MAHONING VALLEY SPEEDWAY
Mahoning Valley Speedway celebrated the 2016 season in grand style as a crowd of 300 gathered at the Northampton Community Center in Northampton to pay tribute to this year’s class champions as well enjoy a wonderful evening of a great dinner, a number of special awards and fun and dancing afterwards.
For a third time in his storied career Eric Beers was crowned Modified track champion. “The Master of Faster” scored a division best seven feature wins which included the “Break the Ice 75” RoC Tour event on April 23. Beers actually began the year with three straight wins which gave him the momentum to hold the point lead throughout the 23 events that made up the season for the Modifieds.
Along the way he reached a milestone by becoming the first driver to achieve 50 career wins with the class. Beers also tied for most heat wins (8), was the leader in top-5s (19) and led a division high 165 feature laps. He had only one finish outside the top 10.
After several seasons of coming close to the Late Model crown, Mike Sweeney was not to be denied his very first track championship.
Consistency was his calling card as he began the year by reeling off one top-five after another, most of them coming in the form of 1st or 2nd place finishes. Despite a slight faltering heading into September, Sweeney regrouped and hammered down when it counted most and wrapped up the year with back-to-back wins which included his second straight victory during Octoberfast.
He completed the year with eight wins, which was the best in class and picked up 11 heat wins that played a key role to championship point tally. Sweeney, who races the only Ford, was a runner-up a year ago and has regularly been a top five point finisher. He also amassed enough wins also to be named the overall top asphalt Late Model winner in the Northeast.
The 2016 Street Stock campaign was a see-saw battle that was waged between champion Jon Moser and Zach Graver as well as Randy Ahner Jr. Moser, who won the title back in 2008, returned to racing fulltime this past season and never missed a beat despite having the past few years off. He scored three wins, was the top lap leader and also relied on his division leading 17 top-10 finishes to carry him to the title.
For the second straight Ricky Yetter has claimed the Dirt Mod championship. It what was a knock-down-drag-out fight to the finish between him and runner-up Billy Lasko. Yetter did not clinch the crown until the last lap of the last race when he beat out Lasko for his fifth win and eked out the number one spot by a mere two points.
Yetter had a record setting season also as he moved to the top of the all-time wins leader list in Dirt Mod with 21.
When Josh Scherer began the season he had a goal in mind which was to win at least seven races and make a run at the Pro 4 championship. Done and done!
Scherer took over the point lead by late July and once there never looked back. When he crossed the finish line on the final day as the winner, it was his seventh of the season and just as important it was the crowning moment to his first ever title.
The Hobby stock division saw a record 14 different winners in 20 events and a record 46 different drivers race in at least one feature but despite all that competition, Cody Geist showed who the boss was once again as the driver of the No. 44 Honda roared to his second straight championship. Geist was pretty much in control of the points for the entire year and along the way parked in Victory Lane three times which was tops in class. He also was a 10-time heat winner. Geist then concluded his great year by proposing to his girlfriend Tori Dimmig and without hesitation she said yes.
Top rookie honors where bestowed on Jack Ely, Chris Anderson, Mark Martini, Shawn Hoffman and Avery Arthofer in the Modified, Late Models, Street Stocks, Pro 4s and Hobby Stocks respectively.
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Mahoning Valley Speedway’s Kyle Strohl has been nominated by the Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) as candidate for the John Blewett III Young Guns Award presented by New England Fuels.
The 17-year old Strohl, who is known as “The Real Deal” wrapped up his third year of racing an asphalt Modified at Mahoning Valley Speedway in a big way, winning a Race of Champions Tour 150-lap feature against a stellar field of competition.
It was also his third win of the season which enabled him to be a solid third in final points behind perennial kingpins Eric Beers and Earl Paules. Strohl became the youngest driver in track history to win a Modified feature when in just his third start, at then age 13, he was in Victory Lane. He was also the youngest driver to reach 20 career wins and in five years has amassed 29 victories combined in Modifieds, Street Stocks and 4-Cylinder Stocks and one championship. Also on the ballot are Matt Swanson, Max McLaughlin and Dillon Steuer. Voting for the award is done amongst the EMPA membership and the winner will be lauded at the organization’s annual convention which takes place January 6-9 at the Crowne Plaza in King of Prussia.
Previous winners include Lucas Wolfe - 2006, Bob Santos III - 2007, Cody Darrah - 2008, Ryan Truex - 2009, Austin Hubbard – 2010, Justin Bonsignore – 2011, Kyle Larson – 2012, Mike Mahaney – 2013, Tyler Dippel and Anthony Perrago - 2014 and Freddie & Brandon Rahmer - 2015.
Since its founding in 1969, EMPA has grown from a handful of members to become one of the largest motorsports media organizations in the nation with more than 250 members. EMPA holds the only annual working convention featuring seminars, press conferences with outstanding competitors, sponsors, organizers and promoters. Technical specialist present workshops. Photography, journalism and broadcasting competitions are sponsored to recognize excellence within each respective field. These competitions are judged by professionals, experts in the field that are not involved in the competition or member of the organization.
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On-track incident leads to disqualification and costs driver championship in Street Stock event
(LEHIGHTON, Pa. 10-24-16) Mahoning Valley Speedway track management is taking this time to address the on-track incident from Saturday night’s Street Stock feature between No. 38 Zach Graver and No. 51 Jason Kuhn. It is the decision of management that Graver be disqualified for his actions that took place after he and Kuhn had crashed while battling for the lead on lap 52 of the 75 lap feature.
Kuhn, racing on the outside line, had just taken the lead from Graver. Both cars, however, remained side-by-side. As they approached turn two Graver noted afterward that he had gotten a flat on his right front tire. His car then veered right and into Kuhn. Both vehicles then slammed very hard into the wall in turn three.
At that point and after coming to a stop Graver exited his car and advanced at Kuhn, who was still seated in his car and was seen throwing punches. It was this altercation that led officials to disqualify him for the night. That DQ also lost him the class championship. Graver had entered the night first in points and it was announced previous to the event that 100 bonus points towards the final point standings would be given to all drivers in their respective divisions for participation in the annual season finale known as Octoberfast.
Rule No. 26 in the General Rules clearly states: “If you get disqualified you will receive no points and money for that night of racing and will be given the most handicapping points for that night.”;
Mahoning Valley Speedway management is regretfully upset in handing out this penalty but they also felt they and everyone must abide by the rules.
Much thought was given to the matter and it was never the intent by management to penalize Graver or anyone else due to the wreck. It all stemmed from the fact of exiting his car and having an unwarranted confrontation with another individual.
Because of the DQ Graver fell to third in the final standings. The 2016 Street Stock title goes to Jon Moser. Randy Ahner Jr., is runner-up.
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16-year old Kyle Strohl tops impressive Mahoning Valley Speedway RoC field in Octoberfast 150
(LEHIGHTON, Pa. 10-22-16) Mahoning Valley Speedway’s season finale Octoberfast 2016 almost became “Octobersplash” as rain was dominating much of the day but thanks to the dedicated effort by track crew, the race went off albeit two hours over the original start time, and fans who braved the brisk autumn night were treated to a thrilling 150 lap feature for the Ferris Mowers Race of Champions Modified Series Fueled by Sunoco Tour. And, with a star-studded field on hand the included a host of premier asphalt Modified talent, it would be a 16-year old that stood proudly in Victory Lane when all was said and done. Kyle Strohl of nearby Palmerton, bested a strong contingent of RoC steadies as well as home track regulars along with other invaders to claim a defining moment in his budding career. “This is by far the biggest accomplishment of my career. I can’t thank my crew enough for how much effort they put into the car this year and to win against all these guys is unbelievable,” said Strohl, who earned a hefty $5000 for the win. Strohl, who started fifth in the field of 26, would inherit the lead after a lap 112 restart. He then stayed up front the rest of the way and pretty much in dominating fashion as he showed no signs of faltering considering the fact that he and runner-up Lou Strohl (no relation) were the only two that did not make a pit stop.
Matter of fact Strohl was so strong that at one point he held as much as a half-track lead. Even though he was only a car length ahead at the checkers, it was only due to late race cautions that kept the field in tack with him. He stayed in the top five nearly the entire race, drove keenly past much of the heavy traffic and showed seasoned veteran like skills against drivers with as much as 30-plus years of experience over him. “I really hadn’t run a long distance race like this before and I wasn’t sure how the car was going to work out. I just went with my gut decision to not pit and it worked out,” said Strohl. After a crowd pleasing 4-wide parade lap, Calvin Carrol and Don Wagner brought the field to the green. Wagner wasted no time in darting out the lead while Austin Kochenash took hold of second with Carrol, Strohl and Jimmy Zacharias embracing down the top five. The race settled into a steady pace as Wagner and Kochenash ran a close 1-2. On lap 20 the first caution waved when Daryl Lewis Jr., slowed. On the restart Kochenash got a great jump on Wagner to assume the lead. At the helm Kochenash looked very strong as he paced the pack with confidence. Behind him Wagner was fending off Earl Paules and Zacharias while Strohl was shadowing in fourth and Tyler Rypkema a stout fifth. After string of 26 green flag laps the second caution was out when Lewis again slowed to a stop. When the action resumed there was no change to the top five as Kochenash continued on his sturdy jaunt. The race then went into a torrid run as the ensuing 76 laps went incident free. During that span Strohl was able to work his way up to second but once behind Kochenash he was stalled as the leader showed definite strength over everyone.Throughout the rest of the pack there would be loads of two-wide action which also meant the leaders had to play wisely when coming upon the heavy traffic. It was really tough to get around all those cars. I just tried to stay clean and pass when I could and not over-drive the car and make any dumb moves,” said Strohl. Rypkema moved to third and was keeping within reach of the front two while holding off Chuck Hossfeld and Patrick Emerling.
The fast-paced action came to a halt on lap 112 for a multi car incident. Included in the turn four melee was Emerling who was towed from the scene but was able to return. It was at that juncture that most of the field took that opportunity to head pit side for a tire change and adjustments. Strohl, elected to stay on track and would restart as the new leader when the field was reset. The upstart showed the way over Hossfeld, Darren Scherer, who came from 23rd starting spot, Zacharias and L. Strohl.
On lap 120 Hossfeld was nudged from behind and got became loose which caused several others to scatter. The skirmish would gobble up a host of cars in the process. L. Strohl and Zane Zeiner had been running the inside and were able to sneak by which landed then in second and third for the restart. When the action resumed it was all K. Strohl the rest of the way. Even though he was able to run away from there on many wondered about the no pit strategy and how his tires would hold up. By hitting his marks and utilizing his track experience as well as negotiating lapped cars, the kid was the class act. “My tires were starting to fade away as the race went on but I just stayed focused and tried not to worry about that. We had talked some about a game strategy coming in tonight but it was really uncertain for us because no one knows how it all plays out,” admitted Strohl. “It was hard but really great to race against some of the top rated drivers and I couldn’t be more proud to have pulled it off and beat them. So what does a 16-year old do with $5000? “I don’t know yet – I’ll go back over the car so we can rebuild it and come back next year with top notch equipment and that check will help a ton.” Over most of the final 25 laps the battle for second went back and forth between L. Strohl and Zeiner. Zeiner had passed with 17 laps to go but lapped traffic helped L. Strohl regain the spot with 10 circuits remaining.“What a great race car (owner) Matt Higgins put under me. That was a fun run and we needed long runs to get the car going. There was a few cautions at the end that didn’t help us but I’m very happy with the results,” said L. Strohl. “Kyle (Strohl) did a great job and it was fun battling with Zane (Zeiner). You can race with either of those guys hard and clean any day of the week.”; Zeiner was on the rear bumper of L. Strohl at the finish. He was looking to score his second Octoberfast but time ran out on his effort. “We sort of used the car up late in that first run before we pitted for tires. We charged to second (spot) but used that car again trying to pass Louie but that’s what we had tonight, a third place car,” offered Zeiner. Wagner was fourth while Hossfeld took fifth. Paules, Emerling, Kris Graver, Scherer and Mike Leaty rounded out the top 10.
In timed hot lap sessions K. Strohl set the quick time of the day with a 9.912-second lap at 90.799 mph. Heat wins went to K. Strohl, Wagner, Zeiner and first time Mahoning starter Blake Barney. DJ Wagner annexed the b-main.
