By: Kayla Peting and Nathan Aldrich
It was a perfect night for racing as the weather held off for Friday Nights Twin 20 Modified Features as well as the GRIT Series Factory Stock race. There was a full night of racing to anticipate including Sportsman, 600cc Modifieds, Street Stocks and 4 Cylinders. There was excitement as to who will win both Modified features and who would move up in points as the battle for the championship is heating up.
Contesting a pair of twenty lap features the Stafursky Paving and Sunoco Race Fuels Modifieds got off to a hot start. Heat wins went to Dan Pompey, Paul Rooney and Nick Petrilak as drivers jostled for all important starting positions for the pair of features. When all was said and done it was Paul Rooney and Mike Nagel Sr. bringing the field under the green flag to start things off. Rooney got a good launch moving alongside Nagel
Petrilak moved to the outside of Nagel on lap 3 and was able to tack the second spot away down the back stretch. Bud Phillips would take the third spot from Nagel with Bud Phillips and Brian Malcolm moving Nagel back to sixth by lap 5. Darwin Greene worked the outside of Devon Zona on lap 6 but the hard charging cars of Alan Rudalavage and Kevin Hartnett would take Zona three wide, dropping Zona to eighth and Greene to ninth as Hartnett and Rudalavage advanced past. As the two battled door to door on lap 8 they quickly closed in on Nagel Sr. with all three vying for the final top 5 spot. While Petrilak closed the gap on Rooney for the lead, Rudalavage and Hartnett cleared Nagel and settled their battle with Hartnett taking the spot on lap 10. Nagel didn’t get any time to breathe as Pompey next arrived at his door to take the seventh spot on the outside. Mike Walsh ended up facing the wrong direction in turn four as the first yellow regrouped the field with 8 laps to go.
Rooney brought the field back to green for the single file restart while Hartnett looked inside of George Kostelansky but couldn’t find the room to make the pass work. Brandon Fritsch and Pompey saw their battle for tenth heat up as Casey Plummer closed in to give Fritsch motivation to keep moving forward. With 5 to go the best battle came as Hartnett worked Kostelansky. As the current runner up in points threw everything but the kitchen sink at him, Kostelansky repeatedly was able to seal off the line to maintain the spot. With only one lap remaining the second yellow sliced through the air, Mike Loney and Chris Hunsinger had gotten tangled up and came to a stop in turn 4. As the leaders came by Rooney successfully missed the pair however Petrilak came to a stop catching the outside dirt berm while avoiding the carnage. Petrilak was able to recover the second-place spot as the yellow was already out for the spin. With only a one lap shootout remaining Rooney shot out of a cannon on the restart holding off Petrilak as Malcolm, Kostelansky, Hartnett, Rudalavage, Pompey, Nagel Sr., Darwin Greene Sr., and Devon Zona rounded out the top 10.
Feature winner Paul Rooney has been racing for over 20 years and picked up his first win in the modified division. Both lines worked well for Rooney as he would “walk the wall and roll the bottom” to keep in front after starting on the front row. Rooney joked that with the first caution coming with 8 laps to go it fit him perfectly as everyone picks on him for being the “best 8 lap driver” due to his heat performance. As Paul focused on his marks, he wasn’t thinking about anyone chasing him saying “my car was phenomenal, I knew it would take a really spectacular car to get me”. Paul would like to thank his wife, as well as Shelly Stanton, Erik Hines Trucking, Mart’s Diesel Service, Snake Creek Marine, Gordy Graves, Carl Oropallo, Adam Mudge and Travis.
After the feature, race one winner Rooney drew a pill inverting the top four finishers. Kostelansky and Malcolm brought the field out of turn four and under the green flag but the start wouldn’t hold as Mike Loney and Darwin Greene tangled coming out of turn 4. Malcolm would take the lead on the second start with Kostelansky pulling even as the pair flew down the backstretch. While the pair battled, Mike Nagel Sr. and Bill Deckelman made contact in turn one bringing out the yellow. Malcolm grabbed the lead with a good restart leaving Kostelansky to deal with Petrilak who had quickly moved to his inside. Behind Kostelansky, Pompey worked the inside of Rooney for fifth until the third yellow flag came out for both the spinning cars of Kenny Sparks and Matt Cole in turn four and the slowing car of Devon Zona on the front stretch. Malcolm would elect for the inside on the restart with Petrilak to his outside. With the start called back for Petrilak firing early, Malcolm would decide to switch it up, taking the inside for try two. Malcolm pulled away as the pair raced down the backstretch holding on to the lead.
