DEL ROUGEUX JR. WINS BRP MODIFIED TOUR DICK RANKIN MEMORIAL AT TRI-CITY SPEEDWAY; JAROD LARSON, MIKE SAMUELSON, BOBBY WHITLING AND DON BLAKE JR. ARE ALSO WINNERS
by Brian Spaid
May 30, 2004
FRANKLIN, PA �. Tri-City Speedway celebrated the life of one of the most popular DIRT Modified drivers with the 1st Annual Dick Rankin Memorial, and Del Rougeux Jr. won the first BRP Modified Tour 2004 of the season. Other feature winners in the Memorial Day holiday event included Jarod Larson (Northpointe Automotive Super Sprints), Mike Samuelson (RPM Auto Sales/Shawgo Real Estate E Mods), Bobby Whitling (E.F. Rogers Plumbing & Heating Pro Stocks) and Don Blake Jr. (Victory Lane Graphics Thundercars) on Rankin & Son Excavating Night at the Venango County half-mile oval.
Del Rougeux Jr. of Frenchville, Pa., started on the pole position of the 30-lap BRP Modified Tour Dick Rankin Memorial, then proceeded to lead every lap in his Vinyl Graphics Unlimited Bicknell No. 20D. It was the defending track champion�s second win of the season and the sixth of his career at Tri-City. It was also his first triumph on the BRP Modified Tour.
�Our car ran perfect and the team did a great job,� said Rougeux. �To win this race against these guys means so much, especially winning it here. We continue to make progress in our racing program each week. Winning the Dick Rankin Memorial is also special. He was a good guy. We all miss him.�
Even though he led every lap, it was not an easy win for Rougeux. Andy Priest pressed Rougeux for the lead in the opening laps, but engine woes sidelined Priest on the ninth circuit bringing out the first caution. Brian Swartzlander became the next challenger. On the restart, however, New York invader Chuck Hebing spun in the first turn slowing the pace a second time.
On the second restart, two-time defending BRP Modified Tour champion Ron Smoker moved into second over Swartzlander.
Over the next nine laps, Smoker tried valiantly to race around the outside of Rougeux. Although Smoker could get alongside Rougeux entering the turns, �The Frenchville Flyer� simply had more bite off the corners. On the 19th lap, Smoker then made a bonsai move entering turn three, but drifted wide and Swartzlander reassumed second. A brief caution one lap later failed to deter Rougeux.
The final 10 circuits were run caution-free, and Rougeux cruised home the winner. After an exciting side-by-side duel over the last two laps, Swartzlander fended off the hard charging Smoker for runner-up honors. Jim Weller finished fourth ahead of Jim Rasey, who charged from the rear of the field for a top five finish. Tom Winkle, Priest, Weller and Joe Crawford won the heat races for the 46-car DIRT Modified field. Josh Skarzenski and Jim Rasey won the B Mains. Skarzenski piloted a backup car provided by Gary Risch Sr. after Skarzenski flipped his primary ride at Lernerville Speedway on Friday night.
Jarod Larson of Rock Creek, Ohio, captured his second feature win of the season in the 20-lap Super Sprint feature. Larson passed early race leader and sprint car rookie Jimmy Weller for the lead on the ninth circuit, then raced on to his fifth career win at Tri-City.
�Jimmy did a great job tonight,� said Larson in victory lane beside his Clemson Excavating/Mark Thomas Ford Eagle No. 47. �My tires needed to heat up before I could challenge him. He got into lapped traffic and took the high lane in turn two. The hole was plugged on the bottom, and when he made his lane choice, the lapped car drifted up and I got by him.�
Weller paced the opening lap from the outside pole position. Larson quickly grabbed second, and appeared to be no match for the former DIRT Modified driver. As the laps ticked by, however, Larson�s car handled better, and it became obvious that the rookie racer was no match for the crafty veteran. Larson waited and pounced at the right opportunity. As Weller tried to pass the lapped car of Bill Jones on the ninth circuit in turn two, Larson made his move underneath both cars to take command. Despite losing the lead, Weller held on to finish a career-best second in only his fourth Super Sprint race at Tri-City.
