Max Blair Wins Lundgren Memorial, Ruhlman Continues Crate Dominance
East Smethport, PA (June 14, 2014) 98 race cars rolled into the pits on Saturday night for the Dave Lundgren Memorial for the super late models. Max Blair of Centerville, PA picked up his second consecutive win of the season in the race memorizing the 1989 late model champion and Smethport native. Chad Ruhlman continued his dominance in the weekly RUSH Crate Late Model division. Ruhlman picked up his fifth win of the year coming from ninth. Vic Vena grabbed his first win of the year along with Larry Mitchell Sr., while Kurt Stebbins and Jason Dobson returned to victory lane in their respective divisions.
Matt Urban and former MCR champion Dick Barton led the super late model field to the green flag in the Dave Lundgren Memorial. Barton shot into the lead from his outside starting spot with Urban and Rob Blair and Max Blair following. Rob Blair shot to the inside of Urban in turn three and made contact resulting in Urban to come to a stop in turn four bringing out the first yellow. Blair was sent to the tail for the contact by track officials. On the restart Barton refired the field with last week’s winner and sixth place starting, Max Blair now in second and the “Captain” Jason Dupont in third. With five laps in the books it was still Barton in front of Max, Dupont, Greg Oakes and Brent Rhebergen. A lap seven yellow for Denny Fenton closed the field on the back of Barton. Barton again sped in front of Blair and Dupont with 16th starting David Scott now up to fourth and closing in fast. Blair would put heavy pressure on Barton and would make the outside pass on lap 12 to take over the top spot. As lap twelve clicked off the board the yellow would come back out again for Chris Hackett who slowed in turn 2. With the field now on the rear bumper of the Keystone Kamikaze, the big question was if Scott could keep his charge to the front going. Blair quickly distanced himself from Barton and others on the restart. Blair would encounter lap traffic on lap 20 as Scott continued to pressure Dupont for third with Urban back up to sixth pressuring Rhebergen for a top five. Blair continued to put lap cars in between him and Barton to cross the stripe for his second consecutive win. Barton came home a season high second with Jason Dupont finishing a season high third. David Scott came home fourth from 16th and Brent Rhebergen came home with his first top five of the year.
Mike Parmenter took the early lead in Pure Stock feature from his outside pole position over pole sitter, Moose Reed. Last week’s winner, Jason Dobson quickly moved to third and would take the lead on lap five from Parmenter with Fred Ely now in fifth. Besides, Dobson being out front, Parementer and Ely were engaged in a battle for second with point leader Roger Schweikart moving to fourth from his eleventh starting spot. Ely’s excellent run went south on lap 13 when his engine expired bringing out the yellow . Dobson refired the field and went the final two laps defeating Parmenter, Reed, Schweikart and RJ Pistner coming home fifth.
Thomas Cupp and Larry Mitchell Sr set the pace with Mitchell leading lap 1 of the mini stock feature. Holden Heinemann moved into second and attempted to get under Mitchell Sr for the lead. After several attempts on the inside, Heinemann would now look for the outside as the duo kept the crowd into it with close door to door action. Mitchell Sr would hold off Heinemann in a very thrilling win. Cupp would finish third over CJ Irons and last week’s winner Kurt Babcock in fifth.
The Close Racing Supply Modified 20 lap feature saw Vic Vena and 43yr veteran Al Brewer on the front row. Vena took the lead at the start with Darren Tarabori slipping into second ahead of Brewer. Brewer would come back and grab the runner up spot on the next lap. Brewer would start to close in on Vena as the crowd was anticipating the old veteran to challenge for the lead when third and fourth place cars of Darren Tarabori and Randy Hall made contact resulting in Tarabori spinning in turn one. Both drivers went to the tail. On the restart Brewer chased after Vena with Dan Sasso now in third. As the race went on, Vena would begin to pull away from Brewer who was having a stellar run. At the end it was Vena picking up his first win of the year over Brewer who grabbed a season high second over Sasso, Mike McGee and Hall would come back to grab fifth.
