Four 2009 Champions Win Opening Night Features At Raceway 7
5 min read
By Jay Pees
Conneaut, OH (May 16, 2014): Raceway 7 finally got the 2014 season underway with a special for the Mini Stocks sponsored by Downes Racing and paying $300 for the front-wheel stock division. Carlos Aponte, the 2009 champion prevailed in the extra-distance event with 2012 champion Ed Sergeff second. Steve Burns led the entire distance from the outside front row for the win in the Zimmer Service Center Economods feature. Former Campbell’s Mini-Storage Street Stocks champion Ed Bolyard came from sixth starting spot in the feature to the win. Bolyard had won the final feature of 2013 but this was in a brand new car for the new season. Another 2009 champion, Percy McDonald, led the entire distance to capture the Bonnell Collision Center E-Mods feature, starting outside front row. The 2009 Evergreen Lake Park Campground Crate Late Models champion Dennis Lunger started fourth but took only three laps to come to the lead and go on to gain the opening night win.
The first feature of 2014 was the Campbell’s Mini-Storage Street Stocks with Jimmy Kennerknecht and Shawn Fawcett on the front row. Kennerknecht was the early leader and suffered through several caution periods including three by Dave Myers, all in turn two, causing him to be sent to the pit. At lap five sixth-starting Ed Bolyard, a former class champion, came to second and be an challenging for the top spot, finally getting by at lap thirteen, going on for his first win of the year. Shawn Fawcett wound up third at the stripe with 2013 champion Chris Withers fourth and Eric Paulus.
The Bonnell Collision Center E-Mods were led to the green by Dave Hess and Percy McDonald. McDonald, the 2009 champion and the final winner of the 2013 season, led lap one with the race coming under caution when Mike Potosky and Mike Kinney both spun in turn two. McDonald led through several cautions, most coming in turn two with most competitors having troubles getting through the rough areas left by the brutal winter. Eighth-starting Rich Michael was challenging for the lead at lap five but spun out of contention in the difficult turn two just one lap later. At the halfway point, Brent Rhenergen, who had started ninth, was racing for the lead with Gary Eicher, Dave Hess, and Joel Watson filling out the top five. On a restart with four laps remaining Rhebergen got sideways in two but gathered up his machine, only falling to fifth. Former champion Joel Watson, forced to use a back-up car in his heat, but switching to his primary car for the feature, thus starting in the rear, sixteenth, came to the runner-position, just behind McDonald as he won his first of the season. Michael, coming from the rear after spinning at lap six, was third with Eicher fourth and Ken Zimmer fifth.
The Evergreen Lake Park Campground Crate Late Models had Darrell Bossard lead the early going of their feature until lap three when former champion Dennis Lunger came to the lead from fourth on the grid. At halfway the top five order was Lunger, Bossard, sixth-starting Matt Latta, Dave Airgood, and 2013 champion Chad Wright. Khole Wanzer looped his mount one lap past halfway in turn two, bringing the only caution of the event. At the drop of the green Bossard and Latta battled for second with Bossard regaining the spot. Lunger, the 2009 track champion, went on to his first win of the season at Raceway 7 and his fourth overall of the young season. Bossard wound up second, Latta third, Wright fourth, and Airgood fifth.
Hoyt Mihalic and Carlos Aponte led the Specialty Products Mini Stocks to the green for their Downes Racing $300 to win special. 2009 champion Aponte led the distance with Dale Fraschetti and former champion Bud Sergeff swapping second on every restart. With the outside row being the fastest it was much better to be third at a restart as second does not get a choice of lanes for restarts. The final restart had Sergeff third allowing him to run second at a green flag on lap nine. The final laps were all green with Aponte gaining his first checkered flag of the season over former champion Sergeff, 2013 Rookie of the Year Fraschetti, Jason Easler fourth, and 2013 champion Brad Cole fifth.
The Zimmer Service Center Economods had Ty Rhoades and Steve Burns on the front row with Burns surging to the immediate lead which he would never relinquish. Several cautions peppered the event but at the end it was Burns gaining his first win of the season with sixth-starting Russ Kapalan second and Josh Mueller third, Eric Reinwald fourth, and Devin Henry fifth.