�I�m disappointed that I lost the race,� said Weller afterwards. �To leave here knowing that I made a mistake that cost me the race is hard. But, we�ll regroup and try better next time.�
Andy McKisson finished third for the second week in a row. Gary Rankin ran a season-best fourth over Todd Bauer. Perennial winners Ed Lynch Jr. and Rod George were both non-factors for the first time in many races at Tri-City. Lynch suffered engine woes the night before at Sharon Speedway and did not race at Tri-City. George flipped his mount at Mercer Raceway Park on Saturday night, and came to Tri-City with a new car. He spun in the feature on the ninth lap after contact with Scott Bonnell, and wound up a disappointing eighth at the finish. Bauer and Rankin captured the Super Sprint heats.
Mike Samuelson of Conewango Valley, NY, captured his first career E Mod feature win as he won the first-ever 20-lap E Series event. Similar to Jarod Larson�s winning move in the Super Sprint main, Samuelson used lapped traffic to his advantage over the last two circuits to pass early race leader Kari Gasser for the win in his Randolph Auto Body/Lake County Dodge Pierce No. 80.
�This is excellent,� smiled Samuelson in victory lane after shaking hands with Gasser. �I needed a little bit of luck out there. It�s been a long time and I finally won one of these races. Kari drove a great race.�
Gasser took the lead from Samuelson on the opening lap. She opened a large gap on the rest of the pack while Samuelson tried to fend off Kevin Decker, who took second place on the sixth circuit. After three cautions slowed action on the sixth circuit following Decker�s pass for second, the race finally settled into a rhythm. Decker raced high around the half-mile track, but was no match for Gasser. Samuelson�s car started to handle better on the long green flag run, and he reassumed second with six laps to go.
Samuelson closed in on Gasser and it became clear to the fans that the race would be close. On the 19th lap, Gasser caught the lapped car of Chip Mahood in turn three, and Samuelson raced under both of them. He led at the line, but Gasser tried to make one last ditch effort to win on the final circuit. It was to no avail, however, as Samuelson held off Gasser for the victory. Decker finished third over Jim Frontz and Fred Bratchie. Shawn Shingledecker and Frontz won the E Mod heat races. Point leader Shawn Domhoff suffered a horrible night of racing. He crashed in his heat race, then spun three times amidst other drivers� accidents in the main event, which forced him the pit area for the night.
Bobby Whitling of Seneca, Pa., captured his first win of the season in the 20-lap Detroit Iron Pro Stock Series race. Whitling led every lap in his Ted Karns Specialty Construction/Double Play Sports Bar Chevrolet No. 7w to win his 33rd career Pro Stock feature at Tri-City. The victory ended a three-race dry spell for Whitling, who last won at Tri-City in the 2003 CSOnline Applefest 100.
�It�s been a while since we were here,� said Whitling in victory lane. �The track was real slick tonight and it was tough to get any traction. I stuck to the bottom, which was the place to be. I knew the guys behind me would have a tough time getting by me.�
Whitling vaulted from the third starting spot into the lead after two laps around the track. He battled three-wide with front row starters Gerry Bruce and Doug Calvert as they crossed the line to lead the first circuit. Whitling used the low groove to perfection, however, and took command. Behind him, Danny Exley moved into second and applied pressure to Whitling.
By the halfway point, it was apparent that Bruce Smith was the fastest car on the track as he worked his way through the field. Smith moved into third behind Whitling and Exley on the 10th circuit with a pass outside of Bruce off turn four. Then, five laps later, he worked under Exley in turn three to grab second. Switching from the high to the low groove a few times, Smith tried to catch Whitling in order to win his third Pro Stock feature in a row. Whitling proved to be more powerful and held on for the win. Smith, Exley, Doug Iorio and Bruce rounded out the top five finishers. Andy Buckley, Iorio and Whitling scored wins in the Pro Stock heats. Bob Sloss won the B Main.
Three times is a charm for Don Blake Jr. of Titusville as he captured his third Thundercar feature in a row at Tri-City. It was the fourth career win for Blake, who is now the dominant force in the class aboard his Monaco Cycle Center/Townville Auto & Equipment Chevrolet No. 43.
�This car runs well here,� said Blake. �I can�t believe we keep winning like this.�
After an aborted start and a rollover by Boyd Sullivan on the opening lap, the field settled down, and Blake stormed to the front. Robby Switzer ran second for most of the race, but was no match for Blake, who led every circuit of the 12-lap affair. Switzer finished second over Curt Bish Sr., Kevin Cooper and Jay Blum. Wearne Cook went for a wild ride on the sixth circuit when his car rode the frontstretch wall. Neither Sullivan nor Cook was injured in their separate incidents.
