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Monday, June 30, 2014

Western Pennsylvania Super Late Model Power Poll: Week 9



Hey Folks, much like the rest of western Pennsylvania's late model fanbase, I was at Lernerville Thursday, Friday and Saturday for the Firecracker and had a great time, but that doesn't mean I was going to slack off on my love for the weekly racing scene and forgo the rankings this week. I kept a close eye on the results from all the weekly tracks I use to to compute these scores and added them on to my spreadsheet that I reference for this article every week.

Obviously, Lernerville didn't score this week, because of the Firecracker. Eriez didn't score because it rained out. Bedford ran a sprint special and no super lates, so they didn't score either. Dog Hollow, Marion Center, AMP, McKean, Roaring Knob and PPMS (who ran a regular late model show in companion to their sprint special Sunday night) all got regular shows in this weekend, and drivers scored their points as usual.

1. Alex Ferree, 37 points. Alex remains at the top of the rankings this week, despite spending the weekend at Lernerville (where he had a very solid weekend for a local against an extremely deep field of national invaders). He ended up running PPMS Sunday, finishing second to his dad Ed, who won his first race in quite some time.

2. Mike Blose, 31 points. Mike jumps up to second in these rankings based on his win Friday night at Dog Hollow. He also ran Marion Center Saturday, but finished a disappointing eighth and didn't score any points.

3. Clate Copeman, 29 points. Clate didn't score any points this week, but obviously, the strong results earlier in the season keep him in striking distance of the lead. He ran Dog Hollow Friday, though and came home seventh. I didn't recall seeing his name in the results anywhere else this weekend, though.

4. Duane Stiner, 26 points. Duane scored a fifth at Dog Hollow and third at AMP to keep himself near the top of these standings too.

4. Rob Blair, 26 points. Rob didn't score any points this weekend, as he spent most of the weekend at Lernerville crew-chiefing for his son Max. He attempted to run Eriez on Sunday, though and even won a heat. One would have to think that he'd have ended up scoring some points if they got the whole show in, but those are the breaks.

4. Max Blair, 26 points. As I just referenced, Max was at Lernerville most of the weekend running with the WoO. He had a rather disappointing three nights, though. Just never seemed to hit the setup right. He attempted to salvage the weekend by running Eriez with his dad Sunday, but alas, mother nature declared that not to be so. In a bit of deja vu', in the heat race they did get to run at Eriez, much like Alex Ferree finishing second to his dad, Max finished second to his.

5. Luke Hoffner, 23 points. Luke finished a strong third at AMP to keep himself alive in these rankings. I am unsure if he ran anywhere else this weekend. I didn't see his name in any results.

6. Shawn Claar, 21 points. Shawn had a pretty good racing weekend by most standards, coming home third at Dog Hollow Friday and second at Marion Center Saturday.

7. Doug Glessner, 20 points. The only place I saw Doug's name in the results this weekend was Marion Center, but he he had the best night of them all, coming home with the win.

8. Russ King and Ron Delano both have 18 points. Neither scored any points this weekend. Russ struggled most of the weekend at Lernerville, only making one feature out of three. The only place I saw Ron's name this weekend was Dog Hollow and he came home a disappointing (for him, at least) 14th.

That's the top ten (okay, eleven because of a tie) folks, I'll see ya next week, same bat time, same bat place. 








This Week in DIRT. Schatz and Sweet score WoO Wins; Lanigan Secures Club 29 Sweep; Blaney Takes Four in Ohio


It's time for another one of these! We were kind of caught up at the Firecracker 100 this last weekend and devoted a lot of time to it. Don't worry sprint fans, we'll have something similar for the Don Martin Silver Cup at Lernerville later on in July.

Here at TDN, we pride ourselves in keeping an eye on all divisions for you. So if you checked out of dirt world for the past week, for any reason whatsoever. (At the beach, Stuck at work, getting arrested, on a bender, fleeing an ex wife) don't worry! We've got you covered! So sit back, relax, get your beer in hand and check out another edition of This Week in DIRT!


Schatz Sandwiches

Who wants em? Get em while they're hot! It's summer time and that means Schatz sandwiches will be available starting this weekend apparently.

The five time WoO Sprint champion could be heard singing Meatloaf's "Two out of Three Ain't bad" in his hauler tonight, and not too badly it was rumored!   Schatz parked it not once but twice this Friday and Sunday in WoO action. First at 34 Raceway in Minnesota, then Sunday at Cedar Lake, WI. The Friday victory was significant because it was his 154th and put him in third place on the all time WoO win list. 

Brad Sweet was the meat of the Schatz sandwich, (wow that sounds really bad).  Sweet pulled off a heroic win on Saturday night at Beaver Dam, Wi, less than 24 hours after he'd been in a horrific crash that saw his car literally break in half. Sweet was alright, and posted up his fifth WoO win of the 2014 campaign.


Lanigan Doesn't Finish 2nd In a Firecracker 100

Lanigan talks with our Jerin Steele after Firecracker win
He won it! And we're not lying, we were there! Yes boys and girls, we were all over this year's 8th annual Firecracker 100 where Darrell Lanigan and his Club 29 cars reigned supreme at Lernerville for three straight nights.

Lanigan who held off a late race charge from Scott Bloomquist, and managed to beat back mother nature at the same time, won the preliminary feature on Thursday. Then teammate Jimmy Owens parked his Club 29 piece in victory lane on Friday once again holding off his former teammate, one Scott Bloomquist. And once again on Saturday Lanigan kept ...(don't make us say it again!) Scott Bloomquist out of the winner's circle.

All in all it was a great weekend of racing and a well deserved win for Lanigan who'd been so close so many times before. You can check out all three days of our Firecracker 100 coverage by simply clicking on this convenient link:  Firecracker 100 Central Page



Where's the one for the thumb Blaney?

About the only thing Dale Blaney could be considered guilty of is not winning a fifth ASCoC Ohio Speedweek race. And we've already forgiven him actually!

Seriously, Blaney was all that and a bag of chips plus kool aid this week taking four features in the 410 sprint car extravaganza. With Schatz and Lanigan pulling the headlines, Blaney's week may have been something you may have been acutely aware of, but it's still very impressive!

He pulled in over $30,000 this week in six events and never finished worse than second on the two races he didn't manage to win. And then made a classy gesture, by donating $1500 of it back to the Kick It Foundation which helps in the fight against childhood cancer!