Behind the leaders Alan Rudalavage worked past Kostelansky taking away the third spot as the drivers came down the front stretch. While Rudalavage worked ahead of him, Kevin Hartnett followed, taking the sixth spot from Pompey before going after Kostelansky for a top 5 position. Pompey’s night quickly turned sour when Casey Plummer slipped past and Pompey’s car rolled to a stop atop turn 3. As the field bunched back up for the restart Sparks and Schaffer collided in turn 2 giving the field another chance at a lap 7 start and killing the momentum of Petrilak, who had taken the lead on the restart. With Malcolm once again taking the inside, he led the field to green securing a good jump over his dancing partner. More trouble would force Malcolm to do it one more time however as Brad Schaffer, Hartnett, and Rooney collided in turn four. The restart had Plummer and Kostelansky swapping the fourth spot as Plummer sent a slider into turn one to wrestle the spot away. Deeper in the field Mike Loney advanced past Deckelman, who had worked his way back from the earlier contact, to put Loney into the seventh spot.
As the field settled into a long green flag run to close out the race Franko slowed into the pits, clearing the track on lap 12. The following lap Hartnett would make his way past Sam Allen for the tenth spot before the attention turned back to the front of the field. With 15 laps in the books Malcolm had begun to catch lapped traffic and closed in on Mike Walsh. As Malcolm moved to the inside of Walsh there was open track ahead and Malcolm sailed away to the checkered flag with a healthy lead over Petrilak at the line. Rudalavage came home third followed by Plummer, Kostelansky, Bud Phillips, Loney, Deckelman, Chris Hunsinger, and Hartnett.
Feature winner Brian Malcolm picked up his second win of the season at the Penn Can speedway on a night that will help propel his championship momentum. Entering the night with Kevin Hartnett and Nick Petrilak in front of him Malcolm was looking to make up ground. With a pair of good finishes that resulted in him taking home the $500 bonus as the best overall finisher Malcolm bettered his shot in the title fight. As his car has been getting better every week Malcolm is confident in his team’s run to the end of the year. With the feature having numerous restarts Malcolm said Petrilak didn’t get in his head saying “I’ve been doing this a long time, stuff like that doesn’t bother me”. With the two laps to go he was experiencing electrical issues but powered through to make it to the checkers. Brian would like to thank his daughter Magda, Troyer Race Cars, Grimm Construction, Smokin Joes, Carl Mehnel Welding, NEP Telephone, Murrey Race Engines, DIG Performance, Davis Powder Coating, his Crew, Dale and Sue Smith and Jim and Deb Edwards.
Sleepy Hollow Turf and Insinger Performance 602 Crate Sportsman was a rough and tumble affair as cautions slowed the event early on. Ryan Burkett and Jim O’Hara led the field to the green flag with Burkett taking the lead as O’Hara fell back to the third spot. Brad Weaver, Alan Komar and Leo McGurrin took it three wide battling for the fifth spot on lap 2 as McGurrin came out with the spot. The first yellow came on lap 3 as John Mele came to a spinning stop at the top of 3 and 4. Burkett and Michael Samony brought the field to green as in row two McGurrin and O’Hara made contact, dropping O’Hara back to the twelfth spot as he lost momentum. With Ned Fitch slowing to a stop at the top of turns 1 and 2 the next yellow came out. With Samony on the inside and Burkett working the top the field came back to green and Ray Leonard quickly made his way around Burkett to take the second spot. By lap 5 Leonard reeled in Samony and the two went door to door. As the battling drivers came down the front stretch Leonard pulled ahead taking the lead.
