Bobby Jones held off a very determined Kyle Strohl and equally fast Brian DeFebo en route to his second Modified win of the season at Mahoning Valley Speedway which also capped off a gratifying weekend of racing as he won the night before at Evergreen Raceway.
(July 10) “I came in here tonight a little more aggressive to get this win. We had a dominant win the night before and that car was awesome and this car tonight was a little off but it was good,” said Jones after collecting his 52nd career win. “Near the end I just had to protect. I had Kyle (Strohl) and Brian (DeFebo) behind me and their two of the best guys here and I wouldn’t come off that bottom, I wanted to make sure they passed me on the outside and we got it done.” When the 35-lap contest got underway pole sitter Carl Altemose jumped into the early lead while Cody Kohler, Nick Baer and fifth starting Jones all ran tightly behind him. With the first 19 laps going nonstop, Altemose set out on a blistering pace with a solid handle on the lead while the aforesaid trio remained under a blanket. The fast-paced affair was slowed when Mia Guy had a spin in Turn 3 and just prior to that Baer and Jones got by Kohler and had been hot on Altemose’s tail. There would be another caution two laps later due to Kohler turning around in the second corner and it would be on that restart when a change at the front would take place. Altemose and Baer restarted side-by-side with Jones third. As they made their way off the final turn to complete lap 22 the low lane opened up as Altemose was fending off Strohl. That in turn allowed Jones to slip to the bottom and grab the lead. In the process, however, Altemose’s fine run came to an end as he was bumped by the oncoming cars and spun from contention. “He (Altemose) was running good and when I darted under him everyone was checking up and it opened the bottom and I just mashed the gas and didn’t even think twice about it,” said Jones. From there on it was an intense fight as Strohl tried numerous times to get by but each time Jones held off his relentless charge. At the same time DeFebo lurked closely in their tire tracks. “There at the end I just stayed glued to the bottom and I wasn’t going to open it up for anyone to get under me,” noted Jones. “This is the second time I’ve swept a weekend and it’s been a long time since I’ve done that and it’s something to be proud of and that was my goal to tonight. I was coming here to win this race.”
Modified feature finish (35-laps): 1. Bobby Jones, 2. Kyle Strohl, 3. Brian DeFebo, 4. Austin Beers, 5. Jayden Brown, 6. Earl Paules, 7. John Markovic, 8. Nick Baer, 9. Cody Kohler, 10. Terry Markovic, 11. Kassidy Altemose, 12. Mia Guy, 13. Carl Altemose
Austin Beers shakes off runner-up blues with win in Roger Heffelfinger Sr. Tribute at Mahoning Valley Speedway June 26th
(June 26, 2021) There is a saying in racing, ‘Second place is the first loser’ and no one would know that better than Austin Beers who was a runner-up five times this season and most of those coming in close thrillers. However, for the second generation talent from Northampton he was finally able to shake the runner-up finish with his victory on the 66-lap Roger Heffelfinger Sr., Tribute, which was race #3 in the Mahoning Valley Speedway Hall of Fame Series. And, as it had been for him during his spell of seconds it was a close battle to the wire with this time with Austin Kochenash en route. “This means so much to me to win this tribute race for Roger (Heffelfinger). He ran for my grandfather (Dale Beers) back in the day so it’s an honor to win this and with Austin (Kochenash) coming in second and him being his grandson and all. It was a clean race and it was awesome,” expressed an elated Beers. Beers started second and ran behind early leader Matt Hirschman and at the same time had to deal with strong running Zane Zeiner. With Hirschman leading it was looking as though he would be in position to chalk up another win but that notion went away when he was pinched from behind by Zeiner on a lap 35 restart. Both drivers then pitted which elevated Kochenash to the lead over Bobby Jones, Nevin George and Nick Baer. The lap prior to that Beers had checked into the pits also with his crew swapping around tires on his DeLange Racing No. 45. As the action was back underway there was a passionate feeling of excitement as Kochenash looked poised to see victory on a night honoring his legendary grandfather who was watching attentively from the sidelines. Beers though began a charge and began picking his way to the front, eventually closing in behind Kochenash by lap 51. He then began to apply pressure on him and after several side-by-side laps was able to slip underneath Kochenash with seven laps to go. “We changed a tire and put the right front to the right rear and this thing just came alive,” said Beers. “He (Kochenash) gave me good room and ran me very clean but I knew I had to get it done because I was tired of finishing second. I very thankful too for Dave and Laura DeLange giving me the opportunity to give their car and my dad and the whole crew for the hard work they put in.” For Kochenash, although a tough pill to swallow, it was a very respectable, solid run and his second straight runner-up finish. Jones was steady over the last half of the race in garnering third with George and John Markovic rounding out the top five.
Modified feature finish (66-laps): 1. Austin Beers, 2. Austin Kochenash, 3. Bobby Jones, 4. Nevin George, 5. John Markovic, 6. Earl Paules, 7. Matt Hirschman, 8. Terry Markovic, 9. Brian DeFebo, 10. Kyle Strohl, 11. Carl Altemose, 12. Zane Zeiner, 13. Lou Strohl, 14. Nick Baer, 15. Jesse Strohl,
Great Night for Jack Ely in the 19 while Austin had an up and down night in the 45
Less than a week ago Matt Hirschman and Ryan Preece were battling for the win at Oswego Speedway on the NASCAR Whelan Modified Tour. Ironically both modified drivers made to victory lane on June 18th as Ryan Preece won in his first career start in a NASCAR Truck at Nashville Speedway while Matt Hirschman was winning the 50 Lap Tour Type Modified feature at Evergreen Raceway in Drums, PA.
While Matt continued his winning streak at Evergreen Raceway this win was far from a given. From the green flag it was an exercise in survival as Kyle Strohl and Wayne Szerencsits got together bringing out the caution and ending Waynes night. The caution flew again on lap 3 as Austin Beers running in 7th looked to get tight and got moved out the groove while rubbing the back stretch wall. While Austin never went into the pits, his chance for the win at this point was out of the question but was able to survive and bring the Delange Racing #45 Modified across the line for a 8th place finish.
The next race changing moment was an accident on lap 11 where a number of competitors running in the top 10 stacked up causing some interesting damage. Hirshman ended up with a bent up rear bumper, Roger Coss's left rear looked like a freshly opened sardine can, Kochenosh had cosmetic damage as well. Up to this point the Future Homes #16 modified driven by Ron Silk was making his way to the front but after this incident never really was in contention again.
With he green flag now back in the air, The action settled down and it was Daren Scherer with a strong showing and running a great race however by lap 16 Hirschman was up to 2nd with Silk falling back and Jack Ely putting the Beers Motorsports #19 in there top 5. For the next 10 laps Scherer and Hirschman put on a great show and on Lap 21 Hirschman was one car back, Lap 25 Matt was up to the bumper and on Lap 27 Matt made the move in turn one going under Scherer who pushed up just a bit.
From there the battles on the track behind Matt were fierce and furious, especially with Blake Barney getting around Scherer for 2nd and Ely battling with Paules to grab the 4th spot.
They say you never know what might happen during a race while leading, on lap 46 Hirschman was probably wondering what was going on as he got pinned in behind Roger Coss and under the 44 of Kyle Strohl, who was making his first career Modified start at Evergreen. Blake Barney was able to get close but not close enough as Matt was able to navigate out of trouble and bring it home in one piece for the win.
Heartbreak ending for Austin as he and Marcovik get together as Austin is going for the lead that leads to Kyle Strohl picking up his second Mahoning Valley Speedway Modified win: Jared Ahner and Peyton Arthofer continue family winning legacy with Sportsman Modified victories on June 5
(June 5, 2021) In a matter of a lap’s time Kyle Strohl was able to come out on top of an intense three-wide battle between himself, Austin Beers and John Markovic that put him in place to collect his second Modified win of the season Saturday evening at Mahoning Valley Speedway. It was on lap 17 of the 35-lapper that the race winning outcome took place. The scene began two laps prior when a restart saw Markovic at the point with Beers second and Strohl third. When the race had resumed Markovic was on the inside of Beers and left enough of an opening for Strohl to take the inside lane. As the trio were about to conclude lap 16 Markovic squeezed Beers that caused him to smack the wall. At the same moment Strohl had a clear lane to drive into the lead. From then on he was smooth and strong allowing him to score a one car length win over runner-up Austin Kochenash. “These last couple of weeks we had been struggling and this week we really hit on the button and I felt we were going to be in good contention,” said Strohl, now an 18 time Modified winner. “Honestly to me after we got the lead the car felt like a rocket ship and especially with so many good cars here and with the racing in the Modifieds here is top notch.” At the outset Terry Markovic was the early leader but on lap three Carl Altemose powered his way to the front and started to set a solid pace while the Markovic brothers stayed in his tire tracks. On lap 15 J. Markovic was able to slip inside of Altemose for the lead. However on the same circuit and under very tight conditions Altemose was collected up in a multi-car incident, putting an abrupt end to his impressive night as well as several others. It was that restart that led to the dramatic outcome. Kochenash, who was making his first Mahoning start of the season, was part of the lap 15 melee and had to pit. Afterwards he drove his way up to second only to run out of time as he was honing in on Strohl. J. Markovic held on for third with Bobby Jones and new point leader Brian DeFebo rounding out the top five.
