DONUT DINER MID-SEASON CHAMPIONSHIPS
Race Report for July 3rd, 1999
By Alexis De Wolfe
Fireworks and a fifty lap modified feature ended an exciting race night at Merrittville Speedway on Saturday night. Alec Whelan (57k) walked away with his third feature win in a row in the street stock class, while Howard Manges (0+) returned to victory lane in the dwarf feature this week. Ken Sargeant (25) dominated the pro-stock class while Pete Cosco (17) brought home his first feature win in '99 in the sportsman class. Pete Bicknell (42) walked away with the checkered in the modified division in his experimental new car.
The street stock feature was reminiscent of a smash up derby as on the first lap cars get together between one and two, but the pack made their way around them without bringing out the caution. Bruce Colbert (97) had the early lead in the feature. On the second lap Mike Ward (95) gets t-boned up in turn two bringing out the caution and causing the cars to have to line up for the green yet again. On the restart eight cars get together between two and three leaving Alec Whelan (57k) with the lead after the incident. Whelan started putting some distance between himself and the second place car of Lloyd Cichocki (8c). Phil Rudachuk (r63) got himself turned around off of turn four and narrowly avoids taking out three cars with only a few laps left in the race. Whelan held onto the lead to take the checkered, followed by Chris Crawford (4c), Chuck Martin (3), Rob Kanpp (24R) and Darren Zumpe (11Z).
The dwarf feature began with Mike Green (3) and Lee Webber (17) battling it out for the early lead in the race and Webber wrestled it away from Green on the second lap. Ray Webber brought out the caution when he got pointing the wrong way up in turn four. Jeff Johnson (63) a new face at Merrittville Speedway took the lead on the restart, but as he jumped the restart he was forced back into third position on the next caution. Howard Manges (0+) was the official leader of the race as Johnson was forced back two positions for the jump. Dave Russell (88) was behind Manges and was looking for the lead on the restart with three to go but Johnson managed to pull ahead to strip Russell of the second place position just before they came down to the green flag.
Todd Zelichowski (18) got himself jammed between a few cars as the green fell on the pro-stock feature and he quickly found himself at the back of the pack. Shawn Keus (7s) took the early lead in the feature. The first yellow came out when a car got himself pointed the wrong way up in turn two, on the second lap. Ken Sargeant (25) looked to take the lead away from Keus on the restart and wrestles it away from him on the third lap of the feature. Jeff Dayman (5) took the second away form Keus on the second restart of the race as Keus started falling back into the pack. Tom Walker (81), last week's feature winner, moved up from the back of the pack into fifth place. On the seventh lap yet another car got turned around up in two bringing out the caution. Dayman left for the pits on the caution and didn't return to finish the race. Walker moved up into third on the restart, and he started looking to take second away from Ron Reece (11). Sargeant maintained the lead for the duration of the race, followed by Reece, Walker, Brian Halliwell (1a), and Don Spiece (88) rounded out the top five.
John Hagerman (71h) took the lead on the green for the sportsman feature, but Bill Podwinski (72) brought out the caution on the first lap as he breaks up in turn one. On the third lap Garry Moreash (124) hit the tires hard on turn one, but Moreash was fine and was out to run some more laps in the race. Caution comes back out on the fourth lap as Rob Devenyi slows down up in turn four. Boyd MacTavish (7m) had the lead going into the caution followed by Pete Cosco (17) and Hagerman. Andy Imbeault snuck up to take third away from Hagerman on the restart. Cosco managed to take the lead on the restart. The fifth caution of the race came out as Moreash and Chad Brachman get turned around in turn one. The incident left Moreash in the pits and Brachman at the back of the pack. Randy Chrysler jumped the restart putting him in first on the track but officially he was back in third place behind Cosco and Paul Ashton (3a). Cosco started running away with the lead after the last caution of the race came out for debris on the track. Chrysler and Ashton battled it out for second place with Chrysler coming out a nose ahead of Ashton to fall under the checkered flag. Fred Carleton (96) came in fourth and Greg Panunte (99p) rounded out the top five. Pete Cosco received bonus money from SKOAL Inc. as part of season long program supporting the division.
Rich Vinson (93) started in the lead in the modified feature but Martin Polhill (5) quickly moved up to take it away from him. Jim Begolo (16) sat quietly in third looking for the leaders to make a mistake so that he could move up. The pack started spreading out as Pete Bicknell (42) started making his way up through the pack, to put himself in contention for the lead. Andy Green (24) got turned around up in turn four to bring out the first caution of the race. Polhill lost his lead with a bad restart and fell back to fourth place. Vinson moved up into the lead while Bicknell managed to move up into third spot. Begolo moved up into first on the 14th lap and took Bicknell up with him, leaving Vinson in third spot. Robbie Krull slowed down on the back straightaway bringing out yet another caution, but he gets off the track under his own power, so after they got the cars sorted out they were back to green flag racing. Krull managed to take out Joe Middlemiss (11j) and earned himself a one way ticket to the pits. On the 20th lap Polhill slowed down bringing out yet another caution. Bicknell took the lead on the restart but Begolo continued to keep the gap closed, two laps later the caution came out yet again as Green and Scott Wood (38) get together. Bicknell started moving away from the pack on the restart and continuously increased the distance between himself and Begolo. Wayne Conn (8) managed to move up significantly after yet another caution leaving himself up in fifth position. On lap 33 Green and Joe Kubiniek (3) got mixed up in the turn four. Bicknell held onto the lead to take the checkered followed by Begolo, Ken Cosgrove (9), Conn, and Brian Stevens(62) rounded out the top five. Bicknell won himself a position in the festivities at Syracuse New York during Dirt Week in October. Pete Bicknell was presented the Johnny Spencer Memorial Award - an award that was re-introduced by the Merrittville Speedway Reunion Committee and Al Edwards of Star Gas. Former winners Sandy MacPherson and Bruce VanDyke joined in the festivities.
Join us at Merrittville Speedway next week when Northern Motorsports presents a Full Card plus Ladies Race. Plus the nights events will include a Ladies Race. Gates will open at 5:30 p.m. and the action starts at 7:30 p.m. For further information contact the speedway at (905) 892-8266 or visit our website at http://www.vaxxine.com/merrittvillespeedway.