Rich Michael is Chris Clinger Memorial Champion at Raceway 7!

By Jay Pees

Conneaut, OH, August 16, 2013: An appropriate twenty-nine cars signed into the pit for the 29-car, 29-lap, E-mod Memorial to Chris Clinger, who was a mere 29 years old when he passed away several years ago. Since then the annual race has been run in his memory. Lap sponsors each paid $29.00 for each sponsored lap. All lap money is evenly divided among all competitors for this event. After time trials were finally complete the fastest was Rich Michael with a new track record of 18.767 seconds. Second quick was Steve Dixon. After the four heats settled starting positions for the Dash, the top three from each heat took to the track to decide starting positions for the feature. At the end of the Dash Steve Dixon was the pole-winner for the feature. Outside front row went to Dave Hess, a previous winner of the event.

The big event of the night got its start with only 22 of the scheduled 29 starters reporting to the track. Joel Watson was an early scratch in his #92, even before time trials began. The point’s leader was afforded the opportunity to maintain his points lead by John Boardman, whose car Watson took over for the night. Steve Dixon took off with the early lead with Dave Hess following in a Clinger-owned car. By four laps into the event Dixon had a ten car length lead when Gary Murphy spun in turn four. Rick Robinson also slowed on the back straight, retiring to the pit during the yellow. At green Brent Rhebergen shot around the outside of Hess to assume the second spot. At the end of six laps Percy McDonald was third and tenth starting Rich Michael was fifth. At ten laps compete it was Dixon, Rhebergen, McDonald, Michael, and Hess. In turns three and four Hess lost control of his mount, spinning, again bringing caution over the field. At this green Rhebergen went by Dixon at the drop of the green and Michael came to third. Just past halfway Greg Johnson came to a halt in turn two. Michael vaulted into the lead as soon as green was again over the field and immediately started distancing himself from the rest of the field. Michael’s lead disappeared when Gary Murphy came to a halt on the inside of turn two. With nineteen laps in Hess again lost the handle, spinning in turn two. Dixon came back to second at the restart with Russ Dunn now fourth. By the time the checkers fell Michael had a full quarter-lap lead over Dixon with Rhebergen third, Dunn Fourth, and Percy McDonald fifth. It was Michael’s 20th win of the 2013 season in the Bonnell Collision Center E-Mods and his eleventh win at Raceway 7 in his career. In Victory Lane Michael received a Skype phone call from Jim Clinger, congratulating his on winning the race in memory of Chris, Jim’s son.

The first regularly scheduled feature on the raceway was the McDonald Meats Economods with the veteran Chuck Steinle Sr on the pole with Kyle Fellows outside. In turn four of the opening lap Steinle and Fellows ran side by side through turn four until Fellows spun. After restarting, Steinle led till the next caution, when Casey Bowers spun into the turn four wall at the end of lap two. Bland took over at the front in turn one right after green was again shown with Jace Ferringer coming to second at the end of four and Steinle dropping back after getting too high in turn two. At seven laps caution was again shown for the car of Josh Ferry, who had spun into the infield. With four remaining Ferringer was challenging Bland for the lead, getting along side in the turns but Bland was able to scoot away in the straights. Bland went on to the win over Ferringer, Casey Bowers, Jamie Scharba, and Russ Kapalin.

The Evergreen Lake Park Campground FASTRAK Late Models had Kyle Zimmerman taking the lead from the pole on lap one with third-starting Max Blair quickly coming to second. At five laps in Zimmerman was leading but Blair was right behind. Dave Airgood, Dennis Lunger, and points leader Chad Wright were third through fifth. Blair got by Zimmerman at turn one of lap seven but Mark Tatalovic spun in turn one before the lap was compete, allowing Zimmerman to restart from the front. After restarting Blair looped his mount in turn one. On the restart Dennis Lunger, opening night winner, came to the lead. At halfway Lunger had a two car length lead over Zimmerman with Dave Airgood third, points leader Wright fourth and a resurgent Blair back up to fifth after restarting from the tail of the field. Tim Cole and Breyton Santee got together and spun in turn three at lap eleven, again resetting the field. Airgood got by Zimmerman for second with Wright and Blair running side by side for fourth. A the checkers it was Lunger for his second win of the season over Airgood, Zimmerman, with Blair finally getting by Wright on the final turn.

Dave Ferringer and Ed Bolyard brought the Western Reserve Animal Clinic Street Stocks to the green with Bolyard edging ahead on the back straight then pulling out to the lead at the end of lap one. Jonny Boyd looped his mount in turn two and was collected by Rusty Wheeler. Points leader Chris Withers was second as soon as green again fell and was challenging Bolyard for the lead at the end of one lap under green. Boyd again spun in turn two on lap three. At the end of six laps it was Chris Withers leading the way, going for his sixth win of the season. After more cautions for debris from the Wheeler car and spins, Withers collected the win over last week’s winner Mark Ramsey, Bob Sloss, Eric Reinwald, and Shawn Fawcett.

