The TDN Weekly Super Late Model Power Poll: The Last Week

Hey kids, it's Monday night and that means It's time for me to update my rankings. This is the last update to the rankings for 2015, as just about every track that I score has finished up point racing for 2015. The format this weekly will be roughly the same as previous weeks this season, but I'll post the full point totals from this season.

Obviously, from the picture above, Jeff Rine scored the most points this season, and therefore is the champion for 2015. He was in the mix straight away, and over the last month or so, pulled strongly into the lead and never looked back. Not surprisingly, along the way he also picked up the most scoring feature wins out of anybody on the poll, with six. He's been very, very good at his weekly haunts,  Bedford and Selinsgrove, usually finishing in the top five on the nights he didn't win.

That said, all the tracks got scoring shows in except Bedford and Roaring Knob, who didn't run supers this week. I was also able to update Roaring Knob's results from last week, and those totals are tallied with this week's points.

Now let's get to them points.

1. Jeff Rine******, 55 points. Jeff won at Selinsgrove Saturday for his points this week.

2. Max Blair*****, 40 points. Max won at Marion Center this week for his points.

3. Scott Rhodes**, 39 points. Scott's points came from a third at Dog Hollow Friday this week.

4. Dwayne Tanneyhill***, 37 points. Dwayne ran second at Dog Hollow for his points this week.

5. Clate Copeman****, 34 points. Clate went scoreless this week.

6. Mike Blose**, 33 points. Mike also went scoreless this week.

7. Alex Ferree***, 32 points. Alex put up a goose egg this week.

7. DJ Troutman**, 32 points. DJ also had a scoreless week.

9. Coleby Frye*****, 30 points. Coleby ran second at Selinsgrove Saturday for his points this week.

10. Tim Senic***, 29 points. Tim ran second at Roaring Knob last week for his points this week.

And now, the best of the rest...

11. Greg Oakes, 28 points. 

12. Mike Altobelli Jr.**, 26 points. 

13. Dylan Yoder*,  Darrell Bossard, 25 points. 

15.  Kenny Schaltenbrand*, Robbie Blair***, Steve Campbell***, Doug Glessner**, 23 points. 

19.  Mike Pegher Jr.**, 22 points. 

20.  Matt Lux*, Jared Miley*, Shawn Claar, 21 points. 

23.  Billy Holbert*, Michael Norris**, 20 points. 

25.  Jim Yoder*, 19 points. 

26.  Matt Cochran, Andy Haus**, 18 points. 

28.  Chris Hackett*, Tim Smith Jr. **, Dave Blazavich, Doug Eck**, Mike Lupfer*, 17 points. 

33.  Matt Parks*, Matt Sponaugle*, Jason Schmidt*, 16 points. 

36.  Gary Dalton*, Rich Gardner*, Mel Minnick Jr. **, 15 points. 

39.  Chad Wright**, Russ King**, 14 points. 

41. Dan Stone*, Gene Knaub*, Wally Fox*, Matt Cosner*, 13 points. 

45. Bumpy Hedman*, 12 points. 

46. Trent Brenneman, Dave Zona, Devin Friese*, 11 points. 

49. Cody Hardesty*, Chad McClellan**, Chad Hollenbeck*, Mitch Hack, 10 points. 

53. John Flinner*, Billy Eash, Mike Knight, 9 points. 

56. Matt Urban, Chase Jughans*, 8 points. 

58. Tim Wilson, Bobby Rorher*, Hayes Mattern, John Garvin, 7 points. 

62. Chuck Clise, Rick Singleton, Rod Phillps, Dane Laraway, Michael Lake, Bob Gordon, 6 points. 

68. Ken Trevitz, Andrew Gordon, Wayne Johnson, Quintin Wyandt, Jeff Miller*, Tony Musolino*, Joe Petyak, Gary Lyle, 5 points. 

76. John Over, Tommy Beck, Ed Ferree, George Lee, John Lacki, Dan Swartzlander, Dave Troutman, Chub Frank, Ron Delano Jr., 4 points. 

85. Eric Zembower, Chuck Sarver, DJ Myers, John Britsky, Darrell Lanigan, Dan Angelichio, Bryan Bernheisel, Chris Casner, Danny Snyder, Andy Fries, John Volpe, 3 points.
 
96. Robbie Scott, Tony Adams, Bob Hershman, Ryan Scott, Andy Boozel, Jerry Redden, Jason Dupont, Nick Dickson, Johnny Mollick, 2 points. 

105. Tony Burke, Shane Hitt, Steve Kania, Andrew Wylie, John Lobb, John Myers, Mitch Hack, Chris Rhodes, Dan Lee, Brett Schadel, Robbie Black, 1 point. 

And that's all 115 drivers that scored points this year. It's been a fun year that was pretty competitive and saw a few first time winners. I had a lot of fun doing this poll, and it'll be back next year with some yet to be determined changes.

I always enjoy when this poll finishes up every year, because tallying the stats and seeing over a hundred names on it makes me realize that maybe things aren't as bad as they seem when it comes to the talk of doom and gloom on the local racing scene. There's at least 100 guys that had at east one top five this year. At only 8 tracks. That's pretty solid, I think.

But it also makes me sad. The racing season is quickly coming to an end, and I'm not going to get a chance to go to many more races this year. In fact, I only have two more races I plan on hitting. The Firecracker this weekend, and the Stampede in October. That's it.

Oh well, have fun the rest of the racing year, and if you see me at one of those two races, make sure to say what's up. I always enjoy meeting fellow race fans.

Until next we speak....

This Week in DIRT: Bloomquist Delivers Beating; Schatz's Shots Report; Hearn Runs Out of Gas- Friesen Thrilled

Okay DIRT Nation, it's now time to recap anything you may have missed in the week that was. We hope you didn't miss anything, but things arise from time to time that take our eyes off the action. That's where we come in as our primary job is to pay close attention to dirt, and to provide commentary on various concession stand items while getting high on race fumes.

Maybe you were in a fantasy football draft meeting all weekend. You know, hanging out with eight other guys drinking beer in your favorite NFL jersey while arguing, bickering, and figuring out how to cheat your way to better picks while making sure that your opponents get off to the slowest start possible.  Did you forget they were your friends too? Did you do some things you were ashamed of? Did you forget that there was some dirt racing taking place? You know, the track, the place where your real friends are? No worries here's what you missed!

