Kent wins first in Sprints; Riggs claims first ever Mercer Modified win

By Mike Leone

May 12, 2001

Mercer (PA)...The fourth night of the 2001 season at Mercer Raceway Park was

completed on Saturday night. Celebrating with their first wins of the season

in the Moore's Auto Body victory lane were Arnie Kent-Luxaire Heating &

Cooling Sprint Cars, Lonny Riggs-Bolland Machine Big-Block Modifieds, Steve

Young-New Castle School of Trades Sportsman Modifieds, and Ron

Iorio-Butterfield's Pub Stock Cars. It was Brad Doty Night at the track.

Doty signed autographs for over two and half hours, then gave color

commentary throughout the evening. His Coors Light "Silver Bullet" #18

Sprint Car was also on display.

It was only fitting that Arnie Kent won on Brad Doty Night. Kent carried his

hero Doty's car #18 to victory lane for his first win of the season in the

20-lap Luxaire Heating & Cooling Sprint Car feature. "Brad (Doty) brought me

some good luck tonight," said the New Castle, Pa. driver, who became the

fourth different winner in four races this season.

Rob Eyler jumped into the lead from the outside of the front row passing

Brian Woodhall on the start. Kent passed Mike Shearer and Woodhall for

second later the lap. Jimmy Hawley, who started 10th, got by both Troy

Preston and Woodhall for third on lap three.

Eyler caught lapped traffic on lap six as action really heated up. Kent

closed on Eyler on lap seven and made the winning move in traffic coming off

turn four. Kent raced hard through lapped traffic, while Eyler and Hawley

stayed within striking distance. On lap 13, Hawley got under Eyler in turn

two in traffic for second and began to set his sights on Kent.

Kent and Hawley put on quite a race the last four laps that kept everyone on

the edge of their seats as they raced through traffic. Kent continued to run

the outside, while Hawley tried to use the inside to his advantage. On the

final lap, Hawley got under Kent in turn three and the two were side-by-side

racing off turn four, but Kent had enough momentum off the top side to hold

on for his third career Mercer win. The race went non-stop in five minutes

and six seconds.

"I looked up and saw that 3 (Hawley) on the scoreboard in second and ran in

a little harder than I needed, but it worked out," said Kent, who is

sponsored by Dr. Martello Dentistry and McElwain Chevy-Olds.

Ninth starter, Tom Quarterson, made a late charge passing Preston for fourth

on lap 16 then got by Eyler on lap 19 to finish third. Eyler dropped to

fourth over Gary Kriess, Jr. Sixth through tenth were Andy Priest, Preston,

Mike Kekich, Woodhall, and Gary McCollum. Winning the heats over the 20-car

field were Hawley, Eyler, and Kekich.

Lonny Riggs was the beneficiary of Joe Crawford's misfortune to capture his

first career Mercer Big-Block Modified win in the 20-lap Bolland

Machine-sponsored event. "I hated to see Joe (Crawford) get into the wall,"

said the Volant, Pa. driver. "That's a tough break for him, but we're glad

to be here."

Bob Dorman took the early lead from the pole position, while Crawford moved

into runner-up past Rick Hall on the opening lap. Riggs, who started sixth,

worked his way to third by lap four passing Frank Guidace just before the

caution was displayed for Gary Risch, Jr. On the restart, Crawford took the

lead away from Dorman and immediately began to pull away.

Riggs got around Dorman for second on lap seven. The laps ticked off without

any cautions or any changes up front until lap 15 when Dean Pearson and Lou

Blaney both got by Dorman for third and fourth. Pearson went to the inside

and Blaney to the outside of Dorman for the three-wide pass in turn four.

Crawford had a straightaway lead on Riggs and a near 1/2-lap lead on Blaney

and Pearson in third and fourth. The Polk, Pa. driver appeared like he was

going to put all his Mercer bad luck to bed and capture his first Mercer

win. Crawford worked heavy lapped traffic on lap 17 and 18. Coming off turn

four, Crawford and Murdick got together slightly. Crawford tried to clear

Murdick on the outside, but instead hit the turn one wall ending his night.

This gave the lead to Riggs, who led the final two laps for the win in the

Merle Black-owned, Winners Circle Automotive Machine/Suhrie Industrial

Supply Tool Rental-sponsored #58. "That was good," said Riggs in victory

lane. "It felt good to win one here at Mercer- it's been awhile." Riggs'

last Mercer win came on May 30, 1998 in a Sportsman Modified.

Blaney held off Pearson for second. Dorman's fourth place was his best ever

finish. Tim Doran raced from sixteenth to finish fifth. Completing the top

10 were Rodney Beltz, Rob Curtis, Chetter Johnson, Guidace, and Jeff

Schaffer. Heat winners over the 30-car field were Riggs, Johnson, and

Schaffer. Don McKnight won the B main.

Steve Young picked up his first 20-lap New Castle School of Trades Sportsman

Modified win. Young started the event from seventh and raced to the front

taking second off Leroy Johnson, Jr. on lap four. Jerry Schaffer led the

first eight laps. But following the restart for Buck Buchanan's spin, Young

took over the lead from Schaffer. Young of Grove City, Pa. went on for his

ninth career Mercer Sportsman Modified win in the J.R. Greer-owned,

Montgomery Truss & Panel-sponsored #11t. Gary Smoker had a strong run coming

from twelfth to finish second after passing Schaffer for the spot on lap 10.

