MIKE COLSTEN, BRETT TONKIN, JOE DAMIANO, DAN POMPEY, AND CRAIG DECKER SHARE PENN CAN VICTORY LANE

(Susquehanna, Pa.) Friday nights racing card at the Penn Can Speedway

found a familiar face returning to victory lane on Stone’s

Excavating/Gary Dyer Excavating night. Mike Colsten powered his Don’s

Automotive Mall sponsored #51 to his first win of the 2004 racing season

in Modified competition. Brett Tonkin ended Kevin Bates two race win

streak in the Sportsman class as Tonkin narrowly held off a fast closing

Bates to pick up his first win of the season. Joe Damiano came home the

winner of the 25 lap Late Model feature, the first race on the BRC Lazer

Late Model Series. Dan Pompey picked up his first career Penn Can Super

Stock victory while Craig Decker won his first Pure Stock feature of the

season.

After suffering through a couple of miserable nights the first two

weeks of the season, Mike Colsten found himself handicapped to the pole

position for the start of the 30 lap Modified feature as Mike led the 25

car field to the green flag. Mike was able to take advantage of the up

front start as he powered past Chris Shupp at the drop of the green to

take over the race lead. Running with a 351 C. I. Ford Small Block under

the hood of his Bicknell chassied machine, Colsten pretty much dominated

the event as he lead all 30 laps to earn the feature win.

Though he led the entire distance enroute to the victory, Mike did

not get to enjoy the victory without a challenge. Mike had to hold off a

late challenge from Alan Rudalavage, who raced his way from tenth

starting spot to second. Though he got as high as second, Alan simply

ran out of laps before he could find a way past Colsten for the top spot.

Bill Huff finished third ahead of current point leader Brian Weaver and

opening night feature winner Jeff Strunk. Chris Shupp, George

Kostelansky, Joey Grammes, Tom McGurrin and Rick Virkitis completed the

top ten.

George Kostelansky, Mike Colsten, and Russell Hendrickson Jr. won

the Modified heat races while Tom Rudalavage picked up the consolation

win.

Youth was definitely served in the Sportsman division as the top

three finishers in the 20 lap feature are all still in their teens.

Brett Tonkin piloted his Besten’s Collision/Tonkin Auto Parts sponsored

#15 to his first career Penn Can victory. Tonkin started the race in

seventh, but wasted little time in making his way to the front of the

field. Brian Decker led the early stages, but an overheating engine

would prove to be his downfall as Brian dropped off the pace,

surrendering the top spot to Tonkin just shy of the halfway point before

retiring from the event shortly thereafter.

Tonkin continued to lead as current point leader and two time

feature winner Kevin Bates was rapidly becoming a factor. Kevin advanced

from his tenth starting position to move into a contending position. A

couple of late cautions bunched up the field and set up a dramatic finish

as Bates made a furious late race charge to try to take the win from

Tonkin. Kevin’s charge came up just a car length short as he was able to

get alongside Tonkin exiting the fourth turn but Brett was just strong

enough to hold on for his first career win. Bates finished second with

yet another of the young start of the Sportsman division, Shaun Walker,

finishing third. Marty Bunker and Arnie Slade completed the top five.

Garth Tonkin Jr. finished sixth in his first start of the season while

Mike Loney, Ryan Olsommer, Mike Marold Jr., and newcomer Ray Taylor

completed the top ten finishing order.

Marty Bunker, Mike Marold Jr., and Kevin Bates won the Sportsman

qualifiers.

The 25 lap Late Model feature was the first event on the BRC Lazer

Late Model Championship Series, and Old Forge, Pa.’s Joe Damiano opened

the series with a feature win. Randall Paxton quickly moved from his

fourth starting position to claim the top spot and Paxton held the top

spot for the first sixteen laps of the event. The pivotal moment in the

race came on a lap 17 restart as Paxton pushed up the track in the second

turn which opened the door for Damiano, who powered past Paxton on the

low side to take over the lead. Joe led the rest of the way to pick up

the victory. A couple of laps after losing the lead, Paxton lost power

and retired to the infield. This allowed Jason Carman to finish in the

runner-up position ahead of Jamie Griffiths, Rich King, and Brent Dyer.

Lou Sparks, R.J. Windhausen, Allen Coy, Bud Phillips and Eric Bonham

completed the top ten finishing order.

Jamie Griffiths and Billy Marvin won the Late Model qualifiers.

