Potosky Ends Win Drought At Raceway 7

Conneaut, OH (May 13, 2016): Beautiful weather greeted fans and race teams for the second week of the 2016 season that also featured the front-straight wedding of long-time track employees Jim Balentine and Donna Inskeep. On the track Mike Pototsky finally ended a nine-year absence from the Bonnell Collision Service E-Mods Winner’s Corcle while Dennis Lunger collected his first Evergreen Lake Park Campground CARS Crate Late Model win of the year, defending Bonnell’s Auto Sales Economods champion Rick Prosser won his first of the year, Leigh Wheeler went to Raceway 7’s Campbell’s Mini Storage Street Stocks Victory Lane for the first time ever, and Jason Easler again demonstrated dominating speed in his McDonald’s Sans & Gravel Mini Stock, handily winning his second feature in as many weeks.

The first feature on the track was the McDonald Sand & Gravel Mini Stocks, brought to green by Kyle Adkins and Scott Gill. Adkins got high in turn one, winding up against the fence in turn two. After green was again flying, Gill led to turn four when Sergeff and Hoyt Mihalak got by him for first and second. Mihalak took over from Sergeff on the back stretch on lap two. At lap four seventh staring Jason Easler took over second and set sail for the lead. At halfway Mihalak enjoyed a two length lead with Easler right on the rear bumper of the leader a lap later. With three left Easler was about a foot in front at the line and fully in the lead on the back straight just as sixth-running Scott Gill flipped in turn two, bringing red over the event. At green Easler and Hoyt made contact several times on the first lap of green but then Easler pulled away to his second win in a row to start the season over Mihalak, Sergeff, defending champion Brad Cole, and Justin Boardman.

Tony Marotto and Guy Adams brought the Campbell’s Mini Storage Street Stocks to green with Marotto leading at the end of one lap and Leigh Wheeler coming to second from outside row two. Wheeler, using the low side, got alongside at lap five and was leading a lap later after contact in turn four, which slowed Marotto enough to allow last week’s winner Rob Bates to come to second. At the end of lap eight the engine in Garrett Calvert’s car exploded in smoke and flame right at the finish line, bringing out the red flag. When racing resumed it was Wheeler, Bates, Marotto, Terry Wheeler, and Art Gilchrist leading the way. The order remained the same through the white flag when Marotto suddenly lost power and pulled to the infield on the final lap, and scored fifth.

Defending champion Rick Prosser started the Bonnell’s Auto Sales Economod feature from the pole with young Brian Toto to his right. Prosser grabbed the immediate lead with Toto second and last week’s winner Steve Haefke third. On lap four in turn four Mitchell Wright spun, bringing out the first caution. Prosser brought the field back to green then on the back straight Toto got out of shape, “saved” his mount but lost several spots. Coming through turn four at lap six second-running Eric Reinwald spun into a tractor tire on turn four, again slowing the field. At halfway Prosser led eighth starting Chuck Steinle Sr, and Tyler Frankenberry. The finish was Prosser, Steinle Sr, Frankenberry, Mike Harmon, and Brian Toto.

Darrell Bossard and Khole Wanzer brought the Evergreen Lake Park Campground CARS Crate Late Model feature to green with Bossard leading lap one over Wanzer and Dennis Lunger. At the line after two laps Wanzer and Wendell Pinckney got together on the main straight nearly getting into the front straight wall but got it straightened out without a crash. Coming out of turn two on lap three Billy Henry and Travis Martineau got together, bringing caution over the field. Pinckney lost power on lap four, coming to a halt in turn three, bringing caution over the field again. At green Kyle Zimmerman came to second with fifth starting Dennis Lunger up to third. At halfway Brandon Porter spun in turn four again slowing the field. The order at this point was Bossard, Zimmerman, Lunger, Dave Lyon, and Breyton Santee. At green Lunger got second and then the lead at the line just as Porter and Bolyard got together inI turn one. Lunger brought the field back to green with Bossard and Zimmerman right behind. Lunger extended his lead until the next caution at lap fifteen when his teammate Travis Martineau hit the wall in turn one then ending up sitting backward right in the racing groove. Ed Bolyard spun for the next caution with four to go, relegating himself to the pit after being charged with three. With three laps to go Lyon came to fourth. Bossard made a charge off turn four to the white flag then again for the checkers but came up short each time. Lunger got his first win of the season with Bossard settling for second, Zimmerman third, Lyon fourth, and Santee fifth.

