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Saturday, August 30, 2014

Working Man 50; Lanigan Rolls To Victory Lane; King Charges Through Field For Uncle Sam 30 Win

Pat Miller Photo

There are simply no adjectives left to describe the season Darrell Lanigan has enjoyed in 2014. 

The Union, Ky driver turn in a performance at Lernerville Speedway in the "Working Man 50" Friday night was about as perfect as it gets.

Lanigan set quick time, won his heat, redrew the pole, and put the competition behind him for good in the 50 lap feature en route to his fourteenth World of Outlaw Late Model victory this season. 

"At the start there we moved around a bit when we were racing with Marlar, but this car was great everywhere I wanted it to go tonight and it's been that way all year long " said Lanigan following the action. 



Gary Heeman photo





Though Lanigan brought the field to green, the fastest car early on was Mike Marlar who made his way by Lanigan on lap four.  Marlar, who worked the top side impressively all evening long, led the early portion of the feature while behind him, Lanigan had his hands full with a hard charging Rick Eckert.

As the leaders approached lapped traffic, Lanigan began reeling in Marlar and it wasn't too much longer before the two were engaged in a door handle to door handle battle for the lead which Lanigan won with a lap 17 pass.

Marlar would get a golden chance to retake the top spot shortly after when the yellow flag flew for Chub Frank which restacked the field. And on the ensuing restart, Marlar threw the kitchen sink at Lanigan having gone around Eckert to reclaim the second spot. However, Marlar would get no closer as he faded down the stretch to a sixth place finish.

With Lanigan in firm control, the battle waged on between Eckert, Shane Clanton, Eric Wells, Tim McCreadie and Jared Miley who'd worked his way from the 11th starting spot to fifth by the halfway point.

Following Frank's second caution for a flat tire on lap 24, Lanigan went back to work and made it look easy, rolling his homemade Club 29 car right through the middle of the track with precision and decisiveness when it came to dealing with lapped traffic.  He checked out to a three second advantage as the laps wound down.


Pat Miller photo
Eckert held the second spot firmly for the remainder of the night but could not catch Lanigan who was simply too strong.  The pack behind them was being invaded by one Tim Fuller who'd slowly moved forward from his 13th starting spot to take the third spot away from Eric Wells on a restart with 14 laps to go. 

Miley had his hopes for a top five dashed when he jumped the cushion in turns three and four with a handful of laps remaining. The local standout had worked his way to fourth and acquitted himself very well among the drivers from the area. Miley would end up 13th.

But the night belonged to Lanigan, who took home his third checkered flag in four tries in World of Outlaw action at Lernerville in 2014 having won the Firecracker 100, and a preliminary night feature during the three day event in June. 

Top 10: 
1. Darrell Lanigan
2. Rick Eckert
3. Tim Fuller
4. Eric Wells
5. Tim McCreadie
6. Mike Marlar
7. Frank Heckenast Jr
8. Shane Clanton
9. Clint Smith
10. Vic Coffey




Gary Heeman photo

Former World of Outlaw rookie of the year Russ King took home his second victory in as many years in the held over "Uncle Sam 30" , and he came from the back to do so. 

King, who finished 12th in the previous feature, took home $3,000 for the effort in besting the 14 car, 30 lap race.

Doug Drown and Tony Musolino brought the field to the green flag and went in opposite directions from the get go with Drown staking himself to a comfortable early lead while Musolino faded towards the back. Behind them, Kenny Schaltenbrand began his assault using his trademark low groove which had considerable bite left in it. 

Schaltenbrand whittled away Drown's multi second lead to a mere few tenths and was in position to pass for the lead as lapped traffic approached. But Schaltenbrand spun on the front straight away after contact with Todd Bachman just as he was getting in position to take Drown.  

Meanwhile, King was flying through the field as a three way battle for he lead erupted between himself, Drown and a hard charging Garrett Krummert. Coming out of turn four, they spread themselves three wide with King on the outside as he put his rocket chassis in front to stay just past the starting line.  

A restart with nine laps to go gave Krummert and new challenger Vic Coffey new life, but neither could catch King, or even come close. King put the matter to rest by stretching out a five second lead once in clean air and never looked back.

Top 10:
1. Russ King
2. Vic Coffey
3. Garrett Krummert
4. Doug Drown
5. Colton Flinner
6. Chris Casner
7. Dan Angellichio
8. John Flinner
9. Herman Bertolini
10. Tony Musolino


You can view photographer Patrick Miller's photo album from the Working Man 50 here:
World Of Outlaw LM "Working Man 50" Photo Page


Thursday, August 28, 2014

Working Man 50 At a Glance



What: 
The World of Outlaw Late Models invade Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, PA for the Working Man 50 with the conclusion of the held over "Uncle Sam 30" non qualifiers race originally scheduled as part of the Firecracker 100.

When: Friday August 29; Time Trials around 6:45-7:00 PM

Weather:   As of right now, our friends at Raceday Weather indicate some great conditions, high in the mid 80's, and abundant sunshine!  Be sure to check them out. Racedway Weather . They've currently got the weather outlook for your whole labor day weekend of racing in our area too.



The Outlaws: 

Darrell Lanigan comes into the Working Man 50, winner of 13 World of Outlaw feature events in 2014. The rest of the outlaws, have a combined three wins.  It's been a rough one for the rest of the tour regulars. But they can't be overlooked at Lernerville. The 2014 Firecracker 100 Champion will certainly be the favorite here, but that pretty much goes for anywhere he's been so far this year.

Rick Eckert traditionally runs well here and has a track record to his credit.He's been in the Rocket house car for several months now and although he's had his ups and downs in his time with Mark Richards Racing, he's as big a threat to Lanigan here as anybody.

 Tim McCreadie has a WoOLM win at Lernerville in his career, and has been a Firecracker 100 runner up and is probably due for a win very soon. He's been fairly streaky the last few years, but Lernerville might be a place to start some momentum going into this year's post season special events.

Shane Clanton has a Firecracker 100 win on his resume and has yet to reach victory lane with the Outlaws in 2014. Clanton's always been a strong runner in the area when the Outlaws head this way, and like McCreadie, is hungry for a win, perhaps hungrier.


Regional Drivers:    

Gregg Satterlee is probably on top of the regional list for this one. And with good reason. The western PA native has taken down the outlaws before including just recently at Delaware Int'l. He knows the turf from having run Lernerville weekly years ago, and knows the drivers he's up against. It wouldn't surprise anybody to see him reach victory lane Friday night.


Dan Stone has a Firecracker 100 preliminary night win at Lernerville in his catalog of finishes and is fully capable and then some of adding to that total here.  "Big Brother" should definitely be a front runner here, but to beat Lanigan, he'd need to be in top form or have some things go his way.

Davey Johnson has both a World of Outlaw and Lucas Oil Series win to his credit this season and might just be primed to take home another big payday. "The Juice" has been rejuvenated and in his last weekly show at Lernerville was very fast, putting a fairly stout field behind him.

Austin Hubbard is considered a darkhorse, but may just surprise here. He makes a great sleeper pick based on his recent win at Potomac, and his familiarity with the track. The former World of Outlaw rookie of the year has had some ups and downs since he began running a 'true outlaw" schedule a couple of years ago, but looks to be in good shape heading into the weekend.



