Josh Scherer realizes a racing goal with Mahoning Modified win; Jeremy Miller picks up 4th Late Model victory; Jon Moser tops in $1000 Street Stock run
September 1 - Since first strapping into a Modified a year ago it’s safe to say that Josh Scherer has come full circle after his very impressive end to end run to victory Saturday night at Mahoning Valley Speedway. Just five races into last season, Scherer was involved in a grinding wreck that destroyed his car and abruptly ended his year there. He vowed right then and there to rebuild and return. Steadily things began coming together and four starts back into action Scherer realized a personal dream of winning a Modified feature. “I can’t even describe the way it feels right now. I always wanted to race a Modified and right now I wouldn’t want to race anything else,” said Scherer, who is a former Pro 4 champion. Starting on the pole Scherer blasted to the front and soon began to make it a race for second as he was sailing way ahead of the pack with ease during a stretch of 18 nonstop laps. When a caution flew on lap 20 Scherer had to give-up a nearly four second lead. As the race restarted Bobby Jones and Lou Strohl would be on Scherer’s tail but again he gunned it and would power ahead. As Scherer was commanding the way, Jones and Strohl had a nice duel going for second spot. Jones would eventually secure the position and then take advantage of a few cautions afterwards to work on overtaking the leader. He actually came close on the final restart of the race with six laps to go. Jones attempted to crisscross Scherer but the leader was on his toes and over the deciding laps stayed solid on his way to stamping his name among Modified winners. Interesting was the fact the Jones actually set the winning car up. “The car was prefect,” bottomed-line Scherer. “This is just so unreal and I can’t believe we put it all together tonight. There was so many hours and nights that went into getting this car back together and I can’t thank everyone enough for the amazing help and support especially Bobby Jones who set the car up for tonight.”
Taking third was point leader Brian DeFebo with Austin Kochenash and Strohl completing the top five. For a second place finisher Jones was just as happy as the winner and showed his delight towards Scherer while congratulating him in Victory Lane. “Well that will be the last time I set up that car up,” quipped Jones. “But he’s a great guy and I would help him any day of the week. He’s a good friend and he comes over to help us all the time and I’m glad it was me giving him his first Modified win. “Believe me I didn’t give it easy to him. That last restart I played on a little bit more experience on him but he never got over excited and kept plugging away. He drove me real clean.”
Austin Beers picked up his third Sportsman Modified and in the process unseated Earl Paules for the division point lead with two races to go. Beers ran side-by-side with Kassidy Altemose for a pair of laps before locking in the lead on lap four of 25. Paules was up to second and did make a run at Beers but he would later slip back and on the final lap watch as Altemose would run underneath him and claim a career best second.
Modified Feature Finish (35 Laps): 1. Josh Scherer, 2. Bobby Jones, 3. Brian DeFebo, 4. Austin Kochenash, 5. Lou Strohl, 6. John Markovic, 7. Kyle Strohl. 8. Jack Ely, 9. Joey Jarowicz, 10. Nick Bear, 11. Earl Paules, 12. Kristy Arthofer, 13. Ron Haring Jr., 14. DJ Wagner, 15. Gene Bowers, 16. Kevin Rex, 17. Zane Zeiner
Sportsman Modified Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Austin Beers, 2. Kassidy Altemose, 3. Earl Paules, 4. BJ Wambold, 5. Joseph Popovich, 6. Blair Culhane, 7. Avery Arthofer
Kyle Strohl takes Mahoning 75 lapper. 19-year old wins for the fourth time this season
August 25 - Despite the fact that Kyle Strohl is frequently surrounded by drivers who are twice his age and have years of experience over him, the 19-year old continues to mature and nurture into a stellar talent in pavement Modified racing. K. Strohl added to his rising stock with a hard-fought victory over veterans Zane Zeiner and Lou Strohl in Saturday night’s 75-lap feature at Mahoning Valley Speedway. Using a lap 28 restart to gain the lead from Don Wagner he would never relinquished it from there but there was constant pressure to the end from Zeiner and L. Strohl. “I could feel them in there quite a few times so I just held my line. I knew I had to be on my game because those big dogs where coming,” said Strohl, who pocketed $2500 and now matches Brian DeFebo with a class high four wins. A redraw from heats saw Austin Kochenash and K. Strohl bring the field of 21 to Bob Stull’s race commencing green. Kochenash then set the early pace with K. Strohl and Wagner in tow. From the outside lane Wagner was able to take second and by lap 11 began to come up on the leader. After some thrilling two-wide laps, he cleared Kochenash with 17 in. On lap 28 a caution tighten the field and it was that restart that Kochenash’s shot of getting back to the lead faded when he spun in turn 3. The ensuing restart would place K. Strohl to second. 16th starting Zeiner was up to third with Kevin Rex Jr., fourth. When the action resumed K. Strohl had the upper hand and powered by Wagner. “My car was really good but my clutch was slipping and I was having trouble gaining anything on restarts,” said Wagner. “My only chance was to get out front and run away with it and hope that we didn’t have a lot of cautions but that wasn’t the case. Kyle (Strohl) had a little bit better car than mine.” With the help of a few more cautions over the next dozen laps, Zeiner and L. Strohl were able to make quick work of Wagner and once the final 25 laps began it would become a torrid three car battle for the win. Lap by lap Zeiner tried to show his nose while L. Strohl was likewise displaying enough strength to go after both cars in front of him. Notwithstanding K. Strohl was up to all challenges and kept his concentration on the big prize.“I really didn’t worry about the lead at the beginning. I wanted to save my tires for near the end because I didn’t know how the car was going to work so I just followed them (Kochenash/Wagner) and hope for the best,” said K. Strohl. “My car was getting tighter and tighter as the race went but the cautions where helping me a lot. I just kept heating up the right rear and it helped me out.” Zeiner may have needed just a few more laps as he was close to striking when the race ended. He was awarded the Speed Sport
“It was really tough out there because we were so equal. I’m really proud of my guys after coming here tonight and struggling in our heat,” said Zeiner. “The car wasn’t right and we made a phone call to (crew chief) Barry Kuhnel and he hit it right on the dot. We’re really looking for big things down the road here.” L. Strohl settled for a solid third with Kochenash and Wagner rounding out the top five.
Modified Feature Finish (75 Laps): 1. Kyle Strohl, 2. Zane Zeiner, 3. Lou Strohl, 4. Austin Kochenash, 5. Don Wagner, 6. Brian DeFebo, 7. Kevin Rex, 8. James Pritchard, 9. Todd Bear, 10. Ron Haring Jr., 11. Austin Beers, 12. Nick Bear, 13. Josh Scherer, 14. Joey Jarowicz, 15. Kristy Arthofer, 16. Kassidy Altemose, 17. Jesse Strohl, 18. Gene Bowers, 19. Earl Paules, 20. Wes Gilbert, 21. Bobby Jones
MATT HIRSCHMAN SCORES ROD SPALDING CLASSIC 75 AT CHEMUNG SPEEDROME - August 4
Matt Hirschman of Northampton, Pa., showed why he is a contender whenever he shows up with the Race of Champions Asphalt Modified Series on Saturday at the Chemung (N.Y.) Speedrome. Hirschman captured his second win of the 2018 season, which is the 42nd of his Race of Champions career. Hirschman came from 12th and took the lead from his neighbor Eric Beers of Northampton, Pa., on the 45th circuit around the challenging speedway. “We had a good night, but drawing 12th made it challenging,” stated Hirschman in victory lane. “We had a good car and things worked out our way tonight. Andy (Jankowiak) was coming and we’ve had a couple of good races. I’m just happy to honor some great racing history and my good friend Ed McGuire here tonight. Rod Spalding and the Spalding Foundation has been such a big of our sport. This is a great way for us to end a great night.”
Jack Ely of Wall Township, N.J., drew the pole and was flanked by Beers on the start. Ely led the opening lap before Beers took the top spot for the next 44 circuits. Hirschman patiently worked his way through traffic and moved past Beers on lap 45. Hirschman was able to keep Andy Jankowiak of Buffalo, N.Y., at bay as the duo charged to the checkered, reversing their roles of July 21 at Hillside Buffalo where Jankowiak won and Hirschman finished second. Daryl Lewis of Ontario, N.Y., continued his impressive season with another third place finish. In the seven races so far, Lewis has yet to finish outside of the top-ten and has recorded four top-five finishes. Chuck Hossfeld of Ransomville, N.Y., finished 4th with Beers rounding out the top-five. Hirschman scored the Speed 51 “Top of the Board” Award in group qualifying with a lap of 14.581 seconds (92.586 mph). Hossfeld, Roger Coss of Lafayette, N.J. and Skora won the three qualifying races.
Feature Finish
Rod Spalding Classic (75-laps)
Chemung Speedrome, Chemung, N.Y.
Finishing Position, Car Number, Driver, Laps Completed, Reason Out (If Any)
Finish Starting Position No. Name Laps
1 12 60 Matt Hirschman 75
2 8 12x Andy Jankowiak
3 4 10 Daryl Lewis,Jr.
4 5 22 Chuck Hossfeld
5 2 45 Eric Beers
6 21 26 JR Kent
7 6 25 Mike Leaty
8 9 65 George Skora, III
9 7 17c Roger Coss
10 1 54e Jack Ely
11 18 95 Bryan Sherwood
12 25 4 Zack Knowlden
13 15 53 Brian Defebo
14 14 07 Patrick Emerling
15 24 40 Alan Bookmiller 74
16 16 3 Daren Scherer 74
17 10 66 Austin Kochenash 70
18 22 59 Karl Hehr 64
19 20 17 Danny Knoll 52
20 16 54c Tommy Catalano 23 Accident
21 17 72 TJ Potrzebowski 23 Accident
22 13 32 Tyler Rypkema 23 Accident
23 19 45c Timmy Catalano 23 Accident
24 11 5 Kyle Ebersole 23 Accident
25 26 64 Amy Catalano 1 Clutch
26 23 40 Tommy Rought 0
Time of Race: 40 minutes and 35 seconds Average Speed: 42.053 mph Margin of Victory: 1.084 seconds
Lead Changes: 2 among 3 drivers. (Jack Ely 1, Eric Beers 2-45, Matt Hirschman 46-75 )
Speed51.com “Top of the Board” Award; Matt Hirschman (14.581 seconds @ 92.586 mph)
Paved Track Qualifying Race Winners; Chuck Hossfeld (5); Roger Coss (1); Daryl Lewis, Jr. (2); Matt Hirschman (2)
Jerico Performance “Jammin’ Gears Awards”; JR Kent (Advanced 15 positions in feature)
US Army Top Performer Award; Jack Ely (14.906 seconds @ 90.568 mph lap 7)
Jan “Pops” Leaty Award – Leader Lap 25 – Mike Leary
$100 Bicknell Racing Products Certificate Award (Third Place) – Daryl Lewis, Jr.
MyRacePass “Free Pass” Award – (No Eligible Driver, No “Free Pass” Given during race”)
Brian DeFebo reaches milestone 100th career win with fourth Mahoning Valley Speedway Modified win: Austin Beers wins 2nd Sportsman Modified feature of the year
(July 28, 2018) Brian DeFebo added another feather in his already filled hat of career racing accomplishments, this one coming in a milestone achievement by scoring his 100th overall feature win, coming in Saturday night’s Modified main at Mahoning Valley Speedway.
Using a restart on lap 17 to get by Kyle Strohl for the lead, DeFebo then held the spot to the finish for the memorable making night. “It’s awesome. Through my entire career my mother (car owner, Sophie Welsh) has always given me the best equipment. My team is as good as it gets and they work every day of the week on making the car run so good,” said a very overjoyed DeFebo from Victory Lane. “We’re having so much fun down here. For years we had our struggles but for now it’s all about some great times.” It was his second straight and class leading fourth victory of the season. He won his first career race in 1993 in a Thriller/Factory Stock car. Despite having to settle for the runner-up spot, Strohl was pleased none-the-less. He was quite the worthy advocate too considering the car he ran was a lesser powered Sportsman Modified. His regular ride was not available due to a mechanical problem and with little options to race this night he turned to car owner Eric Beers who was fine with handing over the reins of his son Austin’s No. 19 into the capable hands of Strohl. Earlier in the night the same car had won the Sportsman feature. Strohl started 10th and made use of a few early cautions as well as some fancy driving to pass cars and by lap nine was dueling alongside Nick Baer. Both were on the rear bumper of race leader Ron Haring Jr. On the 13th tour Haring got loose in turn three and would spin from the lead. Strohl had just nipped Baer for second and was elevated to the leader position under the yellow. One lap after the restart DeFebo took the runner-up spot. Strohl never wavered once the race resumed as his line of resistance was working perfectly in keeping DeFebo at bay. At one point he even set the fastest lap of the race and one of the quickest laps of the season. However, when a caution put the front two side-by-side for a restart on lap 17, it was then that DeFebo was able to conclusively snatch the lead and drive off to the century mark victory. “I have to go back to the Bill Teel Memorial race when I was set to start alongside Austin Beers. I went to his dad and said he has to start faster but Eric (Beers) said the car won’t go. I actually used that conversation to my advantage tonight when it came to the restart between Kyle (Strohl) and myself,” said DeFebo. “He (Strohl) did an awesome job, starting in the back the way he did. I followed him up through and tried to get underneath him then I looked to the outside and he had me covered up there too.” Bobby Jones, Gene Bowers and Baer rounded out the top five. “It was an amazing piece I had to drive tonight and I can’t thank the Beers’ family enough for letting me run the car,” said Strohl, who along with Jones are keeping in check with DeFebo for the championship. “There were a few times when Brian was looking on both sides of me and I thought this won’t last long but we put up a fight. The car just got tight near the end and the better man won. I’m proud to have been second to Brian on his 100th win.”
