BUTCH TITTLE, CHAD COOK, JAMIE GRIFFITHS, TRACY GREGORY, AND SHANE WOLF

OPENING NIGHT WINNERS AT PENN CAN

(Susquehanna, Pa) The Penn Can Speedway kicked off the 2003 racing

season on Friday night as Butch Tittle picked up the win in the 30 lap

"Thee Can Opener" to collect the $1,500 winner's share of the Modified

purse. In the Sportsman division, Chad Cook picked up the opening night

feature win while Tracy Gregory earned opening night honors in the Super

Stocks. Jamie Griffiths won the Late Model season opener for the second

year in a row while Shane Wolf started off the Pure Stock season with a

feature win. The opening night features were run on a track that was

smooth and fast as despite the harsh winter, Penn Can's track crew had

the racing surface in excellent condition for opening night.

The 30 lap Modified feature came to the post with Bill Huff and

Butch Tittle on the front row. It didn't take long for Tittle to

establish himself at the front of the field as he took the Field's Used

Furniture "Z" Car to the lead early on. Behind Tittle the action was

hot

and heavy. A series of early caution flags kept the field bunched up

early, which played into the hands of Bethel, Pa.'s Jeff Strunk, who has

joined the Chad Sinon Motorsports team and will be a Friday night

regular

at Penn Can in 2003. A poor heat race run in his initial outing forced

Strunk to qualify via the consolation and he started the feature in 21st

position. He took advantage of the early cautions and as the race

neared

the halfway point, Strunk had advanced to third and was battling with

Mike Decker for the runner-up position.

While Tittle was having his way up front, the battle was on behind

him as Chad Sinon Motorsports teammates Mike Decker and Strunk were

locked in a battle for the runner-up position. Strunk was running a

line

not normally used at Penn Can as he was running high into the corners

then diamonding the turn and looking under Decker at the apex of the

turn. He made it work after a fierce battle that lasted at least ten

laps as Jeff was finally able to get a run and drive past Decker into

the

runner-up position. A final caution flag on lap 28 set up a two lap

dash

to the checkered flag with Strunk now working all over Tittle for the

win.

Tittle had to call on his many years experience at Penn Can to

keep

Strunk behind him as Jeff was applying heavy pressure, but could not

find

a way past Tittle, who flashed under the checkered flag with Strunk hot

on his rear bumper The win was the first for Tittle and his new car

owner

Jim Wagner. For Strunk, a runner-up finish in his initial outing

indicates that he is going to be a force at Penn Can in 2003. Mike

Decker drove to a strong third place finish while defending track

champion Brian Weaver salvaged a fourth place finish, charging from the

back of the pack three separate times as Weaver was involved in three

separate incidents during the feature. Bill Huff finished fifth and

picked up the $200 bonus as the highest finishing DIRT legal 358

Modified. Brian Franko, Rick Whitney, Tom McGurrin, Joey Grammes, and

Daryl Ellis completed the top ten finishers.

Heat races for the 32 Modifieds in the pits went to Mike Decker,

Brian Franko, Rick Whitney, and Brian Weaver. Jeff Strunk won the

consolation event. Brian Weaver picked up the win the Kostelansky

Fabrication/BPG Motorsports Dash For Cash. Weaver grabbed the lead

early

and dominated the four lap event. Rich Keehle, Rick Whitney, and Brian

Franko were second through fourth.

In Sportsman action, Chad Cook drove his Coventry Transport

sponsored #2J to victory in the season opener for the Sportsman

division.

Cook, who will be a regular at Penn Can in 2003, took the lead after an

early battle with rookie Shawn Mills. Once out front, Cook dominated

the

remainder of the event to score the opening night feature win. In the

closing stages of the event second year driver Kevin Bates was on the

move as he charged up to second, but ran out of laps before he was able

to challenge Cook for the top spot. Brett Tonkin finished third with

Shawn Mills fourth in his first Sportsman start. Ken Titus rounded out

the top five finishers. Alex Konopka, Mike Loney, Grant Hilfiger, Bob

Lane, and Dave Leyshon made up the second half of the top ten.

The 30 Sportsman cars in the pits took part in three heat races

with

Mike Loney, Chad Cook, and Ken Titus winning the qualifying races.

Rookie Grant Hilfiger won the consolation event.

For the second straight year, Jamie Griffiths drove his Ford

powered

Late Model to the opening night victory. Though he started on pole, it

was far from an easy win for Griffiths as Dave Zona powered from his

ninth starting spot to take the lead from Jamie on a mid-race restart,

but Jamie was able to drive back past Zona to retake the top spot a

couple of laps later. Late in the event Randall Paxton also slipped

past

Zona for second and tried to make a late run at Griffiths, but Jamie was

able to hold him off to pick up the win. Paxton finished second ahead

of

Zona, Brent Dyer, and Joe Damiano. Steve Tourje finished sixth ahead

of

Rich King, Lou Sparks, Dave Silvernail, and Jason Camen.

