The Story From Lernerville: Gravel Outlasts Sweet To Collect Commonwealth Clash Victory

John Stivason/Stivason Photos

Sarver, PA (September 24, 2017) It took one set of turns for David Gravel to take control of the World of Outlaw Craftsman Sprint Car field on Saturday night at Lernerville Speedway, and 35 plus laps of skillful race management to take home the victory in the Commonwealth Clash.  Gravel's timely, solid restarts and use of lapped traffic proved to be two key elements to his 14th victory of the Outlaw season as he managed to hold off stiff challenges from Brad Sweet and Sheldon Haudenschild to preserve the win.

"I didn't know what to do," Gravel said. "Pretty much I was just protecting, I didn't want to leave the bottom open for anybody to slide me. It didn't feel that great off the corners, I didn't keep my speed up. I figured there's only one way they can do it, to go around me and I thought I was using up a good amount of the track."

Brad Sweet brought the field to the green flag and held the lead for one and a half turns before Gravel wrested the top spot away with Daryn Pittman and Sheldon Haudenschild in pursuit behind them early on. Action on the track was slowed for the first time with three laps down as Jason Sides and George Hobaugh got together in turn one which sent Sides bicycling end over end in a violent crash. Sides checked out okay, and when action resumed, Sweet appeared to take the lead on the restart, but his bid for the lead was mitigated as AJ Flick brought out the yellow flag before Sweet was able to cross the start/finish line.

Stivason Photos

When the green flag waved again, Gravel put the field behind him with authority and started gaining separation from his pursuers while Sheldon Haudenschild began applying pressure on Pittman for the third spot. With seven laps down, Gravel found himself in heavy lapped traffic as Pittman slid off the top of turn four. He was able to resume, however Haudenshild inherited third. On the subsequent restart, Donny Schatz had made his way to the fourth spot and immediately began hunting Haudenschild for third while taking looks underneath the Wooster, OH driver.  Sweet then slipped off the backstretch at the lap 10 mark allowing Haudenschild to move to second.

The race then became halted twice with 14 laps down, first for Brent Marks who went over the cushion in turn four, and then by Joe Lockhart who found himself upside down in turn one. Gravel got off to another solid restart with Haudenschild ready to take advantage of any mistake he could turn into an opportunity. However, he would suffer one of his own as he half spun in turn two with 18 laps down. Haudenschild managed to gather the car back straight, but took himself out of serious contention. Gravel's battle with lapped traffic then began to ramp up another notch with 11 laps to go. The Watertown, Ct driver found himself on the high side of the speedway while Sweet began inching closer with every lap. Gravel then began starting to dispatch one piece of lapped traffic after another, with seemingly perfect timing, leaving Carl Bowser, George Hobaugh and Clyde Knipp for Sweet to deal with, almost always just as Sweet was ready to make a pass for the lead.

With the laps winding down, Sweet would come up with one golden chance to take the lead as he sized up a slide job heading into turn four that came up just short. Gravel took the white flag and looked to be on his way to the win, when hard charger Danny Holtgraver spun in turn four, setting up the first of two green, white, checkered periods. The second, caused by Clyde Knipp who spun on the front stretch. But Gravel was unfazed and executed two perfect single file restarts en route to victory lane. Schatz rounded out the podium and almost made one final attempt to take second place away from Brad Sweet stick on the final lap.

Stivason Photos

"A decent points night is a win," Schatz said.  "But that's the way some night's are. We tried to get it through there and just couldn't and you have to take the best finish you can and that was third tonight. I appreciate all the fans being out here tonight, it was pretty cool to see a huge crowd this late in the year here, glad to have them here with us."





Gravel took home his second win at Lernerville Speedway in as many years.

"I saw Brad poke his nose at me late in the race in lapped traffic and then I had to step it up a little bit," Gravel said in victory lane. " I didn't want to see the yellow, I got past a couple of lapped cars there and I thought I was going to be okay but it all worked out." When asked about next week's National Open at Williams Grove he added. "We're definitely excited to go over there and make more of our PA Posse fans happy!"

Sweet's performance earned him a second place finish, which he was somewhat less than content with. "I didn't get a great start, didn't beat him and didn't do my job to beat him and control the race. We beat him on that one restart and it got called back. We had a lot of chances there in lapped traffic and just couldn't get the job done. I honestly thought we had the car to win the race and unfortunately the driver just didn't get it done."

