The Blair Family Conquer the NDRL’s McKean County Raceway
Davies, Ashcroft, Mitchell also Winners
East Smethport, PA (May 17, 2013) The father and son duo of Rob and Max Blair of Centerville, PA made McKean County Raceway history as becoming the first ever father and son duo to win on the same night in their respective divisions. Rob won the 25 lap super late model feature while Max won his third consecutive MCR feature of the year in the RUSH Crate Late Models. Ron Davies and Adam Ashcroft captured their second win of the young season in the Emods and Close Racing Supply Street Stocks while Larry Mitchell Jr. of Smethport won his third mini stock feature of the year.
The RUSH Crate Late Models was the first event of the evening and the fans saw Adam Sixt and Max Blair on the front row based on their passing points they received from their heat race events. Blair used the high groove right off the start to take the lead over Sixt with Justin Tatlow following. Max immediately showed is power and why he is the reigning national champion. Sixt was busy keeping Tatlow, Garrett Mott and Chad Ruhlman behind him. Ruhlman would make is move on Mott on lap six, while Max was already putting the first driver a lap down on lap 7. While Max was busy putting cars a lap down, Chad Ruhlman found the right spot for his #4s Rayburn chassis. Ruhlman charged from fourth to second by the halfway point of the event only to have three lap cars between him and Blair. Blair would continue to put the back markers a lap down and keep Ruhlman from catching him in the 20 lap non caution event and winning his third win of the year at MCR and less than a week after winning $5000 in West Virginia and a tune up for Thursday night’s RUSH Touring Series event at McKean. Ruhlman was second followed by Tatlow, Sixt and Garrett Mott coming home with a season high fifth.
The Super Late Models were led by the point leader Ron Davies and Rob Blair for their 25 lap event. Blair just like his son used the outside lane at the start to lead Davies for lap one. The first and only yellow came out on lap three for John Lacki. On the restart Boom Briggs would get around Davies with Bob Close and John Volpe following Davies in fourth and fifth. Jason Dupont made his presence known on by lap by putting Volpe back into sixth. Dupont would continue to move to the front as on lap nine he put Close back to fifth in the field. Blair was still leading at the halfway point over Briggs who seemed to start closing in on the black #Won11 Rocket Chassis. With less than ten laps to go, Dick Barton was now applying the pressure to Close for fifth. Barton would take the spot over Close on lap 18 and Close would lose another spot on lap 21 to Volpe as the #04 machine was backing up. Blair kept the #99B of Briggs three car lengths behind him the entire distance to make MCR history by winning his feature on the same night as his son. Briggs was second followed by point leader Davies, DuPont and Barton rounding out the top five.
Gary Fisher and Adam Ashcroft were the front row starters for the Close Racing Supply Street Stock division. The yellow flew immediately on the opening lap for Ted Mashco. On the restart it was Ashcroft getting the immediate jump on Fisher with newcomer, Don Wolfer in third. Last week’s winner Andy Michael moved into the top five and was pressuring Fisher and Wolfer. Wolfer got by Fisher on lap six for the runner up spot and that seemed to be the race of the race as Ashcroft was already a half a straight away ahead. Michael moved into third on lap ten. Wolfer and Michael put on a great battle for the runner up spot as that was the race to watch as Ashcroft in his #6R machine powered by a 604 crate motor easily won by a half a track over the real race between Wolfer and Michael. Wolfer would edge out Michael for second, while Brad Ullman and Fisher rounded out the top five.
The Emods saw the heavy hitters of Randy Hall and Ron Davies who both have the only two wins in the division so far in the year on the front row. Hall and Davies roared down the front stretch under John Powell’s green flag as Hall would lead lap one and it was short lived as Hall would experience terminal engine problems while leading on lap two handling the lead over to Davies. On the restart Davies would now lead over Steve Dixon and Hall’s teammate, Vic Vena but the yellow lights came back on as Kirk Bradley and Al Brewer coming together with Brewer heading to the pits ending his night. Davies would again lead the field to the restart. At the halfway point it was Davies still over Vena who kicked Dixon back to third, Dan Davies and Carl McKinney. Mckinney and John Woodward Jr. would move the younger Davies back out of the top five as his father was still leading the field. Dixon would get second back from Vena as the two drivers kept the pressure on each other until lap fifteen when the yellow lights flashed and Vena would slow and go to the pits. On the restart it was bedlam behind Ron Davies with Dixon, Woodward, McKinney and Dan Davies all gunning for the 37 year racing veteran, but it was the “RimRider” winning his second emod feature of the year over Dixon, Woodward, Dan Davies and Nathan Hill rounding out the top five.
The fifteen lap mini stock feature was the final event of the evening saw Joe Boylan lead the opening laps over point leader Larry Mitchell Jr. Mitchell Jr. kept his machine within striking distance until lap six when he took the lead form Boylan. Mitch Boylan would move into second on lap two with local driver, Eric Canfield now in third. The top three stayed that order till the finish with Mitchell winning his third event in a row over Mitch Boylan, Canfield, Chris Paar and Chad Babcock rounding out the top five as the checkers flew at 10:30 pm.
Fans are reminded that the NDRL McKEAN COUNTY RACEWAY will be in action on Thursday night with the 7th annual Dave Lundgren Memorial for the ULMS Late Models along with the RUSH Touring Late Model Series and a complete program for the Emods, Street Stocks and Mini Stocks. Race time is 7:30PM. Do not forget, Friday May 31 as the NDRL’ ULMS Late Models go for $7500 to win “Smethport 50”. National drivers, Shane Clanton, Tim Fuller, Billy Decker, Clint Smith, Bud McCool and others will be on hand.
May 17, 2013 Results:
SUPER LATE MODEL: Rob Blair, Boom Briggs, Ron Davies, Jason Dupont, Dick Barton, John Volpe, Bob Close, Rich Gardner, Brent Rhebegen, John Lacki, Greg Oakes, Matt Lux, Jon Rohacevich, Jim Mason, Doug Eck (DNS)
RUSH CRATE LATE MODELS: Max Blair, Chad Ruhlman, Justin Tatlow, Adam Sixt, Garrett Mott, Joe Martin, Ward Schell, Bob Dorman, Bob Kish, Zack Carley, Ed Carley, Damien Bidwell, Jon Lichy, Critter Hemphill, Cody Mason, John Haggerty, Bruno Mowery, Dave Norton Jr, Bill Mesler, Doug Ricotta, Dereck Frank, Chad Silleman
EMODS: Ron Davies, Steve Dixon, John Woodward, Dan Davies, Nathan Hill, Tim Peterson, Travis Asel, Kirk Bradley, Carl Ballinger, Carl McKinney, Vic Vena, Karl Born, TJ Downs, Al Brewer, Randy Hall, Darren Tarabori
CLOSE RACING SUPPLY STREET STOCKS: Adam Ashcroft, Don Wolfer, Andy Michael, Brad Ullman, Gary Fisher, Josh Wilcox, Joe Chamberlain, Jeff Hellwig, Steve Mowery, Steve Sklar, Darryl Greene, Randy Taylor, Ted Mascho
MINI STOCKS: Larry Mitchell, Mitch Boylan, Eric Canfield, Chris Paar, Chad Babcock, Joe Boylan, Duane Powers, Denny Babcock, Richard Kline, Kurt Babcock, Aaron Bartas