipated, but the drivers from MSA/ISMA/SMRA were ready to put on a show for the fans. Friday saw a flurry of practice sessions and heat races to line up Saturday's feature. Charlie and Tim were in the second heat. Charlie followed DJ Shullick (#61) across the finish line in second. Heat race one went to Interkipt, Ontario, Canada driver Mike Lichty (#84).
Saturday was another chamber of commerce weather day with temps in the high 70s again. Before the day's events got started, May Motorsports and the #7 team were honored by the event promoter and sponsors with an award for best appearing car.
Dave McKnight (#94) and Shullick led the field of 13 to the green for the 50 lap feature event. Charlie lined up 6th, Tim rolled out 11th. Shullick pulled out to what looked like a runaway lead, until something broke on the left front, that led to very heavy contact with the turn one wall. The Clyde Booth #61 did not fair as well as the driver was done for the night. The ensuing restart saw Charlie battle with Doug Didero (#3d) but the pace was slowed again when May Motorsports teammate Tim Ice had a right rear go down. The pit crew got Tim back out to do battle. McKnight was once again pulling out to a large lead when the pace slowed for the 3rd time when Didero spun coming out of turn four and brought the car to a stop in the front stretch wall. Charlie battled a loose car as the laps wound down. Lichty got by with 10 to go and set his sights on his PATCO Transportation Teammate. McKnight held off Lichty and a fading Schultz to take home the hardware. Tim made a last lap pass on Randy Burch (#3B) to take home an 8th place run.
The lone West Coast entry, Jeff Russell (#85) from Boise, Idaho, was sidelined midrace with motor woes.
Next up, a short jaunt across North Carolina to the legendary Southern National Speedway in Kenly.
BUCKYE BOWL RUN FOR CHARLIE
Charlie headed to the Ohio State Expo Center as crew chief for 16 year old A.J. Lesieki. He ended up in the seat of the Lou Cicconi #75 for the feature event.
After Lou put the 600cc modified sprint on the pole for the 50 lap feature, he decided he needed to concentrate on his midget feature and asked his fellow supermodified driver to take the wheel. Charlie and Lou teamed up a few times as teammates in the May Motorsports stable.
By virtue of the driver change, Charlie started at the tail end of the 17 car field and quickly made the move to the outside line. Charlie fared well with no laps turned in the car prior to the feature, finishing 7th. Billy Murphy took the checkered flag after he inherited the lead when then leader, Erick Rudolph, got caught up in lapped traffic and flipped. A.J. brought his #14 home in 4th place.
Charlie would like to give special thank you to Lou and his entire crew for the opportunity. Watch for Charlie and Lou to possibly team up again December 19-20 in Toledo for the 2nd leg of the Rumble Series at SeaGate Centre.
Next up for the May Motorsports team is a trip south to Concord Motorsports Park in Concord, North Carolina for the 2nd Annual East/West Supermodified Shootout November 7 and 8. Qualifying and heats are on Friday and the feature show is Saturday. Then we pack up and head east to Kenly, North Carolina and Southern National Speedway for a one day show on November 9.
For more information on the East/West Shootout, visit www.ccracingsouvenirs.com. See ya in North Carolina!!!
ANOTHER PODIUM FINISH
When the MSA/PPG Vibrance Collection series rolled into Lorain County Speedway on Saturday night, you needed a new scorecard to catch up with all of the end of season driver changes. The drivers, some veterans, some rookies, were up to the task.
2008 MSA Rookie of the year Tim Ice (#77) edged out his Frank May Garage teammate, Charlie, to set his first ever MSA fast time. Heat race one had Charlie lined up sixth in the seven car field. Three laps later, he was out front and cruised to yet another heat win. Tim also started sixth in his heat race, but the handling went away and he could only manage to climb one spot to fifth.
Brandon Fisher (#12) and Matt Palmer (#21) led a field of 14 supermodifieds to the green flag of the 30 lap feature. With the inversion, Charlie and Tim started 11th and 12th respectively. The caution came out early, when on lap three Fisher made heavy contact with the front stretch wall, ending his night. The ensuing restart saw another quick caution as Jon Henes (#36) and Trent Stephens (#19) tangled in turn one. Both cars were able to restart at the tail end of the field. Charlie battled a loose car to bring it home in third behind Bobby Dawson (#28) and Jack Smith (#09). A very elated Dawson celebrated his first ever MSA win with family, friends and crew in victory lane.
Rounding out the top 10 were Randy Burch (#49), Jim Paller (#64), Stephens, Matt Pamler (#21), Todd Buchanan (#52),Tim Ice and Zack Gibson (#3).
Next up for the May Motorsports team is a trip south to Concord Motorsports Park in Concord, North Carolina for the 2nd Annual East/West Supermodified Shootout November 7 and 8. Qualifying and heats are on Friday and the feature show is Saturday. Then we pack up and head east to Kenly, North Carolina and Southern National Speedway for a one day show on November 9.
For more information on the East/West Shootout, visit www.ccracingsouvenirs.com. See ya in North Carolina!!!
CHARLIE SWEEPS LORAIN
Some drivers have a favorite track. Charlie calls Lorain Speedway his home track. His favorite track. Guests are welcome, but don't expect him to be a gracious host and let you win. Three races. Three wins. Home Sweet Home.
After a very disappointing weekend at Sandusky Speedway, the May Motorsports team came into Lorain County Speedway with something to prove. The red #7 was a force to be reckoned with. Resolved that the championship was out of reach, Charlie had one goal-- win.