Bloomquist Delivers Beating In Pittsburgh:

Pittsburgh, PA: Scott Bloomquist arrived in Pittsburgh to do two things. Chew gum and kick ass, and unfortunately for the Lucas boys and the regional contingent of drivers, he was all out of gum. Nobody in the pits had any for him either unfortunately, or if they did have some, they had no intention of giving any for the legendary driver. So he took his frustrations out on the 35 car field at the annual Pittsburgher 100 at Pittsburgh Pennsylvania's Motor Speedway this Friday and Saturday night.

Captain Zero took the field to task, winning his heat Friday, and winning the 100 lap feature Saturday night, taking the lead from the red hot Jonathan Davenport on lap 85 and never looking back on the way to collecting a $20,000 pay day.

Bloomquist's victory was so impressive that he wasn't allowed to leave apparently as it has been leaked to us that the Pittsburgh Steelers have just signed him to a one year contract as an inside linebacker. "I sure do appreciate the contract offer," Bloomquist said to one of our commentators last night. "I'm off most Sundays and as long as they don't mind taking a few laps around the field on game day and I can travel in my own hauler to the games, I'm all in!"  Bloomquist then requested that he receive his pay in novelty checks that he plans to show the crowd before kickoff.

Lucas Oil Late Model Series-Pittsburgher 100 Top 5

1. Scott Bloomquist
2. Jonathan Davenport
3. Don O'Neal
4. Jimmy Owens
5. Dennis Erb Jr

To read about Bloomquist's Pittsburgh beat down click here: Bloomquist's Pittsburgh Beat Down

Schatz's Enhances His Own Drinking Game

Edmonton, AB: Donny Schatz did players of the infamous drinking game "Schatz's Shots" a favor on Saturday night at Castrol Oil Raceway.  The World of Outlaw point leader was scheduled to start on the front row of the main event but managed to get something stuck in his fuel shutoff on a lap five restart.  The gremlin caused him to restart 16th, and as fans of the game are fully aware, one shot of an adult beverage is taken for every car Schatz passes in a main event.

Lately, that number had been very low as Schatz had been starting in the top 5 with regularity, invoking the "count all lapped car passes" rule for players. But on this night, Schatz was good for 14 shots following his charge to a second place finish, sending players on a tumble down the stairs at the end of the race, or a lengthy nap on the couch and a morning headache beyond belief.

As for the racing, Daryn Pittman wound up winning for just the fourth time on the tour in 2015, a far cry from his gaudy totals as a champion just two years ago. It was a win he was entirely grateful for as he thanked one crew member after another, until he'd forgotten all of their names.  Schatz managed to win the Oil City Cup which he then filled with unsweetened green iced tea and drank afterwards.

On a side note, it was reported that the Canadian Football League's Edmonton Eskimos had offered Schatz a one year contract to play quarterback for the rest of the regular season to which the driver replied. "Didn't I just win the rights to the whole team tonight? Why can't I play tight end?"

World of Outlaw Sprints: Castrol Raceway; Saturday August 29:

1. Daryn Pittman
2. Donny Schatz (14 Shots for all Schatz's Shots Players)
3. Logan Schuchart
4. Jason Sides
5. Shane Stewart

For the feature story, click here: Hell of a night for Schatz's Shots players

Hearn Runs Out of Gas- Friesen Thrilled

West Lebanon, NY:  All-time great and legendary modified driver Brett Hearn was just about to win another Mr. DIRT Track USA title at Labanon Valley Speedway on Tuesday night in Super DIRTcar Series action. He'd been on a hot streak in recent days and had led 98 laps with two remaining, and ran out of gas.  How he managed that we'll never know but even those familiar with him were surprised.

Toby Kobylarz, a 68 year old regular at the famed speedway was astonished.  The venerable "rent a crew member" employee (cheap fan looking for a free pit pass) had been gracing the pits there since he was a toddler and is still in disbelief. He spoke with us via telephone shortly after the event. "I never thought I'd see the day," Kobylarz said.  " I mean really, he ran out of gas? He walks around this place busting wind left and right for years, I mean he can really let it rip! I'm not sure what he eats but it's powerful and it sounds like he's stepping on ducks every time he walks by. He even cut the cheese in front of my girlfriend one night. If we could condense his vapors, he'd have 110 octane whenever he wanted it and a long supply too."

Kobylarz was then informed that Hearn had run out of fuel and it had ruined his chance at the $17,000 pay day to which he replied. "Good, I was rooting for Bachetti anyway, he signed a tear off for me once...helluva guy!"  One person who was delighted to see Hearn run out of gas was 2014 TDN Modified Driver of the Year, Stewart Friesen who inherited the lead and held on to take the cherished title for the first time in his career.  Hearn ended up ninth which cost him some points in his quest to catch series points leader Matt Sheppard, whom by the way, never runs out of gas!

Top 5: SDS/Lebanon Valley, NY

1. Stewart Friesen
2. Matt Sheppard
3. Andy Bachetti
4. Tyler Dippel
5. Kenny Tremont Jr.

For the full feature story click here: Hearn Runs Out of Gas


First Time Winners at Williams Grove and Lincoln

Austin Hogue and Brandon Rahmer each took their first wins at Williams Grove and Lincoln respectively over the weekend. This is important because the price of the autographed ticket stubs are already reaching an estimated value of $7, so you'll want to get yours signed as soon as possible!

In all seriousness, congrats to the both of them on winning at two difficult places! And one thing is for sure, you never forget your first time, whether it's a wild night with a call girl, or a 410 sprint win at a legendary and historic dirt racing facility!

You can find the full recaps here:

Hogue collects 1st win at Williams Grove

Rahmer bests Montieth at Lincoln

And that'll do it for this week, thanks so much for reading.


What happened at Lernerville Friday night?: Click Here:  Fab Four Report

Great Story on Sheldon Haudenschild, Aaron Reutzel and Parker Price Miller: Click Here

Want to see our brand new Big Block/358 Modified Rankings?: Click Here

Want a great Pasta Primavera Recipe?: Click Here

The Story From Lernerville: Thorson Scores; Norris and Williamson Cruise; Miller Returns To Victory Lane

The Fab Four took to the track for the final time in 2015 at Lernerville Speedway Friday night on a nearly perfect surface with a healthy amount of cars in the pits. Two season championships had yet to be decided coming into the evening and when the final checkered flags had waved both AJ Flick and Corey McPherson had earned the honor of being Lernerville Champions in the People's TWP Sprints and Millerstown Pic-A-Part Sportsman respectively. 

But aside from the season ending points battles, the evening saw Nevada native Tanner Thorson cruising to victory lane in the sprints and it also saw Michael Norris put a 20 car field of late models behind him with authority. Mat Williamson made fans in attendance do a double take when they saw him in an unexpected car as he picked up his sixth win of the season, and Mike Miller returned to victory lane for the first time in two years in a thrilling battle with McPherson. 

