Root Wins at Berlin

http://www.mlive.com/autoracing/index.ssf/2016/04/berlin_raceways_mike_root_need.html

Bob Senneker to Enter Berlin Raceway Hall of Fame

Bob Senneker to Enter Berlin Raceway Hall of Fame

Muskegon's Mike Garvey Turns the Page in his Career

Short Track Veteran Garvey: ‘It’s just time to stop driving’

February 25, 2015

There comes a time in everyone’s life when they decide they need to do something different. Some times that changes comes out of necessity, other times it’s by choice. For veteran Super Late Model driver Mike Garvey, it’s a mixture of both.

Garvey, a two-time All-American 400 winner, has decided that the time to switch gears is now. The Muskegon, Michigan native will be stepping away from the driver’s seat and focusing on his role as a driver coach during the 2015 season.

“You can’t race forever,” Garvey told Speed51.com powered by JEGS. “Things keep changing with the way racing evolves. It’s just time. I’m 52 years old. I’ve got to start building a business for the future. You can’t just keep racing for the fun of it. I’ve got to take care of things and it’s just time to switch gears.”

While this decision may come as a shock to many, it was one that his car owner, Tracy Goodson, expected.

“His heart is just not in it (anymore),” said Goodson. “He’s had his time.”

Garvey and Goodson have decided to go the driver development route, with Garvey serving as a driver coach, as well as the crew chief for Goodson’s cars.

“He enjoys crew chiefing more than he enjoys driving and making cars go fast, and he enjoys working with the young guys,” Goodson said. “So that’s the direction we’re going to go. He’s going to crew chief the deal and we are going to lease the cars out.”

This isn’t the first time Garvey has stepped out of the car. He actually did it a few years ago before Goodson convinced him to hop back in.

“I quit racing for about four or five years,” said Garvey. “I had multiple cars going back and forth but then Tracy convinced me to get back into racing. I had a good consulting business going and I was working on cars and building cars for people and going with them to the races. I had a really strong business going and I kind of let that go when I started racing again.”

Garvey said things are already going well and a number of drivers are already interested. He’s at the Inaugural Winter Showdown at Kern County Raceway Park (CA) with southern Late Model driver Chris Davidson this weekend.

“We’re actually pulling into the pit area as we speak,” said Garvey. “I’m going to be helping him out on the CARS Tour a lot, so we’ve got some things working already.”

When asked if race fans would see Garvey behind the wheel of a race car anytime soon, Garvey said, “I’d rather not,” but said it is a possibility.

“I raced for four years with Tracy and it is just time,” Garvey said. “You can tell when it’s time. It’s just time to get back to that and build a business for the future and try to help people out and build cars.

“But it doesn’t mean I won’t ever race again. You never say never.”

-By Rob Blount, Speed51.com Northeast Editor -Twitter: @RobBlount

-Photo Credit: Bruce Nuttleman/Speed51.com

Mike Garvey Breaks the Streak, Johanna Long Takes Title

Mike Garvey Breaks the Streak, Johanna Long Takes Title

September 28, 2014 • Archives, Late Models, Top Stories

Pensacola, Florida – To say that Senoia, Georgia’s Bubba Pollard has been dominant in Pro Late Model competition this year would be an understatement. A perfect eight-for-eight dating back to March in PLM races, Pollard had a birds-eye view, from second, as that streak came to an end Saturday at Florida’s Five Flags Speedway in the Allen Turner Tune-Up 100.

When the checkered flag flew, it was veteran Mike Garvey who found himself back on top as he captured his third win in the annual event, after a year that has provided more downs than ups.

“We’ve been working and working and working at it,” said Garvey. “For the last year we’ve been terrible so about a month ago we just changed everything completely. We made wholesale changes.”

Behind the race leaders, the battle for the 2014 Champion came to a thrilling conclusion as Garrett Jones came up just one spot short of securing his second-consecutive Pro Late Model title at Five Flags.

Former track champion Johanna Long used a model of consistency to capture the Pro Late Model title which was her second of her career, and third overall counting her Blizzard title in the Super Late Models.

“This feels good. It’s finally over with,” said Long.  “Garrett Jones had an awesome year. He was tough to beat. We were way to tight at the end of the race, I definitely thought I was gonna lose the Championship.”

Long and Jones swapped the point lead during the race as they each gained and lost positions along the way.  In the end Jones’ fifth wasn’t enough to overcome Long’s seventh-place run.

“We had a really good car,” said Jones.  “We just had to go a little bit harder than we wanted to at the beginning just to get to Johanna. I was trying not to think about the Championship. We were trying to save as much of the tires as we could. We just missed it a little bit.”

Garvey took the lead on a lap 41 restart and his only competition the rest of the way came from Pollard, who set fast-time in qualifying, but would start sixth after the invert.

“I knew we were good but you never know how good Bubba is. He just runs so good here.” said Garvey.

A lap 67 restart was as close as Pollard would get and he held the lead briefly before Garvey showed his hand.

“You don’t ever know how much each of us are saving until it’s time to throw it down there,” added Garvey.  “I know I was saving a little, I know he was trying to save. It was time to just throw down there at the end and we just both went after it.  Luckily we had enough this time.”