 World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series Feature; 35 Laps- $10,000 to win

1. (5) David Gravel, Watertown, CT- 12.801
2. (49) Brad Sweet, Grass Valley, CA
3. (15) Donny Schatz, Fargo, ND
4. (2) Shane Stewart, Bixby, OK
5. (49) Tim Shafer, Aliquippa
6. (11k) Kraig Kinser, Bloomington, IN
7. (41) Jason Johnson, Eunice, LA
8. (9) Daryn Pittman, Owasso, OK
9. (1s) Logan Schuchart, Hanover
10. (16) Chris Andrews, Sandusky, OH
11. (D4) Danny Holtgraver, Pittsburgh
12. (93) Sheldon Haudenschild, Wooster, OH
13. (w20) Greg Wilson, Benton Ridge, OH
14. (19) Brent Marks, Meyerstown
15. (98) Carl Bowser, Sarver
16. (17). Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, OH
17. (42) Sye Lynch, Apollo-12.993
18. (13) Clyde Knipp, California, MO
19. (7k) Dan Shetler, Johnstown
20. (4) Parker Price-Miller, Kokomo, IN
21. (40) George Hobaugh Jr
22. (58) Joe Lockhart, Oil City, 14,263
23. (76) Davey Jones, Warrendale
24. (2) AJ Flick, Apollo
25. (7s) Jason Sides, Bartlett, TN

Heat Winners: Shane Stewart, Kraig Kinser, Brad Sweet
Dash Winner: Brad Sweet
B-Main Winner: Jason Sides
Quick Time: Shane Stewart- 12.764

King's Chance Pays Off At Thunder Mountain In ULMS Action

Alyssa Knapp Photo

Brookville PA (September 15, 2018) Russ King has been on a tear in the second half of 2017 that has seen him at or near the top of the regional and national Late Model events he has entered. And on Friday night at Thunder Mountain Speedway, he maintained that momentum by scoring a thrilling victory in the 30-lap, $3,000 to win Eric Witherite Memorial for the ULMS Late Models. The Bristolville, Ohio native and Jared Miley of South Park Pa brought the 24 car starting line up to the green on a very fast and racy surface. After the initial start was negated, following a mid-pack eight car pile up in turn two, King jumped out front while sixth starting Alex Ferree of Saxonburg, PA moved to second with a powerful inside move. Following a lap 7 restart, Ferree made the move pay off again as he managed to find a way around and take the lead away from King.

Ferree held the lead the lead until a late race restart that saw  King throw his car to the outside with precision and purpose entering turn one while emerging with the lead coming out of turn two. 15th starting Matt Lux of Franklin Pa was busy putting on his own impressive run to the front as he entered the top 5 as the laps wound down.  But King would not be caught on this night despite the best attempts of Ferree who took a strong second place. Following King and Ferree across the line was Waterford Pa' s Dave Hess Jr, Miley and Lux.

" I went too hard on tire selection to run with Ferree on the bottom." King said following the victory. When asked about the late race heroics that propelled him to the lead. "We were rolling around under caution later in the race it packed the top back down and I decided to just send it."  King's plans for the rest of 2017 are "a race by race deal."

Ferree was optimistic post race, and said he "hooked a rut" which allowed King to get the lead on the late race restart. "Russ was good tonight and he had the momentum on the high side "  Ferree and the Joe Corrado team will also compete at annual Steel City Stampede at Lernerville Speedway in October.

Alysa Knapp Photo

30-Lap $3,000 to win Eric Witherite Memorial ULMS Late Models

Russ King, Alex Ferree, Dave Hess Jr, Jared Miley, Matt Lux, Charles Powell Jr, Doug Eck, Greg Oakes, Dave Blazavich, Breyton Santee, Robby Marherfka, Bob Dorman, Damian Bidwell, John Weaver, Gale Huey, Paul Kot, Kenny Schaffer, George Lee, Andrew Wylie, Matt Latta, Denny Fenton, Brady Wonderling, Waylon Wagner, Andy Boozel

Cautions: 6
Heat Race Winners: Jared Miley, Alex Ferree, Russ King
BMain Winners: Andrew Wylie, Waylon Wagner
Quick Time: Russ King
Hard Charger: Matt Lux

In support division action Bruce Artsberger of Rockton Pa drive his #101 to a very convincing win in Street Stock action.  Jon Lee of Mahaffery Pa  collected win #11 on the year in Limited Late Model competition, and Ray Hicock Jr drove to a win in the Strictly Stock main event.  Mike Kauffman  was the Quad winner and Mark Weldon in the Side by Side feature.

