Four hour tow pays off for Wayne Robertson at Raceway 7!
8 min read
By Jay Pees
Conneaut, OH, July 26, 2013: The Sweeney Chevrolet FASTRAK Late Models Northeast Touring Series made its second visit of the 2013 season for $1200 to win in the Evergreen Lake Park Campground FASTRAK Late Models. Group time trials were run with Wayne Robertson, all the way from Corning, NY, setting fast time at 18.858 and averaging 83.519 MPH around the 3/8 mile banked oval. Second quick was WV’s Joel Prosser at 19.126. Third fast time was Dave Airgood, with a time of 19.141. When the checkers flew after the twenty-five lap grind, it was Wayne Robertson, after a four hour tow, sitting in Victory Lane. In regular racing action Joel Watson won his fourth E-Mod feature of the season, Alan Atkinson won his first-ever Economod feature at Raceway 7 in te make up event then Brian Hathaway grabbed his fourth of the season in the regularly scheduled feature. Joe Rohrer defeated Chris Withers for the Street Stock victory while Zach Downes won his second Mini-Stock feature of the 2013 season.
Twenty-one FASTRAK Northeast Touring cars came to Roger Osburn’s green flag with fast timer Wayne Robertson leading the way by virtue of winning the first heat. Second heat winner Matt Latta started outside front row with third heat winner Bobby Rohrer starting from the third spot. The four-wide salute to fans was accompanied with fireworks from the back straight.
Latta led to turn one but Robertson got the advantage on the back straight. Fourth-starting Billy Henry came to second at the end of two with sixth starting Chad Wright challenging Latta, getting by on lap seven, just as Khole Wanzer looped his mount in turn four, negating the pass as the race is restarted from the last lap completed.
Robertson and Henry lined up on the front row for the restart with Robertson leading back to turn one over Henry, Latta, and Wright. Mike Mitchell was able to get alongside Wright at lap ten but was unable to complete the pass. At lap twelve Latta managed to get by Henry for second just as Joey Valenti spun in turn two.
The lap had been scored so Latta restarted alongside the leader. Justin Kreider and Khole Wanzer came together at the restart with both ending up in the wall, bringing caution over the field. Track points leader Chad Wright and Dave Airgood, winner of the FASTRAK touring event in June, both suffered flat tires during the caution and headed pitside for new rubber. With national points at stake both drivers were allowed two laps to compete the tire change. Wright made it back to the raceway in time but Airgood did not. Robertson and Latta went side-by-side through turns one and two but Robertson was the leader when the first lap back under green was complete. Robertson showed strength over the remaining laps but Latta stayed with him, just one car-length behind with five laps remaining and right on his rear bumper at three laps left when the leaders encountered lapped traffic. At the white flag Robertson had a five car-length lead from negotiating traffic and would take his lead to the checkers over Latta. Henry wound up third with, George Kowatic fourth and Mike Mitchell filling out the top five. It was Robertson’s first visit to the Evergreen Lake Park Campground Victory Lane.
The make-up feature for the McDonalds Meats Economods started 13 of the original field from the rained-out event started last week with Alan Atkinson leading after one lap and Western Pennsylvania 2012 Rookie of the Year Casey Bowers running second. A four car pile-up in turn one at the start of lap two slowed the field. Bowers spun in turn one on the restart again slowing the field. By five laps into the event Jeremy Double was second and making a bid for the lead. At halfway, however, Atkinson was again establishing himself as the driver to beat and putting distance on Double. Coming into lapped traffic at lap thirteen, Double caught Atkinson but spun negotiating through the field. Caution was again over the field setting up a green-white-checkers finish. The single-file restart was Atkinson, Brian Hathaway, Tony Hyde, Steve Samuelson, and Ty Rhodes. It was Atkinson’s first-ever win at Raceway 7.
