Hawley’s lap 19 pass of Kriess nets 4th Sprint win; Doran also wins 4th in Mercer Modifieds
Sat, Aug 3, 2002 -- Saturday Night Live
Written by: Mike Leone
Mercer, PA…Mercer Raceway Park kicked off the month of August and completed racing action on a hot Saturday night. Celebrating in the Moore’s Auto Body victory lane were Jimmy Hawley-Luxaire Heating & Cooling Sprint Cars, Tim Doran-Big-Block Modifieds, Chad Reitz-New Castle School of Trades Sportsman Modifieds, and Gary Norman-Butterfield’s Pub Stock Cars.
An overflowing crowd of kids got to meet “Scobby-Doo” and “Shaggy” throughout the night. The Sprint Cars drivers brought their cars behind the grandstands for autographs prior to racing for Grove City Auto Mall’s “Meet Your Heroes” Night as the first 250 kids received custom, color autograph cards. Kids’ Bike Races were held at intermission. The night was made possible by Ray’s Racing Collectibles and The Cartoon Network.
Just when it appeared Gary Kriess, Jr. was primed to score his first win of the year in the 20-lap Luxaire Heating & Cooling Sprint Car feature, Jimmy Hawley made a lap 19 pass to pick up his fourth win. “With Gary (Kriess) up front, I knew he was going to be fast,” relayed the West Middlesex, Pa. winner. “You give Gary a cushion and the kid’s really fast. I was trying to follow him as close as I could. My hope was to get him off the top and that’s when I made the pass.”
When racing started, Mark Murphy and Staple Nash battled for lead. On lap three, Murphy got high off turn four and slid off the track hard into the wall. He was okay, but done for the night. Nash now had the lead with Kriess in second and Andy Priest up to third from his fifth starting spot. Following the ensuing restart, Kriess got under Nash going into turn two and Nash slid off turn two losing numerous positions. Preston had just gotten by Priest and now inherited second from Nash after starting ninth.
Rob Eyler was on the move from the 10th starting spot. Eyler moved ahead of Nash and then drove by both Chris Matthews and Scott Bonnell on the outside of the track for fourth on lap four right before the caution for Gale Ruth, Jr. and Butch Beasley with five laps completed. When racing resumed, Priest and Eyler both made a nice move to take second and third away from Preston.
Hawley, who started 12th, would now enter the picture getting by Preston for fourth then driving under Eyler for third on lap eight. Hawley ran down Priest and would make the move on lap 12 edging ahead for second at the start-finish line. Brad Knab brought out the final caution with 13 laps completed putting Hawley right on Kriess for the final seven laps.
When green replaced yellow, Kriess and Hawley pulled away from the pack. Kriess was able to keep a small cushion between himself and Hawley as the laps ticked off. Coming down for the two-to-go signal, traffic looped ahead for the leaders. Kriess went to the middle of the track in turn one on lap 19 and that was just enough to open the top to Hawley as he blasted by Kriess and the lapped cars. Hawley pulled away in the Shearer family-owned, Maximum Tool & Die/Chevron East/Yoder’s Amish Shop/Young’s 24-Hour Towing/Applewood Refinishing-sponsored #25 for his second straight win and 34th of his career.
“The Hoosier Tires have been great,” stated Hawley. We’ve been running a little harder compound. It seems our tires get hot as the race progresses and we do better. We try to keep the heat in them. I moved the wing back halfway under caution and the car really stuck.”
Kriess was a season-best second as he just edged Priest, who was third for the second straight week. Eyler was fourth over Jamie Smith, who started 11th. Sixth through tenth were Scott Bonnell, point leader Preston, Todd Bauer, Matthews, and Nash. Winning the heats over the 25-car field were Priest, Eyler, and Preston.
Bauer of Clarion, Pa. was the highest finishing 360 Sprint Car for the third time this year and received the $150 bonus. Matthews, Nash, and New York’s Knab were second through fourth and also received bonus monies.
Tim Doran returned to his winning ways by capturing his fourth 20-lap Big-Block Modified win of the year. “It feels good to be back in victory lane,” said the happy New Castle, Pa. winner. “I’ve crashed it in the last two weeks and it was nobody’s fault but my own. I want to thank my crew for getting the car back together this week. We’ve got a good car and my crew’s been together forever.”
When racing began, Tim Doran, Jeff Schaffer, and Lonny Riggs all raced by Nick Ritchey for the lead after rookie Adam Kozar yielding the pole position. Three cautions on laps three and four slowed action. The last 16 laps went non-stop in a four-car race for much of the remaining laps.
Tommy Kristyak, who started 10th, was on the charge after taking a two-week vacation. Kristyak raced by Frank Guidace and Bob Dorman for fourth on lap five. Riggs was able to finally get by Schaffer on lap six using the outside. Doran and Riggs opened up some ground on Schaffer and Kristyak on lap 13. Kristyak would make the pass of Schaffer on the 15th circuit for third.
By lap 17, Kristyak closed on Riggs and Doran, but Doran wasn’t to be denied as he put his Richard Smith Construction #12 in victory lane for the 21st time of his career at Mercer. Riggs edged Kristyak for second as Schaffer dropped to fourth. Dorman was fifth to regain the point lead. Rounding out the top 10 were Dave Schrader, Carl Murdick, Rick Hall, Dean Pearson, and Jeremiah Shingledecker. Heat victors over the 31-car field were Rodney Beltz, Doran, and Dorman. Les Myers won the B main.
