Weaver, Damiano, Lias, Holgate, Decker Win At Penn Can

(Susquehanna, Pa.) Friday night racing action at the Penn Can

Speedway was a memorable night for the Decker Logging Racing team as

Brain Weaver won his fourth Modified feature of the season, with teammate

Mike Decker finishing second. Craig Decker also carried the Decker

Logging colors to victory in the Pure Stock feature. Sean Lias won his

fourth Pure Stock feature of the season. Joe Damiano won his first

career Late Model feature while Rick Holgate won his first Super Stock

event of the season.

The 30 lap Late Model feature saw Mike Decker take advantage of a

pole position start to grab the early lead at the drop of Glenn

O'Laughlin's green flag. As Decker was leading the event, teammate Brian

Weaver was working his way to the front from his tenth starting position.

By lap 20, Brian had moved to second and was putting heavy pressure on

his teammate for the top spot. With Decker working the low groove and

Weaver working the top, the two battled for several laps before Weaver

was able to drive around the outside of Decker to take over the top spot.

Once out front, Bian was able to maintain his advantage over Decker the

rest of the way, the second sweep of the top two positions this season

for the Decker Logging team. Weaver's win came despite a right rear

wheel packed with mud. Brian reports that the mud-packed wheel was

vibrating badly in the closing laps, making him unsure whether or not he

was going to make it to the finish. Under caution, he tried several

times to dislodge the mud by scraping along the wall but to no avail.

Rick Virkitis, George Kostelansky, and Carl Nagel completed the top five.

Bill Huff, Alan Rudalavage, Butch Tittle, Mike Nagel, and Rick Whitney

completed the top ten

Heat race action for the Modifieds found Mike Colsten, George

Kostelansky, and Mike Decker picking up victories in preliminary events.

The Late Model feature saw a new face in victory lane as Late Model

rookie Joe Damiano picked up his first win in the division after moving

up from the Super Stocks at the beginning of the season. The Old Forge,

Pa. native started fourth on the field and worked his way past early

leader Jim O'Hara to take over the top spot. O'Hara kept Damiano in

sight, but could not mount a challenge over the closing laps as he was

receiving heavy pressure for the second spot from Gene Sharpsteen.

O'Hara was able to hold Sharpsteen off for the runner-up position with

Sharpsteen finishing third. Al Coy and Jim Serman rounded out the top

five. The second half of the top ten consisted of Keith Mudge, Bill

Karp, Jamie Griffth, Rich King, and Lou Sparks.

The Late Model qualifying heats saw Bill Karp and Dave Zona earn

victories.

The Super Stock feature also saw a new face in victory lane as "The

Rocket" Rick Holgate earned his first victory of the season aboard the

Gullick Motorsports Sprint PCS sponsored #13. Holgate was on the move

early as he charged from his tenth starting spot to take the lead after a

good battle with Craig Trella and Brett Spoor for the top spot. Once out

front, Holgate drove away from the pack to score a convincing victory.

Brett Spoor finished second with Craig Trella third. Jamie Shea

recovered from an early race incident to finish fourth with Nick Petrilak

completing the top five. Dan Vauter, Dwayne Robbins, Ken Sparks, Glenn

Wilcox, and Rick Brown made up the second half of the top ten.

Paul Rooney and Jamie Shea were heat event winners. Rooney suffered

mechanical problems at the conclusion of the heat race and was unable to

start the feature.

The IMCA Modified feature saw Sean Lias return to victory lane for

the fourth time this season after mechanical problems the previous week.

Lias, who converted his Mopar engine from gasoline to methanol this week,

started fifth and was able to grab the lead in the rarly stages of the

event and open up a considerable advantage over second running Larry

Robbins. The IMCA Modified feature went without a caution flag and

Robbins was unable to close on Lias and settled for second ahead of Bob

Chapman, Steve Hartman, and Frank Bonham. The remainder of the top ten

was Joe Cole, Kevin Cole, Billy House, John Conway, and Steve Welsh.

IMCA Modified qualifying events were won by Sean Lias and Kevin

Cole.

The Pure Stock division also ran off their feature without a caution

flag as Craig Decker picked up his second consecutive feature win. The

sixteen year old pilot of the Decker Logging #9c passed Shane Wolff for

the top spot then held off a late charge by Wolff to earn the win.

Everett Cass, Nate Evans, and Harry marvin IV complted the top five.

Brett Tonkin finished sixth, but made heavy contact with the frontstretch

wall after the checkered flag. Chad Stone, newcomer Kurt Decker, Keith

Wilkins, and Nate Shay completed the top ten.

Nate Shay and Chad Stone were Pure Stock heat race winners.

Racing continues this Friday night at 7:15 PM sharp with a regular

five division show consisting of Modifieds, IMCA Modifieds, Late Models,

Super Stocks, and Pure Stocks on the card. Penn Can Speedway is located

on Pennsylvania Rte 171, seven miles East of Exit 230 (formerly Exit 68)

off I-81. For more information regarding the Penn Can Speedway, contact

the speedway office at (570)-585-9928. The race day track phone number

is (570)-853-3434.

RACE SUMMARY:

MODIFIEDS: 1. BRIAN WEAVER 2. Brian Decker 3. Rick Virkitis 4. George

Kostelansky 5. Carl Nagel 6. Bill Huff 7. Alan Rudalavage 8. Butch

Tittle 9. Mike Nagel 10. Rick Whitney 11. Kirk Horton 12. Garth Tonkin

13. Harry Marvin 14. John Gournsey 15. Mike Frost 16. Mike Frederick 17.

Sean Collins 18. Tom McGurrin 19. Mike Colsten 20. Brian Franko 21. Jeff

Bronson 22. Chris Schupp 23. Pat Balmer 24. Chris Weaver 25. Brian Decker

LATE MODELS: 1. JOE DAMIANO 2. Jim O'Hara 3. Gene Sharpsteen 4. Al Coy 5.

Jim Sherman 6. Keith Mudge 7. Bill Karp 8. Jamie Griffiths 9. Rich King

10. Lou Sparks 11. Clint Kauffman 12. Tony Fuga 13. George Leatso 14.

Jason Carmen 15. Al Whittaker 16. Dave Zona DNS: Jade Brewer

SUPER STOCK: 1. RICK HOLGATE 2. Brett Spoor 3. Craig Trella 4. Jamie Shea

5. Nick Petrilak 6. Dan Vauter 7. Dwayne Robbins 8. Ken Sparks 9. Glenn

Wilcox 10. Rick Brown 11. Mike Mills 12. Tracy Gregory 13. Tom Garron 14.

Mark Hanichak 15. Chris Piasecki DNS: Paul Rooney, Daryl Ellis

IMCA MODIFIED: 1. SEAN LIAS 2. Larry Robbins 3. Bob Chapman 4. Seve

Hartman 5. Frank Bonham 6. Joe Cole 7. Kevin Cole 8. Billy House 9. John

Conway 10. Steve Welsh 11. Charlie Gilbery 12. Jason Makosky

PURE STOCK: 1. CRAIG DECKER 2. Shane Wolff 3. Everett Cass 4. Nate Evans

5. Harry Marvin IV 6. Brett Tonkin 7. Chad Stone 8. Kurt Decker 9. Keith

Wilkins 10. Nate shay 11. Roger Salai 1`2. Archies Ellsworth 13. Danny

Bagg 14. Shappard Blodgett 15. Michael Lartz 16. Ned Fitch 17. Gregg

Brunges