Peoples TWP Sprints

Nineteen year old Tanner Thorson had yet to visit Lernerville in his young open wheel career, and his performance bore little resemblance to a novice's timid first time out. And instead, looked more like a commanding performance from a strong invader. 

Dan Kuriger lead the nineteen car field to the green flag and quickly asserted himself as the leader while behind him, Thorson and Jack Sodeman Jr. were in hot pursuit. But eyes were also looking at the middle of the pack in the early going as points leader AJ Flick and his closest pursuer, Brandon Matus stared seventh and tenth respectively. Sye Lynch then brought out the first caution on lap four, and on the ensuing restart, Thorson went to the inside of Kuriger and headed headed to the top side of the speedway with the lead. .  

Meanwhile, Flick and Matus started moving forward from their starting spots with Matus needing to get by the season points leader to have any chance of coming home with a title. Thorson started to get into lapped traffic at the seven lap mark with Kuriger and Sodeman giving chase until the caution flag waved on lap 12 when Jared Zimbardi went over the banking in turn two. 

When the action resumed, Sodeman moved from the top side to the bottom in an attempt to get around Kuriger while Thorson negotiated the next round of lapped cars. Sodeman made the pass for the second spot work on lap 20 and with Thorson facing side by side lapped traffic, Sodeman started to make up ground quickly on the leader as the laps wound down. 

But Thorson was calm and collected and kept his lead throughout the final circuits, cruising to the victory by a 1.8 second margin. In the title chase, Matus would find his way around Flick, but was unable to put enough cars between them to make up any ground in the standings as Flick took home his first sprint championship in his second year in the division. 

"It was great to get the win my first time here," Thorson said in victory lane. "The track was really fast in the heat race and in hot laps. It slicked a little on the back stretch but it's definitely a fast place here."                  

Top 10:

1. Tanner Thorson
2. Jack Sodeman Jr.
3. Dan Kuriger
4. Brandon Matus
5. Carl Bowser
6. AJ Flick
7. Brent Matus
8. Jared Zimbardi
9. Ralph Spithaler
10. Jim Morris



Precise Racing Products Late Models

With several regulars absent from the evening's festivities, the late model feature figured to be a wide open affair which it was, behind the eventual winner of course. Michael Norris started on the pole and did not look back in collecting his second win of the season, and it would be no easy task. Norris bolted out to the early lead while a very entertaining battle for the second spot quickly developed between Chad McClellan and Bump Hedman. 

The two drivers would swap the position countless times in the early going, by slide job when necessary as Norris widened the gap until the caution slowed the action on lap four. On the restart, Norris elected the top side as Hedman challenged for the lead, but his bid came up short as Norris drove away and Hedman was left to battle a determined McClellan. Following another caution on lap eight, Norris selected the bottom on the restart in surprising fashion, but once again drove away. Behind them, Kenny Schaltenbrand had worked forward from his 11th starting spot to enter the top five.  

The middle portion of the main event was caution marred and saw Norris keep selecting the bottom on restarts.  Hedman and McClellan both took turns applying pressure on Norris for brief periods of time, but the leader responded when called upon and stretched out a sizable advantage when action stayed green. On a lap 20 restart, Norris went to the top with authority as Schaltenbrand made his way around McClellan following a bobble in turn two, and last week's winner, Matt Lux, finished his forward charge from his 14th starting spot to take the third spot. But at the end of 25 laps, Norris was clearly the best of the field and cruised to the victory. 

"I couldn't really decide what was best on the restarts tonight," Norris said. "I should have been picking the top from the beginning. The car has been really fast but not really consistent and you have to first finish before you can finish first." 

Top 10:

1. Michael Norris
2. Kenny Schaltenbrand
3. Matt Lux
4. Bump Hedman
5. Tony Burke
6. Dan Swartzlander
7. Chuck Sarver
8. Herman Bertolini
9. Bill Kessler
10. Greg Kent

Diehl Automotive Group Modifieds

Mat Williamson arrived in an unfamiliar looking car to many fans, but to die hard modified fans, the familiar Page Trucking #7 is a noticeable entry and on this night, it contained a driver that has had a remarkable season en route to a track championship. 

Williamson quickly assumed the early lead with Jeremiah Shingledecker hot on his heels in the early going. Behind them, Steve Feder looked to make it a three car battle as he stayed within striking distance of the leaders.  Shingledecker relentlessly chased Williamson, never letting him out of his sight while Feder kept closing the gap on him until a caution on lap seven reset the scene.  On the ensuing restart, Shingledecker made for the top of the speedway as if he'd been shot out of a cannon, but still could not completely reel in Williamson while behind them, Brian Swartzlander had gotten around several cars in a hurry and had moved into the top five from his ninth starting spot. 

Swartzlander would be able to make the pass for third on lap 13, but could get no closer, and with no more restarts and not much in the way of lapped traffic for Williamson to pick around, he would have to settle for the podium spot while Shingledecker threw everything but the kitchen sink in his attempt to reel in Williamson which could come up short. Williamson would take a two second advantage across the line when the checkered flag waved and also took home an extra $1,000 courtesy of Turners Premium Iced tea for winning the most features in 2015. 

"We hurt a motor here last Friday and then hurt it a little more in Cornwall on Sunday so I talked to Rick that night and we put the deal together," Williamson said in reference to his taking the wheel of the Page Trucking car. "You're kind of a sitting duck starting up front but you'll take em when you can get em and I know Jeremiah is always going to run me clean, he's one hell of a race car driver, so when he starts outside of you on a restart you have to really hit your marks for the rest of the race and that's what we did tonight."

Top 10:

1. Mat Williamson
2. Jeremiah Shingledecker
3. Brian Swartzlander
4. Steve Feder
5. Rick Regalski
6. Garrett Krummert
7. Rex King Jr.
8. Carl Murdick
9. Shawn Fleeger
10. Rodney Beltz.


Millerstown Pic-A-Part Sportsman:

It had been a long time since Mike Miller had found victory lane at Lernerville. The veteran driver had experienced several close calls and heartbreaks, but had also nights when bizarre mishaps had ruined his evenings almost before they'd started. But on this night, Miller rekindled memories of classic wins he's had over the years, sneaking up on the field and striking at the last possible moment. 

Wayne Carbo set out to the early lead while behind him, a swarm containing Corey McPherson, Terry Young, Brett McDonald and Miller were jockeying for position. McDonald tucked himself in the second spot early on and had to fight off a charging McPherson who then managed to get around not only McDonald, but Carbo on lap five to take the lead. Miller then emerged from the pack to move into second on lap six as McPherson used the low to mid groove to his advantage in stretching out a significant lead towards the halfway point. 

