John Flinner tops first half of PENNational, rain wins second half at PPMS
July 28, 2010
Imperial, PA (July 24) Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway had scheduled the PENNational on Saturday night, with twin 28-lap feature races. John Flinner from Zelienople, PA won the first race, but weather moved in and the second race was canceled by rain. The second race for the co-sanctioned show between the UFo Race Championship and ULMS Racing Series will be made up as an added bonus to the Red Miley Rumble on Saturday, August 28.
29 cars were on hand for the event, divided into three qualifying heats. Keith Barbara took the first heat win, from the pole position. John Flinner topped heat 2, from second starting position. John Mollick won heat three from second spot. Lynn Geisler won the B-Main to set the 24 qualifiers for the first of the Pennational 28’s.
In the redraw for the top 12 starting positions, front row berths were earned by Jim Stephans and Jared Miley, and they led the field to the green flag with lightning flashing to the north of the Monster Half Mile. Miley took off in the lead at the drop of the green over Stephans, Mark Banal, UFo point leader Chad McClellan, and Steve Baker. Baker shot to third on lap 2 ahead of Banal and eighth starting John Flinner, as McClellan slowed to a stop with a flat tire for the event’s first caution period. After another incident on the attempted restart, Miley continued to lead over Baker, Flinner, Stephans, and Keith Barbara. Miley quickly built an advantage over the field, but entering turn one on lap 5 his mount shot up the track and pounded the outside wall, ending his evening.
Baker inherited the lead on the restart, and he controlled the race over Flinner, Barbara, Stephans, and PPMS point leader Mike Johnson. Baker and Flinner pulled away from the field as they raced for the lead, with Flinner making a strong challenge at lap 10. Entering turn three, Flinner dove to the bottom of the track and cleared Baker, becoming the new race leader with 11 laps complete. Third was being hotly contested between Barbara, Stephans, and Johnson, with Johnson taking fourth on lap 12.
Past halfway, Flinner continued to extend his lead. Baker gave chase in second, with Barbara and Johnson continuing to swap third place. Laps continued to tick by, and Flinner took the white flag as the eighth place car of Lynn Geisler slowed in turn two to add some drama to the end of the race. Gone was Flinner’s huge lead, and Baker would line up alongside in what would be a two-lap race to the finish per Series rules.
Flinner chose the outside lane for the restart, with Baker now on his inside. Flinner got out ahead at the drop of the green, and at the white flag Baker was trying the inside for a chance to pass. Johnson and Barbara were third and fourth, with Alex Ferree getting a great restart on the high side to gain several spots to get to fifth.
At the checkered flag it was John Flinner earning the win from eighth starting position. Third starting Steve Baker was a close second. Mike Johnson won the battle for third, from 11th starting spot. Alex Ferree earned fourth spot, from 21st starting spot and after being involved in the second lap 2 tangle. Jim Stephans was fifth, in a good run after missing some time with engine problems. Keith Barbara was sixth, with Mark Banal, Ben Miley, Boom Briggs, and Brandon Wearing rounding out the top ten. Ferree earned the Pass-Maximum award winner, presented by Bernheisel Race Components and Lazer Chassis, for advancing 17 positions in the main event.
Flinner drew a 12 for the invert for the second race, which will be made up on Saturday, August 28 before the Red Miley Rumble. That will put Mike Knight and Dennis Lunger on the front row for that 28-lap event. The 24 cars that ran this race will earn starting spots, the five non-qualifiers will be alternates for the makeup race.
The Northern T ier Inc. ULMS Late Model Series points have shaken up some with Dennis Lunger now the new point leader (159) over David Scott (148). Bump Hedman now is third just one point behind Slowride, with Boom Briggs sitting fourth (139) and defending ULMS champion, Bob Close in fifth (134).
The Northern Tier Inc ULMS Late Models will be back in action for a triple header weekend beginning Thursday, August 5 at McKean County Raceway for the 6th annual Stephanie Eckl Memorial that will pay a minimum of $2500 to win. The next night the ULMS stars head to Raceway 7 for the July 9th makeup of the Fallen Heroes of Raceway 7 Memorial in part of the tracks 40th Anniversary event and it will pay $2000 to win. The very next night (August 7), ULMS will roll into Stateline Speedway for a $7000 to win (American Racer tire only) event. Three shows with almost $12,000 on the line! ULMS will then head to Woodhull Raceway (NY) for the 29th annual Late Model Reunion on Saturday, August 14.
