Industry Hills Speedway
The Grand Arena
Industry Hills Expo Center
City of Industry, California
Legends and Heros Night
July 1, 2023 - Industry Hills Speedway
Results, Report and Photo By Ryan Evans
KELLY INMAN DAY
The Industry Hills Speedway Scratch Main Event (inside - outside):
Dillon Ruml, Billy Janniro, Max Ruml, Broc Nicol.
The finishing order was D.Ruml, Nicol, Janniro, M.Ruml.
Dillon “Pickle” Ruml collected five victories and took home top honors by winning the Scratch Main Event on Legends and Heroes Night at Industry Hills Speedway.
Dillon Ruml selected gate one for the Scratch Main. Broc Nicol then picked gate four. 11-time AMA National Champion Billy “The Kid” Janniro chose gate two which left “Mad” Max Ruml with gate three.
Janniro was off the starting line and into turn one first but had Dillon Ruml right behind him on the inside and Nicol sweeping around the outside. Janniro moved up the track exiting turn two but Nicol had already found sufficient traction to get alongside him with Dillon Ruml charging up the inside. They were three-wide on the back straight. Nicol had enough momentum to get across his two competitors entering turn three but his momentum carried him wide as he turned toward the front stretch. He and Dillon Ruml finished lap one evenly and Nicol dropped inside again entering turn one but couldn’t make it stick. They were wheel-to-wheel on the back straight with Nicol again trying to drop in front of Dillon Ruml in turn three and again drifting wide in turn four. Nicol went high into turn one the third time and remained there with the inside-outside battle continuing on the back straight. Dillon Ruml found more traction in the next bend and secured the lead as they took the white flag. Nicol searched the outside for enough traction again but Dillon Ruml was safely in front and Nicol slotted in behind him. Dillon Ruml was first to the checkered flag, Nicol settled for second, Janniro was third, and Max Ruml finished fourth.
Dillon Ruml kicked off the evening just as he concluded it, with a victory. Nicol defeated 2021 Under 21 National Champion Slater Lightcap in event two. Max Ruml beat Alex Martin in event three. Dukie Ermolenko, making his first appearance at the track this season, made the best start in event four and pushed Janniro very wide. Justin Almon cut underneath both of them and took the lead. Almon held off both veteran racers before Ermolenko fell and left Janniro as Almon’s sole challenger. Janniro chipped away at the lead and went to the outside in the final corner. He found enough traction to propel him around the teenager and snatch the victory at the finish line.
Ermolenko began the second round with a victory over Martin. Nicol defeated Wilbur Hancock for his second straight victory. Dillon Ruml made it two for two with a win ahead of Lightcap. Janniro ended round two with a win ahead of “Fast” Eddie Castro and Bobby “Boogaloo” Schwartz.
Lightcap beat Ermolenko to start round three. Hancock and Martin had a fantastic inside-outside battle with Martin edging ahead to get the victory. Dillon Ruml defeated his brother, Max, for his third victory in a row. An anticipated showdown between Nicol and Janniro in the final heat race was deflated when Janniro touched the tapes and was penalized. Nicol won to match Dillon Ruml’s perfect score and Janniro got past Brad Sauer to finish second.
Max Ruml used the outside to take the lead ahead of his brother in the first semi but Dillon remained within striking distance. On the second lap Dillon Ruml blasted by Max on the back straight and never relinquished his lead. Dillon was first and Max was second with both moving on to the main event. Nicol cruised to victory in the second semi with Janniro finishing second to join him and the Rumls in the main event.
Lightcap led all four laps to win the Scratch Consolation. Martin finished second, Hancock was third, and Ermolenko finished fourth.
The same competitors in the Scratch Main Event were also chosen by Barry Weiss, one of the stars of television show “Storage Wars,” to compete in a $500 winner-take-all Last Man Out Challenge Race after round two. Weiss attends most of the Industry Hills Speedway events consistently pays racers, young and old, cash out of his own pocket. He decided that the competitors would start from 50 yards behind the tapes. Dillon Ruml, was the first racer eliminated in what would be his only defeat of the night. Janniro was next to be eliminated which left Nicol and Max Ruml. Nicol made the best start and held off the challenges of the 2021 AMA National Champion for both laps and claimed the victory and the cash.
Ayrton Sieja made the best start in the Second Division Main. He was still leading on the second lap when Bruce Marteney fell and brought out the red flag. Rayson Normandin took advantage of his second chance and he led the field through lap one of the restart. Kevin Fiore stalked the leader and hoped for an opening. Normandin left some room on the inside exiting turn two the second time and Fiore pounced. He stormed by the leader on the back straight. Fiore never looked back from there and raced away with the victory. Normandin held on to second, Sieja finished third, and Marteney was fourth.