McGurrin wasn’t going to let Leonard escape however as he worked inside of Burkett to take the spot away as Weaver tried to follow McGurrin through. Burkett would hold strong however as Weaver, Burkett and Mike Schane then took it three wide battling for the spot. Schane came out with the better end of the exchange, taking the spot with Burkett fifth and Weaver sixth. The next yellow came on lap 11 as Eddie Kudrako, Joe Buchanan, Jamie Cortazar and O’Hara spun out of turn 4. The restart didn’t go well for Schane as he and Burkett made contact resulting in a spin for Schane and Burkett being sent to the tail of the field. Try two at the restart saw Leonard pull away from Samony as McGurrin looked to take away second. After McGurrin took the spot, Weaver was the next to challenge Samony grabbing the third spot as he worked down low in turn four to complete lap 12. Schane began setting a blistering pace weaving his way back through the field, taking eighth from Frank Payne on lap 13. Next Schane crossed Moose Gulley off the list, taking seventh on lap 14 while Komar and Nagel battled for fifth right ahead.
Contact between Gulley and Nagel Jr. would send the third-generation driver for a spin on the backstretch bringing out a lap 19 yellow. Leonard would get a good restart launching away from McGurrin while Schane looked inside Weaver for the third spot taking it away in turn four after the two ran side by side down the backstretch. The final yellow came out on lap 22 as Buchanan and Burkett came to a stop after tangling in turn 4. While Leonard checked out Schane and McGurrin went side by side under the white flag, McGurrin got loose in turn one making contact with Schane and correcting the car as Leonard picked up the win. Schane, McGurrin, Weaver, Samony, Komar, Gulley, Mele, Frank Payne and Mike Wilcha rounded out the top 10.
Feature winner Ray Leonard came into the night leading the points and feels very confident heading into the month of August. He worked quickly coming forward from the sixth spot but was never focused on who was behind him, instead hitting his marks and letting the race come to him. With a lot of bite left despite running as the closing division for the night, Leonard was very happy with the track conditions and found the middle line to be where his car worked the best. With the handling dialed in just where he liked it the yellows broke Leonard’s rhythm and definitely weren’t what he wanted to see. Ray would like to thank Sleepy Hollow turf, Erik Hines Trucking, A & V Tent Rental, Arlo’s Tavern, Razderk Tinting and Detailing, his wife Cheryl, Billy, and Frog.
A & E Tire and Auto Center 600c.c. Modifieds once again found Brenton Miller in victory lane as he picked up his sixth feature win on the season. With the Gray’s Trucking team winning both heats on the night Miller and Brett Gray got off to a hot start. With handicapping setting the starting lineup Ali Scutt and Doug Lattner took the green flag. Scutt jumped out to the early lead as Miller came through the field passing John Dinniny, Gray, Travis Rooney and Lattner to go from sixth to second in the opening laps. While Scutt led the field, Larry Furman took to the outside of Darwin Greene Jr moving himself into the seventh spot. By lap 5 Miller was knocking on the door as he and Scutt battled to the start finish line. Ali held on by a nose as the pair crossed the line however Miller would get past her on the next lap. Gray would add his name to the mix on lap 7 pulling a slider in turns one and two to take the third spot away from Rooney. As Miller’s lead expanded Nate Oropallo slipped past Greene Jr. to move into the ninth spot and Gray went after Scutt for second. Encountering traffic on lap 14 didn’t seem to slow Miller much as Mollie Mroz and Devan Sieben battled side by side a few car lengths ahead.
With the field staying green Lattner slowed to the infield on lap 15 and Gray began to put distance on Scutt while the pair worked lapped traffic. Oropallo’s race would end on lap 18 when his car slowed to the infield. With two laps to go Rooney was closing in on Scutt as the pair worked heavy lapped traffic but a red flag would halt the field. Sieben came to a stop against the wall on the front stretch and received attention from the track crew as steam poured out from his machine. When the field came back to green for the single file restart Miller pulled away from Gray taking the checkers followed by Scutt, Nolan Smith, Furman, Dinniny, Greene Jr, Mroz, Rooney and Jeff Baldwin. Feature winner Brenton Miller was thrilled on his sixth win of the season and was excited for his teammate and “adopted” teammate as they finished right behind him. “Ali gave us quite the battle and will be one heck of a driver,” said Miller. When asked about passing the cars Miller pointed out that Ali Scutt was his most difficult competition this race and would constantly be right beside him. Miller and Gray have become role models to the young driver and it shows in the way of how much improvement she has made over the season. Brenton would like to thank the Gray Family, Gray’s trucking, Crawn Trucking, All Things Vinyl by Alicia and everyone who helps their race team.
