King Sr wins Big Block Mod Tour in “Open Wheel Mania” at Stateline Speedway!
Lunger doubles, Vigneri gets first-ever Modified win, Ruhlman, Chevalier, and Johnson also score wins!
Busti, NY (June 30, 2018]: Seven classes of open wheeled race cars raced at Stateline Speedway Saturday in “Open Wheel Mania”. With no fenders allowed 113 racers took to the 1/3 mile clay oval. At the end of the night Rex King Sr was king of the Big Blocks, Phil Vigneri III stood in a 358 Modifieds Victory Lane for the first time in his career, and Dennis Lunger made two trips to the Winner’s Circle, in both the Rusted Nutz Garage E-Mods and the RUSH Pro Mods. Chad Ruhlman won his second RUSH Sprint feature in as many appearances at Stateline, Chad Chevalier collected the Race of Champions win and Robert Johnson was the first under the checkers in the Vintage Modified feature.
Dennis Lunger and Justin Carlson started the RUSH twenty-lap Pro Mod feature on the front row with Scott Gurdak and Matt Harvey in row two. Lunger took the immediate lead over Carlson, Gurdak and Adam Ashcroft. Caution flew with two laps complete when Jarrod Silvis had problems and came to a halt just out of turn four. On the restart the field made it to turn four when Matt Harvey got sideways with eventually four cars involved. With three laps complete Lunger, Gurdak, Carlson, Ashcroft, and Jeremy Williams brought the field back to green with Lunger again sprinting out to the early lead. At nine laps complete Ashcroft came to third. At halfway Lunger had a quarter lap lead over Gurdak and caught the backmarkers with five laps remaining when yellow flew for Zach Johnson, stopped at the pit entrance, erasing Lunger’s lead. Ashcroft came to second with three laps left. At the checkers it was Lunger, Ashcroft, Gurdak, Chad Carlson, and Justin Carlson.
The BRP Big Block Mod Tour raced for 35-laps with Rex King and Phil Vigneri III on the front row. Kyle Fink and Greg Martin composed row two of the 25-car field. King led from the drop of the green over Vigneri until the first caution, with three laps complete, when Jimmy Holden spun from mid pack on the main straight. The rest of the field managed to avoid contact and Holden rejoined the race. King again led after green for one more lap when Rick Regalski and Josh Wilcox spun in turn four. Wilcox retired to the pit area during the caution period. Rich Whitney spun at lap six for the next yellow. King Sr continued to lead Vigneri, Tyler Willard, Rex King Jr, and Jim Rasey through lap twelve when he began lapping the back markers. In heavy traffic at the halfway point King Sr’s lead was half a straight over Vigneri. At twenty laps complete King Jr was catching Willard but then was caught up in lapped traffic, allowing Willard to scoot away. With ten to go King Sr had a commanding quarter lap lead, maintaining that advantage through to the checkers. On the final corner King Jr caught Willard and got third at the finish. Also in the final laps Greg Martin displaced Rasey for fifth.
Greg Belyea and Randy Hall were at the front for for the Rusted Nutz Garage E-Mod feature with Belyea leading to turn four when Hall got by. Nine cars piled up in turn two on lap two, bringing an extended red flag to clean up the damaged race cars. Four of the 25 starters were unable to continue. Hall led again after green with Butch Southwell coming to second but caution flew prior to the completion of a lap when Ryan Scott spun in turn two. Southwell again came to second with Tim Rockwell coming to third. Dennis Lunger, fresh off an Economod win was fourth at four laps when Josh Beckstrom spun in turn two. Al Brewer was fifth for the restart. Rockwell edged ahead of Hall just as caution flew again, this time for Mark Thrasher, spun in turn four. Rockwell continued to lead after green with Hall, Lunger, Brewer, and Steve Rex the top five when Calvin Thompson spun in turn two. Under caution Brewer headed pitside, elevating Southwell back into the top five. With nine complete Rex spun in turn three with Ron Seeley and Thompson also involved. Lunger nosed ahead of Rockwell on lap ten just as Hunter Hulley spun in turn two. Lunger brought the field back to green but yellow flew again at lap fourteen when Josh Beckstrom spun in turn two. Lunger opened his lead over the next laps with Rockwell holding second over Hall, Justin Carlson, and John Woodward. At nineteen laps Southwell got to fifth but Woodward had it again at 21. Woodward got by Carlson a lap later for fourth. At the checkers it was Lunger by a near quarter lap over Rockwell, Hall, Woodward, and Cale Crocker.
