All Ohh at SUPRS Harvest of Speed

Dave Ohh Leads All 75 to Win SUPRS 18^th Annual Harvest of Speed at LaPorte Speedway

October 5, 2021 – LaPorte, IN..Dave Ohh of Union, CT, won the Supermodified Ultimate Pavement Racing Series, (SUPRS), 18^th Annual Harvest of Speed Tuesday night at LaPorte Speedway. A strong opening night field of 16 drivers filled the pits, but it was defending Gold Crest Wing Supermodified Champion, Dave “Speedyman” Ohh topping them all.

But for a few close calls with some treacherous lapped traffic, Ohh’s chances at winning were never really threatened, leading from drop of the green flag to take his second Harvest of Speed win in a row.

Ironically, the rest of the top four were identical to last year’s race with Rob Warren, Keith Powell and Bob Gangwer finishing second through fourth. Ryan Cloonan rounded out the top five.

Good to Start Up Front

Kicking off the season with a win is nothing new for the Dave Ohh of Union, CT, winning the first race of the season from the pole position at LaPorte Speedway however is. Ohh attributed his domination of the Harvest of Speed to just that. “This year I got pretty lucky,” he said. “Lucky that I messed up qualifying, and did good in my dash, and was able to start up front so I had a pretty clear track for the first 15 laps.”

Ohh was referring to having to start eighteenth out of 19 cars last year here and went on to say, “Last year I started at the tail and had to work my way up, so last year was harder. It’s just tough with the lapped cars here. It’s a tight track with a tight groove so it’s always tough here, so I wouldn’t say this was easy.”

“A shout-out too to 1^st to Finish Race servers, flawless as usual, Hairbag Studios, BreezeGraphics.com, Icings on Top and of course Heat Finder and The Mod Squad.”

Ohh Hopes to Defend Championship

After an incredible season last year where he broke the record for most feature wins in a season, Ohh would like to bag his second SUPRS Gold Crest Wing Supermodified Championship in a row, and knows a win to get things rolling is important. “Definitely a good start to the season, it definitely helps,” said the TMS Wolfpack sponsored driver.

“I’m not sure if I’ll be able to make the full season, but I’m glad to start it off, and pick up where I left off last year, and defend the championship. We’ll see where it goes from here.”

Plenty of Action Early

From the drop of the green flag it was apparent that once again, as in almost every race run at LaPorte’s 3/8 mile banked oval, there would be plenty of action to keep the drivers on their toes, and the SUPRS Live! cameras busy. While Ohh and fellow front row starter Rob Warren had a great start, and the second, third, and fourth starting rows dutifully filed into single file formation for turn one, the second half of the starting field pushed, shoved, and fought to gain any advantage they could.

With Ohh getting a good start, Warren was content early on to run his own race, that is until he felt pressure from behind in the form of real supermodified racer Kyle Perry of Fulton, NY.

Perry, for the second year in a row at The Harvest of Speed, had a real hot rod and after making it into the Fast Car Dash, where he finished third, found himself in an intense battle with Warren. Looking high and low, Perry really worked Warren over as Keith Powell ran in fourth just a car length behind.

As the duo perilously worked their way through the lapped cars near the 25 lap mark, Warren got squeezed into the wall, allowing Perry to take over second momentarily. Warren would have nothing doing, and charged right back to the inside of Perry just one half lap later and took over the second spot.

Pit Suck for Perry

Perry dropped back some and then mounted another charge on lap 33. For the next five laps he again hounded the 2019 Harvest of Speed winner. Then on lap 38 he got a little too low trying to get under Warren and got the dreaded “pit suck” where, when driver dips below the pit commit line exiting turn four, the NASCAR Heat game automatically slows the car to pit speed.

At LaPorte, that’s 35 mph, and it left Perry a sitting duck for the entire front-stretch of the track, and for some of the fastest cars behind him. Powell, Gangwer, and the fifth place running Ryan Cloonan easily flew by Perry’s Bellinger Auto, Orange Crate Brewing #02, and before he could get back up to full-song again, Brad Keysor also squeaked by.

