KENT FLIES TO NON-STOP SPRINT WIN; YOUNG WINS FIRST IN EXCITING MOD FEATURE; EPERTHENER DOES IT AGAIN IN SPORTSMAN; MOORE UPSETS STOCKS FOR FIRST WIN; LAST LAP SPIN GIVES BISH, SR. #8 IN STRICTLYS AT MERCER
By Mike Leone
June 26, 2004
Mercer, PA…Mercer Raceway Park hosted American Patriot Night Saturday honoring all veterans with a huge Zambelli Internationale Fireworks show presented by Walt’s of Mercer Plaza & Pizza Joe’s. Scoring wins and celebrating in the McClung Auto Body victory lane were Arnie Kent-Luxaire Heating & Cooling Sprint Cars, Steve Young-Campbell-Peterson Trail & Turf Big-Block Modifieds, Ron Eperthener, Jr.-Tire Express Sportsman Modifieds, Jarrot Moore-Stock Cars, and Curt Bish, Sr.-Maurer’s Trading Post Strictly Stocks.
Arnie Kent won a breathtaking, non-stop 20-lap Luxaire Heating & Cooling Sprint Car feature timed in 5:04.54 holding off a late race rally by Rod George on the super fast track for his second win. “I was running out of wind there at the end,” revealed the New Castle, Pa. winner. “I just had to hang in there. I needed a caution. I could have run harder, but I was actually getting tired. We struggled and worked on the car all week. We changed a whole bunch of stuff after the heat race; that and the combination of the track being tacky.”
Like a bullet from the outside second row, Kent rocketed past George, Jason Dolick, and Doug Stanley using the top side of the track to sneak by for the lead at the start-finish line on the first lap. George moved up to third on lap five using the bottom of the track to take the position away from Stanley. Kent caught traffic on lap six, while George pressured Dolick for second. With the help of lapped traffic, George squeaked past Dolick for second on lap 10.
Up front, Kent had a great rhythm going running the outside and performing a driving clinic through lapped traffic. Once George cleared Dolick, he found himself more than a straightaway behind Kent. Each and every lap George slowly cut into Kent’s lead. At no point did it appear George would be able to challenge Kent; however, on the final lap Kent struggled through lapped traffic allowing George to quickly close the margin on Kent.
Kent though was able to hold on to win by a few car lengths for his third win of the season, which includes his opening night 360 win. Kent’s tenth career Mercer win came in his Born2Run Sports Complex/Equipment Rental Options-sponsored, Don Blackshear-powered, American Racer-shod #2.
Dolick of Coshocton, Ohio ran a great race to match a career best 410 finish in third and earned the $150 bonus for being the highest finishing Moore CDL Driving Academy 360 Sprint Car. Scott Bonnell was fourth before the caution was displayed for Gary Kriess, Jr. and Butch Beasley. The remaining positions reverted back to the 19th lap, which gave Mike Shearer fifth. Completing the top 10 were Rob Eyler, Jamie Smith, Stanley, Jeff Banyas, and Gary Edwards. Heat winners over the 22-car field were Dolick and Kriess.
Stanley, Aaron Shaffer, and Nick Patterson also received bonus monies for being the highest finishing 360s giving Ohio drivers a sweep of the top four positions.
It took him almost one year to the day, but Steve Young was able to return to victory lane in the 20-lap Campbell-Peterson Trail & Turf Big-Block Modifieds after a stout performance holding off all the top contenders for his first win since June 28, 2003. “I’m back I guess,” expressed the humble Grove City, Pa. winner. “This is great! We had really high gear in. Once I got going, I was alright. I took the spring rod and adjusted it all the way out. It makes the car bounce around more, but I didn’t want to tighten it up.”
Young lost the lead on the opening lap to Frank Guidace. Andy Priest, who started eighth, quickly raced to the front and had third from Jeremy Paup on lap two. By lap five, a great three-car race for the lead ensued with Guidace trying to keep Young and Priest at bay. On lap seven, Young got a great run off the bottom through turn three to get under Guidace. The two made contact in turn four with Young coming out on top.