2017 Pennsylvania Super Late Model Power Rankings: Week 26

Hey there race fans, you're probably wondering where week 25 went. I have decided to go to every two weeks since specials season has started and there's only a race or two each weekend. I announced this on Twitter, but you may have missed it.

This proved to be a pretty smart decision, and a pretty good amount of points were scored over these last two weekends of racing action, resulting in all but two of the top ten scoring points over the two week period. It saves me from coming up with creative ways to change how I explain a driver scored no points. I mean, there's really only so many ways you can say it, and if I had to say it like 6 or 8 times out of the top 10, it would prove to be some pretty tedious reading. See, I have your best interests at heart.

Now that I have explained all that, let's get to the brass tacks of it all. Jeff Rine managed to slightly increase his lead over Alex Ferree for the season title. With the racing weekends winding down, it's looking more and more like he's going to hold on. There are no guarantees in racing, though, and if Ferree manages to get hot to close the season out, it could definitely get interesting.

Anyways, let's go ahead and get to those rankings.

1. Jeff Rine************, 127 points. Jeff got the win at Port Royal last Saturday.

2. Alex Ferree**********, 106 points. Alex ran second at Thunder Mountain this past Friday.

3. Coleby Frye***, 73 points. Coleby came home second at Port Royal last Saturday.

4. Charlie Powell*********, 71 points. Charlie ran third this past Saturday at Hummingbird

5. Max Blair******, 70 points. Max failed to score any points over the last two weeks.

6. Michael Lake*******, 64 points. Michael got a second at Roaring Knob this past Friday.

7. Paul Kot******, 54 points. Paul got the win last Saturday at Hummingbird, and came home second at the same place this past Saturday.

8. Jared Miley*****, 53 points. Jared ran fourth at Thunder Mountain this past Friday, and followed that up with a win at Hummingbird Saturday.

9. Dave Hess Jr****, 52 points. Dave was third under the checkers at Thunder Mountain this past Friday.

10. Matt Cosner***, 51 points. Matt wasn't able to score any points over the last two weeks.

And that's the top ten for this two week period. Check back in two week's time to see what happened after the next couple week's action.

Friese's Spirit And Family Have Helped Forge A Great Career, And Have Helped Him Heal

Garry Ferguson Photo

Almost anybody would have understood if Chambersburg, PA Super Late Model driver Devin Friese would have parked his 20 year driving career for good. There are simply more important things than racing. But sometimes, the things that are most important to us are found within the sport, including the family beyond our genetic family which is a huge part of what racing really is. That family, often helps to heal us in rather amazing fashion sometimes. And so it was in the case of Friese who recently suffered the tragic loss of his fiancé on July 9th of this year. Friese took time off from driving following his loss, and when he returned, learned about the power of extended racing family and how it can lift people in need.

“I had some misfortune this year, my fiancé Kelly had just passed away and we just finally started racing here again,” Friese said. “We missed several weeks this year and we’ve raced the least amount this year that we ever have to this point.”

But beyond the recent tragedy, is a story about a driver who has quietly gone about the business of being one of the most consistent drivers in his geography without much in the way of swagger, or over inflated ego. Winning a feature event virtually every year since he’s been racing might have given him a reason to exhibit such behavior. But that behavior is not to be found. A conversation with Friese reveals a man who is at peace with whatever happens with racing going forward, and is completely grateful for every single memory it has ever given him and his family. It is a family that has stepped up to offer him prayers and encouragement in a very trying time for him.

“My mom and dad took us to Hagerstown, and watched the races and so forth and as we grew older, we kind of got away from it a little bit, and in the late 80’s and early 90’s dad got back into it as a car owner. And he brought all us boys into it. We started going to the pits more often and started hanging around the car that he owned, and we did that up through the mid 90’s. And then probably in ’95, dad owned a car and had Brent Smith as the driver. It was a limited class and Brent wanted to move up and dad didn’t really want to, so dad started driving. He would have been 51 or 52 at that time, but it something that he always wanted to do, and he did that for three years and he was involved in a bad accident at Hagerstown and broke two vertebrae in his back.  And that’s how I originally got started. We doctored him up through all of that and he wanted to sell everything, he was done, and I asked if I could drive.  So he and mom talked and by ’97 I was driving and my first full year was in ’98, it was called a Late Model Sportsman, a limited class on two barrels and I ran them for two years.”

Drivers take different amounts of time to find competence, then consistency, and finally consistent podium finishes. No two drivers are alike. But perhaps what make’s Friese understated career achievements even more impressive, is the fact that he seemingly proved himself to be a very talented driver from the start. He hit the ground running so to speak, and did so in a geography that has proven to have some of the deepest fields in the country.

