LYNCH WINS FIRST EVER TRIATHLON SPRINT SERIES RACE; BOLLAND’S BRP MODIFIED TOUR WIN IS FIRST AT MERCER SINCE 1982; PADEN WINS FOR THIRD TIME ON LAST LAP IN SPORTSMAN; NORMAN KEEPS ON WINNING IN STOCKS
By Mike Leone
September 6, 2003 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Mercer, PA…Mercer Raceway Park kicked off the month of September Saturday night with the start of the end-of-the-season specials as “On Tour 2003” was presented by Chevron East. Celebrating in victory lane were Ed Lynch, Jr.-Triathlon Sprint Car Series, Kevin Bolland-BRP Big-Block Modified Tour, Andy Paden-New Castle School of Trades Sportsman Modifieds, and Gary Norman-Butterfield’s Pub Stock Cars. A season-high 152 cars filled the pit area and participated in 26 race events.
Ed Lynch, Jr. dominated the 25-lap $2,000 to-win Luxaire Heating & Cooling Sprint feature leading all the way for his first ever Triathlon Series victory. “I’m glad to get into the winner’s bracket of this series,” expressed the Apollo, Pa. driver, who made his first start since his opening night win. “It was exciting to race here at Mercer and to see what all they’ve done to the track and facility since I’ve been here last. It just keeps getting better and better.”
Lynch raced past brother-in-law, Chad Hill, on the start to assume the early lead. Rob Eyler took over third from Jason Dolick on the start and began a battle with Hill for second. Lynch started to lap cars on the fourth circuit, while Eyler was all over Hill. Coming off turn four on lap five, Eyler tried to split Hill and the lapped car of Chad Levingston. Eyler and Hill made contact as the two slid into the infield. Eyler was done for the night, but Hill would restart at the tail.
This moved Dolick up to second for the restart. Mark Murphy was on the move as he raced by Ralph Engel, Jr. for third on lap six and Rod George followed in fourth. Lynch was back in traffic on lap 10, which allowed Dolick to close the gap on the leader. On lap 15, Murphy and George caught Dolick and the three put an exciting battle for second, while at the same time racing lapped traffic. George edged by Murphy and finally got Dolick for runner-up with an inside move in turns three and four on lap 20.
With five to go and George now in second after starting 14th, Lynch really opened up ground as he had built a near one-half lap lead. Murphy powered around Dolick for third on lap 22. Later that lap, George got tangled with Hill bringing out the second and final caution. This moved Murphy up to second with Dolick third, Jamie Smith fourth, and Tim Hunter fifth.
On the restart, Murphy slammed and rode the guardrail in turns one and two, which allowed Dolick, Smith, and Hunter to move by for second through fourth. While the battle raged on for positions two through five, Lynch drove off to a convincing victory in the Ed Lynch, Sr.-owned, J&J, Kistler-powered, Indy Recycling/Commercial Truck & Trailer/Chip Ganassi Racing-sponsored #2L.
“If you start up front, you better finish up front otherwise you got to eat a lot of crow on the way home” stated Lynch after his 10th career Mercer win and 21st overall in 2003. “That was a good advantage for us. I feel my car was pretty good for starting anywhere. Hopefully we’ll do it again and win the Chuck Marsh in two weeks.”
Smith was able to get past Dolick on lap 24 to finish second after starting ninth. For Smith, it was his third straight runner-up placing and eighth straight top five finish. On the last lap, Hunter also got by Dolick for a career best third at Mercer. Dolick and Murphy dropped to fourth and fifth. Sixth through tenth were champion Troy Preston, Gary Kriess, Jr., Arnie Kent, Todd Bauer, and Nick Naber of Cincinnati, Ohio. Heat winners over the season-high 37-car field were Hill, Bauer, Dolick, and Engel. Andy McKisson and Eric Smith won the two B mains. Craig Keel of Weedsport, New York and Chris Knopp of central Pa. first starts ended in heat race flips.