McPherson's closest competition in the points championship battle, Jim Fosnaught then entered the picture from his ninth starting spot to take the third spot away from McDonald on lap 13. McPherson looked to be in command until it suddenly appeared that Miller was making up ground quickly, using the bottom of the speedway. As McPherson was about to enter heavy lapped traffic, the caution flag waved on lap 16, setting up a potential fantastic finished which was realized when Miller was able to wrest the lead away from McPherson on lap 18, but the battle was not over as McPherson put his car back up on the top side in a desperate attempt to pass Miller.  But his attempt would come up short buy a very slight margin at the finish line as Miller held on to take the win. McPherson would earn the season points championship by virtue of his second place finish. 


"That second restart helped me close the gap up on Corey, he's been so tough to beat here these last few years," Miller said. "I normally run the top but the bottom was actually better for me. It's been pretty frustrating these last two years, it's nice to be back in victory lane."

Top 10:

1. Mike Miller
2. Corey McPherson
3. Brandon Wearing
4. Wayne Carbo
5. Jim Fosnaught
6. Terry Young
7. Brett McDonald
8. Joe Kelley
9. Bob Egley
10. Jeff Miller

2015 North East Modified Rankings Volume 3

Okay folks, it's time for another edition of our Northeast Modified Rankings! Remember, we throw it all together here, big blocks, 358's, from all areas of the north east and Canada on Hoosiers or American Racers. Sail Panels or not, it does not matter as long as it's a modified!  So check it out and enjoy how we rank the best of the best in north east modified action

You can check out the first two volumes below:

2015 North East Modified Rankings Volume 1

2015 North East Modified Rankings Volume 2

Rankings Explained: 

 For this edition, we'll be using the time from July 9 through August 26 as the official review period.

Here's a few guidelines to consider:

• How many races did the driver partake in
• How big are the purses
• What is the level of competition at home tracks or in special events
• Bad luck factor, wrecks, mechanical problems

This is for entertainment purposes only, we like to have fun, but if you object to the order of the list, feel free to make a comment.

1. Mat Sheppard: Last Ranking: 1st

Sheppard is an open and shut case here taking eight home track wins currently running at Brewerton, Canandaigua and Utica-Rome. He's got an SDS tour win at Weedsport, and has placed every SDS start in the period on the podium.  He's out in front of the SDS point standings by over 100 points, even after giving some back by virtue of being light at the scales in a tour event in July.  He's the best of the best on the track for a second rankings list in a row.


2. Brett Hearn: Last Ranking: 7th

Here comes the jet! A new motor and a new outlook has helped bolster his program. A case could be made for him to be the leader here this month, but there's a degree of difficulty disparity in home tracks, and Sheppard has simply put the car on the track more often. To be fair, he would have taken the top spot had he simply not run out of gas at Mr. DIRT Track USA (Lebanon Valley) this past Tuesday night as he was well on his way to his third SDS tour in in the period. Strangely enough, Hearn has done best on the tour in Canada, taking wins at Autodrome Drummond and Cornwall.  We weren't sure if he was going to come back around to the top of the heap this year, but has been lights out since early to mid July.


3. Stewart Friesen: Last Ranking: 5th

Like Hearn, Friesen enjoyed a great last several weeks. We can't count the World of Outlaw sprint victory at Oshweken, but we can count a Mr DIRT Track USA win, a STSS win at Woodhull, and another SDS win at Five Mile Point where he was a former track champion.  Throw in a RoC victory in the Friends of Mike race at Bridgeport and some home cooking at Fonda and you could make a case for him being in one of the top two spots. He'd be there if it weren't for a little inconsistency in some other big races.

4. Jimmy Phelps: Last Ranking: Honorable Mention

Mr. Phelps is better than ever! He finally snapped an SDS tour winless streak with his victory at Albany-Saratoga (The Big Show), and has two weekly wins at Fulton plus another one at Brewerton. More than that, his consistency has remained constant and at the home tracks he runs, that speaks volumes. Great to see you in the top five for the first time in the history of the TDN Modified Rankings Mr. Phelps!

5  Billy Decker: Last Ranking: 2nd

Decker took an SDS tour win at the start of the period at Mowhawk and also scored a weekly win at Fulton. He's been fairly good outside of that, but his SDS performance otherwise has been non Decker like recently to the point where it looks as if he'll need more than one win in the 150 point races and get some luck to get back into title contention.


6. Kenny Tremont Jr. : Last Ranking: Unranked

No, Mr Tremont is not running the SDS tour, and to make this list you don't have to be. You just have to be good, and Tremont has been more than that. Check this out.  He's raced 20 times in this review period, tallying seven wins and 18 top tens in action at Albany-Saratoga and Lebanon Valley. It's harder to get higher than sixth here without lots of special event starts, but he's had a great past several weeks and deserves to be here.


7. Larry Wight: Last Ranking: 3rd

After a hot start to the year Wight has cooled off some garnering three home track wins in the review period and no special event victories. His SDS tour performance has been fading a bit but he still remains a threat to win on any given night.  Could he rekindle his season at RoC -Utica Rome perhaps?


8. Danny Johnson: Last Ranking: 4th

Like Wight, the doctor has been not quite himself in the second half, but still it's not a bad second half to have.  He's got four wins in weekly competition at Ransomville and Fulton and has been competitive.  But outside of a podium finish at the Friends of Mike race, the special event results have been dismal. There's some mechanical gremlins in the mix and a few bad decisions. Wouldn't a Syracuse victory be a great thing for the Dr this year?

9. Mat Williamson: Last Ranking: Unranked

Would you please welcome one Mat Williamson to the TDN Modified Rankings List!  The Canadian Sensation recently scored his first SDS tour victory at Merrittville and took five wins at Lernerville in weekly competition. 

 He recently finished up his second Lernerville track championship and is in the running at Merrittville for another one there. Throw in a special event win at Oshweken and it's clear that he belongs here! And he's not done making noise yet in 2015 by any stretch.

10. Billy Dunn: Last Ranking: Honorable Mention

The former Syracuse winner collected four wins in the review period including two special event wins at Cornwall and some SDS tour top 10s. He's been keeping his home at Merrittville , Mowhawk and Cornwall in 2015 and has done great at all of them. Does he have any magic in the 150 point season?