The Race of Champions 30-lap feature had pole sitter Chad Chevalier as the first leader over Cody McPherson. At ten laps Chevalier had a quarter lap lead over McPherson with James Henry third. At halfway the margin was the same. With five to go the leader was in traffic but McPherson was not able to close in. Chevalier went on to the win over McPherson, Henry, Brad Rouse, and Josh Wilcox. The event ran green to checkers with no cautions.
The 358 Modifieds had Phil Vigneri and Kyle Fink on the front row for their 25 lap feature with Vigneri taking the led at the start. Fink was second at the end of the lap one with Jeff Schaffer Sr third. Yellow flew at four laps when Jimmy Parenti Jr and Kevin Green spun in turns three and four. Vigneri went on to the win over Fink, Greg Martin, Tom Holden, and Dylan Davidson. It was Vigneri’s first-ever 358 Modified win.
Arnold Kent and Gale Ruth were the front row of the RUSH Sprints for their twenty lap feature. Kent was the leader at the end of one lap with Chad Ruhlman second at the end of three. Ruhlman, a former Limited Late Model standout at Stateline, was even with Kent at the line at the end of six laps and the leader at the end of seven. Kent stayed with Ruhlman through the next two laps but then Ruhlman pulled ahead to a solid lead at halfway. Ruhlman went on to the win, his second at Stateline in the season in as many appearances.
Twelve Vintage racers started their fifteen lap feature with Dave Myers and Robert Johnson on the front row. Myers was the leader at one lap over Johnson, Mark Shadwell, Jim “Dingo” Kirkwood, and Rick Hall. Kirkwood had suspension issues and went to the pits at lap four. At lap eleven Myers lost the left front wheel, coming to a stop at the pit entrance. Tom Natalino also came to a stop on the back straight. For the last five laps of the night Johnson brought the cars to green over Shadwell, Hall, and Alex Morris. Johnson went on to the win in the Vintage Modifieds with Alex Morris the victor in the Vintage Sportsman.
Results:
BRP Big Block Modified Tour:
Heat 1: Dave Murdick, Kevin Hoffman, Tyler Willard, Kyle Fink, Steve Barr, Lonny Riggs, Travis Shingledecker, John Wilcox
Heat 2: Rex King Jr, J R McGinley, Jim Rasey, Phil Vigneri III, Bob Warren, Mark Frankhauser, Rich Whitney,Tom Holden
Heat 3: Jimmy Holden, Ricky Richner, Greg Martin, Rex King Sr, Chris Haines, Rick Regalski, Sidney Unverzagt, Ralph McBride
Feature: Rex King Jr, Phil Vigneri III, Rex King Jr, Tyler Willard, Greg Martin, Jim Rasey, Ricky Richner, Jimmy Holden, Kevin Hoffman, Chris Haines, Kyle Fink, Steve Barr, Bob Warren, J R McGinley, Rick Regalski, Ralph McBride, Rich Whitney, Sidney Unverzagt Jr, Mark Frankhauser, Dave Murdick, Skip Moore, Lonny Riggs, Tom Holden, Josh Wilcox, Travis Shingledecker
