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   Nov 2-3 - North South Shootout - Time 8 - Heat Win - Start 8 - Finish 2
   
   From Speed51.com:
   MUD LANE SHINES IN NORTH CAROLINA…
   
   For young Matt Hirschman Saturday night was a pretty emotional night for him. He beat a star-studded field, had one of his mentors finish second to him and he won the ‘biggest’ race in Modified racing for the second straight year. Overall, it capped off Hirschman’s biggest year to date. “Yeah, this was pretty big tonight,” smiled Hirschman later in the evening, standing by his machine accepting congratulations from fellow competitors, fans, media and generally anyone that was just passing by. One of the big questions regarding Hirschman’s career and the career of any strong asphalt modified competitor is their status on NASCAR’s Whelen Modified Tour. Although Hirschman hasn’t won on ‘The Tour’ yet, he has established himself as a threat to win anywhere and his accomplishments speak for themselves. He’s won everywhere on the DART Race of Champions Tour, he’s been strong on the Tour, he’s won back-to-back North/South Shootouts, but is it okay to consider him in the elite class because he hasn’t won on ‘The Tour’?
   “I think that’s up to everyone else, it’s just an opinion,” Hirschman paused and explained a little more. “I think people generally do because I see a lot of stuff that says people think I am in that class of drivers. From my standpoint we haven’t run badly on the tour, we just haven’t won. I know that day is coming at least I think it is. To be in this position you have to think you are going to win.” Hirschman continued regarding the question relating it to his past accomplishments. “We’re beating the same guys that race on the tour with some of the same equipment, so it’s just a different venue and sanctioning body in my mind,”
   Hirschman offered. “I know some people out there might think differently, but there is a great sense of accomplishment when you in a race like this or one when you personally beat someone. When we won at All-Star Speedway in New Hampshire a couple weekends ago, we beat Teddy Christopher and there is great satisfaction in that, but people are entitled to their opinion. It’s a good question, but I’ll leave it up to the folks out there and let the chips fall where they may. I know what I’m capable of doing in a racecar and I’ve really enjoyed this season. The amount of attention from the media, the fans, the other competitors, the compliments, it speaks for itself. I really enjoy all of the different tours. It’s been my best year ever and I hope it keeps getting better.” Moving on in his career, Hirschman, as young as he is had to look ahead, but he is fairly grounded regarding his aspirations in racing when asked about the possibilities of moving on to one of NASCAR’s three national series.
   “Sure I would like the opportunity,” he offered. “I know this is the time because of my age, but I don’t have to have that opportunity for me to be personally happy, because I love the modifieds. I could see myself racing modifieds for the rest of my career. If it is going to happen, I know it would present a new challenge and a great opportunity to further my career, but if it doesn’t I’m okay.” Hirschman spoke about other driver’s in the division (mainly Bobby Santos, III) and his chances of moving on to ‘the big-time’.
   “If I had started a little bit younger, it might have increased my chances, but right now, I’d say Bobby (Santos III) is the one competitor in the modifieds that has the best shot. He’s got a taste of it. I have great respect for him and I think a lot of him as a driver, he can do it. Racing with him I don’t see any big difference in us, but he’s a little younger with a better chance.”
   Hirschman, who much like has Father has the talent, knows his success comes from the efforts of his team and his family, and is okay with be the guy that didn’t leave town for a ‘better and brighter future’. In some eyes that makes the kid pretty cool.
   “I do need to thank my Mom and Dad,” offered Hirschman. “The crew, they do a great job. Frankie for his efforts, just all of the guys and gals that help us. This is pretty cool. Ed Bennett came down, my Tour owner, he’s just a great guy. It was a great effort for all of us and the support is spectacular.
   
   Finishing to Hirschman on Saturday evening was fellow competitor and Hirschman’s neighbor Eric Beers. What most people don’t know is that Hirschman’s start working in racing might have actually come working for Beers rather then his Father, Tony.
   “Before, when my brother was still spotting for my Dad, I spotted for Eric and when there wasn’t a tour race I would go to Flemington and spot for Eric,”
   related Hirschman with a laugh. “I couldn’t even get in the pits, but he has provided a great influence in my career just as my Dad as. We’ve known each other all of my life.”
   Hirschman continued, “Eric might be the most competitive person I’ve ever met. I know him, it kills him to finish second, but I still do look up to him. Up until this year I was always finishing behind him. He’s hit a little bump in the road, but with that new team over there I think they’ve found something and that’s how this business goes. I might be in front of him now, but when the momentum changes he’ll be back in front of me, it’s just how the momentum swings, but when I started racing he was the guy, winning at Mountain, on the Race of Champions Series, the Race of Champions and on the track, I’ve probably learned more from him then anyone, then anyone I’ve ever raced against.” “We’ve just spent a lot of time around one another mostly running at Mountain, the Race of Champions stuff and now on the Tour. I enjoyed running behind him when I was getting started I would try to catch him and stay with him and never really could have cared less about passing him. It’s been quite a few years, I’m sure the shoe is going to be on the other foot as the momentum swings. We’re still good friends and we’re both very competitive, but he’s been there, he was at my first race.”
   People are certainly entitled to their own opinions, but it has been a pleasure to watch Matt Hirschman grow up into one of the most talented short track racers in the business, not just modifieds. The possibilities are endless.

   BEERS FIRST TIME OUT IN THE 46…

   One thing Matt Hirschman is right on about is Eric Beers and his competitive nature. Whether it’s a backyard wiffle ball game or the biggest race of the year, Beers wants to win and he wants to win bad. His demeanor wouldn’t really reflect that, but it’s true.
   Saturday night was no different at Concord, but for the first time out in a new ride, Beers shined and nearly pulled into victory lane.
   “Yeah, tonight was a good start for us, we needed this, really needed it,” reflected Beers on the performance. “We wanted to time trial in, but in the end, I’m actually glad we didn’t. We learned a bunch from our heat race and put together a pretty good car for the race. We were just a little too loose up off the corner to get a good enough run to get Matt, but we were right there. If you are right there all of the time and I think that potential is here, then you are going to win races.”
   Beers will be in the 46 for the 2008 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season and then in his own number 9 machine at selected shows throughout the 2008 season, beginning with ‘Speedweeks’ in Florida.
   “You try some things and sometimes, it doesn’t work out and that’s kind of how I’m looking at the 2007 Tour season,” explained Beers. “Hell, it wasn’t anyone’s fault. It just didn’t go well, the cool thing is that nobody gave up. All of those guys are right here with me this weekend ready to go. Kevin (Crowley) and all of the guys, that’s what this is all about.”
   Beers talked about his relationship with Matt Hirschman as well.
   “I wanted to win,” smiled Beers. “But Matt’s on his game and I couldn’t be more proud of him. He and I have been friends for a long time. Some days, we need to put him in his place and the ‘Mud Lane Gang’ has a way of doing those kind of things and we all laugh about it, but his career has just taken off. The kid has so much talent. He spotted for me at Flemington and I was there when he started racing. It’s a competitive relationship, believe me, but we have fun.”
   Beers wasn’t just proud of Matt on Saturday, his son Austin was ‘the Star’ of the pit party and well…

   There is another Beers racing as well…

   Young Austin Beers, the son of Eric, is also racing.
   On Saturday he came to Concord as the defending champion of the annual pedal car race put together by event promoter Charles Kepley and his staff. Austin debuted his new pedal car, which was one sporting a similar paint job to his Dad’s DART Race of Champions Modified. He even had autograph cards to sign as he showed off his new ride in front of his Father’s new ride.
   Austin went on to defend his Pedal Car championship and was all smiles in victory lane. After the Modified race later that evening, the youngest Beers approached his Father and said, “Dad, I won and you finished second.” To which the elder Beers responded, “Yeah, it wasn’t too bad of a day for the family, was it?”
   Not bad indeed a lot of people were smiling because of both finishes.

   THE PREMIER ASPHALT MODIFIED RACE OF NOT…

   In Canada every Saturday night during hockey season is ‘Hockey Night in Canada and this past Saturday may well go down as ‘Race Night in Charlotte…’
   With a record crown being announced at the North/South Shooutout, we’ll estimate about 9,000 fans in attendance and well over 12,000 just down the road at the World of Outlaw event(s) at the dirt track at Lowe’s that should leave short track industry folks charged up about the future of the sport. On Saturday within less then 30-miles of one-another over 20,000 fans were watching short track racing and not all of the fans were from the Charlotte area. By the boat load, fans traveled from near and far to attend the weekend’s event. Encouraging for the sport, but one of the questions regarding the North/South Shootout is, has it established itself as ‘The Premier’ asphalt modified race in the nation? Lets, let the winner answer.
   “I got more attention winning last year’s race then from anything else I’ve ever done and I’m sure it won’t be any different this year,” offered Hirschman.
   “That is not meant as a knock on anyone else, the Tour, the Race of Champions, it’s just that the race has probably become the highest prestige race of the year with all of the hype and build up. It’s pretty incredible what Charles and Dale have accomplished.
   The hardware (trophies) you receive, the helmet, the shot gun, the gift certificates, the lap money, overall it’s incredible. They do an incredible job.”
   Hirschman finished. “I still want to win the Race of Champions really badly, because of the history and the prestige, but winning two-in-a-row down here has been really special. It’s just a great race and I can’t wait until we come back next year.”
   Charles Kepley, Dale Wolbrink and their C&C Racing Souvenir staff along with Concord Motorsport Park, can poke their chests out a little bit right now. Even though the World Series ended a few weeks ago, the 5th Annual John Blewett III North/South Shootout presented by Town & Country Ford was definitely a homerun.

   5th Annual John Blewett III Memorial North-South Shootout presented by Town & Country Ford (100 laps):
   1. Matt Hirschman, Northampton, PA (100); 2. Eric Beers, Northampton, PA (100); 3. Bobby Santos, Franklin, MA (100); 4. Burt Myers, Walnut Cove, NC; (100); 5. Donny Lia, Jericho, NY (100); 6. Eric Rudolph, Ransomville, NY (100); 7. Les Hinckley, Windsor Locks, CT (100); 8. Dale Quarterley, Westfield, MA (100); 9. Woody Pitkat, Stafford Springs, CT (100); 10. Ryan Preece, Kensington, CT (100); 11. Pete Brittain, Oakhurst, NJ (100); 12.
   Brian Pack, Walkertown, NC (100); 13. Johnny Bush, Huntington Station, NY(100); 14. Ronnie Silk, Norwalk, CT(100) 15. Jimmy Blewett, Howell, NJ(100) 16. Jamie Tomaino, Howell, NJ(100) 17. Chuck Hossfeld, Ransomville, NY(100) 18. Billy Pauch, Frenchtown,
   NJ(100) 19. Charlie Pasteryak, Lisbon, CT(100) 20. Brian King, Gibsonville, NC(100) 21. Darren Scherer, Binghampton, NY99) 22. Gene Pack, Walkertown, NC(99) 23. Andy Suess, Hampstead, NH(99) 24. Ken Wooley, Jr.,Brick,NJ(99) 25. Frank Fleming, Mt. Airy,NC(98) 26. Randy Butner, Pfafftown, NC(94) 27. James Civali, Meriden, CT(83) 28. Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, CT(76) 29. Rick Kluth, Brockport, NY(73) 30. Jason Myers, Walnut Cove, NC(68) 31. Bobby Grigas, Marshfield,
   MA(58) 32. Ted Christopher, Plainville, CT(58) 33.
   Josh Nichols. Cleveland, NC(51)
   

   
   
   
   1. Matt Hirschman, Northampton, PA (100);
   2. Eric Beers, Northampton, PA (100);
   3. Bobby Santos, Franklin, MA (100);
   4. Burt Myers, Walnut Cove, NC; (100);
   5. Donny Lia, Jericho, NY (100);
   6. Eric Rudolph, Ransomville, NY (100);
   7. Les Hinckley, Windsor Locks, CT (100);
   8. Dale Quaterley, Westfield, MA (100);
   9. Woody Pitkat, Stafford Springs, CT (100);
   10. Ryan Preece, Kensington, CT (100);
   11. Pete Brittain, Oakhurst, NJ (100);
   12. Brian Pack, Walkertown, NC (100);
   13. Johnny Bush, Huntington Station, NY(100);
   14. Ronnie Silk, Norwalk, CT(100)
   15. Jimmy Blewett, Howell, NJ(100)
   16. Jamie Tomaino, Howell, NJ(100)
   17. Chuck Hossfeld, Ransomville, NY(100)
   18. Billy Pauch, Frenchtown, NJ(100)
   19. Charlie Pasteryak, Lisbon, CT(100)
   20. Brian King, Gibsonville, NC(100)
   21. Darren Scherer, Binghampton, NY99)
   22. Gene Pack, Walkertown, NC(99)
   23. Andy Suess, Hampstead, NH(99)
   24. Ken Wooley, Jr.,Brick,NJ(99)
   25. Frank Fleming, Mt. Airy,NC(98)
   26. Randy Butner, Pfafftown, NC(94)
   27. James Civali, Meriden, CT(83)
   28. Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, CT(76)
   29. Rick Kluth, Brockport, NY(73)
   30. Jason Myers, Walnut Cove, NC(68)
   31. Bobby Grigas, Marshfield, MA(58)
   32. Ted Christopher, Plainville, CT(58)
   33. Josh Nichols. Cleveland, NC(51)
   

Oct 13-14 - Thompson Speedway - Time 24th - Finish 16th

by Richie Grods

Oct 6 - Mahoning - Super 7 Series - Time 2 - Redraw 9 - Finish 2

Mike Quinn Takes Season Finale 100 Over Eric Beers; Chip Santee is Mahoning Mod Champ

(LEHIGHTON, PA. 10-6-07) After watching Saturday night’s Season Finale Modified 100 at Mahoning Valley Speedway, no one could have guessed that Mike Quinn of Ashfield is in his rookie season of Modified racing. He simply handled the star-studded field like a seasoned veteran.

Driving the Ivan and Wanda Morgan owned mount, Quinn turned in a spectacular performance in which he held off the likes of some of the best asphalt Modified stars in the business including the undisputed king of the Super-7 Series races, Eric Beers.

Quinn started 12th and eclipsed Zane Zeiner for the lead with a smooth outside pass on lap 62. He then had to withstand the unrelenting pressure of Beers. He masterfully did so and went on to score the biggest win of his career.

“Unbelievable! I never thought that we could come out on top of this one especially after starting 12th. When you run against guys like Eric Beers, Zane Zeiner, Earl Paules and all these guys that have been doing this for so long and be able to beat them, it’s just unbelievable,” said Quinn, who also pocketed $3000 for his efforts.

Meanwhile Chip Santee of Slatington earned the 2007 Modified title.

It was Mahoning Valley’s final race of the year and seventh installment of the J Co Autobody Super-7 Series.

Time trials took place at the start of the night with the top-12 guaranteeing them into the grid. Zeiner was the fastest of the 24 cars on hand. A redraw saw the front row go to Don Wagner and Rusty Smith.

At the outset it was Wagner jumping to the early lead with Smith, Earl Paules and Bobby Jones in tow.

Wagner was looking very strong as he led the pack handily over the first 26 caution-free laps. Paules had moved into second by lap five and was keeping close tabs on the leader. Zeiner grabbed third five laps later.

After the first caution and several times thereafter, Paules would try everything he could to get by Wagner on each restart. But the outgoing champion remained solid with each repeated challenge.

Zeiner was staying right in the thick of the battle. Santee also emerged into the fray and actually snagged the third spot from Zeiner on lap 36. Zeiner then returned the favor three laps later. He then went into a torrid battle with Paules and Wagner and after a fierce three-wide clash for the lead, Zeiner come out on top as 45-laps were being completed.

At the same time a nasty crash took place when Rod Snyder, Jr., got KO’d from the event after a hard hit into the turn four wall. As the mid-way mark approached the yellow waved again and it came at the expense of runner-up Wagner who spun in turn three. In the process he collected Matt Hirschman.

On the restart Quinn was now second and as the race resumed he immediately began his pursuit of Zeiner. It was actually a four car battle as Beers and Paules were all part of the lead quartet.

Running the outside line, Quinn executed his race winning move at the 62nd circuit. Once getting the lead it was never easy staying there as Zeiner and Beers were motoring around side-by-side right behind the leader while Paules was also glued to their bumpers.

Beers grabbed second place on lap 65 and afterwards did all he could to unseat Quinn. However the leader was running a line that gave him just enough security to keep Beers from making any type of pass.

Quinn was also on top of his game after several every late race restarts too as he never allowed Beers the chance to overtake him.

“I saw him come under me a couple times and I was worried about the restarts. Eric (Beers) is one of the top competitors with these Modifieds. These restarts, that’s where it’s at,” said Quinn.

Victory lane was filled with emotion for Quinn, realizing that he had just scored such a huge win.

“I’ve only won two other times in this division and I want to thank everyone involved with this team. I can’t begin to say enough about the crew and everybody, especially the Morgan’s for this great opportunity to drive their car,” said Quinn.

The Super-7 Series has been quite a windfall for Beers as he notched three wins and three runner-ups. He noted that he had lost power steering after 10 laps and it was a struggle from there out although you never would have known from his keen run.

“We lost the power steering around lap 10 and it (car) made really hard to turn. It was tough trying to run the outside groove so I really had to pick my spots in order to get by everyone,” said Beers.

“I knew Mike (Quinn) had a really good car because he did a great job getting around Zane (Zeiner) on the outside and I knew he would be tough. He ran a good race.”

Zeiner, Paules and Smith completed the top five with John Markovic, Santee, Tom Flanagan, Jones and Brian DeFebo rounding out the top ten.

Sept 28-29 - Stafford - WMT- Set Fast TIme - Start 7 - Finish 19
The weekend started ominously as there were oil leaks, transmission problems, the seal in the rear going and various other little issues that were discovered in practice. The team stuck to it and gave Eric a car that was fast enough to get the pole. Eric redrew 7th. After the race went green on the next restart Eric got hit so hard in the rear that it caused the shifter to break off in his hand. On the next caution Eric brought the car in to the attention of the crew and after several trips into the pits they got him all set up. But the trips to the pits set him back in the pack. Eric and the team did a great job to get Eric a finish as the last car on the lead lap in 19th.

1. (14) Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I., Chevrolet, 150 laps, 63.395 mph.
2. (3) Tony Hirschman, Jr., Northampton, Penn., Chevrolet, 150.
3. (9) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
4. (5) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Dodge, 150.
5. (6) Ronnie Silk, Norwalk, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
6. (10) James Civali, Meriden, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
7. (2) Donny Lia, Jericho, N.Y., Dodge, 150.
8. (16) Rick Fuller, Auburn, Mass., Pontiac, 150.
9. (17) Bobby Santos, III, Millis, Mass., Chevrolet, 150.
10. (25) Reggie Ruggiero, Rocky Hill, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
11. (11) Eddie Flemke, Southington, Conn., Chevrolet, 150.
12. (19) Kevin Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150.
13. (13) Bobby Grigas, Marshfield, Mass., Chevrolet, 150.
14. (27) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 150.
15. (1) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn., Ford, 150.
16. (12) Jimmy Blewett, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 150.
17. (20) Richard Savary, Canton, Mass., Chevrolet, 150.
18. (8) Dick Houlihan, Bridgewater, Mass., Chevrolet, 150.
19. (7) Eric Beers, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 150.
20. (31) Joe Hartmann, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 149.
21. (18) Anthony Sesely, Matawan, N.J., Chevrolet, 149.
22. (33) Jake Marosz, Middletown, Conn., Chevrolet, 148.
23. (28) Eric Berndt, Meriden, Conn., Pontiac, 147.
24. (30) Wade Cole, Riverton, Conn., Chevrolet, 146.
25. (23) Charlie Pasteryak, Lisbon, Conn., Chevrolet, 140.
26. (26) Renee Dupuis, Glastonbury, Conn., Chevrolet, 136, clutch.
27. (32) Glen Tyler, Hampton Bays, N.Y., Chevrolet, 121.
28. (22) Woody Pitkat, Stafford Springs, Conn., Pontiac, 108, suspension.
29. (24) Billy Pauch, Jr., Frenchtown, N.J., Dodge, 106, accident.
30. (15) Jerry Marquis, Broad Brook, Conn., Chevrolet, 68, accident.
31. (4) Ryan Preece, Kensington, CT, Chevrolet, 18, accident.
32. (21) Carl Pasteryak, Lisbon, Conn., Pontiac, 5, accident.
33. (29) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Ford, 2, engine.
Time of Race: 1 hour 10 minutes 59 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: Eric Beers (98.538 mph, 18.267 seconds)
Caution Flags: 8 for 42 laps.
Lead Changes: 4 among 4 drivers.
Lap Leaders: T.Szegedy 1-10; D.Lia 11; T.Szegedy 12-60; M.Hirschman 61-91; M.Stefanik 92-150.
Standings: 1. Lia, 2392; 2. Szegedy, 2209; 3. Civali, 2111; 4. Silk, 2102; 5. M. Hirschman, 2102; 6. Christopher, 2095; 7. Stefanik, 1935; 8. Blewett, 1795; 9. Tomaino, 1754; 10. Flemke Jr., 1745


Sept 23-Thompson-WMT - Finish 23

Silk's First Career Mod Tour Victory Comes at Thompson by Denise DuPont

The second annual Sunoco Thompson Modified Mania NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour 150 lap event started their postponed race under quite different conditions from the original date. Two weeks ago, there was a late summer shower that washed out the original date of racing just before feature time. On Sunday, the first day of fall brought with it sunshine and great racing weather. Ronnie Silk had the fourth fastest car during time trials two weeks ago and his speed on the track continued on Sunday. Silk won the 150 lap NWMT race at Thompson International Speedway after passing Reggie Ruggiero for the lead on lap 137. “It came close quite a few times this year,” said Silk. “It is great to finally be here. I am really excited.”As the green flag was thrown, pole sitter Donny Lia led the field across the start line with Ron Yuhas on his outside. Lia maintained a lead until lap 58 when he pitted for fresh tires during a caution. The car was not as dominant after pitting and Lia managed to salvage only an eighth place finish in the end. “We had a shock go bad,” said Lia. “So we were just hanging on. The car was pretty much undrivable. It was just a matter of taking whatever we could get. We finished eighth which isn’t too bad considering the problem that we had. I am happy with that. We will go after it next week. We have a pretty good car for Stafford next week. ”Ted Christopher inherited the lead from Lia when he refused to pit with the rest of the pack. TC led the race until lap 100 when Silk passed him for the lead. TC drove behind Silk and held on to second position until lap 113 when he pitted and came back with a plan for a late race charge for the lead. Christopher would get back to the top five, but with only ten laps left in the race, TC was black flagged after cutting across the infield grass and making contact with Eddie Flemke. Flemke would hit the turn two wall.During the last 35 laps Silk, Ruggiero and Szegedy all raced one another for the win lap after lap. “We were gong really good but he was a little bit better. We were loose on restarts. It took probably 10 laps to get going. I hated to see the last two or three cautions. We were really going good. But on restarts I passed him on the restart because I was on the outside but he would get by me because I was loose in the corner. His car was better he deserved to win.”Then Silk passed Ruggiero with only 13 laps to go and the race was his from that lap on.
“A couple of times I really didn’t give him the room that he really deserved,” said Silk. “I just hope that he remembers what it was like when he was trying to win his first race.” This was Silk’s first NWMT win. He started competing in the NWMT in 2004 and has progressively moved his way to the front for a win.Ruggiero has raced many years at Thompson and calls it one of his best tracks. “I love Thompson. This is my favorite race track ever since I have been racing,” said Ruggiero. “Since they repaved it the track has two grooves. As long as the guys are gentlemen and race you clean [I enjoy racing here].”Szegedy coming off a big win at NHIS last week finished third behind Silk and Ruggiero. “It is great to see Ron win,” said Szegedy. “He is well overdue there. We had a good car. The track was very odd today. There was not a lot of bite. You really had your hands full. It was quite a work out today. I am really happy with the finish. Last week was a long wait to find out if we won. We won last week and today feels like a win too.”

1. (4) Ronnie Silk, Norwalk, Conn., Chevrolet, 150 laps, 79.055 mph, $7,200.
2. (19) Reggie Ruggiero, Rocky Hill, Conn., Chevrolet, 150, $3,900.
3. (7) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn., Ford, 150, $2,900.
4. (13) Bobby Santos, III, Franklin, Mass., Chevrolet, 150, $2,850.
5. (27) James Civali, Meriden, Conn., Chevrolet, 150, $7,300.
6. (25) Robert Grigas, Marshfield, Mass., Chevrolet, 150, $2,050.
7. (15) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Pontiac, 150, $1,950.
8. (1) Donnie Lia, Jericho, N.Y., Dodge, 150, $2,450.
9. (6) Anthony Ferrante, New Hyde Park, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150, $1,250.
10. (14) Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I., Pontiac, 150, $2,325.
11. (3) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 150, $1,600.
12. (16) Kevin Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150, $1,575.
13. (5) Dick Houlihan, Bridgewater, Mass., Chevrolet, 150, $1,550.
14. (2) Ron Yuhas, Groton, Conn., Chevrolet, 150, $1,525.
15. (23) Jimmy Blewett, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 150, $1,500.
16. (21) Richard Savary, Canton, Mass., Chevrolet, 150, $1,475.
17. (29) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Dodge, 150, $1,450.
18. (28) Renee Dupuis, Glastonbury, Conn., Chevrolet, 150, $1,400.
19. (34) Joseph Hartmann, Calverton, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150, $1,465.
20. (20) Rick Fuller, Corbin, Mass., Toyota, 150, $1,445.
21. (9) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 149, $1,437.
22. (26) Wade Cole, Riverton, Conn., Chevrolet, 147, $1,300.
23. (22) Eric Beers, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 146, $1,250.
24. (30) Eddie Flemke, Southington, Conn., Chevrolet, 141, accident, $1,225.
25. (17) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 139, $1,200.
26. (10) Billy Pauch, Jr., Lawrenceville, N.J., Dodge, 137, $800.
27. (8) Jerry Marquis, Broad Brook, Conn., Chevrolet, 134, engine, $800.
28. (12) Eric Berndt, Cromwell, Conn., Pontiac, 132, suspension, $800.
29. (18) Ryan Preece, Kensington, Conn., Chevrolet, 131, clutch, $800.
30. (33) Ken Heagy, Calverton, N.Y., Chevrolet, 117, transmission, $800.
31. (31) Robbie Summers, Vernon, Conn., Pontiac, 61, handling, $800.
32. (35) John Marosz, Middletown, Conn., Chevrolet, 35, vibration, $800.
33. (32) Jonathan McKennedy, Somerset, Conn., Dodge, 23, overheating, $800.
34. (36) Roy Seidell, Easthampton, Mas., Chevrolet, 22, overheating, $800.
35. (11) Danny Sammons, Hamilton, N.J., Chevrolet, 0, dns, $800.
36. (24) Tony Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 0, dns, $800.

Time of Race: 1 hour 10 minutes 35 seconds Margin of Victory: .123
Fastest Qualifier: D.Lia (118.189 mph, 18.885 seconds)
Caution Flags: 8 for 35 laps.
Lead Changes: 4 among 4 drivers.
Lap Leaders: D.Lia 1-58; T.Christopher 59-99; R.Silk 100-130; R.Ruggiero 131-136; R.Silk 137-150


Sept 22 - RoC - Oswego - Time- 9 - Start 12 - Finish 23

The disappointment is still there and this one will hurt for a while - A lot of work went into getting a car that good and then pit and having the top five cars in front front of us haveing to pit yet. Who knows what would would have happened but it sure would have been nice to see it might have played out. But thats racing and why we get going back.

