The Ohio Challenge Cup hit the halfway point of its season with its annual trip to Bellevue, Ohio and HMS Speedways. This year would see a novel format for the raceday with GT1 contested on the classic Aristocrat while Group 10 and GTP would slug it out on the recently reworked American King.
A field of 10 racers in GT1-B opened the day and Thazer Raceway regular Dennis Clark would make the trip to Ohio to pick up the win on what was formerly his weekly track. Kit Henry snuck in for second over Craig Sharfenberg by sections. Dan Halfhill would make the most of a Henes loaner after his main car took a savage hit in practice and come home fourth. Joe Gerencser would have a solid day in fifth over Johnnie Detroit, while Haley Halfhill would sneak past Lester Lucas by a lap to take seventh. Tom Rowell, and Dave Doerschuk rounded out the field.
GT1-B results
Dennis Clark – 180
Kit Henry – 178.15
Craig Sharfenberg – 178.03
Dan Halfhill – 168
Joe Gerencser – 162
Johnnie Detroit – 152
Haley Halfhill – 143
Lester Lucas – 142
TR Rowell – 130
Dave Doerschuk – 94
GT1-A had 13 racers and in commanding fashion Cap Henry took the win by nine laps. The remaining podium spots were a close affair with Eric Shirey taking second, Bud Bartos taking third, Jeff Henes taking fourth, and Steve Peppler taking fifth, each within a lap of each other! Jim Pace Jr would claim sixth over Dave Decoster, followed by Justin Porter. Mike Lear claimed ninth in his return to OCC competition, beating out also returning Mike Muir. Brandon Barricello fought an ill-handling car to eleventh, with Jim Torre and Brian Lear both running into troubles on track.
GT1-A results
Cap Henry – 207
Eric Shirey – 198
Bud Bartos – 194
Jeff Henes – 193
Steve Peppler – 192
Jim Pace Jr – 188
Dave Decoster – 187
Justin Porter – 183
Mike Lear – 181
Mike Muir – 179
Brandon Barricello – 178
Jim Torre – 166
Brian Lear – 85
Group 10 saw 19 racers take the start and it was Cap Henry setting the pace in qualifying. Cap would hold that speed through the racing to grab the Group 10 win. Mike Lear would show that he's lost none of his speed in his absence with a strong second place over defending champion Eric Shirey. Jeremy Wyant made his first start with the series and nearly missed out on a podium, beating out Mike Fleming for the fourth spot. Jeff Henes continued his strong G10 season in sixth, with Tom Rowell taking seventh by sections over Brian Lear. Ninth went to Justin Porter, with Dan Halfhill in tenth over Jim Pace Jr. Craig Sharfenberg would hold down twelfth, followed by Dave Doerschuk and Johnnie Detroit. Joe Gerencser would hold off Haley Halfhill for fifteenth place, with Lester Lucas last among the running cars while Steve Peppler and Dave Decoster both recorded DNF's in this tough field.
Group 10 results
Cap Henry – 209
Mike Lear – 202
Eric Shirey – 200
Jeremy Wyant – 199
Mike Fleming – 195
Jeff Henes – 194
TR Rowell – 185.18
Brian Lear – 185.04
Justin Porter – 184
Dan Halfhill – 181
Jim Pace Jr – 179
Craig Sharfenberg – 175
Dave Doerschuk – 173
Johnnie Detroit – 171
Joe Gerencser – 167
Haley Halfhill – 165
Lester Lucas – 154
Steve Peppler – 108
Dave Decoster – 65
Last up were the 18 racers in GTP to take on the King. Cap Henry would sweep the day with TQ and the win in GTP but Jason Dennis would keep things close in second, with the smallest gap on the day to Henry at two laps. Justin Porter would pick up a close third over Mike Lear, from whom he'd borrowed his GTP that morning. Jeremy Dennis ran fifth over Eric Shirey, with Jim Pace Jr in seventh and Mike Fleming rounding out the top eight. Jeff Henes in ninth would be the last racer over 200 laps in the field, beating Dave Decoster in tenth. Dave Doerschuk would have his cleanest run of the day in eleventh over Joe Gerencser, while Dan Halfhill would find thirteenth over Sawdust Man Bob Manzitti. Brian Lear wound up fifteenth, while Haley Halfhill, Lester Lucas, and Jeremy Wyant would fight mechanical issues to round out the field.
GTP results
Cap Henry – 222
Jason Dennis – 220
Justin Porter – 215
Mike Lear – 214
Jeremy Dennis – 213
Eric Shirey – 209
Jim Pace Jr – 205
Mike Fleming – 204
Jeff Henes – 203
Dave Decoster – 192
Dave Doerschuk – 190
Joe Gerencser – 189
Dan Halfhill – 188
Bob Manzitti – 184
Brian Lear – 181
Haley Halfhill – 162
Lester Lucas – 145
Jeremy Wyant – 81
As 2018 turns into 2019, the Ohio Challenge Cup now turns its attention to the second of three Kings on the circuit as we travel south to Columbus and Tom Thumb Hobbies. It should prove to be a big event as we click past halfway on the season. See you at the races!