Feature Finish (150 Laps): 1. Kyle Strohl, 2. Lou Strohl, 3. Zane Zeiner, 4. Don Wagner, 5. Chuck Hossfeld, 6. Earl Paules, 7. Patrick Emerling, 8. Kris Graver, 9. Daren Scherer, 10. Mike Leaty, 11. Tyler Rypkema, 12. Blake Barney, 13. John Markovic, 14. Joey Jarowicz, 15. TJ Potrzebowski, 16. Jimmy Zacharias, 17. Todd Baer, 18. Bryan Sherwood, 19. Calvin Carroll, 20. Terry Markovic, 21. Brain DeFebo, 22. Jack Ely, 23. Eric Beers, 24. Austin Kochenash, 25. DJ Wagner, 26. Daryl Lewis Jr. DNQ: Shawna Ingraham, Eric Mauriello, Tommy Rought, Chris Risdale
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Mike Sweeney, Justin Mooney, Devin Schmidt, Seth Spayd are Mahoning Valley Speedway
Octoberfast winners
(LEHIGHTON, Pa. 10-22-16) Newly crowned Mahoning Valley Speedway Late Model champion Mike Sweeney of Nesquehoning capped off his season with a decisive victory during the 60-lap/$1500-to-win feature in Saturday’s Octoberfast 2016.Also notching Octoberfast verdicts were Justin Mooney in the Street Stocks, Devin Schmidt with the Hobby Stocks and Seth Spayd in the All-Star Slingshots.Sweeney, who was the reigning Octoberfast champion, drew the pole position for the start of the race with 13-year old sensation Broc Brown alongside.However, at the drop of starter Bobby Stull’s race commencing green, Sweeney quickly made it his to loose. Jumping out to the lead he was able to put everyone far enough behind and let them sort out those positions. Brown was near to Sweeney in the early going but once Frankie Althouse came upon him to battle for second, it allowed the leader an added advantage in gaining distance on them and the pack. When the race reached the midway point Sweeney was now in his own league with as much as a five second lead. Meanwhile there remained a close battle for second. Althouse had taken over runner-up with Paul Koehler Jr., Brown and Don Wagner all under a blanket. With 20 laps to run a caution was out which would erase a nice lead of Sweeney. On the restart Wagner, who had just run 150 laps in his Modified, was second and as the resumption he was able to give Sweeney a nice battle, not for long, however. Sweeney soon kicked in the after burners and ran away to his class leading eighth win of the year. “We were here today for one reason and one reason only and it was mission completed said Sweeney after scoring his 46th overall career win. “The car was really good and with the luck of the draw we started on the pole but I feel we had a decent car to win no matter where we started.” Brown came on strong to finish second with Wagner, Chris Anderson an Althouse completing the top five.In the 75-lap Street Stock main Justin Mooney inherited the lead when front runners Jason Kuhn and Zach Graver collided on lap 52. Once in front he was smooth and steady as he held off a hard charging Mark Martini and Jason Frey for his first win of the
season. Jon Moser scooted out to the early lead and set a good pace while holding off Aaron Kromer who was glued to his rear bumper. Just prior to lap 50 the caution was out and Kromer used that restart of motor inside Moser for the lead. However, Moser stayed right with him and would rebound back to the front on the next go-around. Running near side-by-side, they made contact and went spinning. Officials then sent both to the rear for the restart. 15th starting Graver was now at the lead with Kuhn alongside and it would soon become a fierce battle. On lap 52 Kuhn edged into the lead from the outside lane. Not giving in Graver was working feverously to regain the spot back. As they made their way into turn two Graver suddenly veered into Kuhn and both cars ended up crashing into the wall. Graver said he had a cut tire that caused his car to slide into Kuhn, however, there was an altercation afterwards as he left his car and headed into the driver’s window to confront Kuhn.At this time track officials are closely reviewing the matter to determine the outcome which could ultimately cost him the class championship. Graver was DQ’d as per track rules for exiting his car while on the race track. Mooney, third at the time, advanced to number one where he then fought hard the rest of the way. Moser and Stacey Brown rounded the top five. “I feel bad for Jason Kuhn because that’s who should have won this race,” said Mooney. “It should have been him here and not me. One guy just seemed to turn right and put the other guy in the wall for no reason. That’s what I saw.”; This was the 13th career win for Mooney but first since 2011. The victory netted him $1500. It was also the second year in a row that a Mooney won the Street Stock portion of Octoberfast as his brother, Josh Mooney won last year’s show. “It was a great race and it’s been way to long since we last won. Mark (Martini) ran me real clean which he always does. This was the best the car was all year and I have to thank my family for all the help and it’s good to keep our name as Octoberfast winners,” added Mooney.In the Hobby Stocks Devin Schmidt put on a vigorous duel with Travis Solomon for the better part of 30 of the 40 lap run as they went side-by-side over most of that span. Schmidt, who was racing on the topside, finally eked ahead for good with 10 laps to go and went on to score his second win of the season and $500 plus contingencies in the process. Avery Arthofer came on strong in the final laps and scored runner-up honors while Solomon, Michael Wambold and Corey Edelman completed the top five.In the All-Star Slingshots event there was no denying the impressive performance of first time Mahoning starter Seth Spayd who led every lap of the Roundy-Round 20. Despite an impressive field of cars, Spayd showed he was the one to beat from the get-go after winning a set of heats that included him setting a new track record. In the main he started P-1 and would never look back. Dakota Kohler was second with Chris Kurtz third.Late Model
Feature Finish (60 Laps): 1. Mike Sweeney, 2. Broc Brown, 3. Don Wagner, 4. Chris Anderson, 5. Frankie Althouse, 6. Jeremy Miller, 7. Geno Steigerwalt, 8. George Ramos, 9. Jacob Nemeth, 10. Mitch Hawk, 11. Lorin Arthofer II, 12. Jacob Kerstetter, 13. Rich Cooper, 14. Paul Koehler Jr., 15. Kenny Hein, 16. Travis Fisher
Street Stock Feature Finish (75 Laps): 1. Justin Mooney, 2 Mark Martini, 3. Jason Frey, 4. Jon Moser, 5. Stacey Brown, 6. Todd Ahner, 7. Corey Edelman, 8. Josh Mooney, 9. Jared Ahner, 10. Greg Long, 11. Aaron Kromer, 12. Dan Freundt, 13. Randy Ahner Jr., 14. Chip Wanamaker, 15. Logan Boyer, 16. Jonathan Tracy, 17. Jamie Smith, 18. Dennis Buss, 19. Rick Reichenbach, 20. Steve Hoffman, 21. Jason Kuhn DQ: Zach Graver DNQ: Eric Danyluk, Justin Morgan, Alan Miller
Hobby Stock Feature Finish (40 Laps): 1.Devin Schmidt, 2. Avery Arthofer, 3. Travis Solomon, 4. Michael Wambold, 5. Corey Edelman, 6. Rich Mutarelli, 7. Ryan Berger, 8. Austin Beers, 9. Blake Barney, 10. Cody Geist, 11. BJ Wambold, 12. Nicholas Kerstetter, 13. Shayne Geist, 14. Cody Kohler, 15. Jake Kibler 16. Ken Reeder, 17. Lyndsay Buss, 19. Jeff Biegley, 20. Seth VanFossen DNS: Tiffany Wambold
All Star Slingshots Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Seth Spayd, 2. Dakota Kohler, 3. Chris Kutz, 4. Brett Bieber, 5. Anthony Raisner, 6. Dale Kober, 7. Tyler Peet, 8. Cody Kline, 9. Austin Silfee, 10. Dylan Hoch, 11. Bobby Jones, 12. Kyle Herve, 13. Chris Gall, 14. CJ Fritz, 15. Henry Anderson, 16. Alex Yankowski, 17. Joe Toth, 18. Matt Mertz
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A special thanks to Sweeney Racing for gathering up these contingency sponsors for Octoberfast Late Model 60
Jones Racing Products – gift certificate to the winner
Hoffman’s Speed Supplies – gift certificate to the winner
Competition Graphics – gift certificate to the winner
RAE Images – two free 8x10 victory lane photos and free drive pack. Also each heat winner gets a free 4x6 photo and racing ball with car picture on it.
Radocha Excavating – gas cards
Bair Wheel Repair – gift certificate to the last car running on the lead lap
S&D Bodyline – gift certificate to the hard charger
Sweeney Racing – 1st non Mahoning regular across the line $100 bonus
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MAHONING VALLEY SPEEDWAY ‘OCTOBERFAST’ 150 NEXT UP FOR FERRIS MOWERS RACE OF CHAMPIONS ASPHALT MODIFIED SERIES FUELED BY SUNOCO - Emerling and Hossfeld Lead Championship Battle to the Exciting Quarter-Mile -
The Ferris Mowers Race of Champions Asphalt Modified Series fueled by Sunoco heads to the quarter-mile confines of the Mahoning Valley Speedway in Lehighton, Pa., for the Octoberfast 150 this coming Saturday (October 22). The 150-lap event is sure to be exciting with much on the line for the Series in regard to the championship, but also $5,000-to-the-winner. Patrick Emerling of Orchard Park, N.Y., and Chuck Hossfeld or Ransomville, N.Y., will lead the Race of Champions stars to the track to do battle with Mahoning Valley Speedway weekly racers like Eric Beers of Northampton, Pa., Earl Paules of Palmerton, Pa., as well as veteran racers like Matt Hirschman of Northampton, Pa., who frequents both Mahoning and the Race of Champions Series. Beers scored the win in the Race of Champions series opener at Mahoning this past April. “It’s going to be very competitive,” offered Beers, who is the 2016 Mahoning Valley Speedway track champion. “There is a good purse on the line as well as those guys racing for a championship. In 150 laps at Mahoning, pretty much anything can happen and usually does. It’s going to be exciting and something that race fans are not going to want to miss.” Emeriling and Hossfeld have dueled all season with Emerling winning an amazing eight races thus far. Hossfeld has set the benchmark with “fast times” during the group time trial format dating back to Emerling setting fast time at Mahoning in April. It has developed into a heated yet respectful rivalry that will play out in the next two races starting with Octoberfast at Mahoning. “My guys have done an awesome job and have worked their tails off all year,” offered Hossfeld. “Mahoning will be no different. It’s a unique track that presents some different challenges, but we will be up to the task when the time comes and we are looking forward to it. Hopefully, we catch a few good breaks and things go our way.” The green-white-checker group qualifying sessions begin at 4:00pm at Mahoning with racing to follow in fast-paced fun-filled afternoon. For more information visit www.mahoningvalley-speedway.com or call 570-386-4900 or visit www.rocmodifiedseries.com
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Octoberfast 2016 will close out the season of racing at Lehighton’s Mahoning Valley Speedway on Saturday, October 22. Racing gets underway at 4:00 pm.
This year’s Octoberfast will be headlined by a $5000-to-win 150 lap Modified main event and $300 to start that features the Ferris Mowers Race of Champions Modified Series Fueled by Sunoco Tour.
Modified inspection begins at 11:15. Tires sales will start at noon. At 2:15 at the Race of Champions hauler a Modified only drivers meeting takes place.
Practice for all classes commences at 2:30. At 4:00 pm the Modifieds will run a green-white-checker timed hot lap session to establish heat race lineups. As many as 26 cars will start the race via consi’s and provisional spots.
A complete competition format for the Modifieds which includes rules and payout is posted on the Mahoning Valley Speedway website.
Opening ceremonies follow the timed hot lap session and then heats for all divisions.
Also on the card will be a 60 lap feature for the Late Models, 75 lapper for the Street Stocks, 40 lap run for the Hobby Stocks and the All Star Slingshots in a yet to be determined distance. The Street Stock race is the final event in this year’s American Rental Street Stock Gamblers Series.
The Late Model and Street Stock winners will take home $1500. First place in the Hobby Stocks nets $500.
On race day pit gates will open at 10:00 am. Pit entrance is $50 per person. Entry fees are as follows – Modifieds $75, Late Models, Street Stocks $40 and Hobby Stocks $20.
There will be early paid practice taking place ($25 per car) from 11:00 – 2:00.
Main grandstands open at 1:00 pm. Grandstand admission is $25. There are no discounts for this event.
All aforementioned scheduled events are subject to change. Rain date is Sunday, October 23 at 2:00 pm.
This coming Saturday, October 15, the speedway has an open practice for all teams from noon to 4:00 pm. The cost is $25 per car and $10 per person for the pits. Grandstands are free. The concession stand will not be open.
For additional information log onto www.mahoningvalley-speedway.com or on Facebook at Mahoning Valley Speedway. Mahoning Valley Speedway is located on PA 443 just a few miles west of Lehighton.
The Race of Champions is a sanctioning body presenting Modified and Stock Car racing on asphalt and dirt surfaces throughout the Northeast, with events in New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The 66th annual Race of Champions weekend is the second longest consecutive auto-racing event in North America, second only to the Indianapolis 500.
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Paul Mercante claims career first Enduro win in Sunday run at Mahoning Valley Speedway; Austin Beers picks up victory in Jr. Enduro
(LEHIGHTON, Pa. 10-9-16) Paul Mercante has been a solid supporter of Small Car Enduro racing at Lehighton’s Mahoning Valley Speedway and finally his dedication paid off as he notched his career first win Sunday afternoon. Mercante used patience and keen driving to take the lead with just under 40 laps complete in the 1-hour event. He made his lead pass over Shayne Geist while negotiating heavy traffic. There would be more of that to contend with rest of the way but Mercante did a good job of steering clear of trouble although keeping Geist at bay as well as Dan Cascioli, who had led the early laps, was a whole different story. Cascioli was able to take up the fight with Mercante but not long after he saw his day come to an abrupt end when he and Bob Snyder crashed hard on the front straight. Afterwards Geist once again had second and was working his tail off to remain on the lead lap. Any chance of him looking to win went by the by the wayside when he made an unexpected pit stop and would fall off the pace by a few laps. Over the second half of the race Mercante was able to keep a one lap lead and more ahead of Randy Ahner Jr., and Devon Schmidt. However, over the final two minutes Schmidt, who was second at that time, found himself running next to the leader and the pair did make contact at least twice. Each time Mercante got loose and nearly spun but his focus remained ahead of him and he would go on to score the victory which was completed in a distance of 197 laps.
Schmidt and Ahner finished second and third two laps back. Rick Kirkendall and John Rose rounded out the top five.
In the Jr. Enduro run there was host of lap leaders who did well but in the end it was 13-year old Austin Beers who came out on top. Beers was running a lap down in second place when then leader Hunter Italese got a flat tire and had to pit. Beers was able to un-lap himself as well as move to the lead. With the clock winding down Lauren Gimbi was zeroing on Beers and just about to make a bid for the top spot when the race was stopped when Kassidy Altemose was put into the wall. On the restart Beers was much better and would hold off Gimbi the rest of the way. Altemose, despite being banged around several times, came back to finish a solid third.
Gimbi, Altemose, Italese and Tucker Muffley all took shares at the lead.
Gary Woodring was the winner of the Big Car Demo and Trisha Connolly took the win in the Small Car Demo.
Small Car Enduro Feature Finish (197 Laps): 1. Paul Mercante, 2. Devin Schmidt, 3. Randy Ahner Jr., 4. Rick Kirkendall, 5. John Rose, 6. Shayne Geist, 7. Chase Carywiter, 8. Jack Ely, 9. Stacey Brown, 10. Ed Reeder, 11. Darryl Herman, 12. Kevin Behler, 13. Kory Stevens, 14. Tony Rispin, 15. Todd Geist, 16. Josh Scherer, 17. Hunter Italese, 18. Dan Cascioli, 19. Bob Snyder, 20. Steve Mooney, 21. Matt May, 22. Ricky Kirkendall, 23. Jay Kaner, 24. Kip George, 25. Cody Geist, 26. Nick Baer, 27. Brandon Oltra, 28. Corey Edelman, 29. Ron Haring Jr., 30. Fred Gimbi, 31. Jesse Ehret, 32. Anthony Drochowiski, 33. Greg Warden DNS: Matt Cascioli, Nick Bollinger
Jr. Enduro Feature Finish (104 Laps): 1. Austin Beers, 2. Lauren Gimbi, 3. Kassidy Altemose, 4. Hunter Italese, 5. Nick Bollinger, 6. Tucker Muffley, 7. Shane Aster, 8. Emily Doltry, 9. Collin
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Todd Baer scores Mahoning Valley Modified win; Mike Sweeney is best again in Late Models
(LEHIGHTON, Pa. 10-8-16) After Todd Baer passed Terry Markovic on lap three, he then kept his foot planted on the gas and held on the rest of the way for his first win of the year while giving car owner Robert Wagner his first ever victory in Saturday night’s Modified feature at Mahoning Valley Speedway.
