JEFF STRUNK, KEVIN BATES, KEITH MUDGE, NICK PETRILAK AND SHANE WOLF SHARE OPENING NIGHT LIMELIGHT AT PENN CAN

(Susquehanna, Pa.) After a week delay due to weather, the Penn Can

Speedway’s much anticipated season opener finally got the green flag. A

standing room only crowd was on hand on Boughton’s Auto Salvage night to

enjoy the start of the new racing season that saw Jeff Strunk get his

season off on the right foot as he drove to victory in the Modified

feature. Defending Sportsman division champion Kevin Bates opened up his

championship defense with a trip to victory lane while Keith Mudge came

home the winner in the Late Model class. Nick Petrilak scored his first

ever Super Stock feature win while defending pure Stock champion Shane

Wolf got his title defense off on the right foot with an opening night

feature win.

The 30 lap Modified feature saw Jeff Strunk and Tom Rudalavage pace

the field to the green flag. At the drop of the green, Strunk grabbed

the top spot with Tom Rudalavage in hot pursuit. Rudalavage kept the

pressure on Strunk and was able to slip by for the top spot as Strunk was

struggling a bit in the early going as he and his team has chosen a

harder tire compound than most of the other frontrunners and it took him

some laps to get the tire up to temperature. Strunk would slip back to

third as defending track champion Brian Weaver also drove past Strunk and

into the runner-up position. Just one lap later Weaver would get to the

inside of Rudalavage for the lead. Weaver’s time at the front would be

short lived, as on lap six he was forced to surrender the top spot as a

flat right rear tire sent him pitside for new rubber.

Racing resumed with Rudalavage and Strunk battling for the top spot.

While Rudalavage managed to holds onto the top spot, he was under heavy

pressure from Strunk and his brother Alan Rudalavage, who was quickly

becoming a factor. By the halfway point, Strunk had driven past Tom

Rudalavage for the top spot and Tom and Alan Rudalavage were locked in a

torrid battle for second. As the Rudalavage Brothers battled for second,

this allowed Strunk to open up a bit of an advantage. Alan eventually

made his way past Tom for second and set his sights on Strunk.

A caution flag just three laps from the finish bunched the field for

a final shoot-out. The field took the green flag with the lapped car of

Rick Holgate between leader Strunk and Rudalavage. This would prove to

be just enough to allow Strunk to drive on to victory aboard his Main

Engine powered BGP Racing entry as Holgate raced Rudalavage hard and it

took Alan a couple of laps to work his way past. By the time he had

disposed of the lapped car, Alan was too far back to make a last lap run

at Strunk and Jeff opened the season with a win over Alan Rudalavage and

Tom Rudalavage. Mike Nagel and Mike Decker completed the top five

finishing order. Brian Franko finished sixth while Brian Weaver salvaged

a seventh place finish after his tire problem. Chris Weaver, Tom

McGrurrin. And Rick Virkitis completed the top ten.

Tom Rudalavage collected the bonus posted for the highest finishing

Modified powered by a DIRT legal Small Block.

Heat races for the 25 Modifieds on hand were won by Mike Nagel,

Brian Weaver, and Alan Rudalavage.

Defending track champion Kevin Bates got his title defense off to a

good start as he piloted his Penn’s Best Trucking sponsored #42b to the

season opening feature win. Bates pent the early laps of the event

battling with Arnie Slade for the top spot. Once out front, Kevin led

the rest of the way to pick up the victory. Shaun Walker worked past

Slade for the runner-up position late in the event while Slade crossed

the line for a third place finish. Ken Titus finished fourth with Mike

Marold Jr. completing the top five. Brian Decker, Brett Tonkin, Mike

Loney, Alex Konopka, and Marty Bunker completing the top ten.

Kevin Bates, Arnie Slade, and Brett Tonkin won the Sportsman

qualifying events.

In Late Model action it was Keith Mudge opening the season by

powering his Tedeschi’s Pizza sponsored #35 to the opening night victory.

It was a hard earned victory for Mudge, who took over the top spot in

the middle stages of the event when he drove past Allen Coy to take over

the top spot. Mudge then had to hold of a late charge from Joe Damiano.

Joe had driven from his tenth starting spot to second, but came up just

short on a last lap bid for the top spot as Mudge took the victory by a

narrow margin over Damiano. Second year driver Bud Phillips finished

third ahead of Allen Coy and Dave Zona. Jason Carman, Rich King, Adam

MacGeorge, newcomer RJ Windhausen and Randall Paxton occupied the second

half of the to ten finishing order.

Joe Damiano and Dave Zona were Late Model heat race winners.

In Super Stock action, Nick Petrilak drove to his first ever Penn

Can Speedway feature win as the teenager from Greenfield Township, Pa.

