Pinckney Gets First Ever Raceway 7 Feature Win

Conneaut, OH (June 3, 2016): The annual autograph session at Raceway 7 was a successful event with nearly all cars on the front straight for a session allowing fans to get up close with drivers and team members. Bicycles were given away by three teams and candy, photos, hero cards, and event tee shirts were given away to kids of all ages. On the track Wendall Pinckney finally got toRaceway 7’s Victory Lane after grabbing the lead by powering around former champion Dennis Lunger on an early race restart. Joel Watson continued his “dream season”, winning his sixth feature in six appearances with the Bonnell’s Collision Center EMods. Steve Haefke went to Victory Lane in the Bonnell’s Auto Sales Economod finale and Rob Bates collected his second Campbell’s Mini Storage Street Stock win. In a wild McDonald’s Sand & Gravel Mini Stock feature Jason Easler leading every lap after starting on the outside front row for his fourth appearance in Victory Lane this season.

The first feature of the evening was the Campbell’s Mini Storage Street Stocks with Don McGuire and two-time winner Chris McGuire on the front row. Young Chris McGuire shot out to the lead at green but Brian Mulichak and Garrett Calvert tangled in turn one, negating the start. When green was again shown the younger McGuire again led with Don McGuire second until the end of lap two when points leader Rob Bates came to second then took over at the front when leader Chris McGuire slowed and spun in turn three, then headed pitside under the caution. Fawcett charged up to challenge the leader on the first lap back under green but Bates, the opening night winner, pulled back to the front by the end of the circuit. At lap six Chris Hochschild spun in turn two, slowing the race under yellow. At the halfway point it was Bates leading Fawcett, Don McGuire, Garrett Calvert, and Ken Lamp. Hochschild got back to fifth at the end of eight as Bates and Fawcett were locked in a torrid battle for the lead. Hochschild got back to fourth a lap later with Lamp fifth. On lap fourteen Fawcett got next to the leader but was unable to complete the pass with Bates back in front at the white flag. Bates went on to his second win of the season. After Victory Lane Bates needed towed pitside with apparent rear axel problems.

The Bonnell’s Auto Sales Economods were led to green by Bobby Vogt and two-time winner Steve Haefke. Points leader Rick Prosser started in six with last week’s winner Eric Reinwald starting ninth. Vogt grabbed the lead at the start but Haefke took over at the end of the back straight. Caution flew after one lap when Jim Muma spun in turn three. Prosser was second in turn one after the race restarted but slipped wide in turn four and was back to third at the end of two. Kyle Reinwald came to a halt at the pit entrance at the end of lap three, again slowing the race. At the end of four Prosser was second. Yellow flew again for Kyle Reinwald when he spun in turn three. Haefke, Prosser, and Vogt led the field back to green with Haefke opening a big lead by the end of six laps. At halfway the order was Haefke, Prosser, Vogt, Eric Reinwald and Chuck Steinle Sr. Mitch Wright and Gary Miller got together in turn four with six laps left. Haefke, looking for his third in of the season, brought the race back to green with Vogt getting by Prosser for second but caution again was in the air with Jim Myers, Jim Van Cise, and Kevin Sergeff all wrecked in turn four. At green Prosser went wide in turn one allowing Vogt and Eric Reinwald to get by for second and third. Wright and Gary Olson spun in turn four for the final caution. At the checkers it was Haefke over Vogt, Eric Reinwald, Prosser, and Steinle Sr.

Casey Harmon was scheduled to start on the pole position of the McDonald’s Sand and Gravel Mini Stock feature but due to mechanical problems used a “back-up” car so had to drop to the rear of the field, as did heat winner Hoyt Mihalak, leaving Justin Boardman and points leader Jason Easler on the front row. When the green flew pandemonium broke loose with five cars piling up on the front straight and the race under the red flag.. After the red flag was lifted and racing resumed, Easler led with Bud Sergeff coming to second and Justin Boardman to third. With three laps complete last week’s winner Brad Cole was up to third. At halfway it was Easler, Sergeff, Cole, Boardman, and Kyle Adkins fifth. Sergeff came to a halt in turn two of lap eight as Boardman erupted in smoke at turn three. Easler again led after green with Cole now second and Adkins third. Hoyt Mihalak was up to fourth after starting at the rear due to needing a “back up” car. Mihalak was third with two to go but at the checkers it was Easler for his fourth win of the season over defending champion Cole, then Mihalak, Adkins, and Casey Harmon, also coming from the rear at the start in a “back-up” car.

Dennis Lunger and Wendall Pinckney started from the front row of the Evergreen Lake Park Campground CARS Crate Late Model feature. At the end on one lap it was Lunger leading with Pinckney just barely ahead of Bossard for second. Pinckney owned the spot at the end of three with Bossard third, Dave Airgood fourth, and Chris Withers fifth. With six complete Hunter Hulley pulled to the infield then drove back to the edge of the track and waited for yellow. After green Pinckney powered his way by Lunger for the lead with Mike Swansiger, Corey Ruffo, Hunter Hulley, and Ed Bolyard spun in turn four. Pinckney continued to lead after green with Bossard coming by Lunger for second. Airgood and Lunger ran side by side at the end of seventeen with Lunger again holding the spot at eighteen complete. At the checkers it was Pinckney, Bossard, Lunger, Airgood, and Withers. It was Pinckney’s first-ever Raceway 7 feature win.

