Wray Scores Tri-City Sprint Win;Swartzlander And Powell Repeat
by Brian Spaid
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 19, 1998
DEMPSEYTOWN, PA .... Under hot and humid conditions, TriİCity
Speedway featured fast competition on Sunday night as James Wray
(CarMate Trailers Super Sprints), Brian Swartzlander (Titusville
Motor & Auction Co. DIRT Modifieds), Bobby Powell (Hoosier Tire
Ohio Valley Pure Stocks) and Bill Wheeling (Pittsburgh Circle Track
Club (PCTC) Senior Series) scored main event victories on Selker
Bros.\Pennzoil Night. A total of 97 cars/drivers were in
competition at the half-mile oval.
Á ÁJames Wray of Cooperstown, PA dominated the 20İlap Super
Sprint feature leading every lap after starting on the outside pole
position in his Prichard's Auto/Jim's Supermarket/World of Wheels
J&J No. 24. It was his first win of the season and his second
career victory at TriİCity. His first career win came one year
earlier.
Wray's lead was challenged throughout the event by Brad
Ellenberger, who tried valiantly to catch him in lapped traffic.
Several times Ellenberger closed in only to be foiled when Wray
made a slick move to slip by the next lapped car. Ellenberger also
had his hand full trying to fend off Craig Rankin and Bob Felmlee,
who closed in on the Karns City racer in the last half of the race.
At one point, Rankin passed Ellenberger for second, but fell back
while trying to charge by a lapped car. Unfortunately, both Rankin
and Felmlee were relegated to the back of the pack when they
collided with the lapped car of Todd Bauer causing the only yellow
of the race on the 18th circuit.
When action resumed, Wray held on for the popular victory over
brothers Brad and Brian Ellenberger, Jamie Smith and Phil Mott.
Brad Ellenberger and Jason Jacoby won the heats. Felmlee won an
extra $100 by defeating Jacoby at the line in the fourİlap Five
Forks Restaurant Helmet Dash.
In the DIRT Modified 20İlap Selker Bros./Pennzoil Midseason
Championship, Brian Swartzlander of Leechburg, PA started on the
pole position and led every lap of the event for his fourth win of
the season and second of the weekend after a win on Friday night at
Lernerville Speedway. It was also Swartzlander's 17th regional win
in 1998 in his McCutcheon Enterprises/Ferrante Oldsmobile/Precise
Tool & Die Bicknell No. 83. The victory allowed Swartzlander to
increase his point lead as he tries for his second consecutive
track title. Billy Van Pelt finished a distant second ahead of Tom
Glenn, George Hobaugh and Dean Pearson. Chris Schiffer and Pearson
won the heats.
For the Hoosier Tire Ohio Valley Pure Stock 15İlap feature, it
was another night of chasing Bobby Powell of Titusville, PA as he
earned his fifth win of the season at TriİCity and his 26th
regional win of the year in the Bossard & Crawford Buick No. B20.
He also won Saturday night at Sportsman's Speedway. After startingÔ " h) 0*0*0*°°" Ô
12th, Powell charged through the field and chased early pacesetter
Matt Lux for several laps. Lux held off Powell until the 10th lap,
when Lux's car became loose in turn one and Powell slipped by the
outside of the leader off the second corner. Powell raced on to his
13th career win at the halfİmile oval with Lux, Bobby Whitling,
point leader Gary Norman and Dave Ferringer in tow.
The only major incident of the night occurred on the eighth
lap of the Pure Stock feature. Jerry Huff spun after contact with
another car and crossed traffic in turn four. Wayne Pyle and Curt
Bish slammed into Huff resulting a red flag situation. Bish was
shaken in the wreck. Denny Diegelman, Ferringer, Powell and Norman
won the heat races. Tom Scott of Oil City captured the 15İlap Pure
Stock B Feature.
To conclude the evening, former Super Sprint track champion
Bill Wheeling of Franklin raced Kim Legnosky's Pure Stock to
victory in the 15İlap Pittsburgh Circle Track Club Senior Series
race. Wheeling dueled with Dave Hollabaugh for several laps before
securing the victory. Hollabaugh finished second over Tom Knight
Sr., Don Gamble and Don Luffy.
Next Sunday night July 26th, TriİCity Speedway celebrates
Christmas in July with a huge racing program. The DIRT Modifieds
will compete in the Bob "Kodiak" Graham Memorial 35 paying a
whopping $1,500 to the winner. The Super Sprints and Pure Stocks
will also be in action and the first ever snowmobile drag races
will be held at the conclusion of the night's oval track action
sponsored by Atkinson Fire Safety Equipment. In addition, it is
Kids' Night and bike races will be held during intermission. Gates
open at 4:00 p.m. and the races start at 6:00 p.m.
SPRINTS (20 Laps): 1. JAMES WRAY, 2. Brad Ellenberger, 3.
Brian Ellenberger, 4. Jamie Smith, 5. Phil Mott, 6. Daryl
Stimeling, 7. Dan Leech, 8. Craig Rankin, 9. Gale Ruth Jr., 10.
Jason Jacoby, 11. Bob Felmlee, 12. Skip Dougherty, 13. Bruce
Powell, 14. Todd Bauer, 15. Mark Whitebread, 16. Mike Marano II,
17. Mike Sub. DNS: Tommy Quarterson, Brian Staph.
MODIFIEDS (20 Laps): 1. BRIAN SWARTZLANDER, 2. Billy Van Pelt,
3. Tom Glenn, 4. George Hobaugh, 5. Dean Pearson, 6. Tim Engles, 7.
Jason Engles, 8. Joe Kubiniec, 9. Danny Perrett, 10. Gerry Bruce,
11. Dan Campbell, 12. Andy Priest, 13. Dave Reges, 14. Chris
Schiffer, 15. Randy Myers. DNS: Chip Ritchey.
PURE STOCKS (15 Laps): 1. BOBBY POWELL, 2. Matt Lux, 3. Bobby
Whitling, 4. Gary Norman, 5. Dave Ferringer, 6. Denny Diegelman, 7.
Ron Becker, 8. Matt Cummings, 9. Kim Legnosky, 10. Joe Drusko, 11.
Keith Mohnkern, 12. Jim Slater, 13. Danny Exley, 14. Bill Exley
Jr., 15. Ken Foltz, 16. Gary McClintock, 17. Jerry Huff, 18. Curt
Bish, 19. Wayne Pyle, 20. Dan Speer, 21. Barry Wilson, 22. Mike
Dolecki.
PURE STOCKS B FEATURE (15 Laps): 1. TOM SCOTT, 2. David
Atkinson, 3. Travis Biggs, 4. Greg Becker, 5. Terry Feely, 6. Jeff
Manners, 7. Dale McGinnis Sr., 8. Ben Blake Jr., 9. Greg Sanford,
10. Jamie Shetler, 11. David Phillips, 12. Dan Pflueger, 13. Shawn
Proper, 14. Bill Oswald, 15. Trenton Walney, 16. Tom Vincent. DNS:
Dick Pascarell, Jay Feely.
UPCOMING EVENTS:July 26 - Sprints, DIRT Modifieds Bob "Kodiak" Graham Memorial 35,
Pure Stocks, Snowmobile Races, Kids Bike Races
(Christmas in July)
August 2 - Sprints, DIRT Modifieds, Pure Stocks, Demo Derby
August 9 İ Sprints, DIRT Modifieds, Pure Stocks, Sportsman
Modifieds