Up until the week that was, Blaney had only one All Star win this season coming in April, but now has five on the year and may be hitting his stride as the month of money ramps up in his neck of the woods at Eldora and Lernerville in just a few weeks. 

And that'll do it for this week. We've got our Driver of the Week piece, Josh Bayko's Western PA Super Late Model Rankings, and the NE Modified Rankings plus the Crate Report coming in the next few days, so check back here for the latest news!

Until then..............Stay DIRTY!!


Wednesday, June 25, 2014

8th Annual Firecracker 100 Central




Welcome to the  home of our 2014 Firecracker 100 Coverage! We'll be doing our best to keep you updated through all three days of action from Lernerville this weekend so be sure to keep checking up right here for the latest results, recaps, stories and coverage. You never know what else you might find here!



Details:


You can find all the time, place, schedule/protocol, and non racing festivities via Lernerville's Firecracker page.  Firecracker 100 Need to Know File

The page is also a great resource for first time goers or those from out of the area. There's camping information, hotels, ticket info, and other very useful information there as well!


Paul Archer Photo



Drivers List:

The following drivers are present at this years Firecracker 100.


Alex Ferree               Austin Hubbard            Bo Lockwood        Boom Briggs
Colton Flinner           Chase Junghans           Eric Jacobsen        Chris Casner
Chub Frank               Chuck Sarver                Clint Smith           Dale McDowell
Dan Stone                 Darrell Lanigan            Dave Hess Jr          Russ King
Mike Marlar               Davey Johnson             Doug Drown           Brian Tavenner
Eric Wells                 Frankie Heckenast Jr    Garrett Krummert  Gary Lyle
Gregg Satterlee        Herman Bertollini         Jared Miley            Jimmy Mars
Jimmy Owens           John Garvin Jr              John Blankenship    Justin Kann
Jonathan Davenport  Mike Altobelli Jr          Mike Benedum       Michael Norris
Mike Pegher Jr          Morgan Bagley              Rick Eckert            John Flinner   
Scott Bloomquist       Shane Clanton              Tim McCreadie      Todd Bachman
Tommy Beck             Vic Coffey                     Kent Robinson       Mike Knight
Tim Fuller                 Max Blair                      Dave Hess Jr          Casey Roberts
Dan Angellichio         Mason Ziegler                Matt Cochran       

                      



Weather:

Our Friends over at Raceday Weather will have a sharp eye open on the Firecracker weather all weekend long. Keep track by website: Raceday Weather  For up to the minute weather be sure to follow them on twitter @RaceDayWeather

Here's what our weather guru Trever Steele currently sees happening.

"While last year's Firecracker 100 was rain-plagued, the 2014 version of this event will see much more settled conditions.  Mother Nature did provide soaking rains earlier this week, but no more are in the forecast for this weekend.

Friday will see  plenty of afternoon sun and slightly milder temps.  For the Saturday finale, humidity will again be on the increase, which will allow for some development of scattered PM storms. Storms are not expected to be widespread, but the threat will be there."




Fri: Milder with continued Low Humidity High~82 | Partly Cloudy, Seasonable. Low~68

Sat: Muggy, Milder with isolated PM showers High~85 | An isolated shower, otherwise partly cloudy, mild. Low~71

 

Previous Winners:

  • 2007- Scott Bloomquist
  • 2008 - Brian Birkhofer
  • 2009 - Jimmy Mars
  • 2010 - Shane Clanton
  • 2011 - Jimmy Mars
  • 2012 - Scott Bloomquist
  • 2013 - Josh Richards
  • 2014 - ???

Media:

Here's a few great sources of info:

On Twitter: Make Sure you're following these folks

@TheDirtNetwork - We'll have live updates
@DirtonDirt - Always great info
@WoOLateModels- Good details
@lernerville - Great way to keep up

Other useful links:

Lernerville Speedway Home Page
World of Outlaw Late Model Official Site
Dirt On Dirt- Excellent Coverage

Racing:

We looked into our crystal ball, and pretty much came up with the same cast of characters in the mix in 2014. We all know who they are and they'll be up front at some point or another. Pick a name, Bloomquist, Mars, McCreadie, Birkhofer, Clanton, Lanigan...etc, and there's a potential winner.

Without much rain in the forecast, look for dry slick conditions by feature time if not before, but the track crew will keep it smooth and multi groove and very racy!

We recently discussed some drivers to look for outside of the perennial favorites. You can give it a look here: TDN Roundtable- Firecracker Edition

Here are the final staff predictions:

  • Brian Compton- "Bloomquist by a straightaway"
  • Pat Miller- "Seriously think Lanigan is going to win"
  • Josh Bayko- "Rick Eckert. He was always bad fast at Lernerville in a Rocket"
  • Gary Heeman- "McCreadie- "Always seems motivated for this one, just needs luck"
  • Jerin Steele- "Lanigan"
  • Trever Steele- "Eckert"
  • Eric Burton- "Tim McCreadie that's my pick and I am sticking to it"
  • Tyler Beichner- "My not so bold prediction is BLOOMER!"

In Closing:


This is one of the most anticipated events of the year and always provides a great time. It's not a crown jewel yet and it doesn't need to be! It's fan interactive, with great racing and a great time. 3 days of speed and glory with an atmosphere that's worthy of the hype. Enjoy the sights, sounds, tastes all weekend long.

And remember, we'll have this page updated every day, full of news, notes, recaps, interviews and much more!!
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Post Race Interview with Lanigan (Gary Heeman Photo)
Firecracker Night 3: Lanigan Battles Bloomquist and the Raindrops to pick up Elusive Firecracker Victory.

By Jerin Steele

Darrell Lanigan survived the rain and a late race charge from Scott Bloomquist to pick up his first Firecracker 100 victory Saturday night.

The rain started to fall in the closing stages of the race while Bloomquist was making a late race push to try and get around the 29 machine. The rain became heavier and the race was put under caution on lap 90. It was called shortly after.

"I couldn't feel the rain in the car, but I knew I was about to go off the track every lap," Lanigan said beside his Gotta Race.com, Keyser Manufacturing, Cornett Thunder backed Club 29 machine. "I'm just glad they threw the caution." 