Modified feature finish (35-laps): 1. Kyle Strohl, 2. Austin Kochenash, 3. John Markovic, 4. Bobby Jones, 5. Brian DeFebo, 6. Roger Cross, 7. Cody Kohler, 8. Jacob Kerstetter, 9. Austin Beers, 10. Carl Altemose, 11. Nick Bear, 12. Rod Snyder Jr., 13. Terry Markovic, 14. Tommy Flanagan, 15. Paul Hartwig
Brian DeFebo gets his winning touch back; as he has to hold off Austin Beers who has a wecked race car at Mahoning Speedway May 22
(May 22, 2021) It’s hard to imagine that when Brian DeFebo won Saturday night’s 35-lap Modified feature at Mahoning Valley Speedway it ended a dry spell for eastern Pennsylvania’s all-time wins leader in asphalt short track racing, dating back to September of 2019, and considering that prior to that he had been on a roll, scoring 13 victories in a three year span and earning back-to-back championships (2017-18). And, that was just at Mahoning as he’s been adding wins at Evergreen Raceway too. However, 2020 turned out to be a one-off year for the 42-year Berwick driver as he went winless for the first time during a single season in recent memory. DeFebo, though, put it all together with a solid performance. After passing Nick Baer on lap 16 he remained perfect the rest of the way and drove to his 18th Mahoning win and 106th overall. “You just don’t realize how hard it is to win a race here until you go on a drought. After having some good winning years and then last year we were just off so this is exciting and I’m so happy to get this first one out of the way,” said DeFebo. “I have thousands of laps at other tracks and this is the toughest one we race at.” At the outset Terry Markovic led the way over Jesse Strohl, Cody Kohler, Nick Baer and DeFebo. Strohl utilized a lap three restart to take the lead but was in some tight company as Baer came along with him and was running closely to his outside. Baer was then able to assume the front spot thanks to a restart six laps in and following him into second was DeFebo while Bobby Jones had dashed his way to third. While Baer was continuing at the front DeFebo and Jones connected in two-wide duel. In the process Jones was able to slip by but only briefly before DeFebo retook the spot and now set his attention towards Baer. Waiting for just the right opportunity, DeFebo’s moment of certainty came with an inside pass on lap 15. Afterwards there was no looking back as he piloted to his first win of the season. “You have such a good group of guys down here that always race you hard and you earn ever spot you get. I want to thank my mom (Sophie Welsh) who make this fun and makes racing fun,” said DeFebo. As DeFebo was on his way to victory there was an amazing battle taking place for second spot between John Markovic and Austin Beers. Both had moved past Baer by lap 20 and from then on began a hard fought battle. Beers was relentlessly do all he could to work underneath Markovic and finally did so at the finish line by a mere few inches for his fifth runner-up of the year.
Modified feature finish (35-laps): 1. Brian DeFebo, 2. Austin Beers, 3. John Markovic, 4. Bobby Jones, 5. Nick Bear, 6. Cody Kohler, 7. Terry Markovic, 8. Eric Kocher, 9. Avery Arthofer, 10. Wes Gilbert, 11. Mia Guy, 12. Rich Cooper, 13. Lou Strohl, 14. Jesse Strohl, 15. Jayden Brown, 16. Jacob Kerstetter, 17. Kyle Strohl, 18. Carl Altemose
Matt Hirschman remains undefeated at Mahoning Valley Speedway with win in Ward Crozier Sr. Tribute on May 15th- Austin was there and going for the lead when a caution occurred and Austin got clipped that caused his right front tire to shred
(May 15, 2021) If ever there was a driver on a roll at Mahoning Valley Speedway its Matt Hirschman who, in his fourth consecutive start at the ¼-mile paved oval, raced to victory and dating back to last season has now reeled off eight straight wins. In race #2 of the John Blewett Inc., Mahoning Valley Speedway Hall of Fame Series Ward Crozier Sr., Tribute, the Northampton driver came from 12th on the grid and made the winning pass over Earl Paules with six laps to go, parking his Harry's U Pull It Allentown No. 60 into Victory Lane for his 26th career win here. The start of the 50-lap event saw Paules – who drew the pole position – jump to the early lead and then steadily remain there. Behind him though was some intense action as Jack Ely was second, Blake Barney third and by lap 10 Austin Beers and Hirschman entered the top five which from that point saw the aforementioned battle under a tight blanket, especially considering a long green flag stint from lap nine until six tours remaining which kept the crowd quite captivated by their close proximity. By lap 24 Hirschman had maneuvered into second and began laying down heavy pressure on leader Paules. Barney was still third with teammates Beers and Ely next in line. With the laps winding down Hirschman was trying every avenue to get by Paules and not making matters an easier at the same time had Beers alongside. Then Terry Markovic spun in front of the front-runners to bring out the caution with a half dozen laps remaining. On the ensuing green Hirschman used his outside restart flank on Paules to edge his way to the front and from there he would go on to another win – his 10th in 16 2021 starts. “This was far from a predictable finish even though we won again. The laps tick off quick here when you get green flag runs like we had and this was not an easy race. The lap counter wasn’t working so I really didn’t know how close we were to the end until that caution came out and they said there was only six (laps) to go,” said Hirschman. “I think actually if you were to divide up the odds of who was going to win this race I feel you could have went evenly between any of us in the front pack. It wasn’t decided at all until that restart helped me to get the lead.” Paules was impressive and fought hard to maintain the front spot before setting for his best effort of the season. Barney was never lower then fourth all race long and registered a fine third. Zane Zeiner and Brian DeFebo came on strong in the final laps to round out the top five.
Modified feature finish (50-laps) 1. Matt Hirschman, 2. Earl Paules, 3. Blake Barney, 4. Zane Zeiner, 5. Brian DeFebo, 6. Nevin George, 7. Don Wagner, 8. Austin Beers, 9. Kyle Strohl, 10. Jacob Kerstetter, 11. Jack Ely, 12. Terry Markovic, 13. Cody Koehler, 14.Nick Bear, 15. Lou Strohl, 16. Rod Snyder Jr. 17. Al Arthofer, 18. Bobby Jones, 19.John Markovic, 20. Sean Verwys, 21. Bobby Butler
Matt Hirschman christens new Evergreen pavement with Opening Day Modified win with Austin getting 3rd
By DINO OBERTO
(May 2, 2021) Evergreen Raceway opened up the 2021 season with a brand new layer of asphalt but it was the same old results as Matt Hirschman continued to showcase his dominance of the Butler Township 1/3-mile oval with another winning effort, his ninth victory in 14 overall starts this season. Hirschman was gridded seventh for the 75-lap affair and then picked his way forward over the first 30 laps. With 35 circuits in he was tailing early pace setter Blake Barney who had been running a strong race while holding the front spot since the drop of the initial green. Hirschman hounded Barney and tried several times over the next ten laps after to overtake him but each time the talented driver of the Big Red No. 14 was having nothing of it. Then with the field realigned following a lap 45 restart Hirschman was able to run even with Barney and when they rolled out of Turn 4 ready to complete lap 47 the lead would pass. From then on Hirschman held off the untiring efforts by Barney to regain the top spot but the undisputed kingpin of Evergreen was not about to let up as he raced to his 44th career win at the track. “I tried to get to the lead and I had to work pretty hard to get there. Blake (Barney) was running good and he was still good at the end and was real competitive and it was not easy to get by him,” said Hirschman, who thus far has not lost a race in his home state this year which includes three straight wins at Mahoning Valley Speedway. With the fresh blacktop down Hirschman, like everyone else, came into the day with open minded optimism.
