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by Brian Spaid
June 15, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FRANKLIN, PA ... Tri-City Speedway was back in action on a cloudy
and warm Sunday night as Rex King (Engles Trucking DIRTcar Big Block
Modifieds), Max Blair (4 Your Car Connection FASTRAK Late Models), Carl
McKinney (RPM Auto Sales/Sherry Shawgo Real Estate E Mods), Jason Johns
and Jason Reagle (E.F. Rogers Plumbing & Heating Pro Stocks), and Jon
Huff (Klapec Auto Body Thundercars) captured feature wins on Cranberry
Pennzoil 10 Minute Oil Change Night at the Venango County half-mile oval.
Rex King of Bristolville, Ohio, captured his first win of the season
in fine style leading every circuit of the 20-lap DIRTcar Big Block
Modified feature. Starting on the outside pole position, King rode the
high groove to perfection blistering the field for his 14th career win at
Tri-City aboard his Alltel/Hanyady Auction Co. Bicknell No. 65. After
skipping last week's races due to nagging back problems, King was
pleased with this win.
"I have to see the doctor tomorrow, and I'll bet my back feels
better after this win," smiled King in victory lane. "The boys setup the car
tonight, and it was perfect. You couldn't ask for it to be any better.
This is a great Father's Day gift from them."
After King blasted away to the lead at the start of the race, Dave
Schrader and Kevin Hoffman engaged in a race-long duel for second.
Following King's lead, Hoffman used the outside cushion, but Schrader held
him at bay for several circuits. On the seventh lap, Hoffman finally
took second and set sail after King. The leader entered lapped traffic
just past the halfway mark, then barely missed a spinning Rich Whitney in
turn two for the first caution of the race.
Although two other cautions slowed the pace, King outgunned Hoffman
on every restart and raced to the win with ease. Hoffman held off a
persistent Schrader to finish second for the second week in a row. Point
leader Kevin Bolland finished fourth while Brad Rapp was fifth for his
best career finish at Tri-City. Del Rougeux Jr. and Andy Priest won the
DIRTcar Big Block Modified heats.
Max Blair of Titusville, Pa., continued his hot streak in the
FASTRAK Late Models as he scored his fourth consecutive and overall win of
the season in his Bossard's Auto Parts/Donovan & Bauer Auto
Group/Specialty Products Rocket No. 111. This time, Blair started 11th in the 20-lap
feature event, but he was still the class of the field.
"This is awesome," said Blair. "I just wanted to win one feature at
the start of the season. I was lucky at the start of the race because a
few cars drifted high in turn one, and I raced under all of them to
get to the front."
Dereck Frank led at the start of the race as Bobby Whitling gave
chase taking second from opening night winner Dave Lyon. As a result of
his lucky break while racing mid-pack, Blair was running fourth by the
third circuit. On the fifth circuit, Whitling drove around Frank for the
lead while Blair took third from Lyon. Two laps later, Blair raced
under Whitling off turn four to lead the race.
Once out front, Blair was unstoppable. Only one caution slowed the
pace, but it only delayed the inevitable. With Blair our front and
Whitling giving chase, Bobby Powell entered the fray. He worked his way
through the top five, and was the fastest car on the track at the end of
the race. But his progress ended in third place without additional
cautions to give him an opportunity to chase down Blair and Whitling.
At the finish, Blair was the winner over Whitling, Powell, Steve
Hollabaugh and Lyon. Powell and Blair won the FASTRAK Late Model heat
races.
Carl McKinney of Cranberry Township, Pa., engaged in a stirring
battle with Mike Potosky for the win in the 15-lap E Mod feature. With
McKinney inside and Potosky outside, the two veterans gave the fans their
money's worth with one of the best feature race battles of the season.
McKinney topped Potosky in the end. It was his third win of the season
and his ninth career victory at Tri-City tying him for third overall
with Potosky and Alan Dellinger.
"It is great racing with Mike," said McKinney in victory lane beside
Mike Hendrickson's Dahlstrom Iron and Metal Pierce No. 6M. "We can go
side-by-side with no problem. That was an incredible race, and I just
stayed on the low side. This win is for my dad and Mr. Hendrickson.
Without them, I wouldn't be here."