Tri-City Speedway will be in action next Sunday June 6th with a five-star racing program that features the Northpointe Automotive Super Sprints, Schwab�s Ford DIRT Modifieds, RPM Auto Sales/Shawgo Real Estate E Mods, E.F. Rogers Plumbing & Heating Pro Stocks, and Victory Lane Graphics Thundercars. In addition, the Pittsburgh Circle Track Club Senior Series will run their first race of the season at Tri-City. Gates open at 4 p.m. and racing starts at 6 p.m. Adult grandstand admission will be $10.
SUPER SPRINTS (20 Laps): 1. JAROD LARSON, 2. Jimmy Weller, 3. Andy McKisson, 4. Gary Rankin, 5. Todd Bauer, 6. Scott Bonnell, 7. Jason Jacoby, 8. Rod George, 9. Chris Matthews, 10. Brent Covell, 11. Scott Groves, 12. Jeremy Keegan, 13. Mary Anne Williams, 14. Butch Beasley, 15. Sheila Rankin, 16. Jeff Kasbee, 17. Jared Zimbardi, 18. Bill Jones, 19. Skip Daugherty, 20. Curtis Stroup, 21. Dr. Bob Altmeyer.
BRP MODIFIED TOUR 2004 (30 Laps): 1. DEL ROUGEUX JR., 2. Brian Swartzlander, 3. Ron Smoker, 4. Jim Weller, 5. Jim Rasey, 6. Jeremiah Shingledecker, 7. Rex King, 8. Dave Murdick, 9. Chanda Reitz, 10. Skip Moore, 11. Josh Skarzenski, 12. Lenny Leibold Jr., 13. Steve Young, 14. J.R. McGinley, 15. Chris Schiffer, 16. Gary Rankin, 17. Rob Kristyak, 18. Dave Schrader, 19. Tom Mattocks Jr., 20. Tom Winkle, 21. John Buchanan, 22. Chad Reitz, 23. George Hobaugh, 24. Joe Crawford, 25. Kevin Bolland, 26. Tommy Kristyak, 27. Andy Priest, 28. Carl Murdick, 29. Rodney Beltz, 30. Chuck Hebing (DISQ). DNQ: Russell King, Conny Allen, Steve Barr, Lee Miller, Rick Hall, Pete Simpson, Travis Shingledecker, Jay Priest, Nick Ritchey, Bob Dorman, Jeremy Paup, Mark Frankhouser, Gary Risch Jr., Mike Stine, Les Myers, Dean Pearson.
E MODS (20 Laps): 1. MIKE SAMUELSON, 2. Kari Gasser, 3. Kevin Decker, 4. Jim Frontz, 5. Fred Bratchie, 6. Mike Potosky, 7. Carl McKinney, 8. Butch Lambert, 9. Bruce Powell, 10. John Lacki, 11. Russ Dempsey, 12. Dan Ames, 13. Chip Mahood, 14. Shawn Shingledecker, 15. Dennis Niederriter, 16. Ron Roncaglione, 17. Shawn Domhoff. DISQ: Jamie Shetler.
PRO STOCKS (20 Laps): 1. BOBBY WHITLING, 2. Bruce Smith, 3. Danny Exley, 4. Doug Iorio, 5. Gerry Bruce, 6. Gary Norman, 7. Butch Lambert, 8. Doug Iorio II, 9. Andy Buckley, 10. Jason Johns, 11. Joe Lockhart, 12. Rusty Kellogg, 13. Scott Myers, 14. Denny Crawford, 15. Terry Wheeler, 16. Russ Coyne, 17. Bob Sloss, 18. Mike Turner, 19. Arthur Edwards, 20. Ronnie Davis, 21. Doug Calvert, 22. Bob Bean, 23. Dave Ferringer, 24. Bret McCarthy. DNS: John Sutley. DNQ: Dave Gadley, Tim Balach, Matt Keith, George Kafantaris, Matt Thomas.
THUNDERCARS (12 Laps): 1. DON BLAKE JR., 2. Robby Switzer, 3. Curt Bish Sr., 4. Kevin Cooper, 5. Jay Blum, 6. Curt Bish Jr., 7. Chad Myers, 8. Joe Blake, 9. Jeff Manners, 10. Matt Zinz, 11. Regina Deloe, 12. Travis Norman, 13. John K. Miller II, 14. Dave Gottschalk, 15. Wearne Cook, 16. Andy Miller, 17. Josh Seippel, 18. Boyd Sullivan. DNS: Carl Feely.