By Kayla Peting
The track was in perfect condition for another weekly night of racing at the Penn Can Speedway. With all divisions on deck to put on a show for the fans the turned out for Hall of Fame Night. After being off for a week the drivers made their changes and came back ready to go. With 11 people getting inducted into the hall of fame at intermission fan and drivers alike were buzzing with anticipation. Stafursky Paving Company Inc. Modifieds had a strong field of 18 cars competing for the checkered flag and the advantage of winning on a significant night in Penn Can history. Travis Brockner would start on the pole with Casey Plummer to his outside. As the green would fly, Brockner would take the early lead while Nick Petrilak would quickly move to the inside of Plummer to take over second place. Alan Rudalvage would use the high line to quickly take sixth over Bud Phillips. The first caution of the thirty lap feature would come on lap 2 as Dan Vauter would spin in turn three and cause Arthur Bray to spin as well. Once everything was straightened out Brockner would choose the outside line with Petrilak to his inside. On the restart Petrilak would take the lead as Rudalvage would look to the inside of Mike Loney for fourth and would claim the spot and start to hunt down the third place position. Brian Malcom would try to look to the inside the 117 of Alex Stanton, but would be unable to claim it. Battles would be happening throughout the field as Kevin Hartnett and Darwin Greene Sr would battle for eight with Greene Sr remaining in the position. Meanwhile, Rudalvage would claim third over Brockner using the low line and Loney would fallow right behind him and move into fourth place. The second caution of the feature came out on lap eight as Arthur Bray would spin in turn in turn 4. Petrilak and Plummer would lead the field to green and Petrilak would choose the inside line and quickly gain the lead over Plummer while battles happened throughout the field. Brett Tonkin would look to the outside of Brockner for fifth, but without claiming the spot. Stanton would try to use the high line to make his way around Hartnett for ninth, but Hartnett would continue in the spot to chase down eight. After, making an attempt on Hartnett Stanton would slow along the front stretch before heading pit side. Rudalvage would stick his nose under Plummer, but would not be able to hit the mark. Further back Hartnett would try using the low groove to get around Bud Phillips for eight, but Phillips would remain in control of the position. Loney would use the favored low line to make his way around Plummer to capture the fourth place spot. Greene would also try to claim fifth over Plummer, but would be unable to. A little ways back Hartnett and Brockner would battle door to door for eight with Hartnett coming out in front. While Petrilak pulled away from the start of the field, Vauter would take over ninth from Brockner and Malcom would use the low side to pass Brian Franko and Brockner to end up in twelfth. The final caution of the even would come on lap 23 as Mike Nagel Sr would slow in turn two and eventually come to a stop along the back stretch. With two to go in the thirty lap feature, Petrilak was feeling the pressure from the drivers behind him as he led them to a single file restart. Petrilak took off like a bullet leaving other driver to battle it out for positions. Tonkin and Rudalvage would swap back and forth for second with Tonkin claiming the spot and a little ways back Hartnett would seventh over Phillips. Petrilak would cross the line for an emotional victory followed by Tonkin, Rudalvage, Loney and Plummer rounding out the top 5. This was an extremely emotional win for Nick Petrilak and it was long overdue. His lane victory lane appearance was 2 years ago and in that time frame has finished in the top 3 , fourteen times. After starting in fifth he certainly didn’t expect the win, but certainly felt like a momentous occasion. He credits his crew for making the necessary changes and could not have asked for better track conditions. After asking how it felt to win on such an important night for his family, Nick got emotional and stated “This feels amazing and to win on this night means a lot. I have watched, seen and race with so many great drivers, but it feels amazing to carry on the family name.” Petrilak would like to thank Sleepy Hollow Turf Equipment, GRM Excavating and Paving, Ray and Judy Short, Besten’s Auto Body and Collision and the Schane family. He can not express enough gratitude towards his family for all the support he receives from them and just wants to make them proud. Good fortune finally seemed to find Tommy Groover as he and Matt Martino led the way in the sportsman feature. Groover took the early lead as Mike Schane shot around the outside of Ned Fitch to take the fourth spot. Marty Goodwin moved into sixth as the outside propelled him past Brad Weaver early on. By the second lap it was the father son duo of Mike and Kolyn Schane battling for the second spot with Kolyn holding his father off. Mike Nagel Jr. worked the inside of Martino for the fourth spot as the yellow flag came out on lap 4. Groover headed for the inside, maintaining his lead over the battling Schane family. As Mike moved into the second spot, Nagel looked inside of Kolyn for third, taking the spot away. It would be a rough couple laps for Kolyn with Weaver and Alex Konopka moving the younger Schane to sixth. Mike Wilcha charged ahead taking the tenth spot as Groover closed in on lapped traffic. With thirteen laps complete Groover began to navigate the slower cars as Mike Schane closed the gap. Konopka rolled the bottom of the speedway as he claimed the fourth spot from Weaver. Groover’s handling took a turn for the worse in the closing laps, with Schane taking over the top spot. When the checkers fell it was Mike Schane taking the win with Groover, Nagel Jr, Weaver and Konopka rounding out the top 5. Feature winner Mike Schane was a happy driver as he made his way back from victory lane. Racing with such a talented field of drivers is a task Schane enjoys trying to conquer and Groover certainly