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Ward Records Penn-Can RoC Mod Victory |
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08/01/08 -
By JR KENNERUP
Susquehanna, Pa - A triple header of Race of Champions Dart Dirt Tour action took place on Tuesday night at the Penn-Can Speedway as they presented their Hot Summer Nights special. A highly entertaining evening of side by side racing took place and when it was all over with three very popular feature winners were found in victory lane.
Pat Ward took the lead on a lap 19 restart from Stewart Friesen and went on to capture a $4,540 win by winning the 75 lap Race of Champions Dart Dirt Modified Tour feature. Dan Vauter who started 12th ended up third with 16th place starter Jeff Rudalavage finishing fourth and Joey Grammes wound up in fifth.
Joey Colsten, Mike Nagel, Jr., and Justin Holland all exchanged the lead throughout the 40 lap Race of Champions Dart Dirt Sportsman Tour feature event. Ten lead changes took place between the trio of drivers with Colsten taking the lead for good with less than two laps to go in the $1,040 to win feature. Nagel settled for a disappointed second with Nick Rochinski in third, Jeff Crambo in fourth, and Mike Loney in fifth.
Butch Green ended up being the third leader in the 25 lap Race of Champions Dart Dirt Pure Stock Tour event. Early leaders Steven Deinhardt and Rich Green both broke while leading and their misfortune handed the lead and $440 win to Butch Green. Jonathon Carpenter came back from an early race flat tire to finish second with Tommy Garren in third, Harry Marvin, III in fourth, and Charlie Gilbert recovered from a late race pit stop to end up fifth.
The racing program was sponsored by Don’s Automotive Mall and Gater Racing News Online. Lexmar Homes & Hawley Construction donated an additional $40 to the winner’s share of all three features.
Joey Grammes and Stewart Friesen brought the 24 car Modified field down to green. Friesen surprised many as he blasted the cushion going into turn one to grab the lead over Grammes, Pat Ward, Mike Colsten, and Billy Van Pelt.
In the early going caution flags were brought out by cars racing in the top six positions. Van Pelt and Gary Tomkins spun out while racing Colsten for fourth on lap 13. Jeff Strunk in the second Brad Grammes owned entry spun out while going for fourth on lap 17.
On the restart Ward got past Grammes for second and set his sights on Friesen for the lead. The yellow came out on lap 19 for a multi car turn two wreck and the pivotal point of the race happened just before the race restarted.
All race long Friesen was running the extreme high groove and with him the being the leader he had a choice of where to start, either on the bottom or on the top for the double file restart. Friesen was in the high groove and just before the white flag was displayed he ironically switched to the bottom groove in an attempt to block Ward on the restart.
The plan didn’t work as when the green came out Ward blasted around Friesen to get the lead he would never give back. With the two Utica – Rome Speedway drivers comfortably in front all eyes were being focused on some very good in the pack racing.
Dan Vauter who started 12th was the first driver who started to make a move as he got into fourth on lap 22 and he moved into third on lap 30. Behind Vauter, Grammes, Colsten, 16th place starting Jeff Rudalavage, and Kevin Bates were waging their own personal war for fourth.
The only chance for Friesen to get a shot at getting the lead back would be in lap traffic. With Ward entering heavy lap traffic on lap 61 Friesen was able to reel him in but a yellow coming out on lap 66 slowed his progress.
When racing resumed Ward got back in his comfort zone by running the bottom and was never seriously challenged for the remainder of the race.
"I was surprised that he went to the bottom," said Pat when talking about the lap 19 restart. "I was actually looking forward to starting on the top because I was so good on the bottom of one and two. I thought I had something for him."
Pat who won this race last year said, "The 5 car (Grammes) was a little tight and he held me up early. But this shows just how tough that Utica-Rome crowd is by beating Stewart here tonight. The competition is tough up there and when we go on the road it just proves how tough Utica-Rome weekly racing is."
Qualifying for the 27 Modifieds on hand saw heat wins go to Ward, Grammes, and Strunk while Don Hart, Jr. won the B Main.
Mike Loney and Mike Nagel, Jr. brought the Sportsman field down to the green for the start of their 40 lap feature. Nagel, a third generation driver looking for his first career feature win jumped out to the lead over Loney, Joey Colsten, Nick Rochinski, and Rodney Hart.
Loney moving to the outside groove got past Nagel for the lead on lap four but Nagel retook the lead just five laps later by sticking to the bottom groove.