The regularly scheduled feature for the McDonalds Meats Economods had Ty Rhodes and Josh Ferry on the front row. Rhodes led from the green with Ferry second. Kyle Fellows lost the handle of his machine with two laps complete, spinning in turn two of lap three. At the redisplay of green Tony Hyde came to second with Kevin Sergeff spinning in turn three. After restarting third Brian Hathaway came to the lead, looking for his fourth win of the season. Casey Bowers came by Hyde for third at lap seven. In turn two on lap eight Bowers again spun with Kyle Fellows spinning to avoid contact, but colliding with the stopped Bowers. After restarting Hyde got by Rhodes for second but Hathaway was well on his way to the win. With two laps to go Bowers had come back to fifth but again looped it in turn four, then retired to the pits. When the final two laps were complete it was Hathaway in Victory Lane for the fourth time in 2013 with Hyde second, Rhodes third, Alan Atkinson fourth, and Kyle Fellows fifth.
Mike Potosky and Percy McDonald brought the Bonnell Collision Center E-Mod feature to the green with third-starting Joel Watson coming to the lead before then end of one lap. Potosky ran second until Greg Johnson came to challenge with two laps complete. The two ran side by side until the second caution, both of which were for spins by Jake Eller. Johnson got sole possession of second at the restart as Potosky got wide in turn two. At lap six Eller again spun, relegating himself to the pits. Percy McDonald and Johnson exchanged places after green with Potosky coming back to third at lap eight. Meanwhile Watson, the defending champion, was opening a lead and went on to win number four of the year. McDonald held on for the runner-up spot with Potosky maintaining third despite a strong challenge from Chuck Steinle Jr over the last three laps. Johnson was fifth at the finish.
The first regular feature of the night had Joe Rohrer leading the Western Reserve Animal Clinic Street Stock feature from the pole with the outside front row starter Kenny Lamp second. Coming out of turn two one of the most spectacular flips in the recent history of Raceway 7 occurred when sixth starting Art Gilchrist apparently drove over a loose wheel from another car, causing him to flip wildly several times against the guard rail and catch fencing. The car was destroyed but Gilchrist was ok and exited the car on his own. When the race restarted Rohrer again led with Ed Bolyard coming to second after one lap of green. Jonny Boyd spun in turn one, bringing yellow over the field with one lap complete. Points leader Chris Withers came to third with two complete then to second at the end of three as John Bailey spun, causing caution number three. Only five laps were complete before Kyle Reinwald looped it in three. Looking for win number five, Withers again started right behind the leader with Bolyard alongside. Bolyard slipped high in turn two, allowing Eric Reinwald to get by while Withers started challenging Rohrer for the lead. Withers tried low every turn to get by Rohrer but the leader slowly edged away, going on to his first win of the season. Withers followed him to the stripe with Eric Reinwald coming to the line third, Bolyard fourth, and Boyd coming back to fifth at the finish.
The Specialty Products Mini Stocks had their twenty car feature brought to the green by Logan Keney and Mitch Stokes. Stokes immediately took the lead with seventh starting Zachary Downes coming all the way to second after just one lap and to the lead on the back straight of lap two, looking for his second win of the season. Point’s leader Brad Cole was third at the end of two laps after starting sixth. The red flag was shown at the end of five laps as Joe Longenecker’s car erupted in flames coming out of turn two. At halfway Downes was leading Cole with Stokes now third, Dale Fraschetti, up from twelfth, and and Dylan Goodman. Reining champion Bud Sergeff came to fifth at the end of nine laps. At the end of ten Sergeff was fourth, dropping Fraschetti to fifth. Stokes lost power with two to go and exited to the pit. Downes went on to his second win of the season over Cole, Sergeff, Fraschetti, and Jason Easler.
