7/13/2017
Jennerstown Speedway
Wiltrout and Nelson Double Up at Jennerstown
(July 8, 2017) On American Racer Night at the Jennerstown Speedway Complex, several drivers reached victory lane for the second time in 2017. Former Champion, Garry Wiltrout, of Somerset, PA, became a repeat winner in the Martella’s Pharmacies Late Model division, changing his fortunes after a crash eliminated him from the lead a week prior. “Racin’ Jason” Busch made his second trip to victory lane in the Stoystown Auto Wreckers Modified division, as did Dale Kimberly in the Farmers Union Co-Op Chargers. Brent Nelson, of Petersburg, WV, won his first AND second events of the year, sweeping the “Twin 50-lap” races for the visiting Super Cup Stock Car Series. Other winners included Shawn Beam (J&J Truck Equipment Street Stocks) and Andrew Pluta (Somerset Trust Company Fast ‘n Furious 4-Cylinders), who each lead their divisions’ win columns.
The nationally televised Super Cup Stock Car Series visited Jennerstown for the first of two events on the 2017 schedule. With a format of two 50-lap feature events, fans witnessed a dominating performance by a series veteran. Brent Nelson swept both events, outrunning all competitors with ease, to claim a pair of trophies in the one night. The event will be broadcast on the MAV-TV network on a date to be announced.
Veterans Rick Boyer and Garry Wiltrout led the Martella’s Pharmacies Late Models to the green flag, for the 30-lap feature race. Wiltrout became the leader on lap one, as Boyer held the runner up spot for several laps, during his strongest performance of the year. One week earlier, Wiltrout was leading with just three laps to go, when a collision heavily damaged his car, dashing the hopes of his second win of the year. But on July 8, he defended his lead successfully, from the late race challenges of 2016 Champion Barry Awtey, and 2017 winner Bryan Shipp. Awtey started eighth, and passed Boyer for second place on lap eleven. Awtey, already a two-time winner this year, closed in on leader Wiltrout, but was never close enough to mount a serious bid for first place. With two laps to go, heat race winner Teddy Gibala spun, bringing out a caution flag. But, even with his challengers surrounding him closely for a restart, former Champ Wiltrout, was able to maintain the lead and score his second victory of the year. On the final lap, Shipp passed Awtey for second place and nearly reached Wiltrout’s rear bumper at the finish line, after he started the event in seventh place. Two time winner, and points leader Jeremiah Kuntz, and Todd Price finished fourth and fifth behind Awtey. Wiltrout thanked his hard working crew, for repairing the significant damage in a six day span, allowing the Stone & Company/Franjo Construction/Meegan Ford to return to victory lane.
“Racin Jason” Busch was also involved in a collision one week prior, and managed to take the checkered flag in the Stoystown Auto Wreckers Modified division for redemption. Jim Bodziak started from the pole position in the 20-lap feature race, and held off 2016 winner Gary Scott to lead the early laps. On lap seven, Busch advanced to second place after starting sixth. On lap seven, Busch took the lead, and he remained at the head of the pack the rest of the event. He was challenged, repeatedly, by defending Champ Zane Ferrell. Ferrell started ninth, in the quest for his first win of the year, and tried the outside lane to move around Busch. But, Busch was too strong, as he drove to win number two of 2017. Busch’s family and crew were absent when he earned his first career Jennerstown trophy weeks ago, but were present to celebrate with the Pittsburgh driver, after his second triumph. Behind points leader and second place finisher Ferrell, were opening night winner Tom Golik, previous week’s winner Pete Rech – who started tenth, and points leader Chris Brink, as the top five.