“You didn’t know what you had to do and the changes you needed to make. You couldn’t really be set on what use to work because it was going to be different so you just had to adapt. I feel that today is not a true test but it was still racy out there and it’s only going to get better,” surmised Hirschman. “It’s always good to win when we come here and I’ve won with so many different variations of the track here over the years before either end was paved then (turns) three and four was paved or when the aprons were paved and you could run on them and then you couldn’t but now with the new blacktop it’s nice to see the investment and it’s a real positive.” Barney’s second place was well fought. He was never any further back then second and clearly made Hirschman work for the win. His car was quick from the start and after giving up the lead he remained close for his best Evergreen finish in recent years. “I thought I was setting a good pace and honestly I was saving so much, lifting and giving it no throttle and treating the right rear (tire) but it wasn’t the rear tires that got me it was my right front,” said Barney.
“I can’t be down on finishing second here today. Of course I wanted to win but to come here and get this kind of results, hopefully we can improve on it the next time. For me to be that guy to challenge him (Hirschman), I was running good times with him near the end and I’m so proud of my guys and my grandfather (Dick Barney) for giving me a great car and my dad for setting it up.” Third place finisher Austin Beers may very well have passed more cars than anyone. Having to start last due to a tire change he charged up through the pack not once but several times due to pit stops. “It was kind of crazy from where we started. We pitted four times because the car just wasn’t right all day. Unfortunately we just never got to where we needed to be to contend and our car was just good enough for third,” explained Beers, who has had all top-5 finishes in each of his 2021 starts. Former track champion Dave Brigati and Jack Ely rounded out the top five.
Modified feature finish (75-laps): 1. Matt Hirschman, 2. Blake Barney, 3. Austin Beers, 4. Dave Brigati, 5. Jack Ely, 6. Chuck Hossfeld, 7. Brian DeFebo, 8. Earl Paules, 9. Chris Turbush, 10. Jerry Hildebrand, 11. Amber Fortin, 12. James Pritchard, 13. Daren Scherer, 14. Todd Baer, 15. Gerry Rinehimer Jr., 16. Tom Wanick III, 17. Bobby Jones, 18. Ricky Ross Jr., 19. Wayne Szerencsits, 20. Carl Altemose
Kyle Strohl holds off hard chargers Austin Beers and Bobby Jones in hot Mahoning Modified Action May 1
(May 1, 2021) Over the first month of the season Kyle Strohl had respectable runs but from a team perspective they were not all that pleased with the car and kept chasing the set-up. They made headway the previous week with a very competitive third place run during the Race of Champions 75-lap feature and on Saturday evening all fell into place as Strohl led flag to flag in caution free race and earned a hard-fought verdict over Austin Beers and Bobby Jones. “This is a really big confidence booster for us. Our car was loose coming into the night and we made some adjustments and with a little luck we were able to hold them guys off,” said Strohl after notching his 17th career Modified victory. Strohl’s first Modified win of the season was a barnburner event as he had to fend off the likes of Beers and Jones over the waning laps. The trio dazzled the crowd with their amazing high speed proximity of each other and as they blazed toward the checkers finished under a blanket with Strohl able to hold off his opponents by the narrowest of margins. “I knew the top runners where coming and I had protect the bottom and the high side at the same time but we got it done and it’s great to pull off a win,” emphasized Strohl. Early on Nick Baer was giving Strohl a good battle and continued to do so through the first 20 laps. But after Baer’s car began to tighten Jones and Beers slipped by and began their assault on Strohl. Strohl certainly had his hands full with Jones and Beers who tracked him ever so tightly. When they arrived to the white flag Jones and Beers where side-by-side and bearing down heavily on Strohl but he remained protective and confident in securing the win. “I can hear those guys all the while and I knew I just had to keep my guard up. I’m very proud of my guys and very proud of how we’ve improved each week and I can’t wait to get back here for the Ward Crozier Tribute in two weeks,” noted Strohl. For the fourth time in five races this season Beers has had to settle for second spot. Bear took fourth with Brian DeFebo rounding out the top five. “It was definitely an exciting race between Kyle, Bobby and I running three wide, splitting lapped cars and running through the field was a lot of fun. Kyle ran a perfect line and I feel I needed just a few more laps,” said Beers.
Modified Feature Finish (35-laps): 1. Kyle Strohl, 2. Austin Beers, 3. Bobby Jones, 4. Nick Baer, 5. Brian DeFebo, 6. Jesse Strohl, 7. Don Wagner, 8. John Markovic, 9. Carl Altemose, 10. Devin Schmidt, 11. Cody Kohler
Matt Hirschman takes RoC 75-lap opener and seventh straight Mahoning win on April 24; Austin Beers is runner-up in as many times
(April 24, 2021) For the seventh time in as many starts at Mahoning Valley Speedway Matt Hirschman has driven to victory, this time doing so for the season opening Race of Champions (RoC) Asphalt Modified Series 75-lapper. And, in each of those wins the runner-up has been Austin Beers. At one point the race had an extended stretch of green flag laps which put Hirschman as the pace setter but never by far. Bobby Jones was very tough on him and late into the event a strong Kyle Strohl was giving him a run before Beers took up the chase to the checkers. “That was a workout and sometimes it’s harder to do it from out front than it is when you’re coming from behind,” admitted Hirschman, who collected his 25th Mahoning win. “We took advantage of a good starting spot and the outside lane opened up. We got to the lead but as I said this was a harder drive then some of the ones when we come from the back.” An equal mix of RoC and Mahoning regulars made for a well-defined field. A redraw of the top 13 from the three heats run saw Snyder Jr., and Daryl Lewis Jr., on the front row and within one lap after the initial green Snyder led the way but on the subsequent tour the outside lane opened up in the path of Hirschman and he quickly vaulted to the lead. Jones, who won here the previous week, followed right behind and planted himself on Hirschman’s rear bumper while Snyder held steady in third. There was a few minor incidents on laps six, 13 and 19 that slowed the action but from that point it was stint of nonstop laps over next 36 circuits. All the while the front trio of Hirschman, Jones and Snyder stayed nose-to-tail. At lap 55 Lewis came to a halt which in turn prompted a caution. On that restart Hirschman and Jones where still one-two but into third came Strohl who had done a remarkable job of working up from 13th and then took second just prior what was the final caution with 14 laps remaining. At the same time Beers had also joined the front fray. As the race resumed Beers made a quick move to get around Strohl and from then on kept his sights set on Hirschman. Regrettably for him it was another runner-up. “I know it’s getting old for him (Beers) but I have to remember that when the roles are reversed not to get too frustrated because he was on the other end,” said Hirschman after “I actually preferred it if we kept going green because on the restarts the cars are tougher to handle and I was already starting to struggle on that last run.” For Beers and his runner-up to Hirschman hasn’t just been at Mahoning Valley but elsewhere as well. “We got pushed back pretty early and fell to about 17th but it we made a good recovery. When we got to second I saw that he (Hirschman) was loose and I stayed with him not thinking that I had a chance but I did and it kind of shocked me and I feel we could have gotten him but unfortunately we ran out of time,” explained Beers. “Matt is probably the best Modified driver right now and it’s good to know that we’re right with him and not just here but at different tracks too.” Zane Zeiner worked from as far back as 17th to take fourth while Don Wagner rounded out the top five.
Modified Feature Finish (75-laps): 1. Matt Hirschman, 2. Austin Beers, 3. Kyle Strohl, 4. Zane Zeiner, 5. Don Wagner, 6. Brian DeFebo, 7. Bobby Jones, 8. Daren Scherer, 9. Nick Baer, 10. Daryl Lewis Jr., 11. Kirk Totten, 12. Rod Snyder Jr., 13. Terry Markovic, 14. Chris Risdale, 15. Sean Verwys, 16. Carl Altemose, 17. Cody Kohler, 18. Jim Gavek, 19. Danny Knoll Jr.