The car was fast off the trailer as Charlie posted second quick time behind DJ Shullick (#49). May Motorsports teammate Tim Ice made his return behind the wheel of the #77 to qualify third fastest.
Heat race one was just a taste of things to come for the field of 14 as Charlie cruised to victory. Tim put his ride in third place in heat race two.
The feature lineup saw Tim and Charlie start sixth and seventh. Randy Burch (#52) drving for Joe Gillingham, paced the field to the green flag on a very cold fall night. Charlie made his way through the field and was on cruise control. A midrace tangle involving DJ Schullick (#49), Tim Ice (#77), Denny Fisher (#81) and Todd Buchanon (#3) bunched the field back up. When the race restarted, Charlie was off and running to his third feature win of the season at Lorain Speeday. Rounding out the top three were Bobby Dawson (#28) and Jack Smith (#09).
Tim Ice finished seventh and should capture the MSA Rookie of the Year Honors at the January 10, 2009 awards banquet.
In victory lane, Charlie thanked the fans for braving the cold temperatures, car owners Dave and Lori May, and the entire hard working May Motorsports crew for a great season.
Car owner Lori May summed up the season when she said, "It's hard to look at five wins and not have a championship, but if you broke down the season, overall we had a really great one."
With the MSA schedule behind them, the May Motorsports team is headed south for the East/West Shootout November 7 & 8 in Concord, North Carolina, and then over to Southern National Speedway in Kenly, North Carolina on November 9.
CHAMPIONSHIP HOPES FADE AT SANDUSKY
The rescheduled rainout of the final MSA/Oswego Winged Challenge Series presented by Burke's Home Center was almost awash again, but this time Mother Nature cooperated as 25 winged warriors showed up at Sandusky Speedway to do battle.
Filling in for Tim Ice, who was competing in the Main Event Late Model finale at Columbus Motor Speedway, was veteran super driver Pat Schullick, who made the trip from him his new home in Concord, N.C. Pat showed what earned him track championships and an MSA championship when he set fast time at 15.008 until the last qualifier of the day, Timmy J, bested him.
Charlie was one of the fastest cars in practice and was on his way to a top quailifying spot when a pin securing the top wing to the roll cage came out. Charlie sensed something was wrong and slowed the car down before any damage was done, but did turn in a 5th place qualifying run.
Lining up third and fifth respectively in the 2nd heat race, Charlie and Pat brought the cars home 3rd and 4th. The red #7 was sputtering after the heat race, so the May Motorsports crew went to work changing plugs to see if that would fix the gremlins.
In hurry up mode, Bobby Dawson (28) and Lou Cicconi (49) brought a field of 24 to the green flag of the feature event. It was a short lived green as Steve Gioia III pushed high in three and got into Charlie and caused a pileup behind them. Charlie spun with a flat left rear tire and went pitside for quick service. Pat was involved also, but the extent of the damage to the red #77 would not be known until the restart when the wing mount broke. Bringing out the next caution was a spin in turn three that ended up with Dave Mumaw (14) destroying his car. Dave walked away uninjured. The ensuing restart was the end of the night for May Motorsports as Charlie's motor gave way to the gremlins.
Lou Cicconi got past Bobby Dawson and was sailing to his first MSA win, when he got tangled up in lapped traffic on lap 35, ending his night in the wall. That left the door open for Timmy J. to take over the top spot and never look back as he cruised to his 5th win of the season and the championship points lead over the #49 ACME Racing machine and the #7 May Motorsports entry. Rounding out the top 3 were Bobby Dawson and Joe Gosek (00).
Charlie and Pat thanked all the crew members for working so hard all day long.
For a complete recap visit www.midwestsupers.com.
Next up for May Motorsports will be the MSA Season Finale at Lorain County Speeway on October 4, 2008 where Tim Ice will return to the seat of the #77 for the frist time since his injuries in the Oswego Classic.
TIM ICE 7TH IN MAIN EVENT FINALE
The physical healing is ongoing, but the mental healing is full steam ahead as Tim got back behind the wheel of the familiar blue #65 FAST Racing Engines, Ice Oil Company, Howe Racing Enerprises late model this weekend in Columbus, Ohio for the MAIN EVENT XXI.
Tim qualified 16th and made the show by winning his heat race to put him 16th on the starting grid. 100 laps later, Tim settled for a 7th place finish and is eager to return to the seat of the #77 May Motorsports Supermodified next weekend.
ROUGH WEEKEND FOR MAY MOTORSPORTS
First, an update on Tim. Tim suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns on both of his hands during the Classic on Sunday. Tim was treated and released from the Syracuse Medical Burn Unit and is at home resting. Tim, Yvette, and the entire May Motorsports crew thank the Oswego safety crew for their quick work in getting Tim to safety and world class treatment.
Although the weather looked gloomy, things looked bright as May Motorsports rolled into Oswego, New York for Classic weekend. Charlie was coming in as the most recent MSA feature winner and Tim was rolling along with yet another top 10 finish.
25 cars were on hand for the MSA/Oswego Challenge race on Friday night. Charlie time trialed in 3rd place and Tim was 10th. Charlie came home 2nd in his heat race, while Tim finished 3rd in his heat. That was the last time the #77 would see the track for the night as he suffered a broken rocker arm and the team would end up putting in a new powerplant for the rest of the weekend.
Charlie lined up 12th for the feature event but was in the lead on lap 4. He was setting a blistering pace until a caution on lap 14 bunched the field up and then the handling on the car went away. Charlie wrestled the #7 to a disappointing 5th place finish.
