REPEAT WINNERS FIND VICTORY LANE AND KING GETS THE CROWN AS SEASON WINDS DOWN AT MERRITTVILLE SPEEDWAY
September 11, 1999
By Alexis De Wolfe
As the season is winding down the drivers at Merrittville Speedway are getting wound up.
Dave Gifford (34c) proved triumphant yet again in the street stock class, while the dwarf car fans were treated with Dave RusselL (88) coming across the line with the lead once again. Ron Reece (11) battled up from the back of the pack to take the checkered flag in the Pro Stock feature. The sportsman class was a little bit short but Fred Carleton (96) made the most of it and racked up another win. Jim Begolo (16) came back with a vengeance to take the modified feature this week.
In the street stock feature, Aaron Vasas (66) made a quick jump to the lead as the green flag fell but Dave Gifford (34c) quickly got ahead of him, and started to make his run. Darren Zumpe (11) got spun around in the second lap and started a chain reaction in turn four, luckily all of the cars got moving on their own. This left Vasas and Gifford to battle it out on the restart, Gifford got a jump on Vasas at the green and left him in the dust. Vasas started to fall back on lap five. Alex Whelan (57k) was bumped around on the front straightaway bringing out a caution on lap five that left Whelan's car badly mangled. Mike Ward (95) and Chuck Martin (3) had gotten ahead of Vasas and were sitting in second and third on the restart. On lap seven Bruce Colbert (97) and Tony Visca (49) got hooked together on the back straightaway and travelled the length of the race track before the two cars spun in opposite directions, unhooking them, but bringing out the third caution of the race with only five laps to decide the race. Vasas spun out as the cars came around turn four to take the checkered flag, but he went on his own and Gifford drove away with the win. Martin came in second followed by Ward, Mike Stevenson (15) and Rob Knapp (24k) rounded out the top five.
As usual the dwarf cars put on a great show during their 15-lap feature. Bill Perry (9) began the race in the lead but Ray Webber (77) started making a move on him early in the race. John Wrobel (6) moved quickly up into third place, only to fall back under stiffer competition. Dave Russell (88) moved up to take the runner up spot on lap six and took the lead on the back straightaway of the same lap. Russell never looked back and just continuously increased his lead for the remainder of the race. Lee Webber moved up on lap seven looking to catch up to Russell but it just wasn't meant to be. Russell crossed the finish line first followed by Lee Webber, Ray Webber, Perry and Nol King (55).
The Pro Stocks were eager to get their feature underway. This was made obvious by the cars bumping each other on the start. Brian Halliwell in Chris Buttigieg's (31j) took the early lead. Bill Bleich (108) broke on the first lap and just managed to limp to the infield before the pack made their way around to him. Shawn Keus (7s) sitting back in third place was working hard to hold off Ron Reece (11). Halliwell lost the handle in turn four of the 3rd lap. This has been two weeks in a row that Halliwell has been involved in a major wreck. The races resumed after they towed his car back to his pit. This left Reece in the lead. On lap five Tom Walker (81) moved up into second place, but Reece was too far ahead for Walker to catch up to him. Ken Sargent (25) made his way up to third with only five to go but Walker was able to hold him off. Reece took the checkered followed by Walker, Sargent, Herb Hunter (95) and Chris Ebisole (43).
The Sportsman feature started with Gary Kruchka (21) on the pole but he could only hold onto the lead until Ken Walsh (7w) made it around him on turn two of the first lap, John Hagerman (71h) moved up with him to clinch second place. Fred Carleton (96) was not to be undone though, moving up into third place by the sixth lap of the 20-lap feature. Carleton won a hard fought battle with Walsh to take the lead on lap sixteen and with only four to go Bill Willard (77jr) had moved up into third place behind Walsh. Carleton held onto it for the checkered followed by Walsh, Willard, Hagerman and Tim Lipsitt (29).
The Modifieds were out in full force to put on a show for eager race fans. Don Turner (39) held the pole for the feature and jumped to a big lead as the pack got jumbled up on the start. Todd Gordon (8eh) tried to make a move on him on lap two as Wayne Conn (8) broke and coasted to turn three bringing out the first caution of the race. Jim Begolo (16) jumped to third spot on the restart sitting behind Gordon and Turner. Begolo took the runner up spot from Gordon on lap six, and managed to wrestle the top spot away from Turner three laps later. Begolo never looked back. Ken Cosgrove (9) started making his way up through the field and was sitting in fourth on lap nine with Scott Wood (38) sitting closely behind him. Cosgrove moved up into third on the fifteenth lap. Cosgrove took the second place spot away from Turner on lap 20 and started reeling Begolo in. Wood managed to get around Turner on lap 26 and the top three guys started running away from the rest of the pack. A car got spun around on turn one on lap 29 bringing out a caution. Wood shot around Cosgrove on the restart to steal second place and hold onto it through the last laps of the race. Begolo crossed the finish line first followed by Wood, Cosgrove, Rich Vinson (93) and Turner.
The final race of the century gets under way September 18th when Star Headlight & Lantern and Inside Track Motorsports News rock the house with the Empire Super Sprints. Look for more excitement as the Street Stock and Dwarf Car Points championships come down to one night. On September 26th, have the thrill of your life in the Dwarf Car Experience at Merrittville Speedway - drive a dwarf car!!! For more information call (905) 892-8266 or visit www.merrittvillespeedway.com