You can hear more quotes from Lanigan here Darrell Lanigan- Post Race Interview

After a rain delay pushed the start back Jonathan Davenport and Lanigan paced the field to the start. When the green flag flew it was Lanigan who got the early jump.  Fourth starting Scott Bloomquist quickly got around Jimmy Mars and Davenport to move into second. The caution came out just a few laps into the race when Chub Frank spun and Chase Junghans slowed on the track. Junghans would be done for the evening.

The race restarted but was slowed once again on lap 12 for Boom Briggs who spun.

The second restart of the race saw Davenport use the outside line to pass both Bloomquist and Lanigan on the backstretch to take the lead. From there the race went on a long green flag run that saw Davenport stretch his lead to a full straightaway on Lanigan. Davenport continued to enjoy that nice cushion, while working masterfully through lapped traffic, until Briggs spun for the second time to bring out the yellow on lap 38.

A couple of more incidents brought out the yellow shortly after including one for Gregg Satterlee who slowed on lap 40. At the same time Friday night’s winner Jimmy Owens pulled into the infield with a mechanical issue on his number 20 machine. After that Briggs spun for the third time on lap 43.

The race would settle in for a while from there and Davenport went back to having a comfortable lead. Around lap 60 Lanigan started to reel in the driver of the number 6 longhorn chassis car and the race was on. On lap 65 sparks started to appear from the rear of Davenport’s mount and heartbreak set in on lap 67 when his car slowed to a stop with a broken drive shaft. This unfortunately would end his night.

Lanigan inherited the lead, and enjoyed a nice five car length lead on Bloomquist until the caution waved one final time for an on track incident when Dan Stone slid to a stop in turn four. Stone would rebound to finish tenth. Around this time the rain started falling lightly on the speedway.

Lanigan would battle the deteriorating track conditions due to the moisture and had to fend off Bloomquist, who was catching him running the middle to low part of the track while Lanigan continued to soldier around the top. The track conditions became unsuitable for racing and the yellow flag flew ending the event.
After finishing second numerous times in the Saturday night finale The Union, Ky native will get his name on the trophy.

Bloomquist came home second for the third straight night. Ninth starting John Blankenship wound up third followed by Dale McDowell, who was racing a backup car after a hard crash on Friday, and Mars rounded out the top five.

Morgan Bagley was the hard charger and after taking a provisional he drove from his 25th starting spot up to sixth.

Owens, Lanigan, Bloomquist, Blankenship, Davenport and Kent Robinson took heat race wins. Frank, Dave Hess, Jr and Mike Benedum won the bmains.

World of Outlaws tour regular Shane Clanton was disqualified for the night after making contact with Frank multiple times under caution in his heat race. They tangled in a wreck early in the heat and after Clanton made repairs he let Frank know his displeasure with him by bumping him a few times before they went back to green.


The Uncle Sam 30 was postponed until the World of Outlaws return to the Sarver oval for the Working Man’s 50 on August 29th.

Check out Eric Westendorf''s full results here Firecracker 100 Quick Results

Firecracker 100 Night 2; Friday June 27



Owens Comes Up With Save; Holds off Bloomquist for 1st Career Lernerville Win

from Gary Heeman- TDN

The packed grandstands at Lernerville, full to the brim with of some of the most passionate super late model fans in the country were treated to yet another memorable preliminary night feature Friday night.  Jimmy Owens survived a furious charge from Scott Bloomquist to capture the win on a night that kept drivers guessing with track conditions that went from dry slick, to light and tacky to anywhere between the two over the course of the evening.

Time Trials:

Local driver John Garvin Jr put his name in the books with a surprising quick time performance. Garvin Jr became the first local driver to earn the honor in the event's history. Jonathan Davenport kept impressing the crowd in his first Firecracker appearance, leading group B qualifying while last night's fastest time winner, Mike Marlar got off to a shaky start by spinning in his first attempt but managed fourth quick. Chub Frank opened some eyes by taking the third fastest time. The track was typically greasy for the first few runs with most drivers looking topside for the best forward bite.





Heats:

Heat 1:
Garvin's time put him on the pole, but Owens made quick work of it from the get go. He took the lead from Garvin Jr on lap 1 and Tim McCreadie found his way past Garvin just moments later while John Blankenship made a charge toward the end but could not take the third and final transfer spot away from Garvin Jr as Owens checked out to a 4+ second win. 

Heat 2:
Chub Frank and local driver Garrett Krummert led heat two to the green flag and while Frank wasted no time taking the early lead, a five car battle for the final two transfer spots ensued behind him. Shane Clanton and Russ King moved out of the pack and claimed the final two transfer spots while last night's hard charger, Jared Miley,  tried his best to make it interesting, falling short of the last spot.

Heat 3:
Right around the green flag, the cushion was getting fairly thin and the low side became the preferred groove. Mike Marlar took the lead from the pole as Jimmy Mars and Eric Jacobsen both made their way past second starting Mike Benedum to take the final two transfer spots.

Heat 4:
Two drivers that were in the hunt last night started up front in this one as Davenport and Scott Bloomquist paced the field to the green. Bloomquist jumped out to the early lead and rolled the car through the middle groove with surgeon like precision. Davenport and Gregg Satterlee earned the final two starting spots without much debate as Morgan Bagley made a furious charge but came up short at the end.

Heat 5:
Tim Fuller's had a good start to the three day weekend, posting up good times in qualifying and has been towards the front consistently so far and heat five was no exception. Fuller took the early lead while Frankie Heckenast Jr moved around second starting Dan Stone for second. Dream 100 winner Dale McDowell had his hood fly off on the opening lap and on lap 7 suffered a tough break as he slid off the track in turn three at full speed landing on a guardrail in front of the pit grandstand. McDowell was alright but his car, not so much and he was forced to retire from the action for the rest of the evening.  Fuller pulled away on the restart to capture the win with Heckenast Jr and Stone finishing in transfer positions

Heat 6:
Kent Robinson and Mason Ziegler took the green on the front row and held onto the transfer spots, but it was Ziegler that took the win and redraw spot with his early pass. WoO regulars Darrell Lanigan (last night's feature winner) and Rick Eckert found themselves battling for the final ticket to the show from heat six and although Lanigan kept Eckert at bay, neither looked particularly impressive on this night. It's hard to say whether either one were trying some new setups but neither would be a factor in the mix the rest of the evening.




