Burns wins first of 2000 in Sprints; Weatherby wins first ever in Mercer Modifieds
By Mike Leone
July 29, 2000
Mercer (PA)...Mercer Raceway Park completed the 15th race event of the 2000 season on Saturday night. Posing in the Autobody Products, Inc. victory lane were Tommy Burns, Jr.-Axa Advisors 410 Sprint Cars, Carl Weatherby-Bolland Machine Big-Block Modifieds, Lou Gentile-Miller Lite Six-Cylinder Modifieds, Gary Smoker-New Castle School of Trades Sportsman Modifieds, and Dave Ferringer-Butterfield’s Pub Stock Cars.
Tommy Burns, Jr. raced to his first win of the 2000 race season in the 20-lap Axa Advisors 410 Sprint Car Feature. "It’s been way too long," said the Cortland, Ohio resident after his 11th career Mercer win. "We’ve been struggling all year. I’d like to thank Jimmy Hawley and Matt Draskovich, who took time out to come to Sharon Speedway last Wednesday night. We needed some help. Jimmy followed me around lapping me. They sorted the car out so we owe this win to them, because if not, we’d still be back there."
At the wave of the green flag, Doug Kekich passed Terry Young and pole-sitter, Goob Schuller, for the lead. Young got by Schuller for second on the first lap. By lap three, Burns had cracked the top five by passing Mike Kekich. John Jones spun to bring out the first caution with four laps completed.
When racing resumed, sixth starter Kevin Andrusky and Burns passed Schuller for third and fourth. Burns used a slide job to get by Andrusky for third on lap seven in turns three and four. Brad Ellenberger, who was using the top side to move through the field, got too high in turn one on lap eight and flipped end over end. He was okay.
When green replaced yellow on lap eight, Burns drove under Young for second in turn one. Andrusky followed later that lap taking third. Arnie Kent dropped Young back another spot on lap 10. Green flag racing continued as the leaders worked lapped traffic. On lap 13, Burns began to reel in Doug Kekich using the bottom of the track. On lap 14, Burns raced by Kekich in turn four on the inside for the lead.
As the laps ticked off, action began to heat up as a five-car battle developed for the lead. Jimmy Hawley, who started 10th, passed Kent for fourth on lap 17, then got by Andrusky for third on lap 19. With the white flag waving, Hawley tried to duck to the inside of Doug Kekich for second, but looped his mount. Kent had nowhere to go as he got upside down in turns one and two. Both drivers were okay, but done for the night.
When racing restarted, Burns received the white flag and drove his Double Technology/Karl Brest-sponsored #16 to his first Mercer win since July 18, 1998. Doug Kekich held on to second for his first career Mercer top five, despite leading 27 of the last 40 laps of the last two features. Andrusky was third ahead of Mike Kekich’s first top five of the year and Young. Completing the top 10 were Gary Edwards up from 15th, Gary Rankin, Schuller, 22nd starter and All Star regular Daryl Stimeling, and Scott Priester. Winning the heats over the 23-car field were Burns and Ellenberger.
Defending four-time Six-Cylinder Modified Champion, Carl Weatherby, made the jump up to the Big-Block Modifieds in 2000 and recorded his first win in the 20-lap Bolland Machine-sponsored event. "After that flip last week we found quite a bit of stuff wrong with the car," said the Volant, Pa. driver. "It was running pretty good tonight."
Rob Curtis jumped into the lead at the start, while fourth starting Weatherby and sixth starting Andy Priest took second and third from Howard Duff and Rob Kristyak. Priest’s night came to an end on lap four when he slowed moving Dean Pearson to third and Brian Swartzlander to fourth.
Weatherby’s winning move came on the fifth circuit when he got by Curtis on the backstretch. Curtis got sideways on lap six allowed Pearson to take second. Kenny Hardy, who was subbing for Dick Rankin in the Glenn Hinkle #85, brought out the only caution when he slowed with seven laps completed.
Swartzlander was able to dispose of Curtis for third on lap nine as did Lou Blaney for fourth on lap 12. As the laps clicked off, Swartzlander moved to the top side of the speedway and began to make up a big deficit on Weatherby and Pearson. Swartzlander drove around Pearson for runner-up on lap 19 coming off turn four. But he ran out of time as Weatherby took the checkers first in his Ed & Jerry’s NAPA of New Wilmington-sponsored #919.
Swartzlander’s second tied his best career Mercer finish. Pearson was third. Blaney’s fourth-place finish was the first time he has finished out of the top two positions this year at Mercer. Rick Hall recorded his first top five of the year in fifth. Rounding out the top 10 were Curtis, Kristyak, Carl Murdick, Rich Ferguson, and Gerry Bruce. Winning the heats were Hall and Swartzlander.
Lou Gentile won his speedway-leading seventh win of 2000 in the 15-lap Miller Lite Six-Cylinder Modified Feature. The Youngstown, Ohio driver passed Jerry Schaffer off turn four on the inside of lap two for the lead. Driving the Emig #1, Gentile never looked back for his 34th six-cylinder win since Mercer reopened in 1994 moving him past Carl Weatherby into second on the win-list. Schaffer hit the wall on lap three allowing Harold Michaels to take second. Randy Ferguson came from 10th to pass Schaffer on lap 12 for third. Schaffer fell to a season-best fourth at the finish over Jim Bickel, who was the last car to finish. Gentile also won the heat.
