6th Annual Ed Laboon Memorial Goes To Rusty Martz

BY RICH BERRY
JUNE 4, 2017

Rusty Martz from Brookville was the winner of the Sixth Annual Ed Laboon Memorial race on Saturday night at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway. Martz led every lap at the start/finish line to earn the $2517 first place money. Though Todd Weldon nosed ahead on several occasions, Weldon dropped out of the event with mechanical problems leaving Martz to race home the winner in the Homak Manufacturing Penn Ohio Pro Stock Series sanctioned event.

Other winners on the night’s busy program of racing were Mike Reft from Whitehall in the Precise Racing Products RUSH Late Models, Greg Dobrosky from Kittanning in the Alternative Power Sources Allegheny Sprint Tour, Dave Sheriff of Imperial in the Miley Truck Rental Hobby Stocks, Justin Clark from Pittsburgh in the Imperial Heights Garage Young Guns, and Steve Settle of West Leisenring in the CruiseAmerica Open Fours.

A field of 56 Sunoco Sportsman / Homak Manufacturing Penn Ohio Pro Stocks were on hand for the event. The fastest qualifier was Randy Wyant with a lap of 21.823 seconds, as the field was divided into six qualifying heats. The six heat races took the top three to the main event, with the heat winners themselves going to a Dash race which lined up the top six starting spots for the main. Heat race winners were Rusty Martz, Dave McManus, Curt Bish, Joel Johns, A.J. Poljak, and Todd Weldon. Martz won the dash from fifth starting spot to earn the pole position for the Ed Laboon Memorial. Three B-Main events qualified the top three finishers, and they were won by Joe Wrona, Corey McPherson, and Bill Robertson. Joe Stajnrajh was the series provisional to complete the 28 car starting grid.

Martz and A.J. Poljak led the 25 lap Ed Laboon Memorial to the green flag with fourth starting Todd Weldon quickly moving to second. Weldon used the outside to pass Martz on lap 7, but Martz was better through the other end of the track and regained the lead at the scoring line. With heavy race traffic ahead, the leaders caught a break when the first of three caution periods came on lap 8. The side by side lead battle continued on the restart with Martz low and Weldon high, but the next caution period came with 10 laps in for former race winner Jeff Broniszewski who caught the outside wall. On a later lap 13 restart, a tangle in turn one involved several of the top runners. Defending race winner Weldon was having trouble with his car on the restart, but got it going again when the race restarted. Weldon passed Martz off of turn two to take the lead working lap 14, but just as he did, his mount suffered more issues that dropped him off the pace, forcing him from the event at that point. Eleventh starting Wayne Carbo inherited second, racing with Wyant for the spot. Wyant passed Carbo on lap 17, and starting closing on the leader in the late laps. But he could never get close enough to make a serious challenge, as Martz became the first repeat winner of the Laboon Memorial by 2.681 seconds over Wyant. Behind Carbo in third, Rusty Moore turned in a solid run for fourth. Chris Schneider charged through the field in a great drive to fifth from starting position 25. Inaugural race winner Bob Schwartzmiller was sixth from 23rd starting spot, followed by Nick Kocuba from 27th, previous race winner Curt Bish, Joel Johns, and Mansfield, OH visitor Kyle Moore filling the top ten. The planned Dob’s Auto Non-Qualifiers Race was not able to be run, but the total purse for the event was totaled and will be divided equally by every non qualified driver.

From outside row one on the starting grid, Mike Reft took the lead from Chris Withers at the drop of the green and led the entire distance in winning the non-stop feature for the Precise Racing Products RUSH Late Models. Near halfway, the two heat race winners, seventh starting Ben Policz and Daryl Charlier from ninth were battling for second and catching the leader. Charlier slipped by Policz on the inside to take second lap 13, and as race traffic was getting heavy for the leaders. Reft made the right moves to get through traffic, as did Charlier who made a bid for the lead with two laps remaining. With more traffic ahead on the last lap, Reft made the right moves again in taking the win with Charlier .482 seconds behind. Behind Policz in third, tenth starting John Mollick passed Chuck Medved to get fourth on the last lap. Behind Medved in his great run for fifth was Steve Beatty, Justin Lamb, Jake Gunn, Russ Matejka, and Bill Kessler.

