KOSTELANSKY MUSCLES HIS WAY TO PENN CAN VICTORY

(Susquehanna, Pa.) Hometown hero George Kostelansky, who lives only

a mile from the Penn Can Speedway didn't let a little thing like power

steering failure derail his drive to victory, as George muscled his way

to a thrilling victory on Pine Line Auto Sales Fan Appreciation Night.

Despite the lack of power steering, George pulled off a last lap pass of

Rick Virkitis to become the tenth different winner in eleven Modified

features in 2003 at Penn Can. Current point leader Kevin Bates won his

fourth Sportsman feature of the season in the regularly scheduled

Sportsman feature while Chad Cook scored his sixth triumph in the held

over feature from July 4th. Joe Damiano won his first Late Model

feature of the season while Tracy Gregory won his fourth Super Stock

feature of the season. Dick Stark doubled up winning both the regularly

scheduled Pure Stock feature as well as the held over event from July

4th.

Rick Virkitis and Brian Franko paced the 24 car Modified field to

the green flag to begin their 30 lap feature with Virkitis jumping out to

the early lead. For most of the event it looked like Virkitis was going

to have things his way as he spent the first 29 laps of the feature event

out front aboard his Chad Sinon Motorsports BPG Racing #77. Eventual

winner George Kostelansky was making his way forward from his tenth

starting position but George was working for every position as in the

very early stages of the event the power steering in his car failed and

George was forced to muscle the car around the track. Despite his power

steering woes, Kostelansky was on the move aboard his Kostelansky

Fabrications/Kelleher Tire sponsored mount. As the race entered its

closing stages, Kostelansky had closed the gap on Virkitis, who was

losing the handle on his #77 as the car appeared to be getting loose in

the closing stages of the event. A late caution bunched the field and

this was the opportunity that Kostelansky was waiting for. It took him

until the fourth turn of the final lap to pull off the winning pass as

George pulled off a big move to take the win. The winning move came on

the final lap as George was able to cut his car under Virkitis between

the third and fourth turn, then pull even exiting the turn and winning

the drag race to the checkered flag by about a foot over Virkitis, who

has led from the drop of the green flag until the final 20 feet or so of

the event. Rick did manage to hold on to finish second ahead of Brian

Weaver, Sean Collins, and Bill Huff. Mike Clapperton, Mike Decker, Mike

Colsten, Jeff Strunk and Tom McGurrin rounded out the top ten. Bill

Huff's fifth place finish earned him to bonus money for being the highest

finishing car powered by a DIRT legal 358 Small Block.

The 30 Modifieds in the pits took part in four hear races with Mike

Clapperton, Rick Virkitis, Tom McGurrin, and George Kostelansky picking

up victories. Jeff Strunk won the consolation.

In Sportsman division action, Lake Ariel, Pa.'s Kevin Bates powered

his Durlam Lumber, Stag Construction sponsored #42 to his fourth victory

of the season to hold his position atop the Sportsman division point

standings as the point season enters its final month. Sportsman division

rookie Shawn Mills started on the outside pole and led the majority of

the event, but could not hold off the charge of Bates, who slipped past

Mills over the closing circuits to pick up the win. Mills did manage to

hold off the challenges of Chad Cook to score the runner-up finish while

Mills settled for a third place finish. Brian Decker and Ken Titus

rounded out the top five finishing order. Shawn Walker, Brett Tonkin,

Mike Loney, Dwayne Robbins, and Garth Tonkin Jr. completed the top ten.

Brian Decker, Dwayne Robbins, and Shawn Mills won the Sportsman

qualifying events.

The Sportsman feature that was postponed from July 4th led off the

show with Chad Cook driving to his sixth victory of the season in that

event. Garth Tonkin Jr. led the early stages of the event before giving

way to Cook's charge. Kevin Bates also slipped past Tonkin late, but

could not make a run at Cook over the closing laps. Chad drove his

Coventry Transport sponsored #2j under the checkered flag by a

comfortable margin over Bates. Tonkin did hang on for a third place

finish, his best of the season to date. Shawn Walker and Mike Loney

completed the top five. Ken Titus, Brandon Buck, Brett Tonkin, Dwayne

Robbins, and Bob Lane completed the top ten.

In Late Model action, Old Forge, Pa.'s Joe Damiano drove his Main

Engines sponsored entry to his first victory of the season. Damiano had

to hold off a furious late race charge from Dave Zona, who made a last

ditch drive to the inside to try to steal the victory on the final alp,

but Dave's charge came up just short and Damiano had his first win of the

season. Zona finished second ahead of Allen Coy, Rick King, and Jamie

Griffith, who recovered from an early race incident to finish fifth.

Adam MacGeorge, Pete Sobol, Bud Phillips, Lou Sparks, and Brent Dyer

completed the top ten.

Joe Damiano and Dave Zona won the twin Late Model heat races.

The 20 lap Super Stock feature was won by Factoryville, Pa.'s Tracy

Gregory, who drive to his fourth victory of the season. Gregory passed

Paul Rooney just past the halfway point of the event, then held off

Rooney the rest of the way to pick up the win. Over the closing stages

Gregory was able to open up a bit of a lead as Rooney was under heavy

pressure from point leader James Cornell over the closing laps. Gregory

picked up the win while Rooney held Cornell off to finish second with

Cornell crossing the line third. Rookie Chris Strohl and Mike Decker

completed the top five. Dan Pompey, Wade Decker, Frank Bonham, Nate

Evans, and newcomer Jim Hughes completed the top ten finishing order.