Story from Speed 51

Eric Beers was seemingly the only other driver with an opportunity to win the 200-lap event, but young Erik Rudolph had different ideas. Beers, who has been having a year the opposite of Leaty, was on his way around Rudolph when the duo crashed hard in turn two.“I’d just like to know if he was thinking,” quipped Beers. “I was out there and then he started racing us hard. For a long time, I ran behind him. I could have hit him, I could have done a lot of things, but I raced him with respect, gave him some room, then he just flat crashed us. I really believe we had an opportunity to win the race. I went to the outside and there wasn’t much there, so it changed our strategy. The guys performed a great pitstop and he only took two tires, so he was in front of us and getting looser each lap. I knew I had to pass him and when he started slowing down I thought it was our opportunity. I guess he wasn’t going to be passed.” The situation was one that nearly looked blatant. Unfortunately, there are only two people who really know what happened. Obviously, Beers was upset following the incident, but it brings back the great debate of the age a competitor should be allowed to compete in a car as potent as an asphalt modified or any ‘true’ racecar for that matter. Rudolph is tremendously talented, but is any 16 year old ready to step up and maintain the maturity and concentration level that it takes to compete in such a grueling event? It is a great debate and in this instance, only a race was lost, but could the consequences be greater the next time? One has to wonder?
_____________________________________________________________________________
The 57th Sunoco Race of Champions took center stage at the Oswego Speedway (NY) on Saturday afternoon. 50 Modifieds jammed the pit area in anticipation of the event. The format, which was similar to last season’s event, featured time trials for all Modifieds teams with the top-12 from time trials advancing directly into the 200-lap feature. The remainder of the field was set by four qualifying races and two last chance B-Mains.
For Williamson, N.Y.’s, Jan Leaty, it was nearly a perfect day. He qualified well within the top-12, redrew the pole and the scored his second triumph in the annual classic. It was also his second consecutive victory at Oswego.
Jan Leaty in victory lane. (Paul Cooper Photos courtesy of GATER Racing News)
Leaty’s first win in the Sunoco Race of Champions came at Oswego in 1996 and he followed it up in 1997 with a car owner victory and he finished second to Tony Hirschman, who piloted Leaty’s second car to the victory.
On Saturday night, Leaty used a little different strategy to capture his second victory as a driver in the prestigious event. Leaty, who started on the pole, ultimately, had to hold off Matt Hirschman to capture the victory, but early on he chased Pete Brittain, who racked up over $13,000 in lap money leading the first 133 circuits.
“I wanted to have a good side by side start, but I think I played a little too nicely,” began Leaty. “We had a pretty quick yellow, but I was pressuring him before that yellow and may have got by him, but it didn’t work out that way. I wasn’t just riding behind him either, because of the lap money this event pays. I wanted to get by him, but he was pretty strong.”
Pit strategy is a key to victory in the 200-lap event at Oswego. In years past, it was a
survival of the fittest test and typically the last car to pit for tires made a dramatic drive to the front in the closing laps of the 200. For the past couple of years, pitting at or around the halfway point and utilizing a strong handling car has seemingly been the key and several drivers utilized different strategies on Saturday night, which Leaty used to his advantage.
“Our plan when we started the race was something around halfway, but that changed as strategies played out. Several cars pitted between the cautions on lap 72 and 80,” began Leaty recalling his race strategy. “Then there was another caution on lap 106, but that was too soon. I thought it would be better if they had another hard run on the tires and we got the caution when we needed it, so I started thinking that a caution on lap 140 would be ideal.”
The caution that Leaty was looking for came when young Erik Rudolph made an abrupt right turn and took out himself and Eric Beers as they slammed the outside of the turn two wall. The hit was so violent it actually shook the plywood down from the billboards hanging outside the race track. It was just past lap 130 when this happened.
“Yeah, we were blessed. The caution came out right as we needed it,” explained Leaty. “I was starting to fade a little and the guys that had pitted for tires had several hard runs on them, plus the field was thinned out to. I tried the same exact strategy a few years ago and I didn’t get a caution until too late in the race. This time the caution flew exactly when we needed it and it put me in a position to drive back to the front.” Leaty’s biggest challenger of the night was Northampton, Pa.’s, Matt Hirschman. Hirschman, who finished second in this race last season, was seeking the big prize once again and he definitely had a fast car. “If Matt came out of the pits in front of us, then the story would definitely be different,” explained Leaty. “He was fast, but our group, we’ve got such a great group of people, got us out first. It’s pretty incredible to think about, but that was definitely a major contribution to winning this race. We’re a team and we all work that way. I’m really fortunate in that aspect, I’m very thankful.” Once the race went back to green, Leaty’s concerns were getting to the front, avoiding carnage and keeping Hirschman behind him. All of which were pretty big projects that offered scares at one point or another. Leaty was able to keep Hirschman at bay, but when Jim Storace, Earl Paules and a lapped car came together, Leaty was looking at things from a different perspective. It was about lap 170. “I saw it live and just prayed that they didn’t collect me,” Leaty recalled Paules’ move. “Paules tried to make a move to the bottom and push the lap car up into the car on the outside. I could see the sparks and was off the gas, somehow I got through and if things would have gone differently I could have been in a pileup. When things are going your way, they go your way and that was one of those times.” Avoiding that incident put Leaty on Wilbur Hebing’s tail. Hebing, who was racking up lap money to the tune of over $5,000, had been in control of the event since Leaty and Hirschman had pitted. “I didn’t want to give Wilbur any confidence, so I went right to work on him,” Leaty began explaining his pass for the lead. “But he was slipping and sliding and I really didn’t want to hook wheels and crash, or anything of that sort, so I let him settle down and then I went back after him.” As the duo started the 183rd circuit Hebing slipped his Kenny Troyer owned Chevrolet in turn two, allowing Leaty to put his machine to the outside entering turn three and complete the pass heading into turn one “He slipped just enough and it gave me enough room to get my left front to the outside of him in turn three,” explained Leaty. “That’s my deal, it stuck and we got the lead.” Leaty brought Hirschman with him and the two battled it out over the final dozen laps. “I saw him coming, but I knew my car was still pretty good,” Leaty offered. “I just kept it on the bottom, if he could go to the outside, then he could have it. He made a couple of cracks at it, but he didn’t have quite enough to get the job done.” Leaty led Hirschman to the checkers with Hebing coming home third. JR Kent and Chuck Hossfeld rounded out the top five. Before adding in the lap money, Leaty’s victory was worth $10,000. “It’s pretty cool to have this place only abut 50 miles from home,” Leaty quipped from victory lane. “I need to thank Sunoco, the Toals, everyone associated with putting this race on. This is a big night for us. The team did a great job all day, all season. This is a pretty special victory for all of us.”

Matt Hirschman of Northampton, Pa., captured the pole award. Paules, Rick Kluth of Hilton, N.Y., Tommy Ferrell of Neptune, N.J., and Woody Pitkat of Stafford Springs, Conn., captured the heat races. Chris Finocchario won the consolation event. Matt Hirschman, who finished third, will probably miss the final combination event, which is this weekend at Lancaster Speedway in New York, due to a conflict with the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. Still Hirschman has racked up an impressive record in this season’s DART Race of Champions Tour events and on Saturday night at Oswego, he finished second for the second straight season. “Tonight, we just got beat,” offered Hirschman. “I know last year was aggravating to get beat, but this year, Jan just beat us. We might have been a tick quicker than Jan or equal to him, but we followed him all race and just couldn’t get around him. I got outside of him once, when we were running for second, but I got too wide and didn’t want to.


Story from JR Kennerup
Oswego, NY - After winning back here on Labor Day weekend Jan Leaty of Williamson, NY made himself the favorite to win the 57th Sunoco Race of Champions on Saturday night at the Oswego Speedway. Leaty made the pre race odds makers look like geniuses as Jan’s game plan of how to win this race worked to perfection.

Leaty who started on the pole pitted for tires on lap 134 and used the late pit stop strategy to perfection as he took the lead from Wilbur Hebing with an outside turn three pass coming down to complete 183. Then Leaty had to hold off the relentless challenges of Matt Hirschman over the final eight laps to secure the $10,000 win. Hebing slipped back to third with JR Kent coming home in fourth and Chuck Hossfeld ending up in fifth.

"This is a nice little place to have 50 miles from home" said Jan who also won the first RoC race at Oswego in 1996 when it was moved to here from Flemington. "We’re really lucky as I have a good group around me, my team they gave me a great pit stop and that was the difference in the race. If Matt would have gotten out in front of me things would have been totally different. We’re a team as we all work hard together and I’m fortunate."
Jan started on the pole but never got the lead as outside pole sitter Pete Brittain got the jump on Jan and he followed Pete for the first 133 laps. "I was probably being too honest on the start as I wanted a good fair side by side start" said Jan. "He (Brittain) got a jump on me by a few feet and that was all it took. I ran him a little harder than I normally would run a guy because of all the lap money this race pays. I think if the race would have stayed green I would have wrestled the lead from him. But the yellow came out on lap one and he was just ahead of me at the line. That translated into about thirteen grand (in lap money) for him."
Jan followed Brittain for the lead for the first 133 laps and at times it seemed that Jan was using his strategy. "I tried him but not all the time. But there were times I was watching him and he looked a little more vulnerable. I would pull up and take a look to just keep the pressure on him. The cars were just too even and I had Matt sniffing my tailpipe so I had to be careful about making a bold outside move. So it kind of boiled down to an inside move and I couldn’t get him so I had to be a little careful not to wear out my stuff as I really didn’t know when I would be pitting."
Jan spoke about his race strategy going into the race. "Our race strategy going into the race was to pit at halfway. But what happened was that a whole big group of cars pitted on lap 72 and also on lap 80. There was another caution on lap 106 and we decided not to pit then because it was only 23 laps after they all pitted. My hope was that we could get another 20 to 25 hard laps out of the tires before I had to pit and the pit like at lap 140. That is where I was blessed as I got a caution right when I needed it. At that time I was starting to fade and the guys who already pitted had a significant running time on their tires that they pitted for. Plus the field was thinned out pretty good at that time too. I tried the same exact pit strategy a few years ago and we didn’t get a caution until very late in the race. This time we got a caution when we needed it and they guys put me in a position to get to the front."
When the race went back to green on lap 136 Leaty moved to the outside groove with Hirschman right on his back bumper. Jan moved into fifth on lap 165 and into fourth on the next lap with Hirschman in tow. " I moved right to the top after the pit stop " said Jan. "I knew Matt was right behind me so I didn’t want to leave any real openings for him and I zig zagged through there pretty good and I actually got away from him (Hirschman) for a little bit."
Jan almost had his race come to an end on lap 170 coming out of turn four. When right in front of Jan Jim Storace who was second and Earl Paules who was third got together with a lap car racing for the show position. The contact that Jan avoided placed him in second behind leader Wilbur Hebing.
"I saw it so live I can still see it" says Jan recalling the incident. "Paules tried making a move to the inside and pushing the lap car up and into the guy on the outside. Sure I could see the sparks and basically I was off the gas and then Paules went up and Storace came down and I said don’t collect me, don’t collect me. Sure enough I got through it, things could have gone totally different there and we could have been in a pileup. When things are going your way you got to have that too."
"First off in my mind I didn’t want to give him (Wilbur) any false confidence by riding behind him too long so I made an attempt and attacked him for the lead right away. He was kind of slipping and I was more afraid about hooking wheels and wrecking. So I let him settle down a little and then started working him again and the one time he slipped coming off of two there and I just committed myself to the outside and got the wheel up on him there in turn three, that’s my deal."
Jan had one last challenger for the win and that was the driver who was in his rear view mirror all night long. "I saw him (Matt) coming and I said my car is still good and I’m going to run the bottom and if he can get by on the outside I’ll give him that lane. He made a couple of cracks at it but we were still good then."
Jan finished up talking about winning his second RoC title and the kind of year he is having. "This has been a special year as we’ve been very, very good. We’ve been able to win RoC races at Spencer and two of them here. Very happy with the year as we’ve able to run good anywhere we’ve raced this year. I had one other year like this one and that was in 1989. This year just like the one in 89 I can do nothing wrong and I have had years where I can do nothing right."
For the second year in a row second generation driver Matt Hirschman ended up a disappointing second in the biggest race of the year. "Last year it was aggravating to finish second with the way it turned out. This year we just got beat" said the soft spoken driver.
Matt started third and stayed there until pitting for his tires. When the race resumed Matt was like glue on the back bumper of Leaty as they motored through the field to the front. Several times they would be even at some point on the track but Matt was never able to get clearly by Leaty.
"We were just as fast as Jan, maybe faster, or equal. But we followed him the whole race and I just couldn’t get by him" recalled Matt. "We pitted at the same time, he beat us out of the pits, and his crew did a good job getting him out in front of me. There were a couple of times where he went low and I went high and he went high and I went low. Every time I couldn’t quite fill the hole and I wasn’t going to jeopardize both of our cars. The difference of winning and losing was getting ahead of him."
Matt felt that a bobble on lap 180 that cost him a position was possibly the difference in the race. "I got outside of him (racing for second) and it ended up not working as I got too wide. I had to lift up out of it or I would have run her into the wall. Where I lost the ground is when Jan got by Wilbur (lap 183) as I needed to be there at that time to try and go maybe a different direction to get by him."
Matt summed up his evening by saying. "I just needed at some point during the feature to get by Jan and I didn’t do it. As I don’t come to this race to finish second."
"We’re happy with a third as that was two of the best who finished ahead of us" said third place finisher Wilbur Hebing who started sixth. " If that caution didn’t come out (lap 170) I think I had something for them. Because the car was tight enough where I could drive it hard and get away with it there."
Hebing who pitted on lap 72 for tires worked his way up to seventh when the yellow came out for Erick Rudolph and Eric Beers who both crashed hard into the turn two wall while racing for fifth. When the pits opened for pit stops during this yellow flag period the top four cars of Brittain, Leaty, Hirschman, and Lee Sherwood all pitted and this handed the lead to Hebing.
Following the resumption of the race on lap 144, Hebing took off like he acted like he wanted to run away from the field and hide. "My crew asked me how the car felt and I said it felt good so we decided to go ahead and try to run away from the field. We were doing that until the caution came out (lap 170). Then the car was too tight and it took too many laps to get going again. I didn’t want to screw up Jan or Matt so I let them go and we ended up third which we’re happy about."
Qualifying for the 47 Modifieds saw Matt Hirschman set quick time in time trials with a lap of 17. 738. Heat races were won by Paules, Rick Kluth, Tommy Farrell, III, and Woody Pitkat while Chris Finocchario won the consi.
RoC NOTES: After breaking his primary ride in hot laps Zane Zeiner jumped into his backup car which was slated to see John Wilbur behind the wheel. Bob Reis had driveline problems which saw him receive no hot laps due to repairs taking place. Jimmy Zacharias was in the former Dean DeMaree car that was just purchased by Zacharias Racing. Greg Furlong who just won the International Classic for the fourth time three weeks ago was in the second Rick Kluth entry. To get into the top 12 for time trials you had to have a lap quicker than 17. 926. Joe Gerber attended his first race in 13 years on this weekend and was the Grand Marshall of the race. Don Toal and Gerber gave the command to fire the engines. The drivers did a collection for the family of John Blewett, III which saw $3, 355 collected and that amount was matched by the Spalding Foundation for Injured Drivers, Inc. Marilyn Toal received a dozen roses along with recognition from RoC owner Andrew Harpell and the Modified drivers for all of her efforts throughout the years for raising lap money for the Modifieds as this year a record $23, 950 was raised. The entire Saturday racing program was completed at 8:50 Saturday night.

RACE REPORT RACE OF CHAMPIONS DART ASPHALT MODIFIED TOUR COMBINATION RACE # 2 - 57TH SUNOCO RACE OF CHAMPIONS FINISH: Jan Leaty, Matt Hirschman, Wilbur Hebing, JR Kent, Chuck Hossfeld, Pete Brittain, Buck Catalano, Billy Putney, Daren Scherer, Lee Sherwood, John Markovic, Rick Zacharias, Phil Slater, Tommy Farrell, III, Eddie Hawkins, TJ Potrzebowski, Larry Fisher, Jimmy Zacharias, Bobby Holmes, Jim Storace, Earl Paules, Zane Zeiner, Eric Beers, Erick Rudolph, Chris Finocchario, John Bennett, Rick Kluth, Woody Pitkat, Tony Hirschman, Sege Fidanza, Patsy Catalano, Rusty Smith, Greg Furlong, Bill Mislin, Bob Reis, JR Swansbrough, Chris Zacharias, Tommy Kinsella, Mike Leaty, Doug Reaume.
DNQ: John Wilbur, Rich Kuiken, Jr., Mark Tychoniewicz, Ken Canestrari, Matt Clemens, Chris Risdale, Andy Szapacs

Sept 15 - NHIS - WMT - Time 20 - Finish 22
The Car was really good after a few laps - even in practice Eric was able to drive in the corners better than anyone on the track but on the 2nd restart of the race the clutch went POOF. Expectations were high because the car was so good. But as we all know it takes some luck as well in racing. Without warning on the second restart the clutch besided not to cooperate. In spite of the problem the team and Eric did a great job to keep chugging and finish the 2nd car laps down in the 22 position.

(1) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn., Ford, 75 laps, 106.391 mph, $15,700.
2 (7) Ronnie Silk, Norwalk, Conn., Chevrolet, 75, $11,200.
3 (3) Donnie Lia, Jericho, N.Y., Dodge, 75, $8,200.
4 (10) Bobby Santos, III, Franklin, Mass., Chevrolet, 75, $6,500.
5 (17) Jimmy Blewett, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 75, $4,700.
6 () James Civali, Meriden, Conn., Chevrolet, 75, $3,750.
7 (4) Tony Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 75, $3,350.
8 (21) Andrew Seuss, Hampstead, N.H., Chevrolet, 75, $3,100.
9 (22) Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I., Pontiac, 75, $3,600.
10 (15) Robert Grigas, Marshfield, Mass., Chevrolet, 75, $2,850.
11 (26) Jerry Marquis, Broad Brook, Conn., Chevrolet, 75, $3,250.
12 (11) Rick Fuller, Corbin, Mass., Chevrolet, 75, $2,550.
13 (6) Charlie Pasteryak, Lisbon, Conn., Chevrolet, 75, $2,050.
14 (9) Ryan Preece, Kensington, Conn., Chevrolet, 75, $2,425.
15 (28) Kevin Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 75, $2,400.
16 (18) Glenn Tyler, Hampton Bays, NY, Chevrolet, 74, $2,375.
17 (30) Jonathan McKennedy, Somerset, Conn., Dodge, 74, $2,350.
18 (29) Joseph Hartmann, Calverton, N.Y., Chevrolet, 74, $2,325.
19 (31) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 74, $2,300.
20 (13) Billy Pauch, Jr., Lawrenceville, N.J., Dodge, 74, $2,291.
21 (34) Wade Cole, Riverton, Conn., Chevrolet, 73, $2,250.
22 (20) Eric Beers, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 64, clutch, $2,225.
23 (40) Mike Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Dodge, 63, $1,800.
24 (19) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Pontiac, 61, $2,180.
25 (16) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 60, engine, $2,150.
26 (24) Eddie Flemke, Southington, Conn., Chevrolet, 59, engine, $1,750.
27 (5) J.J. Yeley, Charlotte, N.C., Chevrolet, 51, overheating, $1,750.
28 (23) Jeff Malave, Manchester, Conn., Chevrolet, 47, $1,750.
29 (39) John Marosz, Middletown, Conn., Chevrolet, 43, oil line, $1,750.
30 (25) Alex Hoag, Corning, N.Y., Chevrolet, 23, accident, $1,750.
31 (38) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 22, accident, $1,750.
32 (27) Richard Savary, Canton, Mass., Chevrolet, 22, accident, $1,750.
33 (33) Ken Bouchard, Fitchburg, Mass., Chevrolet, 22, accident, $1,750.
34 (35) Reggie Ruggiero, Rocky Hill, Conn., Chevrolet, 22, accident, $1,750.
35 (2) Ron Yuhas, Groton, Conn., Chevrolet, 22, accident, $1,750.
36 36) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Ford, 14, ignition, $1,750.
37 (14) Dick Houlihan, Bridgewater, Mass., Chevrolet, 4, accident, $1,750.
38 (12) Danny Sammons, Hamilton, N.J., Chevrolet, 3, accident, $1,750.
39 (32) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Dodge, 3, accident, $1,750.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 0 hours 44 minutes 45 seconds
Margin of Victory: .202 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: T.Szegedy (128.135 mph, 29.725 seconds)
Caution Flags: 4 for 32 laps.
Lead Changes: 8 among 2 drivers.
LapLeaders: T.Szegedy 1-21; R.Silk 22-38; T.Szegedy 39-41; R.Silk 42-43; T.Szegedy
44-45; R.Silk 46-50; T.Szegedy 51-65; R.Silk 66-68; T.Szegedy 69-75.


Sept 8-9 - Thompson - WMT - Time 22 - Rescheduled to September 23

Sept 8-9 - Thompson - RoC Tour - Time 3 Start 9 Finsih - DNF
THe car was great - When the race started Eric was in 9th and within 4 laps was up to 4th. During a caution he thought he ran over debris on the track becasue he felt a thump. The RoC brought the #9 down pit road because they suspected he was leaking something. It turns out that something in the transmission went bad and was pushing fluid out. THis ended Eric's chance for a great run with a car that was one of the best he has ever had - set up wise at Thompson

Story from Bruce Boucher:

THOMPSON, CT- It was Modified Mania Weekend at Thompson International Speedway, featuring the three major Modified touring series in the Northeast. First on Sunday’s schedule was a 75-lap Race of Champions Asphalt Modified Tour Combo Region event. Twenty-two Modifieds started the race, with Matt Hirschman of Northampton, PA dominating the field to take home the victory. Hirschman took the lead on lap 2 and was never seriously challenged as he sailed to Victory Lane.

"It helped that we had a good draw (third) for our starting position today," explained Hirschman after the race. "Several times this year I’ve picked twelve and it would have made it harder to get to the front, although I still think we could have won. I felt after qualifying yesterday we had the fastest car. I put a lot of emphasis on this race this year because last year here I only had three days to turn the car around for Oswego and it showed. We ended up finishing second here last year and think if I had had the time to do more and take more chances I could have won. Coming here this year I came to win, we did what was needed, and we got it done. Now we can go to Oswego for the 200 in two weeks, a race I would like to win even more than this one, with some momentum. "There is no doubt my experience here at Thompson paid off today. When you come here for the first or second time, you’re at a disadvantage compared to where I’m at now. But Ricky Kluth surprised me. He ran really good – I was running hard out front and he wasn’t far behind. That says a lot for what he did today. The guys I really thought I would have to beat would have been the guys with experience here, like Woody Pitkat, Carl Pasteryak and Eric Beers, but it ended up being two RoC guys (Kluth and Pete Brittain) right behind me so that says a lot for those two guys. That speaks highly of RoC drivers." In Saturday qualifying Hirschman won the pole with a fast lap of 18.760 seconds followed by Lee Sherwood, Eric Beers, Steven Reed and Pete Brittain. In the redraw for feature starting positions, veteran NASCAR Modified Tour racer Carl Pasteryak picked the pole position flanked by RoC regular Rick Kluth. Hirschman would line up third on the grid. At the drop of the green flag, Kluth took the lead but Hirschman powered past him on the second circuit with NASCAR Modified Tour driver Woody Pitkat following to second as Kluth settled into third. Hirschman would pull away by several car lengths but that margin would evaporate as True Value Modified Racing Series driver Bryan Shumway spun in turn four. Eric Beers was brought to pit road by RoC officials to check for a possible oil leak and pulled behind the wall to end his day early. On the restart Hirschman once again pulled away by a comfortable margin over Pitkat and Kluth with Billy Putney moving to fifth behind Pasteryak. On the 33rd lap Kluth would pass Pitkat as the Hillbilly Racing #79 began to fade back in the field. At the halfway mark Hirschman’s lead over Kluth had grown to twelve car lengths with Pasteryak, Putney and Sherwood filling out the top-five as Pitkat had slipped back to ninth. Brittain was up to fifth past a fading Sherwood on the 43rd circuit. Caution was displayed once again on lap 45 as Shumway stopped along the turn two wall. After a lap 50 caution for a spin by Butch Perry, Hirschman would once again pull away from Kluth on the restart. Pasteryak was fading quickly and was passed by Putney, Brittain and six-time NASCAR Modified Tour champion Mike Stefanik. Caution was back out for fluid on the track on lap 58 and Putney was the culprit, ending his race. Hirschman now led Kluth, Brittain, Stefanik and Pasteryak. Pasteryak continued to fade on the restart and tangled with John Markovic off turn four to bring out the caution once more. Sherwood was sent to the rear of the field for making contact with Pasteryak and elected to pit, joined there by Pasteryak and Markovic. Under the caution Stefanik lost power and was pushed behind the wall. The race went back to green on lap 59 and Hirschman maintained his lead over Kluth as a resurgent Pitkat passed Brittain for third. With 15 laps to go Hirschman had pulled away by several car lengths as Pitkat battled with Kluth for second. On the 69th lap Brittain reclaimed third from Pitkat and closed in on Kluth. Hirschman was well out front as the battle for second was heating up. Brittain would complete the pass on lap 73. At the checkered flag it was Hirschman by a sizeable margin over Brittain, Kluth, Pitkat and a fast-closing Sherwood. Rounding out the top-ten were Daren Scherer, Phil Slater, Pasteryak, Gary McDonald and Sean Patterson. By virtue of his win, Hirschman moved into the RoC Combo Region point lead.

Thompson International Speedway Modified Mania Race of Champions 75-lap Combo Region Modified Feature Finish: 1. Matt Hirschman Northampton, PA; 2. Pete Brittain Oakhurst, NJ; 3. Rick Kluth Brockport, NY; 4. Woody Pitkat Stafford, CT; 5. Lee Sherwood Binghamton, NY; 6. Daren Scherer Binghamton, NY;7. Phil Slater Owego, NY; 8. Carl Pasteryak Lisbon, CT; 9. Gary Mc Donald Ronkonkoma, NY; 10. Sean Patterson Wading River, NY; 11. Doug Reaume Syracuse, NY; 12. Bryan Shumway Belchertown, MA;13. Butch Perry Asltaway, RI; 14. Mike Stefanik Coventry, RI; 15. John Markovic Bethlehem, PA; 16. Billy Putney East Aurora, NY; 17. Steven Reed Freehold, NJ; 18. Lenny Fisher Medford, NY; 19. Ken Bouchard Thompson, CT; 20. Kenny Barry Preston, CT; 21. Eric Beers Northampton, PA; 22. Matt Clemens Slatington, PA

Lap Leaders: Rick Kluth 1; Matt Hirschman 2-75 Hoosier Tire Hard Luck Award: Eric Beers
Hoosier Tire Hard Charger: Sean Patterson Rookie of the Race: Steven Reed

Mania Notes

Pete Brittain never gave up and kept on plugging. That earned him a second place finish when he passed Rick Kluth with just two laps remaining. "Our race car was awesome today. We don’t have the laps around this place that Matt (Hirschman) has, but at the end of the race I think we were just as good as him – maybe a little better. I don’t know for sure because I never got to him. We started eighth and he started third and the race ended before we could catch up. Matt is going really good and getting a lot of laps in a lot of racecars at a lot of racetracks right now. It seems like wherever he goes he’s really good. Whenever we go to the race track, if he is there I know he’s one of the guys I have to beat to win.

"I didn’t try and beat up the car at all today. I just picked my spots when they came and didn’t over-drive the car because I knew I had to make it last and get there. It worked out well. We had a really good car at the end, just as good at the end as it was in the beginning.

"I love racing here. I just wish it was closer to home because I love this racetrack. I like the high speed tracks like Oswego and here. It’s also nice to get some added recognition by racing here. When you walk into the pit area there are a thousand Modifieds in there and you are loving it to death. You are right in the heart of Modified country and all the best Modified drivers ever came from this area. It’s a thrill to race here."

* * *

Rick Kluth has had a 2007 season to forget. He began the year missing races because of mechanical problems and has struggled most of the way to this point. But on Sunday he was all smiles after the race because of his third place finish.

"I’m really happy with today," he grinned. "This was a great day for us. It was a lot of fun running up front. This is the third time I’ve been here at Thompson and this is the first time we came here and were good. The motor was fresh, so that helped. The experience I gained here the first two times helped a lot as well. I couldn’t run with Matt (Hirschman) but that didn’t frustrate me. I haven’t been close enough in a long time to even see that, so it actually felt good. He had us covered and was doing what he had to do. His experience here really helped him, I think. "I lost second (to Pete Brittain) right at the end and it was frustrating but it wasn’t, too. At that point in time I’m happy just to be in that position, second or third. I had a left front that started bouncing with about 30 laps to go that hurt me. I tried to fight Pete but at the same time I wasn’t going to be stupid, either. Third is better than where we might have ended up. You have to be smart sometimes. "This is a great way to head into Oswego for the 200. In the Labor Day race there I was good but something broke on the car. I think we’re going to be good when we go back."

* * *Lee Sherwood made it back to fifth after pitting on lap 58. "Overall things didn’t go too bad. We’re leaving here in one piece with a top-five finish. I don’t know if pitting helped us at all but I don’t think it hurt us. We probably would have finished about where we did no matter what, so it didn’t have any effect on our day. "It’s hard to pass here at Thompson, especially when we RoC guys don’t really know the place, I’m sure it gets easier as you run here more. Obviously there is a way to pass here because there are people doing it, but we haven’t figured it out. There is certainly an advantage to the guys with local experience over us but it’s that way at any racetrack where we go. There are always some people who have more experience than we do and there are tracks where we have more experience than them. It’s just the nature of the game. It doesn’t bother me at all; in fact, I’m glad to have those guys running this race with us because they are good racers and we need more guys like them in this series."

* * *Weather was threatening all day at Thompson. When I arrived just before noon it was raining hard just a few miles away, but dry at the track. The skies remained threatening but the racing got underway. After the RoC feature the Sunoco Modifieds (SK-type racecar) took to the track for their feature. After that, the True Value Modifieds pulled out of the pit area for their 75-lap feature under a drizzle. The race was halted after two laps and when it began to pour the racing program was cancelled from that point. The make-up for the TVMRS 75 and the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour 150 is now Saturday, September 22, directly against the Race of Champions at Oswego. That will affect both events in terms of racecars and fans, but this late in the year the calendar starts to get crowded with winter looming not far enough in the distance. Sometimes tough choices have to be made.

