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ERICK RUDOLPH KEEPS SST SPORTSMAN WIN STREAK ALIVE |
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AS MATT ALIX COPS LATE MODEL MAIN |
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The Probity Group TQ Midgets kicked off the nights feature action with veteran Wayne Turnbull and Mike Blair starting from the front row. At the drop of the green flag, Blair jumped into the lead while Turnbull faded through the pack. While Blair led out front a heated battle was taking place behind him with Charlie DiRosa and Dan Lawrence battling for second and third positions. A bit further back, Dave Wollaber was making his way through the pack, passing almost one car per lap. By the halfway point of the race, Blair had built a comfortable lead wile DiRosa, Lawrence , Mark Schulz, and Wollaber duked it out for second position on back. A yellow flag with just eight laps to go changed the course of the race as the field was now bunched together. Blair once again took the lead but a bobble on the part of DiRosa allowed both Lawrence and Wollaber to get by him for second and third respectively. Mike Blair fended off a late race charge by Lawrence and Wollaber to capture his first career TQ Midget win. The Thiel Motorsports Fast & Furious 4 Cylinders were next up on the agenda. On the start cars were immediately racing three wide, with positions being swapped back and forth on the racetrack. Tim Haniszewski Sr. came out the leader with Tim Durfy and Dan Roesch in the second and third spots. Haniszewski set a quick pace and never had any serious challenges for the lead as he took home his second 4 Cylinder feature win of the season. The fan favorite Able Agency Street Stocks hit the track next and put on quite a show for the nights crowd. Jim Stein, who won the previous week’s feature, was looking to make it two in a row and showcased a quick car as he took the lead on lap seven. Stein raced hard up front with John Julicher Jr. staying right with him, not allowing Stein to build any sort of lead on the field. By lap ten the lead pack of Stein, Julicher, Scott Mutka, and John Hewson were running single file and would soon be joined by Cory Gallagher. As the laps ticked off, Stein and Julicher began pulling away from third place runner Hewson and with five to go Stein had some breathing room to race. Lap 21 saw a bobble from Julicher that almost cost him second place as Hewson jumped to take advantage, but Julicher was able to recover and went on to finish second. Stein cruised home to his second win in two weeks. A season high twenty-one Lorigo Insurance SST Sportsman were on hand for the night’s feature race and it was a field packed with wily veterans and up and coming talent. At the drop of the green flag, Eddie Murray took control of the lead but not without heavy pressure from talented teenagers Andy Jakowiak and Erick Rudolph. Jankowiak wasted no time in dispatching Murray for the lead on lap two while Rudolph followed suit. A great race for the lead ensued as Jankowiak and Rudolph raced side by side and door handle to door handle for the top spot. Jankowiak made Rudolph work for the spot, forcing him to try to make his move from the outside groove. Rudolph has knack for making the outside groove work and he took the lead on lap 12. Behind the leaders Tom McGrath and Jeff Price had moved into the second and third spots and by the halfway point McGrath had taken control of the second running position from Jankowiak. Rudolph had checked out on the field, building a huge lead for himself, as the battles behind him waged on. Jon Price and Tom MacLeod battled hard for the fifth and sixth position while Jankowiak looked to reclaim his second spot from McGrath. On lap 29 Jankowiak went low on McGrath and took the position back. A late race yellow flag on lap 33 looked to pose a problem for leader Rudolph, but he was able to get a good jump on the restart and cruised home to yet another DTRP SST feature win. In the three SST features that have been run this season, Rudolph is undefeated in all of them. Topping off the night’s entertainment was the Bobcat of Buffalo Late Models. Veteran Ron Nurmi took control of the race early on, taking the lead right from the beginning of the race. Nurmi set a quick pace as Matt Alix and Richie Skora ran second and third and Mark Pennell and Scott Skora raced for fourth and fifth position. After a lap 11 yellow flag the makeup of the race started to change as R. SKora began to develop some problems and began falling back through the field. This allowed Alix to take unchallenged possession of second place and Pennell to move up to third. S. Skora and Todd Hoddick ran fourth and fifth until Hoddick passed Skora low to take the position. The field really began to spread out with the leaders running single file around the track until a yellow caution flag appeared on lap 26. The single file restart bunched the field up as Nurmi, Alix, Hoddick, and S. Skora restarted the race. Pennell had been forced to go pitside for leaking fluids. The restart changed the complexion of the race as Nurmi had a right rear flat, allowing Alix to go sailing by for the lead. Another yellow was displayed and Nurmi ducked into the pits for a fresh tire. On the restart Alix jumped into the lead and was followed by Hoddick. Hoddick had nothing for Alix who set a torrid pace and took home his first feature win of the season. Dunn Tire Raceway Park would like to extend get well wishes to SST competitor Kirk Rutherford who was injured in a crash at Spencer Speedway on May 30th. On Saturday, June 21st the stock cars will return to the DTRP oval as they have a week off on June 14th. June 21st is “Kids Day” where kids ages 8-15 get in for just $1.00! In addition there will be face painting, a coloring contest, driver autograph session, race car rides, Big Wheel races, and more just for the kids! JUNE 7 OFFICIAL FINISHES: THIEL MOTORSPORTS FAST AND FURIOUS FOUR CYLINDER 20 Lap leader: Tim Haniszewski, Sr. - laps 1-20 PROBITY GROUP T.Q. MIDGET 20 Lap leader: Mike Blair - laps 1-20 ABLE INSURANCE AGENCY STREET STOCK 25 Lap leaders: Ed Nowak - laps 1-4, Dave Frieder -
laps 5-6, Jim Stein - laps 7-25 LORIGO INSURANCE SST SPORTSMAN 35 Lap leaders: Eddie Murray - laps 1-2, Erick Rudolph
- laps 3-10, Andy Jankowiak - lap 12, Erick Rudolph - laps 13-35 BOBCAT OF BUFFALO LATE MODEL 35 Lap leaders: Ron Nurmi - laps 1-26, Matt Alix -
laps 27-35
Source:
Lori Overdorf/Dunn Tire Raceway Park PR
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