Sunoco Race Fuels Street Stocks contested their feature early running as the first feature of the night. Travis Brockner and Abe Romanik brought the field across the stripe as Brockner sprinted out to the lead. On lap 2 Brett Spoor moved alongside Romanik but couldn’t take away the second spot as the pair worked out of turn 4. Force headed pitside on lap 4 with Nate Bonham heading pitside a few laps later. At the halfway point Brockner held more than a full straight away lead while Moon looked inside of Brett Spoor for the third spot. Moon would take the spot away, getting Romanik for second a few laps later. When the checkered flag fell Brockner picked up the win followed by Moon, Romanik, and Spoor. Feature winner Travis Brockner said starting up front helped with the track being a curveball running so early in the night. Building an early lead allowed Brockner to focus on hitting his marks and keeping a smooth line. While he didn’t reach the lapped traffic the lowline was working the best from him and he planned to just go lower than the lapped cars. The current point leader has had some good battles with Shawn Boynton and Jonathan Carpenter this year and looks forward to continuing the good runs that boost his point lead. Brockner would like to thank his sponsors: Michael & Puerschner Construction, Grafix Unlimited, Mootz Tree Trimming, Behrents Performance Warehouse, Bilstein Shocks, Wehrs Racing Products, and Close Racing Supply. He would also like to thank the following people: Ryan, Eric, Mom, Bonham Family, Gram, Grandpa, John and Donna, as well as John and Kathy.
The GRIT Factory Stock Series made another stop at the Penn Can Speedway with 14 cars taking the green in the feature. The field was brought to the green by the pole sitter Bob Mills and Tommy Groover as his dancing partner to the outside. As the flag dropped Bob Mills took the early lead over Groover and quickly put space between them. As the field rounded turn two, fans would see the action pick up as Charlie Gilbert, Charlie Towner, and Frank Mills Jr. would go three wide along the backstretch for fourth before Charlie Towner would go on to lay claim to the spot. Battles were raging throughout the night as drivers’ were fighting for GRIT points. Buck Mills Sr. would step up and challenge Groover on the inside line for second.Buck Mills Sr. would take the position and would look to hunt down Bob Mills for first. However, the lap would not be counted as the first caution of the race would come on the second lap as the 03 of Jason Beebe would slow in turn four before heading pit side.
The restart would see Bob Mills taking the inside line with Groover to the outside, Bob Mills would get the early jump and claim the lead once again. Before the lap could be completed the 9 3/4 of Nate Hill would come to a stop on the front stretch and would be pushed to the pits and not return. Bob Mills would once again take the inside line with Groover as his dancing partner. Bob Mills would take the lead while Buck Mills Sr. would look to the inside of Groover to take second. Charlie Towner would look to the inside of Groover for third with Charlie Towner ultimately taking the position. A little ways back from the lead, Frank Mills Jr. and Gilbert would battle door to door for fifth, but Gilbert would not give up the position. Groover would continue to challenge Charlie Towner for third on the inside before assuming the position. On lap 7 leader Bob Mills would start to catch the tail of the field before the caution came out on lap eight for Frank Mills Jr. and Josh Towner would collide in turn three resulting in Josh Towner’s night being cut short as the car was towed off the track. The restart would see Bob Mills choose the inside lane with his brother Buck Mills Sr. to his outside. Bob Mills would take a quick lead and allow the field to give chase. Gilbert would look to Charlie Towners’ inside to take away the fourth spot and Luke Mills would pass Frank Mills Jr. to take over sixth.