Sunday was the BIG ONE, the Budweiser Classic. Charlie in the #17 and Tim in the #71, spirits and hopes were high for good runs for both cars. 34 cars took the green with Joe Gosek (#00) pacing the field. A lap one incident led to the drive shaft on Tim's car rubbing through the side fuel cell resulting in the fire that led to his injuries ending his first Classic start on lap 49.
The day ended for May Motorsports on lap 101 when Charlie was pinched into the hubrail while trying to pit.
Charlie and Tim would like to thank all of the crew and sponsors, starting with Dave and Lori May, who put this opportunity together.
Next up for May Motorsports is a return to Sandusky Speedway in Perkins Township, Ohio on September 13, 2008.
CLASSIC WEEKEND PREVIEW
Labor Day weekend means one thing in the world of Supermodified racing -- the Budweiser Classic at Oswego Speedway. This year will mark the 52nd time racers and fans have gathered at the lakefront speedway.
The May Motorsports team is hoping to carry the season long momentum into this weekend. The race shop has been a flurry of activity in the month of August as they are preparing two cars for the Classic. Charlie will be in the #17 machine, while teammate Tim Ice, in the #71, prepares for his first-ever visit to the track.
The weekend will kick off with the 5th MSA/Oswego Challenge Series race on Friday night. Charlie and Tim will be in the familiar #7 and #77. With just two races left in the MSA season, Charlie is hoping to retake the point lead with another win.
Saturday is qualifying for the 52nd Budweiser Classic 200. Sunday starts with bump day qualifying and a B-main before 34 of the best short track drivers in the country take the green flag.
For more information on the Budweiser Classic, visit www.oswegospeedway.com.
CHARLIE CRUISES TO 3RD ISMA TOP 3
Charlie maintained the momentum from the Hy-Miler Nationals as the International Supermodified Series rolled into Mansfield Motorsports Park on August 9th to finish in the top 3 for the third consecutive ISMA feature event.
A nearly packed house was ready to see the HOSS sprints and the ISMA supers do battle, but Mother Nature made us all wait until Sunday to see who was going to be crowned champion.
A broken pivot arm ruined a great start in heat race 2 for Charlie, leaving the May Motorsports #7 in 5th place. Teammate Tim Ice brought home the #77 in 3rd place in his heat race.
Just as the HOSS sprints started their 30 lap feature event, the heavens opened. A few breaks in the weather brought hope that the show would go on, but around 10:30 p.m. the monsoon sent the crowd home to return Sunday afternoon. The HOSS 410 Sprints moved on to Winchester, Indiana on Sunday, so it was the ISMA Supers who provided the entertainment.
The 75 lap feature rolled off with Tim and Charlie starting 10th and 13th. DJ Shullick and Mark Sammut paced the field to the green. An early caution for a spinning Dave Mumaw bunched the field back together, as Mike Lichty was in hot pursuit. Bobby Haynes (#44), still battling engine gremlins, slowed on the front straight to bring out the second caution of the day.
Mike Lichty took the lead for 10 circuits until a broken wheel hub sent the PATCO Transportation #74 crashing hard into the turn 3 wall. DJ was back in the lead on the ensuing restart.
A late accident involving Jon Henes (#36), Vern Romanowski (#5) and Tim Ice brought out the caution and setup up a sprint to the finish with Shullick, Chris Perley (#11), Sammut, and Schultz all set to do battle for the checkered flag. Ice was able to rejoin the field but his day ended with one to go with a broken rear shock.
The lap 72 restart once again saw the Clyde Booth #61 fall of the pace and bring out another caution. Chris Perley then cruised to yet another feature win with Sammut, Schultz, Russ Wood (#29) and Dave McKnight, Jr. (#94) rounding out the top 5. Tim ended 11th.
Next up for May Motorsports is Classic Weekend at Oswego Speedway in the lakeside city of Oswego, New York on Labor Day weekend. Charlie will pilot the #7 in the MSA/Oswego Challenge.
CHARLIE CHARGES TO 5TH WIN OF THE SEASON
The moon and stars were aligned tonight in South Amherst. Well at least when it came time to run the 30 lap feature for the PPG Vibrance Collection MSA series.
The day got of to a miserable start for the birthday boy when a front steering rod broke in hot laps causing the May Motorsports team to replace that and the front axle. Charlie put the car on the track for qualifying and set a number to be beat and ended up 4th fastest of the 18 cars on hand.
Starting 5th in heat number one, Charlie was just feeling out the changes to the car and brought it home in 3rd.
A packed house saw May Motorsports teammates, Charlie and Tim Ice, line up 5th and 10th respectively for the feature event. Tim's night suffered the same fate as Charlie. An on-track incident ended the night with a bent steering arm on lap 3. The caution flew again on lap 7 as Bobby Dawson (#28) spun after being hit by teammate Timmy J (#8).
Charlie took the lead and never looked back for the next 23 circuits. Despite a flurry of cautions that involved Brandon Fisher (#12), Dave Mumaw (#14), Jack Smith (#09), Dave Shullick Sr. (#49) and Jon Henes (#36), Charlie was able to pull away from Timmy J and Denny Fisher (#81). Rounding out the top five were Randy Burch (#52) and Moe Lilge (#19).
As the birthday celebration started in victory lane, Charlie thanked car owners, David and Lori May, his parents and the entire crew for their hard work tonight to get the car back together and in the winner's circle for the 5th time this season. Series sponsors from PPG were on hand to congratulate Charlie.
For a full rundown and photos of tonight's events visit midwestsupers.com and loraincountyspeedway.com.
Next up for May Motorsports is a trip to the high speed, high banks of Mansfield Motorsports Park for the ISMA portion of the Open Wheel Extravganza on Saturday, August 9, 2009. For more details on the event visit mansfieldmotorsportsonoline.com.