McKinney started on the pole position and Potosky immediately jumped
into second. With those two engaged in a hard duel for first, Evan
Taylor passed Shawn Shingledecker for third on the third circuit. On the
fifth circuit, Potosky actually took the lead in the backstretch, but
drifted too high in turn three allowing McKinney to slip back underneath.
A crash on the 12th circuit slowed the race for a few minutes, but
Potosky was still unable to mount a successful charge on the top side of
the track for the win. At the finish, McKinney was the winner over
Potosky, Taylor, Shingledecker and Dave Lyon, who scored two top five
finishes on the night. Potosky and Taylor won the E Mod heats.
Jason Johns of Oil City, Pa., started the night off by winning the
16-lap Pro Stock feature rain delayed from June 8th. Taking the lead on
the fourth circuit from Dave Ferringer, Johns was the class of the
race, which included an early crash that eliminated top contenders from
action. For Johns, it was his first win of the season in his Changing
Times Telephone Service/Cherrytree Mini Storage Chevrolet No. 31. It was
his fifth career Pro Stock feature win at Tri-City and his first since
2005 following two seasons racing E Mods.
"This car is finally starting to feel good," said Johns. "Dave is
great to race against and we were side-by-side for several laps there.
It's great to get a win, and I'd like to thank all the fans for coming
out, and I'd also like to say hello to all the fathers in the stands."
The start of the race involved a melee that began when Ferringer got
sideways in turn one. He recovered from a near spin, but other drivers
checked up and the resulting crash collected point leader Jason
Reagle, Don Kramer, Rod Laskey and Ronnie Davis. Other cars were damaged in
the incident, including Jackson Humanic. Reagle made repairs in the pit
area, but lost a lap before he could make it back out. Laskey and
Kramer restarted at the rear of the field. Davis was forced out and
Humanic's car suffered damage that caused him to make several trips to the pit
area before he called it quits.
Ferringer led at the start of the race after the initial crash was
cleared, and Johns challenged him for the front spot in the opening
laps. Kramer was stellar on the restart as he charged from the rear of the
field into third with only three laps completed. Johns made the winning
move one circuit later using the low groove to pass Ferringer at the
line. Kramer gave chase to Ferringer, and passed the wily veteran on the
13th circuit after a race-long duel. A late yellow was caused when
Bobby Sutley spun out of the top five. That added an extra circuit to the
race.
Johns was undeterred as he scored the win over Kramer, who earned
his best career finish at Tri-City. Ferringer finished third over Chris
Haines and Laskey, who recovered from the first caution to make the top
five like Kramer.
Jason Reagle of Oil City, Pa., used his pole position in the final
15-lap Pro Stock feature to his advantage as he led every lap to earn
his third win of the season aboard his R.K. Virgile Scrap Metal Dodge
Charger No. 888. It was his 11th career feature win and was well earned
after his crew thrashed the car together following the damage from the
first feature race.
"We redeemed ourselves with this win," said Reagle. "It was just a
bad break in that first race. It was just racing. But my guys did
everything they could to put this car back in shape. I'd like to thank them
and Randy Wyant. We used parts from his car to make this thing work.
This was all worth it."
When Reagle jumped into the lead at the start, Jason Johns broke
ending the possibility of two wins on the night. Former track champion
Darrell Bossard ran second to Reagle while driving a backup car belonging
to Jackson Humanic. Bossard was no match for Reagle and spent his time
fending off Rod Laskey. The man on the move, however, was Alan
Dellinger. He worked his way under Chris Haines and Don Kramer to steal fourth
on the sixth circuit. One lap later, Laskey finally passed Bossard, who
then went pitside with mechanical problems. That moved Dellinger into
third. He closed on Laskey and took over second with three laps to go.
The nonstop race fell perfectly for Reagle as Dellinger never had a
chance to challenge him. At the checkered flag, Reagle won over Dellinger,
Laskey, Kramer and Haines. The latter three drivers scored top five
finishes in both feature races. Laskey and Bossard captured the Pro Stock
heats.
