Blair Doubles Again At Eriez Speedway

Hammett, PA (June 2, 2019) — The morning skies over Eriez Speedway were again dreary and cool but by race time gorgeous weather was in the area, albeit cool and 98 cars signed into the pits. When chilly race fans headed home after an evening of top-notch racing they had seen Max Blair in Victory Lane twice for the second event in a row, including the 30-lap Fisk Building Maintenance and Restoration RUSH Tour event, a RUSH Late Model Marquee Touring event for the Bonnell’s Auto Group RUSH Late Models and the regular 25-lap New Motors Super Late Model finale. Gary Fisher was the victor in the Curtis Food Service Street Stock feature and Eric Wilson won his first Johnson’s Car Care and Collision Economod feature of the year. The night-capper was the Niemeyer’s Garage Challengers, won by Rob Williams, his first win at Eriez.

The first feature up was for the Curtis Food Service Street Stocks with Gary Fisher and Joshua Seippel on the front row. The two contenders ran side by side over the first lap with Fisher edging ahead at lap two. At three laps complete former champion Chris McGuire ran side by side with Seippel for second, taking the spot at four. A caution flew for debris on the back stretch at four laps, then flew before five were complete when five cars, Darr Diegelman, Rod Laskey, Drake McCray, Chris Fenno, and Trevor Jimerson piled up in turn three. At seven laps Fisher and McGuire were starting to pull away from the field. At halfway the front five were Fisher, McGuire, Seippel, Garrett Calvert, with Chris Couchenour and defending champion John Boardman side by side for fifth. Fenno spun in turn four at nine laps then Seippel got back to second at green but McGuire came roaring back to retake the spot at twelve laps after a side by side battle. The final caution was for Dylan Greene, spun in turn two. At the checkers it was Fisher, McGuire, Calvert, Boardman, and Seippel.

The featured event of the evening was for the Bonnell’s Auto Group RUSH Late Model Touring Series. After time trials, heats, and a dash had set the starting lineup it was Breyton Santee and Chub Frank bringing the race to green with Matt Latta and Max Blair, the all-time leading RUSH winner, to green. Frank led lap one by a half length over Santee but caution fell at lap two when Braeden Dillinger spun in turn two. Frank, Santee, Blair, and Latta brought the field back to green but Sam Pennacchio spun in turn three, eventually involving the cars of Bruce Hordusky, Eric Wilson, Kurt Stebbins, and Darrell Bossard. At four laps Santee and Blair were side by side for the runner-up spot with Blair holding it a lap later. At eight laps Blair was challenging for the lead but Frank held on to a two length lead at the stripe on laps nine and ten, but action slowed again at lap eleven when Bill Kessler slowed. On the back straight on lap thirteen Blair powered by Frank for the lead and began lapping the back-markers a lap later. At ten to go Blair had a half-straight lead that evaporated when Kurt Stebbins spun in turn two, again bringing yellow over the field. Blair, Frank, Latta, Kyle Zimmerman, and Santee brought the field to the final green with Zimmerman coming to third before the checkers. The top five finishers were Blair, Frank, Zimmerman, Latta, and Jeremy Wonderling, who cracked the top five with five to go.

Next up the Johnson’s Car Care and Collision Economods took to the speedway with Mike Boyd and Eric Wilson leading the charge. Wilson immediately leapt to the front with opening night winner Kyle Miller coming to second from third on the grid. Wilson built a sizable lead over the first several laps but Miller started to close in at lap nine. With five to go it was Wilson, Miller, Matt Alexander, Jason Brightman, and Gary Olson leading the pack when yellow flew for Steve Simon, who had started smoking and headed to the infield. Over the last five laps Olson made his way to third at the finish over Alexander and Eric Reinwald as Wilson again powered away.

The New Motors Super Late Model feature started with Dave Hess and Greg Oakes on the front row with Hess grabbing the immediate lead and Max Blair, Greg Oakes, Mike Knight, and Chub Frank filling out the top five at the end of one lap. At three complete Blair and Hess were side by side at the line with Blair holding the lead at four laps by a length. Hess tried to recapture the lead in turns one and two, getting alongside the leader briefly. At ten laps Blair was pulling away, holding a five length lead over Hess, Oakes, Knight, and Frank. By lap twenty Blair enjoyed a quarter lap advantage with the top five remaining the same over the waning laps and Blair expending his lead to a full straight at the finish of the all-green race.

The final race of the night was the feature for the Niemeyer’s Garage Challengers with Wes Stull taking the lead from the start over Rob Williams and Jessica Harvey. Brandon Huffman spun in turn four of lap one. Williams took over the lead at lap two with Zack Eller coming to second and Lane Reinwald to third at lap three. With six laps in yellow flew with Stull facing the back straight wall then before another lap was in, Nick Steiner and Huffman spun in turn two. At the checkers it was Williams, Eller, Chris Horton, Todd Hanlon, and Reinwald.