On lap 10 a caution would be brought out as Frank Mills Jr. would spin in turn four. Being a GRIT race the field doubled up with Bob Mills taking the inside lane, which seemed to be the fastest, with Buck Mills Sr to the outside. As the green would wave, the Mills brothers would go door to door through turns one and two before Buck Mills Sr. would take the lead for the first time. Gilbert would poke his nose out to the outside of Groover for third, but was unable to clinch the position. The final caution of the night would come on lap 12 with Luke Mills spinning in turn four. The restart would see Buck Mills Sr. picking the inside lane with Bob Mills to his outside, but once again the brothers would battle hard through one and two. Bob Mills Sr. would take the lead while Jerry Fasset would pass Charlie GIlbert for fifth and quickly step up to challenge Gilbert, but would remain in fifth. Frank Mills Jr. would battle door to door with Fasset for fifth with Frank Mills Jr. taking the spot. As the laps were coming to an end, fans would see Charlie Towner pull to the infield on lap sixteen and Rick Glover would head pit side on lap eighteen. Buck Mills Sr. would take the checkered flag followed by Bob Mills, Groover, Gilbert, Frank Mills JrFasset, Luke Mills, Austin Manzer, Charlie Towner and Glover rounded out the top ten.
Feature winner Buck Mills Sr. picked up his second GRIT factory stock win at the Penn Can speedway this season having won the Homer Ferrante Memorial a few weeks ago. While racing against his older brother Bob for the win for many laps all of the members of the Mills family said it can be fun to race against your relatives. The yellows hurt Mills more than they helped him and broke up his rhythm never allowing him to find the groove he needed. When asked if he would rather lead the race or be chasing the leader Buck said “I’d rather be behind because you can see what the leader’s doing to gain a spot where when you’re leading you can only lose the spot”. Mills Sr. would like to thank Buck Mills Jr., Heather, Jimmy. Chad, Conley Motors, Denny Decker Logging, Parts Plus, Schoenfield Headers, and Kevin Kennedy of Kennedy Financial.
The Gary’s U-Pull It 4 Cylinders saw a new winner in Victory Lane this season as Kenny Underwood would take the win. The field of 15 cars would be led to green by Dakota Fuller and Scott Beach with Fuller taking the early lead. Scott Beach would not give up as he would look to the outside of Fuller for first. Before any moves could be made the field was called back for an original start due to a driver jumping the start. With Fuller and Scott Beach leading the field to green again, the fans would see Kenny Underwood quickly go to work and make his way around Fuller and Scott Beach to take first. Andy Bolles would look to the outside of Fuller to take second and Jeff Sterling would look to the outside of Tim Vandermark for fourth, but Vandermark would keep the spot. Dave Fox Jr. would look to the inside of Scott Beach for seventh, but would not be able to keep the spot before a caution would come out on lap 7 for debris on the track in turn two. The restart would see Underwood take the inside line with Bolles to the outside of him, Underwood would gain the quick lead while Jeff Sterling would look to the inside of Josh Wilder for fifth with WIlder keeping the position. Bolles would keep trying to take the lead from Underwood by looking to the inside, but was unable to make the move. Vandermark would pass Fuller for third while Wilder would be on the move as he would look inside of Fuller to take the fourth position. Sterling would move up to fifth by going to the inside of Fuller. Fox Jr. would claim sixth over Fuller. Rich Wagner would go to the outside Dave Nixon for ninth, but the two would swap places back and forth before Nixon would keep the spot. Underwood would take the win followed by Bolles, Wilder, Sterling and Fox Jr, rounding out the top 5.
With another week behind the drivers’, the championship is lingering in the distance. This coming Friday is Pack The Track Night/Fan Appreciation Night, admission to the track will be $5 and fans will be able to meet their favorite drivers, get autographs, pictures and more. It will be a full night of racing with the Modifieds, Sportsman, 600cc Modifieds, Factory Stocks, Street Stocks, 4 Cylinders and Juniors will all be on tap. To stay up to date on everything going on at the track follow us on Facebook at: The Penn Can Speedway. Also be sure to check out the new Penn Can website!