Austin Beers for a second time held off Earl Paules in a thrilling battle Sportsman Modifieds. Beers led from the outset and would have to contend with Paules virtually every lap on route to victory.
Modified Feature Finish (35 Laps): 1. Brian DeFebo, 2. Kyle Strohl, 3. Bobby Jones, 4. Gene Bowers, 5 . Nick Bear, 6. John Markovic, 7. Earl Paules, 8. Kristy Arthofer, 9. Ron Haring Jr., 10. Lou Strohl, 11. Terry Markovic, 12. Jesse Strohl, 13. Josh Scherer, 14. Wes Gilbert
Sportsman Modified Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Austin Beers, 2. Earl Paules, 3. BJ Wambold, 4. Joseph Pacovich, 5. Blair Culhane, 6. Kassidy Altemose, 7. Joe King Jr., 8. Avery Arthofer
Jankowiak Holds Off Big Money for Big RoC Modified Win - Eric guts out a tough 5th place finish
Holland, N.Y July 21, 2018 . – Andy Jankowiak of Buffalo, N.Y., maneuvered around Scott Wylie of Blasdell, N.Y., on lap 15, survived several restarts and held off a hard-charging Matt Hirschman to win the Thunder in the Hills 100 at The Track @ Hillside Buffalo that was formerly Holland International Speedway. The track was the site of Jankowkiak’s first series victory which Hirschman also finished second in. It was the fifth Modified Series victory of Jankowiak’s Race of Champions career. “We needed this tonight,” stated Jankowiak from victory lane. “I knew Matt (Hirschman) was back there and coming and I wouldn’t want it any other way. Matt is one of the best and to beat him always makes you feel good. We had a good car tonight and I knew I needed to save some for the end but it is tough to gauge that. We had just enough to get the job done. I have to take thank Tom, Erin, Bud and all of the people associated with our team. My first win in a modified came here so this one is pretty special.”Wylie inherited the pole position as pole winner, via the redraw, Zack Knowlden of Horseheads, N.Y., elected to start at the rear of the field. Wylie and Chuck Hossfeld of Ransomville, N.Y., led the field to the green. Wylie took the early lead before Jankowiak slipped to the top spot.Hirschman, who finished second, pitted just past halfway in the race for adjustments worked his way back to the front to get near Jankowiak’s in the closing laps, but it was to no avail. Hossfeld finished third. Bryan Sherwood of Binghamton, N.Y., finished fourth in his first race of the season. Eric Beers of Northampton, Pa., advanced the most positions from 16th to finish 5th. Hirschman posted the Speed 51 “Top of the Board” Award in group qualifying with a lap of 13.759 seconds (98.118 mph). Hirschman, Jack Ely of Wall, N.J., and Wylie won the three qualifying races.
Thunder in the Hills 100 Results
1 4 12x Andy Jankowiak 100
2 10 60 Matt Hirschman
3 3 22 Chuck Hossfeld
4 8 95 Bryan Sherwood
5 16 45 Eric Beers
6 7 3 Daren Scherer
7 12 10 Daryl Lewis Jr.
8 15 32 Tyler Rypkema
9 18 40 Alan Bookmiller
10 17 0 Randall Richards
11 13 71 Danny Knoll, Jr.
12 11 65 George Skora, III 89
13 2 88 Scott Wylie 81 Accident
14 6 54 Jack Ely 76 Accident
15 14 59 Karl Hehr 75 Over Heating
16 9 66 Austin Kochenash 44 Engine
17 5 28 Kreig Heroth 32 Spark Plug
18 1 4 Zack Knowlden 21 Engine
19 19 1 Chris Risdale 1 Oil Leak
Brian DeFebo reaches 99th career win with another Mahoning Modified win; Mike Sweeney cracks win column for the first time this season; Sage Karam impressive in Dirt Mod and Street Stock debut - AUSTIN FINISHES 3rd
(JULY 14, 2018) Brian DeFebo wrapped up a great weekend, winning his second Modified feature in two days. Fresh off a Friday night verdict at Evergreen Raceway, DeFebo was able to continue on his winning ways Saturday evening at Mahoning Valley Speedway. The seventh starting DeFebo would make quick work of Joey Jarowicz in taking the lead on lap 15. From there on he remained smooth as he held off Bobby Jones for his third win of the season and registered his 99th overall career win.“We’re at 99 (wins) now and it’s exciting. I love racing here at Mahoning Valley. For years it was a struggle but these past two years it’s been nothing but fun,” said DeFebo, who continues to maintain the class point lead and seeks a second straight championship.“I can’t thank (crew chief) Gary Slusser enough. He’s the brains behind this deal. He spends countless hours and from that we have good race cars.” At the onset Ron Haring Jr., jumped into the lead but had unceasing pressure coming from Jarowicz. Haring also had to contend with Jones who was giving him much of the same opposition on his outside.For Haring it was full defensive mode as several times Jarowicz was able to stick his nose inside the leader while at the same time doing whatever necessary to fend off Jones. Unfortunately it all came to a head on lap 13 when the No. 85 got tripped up just past the start finish line and went spinning from the lead.On the restart Jarowicz was shown as the new leader over Jones and DeFebo. Just one lap after the race restarted, DeFebo made his race winning move by going to the low side in whizzing to the front. Jarowicz and Jones continued a great dogfight to the end with Jones getting the runner-up spot. John Markovic and Gene Bowers rounded out the top five.“There wasn’t much racing on the outside tonight so we had to adapt and take down low,” said DeFebo. “Once you get into the lead you then have to go into a defensive style of driving. We have good group of drivers down here and they all race you hard and clean.
In the Winner’s Circle for the Sportsman Modified feature it became a very emotionally charged scene as 15-yeat old Avery Arthofer had just notched her first win with the class and was greeted by her entire family with hugs and tears of joy. A previous winner in Hobby Stocks, Arthofer is in her first season with the Sport Mods and in the race was able to fend off track kingpin Earl Paules for the memorable victory and caring on a family legacy of winning at Mahoning Valley.
Sportsman Modified Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Avery Arthofer, 2. Earl Paules, 3. Austin Beers, 4. Blair Culhane, 5. Richard Lapolt, 6. Jacob Balliet, 7. Kassidy Arthofer, 8. BJ Wambold
Austin Beers Finishes 19, 17, 13, 16 in Bill Teel Memorial
Kyle Strohl, James Pritchard Jr., Tyler Haydt and Joey Jarowicz are Teel Memorial winners…John Markovic is overall champion
(JUNE 30, 2018) It came as no surprise that a season high 24 Modifieds came out to be part of the 2nd Annual Bill Teel Memorial Modified 4-16s. Teel, a past 3-time champion and car owner champion, made an indelible impression with so many people. It was evident by the wonderful turnout both in the pits and grandstands.
The event is unique with four 16-lap features – that being the signature car number run by Teel throughout his career. The quick stints made for some thrilling action and outcomes which is exactly how the night panned out. After all was said and done Kyle Strohl, James Pritchard Jr., Tyler Haydt and Joey Jarowicz took respective checkered flags while John Markovic was declared the overall winner by virtue of his average finishing place across the four mains.
In race number one Roger Coss drew the pole and was steadily maintaining the lead while Strohl stayed close behind. As the field crossed the line to complete lap 12 Strohl felt it was time to make a move and he did so by slipping underneath Coss in turn three. He would then take it home from there and collect his second straight win. “It was key to be aggressive in a short run like this. I just made sure of my tire wear and made my move at the right time. Roger Coss was very tough and he’s such a clean driver to run with,” said Strohl. “To win one of these races means so much to my family and I. Bill (Teel) was a great guy and a great racer.” A redraw of 18 for the next race would see Roger Heffelfinger Jr., and Todd Baer on the front row. Heffelfinger wasted no time in jumping out front while Pritchard and Lou Strohl were hard-hitting on him. Pritchard kept Heffelfinger on his toes over the first half until L. Strohl solidified second spot with six laps to go. He then began laying on all kinds of pressure to Heffelfinger. Looking repeatedly to the inside, Strohl tried to squeeze under Heffelfinger in turn two with two laps remaining. What transpired was contact and a spin that ended either drivers from a possible win. For the restart Pritchard was at the point with Don Wagner on his tail. Not wavering, Pritchard would hold on for just his second Modified win and first since October 2012. It was rough and we really had to work for this,” said Pritchard. “Roger Heffelfinger is one tough competitor and I was fighting him on the outside and then Lou (Strohl) got underneath me and I fell back to third. I felt the way they were racing something was going to happen and it was a case of being in the right place at the right time.” Once again the redraw number was 18 and with that Haydt and K. Strohl would bring the field to the green. This race quickly had a good time feel to it as Teel was a longtime friend, mentor, and business partner plus championship car owner of Haydt. |
Haydt’s ride for the night had come together just days earlier as he was called upon by car owner Robert Wagner to driver the Future Motorsports No. 29. It was only the second time in the past six years that Haydt was racing, making a comeback start in this event last year. Haydt would take the lead and engage in a hard fought battle fending off L. Strohl throughout the distance. “This is awesome. I never, ever wanted to win a race in all the years that we ran than one of these features tonight. Billy meant so much to me and I’m stoked,” an emotional Haydt said. “It was no cakewalk either. Lou Strohl was so tough but he ran me clean. We had struggles to get the car right but it all worked out,” he continued. I’m so happy to give Robert Wagner his first ever win too. I want to thank him for giving me the opportunity to drive his car and putting it in Victory Lane where it belongs.”
In the final 16 Jarowicz shared the front row with Pritchard. The 17-year old made good on the pole start and darted quickly to the front. This young talent has had numerous flashes of glory in his short time in Modifieds and he certainly came of age on route to winning the night’s finale. Behind Jarowicz were Modified kingpins Markovic, Brian DeFebo and Earl Paules. Yet he handled them flawlessly with a solid line of racing. As the checkers waved the Glenn Slocum owned No. 02 had a well-earned career first victory. There have been a couple times that we were close to winning but for whatever reason it just wasn’t to be. It was awesome to get that first win tonight and against guys like John (Markovic), Brian (DeFebo) and Earl (Paules),” said Jarowicz. “With the short distance there’s no holding back. Drawing the pole I knew I just had to run my race and I’d be fine. I didn’t know Bill Teel but heard so much good things about him and this was an honor to get my first win at his memorial.”
1st Modified Feature Finish (16 Laps): 1. Kyle Strohl, 2. Roger Coss, 3. John Markovic, 4. Bobby Jones, 5. Austin Kochenash, 6. Tyler Haydt, 7. Ron Haring Jr., 8. Nick Baer, 9. Brian DeFebo, 10. Rick Kirkendall, 11. Earl Paules, 12. Don Wagner, 13. Joey Jarowicz, 14. Lou Strohl, 15. Zane Zeiner, 16. James Pritchard Jr., 17. Todd Baer, 18. Roger Heffelfinger Jr., 19 Austin Beers, 20. Terry Markovic
2nd Modified Feature Finish (16 Laps): 1. Pritchard Jr., 2. Wagner, 3. Paules, 4. Todd Baer, 5. DeFebo, 6. Kirkendall, 7. John Markovic, 8. Cross, 9. Haring Jr., 10. Kochenash, 11. Nick Baer, 12. Jones, 13. Zeiner, 14. Terry Markovic, 15. Lou Strohl, 16. Kyle Strohl, 17. Beers, 18. Haydt, 19. Heffelfinger Jr., 20. Jarowicz
3rd Modified Feature Finish (16 Laps): 1. Haydt, 2. Lou Strohl, 3. Kyle Strohl, 4. Jones, 5. DeFebo, 6. Zeiner, 7. Paules, 8. Nick Baer, 9. John Markovic, 10. Pritchard Jr., 11. Jarowicz, 12. Terry Markovic, 13. Beers, 14. Cross, 15. Todd Baer, 16. Haring Jr., 17. Kochenash, 18. Kirkendall, 19. Wagner, 20. Heffelfinger Jr.
4th Modified Feature Finish (16 Laps): 1. Jarowicz, 2. John Markovic, 3. DeFebo, 4. Paules, 5. Pritchard Jr., 6. Kyle Strohl, 7. Baer, 8. Haydt, 9. Lou Strohl, 10. Jones, 11. Cross, 12. Zeiner, 13. Wagner, 14. Kochenash, 15. Haring Jr., 16. Beers, 17. Gene Bowers, 18. Todd Baer, 19. Terry Markovic, 20. Heffelfinger Jr
Eric finishes 10th after Tire goes funny during Race - Eric felt he had one of the best cars this night - disappointed with the result.
The stars and cars from the Race of Champions Asphalt Modified Series made their way to the Lancaster National Speedway for the second time this season on Thursday night. After 60 laps of Modified action in the Ol’ Boy Cup 60, it would be .019 seconds deciding the victory in favor of Chuck Hossfeld.