Honorable Mentions:

Erick Rudolph: He's on the true outlaw tour now and having a blast driving primarily in the Chrysler #21 ride. Rudolph took two BRP Modified Tour event wins out west and is still a threat to win anywhere.

Rick Laubach: Still kicking tail at Big Diamond and Bridgeport on a weekly basis, but lack of special event podiums keeps him out of the top 10.

Duane Howard: Doing as expected at Grandview and Big Diamond, but we've got to be honest, had it not been for a special event win at New Egypt, he might not have made it here.

Jeff Strunk: Mr. Strunk comes through here with a pair of wins in the review period at Grandview and a couple of special event podiums. Had he raced a bit more, he'd be in consideration for a top 10 appearance.

Gage Morin: For the second straight month, Morin earns mention here for the career year he's currently having with highs in wins, top fives and top 10's.  In the review period, he took wins at Mowhawk and Brockville and a top 10 finish at SDS Cornwall. He's one to watch folks.

Breaking Down The Northeast Region's '410' Sprints

As many of you know, we've been holding our own little points standings for 410 Sprint Car drivers in the Northeast region of the country. The list of qualifying tracks is mainly exclusive to Ohio and Pennsylvania, however a few races just outside of that area have counted for points.

The uniqueness of the Northeast Sprint Championship comes in the form of the points system. Points are awarded to drivers by virtue of a feature finish only, and completely dependent upon car count that night.

For example, the winner over an 18 car field would only receive 3 points, whereas the 3rd-place finisher amidst a 40 car field would also receive 3 points. A full points breakdown can be found at the bottom of this article.

Points can be earned until the end of October. Here is how they stand now.

Tied 1st - 101 Points - Danny Dietrich & Greg Hodnett
It's hard to imagine that after 5 months of hard racing, traveling, and wear-and-tear, that two drivers would be tied for the points lead heading into fall. There is no question that these are the two most dominant drivers in Central PA this season.

Dietrich's magical season has included 14 wins, 3 of which came over fields of 34 or more, earning him the maximum points (5) in one race.

Hodnett's career-year has been eerily similar. He has amassed 13 wins in the region thus far. Greg has also matched Danny Dietrich's total of 3 wins in max point races.







3rd - 76 Points - Dale Blaney
The "King of the All Stars" has had another spectacular season. The 25 points deficit can partially be blamed on running less races than the leading pair. Although Blaney only has 10 counting wins on the year, a remarkable 9 of them have come when the stakes are the highest and there have been 34 or more sprints on hand. As if that wasn't enough, he has 2 additional max point wins outside of the area that do not qualify for this championship.





4th - 70 Points - Brian Montieth
The early season points leader has cooled off considerably of late, but his early success is astounding in itself. Montieth has 8 wins total on the year, with 5 coming at Lincoln Speedway and the remaining 3 at the historic Williams Grove Speedway.







5th - 51 Points - Stevie Smith
Running a very limited schedule and still managing to sit 5th in the current standings may be the biggest accomplishment of the season. Stevie and the Rahmer gang have often been the fastest car when they hit the track, no matter where that may have been. In his limited number of starts, Stevie has earned 8 wins at 5 different tracks so far in 2015.



Full points standings can be found HERE

Regional Points Races
Central PA
1- Danny Dietrich [101]
    Greg Hodnett [101]
3- Brian Montieth [70]
4- Stevie Smith [51]
5- Lucas Wolfe [42]

Ohio/ASCoC
1- Dale Blaney [76]
2- Byron Reed [38]
3- Cody Darrah [35]
4- Sheldon Haudenschild [34]
5- Greg Wilson [32]

Western PA
1- A.J. Flick [19]
    Brandon Matus [19]
3- Carl Bowser [18]
4- Ed Lynch, Jr [15]
    Jack Sodeman, Jr [15]

WoO/Independent
1- Donny Schatz [31]
2- Shane Stewart [15]
3- Joey Saldana [11]
4- Rico Abreu [10]
5- Daryn Pittman [8]
    Paul McMahan [8]
    Sammy Swindell [8]
    Steve Kinser [8]


Points System:
34+ Cars - 5 points, 4 points, 3 points, 2 points, 1 point
24-33 Cars - 4 points, 3 points, 2 points, 1 point
23 or less Cars - 3 points, 2 points, 1 point

Three On The Move

Diehard sprint fans, we know you know about these three young drivers we're about to give mention to here. But parts of the audience here at TDN may have heard the names, and may not yet know the significance of what they're accomplishing in 2015. 

One thing we can all agree on, is that it's a great thing to watch talent develop before our very eyes. Drivers start out and become competent, then show flashes of potential without much in the way of results sometimes. Then, they show glimpses, a local feature win, maybe a moment they come from the back of the pack to a podium spot in a bigger race perhaps. At some point, we stand up and take notice as fans, somewhere in between those two stages and then wonder when they'll take their next step to the realization of their potential with consistent podium finishes and wins.  And when we see it happen, we remember back to the moment when we saw them making their first slide jobs against decent competition...and smile.  Because we knew that they'd arrive on the scene one day, at some race one night and open the eyes of everyone who hadn't been paying close attention.

These drivers we're about to recognize were primed for good things to happen, each showing glimpses in the past few seasons, but they all have one more thing in common, they all brought their game to a new level in 2015, and that's not always an easy thing to do. It takes commitment, a positive attitude, and a willingness to correct and perfect the art of what they do.


So, for the more passive sprint fans among our following, the ones who pay attention to all divisions on the track on a given night, we bring forth three sprint drivers on the move, ready to take even another step on the way to potential greatness in the future. If you're not familiar with these names, it's time to commit them to memory, you're going to be hearing them for a long time to come.


Sheldon Haudenschild

Pat Miller Photo

His last name is immediately recognizable to almost any fan. The son of sprint racing legend Jac Haudenschild, Sheldon has seemingly hit the point where anything could be possible on any night, against any competition.  The soon to be 22 year old from Wooster, OH enjoyed motocross in his early years and won with regularity. He graduated to 360 sprints in 2009 and gradually worked in more 410 shows as the years progressed, with some weekly victories at Wayne County and Sharon Speedways. As his early 410 years continued, he started perfecting his craft on stiffer competition with semi regular All Star and World of Outlaw starts, picking up his first All Star win in 2014 at Wayne County Speedway.  

Welcome to 2015 where Haudenschild's progress is no longer measured by being competitive, but by podium finishes, wins and his ability to achieve good results at tracks he's not as familiar with. In his young career, he's already shown the ability to be a threat to win virtually anyway in his native Ohio. But his charge through the field to a podium finish at Lernerville earlier this year in ASCoC action, his bmain victory in World of Outlaw action at Williams Grove (coming from 8th), and his win at the Lou Blaney Memorial all point to a brilliant future on the horizon. That and the fact that he recently made the Amain starting grid at the Knoxville Nationals without needing a bmain.  Haudenschild will be one to watch for years to come, and a fun one to watch at that.  