Allen Ferry came back to finish third after pitting early and restarting on

the tail. Bill Adams and Andy Paden were fourth and fifth. Heat victors over

the 26-car field were Adams, Young, and John Buchanan.

Ron Iorio edged Dave Ferringer to win his first ever Mercer Stock Car win in

the 15-lap Butterfield's Pub-sponsored event. Gary Miller, Jr. took the lead

from Jeff Kravec on lap three, but broke on the lap five restart giving the

lead to Ferringer. On lap six, Iorio passed both Kevin Thompson and

Ferringer for the lead. At the halfway mark it was a three-car race with

Iorio, Ferringer, and Andy Buckley battling for the lead. With three laps to

go, Gary Robinson, Willie Aley, and Lynn Hostetler joined the battle making

it a six-car race for the win. In turn two on the final lap, Ferringer

slipped under Iorio for the lead; however, Iorio returned the favor in turn

four and edged Ferringer by a wheel-length in his Gabany's-sponsored #55.

Third through fifth were Buckley, Robinson, and Aley. Scoring heat wins over

the 37-car field were Miller, Bobby Whitling, Aley, and Buckley. Winning the

two B mains were Mike Aley and Rick Norco.

Notes...Despite the cold and windy conditions with temps dropping into the

40s, $1,431.21 was collected for Sprint Car driver Kevin Andrusky, who broke

three vertebrae in an accident at Tri-City Speedway last Sunday. Stock Car

driver Ed Lombardo was rushed to United Community Hospital in Grove City,

Pa. following an accident in the first B main. Lombardo of New Castle, Pa.

was then life-flighted to Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh were he

remained in fair condition. He is expected to be released from the hospital

in two to three days. Jarod Larson and Tommy Burns, Jr. tangled in the first

sprint car heat with Burns getting upside down. Both drivers were okay, but

done for the night.

Luxaire Heating & Cooling Sprint Cars: 1. ARNIE KENT 2. Jimmy Hawley 3. Tom

Quarterson 4. Rob Eyler 5. Gary Kriess, Jr. 6. Andy Priest 7. Troy Preston

8. Mike Kekich 9. Brian Woodhall 10. Gary McCollum 11. Jason Jacoby 12. Mike

Kaminski 13. Dave Wagner 14. Nathan Hines 15. Gregg McCandless 16. John Toth

III 17. Butch Beasley 18. Mike Shearer 19. Tommy Burns, Jr.-DNS 20. Jarod

Larson-DNS.

Bolland Machine Big-Block Modifieds: 1. LONNY RIGGS 2. Lou Blaney 3. Dean

Pearson 4. Bob Dorman 5. Tim Doran 6. Rodney Beltz 7. Rob Curtis 8. Chetter

Johnson 9. Frank Guidace 10. Jeff Schaffer 11. Don McKnight 12. Rob Kristyak

13. Rick Hall 14. Mike Sutton 15. Carl Murdick 16. Lou Gentile 17. J.R.

McGinley 18. Adam Siegel 19. Joe Crawford 20. Scott Gurdak 21. Tommy

Kristyak 22. Nick Ritchey 23. Gary Risch, Jr. 24. George Davis DNQ-Carl

Weatherby, Lee Miller, Mark Sevin, Kevin Bolland, Terry Young, John Boyer,

Jr.

New Castle School of Trades Sportsman Modifieds: 1. STEVE YOUNG 2. Gary

Smoker 3. Allen Ferry 4. Bill Adams 5. Andy Paden 6. Chanda Reitz 7. Rick

Hall 8. Fred Sasse 9. Jerry Schaffer 10. Gary Bollinger 11. D.J. Schrader

12. Leroy Johnson, Jr. 13. Rick Ryder 14. Buck Buchanan 15. Dave Coggswell

16. Bill Baptiste 17. Brad Watson 18. John Jones 19. Morgan Sasse 20. Randy

Rodemoyer 21. John Buchanan 22. Al Priester 23. Greg Unrue 24. Andy Priest

25. Mike Mathieson 26. Curt Matthews.

Butterfield's Pub Stock Cars: 1. RON IORIO 2. Dave Ferringer 3. Andy Buckley

4. Gary Robinson 5. Willie Aley 6. Jeff Kravec 7. Lynn Hostetler 8. Russ

Kapalin 9. Bobby Whitling 10. Rick Anthony 11. Shaun Hooks 12. Rick Norco

13. Jim Brunson 14. Gary Norman 15. Greg Beach 16. Andy Thompson 17. Ed Hays

18. Mark Felicetty 19. Dwight Boice 20. Kevin Thompson 21. Gary Miller, Jr.

22. Brian Miller 23. Mike Aley 24. Bill Hanna DNQ-Ray Bailey, Jr., Bob Hays,

Adam Reseigh, Bill Kirschner, Todd Titus, Adam Aley, Erick Cwynar, Robert

Caszatt, Jr., Ed Lombardo, Matt Rubright, Lonnie O'Brien, Rusty Moore, Dan

Fedorchak.