The Locals: 

Alex Ferree is the defending track champion, and has had some classic battles with former World of Outlaw rookie of the year Russ King and Jared Miley in weekly action at Lernerville this season.  Ferree can get it done and can't be overlooked. Kyle Bronson, Curtis Roberts and others throughout the years have all won WoOLM features on what basically amounts to their home tracks, Ferree's local edge may be even greater than theirs here actually.

Jared Miley has attended most of the weekly shows at Lernerville in 2014, and if he'd attended all of them, he may have added another track championship to his resume.  He's been bad fast at Lernerville this season and knows the place like the back of his hand. Miley could shock the world Friday night, but to those who've seen him race here, it would be no shock at all.







Monday, August 25, 2014

Donny Schatz Scores 1st DoW Award; Local Speedway Gets Honorable Mention


Up until now, the TDN Driver of the Week award is about the only thing that Donny Schatz hadn't won. Well...he can now scratch that off his list. The Fargo, ND native is the modern day King of the Outlaws. His five championships in the last decade far surpass anyone else, and he is well on his way to collecting his sixth crown. He currently boasts a points lead of 177 markers. Schatz is deserving of our DoW award for his weekend sweep of the Outlaws at Castrol Raceway. No offense to the other drivers, but he made it look easy. The weekend events capped off the Canadian tour for the 2014 campaign, and it was Donny Schatz who found victory lane in all five races. If he keeps doing what he's done recently, you can expect to see his name here again by the end of the season.



Honorable Mentions:

Lernerville Speedway:
For the first time ever, a track receives an honorable mention. While this series of posts has been solely dedicated to drivers, we feel the need to give credit where credit is due. Under the command of general manager Gary Risch Jr., Lernerville Speedway's track crew, drivers and staff persevered through less than favorable conditions to put on a show for the fans on the final night of weekly racing. After torrential downfall for almost 30 minutes, a three hour long "Holding Pattern" ensued while the speedway was brought back to raceable conditions. Props to Lernerville for your hard work. It's much appreciated!!



Rico Abreu:
Abreu tore up the field at Ocean Speedway in Watsonville, Calif. to collect his 2nd consecutive Johnny Key Classic victory worth $7,500. His performance was nothing short (pun intended) of spectacular. He stormed through the field from his 16th starting position and parked his Abreu Vineyards #24 machine in victory lane. In just his 5th of year of sprint car racing, Rico has proved to be well ahead of the learning curve. With prime sponsorship backing and a great wrench (Paul Silvas) behind him, look for monster things from this team in the next couple years.



Highlighted Races This Week:

  • ASCoC/LOLMDS @ Attica Raceway Park
  • WoO Late Models @ Lernerville, doubleheader @ Selinsgrove
  • WoO Sprints @ Skagit (doubleheader) & Grays Harbor
  • Patriot Sprint Tour @ McKean Co. & Eriez

Western Pennsylvania Super Late Model Power Poll: Week 17



 Hey there folks. Tis' Monday evening, so that means it's time for me to update the rankings for this week. It's the second to last scoring week for this season and things have tightened up significantly, as evidenced by the picture heading up this week's writeup. 

This past weekend, Lernerville was the only one of the Friday night tracks that got their show in, although technically it didn't finish until early Saturday morning after a lengthy rain delay. Dog Hollow rained out and Bedford didn't run super lates this week. 

Saturday night, all three tracks that are currently scoring tracks, PPMS, Roaring Knob, and Marion Center got their shows in. The lone Sunday track, Eriez, also got their show in. 

That said, let's get to some rankings. 

1. Mike Blose, 67 points. Mike picked up his points this week via a third place finish at Marion Center Saturday night. I imagine he would have picked up more points had Dog Hollow managed to get their show in on Friday. Those points would have been vital for these rankings.

1. Alex Ferree, 67 points. Alex pulled back into a tie for the lead with a win Saturday night at PPMS. He was in attendance at the twenty four hours of Lernerville, but apparently destroyed his car and end up a DNS for the feature. What happens next weekend is going to be super interesting. 

2. Duane Stiner, 47 points. Duane didn't score any points this week. Only place I saw his name in any results was Tyler County for their big special. He came home eighteenth.

3. Max Blair, 41 points. Max moves into the top three and past his father with a win Sunday night at Eriez. He also won the crate feature that night. He's having a great season in both cars this year. I didn't see his name anywhere else all weekend though.

4. Rob Blair, 39 points. Rob picked up his points this week with a fourth at Eriez Sunday. I didn't see his name anywhere else this weekend.

5. Doug Glessner, 38 points. Doug got a win Saturday night at Marion Center to pick up his points for the week. I didn't see his name in any other results. 

6. Clate Copeman, 38 points. Clate didn't score any points this week. I didn't see his name in any results anywhere this week. I haven't seen his name in any results anywhere for a month or so. I hope everything is alright with him. 

7. Luke Hoffner, 31 points. Luke didn't score any points this week, as expected. His only scoring track shuttered. He did run Clinton County Friday night, though and came home sixth.

8. Jared Miley, 29 points. Jared didn't score any points this past weekend. He was in attendance at Lernerville Friday, but was also a DNS. I believe he left during the rain delay. I saw his name in results at Tyler County Saturday, where he finished sixteenth. 

8. Kenny Schaltenbrand, 29 points. Kenny had a fantastic weekend, running second at Lernerville Friday and again on Saturday at Marion Center to make his way into the top ten on these rankings. I am a huge Kenny Schaltenbrand fan, so this makes me very happy.

 And that's the top ten for this week. Next week is the last week for this poll, and for the first time all season, I'll be revealing the entire point total from everybody who scored points by my rules this year. It's a surprisingly long list. Good thing I'll have all day Monday to write it because I won't have to work due to Labor Day.

I'll see ya dirt heads next Monday. 




Shaffer Wins Night Two of W. PA Sprint Championships, Denochick Gets First Career 305 Victory at Mercer


Tim Shaffer was reunited with his crew chief James Chambers for this weekend's doubleheader at Mercer Raceway Park and it led to quick success as Shaffer was able to pick up the All-Stars feature event Sunday night.

"It was the first time he'd been with me for three months," Shaffer said. "James has been my crew chief for six years. He was able to watch the car and work on it to make it better throughout the night. I have been by myself most of the year just picking up crew guys here and there. It is great to have someone who knows you and how you like the car."

Shaffer and Carl Bowser led the field to green for the 30 lap main event. The driver of the 45 Grove Motorsports sprint pulled ahead on the start and Bowser tucked into second. As the field was coming around to complete lap one Bowser got a little high off of four and got almost completely sideways coming down the front stretch. As Bowser tried to correct the car he clipped the front of Dale Blaney's car sending him spinning. Bowser got away and was able to keep his spot, but Blaney slid to a stop bringing out the yellow ,basically ending his hopes for a weekend sweep. Blaney would rebound to finish tenth.              
                                                                                                                                                                 
Shaffer would get away from the field on the restart while Jac Haudenschild started to put pressure on Bowser for the runner up spot. The "Wild Child" found his way by on lap seven and would get to pull up to Shaffer's rear bumper after a Francis Sesco spin brought out a caution on lap seven.                                      
Shaffer and Haudenschild would battle and even swap the lead around the midpoint of the race while slowing for a couple of cautions along the way.