CHARLIE JUST MISSES HY-MILER DOUBLE
Charlie came oh so close to joining a very elite group of supermodified pilots to claim wins on both the Friday and Saturday night portions of the Hy-Miler Nationals at Sandusky Speedway. The May Motorsports team was smiles ear to ear after Friday night's win as Saturday's track activities began. Tim Ice bested Charlie by one hundredth of a second in qualifying to put the May Motorsports teammates 5th and 6th respectively.
Charlie started heat race number three outside of Timmy J (#8), took the lead on lap one and never looked back for the next 10 circuits.
DJ Shullick in the Clyde Booth #61 and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series regular and Friday night winner at ORP Johnny Benson, in the PATCO/Benson Speed Equipment #74, paced 26 of the fastest short track racers in the world to the start of the 31st Annual Hy-Miler Nationals as Grand Marshall Larry Gibson waved the green. Tim started 8th while Charlie rolled off in the 11th starting position in front of a packed grandstand.
Jon Henes in the Miller's Homemade Ice Cream/CYMA Solutions #36 brought out the first caution on lap number 8, when he avoided the looming turn two wall. On lap 25 Dave Tryek (#70) broke and spun in turn 3 while running in the top 5 and collected Dave Shullick's Kapser Auto Group #49. Tryek was done for the night while Shullick continued with front nose wing damage.
Mike Lichty spun the PATCO Transportation #84 in turn two while trying to keep Chris Perley's Vic Miller/Perley's Marina #11 while lapping Howard Page (#18). Lickty was able to continue and rejoined the field at the tail end.
The mechanical gremlins continued for DJ Shullick on lap 46 and the red flag was thrown to allow teams to refuel.
On the restart Charlie was in 3rd place behind Perley and Benson. Ice was running 9th. The race pace picked up and the next 54 laps were green flag to the checkers. Charlie picked off Benson on lap 55 and built a commanding distance between him and 3rd place. Perley was having no problems picking his way through lapped traffic and was able to cruise to his third Hy-Miler Nationals victory. Mike Lickty put on a show for the fans and came from the tail to finish 3rd behind Charlie. Tim Ice came home another top 10 run in 8th.
For a complete rundown and photos from the Hy-Miler Nationals visit www.ismasupers.com.
Up next for May Motorsports is a return to Lorain County Speedway in South Amherst, Ohio on August 2, 2008 with the PPG Vibrance Collection Midwest Supermodified Association.
CHARLIE BAGS FRIDAY NIGHT HY-MILER WIN
It was all Schultz, all night as Charlie piloted the May Motorsports #7 to his first ISMA victory in the Fast Friday portion of the Hy-Miler Nationals at Sandusky Speedway. This marked Charlie's 3rd win at Sandusky this season.
Starting 7th in the feature, patience and experience paid off. Early pace setter DJ Shullick (#61) slowed and the ensuing melee involved the cars of Timmy J (#8), Dave Shullick (#49), Moe Lilge (#19), Jeff Abold (#05), Chris Perley (#11), Mark Sammut (#78), and Kyle Edwards (#71).
2nd on the restart, Charlie made quick work of Dave Trytek(#70) and set sail, not to be challenged for the next 23 circuits. After his victory lap, Charlie pulled into victory lane and the May Motorsports party began.
Charlie first thanked the fans for their support, David and Lori May, and the entire crew for all the work at the shop and the track. The list of sponsors is getting easier to remember after the 4th time in victory lane this year. Frank May Garage, DEI, ACDelco, Burke's Home Center and Hempel International Transport made this checkered flag run possible.
May Motorsports team mate Tim Ice (#77) brought home a 9th place finish in his first Hy-Miler Nationals weekend appearance.
TOLEDO RESULTS
The PPG Vibrance Collection MSA Series feature event at Toledo Speedway was run with heavy hearts after the passing of Terry Gibson (#00) in a heat race accident. May Motorsports sends our condolences and prayers to the Gibson family. God Speed Terry, God Speed.
The #7 was in a familiar spot in the top 3 in qualifying, setting 2nd fast time behind DJ Shullick (#49). The feature put the Schultz machine outside the 4th row on the start. There was a complete restart after an accident involving Jim Paller (#64), Bobby Dawson (#28), and DJ. The #64 and #49 were able to continue and a complete restart was in order.
Charlie took to the high side and was picking off competitors as the race went green for the next 30 circuits. The checkered flag found Charlie in 4th place behind Timmy J (#8), DJ, and Moe Lilje (#19). Teammate Tim Ice came home in 5th.
Next up for the May Motorsports team is a return to Sandusky Speedway and the prestigous Hy-Miler Nationals on July 25-26. SEE YOU AT THE RACES!!!
MAIN EVENT FUN
A pre-race question was asked of Charlie: What are your goals for today? "To finsh all 100 laps and in the top 10" was the reply.
Lofty goals for the supermodidied wheelman, but Charlie quickly found a comfort zone behind the wheel of the ICE Racing #65s in the Main Event Racing Series Carter Lumber 100 on Saturday. His only hiccup in his pavement super late model debut was a lazy spin in turn 4 in the first practice session.
After the second session ended after only 2 laps with a faulty distributor, Charlie wheeled the green and white #65s to the 6th fastest time of the 21 competitors on hand. Teammate and car owner Tim Ice was 3rd fastest.
Starting 5th in the feature event, Charlie held his own but was running 10th when the red flag was thrown on lap 82 for a front straight wreck invovling the #44 and the #80 machines. When the checkered flag was thrown, Charlie was in 7th place.