Gary Smoker of Mercer, Pa. made a last-lap pass to win his second 20-lap New Castle School of Trades Sportsman Modified Feature. Bob Young led the first lap before Rick Hall took over. Hall and Smoker, who started eighth, battled from lap four through the remainder of the race. Smoker used the top and Hall the bottom. Smoker actually led lap 14, until Hall nosed back ahead to lead the 15th lap. The two raced side-by-side for most of the second-half of the race despite seven cautions. On the final lap, Smoker had enough momentum on the top side to take the checkers first by a one-half car-length in the Kristyak’s Service Plaza #401 for his leading 18th career Mercer sportsman win. Chanda Reitz’s spin on the final lap may have cost Hall the win, but did regain him the point lead back over Reitz. Andy Priest was third over John Buchanan and Young’s first career top five. Smoker, Buchanan, and Tom Mattocks were heat winners over the 25-car field.
Dave Ferringer is glad he decided to make Mercer his Saturday night track as the Cochranton, Pa. driver recorded his fourth 15-lap Butterfield’s Pub Stock Car Feature win of the season. Jeff Kravec led the first four laps until a caution allowed sixth starter, Gary Robinson, to take the lead on the restart. Meanwhile, Ferringer, who started seventh, used the restart to pass Kevin Thompson for third and Kravec for second. Ferringer’s winning move came on lap 10 racing off turn four on the inside. Once in front, Ferringer drove his Maloney Tool & Mold/Lowry Auto Body-sponsored #02 to the checkers first. Point leader, Brian Miller, came from ninth to pass Robinson for second on lap 14. Jeff Buccella put a slide job on Robinson coming off turn four at the checkers for third. Robinson edged Brian Booher for fourth. Heat victors were Buccella, Robinson, and Ferringer over the 36-car field. Jim Brunson won the B main.
Axa Advisors 410 Sprint Car Feature Finish: 1. TOMMY BURNS, JR. 2. Doug Kekich 3. Kevin Andrusky 4. Mike Kekich 5. Terry Young 6. Gary Edwards 7. Gary Rankin 8. Goob Schuller 9. Daryl Stimeling 10. Scott Priester 11. Jason Jacoby 12. Maria Mayerchak 13. Jimmy Hawley 14. Arnie Kent 15. Buddy Cochran 16. Chad Hill 17. Nathan Hines 18. Sheila Rankin 19. John Toth III 20. Jamie Smith 21. John Jones 22. Brad Ellenberger 23. Jim Chappel-DNS.
Bolland Machine Big-Block Modified Feature Finish: 1. CARL WEATHERBY 2. Brian Swartzlander 3. Dean Pearson 4. Lou Blaney 5. Rick Hall 6. Rob Curtis 7. Rob Kristyak 8. Carl Murdick 9. Rich Ferguson 10. Gerry Bruce 11. George Davis 12. Howard Duff 13. Andy Priest 14. Kenny Hardy 15. Ken Schaffer 16. Jerry Bickel-DNS.
Miller Lite Six-Cylinder Modified Feature Finish: 1. LOU GENTILE 2. Harold Michaels 3. Randy Ferguson 4. Jerry Schaffer 5. Jim Bickel 6. Rick Kress 7. Jim Reagle 8. Conny Allen 9. Frank Guidace 10. Dustin Kress 11. Bill Adams-DNS 12. Kenny Hardy-DNS.
New Castle School of Trades Sportsman Modified Feature Finish: 1. GARY SMOKER 2. Rick Hall 3. Andy Priest 4. John Buchanan 5. Bob Young 6. Leroy Johnson, Jr. 7. Randy Rodemoyer 8. Tom Mattocks 9. Rick Ryder 10. J.R. Greer 11. Ron Eperthener, Jr. 12. Dave Cogswell 13. Fred Sasse 14. Andy Paden 15. Chanda Reitz 16. Jim Thompson 17. Mike Mathieson 18. Brad Watson 19. Zack Moran 20. Doug Updyke 21. Gary Bollinger 22. Allen Ferry 23. Greg Unrue 24. Dean Pearson 25. Buck Buchanan-DNS.
Butterfield’s Pub Stock Car Feature Finish: 1. DAVE FERRINGER 2. Brian Miller 3. Jeff Buccella 4. Gary Robinson 5. Brian Booher 6. Jim Brunson 7. John Reiser 8. Todd Titus 9. Andy Buckley 10. Jeff Kravec 11. Bobby Whitling 12. Mike Aley 13. Gary Miller, Jr. 14. Rick Anthony 15. Ed Hays 16. Willie Aley 17. Ray Bailey, Jr. 18. Leigh Wheeler 19. Randy Riffe 20. Mike Turner 21. Kevin Thompson 22. Matt Lux 23. Bob Sloss 24. Dan Fedorchak DNQ-Tim Zuschlag, Adam Aley, Rick Norco, Joe Large, John Fox, Bob Kitchen, Steve Fornataro, John Muron, Ed Cornell, Terry Kroner, Lynn Hostetler, Pat Wilcox.