STAFURSKY PAVING SUNOCO RACE FUELS MODIFIEDS Feature 1
WINNER – 54-PAUL ROONEY
2.) 72-Nick Petrilak 3.) 119-Brian Malcolm 4.) 17-George Kostelansky 5.) 5-Kevin Hartnett 6.) 145-Alan Rudalavage 7.) 11-Dan Pompey 8.) 7M-Mike Nagel Sr. 9.) 1-Darwin Greene Sr. 10.) 99Z-Devon Zona 11.) 4B-Brandon Fritsch 12.) A11-Sam Allen 13.) 23P-Bud Phillips 14.) 73-Casey Plummer 15.) 49-Kenny Sparks 16.) 014-Brad Schaffer 17.) 24X-Matt Cole 18.) 15JR-Chris Hunsinger 19.) 713-Mike Walsh 20.) 52-B. Franko 21.) 17D-Mike Loney 22.) 90-Bill Deckelman
DNS 111J-Jamie Bedford
STAFURSKY PAVING SUNOCO RACE FUELS MODIFIEDS Feature 2
WINNER – 119-BRIAN MALCOLM
2.) 72-Nick Petrilak 3.) 145-Alan Rudalavage 4.) 73-Casey Plummer 5.) 17-George Kostelansky 6.) 23P-Bud Phillips 7.) 17D-Mike Loney 8.) 90-Bill Deckelman 9.) 15JR-Chris Hunsinger 10.) 5-Kevin Hartnett 11.) A11-Sam Allen 12.) 4B-Brandon Fritsch 13.) 49-Kenny Sparks 14.) 713-Mike Walsh 15.) 52-B. Franko 16.) 54-Paul Rooney 17.) 11-Dan Pompey 18.) 014- Brad Schaffer 19.) 24X-Matt Cole 20.) 99Z-Devon Zona 21.) 1-Darwin Greene Sr. 22.) 7M-Mike Nagel Sr.
DNS 111J-Jamie Bedford
INSINGER PERFORMANCE SLEEPY HOLLOW TURF 602 CRATE SPORTSMAN
WINNER – 3R RAY LEONARD
2.) M1-Mike Schane 3.) 70J-Leo McGurrin 4.) QR1-Brad Weaver 5.) 88S-Michael Samony 6.) 88-Alan Komar 7.) M14-Moose Gulley 8.) 7X-J Mele 9.) 3F-Frank Payne 10.) 84-Mike Wilcha 11.) 121-Jamie Cortazar 12.) 32-Eddie Kudrako 13.) M7-Mike Nagel Jr. 14.) 10K-Kolyn Schane 15.) 4J-Buchanan 16.) 25B-Ryan Burkett 17.) 88A-Amanda Scholtisek 18.) 44-Jim O’Hara 19.) 30+-Brandon Oleski 20.) 16-Ned Fitch
SUNOCO RACE FUELS STREET STOCKS
WINNER – 151 TRAVIS BROCKNER
2.) 51-T. Moon 3.) 85-Abe Romanik 4.) 53-Brett Spoor 5.) 41-Nate Bonham 6.)36F-Dan Force
GRIT FACTORY STOCKS
WINNER - 187 BUCK MILLS SR.
2.) 24-Bob Mills 3.) 27M-Tommy Groover 4.) 28-Charlie Gilbert 5.) 28F-Frank Mills Jr. 6.) 78-Jerry Fassett 7.) 15-Luke Mills 8.) 617-Austin Manzer 9.) 5T-Charlie Towner 10.) 4-Rick Glover 11.) 9X-Josh Towner 12.) 9&¾ Nate Hill 13.) 03-Jason Beebe 14.) 18-Buck Mills Jr.
A & E TIRE AND AUTO CENTER 600 c.c. MODIFIEDS
WINNER – 29 BRENTON MILLER
2.) 28-Brett Gray 3.) 108-Ali Scutt 4.) 77X-Nolan Smith 5.) 217-Larry Furman 6.) 12-John Dinniny 7.) 1-Darwin Greene Jr. 8.) 22-Mollie Mroz 9.) 54T-Travis Rooney 10.) 17-Jeff Baldwin 11.) 167-Devan Sieben 12.) 30NN-Nate Oropallo 13.) 101-Doug Lattner
GARY’S U-PULL IT 4 CYLINDERS
WINNER – 16 KENNY UNDERWOOD
2.) 354-Andy Bolles 3.)5-Josh Wilder 4.) 56-Jeff Sterling 5.) 7F-Dave Fox Jr. 6.) 76-Dave Nixon 7.) 8W-Rich Wagner 8.) 49Z-Shaun Furman 9.) 71-Rob Sterling 10.) G55-Dakota Fuller 11.) 21-Scott Beach 12.) 31J-M. Gibson 13.) 944-Jeremie Trurizo 14.) 5B-Madyson Beach DQ 107-Tim Vandermark
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