Bobby Jones picks up first Mahoning Valley Speedway Modified win of season on April 17 - Teammates Austin and Jack Ely did not get the results they wanted
(April 17, 2021) For the past four years Bobby Jones had a unique streak going which was winning the Modified feature on the second week of the season. That, however, ended last week with his third place finish although it wasn’t for lack of trying. So with one streak over a new one began as Jones picked up his first victory of 2021 coming on week three. And what a tough battle it was for Jones. After taking the lead from Brian DeFebo with nine laps to go he then had to fend off Nevin George before parking his Franzosa Trucking/APS Powder Coating No. 1J in Victory Lane. “Sure we would have liked to have won last week but this hopefully will start a new trend of winning for us early in the season,” said Jones after picking up his 30th Modified feature at Mahoning Valley. “We’ve been working on something new here and it’s definitely getting better and I don’t think it was exactly right today but it’s definitely in the right direction. It was hard fought that’s for sure.” The race began with Kyle Strohl and Jesse Strohl (no relation) sharing the front row. At the end of the opening circuit K. Strohl showed the way while J. Strohl and Earl Paules ran side-by-side for second. Paules would acquire the runner-up spot by lap four and then applied plenty of pressure on leader K. Strohl. The tension by Paules paid off when he used a lap 14 restart to take over the lead but it would be short lived as DeFebo slipped underneath him on a start over two laps later. Not long afterwards Paules tried to move under DeFebo but got crossed up, spun and collected several others in the wake. When the field was reset DeFebo and Jones where one and two with George and Austin Beers battling for third. The lead pair would soon engage in a torrid fight and on lap 25 Jones put his front wheels inside of DeFebo coming off Turn 4. When they entered the first corner DeFebo suddenly checked up and Jones snatched the front spot with George following in close pursuit. The rest of the way Jones would hold on despite a noble effort from George. DeFebo and Beers where next in line with Don Wagner rounding out the top five. “It was all good hard racing and you look back at the list of guys in this race and all of them have achieved something here. In this Modified field you cannot sit still from the time the green waves and right up to the checkers,” noted Jones.
Modified Feature Finish (35-laps): 1. Bobby Jones, 2. Nevin George, 3. Brian DeFebo, 4. Austin Beers, 5. Don Wagner, 6. Rod Snyder Jr., 7.Cody Kohler, 8. Kyle Strohl, 9. Nick Baer, 10. Bobby Butler, 11. Carl Altemose, 12. Jesse Strohl, 13. Mia Guy, 14. Earl Paules, 15. John Markovic, 16. Jack Ely, 17. Terry Markovic
Matt Hirschman returns for a second week and repeats as Mahoning Valley Speedway winner on April 10
(April 10, 2021) Matt Hirschman took advantage of a rare weekend off from his usual traveling the region to more high profile events, instead returning to his home base of Mahoning Valley Speedway and in doing so was able to claim a second straight win in the process. Hirschman, who was fresh off of a thrilling Opening Day photo finish victory over Austin Beers in the Bill Teel Tribute, once again bested his fellow Northampton opponent only this time he would be the one in control rather than the week prior when he had to chase down leader. Hirschman drew the pole for the 35-lap contest and would stay out-front the entire distance for his seventh win in 11 starts this season. “We really only had the option of racing closer to home. It’s been a busy early season and the plan was to not race at all this weekend and prep for the upcoming races but we made a last minute decision and I’m glad we did,” said Hirschman, who picked up his 24th career win at Mahoning Valley and sixth in as many starts. “I think the longer the race went on we needed to improve a little on the handling. On a shorter run like today we were okay but I think if the race continued I feel we were going to struggle a little.” At the outset Hirschman jumped to the early lead over Nick Baer and Earl Paules. Paules then took second spot on lap six and was able to stay very close to the leader. Bobby Jones, who had raced up to third on lap seven, was also running strong and remaining nearby the front pair. The race was slowed for the first time on lap 13 when Kyle Strohl spun in Turn 3. Under that caution Paules was pulled to the side by officials to check for leaking and it was confirmed positive which then sent him pit-side. On the restart Jones took aim at Hirschman but the No. 60 again had the upper hand. By lap 21 Beers propelled into second spot and it was yet again a familiar scene playing out between the two Mud Lane racers – running one-two while battling for the win. Unlike the last week though when Beers led until the finish line and was overtaken by Hirschman, there would be no denying the Harry’s U-Pull-It No. 60 as he drove to a car length margin of victory. “We’re not use to racing here in daytime conditions and last week during the opener I don’t think was a true reading on the track and out next show for us planned is the (April 24) RoC here in two weeks and it’s again a day show,” said Hirschman. “I prefer the night shows and I think we have it dialed in but that’s why we’re here today to see if we can get a little bit better because I feel we need to for the 75-lap RoC race.” Jones took third with Brian DeFebo and Baer rounding out the top five.
Modified Feature Finish (35-laps): 1. Matt Hirschman, 2. Austin Beers, 3. Bobby Jones, 4. Brian DeFebo, 5. Nick Baer, 6. Cody Kohler, 7. Terry Markovic, 8. Jesse Strohl, 9. Kyle Strohl, 10. Earl Paules
Hirschman over Beers in photo finish at Mahoning Valley Speedway season opener on April 3rd
(April 3, 2021) You couldn’t have asked for a better way to start the season at Mahoning Valley Speedway with an incredible Modified finish that was decided by a whisker by two drivers who came from deep in the pack as 13th starting Matt Hirschman nipped Austin Beers, who drove to the lead from 16th on the grid, for the win in the opening round of the John Blewett Inc., Mahoning Valley Speedway Hall of Fame Series Bill Teel Tribute, equally exiting action in the support classes, a sun splashed afternoon and a five division program that was in the books in just a bit over four hours.
And, for Hirschman, he may have chocked another victory at the paved quarter mile oval – his fifth in a row and 23rd overall – but it was by far one of the most hard-earned yet. After a revenge draw, Hirschman used every bit of talent he had to execute his drive to victory as he was placed to the back after getting caught up in a lap seven dust up, then methodically picked his way back with savvy driving and the help of a sprinkling of cautions. Within the final half dozen laps he was able to move past Zane Zeiner and Jack Ely leaving only Beers to contend with which immediately began a fierce side-by-side duel.Beers would actually catch a break with three laps to go when a caution flew and the ensuing restart would go single file, however, Hirschman went right back at it and as the white flag waved it was a hard charging battle to the end. The pair where dead even as they rolled out of turn four and when they crossed the finish line it was determined that Hirschman was barely ahead to claim the verdict. “That was a hell of finish and I’ve been a part of some amazing last lap finishes this year and we keep coming out on top and it’s an awesome way to win a race but it also stinks to lose a race that way too,” expressed Hirschman. “The fans were certainly treated to a great finish whether they were cheering for us or Austin (Beers), they got a great race and at the end of the day that’s what you come to see,” he continued. “We actually got handicapped twice between the redraw and then getting spun near the start but you never give up and that’s always been my motto, never give up until the checkered flag falls.” The thrilling finish between Hirschman and Beers was only part of the story. At the outset Nevin George overtook pole sitter Ely for the early lead but then gave way to Zeiner after a lap-12 restart. Bobby Jones was then glued to Zeiner’s rear bumper with George just as close. Zeiner and Jones continued on one-two until Ely found a burst to get by Jones with 39 laps in and the next time around did the same to Zeiner. Following Ely was his teammate Beers who wasted little time in taking the DeLange Racing No. 45 to the front as the field recorded 43 laps. It was evident to both Beers and Ely that Hirschman was on their heels and they worked there best to keep him at bay. But after Hirschman passed Ely the stage was set to the thrilling run to the checkers.
“The laps where ticking off and once it got past 50 I was thinking ‘Man 14 laps and we’re in sixth spot and we have to do something quick.’ Then things started to open up and we made some good passes,” explained Hirschman.
“People may not like that we’re winning and our success but there isn’t one guy at this race track that can be mad about me today and the way I raced them and it was a good entertaining finish and you’re going to leave here talking about this finish for a long time.” For the second time in as many races Beers finished second to Hirschman at Mahoning. They closed out 2020 in the same order and a number of times prior to this race as well. “It was very tough to swallow this one but I’m sure it was a great show for the fans, what a race. It was an honor to race in the memory of Bill Teel,” said Beers.
