6/6/2018
Midwest Legends Dirt Series
Pearson and Apfelbeck Sweep the Weekend
This past weekend saw the first triple header weekend for the WLRDS drivers. These series of three races in a row puts drivers and crews to the test as they can be very strenuous on both car and driver. The series had its first stop of the weekend on Friday night at Lafayette County Speedway in Darlington, WI. 18 cars checked in to battle for series points at the track that many struggle to figure out. Heat races were won by Cody Apfelbeck, Vince Bartolotta, and Ryan Mech. 6 divisions of racing proved to be a long night as the legends feature didn’t roll out onto the track until a little after 11pm. The race saw Vince Bartolotta jump out to an early lead as Justin Pearson set his sights on catching him. Pearson worked on Bartolotta for many laps, staying on his back bumper until finally making the pass on the final lap of the race. This would be Pearson’s second series win of the season. The top five was rounded out by Cody Apfelbeck in third, Mike Mueller in fourth, and Ryan Mech in fifth.
The series moved to Beaver Dam Raceway on Saturday night for a non-points race. The night moved along very quickly as the threat of rain moved in. The legends had two heat races for the night which were won by Warren Ropp and Mike Mueller. The feature saw a very nice two-groove track put drivers to the test. Warren Ropp took an early lead and help onto it for the first 6 laps. Ryan Mech made the charge to the front from 15th place and took over the lead with Justin Pearson hot on his tail. Pearson made the pass for first a few short laps later and never looked back. Mech was able to stay with Pearson for a few laps until Mech’s car experienced a parts failure which retired Mech to the pits for the evening. Pearson continued his assault on the top groove to run away from the field on a late race restart and he was able to capture his second straight win at Beaver Dam and second win for the weekend. The top five was rounded out by Mike Mueller, Kim Clover, Ryan Sullivan, and Brice Huntington in that order.
The story of the night on Sunday at Angell Park Speedway was Cody Apfelbeck. Apfelbeck was collected in a hard crash in the heat race in which he rolled twice. There was not a straight piece of suspension left on the car after the roll and many thought his night would be over. Thanks to the help of his fellow competitors, Apfelbeck was able to get the car put back together in time for the feature. Apfelbeck started at the back of the field and worked his way through to make it up to first with about six laps left in a green to checkered feature race. It was a run for the ages and will be a great story for not only Apfelbeck, but also the series, as it goes to show what a great group of racers make up the legends series in Wisconsin.
This upcoming weekend sees no WLRDS points races and only one race in the state of WI with Beaver Dam Raceway racing this Saturday.
Article Credit: Ryan Mech
Submitted By: Ryan Mech
