Solderich Bests Frack In Race For First Career Victory
By BRETT DEYO
LAKEVILLE, PA - Two drivers, zero wins.
As the laps clicked off in the 358-Modified feature last Saturday night at Lake Moc-A-Tek Speedway, the battle for the lead was left to Tom Solderich and Scott Frack, a pair of hungry competitors looking for their first career victory.
In the end, it was Solderich piloting his 1994 Tobias to a breakthrough win on a threatening evening at the quarter-mile oval.
The Bethlehem, Pa., driver led the entire distance from his pole starting position.
"It is incredible," Solderich exclaimed. "It's a great feeling."
Solderich, the son of Herman "Butch" Solderich, a former competitor at Dorney Park (Pa.) Speedway and later Nazareth (Pa.) Speedway, had his hands full with Frack in the early laps of the event.
Frack started sixth in his Andy Jensen-powered Teo-Pro car and charged to second with a series of maneuvers on lap one. Several early double-file restarts allowed Frack to bid for the top spot, but Solderich used much of the track in his attempt to hold the point.
"He (Frack) had me early on," the 33-year-old victor admitted. "I had a 48 (compound right rear tire) on, he had a 44, so he was better earlier in the race."
After the third try for lap three, starter T.J. Amabile set the field single file for the remainder of the caution-plagued affair.
Solderich, holding the inside line, Frack and an emerging Ed Strada Jr. broke away during the event's middle stages.
Strada drove hard to the bottom of Frack on lap 15 and the cars made significant contact in turn two, sending Frack's No. 39x skyward. The run-in allowed Solderich to open up a straightaway lead.
A caution on lap 19 erased that advantage and proved to be Strada's undoing. Entering turn one on the restart, contact from Carl Pittenger sent the defending champion spinning.
The final six circuits rolled off under green flag conditions with Solderich taking the $1,000 triumph.
"Honestly, this is the first race I finished this year," he said.
"We made a few suspension changes this week, because the car has been tight. They worked out for us. The car was actually a little loose tonight."
Frack, 24, of Promised Land, Pa., tied his career-best finish in second, a rewarding effort after a week of work following a hard frontstretch crash on May 8. The incident forced the replacement of the car's front clip.
"I'm happy," he said. "The first 15 laps I thought I had him, but the car kind of went away a little.
"When we went to single file restarts, it hurt my chances. He (Solderich) ran on the bottom. It was a good line."
Jesse Kline of Bangor, Pa., registered his first ever 358-Modified top five finish in third, besting Barry White and John Leiby, both of whom charged back through the field in the final laps after mid-race tangles.
One week after seeing a win slip from his grasp when contact sent him spinning at the halfway point, Mike McCollum got the job done in the 20-lap Sportsman feature, leading from green to checkered for the $500 payday.
Lakeville, Pa.'s McCollum started on the pole in his Precision-powered 1998 Olsen, survived a slew of caution flags, then fought off a last lap advance by Brad Grim.
McCollum slid off the bottom on the final circuit, allowing Grim to pull even through the final set of corners. The determined McCollum won the drag race out of turn four, taking the popular win by less than a car-length.
"I needed more green flag laps to get heat in my right rear tire," the 27-year-old remarked following his second career win.
"I have to give it to Brad Grim. He raced me clean. I gave him all the room in the world on the last lap."
Grim, of Coplay, Pa., secured his best finish since switching to Moc-A-Tek on a weekly basis for 2004 with a runner-up effort. Archie Myers III, Mike Van Tassel and Rick Raisner filled out the front five.
Heavy rains moved over the speedway with six laps complete in the nightcap 20-lap Street Stock main, handing Les Gillette of Gouldsboro, Pa., his first win. Gillette led the entire distance, besting Greg Buchanan, Nick Petrilak, Brian Petrilak and Eric Moon.
Joe Smith continued his dominance of the 250cc Micro-Sprint ranks, making his fourth trip to victory lane in six feature events this season.
Smith, who started ninth in the Rainbow Roofing No. 92, used the outside line to take over the lead on a lap three restart from Angela Caruso. From that point on, it was clear sailing for Smith who won over Ralph Utter Jr., Mike Rasley in his best '04 performance, Jay Hartman and Caruso.
Todd Buskirk of Hecktown, Pa., won out on a drag race to the stripe with Frank Bush to top the 15-lap Pure Stock/Four Cylinder feature. Buskirk made the move by Bush on lap 11, but the defending champion trailed the leader, making the inside run on the final circuit.
Jason Walsh, Kyle Moon and Allen Metzgar rounded out the top five.