“Our right rear (tire) went around lap 45 so that didn’t help but honestly to finish second to Matt (Hirschman), it’s hard to swallow because it’s happened now several times but I think we’re going to get him soon.” Taking third was Tyler Haydt, who’s Future Homes Custom Builders stepped with additional first place money. Ely hung in for fourth while Brian DeFebo rounded out the top five,
ure Finish (64-laps): 1. Matt Hirschman, 2. Austin Beers, 3. Tyler Haydt, 4. Jack Ely, 5. Brian DeFebo, 6. Zane Zeiner, 7. Nick Bear, 8. Earl Paules, 9. Don Wagner, 10. Austin Kochenash, 11. Kyle Strohl, 12. Blake Barney, 13. Cody Kohler, 14. Sean Verwys, 15. Lou Strohl, 16. Rod Snyder Jr., 17. Brian Romig, 18. John Markovic, 19. Nevin George, 20. Terry Markovic, 21. Bobby Jones, 22. Jacob Kerstetter DNQ: Jesse Strohl
(July 10) “I came in here tonight a little more aggressive to get this win. We had a dominant win the night before and that car was awesome and this car tonight was a little off but it was good,” said Jones after collecting his 52nd career win. “Near the end I just had to protect. I had Kyle (Strohl) and Brian (DeFebo) behind me and their two of the best guys here and I wouldn’t come off that bottom, I wanted to make sure they passed me on the outside and we got it done.” When the 35-lap contest got underway pole sitter Carl Altemose jumped into the early lead while Cody Kohler, Nick Baer and fifth starting Jones all ran tightly behind him. With the first 19 laps going nonstop, Altemose set out on a blistering pace with a solid handle on the lead while the aforesaid trio remained under a blanket. The fast-paced affair was slowed when Mia Guy had a spin in Turn 3 and just prior to that Baer and Jones got by Kohler and had been hot on Altemose’s tail. There would be another caution two laps later due to Kohler turning around in the second corner and it would be on that restart when a change at the front would take place. Altemose and Baer restarted side-by-side with Jones third. As they made their way off the final turn to complete lap 22 the low lane opened up as Altemose was fending off Strohl. That in turn allowed Jones to slip to the bottom and grab the lead. In the process, however, Altemose’s fine run came to an end as he was bumped by the oncoming cars and spun from contention. “He (Altemose) was running good and when I darted under him everyone was checking up and it opened the bottom and I just mashed the gas and didn’t even think twice about it,” said Jones. From there on it was an intense fight as Strohl tried numerous times to get by but each time Jones held off his relentless charge. At the same time DeFebo lurked closely in their tire tracks. “There at the end I just stayed glued to the bottom and I wasn’t going to open it up for anyone to get under me,” noted Jones. “This is the second time I’ve swept a weekend and it’s been a long time since I’ve done that and it’s something to be proud of and that was my goal to tonight. I was coming here to win this race.”
Modified feature finish (35-laps): 1. Bobby Jones, 2. Kyle Strohl, 3. Brian DeFebo, 4. Austin Beers, 5. Jayden Brown, 6. Earl Paules, 7. John Markovic, 8. Nick Baer, 9. Cody Kohler, 10. Terry Markovic, 11. Kassidy Altemose, 12. Mia Guy, 13. Carl Altemose
Austin Beers shakes off runner-up blues with win in Roger Heffelfinger Sr. Tribute at Mahoning Valley Speedway June 26th
(June 26, 2021) There is a saying in racing, ‘Second place is the first loser’ and no one would know that better than Austin Beers who was a runner-up five times this season and most of those coming in close thrillers. However, for the second generation talent from Northampton he was finally able to shake the runner-up finish with his victory on the 66-lap Roger Heffelfinger Sr., Tribute, which was race #3 in the Mahoning Valley Speedway Hall of Fame Series. And, as it had been for him during his spell of seconds it was a close battle to the wire with this time with Austin Kochenash en route. “This means so much to me to win this tribute race for Roger (Heffelfinger). He ran for my grandfather (Dale Beers) back in the day so it’s an honor to win this and with Austin (Kochenash) coming in second and him being his grandson and all. It was a clean race and it was awesome,” expressed an elated Beers. Beers started second and ran behind early leader Matt Hirschman and at the same time had to deal with strong running Zane Zeiner. With Hirschman leading it was looking as though he would be in position to chalk up another win but that notion went away when he was pinched from behind by Zeiner on a lap 35 restart. Both drivers then pitted which elevated Kochenash to the lead over Bobby Jones, Nevin George and Nick Baer. The lap prior to that Beers had checked into the pits also with his crew swapping around tires on his DeLange Racing No. 45. As the action was back underway there was a passionate feeling of excitement as Kochenash looked poised to see victory on a night honoring his legendary grandfather who was watching attentively from the sidelines. Beers though began a charge and began picking his way to the front, eventually closing in behind Kochenash by lap 51. He then began to apply pressure on him and after several side-by-side laps was able to slip underneath Kochenash with seven laps to go. “We changed a tire and put the right front to the right rear and this thing just came alive,” said Beers. “He (Kochenash) gave me good room and ran me very clean but I knew I had to get it done because I was tired of finishing second. I very thankful too for Dave and Laura DeLange giving me the opportunity to give their car and my dad and the whole crew for the hard work they put in.” For Kochenash, although a tough pill to swallow, it was a very respectable, solid run and his second straight runner-up finish. Jones was steady over the last half of the race in garnering third with George and John Markovic rounding out the top five.
Modified feature finish (66-laps): 1. Austin Beers, 2. Austin Kochenash, 3. Bobby Jones, 4. Nevin George, 5. John Markovic, 6. Earl Paules, 7. Matt Hirschman, 8. Terry Markovic, 9. Brian DeFebo, 10. Kyle Strohl, 11. Carl Altemose, 12. Zane Zeiner, 13. Lou Strohl, 14. Nick Baer, 15. Jesse Strohl,
Great Night for Jack Ely in the 19 while Austin had an up and down night in the 45
Less than a week ago Matt Hirschman and Ryan Preece were battling for the win at Oswego Speedway on the NASCAR Whelan Modified Tour. Ironically both modified drivers made to victory lane on June 18th as Ryan Preece won in his first career start in a NASCAR Truck at Nashville Speedway while Matt Hirschman was winning the 50 Lap Tour Type Modified feature at Evergreen Raceway in Drums, PA.
While Matt continued his winning streak at Evergreen Raceway this win was far from a given. From the green flag it was an exercise in survival as Kyle Strohl and Wayne Szerencsits got together bringing out the caution and ending Waynes night. The caution flew again on lap 3 as Austin Beers running in 7th looked to get tight and got moved out the groove while rubbing the back stretch wall. While Austin never went into the pits, his chance for the win at this point was out of the question but was able to survive and bring the Delange Racing #45 Modified across the line for a 8th place finish.
The next race changing moment was an accident on lap 11 where a number of competitors running in the top 10 stacked up causing some interesting damage. Hirshman ended up with a bent up rear bumper, Roger Coss's left rear looked like a freshly opened sardine can, Kochenosh had cosmetic damage as well. Up to this point the Future Homes #16 modified driven by Ron Silk was making his way to the front but after this incident never really was in contention again.
With he green flag now back in the air, The action settled down and it was Daren Scherer with a strong showing and running a great race however by lap 16 Hirschman was up to 2nd with Silk falling back and Jack Ely putting the Beers Motorsports #19 in there top 5. For the next 10 laps Scherer and Hirschman put on a great show and on Lap 21 Hirschman was one car back, Lap 25 Matt was up to the bumper and on Lap 27 Matt made the move in turn one going under Scherer who pushed up just a bit.
From there the battles on the track behind Matt were fierce and furious, especially with Blake Barney getting around Scherer for 2nd and Ely battling with Paules to grab the 4th spot.
They say you never know what might happen during a race while leading, on lap 46 Hirschman was probably wondering what was going on as he got pinned in behind Roger Coss and under the 44 of Kyle Strohl, who was making his first career Modified start at Evergreen. Blake Barney was able to get close but not close enough as Matt was able to navigate out of trouble and bring it home in one piece for the win.
Heartbreak ending for Austin as he and Marcovik get together as Austin is going for the lead that leads to Kyle Strohl picking up his second Mahoning Valley Speedway Modified win: Jared Ahner and Peyton Arthofer continue family winning legacy with Sportsman Modified victories on June 5
(June 5, 2021) In a matter of a lap’s time Kyle Strohl was able to come out on top of an intense three-wide battle between himself, Austin Beers and John Markovic that put him in place to collect his second Modified win of the season Saturday evening at Mahoning Valley Speedway. It was on lap 17 of the 35-lapper that the race winning outcome took place. The scene began two laps prior when a restart saw Markovic at the point with Beers second and Strohl third. When the race had resumed Markovic was on the inside of Beers and left enough of an opening for Strohl to take the inside lane. As the trio were about to conclude lap 16 Markovic squeezed Beers that caused him to smack the wall. At the same moment Strohl had a clear lane to drive into the lead. From then on he was smooth and strong allowing him to score a one car length win over runner-up Austin Kochenash. “These last couple of weeks we had been struggling and this week we really hit on the button and I felt we were going to be in good contention,” said Strohl, now an 18 time Modified winner. “Honestly to me after we got the lead the car felt like a rocket ship and especially with so many good cars here and with the racing in the Modifieds here is top notch.” At the outset Terry Markovic was the early leader but on lap three Carl Altemose powered his way to the front and started to set a solid pace while the Markovic brothers stayed in his tire tracks. On lap 15 J. Markovic was able to slip inside of Altemose for the lead. However on the same circuit and under very tight conditions Altemose was collected up in a multi-car incident, putting an abrupt end to his impressive night as well as several others. It was that restart that led to the dramatic outcome. Kochenash, who was making his first Mahoning start of the season, was part of the lap 15 melee and had to pit. Afterwards he drove his way up to second only to run out of time as he was honing in on Strohl. J. Markovic held on for third with Bobby Jones and new point leader Brian DeFebo rounding out the top five.