In his first year in a full-size car, Chad Reitz scored his second win in four weeks after a dominating performance in the 20-lap New Castle School of Trades Sportsman Modified feature coming from the 12th starting spot. Randy Rodemoyer led the first four laps of the race before last week’s winner, Les Myers, made a turn two pass for the lead on lap five with Rick Hall trailing in second. Reitz moved into third on lap six getting past Rodemoyer. Following a restart, Reitz then grabbed second from Hall on lap eight. Reitz’s winning move came on lap nine when he blasted around Myers on the outside of turn four. Reitz of Franklin, Pa. was never challenged in the closing laps in his Lite Craft Manufacturing/Venango Glass/Oakland Products-sponsored #9.
Point leader Steve Young, who started 10th, passed Hall for third on lap 14 then got Myers for runner-up on lap 15. Myers fell to third at the finish over Jerry Schaffer and Curt Matthews. Scoring heat race wins were Andy Paden, Myers, and Gary Smoker over the 28-car field.
Gary Norman of New Castle, Pa. became the division’s top winner by collecting his third 15-lap Butterfield’s Pub Stock Car feature triumph. From the pole position, Rick Norco set the pace in the early laps, while Norman was making his way to the front from his seventh starting spot. Norman passed Terry Kroner for third on lap three then disposed of Willie Aley for second on lap four. The winning move came one lap later when Norco got high allowing Norman to take the lead. Only two cautions would slow Norman from his sixth career Mercer win in his Ken Neely Lumber/Triple-S Auto Sales-sponsored #9N.
Behind Norman, the battle raged for positions two through eleven. Doug Iorio came from 11th to pass Aley for third then got second from Kroner on lap 14. Kroner held on to third for his best career finish. Point leader Shaun Hooks was fourth after starting 12th. Aley was fifth. Buckley, Hooks, and Kevin Thompson won the heats over the 30-car field. Bobby Whitling won the B main.
Luxaire Heating & Cooling Sprint Cars: 1. JIMMY HAWLEY 2. Gary Kriess, Jr. 3. Andy Priest 4. Rob Eyler 5. Jamie Smith 6. Scott Bonnell 7. Troy Preston 8. Todd Bauer 9. Chris Matthews 10. Staple Nash 11. Dave Wagner 12. Brad Knab 13. Pup Nystrom 14. Paul Kapuchuck 15. Kevin Andrusky 16. Butch Beasley 17. Brian Hartzell 18. Jeff Banyas 19. Randy Kriegisch 20. Ralph Spithaler, Jr. 21. Gale Ruth, Jr. 22. Mark Murphy 23. Charlie Cornelius-DNS 24. Gary McCollum-DNS 25. Mel Straley-DNS.
Big-Block Modifieds: 1. TIM DORAN 2. Lonny Riggs 3. Tommy Kristyak 4. Jeff Schaffer 5. Bob Dorman 6. Dave Schrader 7. Carl Murdick 8. Rick Hall 9. Dean Pearson 10. Jeremiah Shingledecker 11. Steve Barr 12. Mark Frankhouser 13. Lee Miller 14. Dana Gearhart 15. Adam Kozar 16. Frank Guidace 17. Nick Ritchey 18. Rodney Beltz 19. Chris Schiffer 20. Dick Rankin 21. Les Myers 22. Jeff Baker 23. Brian May 24. Justin Broerman DNQ-Rick Kress, Jerry Bickel, Jim Bickel, Howard Duff, Jimmy Holden, Doug Ehrenberg, Joe Gibson.
New Castle School of Trades Sportsman Modifieds: 1. CHAD REITZ 2. Steve Young 3. Les Myers 4. Jerry Schaffer 5. Curt Matthews 6. Andy Paden 7. Randy Rodemoyer 8. Jim Rombold, Jr. 9. Kevin Latshaw 10. Mike Gibson 11. Matt Reeher 12. Bill Thompson 13. John Jones 14. Morgan Sasse 15. Fred Sasse 16. Steve Toth 17. Rick Hall 18. Bill Adams 19. Jim Schaffer 20. Dave Cogswell 21. Gary Smoker 22. John Confer 23. Zack Moran 24. Lou Gentile DNQ-Bill Baptiste, Leroy Johnson, Jr., Fred Maxwell, Barry Bulfone.
Butterfield’s Pub Stock Cars: 1. GARY NORMAN 2. Doug Iorio 3. Terry Kroner 4. Shaun Hooks 5. Willie Aley 6. Andy Buckley 7. Rod Laskey 8. Rick Norco 9. Kevin Thompson 10. Tim Deutsch 11. Bobby Whitling 12. Mike Aley 13. Bobby Heim 14. Phil Kaufman 15. Rick Anthony 16. Jason Johns 17. Duane Grinnell 18. Chuck Kerr 19. Mark Sanders 20. Scott Hooks 21. William George, Sr. 22. Bill Schall, Jr. 23. Joe Updegraff 24. Tim Zuschlag DNQ-Lester Bates, Rich Chess, Sr., Vince Felicetty, Rusty Moore, Ron Iorio, Clyde Roberts.