Aaron Reutzel

It's always great to watch a driver on the brink of really great things, and Reutzel's on the brink, we just wish we had more chances to watch him in the east. The Clute,TX native started out in micro sprints, gradually working his way to 360's in the gulf coast area. He was named Lucas Oil ASCS Series Rookie of the Year in 2011 and made more appearences as the years progressed. Then in 2014, Reutzel started making headlines by getting national tour wins and podiums with regularity while earning a second place finish at the prestigious Short Track Nationals.

Now forward to 2015. In January, his name was making one tweet or press release seemingly every day at the inaugural Winter Heat Showdown at Cocopah Speedway in Arizona.  With a star studded 410 field, Reutzel was in position to win virtually every night of the mini speed week kickoff, but suffered bad luck in the features until the final night when he won! Since then, he's spent the season leading the ASCS national points, with 10 wins and also another 410 sprint victory at Tulare (CA). 

But the best was yet to come, he was recently named Knoxville Nationals Rookie of the Year driving for the famed Roth Motorsports California based team.  Reutzel's emergence might not completely surprise sprint diehards, but for those with a little more passive interest, it would be wise to check him out as soon as you can, he's going places sooner rather than later.


Parker Price Miller

Pat Miller Photo

Of the three drivers we're profiling here, this young driver hasn't quite reached the brink just yet, but he's the youngest and may have the brightest upside. The Kokomo, Indiana native has experience in almost every type of open wheeled car.....and he's still in high school.  His  progression from micro sprints to 410's was quick and impressive. He was named POWRi Midget Rookie of the Year in 2013, and took another Rookie of the Year award in 2014 at the Chili Bowl. 

But in 2015, the results caught up to the expectations in a big way for Parker.  He's got eight wins in winged sprint action this year so far and earned his first All Star Sprint victory at Wayne County Speedway. Throw in a podium finish with the World of Outlaws at Oshweken and a solid performance at the Knoxville Nationals, and it's easy to see his star rising. But more than just results, he's something to see live and in person as you'll come across a driver that is learning the right times to be patient and aggressive against some of the best competition.  He's starting to come into his own now, and nobody should be surprised that's been paying attention.



These three drivers represent the scratching of the surface when it comes to up and coming talented drivers in the 410 ranks, but we want you to catch them as soon as you can if you've not seen them yet, you'll be grateful you did. Look for big things from them in the coming years, and be sure to look for more further installments of "Three On The Move" from us here at TDN. 

The TDN Weekly Super Late Model Power Poll: Week 17

Hey there folks, 'tis Monday evening, so that means it's time for my weekly update to these rankings.

With only one week left, it appears Jeff Rine has already clinched the title for this season. He's always fast, and this year was no different. Opening up the scoring to include the whole state gave him a huge advantage over the past couple years, because now he scores at two different tracks instead of just one. He's was incredibly consistent at both Bedford and Selinsgrove and it shows, as he is leading the points at Selinsgrove and second at Bedford. Next time I see him at the races, he's getting a couple TDN stickers to put on his ride.


Even though the title was clinched, the rest of the top ten has tightened up quite a bit, and there are seven drivers with a conceivable shot at second in the standings. This coming weekend should be really interesting to see who ends up where.


Anyways, all the tracks got shows in this week, except for Eriez, who ran a WoO special on Sunday instead of a regular show. Roaring Knob didn't update their results, either, but I did finally get last week's results and those points are reflected in the rankings this week.

Now let's get to some rankings.

1. Jeff Rine*****, 50 points. Jeff's won at Selinsgrove Saturday and came home fifth at Bedford Friday for his points this week.

2. Scott Rhodes**, 36 points. Scott got a second at Dog Hollow Friday for his points this week.

3. Max Blair****, 35 points. Max went scoreless this week.

4. Clate Copeman****, 34 points. Clate also put up a goose egg this week.

5. Mike Blose**, 33 points. Mike went 0fer this week too.

5. Dwayne Tanneyhill***, 33 points. Dwayne's points this week came from a win at Diog Hollow Friday.

7. Alex Ferree***, 32 points. Alex ran third at Lernerville Friday for his points this week.

7. DJ Troutman**, 32 points. DJ came home second at Bedford Friday to score his points this week.

9. Coleby Frye*****, 26 points. Coleby won Saturday at Port Royal for his points this week.

10. Tim Senic***, 25 points. Tim won last week at Roaring Knob for his points this week.

10. Dylan Yoder*, 25 points. Dylan's points came from a third at Selinsgrove Saturday this week.

10. Darrell Bossard, 25 points. Darrell had no points this week.

And that's the top ten for this week. Next week is the final writeup for his year, so it'll have the complete rankings from top to bottom. Until then, have fun no matter where you attend the races. Me personally, I think I may go ahead and see what in the heck a RFSLM series is Saturday night.

Laters.

The Story From Mercer; Kekich Dominates; Kristyak Storms To Victory; Gallagher and Burns Find Victory Lane

 

 

 

With a perfect night of weather and a pit area stocked with 22 sprints, the Annual Auto Racers for Kids night took place at Mercer Raceway Park Saturday with extra money on the line for all divisions. Veteran announcer Don Gamble graced the crowd with his presence on the microphone and was joined by the voice of Utica-Rome Speedway, Mike Mallett, giving fans on hand a unique accent on the evening.   Adam Kekich simply drove away from the competition in 410 sprint action while Tommy Kristyak made his way through the field of 358 modifieds to victory.

 



In the Outlaw Sprint Warriors, Darrin Gallagher pulled off a Kekich type victory of his own and in the open stocks, Tim Burns held off strong challenges over the course of the fifteen lap main event to claim the win. 

410 Sprints:

A format of time trials and a dash set the front six starters for the 410 sprints Saturday night. Before the action got underway, Eric Williams, who had claimed a dash position earlier, had to call it quits early with mechanical difficulty.

Friday night Lernerville feature winner Carl Bowser brought the field to the green flag of the 25 lap, $3,000 to win main event, but Jack Sodeman Jr. took the early advantage and looked to be the car to beat in the first two laps. But behind him, Adam Kekich was already making his presence known.  Kekich had missed the dash in time trials but took the win in heat number one and upon Williams' declaring a scratch on the evening, he'd moved into the sixth starting spot.  Kekich went directly to the top of the speedway and managed to get around Dan Kuriger and Carl Bowser with relative ease and looked to give Sodeman all he could handle in the coming laps.  But the potential battle for the win took a turn on lap three when Dennis Wagner brought out the red flag with a flip on the front stretch.  Then during the break in action, Sodeman went pit side, retiring from the main event which put Kekich on the point when the racing resumed.

