CHRIS WEAVER SCORES FIRST CAREER PENN CAN MODIFIED VICTORY

(Susquehanna, Pa.) For the second straight week, Penn Can Speedway saw a

new face in victory lane as Chris Weaver drove to his first career Penn

Can win in Friday night's 30 lap Modified feature. Chad Cook picked up

his third win of the season in Sportsman division action while Randall

Paxton became the fourth different winner in five events in the Late

Model division. Tracy Gregory won his second Super Stock feature of the

season while Harry Marvin III also scored his second victory in Pure

Stock action. Michael Lartz won the Pure Stock feature postponed from

May 23rd due to rain.

For Chris Weaver, it took him three years, but he finally picked up

that elusive first feature win in dominating fashion as he led all thirty

laps of the Modified feature. Sean Collins and Chris Weaver paced the

field to the green flag, and by the time they reached the first turn,

Chris had powered his Ken Wilson Chevrolet/Road Courier Service sponsored

#1A past Collins and into the lead. The early stages of the race saw a

few caution flags keep the field bunched up, but on each restart Weaver

was able to pull away from the pack.

While weaver was running unchallenged at the head of the field, the

battle for the runner-up position was intense as Mike Clapperton and

George Kostelansky were locked in a tight battle for the runner-up

position. The two swapped the position back and forth a couple of times

with Clapperton ultimately able to take the spot for good, but by that

time Weaver had opened up a comfortable lead and Clapperton was unable to

mount a challenge over the closing laps.

As the field drove under the checkered flag, it was Chris Weaver

taking the checkered flag to complete a dominating run. Clapperton held

off Kostelansky for second and also collected the $200 bonus as the

highest finishing car powered by a DIRT legal 358 motor. Kostelansky

finished third with Rick Virkitis and Brian Weaver completing the top

ten. Tom McGurrin, Bill Huff, Jeff Brosnon, Rick Whitney, and Ralph Mele

competed the top ten.

With his fifth place run, defending champion Brian Weaver finds

himself leading the points once again as Jeff Strunk was not in

competition on Friday night.

The three Modified heat races saw Alan Rudalavage, Chris Weaver, and

Rick Virkitis pick up victories.

In Sportsman action, Chad Cook drove his Coventry Transport

sponsored #2J to his third feature win of the 2003 racing season at Penn

Can. Garth Tonkin Jr. took off from his pole starting position and led

the first 14 laps of the feature event, holding off a determined

challenge from Cook for several laps before his #176 went up in smoke,

ending his bid for victory. This turned the lead over to Cook, who led

the final six laps to pick up the victory. Brian Decker and Kevin Bates

both lost five finishes late when they tangled while battling for the

runner-up position. This opened the door for Mike Loney, who picked up

his best finish of the 2003 season to date with a runner-up finish while

Bob Lane also scored a season best third place finish. Newcomer Shawn

Walker finished fourth while Chad Cook charged from 18th starting

position to finish fifth. Dwayne Robbins finished sixth ahead of invader

Don Edgar, Ken Titus, and Randy Thomas. Kevin Bates salvaged a tenth

place finish to hold onto the point lead.

Garth Tonkin Jr., Brandon Buck, and Chad Cook won the three

Sportsman heats while Shawn Mills was the Sportsman consolation race

winner.

The Late Model feature saw an entertaining race for the win as

Randall Paxton and Jamie Griffiths battled for many laps, often racing

side by side as they battled for the feature win. Paxton would finally

prevail as he was able to work past Griffiths to take over the top spot.

Jamie was able to stay with Paxton and kept the pressure on all the way

to the finish, but Paxton never opened the door and went on to score the

victory by a narrow margin over Griffiths. Jason Carman finished third

ahead of Dave Zona and Joe Damiano. Steve Tourje, Brent Dyer, Lou

Sparks, Rich King, and Jim O'Hara completed the top ten.

Randall Paxton and Jason Carman won the two Late Model heat races.

In Super Stock action, Tracy Gregory dominated the 20 lap feature as

he led all twenty laps to pick up the win. It was not an easy win for

Gregory as he had several challengers for the top spot throughout the

event. Jmaes Cornell pressured Gregory for many laps, but a deflating

right rear tire would end his bid for victory as he was forced pitside

for a new tire. As Gregory continued to lead, the battle was for the

runner-up position as Wade Decker, who was making his first Penn Can

start of the season, and Brett Spoor battled for the runner-up position.

Gregory took the win with Decker securing the runner-up position in the

closing laps with Spoor finishing third. Adam Diaz scored a solid fourth

place finish ahead of another newcomer Jason Schlafer.. Chris Hunsinger,

Eric Bonham, Jim Hewett, James Cornell, and Chris Strohl completed the

top ten.

Brett Spoor, Tracy Gregory, and Wade Decker won the Super Stock

qualifying events.