Hossfeld set quick time in qualifying to start the night, picking up the Speed51.com Top of the Board Award. He would also go on to win his heat race, along with Mike Leaty and Cam Barber taking victories in their heat races. After the heat races, the top four drivers from each heat went on to the redraw. Daryl Lewis Jr drew the number-one pill to start alongside Hossfeld who pulled number two.When the green flag flew, Lewis took off with the early lead with Hossfeld in his tire tracks. Lewis held off Hossfeld and Eric Beers early, leading the race’s first 20 circuits.On lap 20, Tommy Catalano slowed on the speedway, bringing out the race’s first caution. On the ensuing restart, Hossfeld found his way around the No. 10 of Lewis and set off with the lead. As the laps clicked off, Mike Leaty found himself getting closer to the black No. 22 of Hossfeld, reaching the second position on lap 34 from his 10th-place starting position.When the yellow flag came out for a spinning Scott Wiley, Leaty was given his opportunity. On lap 37, Leaty finally reached the rear bumper of Hossfeld and give him a tap through turns 3 and 4. From there, the race was on. Leaty dogged Hossfeld lap after lap, giving him an occasional tap in the rear bumper. Twice Leaty tried too hard and lost plenty of ground but ran Hossfeld back down in a matter of laps.When the white flag went in the air, Leaty threw everything he had at Hossfeld into turn one, driving it in deep to get next to Hossfeld on the outside. Leaty again drove in deep in three and four, pulling alongside of Hossfeld for a drag race to the checkered flag. As they crossed the line, Hossfeld claimed the thriling victory over Leaty by an incredible .019 seconds.“My spotter Henry did a great job. I knew where he was strong, so what I tried to do was, I tried to make him go around me, I wasn’t giving him the bottom if I could. If he got me, it would’ve been good for him, but I wasn’t going to make it easy on him,” Hossfeld told Speed51.com. “It was a great race, good for the fans. We won by just the smallest margin. What blows my mind is I had to let off a little early going across the start-finish line because of a couple lapped cars and if he would have gotten me there I would have been sick to my stomach. But here’s the truth, it doesn’t matter because we won.”The win was the first for Hossfeld this year, ending a Race of Champions winless drought going back into the 2016 season.
“Racing is a rollercoaster and I had mentioned that I thought we would be tough again,” he stated. “You get that sense when things are going to be good. We were down for a little bit and we struggled with the car but we’re inching back. It’s not perfect yet, it wasn’t like it was perfect, but good enough to win.” Although Mike Leaty came up just a couple of feet short of the victory to beat Hossfeld on his home turf, he was still pleased with his result.“It would’ve been really nice to even start in the top half of the redraw. If we could’ve started around sixth, seventh, somewhere in that neighborhood, had a few more laps to work over Chuck with a little bit better tires we would have been even stronger and probably could have gotten around him,” Leaty claimed. “It’s hard to get around Chuck Hossfeld at Lancaster. But to give him that kind of run and just come up a nose short is a really good run for our team.” The Race of Champions Modified Tour will head north of the border for their next event at Jukasa Motor Speedway in Hagersville, OT Canada on July 14. Race fans will once again be able to watch that race live on Speed51.com’s Summer Thunder TV
Ol’ Boy Cup 60 Unofficial Finish
Lancaster National Speedway (NY) – June 28, 2018
1) Chuck Hossfeld
2) Mike Leaty
3) Daryl Lewis Jr.
4) Patrick Emerling
5) Daren Scherer
6) Andy Jankowiak
7) George Skora III
8) Karl Hehr
9) Amy Catalano
10) Eric Beers
11) Scott Wylie
12) Zack Knowlden
13) Timmy Catalano
14) Kreig Heroth
15) Tyler Rypkema
16) Alan Book Miller
17) Jack Ely
18) Danny Knoll Jr.
19) Kevin Miller
20) Tommy Catalano
21) John Barber
22) Camden Barber
23) Chris Ridsdale
Austin Beers Finishes 3rd
(JUNE 15 2018)
For the first time in 20 years a Wambold has won a Modified race. BJ Wambold held off Earl Paules to the checkers in the Sportsman Mod event. Wambold started from the pole and was able to fend off Paules as well as Devin Schmidt for the popular win. His grandfather, “The Legend” George Wambold, last won a Modified feature in 1997.
Sportsman Modified Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. BJ Wambold, 2. Earl Paules, 3. Austin Beers, 4. Devin Schmidt, 5. Blair Culhane, 6. Avery Arthofer, 7. Joe King Jr., 8. Kassidy Altemose
Austin Beers Finishes 2nd after starting 5th
(JUNE 2, 2018) Mahoning Valley Speedway presented by Lehighton Ford hosted its annual Fan Appreciation Night to a great crowd and equally great racing as all seven classes provided excellent showmanship.
Thus far during the 2018 the top five in points has been occupied by seasoned veterans led by Brian DeFebo, then Bobby Jones, John Markovic, Earl Paules and Lou Strohl. There is a lot of wins and championships among that iconic group but next in the point’s line is 18-year old Kyle Strohl who has stayed close in their shadows and on Saturday night he showed the old masters why he is one to be reckoned with.Strohl would lead from the outset and then began to author a dominating drive as he was pulling away steadily into the waning stages of the 35-lapper. However, a caution with two to go would allow Austin Kochenash to pull in behind him for the final few tours but Strohl wasn’t about to be denied and rolled to his first win of the year and eighth time in a Modified. “We’ve been struggling the past few weeks to get the right set-up. At intermission today we hit on something and we just put all our effort into it and it all paid off,” said Strohl, who has 31 career overall feature wins, numbers that are worthy of his aforementioned mentors. Thanks to a string of nonstop laps, Strohl used that span to show his hand and was pulling away from the pack on each circuit. “I was unaware of that fact. We were just holding out line and hitting our marks. I just wanted to hold my line and hope for the best,” said Strohl. Behind him the action remained tight at Lou Strohl, Jones and Joey Jarowicz fought tooth and nail. By mid-race Kochenash was also getting in on the battle. With just two laps to go and Strohl looking home free the caution waved for DJ Wagner who backed hard into the wall off turn two and with that went away the huge lead. For the restart Jones was on Strohl’s tail with Kochenash sitting third. On the white flag lap Kochenash slipped by Jones and was then glued to Strohl’s rear bumper but his concentration remained on to the finish and he took the checkered flag by a scant margin. “My heart was beating on the restart because I knew Bobby (Jones) was behind me and you always have to be on your game with him and Austin (Kochenash) too. There’s a lot of great competitors here and they all have their act together. We were behind the eight ball but I think now we’re finally starting to get it right,” said Strohl.
Sportsman Modified Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Earl Paules, 2. Austin Beers, 3. Joe King Jr., 4. Avery Arthofer, 5. Richard Lapolt, 6. Kassidy Altemose, 7. BJ Wambold
Eric finished 7th in return to the Race of Champions tour - Tire wear holds him back
Lancaster National Speedway was finally able to wave the green flag on its 60th season of racing on Saturday with the lid lifter for the X-Press Signs Stock Car Series. Patrick Emerling of Orchard Park, N.Y. kicked off the 2018 campaign with a win in the Queen City Clash 75 for the Race of Champions Modified Series.
Daren Scherer and Tyler Rypkema led the field of 22 RoC Modifieds to opening green flag. Scherer grabbed the early lead, but the caution flag was displayed quickly when Andy Jankowiak cut down a tire on the opening lap. Scherer settled into the lead with Tommy Catalano coming from the third starting position to provide an early challenge. Catalano hounded Scherer as he forced the leader to run hard during the early stages. The pair pulled away from the field until the caution flag flew again on lap 17 for a spin by rookie Zack Knowlden. The race restarted with Scherer and Catalano followed by Chuck Hossfeld, Rypkema and Emerling. Hossfeld quickly dispatched of Catalano to move into third. Emerling started the race in ninth, but was already in to the top five by this point. He passed Catalano for third on lap 33 and then set his sights on Hossfeld. Six laps later Emerling moved past Hossfeld for the runner-up position just before the caution flag came out for a spin by Karl Hehr. Scherer and Emerling were now perched on the front row for the restart with just 36 laps to go. It took Emerling just two laps before Scherer slowed momentarily off of turn two to give up the lead. Scherer thought there was a problem with his engine, but the muffler had just fallen off. Hossfeld passed Scherer for second two laps later. The final caution period of the night happened on lap 50 when Tommy Catalano spun in turn two. The race restarted with Emerling leading Hossfeld, Scherer, Daryl Lewis, Jr. and Eric Beers. Scherer was able to regain second from Hossfeld and Lewis also took over third from him on lap 58. The pair then tried to reel in Emerling. Scherer appeared to be catching Emerling in the turn three end of the race track, but Emerling was a little bit better through turn two. Scherer tried hard to close the gap to Emerling, but Emerling increased his margin with five laps to go. Patrick Emerling held on to score his first RoC Modified win at Lancaster since sweeping all four Modified races in 2016. Scherer settled for second for his best RoC finish in a couple season. Lewis, Jr. finished third after having a very fast race car all day. George Skora III got caught in an early incident and then battled through a flat tire to finish fourth. Hossfeld rounded out the top five.
RESULTS
RACE OF CHAMPIONS MODIFIED SERIES
Heat Winners: Mike Leaty, Daryl Lewis, Jr., Chuck Hossfeld
Fast Qualifier: Chuck Hossfeld – 17.204 seconds
Queen City Clash 75 Finish: PATRICK EMERLING, Daren Scherer, Daryl Lewis, Jr., George Skora III, Chuck Hossfeld, Andy Jankowiak, Eric Beers, Danny Knoll, Jr., Scott Wylie, Mike Leaty, Austin Kochenash, Tommy Catalano, Bill Hebing, Kevin Miller, Karl Hehr, Tyler Rypkema, Jack Ely, Amy Catalano, Zack Knowlden, Kreig Heroth, Alan Bookmiller DNS: John Barber
Bobby Jones makes it two in a row after wild outcome in Ward Crozier Sr., Memorial
(MAY 5, 2018) Mahoning Valley Speedway had an evening of racing that the late promoter Ward Crozier Sr., would have been proud of. On a night that paid homage to his legacy, the pits had nearly 100 race cars, the grandstands where buzzing with enthusiastic fans and the racing was action filled across all seven divisions.
It fit perfectly into the style of Crozier and his concept of how racing should be held at his beloved Mahoning Valley Speedway, the paved ¼-mile oval that he brought back to life in 1987. 31 years later and the same formula changed very little. As part of the tribute all features where run as 26-lappers which was reflective of Crozier’s racing days and his signature car number. Bobby Jones of Palmerton got his start in racing thanks to the kind outreaching of Crozier nearly 30 years ago. Fittingly Jones was humbled when he scored a wild Modified victory, his second in a row. Jones’ first ride in a race car was aided when Crozier offered up a driver’s suit. “I said I had to win this tonight because of him (Crozier) I’m still doing this today,” offered Jones. And, the outcome was just as much a surprise to Jones as was everyone in attendance. DJ Wagner was leading and looking unstoppable en route to a career first Modified win. However, with six laps to go light droplets of rain moved in and prompted the caution. The field remained on the track in order to keep the surface in tack. While touring under the yellow, Wagner abruptly exited the track and yielded the lead over to John Markovic.
The driver’s where then asked to relay to officials if the pavement was good to go back green as the rain halted and the answer was all thumbs up. When the race resumed Markovic had Lou Strohl on his tail while Jones was third.
If the surprise of Wagner exiting wasn’t enough of a blow, no sooner did the first lap get underway the race took another wild turn. In corners three and four Markovic suddenly drifted high and made slight side contact with Strohl who was hustling for the lead. The lane opened up wide enough that Jones dove to the bottom and a thrilling three-wide pass for the lead ensued. “It was a bit weird how everything just fell in place. Johnny (Markovic) went up and got into the 88 (Strohl) and the door opened up and I wasn’t even ready for it,” explained Jones. For the remaining few laps point leader Brian DeFebo leaped into second and hounded Jones to the checkers. “When they asked us to give a thumbs up or down I had mine up, I felt we really never lost the track. I didn’t realize he (Wagner) got off at first. No one ever told us to get off and to just keep rolling,” recalled Jones about the wet condition situation. “I didn’t realize he did it at first. Honestly I think he would have won the race. The track was fine after we restarted.” Earl Paules, Todd Baer and Markovic completed the top five. Jones has been on a roll winning his fourth feature in the last six races dating to the prior season.
“Four of the last six races going back to last season. I’ll take that. Right now we got it going on and I’ll ride it out as long as we can,” Jones said after picking up his 39th career win.
Broc Brown blasted by Jacob Kerstetter on lap seven and then cruised dominantly to his first Late Model win of the season in a caution free race that was over in just under five minutes.
Seeing the name Beers as the winner of a Modified race is nothing new as Eric Beers has won time and again. Saturday night the Beers Modified was again gracing Victory Lane only this time it was Eric’s son Austin who was collecting the accolades. The 15-year old Beers drove to his career first Sportsman Modified win and did so over longtime rival of his dad, Earl Paules. The two would run toe-to-toe for the lead until Beers solidified the top spot for good with 10 laps to go and drove flawlessly to the decisive verdict.
Defending Dirt Mod champ Mike Stofflet made it known from the get-go that he was going to be the man to beat. Taking the lead from the outset Stofflet was on a mission as he stayed well ahead of the pack over the distance and notched a solid victory, his first of the year.
The Street Stock main was the 600th such feature and Corey Edelman was able to hold off a very determined Jon Moser in claiming the thrilling win.