On a lap 14 restart eighth starting Danny Holtgraver started to make his charge. Holtgraver, who restarted fifth, quickly disposed of both Lee Jacobs and Bowser to get into third. He then pulled up on the tail tank of Jac Haudenshchild, who was just behind Shaffer as the trio entered heavy lapped traffic for the first time..

Holtgraver passed Haudenschild on lap 22 and got right in behind Shaffer. He looked poised to steal the victory, but the driver known as the"Steel City Outlaw" calmly worked his way through traffic and kept the driver of the 10h at bay. It was Shaffer's 54th triumph with the All Star Circuit of Champions.

"When your car is working good it allows you to setup lapped cars and catch them in the right spots," Shaffer said. "Man it just feels really good to get a win."

Haudenschild ended up third followed by Jacobs and Bowser.

Adam Kekich, Haudenschild and Brandon Spithaler won the heats. Blaney set fast time for the second straight night and third time at Mercer this year. Andy McKisson was the hard charger as he moved from his 17th starting spot up to eighth.


Tyler Denochick may be only thirteen years old, but he drove like a seasoned sprint car racer to hold off one of the classes best drivers to win for the first time in the Outlaw Sprint Warriors division.

The Morrisdale native ran a near flawless race while Michael Bauer hounded him from start to finish. Bauer, who was driving the 58 Lockhart Motorsports sprint was there waiting to capitalize on a mistake from the youngster, but he never wavered.

He even endured a late race restart and when asked if he was nervous he just smiled and shook his head yes.

"I was so happy (when he saw the checkered flag)," Denochick said with a smile beaming on his face. "It feels pretty great."

Denochick returns to school on Wednesday. He will have a pretty cool story to tell his friends and classmates.

Shawn Fleeger led the first ten laps of the modified main event, but trouble with a lapped car allowed Frank Guidace to take the top spot from him on lap 11. The modified veteran didn't look back from there as he picked up another win. Jimmy Holden was second followed by Kyle Fink, Tommy Krystiak and Fleeger.

Randy Wyant and Curt Bish looked as if they would duke it out for the Penn-Ohio Stockcar main event win, but the two tangled on the white flag lap and spun in turn three. This opened the door for Shaun Fawcett who after a couple of more cautions held off Chris Schneider on the final lap  and found himself with the checkered flag at  the end of the night. Rusty Moore was third, Lernerville regular Rob Shook was fourth and Bobby Heim completed the top five.

Mercer Raceway Park returns to action with their Saturday Night Live program on September 6th.

Sunday, August 24, 2014

The Story From Lernerville; Fosnaught Clinches, Wagner collects 1st Lernerville win; Mother Nature is Defeated



Score it Lernerville  1,  Mother Nature 0.  And it was not an easy win by any means. A torrential thunderstorm threatened to end the 2014 Fab Four racing season without any of the remaining four features being run.

If you weren't there, you might not believe it, and if you were there, you may just now be starting to dry out.

With just two laps remaining in late model heat one, the skies opened, leaving everyone completely soaked, and a track that many assumed would not be able to be run back in.  Once the rain left, the announcement was made that Lernerville management had every intention of getting the show in as small rivers and lakes raged and encroached on the concourse, front straightaway, pits and virtually every inch of the grounds.

And so the track crew went to work on a monumental task, having to repair around an inch of rain that had fallen in twenty or so minutes.  And much to the amazement of many fans and drivers, they got it done, with a determined effort that was nothing short of a miracle given the circumstances.

During the downtime, fans took part in an extremely comprehensive Lenerville trivia contest while waiting for the action to return, while others sought a way to dry out and warm up.


Fans also got more entertainment by way of watching the sprints being pushed off for a second round of engine heat. How nobody thought to sound the Benny Hill theme music on the public address system we don't know, but it would have been a great complement to the sliding push trucks.

Some drivers weren't able to stick around for the resumption of racing, and some fans headed home, but shortly after 11:00 pm, the hardiest of the hardy among the fans, drivers and crew, braved the rain, the ensuing chill, and the late hour to see just one last night of fab four action.

Sportsmen:

The last of the points championships took about two laps to decide as Jim Fosnaught claimed his first ever Lernerville title. And on the final night, he put an exclamation point on it.

Bob Egley and Joe Zambotti brought the field to the first of many green flags in the sportsman feature and Egley looked completely comfortable and very fast on the unusually heavy surface.  Egley stayed out front in the early going while yellow flags and attrition took their toll on the 18 cars that took the initial start.  Zambotti would eventually succumb to a flat tire while Fosnaught made his way to second on lap 11.

Egley got tangled in traffic in mid-race, causing his rear bumper to hang on by a thread and after coming back to the speedway from having it removed in the pits, he left the race for good in bizarre fashion.

Fosnaught, who'd actually managed to pass Egley, only to have his lead erased by a caution, inherited the lead and cruised to his sixth win of the season with Corey McPherson and Rob Shook rounding out the podium in a race that saw 8 out of 18 cars cross the finish line.

Top 10:
1. Jim Fosnaught
2. Corey McPherson
3. Rob Shook
4. Bob Lipinski
5. Terry Young
6. Aaron Easler
7. Brett McDonald
8. Joey Zambotti
9. Adam Lipinski (DNF)
10. Scott Byers (DNF)

Did Not Start:
Pat Hanley, Jeff Miller, Paul Petrovich, Stan Riggle, Colin Burke

Modifieds:
Brian Swartzlander led from green to checkered in this one to collect his 86th career victory at the action track.  But behind him, Steve Feder and Dave Murdick took part in a back and forth battle for the third spot while Tom Winkle occupied second place.

A late race restart with three laps to go following a red flag for a turn four pile up reset the stage for a possible thrilling finish. But Swartzlander couldn't be caught as Murdick managed to take the runner up spot from Winkle.

Top 10:
1. Brian Swartzlander
2. Dave Murdick
3. Tom Winkle
4. Rodney Beltz
5. Steve Feder
6. Bob Warren
7. Shawn Kozaar
8. Jeff Miller (DNF)
9. Dave Reges (DNF)
10. Carl Murdick (DNF)

Did Not Start: Rex King Jr, Rex King Sr, Jeremiah Shingledecker


Sprints:
Two weeks ago, rookie driver AJ Flick gave us a glimpse of what he'd learned in his first season as he almost won his first career sprint feature until 2014 champion Carl Bowser passed him in the waning laps.

When he lined up on the pole for the feature, nobody left in attendance had any doubt he couldn't pull out the victory on the final night of regular season racing.  But Logan Wagner had been turning in strong performances down the stretch too and he took advantage of his front row starting spot.

Wagner chased Flick for the first six laps and on the seventh he dove underneath Flick in turns three and four for the lead. Meanwhile, Brandon Spithaler who was driving in the number 27 car normally occupied by Billy Dietrich, was hell bent on moving through the field.  Spithaler started 16th and moved through the pack and a good amount of lapped traffic to finish with a strong fifth place.

But the night belonged to Wagner who was the fastest car on the track. In clean air, and moving around in between slower cars, Wagner was good everywhere and took home his first career 410 sprint and first Lernerville win simultaneously.