ULMS – UFo Race Championship race results for Saturday, July 24, 2010, Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway, Imperial, PA
Car Count – 29.
Lap leaders:
1-5 Jared Miley.
6-10 Steve Baker
11-29 John Flinner
Finish, Start, Car, Driver, Hometown
1, 8, 48, John Flinner, Zelienople, PA
2, 3, 0, Steve Baker, Morgantown, WV
3, 11, 2J, Mike Johnson, Imperial, PA
4, 21, 4, Alex Ferree, Saxonburg, PA
5, 1, 38, Jim Stephans, Baldwin, PA
6, 6, 17, Keith Barbara, South Park, PA
7, 5, T8, Mark Banal, St. Clairsville, OH
8, 14, 99, Ben Miley, Venetia, PA
9, 12, 99B, Boom Briggs, Bear Lake
10, 10, B1, Brandon Wearing, Callery, PA
11, 7, 17L, Dennis Lunger, Albion, PA
12, 13, 9K, Mike Knight, Ripley, NY
13, 20, 27C, Daryl Charlier, Midway, PA
14, 19, 1C, Lynn Geisler, Cranberry Twp., PA
15, 4, 119, Chad McClellan, Stoystown, PA
16, 22, B22, Bump Hedman, Sugar Grove, PA
17, 18, 6, Jim Lepro, Midway, PA
18, 16, 91, Tommy Beck, Murrysville, PA
19, 15, 76R, Jason Rider, Clinton, PA
20, 17, 16*, Dereck Frank, Jamestown, NY
21, 24, 18D, Danny Mitchell, Clarksburg, WV
22, 9, 4J, John Mollick, Toronto, OH
23, 2, H1, Jared Miley, South Park, PA
24, 23, 76, Dave Wade, Clinton, PA
Heat 1 – 1, 17, Keith Barbara. 2, 2J, Mike Johnson. 3, H1, Jared Miley. 4, 38, Jim Stephans. 5, 9K, Mike Knight. 6, 91, Tommy Beck. 7, 1C, Lynn Geisler. 8, 72, Mike Norris. 9, 2M, Chuck Medved. 10, 18D, Danny Mitchell.
Heat 2 – 1, 48, John Flinner. 2, 0, Steve Baker. 3, B1, Brandon Wearing. 4, 17L, Dennis Lunger. 5, 99, Ben Miley. 6, 16*, Dereck Frank. 7, 27C, Daryl Charlier. 8, 4, Alex Ferree. 9, 07R, Brent Rhebergen. 10, B22, Bump Hedman.
Heat 3 – 1, 4J, John Mollick. 2, T8, Mark Banal. 3, 119, Chad McClellan. 4, 99B, Boom Briggs. 5, 76R, Jason Rider. 6, 6, Jim Lepro. 7, 25, Bob Hershman. 8, 76, Dave Wade. 9, 17B, Brandon Burgoon.
B-Main finish – 1, 1C, Lynn Geisler. 2, 27C, Daryl Charlier. 3, 4, Alex Ferree. 4, 17B, Brandon Burgoon. 5, 72, Mike Norris. 6, B22, Bump Hedman. 7, 25, Bob Hershman. 8, 76, Dave Wade. 9, 2M, Chuck Medved. 10, 18D, Danny Mitchell. 11, 07R, Brent Rhebergen.
Did not qualify – 2M, Chuck Medved, Imperial, PA. 07R, Brent Rhebergen, Clymer, NY. 17B, Brandon Burgoon, McDonald, PA. 25, Bob Hershman, Swanton, MD. 72, Mike Norris, Sarver, PA.
UEMS EMODS PREPARE TO INVADE STATELINE FOR THE $5000 EMOD INVASION
July 20, 2010
July 31st will mark the biggest event in the Kinzua Water Service United Emod Series history. The KWS UEMS Emods will be part of Stateline Speedway’s $5000 to win Emod Invasion with a $1000 to win non qualifier event.