Dolick of Coshocton, Ohio was the highest finishing 360 for the second time this year and earned the $150 bonus. Also receiving 360 bonus monies were New York’s Chris Shuttleworth and Vaughn Nystrom.
It took 21 years, but Kevin Bolland returned to victory lane at Mercer Raceway Park to win the 30-lap $1,500 to-win Campbell-Peterson Trail & Turf Big-Block Modified BRP Tour-sanctioned event. The 1982 Mercer Champion recorded three wins that year in his rookie season, but had been unable to win ever since.
“It’s been a long time,” acknowledged the New Brighton, Pa. winner after his fourth Tour victory of the season. “This is a tough track to get around. We’ve searched for a number of years. We’ve struggled for a long time, but we’re glad to be back.”
Bob Dorman raced ahead of Rodney Beltz on the start to take the early lead with Bolland in third. On lap three, Bolland worked his way past Beltz on the backstretch to take second. Beltz would bring out the first caution with five laps completed when engine woes ended his night. This moved Dean Pearson to third and Dave Murdick to fourth.
When racing resumed, Bolland took charge getting past Dorman in turns one and two. Murdick had moved ahead of Pearson for third then took second away from Dorman on lap eight. Rex King was charging to the front and took third on lap nine with an outside move on Dorman.
By lap 11, Bolland had opened up a straightaway lead on Murdick. Ron Smoker, who started 18th, was slowly working his way to the front. Smoker cracked the top five on lap 12 taking the position away from Pearson then dropped Dorman back another spot on lap 16. Bolland was in heavy lapped traffic on lap 17 when the second caution was displayed for Frank Guidace.
When green replaced yellow, Smoker edged ahead of King for third on lap 17. Following another restart, King went back ahead of Smoker on lap 18. Murdick put the pressure on Bolland as the two raced side-by-side on laps 20 and 21. Following a caution for debris, Smoker went back ahead of King for third on lap 21. It was now a four-car shootout with Bolland trying to hold off Murdick, Smoker, and King.
Smoker continued his progression to the front when he got under Murdick in turn two on lap 24 for second. Debris would bring out the final caution with 26 laps completed and set up a four-lap dash. Bolland got the advantage on the restart and held off Smoker for his fourth career Mercer win in his Bol-Tech Motorsports, Inc.-owned, Bicknell, Bolland Machine-powered, Brighton Hot Dog Shoppe/Cintas/Richmond Gear/Turbo Start Batteries/Car Cleen Supply/Lake Erie Speed-sponsored #777.
“The track was sort of rough getting into turn one, otherwise it was fantastic,” explained Bolland after his 13th win overall of 2003. “I had some lapped cars to content with. Vicki (Emig) has done a nice job here. I have to thank my crew for putting us here.”
Smoker backed up his opening night runner-up with another second place finish. Murdick’s third was his fifth straight top three showing and ended the year with 11 straight top 10 finishes. King and Mark Flick were fourth and fifth in their first starts of the season. Completing the top 10 were Dorman, Jim Weller, Jr., Alan Dellinger, Jim Rasey, and Chanda Reitz. Heat victors over the season-high 44-car field were Flick, Joe Crawford, Lonny Riggs, and King. Jimmy Weller III and Smoker won the two B mains.
For the third time this year, Andy Paden made an exciting last lap pass to win the 20-lap $600 to-win New Castle School of Trades Sportsman Modified feature. It was the second time Paden has snatched a win away from Ron Eperthener, Jr. on the final lap. “That was a good race with (Ron) Eperthener,” said the Greenville, Pa. winner. “He just washed up on the last lap. That was the only mistake he made and it just happened to be in my favor.”
Kevin Latshaw led the opening lap before Jeff Schaffer took charge on lap two with Rich Ferguson trailing. Eperthener and Les Myers were able to pass Ferguson for second and third on lap four. Paden, who started 11th, moved into third on lap five getting by Myers. On lap six, Eperthener made contact with Schaffer getting him sideways on the backstretch. Eperthener and Paden got by before Schaffer was able to get back on the gas.