Sept 1 - Martinsville - WMT - Time 14 - Finish 18
E and the team had great hopes as the car was 2nd fastest in time trials. Kevin tried to make it even faster for time but track conditions gave Eric a 14th place time run out of 54 cars. The Race was going accoeding to plan as Eric was just being patient waiting and taking what was being given to him. The race startegy changed when cars about 6 in front of him got together and wnet up againdt the turn 1 and two walls. Eric slowed down but did not hit not was he hit and instead of NASCAR putting Eric in his 5th place position he would have been he was relegated to the last place car on the lead lap. THat was oK because there was a pit stop yet for tires to be done. SInce Eric was in the back the team decided to come in on the caution before half way and take on tires which would have left him in great position. Well shortly after Eric came out he was running behind Matt H when Seravallie allegally got into Stefanik causing Stefanik to take out Matt H and spin him and then Eric got hit on the righ side nerf bar as he was trying to avoid the wreck. It took 4 laps for the team to make proper repairs and from there they held their own to fi.

1. (1) Donny Lia, Jericho, N.Y., Dodge, 300 laps, 52.498 mph, $12,375.
2. (4) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 300, $6,750.
3. (40) L.W. Miller, Mooresville, N.C., Pontiac, 300, $4,725.
4. (19) James Civali, Meriden, Conn., Chevrolet, 300, $4,650.
5. (21) Tim Brown, Cana, Va., Chevrolet, 300, $3,150.
6. (25) Brian King, Gibsonville, N.C., Chevrolet, 300, $2,325.
7. (16) Richard Houlihan, Bridgewater, Mass., Chevrolet, 300, $2,850.
8. (37) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Dodge, 300, $3,750.
9. (18) Jay Foley, Stuart, Va., Chevrolet, 300, $2,150.
10. (33) Richard Savary, Canton, Mass., Chevrolet, 300, $2,675.
11. (41) George Brunnhoelzl, Mooresville, N.C., Dodge, 300, $3,000.
12. (24) Jason Myers, Walnut Cove, N.C., Chevrolet, 300, $1,925.
13. (34) Brandon Hire, Winston-Salem, N.C., Chevrolet, 300, $2,100.
14. (20) Robert Grigas, Marshfield, Mass., Chevrolet, 299, $2,225.
15. (30) Junior Miller, Danbury, N.C., Dodge, 299, $1,800.
16. (38) Joseph Hartmann, Calverton, N.Y., Chevrolet, 299, $2,025.
17. (31) Jerry Marquis, Broad Brook, Conn., Chevrolet, 296, $2,300.
18. (14) Eric Beers, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 296, $2,425.
19. (36) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 293, $2,350.
20. (13) Ronnie Silk, Norwalk, Conn., Chevrolet, 293, $2,475.
21. (26) Buddy Emory, Petersburg, Va., Chevrolet, 292, $1,650.
22. (22) Burt Myers, Walnut Cove, N.C., Chevrolet, 291, $1,600.
23. (15) Billy Pauch, Lawrenceville, N.J., Dodge, 276, $2,125.
24. (8) Eddie Flemke, Southington, Conn., Chevrolet, 270, $2,200.
25. (2) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn., Ford, 269, $1,375.
26. (9) Matt Hirschmann, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 237, $2,318.
27. (7) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Pontiac, 235, brakes, $1,785.
28. (17) Ryan Preece, Kensington, Conn., Chevrolet, 204, accident, $1,700.
29. (42) Brian Pack, Walkertown, N.C., Chevrolet, 202, accident, $1,450.
30. (27) Frank Fleming, Mount Airy, Ford, 185, accident, $1,450.
31. (11) Reggie Ruggerio, Rocky Hill, Conn., Chevrolet, 177, power steering, $1,700.
32. (3) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass., Chevrolet, 175, accident, $1,300.
33. (6) Danny Sammons, Hamilton, N.J., Chevrolet, 165, clutch, $2,000.
34. (12) Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I., Pontiac, 130, accident, $2,700.
35. (28) Woody Pitkat, Stafford, Conn., Pontiac, 110, oil leak, $2,150.
36. (10) Brian Loftin, Lexington, N.C., Chevrolet, 80, accident, $1,875.
37. (5) Kevin Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 80, accident, $2,000.
38. (29) Anthony Sesely, Matawan, N.J., Chevrolet, 80, radiator, $1,300.
39. (35) Wade Cole, Riverton, Conn., Chevrolet, 79, clutch, $1,700.
40. (43) Zach Brewer, Winston-Salem, Chevrolet, 63, accident, $1,450.
41. (32) Glenn Tyler, Hampton Bays, N.Y., Chevrolet, 63, accident, $1,700.
42. (39) Jake Marosz, Middletown, Conn., Chevrolet, 32, suspension, $1,300.
43. (23) Jimmy Blewett, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 19, suspension, $2,100.

Time of Race: 3 hours 0 minutes 21 seconds Margin of Victory: .487 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: D.Lia (100.440 mph, 18.853 seconds)
Caution Flags: 15 for 88 laps.
Lead Changes: 4 among 3 drivers.
Lap Leaders: D.Lia 1-118; T.Christopher 119-159; R.Silk 160-162; T.Christopher 163-184; D.Lia 185-300

 

Aug 29 - Seekonk - 10K win Open Shw - Heat finsih 6 - Start 15 - Finish 7

Eric did a great job to finish his heat race in a qualifting position. Granted he was not in the redraw which at this track makes a big difference. Eric started 15th and worked his way up as high as fifth and was working on Teddy to move further up when Bobby Santos spun by himself and Eric had to chep and lost 2 postions as he avoided the spinning #3. Granted Eric was a little tight in which made him a little loose off and used up the right rear but Bobby S was able to take on a new tire and make his way back up to the top 5 . Oh well - car in one piece a good run and one of these times Eric is going to get the 10k.

Race Story:

Local favorite Vinnie Annarummo of Swansea, MA scored the biggest victory of his storied 35-year career at the 1/3-mile Seekonk Speedway oval on Wednesday night, August 29, winning the 3rd annual Viveiros Insurance Modified Madness 100, worth $10,000. Thirty-three competitors from seven different states attempted to qualify for the 100 green flag lap open competition event which carried a total purse in excess of $31,000. Three qualifying heats and a consolation round set the 24-car starting field, with heavy hitters Mike Stefanik, Andy Seuss, and Tony Ricci among those who failed to qualify. Jon McKennedy led the initial go-around of the main event before Chuck Hossfield took over, bringing Chris Pasteryak with him into second.Pasteryak worked the outside groove to get around Hossfeld on lap 13, five circuits before a Woody Pitkat spin brought out the first of four cautions. Ted Christopher took third from McKennedy on the restart and was soon joined inside the top five by Richard Savary and Annarummo, who started tenth. Further back, second generation ace Matt Hirschman was on the move, coming from the 23rd starting spot to 10th in the first 27 laps. Annarummo took third from Christopher on lap 35 while Hirschman closed to eighth. Pasteryak navigated his way through heavy lapped traffic at the midway portion of the race while Annarummo, turning the fastest laps of the night, began to pressure Hossfeld for second. Christopher ran fourth, ahead of McKennedy, Savary, Hirschman, Dick Houlihan, Louie Mechalides, and Bobby Grigas III. Local entry Mike Brightman spun to bring out the second caution on lap 54. Two circuits later, Mechalides’ car came to a halt with a flat left front tire, necessitating the third stoppage. After a false start, Pasteryak and Hossfeld dueled side-by-side for the lead for several laps before Chris powered past. McKennedy roared back to life during this next green flag run, passing Annarummo and going to the outside of Hossfeld for second. After a torrid battle for position, Hossfeld and McKennedy made contact coming dsown the backstretch on lap 68, sending McKennedy into the concrete and Hossfeld into the pit area via the black flag. Hirschman, who had just nipped Annarummo for second, got loose in the outside lane on the restart, allowing Annarummo to slide back around on lap 70. Bobby Santos III spun after apparently locking up the brakes, bringing out the final caution on lap 77. Pasteryak, whose car tightened up in the inside lane, was unable to hold off Annarummo when the green was unfurled again, and surrendered the top spot to the six-time Seekonk champion on lap 79. In the final laps, Annarummo pulled away from Pasteryak and sailed under the checkers 0.682 seconds ahead to post his 44th career Seekonk win in the Francis Farm #12. “Ten thousand dollars- can you believe it?” the 58 year-old veteran asked from Victory Lane. “This is one hell of a division to drive in. All of the guys raced me clean. We struggled in warm ups this afternoon, but we took a spring rubber out and tonight the car was good.” “I got beaten by Vinnie Annarummo at Seekonk Speedway,” Pasteryak good-naturedly shrugged after posting a solid second place finish, worth $3,500. “We were tight on the bottom, too, and that hurt us at the end.” Matt Hirschman walked away with $2,500 for third, while Richard Savary pocketed $2,000 for finishing fourth. Ted Christopher finished fifth, followed by Bobby Santos III, Eric Beers, Dale Evonsion, who came on strong in the latter stages of the event, Louie Mechalides, and Dick Houlihan.

Modified Madness Heat 1 (12 laps)
1. #73-Jon McKennedy, Chelmsford, MA
2. #15-Chris Pasteryak, Lisbon, CT
3. #03-Kenny Spencer, Taunton, MA
4. #12-Vinnie Annarummo, Swansea, MA
5. #35-Dale Evonsion, East Hartland, CT
6. #9-Eric Beers, Northampton, PA

Modified Madness Heat 2 (12 laps)
1. #22-Chuck Hossfeld, Ransomville, NY
2. #27-Richard Savary, Canton, MA
3. #71-Buck Akley, Millbury, MA
4. #79-Woody Pitkat, Stafford, CT
5. #55-Joe Doucette, Framingham, MA
6. #10x-Mike Brightman, Acushnet, MA

Modified Madness Heat 3 (12 laps)
1. #09-Bobby Grigas III, Marshfield, MA
2. #80-Ted Christopher, Plainville, CT
3. #75-Carl Pasteryak, Lisbon, CT
4. #31-Tommy Cravenho, Raynham, MA
5. #46-Dick Houlihan, Bridgewater, MA
6. #3-Bobby Santos III, Franklin, MA

Modified Madness Consi (15 laps)
1. #40-Louie Mechalides, Tynsboro, MA
2. #72-Jimmy Kuhn, Jr., Bridgewater, MA
3. #13-Rob Summers, Vernon, CT
4. #08-Joe Lemay, Millville, MA
5. #32-Tom Abele, Jr., Norwich, CT
6. #60-Matt Hirschman, Northampton, PA
7. #66-Mike Stefanik, Coventry, RI (DNQ)
8. #70-Andy Seuss, Hampstead, NH (DNQ)
9. #01-Todd Patnode, Swanzey, NH (DNQ)
10. #4-Tony Ricci, Westbrook, ME (DNQ)
11. #5-Bryan Shumway, Belchertown, MA (DNQ)
12. #68-Johnny Bush, Huntington Station, NY (DNQ)
13. #76-Shelly Perry, Ashaway, RI (DNQ)
14. #39-Elmer Wing III, Lakeville, MA (DNQ)

Viveiros Insurance Modified Madness (100 laps)

1. #12-Vinnie Annarummo, Swansea, MA
2. #15-Chris Pasteryak, Lisbon, CT
3. #60-Matt Hirschman, Northampton, PA
4. #27-Richard Savary, Canton, MA
5. #80-Ted Christopher, Plainville, CT
6. #3-Bobby Santos III, Franklin, MA
7. #9-Eric Beers, Northampton, PA
8. #35-Dale Evonsion, East Hartland, CT
9. #40-Louie Mechalides, Tynsboro, MA
10. #46-Dick Houlihan, Bridgewater, MA
11. #75-Carl Pasteryak, Lisbon, CT
12. #08-Joe Lemay, Millville, MA
13. #32-Tom Abele, Jr., Norwich, CT
14. #03-Kenny Spencer, Taunton, MA
15. #55-Joe Doucette, Framingham, MA
16. #71-Buck Akley, Millbury, MA
17. #79-Woody Pitkat, Stafford, CT
18. #73-Jon McKennedy, Chelmsford, MA
19. #22-Chuck Hossfeld, Ransomville, NY
20. #13-Rob Summers, Vernon, CT
21. #09-Bobby Grigas III, Marshfield, MA
22. #31-Tommy Cravenho, Raynham, MA
23. #10x-Mike Brightman, Acushnet, MA
24. #72-Jimmy Kuhn, Jr., Bridgewater, MA

Aug 25 - Mansfield - WMT - TIme 16 - Finish 5
Eric had a good car and worked his way up to the 5th postion from his 16th starting spot without having pitted when the rains came on lap 108 and the race was called official. More stats and facts from the track to follow:

James Civali can thank his older brother for his third victory of the season.
With Joey Civali serving as spotter and tracking the weather on his cell phone, James Civali elected not to pit with the leaders and was out front when NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour officials called the rain-shortened Mansfield 150 Saturday at Mansfield Motorsports Park. “He knew it was going to rain – he just didn’t know how much or when,” said James Civali of his brother. The race was called after 108 laps following several attempts to dry the track. Doug Coby finished second and rookie Woody Pitkat was third. Point leader and Budweiser Pole Award winner Donny Lia was fourth and Eric Beers fifth. Ronnie Silk, Matt Hirschman, Ted Christopher, Todd Szegedy and Bobby Grigas III rounded out the top 10. Coby led the first 13 laps before Civali passed him for the lead. Silk moved to the front seven laps later and led until a lap 54 caution. Silk elected to pit along with the fifth-place car of Szegedy and 11 others. “We were leading and the car was really good,” Civali said. “When Ronnie got by me, the car got free. But it stayed the same. It had 90 hard laps on it, too. But it never changed that whole run.” Following the restart, Civali and Coby built a straightaway lead over third-place Pitkat on the half-mile banked oval. The field was bunched briefly following a lap 96 caution. Rain brought out the caution at lap 104 and the red at lap 108.

1. (10) James Civali, Meriden, Conn., Chevrolet, 108 laps, 81.544 mph, $8,100.
2. (2) Doug Coby, III, Milford, Conn., Pontiac, 108, $3,000.
3. (18) Woody Pitkat, Stafford Springs, Conn., Pontiac, 108, $3,800.
4. (6) Donny Lia, Jericho, N.Y., Dodge, 108, $3,600.
5. (16) Eric Beers, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 108, $2,450.
6. (8) Ronnie Silk, Norwalk, Conn., Chevrolet, 108, $2,350.
7. (4) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Dodge, 108, $2,400.
8. (12) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 108, $2,275.
9. (3) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn., Ford, 108, $2,125.
10. (7) Bobby Grigas, Marshfield, MA, Chevrolet, 108, $1,550.
11. (11) Tony Hirschman, Jr., Northampton, Penn., Chevrolet, 108, $1,675.
12. (22) Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I., Pontiac, 108, $2,475.
13. (17) Richard Savary, Canton, Mass., Chevrolet, 108, $1,750.
14. (21) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Ford, 108, $1,995.
15. (14) Dick Houlihan, Bridgewater, Mass., Chevrolet, 108, $1,740.
16. (13) Billy Pauch, Jr., Frenchtown, N.J., Dodge, 108, $1,880.
17. (9) Ryan Preece, Kensington, CT, Chevrolet, 108, $1,825.
18. (5) Eddie Flemke, Southington, Conn., Chevrolet, 108, $1,900.
19. (24) Joe Hartmann, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 108, $1,325.
20. (15) Kevin Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 107, $1,600.
21. (23) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 106, $1,575.
22. (25) Wade Cole, Riverton, Conn., Chevrolet, 106, $1,550.
23. (19) Glen Tyler, Hampton Bays, N.Y., Chevrolet, 95, $1,225.
24. (20) Andy Seuss, Hampstead, N.H., Chevrolet, 22, oil pump, $950.
25. (1) Danny Sammons, Trenton, N.J., Chevrolet, 4, engine, $1,490.
26. (26) Jake Marosz, Middletown, Conn., Chevrolet, 3, oil leak, $750.
27. (27) Jerry Marquis, Broad Brook, Conn., Chevrolet, 2, ignition, $1,250.
Race Statistics
Time of Race: 0 hours 39 minutes 44 seconds
Margin of Victory: under caution Fastest Qualifier: D.Lia (117.847 mph, 15.274 seconds) Caution Flags: 4 for 21 laps. Lead Changes: 7 among 4 drivers. Lap Leaders: D.Coby,III 1-13; J.Civali 14-19; R.Silk 20-57; J.Civali 58; D.Lia 59; J.Civali 60-100; D.Coby,III 101; J.Civali 102-108.



Aug 18 - Mahoning- 100 Lap Super & 75 lap RoC tour Race - Win and 2nd place

More Stories to follow - but to recap: In the 100 lap race Eric started 4th and had to work the outside for many laps next to the 41 until he finally made the pass for the lead. From there it was a great battle with Earl Paules for the remainder of the race - See Dino's Story below.

For the RoC Race: Eric was 6th fastest in time and redrew 3rd. Just like in the 100 lap race it took some hard racing to get by the leader and from there Eric never pulled away until about 15 to go when Eric put on a show going around and through the lap traffic building at one point a half a track lead. There was a caution with 6 to go it looked like he got a bang in the bumper which made the car jump out of gear - Eric got it back in quickly but it was that slight hesitation that gave Rob Sinder the opportunity to get around Eric. As he took the lead Eric went to the outside to make his move back to the front. As it happens when you are going for the lead there was some tough racing that saw the 76 and Eric touch which bunched things up even more - Eric did a masterful job to hold onto the thrid postion after the contact and Zeiner took advantage of the situation to get to the lead with 3 to go and went on to win with Eric getting around Sinder for 2nd.

Eric Beers of Northampton won an emotional filled J-Co Autobody Super-7 Series 100-lap race Saturday night at Mahoning Valley Speedway. Two nights prior to the feature, Beers was competing in the same event that claimed the life of fellow NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour driver John Blewett III.

STORY on 100 lap race by Dino Oberto

In the past decade since becoming a member of the NASCAR Mod Tour, Beers had a close relationship with Blewett and his family. When he crossed the finish line in first he did a tribute to his fallen friend with a Polish victory lap and burnout.“The win was just awesome and I just love racing here (Mahoning). I had my mind set to win a race for Johnny (Blewett) and it was nice that it worked out that way for us tonight,” said Beers.“Earl (Paules) got next to me a few times and raced hard and clean and there was no giving up. I was just going as hard as I could every lap just so I could keep the lead. I needed to win this for the Blewett family. I was very close to John and feel horrible about what happened.“It was very emotional. I never do victory laps or burnouts but the backwards lap was for him. He was a super guy and he’s going to be missed.”The race was originally scheduled for July 4 but had been postponed twice due to rain.A redraw of the 12 fastest from time trials saw Rusty Smith and Todd Baer on the front row with Baer jumping out to the early lead.Beers started fourth and immediately moved behind the leader. He was able to make his way into the top spot with an inside pass off turn four at the completion of lap eight. Sixth starter Paules was working the top side of the track and advanced to third just prior to the first caution period on lap 17. After the race resumed he pulled in behind Beers and for the next 72 laps they waged an outstanding duel. While working the high groove, Paules was repeatedly racing alongside Beers and trying every lap to make a pass. Several times he did inch ahead but when it came time for an official scored lap Beers always had the advantage. Paules actually did lead one lap which was on the 37th circuit. During the later stages Beers had trouble holding his mount through the corners as he developed a push. Still he was able to fight that issue as well as the relentless efforts of Paules. “On lap 25 we picked up huge chunk of rubber and I was trying to get it off and it wouldn’t come off so the left front was bouncing like a basketball and that made the car real tight,” said Beers. “I was able to keep it on the bottom and if Earl’s car would have stuck a little better he may have been able to go by us and we would have wound up second. Luckily our car was just fast enough to keep the lead.” To makes matters even tougher on the front pair there were several other fast cars right in line including Kory Rabenold , Matt Hirschman , Chip Santee and Don Wagner. With ten laps to go the action was intensifying. Santee was able to snag second from Paules and with four to go Brian DeFebo suddenly came into the picture. Santee pulled right behind Beers but could not find the power to overtake him. For Beers it was his third straight Super-7 Series win, this one worth over $3000 thanks to added cash collected from lap sponsors. “Earl is just so good at this track. To see him lined up next to you on a restart, you know you’re going to have to drive hard to keep him behind you, he’s that good here,” stated Beers. “We ran a bunch of laps side-by-side and never touched. I kept my car in my lane and he kept his in his lane and he made it a good clean race. I went as hard as I could and really had nothing left at the end.” Officially it was Santee , DeFebo, Wager and Bobby Jones completing the top five. Paules slipped to sixth with John Markovic, Scott Lesher , CJ Jones and Rod Snyder, Jr., rounding out the top ten.

(7/4 make-up 100): 1.Eric Beers 2.Chip Santee 3.Brian DeFebo 4.Don Wagner 5.Bobby Jones 6.Earl Paules 7.John Markovic 8.Scott Lesher 9.CJ Jones 10.Rod Snyder, Jr. 11.Dave Wallace 12.Kory Rabenold 13.Todd Baer 14.Rodney Gruber 15.Rusty Smith 16.Zane Zeiner 17.Matt Hirschman 18.Mike Quinn 19.Troy Bollinger 20.John Bennett 21.Matt Clemens

Roc Story from JR Kennerup

Lehighton, PA – August 18 - The old saying goes " The race is never over until the checker flag falls " and that is always the saying at the Mahoning Valley Speedway. Once again at this exciting race track on Saturday night many in attendance thought Eric Beers had the win in his back pocket. With a double file restart taking place with six laps to go Rod Synder, Jr. somehow snookered Beers on the restart to grab the lead.With another double file restart taking place with five laps to go in the 76 lap feature. Beers tried every move in the book to get around Synder for the lead. Meanwhile third place runner Zane Zeiner hung around patiently in the bottom groove and when the Synder car started to slip up the race track. Zeiner was ready to strike and he did as he drove under Synder and Beers coming out of turn two to take the lead with two laps to go.Zeiner then held off the final last lap charge of Beers to claim the $2,800 victory. Synder slipped back to third with Kory Rabenold driving the second Gruber Racing entry coming out of wild turn four scramble to the checkers to finish fourth. Brian DeFebo who got loose while in fourth coming out of turn four on the last lap settled for fifth. The normal race distance of 75 laps was extended by one lap to 76 in honor of fellow Modified driver John Blewett, III who passed away on Thursday night at the Thompson Speedway."Without a doubt a break finally went our way" said race winner Zane Zeiner. "I told my crew after the race that John was watching down on us tonight. We shared that number (76) for a long time, we weren’t real close but we were good friends. Heck of a guy as he always raced me clean and I raced him clean. Always learned a lot from John down at Flemington." This was the second time this year that Zane has felt that someone who just recently passed away helped him to a feature win. "Opening day at Mountain this year. My grandfather passed away and I felt that he was in that car that day" recalled Zane. "I felt the same way today as you get a chill, it’s a weird feeling that you get in the car. This win is for John." Zane started second in the field of 26 and he dropped back to as low as fourth on lap 36. But on the next lap Zane got by Don Wagner for third and he stayed there until the fireworks erupted in front on him with six laps to go. "I said to myself that my car was a hair tight but they (Synder & Beers) were getting a little racy up front there and maybe if they just move up enough for me I could get a good run on the bottom at Rod. I tried getting under Rod earlier in the race but he just kept holding me down. With two to go we were just beating and banging, hard racing it was and he gave me just enough room to get under him. I thought that Eric might try and go three wide but he used his head, it was just a good, fun race." Earlier in the evening Zeiner got the front end wrecked in the 100 lap feature. Instead of going to the backup car Zane decided to fix his primary car. "We broke a spindle, bent a tie rod end and the crew wanted to me to go out for the last round of hot laps before time trials" recalled Zane. "I said no as we’re going to win it here in the pits. As we’re going to take our time to get the front end all straight and square. We know what we had to do and we did it by timing second quick and drawing outside pole for the feature and then all we did was tweak it a little bit. I owe my crew a lot along with Jayco my sponsor, Joe & Kay Martinelli, Morgantini Race Engines. Without all of them I wouldn’t be standing here having a good time." Zane spoke about the importance of this win as it gets the momentum going for the Martinelli Motorsports Team heading into the big season ending races. "Without a doubt it will help the momentum, it’s been a long time since I won a RoC race. We had a good car here the last couple of races but could never seal the deal and tonight we sealed the deal. We’ve been having some good strong runs locally and all of that just builds momentum, just gets the confidence with me as a driver and the crew.""Yes it was disappointing to finish second as we had the best car tonight" said second place finisher Eric Beers who earlier won the 100 lap feature. "The first race we were a hair off but in the second race we were pretty close." Eric after getting into second on a lap 19 restart hounded leader Synder for the lead. The duo ran side by side for the next 12 consecutive laps before Eric pulled ahead for the lead on lap 33.Eric spoke about running the extreme high line as leader Synder was pushing him up the track. "Yea Rod ran me high and hard but you also have to be patient to run the outside here. You can only take a little bit at a time and be patient. We were knocking the dust off the right side tires. It was tough as we just kept working, working, and working to go by him. We ended up getting by him; it’s just disappointing as we try to race everyone clean. I guess guys get sick of you winning and they run you a little different after that." Eric who started third spoke about the pivotal lap 70 restart. "He (Synder) just got a better restart than we did. He got down far enough that I couldn’t pick up the throttle. He just kept running into us on the right front to keep us down and I couldn’t pick the throttle up and that was the name of the game. I probably could have gotten him back, but he came down across the turn to pinch us. I got into him a little bit and Zane got into the back of us and knocked me out of gear. So when I got it back into gear we were second.: Eric had one last shot to get by Synder for the lead on the lap 71 restart. "We had one last shot to get by him on the restart and Joe my spotter said Zane’s coming on the bottom and he’s going to get him. So there was no chance going around three wide trying to beat both of them so we backed out of it. Got down to the bottom went underneath to get back to second and I think two or three more laps I could have gotten back by Zane because the car was that good." "It’s disappointing not to win both as I wanted to win both for John. I dedicate my first and second place finishes to the memory of John Blewett, III" said Eric. "We were fast" said third place finisher Rod Synder, Jr. "But to keep it fast we were just a little bit too tight to run the bottom. I knew when I got the lead with five to go that Eric was going to try and drive around me on the top and Zane was going to try and drive under me on the bottom. But the car just got too tight and I couldn’t hold it on the bottom." Rod who started on the pole spoke on his surprising restart pass of Beers on lap 70. "Yes I was surprised but he (Eric) said that he got bumped from behind and the car got knocked out of gear and that is how I got by him. Then after we got together again (lap 71 to bring out the final yellow) by the flaggers stand my car got even worse than it was. I’m just glad to finish third and we didn’t wreck." Qualifying for the 28 Modifieds in attendance saw the field set from time trials due to time constraints. As there was a twice postponed 100 lap Modified Super Seven Series race run first on the program. The top 12 in time trials redrew for the top 12 feature starting spots. CJ Jones set quick time with a lap of 9. 573 with the top 12 being separated by only .175 seconds.
MAHONING NOTES: All of the race teams sported newly minted John Blewett, III memorial stickers on their cars. Emotions were quite evident as the Modified racing family lost one of their own with all drivers paying respect to John and his family in their own special way. RoC owner and promoter Andy Harpell got emotional during the drivers meeting when talking about what had just happened two days prior. Four cars were done for the night after the earlier 100 lap feature with Matt Hirschman and Rusty Smith going to their second cars. Meanwhile Mike Quinn and John Bennett had no second car and were done for the night. Twenty – three out of the 26 cars who took time broke into the nine second barrier. Fast timer Jones was only .007 of a second off the track record set by Zeiner of 9. 566. Don Wagner and Bobby Jones both deserved better finishes as both were in the top five during the final exciting six laps of the feature. Wagner was fourth on lap 70 when his front end got wrecked in a racing incident in turn two. Jones was in fifth on lap 71 and spun into turn one after the leaders bunched up in front of him and everyone behind him played bumper tag. Just by entering the event Matt Hirschman became the 2007 Race of Champions Dart Asphalt Modified Tour Central Region champion.

RACE REPORT RACE OF CHAMPIONS DART ASPHALT MODIFIED TOUR JOHN BLEWETT, III MEMORIAL 76 FINAL CENTRAL REGION POINT RACE FINISH: Zane Zeiner, Eric Beers, Rod Synder, Jr., Kory Rabenold, Brian DeFebo, Lee Sherwood, Matt Hirschman, Earl Paules, Pete Brittain, John Markovic, Kevin Brown, Bobby Jones, Dave Wallace, Daren Scherer, Todd Baer, Rodney Gruber, CJ Jones, Scott Lesher, Phil Slater, Andy Szapacs, Don Wagner, Chip Santee, Troy Bollinger, Thomas Wanick, III, Rusty Smith, Matt ClemensDNS: John Bennett, Mike Quinn.LAP LEADERS: Synder (1 – 32), Beers (33 – 70), Synder (71 – 73), Zeiner (74 – 76)

Aug 16 - Thompson - WMT - TIme 21 - Finish - 13
The team timed 21st and the race ran until lap 107 when on a restart leaders Jimmy and John Blewett got together and it was one of those freak - they hit at the wrong speed at the wrong angle at the wrong part of the track which caused Jimmy's car to hit John's car the wrong way and cause John to be injured in such a way that caused the ultimate sacrifice. From Eric's early days at Flemington Jimmy and John were always a big part of the "scene" seeing them race after race. After John was removed from the car a decision was made to end the race and figure it out later. It was a solemn ride home thinking about losing a friend and fellow competitor almost 3 years to the day we lost mentor and leader in the the pits - Tiger Tom. What else can we say except even though John is gone he has left an impression on so many people that he will not be forgotten.

