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)
The field had already qualified the day before with Tony Ferrante Jr. taking a well deserved fast time. The front line up was #31 Ferrante and #3 Bobby Santos III on the front row. Second row had #06 Billy Pauch Jr. and #88 Doug Coby. Starting in the third row were #4 Donny Lia and #2 Todd Szegedy. At the green flag, Ferrante and Santos would stay side by side till Lap 3 when Santos took the lead. Following Santos in line were Ferrante, Coby and Szegedy. This group pulled a bit away from the field. #14 Reggie Ruggiero and #28 James Civali were making low passes from the back, picking off cars 1 by 1. On Lap 7, Szegedy pulled his car into the pits with some type of problem and then returned to the field way back.
On Lap 11, Santos was clearly out front with Ferrante and Coby trying to keep up. #48 Tony Hirschman was all over Pauch, trying to take 4th place away. On Lap 16, #79 Woody Pitkat slowed and dropped low and finally pulled into the pits on Lap 17. By Lap 19, the 3 leaders, Santos, Coby and Ferrante, had distanced themselves from each other and a big gap to the rest of the field. By Lap 22, Santos had a full straightaway lead to 4th place Tony Hirschman. The #48 was closing in on Ferrante by Lap 26 for 3rd place.
#36 Ted Christopher was still moving through the pack and was trying to get by #4 Donny Lia, while Lia was all over #19 Ronnie Silk. On Lap 29, Lia got by Silk for 7th with Christopher in tow. 2 laps later, Tony Hirschman got by Ferrante for 3rd. The leaders at Lap 40 were Santos, Coby, T. Hirschman and Christopher. Lap 42, a caution came out for #11 Anthony Sesely with M. Hirschman, Ferrante, Lia, Silk, Stefanik, Flemke, Civali, Marquis, Blewett and Savary all pitting the next lap when the pits opened. Lap 44 was the green flag with the leaders the same as none had pitted. After a full lap of green, Santos maintained the lead with T. Hirschman, Christopher and Coby in line behind the leader. Christopher then put the pressure on T. Hirschman for 2nd when the caution flew for #11 Anthony Sesely spinning in Turn 3 on Lap 48. The next lap, Coby and #00 Jerry Marquis pit with Marquis having an issue as the crew popped his hood off in the pits. lap 50, Flemke and Blewett enter the pits with the leaders still staying on the track.
Back to green on Lap 52 with Santos, T. Hirschman and Christopher leading when Christopher spins in Turn 2 bringing out the caution again. No cars pit and Christopher just pulls back in line at the end of the field. Lap 56 brings out the green with Santos and Hirschman leading the field with #14 Reggie Ruggiero now pulling into 3rd. The leaders on Lap 57 are Santos, T. Hirschman, Ruggerio, #40 Ryan Preece and #59 Matt Hirschman in 5th. On Lap 58, #09 Bobby Grigas III ends up in the Turn 3 wall bringing out another caution. When the pits open, Ruggiero makes his pit and returns at the back of the field. On the Lap 64 restart, Santos takes a clean lead going into Turn 1 with T. Hirschman, Preece, M. Hirschman, Lia and Coby battling behind. The next lap, M. Hirschman and Lia bolt by Preece for 3rd and 4th. All settles in and by Lap 66 we have a tight freight train of Santos, T. Hirschman, M. Hirschman, Lia, Preece, Ferrante and Civali and a large space to 8th. Ferrante dives under Preece and takes 5th spot on Lap 67. Meanwhile further back, Ruggiero and Christopher are making there march back through the field. A caution is thrown again for #05 Joey Hartmann and #6 Ron Yuhas who wreck hard in Turn 1. This wreck takes awhile to clean up as Santos and T. Hirschman head to the pits and Blewett follows the next lap. Lap 79 goes green with M.Hirschman leading Lia, Ferrante, Preece, Civali, Silk, Pauch and Savary. coming out of the turn Lia passes M. Hirschman for the lead. Silk spins on lap 82 but stays out of the way and no caution is thrown. The new leaders on lap 85 are Lia, M. Hirschman, Silk, Preece, Ferrante and Civali when Lia drops low down the frontstretch. They announce that Lia blows his motor although the finish says it was his ignition. #59 Matt Hirshman becomes the new leader. Ferrante again goes under Preece, this time to take 3rd place with Civali trying to follow suit and completes the pass on Preece on Lap 91. We now have M. Hirschman leading Silk, Ferrante, Civali, Preece, Ruggiero and Coby.
