HIGHHOUSE VICTORIOUS IN MID-SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP

Susquehanna, Pa. Lynn Highhouse motored the Highhouse Oil/Dixon Steel Fabricating Olsen Eagle to victory Friday night at Penn Can Speedway in the Apple House Trucking

Mid-season championship. Butch Tittle, Warren Ferrese, Gary Griffin, and Dick Sundgren hooked up in the early battle for the lead, with Griffin breaking on top on the 3rd lap and moving out to a 6 car-length lead. Whole the front-runners jockeyed for position, Lynn Highhouse and Chuck Akulis were threading their way through the field, with Highhouse picking off Tittle and Ron Mawson to move into 2nd spot as the field completed lap number 8. The "Honesdale Hurricane" then set his sights on Griffin, who had amassed almost a half-lap lead over the rest of the field. Highhouse slowly closed the gap until, on lap 15. the two runners were side-by-side. Highhouse broke on top one lap later, and was never headed for the rest of the 40 lap event. Akulis, who had moved from 20th to 5th during the first 16 laps, reeled in Sundgren, Griffin, and Tittle, moving into the runner-up spot on the 34th lap. But the Highhouse car was hooked perfectly to the track conditions and the 5 time feature winner was never able to close the gap. As the checkered flag flew, Highhouse had captured his second win of the 1988 season with Akulis 2nd, Tittle 3rd, Griffin 4th, and Sundgren 5th.

Scranton's Bobby Puckett became the first driver this season to win consecutive "A" and "B" features, putting the Apple House Trucking sponsored machine in Victory Lane on Apple House night at Penn Can Speedway. Mike Nagel jumped out to the early lead with Carl Reynolds in hot pursuit. Reynolds then moved into 1st following a 3rd lap restart with Puckett sliding by into 2nd. The two super-shoes battled for the next 5 laps until Reynolds began to slow, coasting into the pits and handing Puckett his 2nd win in as many weeks. Nagel held off Dennis "Smiley" Riley for 2nd while Eddie Karwaski, Jr motored the second Apple House car home for 4th and Scranton's Tom Kelleher completed the top five finishers.

In the Late Model action Curt Tunilo picked up win number three, barely edging Montrose's Allen Coy in the 20 lap event. Jim Sherman, John Siedlecky, and Mike Hinds duked it out in the early going while Coy and Tunilo inched their way through the field. By lap number 6 Sherman, Coy, and Tunilo were running 1-2-3, and the battle for the lead began. As the field completed lap number 11 Sherman spun, Tunilo ducked into the lead, and Coy gave chase, never more than a few feet from the Mud Creek Meteor. It was Tunilo first across the line with Coy, Gary Roberts, Larry DiLello, and Don Griffith across the line in order.

Randy Decker preserved his narrow point lead over Bob Trapper by winning the Apple House Street Stock Mid-season Championship over Windsor's Mike Frederick. Moscow's Bill Trego grabbed the early lead with Decker right behind. Decker searched high and low for the way past Trego while keeping Mike Clapperton and Rick French at bay, until a 4th lap caution period, brought on by Don Newell's violent flip on the backstretch, afforded him the opportunity to blow past Trego on the restart. As the two battled, Mike Frederick moved the Botnick Chevrolet #78 through traffic, moving into the number 3 spot by lap number 5. Frederick could do no better than 2nd, however, and Decker powered his way to his 2nd win of the season.

True to his promise, Promoter Seward Rice refused to raise the ticket price for this Mid-season Championship event, and one of the largest crowds in the history of Penn CanSpeedway were treated to 49 Modified teams and more than 200 laps of action-packed racing for their regular admission price.

Special thanks from Seward Rice and the staff of Penn Can Speedway to Eddie Karwaski, Sr of Apple House Trucking, Dick Matson of Binghamton Pepsi-Cola, and Brenda Smith of Champion Products for their support of the racing program her at Penn Can Motor Speedway. This Friday night, I'll "...SEE YOU AT THE RACES!!!"

MODIFIED MID-SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP (40 laps) LYNN HIGHHOUSE, HONESDALE, PA 2.Chuck Akulis, Windsor, NY 3.Butch Tittle, Saylorsburg, Pa 4.Gary Griffin, Peckville, Pa 5.Dick Sundgren, Endwell, NY 6. Joe Donahue, Jr, Kirkwood, NY 7.Bill Mead, Montrose, Pa 8.Ron Mawson, Pittston, Pa 9.George Watson, Scranton, Pa 10.Matt Solomon, Johnson City, NY

"B" MODIFIED PUCKETT, SCRANTON, PA 2.Mike Nagel, FEATURE 3.Dennis Susquehanna,Pa (15 laps) BOB Norwich, NY 4.Eddie Karwaski, JJr, Scranton, "Smiley" Riley, Pa 5.Tom Kelleher, Scranton, Pa

1st Heat: G. Griffin 2.Joe Kinuick 3.Highhouse 2nd Heat: Bill Tittle 2.Bernie Griffin 3.Akulis 3rd Heat: Virkitis4th Mawson Heat: 2.Scott Landers 3. Sundgren 2.Longstreet

3.Watson 1st Consi: John Parks 2.George Suprick 2nd Consi: Dick Marcinko 2.Mark Terry