Top Three Spread Out, Battle Rages From Fourth to Sixth

With Perry out of contention, and the top three of Ohh, Warren and Powell, evenly spaced out, a battle ensued between Bob Gangwer, Ryan Cloonan, and Brad Keysor who were running fourth , fifth and sixth.

Keysor and Cloonan were really going at it, and Keysor, at one point, had relegated Cloonan to sixth, and it looked like he was headed to dispose of Gangwer in short-order. However, like Perry, the SUPRS 2021 Gold Crest Non-Wing Supermodified Champion’s race was undone by the pit commit line, albeit with a little help from a lapped car.

With some breathing room now, Cloonan fired salvo after salvo at two-time Harvest of Speed winner Gangwer. Lap after lap, through the same tough traffic that damaged Warren’s car, and ruined Keysor’s race, Cloonan looked for any and every way past Gangwer’s RW Woodworking #25.

Collision Nearly Collects Leader

With 12 laps to go, and after having worked by several packs of lapped cars that had their own battles for position going on, Gangwer encountered Greg Breen’s Lindsey Aggregates sponsored machine just as Breen was getting back up to speed after also clipping the pit commit line.

With Cloonan hot on his tail, Gangwer ran tight to the rear nerf bar of Breen, who happens to be Cloonan’s uncle. Unbeknownst to Gangwer or Cloonan, and certainly not Breen, Dave Ohh had caught the back of this torrid contest.

Gangwer looked to duck to the inside of Breen entering turn one, but suddenly Breen clipped the inside cement wall which turned him completely sideways right in Gangwer’s path. Gangwer clobbered Breen as Cloonan shot to the high side of both. Gangwer’s hit turned Breen around and both were headed back in the same direction as Ohh dove to the low side to avoid all three.

With Breen slow to get rolling, and probably still a little unsure of where he was after the enormous hit he took, Gangwer slid low down the backstretch underneath Breen, and again, Ohh’s path was blocked, and his race nearly ended in disaster.

With a head of steam entering turn three and nowhere to go, Ohh blasted Gangwer in the rear end and drove by both drivers, able to keep the lead and hang on for the win.

Powell Sets Fast Time, Ohh Wins Dash, Heats to Gangwer, Sears

Earlier in the evening, Keith Powell set fast time at 12.722 seconds, while Ohh won the Fast Car Dash. Gangwer and Zach Sears won the 10 lap heat races.

Greg Breen and 2021 Icings on Top Non-Wing Supermodified Rookie of the Year, Anthony Corsoniti made their first Harvest of Speed starts. Corsoniti pulled off a top ten finish in his first winged NASCAR Heat start.

Dion Parish Memorial Next on Schedule

SUPRS next event is the 18^th Annual Dion Parish Memorial, October 12, at Kalamazoo Speedway.

Parish lost his life on September 14, 2002, while testing his supermodified at Kalamazoo Speedway, leaving behind two daughters and a son. It was in his memory that SUPRS began the Dion Parish Memorial Benevolent Fund for Supermodifieds, which continues to help injured supermodified drivers and their families to this day.

Hot laps begin at 7:30 with racing at 9:05pm ET for the rFactor supermodified sim race that honors the namesake of the Dion Parish Memorial Benevolent Fund for Supermodifieds. The winner becomes a Guaranteed Starter for the season-ending, 2022 Summit Classic 125.

Get Social with SUPRS

Fans can learn more about the original and oldest online supermodified sim sanction, the Supermodified Ultimate Pavement Racing Series, when they visit www.SUPRS.net. Join SUPRS active and vibrant Social Media channels by  “Liking” SUPRS on Facebook, Following @SUPRSOnline on Twitter, and viewing SUPRS videos on YouTube. Don’t forget, SUPRS has a Twitch.

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