Latta, Bill Watson, Joel Watson, Miller & Speer In Victory Lane At Raceway 7

By Jay Pees

Conneaut, OH (August 23, 2019): There’s no happier driver than the one visiting Victory Lane for the first time ever and Raceway 7 had the happiest driver there Friday night as Dalton Speer, a rookie, drove to his first-ever win. The veterans were not denied in the other classes though as Matt Latta, Bill Watson, Joel Watson (the winningest driver in Raceway 7 history), and Kyle Miller all made repeat trips to the most desired ground in racing. In three divisions (Evergreen Lake Park Campground RUSH Late Models, Campbell Mini Storage Street Stocks, and Sunnyside Farm Transit Mini Stocks) the points leaders held enough of a lead that their championships were clinched. In the Bonnell’s Collision Center E-Mods the points battle is incredibly close with a single point the unofficial lead heading into the final points night. There is a comfortable but not insurmountable margin for the Bonnell’s Auto Sales Economod points leader.

After qualifying heats determined starting position for their features the Campbell Mini Storage Street Stocks were first on the track for their 15 lap main event with Troy Dezarn and August 2 winner Bill Watson on the front row. When the cars completed lap one it was Watson leading points leader Pat Fielding, Darr Diegelman, Dezarn, and Joe Stajnragh. Stajnragh took third on lap three but was again behind Diegelman a lap later. Caution flew at lap seven when Tom Teed spun in turns one and two. At the halfway point it was Watson still leading Fielding, Diegelman, Stajnragh, and now Shane Applebee in fifth. Applebee took over fourth at nine laps and three time winner Jamie Duncan now in fifth. The finish was Watson, Fielding, Diegelman, Applebee, and Duncan. With his second place finish, Fielding clinched the 2019 championship.

The Bonnell’s Auto Sales Economods were next up with two-time winner and points leader Kyle Miller on the pole with July 5 winner Jarrit Young to his right. Miller led from the start with three time winner Matt Alexander, Young, Garret Calvert, and two time winner Nate Young filling out the top five. Calvert moved into third at lap three as Dan Moffitt rode the front straight wall and Hayden Loomis spun in turn four. On lap four Nate Young spun in turn four with a flat right front tire. The start had Miller leading Alexander, Calvert, Demattia, and Jarrit Young back to green. Alexander was closing on the leader with Miller’s lead shrinking from .256 second at lap six to .180 second at lap seven when Justin Chaddock spun in turn two and Dan McEwen spun in turn four. At halfway it was Miller leading Alexander, Calvert, Jarrit Young, and Demattia. At turn two on lap eight Pat Drennan, Chaddock, and Hayden Loomis all spun. With five to go Miller slid sideways in turn two, allowing Alexander to take the lead by .036 second as the leaders crossed the stripe side by side. Miller regained the lead again but slid up the track in turn two, again allowing Alexander to lead. Miller was restored to the lead when Mike Harmon, Gary Murphy, and Justin Sax all spun in turn two before the lap was complete. At the stripe after green was again on the raceway Miller had a slight edge as he and Alexander were side by side again with Alexander taking over at the front on the back straight. Miller again came back to lead at the end of the lap, by .025 second! Again the leaders were neck and neck on the back straight with Miller pulling out to a .230 lead at lap twelve when Judson Fell got into the front straight wall coming out of turn four. Loomis spun in turn two and headed pitside, due to his third charged caution. Over the remaining laps Miller led the way and picked up the win by .225 second over Alexander. Young, Will Pinckney, and Derek Connors filled out the top five.

The Evergreen Lake Park Campground RUSH Late Models had three time winner Matt Latta and two time winner Kyle Zimmerman on the front row with Latta leading Zimmerman, Bruce Hordusky Jr, two time winner Dave Airgood, and June 7 winner Breyton Santee at the first crossing. At lap two sixth starting Andy Boozel climbed to third with eighth starting Joe Long fourth as third running Hordusky pitted. Up front, Latta was extending his lead to 2.322 seconds at lap seven. On lap eight Airgood spun in turn two at the halfway signal Latta was leading Boozel, Zimmerman, Santee, and points leader Darrell Bossard. Latta increased his lead from 1.918 second at lap eleven to 2.465 seconds at lap twelve to 4.032 seconds at lap fifteen. With four to go Santee spun coming out of turn four but righted his car and kept going but Joe Watson stopped, erasing Latta’s lead. With one to go Watson again stopped in turn four, then went to the pit. At the checkers it was Latta for his fourth win of the season with Zimmerman, Boozel, Bossard, and Santee filling out the top five. With his fourth place finish Bossard clinched his second consecutive championship.

Many time Bonnell’s Collision Center E-Mod champion Joel Watson and two time champion Gary Eicher started their feature on the front row with yellow first appearing at one lap when Hunter Hulley and Jason Brennan spun in turn four. When a lap was finished it was Watson leading over two time winner Mike Kinney, the fourth place starter. By lap four Watson had a 1.6 second lead with Eicher again second, Mike McGee third, Kinney fourth, and points leader (by a single point coming into the night) Casey Bowers fifth. Caution flew at lap seven when Jim Plance spun in turn four. The order remained the same until Kinney got to third on lap eight and Bowers to fourth. At halfway it was Watson, Eicher, Kinney, Bowers, and Mike McGee. At thirteen McGee was challenging Bowers for fourth and getting the spot at the end of the lap. The order at the checkers was Watson, the winningest driver in Raceway 7 history, over Eicher, Kinney, McGee, and Bowers. Heading into the final points racing next Friday Bowers still holds an UNOFFICIAL lead of a single point for the championship.