The last 15 laps went non-stop with Eperthener, Paden, and Schaffer racing hard through lapped traffic. Eperthener took the white flag and appeared primed for his first win since 1997, but coming off turn four the veteran driver slipped high and Paden snuck under and took the checkered flag first. After going four years without a victory, Paden has now won four of the last nine races in the Kidd’s Jewelry-sponsored, Bill Paden-owned #24.
Eperthener had to settle for second for the fourth time this season. Jeff Schaffer was third driving his brother Jerry’s championship car. Chad Reitz was fourth after starting 23rd. Myers dropped to fifth. Paden, Gary Smoker, and Schaffer won the heats over the 26-car field. Kristin Jordan won the B main.
Gary Norman backed up his win the night before at Tri-City Speedway by collecting his second $600 payday in as many nights in the 20-lap Butterfield’s Pub Stock Car feature. The win was also Norman’s second straight at Mercer.
From the pole position, Tim Deutsch took charge of the event with John Reiser and Rick Norco in tow. Dave Ferringer was able to get by Norco for third on lap three. Reiser, Ferringer, and Norco battled hard for second just behind leader Deutsch. Following a caution with eight laps completed, Reiser used the outside to nip Deutsch to lead lap nine. Norman, who started seventh, worked his way to front and moved past Ferringer for third on lap 12. Norman and Ferringer then both raced by Deutsch for second and third the following lap.
Reiser was trying to hold off the pressure from Norman, Ferringer, and Deutsch and would loop his car right in front of the pack coming off turn four on lap 14. The spin also collected Terry Kroner, Gary Miller, Jr., and champion Bobby Whitling. When racing resumed, Doug Iorio, who started ninth, got past Ferringer for second and set his sights on Norman.
Norman would hold off Iorio, his friend and fellow New Castle, Pa. racer, for his division leading fifth win of the season and 12th of his career in his Ken Neely Lumber/Triple-S Auto Sales-sponsored #9N. “It was right in front of me,” Norman described of Reiser’s spin. “He had it straight for a minute then came around. Everyone started cracking me in the tail. I figured I’d go around with him.”
Ferringer’s third tied his best finish since August 11, 2001. Deutsch come across in fourth, but came up six pounds light at the scales. This moved Shaun Hooks to fourth and Willie Aley to fifth. Norman, Andy Buckley, Ferringer, and Hooks won the heat races over the season-high 44-car field. Terry Wheeler and Russ Kapalin won the two B mains.
Luxaire Heating & Cooling Triathlon Sprint Cars (25 laps): 1. ED LYNCH, JR. ($2,000) 2. Jamie Smith 3. Tim Hunter 4. Jason Dolick 5. Mark Murphy 6. Troy Preston 7. Gary Kriess, Jr. 8. Arnie Kent 9. Todd Bauer 10. Nick Naber 11. Andy McKisson 12. Rod George 13. Gary Edwards 14. Scott Barris 15. Eric Smith 16. Chris Shuttleworth 17. Gary Rankin 18. Vaughn Nystrom 19. Ralph Spithaler, Jr. 20. Brent Matus 21. Chad Hill 22. Ralph Engel, Jr. 23. Rob Eyler 24. Chad Levingston DNQ: Chris Matthews, Butch Beasley, Roger Bennett, Pup Nystrom, Jimmy Barill, William Kiley, Sheila Rankin, Scott Groves, Craig Keel, Jeff Banyas, Gale Ruth, Jr., Paul Kish, Chris Knopp.