1 8 2 Todd Szegedy Wisk/Snuggle Ford 107 180 5 $8,250 Running
2 7 48 Tony Hirschman Jr. Kamco Supply Corporation Chevrolet 107 170 3,300 Running
3 18 6 Ron Yuhas A. P. Marquadt, Inc./VP Racing Fuels Chevrolet 107 165 2,400 Running
4 1 4 Donny Lia Dodge 107 160 3,000 Running
5 10 10 Eddie Flemke Ron Bouchard Auto/Red Line Oil Chevrolet 107 155 2,950 Running
6 17 06 Billy Pauch, Jr. * Greenfield Dodge Dodge 107 150 2,250 Running
7 27 99 Jamie Tomaino Ford 107 146 2,250 Running
8 5 36 Ted Christopher Al-Lee Installations Chevrolet 107 142 2,275 Running
9 29 70 Andy Seuss Land & Sea Dyno/Stewart's Automotive 107 138 1,175 Running
10 19 40 Ryan Preece * Mizzy Construction Chevrolet 107 134 1,550 Running
11 36 64 Eric Berndt North End Auto Parts/Co's Central Auto Pontiac 107 130 1,725 Running
12 23 59 Matt Hirschman Bennett Properties Dodge 107 127 2,025 Running
13 21 94 Eric Beers Reynolds Auto Wrecking Chevrolet 107 124 1,900 Running
14 32 33 Wade Cole Performance Engine/Kendall Oil/Ryan's Oil 107 121 1,740 Running
15 4 12 Jimmy Blewett Monroe Shocks/5-7 Motorsports Chevrolet 106 118 1,986 Accident
16 6 66 John Blewett, III Mastrobattisto Contractors/Sunoco Chevrolet 106 115 1,000 Accident
17 15 79 Woody Pitkat Hill Enterprises/Coors Light Pontiac 106 112 1,425 Accident
18 33 05 Joe Hartmann WMS Construction Chevrolet 106 109 1,350 Running
19 22 77 Doug Coby, III Racing Against Cancer Foxwoods/Subway 105 106 1,375 Running
20 37 38 Ken Heagy Buoy One Seafood Chevrolet 105 103 900 Running
21 12 21 Richard Savary * Superior Oil Chevrolet 100 100 875 Accident
22 3 14 Reggie Ruggiero Atlantic Sprinklers Chevrolet 99 97 1,250 Accident
23 26 46 Dick Houlihan Crossroads RV Center/Viveiros Insurance 99 94 1,525 Accident
24 31 93 Rowan Pennink * Monk Mechanic Hand Cleaner Chevrolet 99 91 1,500 Accident
25 13 19 Ronnie Silk Major Motion /Silk Pumbing & Heating Chevrolet 97 88 1,590 Running
26 2 28 James Civali Ramar-Hall/Liberty Limousine Chevrolet 93 85 1,750 Accident
27 20 00 Jerry Marquis Reynolds Auto/Chute Gates Steakhouse 85 82 1,700 Running
28 16 11 Anthony Sesely A-1 Collision Center Chevrolet 83 79 750 Power Steering
29 9 09 Bobby Grigas * Triple G Scaffolding/Amsoil Racing Chevrolet 82 76 1,150 Accident
30 25 16 Mike Stefanik Diversified Metals Pontiac 80 73 2,300 Running
31 30 8 Glenn Tyler Sypher Construction/1-800-CONCRETE 62 70 1,150 Rear End
32 35 1 Rob Summers Frasco Fuel Chevrolet 62 67 750 Suspension
33 11 0 Danny Sammons Area Auto Racing News Chevrolet 57 64 1,450 Accident
34 24 58 Kevin Goodale Riverhead Building Supply Chevrolet 57 61 1,450 Accident
35 14 3 Bobby Santos, III * Roby's Propane/Cape Cod Copper Chevrolet 53 58 750 Accident
36 28 90 Renee Dupuis RH&A/Cottrifeld Trailers Chevrolet 27 55 750 Accident
37 34 9 Jake Marosz Middlesex Auto Center Chevrolet 17 52 750 Accident

Time of Race:1 hrs., 0 mins, 59 secs Average Speed: 65.797 mph Margin of Victory: Race ended under caution BUD POLE AWARD: Todd Szegedy, 2 Wisk/Snuggle Ford FEATHERLITE MOST IMPROVED DRIVER AWARD: Eddie Flemke, 10 Ron Bouchard Auto/Red Line Oil Chevrolet POWERADE POWER MOVE OF THE RACE: Eric Berndt, 64 North End Auto Parts/Co's Central Auto Pontiac
SUNOCO ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Billy Pauch, Jr. *, 06 Greenfield Dodge Dodge
WHELEN ENGINEERING WINNER OF THE RACE: Todd Szegedy, 2 Wisk/Snuggle Ford
Caution Flags: Laps 20-25; 47-51; 58-62; 67-71; 73-75; 85-88; 93-97; 100-106; 107. 9 for 41 laps.
Lap Leaders: Donny Lia 1, James Civali 2-10, Donny Lia 11-25, James Civali 26-92, John Blewett III 93-106, Todd Szegedy 107.

Aug 10 - Stafford Speedway - WMT - TIme 12th Finish 8th
This was a boost to the team for Eric to time 12th and finish in the front. He wwas up to 5th when a yellow flew with less than 10 to go so they did not count that lap and ric had to go back to 8th and they went to a single file restart. The story of the race for Eric was the motor was lacking some power - Eric would pass two or three cars in the turn and then they would pass him back when it was time to sash the throttle on the straightaway and the 94 motor just did not have it tonight. Great work by the crew to set up such a great handling car.

1. (8) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 150 laps, 51.311 mph, $7,300.
2. (2) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn., Ford, 150, $4,000.
3. (21) Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I., Chevrolet, 150, $4,850.
4. (20) Doug Coby, Milford, Conn., Pontiac, 150, $2,600.
5. (4) Donny Lia, Jericho, N.Y., Dodge, 150, $2,850.
6. (6) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Dodge, 150, $2,500.
7. (25) Jerry Marquis, Broad Brook, Conn., Chevrolet, 150, $2,150.
8. (12) Eric Beers, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 150, $2,050.
9. (16) Jimmy Blewett, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 150, $2,250.
10. (19) Woody Pitkat, Stafford Springs, Conn., Pontiac, 150, $1,850.
11. (10) Dick Houlihan, Bridgewater, Mass., Chevrolet, 150, $2,400.
12. (5) Tony Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 150, $2,175.
13. (29) Billy Pauch, Jr., Frenchtown, N.J., Dodge, 150, $1,500.
14. (26) Eric Berndt, Rocky Hill, Conn., Pontiac, 150, $1,075.
15. (27) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Ford, 150, $2,000.
16. (13) Renee Dupuis, Glastonbury, Conn., Chevrolet, 150, $1,025.
17. (3) Danny Sammons, Trenton, N.J., Chevrolet, 150, $1,850.
18. (24) Wade Cole, Riverton, Conn., Chevrolet, 150, $1,675.
19. (28) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 150, $1,800.
20. (7) Ronnie Silk, Norwalk, Conn., Chevrolet, 150, $1,875.
21. (23) Charlie Pasteryak, Lisbon, Conn., Chevrolet, 138, accident, $900.
22. (11) Richard Savary, Canton, Mass., Chevrolet, 134, $1,575.
23. (1) Bobby Grigas, Marshfield, MA, Chevrolet, 132, electrical, $1,250.
24. (30) Glen Tyler, Hampton Bays, N.Y., Chevrolet, 130, accident, $1,225.
25. (17) James Civali, Meriden, Conn., Chevrolet, 129, $1,950.
26. (15) Reggie Ruggiero, Rocky Hill, Conn., Chevrolet, 117, accident, $1,164.
27. (22) Kevin Goodale, Riverhead, NY, Chevrolet, 115, accident, $1,450.
28. (14) Eddie Flemke, Southington, Conn., Chevrolet, 114, $1,550.
29. (32) Jake Marosz, Middletown, Conn., Chevrolet, 114, $750.
30. (18) Ryan Preece, Kensington, CT, Chevrolet, 84, $1,450.
31. (31) Joseph Hartmann, Calverton, N.Y., Chevrolet, 72, radiator, $1,150.
32. (9) Bobby Santos, III, Millis, Mass., Chevrolet, 6, accident, $750.

Time of Race: 1 hour 27 minutes 42 seconds Margin of Victory: .430 seconds
Fastest Qualifier: T.Hirschman (98.966 mph, 18.188 seconds)
Caution Flags: 13 for 73 laps.Lead Changes: 11 among 5 drivers.Lap Leaders: B.Grigas 0; T.Szegedy 1-14; D.Lia 15-18; T.Christopher 19-76; D.Lia 77-85; B.Grigas 86-111; M.Stefanik 112-113; T.Christopher 114-125; T.Szegedy 126; T.Christopher 127-137; T.Szegedy 138-140; T.Christopher 141-150.

Aug 10 - Stafford Speedway - WMT Postponed to the 11th

Aug 4 - Riverhead Raceway - WMT - TIme 8 - Finish 19
The crew gave Eric a pretty good car to time 8th - But that was one spot out of not having to run a heat race. Eric started pole in his heat race but was given a shooter and did a greatjob to save the car and gather it up and only drop back to 4th. He started the race 14th and after 4 laps realized they had a bad right rear. They were going to pit but got caught up in someone elses mess and got hit and did some hitting. The Crew with Kevin and Fish on the front, with a bent right front spindle got the tow pretty close and then sent him back out. Ran for a while and was ok and then all of suddeen there was the 99 sitting sideways in the turn and Eric did a great job to slow it down to only hit him slightly but had to go threw the tow thing all over again. They fixed it the best they could and Eric came home 19th with only a slightly bent car compared to the beating and banged up cars that Riverhead provided. Imagine even in the top fiv ethey were taking each other out causing mayhem behind them.

Racing Courtesy and Late Lap Conflict Give Lia Fifth Win of Season by Amie Campbell

Riverhead Mod Tour Battle Comes Down to Who Wrecked and Who Didn't
The Whelen Modified Tour made their lone stop to this tight track for the final of three flash-format races, and it was Ted Christopher scoring the pole through the time trial portion of the event, narrowly edging out Riverhead locals, Bill Park and Howie Brode. After a pair of 25 lap heat races set the remainder of 28 car field, the race would finally begin about an hour behind schedule due to a problem with the lighting in turn one.
Mike Stefanik, the reigning tour Champion, led the first 114 laps of the race, a stretch marked by lots of nose-to-tail racing and caution flags for single car spins. It was one of those spins, one that didn’t draw a caution, that turned the lead over to Christopher on lap 115 when smoke filled the frontstretch.
Stefanik and Christopher battled hard and often side by side over the next 20 laps, with Christopher ghosting against the wall at one point and Stefanik kicking up dust from the infield. When lap traffic started to bottle things up in front of them, Stefanik and Christopher got together again, damaging both of their vehicles out of contention.
Donny Lia would move from third to first and he never looked back, taking the win on lap 144 after the race extended into overtime for a green-white-checker finish. Park finished second, with Ronnie Silk, Justin Bonsignore and James Civali rounding out the top five. Bonsignore, another Riverhead local, had only recently returned behind the wheel after breaking his wrist earlier in the season.

“I had a little something for Donny at the end, but he ran me good a couple of weeks ago here (Riverhead) for the 77 lapper,” said Park after the race. “I’m leading the points here. He was behind me with five laps to go, he never bumped me and I owed him the same courtesy. If I could have gotten him, I would have but I was not going to bump him out of the way to do it.”
Riverhead Raceway (NY) is a quarter-mile bullring, a tricky little track where you’re not just racing but also trying to survive the mayhem. Bumping, banging, and lots of caution periods are common, as are cars with their front nerf bars completely vertical after a race.
Lia remembered the race Park spoke of, the 77 lap feature held annually in memory of some of Riverhead’s legendary drivers who have passed away. “We were going for fifth or something like that,” recalled Lia. “ I probably could have driven him a little bit harder and forced the issue but like I told my guys, the guy is here racing all year long, he’s going for a championship, we’re here for one race. I wouldn’t want to be going for a championship and have someone take me out. I guess tonight was a little bit of payback. I want to thank him for that, for remembering. It’s funny how things work.”

While Lia stood in victory lane, he mused that to finish first, first you must finish. It was a lesson that Christopher and Stefanik seem to forget this race, but one that Lia did not.

“We had some give and take there and the 16 (Stefanik) and 36 (Christopher) had no give and take and I guess they didn’t end up making out too well,” said Lia. “They had the two best cars tonight. We did not have a car to win; I’m not ashamed to admit it. Sometimes you’ve just got to hang in there and get whatever you can get. Tonight, we were able to get a win.”

The victory extended Lia’s point lead over Matt Hirschman to 92 points

1. (3) Donny Lia, Jericho N.Y., Dodge, 144
2. (7) Bill Park, Manorville N.Y., Chevrolet, 144
3. (15) Ronnie Silk, Norwalk Conn., Chevrolet, 144
4. (11) Justin Bonsignore, Holtsville N.Y., Chevrolet, 144
5. (9) James Civali, Meriden Conn., Chevrolet, 144
6. (21) Danny Sammons, Hamilton N.J., Chevrolet, 144
7. (24) Matt Hirschman, Northampton Penn., Dodge, 144
8. (5) Howie Brode, East Islap N.Y., Chevrolet, 144
9. (26) Jamie Tomaino, Howell N.J., Chevrolet, 144
10. (19) Ryan Preece, Kensington Conn., Chevrolet, 144
11. (1) Michael Stefanik, Coventry R.I., Pontiac, 144
12. (8) Jimmy Blewett, Calverton N.Y., Chevrolet, 143
13. (20) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley Penn., Chevrolet, 143
14. (17) Ed Flemke, Jr, Southington Conn., Chevrolet, 143
15. (4) Ted Christopher, Plainville Conn., Chevrolet, 143
16. (25) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield Conn., Ford, 140
17. (23) Kevin Goodale, Riverhead N.Y., Chevrolet, 140
18. (13) J.R. Bertuccio, Jr, Centereach N.Y., Chevrolet, 138, Nerf bar
19. (14) Eric Beers, Northampton Penn., Chevrolet, 138
20. (10) Dan Jivanelli, Hampton Bays N.Y., Chevrolet, 133, Bumper
21. (6) Jerry Marquis, Broad Brook Conn., Dodge, 103, Accident
22. (22) Richard Savary, Canton Mass., Chevrolet, 94, Accident
23. (12) Chuck Steuer, Bohemia N.Y., Chevrolet, 89, Bumper
24. (28) Glenn Tyler, Hampton Bays N.Y., Chevrolet, 84, Accident
25. (2) Anthony Ferrante, Jr, New Hyde Park N.Y., Chevrolet, 83, Accident
26. (16) Wayne Anderson, Yaphink N.Y., Chevrolet, 82, Accident
27. (18) Dick Houlihan, Bridgewater Mass., Chevrolet, 69, Accident
28. (27) Wade Cole, Riverton Conn., Chevrolet, 58, Accident

Caution Flags: 7 for 66 laps.
Lap Leaders: Stefanik 1-114, Christopher 115-136, Stefanik 137-138, Lia 139-144.
Total Laps Led: Stefanik 116, Christopher 22, Lia 6. 3 changes involving 3 drivers

July 29 - Mahoning SPeedway - Super 7 Series - 100 laps
After practice and a Street Stock 100 lap race - the rains came - this race originally scheudled for July 4th will now be made up at a TBA date.


July 28 - Mahoning Speedway - Super 7 Series - 100 laps- Time 6th - start 6 - WIN
The team worked all day Friday getting the #9 Modified ready for action for the Mahoning Weekend double header. Kevin was down from MA and tweeked the car as only he can. When the car hit the track it was fast as Eric timed 6th but the main thing was that the car handles really good, When the race started with Eric in 6th is was easy to see that the #9 was able to stick whereever Eric wanted it to go. Eric put on a show in the first 8 laps. "The car was really good early and so it was time to go", Eric said after the race. This had to be one of Eric's best 8 laps that he has run. Nice and clean, inside and outside. Off he went to the front. This was one of the best looking handling cars that Eric has had at Mahoning. He was running a little different line than he normally ran but but never wow that car would cut and turn in the turns. After many restarts Eric had no room for error ,but he came through and put the #9 in Victory lane. Many thanks to the entire crew who worked hard to make this happen.

Story from Dino "The Voice" Oberto
Eric Beers of Northampton showed why he is among the current day elite of northeast asphalt Modified drivers as he won a grueling 100-lapper, which was his second straight J Co Autobody Super-7 Series win, Saturday night at Mahoning Valley Speedway. Beers had a number of combatants who tried to run with him but each time he withstood the challenges including a late race surge by Don Wagner who made a valiant attempt at stealing away the win. Beers is one of the masters of Mahoning and was not to be denied as the he reaped another $3000 victory. Chip Santee, Earl Paules and Lee Sherwood completed the top five. “Every time we got a caution there were guys like Chip Santee, Zane Zeiner, Don Wagner and Scott Lesher lined up next to us on a restart and you encounter the slightest mistake and that’s it. Those guys are so good here,” said Beers. “We just had good restarts and just tried to run everybody clean, as clean as they run us. It was such a fun race and the track was in great condition.” After inverting the top 12 from time trials Beers started the event from sixth. Kory Rabenold and Scott Lesher had the front row with Lesher taking the early lead. Beers then moved in on both of them by lap eight and his admission in to the top spot came after a great 3-wide battle. After taking the helm Beers was displaying plenty of horsepower and was able to keep a few car lengths distance on the rest of the field. Behind him was some very aggressive action as Lesher and Rabenold were joined by Matt Hirschman who all raced alongside one another. At lap 25 Hirschman broke free from the tussle while Lesher and Rabenold continued their strife until lap 28. Lesher, at that juncture, was nipped from behind and went spinning, putting the race under caution.When the action resumed Beers held off Hirschman’s attempts and was able to again put a short distance on the pack.On the move was top qualifier Zane Zeiner who drove into third on lap 34. After a few laps of racing alongside Hirschman, he made the move into second on the 41st circuit. On lap 45 the race was halted for a spinning incident and once resumed Beers had a bumper full of Zeiner. Both ran nose-to-tail as well as side-by-side in a battle that lasted through lap 76 at which time a yellow waved when Rabenold spun in turn two. Under the caution Zeiner suddenly darted into the pits with unfortunate mechanical woes. That handed second over to Wagner who had zipped his way through traffic and into the lead pack at lap 59. The final 24 laps were exceedingly competitive. Beers still led but in his path was a battle among the likes of Wagner, Santee and Paules. All three exchanged the runner-up spot and all three also took solid cracks at Beers.With ten laps left Wagner took full control of second. With five remaining a caution flew and on that restart he went from broke in trying to pass the leader, however, the best he could do was pull to within a half car length as Beers had the power needed to get the job done. “There was a lot of grip out there. I was running a real different line the I normally run here. I was going real high into (turn) one and getting a real good run off of two. It was just great and the crew did an awesome job. I’m just happy to get this one and we’ll try again tomorrow,” said Beers. His reference to tomorrow was in regards the following night’s postponed July 4 Super-7 Series race. “This is like home and family not me when I come to Mahoning,” added Beers. “I have a great time racing here. If we would have gotten 19th (place) I wouldn’t have been as happy but it still feels like home.” It was a great run by Wagner despite coming up a tad short at the finish.“Eric (Beers) is tough and he knows how to hold everybody back and he was fast tonight. I had one shot at the end and it just wasn’t enough. There just weren’t enough laps. We needed about a 110 lapper,” said the reigning track champ. Santee was a close third. Paules did an amazing job in garnering fourth. He started from 21st and had made several pit stops during the first half of the race without loosing a lap. Likewise for Sherwood how turned in a solid ran after coming from 15th on the grid.
MODIFIEDS (100): 1.Eric Beers 2.Don Wagner 3.Chip Santee 4.Eral Paules 5.Lee Sherwood 6.Brian DeFebo 7.Rusty Smith 8.Rod Snyder, Jr. 9.John Markovic 10.Mike Quinn 11.Todd Baer 12.Matt Hirschman 13.CJ Jones 14.Bobby Jones 15.Jason Arthofer 16.Zane Zeiner 17.Kory Rabenold 18.Scott Lesher 19.Rodney Gruber 20.Pete Brittain 21.john Bennett 22.Lou Strohl DNS: Troy Bollinger DNQ: Gary Wentz, Matt Clemens, Stacey Brown


July 21 - Oswego Speedway - RoC - Start 20 - Finish 22
Lady Luck continues to elude the Northampton PA, Modified driver. Eric picked to start 8th out of 9 cars in the second heat of the night. As he was going attempt to pass Mike Leaty for the 4th and final redraw position -He went in on the outside a little hot and had to whoa up a bit - as he slowed it down the 7 something car hit Eric in the nerf bar which made him lose a couple more spots and then was relegated to start the race 20th. THe team made some changes to the car to get it better in the the 75 lap feature. THe race started out as Eric planned. Just wait and move up as the opportunity presents itself. THe plan was working as Eric and fellow Flemnignton competitor for many years, Pete Britian, worked their way up through the field and were 8th and 9th respectively and they were working good on both the inside and outside. On lap 49 as Eric was going to the outside to pass the 24 and the 22 - those two cars got together and collected Eric with them- Those two demolished their cars while Eric took a sweeping spin and barely grazed the wall. It did not look to bad but it ended up bending the rear and rather than risking breaking anything else - they parked the car for the night.

RoC Story by JR Kennerup

On Saturday night at the Oswego Speedway another signature moment in the career of a driver and owner happened with their first ever Oswego feature win. On this night Wilbur Hebing of Ontario, NY driving the car owned by the legendary Kenny Troyer led all 75 laps to win the Parts Plus Autostores / State Farm Insurance / Garafolo’s sponsored feature. Hebing redrew the pole position for the feature but had to hold off the relentless challenges of current RoC Dart point leader Matt Hirschman who was second. Chuck Hossfeld in only his third race after moving back from North Carolina a few weeks ago finished third. Billy Putney with another solid Oswego run finishing fourth after starting tenth and second generation driver Mike Leaty came home in fifth. "Yes this is my biggest win by far by winning here at Oswego." said the soft spoken $2, 800 winner. "Drawing the pole helps a lot but I’m scared of being the rabbit. I like chasing but with the guys you have to race with here and the quality of drivers it’s definitely a benefit to start up front." Wilbur in the last Oswego race back on May 26th was the fastest car at the end of the race. Tonight Wilbur had the fastest car throughout the entire the race. "That is where we have been struggling the most with up here is with me trying to find the setup that makes me fast in the beginning of the race and also fast at the end. I’m so use to the 30 lap races that it is hard for me to decide how tight is tight. We seem to hit the setup tonight and to race with those guys and to be able to beat them is a dream come true."

Wilbur spoke about the two times during the race in which Matt Hirschman pulled even with him while racing for the lead. "I saw him ( Matt ) poke the car in there ( lap 35 ) and my radio man Greg said keep calm" recalled Wilbur. "I ran my line and didn’t do anything stupid and we were all right. The car was fast and to race with Matt and the other guys with all that experience of running two and three times a week, it’s tough to beat those guys. I’ll take it." Two years ago at the 2005 Sunoco Race of Champions Wilbur was walking the pits on Saturday without a ride. Kenny Troyer was set down for a rule infraction and he came looking for Wilbur to drive his car for the remainder of that show. Ever since that rainy day back in 2005 Wilbur has driven for Kenny Troyer.

"Actually this is a pretty good marriage for us as Kenny has been wanting to win a race here for 30 years" said the smiling Wilbur. "To finally get him a win here, I’m glad for the whole team. All the guys really work hard on the car and now we have something to joke around with Maynard ( Kenny’s famous brother ) about, because Maynard rubs on us pretty hard now and then. We’ve been pretty fortunate to win some races at Spencer and Lancaster. To win here, there’s a lot of history here. I’ve been coming here since the Race of Champions has been here, I’ve been second a bunch of times, led a lot of laps, and have never been able to pull it off. Tonight it is a dream come true." Sitting peacefully behind the celebration in the pit area was car owner Kenny Troyer with a cold liquid beverage in his hand. Kenny commented on his first career Oswego win. "All I can tell you is that I’m going to die a happy man now. I run my first race here in 1978 so it’s been pretty much 30 years of trying. I’ve always supported Oswego, it’s my favorite race track ever since I saw the Modifieds race for the first time ever here in 1969. It’s a dream come true." Kenny continued on about his car and driver on this night. "The car was super. Wilbur Hebing did one hell of a job and I can’t think of anyone who I would rather have drive my car than Wilbur Hebing."

"We’ve been there all year" said second place finisher Matt Hirschman when talking about his consistent finishes. "This is quite a few top threes in a row going back to Wall. We got quite a streak here together and we’re leading both regions and unfortunately we’re looking at missing a race here on Classic Weekend due to my schedule. We still got a chance at the points and we’ll see how it shakes out, I’m just racing every night to get the best finish possible." Matt who started fifth spoke about his race strategy on this night. "I set it up at the start and ran as hard as I could at the start of the race to try and get as close to the lead as possible. Wilbur got a good draw as he got the pole and he was fast enough that it would have taken a mistake or slipup by him for me to get past him." Matt quickly moved from fifth to third by the end of three laps and by lap five was in second. Matt was able to close right in on the back bumper of the leading Hebing machine and it was only a matter of time before a battle for the lead was going to take place. That battle came in lap traffic on lap 35 going down the back straight as Hirschman pulled even with Hebing. But as the duo entered turn three Hebing was able to box Hirschman in behind a slower lap car that was on the inside of the track. " I took a shot as he had a slower lap car in front of him " recalled Matt when talking about what happened. "It was worth a shot, it didn’t work." Matt had one final shot at passing Hebing for the lead as he pulled even at the start/finish line as the duo completed lap 47. But Matt didn’t have enough bite on the outside to hold it entering turn one. "That was my good shot as he got loose in the middle of the corner and I wasn’t able to get up and alongside of him. I just couldn’t finish the pass; I didn’t know what kind of passing was going on behind me. I felt that my car has been better here to pass on the outside. I don’t know if it was the track or just wasn’t quite as good on the outside as I would like to be here. I just couldn’t quite cut it enough on the top tonight."

"Those guys could get away from us on the long runs" said third place finisher Chuck Hossfeld. "What happened was I figured there was going to be a caution so why keep chasing them. Then it looked liked there wasn’t going to be a caution so I picked up the pace. Maybe what I should have done was chilled out a little more and saved the tires a little more." Chuck who started seventh moved into fourth by lap two and quickly motored into third three laps later. Chuck stayed there for the remainder of the race and at the end of the race had to hold off a hard charging Billy Putney for third. Chuck spoke about this race only being his third time in the car since returning from North Carolina just about one month ago. "I’m pretty happy with the car as it has just been sitting in my shop idle" said Chuck. "Each time we’ve run we have improved on it and that is all you can ask for and hopefully not long we’ll be in victory lane."

Qualifying for the 27 Modifieds on hand saw heat wins captured by Rick Kluth, Hirschman, and Hossfeld.

STEEL PALACE NOTES: Instead of sending one car home without making the field track management opted to run every car who entered. This decision was very popular with the drivers who all had a chance to race and get some laps. For the first time in over 20 years veteran Jim Lameroux found himself behind the wheel of a Modified as he ran the former Ed Conoran owned car. Dan Chimera failed to make the heat race as his car failed to fire but he got it repaired in time for the feature. Rick Kluth saw a strong run go by the way side when the rear end broke on lap 14 and he was in fourth. Many insiders were hoping for a late race yellow, which never came, to see just how much Erick Rudolph had left. Because he pitted for a new right rear tire on lap 50 and made up nearly a half a track under green flag conditions when the checker fell as he ended up sixth right on the heels of the fifth place finisher. Erick’s teammate Bobby Holmes hit the turn three outside wall a ton on lap 50, he was taken to the hospital for a checkup after the races. RoC Dart officials would like to clarify an error that was reported in the story from Wyoming County last Sunday afternoon. Erick Rudolph was the youngest driver to win a RoC Dart Modified feature in the history of the Tour. However he was not the only teenager as Kory Rabenold won at Mahoning Valley last year. RoC / Dart would like to apologize to Kory for the error. The next Oswego show will be the final North Region point event on Saturday September 1st with a 125 lap $5,000 to win feature with time trials being run for this show to set the top 12 starting spots.