Also making his Main Event Debut, Brent Jursik started outside the first row and led all 100 laps en route to his first ever Main Event win. Tim Ice battled but was never able to make the pass and brought home the Ice Oil Company, FAST Racing Engines, Howe Enterprises blue #65 in second place.
As an exhausted Charlie climbed out of the car, he smiled and thanked those who helped out on the day.
Next up for Charlie, back to the regular gig, May Motorsports travels to the famed high banks of Toledo Speedway for the PPG Vibrance Collection MSA 30 lap event on Friday, July 18, 2008. Gates open at 5 p.m., racing at 7:30 p.m.
SEE YOU AT THE RACES!!!
BREAKING NEWS
Charlie will make his pavement late model debut this weekend, July 12, at Sandusky Speedway in The Main Event 100 Lap race. He will be teaming up with Supermodified teammate Tim Ice to pilot the FAST Racing Engines, Ice Oil Co. Howe Enterprises #65. Charlie would like to thank Tim and Yvette and the entire ICE Racing Team for this opportunity and he is looking forward to a good run!
HIGHS AND LOWS AT ANGOLA
A perfect day for racing. Not a clound in the sky. 76 degrees. 18 of the fastest short track racers in the country stormed into the the town of Angola, Indiana for the first time in 21 years with the PPG Vibrance Collection MSA Tour.
May Motorsports tamed the high banked track in quick fashion, taking the top two qualifying spots. Charlie set fast time and teammate Tim Ice, P2.
Heat race one saw Tim roll onto victory. In heat race two Charlie let the leaders sort things out and finished fourth.
The feature started under the twilight with Tim and Charlie side-by-side in row 5. The first caution of the night was brought out by a scary spin off the back straight with Jack Smith (#09) and Denny Fisher (#81). Jack never lifted and rolled the car up and back into competetion. Charlie was working his way to the front when he was tapped by 5th place runner Moe Lilge (#19). The following melee collected May and ACME teammates, Tim Ice (#77) and Trent Stephens (#9). All cars but the May #7 returned to action on the restart.
Charlie rejoined the field on the next caution 1 lap later, but was quickly black flagged for safety reasons. With a handfull of laps to go, Ice and Stephens once again hooked up, ending the night with broken rear end gears for both cars.
14th and 11th place finsihes for Charlie and Tim. The top three were Timmy J (#8), DJ Shullick (#49) and Jon Henes (#36).
Next up for May Motorsports is the anticipated high banked, high speed Toledo Speedway.
See you at the races!!!!
CHARLIE DOES A SANDUSKY DOUBLE TAKE
Mother Nature had some ideas for the PPG Vibrance MSA series on Saturday night. At about 3 p.m. she changed her mind and 18 winged warriors of speed took the the half mile speedplant. After qualifying 5th, Charlie lined up for the heat race, took the lead early and never looked back in the 10 lap event.
Charlie put the May Motorsports #7 in the 4th starting spot for the 30 lap feature event with teammate, Tim Ice rolling off 9th. A lap one caution for the spinning #00, brought a complete restart. Charlie rolled to the front and despite numerous early cautions for the broken driveshaft of Moe Lilge (#19), the spin of Jim Paller (#64), a second spin of the #00, and the broken motor on the Denny Fisher #81, was able to take the checkered flag for the second PPG Vibrance MSA event in a row.
Tim Ice (#77) was involved in the Fisher caution, but returned to the field after the crew replaced the front nose wing to finish 6th.
May Motorsports tries to make it three in a row in a trip to the Hooiser State and Angola Speedway in Angola, Indiana on July 5, 2008.
See you at the races!!!
CHARLIE TAKES SANDUSKY IN DOMINATING FASHION
Charlie Schultz put on a clinic Saturday night in the Vibrance by PPG MSA series feature event at Sandusky Speedway. When class was over, Charlie was in victory lane, showing his 23 students how to celebrate.
Michael Barnes of Mexico, New York put the Clyde Booth #61 in the top qualifying spot with a blistering 14.6 second time. Charlie timed in 5th at 15.2000.
Charlie finished 2nd in his heat race ahead of teammate Tim Ice.
After lining up 8th for the feature, a first lap melee and red flag for a wreck that involved Jon Henes' #36, Mick Lickty's #84, and Jack Smith's #09, Charlie moved into 6th on the restart and class was in session. Showing everyone that the high side was the way to get around the half mile track, Charlie piloted the May Motorsports #7 to the lead and never looked back.
Another red flag flew on lap 21 when Jason Spaulding (23) and Jack Smith (09) tangled violently on the front stretch. That brought the field back together but on the restart, Charlie pulled out to a lead he would not relinquish to a hard charging DJ Shullick(49). Rounding out the top 3 was Bobby Dawson(28).
Next up for the May Motorsports team will be a return to Sandusky Speedway in Perkins Township, Ohio on June 28, 2008.
DOUBLE DIP IN NEW YORK IS UPBEAT
Friday night saw the return of Supermodifieds to Spencer Speedway in Williamson, New York for the first time in over 10 years. The $4.15 a gallon gas and the 96 degree heat did not keep the largest crowd in 15 years away from the track.
Practice and heat races proved that Charlie loves visiting a track for the first time as he was the man to beat. Changes in the car setup prior to the feature left the team second guessing and scratching their heads in dissapointment as Charlie fought a loose car for 40 long laps. Charlie managed to hang on to bring home the car in 5th place.