“It got to the point that for the money we were spending we could be competitive running local shows at Winchester and Hagerstown and so forth, so we made the jump to Super Lates in 2000. My first year in Late Models we won two races at Hagerstown which was a tough place to win races and still is to this day, and the late Rodney Franklin who passed away a few years ago of cancer, took me under his wing so to speak and taught me a lot about racing and driving. I still talk to his family to this day. I give him the most credit for helping me along.”

And Friese is more than just a wheelman. The 43 year old home builder took it upon himself to learn the car inside and out and personally takes on tasks in the shop as his schedule allows. But his family is with him every step of the way, and has been since he started out.

“It’s definitely a team, one thing we’ve done and that my dad has always strived for us to do, is for this to be a family deal. We’ve had Mike Price help us out the last few years, but I’m very involved in the process.  We run Masterbuilt Race Cars and as far as the nuts and bolts and general mechanics and putting bodies on and so forth, I can do myself. My brother Trevor does all the valves and adjusts the motors, I don’t fool around too much with that, but everything else I’m involved in. It is a struggle and this year it’s probably shown up than it has in a long time. For years it was wherever we were picking to go race at, I would literally pull in to the shop, jump out of my vehicle, grab my clothes, jump in the truck and Trevor would have everything ready for me. And when we brought Mike on board, it was pretty much the same way. It’s hard for me to get there during the week to work on stuff that I wanted to do, I just couldn’t do it because of the home business.  We had a slowdown as everybody did from 2005 to 2008, but since then it has been pretty good in this area as far as home building goes. We do 30 to 40 homes a year, so it’s been very busy.”

Friese called Hagerstown Speedway home at the start of his Super Late Model career, but quickly found that travelling would be a big part of his future. He’s made his way to tracks as far as Tennessee, The Dirt Track at Charlotte, and most everywhere in between at one point or another.

Jen Wetzel Photo

“We’ve been fortunate to get our share of wins. But I am at peace if I quit racing today.  I think we made somewhat of an impact for somebody that races the way we did it which was a very family oriented racing package that we try to put out there every day because that’s what we do. Within my area, within a three hour radius, there are a lot of tracks and a lot of good tracks. Places like Port Royal and Dog Hollow and so forth. They’re good tracks, fun tracks and racy tracks which makes it nice for me. I was never one to follow points much. The few years that we did do points we were very successful. I always like hitting the big shows within three or four hours of us.  If I quit racing today, I would be satisfied with the tracks that I got to in my career.”

So he set out to make his own way, wherever it took him calling no one particular place home, while making his mark on the Mid-Atlantic Super Late Model Scene. Friese toured with the now defunct Three States Flyers, and became a fixture at the annual Appalachian Mountain Speed Week. And he would manage wins and impressive finishes virtually everywhere he went, including top 10 finishes when the World of Outlaw Late Models or Lucas Oil Late Model Series were making stops close to home. However, two seasons brought his profile to a new level. In 2011 and 2015, he won tour championships with the UFO Late Model Series which both took him to a new level of racing and how to compete on another level, and how also helped cement his legacy as one of the best drivers in the area.

“Those years were very special to me. We never really liked to commit to much, maybe the first few years at Hagerstown but that was really it. 2011 was nice because my brother was the crew chief and it was me and him on the road together and that was our first championship in a touring series. The first one is always sweet no matter if it’s a local track or a series like that. The 2011 title we had locked up going into the final race. We knew there was no way we were going to be caught, so it was like the pressure was off.  The 2015 championship went down to the wire. We went into that last race weekend at Dog Hollow just seven points apart. There were two complete shows, a Friday night and a Saturday night, so it was a dog fight to say the least. The first night we wound up winning, but Yoder (Dylan) got a top five and was still only a few points back. I finished one spot ahead of him in the final race. So that one was more satisfying, we had to race for it. It went to the last few laps of the season to pull that one off.”

Derek Bobik Photo

 He fills his schedule with special event dates where he can these days, since there is currently no regional touring series in his area, and laments the rising costs associated with racing at a high level.
“The regional series have dissolved around here, which is a shame for obvious reasons. As much as I love the sport and we all do, I think the sport is in serious trouble. There’s just more people getting out of it than getting into it and I think a lot of it is cost driven. We’re still racing for pretty much the same purses as we always have and the cars, motors and shocks and stuff are just going through the roof. I’ve always said with any type of racing, no matter what class you want to race in, race what you can afford! I’ve seen too many guys in my career that were good limited racers and moved up to supers and they really struggled which was a shame. I’ve been fortunate that I’ve always had parents that were willing to spend the money to get me in good stuff to go at, so I’ve been very blessed. But there is no shame in racing what you can afford and be good in that level of racing.  The costs are just through the roof and until they get it under control I think the sport really is in serious trouble.”