made Mike have to do some work. Mike said that racing with his kid is a blast and is proud of all that he has accomplished in the past few years, but in that moment he claimed he just needed to get by him. Schane said that the track was in excellent shape and was hardly dusty, with that he was able to hit his marks when he needed to. When asked about the few remaining laps where Groover spun and saved it to stay in second, he said that lap cars are equalizers and certainly make the job a more challenging one. Mike would like to thank the Longstreet family, Drydene, Dirt Grass Snow Enterprises, Morgan’s Pub and Eatery, Trackside Products and his family and crew for all the sport and work that goes into the car weekly. Bill Johnson and Larry Furman put the pedal down for the A & E Tire and Auto Center 600cc Modifieds as Furman captured the early lead. Jeff Baldwin and Jeremy Williams worked forward quickly, putting Johnson back to sixth on the opening lap. A Tori Straway spin in turn two led to a bit of yellow fever with seven yellows coming over the next ten laps. Furman would restart on the inside of Devan Sieben for the first restart with Jared Green moving into the second spot. Straway would catch the embankment in turn three leading to the second restart. Furman would resume the lead after electing for the high side as Josh Towner moved forward to challenge Green as the runner up. Green would keep the spot as Tyler Smith put the pressure on Towner for third riding around the outside lane. Green would take the top spot from Furman on lap 5 with Smith in tow, moving the 217 back to third. With 6 laps in the books Baldwin spun resulting in Sieben taking a hard hit while trying to avoid the spinning machine. With the carnage cleared off the racing surface Green restarted outside of Furman, pulling ahead on the restart while Smith once again took over second. Contact between Williams and Towner on lap 8 would also collect Nate Oropallo and Andy Bolles while transitioning the field to single file restarts.
Off the green Jared Green would take off leaving Nolan Smith to look inside Doug Newbigging for fourth and the two would go door to door with Nolan claiming the spot. A little bit further back Williams would pass Darwin Greene Jr on the outside to claim seventh. The next caution would come on lap eleven as Bill Johnson would spin in turn 4. Jared Green would once again lead the field in a single file restart with Tyler Smith hot on his tail. Meanwhile, Nolan Smith would try to sneak under Furman to claim third, but would be unable to maintain the position. The battle was heating up as Tyler Smith and Jared Green were duking it out for first, but neither would be able move forwards or backwards as the final caution of the night came out on lap thirteen. The action would start again off turn 4 as Jared Green led the field to green for the final time as Tyler Smith would quickly look it the inside of Jared Green but would remain in second. Williams would pass Nolan Smith for fourth while the top two would drive door to door and swap positions, but coming out of turn 4 Tyler Smith would take the lead and the win with Jared Green in second followed by Furman, Williams and Nolan Smith rounding out the top five. Tyler was excited for the win and had a lot of fun battling with Jared for the lead. However, he did get concerned with the cautions taking a long time and was worried he wouldn’t have enough fuel to last the entire feature. Tyler also stated that the track was perfect for racing it was smooth and easy to run. He would like to thank his sponsors: Win Supply, French’s Auto Parts, DKM Auto & Marine, Total HVAC, AJ Leto & Sons, JDL Enterprise and of course his family and friends who come to the track every week to watch him. Factory stock action kicked off with Charlie Towner and Charlie Gilbert charging out of turn four and remaining door to door all the way to the backstretch. A Jason Rhodes spin in turn 3 brought out the yellow. Towner elected to restart on the outside but Kevin MacDonald and Sheldon Whitman both came to a stop leading to another restart. Towner would retain the lead as Whitman and MacDonald battled for fourth. MacDonald would take the spot with Whitman heading pitside on lap 8. Gilbert would take the fight to Towner the following lap working the inside of the speedway. Towner would lose hold of the car spinning on lap 13 while MacDonald headed pitside. With two laps remaining Gilbert would vacate the lead, taking his machine to the infield and passing the lead to Rhodes. Rhodes would complete the last lap bringing home the win with Mike Chilson finishing second.
Feature winner Jason Rhodes stated that it was not the way he wanted to win and really wished that Charlie Gilbert would have finished because it would have been a good battle. He also credits his team with the quick changes that were made from the heat to the feature due to the car not handling the track right. Rhodes also stated that Penn Can is doing a phenomenal job with the track and the way that the racing has been lately. He would like to thank his sponsors: Winsor Acres, Rogue Studios, MR Graphics, Chris Riley at McGuire, Trackside Products, Leaf Birdsall Lawncare, Holcomb and Son Firewood, JS Electric, Cardinal Lanes and the Double D’s. Mike Ferris and Josh Wilder brought the Gary’s U-Pull It 4 cylinders to the green but the initial start wouldn’t hold as point leader Tim VanDemark took a spin. Wilder would get the jump on the second try as Jeff Sterling and Brian Salmini battled for the runner up spot. Sterling would collect the spot as he worked the inside line with Vandermark moving into third. As the field worked lap three Sterling moved inside of Wilder, vaulting himself into the top spot. VanDemark moved past Wilder on lap four as Dakota Fuller retired to the infield. Josh Storms got the inside of Rob Sterling to take the sixth spot as the race quickly approached halfway. VanDemark wouldn't let Sterling escape as the pair battled until a lap twelve yellow for the spinning machine of Chris Weisser. Sterling would collect the checkered flag ahead of VanDemark, Wilder, Salmini, and Scott Beach.