Johanna Long won her second Pro Late Model track title at Five Flags. (Speed51.com photo)

“The car would run for a couple of laps (on restarts) and then it was done,” explained Pollard.  “We started the race tight, we finished tight.”

Pollard was not as disappointed as one might think after seeing and impressive 2014 Pro Late Model streak coming to an end.

“We had a good run there but you get into that comfort zone,” said Pollard. “You get into a box and you don’t wanna change it. These guys have all caught up now and we gotta go to work.”

The next time the Pro Late Models hit the track will be for the annual Snowflake 100 as part of the 47^th Annual Snowball Derby. After a trying year for Garvey, he feels like his program is right where it needs to be heading into the year-end event.

“I don’t know how I could make the car any better than it was right there. That package right there, that’s what we’re coming to the Snowflake with.” Garvey added with a big smile, “We finally got that little bit we need.”

As for Pollard, it looks like it will be a busy eight weeks in preparation of the Snowflake, “We’ve got a lot of work to do. We just gotta do our homework.”

“We’re fighting the same thing in the Super (Late Model) that we’re fighting in the Pro (Late Model). I think it’s our front-end geometry, the whole front-end package.  The shock and bump stop package. But we’ll figure it out and we’ll be back.”

By Mark Keeler – Speed51.com / Speed51.com photos 

Allen Turner Tune-Up 100
Five Flags Speedway (FL)
Official Results

1. #1        Mike Garvey
2. #26      Bubba Pollard
3. #43      Justin South
4. #99      Wayne Niedecken Jr
5. #88      Garrett Jones
6. #18      Korey Ruble
7. #11      Johanna Long
8. #14      Ryan Luza
9. #51      Perry Patino
10. #21      Riley Thornton
11. #30      Bobby Knox Jr
12. #66      Ryan Redmon
13. #89      Bobby Reuse
14. #55      Ronnie Osmer
15. #5        Bret Holmes
16. #4        Elliott Massey
17. #05      Bayley Currey
18. #42      Steven Davis
19. #11      Willie Allen
20. #30      Rusty Sanford
21. #91      Madison Schneider
22. #3        Brennan Willard
23. #41      Troy Grisaffi
24. #21      Larry Blount

Mike Garvey Wins at Montgomery Motor Speedway

2014 Press Releases

by Jason Mayhan

August 23, 2014 Montgomery Ala:

Multiple story lines unfolded last night as Montgomery Motor Speedway presented the Saturday of Speed. 220 laps of hard charging action thrilled the fans as they witnessed a strong field of Pro Late Models, 22 strong competed on the historic oval.

Budweiser fast time qualifying started the evening as Dennis Reno Jr. scooted his x2 pro late model around the track for a time of 19.133. The next 3 competitors posted times that were only 1 thousands of a second apart. Pensacola’s Mike Garvey was timed at 19.166, Jasper Alabama’s John Bolen 19.167 and Leeds Alabama driver Justin South at a 19.168.

The race started with a brisk pace as the Buddy’s Home Furnishing, triple K Construction, Beef O’ Brady’s #1 of Garvey led the field. Challenges from the x2 of Reno, #88 Garrett Jones from Mooresville, N.C.and R.S. Senter From Flowery Branch Ga. Just could not overtake the machine of Garvey.

Trouble brought out the caution on lap 1 as the #30 of Rusty Sanford Jr from Seminary, MS., #61 of Goodlettesville, TN. driver T.W. Fisher and the 5n of Shane Nalley all were caught up on the back stretch. Contact on lap 12 between #13 Bill Bethea III and #3 of Jordan McCallum saw the yellow fly again. The race hit its rhythm as things went well till a hard hit by #3 McCallum ended the Lizello, Georgian’s night on lap 41. Korey Ruble in the #18 Pitboxes.com Ronnie Sanders machine worked his way to the front after an early pit stop but just didn’t have enough and posted a second place finish. R.S. Senter #10 drove his way to a 3rd place podium finish and contended for the lead during the contest and local driver Perry Patino had a great showing in his first pro late model race at Montgomery Motor Speedway finishing 4th. The Last caution flew on lap 92 and it was an 8 lap shootout to the end. Mike Garvey was able to hold off the stiff competition for his first win of the 2014 season at Montgomery Motor Speedway.


Pensacola’s Mike Garvey takes the Checkers in the Pro Late Model race at MMS… could we see Garvey in Victory lane in 2 weeks at the ALABAMA 200?

Saturday of Speed 100

1st Mike Garvey #1g

2nd Korey Ruble #18

3rd R.S. Senter #10

4th Perry Patino #51

5th Garrett Jones #88

6th Kyle McCallum #2

7th Bobby Knox Jr. #30

8th Johnny Brazier #71

9th Bill Bethea Jr. #13

10th Chuck Tuck #17

11th Jr Bolen #24

12th Warren Mobley #95

13th Shane Nalley #5n

14th Justin Ashburn #98

15th Dennis Reno Jr. x2

16th Justin South #43

17th Jordan McCallum #3

18th John Bolen #2

19th Darin Cronin #5c

20th T.W. Fisher #61

21st Rusty Sanford Jr #30

22nd DNS Chase Oliver #5