It is hard to say which way Friese decides to go next. He’ll take the off season and talk with his family. But whatever he decides, he has put together a brilliant career full of feature wins, two tour titles and done so with class and modesty. Few could blame him for calling it a day. However, in making the decision to not take that path following his loss, he found out just how deep his racing family is and it has helped him start to find peace and a new perspective altogether. Friese’s toughest competitors from over the years, have been among those who have reached out and offered support, yet again proving how a racing geography is more than a community, it’s a family.

“I don’t know where I’m headed down the road here. I don’t know how much more I’ll race this year to be honest. Losing Kelly is still too new and I don’t know what next year will hold. We’ll re-evaluate it over the winter and either keep on going or sell everything and get out and at this point it’s just too early to say. What I just went through takes this to a different level with losing Kelly. Drivers that we would have had a falling out with before over racing, which is just absolutely silly, those drivers have reached out to me after losing Kelly. They were thinking of me and praying for me and it brings it all into a perspective. The whole racing community is such a tight knit group, and if you’re not involved in it, you don’t understand it. But when you are involved in it, it really hits home. It’s a shame it took something like this for me.  I always knew it and I always thought it, but to actually feel it from so many people, it’s pretty touching and pretty overwhelming. The people are what keeps me going back. It’s the drivers, the car owners, the fans and promoters, just everybody. It’s just a tight, family.”

So what does the future hold for Friese? Time will tell. And in the meantime, he’ll see if the next generation of Friese’s might be ready to take over the driving, just like his father before him.

“My son Kelby is 17 now and he just loves it and I just love going to the races with him now. He’s involved on the car now. Everyday he’s like ‘I don’t know dad, maybe you’re getting a little old, maybe it’s time for me to get in’, so I don’t know. I remember Rodney Franklin when he talked about quitting. I asked him how do you know when you’re done? He said, you’ll know, you’ll just know when you’re at that point. And I used to say ‘whatever’, and I’ve told Kelby about that and said maybe I might be getting done. I can’t say it yet, but tomorrow I might say that I’m done, why don’t we just go and get a boat, we could have more fun. But he doesn’t hear any parts of that, he wants to go crate racing so I don’t know what I’ll do with him, but he’s all for it.” Friese said with a chuckle. “He wants to do it but it’ll be a family decision and we’ll all talk about it.”

One can only imagine that Kelby is in great hands, Friese and family are great hands to be in.

2017 World 100 Pick'Em Final Standings

And now we have the final standings! Thank you all for participating in our World 100 Pick'Em Contest! And congratulations to our winner Tim Brown (Brownt32), and our podium finishers Jeff Burkey and Earl Jackson!

We hope you enjoyed playing and will see you in October for our 3rd Annual Super DIRTWeek Pick'Em Contest!  Thanks everyone!

World 100 Pick'Em Contest Night 1 Scores

Night one is in the books in our 2017 World 100 Pick'Em Contest! Here are your scores!

Tuscarora 50 Preview

Patrick Miller Photo

This coming weekend the Port Royal Speedway plays host to the biggest event in the speedway's historic and storied history.  The weekend kicks off with a full program for the All Star Circuit of Champions on Friday night, and then the Tuscarora 50 follows on Saturday night with its own unique format.  The 50th running of the Tuscarora 50 will pay a whopping $50,000-to-win, and $900-to-start, and there will be plenty of heavy hitters vying for the winner's share of the purse.  Ever since the event was announced last season, many drivers have circled it on their calendars as an event that want to win.  If you would like an updated driver's list you can check out my Twitter page for an updated list of probable entries @LiveDirtUpdates.  Also check out the Juniata County Fair while you're in town with delicious fair food all weekend long.  If you can't make it this weekend one of our sponsor's Speed Shift TV will have live pay-per-view coverage of both nights of action, and they always do a great job.  Let's take a look at the favorite, and some contenders and sleepers for the event this weekend.

Patrick Miller Photo

Favorite

Lance Dewease - Dewease has to be considered the favorite for this event.  Ever since he teamed up with Donnie Kreitz at the beginning of last season the duo have been a threat to win every time they unload, and Port Royal has been their best track.  In seven starts at the speedway this season, Dewease has garnered four victories.  Look for Dewease to be charging on the bottom of the track and he will be very tough to beat this weekend.