BMains:

The track used the time between heats and last chance showdowns to rework the surface with a quick till/water/pack session that raised the intrigue factor significantly. Most fans in attendance kept asking "What's going to change now?" As the six heat winners gathered for their redraw, the number of drivers peering out over turns three and four to take a peek at the changing surface grew. And when it was finished the track went from hard to light with moisture, leaving drivers and crew to change plans and hope for the best.

BMain 1:
Blankenship and Miley led the first LCS to green and they stayed right where they were until Miley used the momentum from the rejuvenated top side to get around Blankenship for the win. Mike Knight made a valiant effort to catch the second place car but couldn't find a way by once he was there in the mix.

Bmain 2:
Mike Benedum had to be feeling pretty good after a decent time trial, and a fair performance in his heat. So when he lined up on the pole of LCS number 2, it was a good bet he'd move on. But that's why they race! The race revealed that Benedum may have been missing something or had gremlins because Austin Hubbard and Morgan Bagley went around him fairly easily, taking the two transfer positions.

Bmain 3:
Dave Hess committed the crime of premature acceleration on the start, putting Rick Eckert on the pole of the final LCS of the night. But the real story was Davey Johnson. He'd not had a good opening night and seemed destined for perhaps another night of watching the feature instead of driving in it. Johnson quickly picked up two spots in two laps and rocketed around Eckert for the win and looked completely confident on the newer surface. WoO rookie of the year candidate Chase Junghans also got around Eckert to take the final transfer spot.






Dow Carnahan and Jimmy Owens in Victory Lane

Feature:

The storylines between Jimmy Owens and Scott Bloomquist are many and to be frank, explaining them further would simply not do justice to the action on the track.

The minute the redraw revealed that both Tennessee drivers would be starting on the front row, was the moment that most in attendance knew what to expect. That in 30 laps, very few competitors would be able to catch them let alone get around them if they were able to close any gap.

As Owens jumped out to a 1.5 second lead in the first few laps, Tim McCreadie tried his best to reel them in, moving through a tight pack from his seventh starting position to find himself in third in the opening moments. But he'd get no closer. Owens and Bloomquist were simply dominant and the clear class of the field Friday night.

The caution flag flew on lap 11 when Jared Miley and Mason Ziegler tangled at the end of the front stretch, causing considerable damage to Miley's car.  It was a tough break for two drivers that have looked tough in the early going. On the restart, Owens started to open a considerable gap between himself and Bloomquist. But, on lap 19 Owens got into trouble with the cushion in turn two and made an unbelievable save, allowing him to retain the lead until a lap 24 caution would stack the field back up for one final battle to the end.

The final six laps saw Bloomquist all over Owens, as both had great cars and clean air to work with and they gave the fans a memorable finish as Bloomquist used a middle grove to creep up on Owens with every lap. By the final circuit, Bloomquist threw his best effort and pulled almost door handle to door handle while Owens used up the last of the high side momentum to just barely keep Bloomquist at bay and in second as he collected his first ever career Lernerville win.  McCreadie held off a late charge from former champion Jimmy Mars to keep third. While Chub Frank rounded out the top five with a strong performance.

"This track's just so racy that you don't know where the groove is" remarked Jimmy Owens in victory lane. "I felt pretty comfortable up high, but once I hit lapped traffic I felt like I was going to have to start moving around, but with the way the cautions hit, I was able to stay where I was."

You can hear the full victory lane interview here: Jimmy Owens in Victory Lane


Top 10:

1. Jimmy Owens
2. Scott Bloomquist
3. Tim McCreadie
4. Jimmy Mars
5. Chub Frank
6. Tim Fuller
7. John Blankenship
8. Kent Robinson
9. Austin Hubbard
10. John Blankenship















Update:

The same 55 cars in attendance last night were on display again tonight for night 2 of the Firecracker 100.  In a surprise, local competitor John Garvin Jr set quick time overall. When the dust settled on the evening, it was Jimmy Owens who edged Scott Bloomquist by fractions of a second to claim his first ever Lernerville victory of any kind. Tim McCreadie finished out the podium.  Our full recap will be up momentarily.


Top 10:

1. Jimmy Owens
2. Scott Bloomquist
3. Tim McCreadie
4. Jimmy Mars
5. Chub Frank
6. Tim Fuller
7. John Blankenship
8. Kent Robinson
9. Austin Hubbard
10. John Blankenship









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Firecracker Night 1; Thursday June 26


 

Update:

55 Cars are currently present at Lernerville on night 1.  A few surprises have rolled in including Jonathan Davenport, Casey Roberts, Mike Marlar, Mike Knight, John Flinner and Jimmy Owens.

Owens appearance had been rumored for weeks. like most years actually.  But most longtime fans simply had trouble believing it until they actually saw the car on the track, he's in attendance, it's not an illusion.

Tonight, they'll be going 30 laps for $6,000 to win.

Quick time tonight was set by Mike Marlar with a 16.221.

Top 10 in time trials:

1. Mike Marlar 16.221
2. Scott Bloomquist 16.425
3. Jonathan Davenport 16.543
4. Doug Drown 16.631
5. Jimmy Owens 16.750
6. Kent Robinson 16.792
7. Morgan Bagley 16.805
8. Darrell Lanigan 16.845
9. John Garvin 16.858
10. Tim Fuller 16.883

Transferring from the heats on night 1:

Jimmy Owens
Mike Marlar
Mike Knight
Scott Bloomquist
Tim Fuller
Kent Robinson
Doug Drown
Morgan Bagley
Alex Ferree
Jonathan Davenport
John Blankenship
Max Blair
Darrell Lanigan
Mason Ziegler
Dan Stone
Austin Hubbard
Rick Eckert
Shane Clanton

Transferring from the BMains (3) Night 1:

Jared Miley
Tim McCreadie
Dave Hess Jr
Chub Frank
Dale McDowell
Boom Briggs

Feature Lineup:

Darrell Lanigan            Jonathan Davenport
Doug Drown                Scott Bloomquist
Austin Hubbard           Jimmy Owens
Mike Marlar                Tim Fuller
Morgan Bagley            John Blankenship
Mason Ziegler             Rick Eckert
Mike Knight                Kent Robinson
Alex Ferree                 Max Blair
Dan Stone                    Shane Clanton
Jared Miley                  Dave Hess Jr
Dale McDowell           Tim McCreadie
Chub Frank                  Boom Briggs
Eric Wells                    Frank Heckenast Jr

Feature Finish: Top 10

1. Darrell Lanigan
2. Scott Bloomquist
3. Jimmy Owens
4. Jonathan Davenport
5. Mike Marlar
6. Tim Fuller
7. Jared Miley
8. Alex Ferree
9. Morgan Bagley
10. Rick Eckert




Thursday Recap:- Trever Steele

Fifty five of the best dirt late model drivers in the country provided an exciting show on night 1 of the Firecracker 100 in front of a packed house. Group qualifying set the stage for six heat races, Mike Marlar set quicktime in Group A and Jonathan Davenport did so in Group B.

