Bud Sergeff Wins Ron Armstrong Memorial

Conneaut, OH (June 19, 2015): The racing family at Raceway 7 remembered Ron Armstrong with a special 15-lap memorial for the former Hobby Stock champion. Ron’s last racer, a Mini Stock, was on display at the track all evening and several members of his family were in attendance. Armstrong’s funeral is scheduled for Saturday, June 20.

After the autograph session on the front straight former champion Ed Bolyard took off with the lead in the Campbell’s Mini Storage Street Stock feature. Fifth starting, and defending champion, Chris Withers moved to second by the time of the first caution at lap three when Mark Frontera looped his mount in turn one. When racing resumed Bolyard again shot to the lead with Withers second and points leader Shaun Fawcett third from his seventh place in the starting lineup. One lap later Brent Coleman dropped body parts in turn four and retired pit side. Again Bolyard led from green, this time with Fawcett in second. Another caution slowed the event before halfway when John Bailey looped his mount. At halfway twelfth starting Brandon Groters moved into fourth and came by Withers two laps later for third. Bailey again spun at lap eleven, then retired to the pits. With two laps remaining Groters, a two time winner, got by Fawcett but Bolyard was on the way to his first win of the season. Groters settled for second with Fawcett third, Withers fourth, and Jamie Duncan fifth.

The Ron Armstrong Memorial Presented by Downes Racing started with a four-wide salute to the crowd and the memory of the former stalwart of the division. Former Specialty Products champion Jonny Boyd started from the pole in his first mini-stock race in several years but outside front row starter Jason Easler led from the drop of the green. Caution was shown before the lap was completed due to debris. Yellow flew at the end of two laps when Scott Gill spun in turn three. Easler again took off with the lead with last week’s winner, Bud Sergeff, coming to second. At halfway Easler led Sergeff, Justin Boardman, Doug Hensel, (trailing smoke) and Casey Harmon. At halfway Derrick Tuttle had mechanical troubles on the front straight, coming to a halt and slowing the event. Easler led the field back to green and this time Boardman got by Sergeff for second by the end of one lap. Sergeff cam back to second at lap ten, then to the lead a lap later with Easler apparently off the pace, falling through the field. With one to go Sergeff led Boardman, Harmon, Boyd, and Andy Proper, up from thirteenth at the start. Proper got by Boyd on the final lap. Sergeff collected $400 for the win, the second of the season for the 2012 champion.

The Bonnell Collision Center E-Mods had Brandon Blackshear and Troy Johnson bringing the field to green with Blackshear leading the event through the first caution when Josh McDonald spun in turn two. Brent Rhebergen came to second after green as Blackshear began opening a lead. Ninth staring Ken Zimmer, a two time winner this season, came to fourth at lap six with Joel Watson, a many time champion, coming to fifth a lap later, dropping points leader Percy McDonald to sixth. At halfway Rhebergen had again closed the gap on the leader with Johnson third over Zimmer and Watson. Watson replaced Zimmer for fourth at thirteen laps complete and then to third two laps later. Josh McDonald lost the handle on his mount coming out of turn four at sixteen complete to again slow the event. Rhebergen immediately challenged for the lead but Blackshear reassumed command by the end of lap seventeen. At the white flag Blackshear had a one length lead and maintained it until turn four when Rhebergen pulled alongside but held on for his first Bonnell Collision Center E-Mod feature win by half a car-length, just 0.066 seconds. Watson was third, then Johnson fourth and Zimmer fifth. Blackshear, the 2012 Economod champion, just moved into E-Mods this season.

The Evergreen Lake Park Campgrounds CARS Late Models were led to green by Khole Wanzer and defending champion Kyle Zimmerman but third starting Billy Henry gains the lead in turn two and Breyton Santee came to second by the end of lap one. Zimmerman spun while running third in turn two of lap two. For the restart it as Henry, Santee, Wanzer, Dave Lyon, and last race winner Dennis Lunger. Henry lengthened his lead over Santee after green again flew with Lyon coming to third over eighth starting Chad Wright, the points leader, with Wanzer back to fifth. At the checkers the order was still the same for the top two but Wright got by Lyon for third on the final run to the checkers. For Henry, a former dominating force in Steel Block Late Models it was his first-ever Raceway 7 Evergreen Lake Park Campground CARS Late Model feature win and his first trip to Victory Lane since August 3, 2007 in a Steel Block Late Model event.

