20 YEAR WAIT OVER FOR CARLETON AT MERRITTVILLE
By Alexis De Wolfe – July 8, 2000
A couple of first time feature winners made it to the new victory lane podium Saturday night at Merrittville Speedway. Fred Carleton took his first Modified feature in the Harvey's/Swiss Chalet 96 car. Mike Stevenson (15) took home the checkered and his birthday cake as he won his first feature of 2000 on his birthday. Dave Russell (88) added to his list of feature wins in the Dwarf class as did Chad Brachmann (3) in the Sportsman class. Rounding out the winners were Don Spiece (88) in the Pro Stocks and Chrissy Michaud (Y2K) who won the third ladies race of the season - all this on David Chevrolet Oldsmobile Night.
The street stocks hit the track first, with a lot of great crashes. Tony Visca (49) and Mike Stevenson (15) started the race in the first row. Stevenson quickly took the lead and started to put space between him and the rest of the field. Cars got together on the front straight away on the first lap, around 8-10 of them tangling before getting away, leaving Visca, Lloyd Cichocki (8c), Mike Dooley (310c) and Mike Ward (95) as the victims. Ward, a five-time winner at Merrittville had to be towed from the track with major front-end damage. Stevenson took the lead again on the restart while Chris Crawford (4c) started to make his way up through the pack. Aaron Vasas (6) spun out on lap four to bring out yet another caution. Two laps later the yellow was waved once again as cars get together in turn four, but all the cars managed to get going under their own power. Last week's feature winner Rob Knapp (Y2K) made his way up to fourth spot before the accident. Stevenson took the lead once again as they got going under green, only to have the yellow waved on lap eight as Bruce Colbert (97) spun out in turn two. Stevenson nabbed the lead again on the restart only to have Darren Zumpe (11z) challenge him for his top spot - Zumpe wrangled it from him on lap 11. Knapp managed to get ahead of Zumpe at the same time. Zumpe held the lead on the restart, but lost it between one and two and lost his right rear tire, bringing out another caution on lap 13. With only two laps to go and under caution, Todd Saunders (1) was up to the lead position, followed by Crawford, Stevenson, Dooley and Cichocki. Saunders held the lead on the restart with Crawford trying to take it away from him on the next to last lap. As Saunders and Crawford fought it out going into turn four on the last lap, almost to the checkered flag, they caught up on each other, lost control and Stevenson, who was sporting a sign on his car that said "Lordy Lordy, look who's 40" was able to squeak by them for the win.
Stevenson won his first feature of 2000 on his 40th Birthday and was followed in by the Candy Man Mike Dooley, Saunders and Crawford who slid across the start finish line just ahead of rookie Darlene Gifford (34c).
Dave Russell (88) started the dwarf race and led it from flag to flag. Russell started taking a great lead on the pack on the first lap as Chris Rimmen (7x) sat back in second spot. Jeff Johnson (63) started picking off cars early in the race and landed in third spot on the second lap. Lee Webber (17) a dominating force this season, also started to move up in the pack and clinched third spot on lap four. Caution on lap five as Rimmen got turned around in turn four and was unable to get himself going again. They pushed him off the rail and he continued the race. Russell held the lead, but Johnson was sitting on his back bumper, but couldn't get around him.
Russell took the checkered first, followed by Johnson, Lee Webber (17), Wally Billings (37), and Ray Webber (77).
Jeff Dayman (5) and Don Spiece (88) lined up to be the first to take the green in the pro stock feature. Dayman jumped to the lead and was followed around by Spiece and Danny Gilbert (400). The yellow came out on lap three as Dave Gifford (34c) spun out in turn four. Dayman and Spiece took the green and stayed that way until turn four as Spiece pulled ahead. Rick Baker (78) made it up to third spot by lap four, and had to fend off Ken Sargent (25) on the fifth lap. Darren Kish (99) made his way up to fifth spot on lap 11. With two to go Kish got around Sargent to take fifth spot. Kish secured third spot on the back straightaway as Gilbert and Sargent passed Baker.
Spiece held it for the win, followed by Dayman, Kish, Sargent, and Tom Walker (81), who came back from the back of the pack after having to pit.
The ladies hit the track next. A field of ten cars duked it out over eight laps, to have Chrissy Michaud (Y2K) win it followed by Christine Porter (31jr.), Marrisse Paquin (92), Shani Bleich (3) and Kathy Rodgers (34c).
Randy Chrysler (21k) and Ken Walsh (silver7) started the Sportsman feature in row one. Chrysler jumped to the early lead, but Tim Lipsitt (29) jumped forward to challenge that lead. The first caution flew on lap two as Brad Rouse (18r) slowed on the track, and limped back to the pits. Chrysler nabbed the lead on the restart, only to have traffic grind to halt again as cars tried to go four wide on turn two and Luke Carleton (97) and John McKenney (19j) took the brunt of the damage. The pair managed to get going again under their own power. They restarted under green only to have the yellow come out again on lap five as Bob Davidson (73) and another car got together. Chrysler and Lipsitt took the green side by side and stayed that way until the caution came out again as Gary Kruchka (21k) got stuck in the pack on turn four and had heavy damage for his troubles. Lipsitt and Chrysler were still side-by-side on lap eight, but Chrysler pulled ahead on the back straight away. Chad Brachman (3) moved up to take second on lap fifteen. Chrysler was able to hold him off for another lap before Brachman stripped him of the lead. Caution on lap 23 as Gary Moreash (124) broke and went off the track.
With only two laps to go Brachman jumped to the lead and was followed to the checkered by Chrysler, Lipsitt, Wayne Conn (8c) and Pete Cosco (17c). This was the fourth win of the season for Brachman.
Don Turner (39) and Rick Richner (26) started the modified feature on the first row. Richner jumped to the early lead, followed by Turner. Turner got company on the second lap, and Chris Ricker (13) pulled ahead of him to clinch second. Fred Cade (12) moved up and tried to steal third spot from Turner, but started to fall back as he couldn't secure a clean line on the track. Richner had a great lead on the pack on lap eight, but Fred Carleton (96) started to make a run on him and caught him on 14. Harry Sittler (37s) spun out in turn four and Carleton and Richner almost ran into him as they came around the corner. Carleton took the lead from the restart as traffic started to bunch up in behind him. Don Spatorico (65) broke in the melee and the yellow came out again on lap 15. Carleton took the lead again on the restart. Billy Krull (z1) moved up to take third spot on lap sixteen. Caution again as Cade spun out on turn one but got it going again and headed to the pits. The top five at the half way mark were Carleton, Larry Lampman (42l), Richner, Krull and Brian Stevens (44). Carleton jumped to the lead as Joe Middlemiss (11j) started flying around the outside of the track. On lap 20 Middlemiss was up to sixth spot. Pete Bicknell (42) last week's feature winner had moved up to seventh spot at this point after running most of the race near the back of the pack. Middlemiss clinched fifth spot on lap 22. Carleton maintained the lead, Lampman not even close to catching him. Bill Podwinski (72) spun out right in from of Carleton nearly taking them both out, but Carleton held onto it. Carleton charged to the lead on the restart, with Lampman trying to find a way around him. A caution came out again on lap 29 as Richner lost it in turn four. Bicknell managed to secure fifth spot before he spun out. Carleton jumped to the lead on the restart as Bicknell tried to improve his position.
Carleton held it for the rest of the race and was followed in by Lampman, Krull, Middlemiss and Stevens. Bicknell was unable to hold a top five position.
The Modified win for Carleton was his first in the division after 20 years between the premier division and a successful Sportsmen career.
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