For time trials, the track required running a precise line around the top on a rather slick surface.  However, following time trials, the track was reworked and watered from top to the bottom. This extra track work provided a very good surface for the rest of the night.

Heat 1: Fellow Tennessee drivers Mike Marlar and Jimmy Owens battled for the lead much of the race. Marlar held the point the first nine laps until Owens secured the win with an impressive run off turn two on the last lap. Mike Knight also raced his way into the Amain with a strong run from 8th to 3rd.

Heat 2: Scott Bloomquist led wire to wire in impressive fashion.  Tim Fuller drove by Kent Robinson to take 2nd, while Robinson settled for the final transfer spot. The bottom groove was preferred in this heat, as all the top running cars were running a similar line.

Heat 3: "Hammer Down" Doug Drown lived up to his nickname, rim riding to a dominating victory.  Morgan Bagley grabbed the second transfer spot, while local Alex Ferree slid by Frank Heckenast for the final transfer spot.

Heat 4: "Superman" Jonathan Davenport continued his strong season with an easy victory. John Blankenship took home a strong second. Max Blair looked very impressive, holding off Gregg Satterlee for the final transfer spot.

Heat 5: An interesting start to this heat, as Garrett Krummert got into the back of outside pole sitter Dan Stone. This stacked up the outside line, while pole-sitter Darrell Lanigan raced out to the lead.  Lanigan led  all the way with Mason Ziegler finishing 2nd. Stone recovered from his poor start to take home the final transfer spot by passing Dale McDowell and Jimmy Mars.

Heat 6: Delware's Austin Hubbard survived a restart with one lap to go for the final heat win. Outlaws Rick Eckert and Shane Clanton also took transfer spots.

Bmains:  Jared Miley drove past Tim McCreadie to take the win in Bmain #1, while T-Mac held on to take the second transfer spot.  Dave Hess Jr, Gregg Satterlee, Chub Frank, and Mike Benedum all were in the hunt for the two transfer spots in Bmain #2.  Hess would take the win, but the battle was on for 2nd.  Satterlee and Chub raced side-by-side for several laps, before Chub finally prevailed on the last lap to take the transfer spot.  Dream winner Dale McDowell took home the win in the final Bmain, while Boom Briggs squeezed by Jimmy Mars to claim the final spot in the 30 lap Amain.

Amain: Lanigan and Davenport led the 28 car field to green. 4th starting Scott Bloomquist tried to take the front starters three wide at the green flag, but got squeezed out heading into turn 1.  Davenport passed Lanigan on the outside coming off turn 2 to secure the early lead, while Doug Drown also was able to get by Lanigan for 2nd.

 In the following laps, Davenport would open up a sizeable lead with Lanigan and Bloomquist both getting by Drown for 2nd and 3rd, respectively.  The first caution flew on lap 9 for Kent Robinson breaking off turn 4, just as the leaders were approaching lap traffic. Bloomquist used the restart to his advantage, as he was able to clear Lanigan for 2nd.  Davenport continued to lead, as he used the very top of the track to keep up his momentum around the Sarver oval.

Lanigan began to track down Bloomquist for 2nd as the halfway mark approached in the lap 30 event. On lap 16, Lanigan pulled a slidejob to get by Bloomquist momentarily going into turn 2, but Bloomquist drove back by down the backstretch.

Dan Stone brought out a caution on Lap 17, again just as the leaders were approaching lap traffic.  This setup a clear track for the leaders to battle with 13 laps to go.

Davenport once again used the outside to drive by Bloomquist for the lead on the restart. However, Bloomquist pulled an impressive slidejob in turns 3 and 4 to take the lead on lap 19.

Once the Team Zero car gets out front at Lernerville, it usually stays there. However, just two laps later a charging Lanigan drove past Bloomquist.  Lanigan officially took the lead on lap 21 and would hold it the rest of the way to claim his first Lernerville win.

Jimmy Owens tracked down Bloomquist in the closing laps, but was unable to get past the 0 machine.  Bloomquist, Owens, Davenport and Mike Marlar rounded out the top five.  Locals Alex Ferree and Jared Miley each had an impressive start to the weekend, as both drove their way to top 10 finishes. Miley earned the hard charger coming from 19th to finish 7th, as he passed many stout drivers both high and low.

Lanigan seemed relieved in victory lane, after finally getting it done at Lernerville. Lanigan is no stranger to victory lane on the Outlaw tour, however, as it was his sixth Outlaw victory of the season.

We do it all again tomorrow night with another 30 lap, $6,000 to win feature.

To see our photo gallery from last night, courtesy of Pat Miller. Click Here


Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Donny Schatz WoOs the Home Town Fans in Grand Forks



If you haven't seen this highlight video from last Friday's race at River Cities Speedway, it's worth a look. You missed one heck of a race.

Five-time World of Outlaws Champion Donny Schatz won in impressive fashion, edging out Cody Darrah and Kerry Madsen. After the race, Schatz had this to say his sixth win of the season.
"It wasn't pretty, I know that," said Schatz. "It was on two wheels, no wheels, it was kind of all over the place. I was kind of nervous there the first part, I just could not get the thing to roll the corners very well. This STP crew, I can't say enough about them. They're unbelievable. We got qualifying a lot better. Generally we race a lot better, but tonight it wasn't that way. They did a great job, they deserve this. They kept digging and let me have a little fun and we got the victory." (WoOSprint.com)
With the win, Schatz secured the 153rd win of his World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series career. Currently, Schatz has a 27 point lead over Daryn Pittman. The Outlaws will return to River Cities Speedway on August 15, 2014.