RACE REPORT RACE OF CHAMPIONS DART ASPHALT MODIFIED TOUR CENTRAL REGION RACE # 4 FINISH: Wilbur Hebing, Matt Hirschman, Chuck Hossfeld, Billy Putney, Mike Leaty, Erick Rudolph, Pete Brittain, Lee Sherwood, Rusty Smith, Tommy Kinsella, John Markovic, Danny Knoll, Jr., Alex Hoag, Andy Szapacs, Doug Reaume, Vern LaFave, Daren Scherer, Ken Canestrari, Chris Finocchario, Phil Slater, Bobby Holmes, Eric Beers, Dan Chimera, Jim Lameroux, Rick Kluth, Sean O’Neill, Matt Clemens

LAP LEADERS: Hebing ( 1 – 75 )

July 18 - Seekonk Speedway- $10,000 to win open show - Postponed to September 22 - Race of Champions Weekend - SO maybe Seekonk Management will reconsider the date so that we might all attend both races and not have have to choose one or the other.

July 15 - Wyoming County - RoC - Finish 14
The Crew earned teir money today as Eric had to come i o nlap 47 for an overheating problem. The crew got that fixed and got Eric back out on the track without losing a lap. Then on the ensuing restart the car lost a oil line - While the track was cleaning up it gave the crew enough time to fix the problem and got Eric back out without losing a lap for a 14th place finish. . below is full race report.

By JR Kennerup - Perry, NY - In the storied history of the Race of Champions Dart Asphalt Modified Tour there has never been a teenage asphalt Modified winner. All of that came to an end on Sunday afternoon at the Wyoming County International Raceway. As 16 year old third generation racer Erick Rudolph of Ransomville, NY led all 75 laps with ease to claim not only his first RoC Dart win but also his first ever asphalt Modified win.

Matt Hirschman continued his fine run of not pitting and finishing in the top three as he ended up second. Daren Scherer like the first two drivers didn’t pit for a new tire drove the wheels of his car to end up third. Bobby Holmes who is a teammate to Rudolph made it a good day for the DeLange Racing Team with a solid fourth place finish. Pete Brittain came on strong after his pit stop to finish in fifth aboard the Terry Zacharias prepared machine.

“Yes this is my biggest win” said the soft spoken $2,800 winner. “Wyoming County has been a very good place for me as I won my first SST Sportsman feature here and now I won my first Modified feature here.”

Erick redrew the pole starting spot and when the green flag dropped to start the 75 lap feature Erick jumped out to the lead over Brian DeFebo. With the first 34 laps going caution free Rudolph navigated lap traffic like a cool veteran does after ten plus years of racing.

Still many thought that the rookie asphalt Modified racer would stumble when the race would get near the end. But every time there was an opportunity for nerves to play a role in the outcome Rudolph drove like he had ice water in his veins. This was proved every time after each restart Rudolph would open up a very comfortable lead. Basically he was never seriously challenged throughout the feature as he drove a perfect race.

“I really wanted this one today” said Erick. “Because of starting on the pole with a good car that the DeLange’s gave me to run along with the great crew I have working on the car.”

“It’s been a fun year racing around the different tracks with RoC and gaining the experience” said Erick about his learning curve season on the road. “It definitely means something to me to be the youngest RoC winner ever, there’s a lot of history and I’m glad to be a part of the history.”

When Erick was named to this potent ride replacing Dave Wollaber many people questioned the move. With his performances this year Erick has silenced his critics and proved that he belongs in this car. “I don’t listen to my critics at all, as this was a big win, a RoC win, first Modified win, a really big win.”

Erick was very calm, cool, and collected after the feature win kind of like he was still in shock. But his dad Charlie was all smiles as he was receiving handshakes from the many well wishers in the pit area.

“I’m very proud of him and he definitely has some talent” said Charlie. “It was a lot easier for me to drive than it was to watch, believe me. I’m very proud of him as he turned 14. 14 the last two laps and that is moving at this place. What can you ask of a kid at that age.”“I would like to thank my dad, my grandpa, all of the crew, and all of the sponsors, because I couldn’t do any of this without them” said Erick.“I didn’t know that going with the no pit strategy was the thing to do but it worked out as the tires held up really good and the risk paid off” said Erick. “I know the paving job helped my back out as I’m not as sore as I was following the last race here as the car didn’t go all over the place like it did last time.”

“People copied our strategy from last weekend so I came up with something else” said second place finisher Matt Hirschman. Last weekend Matt rode around at the back on both nights and only pitted on Friday to finish third and didn’t pit and won on Saturday night. Today Hirschman raced hard in his heat race and re drew 11th for the feature.“Every race like I told you last week you have to come up with something different or what ever works best for that day” said Matt. “I’m kind of the benchmark right now because we are running competitive and people are looking at what we’re doing. It might have worked for me once and we can do it different ways to get good results.”Matt after the original green took his time to save his tires and never entered the top five until lap 48. With the second place car of Brian DeFebo really struggling while holding on to second. Matt went from fifth to second with an inside backstretch pass on lap 71.Despite having one final restart on lap 74 Matt didn’t have anything for the high flying teenager.

“Erick was up front all day and he had a really good car, he did a really good job running out there. I think we would have been equal if I had gotten more laps at the end of the race. I probably wasn’t going to pass him today because the track wasn’t as racy enough for me as it has been in the past. The outside groove wasn’t as good for me as it has been in the past.”

Matt summed up his day in a positive way. “A second, another top three finish for us here, I’m not sure how many in a row that is for us here. Congratulations to Erick on his first win, probably first of many, but they’re hard to come by. We go to Oswego next week and that is my favorite track, my strongest track and we’ll give it our best shot this week.”

“I didn’t notice that much difference with the track with the exception of a little bump in turns three and four” said third place finisher Daren Scherer, who started 3rd when talking about the track surface. “I took a different strategy this time and we weren’t going to pit unlike last time when we pitted. We’ll take a third and the different strategy paid off for us.”

Qualifying for the 21 cars in attendance saw heat wins captured by Billy Putney, Brittain, and DeFebo.

BULL RING NOTES: Many drivers are taking notice of fellow drivers race strategy and it was proven on this day. With everyone qualifying Eric Beers, Lee Sherwood, Rick Kluth, and Rusty Smith all rode around at the back of their respective heat race saving their tires. Unlike the previous visits to the track pitting for a new right rear tire didn’t pay off with a feature win. Many drivers afterwards said the outside groove was slippery and it was more than likely the oil coming out of the fresh patches of blacktop that was done two weeks ago, the patches held up perfectly. Four drivers never pitted and they were the top three along with Brian DeFebo. DeFebo deserved a better finish as he was second until the mad scramble began with less than 10 laps to go and he got shuffled back. Eric Beers was driving the Zacharias Racing car that formerly belonged to Bobby Osgood. Beers had an overheating problem which brought a yellow out on lap 47, the problem was fixed but as he re- entered the track an oil line broke. While the track cleanup was taking place the oil line was repaired and Eric returned without losing a lap. Also during this yellow Billy Putney who was sixth had to pit to change a left front brake rotor assembly. Rusty Smith also deserved a better finish as he was as high as fourth until a last lap mad scramble took place in turn two which saw Rusty spend time in the infield grass.

RACE OF CHAMPIONS DART ASPHALT MODIFIED TOUR NORTH REGION RACE # 3 FINISH: Erick Rudolph, Matt Hirschman, Daren Scherer, Bobby Holmes, Pete Brittain, Rick Kluth, Billy Putney, Lee Sherwood, Todd Smith, Brian DeFebo, Rusty Smith, Danny Knoll, Jr., Phil Slater, Eric Beers, Chris Zacharias, Mark Tychoniewicz, Dan Chimera, John Markovic, Matt Clemens, Bill Mislin, Tony Hanbury.LAP LEADERS: Rudolph (1 – 75)DART MACHINERY SET OF HEADS $1,200 VALUE: Clemens GATER RACING NEWS DRIVER BONUS DRAW $500: Knoll HOOSIER RACING TIRE HARD CHARGER AWARD: Kluth (18th to 6th) HOOSIER RACING TIRE HARD LUCK AWARD: Markovic (8th to 18th) & Tychoniewicz (6th to 16th)

July 8 - Twin State Speedway - NASCAR - Time 9 - Finish 15

The Crew gave Eric a good car but it was a fight to keep your spot on this unique track - tough to pass - yo had to keep it tucked to the bottom and then fight off the guy behind you trying to bump you out of the way - As crew member Frosty put it - "It was a pretty good race to watch but man I did not envy Eric in the car because you have to stick it in there so hard in the turns and then keep you line and take care of the big wiggle you got when you were getting banged on from behind"

From Speed 51. . . This Mod Show Was Predicted to Be a Bust, But Instead Showcased Some Great Racing. Tour competitors weren’t happy about the reduced purse as part of NASCAR’s flash race experiment. Weekly racers at the track complained about losing their pit spots for one event. Some members of the media battled with the track over access. Even Mother Nature cursed the event with a poor weather forecast and nagging low and dark clouds thoughout the day of the race. All of that was a shame because what fans ended up witnessing was a fun show at a racy little track in New Hampshire – a hidden jewel on a Tour schedule heavy with repeated visits to the same facilities seemingly week-in and week-out (Nine of the sixteen scheduled races during the 2007 season are at either Thompson or Stafford, both in Connecticut).
Before the race began, the buzz in the pits was not really centered around the 26 teams who were at the track, but instead who did not show. Three competitors who had been to every race this season so far – John Blewett, III; Ron Yuhas and the #79 Hillbilly Racing team with new driver Woody Pitkat skipped the race. Tony Hirschman, who
In the days leading up to Sunday’s NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour race at Twin State Speedway (NH), it didn’t seem like anybody was happy.
boycotted the flash race at Wall earlier this season, was also a no-show. Rob Summers, Anthony Sesley, Renee Dupuis and Rick Fuller were all nowhere to be found. While those guys and girls were all missed, it only takes two tough competitors to put on a great race. At Twin State, those two racers were named James Civali and Matt Hirschman. The two ran side-by-side for dozens of laps before Civali held off Hirschman at the finish to take the victory.
Both drivers were still in diapers the last time that the Tour visited Twin State and had no history at all of the track other than what they heard second hand. “I’ve never been here and I don’t even know anyone who had raced here,” said Civali.
“The locals told us that sometimes you can run the identical lap times here and be a groove or two up the track,” said Hirschman. “They were right. It was true.” Very true in fact. at bay for most fo the race. But every so often, Hirschman would poke his nose through to lead. Behind both of them though was a patient Civali, who started fourth and was content to maintain a position in the middle of the top five until he looked in his mirror and saw a fierce battle behind him between Donny Lia and Ted Christopher. “When Teddy and the #4 [Lia] moved up to third and fourth, I knew that they were going to be fast,” said Civali. “That is when I started putting the pressure on Ronnie to try and get around him." Civali dove under Silk on lap 27 to take the lead. At that point, Hirschman had slipped back to fifth and it appeared that Lia and TC would be Civali’s closest competitors. Instead, they might have raced a little bit too hard though. They both got close to the lead, but never took it. “I don’t know what happened to those two guys,” said Civali. “I think that they might have burned their tires up. I could see that they were racing hard.” Just before halfway, Hirschman got back into the runner-up slot. From there forward, he would not be far away from Civali for the rest of the night – even poking his nose past to officially lead lap 72.
Typically, the formation for Civali and Hirschman was the same for each of those laps. Civali had his #28 King Racing Mod down low on the track and Hirschman was a lane above him. Usually, the nose of Civali’s car was an inch or two ahead of Hirschman’s. But neither driver had much breathing room. They didn’t beat. They didn’t bang. They just raced hard. “At the end, Matt and I were side-by-side,” said Civali. “We were running away from the rest of the field. There were a few times when he got a really good run on me and I thought that he would get me. I was trying as hard as I could.”
“It was a good race,” said Hirschman. “Side-by-side racing is fun and that is why sometimes I enjoy racing more in other series. Sometimes, this Tour lacks that. James and I had a great race, Teddy was in there at times and we had some good battles. But neither driver had much breathing room. They didn’t beat. They didn’t bang. They just raced hard. “At the end, Matt and I were side-by-side,” said Civali. “We were running away from the rest of the field. There were a few times when he got a really good run on me and I thought that he would get me. I was trying as hard as I could.” “It was a good race,” said Hirschman. “Side-by-side racing is fun and that is why sometimes I enjoy racing more in other series. Sometimes, this Tour lacks that. James and I had a great race, Teddy was in there at times and we had some good battles. The victory was Civali’s second of the season – which now means that only one event has been won by anyone other than himself or Donny Lia. Civali has been quick in recent races, but lacked any kind of good luck. The victory now moves him up to third in the standings – giving him a fighting shot at chasing Lia in the points race and boosting his morale. “That #4 car [of Lia] is going to be hard to beat,” said Civali. “When you win three in a row, you’re hard to beat. I was a little frustrated at Thompson. We had a flat tire leading and couldn’t get back through before the rain came. We were coming through in a hurry at Loudon when we broke a driveshaft. That really crushed me. Then to see Lia win again, it was hard. When we came here, I just wanted to run in front of Lia for the points. You can’t win the points by wrecking, but you have to finish in front of the guys who are ahead of you. You don’t have to win races, but you have to finish ahead of your competition.“When you are chasing points, a seventh is disappointing. So when you can’t finish a race, it is really disappointing. That is crushing. I don’t know if that took me out of the points or not.” Most drivers publicly claim not to worry about points, but Civali doesn’t hide the fact that where he ranks in the championship chase is something that is on his mind. “Oh yeah, I’m thinking about it,” said Civali. “I’m hoping that the other guys have some bad luck. I guess everyone has bad luck and I hope that I’ve had mine with flat tires and broken driveshafts. Maybe this gets me back into the game. We’ll see.”As for the race format at Twin State – with time trials, a pair of 25-lap heat races and a 100-lap feature event, there was plenty of talk from competitors after the race. “I got a nose ahead a few times and we were close. We were side-by-side and both pulling away. That’s rare. We go to Stafford or Thompson and we can’t run side-by-side and be as fast or faster than anyone else." Right before the end of the race, Hirschman tucked in behind Civali and that’s the way that they finished ahead of Silk, Lia and Christopher.“We got strung out with 10 to go and we were a little bit quicker on the long runs,” said Civali. “He was better on a short run, but the race stayed green at the end and that worked out well for us.” “I couldn’t surge ahead,” said Hirschman. “Eventually, my car started to get a little slick and I didn’t want to throw away a second-place finish. I figured that when there was another restart, I could go back at it, but it went green the rest of the way. Once that we were nose-to-tail, I couldn’t make a pass. We were both running the same speed.”

1. (4) James Civali, Meriden, Conn., Chevrolet, 117 laps, 62.644 mph, $4,100.
2. (1) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Dodge, 117, $2,600.
3. (2) Ronnie Silk, Norwalk, Conn., Chevrolet, 117, $2,750.
4. (6) Donny Lia, Jericho, N.Y., Dodge, 117, $2,100.
5. (7) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 117, $2,000.
6. (11) Jerry Marquis, Broad Brook, Conn., Chevrolet, 117, $1,900.
7. (3) Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I., Chevrolet, 117, $2,450.
8. (13) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn., Ford, 117, $1,800.
9. (8) Jon McKennedy, Chelmsford, Mass., Chevrolet, 117, $975.
10. (25) Jimmy Blewett, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 117, $2,350.
11. (24) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Ford, 117, $1,425.
12. (15) Kevin Goodale, Riverhead, NY, Chevrolet, 117, $1,500.
13. (10) Eddie Flemke, Southington, Conn., Chevrolet, 117, $1,200.
14. (5) Ryan Preece, Kensington, CT, Chevrolet, 117, $950.
15. (20) Joseph Hartmann, Calverton, N.Y., Chevrolet, 117, $600.
16. (9) Eric Beers, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 117, $1,275.
17. (23) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 117, $925.
18. (19) Richard Savary, Canton, Mass., Chevrolet, 117, $1,200.
19. (22) Wade Cole, Riverton, Conn., Chevrolet, 115, $875.
20. (18) Glen Tyler, Hampton Bays, N.Y., Chevrolet, 113, $425.
21. (26) Jake Marosz, Middletown, Conn., Chevrolet, 113, $400.
22. (14) Zach Sylvester, Lebanon, Conn., Pontiac, 98, $1,050.
23. (21) Bobby Grigas, Marshfield, MA, Chevrolet, 72, accident, $327.
24. (12) Danny Sammons, Trenton, N.J., Chevrolet, 69, power steering, $800.
25. (16) Dick Houlihan, Bridgewater, Mass., Chevrolet, 65, rear end, $800.
26. (17) Billy Pauch, Jr., Frenchtown, N.J., Dodge, 58, nerf bar, $800

Eric Beers finished second at Spencer and tenth at Lancaster driving the former Chuck Hossfeld driving Don Ryerse owned Troyer mount that Terry Zacharias purchased just prior to the start of the season. “Man, those two places are challenging,” stated Beers. “I’ve been to Lancaster a few times, even won the US Open a few years, ago, but I haven’t been to Spencer in a few years and all I can say is both tracks are very demanding. We didn’t have much for Jan at Spencer, but second was great. I thought we’d better but at Lancaster but Darren Scherer turned around next to us and hit the left front pretty hard and messed up the geometry, so we tried our best, but tenth was all it had. I need to thank Terry (Zacharias) for the ride this weekend. We’ve hit a bit of a rough stretch with our own teams regarding our engine programs and Terry stepped right up and gave us a good ride for tonight.

July 7 - Lancaster Raceway - RoC - Finish 10
HIRSCHMAN’S NO PIT STRATEGY PAYS OFF IN LANCASTER RoC DART WIN
BY JR KENNERUP ( RoC MEDIA )
Clarence, NY... On Saturday night at the Lancaster Motorsports Park second generation driver and 2005 Race of Champions Dart Asphalt Modified Tour champion Matt Hirschman went against the odds with his race strategy. For the past few years every race run at Lancaster saw the winner pitting for a fresh right rear tire and many thought tonight would be no different.
As the majority of the field pitted under yellow on lap 33 of the 75 lap feature, Hirschman along with four other drivers decided to gamble and stay on the track. The gamble paid off in huge dividends for Hirschman as he motored into the lead on lap 39. Once in the lead Hirschman had to hold off the relentless challenges of Jan Leaty over the final 26 laps to claim the $2,800 victory.
Leaty who was looking for the weekend sweep of RoC Dart race action finished up second after starting 12th. Tom McGrath blew a rear end in heat one, got the car repaired just in time to make the feature, came on strong after his pit stop to finish a strong third. Teenager Erick Rudolph once again showing his ever increasing driver maturity as he finished fourth after starting 21st. Lancaster veteran driver Sege Fidanza made a late race charge to finish a fast closing fifth.
“ Every race and every race track takes a different strategy and it can be different at the same race track from one event to the next. You just try and do your best to come up with the best strategy possible to give you a chance to win. Sometimes that will get you a win, sometimes it will get you a second, and sometimes that will get you wrecked “ said the very happy race winner.
Matt’s strategy started at the beginning of the night as he had to start last in his heat because he wasn’t here last week when the rains came. Matt rode around in the back of the heat race saving his four tires that he knew he was going to be using in the feature. When the feature started and Matt in 17th he once again used strategy as he dropped back to near the end of the field. Matt was waiting to see how the race unfolded which was going to determine which part of his strategy was going to come into play.
“ Tonight I felt that was the strategy that I wanted to go with. Regardless of where we ran at the beginning or how hard we ran, we still did something that was almost impossible. You have to use your head and come up with the best strategy possible. “
Thinking race strategy is something that Matt has worked very hard at over the past few years. “ I helped win two NASCAR Modified championships in the last couple of years “ said Matt when talking about his experience as a crew chief for his father Tony, Jr. “ By coming up with ideas on how to win races and finish up front, it’s my specialty I guess. “
Matt was asked if he bounced his race strategy idea off his father Tony who was spotting for him on this night. “ I told him what my strategy was and he just kind of shrugged his shoulders. He knew what I was planning on and if it didn’t work out we could pit as I still had a fresh tire that we could put on. “
Matt found himself in fifth after the pit stops on lap 33 and over the next six laps Matt took to the fast outside groove at Lancaster to take the lead on lap 39. “ It wasn’t a set guarantee that I wasn’t going to pit “ said Matt. “ I just wanted to see how the cautions played out and it played the way I wanted it to go. From that point on I made a charge for the lead and I didn’t intend to charge into the lead that quick, but it came to me. The car felt good and I drove it to the lead and I didn’t know if I was going to make it at the end. Jan Leaty, he threw everything at me, his tire was fresh, and then we sorted evened out towards the end, but he was there. I knew that I was going to get pressure from somebody and it just happened to be Jan Leaty. “
Matt, who grew up watching his dad and Jan race all over battling for NASCAR Modified championships in the 1980’s and 1990’s spoke about those battles, “ Jan’s been strong lately and I realize now what those battles he and my dad had back in the 1980’s and 90’s. They were tough competition for each other and I’m learning first hand on why they say Jan Leaty and Tony Hirschman battles in the 1980’s at Shangri – La, Oswego, and here were still some of the best Modified racing ever. He’s proving that he still has it just like my dad still has it. “
Matt then spoke about the key point on lap 59 when Jan was alongside him going down the backstretch. “ We were having radio communication troubles “ admitted Matt. “ I couldn’t hear every word that the crew was saying and I wasn’t getting all of the information that I would have liked to been getting. I sort of got a bit of it that he had a wheel in there. I didn’t see him or hear him but I kind of heard that and I just drove it down into the corner as hard as I could. We were able to get back in front of him and that was our one close call besides having the radio communication problem. “
The final 20 laps of the race featured five yellow flag periods as drivers with fresh rubber were having a tough time passing drivers who were on used rubber. Those yellows which included two in the final four laps had many people thinking that they played right into the strategy of Hirschman, but Matt didn’t think so. “ I really didn’t want the cautions, I didn’t like the cautions, maybe it was to my benefit, I don’t know. I’d just rather run it green and you win, you win, and if you lose, you lose as it’s a fair game for everybody. “
The win was Matt first career Lancaster win. “ I always wanted to win a feature here, just like I did at Oswego this year “ said Matt. “ I came here and back in the 80’s my dad won a US Open here and I can remember it like it was a year or two ago. I always wanted to win one here, win one at Oswego, I try to win every race but to win at some places are real special and this is definitely one of them. “
“ I didn’t tell anybody but I wanted that win tonight to make it a double on the weekend “ said second place finisher Jan Leaty. “ I’ve only done that a couple of times in my career and it would have been neat to do that this weekend. But I had a great weekend. “
Jan started 12th and took his time early in the race and in typical Leaty style started to turn the wick up at the 25 lap mark. From lap 25 to lap 33 Leaty impressively moved from tenth to fifth in a crowd pleasing driving performance. Leaty then pitted on lap 33 under yellow for a fresh right rear tire.
After the pit stop Leaty was now seventh on the track and on lap 42 he let everyone know that he was going to the front. Jan pulled off a three wide up the middle pass of Chuck Hossfeld and Brett Scherer to move into fifth and the Leaty charge was on. Jan was fourth on lap 46 and two laps later moved quickly into third and one lap later he grabbed second and now the race for the win was on.
“ The second tire we put on the right rear when we pitted I don’t think sized up as good as the one we had on the car “ said Jan. “ The car is never quite as good on another tire as the first tire you have on and that is what happened tonight. Last night the second tire we put on was just as good as the first tire we had on. But that is how it goes sometimes and you have to give Matt plenty of credit as his strategy worked. With his strategy he never had to pass many cars so he didn’t use a lot of rubber. “
When Jan tracked down Hirschman many thought that the winning pass was coming. Jan had one good shot at passing Hirschman and he was under him at the mid point of the backstretch on lap 59. But as the side by side racing duo entered turn three Leaty backed out giving Hirschman the opportunity to keep the lead that he would never give up.
Jan spoke about that pivotal moment of the race. “ Yes I backed out as we were on iffy tires at that point of the race and you don’t have a ton of confidence in everything at that point of the race. I thought maybe I could have stayed in there that time, but I’m not going to wreck a guy on purpose to win a race. “
“ I had already started to pack up the trailer and the guys were the ones who actually didn’t want to quit “ said third place finisher Tom McGrath who blew a rear end leading heat one. “ One crew member searched the pits and didn’t find the parts we needed so he said I’m going back to the shop to get the parts we need to fix the problem. The shop is a half hour away, so he got back an hour later and it was during the Late Model feature we he arrived with the parts. We had just about ten minutes to get it together and finished just as they called us to the line. “
McGrath who started 19th played his cards just like a majority of everyone else pitted on lap 33 for a new right rear tire. When the racing resumed McGrath drove his way to the front as he entered fifth on lap 50. Just three laps later McGrath had impressively moved into third and it seemed that he was going to give the front two cars a run for their money. But the run never materialized over the final 22 laps and Tom settled for a hard working third place finish.
“ I think I pushed it a little too hard getting to the front “ summarized Tom. “ As once I got to the front it seemed that I didn’t have enough left. Plus when you have Jan and Matt in front of you they’re going to be tough to pass. You have to give Matt plenty of credit as he didn’t pit and won. “
Qualifying for the 29 cars in attendance saw heat wins captured by Bill Hebing, Leaty, and Fidanza. No B Main was run due to only 26 cars able to run the feature after hot laps.
LANCASTER NOTES; The one week delay saw 22 of the original 24 cars return with Mike Leaty and Kirk Rutherford not here this week. Eric Beers replaced Rutherford in the Zacharias Racing 99 while Hirschman, Larry Jackson, Buck Catalano, and Jimmy Zacharias being new cars this week, Zacharias scratched before the racing program began. Twenty – one teams made the little over one hour trip from Spencer the night before and those 21 teams all received a free Hoosier Racing Tire from RoC Dart for their support on the weekend. Track management in a blind drawing after the feature awarded a free Hoosier Racing Tire to Danny Knoll, Jr. For the second night in a row the infield track was used as a pit area much to the fans delight. Lee Sherwood gambled like Hirschman without a pit stop and looked liked he was going to have a solid top ten until getting spun out with four laps to go.
RACE REPORT RACE OF CHAMPIONS DART ASPHALT MODIFIED TOUR LANCASTER MOTORSPORTS PARK NORTH REGION RACE # 2

FINISH; Matt Hirschman, Jan Leaty, Tom McGrath, Erick Rudolph, Sege Fidanza, Chuck Hossfeld, Buck Catalano, Danny Knoll, Jr., Bill Hebing, Eric Beers, Phil Slater, Bobby Holmes, Pete Brittain, Rick Kluth, Lee Sherwood, Mark Tychoniewicz, John Markovic, Dan Chimera, Sean O’Neill, Billy Putney, Doug Reaume, Todd Smith, Daren Scherer, Brett Scherer, Larry Jackson, Matt Clemens.
DNS; Jimmy Zacharias, Mike Leaty, Kirk Rutherford.
LAP LEADERS; Hebing ( 1 – 5 ), Holmes ( 6- 38 ), Hirschman ( 39 – 75 )
DART MACHINERY AWARD SET OF HEADS $1,100 VALUE; Tychoniewicz
GATER RACING NEWS DRIVER BONUS DRAW $500; O’Neill
HOOSIER RACING TIRE HARD CHARGER AWARD; Rudolph ( 21st to 4th )
HOOSIER RACING TIRE HARD LUCK AWARD; D. Scherer ( 6th to 23rd )

July 6 - Spencer Speedway - RoC - Finish 2nd
Eric kept the Zacharias #99 in the top ten all night and went on to a hard fought 2nd place finish. THis is the first leg of of a triple header weekend that will see the Zacharias team and Eric head to Lancaster for the RoC Tour race. After the Lancaster Race Eric will head to New Hampshire for the NASCAR Whelen TOur race at Twin State.