Top 10:
1. Logan Wagner
2. AJ Flick
3. Dan Shetler
4. Carl Bowser
5. Brandon Spithaler
6. Jimmy Light
7. Brandon Matus
8. Wayne Dadetto
9. Brent Matus
10. Charlie Cornelius

Did Not Start: Tim Shaffer, Pete Landram

Late Models:
The late model feature was shaped by an event that took place on the sixth lap of the first heat. The aforementioned storm that hit the track was so sudden that the rain made the surface non drive able in less than a lap.

At the end of the back stretch and into turn three, the cars of Alex Ferree, Jared Miley, and Gregg Satterlee, slid off the track at speed and all at once. Ferree's car was badly damaged in the incident and none of the three, as well as Mike Pegher Jr and Tommy Beck were able to run the rest of the night.

Michael Norris and Kenny Schaltenbrand started on the front row and finished one, two as only John Garvin Jr was able to mount any serious challenge. Norris took advantage of clean air from several restarts and the battle for second between Schaltenbrand and Garvin Jr which waged on for the majority of the race until Garvin Jr jumped the cushion in turn 4 in the waning laps.

In a touching tribute, veteran driver Todd Bachman displayed the number 15 on his car, in memory of former late model champion Nick Jones who passed away this week.

Top 10:
1. Michael Norris
2. Kenny Schaltenbrand
3. Chuck Sarver
4. Todd Bachman
5. Doug Eck
6. Dave Murdick
7. Chris Schneider
8. Danny Huston
9. John Garvin Jr (DNF)
10. Brian Swartzlander

Did Not Start: Jared Miley, Alex Ferree, Mike Pegher Jr, Gregg Satterlee, Tommy Beck

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Winged Sprint Car Rankings - Volume IV

Welcome back for another edition of our monthly Winged 410 Sprint Car Rankings. First and foremost, I welcome any feedback that you may have. Whether you agree, disagree, wonder why I left someone off the lift, thought I overranked a driver, or any other feelings you might have, please leave a comment below!

So with that said, it's time to get down to business!



Donny Schatz powers his TSR #15 through the corner

1. Donny Schatz (No Change)

Surely to no one's surprise, Schatz comes in at no. 1 in our rankings for the second straight month. In 12 World of Outlaws races since our last set of rankings, Donny has tallied six wins (including another Knoxville Nationals triumph), three runner-up finishes and a lone third place run. To put it on the podium in 10 of the last 12 WoO races against the best competition undoubtedly notches his current title as the best sprint car driver in the country. Schatz currently holds a 154-point stranglehold of the standings over defending champ Daryn Pittman.


2. Daryn Pittman (No Change)

The defending World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series champion finds his place in our rankings at no. 2 for the second straight month as well. Pittman continued his success in the Northeast with a win at Fulton Speedway in NY. His 2nd and most recent win with the WoO in the past month came at the high-banked 1/3rd mile oval known as River Cities Speedway where he had to fend off the current series points leader Donny Schatz. In between the two wins, Pittman found victory lane at the Knoxville Raceway after partaking in the Speed Sport World Challenge on Saturday afternoon of Nationals Week.



3. Dale Blaney (+1)

The "King of the All Stars" has been exactly that. The Ohio native's domination of the All Star Circuit of Champions Sprint Car Series is almost unheard of. Taking a look at the numbers, Blaney has won four of the last five ASCoC races. His lone blunder came at Huset's Speedway in Brandon, SD where mechanical troubles retired him from the race.



4. Kerry Madsen (-1)

Australia's own Kerry Madsen has been laying the smack down on his American competitors, landing him at #4 on our rankings. Madsen's commanding win in the Ironman 55 at Ken Schrader's Federated Auto Parts Raceway in Pevely, MO is a lifetime dream for many drivers, yet it may have only been his second best run in the past month. Madsen's third-place run in the 54th Annual Knoxville Nationals could be a stepping stone for more success for the team in the coming years.



5. Brian Brown (Unranked)

Unfortunately, Brian Brown may own the title of "Best Sprint Car Driver Without a WoO Win". Discount the multiple Knoxville Nationals prelim feature victories that he has collected, because the WoO higher-ups do not count those as official WoO wins. Nonetheless, Brown captured another prelim victory in this year's edition of the Nationals as well as his third consecutive runner-up finish in the main event. His breakthrough is coming soon!



6. Brent Marks (Unranked)

The 23 year old Myerstown, PA native has begun to establish himself as a power in Posseland. Within the past month, Marks has notched four wins on the tough Central PA circuit, including the $10,000 to win Dream race at Port Royal and a stretch of three wins in as many starts. Marks has also opened some eyes as he's improved when he decided to take his family-owned team on the road to hit a handful of World of Outlaws shows.



7. Rico Abreu (Unranked)

Abreu, fresh out of St. Helena, Calif., has continued to impress many fans and critics. In recent weeks, Abreu has garnered wins in unfamiliar territory with victories at tracks that he doesn't frequent very often. One of Abreu's two wins over the past month came at Tri-City Speedway (IL) over veteran Danny Lasoski in Midwest Open Wheel Association action. Following that up, Rico held off the likes of Mark Dobmeier, Brady Bacon, and others to snag his first career All Star win at Huset's Speedway in South Dakota.



8. Paul McMahan (-3)

Paul McMahan's sprint car resume has continued to build with recent successes. A veteran in every sense of the word, McMahan has propelled the CJB Motorsports #51 machine to be a persistent threat to win at every show they enter. Strong runs for McMahan of late include a WoO win at I-55 in Pevely, MO (a precursor to the Ironman 55) and a sixth-place finish in the 54th running of the Knoxville Nationals.




On the Edge: Drivers that fell out of the rankings

Justin Henderson
Lucas Wolfe
Greg Hodnett

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

TDN Driver of the Week: Hearn is Mr DIRT Track USA; Henry, Mollick, Schatz and Owens lead Honorable Mentions


There are too many great performances to list in one of our driver of the week features. Normally we do one clear cut driver of the week and several deserving honorable mentions. We will do so again this week, but we're going to add a few guys to the mix that took some special  victories this week, important to each of them. Some drivers you may of heard of, some you might not of. But part of the job here at TDN is to sing praises of all great stories at the moment, not simply to glorify a small handful of drivers that win routinely.

They get their due on this site, but we'd like to take the opportunity to give some love to some great stories from outside the national sanctions too. So that being said, we'd like to present our Driver of the Week, Mr. Brett Hearn!





John Dearing- STLracing.com
Brett Hearn:
The jet went two for three this week. Many may just yawn at this point. But for those not familiar, Hearn came from 10th starting spot or further in all three and the one race he didn't win (Malta) he came in second. 

More than that, he took home $17,500 in an SuperDIRTcar tour win at Lebanon Valley, one of the richest prizes on the tour. And since big blocks seem to make a little less per date than the sprints or the late models, we can translate that win into what would be about a $30,000 crown jewel win for those two divisions. He'd been having his typical home track season to this point, but in 2014, his SDS tour campaign hadn't been going all that great by his standards, a bar that's set pretty high as evidenced by his career total and SDS tour championships. But, this win may have just pointed him back in the thick of the hunt for another title. Congrats Mr. Hearn!