Priest challenged Guidace and made the pass for second off turn four on lap nine. Priest now worked to the inside of Young and the two ran side-by-side on laps 10 and 11 bringing back memories of the Sportsman Modified days. On lap 12, Young was able to maintain the lead and opened up some breathing room. Guidace slowed on lap 15 and dropped back through the field before exiting the race. This moved 11th starting Tommy Kristyak to third. Kristyak quickly ran down Priest on lap 17 and was all over the point leader, while Young pulled away. With the white flag waving, Priest’s pulled into the infield with mechanical woes as Kristyak took second.
Young crossed the finish line first by a straightaway over Kristyak for his sixth career big-block win and 26th of his career overall at Mercer. Young became the eighth different big-block winner of the season in the J.R. Greer-owned, Montgomery Truss & Panel/Calcium Chloride Sales/Giordano Construction-sponsored, Rombold-powered #11T Bicknell.
Kristyak’s second combined with Priest’s DNF moved him back into the point lead. Dave Murdick passed Jeremy Paup on lap 19 to finish third. One week after recording his best career finish in sixth, the ever improving Paup, bumped that up with his first top five coming home in fourth. Andy Paden was fifth after starting 14th giving him his second top five of the season. Sixth through tenth were Rodney Beltz, Carl Weatherby, Les Myers, Carl Murdick, and John Buchanan. Heat winners over the 26-car field were Priest, Guidace, and Young. Beltz won the B main.
It took Ron Eperthener, Jr. seven years to win his fourth career feature this year, but only four weeks to get #5. Eperthener’s win came in the 20-lap Tire Express Sportsman Modified feature. “I don’t know what to say,” expressed the Grove City, Pa. winner. “I finally figured out how to do it and I hope it keeps rolling. Things are great! It feels good to be here in front for a change. It’s a change before from being in the back.”
Mike Anderson jumped out into the early lead from the pole position with Jeff Walters moving into second past Rick Ryder. Anderson held the lead until looping his mount on lap five, while battling with Walters for the lead. Eperthener, who started 10th, now found himself in third on the restart and then grabbed second away from Kevin Thompson on lap six.
Walters got high off turn two on lap nine allowing Eperthener and Thompson to take over the top two spots. Eperthener then survived two late restarts and was never seriously challenged for the win in the Ron Eperthener, Sr.-owned, Eperthener Auto Wrecking-sponsored #333 Bicknell. Thompson had a solid run in second matching his best finish of the season. Point leader Jeff Schaffer came from ninth to place third and hasn’t finished out of the top five since August 23, 2003. Rick Hall and Jerry Schaffer were fourth and fifth. Topping the heat races over the 25-car field were Jerry Schaffer, Gary Smoker, and Eperthener.
Jarrot Moore was the surprise winner in the 15-lap Stock Car feature for his first ever Mercer win holding off all he could handle by western Pa. great Bobby Whitling. “The car was perfect,” acknowledged the New Castle, Pa. resident. “The car seemed to stick on the outside. I felt I could run a little harder so I chose the outside.”
Moore took the lead away from pole-sitter Joe Updegraff on the initial lap as Whitling came from fifth to second. Whitling challenged Moore and finally was able to lead lap seven by using the outside of the speedway. Moore though wasn’t to be denied as he got back by the defending track champion with an inside move on lap eight to retake the lead. Moore then was able to hold off Whitling in the remaining laps to become the seventh different winner of the season in his Rich & Freed’s Auto Parts/Jim Hooks Auto Repair-sponsored #8M. Moore stated his last and only dirt win came at Hickory Speedway in the early 90s and before that won two races on the asphalt.
After starting 10th, Brian Booher was third getting by Rick Lanigan on lap 13. Lanigan was fourth over Andy Buckley. Scoring heat race wins were Whitling, Shaun Hooks, and Moore over the 26-car field.