Patrick Miller Photo

Contenders

Greg Hodnett - Sure Hodnett hasn't had his best season, but ever since the team went out to Knoxville for the 360 Nationals and the Knoxville Nationals, they have been faster.  Hodnett is always a threat at Port Royal, and after finding some speed look for them to be a contender this weekend for the $50,000.

Brock Zearfoss - Nobody is hotter in Central Pennsylvania right now than Zearfoss.  He has four victories at Port Royal this season, and came within inches of winning the Labor Day Classic this past Monday only to be passed by Danny Dietrich coming to the checkered flag.  If Zearfoss can lay down a good time trial lap and have a good run in the heat, look for him to be in contention on Saturday night.

Patrick Miller Photo

Danny Dietrich - Dietrich is a big money racer and always seems to be fast when big money is on the line.  Dietrich would love nothing more than to win the Tuscarora 50 flying Bob Weikert colors in his Weikert's Livestock machine, and after picking up a victory in the Labor Day Classic with a late race charge by passing Zearfoss coming off turn four of the final lap, I wouldn't be surprised to see Dietrich in victory lane.

Lucas Wolfe - Wolfe has been fast all season long and should not be counted out among the drivers with a great chance to win the Tuscarora 50 this weekend.  Earlier this season Wolfe flipped on the first lap, repaired the car and picking up a regular show victory at Port Royal with a field that included both Dewease and Hodnett.  He will be tough this weekend.

Brian Brown - Brown is the outsider invading Central Pennsylvania this weekend with the best chance to win.  Brown looked very fast last season in his one visit to Port Royal in the World of Outlaws event, and Brown plans on staying in Pennsylvania through the Williams Grove National Open at the end of the month.  I expect Brownie to be fast this weekend.

Patrick Miller Photo

Sleepers

Dylan Cisney - Yes you read that right.  Dylan Cisney is the current weekly points leader at Port Royal, and he is deceptively fast there.  If time trials go his way, Cisney could very well pull a huge upset and pick up the big $50,000 check.

Dale Blaney - Blaney made big news during the off-season pairing with the Zemco team, but so far they have not lived up to expectations, but Blaney has had his best runs at Port Royal, and there wouldn't be a better night for them to put it together and get their first win as a team than Friday night.

Sammy Swindell - Sammy will be piloting the Coldren Motorsports No. 07 car this weekend, and that car has great equipment.  If Sammy is ready to go this weekend he could be very fast, as Swindell is one of the greatest sprint car drivers of all time.

Kerry Madsen - The Madman will be in action at Port Royal this weekend and with his familiarity with Knoxville and how well he runs on big fast speedways, don't be surprised if Madsen runs very well this weekend in the Tuscarora 50.

Well there you have it.  Our Tuscarora 50 preview here at The Dirt Network.  One this is for certain, the best track on the East Coast will be in great shape this weekend for some awesome racing.  We hope to see you there.

2017 Pennsylvania Super Late Model Power Rankings: Week 24

Hey there folks, it's Tuesday, and as promised, here is this week's update to these rankings we keep here.

There wasn't a whole lot of action this weekend, other than a few specials because for the most part, the regular season is over at most tracks for the year. There's a special or two pretty much every weekend until the last race is run in PA for 2017. It also didn't help that it rained much of the weekend, and Lernerville (who had a WoO show scheduled) and Eriez lost their shows for the weekend. Thunder Mountain did get the last show of their regular season in on Friday, though.

Jeff Rine once again stretched his lead out to 20 points with a very solid weekend, which included the biggest payday of his career, with a World Of Outlaws victory at Selinsgrove Sunday. Alex Ferree, who sits in second also managed to pick up a high dollar win on Sunday at Dog Hollow. The weekend advantage went to Rine, though, because he managed to get a second at Bedford's special on Friday.

It'll be interesting to see if Ferree can make up the ground with the little remaining season we have left. He has a slight advantage from here, though, because there are more shows scheduled out here on the western side of the state than there are in the central part of the state. I know I'm interested to see what happens.

Anyways, let's go ahead on get to this week's top ten.