Western Pennsylvania Super Late Model Power Poll: Week 8


Hey folks, I know it's a day late this week. I had some computer issues yesterday and couldn't get it done. I got 'em ironed out now, and everything seems to be cool, so that means it's time for my weekly update to the rankings.

This week, Lernerville, Dog Hollow, Roaring Knob, Marion Center, America's Raceway Park, McKean County Raceway and Eriez all got their shows in. Bedford had a special and PPMS rained/mudded out.

So let's get to some rankings...

1. Alex Ferree, 33 points. Alex remains at the top of the rankings despite only getting one scoring track in this week, Friday at Lernerville. He came home second.

2. Clate Copeman, 29 points. Clate stays in second this week. He came home second at Dog Hollow to score his only points of the weekend. He also ran Marion Center Center Saturday, but finished tenth and didn't score any points.

3. Mike Blose, 26 points. Mike had one of those dream weekends to boost him up in this points race. We won Friday at Dog Hollow and Saturday at Dog Hollow.

3. Rob Blair, 26 points. Rob only scored points this week at Eriez, but the points he scored were the five one gets for winning a feature. He was crewing for son Max at Bedford and Port Royal the other nights of the weekend.

3. Max Blair, 26 points. Max moves into a tie with his dad by finishing second to him at Eriez. As mentioned above, he was off chasing NDRL northeast races the rest of the weekend. He got fourth at Bedford and tenth at Port Royal.

4. Duane Stiner, 22 points. Duane only scored at one track this weekend, but picked up the big five points for winning Saturday night at AMP. I'm unsure if he ran anywhere Friday.

5. Luke Hoffner, 19 points. Luke only ran AMP this week too, and ironically, he came home second right behind Duane Stiner. I am also unsure if he ran anywhere Friday.

6. Ron Delano, 18 points. Ron only scored points at Roaring Knob Saturday, coming home fourth. I don't think he ran anywhere else during the weekend.

6. Russ King, 18 points. Russ didn't score any points this week, much like last week. He ran Lernerville Friday coming home an unlucky thirteenth. I'm not sure if he ran anywhere else this weekend.

7. Doug Glessner, 15 points. Doug's only scored points this week came on Saturday at Marion Center, where he came home third. I didn't see his name in the results anywhere else this weekend.

So that's it for this week. See yinz jags next week.



Monday, June 23, 2014

TDN Driver of the Week: Crockett Takes First Ever WoO Sprint Win; Roberts, Holtgraver and Sheppard Take Honorable Mentions


 
 
 
 
Roger Crockett lost a tire and won his first World of Outlaws feature  all on the last lap of Saturday night's World of Outlaw Sprint series race at I-94 Speedway.  The Medford, OR wheelman who'd  recently been selected to pilot the number 82 Blazin Racing, Buffalo Wild Wings entry for the remainder of the summer, rewarded those that had faith in him by parking it in victory lane. Crockett had been building a name for himself in the Lucas ASCS Northwest Sprint Series for years and had been dominant in doing so. He's racked up numerous point championships with ASCS and tracks in his geography and while he may be a known quantity to many diehard sprint fans, Saturday's win perhaps completed his introduction to the rest of DIRT nation. Congrats Mr. Crockett on your first WoO Sprint victory and on being named our TDN Driver of the Week!
 
Video of Crockett's last lap tire mishap and checkered flag
 
For the complete Press Release from the World of Outlaws, click here:  Roger Crockett Wins at I-94
 
 
 

Honorable Mentions:

 



Casey Roberts:

Mr. Roberts had himself a fantastic weekend on the Lucas tour this past Friday and Saturday. He came in 4th at Cherokee Speedway and the following night took the checkers at Smoky Mountain Speedway in Maryville, TN. Roberts inherited the lead on lap 34 from Scott Bloomtuist who had a flat tire. The great weekend should surprise no one who follows Super Late Models closely, Roberts won a World of Outlaw Late Model tilt in Volusia back in February and has several regional series points champions down south on his resume.



Danny Holtgraver:

Came up with a huge $10,000 win at Eldora Speedway to kick off Ohio Speedweeks on Saturday night. The 24 year old Pittsburgh native held off a furious charge from Dale Blaney in the closing laps to earn his first of what will likely be several Eldora victories in his career.
You can red the full story here:
Holtgraver wins in Eldora




Matt Sheppard:

Ever since Matt had an unfortunate scoring error at Canandaigua a couple weeks back, he'd been driving like he'd had something to prove. And it manifested itself into a great week. Superman Sheppard took the SuperDIRTcar Series "Dirty Jersey 60" last Tuesday, but he didn't stop there. A win at Brewerton at Friday and two top 5's at Canandaigua and Utica-Rome on Sunday cemented his place among our honorable mentions.


Races to Watch This Coming Week:

  • World Of Outlaw Late Models at Big Diamond, PA; June 24
  • World of Outlaw Late Models at Lernerville, PA; June 26-27-28 (Firecracker 100)
  • World of Outlaw Sprint Cars at 34 Raceway, MN June 27
  • World of Outlaw Sprint Cars at Beaver Dam Raceway, WI; June 28
  • World of Outlaw Sprint Cars at Cedar Lake, WI; June 29
  • SuperDIRTCar Series Modifieds at Utica Rome, NY; June 25
  • SuperDIRTCar Series Modifieds at Cornwall, Ont; June 29
  • All Star Sprint Ohio Speedweek

Previous TDN 'Driver of the Week' Winners:

Week 13: Dale McDowell
Week 12: Stewart Friesen
Week 11: Daryn Pittman
Week 10: Christopher Bell
Week 9: Shane Stewart
Week 8: Shannon Babb
Week 7: Shannon Babb
Week 6: Jonathan Davenport
Week 5: Dale Blaney
Week 4: David Gravel
Week 3: Kyle Strickler
Week 2: Rico Abreu
Week 1: Chris Madden

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Murdick Continues Hot Streak; Matus Gets Rewarded; The Wizard Returns;-The Story From Lernerville

 
 
About halfway through the feature action Friday night at Lernerville Speedway, fellow TDN contributor Jerin Steele came up for a visit and asked "Is there a full moon out tonight?" I've never been one to follow the lunar phases and had no idea that it was actually the weekend before. But it might as well have been last night.
 