When the green waved again, Kekich started stretching out a sizeable lead while behind him, Jimmy Seger and Brandon Matus started making their way to the top five with Bowser and Dan Kuriger still running in positions two and three respectively, until a lap eight caution bunched the field one more time.  On the ensuing restart, Kekich put his car on the top shelf with authority, but moved around without interruption when heavy lapped traffic emerged just past the halfway point.  Kekich changed lines with ease and kept increasing his margin to over five seconds over the waning laps while Kuriger started to press Bowser for the runner up spot which he would eventually wrest away.. Behind them, Brandon Matus and AJ Flick had patiently picked their way through the field, picking their spots, to earn top five finishes, but the night belonged to Kekich, who turned in a dominating performance, and was never in any danger of being reeled in throughout the majority of the 25 lap main event.

After the checkered flag fell, Kekich sent his machine straight to the front stretch for a couple of victory spins to the delight of the crowd on hand.

" As soon as they dropped the green, I ripped around the top of one and two and passed a couple of cars, and I knew we were good and I knew that’s where I wanted to be," A thrilled Kekich stated in victory lane.  "We actually started reeling in Sodeman, and I actualy thought that I had a chance to race him for the win, and when he dropped out, my stomach just dropped but I got real excited and I just knew that it was my race to lose and I just couldn’t give up.”

Top 10:

1. Adam Kekich
2. Dan Kuriger
3. Carl Bowser
4. Brandon Matus
5. AJ Flick
6. Jimmy Seger
7. Andy McKisson
8. Michael Bauer
9. Brandon Spithaler
10. Arnie Kent


358 Modifieds:

Shane Izzo and Sidney Unverzagt brought the field to the green flag in the 20 lap-358 modified main event with Unverzagt in control early on. Behind him, Jimmy Holden and Kyle Fink were in hot pursuit until Holden spun in turn two on the second lap. The spin, in front of an oncoming field collected Tommy Kristyak, Lonny Riggs, and Jeff Shaffer Jr with Kristyak ending up in mid air. When the carnage was cleared, Holden would see his night come to an end with considerable damage, but the other three cars involved carried on and would be the prime players the rest of the way.

Once the action resumed, Fink went to work and quickly put the rest of the field well far behind him, while Kristyak and Riggs would both mount comebacks despite being involved in the lap two altercation.  Kristyak dove under second running Unverzagt with a lap 11 pas and set his sights on Fink, making up significant amounts of ground in a hurry in the second half of the main event, and on lap 15 he made the pass for the lead as Fink's car had become much slower after lap 10.

On the sixteenth circuit, it became clear that Fink's car had been suffering some mechanical difficulty and came to a rest in turn two, bringing out the caution which was a welcome sight for Riggs who was running second, but too far behind to seriously challenge for the win.  The table was then set for a four lap battle between Krisyak and Riggs to decide the outcome. Kristyak was able to get to turn one first and secure the bottom groove on both the lap 16 restart and another on lap 18 to seal the deal, collecting a special $1,000 pay day in the process as Riggs was unable to find away around the eventual winner.

Top 10:

1. Tommy Kristyak
2. Lonny Riggs
3. Sidney Unverzagt
4. Jeff Shaffer Jr.
5. Kevin Greene
6. Brian Shaffer
7. Kyle Holden
8. Rich Whitney
9. Shane Izzo
10. Cody Cooper


Outlaw Sprint Warriors:

Eventual winner Darrin Gallagher may have started on the front row alongside Darren Pifer Saturday night, but from the way the 20 lap feature turned out, it was easy to see that he'd have made it there sooner rather than later.   Gallagher immediately went to work on a multi second advantage while Cody Bova and 410 sprint driver Brandon Matus tried their best to entertain the crowd on hand with a battle for the second spot. Gallagher entered lapped traffic on the ninth circuit and picked through it flawlessly en route to the victory while behind him, Matus was unable to make his way around Bova for the runner up spot.

Top 10:

1. Darrin Gallagher
2. Cody Bova
3. Brandon Matus
4. Evan Kornbau
5. Darren Pifer
6. Andy Priest
7. George Hobaugh Jr.
8. George Englert
9. Mike Marano III
10. Alex Paden



Open Stocks:

Tim Burns may have been the alpha and omega when it came to lap leaders Saturday night, but to say he dominated the action would not pay credit to the action on the track.  Burns took the green flag of the fifteen lap main event while behind him, Bob McCann and Brent Johnson stayed close in the early laps as the three leaders looked for the best bite around the surface in an attempt to make their way to the front.  The three cars were seemingly nose to tail for a great portion of the race, all running the bottom groove.  Rusty Moore, coming from his seventh starting spot, and Bobby Heim from fifth, both made their way to the front in the waning laps but could not find a way around Burns.

Top 10:

1. Tim Burns
2. Rusty Moore
3. Bobby Heim
4. Bob McCann
5. Bob Schwartzmiller
6. William Hurrellbrink
7. Brent Johnson
8. Terry Wheeler
9. Charlie Baptiste
10. Dennis Clark

The Story From Lernerville: Swartzlander scores 90th career win, Bowser earns 5th victory of season, Lux gets first win in Detman 111, Kelley wins thriller

On another beautiful Friday evening at the Lernerville Speedway,  Brian Swartzlander and Joe Kelley each padded their career leading win totals in their respective divisions, while Carl Bowser cruised to his fifth victory of the season in the Sprint Cars. A new winner emerged in the Super Late Models, as Matt Lux held off all challengers in the Jim Detman #111.

DIEHL Automotive Group Modifieds

Garrett Krummert and Rick Regalski paced the 15 car field to the green in the evening's first feature.

Krummert grabbed the early lead with Regalski taking 2nd. 3rd starting Steve Feder found misfortune on lap 3 as he slid high off turns 1 and 2 while pressuring Regalski for 2nd, and would eventually fall to back of the field.

The first caution flew on lap 5 for Rodney Beltz stopping on the backstretch.  Krummert once again showed the way on the restart. Brian Swartzlander proved strong on the outside as he made his way into 2nd around Regalski, and then began putting heat on Krummert for the lead in the following laps.  On lap 9, Swartzlander used the momentum off the top side to overtake Krummert down the backstretch.