Joe Dewoody and Dalton Speer started the Sunnyside Farm Transit Mini Stock feature on the front row with Speer leading lap one over a side by side battle for second with Dewoody just ahead of Jessica Harvey. Fourth was Zoey Gill with 2017 champion Joe Campbell fifth. Harvey got to second at lap two with Campbell up to third, Gill fourth, and Dewoody fifth. At halfway it was Speer leading Harvey, Campbell, Gill, and Emily Stoyer. Lapping the back-markers started at lap seven just as Mike Barr and Jacob Wheeler tangled in turn four. Wheeler retired to the pit. With two laps remaining it was a three-wide battle for fifth among Lane Reinwald, Stoyer, and Gill. When the checkers flew Speer had picked up the first win of his career over Harvey, Campbell, points leader Mark Lawrence, and Reinwald. With his fourth place finish Lawrence clinched the championship for the division.

Evergreen Lake Park Campground RUSH Late Models:
Heat 1: Matt Latta, Bruce Hordusky Jr, Andy Boozel, Chris Withers, Jacob Peterson, Joe Howell, John Watson (DNS)
Heat 2: Darrell Bossard, Dave Airgood, Matt Sipes, Khole Wanzer, Joe DeFazio, Joe Watson
Heat 3: Breyton Santee, Kyle Zimmerman, Joe Long, Chad Sines, Steve Hollabaugh, Ron Boardman
Feature: Matt Latta, Kyle Zimmerman, Andy Boozel, Darrell Bossard, Breyton Santee, Joe Long, Chad Sines, Chris Withers, Matt Sipes, Khole Wanzer, Dave Airgood, John Watson, Steve Hollabaugh, Joe DeFazio, Jacob Peterson, Ron Boardman, Joe Watson, Harry Mason, Bruce Hordusky Jr, Joe Howell (DNS)

Bonnell Collision Center E-Mods:
Heat 1: Troy Johnson, Randy Bauknecht, Mike Kinney, Eric Reinwald, John Boyd, Alan Atkinson, Mark Titus
Heat 2: Casey Bowers, Joel Watson, Dan McDonald, Jason Brennan, Brian Huffman, Jim Plance
Heat 3: Mike McGee, Gary Eicher, Percy McDonald, Josh McDonald, Brandon Grossman, Bill Taylor
Feature: Joel Watson, Gary Eicher, Mike Kinney, Mike McGee, Casey Bowers, Troy Johnson, John Boyd, Eric Reinwald, Dan McDonald, Josh McDonald, Percy McDonald, Brandon Grossman, Alan Atkinson, Randy Bauknecht, Mark Titus, Jason Brennan, Bill Taylor, Jim Plance, Brian Huffman, Hunter Hulley

Campbell’s Mini Storage Street Stocks:
Heat 1: Pat Fielding, Troy Dezarn, Jamie Duncan, Tom Teed, David Baker, John Watson, Brian Lacy
Heat 2: Darr Diegelman, Bill Watson, Joe Stajnragh, Shane Applebee, Tony Spaghetti, Douglas Eck
Feature: Bill Watson, Pat Fielding, Darr Diegelman, Shane Applebee, Jamie Duncan, Joe Stajnragh, Douglas Eck, Brian Lacey, Tony Spaghetti , Dave Snyder, Troy Dezarn, Tom Teed, David Baker

Bonnell Auto Sales Economods:
Heat 1: Kyle Miller, Nate Young, Justin Chaddock, Kyle Reinwald, Dan Moffitt, Jim Muma, Dan McEwen, Allen Phillips, Billy Cunningham
Heat 2: Jarrit Young, Garrett Calvert, Derek Connors, Justin Sax, Judson Fell, Hayden Loomis, Kyle Atkins, Casey Harmon
Heat 3: Matt Alexander, Dustin Demattia, Mike Harmon, Will Pinckney, Bob Vogt Jr, Gary Murphy, Pat Drennan, Ed Snyder
Feature: Kyle Miller, Matt Alexander, Jarrit Young, Will Pinckney, Derek Connors, Billy Cunningham, Justin Chaddock, Judson Fell. Ed Snyder, Bob Vogt Jr, Allen Phillips, Dan McEwen, Jim Muma, Garrett Calvert, Pat Drennan, Hayden Loomis, Justin Sax, Gary Murphy, Mike Harmon, Dustin Demattia, Nate Young, Kyle Reinwald, Dan Moffitt, Kyle Atkins, Casey Harmon

Sunnyside Farm Transit Mini Stocks:
Heat 1: Joe Campbell, Brian McGarvie, Kevin Watson, Joe Dewoody, Jacob Wheeler, Jim Haefke, Cale Sousa, Tricia Jacklett
Heat 2: Jessica Harvey, Lane Reinwald, Pete Blaczak, Mark Lawrence, Mike Barr, Alan Sousa, Chris Bugirlski, Tristen Start
Heat 3: Dalton Speer. Emily Stoyer, Joe Romanko, Zoey Gill. Corey Wick, Alexis Vogt, Taylor Van Cise, Ana Vassen
Feature: Dalton Speer, Jessica Harvey, Joe Campbell, Mark Lawrence, Lane Reinwald, Zoey Gill, Emily Stoyer, Kevin Watson, Joe Romanko, Corey Wick, Joe Dewoody, Mike Barr, Chris Bugirlski, Alan Sousa, Tricia Jacklett, Pete Blaczak, Alexis Vogt, Tristen Start, Cale Sousa, Jim Haefke, Tylor Van Cise, Ana Vassen, Jacob Wheeler, Brian McGarvie