Jon Huff of Oil City, Pa., was handed the win in the 12-lap
Thundercar feature after apparent winner Cody Manners was disqualified
following post-race technical inspection. Manners and his team later filed a
protest to that decision, which is now subject to further review by track
officials. For now, unofficially, Huff earned his first win of the
season and the third victory of his career aboard his Dahlstrom Iron &
Metal/Shook's Garage Chevrolet No. 75. Huff will receive his trophy from
track officials next week.
The rough-and-tumble event started with point leader Chadd Uber in
the lead followed by Huff and Dave Baker. Curtis J. Bish was a man on a
mission after a disqualification two weeks ago for illegal offset
tires. He took the third spot on the sixth lap while Manners followed him
into fourth on the seventh circuit. After Curt Bish Sr. slowed on the
eighth lap to bring out a caution, the restart saw a wild melee when Joe
Blake and defending track champion Bill Myers slammed into the fence off
turn two. The wreck was a hard one and bent the guardrails and knocked
loose a small section of the backstretch fencing between the race
track and adjoining golf course. Both drivers were uninjured, and track
officials inspected the fence and deemed it safe to continue racing.
On the restart, Uber slowed suddenly, and Bish and Manners dashed
under Uber and Huff to take first and second. On the next lap, however,
Bish and Manners made contact in turn three while battling for the lead.
Bish spun around, and Manners continued in command of the race. The
incident was deemed racing contact by track officials and Manners
continued in the lead. He then raced to the checkered flag over Huff and Uber.
The finish was marred by Joe Sloss, who executed a violent flip across
the finish line. He was uninjured in the wild wreck.
After the race was completed and Manners took the victory lane
photos, pre-planned tech inspections commenced. Uber did not present his car
for inspection. As a result, he was disqualified from third. During
the inspection process, Manners' engine was deemed illegal, and he too
was disqualified. Following Manners' subsequent protest, his
disqualification will be reviewed by the technical team to determine whether the
decision should stand.
By the end of the night, Huff was declared the unofficial winner of
the race over Bill Winters, Regina Deloe, Ed Deloe and Charlie
McMillen. Myers and Regina Deloe captured the Thundercar heats.
At the conclusion of the racing action, Erica Walker of Knox, Pa.,
won the 7th Annual PPC Violence Free Network Ladies Only Mid-Sized Car
Demolition Derby.
On Sunday June 22nd, Tri-City Speedway will return to action as
McDonald's Presents Five-Star Racing featuring the Engles Trucking DIRTcar
Big Block Modifieds, 4 Your Car Connection FASTRAK Late Models, RPM
Auto Sales/Sherry Shawgo Real Estate E Mods, E.F. Rogers Plumbing &
Heating Pro Stocks and Klapec Auto Body Thundercars. The E Mods will run
double features with the June 8th event first on the card. The Pro Stocks
will commence the 2008 William R. Karns Plumbing, Heating & Air
Conditioning Detroit Iron Pro Stock Series with a special 20-lap event. During
the show, McDonald's will host the annual kids bike races on Kids
Night. Children 12 and under may participate, and each child must wear a
helmet. George Stroupe will host the 2008 Tri-City Speedway Hall of Fame
Induction Ceremonies at the start of the show as veterans Lou Blaney,
Ralph Quarterson, Jim Magill and Johnny Axe will be inducted along with
former track announcer and promoter Bud Miller. Gates open at 4 p.m. and
racing starts at 6 p.m. Adult grandstand admission will remain at $11
with students (13-15) at $5 and children 12 and under admitted free.
DIRTcar BIG BLOCK MODIFIEDS (20 Laps): 1. REX KING, 2. Kevin
Hoffman, 3. Dave Schrader, 4. Kevin Bolland, 5. Brad Rapp, 6. Jeremiah
Shingledecker, 7. Del Rougeux Jr., 8. Joe Crawford, 9. Andy Priest, 10. Rex
King Jr., 11. Jim Rasey, 12. Skip Moore, 13. Eric Gabany, 14. Dean
Pearson, 15. Mark Frankhouser, 16. Carl Murdick, 17. Kyle Fink, 18. Tommy
Kristyak, 19. Rich Whitney, 20. Mike Turner.
FASTRAK LATE MODELS (20 Laps): 1. MAX BLAIR, 2. Bobby Whitling, 3.
Bobby Powell, 4. Steve Hollabaugh, 5. Dave Lyon, 6. Andy Buckley, 7.
