TODD BURLEY, SCOTT GEORGE, DAVE WILLIAMS, RICK GORHAN, AND BRIAN SPARKS COLLECT WINS LAST FRIDAY AT RANSOMVILLE SPEEDWAY
Ransomville, NY - Friday, June 11, 2004…Todd Burley captured his second Mighty Taco Modified main event in as many weeks last Friday night. Burley used an inside move in turn four on Brian Stevens on lap ten enroute to the checkered.
Mike Bliss of Warsaw, NY took the lead at the drop of the green aboard the thirty-lap feature main followed by Mark Sylvies, Ron White, Ray Bliss, and Rich Vinson. Contact between Vinson and White resulted in White making hard contact with the turn four guardrail. Tough break for the Mountain Dew sponsored driver. A three wide battle on the backstretch left Bliss around in the ring. Vinson and Russ Zimmerman were also collected. Vinson was able to continue on but Bliss and Zimmerman had to be towed pitside. Brian Stevens inherited the lead followed by Sylvies, Ray Bliss, Don Spatarico, and Pete Bicknell.
Stevens held the top spot on the restart as Spatarico took over the second position. Sylvies, Robbie Krull, and Todd Burley rounded out the top five. Stevens built up a sizeable lead as positions two through seven were battling side by side, nose to tail. Spatarico, Krull, and Burley ran three wide through turns three and four on lap twelve with Spatarico hanging onto the position. Burley was able to take over the runner up position on lap fourteen but was in desperate need of a caution as Stevens had a full straight-away lead at the half-way point. The caution he needed flew on lap twenty as Todd Gordon came to rest on the backstretch.
Stevens set the pace on the restart as Burley looked to the inside. Burley was able to make the pass stick in turn four taking over the top spot. Burley was able to continue on and win his second feature event in as many weeks at the big R. Stevens, Bicknell, Krull, and Spatarico rounded out the top five.
Scott George of Wilson, NY captured his first win of the season aboard the Original Pizza Logs Sportsman division. Incidentally, George piloted his Original Pizza Logs sponsored #26 into the lead early on and never looked back.
Doug Coons and John Hagerman shared the front row for the twenty-five lap main with Hagerman taking control followed by Bob Winters. Winters challenged on the highside taking over the lead on lap two. Dave Just, George, and Scott Kerwin rounded out the top five. Just took over the runner up position on lap four and pulled in on the rear bumper of Winters. George took over the third position as Kerwin advanced to fourth. Defending champion George seemed like a man on a mission as he took the lead on lap eight and quickly pulled away from the remainder of the field. Just, Kerwin, Winters, and Jeff McGinnis rounded out the top five. George was able to maintain the lead position through the final circuits enroute to his first win of the season. Kerwin, Just, McGinnis, and Kevin Wills rounded out the top five.
Dave Williams of Lewiston, NY took top honors aboard the Bobcat of Buffalo ProStock main event last Friday night. Williams took control at the drop of the green and maintained the top spot through the checkered. Williams held off persistent challenges from Dan Shoop for the win.
Scott Gribben and Williams shared the front row for the start of the twenty-lap main event. Williams took the top spot followed by Gribben, Shoop, John Panattoni, and Mike Williams. Shoop took over the second position on lap two with Panattoni in tow. It was classic Ransomville ProStock action as the top ten ran side by side, nose to tail. Tough break for Gribben as he suffered mechanical problems and headed pitside. Jeremy Wilson also lost power early on. Williams maintained the top spot as the event ran clean and green through lap fourteen. Shoop pulled in on the rear bumper of Williams at the five to go mark. Panattoni, Dave Schulz, and Pete Stefanski rounded out the top five. Past champion Joe Stefanski suffered a flat tire and collected the turn one guardrail on lap seventeen. Williams led the field back to the green and maintained the top spot as Pete Stefanski slowed in turn one with a flat tire. Williams was able to hold Shoop at bay and collect his first win of the season. Schulz, Shoop, Panattoni, and Roger Chrysler rounded out the top five.
A bizarre finish in the first Previtys Motor Cars Streetstock main event saw Rick Gorhan spin across the finish line for his second win of the season. Dave Stolzenberg lost the handle slightly coming off turn four causing the top cars to break. Contact between the Gorhan and Washburn cars left Stolzenberg getting the short end of the stick as he spun. As stated, Gorhan spun across the finish line for the win aboard his Original Pizza Logs sponsored machine.