ZSK Photography
Rodney Sanders:
The sandman, Mr. Sanders has been beating USMTS regulars like a rented mule this week! (gotta love Mike Lange references)

Rodney went three for four this week with wins at Amsoil (Aug 13), Red Cedar Speedway (Aug 14), Mississippi Thunder Speedway, WI (Aug 15) and second at Ogilvie, MN (Aug 16). So far, he's won 29 feature events in this season alone, and also gets behind the wheel of a super late model from time to time.  He's one to keep a watch out for, so if you've never heard of him, get to know him, you'll only be hearing his more and more in the future!


Donny Schatz:
Yes, that's a late model, and "Damn you Donny" drives it pretty damn well too! Let's face it, when it comes to sprints, it's Schatz's world and everyone else is just in it at this point of the season.

He won his series leading 15th feature event with the World of Outlaws Sprints on August 17 at Noday Speedway. And the night before, he won a NLMRA series race at River Cities Speedway, ND.  He has his own Rocket piece powered by a pro power bullet, and we'd love to see him use it more, maybe at a SLM crown jewel event one year, if the racing gods and the outlaws would only allow it just once, we'd be happy!

Jimmy Owens:
Mr. Owens went topless this weekend. And still kept his shirt on at the same time which most of us are very thankful for. 

The "Newport Nightmare" put away a stout field of Lucas Late Models at the Topless 100 this weekend at Batesville, AK. It was his second victory in event history, and his second win of a major race in the month. Owens also took checkers at this months USA Nationals at Cedar Lake WI and shows no signs of slowing down.  He and fellow Club 29 stable mate Darrell Lanigan have been tearing the competition a new one for the bulk of the season and both are well on their way to clinching their respective tour championships well before the season ends.


Cap Henry:
This honorable mention goes to a driver that has demonstrated the meaning of the word perseverance. Cap Henry has been one of the most talented drivers in sprint cars that unfortunately had been unable to land full time  funding.

 How something like that happens, we don't know, but it's a great bet he has a complete full time ride for some lucky owner in the coming days.   Cap won his second straight feature at Attica Raceway Park on Saturday night, parking the Genzman team ride in victory lane, besting the likes of Greg Wilson, Danny Holtgraver, Chad Kenemah, Dean Jacobs and many more of Ohio's heavy hitters.  He never quit, kept his head up, and is getting rewarded for his patience, while showcasing his immense talent at the same time. Congrats Mr. Henry!



John Mollick:
We had to give one driver from our neck of the woods a mention here, because it's a great story.

"Jammin" Johnny Mollick had more than his share of ups and downs in recent years. In 2009-10 he managed two wins on the UFO Race Championship tour and was near the top of the point standings, and not just by showing up at all the races, but by being extremely competitive.

And then, the Toronto, OH native hit some dry spells. Those came to an end Saturday night when Mollick dominated the $5,053 to win Red Miley Rumble at Pittsburgh Pennsylvania's Motor Speedway. Mollick drove away from a field consisting of heavyweights such as Davey Johnson, Mason Zeigler, Keith Barbara and many more to collect his biggest win in quite some time.  Mollick took the high road, riding the top side on a very fast, tacky surface which takes quite a bit of testosterone and drew comparisons to days gone by in the process. Congrats Mr. Mollick


Shoutouts:

  • To the "low rider" Dale Blaney for going two for two in ASCoC action in Butler, MI
  • To "super" Joe Kelley on his return to victory lane at Lernerville Speedway on Friday night.
  • To Billy Pauch Jr on winning his first championship at Action Track USA, Kutztown, PA
  • To Alex Bright who went two for two in ARDC midget action at Lincoln and Williams Grove, PA


You can check out our whole archive of Driver of the Week Issues here: The Dirt Network- Driver of the Week Archive



Highlighted Races this Week:

  • Wednesday August 20: Race of Champions Modifieds at Utica Rome, NY (twin 50's)
  • World of Outlaw Late Models  Friday (I-96 Speedway) and Saturday (Merritt Speedway, MI)
  • World of Outlaw Sprints at Castrol Speedway, Edmonton, AB (Friday and Saturday)
  • ASCoC Sprints at Mercer Raceway Park; Saturday ($3,000) and Sunday ($5,000)
  • Renegades Sprints make their season debut at Atomic (OH) Saturday ($5,000)

Western Pennsylvania Super Late Model Power Poll: Week 16







Hey there race fans. Sorry it's a day late this week. I'm fighting off a pretty nasty cold that I'm assuming my kid brought home from day care. Yesterday was especially nasty, so writing wasn't exactly high on my list of priorities. I'm starting to feel a little better now (thanks to some help from some meds), so I'm going to give it a go with this week's update to the rankings.

This week, All three Friday night scoring tracks got their show in. Saturday night, PPMS had a special so they didn't score, and Marion Center and Roaring Knob had their regular shows that scored. AMP called it quits for the season, so obviously they didn't score any points. Sunday, Eriez got their show in and scored points.

That said, let's get to some rankings....

1. Mike Blose, 64 points. Mike maintains his slim point lead on these rankings on the strength of a win at Dog Hollow Friday night. He ran Marion Center Saturday, but was a rare DNF.

2. Alex Ferree, 62 points. Alex actually lost a point to Blose this week, but is still easily within striking distance because he ran second Friday night at Lernerville. He ran PPMS' Red Miley Rumble Saturday night and set fast time, but was ultimately a DNF.

3. Duane Stiner, 47 points. Duane had a great racing weekend, coming home fourth at Dog Hollow Friday and winning at Marion Center Saturday and closed the gap to the lead of these rankings, but is mathematically eliminated from winning this poll.

4. Clate Copeman, 38 points. Clate didn't score any points this week, and I'm pretty sure he didn't race this week because I didn't see his name in any results.

5. Rob Blair, 37 points. Rob picked up the win at Eriez Sunday night to pick up his points for the week. He was apparently at Stateline Saturday, but they rained out after the heats.

6. Max Blair, 36 points. Max didn't score any points this week. He did run Eriez on Sunday, where he finished twelfth in super action and second in the crate division. He was also at Stateline Saturday.

7. Doug Glessner, 33 points. Doug didn't score any points this week either. The only place I saw his name in results this weekend was Marion Center, where he came home thirteenth.

8. Luke Hoffner, 31 points. Luke also went scoreless this week. He probably won't score any points the rest of the year, considering his weekly haunt called it quits for the year. In other weekend action, he got a sixth at Clinton County Friday.

9. Jared Miley, 29 points. Jared picked up the win Friday night at Lernerville and found his way into the top ten on these rankings. He ran PPMS Saturday, but like many others, ended up a DNF.

10. Milke Altobelli, 28 points. Mike picked up his points this week with a third place finish at Bedford on Friday. I didn't see his name in any other results this weekend.

And that's the top ten in points with only two scoring weeks left. That's right folks, just two weeks left before I declare the strongest local late model runner in western Pennsylvania. It's two horse race at this point, and it will come right down to the wire!

See yinz jags next week if this cold don't kill me.




Saturday, August 16, 2014

The Story From Lernerville: King Jr Wins 1st Lernerville Title; Bowser and Ferree Clinch; Kelley Finds Victory Lane



Seize the day! Indeed, why wait until tomorrow to get done what you could have accomplished today? Rex King Jr, Carl Bowser and Alex Ferree all understand that philosophy and though some of them had less to do than others, all three of them took advantage of their opportunities and etched their name in the history book as track champions in 2014 at Lernerville Speedway.

