Ray Sand, Jr. Has Four Terry Gibson Memorials in a Row
Goshen, IN – January 10, 2015…The Supermodified Ultimate Pavement Racing Series, (SUPRS), is proud to present the 8th Annual Terry Gibson Memorial this week and Ray Sand, Jr. will be looking to win his fifth in a row.
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Featuring two nights of racing and honoring the late Terry Gibson, the SUPRS pilots will be looking to pick up valuable championship points and more importantly the prestige of being named 2016 Terry Gibson Memorial Champion.
Gibson lost his life during a heat race for the Midwest Supermodified Association at Toledo Speedway on July 18, 2008. Terry is survived by his wife Linda, son, Ryan W. Gibson; a daughter, Lindsay N. Kincaid; his mother and father Todd & Brenda Gibson, two brothers, Gene Lee (Lucinda) Gibson, Sandusky; Larry (Lisa) Gibson, Marysville; and a sister, Deb (Randy McElroy) Brady, Richwood. Brother Jeff (Shannon) Gibson followed Terry in death in 2012.
The special two-day show is one of several memorial races SUPRS holds throughout the season and with many members of SUPRS claiming the real Sandusky Speedway as their home track, there is a lot of excitement about racing at the online version of Sandusky Speedway Tuesday and Wednesday.
Everything kicks off at 8pm Tuesday, January 12 with practice for the Terry Gibson Fast 50 which many of the drivers use as a tune up for the next night. The winner of this race becomes a guaranteed starter for the Terry Gibson Memorial 100 which takes place on Wednesday, January 13.
Winning the Terry Gibson Memorial 100 will make that driver a guaranteed starter for the 12th Annual SUPRS Summit 125 coming up at the end of the season.
Since the inception of the 100 lap event, there have been only three drivers to win it, making this race one of the hardest to win.
Oswego, New York’s “Mighty” Myles Maxon brought home the inaugural race in 2009. In 2010 Californian John Davidson won and then Maxon came back in 2011 to win amid a controversial finish that resulted in Dave Biro III being penalized for rough driving and disqualified.
Ray Sand, Jr. battled Fast 50 winner Joe Achzet and came out on top for the win in 2012. Then in 2013, he joined Myles Maxon as a two-time winner of this event and became the first racer to win it back to back. In 2014, the Rochester, NY native made a surprise pass on leader Steve Callahan to win his third straight Terry Gibson Memorial 100.
Ray Sand, Jr. became a four-time Terry Gibson Memorial winner in 2015.
Last year, Sand, Jr., had run only a part-time schedule and with Myles Maxon on a hot streak, many believed Sand, Jr. would struggle to finish on the podium let alone win. Sand, Jr. surprised everyone and swept both nights and after leading every single feature lap in both races, taking home an unprecedented fourth win in the 100.
Sand, Jr. is also the current track record holder at Sandusky Speedway. His time of 14.329 dates back to 2011. He has been fast qualifier for this race a record four times and has won the Fast 50 prelim three times and with six wins total at this track, it can easily be said that “The Sandman” savors Sandusky.
Veteran SUPRS pilot “Steady” Steve Callahan of Cayuhoga Falls, OH has been absent from the track lately but if he makes it, will be another driver to watch.
His recent string of podium finishes and stellar performance in last three Terry Gibson Memorial 100 races indicates that Callahan is a threat to the Sand, Jr. and Maxon dominance of this race. For three years in a row, it looked like Callahan had a lock on the top step of the podium only to have his hopes dashed in the closing stages of each race.
Just under ten laps to go in the 2014 race and here come the top three behind the hard charging Waldron(10) and his teammate Carl Becker(42).
2014 was particularly heart-breaking as he met lapped traffic with less than ten laps to go, losing the lead and win to Sand, Jr. Callahan has never been out of the top 10 finishing positions of this race and counts this race as one he dearly wants to win.
Joining the aforementioned trio as contenders is “Rocket” Rob Warren. Warren is chasing Sand, Jr. in the points and, like the points leader, has six feature wins so far this season.
Three times since 2012 the driver of the 1st to Finish Docks & Hoists machine has crossed the line in third place. His worst finish on record being P13 in 2011. This race could be the one that helps Warren close the 82 point gap to Sand, Jr. in the point standings.
Dave Brigandi, Bob Gangwer, and Domenic Gioia are also expected to battle it out at Sandusky.
Doug “Flash” Forgue built the SUPRS version of Sandusky Speedway as part of SUPRS ongoing commitment to focus on race tracks that have traditionally featured supermodified racing. Development began in June of 2008, with the final product being released in September 2008.
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, Circling SUPRS on Google+, Following @SUPRSOnline on Twitter, and viewing SUPRS videos on YouTube.
Terry Gibson Memorial 100-Wing-Sandusky Speedway
- 2009 Terry Gibson Memorial 100 Champion: Myles Maxon
- 2010 Terry Gibson Memorial 100 Champion: John Davidson
- 2011 Terry Gibson Memorial 100 Champion: Myles Maxon
- 2012 Terry Gibson Memorial 100 Champion: Ray Sand, Jr.
- 2013 Terry Gibson Memorial 100 Champion: Ray Sand, Jr.
- 2014 Terry Gibson Memorial 100 Champion: Ray Sand, Jr.
- 2015 Terry Gibson Memorial 100 Champion: Ray Sand, Jr.
Terry Gibson Fast 50-Wing-Sandusky Speedway
- 2009 Terry Gibson Fast 50 Winner: Dave Biro III
- 2010 Terry Gibson Fast 50 Winner: Jamie Hartley
- 2011 Terry Gibson Fast 50 Winner: Ray Sand, Jr.
- 2012 Terry Gibson Fast 50 Winner: Joe Achzet
- 2013 Terry Gibson Fast 50 Winner: Ray Sand, Jr.
- 2014 Terry Gibson Fast 50 Winner: Canceled
- 2015 Terry Gibson Fast 50 Winner: Ray Sand, Jr.