What was even more adding to the night’s win was the fact that Baer’s son, Nick, was his main opponent for most of the race and they were in a position to make track history as the first father/son dual to finish one-two in a Modified main at Mahoning. However, on the final lap N. Baer got a nudge from behind and slipped out of line. That opening allowed Kyle Strohl to sneak in and take the runner-up spot while Eric Beers, who had clinched the 2016 class championship, third. N. Baer rebounded to finish fourth, which was his best finish in a Modified, while Don Wagner rounded out the top five. T. Baer, once in front, was not only engaged in a torrid fight with his son but likewise with Jack Ely. Those two rookies put much pressure on the leader while swapping back and forth for second spot. Although they each tried numerous times to wheel around T. Baer, the veteran stayed on course to the checkers. “We were getting a little nervous because we are going on 20 years of winning at least one race a season and we got in right down to the end,” said Baer. “I felt someone behind me and I never knew it was Nick (Baer). The car was great and this was awesome to get the win for Robert Wagner in such a short period of time.”; For much of the race it resembled pack style racing as the entire front group was huddled closely together. As T. Baer did his part in protecting the lead, side-by-side and at times 3-wide action was going on in plentiful amounts which made for a white-knuckle race. It was that in part that allowed Strohl his runner-up spot. “It was a very hard fought race,” admitted Strohl. “Had it not been for Nick (Baer) getting a little squirrely coming out of that final turn on the last lap I would have never been here.”
The evening’s racing marked the final day of points although for some classes there will be an additional 100 show-up points to be awarded on October 22 for the season finale Octoberfast 2016.
The Jennifer Kutz Flanagan Memorial 42 took place for the Late Models and making a huge statement towards the 2016 division championship was Mike Sweeney who went on to notch the victory and assure himself as this year’s titlist. Sweeney just needs to take the green at Octoberfast, which he is the defending race winner, to officially earn the right as Late Model champion. On the fourth lap Sweeney blasted past Lorin Arthofer II and from there on would leave everyone in his wake. With a long stretch of green flag laps Sweeney had built as much as a half lap lead. And, despite a caution that wiped it all away midway through the race, he had no trouble in once again maintaining himself as the premier car of the night as he again pulled away from his closet pursuer, Paul Koehler Jr., and scored his seventh win of the season. Jacob Kerstetter had an excellent run to capture third spot while Frankie Althouse and Chris Anderson completed the top five. The race had lap money put together by the family of the late Jennifer Kutz Flannigan that was nicely disbursed throughout the field. “First of all I want to thank the Kutz family for putting on this race. They raised a lot of lap money and we all miss Jennifer so I really want to thank them,” said Sweeney. “The car was good tonight and just as it is has been all season. My guys are the reason behind that too. The hard work and dedication in the shop paid off and this was the goal, to win this championship. We gave up some points in the last couple weeks so we made sure we came out tonight and did everything correctly. I had to hit my marks and remember what we were racing for.”;
The Street Stock feature was a barnburner that saw Jon Moser pull off a thrilling last corner pass on Rick Reichenbach. Jamie Smith and Reichenbach had been locked in a solid one-two battle for the lead with Smith showing the way for most of the time. However, in the final nine laps Smith and Reichenbach went back and forth with the lead until five laps to go. At that point Reichenbach had the front spot but barely. Hovering quite closely was Moser who was then able to squeeze by Smith on the final lap and then continued to charge at Reichenbach. As they reached the final turn Moser made a lunge to the inside. Despite some paint swapping he held on and took the very exciting win, his third of the year.
The Dirt Modified feature was the final show for the class and coming into the 25-lapper it was a winner take all for the championship between Billy Lasko and Ricky Yetter as three points was all that separated them. Taking full advantage of his upfront starting spot, Yetter blasted into the lead at the drop of the green and from there on never looked back. He not only garnered his fifth win of the year but earned his second straight championship.
Josh Scherer capped off his run to the Pro 4 title in style by winning for a seventh time. Scherer took the lead after front runners Bobby Kibler Jr., and Jake Kibler collided on lap 13. Scherer, who was in the thick of the battle with that pair, narrowly escaped that wreck. He then held off Cody Kohler the rest of the way en route to his career first title.
13-year old Avery Arthofer proved herself yet again as the talented rookie driver won her second Hobby Stock feature of the season. Arthofer grabbed the lead at the outset and then held off a determined Shayne Geist.
Modified Feature Finish (35 Laps): 1. Todd Baer, 2. Kyle Strohl, 3. Eric Beers, 4.Nick Baer, 5. Don Wagner, 6. Jack Ely, 7. Earl Paules, 8. Terry Markovic, 9. John Markovic, 10. DJ Wagner, 11. Joey Jarowicz, 12. Bobby Jones, 13. Ed Simon
Late Model Feature Finish (42 Laps): 1. Mike Sweeney, 2. Paul Koehler Jr., 3. Jacob Kerstetter, 4. Frankie Althouse, 5. Chris Anderson, 6. Lorin Arthofer, 7. Jacob Nemeth, 8. Broc Brown, 9. George Ramos, 10. Kenny Hein, 11. Jeremy Miller, 12. Ryan Green, 13. Robbie Kutz, 14. George Ramos
Street Stock Feature Finish (30 Laps): 1. Jon Moser, 2. Rick Reichenbach, 3. Jared Ahner, 4. Jason Frey, 5. Jamie Smith, 6. Zach Graver, 7. Corey Edelman, 8. Josh Mooney, 9. Randy Ahner Jr., 10. Stacey Brown, 11. Jason Kuhn, 12. Todd Ahner, 13. Dan Freundt, 14. Mark Deysher, 15. Greg Long, 16. Dennis Buss, 17. BJ Wambold, 18. Kevin Weierbach
Dirt Mod Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Ricky Yetter, 2. Billy Lasko, 3. Ray Deemer, 4. Frank Parastino, 5. Charles Sabella
Pro 4 Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Josh Scherer, 2. Cody Kohler, 3. Johnny Bennett, 4. Jake Kibler, 5. Bobby Kibler Jr., 6. Chris Kuronya, 7. Kailyn Beers, 8. Joe Stangle
Hobby Stock Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Avery Arthofer, 2. Shayne Geist, 3. Rich Mutarelli, 4.Ken Reeder, 5. Jesse Strohl, 6. Michael Wambold, 7. Cody Geist, 8. Austin Beers, 9. Kevin Behler, 10. Jeff Biegley, 11. Ryan Berger, 12. Tiffany Wambold, 13. Nicholas Kerstetter, 14. Robert Yelsits, 15. Travis Nothstein, 16. Travis Solomon
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Mahoning Valley Speedway readies for two-day weekend this coming Saturday and Sunday
This coming Saturday and Sunday, October 8-9, Mahoning Valley Speedway will be hustling with activity.
Saturday evening will be a full six division program of stock car action which includes Modifieds, Late Models, Street Stocks, Dirt Mods, Pro 4s and Hobby Stocks.
The Jennifer Flanagan Kutz 42 for Late Models will be a key feature that evening as lap money will be posted in this special memorial race honoring Kutz, who passed away last year.
Division titles will be decided in the Dirt Mods and Pro 4s on this night. Eric Beers has garnered enough points to claim his third career track crown in the Modifieds.
In the Late Models, Street Stocks and Hobby Stocks this will also be the final point race, however, there are 100 bonus points that will be awarded towards the respective class titles during Octoberfast 2016 which takes place October 22. The Modifieds will also get the 100 bonus points at Octoberfast.
At intermission there will be a Little Tykes Power Wheel Demo Derby sponsored by Brown Daub Kia/Kutz Racing.
Main gates open at 4:00 pm with racing starting at 6:00. Adult general admission is $12. There is a $2 discount for students, seniors 65+ and active Military. Early paid practice starts at 12:30. Pits are $25 for members and $35 for non-members.
On Sunday, October 9 starting time at 2:00 pm, the speedway will host Enduros and Demo Derby’s.
As much as $2000 will be awarded to the winners of the Small Car Enduro, Big Car and Jr. Enduro provided 80 or more cars are signed-in on race day in each of the respective classes. The complete payoff is listed below which is for all Enduro events.
The price to enter the October 9 Small Car, Big Car and Jr. Enduros is $50 per car which includes the transponder and vehicle. Pit fee is $20 per person and $10 grandstand admission. There is a $2 discount for students, seniors 65+ and active Military in the grandstands.
Also on Sunday is a Big and Small Car Demo Derby. If 20 or more cars are entered in each division the payout will be $800 to win, $400 for second and $200 for third. Heats will pay $100 to the winner.
If there are features only with no heats run the winner’s share will be $600 with $300 and $150 respectively for second and third.
The cost to enter the Demo Derby is $25 per car which includes the driver. The Big Car Demo rules will follow that of the West End Fair while the Small Car Demo rules will be the same as those applied at the recent Carbon County Fair. ALL Demo cars must have the fuel cell and battery mounted and secured behind the driver’s compartment and conform to proper safety regulations.
For additional information log onto www.mahoningvalley-speedway.com or on Facebook at Mahoning Valley Speedway.
Octoberfast 2016 closes out the season on Saturday, October 22 beginning at 4:00 pm. Headlining the day will be the Ferris Mowers Race of Champions Modified Series Fueled by Sunoco Tour going head-to-head with the Mahoning steadies. The race will be a distance of 150 laps and pay $5000 to win.
Additionally the Late Models will compete in a 60-lap/$1500 to win main. Street Stocks will go 75 laps and receive $1500 to win plus it is the deciding show for the overall winner of the American Rental Street Stock Gamblers Series. Hobby Stockers will battle in a 40 lap/$400-to-win feature. The All Star Slingshots will round out the show.
The Enduro payout is as follows:
80 or more cars
1. $2000, 2. 800, 3. 550, 4. 300, 5. 225, 6. 175, 7. 125, 8. 100, 9. 75, 10-15. 50
70 or more cars
1. $1500, 2. 700, 3. 500, 4. 250, 5. 200, 6. 150, 7. 100, 8. 75, 9-12. 50
50 or more cars
1. $1000, 2. 500, 3. 300, 4. 200, 5. 150, 6. 100, 7. 75, 8-10. 50
40 or more cars
1. $600, 2. 300, 3. 200, 4. 150, 5. 100, 6. 50, 7. 50
30 or more cars
1. $500, 2. 250, 3. 150, 4. 100, 5. 50, 6. 50
29 or less cars
1. $400, 2. 200, 3. 100, 4. 75, 5. 50
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Weather forces Mahoning Valley Speedway schedule changes
(LEHIGHTON, Pa. 9-30-16) Due the rainy weekend, all racing activities at Lehighton’s Mahoning Valley Speedway has been postponed until October 8-9.This Saturday was to have been the final point race night of the season but Mother Nature apparently had other plans with rain predicted throughout the day which led to management having to utilize their rain date of Saturday, October 8 with some amendments.The night’s line-up will consist of a 35-lap Modified feature instead of Twin-50s. There will also be the Jennifer Flanagan Kutz 42 for Late Models. The Street Stocks are going 30 laps. 25 laps will be the distance for the Dirt Mods while the Pro 4s and Hobby Stocks will contest in 20-lap mains.At intermission there will be a Little Tykes Power Wheel Demo Derby sponsored by Brown Daub Kia/Kutz Racing.Main gates open at 4:00 pm with racing starting at 6:00. Adult general admission is $12. There is a $2 discount for students, seniors 65+ and active Military. Early paid practice starts at 12:30. Pits are $25 for members and $35 for non-members.In all fairness to teams and with several class titles on the line as well as top-10 point positons at stake, the speedway wanted to do all they could to finish up on the race track. If October 8 is washed out then the track will try one last time to run the show which will be on Saturday, October 15. If that fails then the points will end as they stand.As for the Enduro and Demo Derby that has now been moved to Sunday, October 9 with start time at 2:00 pm$1000 will be awarded to the winner of the Small Car Enduro provided 50 or more cars are signed-in on race day. However, if 70 cars are present then the first place winnings go to $1500. And, if 80 or more are on hand then the winner’s take goes to $2000. That same payout will also be offered to the winner of the Jr. Enduro race. The complete payoff is listed below.There is also a Big Car Enduro slated provided enough cars are registered.The price to enter the October 9 Small Car, Big Car and Jr. Enduros is $50 per car which includes the transponder and vehicle. Pit fee is $20 per person and $10 grandstand admission. There is a $2 discount for students, seniors 65+ and active Military.Also on Sunday there will be a Big and Small Car Demo Derby on the program. If 20 or more cars are entered in each division the payout will be $800 to win, $400 for second and $200 for third. Heats will pay $100 to the winner.
If there are features only with no heats run the winner’s share will be $600 with $300 and $150 respectively for second and third.The cost to enter the Demo Derby is $25 per car which includes the driver. The Big Car Demo rules will follow that of the West End Fair while the Small Car Demo rules will be the same as those applied at the recent Carbon County Fair. ALL Demo cars must have the fuel cell and battery mounted and secured behind the driver’s compartment and conform to proper safety regulations.As noted Sunday’s action begins at 2:00 pm.
Mahoning Valley Speedway apologizes for any inconvenience with the shuffling forced upon them.