1. Jeff Rine*************, 121 points. Jeff ran second at Bedford Friday, and got the huge win at Selinsgrove Sunday.

2. Alex Ferree**********, 101 points. Alex got the win at Dog Hollow Sunday.

3. Max Blair*******, 70 points. Max went scoreless this week.

4. Coleby Frye****, 68 points. Coleby ran fifth at Bedford Friday.

5. Charlie Powell********, 67 points. Charlie ran second at Thunder Mountain Friday.

6. Michael Lake********, 56 points. Michael took an 0fer his weekend as well.

7. Matt Cosner***, 51 points. Matt ran fourth at Bedford Friday.

8. Dave Hess Jr. ****, 48 points. Dave had a scoreless weekend.

8. Dylan Yoder*, 48 points. Dylan ran third at Bedford Friday.

10. Doug Eck**, 46 points. Doug went 0fer the weekend.


And that's the top ten for this week. Check back Monday for your updated top ten after this coming week's action. It'll be good reading while you nurse your World 100 hangover. Also, if you happen to be reading this from Florida, where Irma is about unleash holy hell, please jump in your car and gop somewhere where you'll be safe. Your life is more important than your possessions.

The Story From Dog Hollow; Ferree Walks Field In Bobik Memorial; Whitling Handles Penn-Ohio Stocks

Pat Miller Photo

*From TDN Correspondent John McConnell

Strongstown Pa (September, 5 2017)  On a night that is annually dedicated to the memory of a beloved youngster, and to benefit the Make A Wish foundation which occurred to the tune of $7,000 in donations, the 7th annual Connor Bobik Memorial took place at Dog Hollow Speedway on Sunday night.

The 45 lap Zimmers Service Center ULMS Super Late Models took to the track for their A main lead by Waterford Pa' s Dave Hess Jr and Pleasant Pa' s Dan Angelicchio and early on, it was the Hess  and Kyle Hardy show as the two swapped the lead several times during early restarts.  The early big mover was South Park Pa' s Jared Miley who had come from the bmain.

Ferree revealed after the race that he needed the long green flag runs " to get the right rear going". Ferree did and it spelled bad news for the rest of the field. The Hess /Hardy mishap would be the last restart and Ferree cruised to a large margin of victory.

 "I dove under Wylie trying to avoid hoping not to get caught up," Ferree said post race. "It helped me get up on the wheel because I seen Miley on one of the restart before and I knew he came from the back."  With two wins in his last 3 starts Ferree was asked if the team has found something that has led to the current success. "No we are just getting comfortable with the XR1 Rocket chassis".  Ferree's plan to close the 2017 season include the Pittsburgher 10) at PPMS and the Steel City Stampede at Lernerville Speedway.

Third finishing Kyle Hardy of Winchester added,"The car shut off when I got on the brake to set the car."  Hardy said he "never worked that hard for a 3rd place finish," following the completion of the 45 lap fearure.  Hardy and the 3v will be closing out the season closer to home with higher paying events.

On a lap 21 restart Hardy lead Hess into turn one and lost the handle collecting Hess. With Hess  retiring to the pits Hardy soldiered on from the tail. On the restart, Alex Ferree of Saxonburg was chasing Saltsburg Pa' s Andrew Wyllie and took the lead and never looked back, staying true to his racing moniker, (The A Train) as he would not be derailed en route to the $4000 victory. Ferree was followed across the line by Miley, Hardy who rebounded from the tail,  Angelicchio and Murrysville Pa' s Tommy Beck.

In the Penn/Ohio Street Stock A main "The Seneca Slider " Bobby Whitling battled early with the red hot Andrew Gordon,  going onto a popular win in the sharp looking 7w.  The owner of Slider Race Cars collected his 4th win overall and 3rd in Penn/Ohio action. Whitling builds two to three cars per year and has 19 cars to date built out of his shop. Plans are to finish 2017 with the Penn/Ohio series, Automotive Fest and The Steel City Stampede at Lernerville Speedway.

The ageless Les Meyers drove the 3x coupe to victory in the Vintage Mods feature
That was the night that was a full moon over the pooch for the Bobik Memorial.


