Sep 17, 2009 3 min read

Tim Senic is the new Super Late Model champion at Roaring Knob. Other 2009 track champions include Troy Shields (Acme) in the Late Models, Vic Vandergrift (Modifieds), Bob Nelson (Street Stocks), and Ken Burkholder of Mill Run, in the Chargers. Winning the 2009 track championships at Motordrome Speedway were Mark Cottone (Super Lates), Adam Kostelnik (Modifieds), Dink Colarusso (Street Stocks), Matt Gardner (Chargers), and Matt Sever (Super Compacts).

Cottone, from McKeesport, won the Super Late Model championship in 1995 and 2001. He had his ups and downs the last five years and even reverted to running a part time schedule at one point. It was a different story in 2009. Mark got off to a great start. He captured immediate momentum, and kept that momentum going the entire season. Remarkably, he ran 18 features, and finished out of the top 10 only one time as a result of a crash caused by a blown tire.

Kostelnik, who resides in the East McKeesport area, has never lost a championship since he climbed behind the steering wheel of the Viglione Modified entry six years ago. Surrounding the multi-talented Kostelnik at Motordrome every Friday for the last half dozen years are engine builder and former drag racer Harry Luzader, as well as car owners Buzz Viglione, and his father, octogenarian Joe Viglione, a racing legend who competed from the 1950’s through the mid 1980’s. Fans are already wondering if a seventh consecutive championship could be on the horizon.

A past Street Stock champion, Kostelnik elected to put Colarusso in his Street Stock machine for the 2009 season. The move paid dividends, as the Greensburg competitor, himself a former champion who was almost unbeatable at Jennerstown earlier in the decade, racked up ten feature victories, the most of any driver at Motordrome this year.

Gardner, dubbed “The Duke of Ruffsdale” by track announcer Mike Lysakowski, trailed Tracy Keller by 17 points going into Friday night’s program. “I’m a little nervous,” he admitted before the races began. “But regardless of what happens, I’m happy with the year we’ve had. It’s a big improvement over last season, and we’re having a lot of fun.” At the end of the day, Matt celebrated the first championship of his career. The 37-year-old Gardner is employed as the General Manager of Canadian-based Bombarder Corporation, a firm that manufactures trains, planes, snowmobiles, and people movers. Matt’s location in West Mifflin produces the latter. Gardner is seriously considering a move into the Super Late Model division in 2010.

Sever, a teenage racer from West Newton who was featured in a Herald Standard article a few weeks ago, also won the first track championship of his budding career. Playing football for Yough High School the last couple of weeks, he arrived at Motordrome each week after the games in just enough time to tag on to the rear of the feature. Matt’s strategy worked, and he was able to secure the championship.

The UF0 Late Model Series moves to Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday for the 21st annual Pittsburgher race.

Dave Dragovich can be reached at somersetdave@comcast.net