Seventeen Late Models were in the pits with heat wins going to

Randall Paxton and Dave Zona.

The early laps of the Super Stock feature saw some great racing

right from the drop of the green flag. Front row starters James Cornell

Jr. and Tracy Gregory spent the early part of the feature battling for

the top spot, but mechanical problems would knock Cornell from the

event.

Cornell's misfortune paved the way for Gregory to lead the rest of the

way to pick up the opening night feature win. Brett Spoor chased

Gregory, but could not make a run at the top spot and settled for

second.

Newcomer Chris Strohl finished third in his initial outing while Chris

Hunsinger and Matt Roberts completed the top five. Eric Bonham, Nate

Evans, Rich Post, Jay Sisenkitch, and James Cornell completed the top

ten.

James Cornell Jr. and Brett Spoor won the two Super Stock heats.

Shane Wolf opened the 2003 Pure Stock season in style as the Pure

Stocks ran their 15 lap feature without a caution flag. Wolf started

fourth but quickly worked his way to the lead. Shane held off

challenges

from Rich Green and Bobby Boynton Sr. who finished second and third

respectively. Charlie Gilbert returned to Pure Stock action after a

couple of years out of the division and finished fourth while Harry

Marvin III also returned to Penn Can after a year off to finish fifth.

Craig Decker, Keith Wilkins, newcomer Rob Larsen, Michael Lartz, and

rookie Josh Ellis completed the top ten.

Bobby Boynton, Rob Larsen, and Rich Green won the Pure Stock heats.

Racing action continues this Friday night at Penn Can when the

Modifieds, Sportsman, Late Models, Super Stocks, and Pure Stocks return

to action in another five star racing card. 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.

"THEE CAN OPENER" RACE SUMMARY

MODIFIEDS: 1. BUTCH TITTLE 2. Jeff Strunk 3. Mike Decker 4. Brian Weaver

5. Bill Huff 6. Brian Franko 7. Rick Whitney 8. Tom McGurrin 9. Joey

Grammes 10. Daryl Ellis 11. Mike Clapperton 12. Rick Holgate 13. Dave

Jenkins 14. Alan Rudalavage 15. Steve Babicek 16. Mike Colsten 17. Rick

Virkitis 18. Rich Keehle 19. George Kostelansky 20. Mike Nagel 21. Ralph

Mele 22. Chris Shupp 23. Sean Collins 24. Jeff Bronson DNQ: Mike Frost,

Chris Weaver, Billy Spoonhower, JR Crouse, Tom Gervasi, John Gurnsey

SPORTSMAN: 1. CHAD COOK 2. Kevin Bates 3. Brett Tonkin 4. Shawn Mills 5.

Ken Titus 6. Alex Konopka 7. Mike Loney 8. Grant Hilfiger 9. Bob Lane

10.

Dave Leyshon 11. Dwayne Robbins 12. Ted Stout 13. Shwan Olenski 14. Rick

Brown 15. Anthony Reggie 16. Brandon Buck 17. Robin Oltz 18. Bruce Evans

19. Joe Weigosz 20. Dan Buchannon 21. Ryan Olsommer 22. Chris Berg 23.

Dusty Jaeger 24. Rick Whitney 25. Brian Decker DNQ: Mike Wilmont, George

Howe, Randy Thomas

LATE MODEL: 1. JAMIE GRIFFITHS 2. Randall Paxton 3. Dave Zona 4. Brent

Dyer 5. Joe Damiano 6. Steve Tourje 7. Rich King 8. Low Sparks 9. Dave

Silvernail 10. Jason Carmen 11. Bud Phillips 12. Adam MacGeorge 13. Pete

Sobol 14. Jason Bedford 15. Jim O'Hara 16. Carl Silvernail 17. Keith

Mudge

SUPER STOCK: 1. TRACY GREGORY 2. Brett Spoor 3. Chris Strohl 4. Chris

Hunsinger 5. Matt Roberts 6. Eric Bonham 7. Nate Evans 8. Rich Post 9.

Jay Sisenkitch 10. James Cornell 11. Joe Cabets 12. Chris Stull 13.

David

Luff 14. Denny Decker 15. Paul Rooney

PURE STOCK: 1. Shane Wolf 2. Rich Green 3. Bobby Boynton 4. Charlie

Gilbert 5. Harry Marvin III 6. Craig Decker 7. Keith Wilkins 8. Rob

Larson 9. Michael Lartz 10. Josh Ellis 11. Kevin Davies 12. Tom Garren

13. Billy House 14. Everett Cass 15. Mike Hoyte 18. Dan Doonnelly Jr.

17.

Robert Schutts 18. Bob Albrecht 19. Kevin Sterling DNS: Butch Green