John Dietz and Matt Gillingham bought the field down for the start of the first Previtys Motor Cars Streetstock smain. Dietz led the early going with Stolzenberg challenging on the highside. The first caution flew on lap two for Gillingham who lost the handle in turn four. Stolzenberg inherited the lead as Dietz was sent pitside with fluid dropping. Stolzenberg maintained the lead on the restart followed by Kenny Washburn, Ricky Washburn, Kenny Brant, and Gorhan. Contact between Stozlenberg and Washburn resulted in Washburn losing a right rear tire. Ricky Washburn moved in to mount a challenge on Stozlenberg as the field received the five to go signal. Stolzenberg was able to maintain the top spot through the final circuit but as they field came around turn four, Stolzenberg lost the handle slightly sending everyone scrambling behind him. At the checkered it was Gorhan spinning in for the win followed by Ricky Washburn, Dan Baughman, Dave Jowdy, and Eric Ben.
Brian Sparks from North Tonawanda, NY topped the second Previtys Motor Cars Streetstock main event in commanding style. Sparks led the entire fifteen laps taking his first career win aboard his #77x.
The green flag in the second main event was short lived as contact mid field sent Bob Urtel spinning into the front stretch moat hard. The Wilson Central School freshman suffered front end damage ending his night early on. On the restart Brian Sparks took control followed by Nate Vetter, John Schultz, Steve Shoop, and Mike Short. Sparks pulled away to a big lead by lap four as Schultz and Short challenged Vetter for second. A caution on lap eight bunched up the field. Sparks maintained the top spot on the restart followed by Vetter and Schultz. Contact between the second and third place cars left Schultz looking the wrong direction on a one way street. How the field missed him I will never know!!! Sparks was able to maintain the lead to the checkered followed by Short, Roger Israel, Jaren Israel, and Lucas Jonathon.
Pitnotes…Welcome Bill Button from Medina, NY and Fred Carleton who made their first Ransomville starts last Friday night. Danny Johnson took a night off last Friday in order to take care of some family business. Congratulations are in order for Sportsman competitor Mark Schulz who got married last Saturday night.
PEPSI-COLA & FOAR SCORE SUMMARY:
MIGHTY TACO MODIFIED FEATURE FINISH…TODD BURLEY, Brian Stevens, Pete Bicknell, Robbie Krull, Don Spatarico, Rich Vinson, Randy Chrysler, Ray Bliss, Chad Brachmann, Mark Golding, Mike Bliss, Fred Carleton, Mark Sylvies, Todd Gordon, Rick Hoctor, Russ Zimmerman, and Ron White. Heat Winners…Mike Bliss and Mark Sylvies.
ORIGINAL PIZZA LOGS SPORTSMAN FEATURE FINISH…SCOTT GEORGE, Scott Kerwin, Dave Just, Jeff McGinnis, Kevin Wills, Bob Winters, Mark Potter, Mark Schulz, Kyle Inman, John Hagerman, Doug Coons, Boyd McTavish, Mark Feor, Scott Just, Dave Kubiniec, Eddie Cain, Steve Schumacher, and Jim Zimmerman. Heat Winners…Doug Coons and Scott George.
BOBCAT OF BUFFALO PROSTOCK FEATURE FINISH…DAVE WILLIAMS, Dave Schulz, Dan Shoop, John Panattoni, Roger Chrysler, Steve Miller, Mike Williams, Steve Shoop, Butch Zimmerman, Pete Stefanski, Bill Button, Don Barnes, Ernie Smith, Brett Martin, Joe Stefanski, Jeremy Wilson, Scott Gribben, and Mike Martin. Heat Winners…Dan Shoop and Dave Williams.
PREVITYS MOTOR CARS STREETSTOCK FEATURE FINISH #1…RICK GORHAN, Ricky Washburn, Dan Baughman, Dave Jowdy, Eric Ben, Kenny Brant, Dave Nichols, John Dietz, Webb Nashwinter, Dave Stolzenberg, Charles Harvey, Casey Jonathon, Matt Gillingham, Kenny Washburn, and Bill Holtz Jr. (pending tech).Heat Winners…John Dietz, Matt Gillingham, and John Schultz.
PREVITYS MOTOR CARS STREETSTOCK FEATURE FINISH #2…BRIAN SPARKS, Mike Short, Roger Israel, Jaren Israel, Lucas Jonathon, Derek Boyle, Nate Vetter, John Schultz, Steve Shoop, Martin Peunic, Digger Lester, Doug Kneepple, Jason Meyers, Lorne Close, Kevin Austin, and Bob Urtel. (pending tech)