BLANEY SAILS TO SECOND NATIONALS TITLE ~
SMOKER CLAIMS BRPs with FRITTER SWEEPING THE MOD-LITES
Hartford, OH - New York's Craig Keel and Hartford native, Dale Blaney, were front row starters of the 23rd annual Sharon Nationals sprint race by virtue of the pill draw. Blaney immediately powered the #72 Andrews Motorsports machine to the front and began lapping the backmarkers of the field on lap 4. The Troyer Bologna/Youngstown Harley-Davidson sponsored sprinter was hooked all night, with Blaney easily winning his heat race as well. As Blaney wove in and out of lapped traffic, a caution for Darryl Stimeling on lap 16 re-grouped the field giving second-place runner, Chad Hill, a closer view of Blaney, but Hill would have to get by lapped traffic first. As the green dropped, Blaney once again put a straight away between himself and Hill while Erin Crocker of NY was working her way from a 6th place starting spot. The red was brought out on lap 21 for Marty Ling who took yet another flip down Sharon's backstretch, one of many this season for Ling. Ling was uninjured and the race was re-startedon lap 21. Blaney again pulled away from the field and would lap all but 7 cars by the end of the race. Erin Crocker passed Hill for second on lap 25 and claimed the runner-up spot over Apollo, PA's, Ed Lynch Jr. who started 8th. Hill would settle for fourth and Keel rounded out the top five. Sixth thru tenth were Rod George, Jarod Larson, Bob Bennett, Jaime Smith and Scott Bonnell.
Heat winners were Blaney, Andy McKisson and Larson. Scott Bonnell won the consi.
Forty-six V-8 Modifieds were on hand for the running of the Russ King Memorial, BRP Modified Tour event.
The 24-car feature field was determined thru four heat events, two consolations and BRP provisionals. Sharon Speedway's 2003 track champion, Ron Smoker, drew the pole position for the start of the 30-lap, $2000 to win event. First-time visitor, Chuck Hebing of Ontario, NY, started alongside of Smoker. From the drop of the green, Smoker raced his Bicknell into the lead, never looking back. Only 3 cautions slowed the field, put Smoker drove away from the pack on each restart. Hebing made numerous attempts to take the lead from Smoker, but to no avail. Hebing finished second as team mate, Bobby Varin, brought home a third place finish from a 9th starting hole. Joe Crawford finished fourth and Jim Weller Jr was fifth. Del Rougeux, Josh Skarzenski, Mark Flick, Rex King and Kevin Bolland were sixth thru tenth.
Heat winners were Varin, Hebing, Dave Murdick and Rick Hall. Consis were won by Rex King and Brian Swartzlander.
The Mod-Lite makeup feature from May 30th started with a total of 21 cars, led by Jeff Barclay and Jamie Crutchfield. Crutchfield raced to the lead for 4 laps as 13th place starter, Mike Hay, bolted into the top spot by lap five. Hay held the lead until lap 15 when Tracey Fritter took control. Fritter went on for the victory in a brand new car, just finished at the speedway before hot laps!
Brian Woodall, Rod Jones, Steve White and Ryan Walls completed the top 5.
In the second Mod-LIte feature, Tennessee native, Shannon Buckingham took control during the first 4 circuits before Rod Jones raced out front on the 5th lap. By lap 6, Brian Woodall took control and lead until the white flag lap when he encountered mechanical problems going down the back stretch, turning the lead and the victory over to Tracey Fritter.
Steve White, Rusty Hoge, Rod Jones and Jamie Crutchfield rounded out the top five.
Heat winners were Shannon Buckingham, Steve White and Tracey Fritter.