Rusted Nutz Garage Outlaw E-Mods:
Heat 1: John Woodward, Ryan Scott, Timothy Rockwell, Greg Belyea, Mark Thrasher, Michael Eschrich, Hunter Hulley, Calvin Thompson, Ray Houser
Heat 2: Dennis Lunger, Justin Carlson, Dan Sasso, Al Brewer, Cale Crocker, Kyle Bedell, Charles Frye, Byron Johnson
Heat 3: Troy Johnson, Greg Johnson, Butch Southwell, Randy Hall, Steve Rex, Ron Seeley, Josh Beckstrom, Dave Lamphere
Feature: Dennis Lunger, Tim Rockwell, Randy Hall, John Woodward, Cale Crocker, Alan Brewer, Ryan Scott, Butch Southwell, Dan Sasso, Justin Carlson, Mark Thrasher, Hunter Hulley, Dave Lamphere, Josh Beckstrom, Byron Johnson, Steve Rex, Ron Seeley, Greg Belyea, Calvin Thompson, Ray Houser, Greg Johnson, Troy Johnson, Kyle Bedell, Charles Frye, Michael Eschrich
RUSH Pro Mods:
Heat 1: Adam Ashcroft, Dennis Lunger, Scott Gurdak, Brian Mohawk, Zach Johnson, Jeremy Williams, Stu Rickard
Heat 2: Jason Covey, Justin Carlson, Matt Harvey, Chad Carlson, Nicholas Mohawk, Jarrod Silvis
Feature: Dennis Lunger, Adam Ashcroft, Scott Gurdak. Chad Carlson, Justin Carlson, Jeremy Williams, Jason Covey, Nicholas Mohawk, Brian Mohawk, Stu Rickard, Jarrod Silvis, Zach Johnson, Matt Harvey
RUSH Sprint Cars:
Heat 1: Chad Ruhlman, Arnold Kent, Tyler Powell, Joseph McEwen, Steve Cousins
Heat 2: Gale Ruth, Shawn Smith, Scott Hawkins, Brandon Hawkins, Dave Hawkins
Feature: Chad Ruhlman, Arnold Kent, Tyler Powell, Gale Ruth, Brandon Hawkins, Joe McEwen, Shawn Smith, Scott Hawkins, Dave Hawkins, Steve Cousins
Thunder on Dirt Vintage Racing Series:
Heat 1: Alex Morris, Dale Zimmer, Tim Natalino, Luke Zimmer, Jeff Mitchell
Heat 2: David Myers, Robert Johnson, Mark Shadwell, Rick Hall, Chris Ketch, Jim “Dingo” Kirkwood, Jeff Manners, Kevin Mahoney
Feature: Robert Johnson, Mark Shadwell, Alex Morris, Rick Hall, Dale Zimmer, Jeff Mitchell, Tim Natalino, Dave Myers, Jeff Manners, Luke Zimmer, Chris Ketch, Jim “Dingo” Kirkwood
Race of Champions Modifieds:
Heat 1: James Henry, Brad Rouse, Chad Chevalier, Cody McPherson, Dylan Davidson, Josh Wilcox, Like Carleton, Rob Sauder
Feature: Chad Chevalier, Cody McPherson, James Henry, Brad Rouse, Josh Wilcox, Dylan Davidson, Luke Carleton, Rob Sauder
358 Modifieds:
Heat 1: Phil Vigneri III, Kyle Fink, Brad Rouse, Sidney Unverzagt, Lonny Riggs, Rich Whitney, Jimmy Parenti Jr, Kevin Hoffman
Heat 2: Greg Martin, Jeff Schaffer Sr, James Henry, Jeff Schaffer Jr, Kevin Green, Tom Holden, a Luke Carlton, J R McGinley, Dylan Davidson
Feature: Phil Vigneri, Kyle Fink Greg Martin, Tom Holden, Dylan Davidson, Kevin Hoffman, James Henry, Jeff Schaffer Jr, Lonny Riggs, Brad Rouse, Sidney Unverzagt, Kevin Green, Steve Barr, Luke Carleton, Jimmy Parenti Jr, Jeff Schaffer Sr, Rich Whitney, J R McGinley, Travis Shingledecker