With just four Alternative Power Sources Allegheny Sprint Tour cars on hand and just three able to start their 10 lap feature, it appeared that Jacob Gomola was on his way to victory after leading the first half of the race. However, coming to the line on lap 6, he got out of shape off of turn four and slammed hard into the outside wall, flipping to a stop. Greg Dobrosky inherited the lead on the restart and would take the win over George Frederick.

Dave Sheriff arrived late to the track, but he was early when it counted by being the first driver to the checkered flag in the 10 lap Miley Truck Rental Hobby Stock feature. Stephen Shelpman had led from the start, but Sherfiff was up to challenge at lap 4. Sheriff made the winning pass on lap 5 and took the win over Shelpman, Butch Black, Karlee Kovacs, and Casey Grumling.

Justin Clark raced to his third straight victory in the 6 lap Imperial Heights Garage Young Gun feature. Starting fourth in the four car field, Clark passed early leader Kayla McManus on lap 2 on his way to his fourth straight feature event dating back to the final event last season. McManus was second ahead of Ben Anton and Kyle Janas. The division was started in 2006, with the first race won by Rich Mason being run on April 15. Clark’s win was event 199 for the division, so the next race will be landmark event 200.

Steve Settle topped eleven CruiseAmerica Open Fours in earning his first feature win at the track. Starting fifth, Settle quickly raced his way to the front passing both front row starters Dale Rubright and C.J. Parrill. Seventh starting Paul Koffler, III advanced to second, before being passed by tenth starting Bill Tennant with two laps remaining in the ten lap event. Settle had built a comfortable lead in the non-stop event and took the win over Tennant, Koffler, April Tennant, and Cody Quarrick.

Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway will be back in action on Saturday, June 10, with a twin top billing program featuring the 410 Outlaw Winged Sprints and the Diehl Automotive Super Late Models. There will be full card for the Precise Racing Products RUSH Late Models, and features only for Sunoco Sportsman, Super6 Late Models, Miley Truck Rental Hobby Stocks, Imperial Heights Garage Young Guns, and CruiseAmerica Open Fours. For all racing programs, the gates open at 5:00 PM, with warm-ups at 6:00 PM and racing at 7:00 PM. Follow us on Facebook at @PAMotorSpeedway or on Twitter at @PAMotorSpeedway for timely information updates. The Twitter account is used extensively on race nights for live updates. Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway is located west of the city of Pittsburgh, just south of the Noblestown exit of U.S. Route 22, or 170 Kelso Road in Imperial, PA, for GPS purposes. The track phone is 724-695-3363 on race days, or call 412-279-RACE. For complete information including ticket information, please visit the track website at www.ppms.com .

Results for Saturday, June 3, 2017

Sunoco Sportsman / Homak Manufacturing Penn Ohio Pro Stocks

Feature results with finish position, start position, car number, driver, and hometown.