They earned their championships not by "points racing", but rather racing to win, a formula that has served each of them well in 2014 as evidenced by the 14 wins between them. And when they weren't winning, they were on the podium. It's difficult to find a finish outside the top three for any of them.

But away from the championship battles, four features waged on. Four fairly entertaining ones at that as Jared Miley bested the super late model field for his third win of the season while King Jr held off a persistent Jeremiah Shingledecker to score his fifth victory in the modifieds. Joe Kelley found victory lane in the sportsman stocks and in perhaps the most thrilling sprint feature of the season, Bowser put an exclamation point on his championship with his fifth checkered flag in 2014.


Modifieds:

Rex King Jr may have started on the pole of the modified feature, but with a racy track and multiple grooves for his competition to move around in, it was no easy chore staying there.

From the drop of the green flag, he was hunted by Shingledecker and Dave Murdick until the latter went over the banking in turn two, making it a two car battle.

Shingledecker was able to rocket around the top of King Jr following an early caution but lost the brief lead in the next set of turns. At the same time,  Rex King Sr, second in the points battle, left the track with mechanical difficulty, which helped King Jr's chances of clinching the title at the midway point of the race.  But it would still take a strong effort down the stretch to seal the deal for him. His three second lead was erased with some cautions in the later stages, setting up two crucial restarts. The first one saw him elect the top side and also saw Shingledecker put up a desperate attempt to slide up in front of the eventual champion in turn two. King Jr maintained the lead, but on the final restart he chose the bottom and kept Shingledecker at bay to close out his first track championship at the action track.

"We were a little tight on entry tonight, but once we got it turning left and straightened out it worked out good" King Jr said. "It wasn't an easy win tonight, we had some tough competition and a bunch of restarts that didn't help us at all, but we were lucky enough to have the preferred line on our restarts and take off pretty well."

We were able to talk to Rex King Jr from the pits after his victory which you can listen to here:
King Jr On His First Lernerville Modified Championship


Sprints:

Carl Bowser traded slide jobs and handled lapped traffic for the better part of 25 laps, and was rewarded with Turner's Premium Iced Tea for the effort. It must have tasted like heaven for Bowser who chugged straight from the carton in victory lane following his feature win in perhaps one of the most thrilling features of the year.

A pair of Wagner's (Logan and Michael) started on the front row and while the latter Wagner was put behind Bowser with a pass on lap two, the former saw fit to hang around, literally hanging off the edge of the cushion, but hanging with Bowser nonetheless. The two engaged in a fierce battle, cooled only by a lap eight caution when Billy Dietrich spun on the backstretch.  Behind them, Brandon Matus and former track champion Danny Holtgraver were mounting serious charges to the front.

Bowser was able to overtake Logan Wagner on lap 12 and started pulling away once in clean air as Matus and Holtgraver dueled for the third spot both having put Michael Wagner behind them in the closing laps. 

But to catch Bowser, Logan Wagner, Holtgraver or Matus needed one thing to happen, a caution or lapped traffic. They got the latter. With Wagner closing in on Bowser, and with the white flag in the air, there was a five car pack of lapped traffic in front of the leaders. Bowser made his way through, not showing the slightest bit of hesitation, and was completely decisive in doing so. He didn't take any unnecessary risks, and stayed patient and focused, all marks of a champion, which he was for the second time in his career as the checkered flag flew.  Holtgraver completed his mad dash to the stripe, getting by Logan Wagner at the line for a hard fought second place.

"This second one, this feels really good, to have five wins now and be so dominant every night"  Bowser said following his second 410 Sprint Championship at Lernerville.


Late Models:

The late model title was decided in the heats on Friday night, but Alex Ferree was racing to win and it set up a better finish than the early portion of the race indicated.  This was due to the fact that for the majority of the race, Jared Miley was dominating the action, and nobody was even close to touching him.

Russ King took the early lead with Miley second and a surprisingly strong Brian Swartzlander in third. Miley then got underneath King in turn three on lap seven and was in the next area code by lap 10.  Miley stretched out a 6 second plus lead and was completely in control as the green flag laps clicked off and Ferree made his charge forward. 

Ferree found himself in deserperate need of a caution or a Miley mistake to mount a serious challenge for the win. And he got both, first when Miley slipped in tourn four  and then on lap 18 when the yellow flag flew. The much anticipated restart saw Miley select the high side and he kept Ferree right where he was for the final seven laps.
 
 
 

Stocks:
It's just doesn't seem like a fab four season without a Joe Kelley win in the sportsman stock division.

And it hadn't happened yet in 2014. We're not saying that it's a case of "Death, Taxes, and Joe Kelley getting a win" or anything like that, but as far as certainties in life go, it's close to that order.

And so, on this night, Kelley would find victory lane. "I knew where victory lane was, I just hard time finding it this year." Kelley remarked following the race.

Kelley does in fact know where victory lane is at Lernerville, he's found it 47 times now, which is the most in division history.  But with the amount of competitive cars in the stocks, victory lane isn't as easy a place to find as it used to be.

But Kelley made it look pretty easy on this night, evoking memories of the not so distant past where he seemed so unbeatable.

Colin Burke and Pat Hanley started up front for the final feature of the night, and Kelley made his way around both of them fairly routinely. Behind him though was Corey McPherson, desperately trying to make up some ground in his quest to catch Rob Shook and points leader Jim Fosnaught.

McPherson worked from his ninth starting spot to second in less than 10 laps, and took his usual place on the top side of the surface while Kelley worked the bottom.  McPherson would get no closer though as the night belonged to Kelley. McPherson made up a small handful of points in his title chase, but Fosnaught came across the line sixth and has all but wrapped up the final championship for 2014.



Friday, August 15, 2014

Weekend Preview: Rumble at PPMS; Sprout Cossell Memorial Headline Weekend Action

Who's ready for a rumble? Davey Johnson, Keith Barbara, Jared Miley and some other top super late model drivers from the area are. They won't be duking it out in the pits mind you, but they will be on the track as the 8th annual Red Miley Rumble takes place Saturday night at Pittsburgh Pennsylvania's Motor Speedway in Imperial, PA.

The 53 lap event will pay $5053, and perhaps then some, to the winner which should lure some top quality competition and a full field of cars.

Also on the card are RUSH crate late models, sportsman (stock), hobby stocks and young guns (4 cylinders).

The "monster half mile features some of the fastest action around and a wide, racy surface that lends itself nicely to three and four wide action. Adult tickets are just $20, gates open at 4PM, racing at 7 pm. for more information you can visit the PPMS website here: PPMS Main Website

What; Red Miley Rumble Super Late Model Event Plus Weekly Support Divisions
Where: Pittsburgh, PA Motor Speedway
When: Saturday, August 16; Gates open at 5, racing at 7
Tickets: $20.00 Adult





This Saturday is a good week to check out the knob for those fans just a little bit to the south of the area. And this week is as good as any. The Sprout Cossell Memorial Races area taking place for the RUSH crate late models. There'll be using a time trial format this week to line up their heats and then taking part in twin 15 lap features that pay $1500 to EACH winner!