Edelman took control of the race on lap 13 but was in heavy company the rest of the way, having to withstand Mark Deysher and eventually Moser. The finish was a squeaker as he nipped Moser by a mere .038-second margin of victory.
Cody Kohler showed plenty of swiftness on his way to a second straight Pro 4 triumph. After going around Bobby Kibler Sr., on lap eight for the lead Kohler was not about to let up and held back Barry Christman Jr., and Jake Kibler for the resounding win.
The Hobby Stock feature was cut short due to an over expected amount of cautions and track cleanup but that didn’t seem deter Al Arthofer who won for the first time. It would be hard pressed to think otherwise that it was not to be his night as Arthofer was very strong in leading every lap.
Sportsman Modified Feature Finish (26 Laps): 1. Austin Beers, 2. Earl Paules, 3. Kassidy Altemose, 4. Blair Culhane, 5. Devin Schmidt, 6. Avery Arthofer, 7. BJ Wambold
Bobby Jones holds off Don Wagner for top Modified honors; Paul Koehler Jr., is best in Late Models; Earl Paules notches first win with new Sportsman class
(4-21-18) Bobby Jones could be forming a pattern it seems. Last year when Brian DeFebo won Opening Night Jones came out victorious on week two. Fast forward one year later and the same scenario played out as Jones took the week two laurels yet again.
For the outset of the 35-lap main Don Wagner and Joey Jarowicz shared the front row. Once underway Wagner sprung to the lead with third place starter Jones in tow. Jones was wasting little time in looking to pass Wagner and by lap four he was in motion to do so until a caution negated his effort. On the restart Jones would make good on his foiled attempt as he vaulted by for the lead. Two laps later the second and only other caution waved which afterwards led to a quick paced run. Jones would set that tone as he ran a consistent line while keeping Wagner in check. At the checkers the personable veteran took his APS Powder Coating/Franzosa Trucking No. 1J across the line for his 38 career feature win. Wagner followed with a solid second which made up for a lackluster Opening Night run. Gene Bowers had steady and solid race as he was third by lap seven and stayed right in line with the front pair. DeFebo and Earl Paules rounded out the top five.
Paul Koehler Jr., needed just one week to get back into the swing of winning, something he quite accustomed to. The Kingpin of asphalt Late Model racing won his first race in just his second week back after sitting out all of last season. Koehler had things going his way from early on as he notched his heat. Then when the feature began he would lead the field to the green and continue on at the top spot for the rest of the nonstop 25-lap distance, collecting his 72nd career Late Model victory. And, although the lead was all his, Koehler was in some heavy company the whole while as Opening Night winner Frankie Althouse, Broc Brown and Mike Sweeney were stayed closely his tire tracks. None, however, could progress enough to make a pass as Koehler registered his 53rd Late Model win at Mahoning.
The much awaited debut of the Sportsman Modified finally took to the track with a respectable half-dozen cars on hand made up of a great crop of young talents. However, it would be a grand veteran who would etch his name into the record books as the very first class winner with Earl Paules taking the verdict. Avery Arthofer went into the early lead and was impressive in her Modified debut. A caution on lap eight saw Paules lined up next to her for the restart and it would be then where he seized the lead and go on to the eventual victory. 2017 Hobby Stock champion Austin Beers, who made his Modified debut the previous week with the headline division, was a firm runner-up while Arthofer held on for third.
When Jared Ahner unveiled his brand new Camaro Street Stock during pre-season testing, it turned many heads for its sleek and sharp look. On Saturday night Ahner showed everyone that it not just looker but a very fast racecar as well. Taking the lead away from Eric Kocher on lap six, Ahner was able to fend off a very strong running Mark Deysher the rest of the way and secure his first win of 2018.
Cody Kohler had to withstand a rash of cautions not to mention the hard pressing Jake Kibler in gaining the Pro 4 win. Kohler inherited the led after Josh Kuronya spun from contention on lap two. Afterwards it was yellow fever but none of that nor the persistent Kibler could stop Kohler from his focus on winning.
In the 20-lap Hobby Stock feature it was Devin Schmidt taking the win. Schmidt needed the first five laps before taking the lead from Kevin Behler and once in front there was no stopping him. Schmidt cruised with no trouble to the checkers while a distance back Michael Wambold nipped Travis Solomon for runner-up.
Modified Feature Finish (35 Laps): 1. Bobby Jones, 2. Don Wagner, 3. Gene Bowers, 4. Brian DeFebo, 5. Earl Paules, 6. John Markovic, 7. Lou Strohl, 8. Kyle Strohl, 9. Nick Baer, 10. Jarred Ahner, 11. Joey Jarowicz, 12. DJ Wagner, 13. Kristy Arthofer, 14. Jack Ely, 15. Ron Haring Jr., 16. Terry Markovic
Late Model Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Paul Koehler Jr., 2. Frankie Althouse, 3. Broc Brown, 4. Mike Sweeney, 5. Jeremy Miller, 6. Kenny Hein, 7. Jacob Kerstetter
Street Stock Feature Finish (30 Laps): 1. Jared Ahner, 2. Mark Deysher, 2. Jill Long, 4. Cody Geist, 5. Jon Moser, 6. Stacey Brown, 7. Shayne Geist, 8. Bobby Kibler Jr., 9. Todd Ahner, 10. Jamie Smith, 11. Ken Reeder, 12. Corey Edelman, 13. Ken Erney III, 14. Jeremy Scheckler, 15. Eric Kocher, DNS: BJ Wambold
Sportsman Modified Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Earl Paules, 2. Austin Beers, 3. Avery Arthofer, 4. Blair Culhane, 5. Devon Schmidt, 6. Kassidy Altemose
Pro 4 Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Cody Kohler, 2. Jake Kibler, 3. Bill Rooney, 4. Bobby Kibler Jr., 5. Josh Kuronya, 6. Brian Muth, 7. Tucker Muffley, 8. Jeremy Guerra, 9. Randy Schaffer, 10. Matt Clark, 11. Tyler Stangle
Hobby Stock Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Devin Schmidt, 2. Michael Wambold, 3. Travis Solomon, 4. Tiffany Wambold, 5. Kevin Behler, 6. Trisha Connolly, 7. Al Arthofer, 8. Justin Merkel, 9. Peyton Arthofer, 10. Ryan Berger, 11. Shawn Kistler, 12. Lyndsay Buss, 13. Hunter Iatalese, 14. Cody Boehm, 15. Kassidy Altemose, 16. Tad Snyder, 17. Adrian Dorwart, 18. Jacob Boehm, 19. Beau Drobot, 20. Taylor Schmidt
For Brian DeFebo, Opening Night win was déjà vu; Frankie Althouse, Cody Geist, Mark Levy, Jake Kibler and Shawn Kistler among class winners
(APRIL 14, 2018) A new era of racing was ushered in at Mahoning Valley Speedway on Saturday. Now under the leadership of Jack and Rebecca Carlino, a great Opening Night crowd poured into the track to kick-off the 2018 season.
Defending Modified champion Brian DeFebo got his year off to a great start as well, scoring the Opening Night laurels for a second straight time. And, just as he did a year ago the win came over Austin Kochenash. DeFebo would use a last lap restart to slip below Kyle Strohl and then held back Kochenash, who also advanced on the same restart, to register his 67th career Modified win and 96th overall. “It’s exciting to start this way and a great way to come back and defend our championship,” said DeFebo who is back behind the wheel of the Welsh Motorsports No. 53. With a heads-up start from heat finishes to begin the 35-lap main, Joey Jarowicz and Strohl would bring the field to the race commencing green. From there Jarowicz went right to the lead and was turning solid laps in the process. Strohl was settled in second and every few laps would make a bid at the lead. Each time, though, Jarowicz was able to guard his spot, looking very poised for his overdue first win. With 16 laps in Strohl again went for the lead and this time was able to pull to the inside of Jarowicz. Afterwards a thrilling two-wide battle ensued. Then on the 19th tour the pair came into turn three and Jarowicz got slightly loose. He and Strohl then made incidental contact. Before Jarowicz had a chance to recover his car got completely out of line and skidded into the front straight wall and suffered race ending damage. “That was just circumstances. Joey (Jarowicz) just got the car a little sideways. Kyle had nothing to do with that from where I was sitting,” offered DeFebo, who was riding behind the two when the incident unfolded. Afterwards it was Strohl over DeFebo and with the laps winding it was appearing to finish that way. Unfortunately for Strohl a last lap caution waved for debris and with one last shot DeFebo powered under Strohl and took Kochenash with him. “There was no outside line tonight. Once we had that last restart I had Austin (Kochenash) assisting me. I was then on the 44 (Strohl) and he left me just enough room,” explained DeFebo on his race winning move. “Kyle did a great job but you have to do what you have to do in order to pass here. It’s not at a point stance right now. We’re all here tonight win and everyone wants to win the first one.”
In Late Model action Frankie Althouse made a breathtaking three-wide pass for the lead on lap four and remained in control the rest of the distance in notching the top spot. Two-time and defending class champ Mike Sweeney took control at the outset but it would be short lived as Broc Brown used a lap one restart to overtake him. With Althouse in third, he then drove low two laps later to go underneath Brown while Sweeney was forced to the high outside lane. While much of the huge crowd may have gasped by what could have been a chaotic consequence, the trio of talented wheelmen held their own and settling into the lead was Althouse. From there on it was smooth sailing for Althouse who picked up career win number 24. Brown was quick but had to settle for second while Sweeney came home third.
Being in the right place at the right time aided Cody Geist in winning the Street Stock feature. Corey Edelman was within reach of taking the Street Stock checkers until a late race nudge from Josh Mooney dashed his hopes. When the field was reset Geist, who was riding third, was in charge and over the final few laps had no problem fending back 2017 division titlist Stacey Brown. Opening Night wins are always special but when it came to the Dirt Mod event perhaps no one could have more elated then Mark Levy.
The high-spirited Levy moved into the lead during a lap one caution period after then leader Ricky Yetter had to pit for a flat. When the race resumed Levy showed no signs of relinquishing the point as he motored around the 1/4-mile with perfect accuracy and won over Billy Lasko. It was only the second win for Levy whose last win came exactly five years and a day since then.
Jake Kibler raced to the Pro 4 victory but it was with a heavy heart as the day prior his mother, Pat Hosier, passed away. Kibler started from the pole and early on had a good fight going with Cody Kohler. After Kohler spun while trying for the lead on lap 8, Kibler then let second place play out to everyone else as he steadily held his position the rest of the way. Bill Rooney claimed the runner-up spot.
Shawn Kistler certainly had plenty to celebrate on this night as he finally broke through for his career first feature win, taking top honors in the Hobby Stocks. Kistler passed Lindsay Buss on lap two and from there never looked back en route to the unforgettable verdict.
Alex Greenzweig was best in class with the visiting Micro Stocks.
Modified Feature Finish (35 Laps): 1. Brian DeFefo, 2. Austin Kochenash, 3. Earl Paules, 4. Kyle Strohl, 5. Lou Strohl, 6. Gene Bowers, 7. Nick Baer, 8. John Markovic, 9. DJ Wagner, 10. Ron Haring Jr., 11. Austin Beers, 12. Bobby Jones, 13. Joey Jarowicz, 14. BJ Wambold, 15. Don Wagner, 16. Kassidy Altemose
Late Model Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Frankie Althouse, 2. Broc Brown, 3. Mike Sweeney, 4. Lorin Arthofer II, 5. Jeremy Miller, 6. Jerric Johnson, 7. Paul Koehler Jr., 8. Kenny Hein, 9. Jacob Kerstetter
Street Stock Feature Finish (30 Laps): 1. Cody Geist, 2. Stacey Brown, 3. Bobby Kibler Jr., 4. Jillian Long, 5. Shayne Geist, 6. Todd Ahner, 7. Jamie Smith, 8. Mark Deysher, 9. DJ Wambold, 10. Ken Erney III, 11. Jared Ahner, 12. Ken Reeder, 13. Corey Edelman, 14. Josh Mooney, 15. Joe Steigerwalt, 16. Jeremy Scheckler, 17. Jason Kuhn, 18. Eric Kocher
Dirt Mod Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Mark Levy, 2. Billy Lasko, 3. Jeff Parker, 4. Billy Lowden Jr., 5. Bill Sitler Jr., 6. Corey Edelman, 7. Colton Perry, 8. Ray Deemer, 9. Vince Fegley Jr., 10. Ricky Yetter, 11. Mike Stofflet
Pro 4 Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Jake Kibler, 2. Bill Rooney, 3. Randy Schaffer, 4. Cody Kohler, 5. Tucker Muffley, 6. Jeremy Guerra, 7. Bryan Muth, 8. Matt Clark, 9. Tyler Stangle DNS: Jason Finken, Bobby Kibler Sr., Johnny Bennett, Josh Kuronya
Hobby Stock Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Shawn Kistler, 2. Lyndsay Buss, 3. Hunter Iatalese, 4. Jacob Boehm, 5. Justin Merkel, 6. Tiffany Wambold, 7. Peyton Arthofer, 8. Cody Boehm, 9. Avery Arthofer, 10. Trisha Connolly, 11. Ryan Berger, 12. Devin Schmidt, 13. Lauren Gimbi, 14. Kassidy Altemose, 15. Beau Drobot, 16. Michael Wambold, 17. Travis Solomon, 18. Colton Breiner, 19. Taylor Schmidt, 20. Al Arthofer DNS: Paul Effrig DNQ: Kevin Behler
September 1 - Since first strapping into a Modified a year ago it’s safe to say that Josh Scherer has come full circle after his very impressive end to end run to victory Saturday night at Mahoning Valley Speedway. Just five races into last season, Scherer was involved in a grinding wreck that destroyed his car and abruptly ended his year there. He vowed right then and there to rebuild and return. Steadily things began coming together and four starts back into action Scherer realized a personal dream of winning a Modified feature. “I can’t even describe the way it feels right now. I always wanted to race a Modified and right now I wouldn’t want to race anything else,” said Scherer, who is a former Pro 4 champion. Starting on the pole Scherer blasted to the front and soon began to make it a race for second as he was sailing way ahead of the pack with ease during a stretch of 18 nonstop laps. When a caution flew on lap 20 Scherer had to give-up a nearly four second lead. As the race restarted Bobby Jones and Lou Strohl would be on Scherer’s tail but again he gunned it and would power ahead. As Scherer was commanding the way, Jones and Strohl had a nice duel going for second spot. Jones would eventually secure the position and then take advantage of a few cautions afterwards to work on overtaking the leader. He actually came close on the final restart of the race with six laps to go. Jones attempted to crisscross Scherer but the leader was on his toes and over the deciding laps stayed solid on his way to stamping his name among Modified winners. Interesting was the fact the Jones actually set the winning car up. “The car was prefect,” bottomed-line Scherer. “This is just so unreal and I can’t believe we put it all together tonight. There was so many hours and nights that went into getting this car back together and I can’t thank everyone enough for the amazing help and support especially Bobby Jones who set the car up for tonight.”