Evergreen Lake Park Campground FASTRAK Late Models:
Heat 1: Wayne Robertson, Billy Henry, Scott Gurdak, Kyle Zimmerman, Justin Kreider, Dave Airgood, Bruce Hordusky
Heat 2: Matt Latta, Mike Mitchell, Joel Watson, George Kowatic, Mark Tatalovich, Bob Pofer, Breyton Santee
Heat 3: Bobby Rohrer, Chad Wright, Joel Prosser, Jamie Brown, Josh Double, Khole Wanzer, Joel Valenti
Feature: Wayne Robertson, Matt Latta, Billy Henry, George Kowatic, Mike Mitchell, Kyle Zimmerman, Bobby Rohrer, Joel Watson, Jamie Brown, Josh Double, Joel Prosser, Bruce Hordusky, Chad Wright, Scott Gurdak, Mark Tatalovich, Khole Wanzer, Joey Valenti, Dave Airgood, Justin Kreider, Breyton Santee, Bob Pifer
Bonnell Collision Center E-Mods:
Heat 1: Greg Johnson, Josh McDonald, Gary Eicher, Chuck Steinle Jr, Ed Wilson, Bill Taylor
Heat 2: Mike Potosky, Joel Watson, Percy McDonald, Dan McDonald, Jake Eller
Feature: Joel Watson, Percy McDonald, Mike Potosky, Chuck Steinle Jr, Greg Johnson, Gary Eicher, Dan McDonald, Bill Taylor, Josh McDonald, Ed Wilson, Jake Eller
McDonald Meats Econo Mods:
Heat 1: Tony Hyde, Brian Hathaway, Jamie Scharba, Casey Bowers, Bob Bland, Steve Samuelson, Kevin Sergeff, Bobby Wright (DNS)
Heat 2: Ty Rhodes, Josh Ferry, Chuck Steinle Sr, Russ Kaplan, Kyle Fellows, Jeremy Double, Alan Atkinson
Rained out make up feature: Alan Atkinson, Brian Hathaway, Tony Hyde, Steve Samuelson, Ty Rhodes, Kyle Fellows, Casey Bowers, Chuck Steinle Sr, Josh Ferry, Bobby Wright, Jeremy Double, Russ Kaplan, Kevin Sergeff, Mike Hillman, Jake Eucker, Jace Ferringer, Steve Haefke, Gene Crouce, Jeff Weber
Regular feature: Brian Hathaway, Tony Hyde, Ty Rhodes, Alan Atkinson, Kyle Fellows, Kevin Sergeff, Bob Bland, Casey Bowers, Jamie Scharba, Josh Ferry, Russ Kaplan, Jeremy Double, Chuck Steinle Sr (DNS), Steve Samuelson (DNS), Bobby Wright (DNS)
Western Reserve Animal Clinic Street Stocks:
Heat 1: Ed Bolyard, Joe Rohrer, Darrin Hyde, Kenny Lamp, Kyle Reinwald, Jeff Wick, Dave Snyder
Heat 2: Chris Withers, Eric Reinwald, Art Gilchrist, Bobby Vogt, Jonny Boyd, Chris Vann, John Bailey
Feature: Joe Rohrer, Chris Withers, Eric Reinwald, Ed Bolyard, Jonny Boyd, Bob Vogt, Kenny Lamp, David Snyder, Kyle Reinwald, John Bailey, Darrin Hyde, Art Gilchrist, Jeff Wick, Chris Vann
Specialty Products Mini-Stocks:
Heat 1: Mitch Stokes, Dale Fraschetti, Scott Gill, Dylan Goodman, Tom Cupp, Jason Johnson, Chris Forbes, Joe Plesniak, Joe Keney, Alex Forbes
Heat 2: Zach Downes, Bud Sergeff, Brad Cole, Jason Easler, Tim Fisher, Logan Keney, Hoyt Milhalak, Joe Longenecker, Pat Drennan, Nelson Johnson
Feature: Zach Downes, Brad Cole, Bud Sergeff, Dale Fraschetti, Jason Easler, Tim Fisher, Logan Keney, Tom Cupp, Hoyt Mihalak, Joe Keney, Joe Plesniak, Scott Gill, Pat Drennan, John Johnson, Alex Forbes, Mitch Sokes, Dylan Goodman, Chris Forbes, Joe Longenecker, Nelson Johnson (DNS)
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