New Motors Super Late Models:
Heat 1: Max Blair, Greg Oakes, Brandon Groters, Chris Hackett, Boom Briggs, Chad Wright, Andy Boozel, Ryan Scott, Bump Hedman
Heat 2: Mike Knight, Dave Hess Jr, Chub Frank, Matt Urban, Mike Wonderling, Steve Kania, Joel Watson, Easton Hedman
Feature: Max Blair, Dave Hess Jr, Greg Oakes, Mike Knight, Chub Frank, Boom Briggs, Matt Urban, Mike Wonderling, Steve Kania, Ryan Scott, Chad Wright, Andy Boozel, Joe Watson, Brandon Groters, Chris Hackett, Alex Anderson, Easton Hedman (DNS), Bump Hedman (DNS)

Bonnell’s Auto Group RUSH Crate Late Models:
Time Trials: (Top Five): Jeremy Wonderling (17.017), Matt Latta (17.028), Chub Frank (17.084), Kurt Stebbins (17.104), Sam Pennacchio (17.112)
Heat 1: Jeremy Wonderling, Breyton Santee, Scott Gurdak, Kurt Stebbins, Michael Duritsky Jr, Braeden Dillinger, Logan Zarin, Jared Kane, Josh Beckstrom
Heat 2: Matt Latta, Kyle Zimmerman, Sam Pennacchio, Kyle Lukon, Ryan Frazee, Kyle Murray, Khole Wanzer, John Waters, David Parker
Heat 3: Max Blair, Chub Frank, Darrell Bossard, Jason Genco, Bruce Hordusky, Eric Wilson, Bill Kessler, Paul Norman, Dale McDonald Jr
B-Main: Logan Zarin, Khole Wanzer, Jared Kane, Bill Kessler, Paul Norman, David Parker, Josh Beckstrom, John Waters (DNS), Dale McDonald (DNS)
Dash: Breyton Santee, Chub Frank, Matt Latta, Max Blair, Jeremy Wonderling, Kyle Zimmerman
Feature: Max Blair, Chub Frank, Kyle Zimmerman, Matt Latta, Jeremy Wonderling, Breyton Santee, Jason Genco, Michael Duritsky, Scott Gurdak, Kyle Lukon, Braeden Dillinger, Kyle Murray, Sam Pennacchio, Logan Zarin, Jared Kane, Darrell Bossard, Khole Wanzer, David Parker, Paul Norman, Curt Stebbins, Bill Kessler, Ryan Frazee, Bruce Hordusky Jr, Eric Wilson

Johnson’s Car Care and Collision Economods:
Heat 1: Matt Alexander, Gary Olson, Eric Reinwald, Tyler Davis, Ashley Rogers, Mitchell Wright, Jason Brightman
Heat 2: Eric Wilson, Kyle Miller, Mike Boyd, Kyle Layton, Keith Felicity, Steve Simon
Feature: Eric Wilson, Kyle Miller, Gary Olson, Matt Alexander, Eric Reinwald, Mike Boyd, Jason Brightman, Kyle Layton, Keith Felicity, Ashley Rogers, Tyler Davis, Steve Simon, Mitchell Wright (DNS)

Curtis Food Service Street Stocks:
Heat 1: Kyle Couchenour, Wesley McCray, Mike Reed, Gary Fisher, John Boardman, Shane Applebee, Jimmy Kennerknecht, Drake McCoy
Heat 2: Rod Laskey, Pat Fielding, Joshua Seippel, Anthony Marotto, Dylan Greene, Trevor Jimerson
Heat 3: Chris McGuire, Garrett Calvert, Brent Crandall, Braidy Westfall, Doug Eck, Steve Yokum, Chris Fenno
Feature: Gary Fisher, Chris McGuire, Garrett Calvert, John Boardman, Joshua Seippel, Kyle Couchenour, Shane Applebee, Douglas Eck, Braidy Westfall, Pat Fielding, Wesley McCray, Brent Crandall, Anthony Maratto, Michael Reed, Jimmy Kennerknecht , Dillon Greene, Chris Fenno, Steve Yokum, Drake McCray, Rod Laskey, Trevor Jimerson, Joe Rohrer

Niemeyer’s Garage Challengers:
Heat 1: Charles Sullivan, Rob Williams, Chris Horton, Jessica Harvey, Joe Syzmanski, Gary Troyer, Brian McGarvie, Joe Mason, Donnie May
Heat 2: Mark Lawrence, Zack Eller, Brandon Huffman, Wes Stull, Lane Reinwald, Tyler Walters, Nick Robbie, Jarrod Lyon, Todd Hanlon
Feature: Rob Williams, Zack Eller, Chris Horton, Todd Hanlon, Lane Reinwald, Jessica Harvey, Joe Syzmanski, Charles Sullivan, Nick Steiner, Joe Mason, Brian McGarvie, Nick Robie, Brandon Huffman, Tyler Walters, Gary Troyer, Mark Lawrence, Jarrod Lyon (DNS), Donnie May (DNS)