Tracy Gregory and Paul Rooney split the Super Stock qualifying

events.

Dick Stark dominated Pure Stock action on Friday night as he drove

to his first ever Penn Can Speedway victory in the held-over feature from

July 4th. "Dicin' Dick" scored the victory over Mike Lartz, Shane Wolf,

Kevin Davies, and Randy Rollison. Billy House, Tom Garren, Rob Welsh,

Fred Velez, and Brad Albrecht completed the top ten.

The regularly scheduled Pure Stock feature also fell to Stark as he

completed a sweep of the night's Pure Stock activities. In this event,

he defeated Keith Wilkins and Charlie Gilbert, both of whom challenged

Stark all the way but settled for second and third respectively at the

finish. Mike Lartz and Shane Wolf were fourth and fifth. Matt Payne,

Bob Boynton, Toby Sparks, newcomer Bob Doolittle, and Billy House

completed the top ten.

Dick Stark, Mike Lartz, and Harry Marvin III won the Pure Stock

heats with Shane Wolf picking up the consolation win.

Racing continues this Friday night at 7:15 PM with a five star

racing card. The Modifieds, Sportsman, Late Models, Super Stocks and

Pure Stocks will all be in action. It will be "Pappy" Bevans Memorial

night as the night is dedicated to the memory of the founder of the Penn

Can Speedway, LeGrande "Pappy" Beavans.

The Penn Can Speedway is located on Pa. Rte 171, about 7 miles East

of the Great Bend exit off I-81. For more information on the Penn Can

Speedway, log onto www.penncan.com.

RACE SUMMARY:

MODIFIEDS 1. GEORGE KOSTELANSKY 2. Rick Virkitis 3. Brian Weaver 4. Sean

Collins 5. Bill Huff 6. Mike Clapperton 7. Mike Decker 8. Mike Colsten 9.

Jeff Strunk 10. Tom McGurrin 11. Brian Franko 12. Chris Weaver 13. Mike

Nagel 14. Chris Shupp 15. Daryl Ellis 16. Russ Hendrickson 17. Dave

Jenkins 18. Rich Keehle 19. John Gurnsey 20. Steve Babicek 21. Bobby

Trapper 22. Alan Rudalavage 23. Mike Frost 24. Rick Whitney DNQ: Rick

Holgate, Roger Lewis, Ted Hollenbeck, Jamie Shea, Jim Reppert

SPORTSMAN: 1. KEVIN BATES 2. Shawn Mills 3. Chad Cook 4. Brian Decker 5.

Ken Titus 6. Shawn Walker 7. Brett Tonkin 8. Mike Loney 9. Dwayne Robbins

10. Garth Tonkin Jr. 11. Arnie Slade 12. Dan Buchannon 13. Darren Stout

14. Bruce Evans Jr. 17. Ted Stout 16. Rick Whitney 17. Tom Gervasi 18.

Rick Brown 19. Brian White 20. Brandon Buck 21. Anthony Reggie DNS:

George Howe, Bob Lane

SPORTSMAN(held over from 7-4-03) 1. CHAD COOK 2. Kevin Bates 3. Garth

Tonkin Jr. 4. Shawn Walker 5. Mike Loney 6. Ken Titus 7. Brandon Buck 8.

Brett Tonkin 9. Dwayne Robbins 10. Bob Lane 11. Ted Stout 12. Dan

Buchannon 13. Brain Decker 14. Rick Brown 15. Shawn Mills 16. George Howe

17. Bruce Evans Jr. DNS: Mike Marold

LATE MODEL: 1. JOE DAMIANO 2. Dave Zona 3. Allen Coy 4. Rich King 5.

Jamie Griffiths 6. Adam MacGeorge 7. Pete Sobol 8. Bud Phillips 9. Lou

Sparks 10. Brent Dyer 11. Randall Paxton 12. Steve Tourje 13. Jim O'Hara

14. Keith Mudge 15. Jason Carman 16. Larry DeLello 17. Tim Votra

SUPER STOCK: 1. TRACY GREGORY 2. Paul Rooney 3. James Cornell 4. Chris

Strohl 5. Mike Decker 6. Dan Pompey 7. Wade Decker 8. Eric Bonham 9. Nate

Evans 10. Jim Hughes 11. David Luff 12. James Millard 13. Chris Hunsinger

14. Adam Diaz

PURE STOCK: 1. DICK STARK 2. Keith Wilkins 3. Charlie Gilbert 4. Mike

Lartz 5. Shane Wolf 6. Matt Payne 7. Bob Boynton 8. Toby Sparks 8. Bob

Doolittle 10. Billy House 11. Everett Cass 12. Jerry Lobbdell 13. Ivan

Smith 14. Tom Garren 15. Gregg Brunges 16. Randy Rollison 17. Kevin

Davies 18. Dan Donnelly 19. Denny Decker 20. Cory Bond 21. Fred Velez 22.

Jim Hand 23. Dan Babcock 24. Harry Marvin III

PURE STOCK (held over from 7-4-03) 1. DICK STARK 2. Mike Lartz 3. Shane

Wolf 4. Kevin Davies 5. Randy Rollison 6. Billy House 7. Tom Garren 8.

Rob Welsh 9. Fred Velez 10. Brad Albrecht 11. Charlie Gilbert 12. Matt

Payne 13. Rob Sterling 14. Dan Babcock 15. Toby Sparks 16. Josh Ellis 17.

Harry Marvin III 18. Greg Brunges 19. Ivan Smith 20. Fred penney 21.

Keith Wilkins 22. Everett Cass 23. Dan Donnelly