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Eric Beers continues to show everyone he is the man to beat: 13-year old Broc Brown becomes youngest driver to win a Late Model feature
(LEHIGHTON, Pa. 9-24-16) During the drivers meeting prior to the start of the Saturday’s meet, Mahoning Valley Speedway race director Tim Santee indicated to all that there will be 100 show-up points awarded to all those who come to the season ending Octoberfast. And, although the final points race is listed as October 1, that incentive for the October 22 big stakes event could have major implications for both title hopefuls and throughout the finishing order of the top-10 rundown. Eric Beers, however, may be the exception to all that as the season-long point leader racked up his seventh win of the year and easily extended his ranking at number one, so much so that he is virtually untouchable heading into those final two races.Beers used a lap 23 restart to overtake John Markovic and then cruised over the final 11 tours for 18th top five in 21 starts.“We got lucky on that restart. There was a little bit of speedy dry down in turn two and I knew Johnny (Markovic) was going to hit it first. He wiggled up the track and gave me just enough room,” said Beers, who registered his 52nd Mahoning Modified win.The race was not just about Beers by no means. When the action got underway Terry Markovic, who was driving a second car for Earl Paules, darted quickly into the lead and was shadowed by his brother John and it was indeed a crowd pleasing showdown between the two class act drivers.After several close laps of side-by-side, J. Markovic eased into the lead on lap 15 but T. Markovic was still flanking along. Also in on the action was Kris Graver while lucking not far back were Beers and Zane Zeiner.“It brought back a lot of memories for me seeing the Markovic’s racing up front. Johnny was leading and Terry was second and I was thinking back to when I was a little kid watching them winning races down at Dorney Park and I was holding off for a couple minutes until I realized I had to get up front and see what we got,” said Beers.Once Beers got focused he then made his charge and was running third by lap 20. Then when Nick Baer smacked the wall in turn one that brought out the caution on lap 23, it would be that restart were Beers would make the race winning move.“Terry (Markovic) ran a great race and it was good to see him running up front and Johnny (Markovic) alongside battling for the lead made it a great show,” said Beers.“It’s been a wonderful year and we want to finish out strong and keep it going. That Octoberfast race is my Achilles heel, I got to win that one.”;Beers has led in each of the past three Octoberfast races but ended in third place at the finish.J. Markovic took second spot for his best effort of the year while Paules had a great late race dogfight with Graver to secure third. Rounding out the top five was Austin Kochenash.
13-year old Broc Brown drove like a seasoned veteran as he captured his career first Mahoning Late Model win and became the youngest winner with the class in doing so.Brown was in a race-long battle with some heavy hitters as he clashed with the likes of stalwarts twice and even three times his age.He started third but was running next to leader George Ramos once the race commenced. In the thick of the battle was Don Wagner who would maneuver into the front spot by lap nine. Paul Koehler Jr., also added himself to the mix but all the while the talented upstart showed no signs of being intimidated by the more accomplished drivers.Brown raced with all out intent of reaching the front of the pack and gave Wagner a great duel in the process. Using the outside lane as his line of attack, he worked each lap with confidence and delivered a sterling performance in taking the lead with eight laps to go.Brown had never led a feature lap at Mahoning Valley until then and wasn’t about to give it up either and despite a strong effort in the final laps by Frankie Althouse, the win was evident for the rising star.
Between 2000 and 2010 Mark Deysher dominated the Street Stocks with win after win and a pair of class titles to boot.Deysher then took off the next few years before getting back in the saddle just a few weeks ago and his return to action came full circle as he scored his first win since 2008. Deysher jumped out front at the get-go and would then work tirelessly to fend off Dan Freundt for the verdict.
Billy Lasko outlasted Ricky Yetter for his fourth Dirt Mod win of the season and in doing so took over the point lead with one race to go. Lasko led every lap although Yetter was hovering all over him the entire time making for a very thrilling run to the checkers.
Pro 4 point leader Josh Scherer passed Kailyn Beers on lap three and then stayed the course the remaining distance en route to his sixth win of the season. The victory gives him a solid lead heading into the final point race next Saturday as Scherer looks to sew up his career first championship. Cody Kohler gave Scherer a nice run for his money in taking runner-up honors.
Austin Beers started out the night by winning his heat race. He then carried that momentum into the feature by leading all 20 laps and earned his career first stock car win in a hard fought battle over Ryan Berger.Beers, who is the son of Modified kingpin Eric Beers, had a handful of Berger lap after lap but the young lion hit his marks perfectly each time by and held on for a the unforgettable victory. He also extended the record number of different winners to 14.
Devin Schmidt was the Small Car Enduro winner.
Modified Feature Finish (35 Laps): 1. Eric Beers, 2. John Markovic, 3. Earl Paules, 4. Kris Graver, 5. Austin Kochenash, 6. Zane Zeiner, 7. Kyle Strohl, 8. Lou Strohl, 9. Jack Ely, 10. Don Wagner, 11. Joey Jarowicz, 12. DJ Wagner, 13. Nick Baer, 14. Terry Markovic, 15. Wes Gilbert, 16. Robert Wagner, 17. Todd Ahner, 18. Rob Shultz, 19. Bobby Jones, 20. Ed Simon
Late Model Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Broc Brown, 2. Frankie Althouse, 3. Don Wagner, 4. George Ramos, 5. Jeremy Miller, 6. Chris Anderson, 7. Kenny Hein, 8. Jacob Nemeth, 9. Jacob Kerstetter, 10. Paul Skodacek, 11. Lorin Arthofer, 12. Paul Koehler Jr., 13. Mike Sweeney DNS: Robbie Kutz
Street Stock Feature Finish (30 Laps): 1. Mark Deysher, 2. Dan Freundt, 3. Josh Mooney, 4. Jason Kuhn, 5. Corey Edelman, 6. Zach Graver, 7. Todd Ahner, 8. Aaron Kromer, 9. Jon Moser, 10. Jonathan Tracy, 11. Jared Ahner, 12. Stacey Brown, 13. Justin Mooney, 14. Jason Frey, 15. Mark Martini, 16. Randy Ahner Jr., 17. Rick Reichenbach, 18. Greg Long, 19. Dennis Buss, 20. Jamie Smith, 21. Eric Kocher, 22. BJ Wambold DNQ: Kevin Weierbach, Devon Schmidt, Josh Huber
Dirt Mod Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Billy Lasko, 2. Ricky Yetter, 3. Frank Parastino, 4. Ray Deemer, 5. Charles Sabella
Pro 4 Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Josh Scherer, 2. Cody Kohler, 3. Jake Kibler , 4. Bobby Kibler Jr., 5. Chris Kuronya, 6. Kailyn Beers, 7. John Bennett, 8. Ryan Graver, 9. Shawn Hoffman, 10. Chase Hoffman DNS: Lou Strohl
Hobby Stock Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Austin Beers, 2. Ryan Berger, 3. Tiffany Wambold, 4. Jesse Strohl, 5. Rich Mutarelli, 6. Cody Geist, 7. Kevin Behler, 8. Michael Wambold, 9. Shayne Geist, 10. Avery Arthofer, 11. Travis Solomon, 12. Darin Arthofer, 13. Nicholas Kerstetter, 14. Mike Karol, 15. Jesse Strohl, 16. Travis Nothstein, 17. Ken Reeder
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Mahoning Valley Speedway returns to action with all regular track classes + Small Car Enduro this coming Saturday
(LEHIGHTON, Pa. 9-18-16) After having this past weekend off for the 66th Annual Race of Champions weekend, race teams from all six classes at Lehighton’s Mahoning Valley Speedway will be back in action this upcoming Saturday evening, September 17 as well as a Small Car Enduro. Racing begins at 6:00 pm. Modifieds, Late Models, Street Stocks, Dirt Mods, Pro 4s and Hobby Stocks are on the docket. This coming Saturday also marks the next to last regular season point races and with that there are a total of 28 drivers combined across the six divisions that are still vying for respective championships.
Following the night’s feature events a Small Car Enduro will take place and this too carries a fair among of significance as it will be the prelude to the big October 8 event that stands to be the richest paying Enduro in track history. If 80 or more car are signed in on race day the top prize will be a record $2000-to-win.However, if 70 cars are present then the first place earnings will be $1500, also a record amount. That same payout will also be offered to the winner of the Jr. Enduro race which runs that same day.
It is highly encouraged for everyone to pre-enter and save $10 on registration. If anyone does pre-register the cost is $40 up until October 1. Starting line-ups will be determined by registration. There will be a limit of 100 cars. October 8 Enduro entry forms are available on the Mahoning Valley Speedway website.
Also on October 8 there will be a Big Car Enduro provided 15 or more entries are pre-registered. A Small Car and Big Car Demo Derby will kick-off the day which begins at 4:00 pm.
The final day of points will be Saturday, October 1 which will be headlined by twin-50 lap Modified features paying $1800 to win each plus award separate title points per race.
The Late Models will be running in a commemorative race in honor of the late Jennifer Kutz Flanagan. The distance is 42 laps, with that number as a tribute to the signature Team Kutz Racing number. The Kutz/Flanagan families are currently collecting lap sponsorship money for that special feature.
Mahoning Valley Speedway will close out the season with Octoberfast 2016 on the 22nd. Once again the marquee event on the track’s calendar is ready to go out just as big as the year began by hosting the Ferris Mowers Race of Champions Modified Series Fueled by Sunoco tour which will again pit the stars of the popular pavement RoC against the very finest of the home track Mahoning standouts. The race will be a distance of 150 laps and pay $5000 to win.
Fans should be in for a great showing of Modifieds too as not only does this race annually draw a great field, but the Mahoning race will play a pivotal role with the RoC Tour as well thanks to the rescheduling of this past weekend’s Race of Champions 250. Mahoning is now the next to last stop for the RoC racers and points will be at a premium for the Tour regulars who will need precious markers heading into their finale following their stop in Lehighton.
Octoberfast 2016 will also feature the Late Models in a 60-lap/$1500 to win main. Street Stocks will go 75 laps and receive $1500 to win plus it is the deciding show for the overall winner of the American Rental Street Stock Gamblers Series. Hobby Stocks will head out in a 40 lap/$400-to-win feature. The All Star Slingshots are also on the card.
All aforementioned scheduled events are subject to change.
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Earl Paules and Frankie Althouse romp to Modified and Late Model wins at Mahoning Valley Speedway
By DINO OBERTO
(LEHIGHTON, Pa. 9-10-16) With just two regular season point races to go most of the Modified contenders at Lehighton’s Mahoning Valley Speedway are conceding to Eric Beers who has a considerable lead in the standings.
But, as far as runner-up there remains a tight battle amongst several drivers and in Saturday night’s 35-lap feature those in the hunt all contended for spots and precious points. At the conclusion of the run it was Earl Paules who was victorious over Kyle Strohl and Don Wagner. The aforementioned trio along with Kris Graver are all within 30 markers of each other and fighting hard for second place honors. “We never give up and we’ll try to run for second in points. We won’t give up and if you did give up may as well stay home,” said Paules who won for a third time this season. Sixth starting Paules was running second to Brian DeFebo by lap seven. Three laps later he slipped to the inside and powered into the lead. It was a then a race for second as he drove effortlessly from there to his 25th win in a Modified and 56th overall at Mahoning Valley. “It was a good run. I took my time getting around Brian (DeFebo) because he’s been having a lot of bad luck here and I certainly didn’t want to get into him and he gave me the room and the respect,” said Paules, who now sits just eight points behind Graver for second in points. “All year I’ve been driving around with a right-front bent spindle and finally broke down and put on a new one on and that really brought the car around. It was amazing and I really couldn’t believe a spindle would mean that much but it did. Everyone here at Mahoning Valley does a great job and this is a great place to race.”; While Paules was running away with the race there was a very close duel that waged between Strohl and Wagner. Both cars ran beside one another in a thrilling clash and it wasn’t until five laps to go that Strohl finally shook free and drove on to second spot. “My car was tight all night and there was no catching Earl (Paules) once he got the lead so we just made the best of it and here we are with another second place,” said Strohl, who for the second straight week claimed the runner-up position. “We worked for the spot too. Donny (Wagner) was very tough and it was a great battle and he made me work for it but that’s the way it should be. We’ll take second any day to a guy like Earl.”; Beers was fourth and John Markovic, who led the first three laps, took fifth.
In the late Model feature Frankie Althouse used a lap eight restart to take over the lead from Jeremy Miller and afterwards pulled steadfastly away to his second win and in doing so continued a streak of fifth or better in every race this season. Althouse wasted no time in getting behind early front runners Lorin Arthofer II and Miller who were in a fierce side-by-side duel. Miller had taken the lead by lap six but was still under heavy pressure as Arthofer and Althouse stalked him quite closely. On lap eight Arthofer suddenly got loose and spun while heading into turn one. The incident also collected several others including Paul Koehler Jr., and Kenny Hein. When the field was reset to take the green Althouse blasted around Miller for the top spot and there was no looking back from there on. Miller settled for second while point leader Mike Sweeney notched third with Jacob Kerstetter and Don Wagner rounding out the top five.
Mark Martini scored his second Street Stock win of the year in a race that say two Rookie of the Year contenders waging a torrid campaign to the checkers. Martini went by Dennis Buss on lap seven and from there on was holding back a very determined Rick Reichenbach who continually made stabs at him. Never wavering, however, Martini stood his ground as the pair crossed the finish line bumper-to-bumper.
In the ongoing clash for the top rank in the Dirt Modifieds, Billy Lasko emerged the winner in the latest round between him and Ricky Yetter. Lasko would jump out to the opening lap lead and never looked back as he hustled undauntedly to his third win of 2016 and remains locked in sizzling fight for the class championship with Yetter. With just two races to go the pair are separated by only two points which is leading up to an amazing showdown.
Making an 8-hour drive from North Carolina to race on Saturday night paid off in a big way for reigning Pro 4 champion Cody Kohler as he took his third win in the special $400 to win 35-lap event and kept his hopes of a title repeat alive in the process. Kohler, who is in his first year of college thus the long haul to the track, took the lead from Johnny Bennett on lap nine and then was locked in a crowd pleasing three car battle to the finish that included Jake Kibler. Holding a solid line of defense on each passing lap, Kohler was able to take the verdict by a slim margin as Kibler and Bennett were all over him at the finish.
The Hobby stock class at Mahoning Valley continues to amaze as yet again another winner emerged. Jeff Biegley went into the lead with seven laps in and then held off Michael Wambold for his first victory in over two years. Biegley is the 13th different driver to win a race in 17 events held thus far.