The action track got doused with a fairly light but persistent rain shower just as the bulk of the fans started arriving for another dose of Fab Four Friday racing. And just as it appeared that it might be enough to force a cancellation, the showers vanished while leaving behind a heavy track that would remain so throughout the night.
 
There was carnage (all drivers okay), there were some hot tempers on display in front of the grandstand, and there was the image of young Brandon Matus climbing the front stretch fence in celebration of his first Lernerville win of the season. And also, the image of 11 cars finishing a lengthy attrition derby in the super late models.
 
Drivers that were prepared for a slicker surface then normal, were in for a complete surprise, and a rather large cushion to navigate but for fans in attendance, the action on the track was well worth the wet clothes and delays as the night produced some of the best action of the year.
 
 
 



Modifieds:

Dave Murdick's early season struggles must
seem like a blur at this point. He's simply
been on fire the last few weeks as he took home his second feature win in as many Friday's and before that had been making himself a top 3 fixture again.

Murdick started on the front row but it would be no easy victory as the veteran modified driver had to keep a pack hungry drivers at bay for the greater part of 25 laps. He was able to gain some breathing room in the first few laps following a lap 3 restart but behind him, Brian Swartzlander, Mat Williamson and Rex King Jr were finding their way around the track and started reeling in the eventual feature winner. Swartzlander appeared to be making up the most ground until he got in trouble on lap 7 while running second. Then King Jr emerged from the dogfight behind Murdick and even swapped the lead back and forth in a great battle for the win until he jumped the cushion on lap 21 and Murdick kept on cruising to a 1.7 second victory margin for his 30th career modified win at Lernerville which moved him into 8th place on the all time modified win list.

Top 10

1. Dave Murdick
2. Mat Williamson
3. Brian Swartzlander
4. Rex King Jr
5. Rex King Sr
6. Tom Winkle
7. Brad Rapp
8. Chris Haines
9. Steve Feder
10. Jeremiah Shingledecker




Late Models:

Friday night, the wizard returned! Following a period of time off from racing, former two time track champion Dave Hess Jr returned to his former weekly stomping ground. And did so with determination, winning a not for the feint of heart feature in the super late model division that saw a multitude of cautions and a hard flip by Michael Norris which prompted two unwelcome sights, the red flag and a flatbed truck.  Norris was alright but more than a few drivers will be hurried to get their cars prepared for the upcoming Firecracker 100 next weekend.

Garrett Krummert and Russ King brought the field to green as King took the early lead and set a torrid pace generating a three second advantage from the get go. Krummert was slowed by a flat tire early on but looked as if he might have been headed for a top 5 finish and had a particularly strong looking car.

King would then have issues on lap five when he hung his car off the back straightaway a little too far opening the door for John Garvin Jr and point leader Alex Ferree to get by. But on lap nine, Norris had a brush with the inside berm in turn three which vaulted his car into the air in a nasty looking crash would bring out an extended stoppage.

On the ensuing restart, Garvin Jr and Rick "Boom" Briggs tangled on the front stretch causing Garvin Jr to sustain damage as he slid off the track before turn one just past the wall. He then proceeded to let Briggs know his true feelings on the matter as he took the long walk down to the pits in front of the main grandstand, stopping several times to point at Briggs and demonstrate other signs of frustration.

With Ferree in control, it looked as if the race had finally settled into a predictable outcome. But others would have a say in the matter such as Mike Benedum who patiently climbed to second and Hess Jr who started 13th and proceeded to march through the cars in front of him taking second from Benedum on lap 13. Hess then used the topside to get around Ferree on lap 21 to collect the victory and a starting spot in the Firecracker 100.

Top 10:
1. Dave Hess Jr
2. Alex Ferree
3. Chub Frank
4. Mike Benedum
5. Brian Swartzlander
6. Mike Pegher Jr
7. Rick Briggs
8. Dave Murdick
9. Chuck Sarver
10. Gary Lyle




 Sprints:

The notion of luck favoring those who stay patient and keep working hard was tested and found true by one Brandon Matus in the sprint division. Matus had brought a strong car and all the skills necessary to win all season long, but hadn't tasted victory lane yet in 2014 at Lernerville.

But his patience and hard work were rewarded on this particular night...

The red flag of dread was displayed just after the green flag dropped when front row starting Cory Good and Dan shelter tangled just a few seconds past the flagstand, both drivers were okay. Carl Bowser, seeking his third straight feature win wasted no time at all jumping out to the early lead and looked unbeatable in doing so.

But halting his progress was another red flag on lap 2 for Scott Priester who went on a wild ride in turns one and two with a terrifying end over end flip. Thankfully, Priester was unhurt in the accident. 

Bowser then went back to work with most of the cars picking up the high side of the track where a cushion had developed to lean on. he'd just started picking through lapped traffic when a flat tire on lap 8 dashed his hopes of completing the hat trick.

Matus then inherited the lead and after surviving a lap 11 restart, he was clearly the best car on the track the rest of the way.  Runner up Jack Sodeman Jr did his best to reel Matus in and behind them, Mike Wagner and Billy Dietrich waged a tight battle for third, but at the end of 25 laps, Matus had sealed his first Lernerville win of 2014, climbing the fence to the fans delight following the checkered flag.

"Carl had a little misfortune obviously and I benefitted from it tonight" Matus said. "I've been in his (Bowser's) position more than I can count on two hands so I'll take this one for sure."

With the win Matus assured himself of a starting spot in the World of Outlaws Don Martin Silver Cup in July.


You can hear Brandon talking after the race about the win and more about the season and upcoming Don Martin Silver Cup here: Brandon Matus from Lernerville

Top 10:

1. Brandon Matus
2. Jack Sodeman Jr
3. Billy Dietrich
4. Logan Wagner
5. Mike Lutz
6. Brandon Spithaler
7. Lance Moss
8. Brent Matus
9. Dan Kuriger
10. George Hobaugh Jr



Sportsman:


When a car and driver the caliber of Corey McPherson starts up front it usually means that only a misfortunate turn of events could ruin the night. No such events took place Friday night and McPherson towed the field behind him for 20 laps en route to his third feature win of the season.