Dennis Lunger Jr., 8. Butch Lambert, 9. Tom Copeland, 10. Dereck Frank,
11. Chad Myers, 12. Jim Frank, 13. Carl McKinney, 14. Chris Haines, 15.
Kyle Zimmerman.
E MODS (15 Laps): 1. CARL McKINNEY, 2. Mike Potosky, 3. Evan Taylor,
4. Shawn Shingledecker, 5. Dave Lyon, 6. Bruce Powell, 7. Jim Frontz,
8. Butch Lambert, 9. Tim Deutsch, 10. Rob Kristyak, 11. Paul Phillips,
12. Gary Sullivan, 13. Randy Beck, 14. Russ Dunn, 15. Jeff Deeter, 16.
Billy Henry, 17. Chip Mahood, 18. Jim Turley, 19. Jonathan Taylor. DNS:
Ed Wilson, Jeremy Boratyn.
PRO STOCKS NO. 1 (Rain Delayed from June 8th) (16 Laps): 1. JASON
JOHNS, 2. Don Kramer, 3. Dave Ferringer, 4. Chris Haines, 5. Rod Laskey,
6. Denny Crawford, 7. Terry Wheeler, 8. Arthur Edwards, 9. Bobby
Sutley, 10. A.J. MacQuarrie, 11. Jason Reagle, 12. Jackson Humanic, 13. Russ
Coyne, 14. Josh Seippel, 15. Gerry Bruce, 16. Matt Thomas, 17. Ronnie
Davis. DNS: Kevin Carson, Randy Wyant, Jeff Manners, Jim Keith.
PRO STOCKS NO. 2 (15 Laps): 1. JASON REAGLE, 2. Alan Dellinger, 3.
Rod Laskey, 4. Don Kramer, 5. Chris Haines, 6. Dave Ferringer, 7. Russ
Coyne, 8. Terry Wheeler, 9. Denny Crawford, 10. Matt Thomas, 11. Jackson
Humanic, 12. Mike Pegher Jr., 13. Arthur Edwards, 14. Ronnie Davis,
15. Josh Seippel, 16. A.J. MacQuarrie, 17. Darrell Bossard, 18. Jason
Johns. DNS: Bobby Sutley, Kevin Carson.
THUNDERCARS (12 Laps) (Unofficial): 1. JON HUFF, 2. Bill Winters, 3.
Regina Deloe, 4. Ed Deloe, 5. Charlie McMillen, 6. Don Blake Jr., 7.
Bill Baker, 8. Kenny Alcorn, 9. Ed Roberts, 10. Curt Bish Sr., 11. Joe
Sloss, 12. Dave Baker, 13. Greg Myers, 14. Alan Perry, 15. Curtis J.
Bish, 16. Patrick Fielding, 17. Bill Myers, 18. Joe Blake. DISQ: Cody
Manners, Chadd Uber. DNS: Cody Carson, Jeff Manners.
UPCOMING EVENTS
June 22 - McDonald's Presents DIRTcar Big Block Modifieds, FASTRAK
Late Models, E Mods (Double Features), Pro Stocks (William R. Karns
Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning Detroit Iron Pro Stock Series) and
Thundercars (Kids Night Bike Races) (Tri-City Speedway Hall of Fame
Inductions)
June 29 - Edward Jones Presents Fireworks Extravaganza with DIRTcar
Big Block Modifieds, FASTRAK Late Models, E Mods, Pro Stocks and
Thundercars (Double Features)
July 3 and 4 - Hetrick Racing Presents The AVTA Extreme Dirt Track
Series 2008 ATV Races
July 6 - Buyer's Fair and Pennzoil Present DIRTcar Big Block
Modifieds, FASTRAK Late Models, E Mods (Welding Technologies E Series), Pro
Stocks and Thundercars (Scout Night: All Boy and Girl Scouts in Uniform
Receive Free Grandstand Admission) (Fireworks Raindate)
July 13 - Atkinson Fire Safety Equipment Presents BRP Modified Tour
2008 16th Annual Kodiak Memorial for DIRTcar Big Block Modifieds,
FASTRAK Late Models, E Mods, Pro Stocks and Thundercars
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