Just when it appeared the Bishs stranglehold on the Strictly Stock division was about to come to an end by Bryan Shaffer, the youngster’s last lap spin handed Curt Bish, Sr. his eighth win of the season and kept his family a perfect 11-for-11. Shaffer led the first seven laps from the pole position before Bish got the advantage on lap eight. Shaffer though looked strong as he retook the lead one lap later. On the last lap going down the backstretch, Shaffer looped his #77 allowing Bish to fly by for another win in the Maurer’s Trading Post “Redneck Racers Shotgun Series”. Bish of Titusville, Pa. drove the Dennis Baker Construction/A&C Buffet-sponsored #00 as he continues to lead the points. Curt Bish, Jr. and Joe Blake also got by Shaffer before Shaffer regrouped to finish fourth. Wearne Cook was fifth.
Luxaire Heating & Cooling Sprint Cars: 1. ARNIE KENT 2. Rod George 3. Jason Dolick 4. Scott Bonnell 5. Mike Shearer 6. Rob Eyler 7. Jamie Smith 8. Doug Stanley 9. Jeff Banyas 10. Gary Edwards 11. Andy McKisson 12. Gary Kriess, Jr. 13. Andy Priest 14. Aaron Shaffer 15. Nick Patterson 16. Chad Levingston 17. Butch Beasley 18. Jeremy Cook 19. Paul Kish 20. Eric Williams 21. Chris Shuttleworth 22. Joe McEwen-DNS.
Campbell-Peterson Trail & Turf Big-Block Modifieds: 1. STEVE YOUNG 2. Tommy Kristyak 3. Dave Murdick 4. Jeremy Paup 5. Andy Paden 6. Rodney Beltz 7. Carl Weatherby 8. Les Myers 9. Carl Murdick 10. John Buchanan 11. Andy Priest 12. Frank Guidace 13. Travis Shingledecker 14. Jeff Baker 15. Rob Curtis 16. Jeremiah Shingledecker 17. Tommy Marshall III 18. Stan Riggle 19. Bob Dorman 20. Kenny Hardy 21. Rick Hall 22. Steve Barr 23. Scott Kay 24. Zack Moran-DNS DNQ: Rick Kress, Adam Kozar.
Tire Express Sportsman Modifieds: 1. RON EPERTHENER, JR. 2. Kevin Thompson 3. Jeff Schaffer 4. Rick Hall 5. Jerry Schaffer 6. Gary Smoker 7. Jeff Walters 8. Dave Murdick 9. Kevin Green 10. Bill Adams 11. Fred Sasse 12. Jim Rombold, Jr. 13. Kristin Jordan 14. Mike Kelley 15. Terry Young 16. Jim Thompson 17. Branden Porter 18. Steve Toth 19. Mike Turner 20. Jay Priest 21. John Larkin 22. Mike Anderson 23. Rich Whitney 24. Rick Ryder 25. Matt Reeher-DNS.
Stock Cars: 1. JARROT MOORE 2. Bobby Whitling 3. Brian Booher 4. Rick Lanigan 5. Andy Buckley 6. Andy Thompson 7. Shaun Hooks 8. Doug Iorio 9. John Reiser 10. Tim Deutsch 11. Terry Wheeler 12. Gary Norman 13. Bill Lanigan 14. Terry Kroner 15. Gary Johns 16. Chris Brown 17. Scott Malone 18. Joe Updegraff 19. Cody Smith 20. Carl Ealy 21. Ryan Moyer 22. Rick Norco 23. Clyde Roberts 24. William Smiley 25. Rick Anthony-DNS 26. Tim Zuschlag-DNS.
Maurer’s Trading Post Strictly Stocks: 1. CURT BISH, SR. 2. Curt Bish, Jr. 3. Joe Blake 4. Bryan Shaffer 5. Wearne Cook 6. Dave McMurray, Jr. 7. Paul Reiser 8. Carl Ealy 9. Lauren Simmons 10. Don Blake, Jr.-DNS.