MILLER AND SPIECE MAKE FRONT PAGE NEWS ON WELLAND TRIBUNE NIGHT AT MERRITTVILLE SPEEDWAY
By Alexis De Wolfe
It was another exciting night of racing at Merrittville Speedway on June 3 with a very fast track for the Welland Tribune Carriers and Readers in attendance. Mike Ward (95) added to his feature wins with a great race in the Street Stock feature, while Lee Webber (17) took the checkered in the Dwarf feature for the second week in a row. Don Spiece (88) won his first Pro Stock feature of the season, while Fred Carleton (96) made his total three features for the season in the Sportsman and Dan Miller (22) took his first career 358 Modified feature. Rounding out the winners to start the month of June was Shani Bleich in the Ladies Race while Kevin Knapp won the Demo Derby.
Darren Zumpe (11z) and Cam Fournier (02ez) started up front for the street stock feature, but Todd Saunders (1) started to make a run through the pack on the first lap. A few cars got piled up in turn four on the first lap. Last week's feature winner, Mike Dooley (310) was towed from the track minus a right rear wheel, and Randy Beck (00) was taken from the track with a lot of damage. Beck left a lot of fluid on the track that had to be worked in before the race could resume. Zumpe and Saunders were on the front row for the restart. Saunders quickly jumped up to the lead. Lloyd Cichocki (8c) moved up to second spot on the third lap, leaving Zumpe in third spot. At the halfway point Mike Ward (95) had steadily moved himself up into second spot and was looking to the lead, he wrestled it away from Saunders on lap 11. Saunders lost control on lap 12 and spun out between turns one and two, leaving him at the back of the pack.
Ward came around to receive the checkered flag, followed by Zumpe, Cichocki, Chris Crawford (4c) and Rob Knap (Y2K).
Chris Rimmen (7) took the lead off the checkered in the dwarf feature but Nol King (55) quickly over took him. Mike Green (3) moved up into third spot on the second lap, and a lap later moved into second behind King. On lap four Green moved into the lead with Lee Webber (17) moving up into fourth spot. Lee Webber and Ray Webber (77) moved up to pass King on lap six, while Dave Russell (88) moved up into fourth position. Lee Webber moved up to pass Green on lap eight, but Green took the lead back two laps later, only to fall back behind Lee Webber. A caution came out on the twelfth lap as Carl Ballinger (53) got stuck on the wall.
Lee Webber finished the race in first followed in by Green, Ray Webber, Russell and Wally Billings (37).
Todd Zelichowski (31j) took the early lead in the pro-stock feature only to have Don Spiece (88) move up and rob him of his position on the first lap. Zelichowski started to fall back, and gave up position to Shawn Keus (7s) and Tom Walker (81). The first caution flew on lap five as four cars got mangled in turn four. Keus lost control in turn four and wiped out Zelichowski, Walker and Ken Sargent (25). Sargent's damage was so extreme that he had to be cradled off the track between two tow trucks. Walker lost his rear left wheel and had to be towed from the track. Keus and Zelichowski were also helped from the track. It took almost fifteen minutes to get the cars off the track because they don't have the required hoops on their cars for easier towing. Keus managed to make it back onto the track before the green flag flew once again. Spiece held the lead for the restart followed by Tim Zack (15), and Dan Gilbert (400). Caution flew again on lap seven as Bill Bleich (108) stopped on the track with a flat tire. Spiece and Jeff Dayman (5) were lined up to take the green together. Gilbert broke on lap 10 bringing out another caution while Dave Gifford (34c) left his drive shaft on the front straightaway.
Spiece held onto it for his first checkered in 2000 followed by Dayman, Rick Baker (78), Keus, and Darren Kish (99).
Linda LeRoux (22) took the early lead in the ladies race but fell back as Shani Bleich (3) and Christine Porter (30) blew past her. Christine Wood (34c) and LeRoux exchanged paint between turns one and two on lap four, but Bleich and Porter were well ahead of the pack.
Bleich took the checkered first followed by Porter, LeRoux, Wood, and Kellie Mason (11z).
Brad Rouse (18r) and John Hagerman (71h) held the pole positions for the sportsman feature that would prove to be a precursor to the demo derby slated for the end of the evening. The first yellow flag flew on the first lap as Fred Carleton (96) went flying off the end of the track at turns three and four, but made it safely back to the track, with only a quick run to the pits to get checked out. Kevin Gee (m7) left the track to repair a flat tire. Rouse held onto the lead but lost it to Hagerman on the second lap. Gary Kruchka, Shawn Sliter (71s) and John McKenney (19j) got turned around in turn four on the second lap. Two laps, two cautions. Rouse managed to hold the lead on the restart, but Jack McKinney (57) began making his move. Dean Hoffman (19j) and McKinney got together on the third lap to bring out the third caution of the evening. McKenney took the lead from Rouse on lap four, with Joe Meisel (15) sitting back in third spot. Carleton managed to make up seven spots in four laps, and continued to move steadily up through the pack. McKinney got turned around for the third time on lap bringing out yet another caution. Carleton was making a steady run through the pack, already up to eighth spot on the ninth lap, after starting tail on the first lap. Rouse took the top spot back on lap ten with McKenney and Hagerman behind him. On lap fourteen the yellow flag flew followed by the black as Hoffman and McKinney tangled for the third time. McKenney wrestled the lead from Rouse on the restart as Rouse started to fall back in the pack. Carleton took the lead on lap 18 and never looked back. Rouse left for the pits on lap 20, to finish the race in fourteenth spot after leading most of it. Chad Brachmann (3) wrestled second spot from McKenney on lap 23.
Carleton held onto it for the win followed by Brachmann, McKenney, Boyd MacTavish (7m) and Hagerman.
Chris Ricker (13) and Harry Sittler (37) sat in front row for the modified feature. Sittler ran into the lead, being pushed by Dan Miller (22), who took the lead from him on lap two. Don Spatorico (65) moved up into third spot on the same lap. Caution came out on lap five when Brian Stevens (44), Larry Lampman (42L) and Doug Swinson got together breaking the streak of cautionless features for the modifieds. Miller jumped to the lead on the restart followed by Sittler, Joe Middlemiss (11j) and Spatorico. On lap eleven Todd Gordon (8eh) was battling off Pete Bicknell (42) for fourth spot and managed to hold him for a while. Rich Vinson (93) made it up to second spot on lap 19. Yellow on the track on lap 16 as Billy Krull (z1), Ricker, Fred Cade (12) and Rob Krull (123) got together coming out of two. All four cars made it to the pits on their own. Miller still held the lead for the restart. Middlemiss managed to wrestle second spot from Vinson on lap 21 as Vinson started to fall back. Middlemiss started to make a run on Miller on lap 23 but with only two to go couldn't make up the distance.
Miller came down to take the checkered followed by Middlemiss, Stevens, Bicknell and Jamie Turner (11).
Join us again next week Saturday June 10th when SKOAL Inc. presents the Avondale Food Stores Empire Super Sprint Spectacular. Gates open at 5:30 and races begin at 7:30. A No Blanket Policy is in effect. For further information contact 905-892-8266 or visit www.merrittvillespeedway.com.