The Checkered Flag: Racing resumes at Mercer Raceway this Friday night

By Mike Leone

On Friday night, I headed to Raceway 7 as the super late models were back in lieu of the FASTRAK Late Models. Rob Blair captured the 25-lap victory and became the track’s all-time super late model winner. The Centerville driver came from eighth and passed Chad Valone on lap 15 and went on for the $2,000 win. Valone, Greg Oakes, Dick Barton and Chris Hackett completed the top five.

Harmony’s Russ Dunn made the tow up a successful one by winning the 20-lap e-mod feature holding off Dan McDonald.

Hermitage’s Alan Dellinger split between the McDonald team cars coming in third over Percy. Veteran Bill Taylor was fifth.

Chad Stevenson won the 15-lap stock car feature, but came up light at the scales handing the win to Ashtabula’s Mike Gonzales. Shawn Fawcett and Zach Downes were second and third. Allan Hudzik was fourth in his season debut over Jamie Scarba.

Kyle Jackson won the mini stocks and Rocky Nails won the enduros.

Mercer Raceway Park had the weekend off, but will return to action this Friday and Saturday with the 10th annual “Little Guy Nationals.” Friday will feature a $1,000 to-win modified and stock car features along with the season’s first appearances by the micro sprints and strictly stocks. The mini stocks will also be on the card with racing at 7 p.m.

On Saturday night, the 358 modifieds will be in the spotlight for the region’s richest event with $2,000 on the line. The stock cars will be in twin features for $1,500 to-win and $1,000 to-win along with a $300 to-win non- qualifiers feature. The FASTRAK Late Models will be in competition for $800 to-win in an event only open to non-winners in FASTRAK competition anywhere in 2009. The mini stocks round out the program with racing beginning early at 4 p.m.



The FASTRAK Northeast Late Model Touring Series headed back to Sharon Speedway on Saturday night for the second and final time this season on gorgeous early fall day as part of the second annual “Apple Festival Nationals”. Event No. 14 of 17 on the 2009 slate brought out 33 cars from Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia.

There are some nights when just about everyone is rooting for you including many of your fellow racers to capture elusive career first win. Saturday night was on those situations as 16-year-old Josh Double drove the race of his life in front of his friends and family from nearby Bristolville, Ohio on a night that remembered Bristolville’s Russ King. In just his 20th career race, Double passed western Pennsylvania Stock Car great Bobby Whitling for the lead then held off one of western Pennsylvania’s top Super Late Model drivers in David Scott to appear to take the win; however, he came up 13 pounds light at the scales.

After the disqualification of Double, the win was given to current Northeast Touring Series point leader David Scott for his second straight win and third of the season. The 25-lap victory was worth $1,200.

Making just his second Touring Series start of the season, Whitling took off in the early lead with Double in tow. Max Blair passed rookie Garrett Mott for third on the opening lap. Scott meanwhile started back in eighth, but got an excellent start to move all the way up to fourth after the completion of the first lap. Mike Pegher Jr. cracked the top five when he passed Mott on lap two.

Whitling led the way and looked strong out front until a pair of cautions slowed action with eight laps completed.

When racing resumed, Double was able to get a great restart and have the advantage down the frontstretch into turn one taking Whitling’s line away for the lead. Scott and Pegher meanwhile were able to both get by Blair for third and fourth, respectively on lap nine. Whitling’s shot at his first career FASTRAK win was erased when he got high in turn four, allowing Scott and Pegher by for second and third. Two more cautions slowed action with 12 laps completed.

When green replaced yellow, Scott attacked Double and the two ran side-by-side on laps 13, 14, and 15 before the event’s final caution with 15 laps completed. The last thing Double wanted to see were anymore cautions that created double-file restarts with Scott alongside. He got what he wanted as he took the lead on the final restart as the last 10 laps spun off green-to-checkered.

Blair grabbed third back from Pegher on lap 16, but Pegher wasn’t about to give up as he regained the position one lap later. Double began to stretch out his lead on lap 18 as he ran around the topside of the speedway. Pegher then

began to challenge Scott and drew even on lap 20. Pegher ran low and Scott high, while Double opened up a half-straightaway lead.

Double was able to take the checkered flag first for the apparent win in his #38, while Scott held off Pegher, which proved very crucial after Double was disqualified at the scales. Ironically, in the first race at Sharon it was Pegher just holding off Scott after a spirited duel for the win. Scott’s win was his ninth overall in FASTRAK-sanctioned events this season.

Scott has now extended his point lead to 19 over Blair heading into the Touring Series finale this Friday night at McKean County Raceway. If Scott can finish 19th or better, something he’s done in all 14 events to date, he will win the title in his inaugural FASTRAK season.

Pegher’s second allowed him to distance himself a little more in what has been a tight six-man battle for third place in the Touring Series standings all season long. Blair’s third locked up a runner-up at the very least in the Touring Series for the defending champion. Bobby Powell finished fourth over a great run by rookie Joe Martin, who recorded his first career Touring Series top five finish.

Also at Sharon, Jim Rasey of Southington ended his dry spell from victory lane of two years winning the 24th annual Russ King Memorial for the BRP Big-Block Modified Tour, worth $1,500. It was Rasey’s third win in the event and came over Polk’s Jeremiah Shingledecker, Volant’s Carl Weatherby, Jim Weller, Jr. and Volant’s Lonny Riggs.

- On Sunday, the sprint cars were back at Tri-City Speedway for the fourth and final time this season. Andy Priest raced sprint cars off and on over the past 16 years and never could quite find victory lane with numerous second place finishes. The last time the sprint cars were at Tri-City on August 16, Priest ended that skein earning $3,250 all told for the night scoring an emotional victory.

Making his first sprint start since that victory, Priest made it two-in-a-row capturing the 30-lap victory worth $3,000. Priest, of New Castle, led all the way for his third win of the season at Tri-City as he also won a modified feature. Oklahoma invader Daryn Pittman charged from 12th to finish second driving for Jesse Keen in the central Pennsylvania-based team on their way home from Fremont. Mercer’s Mike Lutz was third over Ed Lynch Jr. and Kevin Schaeffer. The super fast track saw records shattered in heat race competition as the sprints were flying around the half-mile at an average speed of more the 123 miles per hour.

The stock cars had a make-up feature to start the night off with and it was Randy Wyant passing Applefest 100 winner Matt Thomas on the final lap for his third win. In the night’s regularly scheduled 15-lapper, Fraklin’s Bobby Whitling scored the victory. Russ Dunn won his second race of the weekend in as many cars capturing the e-mod victory, while Patrick Fielding won the strictly stocks.

Mike Leone covers motorsports for The Allied News.

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