Justin Holland was making his presence felt as he moved into the top five on lap ten. Holland wasted no time getting to the front as he moved into fourth on lap 16.
Meanwhile up front a three car battle was taking place for the lead as Colsten found the extreme high groove to his liking to move into second on lap 18. Colsten continued his charge to the front as he took the lead on a lap 19 restart. Nagel never gave up and kept plugging away at the bottom groove to retake the lead on the next lap. Colsten rim rode into the lead once again on lap 22 while Nagel retook the lead using an inside turn two pass on lap 27.
Holland now in third was looking for a groove to use as the crowd was beginning to stand up watching all of the excellent racing action. Holland rim rode into second on lap 29 and finally got the lead with a crafty turn two outside pass for the lead on lap 32. However just after Holland completed lap 33 disaster struck as the left rear tire went flat causing Holland to stop to bring out the yellow.
Nagel inherited the lead once again and with the five laps to go signal being given Colsten started to challenge for the lead once again. Colsten tried lap after lap but Nagel could hold him off by running a very consistent low line. With two laps to go Colsten found enough bite in the extreme top groove to get around Nagel for the lead and win.
"I can’t describe that feature as it was hard work out there," said Joey who won on his sponsor’s night. "I had to drive the car awful hard and if I didn’t, it would shove up then track. If I didn’t drive it deep enough into the turn Mike would just drive back by me on the bottom. It was a pretty fine line up top as the last time it took me a few laps to hit it right but when I hit the line right I got a good four laps in a row and that was the only way I was able to get by Mike."
Qualifying for the 23 car field saw heat wins go to Nick Petrilak, Brad Alger, and Colsten.
Steven Deinhardt and Tommy Garren brought the Pure Stock field to green for the start of their 25 lap feature. Deinhardt jumped out to a big lead over Garren, Jonathon Carpenter, Butch Green, and Steve Polhamus. Green moved into second on lap three with Rich Green moving into fourth at the same time.
Deinhardt’s night came to an end exiting turn two on lap six as his car slowed with oil leaking out of it. This gave the lead to Butch Green and he only held the lead for one lap as his twin brother Rich vaulted his way from third to first on a lap eight restart.
Rich was leading Butch by a comfortable margin while Mike Wilbur started to make his presence known as he entered the top five. Wilbur was followed closely by Carpenter who had to pit to change a flat tire on lap three.
Just as the field was ready to go green following the fifth yellow of the race on lap 15 Rich Green pulled his car to the inside of the back straight ending his chances of a win. Twin brother Butch inherited the lead.
Butch Green had to survive two more restarts and a final two lap charge from Carpenter to secure his second win on the RoC Dart Dirt Pure Stock Tour this year.
Qualifying for the 17 cars in attendance saw heat wins go to Carpenter and Rich Green.
Modified feature finish: Pat Ward, Stewart Friesen, Dan Vauter, Jeff Rudalavage, Joey Grammes, Kevin Bates, Jeff Strunk, Mike Colsten, Alan Rudalavage, Brian Weaver, Gary Tomkins, Billy Van Pelt, Mike Gular, Don Hart, Jr., Butch Tittle, Dan Pompey, Danny Creeden, Jackie Brown, Jr., Rick Laubach, Darwin R. Greene, Bobby Trapper, Joel Batzel, Wade Decker, Jim Mahaney. DNQ’S; Mike Mahaney, Butch Cerullo, Brett Tonkin.
DART MACHINERY $500 SMALL BLOCK BONUS; Ward.
Sportsman feature finish: Joey Colsten, Mike Nagel, Jr., Nick Rochinski, Jeff Crambo, Mike Loney, Matt Janczuk, Steve Yankowski, Earl Paules, Nick Petrilak, James Morris, Justin Holland, Paul Strohl, Frank Doty, Damien Reynolds, Brad Alger, Jeremy Vunk, Charlie Hendrickson, Jr. , Jamie Batzel, Paul Rooney, Rodney Hart, Christine Martin, Craig Pope, Stanley Wilkins.
Pure Stock feature finish: Butch Green, Jonathon Carpenter, Tommy Garren, Harry Marvin, III, Charlie Gilbert, Earl Zimmer, Ray Lindquist, Chris Shimer, Norm Whittemore, Carl Shimer, Mike Coddington, Mike Wilbur, Rich Green, Steve Polhamus, Steven Deinhardt, Rick Hand. DNS; Shane Wolf.
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