Feature winner Jeff Sterling said it is a family effort with his kids keeping him busy this summer. With some setup changes helping to improve the car’s handling and lap traffic making life difficult it was a good battle between him and VanDemark. He would like to thank his sponsors: Beach Industry’s, Vanteger Towing, Fat Cowboys BBQ, A&E Auto, KW Realitor, Shiner and Sons, 2 Core Guys, McCain Gas and Electric, and also his dad, his fiancée, his kids and Brian Salmini. PennCan Speedway has always been a close knit family oriented racetrack. It's been the home of many 2nd and even 3rd generations of racers. That's why this year they are pleased to announce the following family members are being welcomed into the PennCan Hall of Fame family. Multi time feature winning Brothers Gary and Bernie Griffin PennCan pioneer driver and his son Buzz and Pete Gulick PennCan pioneer driver and his son Willard and Butch Dibble And Harry Marvin Jr joins his dad in the Hall of Fame. Also being recognized for their dedication and service to PennCan Speedway are: Lisa Barton & Doug and Sue Arthur Mary Butts Promoter Keith Beach Would also like to recognize Modified driver George Kostelansky for all he's done in his career. With the Promoters Choice Award. Hall of Fame Night Race Results Stafursky Paving Company Inc. Modifieds- WINNER- 72 NICK PETRILAK 2. 27K Brett Tonkin 3. 145- Alan Rudalvage 4. 17D- Mike Loney 5. 73-Casey Plummer 6. 5- Kevin Hartnett 7. 1- Darwin Greene Sr. 8. 9- Dan Vauter 9. 23P- Bud Phillips 10. 111- Jamie Bedford 12. 119-Brian Malcom 12. 484- Travis Brockner 13. 52- Brandon Fritsch 14. 14B- Arthur Bray 15. 7M- Mike Nagel Sr. 16. 14- Stanley Wilkins 17. 117- Alex Stanton 18. 52B- Brian Franko 602 Sportsman WINNER- 197 MIKE SCHANE 2. 7R-Tommy Groover 3. M7-Mike Nagel Jr. 4. 1A- Brad Weaver 5. 14K- AJ Konopka 6. 10K-Kolyn Schane 7. 3R-Ray Leonard 8. 14X-Brian Malcom 9. 54T- Travis Rooney 10. 7-Ralph Mele 11. 84-Mike Wilcha 12. 44-Jim O’Hara 13. 23JR-John Michael Phillips 14. 16-Ned Fitch 15. 32-Eddie Kudrako 16. 70J- Joe Novak 17. 55-Marty Goodwin 18. 12-Parker Overbaugh 19. 3D-Brett Wooster 20. 226-Matt Martino 21.225-Derrick Shaffer Factory Stocks WINNER- 57ND- JASON RHODES 2. 28M-Mike Chilson 3. 28-Charlie Gilbert 4. 27M-Kevin MacDonald 5. 5T-Charlie Towner 6. 4MK-Sheldon Whitman DNS 7. 5-Noah Sidel A&E Tire & Auto Service Center Xcel 600 WINNER- 80 TYLER SMITH 2. 607-Jared Green 3. 217-Larry Furman 4. 00-Jermey Williams 5. 77X- Nolan Smith 6. 29-Doug Newbigging 7. 54T- Adam Mudge 8. 17-Jeff Baldwin 9. 30NN- Nate Orapollo 10. 354- Andy Bolles 11. 1JR- Darwin Greene Jr. 12. 999- Bill Johnson 13. 9X-Josh Towner 14. 167-Devin Sieben 15. 67- Tori Straway Gary’s U-Pull It SCDRA 4 Cylinders WINNER- 56 JEFF STERLING 2. 107- Tim VanDemark 3. 5-Josh Wilder 4. 77- Brian Salmini 5. 21-Scott Beach 6. 71-Rob Sterling 7. 70-Chris Weisser 8. 22-David Benson Jr. 9. 66-Josh Storms 10. G55-Dakota Fuller 11. M1-Mike Girjatowicz 12. 17-Mike Ferris This upcoming weekend is jam packed with excitement as Friday is The Spaulding Foundation Night where Penn Can and the fans support a great cause that help injured drivers. On tap we have a full card of racing with all of our weekly divisions, PLUS a huge firework display presented by Sleepy Hollow Golf Carts & Turf Equipment. The weekend won’t end there as we have a show on July 5th for out Hot Summer GRIT Series Night with the entire Grit series plus SCDRA 4 Cylinders. Be sure to follow our Facebook page for updates about the track and possible giveaways at The Penn Can Speedway.