Taking third was point leader Brian DeFebo with Austin Kochenash and Strohl completing the top five. For a second place finisher Jones was just as happy as the winner and showed his delight towards Scherer while congratulating him in Victory Lane. “Well that will be the last time I set up that car up,” quipped Jones. “But he’s a great guy and I would help him any day of the week. He’s a good friend and he comes over to help us all the time and I’m glad it was me giving him his first Modified win. “Believe me I didn’t give it easy to him. That last restart I played on a little bit more experience on him but he never got over excited and kept plugging away. He drove me real clean.”
Austin Beers picked up his third Sportsman Modified and in the process unseated Earl Paules for the division point lead with two races to go. Beers ran side-by-side with Kassidy Altemose for a pair of laps before locking in the lead on lap four of 25. Paules was up to second and did make a run at Beers but he would later slip back and on the final lap watch as Altemose would run underneath him and claim a career best second.
Modified Feature Finish (35 Laps): 1. Josh Scherer, 2. Bobby Jones, 3. Brian DeFebo, 4. Austin Kochenash, 5. Lou Strohl, 6. John Markovic, 7. Kyle Strohl. 8. Jack Ely, 9. Joey Jarowicz, 10. Nick Bear, 11. Earl Paules, 12. Kristy Arthofer, 13. Ron Haring Jr., 14. DJ Wagner, 15. Gene Bowers, 16. Kevin Rex, 17. Zane Zeiner
Sportsman Modified Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Austin Beers, 2. Kassidy Altemose, 3. Earl Paules, 4. BJ Wambold, 5. Joseph Popovich, 6. Blair Culhane, 7. Avery Arthofer
Kyle Strohl takes Mahoning 75 lapper. 19-year old wins for the fourth time this season
August 25 - Despite the fact that Kyle Strohl is frequently surrounded by drivers who are twice his age and have years of experience over him, the 19-year old continues to mature and nurture into a stellar talent in pavement Modified racing. K. Strohl added to his rising stock with a hard-fought victory over veterans Zane Zeiner and Lou Strohl in Saturday night’s 75-lap feature at Mahoning Valley Speedway. Using a lap 28 restart to gain the lead from Don Wagner he would never relinquished it from there but there was constant pressure to the end from Zeiner and L. Strohl. “I could feel them in there quite a few times so I just held my line. I knew I had to be on my game because those big dogs where coming,” said Strohl, who pocketed $2500 and now matches Brian DeFebo with a class high four wins. A redraw from heats saw Austin Kochenash and K. Strohl bring the field of 21 to Bob Stull’s race commencing green. Kochenash then set the early pace with K. Strohl and Wagner in tow. From the outside lane Wagner was able to take second and by lap 11 began to come up on the leader. After some thrilling two-wide laps, he cleared Kochenash with 17 in. On lap 28 a caution tighten the field and it was that restart that Kochenash’s shot of getting back to the lead faded when he spun in turn 3. The ensuing restart would place K. Strohl to second. 16th starting Zeiner was up to third with Kevin Rex Jr., fourth. When the action resumed K. Strohl had the upper hand and powered by Wagner. “My car was really good but my clutch was slipping and I was having trouble gaining anything on restarts,” said Wagner. “My only chance was to get out front and run away with it and hope that we didn’t have a lot of cautions but that wasn’t the case. Kyle (Strohl) had a little bit better car than mine.” With the help of a few more cautions over the next dozen laps, Zeiner and L. Strohl were able to make quick work of Wagner and once the final 25 laps began it would become a torrid three car battle for the win. Lap by lap Zeiner tried to show his nose while L. Strohl was likewise displaying enough strength to go after both cars in front of him. Notwithstanding K. Strohl was up to all challenges and kept his concentration on the big prize.“I really didn’t worry about the lead at the beginning. I wanted to save my tires for near the end because I didn’t know how the car was going to work so I just followed them (Kochenash/Wagner) and hope for the best,” said K. Strohl. “My car was getting tighter and tighter as the race went but the cautions where helping me a lot. I just kept heating up the right rear and it helped me out.” Zeiner may have needed just a few more laps as he was close to striking when the race ended. He was awarded the Speed Sport
“It was really tough out there because we were so equal. I’m really proud of my guys after coming here tonight and struggling in our heat,” said Zeiner. “The car wasn’t right and we made a phone call to (crew chief) Barry Kuhnel and he hit it right on the dot. We’re really looking for big things down the road here.” L. Strohl settled for a solid third with Kochenash and Wagner rounding out the top five.
Modified Feature Finish (75 Laps): 1. Kyle Strohl, 2. Zane Zeiner, 3. Lou Strohl, 4. Austin Kochenash, 5. Don Wagner, 6. Brian DeFebo, 7. Kevin Rex, 8. James Pritchard, 9. Todd Bear, 10. Ron Haring Jr., 11. Austin Beers, 12. Nick Bear, 13. Josh Scherer, 14. Joey Jarowicz, 15. Kristy Arthofer, 16. Kassidy Altemose, 17. Jesse Strohl, 18. Gene Bowers, 19. Earl Paules, 20. Wes Gilbert, 21. Bobby Jones
MATT HIRSCHMAN SCORES ROD SPALDING CLASSIC 75 AT CHEMUNG SPEEDROME - August 4
Matt Hirschman of Northampton, Pa., showed why he is a contender whenever he shows up with the Race of Champions Asphalt Modified Series on Saturday at the Chemung (N.Y.) Speedrome. Hirschman captured his second win of the 2018 season, which is the 42nd of his Race of Champions career. Hirschman came from 12th and took the lead from his neighbor Eric Beers of Northampton, Pa., on the 45th circuit around the challenging speedway. “We had a good night, but drawing 12th made it challenging,” stated Hirschman in victory lane. “We had a good car and things worked out our way tonight. Andy (Jankowiak) was coming and we’ve had a couple of good races. I’m just happy to honor some great racing history and my good friend Ed McGuire here tonight. Rod Spalding and the Spalding Foundation has been such a big of our sport. This is a great way for us to end a great night.”
Jack Ely of Wall Township, N.J., drew the pole and was flanked by Beers on the start. Ely led the opening lap before Beers took the top spot for the next 44 circuits. Hirschman patiently worked his way through traffic and moved past Beers on lap 45. Hirschman was able to keep Andy Jankowiak of Buffalo, N.Y., at bay as the duo charged to the checkered, reversing their roles of July 21 at Hillside Buffalo where Jankowiak won and Hirschman finished second. Daryl Lewis of Ontario, N.Y., continued his impressive season with another third place finish. In the seven races so far, Lewis has yet to finish outside of the top-ten and has recorded four top-five finishes. Chuck Hossfeld of Ransomville, N.Y., finished 4th with Beers rounding out the top-five. Hirschman scored the Speed 51 “Top of the Board” Award in group qualifying with a lap of 14.581 seconds (92.586 mph). Hossfeld, Roger Coss of Lafayette, N.J. and Skora won the three qualifying races.
Feature Finish
Rod Spalding Classic (75-laps)
Chemung Speedrome, Chemung, N.Y.
Finishing Position, Car Number, Driver, Laps Completed, Reason Out (If Any)
Finish Starting Position No. Name Laps
1 12 60 Matt Hirschman 75
2 8 12x Andy Jankowiak
3 4 10 Daryl Lewis,Jr.
4 5 22 Chuck Hossfeld
5 2 45 Eric Beers
6 21 26 JR Kent
7 6 25 Mike Leaty
8 9 65 George Skora, III
9 7 17c Roger Coss
10 1 54e Jack Ely
11 18 95 Bryan Sherwood
12 25 4 Zack Knowlden
13 15 53 Brian Defebo
14 14 07 Patrick Emerling
15 24 40 Alan Bookmiller 74
16 16 3 Daren Scherer 74
17 10 66 Austin Kochenash 70
18 22 59 Karl Hehr 64
19 20 17 Danny Knoll 52
20 16 54c Tommy Catalano 23 Accident
21 17 72 TJ Potrzebowski 23 Accident
22 13 32 Tyler Rypkema 23 Accident
23 19 45c Timmy Catalano 23 Accident
24 11 5 Kyle Ebersole 23 Accident
25 26 64 Amy Catalano 1 Clutch
26 23 40 Tommy Rought 0
Time of Race: 40 minutes and 35 seconds Average Speed: 42.053 mph Margin of Victory: 1.084 seconds
Lead Changes: 2 among 3 drivers. (Jack Ely 1, Eric Beers 2-45, Matt Hirschman 46-75 )
Speed51.com “Top of the Board” Award; Matt Hirschman (14.581 seconds @ 92.586 mph)
Paved Track Qualifying Race Winners; Chuck Hossfeld (5); Roger Coss (1); Daryl Lewis, Jr. (2); Matt Hirschman (2)
Jerico Performance “Jammin’ Gears Awards”; JR Kent (Advanced 15 positions in feature)
US Army Top Performer Award; Jack Ely (14.906 seconds @ 90.568 mph lap 7)
Jan “Pops” Leaty Award – Leader Lap 25 – Mike Leary
$100 Bicknell Racing Products Certificate Award (Third Place) – Daryl Lewis, Jr.
MyRacePass “Free Pass” Award – (No Eligible Driver, No “Free Pass” Given during race”)
Brian DeFebo reaches milestone 100th career win with fourth Mahoning Valley Speedway Modified win: Austin Beers wins 2nd Sportsman Modified feature of the year
(July 28, 2018) Brian DeFebo added another feather in his already filled hat of career racing accomplishments, this one coming in a milestone achievement by scoring his 100th overall feature win, coming in Saturday night’s Modified main at Mahoning Valley Speedway.
Using a restart on lap 17 to get by Kyle Strohl for the lead, DeFebo then held the spot to the finish for the memorable making night. “It’s awesome. Through my entire career my mother (car owner, Sophie Welsh) has always given me the best equipment. My team is as good as it gets and they work every day of the week on making the car run so good,” said a very overjoyed DeFebo from Victory Lane. “We’re having so much fun down here. For years we had our struggles but for now it’s all about some great times.” It was his second straight and class leading fourth victory of the season. He won his first career race in 1993 in a Thriller/Factory Stock car. Despite having to settle for the runner-up spot, Strohl was pleased none-the-less. He was quite the worthy advocate too considering the car he ran was a lesser powered Sportsman Modified. His regular ride was not available due to a mechanical problem and with little options to race this night he turned to car owner Eric Beers who was fine with handing over the reins of his son Austin’s No. 19 into the capable hands of Strohl. Earlier in the night the same car had won the Sportsman feature. Strohl started 10th and made use of a few early cautions as well as some fancy driving to pass cars and by lap nine was dueling alongside Nick Baer. Both were on the rear bumper of race leader Ron Haring Jr. On the 13th tour Haring got loose in turn three and would spin from the lead. Strohl had just nipped Baer for second and was elevated to the leader position under the yellow. One lap after the restart DeFebo took the runner-up spot. Strohl never wavered once the race resumed as his line of resistance was working perfectly in keeping DeFebo at bay. At one point he even set the fastest lap of the race and one of the quickest laps of the season. However, when a caution put the front two side-by-side for a restart on lap 17, it was then that DeFebo was able to conclusively snatch the lead and drive off to the century mark victory. “I have to go back to the Bill Teel Memorial race when I was set to start alongside Austin Beers. I went to his dad and said he has to start faster but Eric (Beers) said the car won’t go. I actually used that conversation to my advantage tonight when it came to the restart between Kyle (Strohl) and myself,” said DeFebo. “He (Strohl) did an awesome job, starting in the back the way he did. I followed him up through and tried to get underneath him then I looked to the outside and he had me covered up there too.” Bobby Jones, Gene Bowers and Baer rounded out the top five. “It was an amazing piece I had to drive tonight and I can’t thank the Beers’ family enough for letting me run the car,” said Strohl, who along with Jones are keeping in check with DeFebo for the championship. “There were a few times when Brian was looking on both sides of me and I thought this won’t last long but we put up a fight. The car just got tight near the end and the better man won. I’m proud to have been second to Brian on his 100th win.”
