MANTHA CLAIMS FROGTOWN FIRST
HOGANSBURG, NY - Peter Mantha Jr. of Gatineau, QUE held off last week'swinner Bill "Moon" Mullin to capture his first Modified feature win of the season at the Frogtown International Speedway on Saturday night. Other winners on Lazore's Construction night included Steve Francis in the Pro Stocks, Louie Jackson in the Semi-Pro, Mitch Jock in the 4-Cylinder Bandits, Casey Swamp in the Bandit Trucks and Garrett White in the Slick Track Trophy Dash.
Twenty-five Modifieds took the green flag, with Leon Gonyo and Roy Tarbell setting the early pace. Gonyo held the lead until Mantha moved to the top spot on lap number ten, with Gonyo second and Bill Mullin charging from 12th starting spot to third. Gonyo's great run came to an end when his car broke on the backstretch on lap 14, bringing out the caution. On the restart, Mantha, Mullin, Brian McDonald, Kevin Fetterly and Sam Liechty were running in the top five spots, remaining unchanged until Fetterly and Liechty got together on a lap 21 restart, with Fetterly spinning off the track.
The four lap sprint to the checkers found Mantha holding off Mullin for the win, with McDonald third and Keith Dingwall getting around Liechty for fourth spot with one lap to go. Points leader Mike Perrotte, the victim of an early race flat tire, was in the top ten when his car broke on the final lap, setting up a huge scramble on the backstretch and finding Perrotte dropping to 16th spot at the finish. The win moved Mantha into the Modified points lead.
Norwood, NY drivers Steve Francis and Mike Allen waged a spirited battle in the Pro Stocks until Allen's car was sidelined with mechanical woes with just five to go, allowing Francis to pull ahead for his second win of the season. Massena's Benny Gladding finished second with Hogansburg's Jody Swamp third. Semi-Pro drivers Tim Allen and Louie Jackson placed fourth and fifth.
The fans saw another great battle between Hogansburg's Louie Jackson and Massena's Duane Brainard in the Semi-Pro division, with Jackson protecting the low groove and holding off Brainard for his second win of the season. Brainard finished a close second with Fort Covington's Jamie Martin scoring a season best third place finish.
In the 4-Cylinder Bandits, Cornwall's Mitch Jock again held off Cornwall's Robin Laframboise for the win, with Westville's Brian Loeb a season-best third. Casey Swamp, by virtue of his sixth-place finish, was credited with the Bandit Truck win. Garrett White cruised to the win in the Slick Track Trophy Dash for Enduro cars, the first week for this new entry-level division.
Twin-20s for the Modifieds headline Dwyer's Generation to Generation night on next Saturday, June 12th. Also on the card is a full program of racing for the Pro Stocks, Semi-Pro, 4-Cylinder Bandits/Bandit Trucks and a 15-lap "Slick Track Trophy Dash" for Enduro cars. Racing starts at 7:30 PM. Frogtown International Speedway is located in Hogansburg, NY, just one mile east of the International Bridge to Cornwall. From Route 37, turn south at Frogtown Road (next to the Mohawk Bingo Palace). For race day weather information, call (518) 358-9017.
MODIFIEDS: PETER MANTHA, JR., Bill Mullin, Brian McDonald, Keith "Chico" Dingwall, Sam Liechty, Bill Cook, Roy Tarbell, Todd Stewart, Kyle Jacobs, Paul Pekkonen, Mark Hitchcock, Kevin Fetterly, Del LeGrow, Greg Monica, Simon Marcoux, Mike Perrotte, Buck White, Bruce Sawyer, Dan Jalbert, Mike Reyell, Matt Gonyo, Leon Gonyo, Tom Jock, Jr., Craig Ormsby, Jerry Skebo. DNS: Jean Foucault.
PRO STOCKS: STEVE FRANCIS, Benny Gladding, Jody Swamp, Tim Allen, Louie Jackson, Mike Allen, John Greene, Dave Renaud, Dan LeGrow, Dick Planty, Sid Harmer, Scott Kocher.
SEMI-PRO: LOUIE JACKSON, Duane Brainard, Jamie Martin, Peter Backus, Mike Trombley, Brian Moulton, Scott Sharp, Keith Coughlin, Tim Allen, Marty Jock, Greg Snyder, Jeb Beeson, Wayne Foster, Charlie Thompson.
4-CYLINDER BANDITS: MITCH JOCK, Robin Laframboise, Brian Loeb, Chris Trombley, Tammy Jalbert, Casey Swamp (Truck), Ann Pecore, Kurtis McPhee, Kevin Fetterly, Jr., Sonny Morales, Ron Giroux.