45 Lap; $4,000 to win Connor Bobik Memorial

1.Alex Ferree 2. Jared Miley 3. Kyle Hardy 4.Dan Angelicchio 5. Tommy Beck 6. Greg Oakes
7. Mike Blose 8. Brady Wonderling 9. Damian Bidwell  10. Charlie Powell, Jr. 11. Michael Davis
12. Jason Miller 13.Robbie Black 14. Kevin Santee 15. Ryan Christoff 16. Andrew Wylie
17. Waylon Wagner 18. Bobby Rohrer 19. Dave Hess 20. Dave Blazavich 21. John Wayne Weaver 22. Matt Lux 23.  Devin Friese 24. Andy Fries 25. Billy Dickson 26. Ken Schaltenbrand
28.Billy Eash

Homak Penn-Ohio Pro Stock Series

1. Bobby Whitling 2. Andrew Gordon 3. Rusty Moore 4. Ryan Sager 5. Jason Fosnaught
6. Ray Hickok 7. William Hurrelbrink 8. Jackson Humanic 9. Tim Bish 10.Curt Bish
11.  Brandon Connor  12. Joe Stajnrajh 13. Rod Laskey 14.  Rusty Martz 15. Noah Brunell
16.  Randy Wyant 17. Bobby Heim 18. Bob Rosman 19. Nick Kocuba 20. Mike Benton
21. Rob Shook 22. Bob Scwartzmiller 23.  Pat Fielding 24. Chris Schneider  Brian Rhed DQ – Greg Moore.

Huge Labor Day Weekend On Tap At Speed Shift

Ah, the Labor Day weekend show! Or in this case..............shows!  It's a huge weekend on tap at SpeedShift TV as seven action packed events with some big time paychecks on the line grace the weekend lineup!  We'd all prefer to be at the track, of course. But sometimes life happens. Tricky weather forecasts, family plans, unexpected bills, a broken leg (hey, you can crutch it down the stairs can't you?),  whatever the case, sometimes you just can't make it.  And to be completely fair, these races are ones that are worth the view on any particular night.

Here's a closer look at what to expect..

Dirt Classic at Attica Raceway Park- Friday and Saturday

Friday and Saturday night, the action sizzles as the Attica Ambush unfolds for two nights of 410 Sprints. On Friday, watch as the F.A.S.T 410 Sprints and ALMS Super Late Models throw down for $5,000 to win each. And on Saturday, it's The Dirt Classic co-sanctioned by the All Star Circuit of Champions.  Watch Blaney, Kenemah, Jacobs, Ryan Smith and Ohio's best battle it out with $10,000 on the line and a guaranteed starting spot in The Dirt Classic finale at Lincoln Speedway, September 23.

ASCS Fall Classic- Jackson Motorplex- Friday and Saturday

Sam Hafertepe Jr. looks to take his 13th and 14th feature wins on the season this Friday and Saturday night at Jackson Motorplex (MN). Meanwhile, Aaron Reutzel, Wayne Johnson, and Seth Bergmen have other ideas and will be looking to gain ground in the Lucas ASCS National points standings as they take on some stout competition from the area. And amazingly enough, the 410 Sprints are on the card both nights. They've already put on some tremendous shows from Jackson this season and will be primed to do so again!

Check out what the action from Jackson looks like right here:

Showdown in Motown- Marshalltown Speedway- Friday Night

You like racy places? Of course you do, you're a fine group of dirt racing fanatics. We're not sure if you've seen the action from Marshalltown Speedway, but it doesn't get much racier anywhere in the country. The IMCA Modifieds will be racing for $1,000 to win with $500 to win IMCA Stocks and Sportsmods in action as well as IMCA Hobby Stocks and Dirt Trucks.

Check out this action from Marshalltow, the classic Three Wheeled Miracle!

Louie Vermeil Classic- Calistoga Speedway- Saturday and Sunday

The 10th Annual Louie Vermeil Classic takes to the famed surface at Calistoga on Saturday and Sunday. And west coast Wingless Sprint and Midget fans couldn't be happier about it! This is a cherished event named for a cherished individual and has grown over the years to become one of the premier events in the country for both.  "The Demon", Damion Gardner might represent the best of the west in terms of full time wingless drivers, but Kevin Thomas Jr., Brady Bacon, Robert Ballou and many more very talented drivers will be on hand for two nights of USAC/CRA Sprint and Midget action! If you've come home from another track on the east coast, this is worth staying up for and then some!

66th Annual Fair Classic- Port Royal Speedway- Monday at 1 PM Eastern

Next weekend, it's the biggest Tuscarora 50 ever imagined at Port Royal Speedway (PA), worth $50,000 to the winner! Don't panic. Speed Shift has you covered there too! But we're getting ahead of ourselves just a little bit.  This Sunday, it's the annual Labor Day Fair Race at Port Royal as the legendary 410 Sprint give us a preview on what to expect. Check out Hodnett, Esh, Dewease, Ott, Dietrich, the red hot Brock Zearfoss and the rest of the PA Posse in action!

To order any of the events listed above, simply click here and be sure to check out the savings on the two day pass options too, they're more than worth it!