Last year’s Emod Invasion winner, Randy Hall of Olean, NY will lead the KWS UEMS Emods into Francis Seaman’s, Stateline Speedway. Hall has two wins on the season with the UEMS series but consistent finishes has kept him on top of the point chart. His worse finish of the year was at Stateline, where he got caught up in a crash early in the event. Joining Hall will be Carl McKinney who sits second in points and the hottest Emod driver in the northeast, Rich Michael Jr. Michael’s has fifteen wins to date and has five wins this year alone on the UEMS circuit and is coming off three consecutive UEMS wins. Kari Gasser along with 2008 Invasion winner, Brent Rhebergen will also be on hand along with UEMS travelers, Kyle Bedell, Vic Vena, Tim Peterson, Mike Eschrich, Darren Tarabori and Dan Davies.
Those drivers will have to contend with the very tough weekly Stateline Speedway regulars led by Scott Gurdak of Corry, PA along with Greg Johnson, Alex Froman, Dave Shagla, Ron Seeley, John Boyd, Troy Carr, Brian Fardink and the rest of the Stateline weekly faithful. Fans will see additional drivers such as John Woodward Jr., Bryan Douglas, Jack Young, Rich Gardner, Mike Knight, Russ Dunn, Dave Hess Jr., Joel Watson, Chuck Steinle, Shawn Shingledecker, Howard Fraley, Scott Stiffler, Kevin Morehouse, Jesse Wisecarver along with West Virginia drivers, Andre Layfield and Nolan Dalton.
Even if you are not one of the lucky qualifiers, the racers still have a shot at a $1000 to win non qualifier event. Not bad money for not qualifying for the main event for Emod racers. This event will go with the United Emod Series rules and will feature an OPEN TIRE rule (American Racer, Hoosier and Goodyear are allowed). There will be a $20 entry fee upon driver registration and pill draw for this event.
So who will go home with the cool five grand! Will it be the hottest Emod driver in the north, Rich Michael Jr? Will either one of the past two Emod Invasion winners of Hall and Rhebegen go home richer? How about Dave Hess, or the Ohio outsiders of Morehouse, Stiffler, Douglas, Watson or Young? Will one of the Stateline weekly warriors go home with their biggest career win? Will it be Gurdak, Johsnon, Eck, Seeley, Froman or one of those West Virginia travelers? Come out to Stateline Speedway in Busti, New York on Saturday July 31 to find out. Racing begins at 730PM with a driver meeting at 6:15PM.
UFo and ULMS Clash at PPMS for Increased Payoff on Saturday
July 20, 2010
(MARS PA) – Two regional series will meet at Pittburgh’s PA Motor Speedway this Saturday night, July 24 for an all-out clash of power! The UFo Race Championship tour and the United Late Model Series will invade the monster-half mile for the “PENNational,” paying $4,000 to win!
A bigger payoff now awaits drivers at the “PENNational” as Miley Motorsports has upped the payoff from its originally scheduled amount. The “PENNational” will now pay a total of $4,000 to win and $300 to start. The PENNational will utilize the thrilling twin UFo feature format, which has generated some of the best racing ever on the tour. PPMS has produce an amazing amount of passing 3 and 4 wide racing over the past seasons with winners from deep in the field.
Former UFo event winners at the track include Mark Banal of St. Clairsville, OH and John Mollick of Toronto, OH, who split the wins at the UFo/ULMS F-2 Shockwave at PPMS in May. Jared Miley of South Park, PA and Davey Johnson of Greensburg, PA won the UFo/ULMS twin features in 2009 from 13th and 15th on the grid. Other UFo winners at PPMS include Bart Hartman of Zanesville, OH, who scored a win from 20th on the starting grid, Al Atallah of Bridgeville, PA from 12th, John Flinner of Zelienople, PA, and Steve Baker of Fairmont, WV.
Chad McClellan of Stoystown, OH. Currently leads John Mollick in the UFo point standings. Keith Barbara of South Park, PA continues to be a contender for the championship in 3rd. Tommy Beck of Jeanette, PA and Danny Mitchell of Clarksburg, WV round out the top 5. Jim Kutas of Elizabeth, PA is 6th with Jared Miley of South Park, PA, Doug Horton of Bruceton Mills, WV, DJ Myers of Greencastle, PA and Jared Hawkins of Fairmont, WV rounding out the top 5.