Austin Beers for a second time held off Earl Paules in a thrilling battle Sportsman Modifieds. Beers led from the outset and would have to contend with Paules virtually every lap on route to victory.
Modified Feature Finish (35 Laps): 1. Brian DeFebo, 2. Kyle Strohl, 3. Bobby Jones, 4. Gene Bowers, 5 . Nick Bear, 6. John Markovic, 7. Earl Paules, 8. Kristy Arthofer, 9. Ron Haring Jr., 10. Lou Strohl, 11. Terry Markovic, 12. Jesse Strohl, 13. Josh Scherer, 14. Wes Gilbert
Sportsman Modified Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Austin Beers, 2. Earl Paules, 3. BJ Wambold, 4. Joseph Pacovich, 5. Blair Culhane, 6. Kassidy Altemose, 7. Joe King Jr., 8. Avery Arthofer
Jankowiak Holds Off Big Money for Big RoC Modified Win - Eric guts out a tough 5th place finish
Holland, N.Y July 21, 2018 . – Andy Jankowiak of Buffalo, N.Y., maneuvered around Scott Wylie of Blasdell, N.Y., on lap 15, survived several restarts and held off a hard-charging Matt Hirschman to win the Thunder in the Hills 100 at The Track @ Hillside Buffalo that was formerly Holland International Speedway. The track was the site of Jankowkiak’s first series victory which Hirschman also finished second in. It was the fifth Modified Series victory of Jankowiak’s Race of Champions career. “We needed this tonight,” stated Jankowiak from victory lane. “I knew Matt (Hirschman) was back there and coming and I wouldn’t want it any other way. Matt is one of the best and to beat him always makes you feel good. We had a good car tonight and I knew I needed to save some for the end but it is tough to gauge that. We had just enough to get the job done. I have to take thank Tom, Erin, Bud and all of the people associated with our team. My first win in a modified came here so this one is pretty special.”Wylie inherited the pole position as pole winner, via the redraw, Zack Knowlden of Horseheads, N.Y., elected to start at the rear of the field. Wylie and Chuck Hossfeld of Ransomville, N.Y., led the field to the green. Wylie took the early lead before Jankowiak slipped to the top spot.Hirschman, who finished second, pitted just past halfway in the race for adjustments worked his way back to the front to get near Jankowiak’s in the closing laps, but it was to no avail. Hossfeld finished third. Bryan Sherwood of Binghamton, N.Y., finished fourth in his first race of the season. Eric Beers of Northampton, Pa., advanced the most positions from 16th to finish 5th. Hirschman posted the Speed 51 “Top of the Board” Award in group qualifying with a lap of 13.759 seconds (98.118 mph). Hirschman, Jack Ely of Wall, N.J., and Wylie won the three qualifying races.
Thunder in the Hills 100 Results
1 4 12x Andy Jankowiak 100
2 10 60 Matt Hirschman
3 3 22 Chuck Hossfeld
4 8 95 Bryan Sherwood
5 16 45 Eric Beers
6 7 3 Daren Scherer
7 12 10 Daryl Lewis Jr.
8 15 32 Tyler Rypkema
9 18 40 Alan Bookmiller
10 17 0 Randall Richards
11 13 71 Danny Knoll, Jr.
12 11 65 George Skora, III 89
13 2 88 Scott Wylie 81 Accident
14 6 54 Jack Ely 76 Accident
15 14 59 Karl Hehr 75 Over Heating
16 9 66 Austin Kochenash 44 Engine
17 5 28 Kreig Heroth 32 Spark Plug
18 1 4 Zack Knowlden 21 Engine
19 19 1 Chris Risdale 1 Oil Leak
Brian DeFebo reaches 99th career win with another Mahoning Modified win; Mike Sweeney cracks win column for the first time this season; Sage Karam impressive in Dirt Mod and Street Stock debut - AUSTIN FINISHES 3rd
(JULY 14, 2018) Brian DeFebo wrapped up a great weekend, winning his second Modified feature in two days. Fresh off a Friday night verdict at Evergreen Raceway, DeFebo was able to continue on his winning ways Saturday evening at Mahoning Valley Speedway. The seventh starting DeFebo would make quick work of Joey Jarowicz in taking the lead on lap 15. From there on he remained smooth as he held off Bobby Jones for his third win of the season and registered his 99th overall career win.“We’re at 99 (wins) now and it’s exciting. I love racing here at Mahoning Valley. For years it was a struggle but these past two years it’s been nothing but fun,” said DeFebo, who continues to maintain the class point lead and seeks a second straight championship.“I can’t thank (crew chief) Gary Slusser enough. He’s the brains behind this deal. He spends countless hours and from that we have good race cars.” At the onset Ron Haring Jr., jumped into the lead but had unceasing pressure coming from Jarowicz. Haring also had to contend with Jones who was giving him much of the same opposition on his outside.For Haring it was full defensive mode as several times Jarowicz was able to stick his nose inside the leader while at the same time doing whatever necessary to fend off Jones. Unfortunately it all came to a head on lap 13 when the No. 85 got tripped up just past the start finish line and went spinning from the lead.On the restart Jarowicz was shown as the new leader over Jones and DeFebo. Just one lap after the race restarted, DeFebo made his race winning move by going to the low side in whizzing to the front. Jarowicz and Jones continued a great dogfight to the end with Jones getting the runner-up spot. John Markovic and Gene Bowers rounded out the top five.“There wasn’t much racing on the outside tonight so we had to adapt and take down low,” said DeFebo. “Once you get into the lead you then have to go into a defensive style of driving. We have good group of drivers down here and they all race you hard and clean.
In the Winner’s Circle for the Sportsman Modified feature it became a very emotionally charged scene as 15-yeat old Avery Arthofer had just notched her first win with the class and was greeted by her entire family with hugs and tears of joy. A previous winner in Hobby Stocks, Arthofer is in her first season with the Sport Mods and in the race was able to fend off track kingpin Earl Paules for the memorable victory and caring on a family legacy of winning at Mahoning Valley.
Sportsman Modified Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Avery Arthofer, 2. Earl Paules, 3. Austin Beers, 4. Blair Culhane, 5. Richard Lapolt, 6. Jacob Balliet, 7. Kassidy Arthofer, 8. BJ Wambold
Austin Beers Finishes 19, 17, 13, 16 in Bill Teel Memorial
Kyle Strohl, James Pritchard Jr., Tyler Haydt and Joey Jarowicz are Teel Memorial winners…John Markovic is overall champion
(JUNE 30, 2018) It came as no surprise that a season high 24 Modifieds came out to be part of the 2nd Annual Bill Teel Memorial Modified 4-16s. Teel, a past 3-time champion and car owner champion, made an indelible impression with so many people. It was evident by the wonderful turnout both in the pits and grandstands.
The event is unique with four 16-lap features – that being the signature car number run by Teel throughout his career. The quick stints made for some thrilling action and outcomes which is exactly how the night panned out. After all was said and done Kyle Strohl, James Pritchard Jr., Tyler Haydt and Joey Jarowicz took respective checkered flags while John Markovic was declared the overall winner by virtue of his average finishing place across the four mains.
In race number one Roger Coss drew the pole and was steadily maintaining the lead while Strohl stayed close behind. As the field crossed the line to complete lap 12 Strohl felt it was time to make a move and he did so by slipping underneath Coss in turn three. He would then take it home from there and collect his second straight win. “It was key to be aggressive in a short run like this. I just made sure of my tire wear and made my move at the right time. Roger Coss was very tough and he’s such a clean driver to run with,” said Strohl. “To win one of these races means so much to my family and I. Bill (Teel) was a great guy and a great racer.” A redraw of 18 for the next race would see Roger Heffelfinger Jr., and Todd Baer on the front row. Heffelfinger wasted no time in jumping out front while Pritchard and Lou Strohl were hard-hitting on him. Pritchard kept Heffelfinger on his toes over the first half until L. Strohl solidified second spot with six laps to go. He then began laying on all kinds of pressure to Heffelfinger. Looking repeatedly to the inside, Strohl tried to squeeze under Heffelfinger in turn two with two laps remaining. What transpired was contact and a spin that ended either drivers from a possible win. For the restart Pritchard was at the point with Don Wagner on his tail. Not wavering, Pritchard would hold on for just his second Modified win and first since October 2012. It was rough and we really had to work for this,” said Pritchard. “Roger Heffelfinger is one tough competitor and I was fighting him on the outside and then Lou (Strohl) got underneath me and I fell back to third. I felt the way they were racing something was going to happen and it was a case of being in the right place at the right time.” Once again the redraw number was 18 and with that Haydt and K. Strohl would bring the field to the green. This race quickly had a good time feel to it as Teel was a longtime friend, mentor, and business partner plus championship car owner of Haydt. |
Haydt’s ride for the night had come together just days earlier as he was called upon by car owner Robert Wagner to driver the Future Motorsports No. 29. It was only the second time in the past six years that Haydt was racing, making a comeback start in this event last year. Haydt would take the lead and engage in a hard fought battle fending off L. Strohl throughout the distance. “This is awesome. I never, ever wanted to win a race in all the years that we ran than one of these features tonight. Billy meant so much to me and I’m stoked,” an emotional Haydt said. “It was no cakewalk either. Lou Strohl was so tough but he ran me clean. We had struggles to get the car right but it all worked out,” he continued. I’m so happy to give Robert Wagner his first ever win too. I want to thank him for giving me the opportunity to drive his car and putting it in Victory Lane where it belongs.”
In the final 16 Jarowicz shared the front row with Pritchard. The 17-year old made good on the pole start and darted quickly to the front. This young talent has had numerous flashes of glory in his short time in Modifieds and he certainly came of age on route to winning the night’s finale. Behind Jarowicz were Modified kingpins Markovic, Brian DeFebo and Earl Paules. Yet he handled them flawlessly with a solid line of racing. As the checkers waved the Glenn Slocum owned No. 02 had a well-earned career first victory. There have been a couple times that we were close to winning but for whatever reason it just wasn’t to be. It was awesome to get that first win tonight and against guys like John (Markovic), Brian (DeFebo) and Earl (Paules),” said Jarowicz. “With the short distance there’s no holding back. Drawing the pole I knew I just had to run my race and I’d be fine. I didn’t know Bill Teel but heard so much good things about him and this was an honor to get my first win at his memorial.”
1st Modified Feature Finish (16 Laps): 1. Kyle Strohl, 2. Roger Coss, 3. John Markovic, 4. Bobby Jones, 5. Austin Kochenash, 6. Tyler Haydt, 7. Ron Haring Jr., 8. Nick Baer, 9. Brian DeFebo, 10. Rick Kirkendall, 11. Earl Paules, 12. Don Wagner, 13. Joey Jarowicz, 14. Lou Strohl, 15. Zane Zeiner, 16. James Pritchard Jr., 17. Todd Baer, 18. Roger Heffelfinger Jr., 19 Austin Beers, 20. Terry Markovic
2nd Modified Feature Finish (16 Laps): 1. Pritchard Jr., 2. Wagner, 3. Paules, 4. Todd Baer, 5. DeFebo, 6. Kirkendall, 7. John Markovic, 8. Cross, 9. Haring Jr., 10. Kochenash, 11. Nick Baer, 12. Jones, 13. Zeiner, 14. Terry Markovic, 15. Lou Strohl, 16. Kyle Strohl, 17. Beers, 18. Haydt, 19. Heffelfinger Jr., 20. Jarowicz
3rd Modified Feature Finish (16 Laps): 1. Haydt, 2. Lou Strohl, 3. Kyle Strohl, 4. Jones, 5. DeFebo, 6. Zeiner, 7. Paules, 8. Nick Baer, 9. John Markovic, 10. Pritchard Jr., 11. Jarowicz, 12. Terry Markovic, 13. Beers, 14. Cross, 15. Todd Baer, 16. Haring Jr., 17. Kochenash, 18. Kirkendall, 19. Wagner, 20. Heffelfinger Jr.
4th Modified Feature Finish (16 Laps): 1. Jarowicz, 2. John Markovic, 3. DeFebo, 4. Paules, 5. Pritchard Jr., 6. Kyle Strohl, 7. Baer, 8. Haydt, 9. Lou Strohl, 10. Jones, 11. Cross, 12. Zeiner, 13. Wagner, 14. Kochenash, 15. Haring Jr., 16. Beers, 17. Gene Bowers, 18. Todd Baer, 19. Terry Markovic, 20. Heffelfinger Jr
Eric finishes 10th after Tire goes funny during Race - Eric felt he had one of the best cars this night - disappointed with the result.
The stars and cars from the Race of Champions Asphalt Modified Series made their way to the Lancaster National Speedway for the second time this season on Thursday night. After 60 laps of Modified action in the Ol’ Boy Cup 60, it would be .019 seconds deciding the victory in favor of Chuck Hossfeld.
