Semic captures first Super Late Model feature
Tim Senic has been racing at the Roaring Knob Motorsports Complex for years. He’s had many good finishes, and although he’s been very competitive, a feature win has always eluded him. Senic’s fortunes changed Saturday evening as he captured his first Super Late Model win at the Markleysburg dirt track. Uniontown’s Mel Minnick, Jr., looked strong as he led the first 11 laps of the feature before Senic took over. The Elkins W.Va., driver led the rest of the way, holding off Doug Horton, Butch McGill, Bob Gordon, and Gary Dalton to the checkered flag. Ron Delano, Jr., Richard Frazier, Rodney Sweitzer, LC Powers (Mt. Morris), and Dusty Hamrick, rounded out the top 10. Delano and Billy Holbert won the Super Late Model heat races.
Mason Zeigler, of Chalk Hill, returned to Late Model victory lane. Zeigler, who won his first career feature only a couple of weeks ago, started second in his feature event, and promptly jumped into the lead. Zeigler withstood pressure from Mike Lewis and division point leader Jim Kutas during the race to pick up the win. Kutas placed second, followed by Lewis, Cody Hardesty, Fred Zeigler (Chalk Hill), Wayne Jordan (Dilliner), Garry Sisson (Uniontown), Chuck Bloom (Uniontown), Shane Hitt, and Dave Gump. Heat winners were Kutas and Fred Zeigler.
Modified heat race winner Vic Vandergrift passed Nick Cramer on the sixth lap of the feature, and raced to his fourth win of the year. Cramer held on to second over Ray Johnson (Point Marion), Rick Strickler, Will Rowe, Todd Daughenbaugh, Bobby Bennett, and Mike Errett.
Street Stock qualifying races were won by Jim Bendishaw, Jr., Mike Duritsky, and Bob Nelson. The division also ran double features. Nelson, of Bittner, led the entire regular feature, thwarting the challenges of Todd Dennis (Newell), Bendishaw, Tom Newman (Lemont Furnace), Duritsky, Jim “Jimbo” Byers (McCellandtown), Marshall Coleman (Shady Grove), Matt Rishell (Uniontown), Chris Lucy (Chalk Hill), and George Kelley (Waynesburg).
Masontown’s Duritsky won the Street Stock make-up feature after getting a good jump on the rest of the field from the pole position. Byers pressured Duritsky early in the event, but he never surrendered the lead, and drove to his second win of the season over Bendishaw, Jr., of Uniontown, Byers, Dennis, Nelson, Pat Monaghan (Uniontown), Newman, Matt Franks (Smithfield), Coleman, and Rishell.
Bob Miller and Frank Spade won the Charger heat races. Mark Peck, Jr., stormed into the lead in the Charger feature, with the Mopar of Miller in hot pursuit. Miller ran in the second spot until Ken Burkholder wrestled the position away with three laps remaining in the event. When the checkers flew, Peck Jr. (Lemont Furnace) took the win over Burkholder (Mill Run), Marty Spade, Jr., (Farmington), Miller (Lemont Furnace), Kyle Burkholder (Mill Run), Bus Matthews (Lemont Furnace), Shane Wheeler, Sr., Bob Matthews (Lemont Furnace), Jason Humberson, and Russ Baird (Uniontown).
There was plenty of action at Motordrome Speedway on Friday night. When the evening ended, three new winners had celebrated in victory lane.
Richard Mitchell, of Bruceton, Mills, W.Va., won his first Super Late Model feature in two years at the Smithton asphalt oval. Mitchell, a three-time Super Late Model champion, made his winning move on lap 23 when he passed Tommy Beck. Beck maintained the position the rest of the way, finishing ahead of Mark Poole (Eighty-Four), Garry Wiltrout, Bobby Henry (Connellsville), Neil Brown (Acme), Todd Price, Mark Cottone, Beau Glemba (Charleroi), and Greg Kelley (Connellsville). Beck and Wiltrout won the Super Late Model heat races.
Adam Kostelnik drove to an unprecedented ninth consecutive Modifed feature win. Kostelnik started the feature in the rear of the field once again, and methodically worked his way through. Bob Shipp had a big lead over Kostelnik and the rest of the pack before the yellow waved on lap 17. That gave Kostelnik the break he needed, and with one lap to go, he passed Shipp for the lead and the win. Belle Vernon’s Harry Opfer finished a strong third, besting Lonnie Hoffman, Gary Scott, George Nicola, Jr., Bryan Shipp, Rick Huffman, Tom Frank, and Chris Brink. Kostelnik and Nicola won the Modified heat races.
Ted Gibala, Jr., took the lead from Jason Holder early in the Street Stock feature and pulled away from the pack. Point leader Shawn Phillips, of Jefferson, raced his way into second place on the eighth lap, and began to chase Gibala. A caution period on lap 12 bunched up the field. But teenager Gibala was able to hold his ground the rest of the way, capturing his second win of the season over Phillips, Jon Hileman (Belle Vernon), Joe Nicola, Tom Knight, Sr., Jon Greenawalt, Aaron Minjock, Tony Manganello, Holder, and Jeff Zillweger. Hileman and Phillips were victorious in the Street Stock heat races.
Ed Neidhardt, Jr. was the early leader of the Charger feature. A suspension problem slowed Neidhardt, who was nudged by Chris Spadacene, who the used the low side of the track to take the lead. Spadacene was never headed and raced to a career first victory.
In victory lane, he said, “I bided my time, and ran in the back of the pack until I learned how to drive this race car.”
Finishing behind Spadacene was Denny Keller, Tracey Keller, Mike Lemley (Vandergrift), Bill Oldham (Connellsville), Bob Garchak, Jr., Matt Gardner, Roger Bryan, and Neidhardt. Gardner won the Charger heat race.
Stan Nodina was the third new face in victory lane, as he notched the first American Flyer win of his career. Ed Dinneen took second, over Paul Rosa, Ron Eiford (Scottdale), Ed Shelpman, Mary Catherine Shimko (Keisterville), Kevin Ludwick (Star Junction), Terry Schwartz, and Dan Kovalan. Rosa won the American Flyer heat race.
Dave Dragovich may be contacted at somersetdave@comcast.net