Modified feature finish (35-laps): 1. Kyle Strohl, 2. Austin Kochenash, 3. John Markovic, 4. Bobby Jones, 5. Brian DeFebo, 6. Roger Cross, 7. Cody Kohler, 8. Jacob Kerstetter, 9. Austin Beers, 10. Carl Altemose, 11. Nick Bear, 12. Rod Snyder Jr., 13. Terry Markovic, 14. Tommy Flanagan, 15. Paul Hartwig
Brian DeFebo gets his winning touch back; as he has to hold off Austin Beers who has a wecked race car at Mahoning Speedway May 22
(May 22, 2021) It’s hard to imagine that when Brian DeFebo won Saturday night’s 35-lap Modified feature at Mahoning Valley Speedway it ended a dry spell for eastern Pennsylvania’s all-time wins leader in asphalt short track racing, dating back to September of 2019, and considering that prior to that he had been on a roll, scoring 13 victories in a three year span and earning back-to-back championships (2017-18). And, that was just at Mahoning as he’s been adding wins at Evergreen Raceway too. However, 2020 turned out to be a one-off year for the 42-year Berwick driver as he went winless for the first time during a single season in recent memory. DeFebo, though, put it all together with a solid performance. After passing Nick Baer on lap 16 he remained perfect the rest of the way and drove to his 18th Mahoning win and 106th overall. “You just don’t realize how hard it is to win a race here until you go on a drought. After having some good winning years and then last year we were just off so this is exciting and I’m so happy to get this first one out of the way,” said DeFebo. “I have thousands of laps at other tracks and this is the toughest one we race at.” At the outset Terry Markovic led the way over Jesse Strohl, Cody Kohler, Nick Baer and DeFebo. Strohl utilized a lap three restart to take the lead but was in some tight company as Baer came along with him and was running closely to his outside. Baer was then able to assume the front spot thanks to a restart six laps in and following him into second was DeFebo while Bobby Jones had dashed his way to third. While Baer was continuing at the front DeFebo and Jones connected in two-wide duel. In the process Jones was able to slip by but only briefly before DeFebo retook the spot and now set his attention towards Baer. Waiting for just the right opportunity, DeFebo’s moment of certainty came with an inside pass on lap 15. Afterwards there was no looking back as he piloted to his first win of the season. “You have such a good group of guys down here that always race you hard and you earn ever spot you get. I want to thank my mom (Sophie Welsh) who make this fun and makes racing fun,” said DeFebo. As DeFebo was on his way to victory there was an amazing battle taking place for second spot between John Markovic and Austin Beers. Both had moved past Baer by lap 20 and from then on began a hard fought battle. Beers was relentlessly do all he could to work underneath Markovic and finally did so at the finish line by a mere few inches for his fifth runner-up of the year.
Modified feature finish (35-laps): 1. Brian DeFebo, 2. Austin Beers, 3. John Markovic, 4. Bobby Jones, 5. Nick Bear, 6. Cody Kohler, 7. Terry Markovic, 8. Eric Kocher, 9. Avery Arthofer, 10. Wes Gilbert, 11. Mia Guy, 12. Rich Cooper, 13. Lou Strohl, 14. Jesse Strohl, 15. Jayden Brown, 16. Jacob Kerstetter, 17. Kyle Strohl, 18. Carl Altemose
Matt Hirschman remains undefeated at Mahoning Valley Speedway with win in Ward Crozier Sr. Tribute on May 15th- Austin was there and going for the lead when a caution occurred and Austin got clipped that caused his right front tire to shred
(May 15, 2021) If ever there was a driver on a roll at Mahoning Valley Speedway its Matt Hirschman who, in his fourth consecutive start at the ¼-mile paved oval, raced to victory and dating back to last season has now reeled off eight straight wins. In race #2 of the John Blewett Inc., Mahoning Valley Speedway Hall of Fame Series Ward Crozier Sr., Tribute, the Northampton driver came from 12th on the grid and made the winning pass over Earl Paules with six laps to go, parking his Harry's U Pull It Allentown No. 60 into Victory Lane for his 26th career win here. The start of the 50-lap event saw Paules – who drew the pole position – jump to the early lead and then steadily remain there. Behind him though was some intense action as Jack Ely was second, Blake Barney third and by lap 10 Austin Beers and Hirschman entered the top five which from that point saw the aforementioned battle under a tight blanket, especially considering a long green flag stint from lap nine until six tours remaining which kept the crowd quite captivated by their close proximity. By lap 24 Hirschman had maneuvered into second and began laying down heavy pressure on leader Paules. Barney was still third with teammates Beers and Ely next in line. With the laps winding down Hirschman was trying every avenue to get by Paules and not making matters an easier at the same time had Beers alongside. Then Terry Markovic spun in front of the front-runners to bring out the caution with a half dozen laps remaining. On the ensuing green Hirschman used his outside restart flank on Paules to edge his way to the front and from there he would go on to another win – his 10th in 16 2021 starts. “This was far from a predictable finish even though we won again. The laps tick off quick here when you get green flag runs like we had and this was not an easy race. The lap counter wasn’t working so I really didn’t know how close we were to the end until that caution came out and they said there was only six (laps) to go,” said Hirschman. “I think actually if you were to divide up the odds of who was going to win this race I feel you could have went evenly between any of us in the front pack. It wasn’t decided at all until that restart helped me to get the lead.” Paules was impressive and fought hard to maintain the front spot before setting for his best effort of the season. Barney was never lower then fourth all race long and registered a fine third. Zane Zeiner and Brian DeFebo came on strong in the final laps to round out the top five.
Modified feature finish (50-laps) 1. Matt Hirschman, 2. Earl Paules, 3. Blake Barney, 4. Zane Zeiner, 5. Brian DeFebo, 6. Nevin George, 7. Don Wagner, 8. Austin Beers, 9. Kyle Strohl, 10. Jacob Kerstetter, 11. Jack Ely, 12. Terry Markovic, 13. Cody Koehler, 14.Nick Bear, 15. Lou Strohl, 16. Rod Snyder Jr. 17. Al Arthofer, 18. Bobby Jones, 19.John Markovic, 20. Sean Verwys, 21. Bobby Butler
Matt Hirschman christens new Evergreen pavement with Opening Day Modified win with Austin getting 3rd
By DINO OBERTO
(May 2, 2021) Evergreen Raceway opened up the 2021 season with a brand new layer of asphalt but it was the same old results as Matt Hirschman continued to showcase his dominance of the Butler Township 1/3-mile oval with another winning effort, his ninth victory in 14 overall starts this season. Hirschman was gridded seventh for the 75-lap affair and then picked his way forward over the first 30 laps. With 35 circuits in he was tailing early pace setter Blake Barney who had been running a strong race while holding the front spot since the drop of the initial green. Hirschman hounded Barney and tried several times over the next ten laps after to overtake him but each time the talented driver of the Big Red No. 14 was having nothing of it. Then with the field realigned following a lap 45 restart Hirschman was able to run even with Barney and when they rolled out of Turn 4 ready to complete lap 47 the lead would pass. From then on Hirschman held off the untiring efforts by Barney to regain the top spot but the undisputed kingpin of Evergreen was not about to let up as he raced to his 44th career win at the track. “I tried to get to the lead and I had to work pretty hard to get there. Blake (Barney) was running good and he was still good at the end and was real competitive and it was not easy to get by him,” said Hirschman, who thus far has not lost a race in his home state this year which includes three straight wins at Mahoning Valley Speedway. With the fresh blacktop down Hirschman, like everyone else, came into the day with open minded optimism.