Dennis Lunger started the Bonnell Collision Center E-Mod feature from the pole, his second pole start of the night, with Josh Ferry to his right. Lunger led the charge through the first lap with Ferry under siege from Percy McDonald, who got by at the end of lap two. Ferry and McDonald got together in turn two, with Ferry getting sideways and McDonald spinning out. Since Ferry did not stop he was restored to second for the green with Troy Johnson third and Jesse Gould fourth. Twelfth starting Joel Watson was third at the end of three laps, looking for his sixth win of the season. Johnson slowed from second to a stop in turn two at five complete, slowing the race under yellow. For the restart it was Lunger, Gould, Watson, Ferry, and Paul Schreckengost. At seven complete Watson was the leader and pulling away. Nine laps in Watson, Lunger, and Gould were leading the way when Ferry looped his mount in turn two. Gould and Lunger were side by side at halfway with Gould second one lap later. Watson went on to his sixth win in six appearances this summer at Raceway 7 with Gould second, a quarter-lap behind. Lunger was another half straight back with Schreckengost fourth and Mike Kinney fifth.

Evergreen Lake Park Campground CARS Crate Late Models:

Heat 1: Dennis Lunger, Kyle Zimmerman, Wendall Pinckney, Khole Wanzer, Ed Bolyard, Hunter Hulley, Breyton Santee

Heat 2: Darrell Bossard, Dave Airgood, Chris Withers, Mike Swansiger, Corey Ruffo, William Pinckney

Feature: Wendall Pinckney, Darrell Bossard, Dennis Lunger, Dave Airgood, Chris Withers, Kyle Zimmerman, Khole Wanzer, Breyton Santee, Mike Swansiger, Ed Bolyard, Corey Ruffo, Hunter Hulley, Will Pinckney (DNS)

Bonnell Collision Service E-Mods:

Heat 1: Joel Watson, Troy Johnson, Josh Ferry, Percy McDonald, Mike Kinney, Dan McDonald

Heat 2: Dennis Lunger Jr, Jesse Gould, Paul Schreckengost, Josh McDonald, Bill Taylor, Ed Wilson

Feature: Joel Watson, Jesse Gould, Dennis Lunger, Paul Schreckengost, Mike Kinney, Percy McDonald, Ed Wilson, Josh Ferry, Dan McDonald, Troy Johnson, Josh McDonald, Bill Taylor (DNS)

Bonnell’s Auto Group Economods:

Heat 1: Eric Reinwald, Rick Prosser, Mike Harmon, Jim Van Cise, Brian Lacey, Tyler Frankenberry

Heat 2: Steve Haefke, Gary Miller, Bobby Vogt, Mitch Wright, Jim Muma, Ashley Rogers

Heat 3: Chuck Steinle, Kyle Reinwald, Kevin Sergeff, Gary Murphy, Gary Olson, Jim Myers

Feature: Steve Haefke, Bob Vogt Jr, Eric Reinwald, Rick Prosser, Chuck Steinle Sr, Mike Harmon, Gary Murphy, Brian Lacey, Jim Van Cise, Jim Muma, Mitchell Wright, Gary Olson, Ashley Rogers, James Myers, Kyle Reinwald, Kevin Sergeff, Gary Miller, Tyler Frankenberry (DNS)

Campbell’s Mini Storage Street Stocks:

Heat 1: Don McGuire, Chris McGuire, Garrett Calvert, Kenny Lamp Jr, Rob Bates

Heat 2: Shawn Fawcett, Chris Hochschild, Tony Spaghetti, Brian Mulichak, John Bailey

Feature: Rob Bates, Shawn Fawcett, Don McGuire, Chris Hochschild, Ken Lamp Jr, Tony Spaghetti, Brian Mulichak, Garrett Calvert, Chris McGuire, John Bailey

McDonald’s Sand and Gravel Mini Stocks:

Heat 1: Kyle Adkins, Brad Cole, Justin Boardman, Casey Harmon, Emily Stoyer, Cale Sousa,, Corey Wick, Tyler Burr, Jessica Harvey

Heat 2: Hoyt Mihalak, Jason Easler, Brian McGarvie, Bud Sergeff, Wes Stull, Pat Drennan, Alex Forbes, ZoeyGill, Derrick Tuttle,

Feature: Jason Easler, Brad Cole, Hoyt Mihalak, Kyle Adkins, Casey Harmon, Wes Stull, Pat Drennan, Cale Souza, Zoey Gill, Tyler Barr, Alex Forbes, Corey Wick, Brian McGarvie, Jessica Harvey, Bud Sergeff, Justin Boardman, Derrick Tuttle, Emily Stoyer