The super late model point chase at the knob is heating up as well. Scott Rhodes, Quintin Wyandt, and Tim Senic are within 48 points of each other heading into Saturday's action.

Support divisions include stocks, chargers, mod lites, 4 cylinders and mini wedges. Might be some drivers looking for some seat time for the super late model specials coming in September this Saturday too so be sure to check it out if your in the area. Enjoy the scenery, get some food on the way in, buy some drive in tickets and enjoy the crisp mountain air!

What: Sprout Cossell Memorial Races (RUSH LM) plus regular action
Where: Roaring Knob Motorsports Complex, Markleysburg, PA
When: Saturday August 16; hot laps at 6:45, racing at 7:15
Tickets: $12 Adult




Want some Saturday night Sprints and then some? Then get over to Mercer Raceway Park Saturday night! Point leaders Eric Williams and Rod George are separated by just 18 points with only a couple of events remaining in 2014.  Meanwhile, Kyle Fink leads Jimmy Holden by less than 10 points in the 358 Modifieds.

There's always a good to be had at MRP and also appearing with be the 305 sprints, stocks, mod lites, and 4 cylinders.

What: Saturday Night Live (Regular Weekly Show)
Where: Mercer Raceway Park, Mercer, PA
When: Saturday August 16, 7:00
Tickets: $13



As the regular season winds down, it's time to make your annual trip to Sharon Speedway in Hartford, OH if you haven't yet already.  The racing is normally very good, and it might be one of the best Saturday night values in the area as far as car count for the dollar spent goes.



Enjoy nice fields of big block modifieds, e-modifieds, RUSH late models, econo mods, stocks, and four cylinders. This Saturday is $5 fan appreciation night! When's the last time you ever spent that little at the dirt track to get so much?

As far as points battles go, look no further than the big blocks as Kings Jr and Sr are situated just as they are at Lernerville, first and second respectively and probably coming down to the wire while Jim Weller Jr lurks just six points behind them!

What: Steel Valley Thunder (regular racing)
Where: Sharon Speedway, Hartford, OH
When: Saturday August 16, 7 PM
Tickets: $5 - Special Fan Appreciation Night!

Alright folks, there's the menu for this weekend. Now pick one and get there, there's not much time left to support the weekly shows this season! Get DIRTy!!

Monday, August 11, 2014

Western Pennsylvania Super Late Model Power Poll: Week 15






Happy Monday ya'll. It's time for me to update the weekly rankings. There's only two scoring weeks left and the race for the top spot is as close as it's been all year.

This week, all of our regular scoring tracks got their shows in except AMP, who apparently called their Saturday night show dude to a wedding that most of the track employees were going to. They did run Sunday, but it was a special, and that means it doesn't count for these rankings.

That said... let's get to some rankings.


1. Mike Blose, 59 points. Mike maintains a point lead in these rankings, but it has narrowed to just one point. He scored his points at Dog Hollow this week, where he finished third. I didn't see his name in any results Saturday. He did run AMP's special Sunday, though, where he apparently pinballed his way to a second third place finish of the weekend.

2. Alex Ferree, 58 points. Alex narrowed the gap to the top even further, moving it to just one point. His weekend ended with a pair of fourth place finishes. The came at Lernerville and PPMS.

3. Duane Stiner, 40 points. Duane didn't score any points this week. He came home unlucky thirteenth at Dog Hollow Friday and apparently he ran AMP Sunday, where I don't know where he finished because I can't find any full results. 

4. Clate Copeman, 38 points. I didn't see Clate's name in any results this weekend anywhere, however I did notice that Mark Booth drove his car Friday at Dog Hollow and finished dead last.

5. Max Blair, 36 points. Max won at Eriez Sunday to pick up his points for this week. In other weekend action, he picked up a win at Clinton County's special and came home eighth at Stateline Saturday.

6. Doug Glessner, 33 points. I didn't see Doug's name in any results that I could find this weekend. I imagine he did run Marion Center Saturday, but I could only the top five as far as results go at this point. In any event, not finishing in the top five means he wouldn't have scored any points anyways.

7. Rob Blair, 32 points. Rob didn't score any points this week. He finished sixth at Eriez Sunday, just missing out on a scoring spot. He also ran Stateline Saturday, finishing second.

8. Luke Hoffner, 31 points. Luke didn't score any points this weekend. The only place I saw his name in any results was AMP's special Sunday, where he finished second.

9. Mike Altobelli, 25 points. Mike scored his points at Bedford Friday night, where he got a third place finish. I believe he also ran AMP Sunday, but I couldn't find full results, so you know how that goes.

10. Billy Holbert, 24 points. Billy picked up the win at Roaring Knob Saturday to pick up his points this week. Perusing other results, he also ran Elkins Friday night, where he ran ninth.

10. Jared Miley, 24 points. Jared picked up his points this week running second at Lernerville Friday night. I didn't see his name in any other results this weekend.

And that's it for this week. Only two weeks left until we determine a poll champ!



Northeast Modified Rankings Volume IV; The Doctor Takes the Top Spot; King Jr Enjoying Terrific Season





And we're back with our fourth installment of TDN's North East Modified Rankings! This month, we look back at July and we're going to change the weight of the events. For the first three editions, we pretty much used a balance of home track results and special event results to rank drivers for the time period.

But, now that the Super DIRTcar Series and Race of Champions tour are in full swing, there will be a shift towards results achieved in a special event. We still look at home track points. but we're looking at the big shows just a little more than before.


Alright then, so here's what our criteria is based on:

1. How many races did the driver partake in
2. How big are the purses for any special events
3. What's the level of competition at home tracks or in special events
4. Bad luck factor wrecks, mechanical problems..etc are taken into account these things happen. However should the driver rebound with solid finishes afterwards, it shall diminish the effect of a bad night.

Basically, WRG events including home tracks, ROC events and American Racer home tracks and 358 modified in both Niagara region, Eastern Ontario and Quebec,  and Eastern PA/NJ are all taken into account as well as the new Short Track Super Series events. Sail panels or not, Hoosier or American Racer, it doesn't matter

For this month, we'll be using the time frame from the start of July to mid August, as our writer has let a little more time lapse than normal!





1. Danny Johnson:
1. The doctor is in! And he looks like he's having fun and loving it and it's showing in the results. But before you think this is just a friendly "Let's get the doctor on top of the list so we can say we did" kind of tribute thing, you're wrong. And if you've not been paying attention, it's time to start checking in! He's more than earned the top spot in our countdown based on a July 9 Race of Champions win at Five Mile point, 2 SDS tour wins (Big Show at Malta 7/30 and Merrittville 8/4). And if that wasn't enough, he took home $10,000 at Grandview on August 9th in the 358 "Forrest Rogers Memorial".  Are there any questions? Just think, at the start of the year, people weren't even sure he'd have a ride for the whole season, that must seem like years ago for his fans. This one was as simple as it gets, congrats Dr. Danny Johnson!

2. Billy Decker:
Had the doctor not had such a great month, Decker easily would have assumed the top spot. He's been in victory lane four times since July 1, and against tough competition at Rolling Wheels on July 3, Brewerton on July 4 and two SDS wins at Ransomville and Weedsport which was a $10,000 to win show. Outside of that, he's been good at his home tracks, (Brewerton/Fulton) and has podium finishes on SDS races he didn't win. Plus, he's erased our third place driver's SDS tour point lead to a mere five points as of today with his recent performances.