Pat Miller Photo

Last week's winner Mat Willamson was on the move as he challenged Reglaski for 3rd, but was unable to make the pass for several laps. By lap 12, 9th starting Rex King Jr entered the battle for 3rd and quickly dispatched both Regalski and Wiliamson for the position.

Up front, Swartzlander continued to ride the cushion to hold the advantage over Krummert, while King Jr began to close on both. Jeff Miller went up in smoke on lap 15 to bring out the second caution of the feature. During this caution, 4th running Williamson went pitside with ignition issues, ending his string of impressive finishes this season.

Swartzlander chose the outside on the lap 15 restart and would remain in front. The outside proved to be the fastest way around the action track, as both Krummert and King Jr. attempted to make things happen to his inside, but to no avail.

In the closing laps, Swartzlander distanced himself from the field, while the battle headed up for 2nd between King and Krummert. On the final lap, King Jr. made his way around Krummert to come home second.

 Swartzlander's victory snapped a streak of mechanical failures for the Leechburg driver, as it was his first win since June 5th.

Top 10: 

1 Brian Swartzlander

2 Rex King Jr.

3 Garrett Krummert

4 Rick Regalski

5 Kevin Bolland

6 Rex King Sr. 

7 Jeremiah Shingledecker 

8 Shawn Fleeger

9 Steve Feder

10 Carl Murdick

Peoples TWP Sprint Cars

Carl Bowser, a four time winner this season, drew the pole for the 25 lap event.  Bowser went right to the cushion and blasted to the lead ahead of Ralph Spithaler and Brandon Matus.  The field quickly began to string out, with the top five of Bowser, Spithaler, Matus, Eric Williams and last week's winner Jack Sodeman Jr. all running the same line on the cushion.  

The pace was slowed on lap 7 as Cody Bova spun to the inside off turn 4.   Bowser once again raced out to the lead on the restart. Matus overtook Spithaler for 2nd, and Sodeman dispatched Williams for 4th.

Pat Miller Photo

Matus was able to keep pace with Bowser, but once again the top five all were running the same outer groove. Another caution on lap 14 again for Bova once again bunched the field up.

 Bowser held the advantage once again with a very good restart, which allowed no opportunity for Matus to pull a slide job.  Sodeman did pull a slider to take 3rd from Spithaler. From there, Bowser remained in command and road the cushion to a convincing victory.  Matus, Sodeman, Spithaler and Williams completed the top five.

Top 10:

1 Carl Bowser

2 Brandon Matus

3 Jack Sodeman Jr.

4 Ralph Spithaler

5 Eric Williams 

6 AJ Flick

7 Brandon Spithaler

8 Brent Matus

9 Sye Lynch

10 Bill Kiley

Precise Racing Super Late Models

Matt Lux had only driven the Jim Detman #111 on a handful of nights this season. Stepping in for Brian Swartzlander in the middle of the season, the 'Franklin Flyer' scored his first victory of the season and the first ever for the #111 machine.  

Kenny Schaltenbrand and Tony Burke paced the field to green, but it was third starting Lux who raced to the Lap 1 lead.  A pair of early yellows slowed the pace on laps 2 and 4. Lux looked particularly strong on both restarts, as he held the point over Michael Norris.  10th starting Alex Ferree made his way past Schaltenbrand for 3rd by lap 7 and quickly closed on the lead duo of Lux and Norris.  

Pat Miller Photo

By lap 11, Lux was managing lap traffic has he continued to hold off both Norris and Ferree.  A caution on lap 17 proved to be a major factor in the outcome of the race. Lux chose the outside on the restart and once again pulled away running the cushion.  A new challenger was present now, though, as Mike Pegher Jr. followed Lux right into second around both Ferree and Norris.  

In the closing stages, Lux continued to stretch his lead en route to a convincing victory over Pegher, who managed to fend off challenges from Ferree to take the runner up spot.  Norris settled for 4th, while Andrew Wylie rounded out the top five.

Alex Ferree wrapped his third straight points title and sixth overall, tieing him with Bob Wearing Sr. for the most all time in the division.

Top 10:

1 Matt Lux

2 Mike Pegher Jr

3 Alex Ferree

4 Michael Norris

5 Andrew Wylie

6 Gary Lyle

7 Tony Burke

8 Dan Swartzlander

9 Sam Eichelberger

10 Herman Bertolini

Millerstown Pic-A-Part Sportsman

Joe Kelley endured a multitude of restarts and a hard charging Jim Fosnaught to earn the victory in the night's final event.

Bog Egley took to the early lead from the pole position. Behind him, Mike Miller split Brandon Wearing and Joey Zambotti to quickly take 2nd on the opening lap. Miller then drove by Egley on the outside to the lead the next lap.  However, on lap 3, Miller's car experienced troubles coming off turn 4, slowing suddenly. This allowed Egley to retake the lead, but in the scramble to avoid Miller, Zambotti and Terry Young made contact, sending both pitside with issues and bringing out a caution.  Miller was able to continue, and was placed 3rd on the following restart. 

Pat Miller Photo

Cautions continued to fly on laps 6,7, and 8. Kelley had moved into second on the lap 7 restart, and then took the lead away from Egley on the outside on the lap 8 restart.  Wayne Carbo charged hard on the outside to momentarily overtake Egley for 2nd on lap 10.  Egley then engaged in a side-by-side battle for 2nd with Carbo for several laps before another yellow on lap 13.

The restart order was Kelley, Egley, Carbo and Jim Fosnaught.  Kelley was committed to the bottom on the restart and shot out to the lead, but it was Fosnaught who found speed on the outside to advance from 4th to 2nd.  

Kelley appeared to be in command as the field was given the two to go signal, but one last caution setup an interesting restart between the 66 and 20J.  

Kelley once again chose to run the low line, with Fosnaught charging to his outside.  Coming to the white, Fosnaught positioned himself to make a run to the outside of Kelley. Down the backstretch, he pulled even with Kelley and going into four it was anyone's guess who would come away victorious. 

By a mere 0.033 seconds, Kelley beat Fosnaught to the line in a thrilling finish to put a cap on the night.

Top 10:

1 Joe Kelley

2 Jim Fosnaught

3 Bob Egley

4 Corey McPherson

5 Mike Miller 

6 Wayne Carbo 

7 Bob Lipinski 

8 Aaron Easler

9 Brett McDonald 

10 Jeff Miller

The “Fab Four” season will conclude next Friday with the final points event.   AJ Flick holds a 10 point lead over Brandon Matus going into next Friday. Either Flick or Matus will add their name to the historic list of Sprint Car champions.