Modified Feature Finish (35 Laps): 1. Earl Paules, 2. Kyle Strohl, 3. Don Wagner, 4. Eric Beers, 5. John Markovic 6. Kris Graver, 7. Brian DeFebo, 8. DJ Wagner, 9. Joey Jarowicz, 10. Matt Higgins, 11. Nick Baer, 12. Brian Labar, 13. Todd Baer, 14. Terry Markovic, 15. Puda Heintzelman, 16. Daniel Paules, 17. Tommy Flanagan, 18. Jack Ely, 19. Jon Moser DNS: Rob Shultz
Late Model Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Frankie Althouse, 2. Jeremy Miller, 3. Mike Sweeney, 4. Jacob Kerstetter, 5. Don Wagner, 6. Chris Anderson, 7. Jacob Nemeth, 8. Paul Koehler Jr., 9. Broc Brown, 10. Geno Steigerwalt, 11. Robbie Kutz, 12. Lorin Arthofer II, 13. Kenny Hien, 14. George Ramos
Street Stock Feature Finish (30 Laps): 1. Mark Martini, 2. Rick Reichenbach, 3. Randy Ahner Jr., 4. Zach Graver, 5. Jonathan Tracy, 6. Corey Edelman, 7. Dan Freundt, 8. Greg Long, 9. Todd Ahner, 10. Stacey Brown, 11. Jason Kuhn, 12. Dennis Buss, 13. BJ Wambold, 14. Jason Frey, 15. Mike Piechota, 16. Josh Mooney, 17. Jon Moser, 18. Jared Ahner, 19. Brian Labar, 20. Steve Hoffman DNQ: Justin Mooney, Mark Deysher, Jamie Smith, Devin Schmidt, Eric Kocher, Josh Uber
Dirt Mod Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Billy Lasko, 2. Ricky Yetter, 3. Ray Deemer, 4. Frank Parastino, 5. Charles Sabella
Pro 4 Feature Finish (35 Laps): 1. Cody Kohler, 2. Jake Kibler, 3. Johnny Bennett, 4. Bobby Kibler Jr., 5. Bryan Ahner, 6. Josh Scherer, 7. Chris Kuronya, 8. Kailyn Beers, 9. Tyler Stangle 10. Ryan Graver, 11. Bobby Kibler Sr., 12. Gary Shock
Hobby Stock Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Jeff Biegley, 2. Michael Wambold, 3. Nicholas Kerstetter, 4. Cody Geist, 5. Kevin Behler, 6. Jesse Strohl, 7. Travis Solomon, 8. Austin Beers, 9. Ryan Berger, 10. Tiffany Wambold, 11. Rich Mutarelli, 12. Shayne Geist, 13. Avery Arthofer, 14. Randy Sicher, 15. Ken Reeder, 16. Kyle Krempasky
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Dorney Park/Mahoning Valley Champions Reunion Night This Saturday at Mahoning Valley Speedway
(LEHIGHTON, Pa. 9-6-16) When Mahoning Valley Speedway was re-opened in 1987 by Ward and Dottie Crozier, it came only after Dorney Park Speedway had closed the season prior. Knowing that many racers were looking for a new outlet, Mahoning Valley fit the bill perfectly and thus is was a smooth transition from the former 1/5-mile track in Allentown to the ¼-mile speedway in Lehighton.
Since that time the memory of Dorney Park has always lived on as many of the names are still in competition today with second and third generations of racers now calling Mahoning Valley Speedway home including the Wambold’s, Arthofer’s, Geist’s, Rex’s and more. And, there are those who began their careers at “The Park” and are still racing today including Eric Beers, Earl Paules, Roger Heffelfinger Jr., Don Wagner, Greg Long and Todd Ahner. In keeping with that great tradition, this coming Saturday, September 10, Mahoning Valley Speedway will be hosting a special night for the champions of both tracks with the Dorney Park/Mahoning Valley Speedway Champions Reunion Night. All past champions of each track will be admitted free into the grandstands as special guests. At intermission there will be an autograph session taking place plus several restored stock cars will be displayed including a recently refurbished Troyer No. 6 Modified that was driven by Tony Hirschman. Hirschman is another who also began his career at Dorney Park. Adding to the nostalgia of the evening will be the Vintage Division of the ATQMRA. It’s a perfect match too since many of those restored open wheel cars saw plenty of action at Dorney as well as Mahoning Valley. The race card for the evening will consist of Modifieds, Late Models, Street Stocks, Dirt Mods, Pro 4s and Hobby Stocks. The Pro 4’s will be racing in a 35-lap/$400-to-win feature.Also in action will be the current day TQ’s of the American Three Quarter Midget Racing Association.Race time is 6:00 pm with main gates opening at 4:00. Adult general admission is $12. There is a $2 discount for students, seniors 65+ and active Military. Warm-ups will get underway shortly after 4:00.For those who wish to partake in early paid practice pits will open at 11:30 am with track time beginning at 12:30.
In other track news entry forms are now available on the website for the upcoming October 8 event. A Small Car Enduro that will pay $2000 to win provided 80 or more cars are signed in on race day. A Jr. Enduro which will follow the same payout format and a Big Car Enduro has now been added. However, there must be at least 15 Big Car Enduros preregistered by October 1 in order for that to take place. All preregistered entries will save $10 off the $50 race day fee.
Rules and costs are also posted for both the Big Car and Small Car Demo Derby’s. You can also contact Tim Strohl for additional Demo Derby info at 610-462-0577.
Information on the season ending Octoberfast 2016 will be released shortly. The annual marquee event will be highlighted by a 150-lap feature for the RoC Modifieds plus Late Models, Street Stocks, Hobby Stocks and the All Star Slingshots.
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Mahoning Penultimate Challenge Saturday - ATQMRA Hoosier Tire Mid Atlantic
The Hoosier Tire Mid Atlantic ATQMRA will be heading to Lehighton, Pa's circular oval Mahoning Valley Speedway for the second to the last points paying race of the 2016 season. Matt Janisch has a commanding lead in the standings with Ryan Tidman and Geoffrey Sutton his closest competitors second and third in the standings. Mark Yoder sits an impressive fifth in the standings and has all but locked up the coveted Rookie of the Year Title. A pair of Matt's sit tied with six wins a piece at Mahoning Valley with Ryan Tidman only one win behind them. The Alan Mollot 51 car that has a total in excess of twenty wins with five different drivers will have three times Mahoning Winner Mike Tidaback at the controls when the ATQMRA hits Mahoning on Saturday September 10th for some winged racing action. The final points paying round of the season will be the following Saturday at Wall Stadium where the ATQMRA will crown its 2016 Champions. The action doesn't stop there. The ATQMRA will be making its first appearance at Stafford Motor Speedway and the Turkey Derby at Wall in open competition Indoor format racing.
Heading into the Penultimate round of the season Matt Janisch has a commanding lead in the point's standings in his Yuhas Chassis 48. However every driver in the top seven in the standings has a mathematical chance at the championship although not a very practical one. Flying Ryan Tidman in the Boyd Racing 1B and Geoffrey Sutton are within striking distance only if Janisch misses a race or finishes last in one of the final two races which seems unlikely with the consistency Janisch has shows throughout the season winning five races and finishing either second or third when he didn't win.
Geoffrey Sutton is the only other driver to visit victory lane in 2016 earning three wins and sits in third in the standings behind Tidman who has had a consistent season finishing near the front at every race. Jeff Kot in his Behrent's performance 95 sits fourth in the standings and has been a contender at each race. Top Rookie Candidate Mark Yoder sits fifth in the standings by virtue of his consistency across the season and is just about a lock to secure the coveted ATQMRA Rookie of the year title.
Sutton driving the Metz Racing BGF Motor Lehigh Valley Doula's 461 is looking for his fourth win of the season and his first career TQ win at Mahoning where he once visited Victory lane in an Xcel Modified. Sutton was the winner of the last winged race the for the organization in the Clubs return to Waterford Speedbowl and finished second to Janisch in the clubs only other appearance at Mahoning in 2016.
Heading into the show at Mahoning the ATQMRA has a close historical race at the top of the feature wins standings. Don Adams of Robbinsville, NJ is the All Time winningest TQ Midget driver at Mahoning Valley with 20 wins but isn't actively campaigning with the club. Tied for second in the overall standings is a pair of Lehigh Valley Quarter Midget graduates in Matt Janisch and Matt Roselli. Both have six wins a piece. Right on their heels is Ryan Tidman with five. A win Saturday would Tie Tidman with Roselli and Janisch on the all time wins list and give his title hopes a boost.
Another driver who will be in competition at Mahoning Saturday with a winning pedigree at the circular oval is Mike Tidaback who has 3 wins to his credit. He will be piloting the car that has the most all time TQ Midget wins at Mahoning Valley, the Alan Mollot 51 Lindblad Badger. The car won its first feature at Mahoning Valley on July 4th 1988 with none other than Lenny Boyd behind the wheel. Boyd is credited with two of the Mahoning Valley wins the 51 has accrued over the years. Adams has a significant majority of his wins at Mahoning in the Mollot Badger with Russ Bailey, Michael Carber and Tidman also visiting Victory lane in that car.
The ATQMRA Points paying season ends at Wall Stadium on Saturday September 17th with a wingless show on the inner oval to crown the organization's 2017 Champions. Two more races appear on the schedule as non Points wingless races running under an Indoor style rules package. The ATQMRA will make its first appearance at Stafford Motor Speedway on Saturday October 1st on that track's inner oval with the final race of the season taking place at the prestigious Turkey Derby at Wall Stadium on Saturday November 26th.
ATQMRA News and Notes: A few weeks ago the ATQMRA put its support behind the Classic Racing Times Vintage Indy car event at Pocono Raceway during the track's Indy weekend with modern and Vintage TQs on display in the Concourse area contributing to the near 80 cars on hand. The ATQMRA will figure prominently in the 2017 Classic Racing Times event at Pocono where the cars and stars of the ATQMRA will be taking part in a special event at Pocono during the track's Indy weekend. Details will be announced in the near future. Joey Payne III wasn't able to make the last show at Wall with engine problems. His team appears to have it sorted out and expects to have his car back together for this coming week's race at Mahoning Valley. Thanks to Mahoning Valley's Dino Oberto for providing the statistical information about the all time win list for the TQ Midgets at Mahoning Valley.
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Success keeps coming for Eric Beers and Paul Koehler Jr., at Mahoning Valley Speedway
(LEHIGHTON, Pa. 9-3-16) Two of Mahoning Valley Speedway’s iconic stars, Eric Beers and Paul Koehler Jr., have forged a legacy of winning races and championships in the Modifieds and Late Model classes respectively at the paved quarter-mile oval in Lehighton and Saturday night they showed that same style of racing superiority that has elevated them to the top of the winners list in each division after pulling away to decisive victories.
Beers sailed to his sixth main of the season while Koehler notched a second straight and fifth of 2016, giving the two veterans a combined 150 wins. In the Modified contest Nick Baer took control at the drop of the green. Earl Paules was keeping things close and on a 10 lap restart he got a jump on Baer to assume the lead. Kyle Strohl also moved by and would soon be giving Paules a terrific fight. Their battle was quite exciting to watch as they run two-by-two. Strohl had the inside line and by lap 17 had taken the lead. By lap 20 Beers was now third and had a close eye on the front pair as well. On lap 21 the caution waved and on the restart Paules blasted back to the front. Beers likewise got by Strohl, although he wasn’t settling in there. On the very next circuit He dropped to the bottom of turn three and came out ahead of Paules. There was no looking back from there on as he cruised home to the victory. In the meantime Paules and Strohl reassumed their encounter and would battle to the wire. Strohl would win at the finish by a slim margin. John Markovic and Jack Ely completed the top five.
When Koehler Jr., won last week’s Late Model feature, it was under immense conditions as he was locked in an exhausting three-wide battle to the checkers with Mike Sweeney and Frankie Althouse. This week it was with much more ease as he cruised handily to the win. Eighth starting Koehler went around early leader Jacob Nemeth on lap 10 and then steadily pulled away from there on and added yet another win to his ever growing accomplishment list. Behind Koehler, however, was a whole other story as Nemeth was under fire from a host of opponents but showed no backing down despite the onslaught. Althouse was there as too was a very impressive running by rookie Chris Anderson who by far was having his best night to date. With Nemeth showing the way, the action stayed extremely close and it wasn’t until the final two laps that Althouse would land second spot. For Anderson it would be his first top five finish with fourth. Lorin Arthofer II was fifth. Point leader Mike Sweeney suffered his first DNF in nearly two years when he was collected in a wreck on five. That also ended a streak of top fives dating back to September of last season.
The popular Street Stock Triple 20’s were held and as expected the three 20-lap features, which are part of the American Rental Street Stock Gamblers Series, were filled with an abundance of tightknit racing. The first main went nonstop with Randy Ahner Jr., picking off Jared Ahner with five laps to go and scoring his second win of the season.
Race number two saw point leader Zach Graver add his fifth win of the year, which is the most in a single season since 2007. Graver unseated a strong running Rich Reichenbach from the lead with three laps to go and then held of for the point padding victory. In the nightcap Stacey Brown started on pole and held on for the distance despite a torrid battle early on with Jason Kuhn and then in the waning laps with Jon Moser. It was a year ago in this same event that Brown last won a feature.
Last year Ricky Yetter entered into the Mahoning Valley record books as a Dirt Mod champion. On Saturday “The Law” added another entry when he notched his 20th win and rose to the rank of number one in career wins with the class. Yetter started from the pole and would then go out and lead all 25 laps for his fifth win of the season which came in a dominating fashion as went across the finish line by over four seconds ahead of runner-up Billy Lasko.
In the Pro 4 race it was a another impressive run turned in by point leader Josh Scherer who drove away to his fifth win of the season. Scherer had a great side-by-side duel with Bobby Kibler Sr., before acquiring the lead with nine laps to go. He then pulled firmly away for eighth top-two finish in the last nine starts. Ken Reeder was a career first winner in the Hobby Stocks and in doing so became the 12th different driver to collect a feature victory this season. Using a restart on lap four to take the lead from Jesse Strohl, Reeder then fought the race of his life as he withstood from Kevin Behler and Shane Geist in achieving memory making win.
