An exclamation point couldn’t be more ebullient than the one Anthony Danta put on his late-model track title Sunday night at Grundy County Speedway.
The Orland Park native worked his way through a talented Lee Schuler Memorial field with precision. He used the high side to blow by a race leader, Larry Schuler, who doesn’t get blown by very often.
Finally, the 30-year-old kept everybody in his rearview mirror over second half of the 61-lap race and won his fourth feature of the season.
“It feels good to win a race like this because it’s a pretty big race,” Danta said. “I haven’t won one yet, so this is probably the biggest race I’ve won.”
Danta went into the night not having clinched the points title. Schuler was still within striking distance should disaster strike.
“The plan was to keep it safe and that’s what I was doing,” Danta said. “Then a few yellows came out and I got in a position where I had to go for it. It just worked out where everything went my way.”
Danta has won two titles in two years at two different tracks. He was the 2015 late-model champion at the now-closed Illiana Speedway.
“It just says that I have a good car and good people helping me,” Danta said. “Without them I wouldn’t be able to do it. I’ve been lucky enough all my life to have my uncle (Mike White) helping me and learning the right things. And I wouldn’t be here without my dad (Frank) and my sponsors.”
Second place in Sunday’s race went to Ricky Baker ahead of Eddie Hoffman and Andy Jones.
Highs and lows: Michael Tobuch Jr., also experienced the euphoria of winning the final feature of the season and the 4-cylinder division title.
“I never thought that it would happen,” Tobuch said. “I know it means a lot to my dad and the rest of my family. It feels great to follow in the family tradition.”
Tobuch’s father, Mike Sr., won two track titles during his racing career.
Dan Schmeissing, meanwhile, experienced the heartbreak of seeing his title hopes slip away late in the race when he was black-flagged for going faster than the breakout restriction allows.
After the race, Schmeissing joined the Tobuchs in victory lane and offered them both warm congratulations.
“I don’t know what lap it (the breakout) was,” Schmeissing said. “We were so packed racing there it was hard to tell. But I wouldn’t want it any other way, finishing like this.
“It’s been one heck of a year, probably the closest battle in history for the 4-cylinders. This one’s for the Tobuchs, Mike Sr., and Jr.”
Pouring it on: Johnny Senerchia clinched the street stock championship with a dramatic last-lap pass of Seth Blommaert in the 35-lap feature.
“I was driving as hard as I could to get to (Blommaert),” Senerchia said. “When I got to him he got loose and gave me the bottom. We kind of touched there, but I have fun racing with him. That’s my old car and I help those guys out a little bit.”
Split satisfaction: Ron Vandermeir Jr. eased to the Mid-American title, but Matt Clemens had the final say in the 40-lap finale. The duo raced across the line just 0.220 seconds apart.
“I was going to use the bumper,” Vandermeir said with a smile. “I gave (Clemens) a shot and he just wasn’t budging. But man, this (title) means the world. We haven’t gotten one ever, and all of the people who back us and help us… it’s awesome.”
Twitter @tbaranek
