TITTLE WINS FIRST AT PENN CAN

Susquehanna, Pa...8/15/98....For the second in a row a driver named

Tittle won the Modified feature at Penn Can. Last week it was the more

well known brother, Butch. This week it was younger brother, Bill

garnering his first in ever at the Susquehanna county oval. Tittle took

the lead from Glenn Knapp on lap nine and held off forty year track

veteran Carl "Bubby" Nagel for the win in the thirty lapper on

Championship night sponsored by Pump N' Pantry stores.

Modified and racing rookie Jason Rudalavage led the first five

laps of the postponed event from back in June with veteran Glenn Knapp

all over him. On lap six Rudalavage gave Knapp a lane underneath and

that's all Knapp needed to get by. Bill Tittle followed suit a couple of

laps later giving chase to Knapp as Rudalavage dropped to third.

A yellow for a multi-car jingle in turn three brought the field

closer together on lap eight. On the restart, Tittle got the better of

Knapp and took over the top spot with Knapp in tow. On lap fourteen

Nagel got under Knapp coming out the second turn as Tittle was starting

to open up an advantage. At the halfway point it was Tittle, Nagel,

Knapp, Chuck Akulis and Butch Tittle in the top five spots. Two laps

later Butch Tittle went by Akulis for fourth and two more laps went by

before the Saylorsburg veteran wound take third. He was followed closely

by Mike Colsten as the trio of Tittle, Akulis and Colsten diced for

third, fourth and fifth spots as the leaders drove away.

Nagel got close a couple of times and even stuck his nose under

once but there was no denying Bill Tittle on this night as he came out

of turn four for the final time mired in lapped traffic but not to be

deprived of his first Modified win ever at Penn Can Speedway as the

checkers flew over the ZT machine. Nagel finished a strong runner-up to

Tittle to gain some ground on Modified point leader Jeff Rudalavage.

Butch Tittle came home third in a blanket finish with Mike Colsten in

fourth and Chuck Akulis in fifth. Sixth through tenth went to Mike

Nagel, Knapp, Jeff Bronson, Jeff Rudalavage and John Siedlecky.

Another rookie driver Pete Gulick looked strong early in the

twenty lap Pump N' Pantry Street Stock feature. Gulick, off his pole

starting spot led the first ten laps, fending off sophomore driver John

Greene in the process. When the got into the first turn just after the

halfway point, something appeared to break on in the rear of the Gulick

car sending him around, only to get hit by a trailing Larry Mills, who

had absolutely no place to go.

On the restart Mike Frost, another Street Stock sophomore

driver, who'd moved by Greene the lap prior to Gulick's misfortune now

found himself in the top spot with ten laps to go and a whole fleet of

cars right on his back bumper. Over the course of the last ten laps

Greene tried every which way to dislodge Frost of the lead but to no

avail as there was a terrific battle going on back for third between

Dick Vauter, Glenn Wilcox and Mike Loney

As the laps wound down, Green made several attempts at wrest the

lead from Frost but to no avail as Frost dashed under the checkers to

take home his first Street Stock feature win ever. Greene was a strong

second followed by Vauter in third, Wilcox in fourth and the new point

leader Mike Loney in fifth.

With then exciting Dan Stone starting on the pole you'd this the

Late Model feature would be toast and honey for the field but in the

recent past Mr. Stone has made life interesting for the rest of the Late

Model field. Dan Stone jumped into an early lead and look to be the

strongest of the field as the laps were clicking off. Guess what

happened on the way to the opera and the fat lady singing, the Dan Stone

race car suddenly came to an abrupt halt in turn four just seven and

three-fourths laps into the race.

This gave the top spot to father and current Late Model point

leader, Warren Stone who then started to click off more laps in the top

spot. He had company however as Curt Tunilo and Gene Sharpsteen made

life tough for the likable Stone over the last quarter of the race.

While that duo were using every conceivable groove in the track to make

forward progress, Stone increased his point margin by getting to the

checkers first for the fourth time this season. Sharpsteen edged out

Tunilo for second while Dave Zona and Dave Passetti rounded out the top

five spots.

Dwayne Robbins broke the first place point tie in the fifteen

lap Pump N' Pantry Pure Stock feature. The Hop Bottom resident took over

the lead from pole sitter Ned Finch on the third lap and pretty much had

things his own way for the rest of the distance. Robbins' chief

protagonist Rich Keehle got close on the restarts but each time Robbins

would pull away.

Robbins coasted home with a six car length win at the end

followed by Keehle in second, Kevin Cole in third while Lou Gordonier

and Adam Diaz rounded out the top five.

Gordie Isham, the thirty-five year veteran from Windsor led

every lap to win his third Dwarf Car feature of the season here at

Penn-Can. Isham steadily pulled away from his nearest rival Lou

Gordonier as the laps wound down on the caution free race. Gordonier got

close a couple of time but in the end had to settle for second in the

twelve lap event. Chad Cook took home third while Ken Titus and Alan

Barker completed the top five.

Next week Susquehanna Beverage and Rob’s Market sponsor the

events highlighted by the return of the KLASCAR Legend series which was

won by Tioga Speedway Modified winner Zane Zeiner. Racing is scheduled

to get underway at 7:30.

PUMP N' PANTRY MODIFIED FINISH: Bill Tittle, Carl Nagel, Butch

Tittle, Mike Colsten, Chuck Akulis, Mike Nagel, Glen Knapp, Jeff

Bronson, Jeff Rudalavage, John Siedlecky, Rick Virkitis, Billy Huff,

Jason Rudalavage, Jim Witko Jr., Garth Tonkin, Alan Rudalavage, Bob Hamm

Jr., Alan Kellogg, Dan Morden, Scott Seman, George Kostelansky, Rusty

Harrington, Kirk Horton, Jim Witko, Randy Decker, Chris Shupp.

PUMP N' PANTRY STREET STOCK FINISH: Mike Frost, John Greene,

Dick Vauter, Glen Wilcox, Mike Loney, Mike Decker, Paul Rooney, Joe

Domiano, Chris Hunsinger, Craig Trella, Chuck Boman, Jason Clause, Frank

Bonham, Tony Nalachi, Bret Spoor, Dan Podwika, Chris Piasecki, Scott

Conover, Dave Flynn, Jamie Shea, Pete Gulick, Larry Mills, Ken Sparks

Jr., Mike Buchek.

PUMP N' PANTRY LATE MODEL FINISH: Warren Stone, Gene Sharpsteen,

Curt

Tunilo, Dave Zona, Dave Passetti, Alan Coy, Rick Holgate, Jim O'hara,

Jason Bedford, Rick Hoover, Jamie Griffiths, Larry Dilello, Brad

Schafer, Homer Ferrante, Dan Stone, Gary Allen.

PUMP N' PANTRY PURE STOCK FINISH: Dwayne Robbins, Rich Keehle,

Kevin Cole, Louie Gordonier, Adam Diaz, Joe Cole, Ned Finch, Ron

Latwinski, Bill Teribury, Wayne Merritt, Dave Carp, Keith Hoffman,

Sheppard Blodgett, Nate Evans.

PUMP N' PANTRY DWARF CAR FINISH: Gordie Isham, Lou Gordonier,

Chad Cook, Ken Titus, Alan Barker, Steve Tourje, Dennis Copp, Duane

Knapp.