Modified Feature Finish (35 Laps): 1. Eric Beers, 2. Kyle Strohl, 3. Earl Paules, 4. John Markovic, 5. Jack Ely, 6. Don Wagner, 7. Kristopher Graver, 8. Brian Labar, 9. Brian DeFebo, 10. Nick Bear, 11. Todd Bear, 12. Danielle Paules, 13. Terry Markovic, 14. Kevin Rex, 15. Joey Jarowicz
Late Model Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Paul Kohler Jr., 2. Frankie Althouse, 3. Jacob Nemeth, 4. Chris Anderson, 5. Lorin Arthofer, 6. Broc Brown, 7. Jacob Kerstetter, 8. Kenny Hein, 9. Jeremy Miller, 10. George Ramos, 11. Don Wagner, 12. Mike Sweeney, 13. Robbie Kutz
1st Street Stock Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Randy Ahner Jr., 2. Jared Ahner, 3. Zach Graver, 4. Jamie Smith, 5. Aaron Kromer, 6. Jason Kuhn, 7. Steve Hoffman, 8. Jason Frey, 9. Rick Reichenbach, 10. Mark Martini, 11. Todd Ahner, 12. Jon Moser, 13. Josh Mooney, 14. Dan Freundt, 15. Greg Long, 16. Stacey Brown, 17. Joe Mooney, 18. Corey Edelman, 19. Eric Danyluk, 20. Mark Deysher
2nd Street Stock Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Graver, 2. Reichenbach, 3. Todd Ahner, 4. Randy Ahner Jr., 5. Frey, 6. Jared Ahner, 7. Moser, 8. Josh Mooney, 9. Kuhn, 10. Freundt, 11. Brown, 12. Kromer, 13. Edelman, 14. Long, 15. Joe Mooney, 16. Martini, 17. Hoffman, 18. Deysher, 19. Danyluk, 20. Smith
3rd Street Stock Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Brown, 2. Moser, 3. Todd Ahner, 4. Jared Ahner, 5. Randy Ahner Jr., 6. Kuhn, 7. Frey, 8. Edelman, 9. Graver, 10. Josh Mooney, 11. Freundt, 12. Joe Mooney, 13.Hoffman, 14. Kromer, 15. Martini, 16. Reichenbach, 17. Deysher, 18. Long, 19. Smith, 20. Danyluk
Dirt Mod Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Ricky Yetter, 2. Billy Lasko, 3. Ray Deemer, 4. Rich Coons, 5. Charles Sabella
Pro 4 Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Josh Scherer, 2. Jake Kibler, 3. Bob Kibler Sr., 4. Bobby Kibler Jr., 5. Briggs Danner, 6. Cody Kohler, 7. Tyler Stangle, 8. Brian Ahner, 9. Shawn Hoffman, 10. Chris Kuronya, 11. Kailyn Beers, 12. Cory Edelman, 13. Chase Hoffman
Hobby Stock Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Ken Reeder, 2. Kevin Behler, 3. Shayne Geist, 4. Tiffany Wambold, 5. Travis Solomon, 6. Michael Wambold, 7. Cody Geist, 8. Randy Sicher, 9. Avery Arthofer, 10. Nicholas Kerstetter, 11. Jeff Biegley, 12. Austin Beers, 13. Ryan Berger, 14. Jesse Strohl
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Mahoning Valley Speedway October 8 Small Car Enduro to pay $2000 at 80 cars or more
(LEHIGHTON, Pa. 8-29-16) Since it was recently announced that on October 8 Mahoning Valley Speedway will be hosting a Small Car Enduro and Jr. Enduro, there has been plenty of buzz going on especially since the track noted that it will pay $2000 to win if 80 or more cars are present that day.
As of now the track will award $1000 to the winner of the Small Car Enduro provided 50 or more cars are signed-in on race day.
However, if 70 cars are present then the first place earnings go to $1500. And, if 80 or more are on hand then the winner’s take goes to a whopping $2000 which is a track record payout for an Enduro. That same payout will also be offered to the winner of the Jr. Enduro race.
The price to enter the October 8 Small Car and Jr. Enduros is $50 per car which includes the transponder and car. However, the track highly encourages everyone to pre-enter and save $10. If anyone does pre-register the cost is $40. Starting line-up will be determined by registration. There will be a limit of 100 cars.
You can send all pre-entries to: Chip Santee, 5406 Mountain Road, Germansville PA 18053. Please include the class, either Small Car Enduro or Jr. Enduro, name, age, car # and phone #.
Entries can also be dropped off at the track during any race weekend. The deadline to pre-register at the $40 cost is October 1.
Race day pit fee is $20 per person and $10 grandstand admission. There is a $2 discount for students, seniors 65+ and active Military. The racing begins at 4:00 pm starting with the Demo Derby.
Small Car Enduro rules can be found on the Mahoning Valley speedway website at
http://www.mahoningvalley-speedway.com/uploads/1/1/8/6/11865016/small_car_enduro_2013_ver_2.0.pdf
Additionally, there will be a Big and Small Car Demo Derby on the program. This will be the first time since the late 1990s that a Demolition Derby is taking place at the track. The Demo Derby’s will be held on the infield.
If 20 or more cars are entered in each division the payout will be $800 to win, $400 for second and $200 for third. Heats will pay $100 to the winner.
If there are features only with no heats run the winner’s share will be $600 with $300 and $150 respectively for second and third.
The cost to enter the Demo Derby is $25 per car which includes the driver. Demo Derby registration will be on race day.
The Big Car Demo rules will follow that of the West End Fair while the Small Car Demo rules will be the same as those applied at the recent Carbon County Fair. However, ALL Demo cars must have the fuel cell and battery mounted and secured behind the driver’s compartment and conform to proper safety regulations.
The Enduro payout is as follows:
80 or more cars
1. $2000, 2. 800, 3. 550, 4. 300, 5. 225, 6. 175, 7. 125, 8. 100, 9. 75, 10-15. 50
70 or more cars
1. $1500, 2. 700, 3. 500, 4. 250, 5. 200, 6. 150, 7. 100, 8. 75, 9-12. 50
50 or more cars
1. $1000, 2. 500, 3. 300, 4. 200, 5. 150, 6. 100, 7. 75, 8-10. 50
40 or more cars
1. $600, 2. 300, 3. 200, 4. 150, 5. 100, 6. 50, 7. 50
30 or more cars
1. $500, 2. 250, 3. 150, 4. 100, 5. 50, 6. 50
29 or less cars
1. $400, 2. 200, 3. 100, 4. 75, 5. 50
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Street Stock Triple 20’s head up the action this Saturday at Mahoning Valley Speedway
(LEHIGHTON, Pa. 8-30-16) Mahoning Valley Speedway’s Street Stock division always makes for a great debate as one of the best support classes in short track racing. Every week there is full fields and the racing has amazing two-wide and field-deep side-by-side action.
Just last Saturday alone the feature was so heated that the margin of victory by winner Cory Edelman over Dennis Buss was my inches.
Heading into this week’s race card at the paved quarter mile oval, the Street Stocks will be battling in three times the action as the speedway will present Triple 20’s and pay $400 to win each.
The three 20-lap runs will also have huge implications towards the 2016 class championship as each feature will award title points.
Plus it is also the next three events in the American Rental Street Stock Gamblers Series.
The first feature will be lined up after heat races are run. Features two and three will be inverted anywhere from positions 9 – 15. All eligible invert cars must be on the lead lap.
Also in action will be Modifieds, Late Models, Dirt Mods, Pro 4s and Hobby Stocks. Plus at intermission there will be a Kids Power Wheels Demo Derby.
Adult general admission is $20. There is a $2 discount for students, seniors 65+ and active Military. Grandstands open at 4:00 pm and racing begins at 6:00. Warm-ups will get underway at 4:00. Pit entry is $30 for members and $40 for nonmembers.
For those who wish to partake in early paid practice pits will open at 11:30 am with track time beginning at 12:30.
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Don Wagner uses patience to score his second Mahoning Modified win: Paul Koehler Jr., ekes out a thrilling win in Late Models
(LEHIGHTON, Pa. 8-27-16) In a matter of a week’s time Don Wagner went from worst to first, as he bounced back from a last place finish to number one, taking his second Mahoning Valley Speedway Modified victory of 2016. Wagner was lined in behind Jack Ely by lap 11 and then was a constant pressure to the upstart Modified rookie. Bidding his time and waiting for just the right opportunity to make his move, Wagner rode to the outside of Ely on lap 27 and then kept his focus onward to the checkers.Kyle Strohl stayed within reach of the front two and was third while last week’s winner Kris Graver registered yet another top five with his fourth place tally. Bobby Jones rounded out the front five in fifth.It was indeed a very close run race with the lead pack and a bit of a contrast of late from what fans have been seeing which was some rough and tumble action from some of the principal runners that have had quite a bit of flared tempers afterwards.“That’s what we’re here to do is put on a good show. Jack (Ely) is a great young racer and he’s got a lot of years ahead of him and I just love racing with the kid,” said Wagner, who was actually in Victory Lane for the second straight time as he won the Late Model feature a week earlier.The race got underway with Nick Baer leading with Ely in tow and Wagner holding down third. By lap three Ely was able to take over as the front man while Baer was busy keeping Wagner at bay.After a lap 10 restart, Wagner jumped up to second and would then patiently wait for the right moment to grab the lead. Once he did there was no looking back as he drove on to his 37th career Modified win.“I just had to wait him (Ely) out. I saw he was a just a little tight and he was really free coming off the corners,” said Wagner.Last week Ely was leading and within feet of the checkers but was pinched from behind and spun. Although he fell short of winning, the run was no doubt a nice bit of redemption.“The car just got a tick to tight near the end. Donny (Wagner) raced me clean and that’s all I can ask him for, congratulations to him,” said Ely.“We got robbed last week and I know how it felt. I did get a nose on him a couple times but I knew I wasn’t going to be able to pass him clean and wasn’t going to drive down in the corner and risk spinning him out. We’ll take second.”;
When you’ve won as many Late Model features as Paul Koehler Jr., it’s safe to say that a few of those victories have come under close conditions but arguably after notching his win on Saturday evening, it may have very well have been one of if not the most exciting first place runs that the seasoned 50-year old veteran has scored.Koehler had to work his tail off in holding back Mike Sweeney and Frankie Althouse en route to his fourth win of the season and 70th with a Late Model.Utilizing a lap 12 restart to assume the lead from Kenny Hein, Koehler then fought hard against the non-stop efforts of Sweeney and Althouse who ran two-wide and hovered all over his rear bumper.Within the final laps the trio put on a breathtaking display of their racing talent, running within inches of each other. Then on the final circuit Sweeney took his fight to the outside of Koehler while Althouse stepped in low to make it a spine-tingling run towards the checkers. At the finish it was Koehler by a whisker over Sweeney while Althouse was right in the thick of things taking a narrow third.
A week ago Cory Edelman lost the Street Stock feature by mere inches. This week, he rallied back and interestingly enough it was also by mere inches.Dennis Buss was having his best night in years as he led from the outset and was holding off a lap-after-lap offensive by numerous others. In the latter half of the race it became an all-out battle between him and Edelman.
Edelman was working on Buss from the high line but the leader was able to keep his top rank in check for most of that time. Coming up on the final lap Edelman let it all hang out and pushed the limit as best he can. As they crossed the finish line it was so close that officials had to take a few moments to make certain who the winner was as the separation was just .041-seconds.
Ray Deemer has been racing for close to thirty years but in that span he never did what he accomplished in Saturday night’s action, winning for a second straight week.Deemer was elevated into the lead after Ricky Yetter and Billy Lasko collided on lap 11. From there on Deemer was perfect in turning laps and held off fast charging Lasko en route to winning his first career back-to-back features.
Bobby Kibler Jr., got back to his winning ways as he led every lap of the Pro 4 main and held off point leader Josh Scherer. It was his third in of the season and first since April and also keeps him close in the battle for the class championship.
With his second win of the season, Michael Wambold let it be known that he is very much in the Hobby Stock title hunt as the victory helped keep things tight between him and the Geist brothers, Cody and Shayne, who are first and second respectively in the standings.
For the second straight time Kassidy Altemose raced to an inspiring victory in the Jr. Enduro feature. Taking the lead from Brayden Spencer by lap six, Altemose then ran away from the rest of the pack and was five laps ahead of runner-up Hunter Iatalese when the 30-minute raced ended. Spencer was third.
Modified Feature Finish (35 Laps): 1. Don Wagner, 2. Jack Ely, 3. Kyle Strohl, 4. Kristopher Graver, 5. Bobby Jones, 6. Brian DeFebo, 7. Matt Wentz, 8. Eric Beers, 9. Todd Baer, 10. Lou Strohl, 11. Rob Schultz, 12. Earl Paules, 13. Danielle Paules, 14. Terry Markovic, 15. Wes Gilbert, 16. Kevin Rex, 17. Nick Baer, 18. John Markovic
Late Model Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Paul Koehler Jr., 2. Mike Sweeney, 3. Frankie Althouse, 4. Kenny Hein, 5. Don Wagner, 6. Jeremy Miller, 7. Jacob Nemeth, 8. Broc Brown, 9. Chris Anderson, 10. Jacob Kerstetter, 11. Lorin Arthofer, 12. Rick Smith, 13. George Ramos, 14. Robbie Kutz
Street Stock Feature Finish (30 Laps): 1. Corey Edelman, 2. Dennis Buss, 3. Stacey Brown, 4. Jason Frey, 5. Rick Reichenbach, 6. Jon Moser, 7. Aaron Kromer, 8. Todd Ahner, 9. Zach Graver, 10. Greg Long, 11. Jason Kuhn, 12. Dan Freundt, 13. Mark Martini, 14. Lorin Arthofer, 15. Jason Ahner, 16. Josh Mooney, 17. Randy Ahner Jr., 18. Jon Tracy, 19. Jamie Smith, 20. Eric Kocher DNQ: Logan Boyer, Mike Piechota, BJ Wambold
Dirt Mod Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Ray Deemer, 2. Billy Lasko, 3. Ricky Yetter, 4. Frank Parastino
Pro 4 Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Bobby Kibler Jr., 2. Josh Scherer, 3. Jake Kibler, 4. Tyler Strangle, 5. Brian Ahner, 6. Briggs Danner, 7. Chris Kuronya, 8. Kailyn Beers, 9. Bob Kibler Sr. 10. Cody Kohler, 11. John Bennett, 12. Ronald Barlow, 13. Chase Hoffman
Hobby Stock Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Michael Wambold, 2. Cody Geist, 3. Rich Mutarelli, 4. Shayne Geist, 5. Devin Schmidt, 6. Ken Reeder, 7. Ryan Berger, 8. Travis Solomon, 9. Jeff Biegley, 10. Avery Arthofer, 11. Tiffany Wambold, 12. Nicolas Kerstetter, 13. Austin Beers, 14. Jesse Strohl DNS: Arland Moyer Jr.