Jacob Wondolowski, who last turned laps at Industry Hills Speedway as a junior in 2009, won both of his heats and completed his perfect evening by handily winning the Third Division Main Event. 74-year-old Mike Boyle finished second, Ryan Bacarella was third, and Greg Willis finished fourth.
Jett Ferré won the Pee Wee Main Event by defeating Addie Summers.
During the pre-race Riders’ Meeting, Industry Hills Speedway Promoter Kelly Inman stated that the family of the late Hugh Randolph wanted to help a Third Division competitor. They had quietly determined that the winner of the June 21 Third Division Main Event would be awarded their gift. Inman proceeded to hand Tony Rutledge, winner of the aforementioned main event, an undisclosed amount of cash that would “pay for his entry fees for the rest of the season.”
The very popular annual Legends and Heroes Night had many speedway racers from the past and present in attendance. They greeted fans and signed autographs near the entrance of the race track. Racers who were in attendance included four-time World Champion Greg Hancock, who had just flown back from Europe, fellow four-time World Champion Barry Briggs was also in attendance. The long list of speedway’s stars from the past (and present in some cases) included “Wild” Bill Cody, Billy Gray, Rick Miller, and Steve Lucero.
A special ceremony during a break in the action was also held. Inman, completely unaware of what was about to take place, was honored by City of Industry Mayor Cory Moss. Moss officially declared that July 1, 2023 was “Kelly Inman Day” in the City of Industry. Inman was shocked to state the least and was very thankful for his much-deserved and hard-earned award.
The next event at Industry Hills Speedway will be Bruce Flanders Ugly Hawaiian Shirt Night and will take place on Wednesday, July 12. The event will honor the legendary motor sports announcer who announced speedway races for 50 years and was the official voice of Industry Racing from its inception in 2004 through 2018. The evening will have all divisions of speedway, sidecars, and the popular Ugly Hawaiian Shirt Contest. Fans and participants are encouraged to “dig deep into their closets and wear the ugliest Hawaiian shirt they can find.” A contest will be held to determine a winner with prizes being presented.
RESULTS
Scratch Main Event
3 - Dillon Ruml
98 - Broc Nicol
1 - Billy Janniro
5 - Max Ruml
Scratch Consolation
28 - Slater Lightcap
30n - Alex Martin
117 - Wilbur Hancock
15 - Dukie Ermolenko
Semi 1: D.Ruml, M.Ruml, Lightcap, Hancock
Semi 2: Nicol, Janniro, Martin, Ermolenko
Barry Weiss Last Man Out Challenge
98 - Broc Nicol
5 - Max Ruml
1 - Billy Janniro
3 - Dillon Ruml
Second Division Main Event (restarted)
159 - Kevin Fiore
299 - Rayson Normandin
241 - Ayrton Sieja
242 - Bruce Marteney (penalty line)
Second Division Consolation (restarted)
290 - Harold Hartke
178 - Eloy Medellin
373 - Bob Peet
113 - Tony Rutledge (non-starter, restart)
Third Division Main Event
250 - Jacob Wondolowski
198 - Mike Boyle
197 - Ryan Bacarella
215 - Greg Willis
Junior 250 Main Event
226 - Levi Leutz
Pee Wee Main Event
25 - Jett Ferré
164 - Addie Summers
First Division Heat Scoring 1 2 3 T
1 – Billy Janniro 3 3 2 8
3 – Dillon Ruml 3 3 3 9
5 – Max Ruml 3 1 2 6
11 – Bobby Schwartz 1 1 0 2
14 – Eddie Castro 1 2 E 3
15 – Dukie Ermolenko 0 3 2 5
21 – Brad Sauer 1 1 1 3
28 – Slater Lightcap 2 2 3 7
30n – Alex Martin 2 2 3 7
37 – Joey Donaldson 0 0 1 1
98 – Broc Nicol 3 3 3 9
117 – Wilbur Hancock 2 2 2 6
123 – Jordan Vanderham 1 0 1 2
137 – Justin Almon 2 1 1 4
Race Results
1: D.Ruml, Hancock, Castro
2: Nicol. Lightcap, Schwartz
3: M.Ruml, Martin, Sauer, Donaldson
4: Janniro, Almon, Vanderham, Ermolenko (fell, remounted)
9: Ermolenko, Martin, M.Ruml (fell, remounted)
10: Nicol, Hancock, Almon, Donaldson
11: D.Ruml, Lightcap, Sauer, Vanderham
12: Janniro, Castro, Schwartz
20: Lightcap, Ermolenko, Donaldson, Castro (engine failure)
21: Martin, Hancock Vanderham, Schwartz
22: D.Ruml, M.Ruml, Almon
23: Nicol, Janniro (tape penalty), Sauer
| 