Hossfeld set quick time in qualifying to start the night, picking up the Speed51.com Top of the Board Award. He would also go on to win his heat race, along with Mike Leaty and Cam Barber taking victories in their heat races. After the heat races, the top four drivers from each heat went on to the redraw. Daryl Lewis Jr drew the number-one pill to start alongside Hossfeld who pulled number two.When the green flag flew, Lewis took off with the early lead with Hossfeld in his tire tracks. Lewis held off Hossfeld and Eric Beers early, leading the race’s first 20 circuits.On lap 20, Tommy Catalano slowed on the speedway, bringing out the race’s first caution. On the ensuing restart, Hossfeld found his way around the No. 10 of Lewis and set off with the lead. As the laps clicked off, Mike Leaty found himself getting closer to the black No. 22 of Hossfeld, reaching the second position on lap 34 from his 10th-place starting position.When the yellow flag came out for a spinning Scott Wiley, Leaty was given his opportunity. On lap 37, Leaty finally reached the rear bumper of Hossfeld and give him a tap through turns 3 and 4. From there, the race was on. Leaty dogged Hossfeld lap after lap, giving him an occasional tap in the rear bumper. Twice Leaty tried too hard and lost plenty of ground but ran Hossfeld back down in a matter of laps.When the white flag went in the air, Leaty threw everything he had at Hossfeld into turn one, driving it in deep to get next to Hossfeld on the outside. Leaty again drove in deep in three and four, pulling alongside of Hossfeld for a drag race to the checkered flag. As they crossed the line, Hossfeld claimed the thriling victory over Leaty by an incredible .019 seconds.“My spotter Henry did a great job. I knew where he was strong, so what I tried to do was, I tried to make him go around me, I wasn’t giving him the bottom if I could. If he got me, it would’ve been good for him, but I wasn’t going to make it easy on him,” Hossfeld told Speed51.com. “It was a great race, good for the fans. We won by just the smallest margin. What blows my mind is I had to let off a little early going across the start-finish line because of a couple lapped cars and if he would have gotten me there I would have been sick to my stomach. But here’s the truth, it doesn’t matter because we won.”The win was the first for Hossfeld this year, ending a Race of Champions winless drought going back into the 2016 season.
“Racing is a rollercoaster and I had mentioned that I thought we would be tough again,” he stated. “You get that sense when things are going to be good. We were down for a little bit and we struggled with the car but we’re inching back. It’s not perfect yet, it wasn’t like it was perfect, but good enough to win.” Although Mike Leaty came up just a couple of feet short of the victory to beat Hossfeld on his home turf, he was still pleased with his result.“It would’ve been really nice to even start in the top half of the redraw. If we could’ve started around sixth, seventh, somewhere in that neighborhood, had a few more laps to work over Chuck with a little bit better tires we would have been even stronger and probably could have gotten around him,” Leaty claimed. “It’s hard to get around Chuck Hossfeld at Lancaster. But to give him that kind of run and just come up a nose short is a really good run for our team.” The Race of Champions Modified Tour will head north of the border for their next event at Jukasa Motor Speedway in Hagersville, OT Canada on July 14. Race fans will once again be able to watch that race live on Speed51.com’s Summer Thunder TV
Ol’ Boy Cup 60 Unofficial Finish
Lancaster National Speedway (NY) – June 28, 2018
1) Chuck Hossfeld
2) Mike Leaty
3) Daryl Lewis Jr.
4) Patrick Emerling
5) Daren Scherer
6) Andy Jankowiak
7) George Skora III
8) Karl Hehr
9) Amy Catalano
10) Eric Beers
11) Scott Wylie
12) Zack Knowlden
13) Timmy Catalano
14) Kreig Heroth
15) Tyler Rypkema
16) Alan Book Miller
17) Jack Ely
18) Danny Knoll Jr.
19) Kevin Miller
20) Tommy Catalano
21) John Barber
22) Camden Barber
23) Chris Ridsdale
Austin Beers Finishes 3rd
(JUNE 15 2018)
For the first time in 20 years a Wambold has won a Modified race. BJ Wambold held off Earl Paules to the checkers in the Sportsman Mod event. Wambold started from the pole and was able to fend off Paules as well as Devin Schmidt for the popular win. His grandfather, “The Legend” George Wambold, last won a Modified feature in 1997.
Sportsman Modified Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. BJ Wambold, 2. Earl Paules, 3. Austin Beers, 4. Devin Schmidt, 5. Blair Culhane, 6. Avery Arthofer, 7. Joe King Jr., 8. Kassidy Altemose
Austin Beers Finishes 2nd after starting 5th
(JUNE 2, 2018) Mahoning Valley Speedway presented by Lehighton Ford hosted its annual Fan Appreciation Night to a great crowd and equally great racing as all seven classes provided excellent showmanship.
Thus far during the 2018 the top five in points has been occupied by seasoned veterans led by Brian DeFebo, then Bobby Jones, John Markovic, Earl Paules and Lou Strohl. There is a lot of wins and championships among that iconic group but next in the point’s line is 18-year old Kyle Strohl who has stayed close in their shadows and on Saturday night he showed the old masters why he is one to be reckoned with.Strohl would lead from the outset and then began to author a dominating drive as he was pulling away steadily into the waning stages of the 35-lapper. However, a caution with two to go would allow Austin Kochenash to pull in behind him for the final few tours but Strohl wasn’t about to be denied and rolled to his first win of the year and eighth time in a Modified. “We’ve been struggling the past few weeks to get the right set-up. At intermission today we hit on something and we just put all our effort into it and it all paid off,” said Strohl, who has 31 career overall feature wins, numbers that are worthy of his aforementioned mentors. Thanks to a string of nonstop laps, Strohl used that span to show his hand and was pulling away from the pack on each circuit. “I was unaware of that fact. We were just holding out line and hitting our marks. I just wanted to hold my line and hope for the best,” said Strohl. Behind him the action remained tight at Lou Strohl, Jones and Joey Jarowicz fought tooth and nail. By mid-race Kochenash was also getting in on the battle. With just two laps to go and Strohl looking home free the caution waved for DJ Wagner who backed hard into the wall off turn two and with that went away the huge lead. For the restart Jones was on Strohl’s tail with Kochenash sitting third. On the white flag lap Kochenash slipped by Jones and was then glued to Strohl’s rear bumper but his concentration remained on to the finish and he took the checkered flag by a scant margin. “My heart was beating on the restart because I knew Bobby (Jones) was behind me and you always have to be on your game with him and Austin (Kochenash) too. There’s a lot of great competitors here and they all have their act together. We were behind the eight ball but I think now we’re finally starting to get it right,” said Strohl.
Sportsman Modified Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Earl Paules, 2. Austin Beers, 3. Joe King Jr., 4. Avery Arthofer, 5. Richard Lapolt, 6. Kassidy Altemose, 7. BJ Wambold
Eric finished 7th in return to the Race of Champions tour - Tire wear holds him back
Lancaster National Speedway was finally able to wave the green flag on its 60th season of racing on Saturday with the lid lifter for the X-Press Signs Stock Car Series. Patrick Emerling of Orchard Park, N.Y. kicked off the 2018 campaign with a win in the Queen City Clash 75 for the Race of Champions Modified Series.
Daren Scherer and Tyler Rypkema led the field of 22 RoC Modifieds to opening green flag. Scherer grabbed the early lead, but the caution flag was displayed quickly when Andy Jankowiak cut down a tire on the opening lap. Scherer settled into the lead with Tommy Catalano coming from the third starting position to provide an early challenge. Catalano hounded Scherer as he forced the leader to run hard during the early stages. The pair pulled away from the field until the caution flag flew again on lap 17 for a spin by rookie Zack Knowlden. The race restarted with Scherer and Catalano followed by Chuck Hossfeld, Rypkema and Emerling. Hossfeld quickly dispatched of Catalano to move into third. Emerling started the race in ninth, but was already in to the top five by this point. He passed Catalano for third on lap 33 and then set his sights on Hossfeld. Six laps later Emerling moved past Hossfeld for the runner-up position just before the caution flag came out for a spin by Karl Hehr. Scherer and Emerling were now perched on the front row for the restart with just 36 laps to go. It took Emerling just two laps before Scherer slowed momentarily off of turn two to give up the lead. Scherer thought there was a problem with his engine, but the muffler had just fallen off. Hossfeld passed Scherer for second two laps later. The final caution period of the night happened on lap 50 when Tommy Catalano spun in turn two. The race restarted with Emerling leading Hossfeld, Scherer, Daryl Lewis, Jr. and Eric Beers. Scherer was able to regain second from Hossfeld and Lewis also took over third from him on lap 58. The pair then tried to reel in Emerling. Scherer appeared to be catching Emerling in the turn three end of the race track, but Emerling was a little bit better through turn two. Scherer tried hard to close the gap to Emerling, but Emerling increased his margin with five laps to go. Patrick Emerling held on to score his first RoC Modified win at Lancaster since sweeping all four Modified races in 2016. Scherer settled for second for his best RoC finish in a couple season. Lewis, Jr. finished third after having a very fast race car all day. George Skora III got caught in an early incident and then battled through a flat tire to finish fourth. Hossfeld rounded out the top five.
RESULTS
RACE OF CHAMPIONS MODIFIED SERIES
Heat Winners: Mike Leaty, Daryl Lewis, Jr., Chuck Hossfeld
Fast Qualifier: Chuck Hossfeld – 17.204 seconds
Queen City Clash 75 Finish: PATRICK EMERLING, Daren Scherer, Daryl Lewis, Jr., George Skora III, Chuck Hossfeld, Andy Jankowiak, Eric Beers, Danny Knoll, Jr., Scott Wylie, Mike Leaty, Austin Kochenash, Tommy Catalano, Bill Hebing, Kevin Miller, Karl Hehr, Tyler Rypkema, Jack Ely, Amy Catalano, Zack Knowlden, Kreig Heroth, Alan Bookmiller DNS: John Barber
Bobby Jones makes it two in a row after wild outcome in Ward Crozier Sr., Memorial
(MAY 5, 2018) Mahoning Valley Speedway had an evening of racing that the late promoter Ward Crozier Sr., would have been proud of. On a night that paid homage to his legacy, the pits had nearly 100 race cars, the grandstands where buzzing with enthusiastic fans and the racing was action filled across all seven divisions.
It fit perfectly into the style of Crozier and his concept of how racing should be held at his beloved Mahoning Valley Speedway, the paved ¼-mile oval that he brought back to life in 1987. 31 years later and the same formula changed very little. As part of the tribute all features where run as 26-lappers which was reflective of Crozier’s racing days and his signature car number. Bobby Jones of Palmerton got his start in racing thanks to the kind outreaching of Crozier nearly 30 years ago. Fittingly Jones was humbled when he scored a wild Modified victory, his second in a row. Jones’ first ride in a race car was aided when Crozier offered up a driver’s suit. “I said I had to win this tonight because of him (Crozier) I’m still doing this today,” offered Jones. And, the outcome was just as much a surprise to Jones as was everyone in attendance. DJ Wagner was leading and looking unstoppable en route to a career first Modified win. However, with six laps to go light droplets of rain moved in and prompted the caution. The field remained on the track in order to keep the surface in tack. While touring under the yellow, Wagner abruptly exited the track and yielded the lead over to John Markovic.
The driver’s where then asked to relay to officials if the pavement was good to go back green as the rain halted and the answer was all thumbs up. When the race resumed Markovic had Lou Strohl on his tail while Jones was third.
If the surprise of Wagner exiting wasn’t enough of a blow, no sooner did the first lap get underway the race took another wild turn. In corners three and four Markovic suddenly drifted high and made slight side contact with Strohl who was hustling for the lead. The lane opened up wide enough that Jones dove to the bottom and a thrilling three-wide pass for the lead ensued. “It was a bit weird how everything just fell in place. Johnny (Markovic) went up and got into the 88 (Strohl) and the door opened up and I wasn’t even ready for it,” explained Jones. For the remaining few laps point leader Brian DeFebo leaped into second and hounded Jones to the checkers. “When they asked us to give a thumbs up or down I had mine up, I felt we really never lost the track. I didn’t realize he (Wagner) got off at first. No one ever told us to get off and to just keep rolling,” recalled Jones about the wet condition situation. “I didn’t realize he did it at first. Honestly I think he would have won the race. The track was fine after we restarted.” Earl Paules, Todd Baer and Markovic completed the top five. Jones has been on a roll winning his fourth feature in the last six races dating to the prior season.
“Four of the last six races going back to last season. I’ll take that. Right now we got it going on and I’ll ride it out as long as we can,” Jones said after picking up his 39th career win.
Broc Brown blasted by Jacob Kerstetter on lap seven and then cruised dominantly to his first Late Model win of the season in a caution free race that was over in just under five minutes.
Seeing the name Beers as the winner of a Modified race is nothing new as Eric Beers has won time and again. Saturday night the Beers Modified was again gracing Victory Lane only this time it was Eric’s son Austin who was collecting the accolades. The 15-year old Beers drove to his career first Sportsman Modified win and did so over longtime rival of his dad, Earl Paules. The two would run toe-to-toe for the lead until Beers solidified the top spot for good with 10 laps to go and drove flawlessly to the decisive verdict.
Defending Dirt Mod champ Mike Stofflet made it known from the get-go that he was going to be the man to beat. Taking the lead from the outset Stofflet was on a mission as he stayed well ahead of the pack over the distance and notched a solid victory, his first of the year.
The Street Stock main was the 600th such feature and Corey Edelman was able to hold off a very determined Jon Moser in claiming the thrilling win.
