Poole captures first victory at Motordrome Speedway
Mark Poole, of Eighty-Four, Pa., won the Super Late Model feature at Motordrome Speedway on Friday night. Poole won races in the Pa. Legacy Car Series at the track a decade ago, and won a couple of Super Late Model features at Jennerstown, but had never captured a victory at the Smithton oval until Friday. Poole started the feature in the fourth spot, and was running third when leader Gary Wiltrout came to an abrupt halt in turn four with engine problems. A side-by side battle between Poole and Todd Price ensued after the race resumed, with Poole taking the lead for keeps several laps later.
At the checkered flag, it was Poole notching the win over Neil Brown (Acme), Tommy Beck, Richard Mitchell, Bobby Henry (Connellsville), Mark Cottone, John Komarinski, Nathan Russell, Greg Kelley (Connellsville), Steve Black, Paul Urso, Price, Cody Quarrick (Uniontown), Mike Zombar, Joe Moose, Dan Lewis (Monongahela), Beau Glemba (Charleroi) and Wiltrout. Beck, Mitchell and Wiltrout won the heats.
The Modifieds ran a special 30-lap feature. Adam Kostelnik led the most important lap of the event, as he beat Bob Shipp by inches at the finish line. Shipp, who led the race for 20 laps, finished second ahead of Pete Rech, Gary Scott, Tom Frank, Chris Brink, Bryan Shipp, Jim Nicola, Marion Reno and Rich Nicola. Bob Bentz, Jr., a teammate of Kostelnik, was behind the wheel for the first time in six years. Bentz won his heat race in the backup Viglione entry. Kostelnik won the other modified heat race.
Greene County’s Shawn Phillips is quickly becoming the man to beat in Motordrome’s Street Stock division. The Jefferson driver won his heat race and started the feature in the eighth position. Despite racing with broken ribs from a work-related accident, Phillips stormed through the pack, passing Joe Nicola for the lead on lap 10. Shawn never relinquished that lead and raced to his second win of the year. Nicola claimed second over Tom Knight Sr., Chris Bailey, Jon Hileman (Belle Vernon), Ted Gibala Jr., Jason Holder, Aaron Minjock, Rich Burbidge and Jeff Zillweger. Andrew Kostelnik won the other Street Stock qualifer.
Defending Charger champion Mike Lemley, of Vanderbilt, started eighth in the feature. On lap 5, Lemley had the lead and was successful in holding off Jim Stokes, Matt Gardner (Ruffsdale), Tracy Keller, Denny Keller, Roger Bryan, Ed Neidhardt, Bob Garchak, Jr., Bruce Hamilton, Bill Oldham (Connellsville) and Chris Spadacene for the win. Gardner won the Charger heat.
It was a very good night for Ed Dinneen, as he won both the American Flyer heat race and the feature. Coming home behind Dinneen were Paul Rosa, Ron Eiford (Scottdale), Stan Nodina and Ed Shelpman. Young Bill Schwartz was transported to an area hospital after a hard encounter with the turn one wall on the second lap of his feature. Bill was treated and released.
Roaring Knob Motorsports Complex News – Gary Dalton started third in the 40-lap Super Late Model feature and cruised to his fourth win of the season. The victory netted Gary a $3,000 paycheck. Doug Horton, running the Bobby Lake-owned 46, finished the race in the runner-up spot. Dashing to the checkered flag behind Horton were Alex Ferree, Bob Hershman, Bob Gordon, Mel Minnick Jr. (Uniontown), Greg Fetters, Tim Senic, LC Powers (Mt. Morris) and Gary Gellner. Horton, Hershman, and Dalton won the heats.
Mike Lewis, of Oakland, Maryland, was the early leader of the Late Model feature. Lewis looked like he was on his way to a win, when he spun out with three laps remaining. Jim Kutas then inherited the lead and drove to his second victory of the season. Andy Spooner, Garry Sisson (Uniontown), Dan Hill, Dave Gump, Greg Hauger (Uniontown), Cody Hardesty, Beau Glemba (Charleroi), Tom Sieger and Derek Doll, in a 17-year-old racecar, rounded out the top 10. Uniontown’s Chuck Bloom and Fred Zeigler of Chalk Hill, grabbed heat race wins.
Nolan Dalton claimed his first career win driving a Modified. Dalton won his heat race, then took the lead from Andre Layfield on lap four of the feature and was never headed. Layfield hung on to second place and was followed by Vic Vandergrift, Phil Jeffries, Denny Perigo, Rod Lanham, Nick Cramer, Lou Ennis, Todd Daughenbaugh and Mike Errett at the checkered flag. Jeffries won the other Modified heat.
Bob Nelson, of Bittner, won his first Street Stock feature of the season. Nelson moved out in front of the pack after making an inside pass on Uniontown’s Josh Bendishaw, who led the first 11 laps. Bendishaw placed second ahead of Mike Duritsky (Masontown), Jim Bendishaw Jr. (Uniontown), Sam King (Mill Run), “Jimbo” Byers (McClellandtown), Chris Lucy (Chalk Hill), Willie Porter (East Millsboro), Matt Franks (Smithfield) and Charlie McClain (Mt. Braddock). Nelson and King claimed the heat race wins.
Marty Spade Jr., of Farmington, started sixth in the Charger feature. Before the first lap was completed, Spade had the lead and drove to his fourth win of the season at the Markleysburg dirt oval. Rookie Kyle Burkholder, from Mill Run, had the best race of his young career with a second-place finish. The rest of the top 10: Brad Jenkins (Lemont Furnace), Bob Miller (Lemont Furnace), Ken Burkholder (Mill Run), Bus Matthews (Lemont Furnace), Jason Humberson, Bryson Sanders, Mark Peck Jr., (Lemont Furnace) and Bob Matthews (Lemont Furnace). Peck and Ryan Newman, of Lemont Furnace, were victorious in the Charger heat races.