Glenwood, Pa’s Dan Pompey became a first time winner on Friday night

as he drove his NEP Motorsports sponsored #11 to his first ever Super

Stock feature win at Penn Can. It was a hard fought win for Pompey as he

and Wade Decker staged a crowd-pleasing battle for the top spot, a battle

that saw the two battle side by side for several laps. Despite the tight

racing, there was no contact at all between the two as they fought hard

but clean for the top spot. In the end, Pompey took the win by about a

car length over Decker. Chris Strohl. Tracy Gregory, and Chris Hunsinger

rounded out the top five finishing order. Brett Spoor, Denny Decker,

Jerry Tonti, Jason Bartsch, and Nick Petrilak rounded out the top ten

finishers.

The two Semi Features that set the starting order for the Super Stock

feature were won by Chris Strohl and Brett Spoor.

In Pure Stock action, Craig Decker started on pole and led all 15

laps of the feature event to pick up his first win of the 2004 racing

season. Decker’s win came on the new American Racer Pure Stock Tire, a

tire that is now an option for the Pure Stock teams. Craig grabbed the

lead at the start and was never seriously challenged over the 15 laps.

Behind Craig, the second position was hotly contested as Charlie Gilbert,

Nate Shay, and Shane Wolf battled for the runner-up position. The three

swapped positions several times with Gilbert leading Shea and Wolf across

the line with Dee Ramey completing the top five. Rookie Kevin Beach

scored has best finish to date with a sixth place effort ahead of Nate

Evans, newcomer Chad Stone, Mike Hoyte, and Ivan Smith. Following the

race, the top five finishers were subjected to an extensive technical

inspection with all five passing said inspection and being found legal.

Racing continues this Friday night at Penn Can Speedway with a

five division show of Modifieds, Sportsman, Late Models, Super Stocks,

and pure Stocks. The Sportsman division will take center stage on Friday

night with a big $600 to win special event. Racing gets underway at

7:15 PM. For more information, contact the speedway office at

(570)-575-9928 or check out the speedway’s official website at

www.penncan.com.

RACE SUMMARY:

MODIFIEDS: 1 MIKE COLSTEN 2. Alan Rudalavage 3. Bill Huff 4. Brian Weaver

5. Jeff Strunk 6. Chris Shupp 7. George Kostelansky 8. Joey Grammes 9.

Tom McGurrin 10. Rick Virkitis 11. Sean Collins 12. Carl Nagel 13. Chris

Weaver 14. Tom Rudalavage 15. Brian Franko 16. Dave Jenkins 17. Rick

Holgate 18. Brian Malcolm 19. Russell Hendrickson Jr. 20. Mike Nagel 21.

Steve Babicek 22. Mike Decker 23. Mike Frost 24. Joel Batzel 25. Joe

Uliana

SPORTSMAN: 1. BRETT TONKIN 2. Kevin Bates 3. Shaun Walker 4. Marty Bunker

5. Arnie Slade 6. Garth Tonkin Jr. 7. Mike Loney 8. Ryan Olsommer 9. Mike

Marold 10. Ray Taylor 11. Dwayne Robbins 12. Bruce Evans Jr. 13. Alex

Konopka 14. Eric Stephens 15. George Deckelman 16. Matt Latwinski 17.

Harry Marvin III 18. Eric Crambo 19. Brian Decker 20. Michael Lartz 21.

Rick Brown

BRC LAZER LATE MODEL SERIES EVENT #1: 1. JOE DAMIANO 2. Jason Carman 3.

Jamie Griffiths 4. Rich King 5. Brent Dyer 6. Lew Sparks 7. RJ Windhausen

8. Allen Coy 9. Bud Phillips 10. Eric Bonham 11. Alan Kellogg 12. Randall

Paxton 13. Dave Zona 14. Billy Marvin 15. George Leatso 16. Jim O’Hara

17. Keith Mudge 18. Adam MacGeorge

SUPER STOCK: 1. DAN POMPEY 2. Wade Decker 3. Chris Strohl 4. Tracy

Gregory 5. Chris Hunsinger 6. Brett Spoor 7. Denny Decker 8. Jerry Tonti

9. Jason Bartsch 10. Nick Petrilak 11. Jack Evans 12. Jack Stanley 13.

John Lewis 14. Harry Marvin Jr. 15. Rod Latwinski 16. Tom Cornell 17.

Paul Rooney 18. Paul Strohl 19.Ken Taugher 20. Jamie Cortazar

PURE STOCK: 1. CRAIG DECKER 2. Charlie Gilbert 3. Nate Shay 4. Shane Wolf

5. Dee Ramey 6. Kevin Beach 7. Nate Evans 8. Chad Stone 9. Mike Hoyte 10.

Ivan Smith 11. Brad Albrecht 12. Chris Wood 13.Jason Moncosky 14. Keith

Wilkins 15. Dan Donnelly Jr. 16. Jack Evans 17. Tom Garren 18. Josh Ellis

19. Bill Hawkins DNS: Lee Penney, Bob Tyriw