A thrilling drive to the front yielded a fourth victory of the season for the defending Champion of the J&J Truck Equipment Street Stocks. Shawn Beam, the most veteran driver in the field, started in tenth place, but found victory lane again, after passing several recent winners in the 20-lap race. Mel Wilt led the first lap, before Steve Singo moved to the front of the pack. Aaron Van Fleet then became the leader for three laps. Lauren Butler, who placed second by inches the previous week, led one lap, before Beam advanced to the top spot. The fifth different leader of the race, would remain ahead of the competition, to take another checkered flag – as Beam now has twice as many wins as any other driver in the division. Butler placed second, with Anthony Aiello advancing late in the event to take third place. Recent two-time winner and points leader Josh Coughenour finished fourth, and Van Fleet crossed the finish line in fifth place.
Several laps of side-by-side racing pleased the fans, during the Farmers Union Co-Op Chargers’ 15-lap feature. Joe Ruskey led lap one, before veteran Scott Mitchell moved into the lead. Mitchell, a winner in 2016, is learning a brand new race car this season, and he officially led seven laps. After a memorable duel, side by side for numerous laps, Dale Kimberly took the lead. Using the inside groove, with Mitchell in the outside lane, Kimberly drove to his second win of the year after starting seventh. Mitchell, still looking for his first win this year, placed second ahead of two 2017 winners – Tanner Friedline, and Steve Long. Young Emily Shaulis placed fifth, after her best run of the season.
Three drivers entered the night as “two time winners,” in the Somerset Trust Company Fast ‘n Furious 4-Cylinder division, but one man now stands alone as a three time victor. Andrew Pluta started in tenth place, but took the lead before the 15-lap race was half over, and cruised to victory lane. He also advanced to the lead in the Championship Standings by outrunning 14th place starter Casey Fleegle for the win. Eighth place starter Evan Nibert finished third after contact with Fleegle, followed by ninth place starter Brian Noel, and Matthew Ruffing in the top five positions.
Saturday, July 15, the most anticipated race of the year at Jennerstown Speedway Complex will get the green flag at 6pm. The annual visit of the winged, open-wheel Supermodifieds will offer fans the chance to see the world’s fastest short-track racing machines. Sanctioned by the International Supermodified Association, these breath-taking machines will participate in time trials (at 5pm), then heat races, and a 50-lap feature race, sponsored by Farmers Union Co-op and Powered By Milk. All five divisions of Jennerstown stock cars will also be in competition. For more details visit www.jennerstown.org.
Brent Nelson Rebounds for July Jennerstown SCSCS Sweep
Jennerstown, Pennsylvania (July 9, 2017) – Brent Nelson entered the 2017 Super Cup Stock Car Series season poised to improve one more position from his 2016 runner-up championship effort. Unfortunately, that quest derailed right off the bat at Midvale Speedway due to a mechanical failure early in the first Twin 50 at the Ohio track.
The Petersburg, West Virginia driver would not let the dismal results get his team down as they rallied back to claim the pole award and both victories in Saturday’s American Racer “Night at the Races” presented by United Tire at Jennerstown Speedway Complex in Pennsylvania.
The first 50-lap event was a flag-to-flag fourth career victory for Nelson, but involved numerous restarts after on track altercations bunched the field. The scariest accident of the evening involved Midvale winner Trent Gossar and veteran racer Mike Potter. Gossar lost the steering to his car entering turn one sending the Potter machine outside of him into the outside wall with an incredible impact that caught some air. Thankfully, both drivers were okay despite their demolished stock cars.
Nelson easily gained the lead from the start navigating by most recent race winner Stephen Cox, whose night was cut short only seven laps in after his motor let go. Nelson later cruised to the checkered flag in the closing laps followed by Jim Crabtree Jr. with his third consecutive second place finish and Kevin Kromer rounding out the podium.
During the second Twin 50, Nelson’s competitors would not make it easy on him to advance to the front. After redrawing the fourth starting position, the No. 80 Airtek Inc. / Precision Auto Collision / Berg Construction Chevrolet maneuvered to second, but was thwarted during a number of attempts to get around Brian Harrison, who continues to search for his first career SCSCS victory.
“The second one I really had to work my butt off,” Nelson commented. “Brian ran a heck of a race and I had to wait for him to make a mistake. When he did I had to jump in and capitalize.”