The track offered up a bit of a challenge for the sportsman stock drivers who normally have to deal with a skating rink instead of a tacky surface. The "slower is faster" methodology certainly didn't apply on this night though, and McPherson was good wherever he ran, sprinting out to a 6 to 7 second lead.

Terry Young, Rob Shook and Joe Kelley offered up what resistance they could as Young moved forward from his fifth starting spot to second. And Brett McDonald returned to his familiar number 25 car for the first time in several weeks following a crash at PPMS, and didn't miss a beat turning in a strong top 10 performance.

But the night belonged to McPherson. The victory tightened up the points battle between himself and Jim Fosnaught and will be one to watch closely in the coming weeks.

"There wasn't much of a cushion coming into turn three, but coming out of four there was a berm and the car wanted to push a little coming out of it" McPherson said. "The car worked really well in one and two though."

With the win, McPherson earned a starting spot in the Sportsman Stock Spectacular as part of the September Autumn Motive Fest at Lernerville.


Top 10:

1. Corey McPherson
2. Terry Young
3. Joe Kelley
4. Rob Shook
5. Mark Sanders
6. Mike Miller
7. Jim Fosnaught
8. Brett McDonald
9. Aaron Easler
10. Bob Egley

Friday, June 20, 2014

World of Outlaws Invade River Cities Speedway

Tonight, the STP World of Outlaws Sprint Car series invades River Cities Speedway. Five-time World of Outlaws Champion Donny Schatz (Fargo, ND), leads the Outlaws on the famed high-banked 3/10 mile dirt oval known as “The Bullring” .

Schatz is the current WoO points leader, and leads Daryn Pittman by six points.

While Schatz might be the current points leader, he isn't paying attention to the standings all that much.
“We’ve won championships before,” he said. “We know how to win them. It’s all about winning races day in and day out. … Most important part is just keep going in the right direction and focus on the problem areas.” (Wayne Nelson, Grand Forks Herald)
Since 2007, there has been 13 WoO A-Features at River Cities Speedway, Donny Schatz and Craig Dollanksy lead the pack with three wins each. Dollansky is not racing full-time with WoO this season, and is a regular at Knoxville Raceway and Huset’s Speedway.

Tonight, Donny Schatz will be doing double duty. Schatz will be racing his sprint car as well as his NLRA Late Model. Last August, the Fargo, ND native wooed the crowd as he won both the sprint car feature and the late model feature.

Here's the list of WoO A-Main winners at River Cities Speedway.

River Cites, Previous A-Feature winners:
2013 – Cody Darrah on June 21, Donny Schatz on Aug. 16
2012 – Kraig Kinser on June 15, Sammy Swindell on Aug. 17
2011 – Craig Dollansky on June 17, Craig Dollansky on June 18, Steve Kinser on Aug. 19
2010 – Steve Kinser on June 19, Joey Saldana on June 20
2009 – Donny Schatz on June 19, Craig Dollansky on Aug. 21
2008 – Donny Schatz on June 27
2007 – Joey Saldana on June 29

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Mid Season Championships at Lernerville and Mercer And B.O.S.S Wingless Sprints from PPMS Highlight Area Dirt Action; ASCoC Sprints Tackle Sharon on Tuesday

 
 
So where to go this weekend? It's simple folks, pick a place and make your plans!
 
 
Lots of action this weekend in western Pennsylvania as some great events are scheduled at some of our favorite places.
 

Before you head out the door, always give Raceday Weather a look. And for the latest area weather updates be sure to follow on twitter @RacedayWeather
 
 


It's Mid Season Championship night at the action track this Friday night. All feature winners will receive automatic qualifiers for their respective division's biggest events in 2014.  There could just be a few invaders in the mix looking to pick up a win and guarantee a starting spot in either the Don Martin Silver Cup, Firecracker 100, Automotive Fest, or the Steel City Stampede.

Among this weeks story lines, Carl Bowser seeks a hat trick Friday night by winning his third straight feature event in the sprints while Alex Ferree and Russ King continue their epic battle atop the standings in the late models. The Kings (Jr and Sr) look to put some breathing room in between themselves and the rest of the pack in the big block modifieds.  And in the sportsman stocks, Jim Fosnaught and Corey McPherson try for their 3rd wins of the season.

It is also Juvenille Diabetes Research Foundation benefit night, with your chance to win prizes and meet up with Brian Swartzlander and crew before the races at the MEI Pavilion.





The Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series (B.O.S.S) comes to town on Saturday night to the monster half mile. And if you've never seen the series or the track, it's time to make your first visit. You'll be glad you did! Some of the area's best 410 sprinters take off the wings and take on some pretty tough invaders as the 15 tour regulars feature some big names.

Sprints on the big surface are always a treat, but you'll notice a completely different way around the track for these wingless warriors.  Also on the card are the rest of the regular racing action including a growing number of super lates, a highly competitive Pro (Crate) Late Model field, sportsman, and young guns (4cylinders). This might be one of the best values in the area this weekend and very much worth checking out!


Mid Season Championships are also on tap at Mercer Raceway Park this Saturday night as double points are on the line! It's also meet your heroes night for any fans interested in getting to know your favorite drivers (they don't bite!). Great value here as six division racing including 410 and 305 Sprints, 358 Modifieds, Stocks, Mod Lites, and Mini Stocks.

$13 bucks gets you in the door to watch the likes of Rod George, Eric Williams, Adam Kekich, Frank Guidace, Eric Gabany, Rusty Martz and Bob Schwartzmiller do battle!

For more information click here; Mercer Raceway Park- Mid Season Championships



Fresh off their free admission "Pack the Track" event which saw the legendary speedway's stands packed full, Sharon Speedway returns with another "Steel Valley Thunder" this Saturday night. You'll have to pay this weekend, but you'll get your monies worth.

Less than 6 points separate Rex King Sr, Rex King Jr and Jim Weller Jr in the Big Block Modifieds. The battles have been intense so far this season so come out and feast your eyes on another classic!

Also on the card are the RUSH Late Models, EMods, Econo Mods, Stocks and Mini Stocks and don't forget that this coming Tuesday the All Star Circuit of Champions pay a visit to Sharon. Come watch the likes of Blaney, Shaffer, Holtgraver,Haud and Kenemah take on the area's best.

For advance ticket information including preferred tickets (highly recommended) check here: Ticket info for All Star Sprints Tuesday June 24th


Now get out there and see DIRT this weekend!