ELY TAKES ADVANTAGE OF NIGHT OFF WITH URC TO WIN ESS/NRA/PSG “GREAT RACE” 360 SPRINT CLASSIC; SMOKER TAKES 358 MODS; FIRST EVER
Sat, Sep 18, 2004 -- "The Great Race" 360 Sprint Classic
Written by: Mike Leone
Mercer Raceway Park hosted the inaugural “Great Race” 360 Sprint Classic on Saturday night presented by the Born2Run Sports Complex in Grove City, Pa. It was a night of firsts as all four feature winners recorded their first wins. Celebrating in the McClung Auto Body victory lane were Dave Ely-Moore CDL Driving Academy ESS/NRA/PSG 360 Sprints, Gary Smoker-358 Modifieds, Rick Norco-Stock Cars, and Robby Switzer-Maurer’s Trading Post Strictly Stocks. A season-high 138 cars were in the pits for the four-division program.
Dave Ely will go down in the record books as the inaugural $3,000 winner of “The Great Race” 360 Sprint Classic. The Sinking Springs, Pa. racer took advantage of a cancelled event on the United Racing Club schedule and nailed down his biggest win of the season and first ever at Mercer in the 30-lap Empire Super Sprint/National Racing Alliance/Patriot Sprint Group-sanctioned event.
“The way this year has been going, I didn’t want see any yellows or nothing, I just wanted the deal to be over with,” described the winner. “I kept mixing it up to keep them guessing on the restarts. We went with a harder tire. I have to thank American Racer Tires. They’re struggling to the Purple Guys. It’s nice to come out here in western Pa. to their home turf and win for them.”
Ely started the event from the pole, but lost the early lead to Jeff Banyas as the young racer was once again primed for a first career win. Banyas caught traffic on lap six. Ely chased Banyas down and the two battled through traffic. Ely would make what would turn out to be the winning move with an inside pass for the lead off turn four on lap eight.
While Ely continued to maintain his lead, a four-car race for second ensued with Banyas trying to hold off his fellow Mercer competitors Arnie Kent, Scott Bonnell, and Jamie Martin. Banyas was able to hold off the trio behind him as they swapped positions third through fifth back and forth. Ely opened up a pretty substantial lead before Randy West brought out the first caution with 15 laps completed.
Two other cautions slowed action with 15 and 19 laps completed. When racing resumed, Bonnell worked his way back by Martin for fourth on lap 20. Bonnell and Kent then ran side-by-side for third over the course of the next seven laps before Bonnell finally made the pass stick on the inside of the track on lap 27.
Ely took the white flag, but his victory would have to wait as Banyas’ fine run in second ended on the final lap when he got together with the lapped car of Ashley Parlett. This moved Bonnell up to second for the restart, but he was no match for Ely who crossed the finish line first in the Shuttleworth Asphalt Sealing/Hamilton Motorsports/S&D Racing-sponsored, Gene Franckowiak-owned #3.
“I couldn’t be happier,” exclaimed Ely. “We’ve really been struggling the last few weeks since I came back from being hurt. I think we found something tonight. The way the night started, I didn’t know how we were going to be. I wasn’t happy where we timed. The 360 shows are so tough. It showed tonight. We timed 16th quick, they inverted 8, and we got the pole for the feature because so many cars didn’t qualify. Every time you go on the track, you have to have your elbows up. I want to thank Vicki and everyone here at Mercer. They always treat us so nice; for a purse like this, this late in the year for 360s. I’m glad she had a good car count and hops she continues to run the show.”
