COSGROVE WINS HOOSIER TIRE 50 LAP EVENT: BICKNELL AND BRACHMAN WIN TITLES AT MERRITTVILLE
By Alexis De Wolfe
Hoosier Tire Night Saturday September 4th was the last points event at Merrittville Speedway for Sportsmen & Modifieds in 1999, and what a night it was.
Mike Ward (95) placed first in the street stock class his second victory of the season while defending Pro Stock Champion Ron Reece (11) took his first win of the season. Jeff Johnson (63) won the feature in his dwarf car - his third of the season with multi-feature winner Chad Brachman on top of the Sportsmen division. Ken Cosgrove (9) ran away with the 50 lap Modified feature.
With the Hoosier Tire Sunoco Race Fuels Mr. DIRT Series events in full swing now, Chad Brachman and Pete Bicknell will represent Merrittville Speedway as Point Champions. For Brachman it was his first ever Sportsmen title at the Thorold track while Bicknell earned his 13th Title after a season long battle with runner-up Jim Begolo.
Darren Zumpe (11) started the Street stock feature on the pole, and held it coming around, but the caution came out on the first lap as a car drove off the end of the track between turns 3 and 4. Zumpe held onto the lead, the pack took the green flag three wide and Mike Ward (95) took the lead on lap three. Bruce Colbert (97) sat back in second place, looking for any opportunity to pass Ward. Alex Whelan (57k) got the short end of the stick on lap eight when he was spun out by another car, putting him out of the event. The green came out with four laps to go and Dave Gifford (34c) was looking to overtake Colbert for second, and manages to take it with two to go. Ward took the checkered followed by Gifford, Colbert, Chuck Martin (3) and Mike Stevenson (15).
The dwarf's started their feature by going into turn one four wide, and coming out of two five wide. The dwarf's are the only cars that can pull that one off. Joe Swatland (23) began the race in the lead followed by Ray Webber (77), but the two of them went wide coming out of turn four. Webber got pointing the wrong way and almost got taken out by the remainder of the pack as he tried to get moving again. Carl Balanger (53) flew to the lead on the restart, but caution came back out onto the track as cars got together on the restart. Jeff Johnson (63) took the lead on the restart and never looked back. Howard Manges (0+) managed to climb up to second place in the interim. The yellow flag flew once again on lap four as Swatland got pointing the wrong way between one and two. Charlie Woods, (m1) owner of the dwarf car body factory in Phoenix Arizona came to Merrittville Speedway Saturday night to get a few laps under his belt and did a pretty good job against the regular. Woods traveled from Phoenix to race his dwarf truck, after racing in Texas the night before. Caution flew on lap nine when a car got spun around in turn four and almost got taken out by the pack. Johnson had come up from an 11th place start, while Woods moved up from 12th to take third spot. Three cars piled up in turn four bringing out yet another caution for the dwarf cars. On the restart with five to go Dave Russell (88) moved up to take over fourth spot, and kept moving up. Johnson came across the start/finish line in first followed by Russell, Woods, Nol King (55) and the 6 John Wrobel rounded out the top five.
Rookie Shawn Keus (7s) started on the pole for the pro-stock feature but it was veteran Brian Halliwell who was first to lead.On the move early was Todd Zelichowski who had got to second by lap 5 after Chris Buttigieg (31j) brought his car to rest on turn two on the fourth lap, then fired his engine and drove into the pits, but not before the yellow flag flew. Caution came back out on the next lap as Ken Sargent (25) spun himself out on turn two. Through all this Halliwell still maintained his lead until unfortunate caution on lap 10 for an incident wih a slower car. Halliwell made contact with the car and the front-stretch wall. On the restart Reece became the new leader and through to the finish Reece came down for the checkered followed by Todd Zelichowski, Ken Sargent, Jeff Dayman and Tom Walker.
Randy Chrysler (21k) had the pole for the 25-lap sportsman feature. Brian Elliotson (54) started the race in third place, but just couldn't handle the traffic, losing control on the first lap after being bumped around. Caution came out as he limped back to the pits. Pete Cosco (17) started challenging Chrysler for the lead on the restart, but it was not meant to be. Chad Brachman (3) moved up to fourth from 10th in the first five laps of the race, he found himself with the lead on lap 11. Fred Carleton (96) moved up to challenge Cosco for third on lap nine, while Tammy Willard (77t) sat back and bided her time. The checkered flag flew for the undisputed 1999 Sportsman Champion Chad Brachman, he was followed in by Chrysler, Carleton, Tammy Willard, and Gary Moreash (124).
For the second straight year, Brachman was presented with the Sterling Silver Trophy presented by the Silvr 7 Race Team of Ken Walsh - a trophy that goes annually to the Labor Day Sportsmen Feature Winner to honor Bill Willard Senior.
Brachman also received a cash bonus from Skoal Inc. As part of their year long contingency program in support of the Sportsmen division.
Andy Green (24) drew the pole for the 50-lap modified feature, he was quickly passed by Don Spatarico (65) and Ken Cosgrove (9). Pete Bicknell (42) passed Green coming across the start/finish line to complete the first lap. The first three started moving away from the remainder of the pack. Bicknell overtook Cosgrove on the fourth lap to take second and started to make a move to catch Spatarico. Jim Begolo (16) got mud in his tire and came to a stop between turns one and two on the tenth lap to bring out the caution. He made it back out onto the track before the green flag flew, but had to take up a position at the tail. Spatarico maintained the lead on the restart, Bicknell came up with a right rear flat bringing out yet another caution, and leaving it a tight race for the points championship. The real battle of the race was between Begolo, and Bicknell who were only 10 points apart in the championship run. Cars got together in turn one on lap 15. Four cars were disabled, and Begolo and Bicknell almost got caught up in it. Rob Krull (123) jumped to third on the restart but a lap later, cars got together in turn four bringing out yet another caution. Cosgrove wrestled the lead away from Spatarico on the restart, but Spatarico battled back to take the lead back. Bicknell managed to get ahead of Begolo and he sat contentedly back in sixth place. Cosgrove took the lead as the white flag fell and managed to hold it for the last lap, he was followed in by Spatarico, Brian Stevenson (62), Scott Wood (38), and Larry Lampman (44).
Cosgrove was presented the annual Sue St. Amand Memorial Trophy by St. Amand family members as 358 modified Feature winner of the final points event of the season.
Join us next week at Merrittville Speedway for the Junior B Pre-Season Face-Off and a full card. For further info call 905-892-8266 or visit www.merrittvillespeedway.com.