One hour east, the second leg of the New York swing to the "BIG O", Oswego Speedway. An early Saturday morning of getting to the track to get the car set up paid off as Charlie was 3rd fastest in practice and qualified 3rd. A second place heat race finish put the May Motorsports #7 in the 10th starting spot for the 40 lap feature event.
On the drop of the green, Charlie's Oswego experience paid off, passing cars 3 wide on the top side of the track. Lap 5 found Charlie in 2nd place behind Jack Smith in the Ryan's Trucking #09. Charlie got around Jack on a restart and pulled away from the field until AJ Russel in the Gary Morton owned #70 slowed on the front straight, bunching the field back up. On the restart, Timmy J passed Smith and set his sights on Charlie. The checkered flag found Charlie in second place, his 4th podium finish of the year.
Charlie thanked the fans, crew and his parents (who were at home in Ohio watching the race on ashpaltvision). The top three were Timmy J, Charlie and Smith. For a full rundown and finishing order, visit
www.midwestsupers.com.
Next up for Charlie and the May Motorsports team will be Sandusky Speedway in Perkins Township, Ohio on June 14, 2008. Gates open at 4 p.m. See you at the Races!!!!
ANOTHER PODIUM FINISH FOR CHARLIE
Charlie brings home the May Motorsports #7 in a thrilling 3rd place finish
A burnt or loose spark plug led to a poor qualifying run, but the problem was fixed quickly and was followed by a heat race win.
Starting 11th with the inversion, Charlie worked his way through traffic, made a last lap pass of DJ Shullick but ran out of time and could not complete the pass on Denny Fisher and settled for his 3rd consecutive top 3 of the season. Charlie was upbeat about the finish and thanked David and Lori May and the entire May Motorsports crew for their hard work.
The consistent start to the season has put Charlie in the Vibrance Collection presented by PPG/MSA points lead, ahead of Timmy J and DJ Shullick.
Jumping in the team car again this week was Late Model veteran Tim Ice. Wing support problems on the #77 left Tim to settle for a 9th place run.
Next up for the May Motorsports Team is a New York weekend in the Burke's Home Center MSA/Oswego Winged Challenge. Friday June 6, 2008 at Spencer Speedway in Williamson. Gates open at 4 p.m., racing at 7:30 p.m., then onto Oswego Speedway in Oswego on Saturday, June 7, 2008. Gates open at 4:30 p.m., racing at 6:30 p.m. Sunday June 8, 2008 is the Oswego rain date.
SEE YOU AT THE RACES!!!!!!!!!
MANSFIELD FANFEST
Charlie would like to send out a THANK YOU to the thousands of fans and supporters that stopped by the ISMA display at the Mansfield Motorsports Park FanFest and midway at the track for last weekend's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Race. It was great to meet familar faces and make some new fans.
NEXT RACE: Saturday, May 31, 2008 at Sandusky Speedway.
CHARLIE TAKES LORAIN!!!
Chargin' Charlie lived up to his nickname, starting 17th in the feature lineup and pulled out to a wide margin of victory over Pat Shullick and Bobby Dawson.
Rain and a broken front steering arm looked to be the demise as the day began at Lorain County Speedway. Mother Nature and quick work in the pits got the car to the starting line.
May Motorsports teammate Tim Ice paced the field for 19 laps until he spun coming off of turn two. Charlie was picking off the field one car at a time and was in second behind Ice when he spun. Tim was able to restart the race.
Charlie was unchallenged in his third victory driving for car owners David and Lori May. Victory lane was filled with emotional friends and family.
Next up for May Motorsports is a car dispaly at Mansfield Motorsports Park for this weekend's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Race on May 24, 2008 then back in racing competition May 31, 2008 at Sandusky Speedway.
See you at the races!!!!!!!
TOP 3 AT THE BIG 'O'
Charlie Schultz started out the 2008 campaign right where he left off the '07 season. After over 800 manhours of off-season work at the shop, the May Motorsports #7 was quick out of the box for the PPG/Vibrance MSA season opener at Oswego Speedway. Practicing on last season's Concord tires, the car was fast. Then the sticker Hoosier's came out and fast became 3rd quick time in qualifying.
Charlie's fourth place heat race finish put him outside row 5 for the main event.
Patience was the name of the game at the start of the race as the drivers put their machines through the feature paces for the first time of the year. A caution on lap 15 found Charlie in 8th place. As the second grove came in, Charlie took advantage of it and passed three cars in turns one and two. Another late race caution bunched the field back up again. Charlie made a late race charge and brought the red #7 home in 3rd place.
NEXT RACE: Lorain Speedway, South Amherst, Ohio Saturday May 17, 7 p.m.
Watch for legendary late model driver Tim “Iceman” Ice to pilot the May Motorsports #77 at Lorain on May 17, 2008.
See you at the races!!!!!!!
5 Questions with Charlie
One word to describe last season:
Up and down
What was the biggest disappointment?
The races we didn't finish and the dns's at Sandusky and Oswego
What was the biggest surprise?
Running second at the Mansfield ISMA show. That was the turning point for the season. Finishing second behind Chris Perley in the 75 lap show was like a win for us.
What's in store for the 2008 season?
Fresh race car, fresh engine, revitalized crew. Expect good things for 2008, a few feature wins and consistent top 3 and top 5 runs with a championship trophy.
You had a great run at the East/West shootout. Was that the finish you expected?
Yes, after Mansfield things looked up and that capped the season. We always seem to run better at tracks that we haven't been to before or years since we have raced there.
5 Questions with David
Give me one word to sum up last season:
Promising.
As a car owner, this was the first season in a while without a feature win. Obviously not the season you had hoped for. Will there be a different approach to the 2008 season?