Bonnell’s second was worth $2,000. Kent was third over Martin and URC regular and last week’s Bully Hill winner Trevor Lewis. Sixth through tenth were Kramer Williamson (URC), Mike Brecht (NRA), Jason Dolick (MRP), Steve Leiber (NRA), and West (URC). West set fast time in qualifications and broke his own track record from July 3 with a lap of 14.154, which earned him $100. Heat winners were Dolick, Doug Emery, Bobby Breen, Billy Krull, Lance Yonge, and J.R. Stewart. Jared Zimbardi won the C main, while Williamson won the B main. The 51-car field breakdown included 14 Mercer Raceway Park cars, 10 from ESS, 10 from PSG, 8 from NRA, 7 from URC, plus USCS and East Bay, Florida runner Mike Senecal and central Pa’s Ryan Lynn.
Gary Smoker has won many races over his career, but Saturday night the six-time 2004 Sportsman Modified winner collected his career first in open 358 Modified competition with the four barrels. The 20-lap feature win was worth $600. “The good Lord said we needed rain and that always makes for a challenging track, but it wasn’t the guys fault,” stated the Mercer, Pa. driver. “The crew keeps telling me to use patience and we did that.”
Kevin Thompson burst in the lead at the start. Terry Young, who was subbing for Rick Hall, started sixth and passed Matt Reeher for third on lap three. Young inherited second on lap six when Andy Priest exited the race. Following a restart with six laps completed, seventh starting Smoker made a nice move to pass both Chad Reitz and Young for second.
Like Ely, Smoker made a similar move to take over the lead from Thompson on lap eight using the inside of the track through turns three and four. Smoker survived two more cautions to collect his 29th career Mercer win in the David Smoker-owned, MBMR Inc./Mito Insulations-sponsored, Domhoff-powered #516.
Dave Murdick had charged from the 16th starting spot to move into second on lap 12 past Young and Thompson driving Glenn Hinkle’s #32c. But on a restart with 15 laps completed, both Young and Ron Eperthener, Jr. made the pass for second and third. Young would hold off Eperthener and Murdick for a career best finish in second. Thompson dropped to fifth. Rounding out the top 10 were Garrett Krummert, Reitz, Steve Toth, Bob Garvey, and Reading’s Paul Kline. Heat victors over the 33-car field were Thompson, Priest, and Smoker. Kline won the B main.
Rick Norco has been so close so many times over the last few years, but has never been able to taste victory. Norco ended that skein on Saturday night by winning his first ever feature at Mercer in the $600 to-win 20-lap Stock Car main. “This is great,” expressed the jubilant New Castle, Pa. racer. “It’s been a long time- it’s awesome! My pit crew, my wife, my family- they don’t miss a race. I was nervous when I seen Booher’s number on the board. He’s fast. I want to tell Brian (Booher) I’m sorry for getting together- the brakes were dying.”
Norco took helm of the event on lap two from Chris Brown. Bill Lanigan moved ahead of Brown for second on lap five. Booher, who started all the way back in 18th, made his presence known on lap eight when he disposed of Brown for third. Booher climbed to second on lap 11 by racing past Lanigan.
Norco then was able to hold off Booher’s hard charge and survived two restarts to capture the exciting win in his Bouncing Around Indoor Fun Zone/Real Deal Sealing/Four Star Pizza-sponsored #07. Norco became the 11th different Stock Car winner of 2004. Lanigan came home with a career best third. Bobby Whitling was fourth after starting 20th as Doug Iorio rounded out the first five. Terry Kroner, Mike Pegher, Jr., Iorio, and Gary Miller, Jr. won the heats over the season-high 40-car field. Newcomers Jason Fosnaught and Ken Zimmer won the two B mains.
Making just his fourth start, Robby Switzer captured his first win in the 12-lap “Redneck Racers Shotgun Series” for Strictly Stocks. The Kennerdell, Pa. driver started the event in third and inherited the lead on lap two when leader Bryan Shaffer spun. Switzer was never seriously challenged as his #97 crossed the finish line first and became the second high school student to win a Strictly Stock feature this season joining Shaffer. After starting 13th, Jeff Manners made his way through the field to place a Mercer-best second. Curt Bish, Jr. beat his father Curt, Sr., who clinched the championship. Wearne Cook was fifth. A season-high 14 cars were on hand.