1, 1, 16M, Rusty Martz, Brookville

2, 7, 11T, Randy Wyant, Cranberry

3, 11, 54, Wayne Carbo, Saxonburg

4, 9, 17M, Rusty Moore, New Castle

5, 25, 64, Chris Schneider, Lower Burrell

6, 23, 28S, Bob Schwartzmiller, Robinson Township

7, 27, 10, Nick Kocuba, Bulger

8, 3, 29, Curt Bish, Oil City

9, 6, M5, Joel Johns, Murrysville

10, 18, 11*, Kyle Moore, Mansfield, OH

11, 16, C8, Bill Hurrelbrink, Turkey City

12, 2, 36, A.J. Poljak, Baldwin

13, 24, 948, Joey Zambotti, 0

14, 26, 20J, Jim Fosnaught, Bairdford

15, 19, 15, Joe Wrona, Uniontown

16, 17, 1R, Rod Laskey, Oil City

17, 22, 73, Jason Fosnaught, Tarentum

18, 12, 84, Steve D’Apolito, North Lima, OH

19, 21, 1B, Bill Robertson, Upper St. Clair

20, 5, 114, Dave McManus, Elizabeth

21, 28, 04, Joe Stajnrajh, Oil City

22, 14, 69R, Brian Rhed, Brockport

23, 10, 08, Jeff Broniszewski, Coraopolis

24, 13, 67J, Jamie Duncan, Brookfield, OH

25, 15, 7W, Bobby Whitling, Seneca

26, 20, C33, Corey McPherson, Leechburg

27, 8, 92, Bobby Heim, Allison Park

28, 4, 45, Todd Weldon, Monongahela

Did not qualify, 33, Brad Koteles, Sarasota, FL

12, Ryan Newman, Lemont Furnace

7, Eric Piotrowski, Evans City

67X, Danny Rich, Imperial

23Hjr, Hunter Exley, Franklin

30, Bob Egley, Kittanning

13X, Ryan Moyer, Portersville

18, Mike Harris, Bridgeville

717, Leigh Wheeler, Polk

31, Noah Brunell, New Alexandria

47, Cam Kraisinger, Mount Pleasant

28, Fuzzy Fields, Brockway

06R, Russ Byler, New Wilmington

17, Jackson Humanic, Titusville

4, Jacob Billyk, New Castle

25M, Brett McDonald, Saxonburg

23, Pat Fielding, Titusville

2W, Terry Wheeler, Polk

81, Robert Betz, South Heights

25L, Mark Lee, Oakdale

21, Troy DeZarn, Youngstown, OH

4S, Ricky Stigerwald, Robinson

22B, Jesse Brock, Stoneboro

W1, Jarrod Westover, Lisbon, OH

1S, Kyle Shannon, DuBois

19N, Troy Norman, New Castle

965, Andy Buckley, Stoneboro

25X, Justin Lamb, Findlay Township

Fastest Qualifier – Randy Wyant, 21.823 seconds.

Heat 1 – (top three from each heat to main) Rusty Martz, Randy Wyant, Jamie Duncan, Brad Koteles, Jason Fosnaught, Jacob Billyk, Leigh Wheeler, Danny Rich, Terry Wheeler, Jarrod Westover.

Heat 2 – Dave McManus, Bobby Heim, Brian Rhed, Corey McPherson, Jim Fosnaught, Ryan Newman, Robert Betz, Hunter Exley, Russ Byler, did not start Justin Lamb.

Heat 3 – Curt Bish, Rusty Moore, Bobby Whitling, Bill Robertson, Joey Zambotti, Cam Kraisinger, Pat Fielding, Jesse Brock, Troy Norman.

Heat 4 – Joel Johns, Jeff Broniszewski, Bill Hurrelbrink, Joe Wrona, Bob Egley, Fuzzy Fields, Troy DeZarn, Andy Buckley, Chris Schneider.

Heat 5 – A.J. Poljak, Wayne Carbo, Rod Laskey, Ricky Stigerwald, Noah Brunell, Kyle Shannon, Ryan Moyer, Brett McDonald, Bob Schwartzmiller.

Heat 6 – Todd Weldon, Steve D’Apolito, Kyle Moore, Eric Piotrowski, Mike Harris, Joe Stajnrajh, Jackson Humanic, Nick Kocuba, Mark Lee.

B-Main 1 – (top three from each heat to main) Joe Wrona, Jason Fosnaught, Chris Schneider, Brad Koteles, Danny Rich, Bob Egley, Leigh Wheeler, Fuzzy Fields, Jacob Billyk, Terry Wheeler, Troy DeZarn, Jarrod Westover, did not start, Andy Buckley.

B-Main 2 – Corey McPherson, Bob Schwartzmiller, Jim Fosnaught, Ryan Newman, Hunter Exley, Ryan Moyer, Noah Brunell, Russ Byler, Brett McDonald, Robert Betz, Ricky Stigerwald, Kyle Shannon, did not start, Justin Lamb.

B-Main 3 – Bill Robertson, Joey Zambotti, Nick Kocuba, Eric Piotrowski, Joe Stajnrajh, Mike Harris, Cam Kraisinger, Jackson Humanic, Pat Fielding, Mark Lee, Jesse Brock, Troy Norman.

Precise Racing Products RUSH Late Models

Feature results with finish position, start position, car number, driver, and hometown.