Results:
Evergreen Lake Park Campground FASTRAK Late Models:
Heat 1: Dennis Lunger, Darrell Bossard, Kyle Zimmerman, Dave Airgood, Billy Henry, Bob Pifer, Mike Mitchell
Heat 2: Chad Wright, Matt Latta, Breyton Santee, Mike Lozowski, Wendell Pinckney, Dave Lyon, Khole Wanzer
Feature: Dennis Lunger, Darrell Bossard, Matt Latta, Chad Wright, Dave Airgood, Kyle Zimmerman, Wendell Pinckney, Billy Henry, Breyton Santee, Dave Lyon, Mike Lozowski, Khole Wanzer, Bob Pifer, Mike Mitchell
Bonnell Collision Center E-Mods:
Heat 1: Rich Michael, Dave Hess, Mike Potosky, Dan McDonald, Brent Rhebergen, Joel Watson, Mike Kinney, Mike Smith
Heat 2: Percy McDonald, Gary Eicher, Ken Zimmer, Bill Taylor, Chuck Steinle Jr, Josh McDonald, John Boardman, Shane Crotty
Feature: Percy McDonald, Joel Watson, Rich Michael, Gary Eicher, Ken Zimmer, Brent Rhebergen, Chuck Steinle Jr, Mike Smith, Mike Kinney, John Boardman, Josh McDonald, Bill Taylor, Dave Hess, Dan McDonald, Mike Bambarger, Mike Potosky, Shane Crotty (DNS)
Campbell’s Mini-Storage Street Stocks:
Heat 1: Chris Withers, Ed Bolyard, Jimmy Kennerknecht, Art Gilchrist, Mike Harmon (DNS), Chris Hochschild (DNS)
Heat 2: Shawn Fawcett, Ken Lamp, Tony Hyde, Eric Paulus, David Myers, Kyle Weilacher, Kyle Reinwald (DNS)
Feature: Ed Bolyard, Jimmy Kennerknecht, Shawn Fawcett, Chris Withers, Eric Paulus, Art Gilchrist, Ken Lamp, Mike Harmon, Kyle Weilacher, David Myers, Tony Hyde, Chris Hochschild, Kyle Reinwald (DNS)
Zimmer Service Center Economods:
Heat 1: Jamie Scharba, Ty Rhoades, Josh Mueller, Kyle Fellows, Steve Samuelson, Jace Ferringer, Jeff Webber, Brandon Blackshear
Heat 2: Russ Kaplan, Josh Ferry, Steve Burns, Casey Bowers, Eric Reinwald, Devin Henry, Jodi Woodworth Jr, Kayla Adams, Chuck Steinle Sr, Jim Myers (DNS)
Feature: Steve Burns, Russ Kapalan, Josh Mueller, Eric Reinwald, Devin Henry, Casey Bowers, Jamie Scharba, Steve Samuelson, Jim Myers, Jodi Woodworth Jr, Josh Ferry, Jace Ferringer, Kyle Fellows, Dan McDonald, Ty Rhoades, Jeff Webber, Brandon Blackshear, Chuck Steinle Sr (DNS)
Specialty Products Mini Stocks:
Heat 1: John Boyd, Brad Cole, Mitch Stokes, Cale Souza, Logan Kenney, Casey Fox
Heat 2: Bud Sergeff, Jason Easler, Dale Fraschetti, Carlos Aponte, Bill Fuchs, Joe Longenecker
Heat 3: Casey Burch, Chris Pildner, Joe Beach, Hoyt Mihalic, James Miller, Alex Siekennan
Feature: Carlos Aponte, Bud Sergeff, Dale Fraschetti, Jason Easler, Brad Cole, Bill Fuchs, Mitch Stokes, Hoyt Mihalak, Logan Kenny, Cale Sousa, Alex Forbes, Casey Burch, Joe Beach, John Boyd, James Miller, Joe Longenecker, Casey Fox, Chris Pildner (DNS) Alex Siekennan (DNS)
About The Author