Moore CDL Driving Academy ESS/NRA/PSG 360 Sprint Cars (30 laps): 1. DAVE ELY ($3,000) 2. Scott Bonnell 3. Arnie Kent 4. Jamie Martin 5. Trevor Lewis 6. Kramer Williamson 7. Mike Brecht 8. Jason Dolick 9. Steve Leiber 10. Randy West 11. Kevin Welsh 12. Duffy Smith 13. Jeff Cook 14. Bobby Breen 15. Billy Krull 16. Doug Stanley 17. J.R. Stewart 18. Jeff Banyas 19. Ashley Parlett 20. Bryan Howland 21. Josh Weller 22. Jeff VanDusen 23. Doug Emery 24. Lance Yonge. DNQ through the B: Jamie Smith, Dan Kaszubinski, Bubby Kerrick, Dwain Leiber, Mike Stelter, Jared Zimbardi, Jeff Williams, Gary Troutman, Ron Blair, Nick Fratto, Tom Quarterson, Rob Eyler, Tim Kelly, Rich Swarthout. DNQ through the C: Pup Nystrom, Ray Preston, Jr., Tim Zimbardi, Mike Senecal, Jeremy Cook, Ryan Lynn, Matt Alloway, Blake Breen, Mike Dussel, Chris Shuttleworth, Rick Wilson, Don Adamczyk, Paul Kapuchuck.
358 Modifieds (20 laps): 1. GARY SMOKER ($600) 2. Terry Young 3. Ron Eperthener, Jr. 4. Dave Murdick 5. Kevin Thompson 6. Garrett Krummert 7. Chad Reitz 8. Steve Toth 9. Bob Garvey 10. Paul Kline 11. Matt Reeher 12. D.J. Schrader 13. Mike Anderson 14. Mark Frankhouser 15. Mike Turner 16. Chad Yeager 17. Leroy Johnson, Jr. 18. Travis Bell 19. Kevin Green 20. Jerry Schaffer 21. Andy Priest 22. Leonard Baker, Jr. 23. Rick Kress 24. Mike Stine DNQ: Bryan Hockenberry, Jerry O’Rock, Jr., Pud Welsh, Dana Gearhart, Jimmy Holden, Chris Dye, Adam Kozar, Ben Porter, Joe Walsh.
Stock Cars (20 laps): 1. RICK NORCO ($600) 2. Brian Booher 3. Bill Lanigan 4. Bobby Whitling 5. Doug Iorio 6. Andy Thompson 7. Shaun Hooks 8. Jim McFadden 9. Chris Brown 10. Andy Buckley 11. Rich Howell 12. Jason Fosnaught 13.Ken Zimmer 14. Mike Work 15. Terry Wheeler 16. Joe Lockhart 17. Jarrot Moore 18. Gary Miller, Jr. 19. Gary Norman 20. Terry Kroner 21. Tim Deutsch 22. John Reiser 23. Dave Ferringer 24. Mike Pegher, Jr. 25. Chuck Gebauer DNQ: Chuck Kremer, Jr., Rush Firestone, Matt Thomas, Dan Ferry, Jim Brunson, Jack Keesey, Clyde Roberts, Mike Rice, Rusty Wheeler, Don Bauer, Wayne Mohawk, Bob Bean, Jamie Duncan, Brad Pease, Ryan Moyer.
Maurer’s Trading Post Strictly Stocks (12 laps): 1. ROBBY SWITZER 2. Jeff Manners 3. Curt Bish, Jr. 4. Curt Bish, Sr. 5. Wearne Cook 6. Everett Wade 7. Dave Fugate 8. Paul Reiser 9. Bryan Shaffer 10. Carl Feely, Jr. 11. Lauren Simmons 12. Ronnie Boyd 13. Jon Mabry 14. Jim Boring.