1, 2, 9R, Mike Reft, Whitehall

2, 9, 12, Daryl Charlier, Midway

3, 7, 14B, Ben Policz, Rices Landing

4, 10, 60M, John Mollick, Toronto, OH

5, 5, 2M, Chuck Medved, Imperial

6, 6, B4, Steve Beatty, Allison Park

7, 12, 93X, Justin Lamb, Findlay Township

8, 8, 14G, Jake Gunn, McDonald

9, 11, 17M, Russ Matejka, Hopewell

10, 13, 09, Bill Kessler, Freedom

11, 1, 21W, Chris Withers, Mill Village

12, 4, 12G, Brian Goebel, Beaver Falls

13, 3, 114G, Zach Gunn, McDonald

14, 15, 1ST, Ken Maniecki, Imperial

15, 14, 6, Chuck Recker, West View

Heat 1 – Daryl Charlier, Chuck Medved, John Mollick, Russ Matejka, Jake Gunn, Chris Withers, Bill Kessler, Ken Maniecki.

Heat 2 – Ben Policz, Steve Beatty, Mike Reft, Justin Lamb, Brian Goebel, Zach Gunn, Chuck Recker.

Alternative Power Sources Allegheny Sprint Tour

Feature results with finish position, start position, car number, driver, and hometown.

1, 1, 88, Greg Dobrosky, Kittanning

2, 3, 22, George Frederick, Sewickley

3, 2, 4J, Jacob Gomola, Seneca

Did not start, 21, Rob Felix, Pittsburgh

Miley Truck Rental Hobby Stocks

Feature results with finish position, start position, car number, driver, and hometown.

1, 5, 8, Dave Sheriff, Imperial

2, 1, 17S, Stephen Shelpman, Pleasant Hills

3, 4, 33B, Butch Black, Oakdale

4, 2, 221K, Karlee Kovacs, Carnegie

5, 3, 77X, Casey Grumling, Elrama

Imperial Heights Garage Young Guns

Feature results with finish position, start position, car number, driver, and hometown.

1, 4, 02, Justin Clark, Pittsburgh

2, 1, 14, Kayla McManus, Elizabeth

3, 2, 13, Ben Anton, Jefferson Hills

4, 3, 89, Kyle Janas, Coraopolis

CruiseAmerica Open Fours

Feature results with finish position, start position, car number, driver, and hometown.

1, 5, 3S, Steve Settle, West Leisenring

2, 10, 2, Bill Tennant, Colliers, WV

3, 7, 48, Paul Koffler, III, Connellsville

4, 9, 95, April Tennant, Colliers, WV

5, 11, 6, Cody Quarrick, Uniontown

6, 3, 44, Matthew Rubright, Harmony

7, 8, R88, Andy Garlinger, Hopedale, OH

8, 1, X, Dale Rubright, Harmony

9, 6, 64, Tom Anton, Jefferson Hills

10, 4, 19G, John Gill, Burgettstown

11, 2, 87, C.J. Parrill, South Connellsville

Upcoming Events:

Saturday, June 10, 2017 – 410 Outlaw Winged Sprints, Diehl Automotive Super Late Models, and Precise Racing Products RUSH Late Models. Plus features only for Sunoco Sportsman, Super6 Late Models, Miley Truck Rental Hobby Stocks, Imperial Heights Garage Young Guns, and CruiseAmerica Open Fours.

Saturday, June 17, 2017 – The Fifth Annual Herb Scott Memorial, featuring Race 1 of the Diehl Automotive Super Series with the Zimmer’s Service Center United Late Model Series. Plus Big Block Modifieds, Precise Racing Products RUSH Late Models, Sunoco Sportsman, and RUSH Modifieds.

Saturday, June 24, 2017 – No racing, PPMS Employees June Vacation.

Saturday, July 1, 2017 – Berks/Nickles presents Dollar Dog Night with Diehl Automotive Driver Autograph Night, featuring the Rick’s Trucks and Equipment BOSS Sprint Series for traditional non-winged sprints. Plus Precise Racing Products RUSH Late Models, Sunoco Sportsman, Super6 Late Models, Miley Truck Rental Hobby Stocks, Imperial Heights Garage Young Guns, CruiseAmerica Open Fours. Twin State Auto Racing Club Night.