Edelman took control of the race on lap 13 but was in heavy company the rest of the way, having to withstand Mark Deysher and eventually Moser. The finish was a squeaker as he nipped Moser by a mere .038-second margin of victory.
Cody Kohler showed plenty of swiftness on his way to a second straight Pro 4 triumph. After going around Bobby Kibler Sr., on lap eight for the lead Kohler was not about to let up and held back Barry Christman Jr., and Jake Kibler for the resounding win.
The Hobby Stock feature was cut short due to an over expected amount of cautions and track cleanup but that didn’t seem deter Al Arthofer who won for the first time. It would be hard pressed to think otherwise that it was not to be his night as Arthofer was very strong in leading every lap.
Sportsman Modified Feature Finish (26 Laps): 1. Austin Beers, 2. Earl Paules, 3. Kassidy Altemose, 4. Blair Culhane, 5. Devin Schmidt, 6. Avery Arthofer, 7. BJ Wambold
Bobby Jones holds off Don Wagner for top Modified honors; Paul Koehler Jr., is best in Late Models; Earl Paules notches first win with new Sportsman class
(4-21-18) Bobby Jones could be forming a pattern it seems. Last year when Brian DeFebo won Opening Night Jones came out victorious on week two. Fast forward one year later and the same scenario played out as Jones took the week two laurels yet again.
For the outset of the 35-lap main Don Wagner and Joey Jarowicz shared the front row. Once underway Wagner sprung to the lead with third place starter Jones in tow. Jones was wasting little time in looking to pass Wagner and by lap four he was in motion to do so until a caution negated his effort. On the restart Jones would make good on his foiled attempt as he vaulted by for the lead. Two laps later the second and only other caution waved which afterwards led to a quick paced run. Jones would set that tone as he ran a consistent line while keeping Wagner in check. At the checkers the personable veteran took his APS Powder Coating/Franzosa Trucking No. 1J across the line for his 38 career feature win. Wagner followed with a solid second which made up for a lackluster Opening Night run. Gene Bowers had steady and solid race as he was third by lap seven and stayed right in line with the front pair. DeFebo and Earl Paules rounded out the top five.
Paul Koehler Jr., needed just one week to get back into the swing of winning, something he quite accustomed to. The Kingpin of asphalt Late Model racing won his first race in just his second week back after sitting out all of last season. Koehler had things going his way from early on as he notched his heat. Then when the feature began he would lead the field to the green and continue on at the top spot for the rest of the nonstop 25-lap distance, collecting his 72nd career Late Model victory. And, although the lead was all his, Koehler was in some heavy company the whole while as Opening Night winner Frankie Althouse, Broc Brown and Mike Sweeney were stayed closely his tire tracks. None, however, could progress enough to make a pass as Koehler registered his 53rd Late Model win at Mahoning.
The much awaited debut of the Sportsman Modified finally took to the track with a respectable half-dozen cars on hand made up of a great crop of young talents. However, it would be a grand veteran who would etch his name into the record books as the very first class winner with Earl Paules taking the verdict. Avery Arthofer went into the early lead and was impressive in her Modified debut. A caution on lap eight saw Paules lined up next to her for the restart and it would be then where he seized the lead and go on to the eventual victory. 2017 Hobby Stock champion Austin Beers, who made his Modified debut the previous week with the headline division, was a firm runner-up while Arthofer held on for third.
When Jared Ahner unveiled his brand new Camaro Street Stock during pre-season testing, it turned many heads for its sleek and sharp look. On Saturday night Ahner showed everyone that it not just looker but a very fast racecar as well. Taking the lead away from Eric Kocher on lap six, Ahner was able to fend off a very strong running Mark Deysher the rest of the way and secure his first win of 2018.
Cody Kohler had to withstand a rash of cautions not to mention the hard pressing Jake Kibler in gaining the Pro 4 win. Kohler inherited the led after Josh Kuronya spun from contention on lap two. Afterwards it was yellow fever but none of that nor the persistent Kibler could stop Kohler from his focus on winning.
In the 20-lap Hobby Stock feature it was Devin Schmidt taking the win. Schmidt needed the first five laps before taking the lead from Kevin Behler and once in front there was no stopping him. Schmidt cruised with no trouble to the checkers while a distance back Michael Wambold nipped Travis Solomon for runner-up.
Modified Feature Finish (35 Laps): 1. Bobby Jones, 2. Don Wagner, 3. Gene Bowers, 4. Brian DeFebo, 5. Earl Paules, 6. John Markovic, 7. Lou Strohl, 8. Kyle Strohl, 9. Nick Baer, 10. Jarred Ahner, 11. Joey Jarowicz, 12. DJ Wagner, 13. Kristy Arthofer, 14. Jack Ely, 15. Ron Haring Jr., 16. Terry Markovic
Late Model Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Paul Koehler Jr., 2. Frankie Althouse, 3. Broc Brown, 4. Mike Sweeney, 5. Jeremy Miller, 6. Kenny Hein, 7. Jacob Kerstetter
Street Stock Feature Finish (30 Laps): 1. Jared Ahner, 2. Mark Deysher, 2. Jill Long, 4. Cody Geist, 5. Jon Moser, 6. Stacey Brown, 7. Shayne Geist, 8. Bobby Kibler Jr., 9. Todd Ahner, 10. Jamie Smith, 11. Ken Reeder, 12. Corey Edelman, 13. Ken Erney III, 14. Jeremy Scheckler, 15. Eric Kocher, DNS: BJ Wambold
Sportsman Modified Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Earl Paules, 2. Austin Beers, 3. Avery Arthofer, 4. Blair Culhane, 5. Devon Schmidt, 6. Kassidy Altemose
Pro 4 Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Cody Kohler, 2. Jake Kibler, 3. Bill Rooney, 4. Bobby Kibler Jr., 5. Josh Kuronya, 6. Brian Muth, 7. Tucker Muffley, 8. Jeremy Guerra, 9. Randy Schaffer, 10. Matt Clark, 11. Tyler Stangle
Hobby Stock Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Devin Schmidt, 2. Michael Wambold, 3. Travis Solomon, 4. Tiffany Wambold, 5. Kevin Behler, 6. Trisha Connolly, 7. Al Arthofer, 8. Justin Merkel, 9. Peyton Arthofer, 10. Ryan Berger, 11. Shawn Kistler, 12. Lyndsay Buss, 13. Hunter Iatalese, 14. Cody Boehm, 15. Kassidy Altemose, 16. Tad Snyder, 17. Adrian Dorwart, 18. Jacob Boehm, 19. Beau Drobot, 20. Taylor Schmidt
For Brian DeFebo, Opening Night win was déjà vu; Frankie Althouse, Cody Geist, Mark Levy, Jake Kibler and Shawn Kistler among class winners
(APRIL 14, 2018) A new era of racing was ushered in at Mahoning Valley Speedway on Saturday. Now under the leadership of Jack and Rebecca Carlino, a great Opening Night crowd poured into the track to kick-off the 2018 season.
Defending Modified champion Brian DeFebo got his year off to a great start as well, scoring the Opening Night laurels for a second straight time. And, just as he did a year ago the win came over Austin Kochenash. DeFebo would use a last lap restart to slip below Kyle Strohl and then held back Kochenash, who also advanced on the same restart, to register his 67th career Modified win and 96th overall. “It’s exciting to start this way and a great way to come back and defend our championship,” said DeFebo who is back behind the wheel of the Welsh Motorsports No. 53. With a heads-up start from heat finishes to begin the 35-lap main, Joey Jarowicz and Strohl would bring the field to the race commencing green. From there Jarowicz went right to the lead and was turning solid laps in the process. Strohl was settled in second and every few laps would make a bid at the lead. Each time, though, Jarowicz was able to guard his spot, looking very poised for his overdue first win. With 16 laps in Strohl again went for the lead and this time was able to pull to the inside of Jarowicz. Afterwards a thrilling two-wide battle ensued. Then on the 19th tour the pair came into turn three and Jarowicz got slightly loose. He and Strohl then made incidental contact. Before Jarowicz had a chance to recover his car got completely out of line and skidded into the front straight wall and suffered race ending damage. “That was just circumstances. Joey (Jarowicz) just got the car a little sideways. Kyle had nothing to do with that from where I was sitting,” offered DeFebo, who was riding behind the two when the incident unfolded. Afterwards it was Strohl over DeFebo and with the laps winding it was appearing to finish that way. Unfortunately for Strohl a last lap caution waved for debris and with one last shot DeFebo powered under Strohl and took Kochenash with him. “There was no outside line tonight. Once we had that last restart I had Austin (Kochenash) assisting me. I was then on the 44 (Strohl) and he left me just enough room,” explained DeFebo on his race winning move. “Kyle did a great job but you have to do what you have to do in order to pass here. It’s not at a point stance right now. We’re all here tonight win and everyone wants to win the first one.”
In Late Model action Frankie Althouse made a breathtaking three-wide pass for the lead on lap four and remained in control the rest of the distance in notching the top spot. Two-time and defending class champ Mike Sweeney took control at the outset but it would be short lived as Broc Brown used a lap one restart to overtake him. With Althouse in third, he then drove low two laps later to go underneath Brown while Sweeney was forced to the high outside lane. While much of the huge crowd may have gasped by what could have been a chaotic consequence, the trio of talented wheelmen held their own and settling into the lead was Althouse. From there on it was smooth sailing for Althouse who picked up career win number 24. Brown was quick but had to settle for second while Sweeney came home third.
Being in the right place at the right time aided Cody Geist in winning the Street Stock feature. Corey Edelman was within reach of taking the Street Stock checkers until a late race nudge from Josh Mooney dashed his hopes. When the field was reset Geist, who was riding third, was in charge and over the final few laps had no problem fending back 2017 division titlist Stacey Brown. Opening Night wins are always special but when it came to the Dirt Mod event perhaps no one could have more elated then Mark Levy.
The high-spirited Levy moved into the lead during a lap one caution period after then leader Ricky Yetter had to pit for a flat. When the race resumed Levy showed no signs of relinquishing the point as he motored around the 1/4-mile with perfect accuracy and won over Billy Lasko. It was only the second win for Levy whose last win came exactly five years and a day since then.
Jake Kibler raced to the Pro 4 victory but it was with a heavy heart as the day prior his mother, Pat Hosier, passed away. Kibler started from the pole and early on had a good fight going with Cody Kohler. After Kohler spun while trying for the lead on lap 8, Kibler then let second place play out to everyone else as he steadily held his position the rest of the way. Bill Rooney claimed the runner-up spot.
Shawn Kistler certainly had plenty to celebrate on this night as he finally broke through for his career first feature win, taking top honors in the Hobby Stocks. Kistler passed Lindsay Buss on lap two and from there never looked back en route to the unforgettable verdict.
Alex Greenzweig was best in class with the visiting Micro Stocks.
Modified Feature Finish (35 Laps): 1. Brian DeFefo, 2. Austin Kochenash, 3. Earl Paules, 4. Kyle Strohl, 5. Lou Strohl, 6. Gene Bowers, 7. Nick Baer, 8. John Markovic, 9. DJ Wagner, 10. Ron Haring Jr., 11. Austin Beers, 12. Bobby Jones, 13. Joey Jarowicz, 14. BJ Wambold, 15. Don Wagner, 16. Kassidy Altemose
Late Model Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Frankie Althouse, 2. Broc Brown, 3. Mike Sweeney, 4. Lorin Arthofer II, 5. Jeremy Miller, 6. Jerric Johnson, 7. Paul Koehler Jr., 8. Kenny Hein, 9. Jacob Kerstetter
Street Stock Feature Finish (30 Laps): 1. Cody Geist, 2. Stacey Brown, 3. Bobby Kibler Jr., 4. Jillian Long, 5. Shayne Geist, 6. Todd Ahner, 7. Jamie Smith, 8. Mark Deysher, 9. DJ Wambold, 10. Ken Erney III, 11. Jared Ahner, 12. Ken Reeder, 13. Corey Edelman, 14. Josh Mooney, 15. Joe Steigerwalt, 16. Jeremy Scheckler, 17. Jason Kuhn, 18. Eric Kocher
Dirt Mod Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Mark Levy, 2. Billy Lasko, 3. Jeff Parker, 4. Billy Lowden Jr., 5. Bill Sitler Jr., 6. Corey Edelman, 7. Colton Perry, 8. Ray Deemer, 9. Vince Fegley Jr., 10. Ricky Yetter, 11. Mike Stofflet
Pro 4 Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Jake Kibler, 2. Bill Rooney, 3. Randy Schaffer, 4. Cody Kohler, 5. Tucker Muffley, 6. Jeremy Guerra, 7. Bryan Muth, 8. Matt Clark, 9. Tyler Stangle DNS: Jason Finken, Bobby Kibler Sr., Johnny Bennett, Josh Kuronya
Hobby Stock Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Shawn Kistler, 2. Lyndsay Buss, 3. Hunter Iatalese, 4. Jacob Boehm, 5. Justin Merkel, 6. Tiffany Wambold, 7. Peyton Arthofer, 8. Cody Boehm, 9. Avery Arthofer, 10. Trisha Connolly, 11. Ryan Berger, 12. Devin Schmidt, 13. Lauren Gimbi, 14. Kassidy Altemose, 15. Beau Drobot, 16. Michael Wambold, 17. Travis Solomon, 18. Colton Breiner, 19. Taylor Schmidt, 20. Al Arthofer DNS: Paul Effrig DNQ: Kevin Behler