That moment came with 10 laps to go when Nelson dove under Harrison on the backstretch and had the top spot coming back to the line. The next time around, Crabtree and Harrison got together battling hard for the second position.
From there, Nelson held off Kevin Kromer and Freeport, New York SCSCS first-timer Ron Langdon to sweep the night.
It was definitely a turn in the right direction for Nelson, who has now won at four different SCSCS tracks. Despite the flag-to-flag effort in the first race, he knew there were changes to be made in preparation for later in the evening.
“It was fun and, hey, we’ve got two in a row,” Nelson remarked. “This is a huge rebound for us. We made the right changes and had to loosen the car up. The car was tight in the first race and I knew as the night went on it was going to get colder. All I can say is we made the lucky guess and it was right.”
Crabtree recovered to a fourth place finish in his No. 63 Jim’s Automotive / Judy’s Apartments Chevrolet, which gives the Muncie, Indiana driver a comfortable point lead heading into the next event.
“First race the car was real tight,” Crabtree explained. “We did free it up a little bit, but then we freed it up too much off. If we wouldn’t have had that little altercation there with Brian near the end of the race I think we maybe could have gotten another second or maybe could have snuck in there and won.”
After a couple disappointing seasons, Kevin Kromer has fortune changing back toward his side. At times, it appeared the No. 77 Nobody Fights Alone / Racing for a Cure Chevrolet had the fastest car on the 1/2-mile surface, but a charge from 14th starting position in Twin 50 No. 1 used some of the car up which was still not entirely to his liking. Nevertheless, the Walnutport, Pennsylvania driver was pleased and leaves Jennerstown with possession of second place in the standings and momentum when the series comes back in late August to decide the 10th Anniversary champion.
“Brent was rotating real good through the center of the corner, but this is the best run I’ve ever had here,” Kromer indicated. “I tried a new setup and worked with a couple guys – (2014 champion) JJ Pack, (2015 champion) Dan Bainey, (2013 champion crew chief) Keith Wolfe. All those guys helped me the past two or three weeks and we put something totally different in that I never ever drove before and I sort of like it, but it needs a little tweaking.”
American Racer “Night at the Races” presented by United Tire will air at a future date on MAVTV and LucasOilRacing.TV.
Race No. 1 Finishing Order
1 80 Brent Nelson
2 63 Jim Crabtree Jr
3 77 Kevin Kromer
4 15 Brian Harrison
5 75 Bob Schacht
6 66 Larry Wilcox
7 42 JP Crabtree
8 90 Ron Langdon
9 35 Bill Ashton
10 3 Jason Schue
11 51 Harvey Harrison
12 72 Jerod Brougher
13 5 Brandon Harrison
14 33 John Komarinski
15 52 Kyle Kromer
16 71 Trent Gossar
17 14 Mike Potter
18 7 Stephen Cox
DNS 21 Larry Berg
Race No. 2 Finishing Order:
1 80 Brent Nelson
2 77 Kevin Kromer
3 90 Ron Langdon
4 63 Jim Crabtree Jr