Josh Ferry and defending champion Percy McDonald brought the Bonnell Collision Center E-Mods to green with McDonald leading lap one over Ferry, Troy Johnson, Mike Potosky, and Bud Watson. With two compete Matt Lux had moved into the top five and caution flew as Dan McDonald clobbered one of the tractor tires in turn four at three complete. At green Johnson came to second with Lux to third. Jesse Gould spun in turn one at four laps in then on green Potosky got by Lux. Potosky tried inside and outside to get by Johnson, finally getting the job done at nine complete. Johnson didn’t give up, coming back alongside at lap eleven but Potosky then pulled away. Caution again flew when pole sitter Ferry and Josh McDonald spun in turn four. Lunger got to third on green then at lap thirteen Potosky, Percy McDonald and Lunger were all fighting for the lead when Josh Ferry again spun out. Potosky was the leader on green with Lunger coming to second and Lux to third. Fifth starting Potosky increased his lead over the rest of the distance, scoring his first win since 2008 over tenth starting Lunger, Lux, John Woodward, and Johnson.

Evergreen Lake Park Campground CARS Crate Late Models:

Heat 1: Dennis Lunger, Dave Airgood, Kyle Zimmerman, Travis Martineau, Brandon Porter, Alex Anderson, Corey Ruffo, Hunter Hulley

Heat 2: Darrell Bossard, Wendell Pinckney, Khole Wanzer, Billy Henry, Dave Lyon, Breyton, Santee, William Pinckney, Ed Bolyard

Feature: Dennis Lunger, Darrell Bossard, Kyle Zimmerman, Dave Lyon, Breyton Santee, Dave Airgood, Chris Withers, Khole Wanzer, Alex Anderson, Brandon Porter, William Pinckney, Hunter Hulley, Ed Bolyard, Travis Martineau, Wendall Pinckney

Bonnell’s Collision Center E-Mods:

Heat 1: Mike Potosky, Josh McDonald, Josh Ferry, Troy Johnson, John Woodward, Bill Taylor, Carl McKinney

Heat 2: Matt Lux, Bud Watson, Percy McDonald, Dan McDonald, Dennis Lunger, Jesse Gould

Feature: Mike Potosky, Dennis Lux, John Woodward, Troy Johnson, Bud Watson, Josh Ferry, Dan McDonald, Bill Taylor, Jesse Gould, Percy McDonald, Josh McDonald, Carl McKinney (DNS)

Bonnell’s Auto Sales Economods:

Heat 1: Eric Reinwald, Rick Prosser, Gary Miller, Tyler Frankenberry, Josh Mueller, Gary Murphy, Kyle Reinwald, Jim Muma, Mike Harmon

Heat 2: Steve Haefke, Kevin Sergeff, Brian Toto, Chuck Steinle Sr, Gary Miller, Mitchell Wright, Tom Perkins, Dennis Dellinger, Ashley Rogers

Feature: Rick Prosser, Chuck Steinle Sr, Tyler Frankenberry, Mike Harmon, Brian Toto, Gary Miller, Kevin Sergeff, Mitch Wright, Josh Mueller, Buzz Seitz,Gary Murphy, Jim Muma, Kyle Reinwald,Tom Perkins, Ashley Rogers, Eric Reinwald, Jim Haefke, Dennis Dellinger (DNS)

Campbell Mini Storage Street Stocks:

Heat 1: Rob Bates, Tony Marotto, Guy Adams, Leigh Wheeler, Terry Wheeler, Art Gilchrist, Richard Chess, Garrett Calvert

Feature: Leigh Wheeler, Rob Bates, Terry Wheeler, Art Gilchrist, Tony Marotto, Richard Chess, Garrett Calvert, Guy Adams

McDonald’s Sand & Gravel Mini Stocks:

Heat 1: Hoyt Mihalak, Jason Easler, Kyle Adkins, Scott Gill, Brad Cole, Justin Boardman, LoganKeney, Alex Forbes

Heat 2: Casey Harmon, Bud Sergeff, Pat Drennan, Shawn McBride, Derrick Tuttle, Jessica Harvey, Emily Stoyer, Tyler Barr

Feature: Jason Easler, Hoyt Mihalak, Bud Sergeff, Brad Cole, Justin Boardman, Casey Harmon, Pat Drennan, Shawn McBride, Emily Stoyer, Derek Tuttle, Scott Gill, Logan Keney, Jessica Harvey, Alex Forbes,Tyler Barr, Kyle Adkins