Racing is scheduled to resume at the Thrill Track on May 22 with a full program of 358-Modifieds, Sportsman, Street Stocks, Pure Stock/Four Cylinders and 250cc Micro-Sprints plus Autograph and Camera Night. Gates open at 3 p.m. with hot laps at 5 p.m. and racing at 6 p.m.
A Sunday rain date is in place with gates opening at 1 p.m., hot laps at 3 p.m. and racing at 4 p.m.
For more info, contact the track office at (570) 676-8665 or check out the website: www.lakemocatekspeedway.com. The race day phone is (570) 226-5602.
NOTABLE: The contact didn't stop with the drop of the 358-Modified checkered flag. Ed Strada Jr. and Carl Pittenger continued their war on the cool down lap, before finally becoming entangled at the pit entrance.
Both drivers were fined all points and money by track officials. It was an especially tough blow for Strada, who entered the night as the point leader….
With the rainout of Thunder Mountain (N.Y.) Speedway, Brent Boyer made his Sportsman debut at the track. Boyer, of Bloomsburg, Pa., was already in Scranton, Pa., at the time of the cancellation, so he made a late change of plans.
Boyer won the consolation in his Dirt Wheels car, climbed into the top five of the feature only to head to the pits on lap 11. He rebounded for eighth….
Josh Beierle made his '04 358-Modified debut in the former Butch Tittle '99 Troyer/Teo combination that he purchased late last season. Beierle started 23rd and raced to eighth at the finish despite a pair of trips to the pits, one for a broken right rear wheel….
Following the May 8 event, Dom Roselli cut the rear clip off his No. 80 Teo-Pro car. Roselli had been one of the few remaining drivers with the Eliminator rear set-up. The four-time champion was content with his heat race performance, but was an early retiree in the main….
Troy Weisenfluh returned, but not with the same car that impacted the light pole a week earlier. He pulled an older Troyer out of the mothballs for the night's events, as his primary mount suffered severe damage….
Again this week, lighting and rain surrounded the region all night before letting loose at the tail end of the program….
358-Modified Feature Finish: TOM SOLDERICH, Scott Frack, Jesse Kline, Barry White, John Leiby, Greg Morgan, Tom Gervasi, Josh Beierle, Ryan Taylor, Rick Yetter, Buddy Altemose, Brian Cobb, Keith Fleming, George Hildebrant, Alan Kellogg, Dom Roselli, Joe Eisenhauer, Troy Weisenfluh, Gary Griffin, Bernie Kelly, Tom Oleski.
Disqualified: Ed Strada Jr., Carl Pittenger.
Sportsman Feature Finish: MIKE MCCOLLUM, Brad Grim, Archie Myers III, Mike Van Tassel, Rick Raisner, Scott Merritt, John Micek, Brent Boyer, Jason Heafy, Andy Stout, Kyle Pickering, Don Hildebrant, Gene Walsh, Eric Palmer, Chris Riddle, Steve Ramsey, John Leiby Jr., Bill Moyer, Greg Morgan, Tommy Laner, Ted Stout.
Did Not Start: Bob Grasic.
Did Not Qualify: Willard Knecht, Greg Hunsinger, Kevin McCoy.
Street Stock Feature Finish: LES GILLETTE, Greg Buchanan, Nick Petrilak, Brian Petrilak, Eric Moon, Carl Heater, Keith Villano, Eddie Kudrako, Billy Price Jr., Neil DiBlasi, Randy Tyler, Dave Luff, Paul Tannura, Chris Higgs, Gene Beadle, Tony Ferri, Adam Jones, Bill Floystad, Bill Trego, Jim Hughes Jr., Bill Saxe, Clark Bradford.
Disqualified: Kevin Mandic.
Did Not Qualify: Jim Hughes Sr.
Pure Stock/Four Cylinder Feature Finish: TODD BUSKIRK, Frank Bush, Jason Walsh, Kyle Moon, Allan Metzgar, Ron Blake, Jim Williams, Ted Mills Jr., Jared Hayes, John Richards, Jim Balutis.
Disqualified: Serafino Raggi.
Did Not Start: Mike Toothman.
250cc Micro-Sprint Feature Finish: JOE SMITH, Ralph Utter Jr., Mike Rasley, Jay Hartman, Angela Caruso, Matt Mountz, Jeff Hartman, Kevin Nolf, Tim Manieri, Stephanie Stevens, Ken Wismer Jr., Patrick Milikowski, Joe Buchanan, Martin Reinsmith, Chris Weiss, Mike Storms, Greg Stevens, Darrell Cobb.