Jr. Enduro Feature Finish (121): 1. Kassidy Altemose, 2. Hunter Iatalese, 3. Brayden Spencer, 4. Tucker Muffley, 5. Shane Aster, 6. Austin Beers, 7. Jordan Piechota, 8. Nolan Stein, 9. Skylar Piechota, 10. Dylan Piechota
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Lady Luck shines on Kris Graver after wild last lap Mahoning Modified finish;
Don Wagner wins his first ever Late Model race
(LEHIGHTON, Pa. 8-20-16) As the saying goes, “If it wasn’t for bad luck I’d have no luck at all,” could best describe the type of season that standout Kris Graver has been going through.But for a change good luck helped get Graver his first Modified win of 2016 in a wild last lap finish that saw him go from fourth to first.After a restart with one lap to go Jack Ely was leading over Austin Kochenash while Lou Strohl and Graver sat third and fourth respectively.Once the race resumed Ely was doing all he could to hold back Kochenash as both drivers were goal-minded on the checkers. Entering turn three, however, Kochenash pinched the rear of Ely in his attempt to take over the lead. That in turn caused Ely to lose control and go into a spin just a few feet from the finish line. Likewise Kochenash spun to but was able to finish the race fourth.Staying alert to the mayhem, Graver lucky had the inside line and hurried his way to the finish over Lou Strohl and Kyle Strohl. Eric Beers was fifth.Kochenash, though, was placed on the tail end of the lead lap cars as officials sited him for the incident, which allowed Earl Paules to move to fifth in the final run down.“Those guys were beating and banging on each other and I was waiting for something to happen the whole time. I was just in the right place at the right time there,” said Graver, who notched his 10th career Modified win and 43rd overall.“When we got that single file restart I figured I would at least get third (place) over Lou Strohl and then all of a sudden I saw them (Ely, Kochenash) two get into it.”;Lou Strohl had taken control of the lead on lap eight and then had to endure a blitz from the likes of Kyle Strohl and Ely while Graver and Kochenash hovered close by.With Ely on the low lane, he and Kyle Strohl ran in two-wide formation while Lou Strohl guardedly kept both at bay.A few times Ely was able to put a wheel to the inside of Lou Strohl but got could not get enough forward bite to make the pass complete.Then with two laps to go he went for broke and lunged by coming off turn two. Following him in the route was Kochenash. The same lap saw the caution wave for a minor incident and the showdown stage was now set.Ely did his best to keep his car on the bottom while Kochenash saw an opportunity from his vantage point heading into the final two corners. The outcome, however, went the way of Graver who luckily avoided the spinning cars.“This whole year, anything that could go wrong would go wrong. I’ve been getting so frustrated lately and tonight luck was finally on our side. I can’t thank my whole crew enough for all the hard work they’ve put into this effort and I also want to dedicate this win of my lap pappy Gruber, he passed away on Friday and this goes to him,” added Graver.“Hopefully luck will now stay on our side and we can get another win before the year is up.”;
Don Wagner is no stranger when it comes to winning, having scored 36 career victories in Modifieds but on Saturday he added his first ever triumph in a Late Model, marking his first full fender win since a Street Stock victory in his rookie season of 1989. Wagner drove the Joe Polny No. 58 to a very close verdict over proverbial Late Model aces Frankie Althouse and Paul Koehler Jr. as well as point leader Mike Sweeney. Taking the lead from George Ramos on four, Wagner afterward had a rear fender full of Koehler and Althouse who ran two-wide behind him. Koehler gave Wagner a torrid fight for the lead as he tried numerous times to take him from the top side yet each time his efforts were thwarted. Holding a solid line, Wagner stayed the course although over the final laps there was immense pressure from both Koehler and Althouse. With two laps to go both Koehler and Althouse were sandwiching Wagner but at the same time the yellow waved for a multi car incident. For the single file restart Wagner was able to hold back a last ditch effort by Koehler and notch the popular win.
Zach Graver pulled off a last lap pass over Corey Edelman to win his fourth race of the season.For most of the feature, Edelman was busy defending his lead as several drivers tried to relentlessly unseat him. In the final laps Graver was the key pursuer and was putting on the pressure. With two laps to go he was looking to go around Edelman but a caution negated his attempt.That set back did not stop Graver as on the restart he once again tried the same maneuver and within a few feet of the finish line nipped Edelman and not only scored a class high fourth win of the year, but also leaped back into the point lead as well.
Ray Deemer took top honors in the Dirt Mod race and although he started from the pole, it seemed that every driver tried to make valid bids at overtaking the season veteran but each time he closed the door on them and maintained his lead throughout the 25 lap distance, netting his second win of the year.
In June Mahoning Valley Speedway ran the first Jr. Enduro and winning the memorable event was third generation driver Avery Arthofer, who is also a rookie in the Hobby Stock class.On Saturday night during the special 35-lap contest, the 13-year old backed up that win with her first career division victory and in an impressive fashion.After taking the lead from Tiffany Wambold on lap 10, Arthofer then left everyone else to battle for second spot and beyond as she pulled ahead to a huge lead and went across the finish line by nearly six seconds. Ryan Berger held off Harry O’Neill for the runner-up spot. Arthofer’s win also marked the 11th different winner in 14 races this year with the Hobby Stocks.
Modified Feature Finish (35 Laps): 1. Kristopher Graver, 2. Lou Strohl, 3. Kyle Strohl, 4. Eric Beers, 5. Earl Paules, 6. Nick Baer, 7. Kevin Rex, 8. John Markovic, 9. Jack Ely, 10. Terry Markovic, 11. Austin Kochenash, 12. Bobby Jones, 13. Daniele Paules, 14. Tommy Flanagan, 15. Brian DeFebo, 16. Tommy Rought, 17. Cody Kohler, 18. Don Wagner DNS: Joey Jarowicz
Late Model Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Don Wagner, 2. Frankie Althouse, 3. Paul Koehler Jr., 4. Mike Sweeney, 5. Jeremy Miller, 6. Chris Anderson, 7. George Ramos, 8. Jacob Nemeth, 9. Jacob Kerstetter, 10. Broc Brown, 11. Josh Oswald, 12. Kenny Hein, 13. Rick Smith, 14. Paul Skodacek, 15. Lorin Arthofer, 16. Robbie Kutz, 17. Rich Couper
Street Stock Feature Finish (30 Laps): 1. Zach Graver, 2. Corey Edelman, 3. Jon Tracey, 4. Stacey Brown, 5. Greg Long, 6. Josh Mooney, 7. Todd Ahner, 8. Joe Mooney, 9. Aaron Kromer, 10. Jason Frey, 11. Dan Freundt, 12. Rick Reichenbach, 13. BJ Wambold, 14. Mark Martini, 15. Lori Arthofer, 16. Jon Moser, 17. Jamie Smith, 18. Jason Kuhn, 19. Jared Ahner, 20. Randy Ahner Jr. DNQ: Dennis Buss, Jeremy Scheckler, Jacob Kerstetter, Eric Kocher
Dirt Mod Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Ray Deemer, 2. Billy Lasko, 3. Mike Stofflet, 4. Ricky Yetter, 5. Charles Sabella
Hobby Stock Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Avery Arthofer, 2. Ryan Berger , 3. Harry O’Neill, 4. Shayne Geist, 5. Michael Wambold, 6. Tiffany Wambold, 7. Austin Beers, 8. Travis Solomon, 9. Randy Sicher, 10. Cody Geist, 11. Jeff Biegley, 12. Ken Reeder, 13. Carl Altemose, 14. Nicolas Kerstetter, 15. Rich Mutarelli, 16. Dean Strohl Jr., 17. Jesse Strohl, 18. Dean Strohl
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Little Tykes Power Wheel Demo Derby
Thanks to the great effort by Mahoning Valley Speedway Kids Coordinator Karen Bortz, the first ever “Little Tykes Power Wheel Demo Derby” will be held on the night of September 3.
Sponsored by Kyle Strohl Racing and Shear-N-Vee Salon, the event will take place during intermission.
A pre-entry is required and below the rules that will be used.
Maximum 20 Participants. Entry Deadline August 24, 2016 to Karen Bortz
1. Any regular electric Power Wheel is allowed. NO 4-wheeler or tractor type vehicle allowed.
Child’s legs must be in the compartment. Ride in not ride on!
2. Kids 3-10 years of age may participate. There are two age groups 3-5 and 6-10.
3. Helmets must be worn. A bicycle helmet is ok.
4. Seatbelt's are recommended.
5. NO PASSENGERS
6. Derby is limited to 6 or 12-volt power wheel only. The vehicle is allowed to have UP TO a 12 volt lawn mower battery. Motors must remain stock. *Batteries may be changed out, but NOTHING larger than a 12 volt lawn and garden battery, which cannot be mounted in the passenger seat and battery must be secured and sealed away from the child.
7. All doors and tailgates must be strapped shut. No sharp edges. Use zip ties or duct tape or other flexible product for making them stay shut.
8. Stock Tires Only. Tires may be covered with duct tape to prevent them from cracking or breaking. No screws in tires, no chains, etc…;
9. Decorative changes can be made to the Power Wheel to make it look like a derby car, however; there can be no reinforcement to the power wheel. Changes and additions are only decorative.
10. At all times remember this is for kids!! Don’t add something that could cause them not to be in the derby. (You could have a disappointed child if not allowed to run.)
11. Everyone must pre-enter because every child will receive something.
12. All power wheels will be checked in at pit gate then impounded until time for their event.
13. One parent will be allowed on the track with their child during the event.
14. 2- balloons will be attached. The object is to pop the balloons.
15. Each heat will be given a 10 minute time limit.
16. If a child gets out of the power wheel during the event, that child is out of the event.
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Full bill of stock car racing this Saturday at Mahoning Valley Speedway…
Track to host high $$ Enduros + Demo Derby on October 8
(LEHIGHTON, Pa. 8-16-16) Mahoning Valley Speedway will present a five division show of stock car racing this coming Saturday evening, August 20 that will consist of Modifieds, Late Models, Street Stocks, Dirt Mods and Hobby Stocks. The Pro 4 class has the night off. The Hobby Stocks will be headlined in a special 35-lap/$400-to-win feature. Racing begins at 6:00 pm with heats and following intermission, which will see Kids Big Wheels in action, the main events will then roll out. The Modifieds will contest with a 35 lap feature, 30 laps will be the distance for the Street Stocks and 25 circuits respectively for the Late Models and Dirt Mods. Adult general admission is $12. There is a $2 discount for students, seniors 65+ and active Military. Warm-ups will get underway at 4:00 with grandstands open the same time. For those who wish to partake in early paid practice pits will open at 11:30 am with track time beginning at 12:30.
In other news track officials have announced that Saturday, October 8 will be the date of the rescheduled Small Car Enduro that was originally slated to be held this coming Saturday. The date change was made in a collaborated effort with the JeffreyHogueRealtor.com Action Track USA on the Kutztown Fairgrounds which is holding an Enduro that same night. The October 8 event will be a big one for the small cars.
Mahoning Valley will proudly award $1000 to the winner of the Small Car Enduro provided 50 or more cars are signed-in on race day. How about this…If the pits reach 70 cars for the Small Car Enduro then the first place earnings go to $1500. And, if 80 or more are on hand then the winner’s take goes to a whopping $2000! Those numbers will also reflect on the positions being paid as well which is to be determined shortly.
That same payout will also be offered to the winner of the Jr. Enduro race, which is on the docket that day. The price to enter the October 8 Small Car and Jr. Enduros is $50 per car which includes the transponder. However, pre-entry is $40 if received by October 1.
Small Car Enduro rules can be found on the Mahoning Valley speedway website by CLICKING HERE.
Additionally, there will be a Big and Small Car Demo Derby on the program. This will be the first time since the late 1990s that a Demolition Derby is taking place at the track. The Demo Derby’s will be held on the infield.
If 20 or more cars are entered in each division the disbursement will be $800 to win, $400 for second and $200 for third. Heats will pay $100 to the winner. If there are features only with no heats run the winner’s share will be $600 with $300 and $150 respectively for second and third.
The Big Car Demo rules will follow that of the West End Fair while the Small Car Demo rules will be the same as those applied at the recent Carbon County Fair. However, ALL Demo cars must have the fuel cell and battery mounted and secured behind the driver’s compartment and conform to proper safety regulations.
A printable pre-entry form with complete payouts will be posted on the track’s website soon with entrants can also register at the track anytime during the coming weeks of racing. A 4:00 pm start time is planned for October 8.
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TQ’s return to Mahoning Valley Speedway this Saturday…Hobby Stocks to go 35-laps with $400-to-win
(LEHIGHTON, Pa. 8-10-16) The quick and nimble TQ Midgets of the American Three Quarter Midget Racing Association (ATQMRA) makes a return to Mahoning Valley Speedway this coming Saturday evening, August 13.The ATQMRA will join the track’s regular card that night which includes the Modifieds, Late Models, Street Stocks, Pro 4s and Hobby Stocks. The Dirt Mods have the night off.Matt Janisch of Nazareth was the TQ winner at Mahoning Valley back in April, the season opener for the club, and will be looking to continue his always strong presence at the paved ¼-mile oval where he has won handily over the past few seasons.
anisch will have plenty of competition, however, as the ATQMRA will be led by most recent winner Geoffrey Sutton of East Stroudsburg, who is fresh of a victory at Connecticut’s Waterford Speed Bowl. Sutton is no stranger to Mahoning either, having won here in an Xcel 600 Modified as well as running very strong the TQ.Janisch and Sutton have actually been snagging most of the ATQMRA headlines this season but when it comes to Mahoning Valley an always strong cast is on hand including defending champ Buddy Sload, multi-time champion Ryan Tidman, Joey Bailey and Matt Roselli, who holds the all-time Mahoning track record with a lap of 8.825-seconds at 101 mph that he set in 2012.The Hobby Stocks will be racing in a special 35-lap feature with the winner earning $400.All other tracks classes will run in regular distance feature events.Kids Big Wheel races will be held during intermission.
A reminder that during August, Karen Bortz, Mahoning Valley Speedway Kids Coordinator, has started the back to School Backpack Giveaways filled with school supplies. She did this giveaway a few years ago and was a big hit. We’re asking all drivers from each division to supply just one backpack filled with school supplies. Please see Karen for more details.