Try to achieve better communications. Concentrate on the 7 car. Run one car full time and one on a very limited schedule.
The east/west shootout was a big highlight from last year. That was a great finish for us. Alot of hard work paid off.
What are your expectaitions for the 2008 season?
My goal always the same. Win MSA championship.
Charlie wants to know what kind of fruit you like.
Serioulsy? Since I eat one everyday, I would say bananas.
End 07, Begin 08
With the final event of the 2007 Season behind them, and a 4th place ranking in the TOP 50 Supermodified Drivers of 2007, Charlie Schultz and the May Motorsports Team are looking to build on the successes
of the last half of 2007.
Coming off of a stellar showing in the East-West Shootout at Concord Motorsports Park in Concord, North Carolina, Charlie jumped at the chance to pilot the Stickney Brothers/Marv Carmen #99 sprint car for the Florida 400 at Desoto Super Speedway in Bradenton, Florida. The weekend got off to a promising start as the team made wholesale changes to get the car setup for the long race. That start turned ugly when Charlie got caught up in a nasty crash. The car was urepairable and ended the weekend for them.
Charlie and his dad, Al, still have a few races to get in before the spring thaw. The trip to Columbus, Ohio for the Indoor Kart Series proved to be nerve-racking, yet spectacular. After breaking a motor at home, the kart was taken to the track where a loaner engine from
builder Ryan Prosser went onto the black and red #91. A second place finish in the Flat Head Briggs set the bar for the Open Feature After engine woes sidelined leader John Ivy, Charlie was in the catbird seat as the race winner was disqualified for rules violations. The next indoor event will be in March.
Charlie and the May Motorsports Team will kick of the 2008 campaign in Oswego, New York at the legendary Oswego Speedway on May 4 for the first of 4 visits to the lakeside track. The familiar red #7 will compete in all Midwest Supermodified Association events as well as select International Supermodified Association events, and of course the daddy of them all, The Budweiser Classic at the Big AO.
With visits to such local mainstays as Sandusky Speedway and Lorain Speedway, and road trips to the speed plants of Berlin Raceway, Toledo Speedway, Concord Motorsports Pak and Mansfield Motorsports Park, the 2008 season will be met head-on with enthusiasm and stamina.
There will possibly be some special Sprint Car shows with the Stickney Brothers/Marv Carmen team. Charlie will keep you posted so you can all make plans for the Little Indy at Indianapolis!
PREVIOUS YEARS' NEWS
Schultz prepares for Indoor Season
Charlie and his father are fast preparing for the upcoming 2006/2007 indoor kart series in Columbus Ohio. Schultz began his indoor karting career at the imfamous Marion Ohio indoor track which has since been moved to the Ohio State Fairgrounds. Charlie has several heat race and feature wins at both Marion and Columbus in the Open Class division. Schultz returns to indoor competition after a 2 year hiatus.
Indoor schedule is as follows:
Sun Nov 19th
Sat Dec 2nd
Sat Jan 20th
Feb TBA
Sat Mar 3rd
7/1/06 Sandusky:
Charlie and the May Motorsports crew headed into
Sandusky with high hopes of a good finish. After struggling during
practice, Charlie and the crew made some major changes to the car in
hopes of a good qualifying run. Schultz timed in third quick of the
18 cars in the pits, putting him in the fifth spot for the heat
race. Charlie worked his way up in the heat race to a second place
finish earning a spot for the inversion. Charlie and the crew made
some minor adjustments to the chassis before the feature event to
try and ensure that the car would be fast for the 30 lap main
event. After starting eighth Schultz quickly moved from his
starting spot to the lead by the end of lap two. But it was to no
avail, after a mid race caution the car began to get extremely tight
for Schultz and he could no longer hold off eventual race winner D.J.
Shullick.
“We made some adjustments before the
feature to free the car up. It was really good at the beginning. To
start eighth and to get the lead in the first few laps felt really
good. As the race went on, the car kept getting tighter and
tighter. I knew DJ was coming and I figured if we went green the
whole way we’d be alright. The restarts got me in trouble. I would
like to thank the whole May Motorsports crew. They gave me a really
good car today but we just came up a bit short.”
7/8/06 Auto
City:
After a disappointing finish at Sandusky, Charlie and the May
Motorsports Team went into Auto City confident that they would run
well. Schultz who picked up a feature win last year at the track
was poised to do the same this year. After practicing Schultz and
the team were not very happy with the car and decided to make some
major changes before qualifying. Schultz timed in third quick of
the 18 cars in the pits, putting him fifth in his heat. Schultz
quickly worked his way from the fifth spot into the lead by lap 4
and proceeded to pick up his first heat race win of the season.
Schultz confident that his car was very racy decided on just a few
additional changes before the 30 lap main event. Charlie rolled off
in the seventh starting spot, but would quickly move forward.
Charlie had worked his way into second place by lap five and begin
to chase down then leader Denny Fisher. As Schultz and Fisher began
to race for the lead Denny went under his qualifying time, which put
him to the tail of the field. Charlie inherited the lead, and from
then on it was pretty much smooth sailing as Schultz picked up his
first feature win of the 2006 season, and his first win with the May
Motorsports team.
“We had
a pretty good car come feature time. We unloaded it and it wasn’t
very good. We made some changes to the car and the car was pretty
quick, good enough for third fast time in qualifying. We started
fifth in our heat and ended up winning our heat. After the heat, we
did some fine tuning to the car and it paid off. Thanks to Dave,
Lori, and the rest of the May Motorsports crew for all their hard
work.”