BY JR KENNERUP ( RoC MEDIA )
Williamson, NY... Making a return to racing at his hometown race track on Friday night Jan Leaty of Williamson, NY got the place a rocking in the Lyons National Bank sponsored 100. After pitting for a fresh right rear tire on lap 68 the elder statesman of the racing Leaty Family roared back up through the field. The new rubber enabled Leaty to get under leader Lee Sherwood, who hadn’t pitted going into turn one just after the duo crossed the line to complete lap 79.
After getting the lead Jan just turned up the wick during the final 20 laps and walked away from the star studded field to claim Combination Race # 2 of the Race of Champions Dart Asphalt Modified Tour at the Spencer Speedway.
Eric Beers in his new ride, the Zacharias Racing owned former Reyerse Racing car finished second with Matt Hirschman in first ever appearance at the track coming home in third. Bill Hebing finished fourth with Chuck Hossfeld making three trips from the rear to wind up fifth.
“ This is a special win for us as I grew up racing here “ said the $3,500 winner. “ Even today with my son Mike running here weekly I’m down here each week. Sometimes its makes me to want to be in a car and at other times I’m glad I’m not in the car. To win it in front of my hometown crowd and every win at this point in my career is an extra one, I’m happy. “
Jan started the feature in sixth position and the veteran driver took his time getting into the top five as he accomplished that on lap 27. With a long green flag period taking place from lap 6 until lap 66. Coupled with the blistering pace leader Buck Catalano was setting Jan was forced to turn up the wick a little sooner than he would have liked to. Jan moved into fourth on lap 38 and then dropped back to fifth as he was pacing his equipment. Then at lap 50 Jan turned it up once again and moved into fourth on lap 58 and was closing in on the leaders until pitting on lap 68.
After pitting the Leaty car seemed to gain momentum and he motored his way to the front. “ I was taking it easy on the car all throughout the race up until money time “ said Jan. “ The guys did a great stop and Chucky beat me off pit road because I stalled the car when the crew dropped the car off the jack telling me to go. We were able to get back by Chuck and the rest of the guys out there we had to pass were a little wounded I think. You never know how it’s going to work out. Look at Mike and what happened to him as he dominated the race and should have had a better shot than me to win the race. Something happened radio wise and he didn’t get the signal that the pits were open, Buck too as I see he didn’t pit either. Good win for the team, we’re happy. “
When the race went back to green on lap 71 Jan was in third behind Lee Sherwood and Chuck Hossfeld. Two laps later Hossfeld and Tim McMullen who was now third got together and spun out in turn four, this moved Jan into second. The green came back out on lap 76 and everyone knew it was only a matter of time before Leaty would get by Sherwood for the lead and that happened going into turn one on lap 79. Once in the lead many thought that Eric Beers who followed Jan through the field and was now in second would be challenging Jan for the win. But the challenge never materialized as Jan picked up the pace that no one else was able to match for the remaining 20 laps of the feature.
“ Worn tires do take two to three laps after a yellow to warm and clean up and start working good again “ said Jan. “ You have to be careful and protect the bottom for that time period. Then I wanted to see if Eric had anything for me so I took it careful for a few laps and then I could tell I had more than him so I opened it up a little bit. I was still saving something just in case the caution came out and somebody was flying through the field. I didn’t know if Matty was back there and he got two tires, if he was real fast. But then with ten to go I said to myself that this car is so good I’m just going to start driving it and so I did. “
Following the very popular win Jan capped the winning evening by his signature facing the outside wall burnout as he tries to knock the wall down. This Leaty race winning tradition started with the Tioga Motorsports Park final show in 2004 and continues each time after Jan wins a feature. “ I get a little excited I guess “ said the smiling and laughing driver. “ It’s something I didn’t invent, but it works well. You don’t want to go through the infield spinning and throw stuff up into the stands, so a little smoke never hurts. “
Jan ended up the evening by speaking about having RoC Dart back at his home track after a ten year absence. “ It good to see the old girl have some cars and the crowds weekly haven’t been bad here this year at all “ summarized Jan. “ The weekly car counts have been a little low but they are improving and I think as a group at the speedway we are learning. John White and his team, they started off a little green, had some rough spots, but we are all starting to get along and gel. This was a good event for him, successful and I think we’ll have a few more shows here some time. “
“ We decided that we could run as good as we could without hurting any of the tires “ said second place finisher Eric Beers on his race strategy. “ I didn’t want to slip the left rear or push off the right front because we were only getting one tire. I knew that it was going to be a disadvantage getting only one tire while some guys got two. I drove as easy as I could and at the end of that long run the crew said I was a half a lap behind the leaders. But as long as I stayed on the lead lap I was going to be ok. “
Eric started fourth and hung around the top five for a few laps before he backed off his pace and settled into the lower portion of the top ten. When he pitted along with the majority of the other cars on lap 68 Eric gained some valuable spots. “ We came in tenth and came out in fourth and when we went back to green we drove by some guys. “
Eric followed Jan Leaty up through the field after the pit stop and once Jan got into the lead Eric who before thought he had something for him, all of the sudden didn’t have anything for Jan. “ We followed Jan up through the field and we were on him until he passed Lee for the lead. Then it seemed that Jan’s car started to roll through the center of the corners better than ours. We were a little bit too tight but to come here for the first time in ten years and to get second, that’s awesome. “
Eric, who normally runs the Horwith Freightliner car on the RoC Dart Asphalt Modified Tour. Has encountered some motor problems with that ride and for this weekend has found himself in the potent Reyerse Racing mount that Terry Zacharias Racing purchased before the start of the season. “ Terry and the guys gave us a great car “ said Eric. “ We’re going to have to see what is going on but probably for the next month I’m going to drive Terry’s car, or maybe longer. The way it looks now he’s got a great car, a little tweaking here and there. I can’t complain with a second for the first time in this car and if I win tomorrow I might be in the car a little bit longer. “
“ This is a very, very difficult race track “ said winded third place finisher Matt Hirschman. “ You look at it, Jan won at his home track, and he’s got the experience and knowledge of the track here. Eric was second and he’s good everywhere and he was only here once and got second. For me getting a third here in my first ever appearance is like a win to me. This was the most physically demanding race I’ve run all year and I have raced at a lot of different tracks so far this year. "
Matt who seemed to struggle early on in the racing program kept fine tuning his car throughout the racing program. This saw Matt qualify through the B Main and start 23rd on the field. Most racing railbirds figured that Matt would hang around at the back until he could pit for two fresh tires. “ That was sort of the plan until Buck got the lead and he was a coming, lapping cars and I was going as fast as I could at that time “ recalled Matt. “ I couldn’t go anywhere as this is a tough place to pass. “
The key point of the race came on lap 68 when everyone except three cars pitted for either one or two fresh tires. This is where a great two tire pit stop enabled Matt to go from 15th on the field to seventh in the running order. “ Our guys did a great job on the pit stop as anytime you can pick up that many spots on a pit stop. It’s good to know that I have a good crew. “
Qualifying for a season high 31 cars saw heat wins captured by Jan Leaty, Hossfeld, Sherwood, and Hebing with Pete Brittain winning the B Main.
SPENCER NOTES; Tonight was the first RoC Dart sanctioned race at the historic facility owned by John White in ten years. Judging by the car and crowd count along with the exciting racing taking place it’s a good bet that RoC Dart will be here in years to come. Track management had the Modifieds pit in the infield pit area and the fans loved seeing this. For the first time this season the tire rule came into play with heat race qualifiers getting only one additional tire while B Main transfers and provisional buy – ins received two additional tires. During the feature yellow flag laps counted between laps 26 and 75. Chris Finocchario missed his heat race due to the battery being dead in the car. Chris had one heck of a B Main run coming from last to fifth in just eight laps to gain entrance to the feature. Buck Catalano was definitely the class of the field early on and his blistering pace burned off his sticker right rear tire. After he pitted the tire in the heat race had to be used and he wasn’t a factor after that. Mike Leaty was the class of the field in the middle stages of the race and just took the lead when the yellow came out. Mike and his crew missed the communication that the pits were open and Mike along with Buck Catalano pitted the next lap. This mistake ended up costing what many believe was the race for Mike. Good to see some good luck go the way of Todd Smith. Todd ended up an impressive seventh as he was in the thick of the battle all night long. The eighth by John Markovic ended a difficult day for the quiet racer from Bethlehem, Pa. John got in the wrong lane on the PA Turnpike and tied traffic up as he backed his rig up out of the E – Z Pass lane. On the way to the track he had a blown tire on the trailer and at the track while pulling the rig out of the infield he drove over his generator.
RACE REPORT RACE OF CHAMPIONS DART ASPHALT MODIFIED TOUR COMBINATION RACE # 2 SPENCER SPEEDWAY
FINISH; Jan Leaty, Eric Beers, Matt Hirschman, Bill Hebing, Chuck Hossfeld, Lee Sherwood, Todd Smith, John Markovic, Buck Catalano, Sege Fidanza, Mike Leaty, Daren Scherer, Pete Brittain, Billy Putney, Danny Knoll, Jr., Eddie Hawkins, Chris Finocchario, Mark Tychoniewicz, Rick Kluth, Dean DeMarree, Phil Slater, Tim McMullen, Doug Reaume, Rusty Smith, Tommy Kinsella, Patsy Catalano, Terry Cheetham, TJ Potrzebowski.
DNQ’S; Matt Clemens, Jimmy Zacharias, Chris Risdale.
LAP LEADERS; Hossfeld ( 1 – 26 ), B. Catalano ( 27 – 62 ), M. Leaty ( 63 – 68 ), Sherwood ( 69 – 79 ), J. Leaty ( 80 – 100 )
DART MACHINERY AWARD SET OF HEADS $1,100 VALUE; Finocchario
GATER RACING NEWS DRIVER BONUS DRAW $500; Finocchario
HOOSIER RACING TIRE HARD CHARGER AWARD; Hirschman ( 23rd to 3rd )
HOOSIER RACING TIRE HARD LUCK AWARD; P. Catalano ( 10th to 26th )
PROVISIONAL BUY – INS; Kluth, Reaume

1. 6 - Jan Leaty
2. 99 - Eric Beers
3. 60 - Matt Hirschmann
4. 66 - Wilber Hebing
5. 22 - Chuck Hossfeld
6. 95 - Lee Sherwood
7. 52 - Todd Smith
8. 95m- John Markovic
9. 4 - Buck Catalano
10.77 - Sege Fidenza

July 4 - Mahoning Speedway - Super 7 Series -100 laps - Postponed to July 29

June 30 - New Hampshire - NASCAR - Time 25 - Finish 33
The weekend started out with Eric practicing and the crew making adjustments and had the car handling really good. Eric had the 13th fastest time in practice. When time trial came you could hear that the motor was just flat. When listening to a lap at New Hampshire you can hear the motor rev up to the limit and then the driver let off going into the turn. When Eric ran his two laps you could hear that he never lifted all the way around. Eric timed 25th.
Following time trials Kevin called a team meeting and let the boys decide whether they wanted to change the motor or let it go as is. The guys responded by signing - "Motor change- etc." An inside joke amongst the guys.
They got the motor done on Friday and in Saturday morning's practice the car was much better. Eric had to start in the rear due to the change but made his way up to 9th with an early pit stop and was ready to keep rolling. HOWEVER, on one of the way too many restart cars in front of him checked up and as he was pushed into the car in front of him. It bent the nose piece up which caused the air to be diverted above the radiator as opposed to into it, thus causing an overheating condition that the crew decided was worth pulling in for as opposed to blowing up the motor they just put in. Eric finished 33rd but it was not for a lack of effort by the crew that did a great job the entire weekend. It was also not for a lack of food as the teams new partner. "The Lobster Roll" owner, Mike, kept the team's strength up by providing the best Lobster we have ever had along with steamers, Lobstah roll meat and Clam Chowder. One of the great things about our sport is meeting new people and instantly connecting with them and making new friends. We look forward to introducing Mike to the many Eric fans that need Lobstahs or Lobster roll meat as Mike can Fed Ex to anywhere in the country overnight.

1. (2) Donny Lia, Jericho, N.Y., Dodge, 85 laps, 67.140 mph, $15,400.
2. (1) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 85, $11,950.
3. (5) Eddie Flemke, Southington, Conn., Chevrolet, 85, $8,200.
4. (4) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Dodge, 85, $6,500.
5. (12) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn., Ford, 85, $4,500.
6. (9) Ronnie Silk, Norwalk, Conn., Chevrolet, 85, $3,850.
7. (13) Bobby Santos, III, Millis, Mass., Chevrolet, 85, $3,150.
8. (10) Ron Yuhas, Groton, Conn., Chevrolet, 85, $3,300.
9. (7) Charlie Pasteryak, Lisbon, Conn., Chevrolet, 85, $2,500.
10. (38) John Blewett, III, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 85, $3,950.
11. (17) Richard Savary, Canton, Mass., Chevrolet, 85, $2,950.
12. (23) Reggie Ruggiero, Rocky Hill, Conn., Chevrolet, 85, $2,550.
13. (26) Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I., Chevrolet, 85, $3,450.
14. (31) Woody Pitkat, Stafford Springs, Conn., Pontiac, 85, $2,325.
15. (11) Zach Sylvester, Lebanon, Conn., Pontiac, 85, $2,700.
16. (6) Tony Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 85, $2,375.
17. (14) Nevin George, Kunkletown, Pa., Pontiac, 85, $1,950.
18. (20) Ryan Preece, Kensington, CT, Chevrolet, 85, $1,925.
19. (40) Andy Seuss, Hampstead, N.H., Chevrolet, 85, $1,900.
20. (29) Billy Pauch, Jr., Frenchtown, N.J., Dodge, 85, $2,591.
21. (33) Jeff Malave, Manchester, Conn., Chevrolet, 85, $1,850.
22. (21) Dick Houlihan, Bridgewater, Mass., Chevrolet, 85, $2,525.
23. (32) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Ford, 85, $2,300.
24. (34) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 85, $2,180.
25. (15) Danny Sammons, Trenton, N.J., Chevrolet, 85, $2,450.
26. (30) Kevin Goodale, Riverhead, NY, Chevrolet, 85, $2,450.
27. (36) Wade Cole, Riverton, Conn., Chevrolet, 85, $2,150.
28. (22) Jerry Marquis, Broad Brook, Conn., Chevrolet, 83, $2,550.
29. (18) Alex Hoag, Bath, N.Y., Chevrolet, 73, accident, $1,750.
30. (3) Jimmy Blewett, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 73, accident, $2,550.
31. (24) Rob Summers, Manchester, Conn., Pontiac, 69, suspension, $1,750.
32. (39) Jake Marosz, Middletown, Conn., Chevrolet, 65, suspension, $1,750.
33. (25) Eric Beers, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 64, engine, $2,450.
34. (35) Mike Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Dodge, 57, engine, $1,750.
35. (16) James Civali, Meriden, Conn., Chevrolet, 35, drive shaft, $2,550.
36. (19) Glen Tyler, Hampton Bays, N.Y., Chevrolet, 34, accident, $1,750.
37. (27) Rick Fuller, Auburn, Mass., Chevrolet, 34, accident, $1,750.
38. (28) Ken Bouchard, Fitchburg, Mass., Chevrolet, 34, accident, $1,750.
39. (8) Bobby Grigas, Marshfield, Mass, Chevrolet, 34, accident, $2,450.
40. (37) Joseph Hartmann, Calverton, N.Y., Chevrolet, 2, engine, $1,750.

Time of Race:1 hrs., 20 mins, 22 secs Average Speed: 67.140 mph Margin of Victory:.273 seconds
BUD POLE AWARD: Ted Christopher, 36 Al-Lee Installations Chevrolet
FEATHERLITE MOST IMPROVED DRIVER AWARD: John Blewett, III, 66 Blewett Motorsports Chevrolet
POWERADE POWER MOVE OF THE RACE: John Blewett, III, 66 Blewett Motorsports Chevrolet
SUNOCO ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Bobby Santos, III *, 3 Roby's Propane/Cape Cod Copper Chevrolet
WHELEN ENGINEERING WINNER OF THE RACE: Donny Lia, 4 Mystic Missile Dodge

Caution Flags: Laps 2-7; 18-21; 24-28; 31-34; 35-38; 63-67; 70-73; 74-79. 8 for 38 laps.
Lap Leaders: Ted Christopher 1-7, Donny Lia 8-20, Ted Christopher 21, Donny Lia 22-27, Ted Christopher 28, Donny Lia 29-80, Eddie Flemke 81-82, Donny Lia 83-85.
Total Laps Led: Donny Lia 76, Ted Christopher 9, Eddie Flemek 2 7 changes involving 3 drivers

June 23 - Wall Stadium - RoC - Time 3 - Start 5 - Finish 14
This was it - This was the best that the #9 car ever worked at Wall Stadium. "The car was sticking wherever I wanted it to go. Once I got to third early I was just riding and waiting to go after those guys a little later. It didn't’t work out that way. We had the top radiator hose come off,” explained Beers. “The guys fixed it, but it overheated after that. We had a fast car. ” Eric recorded the fastest lap of the race within the first 10-laps of the event.

From Speed 51
Ken Woolley, Jr., of Howell, N.J., time trialed fourth, drew the pole in the redraw and led every lap en-route to his first DART Race of Champions Tour victory and his 17th career victory at Wall Township Speedway. It was only Woolley’s second race of the season aboard the Aliceann McGann United Crane Rentals Raceworks Chevrolet.
Victory lane was an emotional scene for Woolley as were his remarks on the Public Address system.“This win tonight is pretty big for all of us,” offered Woolley. “Especially Aliceann. She has put a lot of faith in me and here we are. Our keys to winning tonight were obviously time trialing in the top six and then the redraw, that really helped us out.” Woolley continued reflecting on the clean racing throughout the event. “Matt (Hirschman) ran me very clean. I was trying to regulate my corner speed a little and not burn up my tires. I’ve been down that road at Wall many times and it wasn’t going to happen during that race. I’m just happy for all of the guys, Aliceann and all of our sponsors that we won tonight. This win is pretty big for everyone.” Hirschman finished second after starting fifth and chased Woolley for the final 55 circuits but was unable to complete the pass.
“Another strong second for us,” grinned Hirschman. “We’ve got a good car, so we’ll be in victory lane. I know that much, but Kenny drove a great race tonight and deserved to win. He did what he had to do. We’ll take second and go on from here.”
Tony Ferrante, Jr., making a rare Race of Champions appearance aboard his Father’s familiar blue 31 finished third after time trialing second behind Hirschman. In the early stages of the event Ferrante chased Woolley but in the end the car went away and Ferrante had to settle for third.
“It was definitely better then the Tour race they ran here at the beginning of the season,” explained Ferrante. “The racing was a lot cleaner and people were patient. We had a decent car, but in the end we just got a little too loose and Matt (Hirschman) got by. Everything is in one piece and we had fun tonight, so we’ll take it.”
Rowan Pennick, who is currently making a run at the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour showed his talents as he finished fourth with Tommy Farrell, III, coming home fifth.
Matt Hirschman set the fast time during time trials, while Lee Sherwood and Mike Bohn won the heat races.

Belmar, NJ - June 23 - Running in only his second race of the year after retiring from full time racing two years ago. Kenny Woolley, Jr. of Howell, NJ used his home track advantage and knowledge of racing at the Wall Township Speedway on Saturday night.

Kenny took full advantage of his pole starting position to led all 100 laps in the Scott Motorcoach Sales sponsored Race of Champions (RoC) Dart Asphalt Modified Tour event.

Matt Hirschman for the final 55 laps tried every clean racing move in his arsenal to pass Woolley but came up one car length short at the line. Tony Ferrante, Jr. ran second for the first 45 laps then fought a loose condition in his racecar to finish third. Rowan Pennick proved that you can pass clean at Wall Township as he finished fourth after starting 12th with tenth place starter Tommy Farrell, III ending up fifth.

"Yes, this was a big win for us as this was my second race this year " said the happy but winded $3,000 winner. " We came here and ran the Whelen Tour the first time this year went from 24th to seventh and got wrecked with 20 to go. We put it back together and I’m glad for the lady ( Aliceann McGann ) who owns the car as we’ll run maybe five times this year. "

Kenny spoke about the keys to his victory. " Of course the draw was the key but getting into the top six in time trials was a bigger key. Track position means a lot here and my car was loose in time trials and I had set up to run at night. "

Another distinct advantage during the entire feature was the unbelievable bite that Kenny had coming out of the corners. " I had a good bite; I was sort of keeping down corner speed so I didn’t tear my tires up. When you’re leading you can do stuff like regulating your corner speed so you don’t burn the tires off the car. If they ( who ever are behind him ) want to push they can push but Matt and Tony who were behind me were good all race long. "

When the green dropped to start the feature Kenny jumped out to the lead that he would never give up. Despite turning laps in the low 12 second bracket the front brake rotors on the Woolley machine never glowed cherry red like everyone’s did. " I sort of balanced the brakes early in the race " said Kenny. " I really didn’t need the brakes because I had nobody in front of me. Those guys behind me had to use their brakes and I made them use their car up too. I’ve been here a long time and you have to use your head a lot especially with these kids I’m running against. Matt’s probably 25 years younger than me and I’m feeling it right now. "

About the only veteran driver gamesmanship that Kenny used during the feature a different point on where he fired for restarts. But Kenny also knows that you can’t play games on these types of starts too. " Not a lot of change on where I was starting, just a little bit here and there. I didn’t want to start playing that game because that is where you can get into trouble and start messing everyone else up too. I’ve seen it happen here many times before. "

Kenny commented about the clean racing on this night. " They ( Matt and Tony ) are good guys and I’m not out here to mess anybody up. If Matt could have gotten outside of me, I would have let him go. I’m not here to wreck and if your car is faster than mine I’m going to let you go. That’s the way I’ve always been. "

"I’m not sure when our next race will be because we don’t have a sponsorship deal " answered Kenny when asked where his next race will be at. " I sort of retired two years ago and ran once last year. Aliceann is a nice woman; I drove for them a few years ago. I really do it for her because she is such a great car owner. "

" Another solid second for us " said second place finisher Matt Hirschman. " Kenny knows the track as good as anyone and coming here as a non – regular to race and try to win is tough. Because you have the Blewett’s and the Woolley’s that you know they’re going to be tough to beat. The Blewett’s didn’t run but Kenny did and he got a good draw, if I was in front of him he wouldn’t have passed me. But passing Kenny was going to be tough because he knows the place so well and it’s tough to pass here and it can be done. We’ve heard that you can race clean here and not wreck a whole bunch of cars, I’m actually proud of everybody as we had a good clean race. Me, Kenny, and Ferrante we all had a good race as we raced each other clean, it was fun racing with those guys. "

Matt who started fifth moved into fourth on lap three and moved into third on a lap 11 restart. On a lap 38 restart Matt almost had the move of the race award as he almost vaulted from third to first but the yellow came out, nullifying his great move. On a lap 45 restart Matt finally out dragged Ferrante for second and set his sights on Woolley.

During the final 55 laps of the feature Matt tried everything to get a run on Woolley but it seemed that Kenny had the edge as he was pulling Matt exiting the corners. " We were actually a little bit better all the way around " summed up the 2005 RoC champion. " You have to be a lot better than somebody or use the bumper to pass here a lot of times. We weren’t that much better than Kenny and that is not my style to use the bumper to pass. Kenny and I have always raced clean together, he’s actually one of my favorite guys to race with. Because you can trust him and he races you clean and I’ll do the same to him and he’ll do the same with me. "

" The brakes’ getting hot was no problem for me " said Tony, who finished third when talking about his cherry red front brakes. " You go into the corners so hard here and I had a loose condition so I had to dial a little more front brake into the car. Plus with my right rear tire wearing away I had to put more front brake into the car too and I had to slow my entry speed into the corners also. "

Tony who started second summed up his fun night of racing. " Starting on the outside for any start here is tough. I had a ball today, a lot of fun as me, Kenny, and Matty all raced each other with respect, and it was a respectful race, along with a nice clean race. "

Qualifying for the 19 cars in attendance saw Hirschman set quick time in time trials with a fast lap of 12. 166 and the two heat wins were captured by Sherwood, and Michael Bohn

1.) Kenny Woolley, Jr.
2.) Matt Hirschman
3.) Tony Ferrante, Jr.
4.) Rowan Pennick
5.) Tommy Farrell, III
6.) Michael Bohn
7.) Lee Sherwood
8.) Rick Kluth
9.) Phil Slater
10.) John Markovic
11.) Pete Brittain
12.) Andy Szapacs
13.) Danny Bohn
14.) Eric Beers
15.) Daren Scherer
16.) Zane Zeiner
17.) Steven Whitt
18.) Steven Reed
19.) Matt Clemens

June 21 - Thompson Speedway - NASCAR Mod 94 - Time 24 - Finish 14
It was pretty much a long day for the 94 team. The car was OK - not great not terrible. Eric timed 24th and worked his way up to 15th when they came in to change stagger. After another run of green flag laps ended the team brought Eric in and put tires on and there was a feeling of confidence but that is the same time that the rains came and ended any chance to move forward.

. (4) Donny Lia, Jericho, N.Y., Dodge, 100 laps, 60.403 mph, $7,400.
2. (9) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 100, $4,000.
3. (7) Bobby Santos, III, Millis, Mass., Chevrolet, 100, $2,700.
4. (5) Tony Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 100, $2,050.
5. (27) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn., Ford, 100, $3,150.
6. (8) Ronnie Silk, Norwalk, Conn., Chevrolet, 100, $2,250.
7. (2) James Civali, Meriden, Conn., Chevrolet, 100, $2,250.
8. (15) Jimmy Blewett, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 100, $2,025.
9. (21) Kevin Goodale, Riverhead, NY, Chevrolet, 100, $1,475.
10. (32) Woody Pitkat, Stafford Springs, Conn., Pontiac, 100, $1,850.
11. (31) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Ford, 100, $1,525.
12. (30) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 100, $1,075.
13. (23) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Dodge, 100, $1,450.
14. (24) Eric Beers, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 100, $1,740.
15. (13) Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I., Chevrolet, 100, $2,436.
16. (12) Danny Sammons, Trenton, N.J., Chevrolet, 100, $1,400.
17. (18) Carl Pasteryak, Lisbon, Conn., Pontiac, 100, $975.
18. (25) Dick Houlihan, Bridgewater, Mass., Chevrolet, 100, $1,650.
19. (33) Wade Cole, Riverton, Conn., Chevrolet, 100, $1,325.
20. (3) Eddie Flemke, Southington, Conn., Chevrolet, 100, $1,400.
21. (29) Glen Tyler, Hampton Bays, N.Y., Chevrolet, 100, $875.
22. (17) Anthony Sesely, Matawan, N.J., Chevrolet, 100, $1,250.
23. (22) Rick Fuller, Auburn, Mass., Chevrolet, 100, $1,225.
23. (37) Wade Cole, Riverton, Conn., Chevrolet, 100, $1,225.
24. (6) Richard Savary, Canton, Mass., Chevrolet, 99, $1,550.
25. (20) Ron Yuhas, Groton, Conn., Chevrolet, 98, $1,190.
26. (34) Joseph Hartmann, Calverton, N.Y., Chevrolet, 98, $750.
27. (35) Jake Marosz, Middletown, Conn., Chevrolet, 98, $750.
28. (11) Jerry Marquis, Broad Brook, Conn., Chevrolet, 97, $1,550.
29. (28) Eric Berndt, Rocky Hill, Conn., Chevrolet, 80, accident, $750.
30. (19) Renee Dupuis, Glastonbury, Conn., Chevrolet, 80, accident, $1,150.
31. (1) Ryan Preece, Kensington, CT, Chevrolet, 64, $750.
32. (14) Bobby Grigas, Marshfield, MA, Chevrolet, 64, $1,450.
33. (16) John Blewett, III, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 50, accident, $1,450.
34. (26) Billy Pauch, Jr., Frenchtown, N.J., Dodge, 49, accident, $1,550.
35. (10) Zach Sylvester, Lebanon, Conn., Pontiac, 38, rear end, $1,450.
Failed to Qualify: (3) Charlie Pasteryak (#5), Ken Bouchard (#55), and Jon McKennedy (#73

June 17 - Wyoming Speedway - RoC - Eric will be unable to attend this race due to work commitments. This track has always been one of Eric's favorite on the RoC tour and I can still remember the first time the team went there and I gave them directions. They literally were calling me on the way and asking if they are supposed to be driving through corn fields to get to the track. I told them keep going and they will see it. They got there and Eric has enjoyed racing there since.