5 66 Larry Wilcox
6 15 Brian Harrison
7 42 JP Crabtree
8 35 Bill Ashton
9 3 Jason Schue
10 51 Harvey Harrison
11 75 Bob Schacht
12 5 Brandon Harrison
Jennerstown Feature Finish Box Score
Late Models
A Feature 1
Pos Start Driver Hometown Car
1 2 Garry Wiltrout Somerset, PA #95
2 7 Bryan Shipp Scottdale, PA #40
3 8 Barry Awtey Jenners, PA #75
4 9 Jeremiah Kuntz Mahaffey, PA #7
5 3 Todd Price Bedford, PA #66
6 6 Mike Hemminger Stoystown, PA #72
7 1 Rick Boyer Blairsville, PA #5
8 5 Teddy Gibala Coulter, PA #2
9 4 Joe Maruca Slickville, PA #90
Heat 1
Pos Start Driver Hometown Car
1 2 Teddy Gibala Coulter, PA #2
2 4 Barry Awtey Jenners, PA #75
3 6 Garry Wiltrout Somerset, PA #95
4 1 Mike Hemminger Stoystown, PA #72
5 3 Rick Boyer Blairsville, PA #5
6 9 Bryan Shipp Scottdale, PA #40
7 8 Todd Price Bedford, PA #66
8 5 Joe Maruca Slickville, PA #90
9 7 Jeremiah Kuntz Mahaffey, PA #7
Modifieds
A Feature 1
Pos Start Driver Hometown Car
1 6 Jason Busch Pittsburgh, PA #42
2 9 Zane Ferrell Ruffs Dale, PA #14
3 7 Tom Golik West Newton, PA #98
4 10 Pete Rech Pittsburgh, PA #9
5 8 Chris Brink Penn Run, PA #7
6 3 Gary Scott Irwin, PA #22
7 4 Jarred Barclay Somerset, PA #92
8 15 Adam Kostelnik E. McKeesport, PA #O0
9 11 Brad Milburn Schellsburg, PA #95
10 1 Jim Bodziak Hollsopple, PA #2
11 2 Mike Carlson New Stanton, PA #90
12 13 Ron Eiford Scottdale, PA #61
13 14 Matt Welch Mt. Pleasant, PA #88
14 12 Gregory Kelley Connellsville, PA #8
15 5 Dustin Gursky Ridgeley, WV #29
16 16 Mike McConnell Greenville, PA #54
Street Stocks
A Feature 1
Pos Start Driver Hometown Car
1 10 Shawn Beam Somerset, PA #21
2 7 Lauren Butler West Mifflin, PA #53
3 6 Anthony Aiello White Oak, PA #31
4 8 Josh Coughenour Gray, PA #20
5 5 Aaron VanFleet Scottdale, PA #95
6 11 Andrew Kostelnik Irwin, PA #57
7 3 Steven Singo Hooversville, PA #7
8 4 Jason Holder Stoystown, PA #74
9 9 Matt Hayman Somerset, PA #8
10 2 Angie Kimberly Sutersville, PA #69
11 1 Mel Wilt Hollidaysburg, PA #33
Fast 4s
A Feature 1
Pos Start Driver Hometown Car
1 10 Andrew Pluta Stoystown, PA #88
2 14 Casey Fleegle Friedens, PA #13
3 8 Evan Nibert Somerset, PA #7
4 9 Brian Noel Mt pleasant, PA #39
5 5 Matthew Ruffing Johnstown, PA #47
6 6 Jason Fulton Normalville, PA #78
7 3 Kristin Lakin Monessen, PA #30
8 2 Chris Ament Latrobe, PA #2
9 12 Cindy Rhodes Somerset, PA #83
10 1 Joe Laposky Ligonier, PA #51
11 13 Kurtis Frampton boswell, PA #77
12 7 Aaron Karasack Hutchinson, PA #49
13 17 David Campbell Apollo, PA #777
14 16 Eugene Zerfoss Acosta, PA #23
15 11 Brent Bickerstaff Herminie, PA #53
16 4 Larry Dunmyer Elton, PA #1
17 15 Bently Miller Connelsville, PA #45
Chargers
A Feature 1
Pos Start Driver Hometown Car
1 7 Dale Kimberly Sutersville, PA #22
2 4 Scott Mitchell Somerset, PA #20
3 6 Tanner Friedline Hooversville, PA #7
4 8 Steve Long Rockwood, PA #27
5 2 Emily Shaulis Somerset, PA #99
6 5 Justin Frampton boswell, PA #66
7 1 Jeremy Shaulis Acosta, PA #31
8 3 Joe Ruskey boswell, PA #O3
9 9 Jason Pritts boswell, PA #52
Submitted By: Vernon Yoder