Toledo 6-16-06
Charlie and the May Motorsports crew headed to the Glass City for
the first leg of the ISMA double header weekend. Charlie timed in
12th quickest of the 31 supers in the pits, putting him on the pole
for his heat race. After making some major adjustments to the
chassis, Charlie went on to finish second in his heat securing a
spot in the 12 car inversion for the feature. Charlie and the May
Motorsports crew again made some wholesale changes to the chassis
before feature time trying to ensure that Charlie would have a fast
race car for all 50 laps. After starting in the 9th position,
Charlie quickly passed two cars just a few laps into the race. As
laps ticked away, Charlie positioned himself behind the #8 car, and
they proceeded to run down the pack of cars in front of them. Then
on lap 18, the #8 began to spin in front of Schultz. As Charlie went
high to avoid the spin, the #8 car came back up the race track into
Charlie's path where the two made heavy contact sending Charlie pit
side for the remainder of the event and relegating him to a 21st
place finish.
Mansfield 6-17-06
After crashing at Toledo, Charlie and the MAY Motorsports crew
worked diligently to repair the #7 machine for the second leg of the
double header weekend. Charlie lined up 5th in his heat race and
proceeded to finish 5th forcing him to start outside the 12 car
inversion for the 50 lap main event. After making adjustments to the
car, Charlie lined up 15th on the starting grid for the main event.
At the drop of the green Schultz quickly picked his way through
traffic and made his way into the top ten by the 10th lap. Schultz
continued his march to the top 5 through the middle portion of the
race. On a lap 47 restart, Charlie was able to pass the #90 car to
secure his first ISMA top 5 finish of the season. Schultz, in his
first ISMA top five commented, “We were pretty happy with the car.
It was a little too good at the beginning. It just got loose as the
race went on. Nokie got back by me, but I was able to still pick
some cars off at the end. It’s good considering we crashed last
night. The guys did a great job fixing the car. This is my first
ISMA top five – so far.”
Oswego 5-8-06
Charlie made his
first trip to Oswego Speedway this past weekend to race in the ISMA
Event. The primary car was fast in Saturday’s practice, but due to
some unforeseen circumstances, the May Motorsports Team was forced
to get the backup car out on Sunday morning. Charlie and crew
basically had to start from scratch and made numerous adjustments on
the back-up car. Charlie started in the third position in heat #3.
After fighting a tight race car in the heat race, he finished 5th.
Charlie started 15th in the feature. After getting spun out and
making a pit stop to tighten up the car, Charlie was able to hang on
for a 14th place finish. "It wasn't the finish I had hoped to have,
but the car's in one piece, and I'm in one piece." Charlie and the
May Motorsports Team head to Sandusky Speedway on May 13th for the
MSA event.
Lorain 4-30-06
Opening night at
Lorain was a good night for the May Motorsports #7. Charlie
qualified 6th fastest out of the 21 cars in the pits. Charlie
started fourth in the first heat race and finished second. In the
feature Charlie started 7th and worked his way up to a podium
finish. "All in all, I continue to learn more and more about the #7
and look forward to my next race. I'd like to thank all the fans for
coming out and supporting the MSA and the #7."
February 25, 2006:
(Lorain, Ohio) - After months of speculation on message boards and at the track, the
speculation can be put to rest. After having co-drivers run the May
Motorsports supermodifieds in 2005, David and Lori May decided to
find just one driver for the 2006 season. “We
enjoyed our 2005 racing season with all of the various drivers (Lou
Cicconi, Dave McKnight, Joe Gosek, etc.). You get a chance to
learn a lot about different set ups and driver racing styles. It was
definitely a learning year all the way around. What you miss though
with a season of many drivers, is the consistency of having one
permanent driver,” car owner David May said.
So who’s going to pilot the May Motorsports 7 in 2006? “We are
gearing up for another exciting and competitive 2006 racing season
with Charlie Schultz at the wheel of the May Motorsports #7
car. Charlie was just down to the garage this past weekend to "get
fitted" for the car. As you will recall, Charlie ran two of the ISMA
shows for us in 2005. It was during these events that Charlie had a
chance to get a feel for the car and found out that a few changes
would need to be made in the seating area to make him feel more
comfortable ... if he was going to have anymore seat time.” May
said.
So why did the May’s choose Charlie? “We have watched Charlie from a
far now for the past few years. We respect his driving style, work
ethics and knowledge of a supermodified race car” stated David May.
After a few months of debating and taking his time whether to leave
George Shullick’s 61 show car which he piloted for the last three
years, Charlie felt this was an opportunity he couldn't pass up. “I
know that the May’s have a championship winning team, and I believe
I have the talent and resources along with their core group to run
well at any race,” stated Schultz. Charlie is looking forward to
working with the May’s. Schultz further stated, “I am very
confident that racing for David and Lori May will not only be a
great experience, but a very successful combination.” The decision
wasn’t easy for Schultz who piloted the 61 to two consecutive
runner-up finishes for George Shullick. The show car chassis has
been around for three decades and is older than Schultz. Charlie
wanted to thank George for all he’s done for him in his racing
career.
The decision to offer the ride to Charlie was
not easy for the May’s as well. “We only had one concern with
bringing Charlie on and that was that the Shullick Racing team would
be losing their driver. We only hope that we will see the #61 car
compete in the 2006 season,” Lori May said.
David and
Lori plan on running the whole MSA Schedule, Midwest ISMA Schedule,
and the Oswego Classic. There will be select races in which the
May’s will run two cars in which Ryan Klingelhofer will be in the
driver seat of the #77 car.
Article By: Chris Meyers
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