3. Matt Sheppard:
He's done nothing but win seven races since July 1. They've been at the home tracks (Brewerton/Canandaigua/Utica-Rome) So that's nothing to sneeze at, especially the back to back wins at Canandaigua July 28 and August 9 and Utica Rome as well. He's still leading the SDS standings. And as we're typing this we have to wonder how in the hell he isn't at the top of the list? It's actually because two drivers had better months in big races where competition beyond the home tracks come into play, that's all. Hard to believe it, but he could actually use an SDS win soon to get some breathing room again since Decker is getting better as the year is getting longer.

4. Brett Hearn:
Hard to believe he's fourth, but here he is. He's been holding serve at Malta and Lebanon Valley (8 Malta wins so far), but when the best of the best get together, he's been un Hearn-like.  He's suffered some mechanical problems in the big ones, but has only 4 top 5's in 10 SDS appearances so far, and since July 1 hasn't achieved at a high level in the specials. As rough as it's been he celebrated his 850th career win this past month. And he's only 106 back in the SDS points with some bad luck due for Sheppard and Decker. A win this week at the Valley might just cure the ills.

5. Erick Rudolph:
This 22 year old driver has taken to big blocks like a duck takes to water. The 2013 358 tour champion from Ransomville, NY got a break in a full SDS ride earlier this season and has made the most of it! He won his first career SDS tour race at Drummondville, QUE (from 17th starting spot!) on July 22 and has been a consistent finisher elsewhere. His home track stats are kind of skewed because he just started running Canandaigua recently, but he's a name to watch out for as he might not be done with tour wins just yet. We're not sure how long he stays here, and Thursday August 14 will tell us more at Lebanon Valley, but he's here now!

6. Stewart Friesen:
He's been on top of Fonda and Utica Rome in the win department, but has been average in SDS and RoC competition lately. That might be a mixture of a few factors. His home track performance keeps him in the middle of the countdown for now, but we were thinking a Merrittville or Ransomville win would be in order last week. It wasn't. And it probably would have pushed him ahead of Rudolph.


7. Jimmy Phelps:
Best driver out there that doesn't have a home track or tour win of any kind. But did finally take a checkered flag at Rolling Wheels on July 24 in a Thursday Night Thunder Special, so maybe the pressure's come off a little. In the meantime, a few more top 5's and less top 10's would help on the SDS side of the equation and perhaps a couple of Brewerton or Fulton wins.

8. Justin Haers:
Consistent top 5 finishes at tracks like Canandaigua and a 70% top 10 rate in SDS tour events will get you on our list. To get into the top five, that's up to you, and the external factors (luck) that be. Haers has cooled off a little bit but is still having one of his best years yet. Look for T-Bone to possibly take another tour win in 2014.

9. Rick Laubach:
The quaker shaker has been getting it done at Big Diamond and took home a nice RoC win on July 29 at Grandview. He's had SDS tour wins in his career, and if he were to run the full tour he'd have no problem finishing in the top 10 in points, maybe even top 7.

10. Duane Howard:
See Rick Laubach above, and then insert Grandview for home track, and July 1 RoC tour win at Grandview. Leave the rest of the paragraph the same. Duane's still one of the beasts of the eastern realm of the modified world and he's getting hotter as the season goes on!


Honorable Mention:

MikeMahaney:
Mike's been a terror at Thunder Mountain Speedway on Saturday night's in 2014, but of greater significance are the Utica Rome wins. Keep an eye on this young driver!

Ryan Watt:
Still the mayor of Bridgeport, and a thrill to watch. Wish he'd get out more.

Gary Tomkins:
The venerable Mr. Tomkins has three wins this year, all at Canandaigua. That's a great place to collect three wins. We'd love to see him break is 6 year SDS winless streak. SOON!

Ryan Godown:
Still the mayor of New Egypt and another beast of the east. Having a good season but will need RoC wins to get back in the top 10.

Peter Britten:
If any of his home track wins would have come at Canandaigua instead of Malta, he probably would be in the top 10. As it is, he'll need an SDS win to get there.

Anthony Perrego:
Hey, we told you after the gobbler last year that this kid would be someone to watch. We were right! Perrego might be tops of the southern tier, with wins at accord and a special win here and there as well.

Western Frontier (PA/OH):



1. Rex King Jr
We're just going to list wins since July 1 at this point. At Lernerville, July 25 and August 1. A $2,000 BRP Modified tour win in the Lou Blaney Memorial at Sharon on July 30, and every time he took the track since July 1, he's finished in the top 5. He's the best in the area right now and there is no doubt. He's having a season to remember.

2. Rex King Sr:
The elder King has been doing quite well for himself too both at Lernerville, Sharon and in the BRP tour thus far. He won two modified tour events July 10 at Expo (Trumbull County Fairgrounds) and August 10 at Mercer and everywhere else has been a stout finish as well. To be fair it's really a toss up, between the King's for the top spot more or less, with jr taking one more win and one less race outside the top 5.

3. Dave Murdick: 
He's cooled off from a red hot June, but still a threat every time he hits the track. Took home the cash at the BRP tour race on July 18 at Raceway 7 and has had some top 5's at Lernerville. He's had some DNF's recently but still sits second in modified tour points and has been great in those races as well.

4. Brian Swartzlander:
It's been an up and down season for the legend. But he took a hard fought victory at Lernerville on August 8 along with a couple of top 5 finishes at Sharon in the Blaney Memorial and this past Saturday's $3,000 to win show. It's coming around for him.


5. Jim Weller Jr:
He doesn't make his way to Lernerville often, and he's not always present at the modified tour dates. But, a podium finish in the Blaney Memorial, and a win this past Saturday in the Zdelar Memorial puts him here for the time being.

6. Jeremiah Shingledecker:
It's been a rough one for him, but if we put the cars on the track right now he's right where he should be. He's still been a top 10 runner with some bad luck, and had a nice top 3 at the Mercer BRP event August 10. He could use to stack some podium finishes in a row in the coming weeks if the luck can turn.

Rick Rarer Photo

7. Eric Gabany: 
Now that BRP tour has been kicked off, Gabany can show some results outside of Mercer where he's a threat week in and week out, and he's been doing fairly well. Might be a sleeper pic for the upcoming BRP Applefest at Sharon in September.

8. Tom Winkle: 
We'd love to see him get out to Sharon and some BRP dates more often. But at Lernerville, he's quietly been going about his business and has been consistently good!

9. Brad Rapp:
He's scaled back his racing in 2014, forsaking Lernerville when modified tour dates are happening in the same week. But when he's at the track no matter where he is, it's a good bet he's somewhere in the top 10. We'd love to see him with some updated stuff too to turn some top 5's into wins, if we win the lottery Brad...

10: Lonny Riggs:
A tip of the cap to the first small block driver to ever win a modified tour race at Mercer. Congrats Mr. Riggs, it's the upset of the season so far, but if you know the area modifieds, you know it's not as big an upset as some might think. Lonny won an applefest at Sharon in a small back years back!


And that'll do it for this edition! We'll be back in September with volume 5!