Chris Withers Wins Tom Wellner Memorial at Raceway 7!

Conneaut, OH (June 13, 2014): Tom Wellner was the crew chief for popular Raceway 7 Street Stock driver Shaun Fawcett until he was stuck with illness in late 2012 and succumbed May 22, 2013. With the Penn-Ohio Street Stock Series coming to Raceway 7, Fawcett’s employer, the Conneaut Telephone Company added $300 to the purse, naming it for the fallen crew chief. Twenty-six Street Stocks towed in all the way from western New York, from Pittsburgh, from the Sharon, OH are, and even from Hummingbird Speedway near DuBois, PA, but when the checkers flew it was one of the home track drivers bringing home the cash. Defending Campbell’s Mini-Storage Street Stocks champion Chris Withers drew the people position after finishing third in his heat then went on to lead every lap of the twenty lap contest but barely squeaking out the win after an almost three abreast final turn for the lead.

In other action Brent Rhebergen made a rare visit to Raceway 7 and dominated the Bonnell Collision Center E-Mods feature after taking the lead on lap two, but not without some pretty stiff challenges from last week’s winner Gary Eicher. Dave Airgood got his first Evergreen Lake Park Campground Crate Late Models feature win, defeating defending champion Chad Wright. Carlos Aponte collected his second win of the season in the Specialty Products Mini Stocks finale while Josh Mueller got his first-ever win the the Zimmer Service Center Economods.

The Bonnell Collision Center E-Mods were first on the card with feature action. Brian Douglas and Brent Rhebergen started the 20-lapper from the front row. Douglas led the first lap with Rhebergen coming to the front a lap later. At the end of three Douglas retired to the pit leaving Dan McDonald second and last week’s winner Gary Eicher third. With seven laps compete Gary Murphy spun in turn two slowing the event. On the first lap under green Mike Potosky got into the back straight wall turning him sideways in front of most of the field. He was struck hard by Bill Taylor, Jim Turley, with John Schenker. Josh McDonald, and Gary Murphy were also involved. All drivers were ok. On the next try to resume the event Percy McDonald lost power on turn two and came to a stop, again slowing the field. When the race finally resumed two tries later Eicher immediately got by McDonald for second. After another caution at the hallway point Rhebergen led Eicher, McDonald, Russ Dunn, and Josh McDonald to the checkers. At the checkers Rhebergen’s right rear tire exploded but too late to change the outcome in Eicher’s favor.

Tom Wellner’s son waved the green flag for the Tom Wellner Memorial after a three abreast pace lap led by Shaun Fawcett. When green flew pole-sitter Chris Withers led the way but in turn three outside pole sitter Fuzzy Fields got sideways and gathered it up but six cars piled up trying to avoid involvement, causing a complete restart. Withers again led from green with Fields second and Rusty Moore third. Mark Peck slapped the wall hard at lap two. At lap six Fields spun out of contention coming out of turn four. After a restart at lap nine Withers continued to open his lead with Bob Schwartzmiller second and Rusty Moore third. Chris Schneider succeeded in taking third with three laps remaining just as caution flew for Jeff Broniszewski, sitting backward against the wall in turn four. At green the field only made it to turn one when Rusty Martz spun again setting up a three lap dash for the win. Withers led Curt Bish, Chris Schneider, Shaun Hooks (up from twentieth), and last week’s winner Shane Applebee to the green. Only one lap was run before caution was again over the field. Bish and Schneider made a run on Withers on the final lap with the three side by side by side coming through the final turn. Withers crossed the line first with Schneider barely getting second over Bish. Hooks was fourth all the way from twentieth at the start and Applebee fifth. On the cool down lap Withers slid into the outside wall in turn two with a flat right rear tire. Withers was pre-registered with the Penn-Ohio Series and so collected $1000 for the win.

Darrell Bossard, winner two weeks ago, led the Evergreen Lake Park Campground Crate Late Models to the green with Jamie Wrightsman outside but Dennis Lunger looped it in turn one, immediately slowing the event. Wrightsman was penalized for rough driving for the restart, putting Dave Airgood on the front row. Airgood led from the drop of the green, then at the end of lap two Lunger again spun, this time in turn four. Airgood now led defending champion Chad Wright with Bossard back to third and Latta fourth. By halfway Latta had moved to third and Kyle Zimmerman up to fifth. With five laps remaining Latta was challenging Wright for the runner-up spot but was unable to get by. At the finish it was Airgood, Wright, Latta, and Bossard, by half a car length over Zimmerman.

Mitch Stokes and Carlos Aponte led the eighteen Specialty Products Mini Stocks to Roger Osburn’s green flag with Aponte leading from the start and Jason Easler coming to second. Last week’s winner Dale Fraschetti got by Stokes for third at the end of five laps just as Jeannie Fowler spun to the infield, bringing yellow for the first time in the event and negating the pass. Fraschetti repeated the pass as soon as green flew. Aponte led the rest of the twelve-lap distance with Easler winding up second. Bud Sergeff got by Fraschetti with two to go. Brad Cole and Dillon Goodman also got by the slowing Fraschetti before the checkers. It was Aponte’s second win of the season.