“You didn’t know what you had to do and the changes you needed to make. You couldn’t really be set on what use to work because it was going to be different so you just had to adapt. I feel that today is not a true test but it was still racy out there and it’s only going to get better,” surmised Hirschman. “It’s always good to win when we come here and I’ve won with so many different variations of the track here over the years before either end was paved then (turns) three and four was paved or when the aprons were paved and you could run on them and then you couldn’t but now with the new blacktop it’s nice to see the investment and it’s a real positive.” Barney’s second place was well fought. He was never any further back then second and clearly made Hirschman work for the win. His car was quick from the start and after giving up the lead he remained close for his best Evergreen finish in recent years. “I thought I was setting a good pace and honestly I was saving so much, lifting and giving it no throttle and treating the right rear (tire) but it wasn’t the rear tires that got me it was my right front,” said Barney.
“I can’t be down on finishing second here today. Of course I wanted to win but to come here and get this kind of results, hopefully we can improve on it the next time. For me to be that guy to challenge him (Hirschman), I was running good times with him near the end and I’m so proud of my guys and my grandfather (Dick Barney) for giving me a great car and my dad for setting it up.” Third place finisher Austin Beers may very well have passed more cars than anyone. Having to start last due to a tire change he charged up through the pack not once but several times due to pit stops. “It was kind of crazy from where we started. We pitted four times because the car just wasn’t right all day. Unfortunately we just never got to where we needed to be to contend and our car was just good enough for third,” explained Beers, who has had all top-5 finishes in each of his 2021 starts. Former track champion Dave Brigati and Jack Ely rounded out the top five.
Modified feature finish (75-laps): 1. Matt Hirschman, 2. Blake Barney, 3. Austin Beers, 4. Dave Brigati, 5. Jack Ely, 6. Chuck Hossfeld, 7. Brian DeFebo, 8. Earl Paules, 9. Chris Turbush, 10. Jerry Hildebrand, 11. Amber Fortin, 12. James Pritchard, 13. Daren Scherer, 14. Todd Baer, 15. Gerry Rinehimer Jr., 16. Tom Wanick III, 17. Bobby Jones, 18. Ricky Ross Jr., 19. Wayne Szerencsits, 20. Carl Altemose
Kyle Strohl holds off hard chargers Austin Beers and Bobby Jones in hot Mahoning Modified Action May 1
(May 1, 2021) Over the first month of the season Kyle Strohl had respectable runs but from a team perspective they were not all that pleased with the car and kept chasing the set-up. They made headway the previous week with a very competitive third place run during the Race of Champions 75-lap feature and on Saturday evening all fell into place as Strohl led flag to flag in caution free race and earned a hard-fought verdict over Austin Beers and Bobby Jones. “This is a really big confidence booster for us. Our car was loose coming into the night and we made some adjustments and with a little luck we were able to hold them guys off,” said Strohl after notching his 17th career Modified victory. Strohl’s first Modified win of the season was a barnburner event as he had to fend off the likes of Beers and Jones over the waning laps. The trio dazzled the crowd with their amazing high speed proximity of each other and as they blazed toward the checkers finished under a blanket with Strohl able to hold off his opponents by the narrowest of margins. “I knew the top runners where coming and I had protect the bottom and the high side at the same time but we got it done and it’s great to pull off a win,” emphasized Strohl. Early on Nick Baer was giving Strohl a good battle and continued to do so through the first 20 laps. But after Baer’s car began to tighten Jones and Beers slipped by and began their assault on Strohl. Strohl certainly had his hands full with Jones and Beers who tracked him ever so tightly. When they arrived to the white flag Jones and Beers where side-by-side and bearing down heavily on Strohl but he remained protective and confident in securing the win. “I can hear those guys all the while and I knew I just had to keep my guard up. I’m very proud of my guys and very proud of how we’ve improved each week and I can’t wait to get back here for the Ward Crozier Tribute in two weeks,” noted Strohl. For the fourth time in five races this season Beers has had to settle for second spot. Bear took fourth with Brian DeFebo rounding out the top five. “It was definitely an exciting race between Kyle, Bobby and I running three wide, splitting lapped cars and running through the field was a lot of fun. Kyle ran a perfect line and I feel I needed just a few more laps,” said Beers.
Modified Feature Finish (35-laps): 1. Kyle Strohl, 2. Austin Beers, 3. Bobby Jones, 4. Nick Baer, 5. Brian DeFebo, 6. Jesse Strohl, 7. Don Wagner, 8. John Markovic, 9. Carl Altemose, 10. Devin Schmidt, 11. Cody Kohler
Matt Hirschman takes RoC 75-lap opener and seventh straight Mahoning win on April 24; Austin Beers is runner-up in as many times
(April 24, 2021) For the seventh time in as many starts at Mahoning Valley Speedway Matt Hirschman has driven to victory, this time doing so for the season opening Race of Champions (RoC) Asphalt Modified Series 75-lapper. And, in each of those wins the runner-up has been Austin Beers. At one point the race had an extended stretch of green flag laps which put Hirschman as the pace setter but never by far. Bobby Jones was very tough on him and late into the event a strong Kyle Strohl was giving him a run before Beers took up the chase to the checkers. “That was a workout and sometimes it’s harder to do it from out front than it is when you’re coming from behind,” admitted Hirschman, who collected his 25th Mahoning win. “We took advantage of a good starting spot and the outside lane opened up. We got to the lead but as I said this was a harder drive then some of the ones when we come from the back.” An equal mix of RoC and Mahoning regulars made for a well-defined field. A redraw of the top 13 from the three heats run saw Snyder Jr., and Daryl Lewis Jr., on the front row and within one lap after the initial green Snyder led the way but on the subsequent tour the outside lane opened up in the path of Hirschman and he quickly vaulted to the lead. Jones, who won here the previous week, followed right behind and planted himself on Hirschman’s rear bumper while Snyder held steady in third. There was a few minor incidents on laps six, 13 and 19 that slowed the action but from that point it was stint of nonstop laps over next 36 circuits. All the while the front trio of Hirschman, Jones and Snyder stayed nose-to-tail. At lap 55 Lewis came to a halt which in turn prompted a caution. On that restart Hirschman and Jones where still one-two but into third came Strohl who had done a remarkable job of working up from 13th and then took second just prior what was the final caution with 14 laps remaining. At the same time Beers had also joined the front fray. As the race resumed Beers made a quick move to get around Strohl and from then on kept his sights set on Hirschman. Regrettably for him it was another runner-up. “I know it’s getting old for him (Beers) but I have to remember that when the roles are reversed not to get too frustrated because he was on the other end,” said Hirschman after “I actually preferred it if we kept going green because on the restarts the cars are tougher to handle and I was already starting to struggle on that last run.” For Beers and his runner-up to Hirschman hasn’t just been at Mahoning Valley but elsewhere as well. “We got pushed back pretty early and fell to about 17th but it we made a good recovery. When we got to second I saw that he (Hirschman) was loose and I stayed with him not thinking that I had a chance but I did and it kind of shocked me and I feel we could have gotten him but unfortunately we ran out of time,” explained Beers. “Matt is probably the best Modified driver right now and it’s good to know that we’re right with him and not just here but at different tracks too.” Zane Zeiner worked from as far back as 17th to take fourth while Don Wagner rounded out the top five.
Modified Feature Finish (75-laps): 1. Matt Hirschman, 2. Austin Beers, 3. Kyle Strohl, 4. Zane Zeiner, 5. Don Wagner, 6. Brian DeFebo, 7. Bobby Jones, 8. Daren Scherer, 9. Nick Baer, 10. Daryl Lewis Jr., 11. Kirk Totten, 12. Rod Snyder Jr., 13. Terry Markovic, 14. Chris Risdale, 15. Sean Verwys, 16. Carl Altemose, 17. Cody Kohler, 18. Jim Gavek, 19. Danny Knoll Jr.