The Bonnell Auto Sales Economods were paced by Steve Haefke and Chuck Steinle Sr but caution flew when Russ Kapalin spun in heavy traffic in turn one, collecting Brad Blackshear. Haefke led after the restart with Steinle second and Eric Reinwald third but by the end of three laps eighth starting, and defending champion, Josh Ferry was running second. Seven laps into the race Kyle Fellows and Brad Blackshear spun in turn one, bringing caution over the field. Fellows spun again at the green, then at the next try Rick Prosser came to third from his thirteenth starting spot. Prosser was challenging for the runner up spot at lap eleven but a lap later yellow flew when Jr Mechlin slowed on the front straight. Over the final three laps Haefke led while Ferry and Prosser with Ferry holding the spot by half a car length at the stripe over Prosser with Ryan Fraley fourth and Eric Reinwald fifth.

Evergreen Lake Park Campground CARS Crate Late Models:

Heat 1: Dave Lyon, Bob Pifer, Kyle Zimmerman, Billy Henry, Joe Long, Bryan Salisbury, Wendall Pinckney

Heat 2: Dennis Lunger, Chad Wright, Breyton Santee, Khole Wanzer, Dave Airgood, Gary Winans, Chris Nicholson

Feature: Billy Henry, Breyton Santee, Chad Wright, David Lyon, Khole Wanzer, Dennis Lunger, Dave Airgood, Bryan Salisbury, Wendall Pinckney, Darrell Bossard, Bob Pifer, Joe Long, Chris Nicholson, Kyle Zimmerman

Bonnell Collision Center E-Mods:

Heat 1: Brandon Blackshear, John Woodward, Bud Watson, Bruce Powell, Alan Atkinson, Kirk Bradley, Joe DeFazio

Heat 2: Percy McDonald, Chuck Steinle Jr, Paul Schreckengost, Josh McDonald, Dan McDonald, Jesse Gould, John Schenker

Heat 3: Brent Rhebergen, Ken Zimmer, Troy Johnson, Bill Taylor, Joel Watson, Steve Samuelson

Feature: Brandon Blackshear, Brent Rhebergen, Joel Watson, Troy Johnson, Ken Zimmer, John Woodward, Percy McDonald, Bud Watson, Bruce Powell, Jesse Hould, Paul Schreckengost, Bill Taylor, Alan Atkinson, Dan McDonald, John Schenker, Chuck Steinle Jr, Josh McDonald, Kirk Bradley (DNS), Steve Samuelson (DNS), Joe DeFazio (DNS)

Campbell’s Mini-Storage Street Stocks:

Heat 1: Chris Withers, Brent Coleman, Jamie Duncan, Steven Burns, Jimmy Kennerknecht, Brandon Groters (DNS), John Bailey

Heat 2: Shaun Fawcett, Mark Frontera Chris Hochschild, Ed Bolyard, Tony Hyde, Tony Bates

Feature: Ed Bolyard, Brandon Groters, Shaun Fawcett, Chris Withers, Jamie Duncan, Chris Hochschild, Mark Frontera, Steve Burns, Tony Bates, Tony Hyde, Jimmy alennerknecht, John Bailey, John Bailey, Brent Coleman

Bonnell Auto Sales Economods:

Heat 1: Ryan Fraley, Josh Ferry, Kyle Fellows, Jace Ferringer, George Vestal, Brad Blackshear, Rick Prosser, Devon Henry

Heat 2: Russ Kapalin, Steve Haefke, Eric Reinwald, Chuck Steinle Sr, Jr Mechling, Mike Hillman, James Myers

Feature: Steve Haefke, Josh Ferry, Rick Prosser, Ryan Ferry, Eric Reinwald, Brad Blackshear, Devon Henry, Russ Kapalin, Chuck Steinle Sr, Kayla Fellows, James Myers, Jr Mechling, Jace Ferringer, George Vestal, Mike Hillman (DNS)

Specialty Products Mini Stocks:

Heat 1: Dale Fraschetti, Doug Hensel, Jason Easler, Justin Boardman, Casey Harmon, Hoyt Mihalak, Andy Proper, Scott Gill, John Bulger

Heat 2: Brad Cole, Bud Sergeff, Jonny Boyd, Logan Keney, Mitch Stokes, Zoey Gill, Derrick Tuttle, Brian McGarvie

Feature: Bud Sergeff, Justin Boardman, Casey Harmon, Andy Proper, Jonny Boyd, Hoyt Mihalak, Mitch Stokes, Brad Cole, Jason Easler, Scott Gill, Dale Fraschetti, Logan Keney, Zoey Gill, Doug Hensel, Brian McGarvie, Derrick Tuttle, John Bulger (DNS)