Two-time winner Josh Ferry and Josh Mueller led the Zimmer Service Center Economods to the green with Mueller grabbing the lead and Eric Reinwald challenging Ferry for second through lap one. Reinwald got wide coming out of turn two and lost four positions on lap three. Mueller and Ferry distanced themselves from the rest of the field and with five laps to go only a car length separated first and second positions with a full straight-a-way back to third as Reinwald spun in turn two, tightening the field for a five-lap dash for the glory. Mueller led the way till the white flag when Ferry got by, only to spin out in turn two. Mueller led the way back to the green and white flags then on to the checkers for his first-ever win. Kapalin wound up second with Rick Prosser third, Ty Rhoades fourth, and Steve Burns fifth.

Results:

Evergreen Lake Park Campground Late Models:
Heat 1: Dave Airgood, Chad Wright, Kyle Zimmerman, Mike Lozowski, Lauren Longbrake, Jorden Peters, Kevin Santee
Heat 2: Matt Latta, Dennis Lunger, Darrell Bossard, Jamie Wrightsman, Wendell Pinckney, Khole Wanzer
Feature: Dave Airgood, Chad Wright, Matt Latta, Darrell Bossard, Kyle Zimmerman, Lauren Longbrake, Jamie Wrightsman, Wendell Pinckney, Dennis Lunger, Jorden Peters, Mike Lozowski, Khole Wanzer, Breyton Santee

Bonnell Collision Center E-Mods:
Heat 1: Gary Eicher, Mike Potosky, Russ Dunn, Dan McDonald, Josh McDonald, Chuck Steinle Jr, Jim Turley, Gary Murphy,John Schenker
Heat 2: Brent Rhebergen, Kenny Zimmer, Dan Davies, Brian Douglas, Dan Sasso, Percy McDonald, Bill Taylor, Ed Wilson, John Boardman
Feature: Brent Rhebergen, Gary Eicher, Dan McDonald, Russ Dunn, Josh McDonald, Dan Sasso, Ed Wilson, Brian Douglas, John Schenker, Chuck Steinle Jr, Mike Potosky, Ken Zimmer, Percy McDonald, Bill Taylor, Jim Turley, Gary Murphy, Dan Davies (DNS), John Boardman (DNS)

Campbell’s Mini-Storage Street Stocks:
Heat 1: Steve D’Apolito, Curt Bish, Chris Withers, Fuzzy Fields, Chris Schneider, Chris Hochschild, Shaun Fawcett, Bob Schwartzmiller, Ed Bolyard
Heat 2: Shane Applebee, Rusty Martz, Gary Miller, Mark Peck, Colton Gearhart, Eric Paulus, Shaun Hooks, Jeff Broniszewski, Rob Bates
Heat 3: Brian Rhen, Rusty Moore, Rod Lasky, Tom Burns, Jamie Duncan, Bobby Heim, Jesse Brock, Randy Wyant
Feature: Chris Withers, Chris Schneider, Curt Bish, Shaun Hooks, Shane Applebee, Brad Rhen, Shawn Fawcett, Tim Burns, Colton Gearhart, Bobby Heim, Bob Schwartzmiller, Fuzzy Fields, Ed Bolyard, Jeff Broniszewski, Rusty Moore, Rusty Martz, Jamie Duncan, Chris Hochschild, Jesse Brock, Steve D’Apolito, Eric Paulus, Gary Miller, Mark Peck, Rod Lasky (DNS), Rob Bates (DNS), Randy Bryant (DNS)

Zimmer Service Center Economods:
Heat 1: Eric Reinwald, Rick Prosser, Steve Burns, Russ Kapalin, Kyle Fellows, Jodi Woodworth, Devin Henry
Heat 2: Ty Rhoades, Josh Mueller, Josh Ferry, Chuck Steinle Sr, Steve Samuelson, Mike Smith, Megan Adams
Feature: Josh Mueller, Russ Kapalin, Rick Prosser, Ty Rhoades, Steve Burns, Kyle Fellows, Devin Henry, Steve Samuelson, Jodi Woodworth, Eric Reinwald, Chuck Steinle Sr, Mike Smith, Josh Ferry, Megan Adams

Specialty Products Mini Stocks:
Heat 1: Brad Cole, Bud Sergeff, Hoyt Mihalak, Cale Sousa, Logan Keney, Scott Gill, Alex Forbes, Jeannie Fowler, Casey Fox
Heat 2: Carlos Aponte, Dale Fraschetti, Jason Easler, Mitch Stokes, Dylan Goodman, Kyle Adkins, Cody Minor, Joe Longenecker, Alex Siekennen
Feature: Carlos Aponte, Jason Easler, Bud Sergeff, Brad Cole, Dillon Goodman, Dale Fraschetti, Mitch Stokes, Cale Sousa, Hoyt Mihalak, Logan Keney, Joe Longenecker, Alex Siekennin, Alex Forbes, Scott Gill, Jeannie Fowler, Kyle Adkins, Cody Minor, Casey Fox (DNS)