Bobby Jones picks up first Mahoning Valley Speedway Modified win of season on April 17 - Teammates Austin and Jack Ely did not get the results they wanted
(April 17, 2021) For the past four years Bobby Jones had a unique streak going which was winning the Modified feature on the second week of the season. That, however, ended last week with his third place finish although it wasn’t for lack of trying. So with one streak over a new one began as Jones picked up his first victory of 2021 coming on week three. And what a tough battle it was for Jones. After taking the lead from Brian DeFebo with nine laps to go he then had to fend off Nevin George before parking his Franzosa Trucking/APS Powder Coating No. 1J in Victory Lane. “Sure we would have liked to have won last week but this hopefully will start a new trend of winning for us early in the season,” said Jones after picking up his 30th Modified feature at Mahoning Valley. “We’ve been working on something new here and it’s definitely getting better and I don’t think it was exactly right today but it’s definitely in the right direction. It was hard fought that’s for sure.” The race began with Kyle Strohl and Jesse Strohl (no relation) sharing the front row. At the end of the opening circuit K. Strohl showed the way while J. Strohl and Earl Paules ran side-by-side for second. Paules would acquire the runner-up spot by lap four and then applied plenty of pressure on leader K. Strohl. The tension by Paules paid off when he used a lap 14 restart to take over the lead but it would be short lived as DeFebo slipped underneath him on a start over two laps later. Not long afterwards Paules tried to move under DeFebo but got crossed up, spun and collected several others in the wake. When the field was reset DeFebo and Jones where one and two with George and Austin Beers battling for third. The lead pair would soon engage in a torrid fight and on lap 25 Jones put his front wheels inside of DeFebo coming off Turn 4. When they entered the first corner DeFebo suddenly checked up and Jones snatched the front spot with George following in close pursuit. The rest of the way Jones would hold on despite a noble effort from George. DeFebo and Beers where next in line with Don Wagner rounding out the top five. “It was all good hard racing and you look back at the list of guys in this race and all of them have achieved something here. In this Modified field you cannot sit still from the time the green waves and right up to the checkers,” noted Jones.
Modified Feature Finish (35-laps): 1. Bobby Jones, 2. Nevin George, 3. Brian DeFebo, 4. Austin Beers, 5. Don Wagner, 6. Rod Snyder Jr., 7.Cody Kohler, 8. Kyle Strohl, 9. Nick Baer, 10. Bobby Butler, 11. Carl Altemose, 12. Jesse Strohl, 13. Mia Guy, 14. Earl Paules, 15. John Markovic, 16. Jack Ely, 17. Terry Markovic
Matt Hirschman returns for a second week and repeats as Mahoning Valley Speedway winner on April 10
(April 10, 2021) Matt Hirschman took advantage of a rare weekend off from his usual traveling the region to more high profile events, instead returning to his home base of Mahoning Valley Speedway and in doing so was able to claim a second straight win in the process. Hirschman, who was fresh off of a thrilling Opening Day photo finish victory over Austin Beers in the Bill Teel Tribute, once again bested his fellow Northampton opponent only this time he would be the one in control rather than the week prior when he had to chase down leader. Hirschman drew the pole for the 35-lap contest and would stay out-front the entire distance for his seventh win in 11 starts this season. “We really only had the option of racing closer to home. It’s been a busy early season and the plan was to not race at all this weekend and prep for the upcoming races but we made a last minute decision and I’m glad we did,” said Hirschman, who picked up his 24th career win at Mahoning Valley and sixth in as many starts. “I think the longer the race went on we needed to improve a little on the handling. On a shorter run like today we were okay but I think if the race continued I feel we were going to struggle a little.” At the outset Hirschman jumped to the early lead over Nick Baer and Earl Paules. Paules then took second spot on lap six and was able to stay very close to the leader. Bobby Jones, who had raced up to third on lap seven, was also running strong and remaining nearby the front pair. The race was slowed for the first time on lap 13 when Kyle Strohl spun in Turn 3. Under that caution Paules was pulled to the side by officials to check for leaking and it was confirmed positive which then sent him pit-side. On the restart Jones took aim at Hirschman but the No. 60 again had the upper hand. By lap 21 Beers propelled into second spot and it was yet again a familiar scene playing out between the two Mud Lane racers – running one-two while battling for the win. Unlike the last week though when Beers led until the finish line and was overtaken by Hirschman, there would be no denying the Harry’s U-Pull-It No. 60 as he drove to a car length margin of victory. “We’re not use to racing here in daytime conditions and last week during the opener I don’t think was a true reading on the track and out next show for us planned is the (April 24) RoC here in two weeks and it’s again a day show,” said Hirschman. “I prefer the night shows and I think we have it dialed in but that’s why we’re here today to see if we can get a little bit better because I feel we need to for the 75-lap RoC race.” Jones took third with Brian DeFebo and Baer rounding out the top five.
Modified Feature Finish (35-laps): 1. Matt Hirschman, 2. Austin Beers, 3. Bobby Jones, 4. Brian DeFebo, 5. Nick Baer, 6. Cody Kohler, 7. Terry Markovic, 8. Jesse Strohl, 9. Kyle Strohl, 10. Earl Paules
Hirschman over Beers in photo finish at Mahoning Valley Speedway season opener on April 3rd
(April 3, 2021) You couldn’t have asked for a better way to start the season at Mahoning Valley Speedway with an incredible Modified finish that was decided by a whisker by two drivers who came from deep in the pack as 13th starting Matt Hirschman nipped Austin Beers, who drove to the lead from 16th on the grid, for the win in the opening round of the John Blewett Inc., Mahoning Valley Speedway Hall of Fame Series Bill Teel Tribute, equally exiting action in the support classes, a sun splashed afternoon and a five division program that was in the books in just a bit over four hours.
And, for Hirschman, he may have chocked another victory at the paved quarter mile oval – his fifth in a row and 23rd overall – but it was by far one of the most hard-earned yet. After a revenge draw, Hirschman used every bit of talent he had to execute his drive to victory as he was placed to the back after getting caught up in a lap seven dust up, then methodically picked his way back with savvy driving and the help of a sprinkling of cautions. Within the final half dozen laps he was able to move past Zane Zeiner and Jack Ely leaving only Beers to contend with which immediately began a fierce side-by-side duel.Beers would actually catch a break with three laps to go when a caution flew and the ensuing restart would go single file, however, Hirschman went right back at it and as the white flag waved it was a hard charging battle to the end. The pair where dead even as they rolled out of turn four and when they crossed the finish line it was determined that Hirschman was barely ahead to claim the verdict. “That was a hell of finish and I’ve been a part of some amazing last lap finishes this year and we keep coming out on top and it’s an awesome way to win a race but it also stinks to lose a race that way too,” expressed Hirschman. “The fans were certainly treated to a great finish whether they were cheering for us or Austin (Beers), they got a great race and at the end of the day that’s what you come to see,” he continued. “We actually got handicapped twice between the redraw and then getting spun near the start but you never give up and that’s always been my motto, never give up until the checkered flag falls.” The thrilling finish between Hirschman and Beers was only part of the story. At the outset Nevin George overtook pole sitter Ely for the early lead but then gave way to Zeiner after a lap-12 restart. Bobby Jones was then glued to Zeiner’s rear bumper with George just as close. Zeiner and Jones continued on one-two until Ely found a burst to get by Jones with 39 laps in and the next time around did the same to Zeiner. Following Ely was his teammate Beers who wasted little time in taking the DeLange Racing No. 45 to the front as the field recorded 43 laps. It was evident to both Beers and Ely that Hirschman was on their heels and they worked there best to keep him at bay. But after Hirschman passed Ely the stage was set to the thrilling run to the checkers.
“The laps where ticking off and once it got past 50 I was thinking ‘Man 14 laps and we’re in sixth spot and we have to do something quick.’ Then things started to open up and we made some good passes,” explained Hirschman.
“People may not like that we’re winning and our success but there isn’t one guy at this race track that can be mad about me today and the way I raced them and it was a good entertaining finish and you’re going to leave here talking about this finish for a long time.” For the second time in as many races Beers finished second to Hirschman at Mahoning. They closed out 2020 in the same order and a number of times prior to this race as well. “It was very tough to swallow this one but I’m sure it was a great show for the fans, what a race. It was an honor to race in the memory of Bill Teel,” said Beers.
“Our right rear (tire) went around lap 45 so that didn’t help but honestly to finish second to Matt (Hirschman), it’s hard to swallow because it’s happened now several times but I think we’re going to get him soon.” Taking third was Tyler Haydt, who’s Future Homes Custom Builders stepped with additional first place money. Ely hung in for fourth while Brian DeFebo rounded out the top five,
ure Finish (64-laps): 1. Matt Hirschman, 2. Austin Beers, 3. Tyler Haydt, 4. Jack Ely, 5. Brian DeFebo, 6. Zane Zeiner, 7. Nick Bear, 8. Earl Paules, 9. Don Wagner, 10. Austin Kochenash, 11. Kyle Strohl, 12. Blake Barney, 13. Cody Kohler, 14. Sean Verwys, 15. Lou Strohl, 16. Rod Snyder Jr., 17. Brian Romig, 18. John Markovic, 19. Nevin George, 20. Terry Markovic, 21. Bobby Jones, 22. Jacob Kerstetter DNQ: Jesse Strohl