MANSFIELD — Mother Nature finally provided a little relief from the heat, but Friday evening’s cooler temperatures came with a cost.
Powerful thunderstorms rumbled through north central Ohio, forcing the cancellation of the Cool It Thermo Tec Freedom 250 at Mansfield Speedway.
The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series race will not be made up.
The event was added to the Mansfield Speedway schedule earlier this week after being moved from Atomic Speedway in Chillicothe.
Track owner Matt Tifft and his team spent a chaotic week prepping the rebuilt racetrack for the wear and tear of the bigger, more powerful late model cars.
“Late models are tough on tracks,” Tifft said in the run-up to Friday’s race. “We trying to … make sure the surface will be able to handle the pressure of some of the most violent cars to race across the country.”
The track didn’t hold up to the pressure when the World of Outlaws Late Models came to town for the Blaster 57 Special in late-May. That led to what amounted to a complete rebuild of the racing surface.
By all accounts, the track was up to the task before the rains came Friday.
“It wasn’t favorable when we were here for the Outlaw race earlier,” said Devin Moran, who was in Mansfield for the Blaster 57 Special. “The track looks good so far.”
The 28-car field made it through hot laps and qualifying Friday. Jonathan Davenport had the fastest time in qualifying at 16.677 seconds.
“We just held it wide open and saved the best for last,” Davenport said.
Tyler Erb, who won $100,000 in the Blaster 57 Special, won the first heat race. Brandon Overton won the second.
Cars were on track for the third heat race when the winds kicked up Friday. The rain and hale started moments later.
While Friday’s race was washed out, Mansfield Speedway will host the Freedom 250 Festival on Saturday. The festivities kick off at noon with a car show and culminate with a fireworks display. The event is free and open to the public.