June 9 - Mahoning Speedway - RoC - time 6 - redraw 6 - WIN

For the second consecutive Race of Champions ( RoC ) Dart Asphalt Modified Tour race at the Mahoning Valley Speedway. Eric Beers of Northampton, Pa. showed everyone at the tight quarter mile oval the quick way around. Last October in the final 2006 RoC race of the year Beers dominated on a very sticky racing surface to claim the win.
On Saturday night Beers driving the Horwith Freightliner sponsored Modified started sixth and used a third groove pass of Dave Wallace to take the lead on a lap 13 double file restart. Once in front Beers easily outdistanced the talented field to win his first feature of 2007 in the Northeast, Beers won one race in Florida in February.
Defending RoC Overall Champion and current Mahoning Valley point leader Earl Paules settled for second after starting 11th. Paules had several chances to see if he had anything for Beers with a couple of late race restarts. But Earl had nothing for the fast Beers car on this night.
Former dirt track Modified racer Kevin Graver, Jr. ended up third in a stellar effort after starting 15th. Pete Brittain also turned in a stellar driving performance by finishing fourth after pitting for a tire problem on lap two. Rusty Smith ended up fifth, the hard charger of the race after starting 23rd and making one pit stop on lap 18.
" Finally I won one " said the $2,851 winner. " It's been a while since February in Florida. "
" We came here and ran one of those 100 lappers they have here earlier this year " recalled Eric. " I came here with a completely different setup to try something. We finished second to Earl and I said I'm never doing that again. I put the car back to where it should be for here and it showed. The car stayed good and the track surface was awesome tonight. "
Eric moved into the top five from his sixth place starting spot on lap three. Then into fourth on the next lap and into third on the following lap and finally into second on lap eight. On the lap 13 restart Eric made a third groove high side turn three pass of leader Dave Wallace for the lead that he would never give up.
Eric spoke about that high side pass for the lead. " Dave was running a high line and the thing just stuck and I went right around him. I had the left side tires in the groove but the right side tires were up where there was no rubber and it still stuck. I was pretty surprised that it stuck that good in that gray area of the track. "
" They ran a whole round of practice with the cones out there to work in the outside grooves. I think it definitely helped the top of the race track; it was really good as there were definitely two grooves out there tonight. You could do whatever you wanted to do on the race track tonight as you could race on the bottom, on the top. The crew gave me a great racecar that I could do anything with tonight " commented Eric.
Once in front Beers just started to dominate the event as he opened up huge leads only to lose them each time the yellow came out. After the restart Eric would once again open up a huge lead. Eric said this about his car. " We had a really good racecar and I didn't want to kill the thing once we were out in front. Every time after a restart it took two laps for the right front to get hot and once that happened we got back to turning good laps. The car was so good in the middle of the race ( consistent 9.9 laps ) I was slowing down and my crew kept telling me I was pulling away. I would slow down and ease off the throttle more and they say I'm still pulling away. How much slower do I have to go ? When you ease off throttle here and take it easy and don't upset the chassis here the thing just stuck to the race track. The slower you go here the faster you're going to end up going here, it doesn't make any sense but in theory it works once you learn it. "
Eric spoke about his late race competition for the win from Earl Paules. " Earl is racing here weekly now and he is really getting quick here. I'm just glad that we held him off and won the thing. "
"The end of the race your tires are a little wore out, you don't know if Earl was saving anything " said Eric when talking about the last three restarts with Paules on the outside of him. " So you really have to be careful and not screw up on a restart because when you're leading it's your race to lose. So you got to do all of the restarts right, the one restart ( lap 62 1st restart ) I might have went a little bit early. But the officials wanted me to go at the cone so they threw the caution and we did it again. I just didn't want to do anything stupid and lose it on a restart. We had restarts that we were dead even with Earl at the cone. Earl I'm sure wasn't happy with second but we were happy with a win tonight. "
The happy go lucky winner won his 21st career Modified feature at Mahoning Valley on this night. Eric spoke about this accomplishment. " I love this place, I started racing Modifieds here. We only raced three full seasons here with a Modified and we been coming back for four to five a shows a year here since. To have 21 wins basically running only four full seasons here is pretty good. Maybe when I'm 50 or 60 and I'm still racing I'll come back here in my final season and race at this place if it is still around. "
" The car just got too tight " summed Earl Paules after finishing second. " We got wrecked a couple of weeks ago and we just never got the camber right for the right front of the car. We still don't have it right as it stills rolls over on the right front, we'll get that fixed for next week. "
Earl who started 11th in the field of 26 moved into fifth by lap 11. Two laps later Earl moved into fourth and then a terrific eight lap battle between him, Dave Wallace, and Zane Zeiner took place with Earl finally grabbing third on lap 21. Earl moved into second on a lap 37 restart but really didn't have anything for the high flying Eric Beers.
Once in second it seemed that earl had nothing for Beers as Eric opened up an unheard of 15 car length lead at Mahoning Valley. Then near the completion of the race it appeared that Paules held something in reserve as he challenged Beers for a couple of laps after each restart. " On that one restart ( lap 57 ) my crew said we were pulling away from the third place car so I knew that I could try it on the outside and it wouldn't cost me a position " said Earl. " I tucked behind Eric and he was really bad and I thought to myself wow I wish I had a yellow. Then the yellow came out and I said now I'm going to try him and we were up alongside him ( lap 62 1st restart ) and the yellow came back out. Then he got a good jump the next time ( lap 62 2nd restart ) and I could never get going again. "
" I'm happy with second as we had a second place car tonight and that is where we finished " stated Earl. " The track had a really good outside tonight and if I knew we had been good on the bottom and still a little bit tight I knew that we were going to be bad up on the top. That is how it works here normally and I just couldn't get along side Eric. "
Paules did have his late race shots at Beers on double file restarts that took place on lap 57 and twice on lap 62. " I had him beat on that one restart ( 1st one on lap 62 ) but the yellow came back out. Congratulations to Eric, he did a great job and he knows his way around this place too. "
Earl continued on by saying. " We're pretty happy with second, probably took over the point lead in the Super Seven Series and we're doing pretty good in the Central Region with a fifth and a second. We'll see what happens in the end. "
" Starting 15th and getting third was just awesome " said the smiling third place finisher Kevin Graver, Jr. " We got a lot of breaks, we were fourth and Scott Lesher got a flat tire who was third. But those are the breaks you need sometime; we missed the setup a little bit tonight. We were close on the setup but we needed to be a little bit closer on the setup and I think we would have had something for those guys. "
Graver methodically picked his way up through the field finally moving into fifth on lap 21. Kevin took over fourth on lap 37 and moved into third when the flat tire of Lesher happened on lap 58. Kevin raced solidly for the remaining laps in third with no one really applying any pressure on him for third. " On the long runs I think I was just as good as Eric and Earl were. The difference was that they pulled me in the beginning of the race and I had to use my car up a little more than they did to get to the front " summarized Kevin.
Qualifying in this event which is a part of the Super Seven Modified Series at Mahoning Valley saw time trials run with the top 12 times going directly into the feature. Pete Brittain driving the former Chuck Winslow owned car set quick time of the 26 cars in attendance with a lap of 9. 848. The two qualifying heat races were captured by Rod Synder, Jr. and Chip Santee.
MAHONING NOTES; Once again time trials at were interesting looking at just how close and quick everyone is at the track. The top 11 all broke into the nine second barrier with the overall breakdown showing quick time at 9. 848, 12th at 10. 010, 26th at 10. 620. The top four times ( Brittain, Paules, Zane Zeiner, and Matt Hirschman ) all received the five bonus points. Matt Hirschman was driving the J & J Motorsports entry that he will be running on a limited basis this year. Matt who started second had trouble keeping the car running during the pace laps for the feature ending up blowing the motor seven laps into the race. Bob Dillner who works for SPEED was in attendance and donated $51 in the name of SPEED51.com to the leader of lap 51 in the feature. David Gilliland who drives the M & M entry in Nextel Cup competition was in attendance watching one of his crewmen Brent Wentz race in the Modified portion of the show. Scott Lesher was slated to go first in time trials had a left rear flat and took one lap at the end. That lap was good enough to get him in the top 12 and he ended up seventh on the night. All drivers did a great job racing on a very sticky and quick racing surface with only Daren Scherer ( broken steering column ) having to be towed off the racing surface during the entire Modified portion of the show. RoC Dart Asphalt Modified Tour returns to Mahoning on August 18th for the final Central Region point race.
RACE REPORT RACE OF CHAMPIONS DART ASPHALT MODIFIED TOUR CENTRAL REGION RACE # 2 MAHONING VALLEY SPEEDWAY
FINISH; Eric Beers, Earl Paules, Kevin Graver, Jr., Pete Brittain, Rusty Smith, John Markovic, Scott Lesher, Don Wagner, Zane Zeiner, Glen Correll, Rod Synder, Jr., Lee Sherwood, Troy Bollinger, Phil Slater, Mike Quinn, Todd Baer, Dave Wallace, Brent Wentz, Bobby Jones, Kevin Brown, Chip Santee, Brian DeFebo, Daren Scherer, Matt Hirschman, John Bennett, Matt Clemens.
LAP LEADERS; Hirschman ( 1 - 2 ), Wallace ( 3 - 13 ), Beers ( 14 - 75 ).
DART MACHINERY SET OF HEADS AWARD $1, 100 VALUE; Hirschman
GATER RACING NEWS DRIVER BONUS DRAW $500 ; Brown
HOOSIER RACING TIRE HARD CHARGER AWARD; Smith 23rd to 5th
HOOSIER RACING TIRE HARD LUCK AWARD; Hirschman 2nd to 24th


June 2 - Chemung Speedway - RoC -- Unable to attend

May 26 - Oswego Speedway -RoC - Heat finish 2 - Start 5 - Finish 14th
Was a great day going in Oswego for the 100 lap Richie Evans Memorial at Oswego - Eric finished 2nd in the heat to the 48 of Tony Hirschman and then redrew 5th. Eric ran 3rd until about halfway watching young Matt Hirschman work over the leader Pete Britian inside then outside but ole Pete had great forward bite off the turns that made it difficult to pass. Just after halfway the team made the decision to take on a new right rear. Eric came out and was working his way through the field and was up into the top 10 when the car running 2 positions in front of him spun and came up the track. Eric had no warning as it happened so fast that he actually did a great job to avoid hitting the car head one and slid into the wall. The crew did a nice job to get Eric back on the track but the damage caused an axel to break thus ending the day.
Finish Car # Driver Hometown Starting Pos.
1. 66 Pete Brittain Oakhurst, NJ 1st
2. 6 Jan Leaty Williamson, NY 11th
3. 48 Tony Hirschman Northampton, PA 10th
4. 95 Lee Sherwood Binghamton, NY 21st
5. 66 Wilbur Hebing Ontario, NY 6th
6. 45 Erick Rudolph Ransomville, NY 18th
7. 60 Matt Hirschman Northampton, PA 12th
8. 95m John Markovic Bethlehem, PA 8th
9. 8 Chris Finocchario Rochester, NY 15th
10. 24 Phil Slater Owego, NY 19th
11. 25 Mike Leaty Williamson, NY 24th
12. 14 Doug Reaume Syracuse, NY 3rd
13. 38 Andy Szapacs Slatington, PA 22nd
14. 9 Eric Beers Northampton, PA 5th
15. 3 Daren Scherer Binghamton, NY 2nd
16. 88 Billy Putney E. Aurora, NY 13th
17. 22 Bobby Holmes Lockport, NY 7th
18. 84 Larry Jackson Oakville, Ont. 17th
19. 97 Vern LaVave N. Syracuse, NY 4th
20. 17 Ken Canestrari Mechanicville, NY 20th
21. 3K Tommy Kinsella Fayetville, NY 16th
22. 9x Matt Clemons Slatington, PA 23rd
23. 7 Alex Hoag Bath, NY 9th
24. 01 Mark Tychoniewicz Rochester, NY 14th
DNS Rick Kluth, Kevin Lewis
Event Distance: 100 laps
Number of Cars Entered: 26
Dart Heads Bonus: Eric Beers
Gater Racing News Driver Bonus Draw: Phil Slater
Hoosier Tire Hard Charger Award: Sherwood (21st to 4th)
Hoosier Tire Hard Luck Award: LaFave (4th to 19th)
Rookie of the Race: Erick Rudolph
Lap Leaders: Pete Brittain (1-100)
Heat Winners: Tony Hirschman, Matt Hirschman, Bobby Holmes.
R.o.C Provisional Starters: none
Buy In Option: none


May 25 - Stafford Speedway - WMT - Start 16 - Finish 10
Typical Stafford race for Eric - Take what the race was giving him - Save the tires (Just in Case) pick up a spot - drop back a spot - keep it in line on the restarts - Its a 150 lap race with a pit stop - so just take it easy. Well it worked to perfection as Eric came into the pits, after a BIG BIG Wreck with lots of speedy dry - (very important to remember that) running around the 10th spot. Kevin made the call to take on right side tires only and the guys ripped off a great stop and got Eric out first. Jimmy Blewett was the only car on the lead lap that did not stop for tires so on the restart Eric was able to get by him for the lead. Eric was holding his line on the inside as a car was trying yo pass on the outside - it seemed as they were battling Eric got down low near the bottom of the track and got into some of the speedy dry from the BIG wreck and caused him to loop it. The team recovered for a 10th place finish - Finally showing the potential of the 94 team they wish that the next tour race at Thompson was next week instead of 3 weeks.
1. (6) Donny Lia, Jericho, N.Y., Dodge, 150 laps, 58.568 mph, $7,200.
2. (1) James Civali, Meriden, Conn., Chevrolet, 150, $4,000.
3. (7) Eddie Flemke, Southington, Conn., Chevrolet, 150, $3,200.
4. (15) Zach Sylvester, Lebanon, Conn., Pontiac, 150, $3,300.
5. (4) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn., Ford, 150, $2,700.
6. (9) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Dodge, 150, $1,950.
7. (17) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Ford, 150, $1,850.
8. (25) Dick Houlihan, Bridgewater, Mass., Chevrolet, 150, $2,050.
9. (30) Richard Savary, Canton, Mass., Chevrolet, 150, $2,200.
10. (16) Eric Beers, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 150, $1,950.
11. (12) Ryan Preece, Kensington, CT, Chevrolet, 150, $1,500.
12. (27) Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I., Chevrolet, 150, $2,575.
13. (18) Jimmy Blewett, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 150, $1,800.
14. (19) Eric Berndt, Rocky Hill, Conn., Chevrolet, 150, $1,075.
15. (26) Ron Yuhas, Groton, Conn., Chevrolet, 150, $1,450.
16. (24) Glen Tyler, Hampton Bays, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150, $1,025.
17. (31) Danny Sammons, Trenton, N.J., Chevrolet, 150, $1,400.
18. (8) Jerry Marquis, Broad Brook, Conn., Chevrolet, 148, $1,775.
19. (10) Bobby Grigas, Marshfield, MA, Chevrolet, 147, suspension, $1,650.
20. (28) Billy Pauch, Jr., Frenchtown, N.J., Dodge, 146, $1,725.
21. (2) Ronnie Silk, Norwalk, Conn., Chevrolet, 139, $1,600.
22. (22) Wade Cole, Riverton, Conn., Chevrolet, 128, suspension, $1,275.
23. (20) Jon McKennedy, Chelmsford, Mass., Chevrolet, 122, accident, $850.
24. (5) Tony Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 114, accident, $1,275.
25. (29) Kevin Goodale, Riverhead, NY, Chevrolet, 105, accident, $1,075.
26. (11) Reggie Ruggiero, Rocky Hill, Conn., Chevrolet, 104, accident, $1,464.
27. (13) John Blewett, III, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 104, accident, $1,450.
28. (3) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 91, accident, $1,550.
29. (14) Frank Ruocco, Cheshire, Conn., Pontiac, 91, accident, $750.
30. (21) Rick Fuller, Auburn, Mass., Chevrolet, 48, engine, $1,150.
31. (23) Chuck Hossfeld, Buffalo, N.Y., Pontiac, 31, accident, $1,450.

Failed to Qualify: (10) Kenny Horton (#29), Rob Summers (#1), Renee Dupuis (#90), Chris Pasteryak (#5), Carl Pasteryak (#75), Anthony Sesely (#11), Dave Etheridge (#54), Rowan Pennink * (#93), Joseph Hartmann * (#05), Jake Marosz (#9).

Time of Race:1 hrs., 16 mins, 50 secs Average Speed: 58.568 mph Margin of Victory:.46 Seconds
BUD POLE AWARD: Tony Hirschman, 48 Kamco Supply Corporation Chevrolet
FEATHERLITE MOST IMPROVED DRIVER AWARD: Zach Sylvester, 77 Racing Against Cancer Pontiac
POWERADE POWER MOVE OF THE RACE: Richard Savary *, 20 Superior Oil/Lombardi Inside Out Chevrolet
SUNOCO ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Ryan Preece *, 40 F.J. Hubery, Inc. Chevrolet
WHELEN ENGINEERING WINNER OF THE RACE: Donny Lia, 4 Mystic Missile Dodge

Caution Flags: Laps 23-27; 32-37; 83-88; 92-98; 105-110; 114-119. 6 for 36 laps.
Lap Leaders: James Civali 1-2, Ted Christopher 3-86, Jimmy Blewett 87-90, Eric Beers 91-109, Donny Lia 110, Eric Beers 111-113, Donny Lia 114-150.
Total Laps Led: Ted Christopher 84, Donny Lia 38, Eric Beers 22, Jimmy Blewett 4, James Civali 2. 6 changes involving 5 drivers

May 13 - Oswego Speedway - RoC - Finish 6
It was a weird racing day at Oswego as there was no outside groove. This was the first race that was on the track in 2007 after the Oswego area was under 10 feet of snow at times over the winter. The reports from the track was that there was no outside groove what so ever. No fault of anyone , the track needed a couple weeks of practice on it to get a little bit of rubber on it. Kinda of season it a bit. Eric started 3rd in his heat and finished 3rd in his heat. Eric redrew 8th to start and the only that he passed were on the the start of the race. He gained those two position and that was it. He made several attempts to make a move on the inside of the car in front of him but Eric would back off as not to wreck either of them. There were two cautions and they went single file after the start so there was no chance pass like we saw last week at Wall where the only passing depended on what line you were in on the restart. They hope that when the RoC Tour returns in a few weeks that there is some rubber on the track so that the drivers can think about making a move on the outside.

DART RACE OF CHAMPIONS ASPHALT MODIFIED TOUR CENTRAL REGION RACE # 1

FINISH; Matt Hirschman, Billy Putney, Lee Sherwood, Zane Zeiner, Earl Paules, Eric Beers, Rick Zacharias, Bill Hebing, Phil Slater, John Markovic, Pete Brittain, Erick Rudolph, Rusty Smith, Daren Scherer, Bobby Holmes, Vern LaFave, Doug Reaume, Andy Szapacs, Chris Zacharias, Brian DeFebo, Ken Canestrari, Matt Clemens.
LAP LEADERS; Hirschman ( 1 – 75 )
HOOSIER RACING TIRE HARD CHARGER AWARD; Rudolph ( 21st to 12th )
HOOSIER RACING TIRE HARD LUCK AWARD; LaFave ( 7th to 16th )
GATER RACING NEWS DRIVER BONUS DRAW $ 500; Beers
DART MACHINERY SET OF HEADS $ 1,100 VALUE; Reaume

May 6 - Wall Speedway - WMT (Flash event) - 21st
They call it a flash event but from this vantage point it was a crash event. It is so difficult to pass at Wall. The racing is not bad it is just the way you have to go about it. Sit in the fourth turn grandstand and the way you have to pass is to start hitting the car in front of you as you get into turn three and then do a slide job under them as you are between 3 and 4. This is when the cars are pretty equal. If you have a better car you can stick it on the outside and pass the car in front of you out of the turn. . .but for the most part what I saw was bang . . get the guy loose and make your move. With the short races you had to get to the front as fast as you could. That being said lets talk about Eric's race. In practice Eric was one of the fastest cars running 16.2's and 3's while the average was 16.5's. Because of the luck of the draw and no owners points from 2006 to fall on, he started in the back of the 2nd flash race. If you look at the picture on the front page you can see what happen in that race. He had made progress into a qualifying spot but it changed often whether you were on the inside or outside lane on the restart moving forward and backwards up to 6 positions per lap. When he was run over by the 77 he was forced to take a provisional. Starting near the rear of the field in the feature - he was again making progress when all of sudden BAM hit from behind and out of the groove and just as soon as you recover you are in the back again. Someone made the comment that they were surprised that Eric who is a former short track champion had to take a provisional at this short track race. . . Well the key is to show a little a patience when starting in the back and then miss the big one and work your way forward. The best example is the night before at Mahoning where Eric started near the rear in the 100 lap race and just past half way he missed the big one and was in the lead and ultimately finished 2nd. It looked from the stand that alot of the drivers out there did not care about their equipment and just bumped their way to towards the front. I say towards the front because if you look 8 of the top 10 starters of this race finished in the top 10 . Yes they shuffled position but did I say 8 of the top 10 starters finished in the top 10. So how much passing was there this day? There was plenty when they wrecked and you jumped on the gas to move up as many positions as possible. Even with a beat up bent up car Eric made his way up to the top 15 but twice he was a victim of someone hitting him into someone else. Not complaining just trying to explain what I say from the grandstands. Finished 21st and looking to get it on track at Stafford on Memorial Day Weekend.


1. (3) Jimmy Blewett, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 50 laps, $4,200.
2. (2) John Blewett, III, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 50, $2,700.
3. (1) Reggie Ruggiero, Rocky Hill, Conn., Chevrolet, 50, $2,100.
4. (4) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 50, $2,000.
5. (9) Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I., Chevrolet, 50, $2,500.
6. (7) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Dodge, 50, $2,000.
7. (11) Ronnie Silk, Norwalk, Conn., Chevrolet, 50, $1,900.
8. (5) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn., Ford, 50, $1,950.
9. (13) Jerry Marquis, Broad Brook, Conn., Chevrolet, 50, $1,600.
10. (10) Billy Pauch, Jr., Frenchtown, N.J., Dodge, 50, $1,600.
11. (20) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Ford, 50, $1,350.
12. (25) Joseph Hartmann, Calverton, N.Y., Chevrolet, 50, $1,425.
13. (19) Danny Sammons, Trenton, N.J., Chevrolet, 50, $1,125.
14. (12) Donny Lia, Jericho, N.Y., Dodge, 50, $1,375.
15. (26) Eddie Flemke, Southington, Conn., Chevrolet, 50, $1,130.
16. (6) Chuck Hossfeld, Buffalo, N.Y., Pontiac, 50, $1,300.
17. (30) Rob Summers, Manchester, Conn., Pontiac, 49, $975.
18. (16) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 49, $525.
19. (28) Ron Yuhas, Groton, Conn., Chevrolet, 49, $900.
20. (17) James Civali, Meriden, Conn., Chevrolet, 44, $1,275.
21. (29) Eric Beers, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 42, $1,225.
22. (31) Jimmy Storace, Kingston, N.H., Chevrolet, 38, suspension, $1,100.
23. (22) Wade Cole, Riverton, Conn., Chevrolet, 37, accident, $775.
24. (18) Anthony Sesely, Matawan, N.J., Chevrolet, 37, bumper, $725.
25. (15) Dick Houlihan, Bridgewater, Mass., Chevrolet, 34, $1,000.
26. (21) Jon McKennedy, Chelmsford, Mass., Chevrolet, 32, $300.
27. (14) Ryan Preece, Kensington, CT, Chevrolet, 32, $300.
28. (24) Ken Woolley, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 28, accident, $300.
29. (8) Bobby Grigas, Marshfield, MA, Chevrolet, 30, accident, $600.
30. (23) Richard Savary, Canton, Mass., Chevrolet, 29, $600.
31. (27) Zach Sylvester, Lebanon, Conn., Pontiac, 28, accident, $1,100.

Failed to Qualify: (5) Kevin Goodale (#58), Jake Marosz (#9), Glen Tyler * (#8), Anthony Ferrante, Jr (#31), Renee Dupuis (#90).

Margin of Victory: 1.6 seconds

FEATHERLITE MOST IMPROVED DRIVER AWARD: John Blewett, III, 66 Blewett Motorsports Chevrolet
POWERADE POWER MOVE OF THE RACE: Joseph Hartmann *, 05 WMS Construction Chevrolet
SUNOCO ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Billy Pauch, Jr. *, 06 Greenfield Dodge Dodge
WHELEN ENGINEERING WINNER OF THE RACE: Jimmy Blewett, 12 T.S. Haulers/ United Crane Chevrolet
BUD POLE AWARD: 1st Qualifying race; Reggie Ruggiero, 2nd Qualifying race; John Blewett, III

Lap Leaders: Reggie Ruggiero 1, Jimmy Blewett 2-50.
Total Laps Led: Jimmy Blewett 49, Reggie Ruggiero 1. 1 changes involving 2 drivers.

Unofficial Top 20 Driver Points: Jimmy Blewett 478, Matt Hirschman * 447, James Civali 429, Todd Szegedy 418, Chuck Hossfeld 409, Donny Lia 404, Jerry Marquis 403, Ronnie Silk 399, Mike Stefanik 376, Billy Pauch, Jr. * 361, Zach Sylvester 359, Ted Christopher 348, Reggie Ruggiero 344, Bobby Grigas * 344, Jamie Tomaino 343, Eric Beers 333, John Blewett, III 325, Dick Houlihan 318, Kevin Goodale 309, Jimmy Storace 306

May 5 - Mahoning Speedway - 100 Laps- 2nd
Eric timed 15th - finished 4th in the heat and 2nd in the consi. With this being a 100 lap race at Mahoning the key is to miss the wrecks and work your way to the front. Eric stayed out of trouble into he beginning, with a few near misses. The whole key to this race tonight was starting on the inside after half way - the leader DOn Wagner and Chip Santee on the outside were putting on a great show wen from this guys perspective it looked like someone got into the back of Wagner which caused him to get into the 5 of Santee and it took the top cars up into the backstretch wall - Eric was able to get by on the inside with the lead. Eric and Earl PAules put on a side ny side battle for a few laps when earl finally got by working the outside lane. Eric's car looked a little tight but was able to hold off the 22 car of Zane Zeiner for a hard fought 2nd place finish in the second leg of the Mahoning speedway 100 lap races.

MODIFIEDS (100): 1.Earl Paules 2.Eric Beers 3.Zane Zeiner 4.Mike Quinn 5.Scott Lesher 6.Chip Santee 7.Rusty Smith 8.Kory Rabenold 9.Kevin Graver, Jr. 10.John Markovic 11.Keith Mellars 12.Troy Bollinger 13.Tom Flanagan 14.Don Wagner 15.Glen Correll 16.Dave Wallace 17.Lou Strohl 18.Lee Sherwood 19.Bup Dreher 20.Rod Snyder, Jr. 21.Brian DeFebo 22.Todd Baer 23.Bobby Jones 24.John Bennett 25.Rick Kirkendall 26.Rodney Gruber DNQ: CJ Jones, Dave Correll, Tim Santee

April 29 - Stafford Speedway - WMT - Finish 20
Eric and the team had the car in good shape ready for the race. Since they were starting in the rear of the field they kept pitting during the cautions to get the car better. Eric just ran the first 110 laps trying to move up some and stay away from the wrecks. He did a great job until lap 116 when he himself became the victim of someone else's move. At the caution the crew decided the car is now good so lets take tire and go for it now. On that restart from the caution Eric was on the outside of the 66. The 14 in front of the 66 got squirelly and turn right to go around him - THE PROBLEM is that Eric was on the outside of him. The 66 caught the left rear corner of the 94 and turned him into the wall pretty hard. In spite of a rather bent up race car the crew patched up the 94 and sent him out 17 laps down and got him home in 20th spot which is important for big picture racing of staying as close to the front at the end of the race to get the most points as possible. From Stafford, Eric will bring out the #9 for the 100 lap race at Mahoning SPeedway this Saturday - get a little sleep and head over to the Jersey Shore to Wall Speedway for the first ever flash event on the Whalen NASCAR Modified Tour.

. (8) Donny Lia, Jericho, N.Y., Dodge, 200 laps, 55.147 mph, $8,200.
2. (22) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn., Ford, 200, $4,800.
3. (10) Jerry Marquis, Broad Brook, Conn., Chevrolet, 200, $3,500.
4. (29) Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I., Chevrolet, 200, $4,500.
5. (13) Zach Sylvester, Lebanon, Conn., Pontiac, 200, $3,000.
6. (1) Tony Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 200, $2,400.
7. (3) James Civali, Meriden, Conn., Chevrolet, 200, $2,600.
8. (4) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Dodge, 200, $2,750.
9. (12) Jimmy Blewett, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 200, $2,100.
10. (25) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Ford, 200, $1,700.
11. (27) Bobby Grigas, Marshfield, MA, Chevrolet, 200, $1,800.
12. (28) Kevin Goodale, Riverhead, NY, Chevrolet, 200, $1,475.
13. (18) Chuck Hossfeld, Buffalo, N.Y., Pontiac, 200, $1,825.
14. (17) Dick Houlihan, Bridgewater, Mass., Chevrolet, 200, $1,775.
15. (15) Richard Savary, Canton, Mass., Chevrolet, 200, $1,350.
16. (33) Wade Cole, Riverton, Conn., Chevrolet, 200, $1,425.
17. (26) Renee Dupuis, Glastonbury, Conn., Chevrolet, 199, $1,400.
18. (30) Anthony Sesely, Matawan, N.J., Chevrolet, 196, $1,365.
19. (6) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 191, $1,450.
20. (31) Eric Beers, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 183, $1,725.
21. (19) Billy Pauch, Jr., Frenchtown, N.J., Dodge, 180, $1,200.
22. (7) Danny Sammons, Trenton, N.J., Chevrolet, 175, accident, $1,275.
23. (23) Eddie Flemke, Southington, Conn., Chevrolet, 174, $1,325.
24. (32) Jimmy Storace, Kingston, N.H., Chevrolet, 172, $1,500.
25. (5) Ronnie Silk, Norwalk, Conn., Chevrolet, 167, accident, $1,450.
26. (2) Reggie Ruggiero, Rocky Hill, Conn., Chevrolet, 165, accident, $1,150.
27. (21) Ron Yuhas, Groton, Conn., Chevrolet, 154, $1,150.
28. (16) John Blewett, III, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 124, accident, $1,150.
29. (11) Rick Fuller, Auburn, Mass., Chevrolet, 115, accident, $750.
30. (14) Frank Ruocco, Cheshire, Conn., Pontiac, 114, accident, $750.
31. (20) Rob Summers, Manchester, Conn., Pontiac, 25, accident, $1,150.
32. (9) Bobby Santos, III, Millis, Mass., Chevrolet, 19, accident, $750.
33. (24) Carl Pasteryak, Lisbon, Conn., Pontiac, 19, accident, $1,050.

Failed to Qualify: ( 9) Jon McKennedy (#73), Chris Pasteryak (#5), Glen Tyler * (#8), Rowan Pennink * (#93), Dave Etheridge (#54), Joseph Hartmann * (#05), Ryan Preece * (#40), Gary McDonald (#26), Jake Marosz (#9).