Campbell-Peterson Trail & Turf Big-Block Modified BRP Tour (30 laps): 1. KEVIN BOLLAND ($1,500) 2. Ron Smoker 3. Dave Murdick 4. Rex King 5. Mark Flick 6. Bob Dorman 7. Jim Weller, Jr. 8. Alan Dellinger 9. Jim Rasey 10. Chanda Reitz 11. Tommy Kristyak 12. Skip Moore 13. Jimmy Weller III 14. Dean Pearson 15. Rick Hall 16. Steve Young 17. Del Rougeux, Jr. 18. Carl Weatherby 19. Steve Barr 20. Joe Crawford 21. Lonny Riggs 22. Frank Guidace 23. George Hobaugh 24. Rodney Beltz 25. Tim Doran-DNS DNQ: Carl Murdick, Randy Snider, Brian Fink, Jeremy Paup, Shawn Kozar, Adam Siegel, Tom Armstrong, Ed Alcorn, Justin Broerman, Jeff Walters, Lee Miller, Greg Unrue, Travis Shingledecker, Rick Kress, Conny Allen, Adam Kozar, Tom Shaffer, J.R. McGinley, Doug Fleeger, Andy Priest.
New Castle School of Trades Sportsman Modifieds (20 laps): 1. ANDY PADEN ($600) 2. Ron Eperthener, Jr. 3. Jeff Schaffer 4. Chad Reitz 5. Les Myers 6. Curt Matthews 7. Rich Ferguson 8. Kevin Thompson 9. Steve Toth 10. Rick Ryder 11. Bill Adams 12. Jim Rombold, Jr. 13. Dave Cogswell 14. Matt Reeher 15. Jerry O’Rock, Jr. 16. Kevin Latshaw 17. Rich Whitney 18. Kristin Jordan 19. Zack Moran 20. Chad Yeager 21. Gary Smoker 22. Alex Anderson 23. Rick Hall 24. Fred Sasse DNQ: Joe Gibson, Dave Murdick.
Butterfield’s Pub Stock Cars (20 laps): 1. GARY NORMAN ($600) 2. Doug Iorio 3. Dave Ferringer 4. Shaun Hooks 5. Willie Aley 6. Andy Buckley 7. Mike Aley 8. Bill Lanigan 9. Joe Updegraff 10. Terry Kroner 11. Shaun McElhinny 12. Rick Norco 13. Carl Ealy 14. Terry Wheeler 15. John Reiser 16. Bobby Whitling 17. Gary Miller, Jr. 18. Joe Lockhart 19. Mike Turner 20. Ron Iorio 21. Mike Mathieson 22. Rick Lanigan 23. Russ Kapalin 24. Tim Deutsch-DSQ (light) 25. Steve D’Apolito-DNS DNQ: Vince Felicetty, Clyde Roberts, Tim Zuschlag, William Smiley, Pat Wilcox, Don Greenlee, George Kafantaris, Cody Smith, Bill Schall, Jr., Jon Parsons, Ray Bailey, Jr., Brian Booher, Dan Fedorchak, Dan Lewis, Erick Cwynar, Ed Cornell, Jarrot Moore, Phil Kaufman, Andy Thompson.
Upcoming Events:
9/20 7th annual “Chuck Marsh Memorial” presented by Grove City Paving and the friends and family of Chuck Marsh. All Star Sprints ($5,000), Sportsman Mods ($600), & Stocks ($600). Rain date 9/21.
9/27 “The Mudslinger” presented by Bert Transmission-Hover Racing, Inc. Late Model twin 25s ($2,000 each), 360 Sprints ($1,500), Stocks ($600), & Mel Myers Memorial for SMODA E-Mods. Rain date 9/28.
10/03 “Little Guy Nationals” Night 1. Stocks ($1,000), Micro Sprints ($750), & Mod Lites ($600)
10/04 “Little Guy Nationals” Night 2. 358 Mods ($2,000), Stocks ($2,000), & Demo Derby ($500). Rain date 10/5.
Mercer Raceway Park is located minutes from both Interstate 79 and 80 just off Route 19 on Fairground Road in Mercer, Pa. Dirt track racing and quality family entertainment are presented weekly April through October. The office in New Bedford, Pa. is open year-round after 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information call the office at 724-964-9300 or the track on race day at 724-662-1310. Check out our website at www.mercerracewaypark.com for the latest.