Reggie starts working on Preece and gets by on Lap 95 for 5th spot. Meanwhile in the back, Christopher is still trying to get back to the front in 11th place. #93 Rowan Pennick brings out the caution for a spin in Turn 4 on Lap 98. When the pits open, Preece, Christopher, Pauch, Sesely, Tyler, Cole and Beers take a stop. Lap 103 green and Civali dives under Ferrante for 3rd spot. The leaders are now M. Hirschman, Silk, Civali, Coby, #58 Kevin Goodale, Santos, Ferrante and Ruggiero. Santos is on the move and by Lap 106 is into 5th position, passing Goodale. The Top 5 now pull away from the pack. Lap 109, Santos passes Coby for 4th. 2 laps later Santos gets 3rd by passing Civali. Ruggiero, now in 6th keeps heavy pressure on Coby for 5th. A lot of front action going on as Santos passes Silk for 2nd and Ruggiero passes Coby for 5th on Lap 117. Santos finally grabs the lead on the backstretch on Lap 118 and pulls away. The leaders are now Santos, M. Hirschman, Ruggiero, Silk and Civali. Santos starts to stretch his lead as Ruggiero starts to pressure Hirschman.
The caution falls again for Sesely on Lap 127. The green waves on Lap 131 with Santos leading M. Hirschman, Ruggiero, Silk and Civali. After settling in, the line is Santos, M. Hirschman, Silk and Ruggiero. Ruggiero starts to pressure Silk and grabs 3rd spot on Lap 137. Silk, now in 4th, feels pressure from Christopher who is now in 5th. Lap 143, Christopher gets by Silk but the leaders have pulled to far away to mount a challenge. Santos ends up taking the checkered as Flemke, Coby and Grigas tangle due to Civali, who NASCAR penalizes for his actions and sets Civali to a last place finish.
1. (7) Bobby Santos, III, Millis, Mass., Chevrolet, 150 laps, 77.658 mph, $6,950.
2. (25) Reggie Ruggiero, Rocky Hill, Conn., Chevrolet, 150, $3,750.
3. (6) Matt Hirschman, Northampton, Pa., Dodge, 150, $3,450.
4. (11) Ted Christopher, Plainville, Conn., Chevrolet, 150, $3,150.
5. (12) Ronnie Silk, Norwalk, Conn., Chevrolet, 150, $2,824.
6. (30) Kevin Goodale, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150, $3,000.
7. (23) Ryan Preece, Kensington, CT, Chevrolet, 150, $2,800.
8. (26) Mike Stefanik, Coventry, R.I., Chevrolet, 150, $3,050.
9. (8) Tony Hirschman, Jr., Northampton, Penn., Chevrolet, 150, $1,900.
10. (27) Renee Dupuis, Glastonbury, Conn., Chevrolet, 150, $1,250.
11. (19) Dick Houlihan, Bridgewater, Mass., Chevrolet, 150, $1,925.
12. (1) Anthony Ferrante, Jr., Franklin Square, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150, $1,800.
13. (21) Richard Savary, Canton, Mass., Chevrolet, 150, $1,875.
14. (20) Rowan Pennink, Huntingdon Valley, Pa., Chevrolet, 150, $1,850.
15. (28) Jamie Tomaino, Howell, N.J., Ford, 150, $1,925.
16. (24) Eric Beers, Northampton, Pa., Chevrolet, 150, $1,775.
17. (16) Jerry Marquis, Broad Brook, Conn., Chevrolet, 150, $1,750.
18. (18) Glen Tyler, Hampton Bays, N.Y., Chevrolet, 150, $1,425.
19. (22) Eddie Flemke, Southington, Conn., Chevrolet, 150, $1,800.
20. (3) Doug Coby, III, Milford, Conn., 149, accident, $975.
21. (2) Billy Pauch, Jr., Frenchtown, N.J., Dodge, 149, accident, $1,650.
22. (13) Anthony Sesely, Matawan, N.J., Chevrolet, 149, $925.
23. (31) Wade Cole, Riverton, Conn., Chevrolet, 148, $1,625.
24. (33) Rick Fuller, Auburn, Mass., Pontiac, 145, suspension, $1,075.
25. (14) Bobby Grigas, Marshfield, MA, Chevrolet, 144, $1,625.
26. (9) Jimmy Blewett, Howell, N.J., Chevrolet, 134, drive shaft, $1,725.
27. (5) Todd Szegedy, Ridgefield, Conn., Ford, 116, $1,725.
28. (4) Donny Lia, Jericho, N.Y., Dodge, 85, ignition, $1,875.
29. (32) Joe Hartmann, Riverhead, N.Y., Chevrolet, 71, accident, $1,325.
30. (10) Ron Yuhas, Groton, Conn., Chevrolet, 71, accident, $925.
31. (15) Woody Pitkat, Stafford Springs, Conn., Pontiac, 16, carburetor, $1,325.
32. (17) James Civali, Meriden, Conn., Chevrolet, 150, penalty, $1,925
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.
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.
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