Turned in a strong performance to pick up he win. Petrilak battled Wade

Decker for the top spot early before taking control of the event. A late

caution bunched the field and put Paul Rooney right on Petrilak’s rear

bumper, but Nick was up to the challenge and held off Rooney over the

final circuits to pick up the win over Rooney. Tracy Gregory, Chris

Hunsinger, and Brett Spoor completed the top five finishers. Newcomer

Jerry Tonti finished sixth ahead of Wade Decker, Chris Strohl, rookie Tom

Cornell, and Les Gillette.

Wade Decker, Paul Rooney, and Dan Pompey won the Super Stock

qualifiers.

The final race of the evening was the Pure Stock feature which was

won by Shane Wolf. Wolf spent most of the race running second behind

Craig Decker, but problems under the hood of Decker’s machine late in the

event sidelined him with just two laps remaining. This turned the top

spot over to Wolf, who led the final two laps to open his championship

defense with a feature win. Keith Wilkins finished second ahead of Tom

Garren, Bob Boynton Sr., and Doug Stack. Randy Rollison, Josh Ellis, Dee

Ramey, Bill Hawkins and Ivan Smith completed the top ten.

Shane Wolf, Doug Stack, and Charlie Gilbert won the Pure Stock heat

races.

Racing resumes this Friday night at Penn Can with another five

division racing card. The Modifieds, Sportsman, Late Models, Super

Stocks and Pure Stocks will all take part in a full slate of qualifying

events leading up to five big feature races. Gates open at 5:15 PM with

racing promptly at 7:15 PM. More information can be had by telephoning

the speedway office at (570)-585-9928 or via the track’s official website

at www.penncan.com

BOUGHTON’S AUTO PARTS OPENING NIGHT RACE SUMMARY:

MODIFIEDS: 1. JEFF STRUNK 2. Alan Rudalavage 3. Tom Rudalavage 4. Mike

Nagel 5. Mike Decker 6. Brian Franko 7. Brian Weaver 8. Chris Weaver 9.

Tom McGurrin 10. Rick Virkitis 11. Dave Jenkins 12. George Kostelansky

13. Russell Hendrickson 14. Carl Nagel 15. Sean Collins 16. Brian Malcolm

17. Joel Batzel 18. Rick Holgate 19. Mike Frost 20. Chris Shupp 21. Bill

Huff 22. Joey Grammes 23. Steve Babicek 24. Mike Colsten

SPORTSMAN: 1. KEVIN BATES 2. Shaun walker 3. Arnie Slade 4. Ken Titus 5.

Mike Marold Jr. 6. Brian Decker 7. Brett Tonkin 8. Mike Loney 9. Alex

Konopka 10. Marty Bunker 11. Dusty Jaeger 12. Matt Latwinski 13. Mike

Lartz 14. Brandon Buck 15. Rick Brown 17. Jeff Crambo 18. Duane Robbins

19. Harry Marvin III 20. Eric Stephens Jr. 21. Joshua Pursell 22. Bob

Ferguson DNS: Archie Meyers IV

LATE MODEL: 1. KEITH MUDGE 2. Joe Damiano 3. Bud Phillips 4. Allen Coy 5.

Dave Zona 6. Jason Carman 7. Rich King 8. Adam MacGeorge 9. RJ Windhausen

10. Randall Paxton 11. Lou Sparks 12. George Leatso 13. Brett Dyer 14.

Jamie Griffiths 15. Billy Marvin 16. Jim O’Hara 17. Jim Cummings

SUPER STOCK: 1. NICK PETRILAK 2. Paul Rooney 3. Tracy Gregory 4. Chris

Hunsinger 5. Brett Spoor 6. Jerry Tonti 7. Wade Decker 8. Chris Strohl 9.

Tom Cornell 11. Les Gillette 12. Bill Trego 13. Nate Evans 14. Jason

Bartsch 15. Paul Strohl 16. Harry Marvin Jr. 17.Rod Latwinski 18. Denny

Decker 19. Daryl Ellis 20. Dan Pompey 21. Hank Decker 22. Ken Taugher 23.

James Millard DNS: Jamie Cortazar, Jim Hughes

PURE STOCK: 1. SHANE WOLF 2. Keith Wilkins 3. Tom Garren 4. Bob Boynton

5. Doug Stack 6. Randy Rollison 7. Josh Ellis 8. Dee Ramey 9. Bill

Hawkins 10. Ivan Smith 11. Lee Penney 12. Brad Albrecht 13. Jeremy Consla

14. Kevin Beach 15. Rob Sterling 16. Matt Spencer 17. Charlie Gilbert 18.

Craig Decker 19. Bob Tyriw 20. Ken Wynn 21. Nate Shay 22. Mike Hoyte 23.

Everett Cass 24. Mahlon Shoemaker DNS: Gary Davis