Current point leader Harry Marvin III picked up his second win of

the season in Pure Stock action. Marvin held off a strong challenge from

Shane Wolf to pick up the win. Wolf put plenty of pressure on Marvin,

but wound up climbing the dirt bank in turn four as the white flag was

displayed. He drove the car of the bank and continued on, but this gave

Marvin enough of a lead to take the win without a further challenge.

Wolf straightened the car out and drove on to a runner-up finish ahead of

Charlie Gilbert, Keith Wikins, and Billy House. Craig Decker, Matt

Payne, Tom Garren, newcomer Dan Babcock, and Josh Ellis were sixth

through tenth respectively.

Harry Marvin III and Shane Wolf won the Pure Stock heats.

The first event of the night was the Pure Stock feature from May

23rd that was postponed by rain. Michael Lartz picked up the win in that

event as he came out on top of a four way battle for the top spot.

Charlie Gilbert led several laps before settling for a runner-up finish

behind Lartz. Shane Wolf, Harry Marvin III, and Keith Wilkins completed

the top five. Positions six through ten in the held-over feature went to

Billy House, Rob Welsh, Brad Albrecht, Kevin Davies, and Ralph Davis.

Action continues at the Penn Can Speedway this Friday night with a

full five star racing card. The combination Big Block/Small Block

Modifieds, Sportsman, Late Models, Super Stocks, and Pure Stocks will all

see action in a full slate of qualifying events leading up to five big

feature races. Racing action gets underway at 7:15 PM. The Penn Can

Speedway is located in Susquehanna, Pa. about seven miles South of

Binghamton, NY. Penn Can Speedway is located on Pennsylvania Rte 171,

about 7 miles East of Exit #230 off I-81.

RACE SUMMARY:

MODIFIEDS: 1. CHRIS WEAVER 2. Mike Calpperton 3. George Kostelansky 4.

Rick Virkitis 5. Brian Weaver 6. Tom McGurrin 7. Bill Huff 8. Jeff

Bronson 9. Rick Whitney 10. Ralph Mele 11. Sean Collins 12. Steve Babicek

13. Mike Nagel 14. Brian Franko 15. Daryl Ellis 16. Mike Frost 17. Dave

Jenkins 18. Bob Conklin 19. Chris Shupp 20. Mike Colsten 21. George

Hoffmier Jr. 22. Alan Rudalavage

SPORTSMAN: 1. CHAD COOK 2. Mike Loney 3. Bob Lane 4. Shawn Walker 5.

Shawn Mills 6. Dwayne Robbins 7. Don Edgar 8. Ken Titus 9. Randy Thomas

10. Kevin Bates 11. Mike Trautschold 12. Brian Decker 13. Grant Hilfiger

14. Bret Boyer 15. Antho9ny Reggie 16. Dan Buchannon 17. Brandon Buck 18.

Ted Stout 19. Brett Tonkin 20. Garth Tonkin Jr. 21. Dave Leyshon 22. Rick

Whtiney 23. Bruce Evans Jr. 24. Mike Marold DNQ: Rick Brown, Joe Wilgolz,

LATE MODEL: 1. RANDALL PAXTON 2. Jamie Jriffiths 3. Jason Carman 4. Dave

Zona 5. Joe Damiano 6. Steve Tourje 7. Brent Dyer 8. Lou Sparks 9. Rich

King 10. Jim O'Hara 11. Adam MacGeorge 12. Ken Wynn 13. Bude Phillips 14.

Pete Sobol 15. Keith Mudge

SUPER STOCK: 1. TRACY GREGORY 2. Wade Decker 3. Brett Spoor 4. Adam Diaz

5. Jason Schlafer 6. Chris Hunsinger 7. Frank Bonham 8. Jim Hewett 9.

James Cornell 10. Chris Strohl 11. Mike Decker 12. Mike Southerton 13.

Kurt Decker 14. Jay Sienkevich 15. Nate Evans 16. Paul Rooney 17. Matt

Gesford 18. Randy Teets DNS: Phil Retter

PURE STOCK (Regularly scheduled) 1. HARRY MARVIN III 2. Shane Wolf 3.

Charlie Gilbert 4. Keith Wilkins 5. Billy House 6. Craig Decker 7. Matt

Payne 8. Tom Garren 9. Dan Babcock 10. Josh Ellis 11. Kevin Davies 12.

Brad Albrecht 13. Auburn Lyons 14. Rob Welsh 15. Frank Penney 16. Mike

Hoyte 17. Mike Lartz 18. Ralph Davis 19. Gretgg Brunges

PURE STOCK (Held over from 5-23-03) - 1. MICHALE LARTZ 2. Charlie Gilbert

3. Shane Wolf 4. Harry Marvin III 5. Keith Wilkins 6. Billy House 7. Rob

Welsh 8. Brad Albrecht 9. Kevin Davies 1. Ralph Davis 11. Matt Payne 12.

Josh Ellis 13. Mike Hoyte 14. Craig Decker 15. Gregg Brunges 16. Frank

Penney DNS: Dan Donnelly Jr., Chris Davis