The final feature of the night was the Specialty Products Mini Stock feature with points leader Brad Cole on the pole and Dale Fraschetti outside. Fraschetti took the lead at the end of one lap with fifth starting Zach Downes coming to second then getting by Fraschetti on lap three. Defending champion Bud Sergeff, the sixth place starter, took over third on lap four but Cole was back to the spot two laps later. At the finish it was Downes for his third win of the season over Fraschetti, Cole, Sergeff, and Joe Plesniak.

Evergreen Lake Park Campground FASTRAK Late Models:

Heat 1: Dennis Lunger, Kyle Zimmerman, Mark Tatalovic, Bob Pifer, Khole Wanzer, Joe DeFazio, Matt Latta

Heat 2: Dave Airgood, Max Blair, Chad Wright, Lauren Longbrake, Tim Cole, Jamie Brown, Breyton Santee

Feature: Dennis Lunger, Dave Airgood, Kyle Zimmerman, Max Blair, Chad Wright, Jamie Brown, Lauren Longbrake, Mark Tatalovic, Jim Long, Khole Wanzer, Breyton Santee, Tim Cole, Matt Latta, Joe DeFazio (DNS)

Bonnell Collision Center E-Mods:

Time Trials: Rich Michael 18.767 (83.924 MPH, New E-Mod track record), Steve Dixon 18.790, Mike Potosky 19.011, Mike Kinney 19.046, Percy McDonald 19.117

Heat 1: Rich Michael, Brent Rhebergen, Percy McDonald, Dan McDonald, John Boyd, Steve Simon, Ed Wilson

Heat 2: Steve Dixon, Dave Hess, Gary Eicher, Josh McDonald, Mike Smith, Gary Murphy, Rick Robinson

Heat 3: Russ Dunn, Shane Crotty, Bud Watson, Joel Watson, Mike Potosky, Lee Patrick, Justin Carlson (DNS)

Heat 4: Greg Johnson, Mike Kinney, Chuck Steinle Jr, Brian Fardink, Bill Taylor, Newt Tackett, Dan Sasso (DNS)

Dash: Steve Dixon, Dave Hess, Bud Watson, Mike Kinney, Percy McDonald, Gary Eicher, Brent Rhebergen, Russ Dunn, Greg Johnson, Rich Michael, Chuck Steinle Jr, Shane Crotty

Feature: Rich Michael, Steve Dixon, Brent Rhebergen, Russ Dunn, Percy McDonald, Joel Watson, Mike Kinney, Chuck Steinle Jr, Shane Crotty, Dave Hess, John Boyd, Gary Eicher, Steve Simon, Bill Taylor, Ed Wilson. Gary Murphy, Josh McDonald, Brian Fardink, Greg Johnson, Mike Potosky, Lee Patrick, Rick Robinson, Dan McDonald (DNS), Newt Tackett (DNS), Dan Sasso (DNS), Bud Watson (DNS), Mike Smith (DNS), Justin Carlson (DNS), John Boardman (DNS)

McDonald Meats Econo Mods:

Heat 1: Casey Bowers, Kyle Fellows, Jodi Woodworth Sr, Jace Ferringer, Jamie Scharba, Gene Crouch

Heat 2: Bob Bland, Brian Hathaway, Chuck Steinle Sr, Tony Hyde, Alan Atkinson, Russ Kapalin, Josh Ferry

Feature: Bob Bland, Jace Ferringer, Casey Bowers, Jamie Scharba, Russ Kapalin, Kyle Fellows, Chuck Steinle Sr, Alan Atkinson, Gene Couch, Josh Ferry, Brian Hathaway, Jodi Woodworth Jr, Tony Hyde, Jodi Woodworth Sr

Western Reserve Animal Clinic Street Stocks:

Heat 1: Shawn Fawcett, Ed Bolyard, Joe Rohrer, Mark Ramsey, Mike Harmon, Art Gilchrist, John Bailey

Heat 2: Chris Withers, Jimmy Kennerknecht, Bob Sloss, Dave Ferringer, Eric Reinwald, Jnny Boyd, Trisha Wheeler

Feature: Chris Withers, Mark Ramsey, Bob Sloss, Eric Reinwald, Shawn Fawcett, Ed Bolyard, Mike Harmon, Dave Ferringer, Art Gilchrist, Jonny Boyd, John Bailey, Rusty Wheeler, Jimmy Kennerknecht, Joe Rohrer

Specialty Products Mini-Stocks:

Heat 1: Zach Downes, Bud Sergeff, Jason Easler, Joe Plesniak, Joe Longenecker, Joe Keney, Hoyt Mihalak, Chris Forbes, Cale Sousa

Heat 2: Brad Cole, Bill Fuchs, Mitch Stokes, Dale Fraschetti, Logan Keney, Scott Gill, Pat Drennan, Alex Forbes

Feature: Zach Downes, Dale Fraschetti, Brad Cole, Bud Sergeff, Joe Plesniak, Jason Easler, Mitch Stokes, Bill Fuchs, Logan Keney, Joe Longenecker, Pat Drennan, Hoyt Mihalak, Alex Forbes, Cale Sousa, Chris Forbes, Scott Gill, Joe Keney (DNS)