Time of Race:1 hrs., 48 mins, 48 secs Average Speed: 55.147 mph Margin of Victory:.13 Seconds
BUD POLE AWARD: Matt Hirschman *, 59 Furnace and Duct Dodge
FEATHERLITE MOST IMPROVED DRIVER AWARD: Mike Stefanik, 16 Diversified Metals Chevrolet
POWERADE POWER MOVE OF THE RACE: Mike Stefanik, 16 Diversified Metals Chevrolet
SUNOCO ROOKIE OF THE RACE: Bobby Grigas *, 09 Triple G Scaffolding Chevrolet
WHELEN ENGINEERING WINNER OF THE RACE: Donny Lia, 4 Mystic Missile Dodge

Caution Flags: Laps 15-19; 20-26; 48-53; 74-80; 87-91; 110-116; 117-123; 124-128; 135-138; 150-154; 156-158; 159-163; 176-182; 193-195. 14 for 76 laps.
Lap Leaders: Tony Hirschman 1-26, Ted Christopher 27-111, Mike Stefanik 112-122, Jerry Marquis 123-137, Todd Szegedy 138, Jerry Marquis 139-153, Todd Szegedy 154, Jerry Marquis 155-167, Todd Szegedy 168-171, Donny Lia 172-195, Todd Szegedy 196-197, Donny Lia 198-200.
Total Laps Led: Ted Christopher 85, Jerry Marquis 43, Donny Lia 27, Tony Hirschman 26, Mike Stefanik 11, Todd Szegedy 8. 11 changes involving 6 drivers.

Unofficial Top 20 Driver Points: James Civali 326, Jimmy Blewett 298, Matt Hirschman * 297, Chuck Hossfeld 294, Zach Sylvester 289, Donny Lia 283, Todd Szegedy 276, Bobby Grigas * 268, Jerry Marquis 265, Ronnie Silk 253, Kevin Goodale 242, Eric Beers 233, Dick Houlihan 230, Richard Savary * 230, Billy Pauch, Jr. * 227, Mike Stefanik 221, Tony Hirschman 220, Jamie Tomaino 213, Carl Pasteryak 210, Jimmy Storace 209

April 28 - Stafford Speedway - WMT - Time 31
Eric timed 31st after drawing the #2 pill for time trials. Times are generally faster the later you go out for qualifying at Stafford. The 94 car is good and the team is ready to take on this 200 lap race..

April 22 - Thompson Speedway - WMT - rescheduled from April 15 - FINISH 11
What a day the crew had at Thompson for the opening NASCAR Modified Tour Race on this absolutely picture perfect day at Thompson. This is the race that was rescheduled form the week before when a Noreaster came through and pushed all activities back one week. Practice for Eric in the 94 went well and they were looking for good things as Eric was slated to start 34th. The race started and that's when the problems began. The brakes were not working correctly. What the team attributed that too was the brake system being brand new that they were not fully bled even after two weeks of bleeding them. So that was the first issue they worked on. Then there was a problem with the oil tank, as it was letting oil out through the breather. Therefore after running a bit the car would lose enough oil that the red light would come on.
So how did the team overcome all these issues. DETERMINATION and SOME INNOVATIVE work by an experienced crew. Every caution that flew, Eric would bring the 94 car to the pits to the attention of the crew where some would work on the front of the car and some would work on the back of the car. Each and every time the crew would get Eric out to keep him on the lead lap. For the first 80 to 90 laps of the race Eric was always the last car on the lead lap running about 25th through 29th. Then the race started to take shape as the normal Icebreaker crashes and the mechanical issues occurred because it is the first race of the season and the teams work out the kinks. About lap 115 the 94 car really started to come to Eric and he worked his way up for an 11th place finish. For Eric this must have felt like a big accomplishment because I do not think Eric has ever even finished an Icebreaker in the past 5 years let alone getting close to a top ten finish. Great work by the entire crew and driver. Another thing to think about is by running how Eric had to run today - the 94 car might have been the only car on the track that did not have any sheet body damage.


April 21 - Mahoning Speedway - Regular Night of Racing for the Modifieds - 7th
Eric was driving on the Zacharias cars on this regular night of racing. It was Zach team along with Eric guys (Fish, Glenn, Joe, et al) working on the car this night. Eric went out in the first heat and stated 4th and finished 6th and then in the Consi Eric started 4th and finished 4th. The fans in the stands were wondering, whats a matter with the car?, Is something wrong? Eric usually gets around better than that at his home track. Well folks its turns out Eric ran the heat and consi with tires that were run at New Smyrna - Not sure what night or how many night those tires had on them but you could see the car was just skating in the corners. They put fresh rubber on for the feature, where Eric started 24th. Eric let the race come to him and just took was there. He missed the big ones and slowly worked his way to the front. One car at a time - a couple inside abut mostly on the outside. Car went back into the Zacharias trailor in one piece as the team had some notes for when they come back in two weeks for the 2nd 100 lap race. The team quickly left the pits to get home to get as much sleep as possible before they leave for Thompson at 4:30 AM.

Results:
1 - Earl Paules
2 - Rusty Smith
3 - Bobby Jones
7 - Eric Beers


April 14 - Thompson Speedway - WMT - Qualify 34th - Start 34 - Race postponed to Apr 22
This is the first time that the new 94 team has been together all at one time and the overwhelming sentiment is that they can not wait for the year to get going. Kevin, Eric and Gary have put together a great group that knows what it takes to win and like to have a good time.

This was very evident by the work that was accomplished during the day to get the 94 car "pretty" good in practice. The guys had five minutes that they were not working on the car during the day Saturday and there were plenty of laughs coming from the 94 trailer.

You are probably asking "If the car was "pretty" good in practice. why did Eric qualify 34th and have to take a provisional for the first race as a new team on the WMT? Good question and here is an answer and opinion: The car was pretty good in practice and for time trials they tried a set up that did not work as planned during the two laps of qualifying. But what you need to know is that this is the first time that this car was ever on the track. The car has gone from MA to PA and back to MA with thousands of man hours put in to get this brand new car together. So on Saturday the 94 car actually had 10 laps of practice while they worked out the little glitches and kinks that occur while shaking down a new car (see power steering leak, etc) For anyone who has ever spent time with Eric or Kevin, in spite of trouble or problems that arise, both are very patient and just keep on working to fix the problem - not add to it. So for next week, the team is optimistic about the race, as Kevin has an "awesome set of tools" and will change a few things back to where the car was in practice.

The crew is anticipating watching Eric in the 94 car make its way from the back of the pack - rip off a great pit stop and get the 94 to the front on Sunday the 22nd.

1. (21) Richard Savary, Canton Mass. , Chevrolet, 120.469
2. (36) Ted Christopher, Plainville Conn. , Chevrolet, 120.527
3. (4) Donny Lia, Jericho N.Y. , Dodge, 120.695
4. (77) Zach Sylvester, Lebanon Conn. , Pontiac , 120.948
5. (48) Tony Hirschman, Northampton Pa. , Chevrolet, 121.340
6. (2) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield Conn. , Ford, 121.905
7. (59) Matt Hirschman, Northampton Pa. , Dodge, 120.424
8. (16) Mike Stefanik, Coventry R.I. , Chevrolet, 120.366
9. (3) Bobby Santos, III, Millis Mass. , Chevrolet, 120.359
10. (0) Danny Sammons, Trenton N.J. , Chevrolet, 120.173
11. (28) James Civali, Meriden Conn. , Chevrolet, 120.141
12. (19) Ronnie Silk, Norwalk Conn. , Chevrolet, 120.077
13. (90) Renee Dupuis, Glastonbury Conn. , Chevrolet, 119.987
14. (66) John Blewett, III, Howell N.J. , Chevrolet, 119.981
15. (47) Jimmy Storace, Kingston N.H. , Chevrolet, 119.949
16. (00) Jerry Marquis, Broad Brook Conn. , Chevrolet, 119.834
17. (79) Chuck Hossfeld, Buffalo N.Y. , Pontiac , 119.700
18. (63) Nevin George, Kunkletown Pa. , Pontiac, 119.694
19. (31) Anthony Ferrante, Jr, Franklin Square , Chevrolet, 119.668
20. (10) Eddie Flemke, Southington Conn. , Chevrolet, 119.643
21. (75) Carl Pasteryak, Lisbon Conn. , Pontiac , 119.643
22. (73) Jon McKennedy, Chelsford Mass. , Chevrolet, 119.535
23. (6) Ron Yuhas, Groton Conn. , Chevrolet, 119.503
24. (12) Jimmy Blewett, Howell N.J. , Chevrolet, 119.490
25. (11) Anthony Sesely, Matawan N.J. , Chevrolet, 119.287
26. (09) Bobby Grigas, Marshfield Mass. , Chevrolet, 119.148
27. (99) Jamie Tomaino, Howell N.J. , Ford, 119.111
28. (46) Dick Houlihan, Bridgewater Mass. , Chevrolet, 118.966
29. (93) Rowan Pennick, Huntingdon Valley Pa. , Chevrolet, 118.828
30. (1) Rob Summers, Manchester Conn. , Pontiac , 118.759
31. (64) Eric Berndt, Rocky Hill Conn. , Chevrolet, 118.759
32. (58) Kevin Goodale, Riverhead N.Y. , Chevrolet, 118.577
33. (14) Reggie Ruggiero, Rocky Hill Conn. , Chevrolet, provisional
34. (06) Billy Pauch, Jr., Frenchtown N.J. , Dodge, provisional
35. (94) Eric Beers, Northampton Pa. , Chevrolet, provisional
36. (33) Wade Cole, Riverton , Conn. Chevrolet provisional
37. (13) Rick Fuller, Auburn Mass. , Chevrolet, provisional

___________________________________________________________________

The team has put the finishing touches on the new 94 - now the car is back in MA to get the Kevin look over. Chip did a great job with the lettering and design scheme on the the new body - Way to go Chip.

Saturday, March 24th - Eric Beers Racing Party
The party was a great success. Thanks to all who attended and made for a great night. Pictures to follow.

Saturday, March 24th - Eric Beers Racing Party
Join the fun as the team, family, friends, fans, press, sponsors and Eric get together to kick off the 2007 season. All are invited to attend. The party starts at 5p and is over at 10p. Tickets are $25 and include your meal, beverages and fun. Don't miss what will happen this year as there are always stories from the party. The party is in a new location this year and when I say new I mean the American Club is a brand, beautiful facility. Plenty of up close parking and all the amenities that will make for a great night.

DIRECTIONS TO THE AMERICAN CLUB, Coplay PA. . .

From Rt 145:

Take Rt 329 East to the 2nd light which is Main Street, Northampton- (1st light past Redners quick shop, Harharts Gulf Gas Station is on a corer)) - MAKE A RIGHT

Follow Main Street to the 3rd light (Bank on left, Mario's Pizza is caddy corner) - MAKE A RIGHT

Go over the bridge - go past the 1st traffic light to the blinking yellow light (GIANT on right) this is Cherry Street - MAKE A RIGHT

Follow this all the way back onto the gravel road until it dead ends at the American Club

website: www.americanclub.org

Saturday, March 4 - Speedway Expo
Eric will be at the Speedway Expo Racing Show this weekend in Springfield MA. This is important because it is the first time that you will see Eric and the #94 NASCAR Modified Team. The Newtown Electric NASCAR Modified will be on display at the New Hampshire Speedway booth for the weekend. Eric will be on hand to sign autographs. Meet Eric and Crew Chief Kevin Crowley and other key members of the team. Also scheduled to be in attendee will be Austin Beers. Austin won his age group race and then finished 2nd to a much older lady in the A Main - GREAT JOB. For more info log onto www.speedwayexpo.com

Saturday, February 17 - New Smyrna Speedway - Time 5 - Start 5 - Finish 5 - Champion
Eric had a 29 point lead going into the race and knew he had to finish 9th or better if Showtime won in order to capture his 2nd New Smyrna Speedway, Speedweeks, NASCAR Title. Eric let the race happen in front of him and let the car behind get by but never lost focus on the big picture - THE TITLE - Mission Accomplished, Great job by all who worked so hard each and every day to get the cars ready for competition.
Joy, relief, anger, and disappointment; the complete range of human emotions were on display after Saturday night’s Tour-Type Modified feature. Only 24 hours after the Modified division’s premier race of The World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing (The Richie Evans Memorial), almost all of the Modified teams stayed the extra day for one more shot to prove themselves, learn something new to apply to the rest of the year or just plain have fun. Beers explained how tough it was to beat such a competitive group for so long. “To win here is big,” said Beers. “The best-of-the-best come here to race. You got 10 of the toughest guys here - guys that if you show up at a racetrack you don’t want them showing up because they’re going to be hard to beat.” Not everyone was quite so happy after the event, however. At the conclusion of the race, members of Bobby Holmes’ and Donny Lia’s teams were involved in a scuffle in the infield in which objects were thrown. The dispute was over a mid-race incident in which Lia ducked under Holmes in turn one. The two made contact, sending Holmes’ car up the track in a shower of sparks before colliding hard with the wall.Most of the competitors now have to look forward to a full season ahead of them. They will try to emulate what Blewett says is his goal for the year.


Here is your Championship team:


1 Jimmy Blewett
2 Donny Lia
3 John Blewett III
4 Zach Sylvester
5 Eric Beers
6 James Civali
7 Rowan Pennick
8 Justin Bonsignore
9 Jon McKennedy
10 Shelly Perry
11 J. Wesley Swartout
12 Butch Perry
13 Rich Kirkin, Jr
14 Bobby Grigas III
15 Earl Paules
16 Ted Christopher
17 Jim Storace
18 Bobby Holmes
19 Kevin Goodale

Jimmy Blewett led every lap of tonight's race
Eric Beers Officially is the Speedweek Champion

Friday, February 16 - New Smyrna Speedway - 100 Laps - Time 2 - Start 1 - Finish 4
Eric started pole and Jimmy Blewett quickly powered to the outside as Eric let him because of it being a 100 lap race. In the last two Tour-Type Modified races, Eric Beers has seen plenty of Jimmy Blewett’s #19 car in his windshield. Beers tried every move in his repertoire to get by Blewett Wednesday night for the win, but Blewett held him off. Again Friday night, Beers gave it everything he had, but his motor and timing just did not work in his favor. Sylvester raced among the top-five throughout the feature and eventually finished fifth.“It’s an excellent run for the team. They’ve worked real hard all week. We’ve been getting much better every night. In the 50-lapper, something happened and I made a bad call, but we were able to recover and learn what we needed to do tonight.”Sylvester battled with fellow Whelen Modified Tour regulars Jimmy Blewett, Eric Beers and Ted Christopher at the front of the field, so he knew the type of talent he was up against.“They’re an awesome bunch of guys. There was a talented bunch of drivers up there tonight. Everybody kind of knows when it’s time to ride and everybody knows when it’s time to pull the pin and let it loose. Everybody did a great job of just keeping it together. There was a lot of beating and banging, but everybody kept it clean and we put on a good show.”“He was bogging me down in the turns and Ted got a good run on me and got by me. It’s just one of the things that happens.”Beers showed the way early, but Blewett’s power move on the third lap wound up being the move of the race. Beers knows, however, if he could’ve kept Blewett behind him early, the race could have played out differently.“If he would’ve never gotten by me at the beginning, we would’ve been fine. We would’ve just driven away and hid and no one would’ve seen us until the end.“We’re not wrecked, and the main thing is we had a good run.

1 Jimmy Blewett
2 Ted Christopher
3 Donny Lia
4 Eric Beers
5 Zach Sylvester
6 Jon McKennedy
7 Earl Paules
8 James Civali
9 Joey Logano
10 Jim Storace
11 Rowan Pennick
12 Shelly Perry
13 J. Wesley Swartout
14 Bobby Grigas III
15 Jason Friday Southern
16 Ryan Preece
17 John Blewett III
18 Bobby Holmes
19 John Jensen
20 Dave Sapienza
21 Justin Bonsignore
22 Chuck Hossfeld
23 Kevin Goodale
24 Butch Perry
25 Andy Suess


Thursday, February 15 - New Smyrna Speedway - Time 2 - Start 1 - Finish Rain
Eric timed 2nd redrew 1 and then the nights activities were canceled due to ran. The line up for both the Modifieds and SK's will roll over to Friday Night.

Wednesday, February 14 - New Smyrna Speedway - 50 Laps-Time 2 - Start 3 - Finish 2
Eric Timed 2nd and redrew 3rd. For Eric the race was decided on the start of the race when the leader went - something broke but he did not get to the bottom of the track far enough. THis meant that Eric had to heck up for a split second which allowed the 19 of Jimmy Blewett to get by Eric. I say this was the move of the race because Lia who was leading ended up pulling off the track when he developed an oil leak. The race up front with Eric and Jimmy B was good as Eric would get under Blewett several times but just did not have enough room to getter done. A great run a job by the crew for a second place finish.

From Speed 51 Article:
Eric Beers put the pressure on Blewett for the lead throughout the race, but rather than make a risky move that could potentially end both of their nights, Beers played it safe and watched his good friend go to victory lane.
“I got one good run on Jimmy getting into one,” said Beers. “He came down a little bit, but I probably could’ve thrown it in, but I might have ended up in the fence. I was hoping to get another run on him coming off of two, because there’s a lot more room getting into three, but I could never get a good run on him. “I’ve known Jimmy, John and their family all the way back to the Flemington days. We’ve always raced each other clean, so why change now.”

Creative Cleaning for Eric
When Donny Lia’s car was dropping oil from his #18 car, it wound up all over Eric Beers’ windshield. In just a 50-lap race with a strong field of cars, Beers couldn’t just come to pit road and have his crew wipe the windshield clean. So he used a little bit of intuition and a well-placed item in his cockpit to make things at least a little bit better. “Donny was right there in second and his car was pushing oil out bad,” said Beers. “I couldn’t see a damn thing out my windshield. So we had that caution and luckily I had two hats in the car with me. I grabbed a hat and pulled the windshield down and wiped it off as best I could. It was still blurry as hell, though. It was tough in the turns because the lights hit the windshield, so it was tough getting off of two and in the corner, but it was good enough I guess.

1 Jimmy Blewett 19
2 Eric Beers 9
3 Joey Logano 6
4 Ted Christopher 36
5 Earl Paules 8
6 Bobby Grigas III 09
7 Kevin Goodale 58
8 Donny Lia 18
9 Bobby Holmes 22
10 Chuck Hossfeld 79
11 Dave Sapienza 38
12 Andy Suess 70
13 Ryan Preece 40
14 Rowan Pennick 93
15 Justin Bonsignore 28
16 Zach Sylvester 15
17 John Blewett III 00
18 John Jensen 91
19 J. Wesley Swartout 25
20 Jon McKennedy 73
21 James Civali 80
22 Jim Zacharias 5
23 Butch Perry 96
24 Shelly Perry 76
25 Jim Storace 47

Tuesday, February 13 - New Smyrna Speedway -Time 2 - Start 3 - Finish 2
Eric Timed 2nd and redrew 3rd. Race started and Eric was following Blewett as Blewett worked on Gringos. Blewett got under the G man and Eric followed him through. Eric finished 2nd on this night.

1 John Blewett III
2 Eric Beers
3 Zach Sylvester
4 Earl Paules
5 Jon McKennedy
6 Jimmy Blewett
7 Chuck Hossfeld
8 Ryan Preece
9 Andy Suess
10 Bobby Grigas III
11 Rowan Pennick
12 Bobby Holmes
13 Tim Brown
14 Dave Sapienza
15 Ted Christopher
16 Justin Bonsignore
17 Butch Perry
18 Shelly Perry
19 Jim Storace
20 J. Wesley Swartout
21 Donny Lia
22 John Jensen
23 Jim Zacharias

Monday, February 12 - New Smyrna Speedway - Time 10 - Start 10 - Finish 11th
Eric went out first for time trial and by golly poled his slowest time of the week finishing 10th. But the race started and Eric was quickly up to 5th. The 19 car of Jimmy Blewett had a problem while Eric has right on him which caused the front nerf bar of the 9 to get hooked with the back bumper of our ole buddy George B's #19 and they had to slow and get unhooked. Eric made his way through the pack up to 11th with plenty of time to go when he developed a problem with the clutch that limited his effectiveness. Over all the car is still in one piece and ready for Tuesday night.

1 John Blewett III
2 Zach Sylvester
3 Earl Paules
4 Donny Lia
5 Chuck Hossfeld
6 Joey Logano
7 Jon McKennedy
8 Bobby Grigas III
9 James Civali
10 Kevin Goodale
11 Eric Beers
12 Bobby Holmes
13 Jimmy Blewett
14 Justin Bonsignore
15 Dave Sapiewza
16 Mike Andrews
17 Butch Perry
18 Shelly Perry
19 Ted Christopher
20 J. Wesley Swartout
21 Ryan Preece
22 Rowan Pennick
23 Andy Suess
24 Jim Storace
25 Tyler Hadyt
26 Jim Zacharias

Saturday, February 10 - New Smyrna Speedway -Pole - Start 2 - Finish 4th
The car was fast again and Eric ran second for most of the night but at the end he could not stick it to the bottom. This allowed the B Brother the opportunity to get by Eric putting him in a 4th place finishing position. Not until after the race did anyone realize the problem - a leaky valve stem was casing a tire to go flat which is what Eric reported over the radio at the the time.

18 Donny Lia
19 Jimmy Blewett
00 John Blewett III
9 Eric Beers
15 Zach Sylvester
79 Chuck Hossfeld
73 Jon McKennedy
58 Kevin Goodale
22 Bobby Holmes
09 Bobby Grigas III
80 James Civali
25 J. Wesley Swartout
28 Justin Bonsignore
76 Shelly Perry
8 Earl Paules
96 Butch Perry
38 Dave Sapiewza
5 Chris Zacharias
70 Andy Suess
36 Ted Christopher
47 Jim Storace
26 Tyler Hadyt
40 Ryan Preece
14 Mike Andrews

Friday, February 9 - New Smyrna Speedway - Pole Start 1 - Win
Seems too easy right. Fast car - Start pole win race - Granted the team put a great car under Eric but did anyone realize that Eric ran this race with a broken sway bar. Great job. There were several attempts to start this race, since the top of the track was slick. So finally, the fourth attempted start, they started single file and great racing all through the pack. Eric Beers held off many attempts from Donny Lia and Chuck Hossfeld. Chuck had a very strong car and he was trying to run the outside lane, but he couldn't’t hold it and almost spun twice (they were great saves). Meanwhile, in the back of the pack Teddy Christopher, who spun out in one of the attempted starts, was flying up through the fields. Another fast car was the Joe Brady owned 00 of John Blewitt III. After several laps, when Eric Beers’ tires had a chance to warm up, he would just pull away from everyone (even though he had a broken sway bar).

After a rocky opening to the first night of The World Series of Asphalt Stock Car Racing, RoC Champion Eric Beers was able to hang on down the stretch for a convincing win in the Tour-Type Modifieds feature race.
Eric Beers found victory lane on night one. The start of the race was anything but smooth for the Pennsylvania driver. After starting from the pole, Beers quickly found himself struggling with an ill-handling car. His crew chief immediately knew why. “The first restart there, we had caution and he radioed it in to me that the sway bar fell off,” said Beers. ‘He could see it from the infield that the sway bar arm fell off. It made the car horrible to drive from the middle off. It would get in decent and get to the center but I couldn’t get on the throttle until you get some heat in the tires. It was a handful until about six or eight laps.” This meant that Beers would have to fend off challenges from the tight field of Modifieds, including pressure from John Blewett, Chuck Hossfeld, and Andy Seuss at different points in the night. In the end, though, Beers was able to hold on for a three-car length win over Blewett.
“Once we got some heat in the tires we could still drive away from them,” said Beers. “I think with the sway bar hooked up we’d have been a little quicker, but wow.” Beers also offered his thoughts about the re paved surface at what speedway officials are calling the “new” New Smyrna.
“The track’s gonna get better and better and I think faster and faster the more rubber we get down, and until that time, it’s going to be tough to race on. “Right now it’s super smooth and really quick

9 Eric Beers
00 John Blewett III
70 Andy Suess
36 Ted Christopher
18 Donny Lia
8 Earl Paules
15 Zach Sylvester
93 Tim Arre
09 Bobby Grigas III
79 Chuck Hossfeld
73 Jon McKennedy
25 J. Wesley Swartout
58 Kevin Goodale
28 Justin Bonsignore
76 Shelly Perry
96 Butch Perry
19 Jimmy Blewett
22 Bobby Holmes
5 Chris Zacharias
47 Jim Storace



ERIC BEERS JOINING FORCES WITH GAYDOSH MOTORSPORTS for the 2007 NASCAR WHELEN MODIFIED TOUR

Northampton, Pa. (February 4, 2007) – Asphalt Modified standout, Eric Beers of Northampton Pa., has joined forces with team owner Gary Gaydosh of CT, to run the entire 2007 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour in the JMG Excavating number 94 NASCAR Modified. Kevin Crowley of Billerica, MA, will serve as the Crew Chief.

Crowley has assembled a formidable team with aspirations of a breakout season. “I feel that I have a driver and crew that are performing at the top of their game in our division,” related Crowley. “They all have diverse and successful backgrounds and are willing to put in what it takes to win. Their effort and attitude is a necessary component in propelling the team throughout the long season.”

Beers and Crowley have an excellent rapport when it comes to the driver crew chief relationship. “Eric is a racers – racer. He doesn’t care where the race is,” explains Crowley. “He wants to race and he wants to win. He never complains while out on the track, he gives everyone the feedback we need to keep the entire operation performing at the highest of levels.”

Together the two have won races and championships; including the 2004 Speedweeks New Smyrna Speedway Championship, several Race of Champions Tour wins, of which one was the first ever Modified Feature at Adirondack Speedway plus many other top three finishes at the biggest Modified races in the country.

Beers has faith in everyone involved to get the job done. “Kevin and I have developed a unique relationship working together for so many years,” offered Beers. “He sets up a fast car and when I get out on the track, I can tell him what the car is doing and he has the uncanny ability to make the right adjustments to give us an even better chance to win.”

In addition to the support by team owner, Gary Gaydosh, who has a history of fielding competitive NASCAR Modifieds, it is the impressive crew that Crowley has assembled that will make the number 94 Modified competitive once the season begins at Thompson International Speedway in April. The cars will be housed at Crowley’s Garage in Massachusetts and will be worked on by a veteran group of crew members, who have been associated with Crowley for several years. The veteran crew provides the ability to prepare the cars for the challenging competition and have the consistent strong pit stops it takes to be competitive on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour. With the additional support from the core group of longtime Beers Motorsports Team Members, you have a team that is capable of winning immediately.

In addition to the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour events, Gaydosh Motorsports will field a team car for Justin Gaydosh to run at selected events.

Beers, who is, to some extent superstitious, jumped at the opportunity to pilot the number 94 machine. During the 1998-2001 seasons, Beers won over 30 Modified features of which many were in the Horwith Trucking number 94, so he is familiar with taking the number 94 to victory lane.

The 2007 white and red number 94 NASCAR Whelen Troyer Modified will be powered by Billy the Kid Engines and Sunoco Race Fuels. Stay tuned to www.ericbeers.com for the latest information, updates on the Gaydosh Motorsports #94 and Beers Motorsports #9 team (s) and the latest breaking news.

Beers and Crowley will begin the 2007 season in the Beers Motorsports # 9, Sunoco Race Fuels, Roc Modified Tour, Horwith Trucking Asphalt Modified at New Smyrna Speedway during Speedweeks, competing in the grueling 8-night World Series of Stock Car Racing marathon, as the team will work on building a strong foundation in preparation of the upcoming NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour season.

Additional Thoughts from Eric: " I am really excited about this opportunity. First ,Gary is committed to winning and after working with Kevin for so long I know I will have a fast car when we show up at the Track. Add in the crew that Kevin has assembled, who has been one of the best on pit row, ripping off some of the fastest pit stops on the tour, I feel we are ready to roll. Another important factor into this that I am proud of, is the fact that the Beers Motorsports crew that keeps the #9 Beers Motorsports Modified one of the best prepared cars on the Race of Champions Tour is able to work with anybody and help out as needed. This is truly a team sport and without the right crew, none of this is able to happen. All of us have been racing for a long time now and with our experience and Kevin's ability to make it happen, I can't wait for April to roll around and get to Thompson.'


Stay tuned for updates as the crew page is updated with some information on the the team (an some interesting facts about each member) and look for pictures as the car is being finished and ready to roll for for Thompson.

February 9-17 - New Smyrna Speedway - Speedweeks

March 24 - Eric Beers Racing Party - American Club, Coplay, PA
The annual event that family, friends and fans look forward to is set for Saturday March 24th at the American Club in Coplay. Tickets are $25 and includes food, beverage and fun. Tickets need to be purchased in advance. If you are interested in attending please call 610-261-9468 or email us at beersmotorsports@verizon.net and we will get them to you. All are invited and hope you can attend.
This is our way to get everyone together at one time. Over the course of a season we see alot of different people at many places and times. Why not be part of the party that puts us all together in one spot and enjoy the company of each other and talk about about what we all enjoy. Going to the races and watch the Modifieds and cheer on our driver. . . Eric Beers.

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