COMPLETE RESULTS:
SPRINT FEATURE: Dale Blaney, Erin Crocker, Ed Lynch Jr., Chad Hill, Craig Keel, Rod George, Jarod Larson, Bob Bennett, Jamie Smith, Scott Bonnell, Andy McKisson, Jason Jacoby, Arnie Kent, Roger Campbell, Jeff Banyas, Ralph Engel, Bob Lime, Brent Matus, Shawn Minor, Gale Ruth, Blake Feese, Gary Kriess, Marty Ling, Daryl Stimeling
HEAT 01: Blaney, Crocker, Ling, Feese, Stimeling, Lime, Minor, Beasley, Jacoby, Van Tassel
HEAT 02: McKisson, Lynch, Keel, Campbell, Engel, Banyas, Ruth, Bonnell, Bennett
HEAT 03: Larson, Kriess, George, Hill, Kent, Smith, Matus, Weller III, Sansosti, Groves
RUSS KING MEMORIAL MODIFIED FEATURE: Ron Smoker, Chuck Hebig, Bobby Varin, JOe Crawford, Jim Weller Jr., DJ Rougeux, Josh Skarzenski, Mark Flick, Rex King, Kevin Bolland, Rob Curtis, Dave Murdick, Brian Swartzlander, Nick Ritchey, Tom Winkle, Jim Rasey, Robby Kristyak, Lonny Riggs, William Moore, JR McGinley, Steven Barr, Rick Hall, Bob Dorman, Jimmy Weller III
B-Main 01: Rex King, Kevin Bolland, Chanda Reitz, Dean Pearson, Rodney Beltz, Gary Risch, George Hobaugh, Carl Murdick, Steven Barr, Kevin Dickson, Dave Willoughby, Conny Allen, Greg Porter, Chris Dye
B-Main 02: Brian Swartzlander, Tom Winkle, Alan Dellinger, Jim Rasey, Randy Snider, Lou Blaney, Steve Young, Jason Longwell, JR McGinley, Ken Moy Jr., Doug Fleeser, Adam Kozar, Lee Miller, Shawn Kozar
Heat 01: Hall, Skarzenski, Curtis, Moore, Priest, King, Reitz, Risch, Barr, Hobaugh, Dickson, Dye
Heat 02: Murdick, Weller III, Crawford, Riggs, Pearson, Kristyak, Bolland, Beltz, Murdick, Willoughby, Allen, Porter
Heat 03: Hebig, Smoker, Rougeux, Flick, Winkle, Swartzlander, Dellinger, Blaney, Young, Fleeser, Rasey, Shingledecker
Heat 04: Varin, Weller III, Dorman, Ritchey, Moy, Snider, Kozar, Miller, Longwell, Kozar, McGinley
MOD-LITE MAY 30 MAKEUP FEATURE: Tracey Fritter, Brian Woodhall, Rod Jones, Steve White, Ryan Walls, Jerry Eushing, Jason Benson, Jeff Barclay, Jamie Crutchfield, Jesse Bergmann, Eric Hay, Mark Marcucci, Darrell Lewis, Tim White, Mikey Hay, Rick Buttle, Lynn Knepper, Dale Blaney, John Gerola, Frankie Dunkle, Frank Dunkle
AUGUST 30 FEATURE: Tracey Fritter, Steve White, Rusty Hoge, Rod Jones, Jamie Crutchfield, Brian Woodhall, Tim White, Keith Swartzlander, Lynn Knepper, Nick Sapp, Eric Hay, Jeff Barclay, Dale Blaney, Jesse Bergmann, Jerry Eushing, Richard Lawson, Zack Bergmann, Shannon Buckingham, Jason Benson, Ryan Walls, Mark Marcucci, Erik McKinney, Jim Golden
AUGUST 31 FEATURE: Steve White, Mikey Hay, Kevin Meadows, Ryan Walls, Jason Benson, Rod Jones, Darrel Lewis, Shannon Buckingham, Lynn Knepper, Dave Starcher, Brian Woodhall, Jamie Crutchfield, Tracey Fritter, Nick Sapp, Rusty Hoge, Ted Williams, Keith Swartzlander, Eric Hay, Ron Abblett, Erik McKinney, Jesse Bergmann, Jeff Barclay, Jack Nutter, Jerry Eushing, BRian Daniszewski, Mark Marcucci, Wilbur Juillerat, Steve Fife, Mike Westfall, Rick Lawson, Robert Walls III, Zack Bergman
AUGUST 31 ENDURO: Troy Vaccaro, Andy Sweetland, Frank Oriti, Bill Simmons, David McMurray Jr., Glenn Knopp, George Scott, Denny Riley, Lester Kerr, Danny Montgomery, Bruce Milbert, Dennis Lenney, Eric McCray, Billy Anderson
AUGUST 31 DEMOLITION DERBY: Shawn Bumgard, Jim Davis, Kevin Windham, Tom Dorsey, Mike Culver, Mark Hodgekiss, Bill Scicolone, Tom Bedlon, Tom Goldmer, Terry Reed