Twenty-five RUSH crate late models rolled thru turn four to take Curtis Peters green flag. Brad Mesler shot around his father on the start with last year’s champion, Max Blair quickly into second. Mesler would lead the first five laps with Blair taking over the lead on lap 6 from Mesler. Lap seven would see the first yellow for Bruno Mowery. Blair would refire the field with Brady Wonderling making a charge to third with Bobby Rohrer and Bill Mesler now in fifth. The yellow would come back out on lap 10 for Critter Hemphill. On the restart point leader, Chad Ruhlman charged from sixth to second with a three wide move going into turn one. A caution on lap 13 and 14 would bring Ruhlman to the bumper of Blair giving the fans the anticipation of the areas two top crate racers going head to head. The restart saw Ruhlman make a sweeping pass on Blair in turn two to take the lead that he would never look back from. All eyes were on the battle for third between Bobby Rohrer and Damien Bidwell with Rohrer edging Bidwel for third with Doug Ricotta coming home fifth. Ruhlman picked up his second consecutive win, his fifth of the year and his third of the year from the 9th starting spot.
Kurt Stebbins was one of three drivers tied for the point lead going into the night found himself on the outside front row in his backup car after motor problems last week. Two time winner Jeremy Williams followed Stebbins into second with Rich Wotjowicz into third. Williams applied pressure on Stebbins throughout the event. Last weeks winner, Ted Mascho was sitting fifth till lap 13 caution. This resulted in a two lap restart with Stebbins and Williams battling it out for the win with Williams getting under Stebbins coming out of two and running door to door going into turn three for the checkers only to see Stebbins pick up the win by a mere car length. Wotjowicz was third for the third straight week. Vaughn Nystrom had a season high fourth place finish with Jason Dobson coming home in fifth.
MCR will be back in action next Saturday night, June 21 with a “Super 6” program. Donations will be taken up throughout the night for St Judes Hospital. Adult admission is $12 with Senior Citizens being $10. Children 11-17 are $6 and pit passes are the normal $25. Race time is 7pm with grandstands opening at 5PM.
RESULTS:
SUPER LATE MODELS: DAVE LUNDGREN MEMORIAL: MAX BLAIR, Dick Barton, Jason Dupont, David Scott, Brent Rhebergen, Matt Urban, Greg Oakes, Doug Eck, Michael Oakes, Devin Lewis, Bob Dorman, Denny Fenton, Dave Norton Jr., Joe Layfield, Chris Hackett, Rob Blair, Dylan Fenton
MINI STOCKS: JASON DOBSON, Mike Parmenter, Moose Reed, Roger Schweikart, RJ Pistner, Dennis Cummings, Derrick Dickerson, Joe Layfield, Cliff Easton, Dan Ott, Donnie Williams, Fred Ely, Tim Burkett
MINI STOCKS: LARRY MITCHELL SR., Holden Heinemann, Thomas Cupp, CJ Irons, Kurt Babcock, Eric Canfield, Mitch Boylan, Andy Proper, Damen Palmer, Michael Rotunda, Aaron Bartas, Matt Burrell, Richard Kline, Dave Lowe Jr., Lyndsay Carlson Jr.
CLOSE RACING SUPPLY MODIFIEDS: VIC VENA, Al Brewer, Dan Sasso, Mike McGee, Randy Hall, Justin Carlson, Darren Tarabori, Tom Hagberg, Carl Ballinger, John Woodward Jr., Rob Middleton
RUSH CRATE LATE MODELS: CHAD RUHLMAN, Max Blair, Bobby Rohrer, Damien Bidwell, Doug Ricotta, Jason Knowles, Wyatt Scott, Brady Wonderling, Jeremy Wonderling, Justin Smith, Craig Dean, Ward Schell, Bob Kish, Brian Knowles, Dave Shagla Jr., Brad Mesler, Garrett Mott Bill Mesler, Critter Hemphill, Jason Genco, Mike Robinson, Bruno Mowery, John Haggerty, Luke Carlton, Sherman Gage
HIGHWAY AUTO STOCK CARS: KURT STEBBINS, Jeremy Williams, Rich Wotjowicz, Vaughn Nystrom, Jason Dobson, Dennis Asel, Butch Talbot, Guy Adams, Gary Fisher, Ryan Snyder, Brad Curran Jr., Ted Mascho, Eric Harvey, Jeremy Perry, Joe Chamberlain, Victor Earle Jr.
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