David Scott of Garland, PA leads the United Late Model Series points followed by Dennis Lunger of Albion, PA, former ULMS champion Bob Close from Eldred, PA, Bump Hedman of Sugar Grove PA and Dick Barton of Ashville, NY. Brent Rhebergen of Clymer, PA, Boom Briggs from Bear Lake, PA, Dereck Frank of Jameston, NY, Chad Valone from Warren, PA and Mike Knight of Ripley, NY round out the top 10. The “PENNational” will pit some of the top drivers from each series against the tough PPMS racers and more top drivers in the region.
All track divisions at PPMS will compete for bonus money on July 24 with the FASTRK Pro-Lates paying $550, E-mods $450 and Cadets $350. The Hobby & Young Gun classes will also be in competition. Pit gates will open at 5:00 PM with warm-ups and 6:00 and racing at 7:00 PM. Grandstands will be $20 for adults, $19 for seniors, $10 for juniors 13-16 and $5 for children 7-12. Pit admission will be $35.
The total increased payoff for the “PENNational” twin 28 lap features at PPMS will be (each feature will pay half the listed amount) 1st-$4,000 2nd-$1,800 3rd-$1,200 4th-$1,000 5th-$800 6th-$700 7th-$600 8th-$550 9th-$500 10th-$450 11th-$425 12th-$400 13th-$390 14th-$375 15th-$350 16th-$340 17th-$325 18th-$325 19th-$325 20th-$325 21st-$300
22nd-$300 23rd-$300 24th-$300.
RICH MICHAEL JR. DOUBLES HIS WEEKEND WITH THE UEMS E MODS AT TRI CITY
July 20, 2010
by Brian Spaid
July 18, 2010
FRANKLIN, PA
Rich Michael Jr. of Ischua, N.Y., proved victorious in the 25-lap Kinzua Water Service United E Mod Series (UEMS) race for the Welding Technologies/Shaw Industries E Mods.
Rich Michael Jr. capped a stellar weekend winning the 25-lap UEMS E Mod race. Michael, who won on Saturday night at Little Valley Speedway, took the lead on the 15th circuit when early race leader Brent Rhebergen suffered a flat tire. From there, Michael raced to his second win of the season and his career at Tri-City aboard his Carlin’s Pizza Pit Stop/4AM Signs and Graphics Jet Mod No. 17X.
“We had oil pressure problems when we got here tonight, and I want to thank Justin Carlson for helping me out,said Michael. We still had problems in the feature, and I thought we would have to pull off. I wasn’t too worried about the guys behind me on the final restart. I figured if they got around the outside of me more power to them.
Rhebergen jumped into an immediate lead at the start of the race. Ron Roncaglione and Michael chased Rhebergen for the first 11 laps before Michael worked his way by Roncaglione off turn four. On a restart on the 14th circuit, Rhebergen developed a right rear flat tire, and Michael took the lead. Carl McKinney and Randy Hall then moved into second and third on the 17th and 18th circuits. There chances of catching Michael improved on the 20th circuit when Dan Davies crashed into the turn two water barrier delaying action for about 10 minutes while the track crew cleaned up the mess. On the restart, Evan Taylor made some impressive moves, including a slide job off turn four on the final lap, to take second. At the finish, Michael was the winner over Taylor, Hall, McKinney and Roncaglione. Rhebergen, McKinney and Michael won the E Mod heats.
UNITED E MOD SERIES (UEMS) (25 Laps): 1. RICH MICHAEL JR., 2. Evan Taylor, 3. Randy Hall, 4. Carl McKinney, 5. Ron Roncaglione, 6. Shawn Shingledecker. 7. Travis Asel, 8. Joel Watson, 9. Kari Gasser, 10. Jonathan Taylor, 11. Tim Peterson, 12. Butch Southwell, 13. Kyle Bedell, 14. Mike Kinney, 15. Rick Pratschler, 16. Darren Tarabori, 17. Tyler Powell, 18. Tim Engles, 19. Mike Potosky, 20. Dan Davies, 21. Brent Rhebergen, 22. Justin Carlson. DNS: Brian Douglas.