Adult general admission is $12. There is a $2 discount for students, seniors 65+ and active Military. Grandstands open at 4:00 pm and racing begins at 6:00. Warm-ups will get underway at 4:00.For those who wish to partake in early paid practice pits will open at 11:30 am with track time beginning at 12:30
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Bobby Jones and Eric Beers thrilled Mahoning Valley Speedway fans with close Modified duel
(LEHIGHTON, Pa. 8-6-16) Respect – it’s what Bobby Jones and Eric Beers share closely with one another. They are great friends off the race track and great competitors on and they clearly displayed that on Saturday night at Mahoning Valley Speedway as they battled within inches of one another in a thrilling contest between two elite veterans who know the value of what a good race should be.Both drivers ran wheel-to-wheel over the final 10 laps, giving each other just the right amount of space while electrifying the fans with their dazzling duel that ended with Jones taking a scant margin of victory, which was his second of the season.“It shows what type of guy Eric Beers is. He seen what was happening there and he let me have the room I needed. He could have pinched me down several times but he’s a classy guy and you won’t get anyone better or nicer to race against then him,” said Jones, who scored his 26th career Mahoning win.Part of what Jones was referring to was the lapped car of Earl Paules who was making things a bit on edge when the leaders came upon him. As Jones and Beers were in their fierce two-wide battle, they also had to tip-toe past Paules in order to avoid a mishap of sorts. Once cleared they again drove hard and clean and as they reached starter Bob Stull’s waving checkers, Jones was a mere .052-seconds better over Beers.“We’re still tweaking on this car and haven’t found that little bit that I’d like it to be. We’re sure improving on it though and making gains,” noted Jones.
The race began with Todd Bear jumping to the early lead over Jack Ely. Jones, who started fifth, was soon alongside Ely and they ran together directly behind Baer.Seeing that the leader’s car was tight, Jones made a diving move off turn two on lap three and was about to take over until a spinning Roger Heffelfinger Jr., negated his effort. On the restart Jones again new the inside would be the key for passing only this time Baer was a bit more cautious and defended his spot much better. By lap nine, however, his car began to step up and Jones took that at his moment to overrun him.“I knew he (Bear) was trying to stay tight and I waited and waited because I felt that was going to be the way. The lane opened up for me and we seized it,” said Jones.A hard-charging Kris Graver was then on Jones’ rear bumper while Beers had moved up to third. Graver had a very strong car and kept right in line with Jones but at the same time he was also busy fending off Beers.Beers, the current point leader, then made haste with 11 laps reaming rushing past Graver and soon after began the intense fight to the finish with Jones.“Bobby (Jones) ran a great race and we were side-by-side and banged rub rails and wheels once or twice and man what fun that was,” explained Beers.“I thought I could get a good run off (turn) four but it got to the point where it wasn’t worth wrecking the car to get there. We were just a tick off tonight and we’ll come back next week and get ‘em.”;Don Wagner held off Austin Kochenash for third while John Markovic completed the top five.
In the Street Stock feature Greg Long was looking to end an over 20-year absence since his last win. However, Jon Moser would spoil his valiant try.In a race that went nonstop from lap after a lap one caution, Long was well in charge for most of it. Late into the race though Moser was gaining momentum and after a good battle for several laps with Todd Ahner, he picked up second spot on lap 24 and then zeroed in on Long. Using the outside lane, Moser then powered by with two laps to go and drove to his second win of the season.“If there’s a guy I would love to see win it would be Greg (Long). He led all those laps but got tighter and tigher and I just started to get a run on him. It was a great battle that’s for sure. What a race,” said Moser.Long had to settle for his best effort to date while Todd Ahner, Dan Freundt and Randy Ahner Jr., rounded out the top five.
The Dirt Mod feature was 25-lap slam-fest to say the least and hitting hard to get the win was Mike Stofflet.The entire race saw hard racing between Billy Lasko and Ricky Yetter and included numerous stints with them by Stofflet as well as Ray Deemer.However, twice Stofflet had to restart from the rear due to skirmishes but with a never say die attitude and a will to win, he used a gangbuster style effort to thrust back to the front.Without holding back, he rapidly picked off spots and with three laps to go stormed under Yetter and then Lasko en route to a rousing fifth win of 2016.
Jake Kibler held the point for all 20 laps in the Pro 4 event and notched his second win of the year.
Hobby Stock point leader Cody Geist annexed his third victory of the season thanks to a late race pass on Jesse Strohl.
Bobby Wagner was the Micro Stock winner after a great clash with Alex Greenzweig.
Modified Feature Finish (35 Laps): 1. Bobby Jones, 2. Eric Beers, 3. Don Wagner, 4. Austin Kochenash, 5. John Markovic, 6. Jack Ely, 7. Kris Graver 8. Kyle Strohl, 9. Lou Strohl, 10. Todd Baer, 11. Nick Baer, 12. Kevin Rex Jr., 13. Terry Markovic, 14. Earl Paules, 15. Roger Heffelfinger, 16. Jon Moser, 17. Tom Flanagan
Street Stock Feature Finish (30 Laps): 1. Jon Moser, 2. Greg Long, 3. Todd Ahner, 4. Dan Freundt, 5. Randy Ahner Jr., 6. Rick Reichenbach, 7. Jason Frey, 8. Stacey Brown, 9. Josh Mooney, 10. Zach Graver, 11. Justin Mooney, 12. Jonathan Tracy, 13. Aaron Kromer, 14. Jason Kuhn, 15. Kristy Arthofer, 16. Mark Martini, 17. Mark Deysher, 18. Corey Edelman, 19. Eric Kocher, 20. Jamie Smith, 21. Jared Ahner DNQ: Mike Piechota, Steve Hoffman, Jacob Kerstetter, Dennis Buss
Dirt Mod Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Mike Stofflet, 2. Ray Deemer, 3. Billy Lasko, 4. Frank Parastino, 5. Ricky Yetter, 6. Aleia Geisler, 7. Scott Hyland, 8. Dave Gorbatuk
Pro 4 Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Jake Kibler, 2. Josh Scherer, 3. Tyler Stangle, 4. Cody Kohler, 5. Briggs Danner, 6. Shawn Hoffman, 7. Kailyn Beers, 8. Johnny Bennett, 9. Chase Hoffman, 10. Bobby Kibler Sr., 11. Bobby Kibler Jr., 12. Darren Woolf
Hobby Stock Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Cody Geist, 2. Michael Wambold, 3. Shaye Geist, 4. Rich Mutarelli, 5. Avery Arthofer, 6. Travis Solomon, 7. Austin Beers, 8. Jacob Kerstetter, 9. Ryan Berger, 10. Ken Reeder, 11. Randy Sicher, 12. Jeff Biegley, 13. Devon Schmidt, 14. Jesse Strohl, 15. Tiffany Wambold, 16. Travis Nothstein
Micro Stock Feature Finish (15 Laps): 1. Bob Wagner, 2. Tyler Wagner, 3. Roger Snyder, 4. Al Vanhart, 5. Larry Ealey, 6. Alex Greenzweig
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Mahoning Valley Speedway has five division show + Micro Stocks and Car Cruise this Saturday, August 6
(LEHIGHTON, Pa. 8-2-16) Mahoning Valley Speedway got washed out last Saturday, August 30 for a fifth time and now looks to get back on track with five classes of stock cars along with the touring Micro Stocks. This Saturday, August 6 the paved ¼-mile oval located on PA Route 443 near Lehighton, will see the headline Modifieds, Dirt Mods, Street Stocks, Pro 4s and Hobby Stocks competing in regular heat and feature race events. The Late Models have the night off. Also on track will be the Micro Stock Racing Series. A Car Cruise will also be held. Anyone with a classic/rod/custom car or truck will be admitted free to the races for the evening and during intermission will around also take a cruise the track. All vehicles affiliated with the Car Cruise will be on display prior to the night’s action getting underway. A Car Cruise will also be held. Anyone with a classic/rod/custom car or truck will be admitted free to the races for the evening and during intermission will around also take a cruise the track. All vehicles affiliated with the Car Cruise will be on display prior to the night’s action getting underway. There will be no Kids Big Wheel races this week, however, starting the month of August, Karen Bortz, Mahoning Valley Speedway Kids Coordinator, would start the back to School Backpack Giveaways filled with school supplies. She did this giveaway a few years ago and was a big hit. We’re asking all drivers from each division to supply just one backpack filled with school supplies. Adult general admission is $12. There is a $2 discount for students, seniors 65+ and active Military. Grandstands open at 4:00 pm and racing begins at 6:00. Warm-ups will get underway at 4:00. For those who wish to partake in early paid practice pits will open at 11:30 am with track time beginning at 12:30.
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Mahoning Valley Speedway July 23 Advance: Has the dust settled at Mahoning Valley Speedway? Come out and see for yourself this Saturday
(LEHIGHTON, Pa. 7-26-16) Give me an inch and I’ll take a mile was the philosophy this past Saturday at Mahoning Valley Speedway. When running white-knuckle at top speed on a 1/4 mile tight track such as Mahoning Valley someone is bound to come out unhappy. You just never know what you are going to see when you see a race here but we can guarantee you will not leave bored.And, after last week’s highly intense action, both on and off the track, there is an overflow of excitement as to what will play out this week.The scheduled line-up for this Saturday, July 30 says it’s a regular show of Modifieds, Late Models, Street Stocks, Dirt Mods, Pro 4s and Hobby Stocks plus the touring Micro Stocks.But as fans of Mahoning Valley Speedway have come to expect on any given night is the unexpected. Auto racing by its very nature is a competitive sport. Only winning matters. Drivers and owners spend countless hours and oodles of money to be the one standing in Victory Lane and the warriors who compete at Mahoning Valley exemplify that and more.The action gets underway with gates and regular practice at 4:00 pm. Heats will commence at 6:00 pm. For those who wish to get in on some early paid practice they may do so beginning at 12:30. Pit gates will open at noon.At intermission Kids Big Wheels will be held.Adult grandstand admission is $12. There is a $2 discount for students, seniors 65+ and active Military.Over the years there has been countless battles on and off the track – think of Bobby and Donnie Allison, Cale Yarborough, Richard Petty, Darrell Waltrip, AJ Foyt Jr. In the Modifieds you had Richie Evans vs Jerry Cook and Geoff Bodine vs the world. Teddy Christopher has the three tap rule that made him loved and hated for his hard nose racing style. As for Mahoning Valley, last Saturday night was a classic in each sense of that.Every short track has its good guy vs bad guy, small team vs big team, low buck team vs big buck team but all that is neutralized at Mahoning. What will this Saturday hold?And, with the NASCAR caravan of stars hanging out at Pocono Raceway this weekend you just never know who will show up to take in and be part of the Mahoning action.For additional information please log onto www.mahoningvalley-speedway.com or on Facebook at Mahoning Valley Speedway. Mahoning Valley Speedway is located on Pa. route 443 just a few miles west of Lehighton
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Tempers were flaring after Earl Paules and Austin Kochenash won Bob “Heavy” Scherer Memorial twin-50s at Mahoning Valley Speedway
By DINO OBERTO
(LEHIGHTON, Pa. 7-23-16) The late Bob “Heavy” Scherer was a hard-as-nails type of racer and there is no question he was looking down and beaming from ear to ear after a pair of twin-50 lap features run in his honor took place Saturday night at Mahoning Valley Speedway.
Earl Paules and Austin Kochenash scored the respective wins on a hot and steamy night of racing that was a classic rough and tumble short track show with intensely close action and tempers flaring afterwards. Yes, “Heavy” would have loved this.And most of the combating centered on Kochenash who drew plenty of cheers and jeers by night’s end.
In the first 50 Kochenash was tailing leader Brian DeFebo. It was looking as though a long winless dry spell at Mahoning would soon come to an end too for one of the premier talents of Pennsylvania pavement Modified racing as DeFebo’s car was perfectly getting around.Then on lap 24 Kochenash nipped the back of DeFebo in turn two and sent him spinning. For his part Kochenash was relegated to the rear.“I want to apologize for that. It was just racing. He (DeFebo) got a good start and then drove into the corner a little too hard. His car seemed a little tight and he came up a little bit and I went to cross him over. When I was coming back down my front bumper got into him and I got on the brakes but it was too late. I was getting pushed from the other cars behind me and it was just unfortunate for both of us,” said Kochenash.On the restart Bobby Jones and Earl Paules where at the front and by the time they completed the first lap under green, Paules was leading. He would hold there the rest of the way with Eric Beers, Don Wagner, Jones and John Markovic completing the top five.“That 72 (Kochenash) he is one aggressive driver I’ll tell you that. Man he will drive the wheels right off that race car. He got into the back of (Brian) DeFebo and turned him around and that put he to the outside of Bobby (Jones) on the restart,” said Paules, who won for the 45th time in a Modified.“He (Jones) was a little tight and was driving into my skid rail but that’s alright. He gave room too. This is a great memorial race we have for Heavy and a great track to race at.”;
Paules then picked the pill for the redraw of the second 50 and pulled the number 12 for the invert. That gave Lou Strohl and DeFebo the front row. Once underway Strohl took the lead but right alongside was DeFebo with Kochenash and Kris Graver going two-wide behind them.DeFebo worked hard to get by the leader by means of the outside lane and despite running even most of the time he could not muster enough to make a pass. Kochenash shook off Graver and would join the front two, making numerous attempts from to the inside. However, Strohl did a fine job of keeping both his pursuers at bay.That was until lap 29 when Kochenash got a burst of power and surged into the lead. DeFebo was still behind Strohl on the outside line and they would slide back while at the same time Jones grabbed second with Graver third.Paules was coming on strong as well and had just snagged third spot when the back end of his car broke loose and he spun in turn three, bringing out the caution that would set-up the showdown to the finish.On the restart Jones and Kochenash went wheel-to-wheel. Jones in fact eked his way to the lead on lap 41 but Kochenash responded back the next time around.Then in the final five laps the race hit fever pitch when Wagner made it a three car battle, applying pressure from the outside groove. He went by Jones with three laps to go and was now alongside Kochenash. Over the final two circuits he was thrusting hard to get the lead while being strained towards the wall as Kochenash was doing all he could to protect his spot.Amazingly with limited racing room the two never touched and they reached the finish line less separated by half a car length. The win also gave Kochenash a guaranteed starting spot for this year’s Sunoco Race of Champions 250 at Oswego Speedway later tis year.“He (Wagner) was beating on me and trying to spin me out for those last few laps. He got on the outside of me and I protected the lead. I gave him plenty of room out there,” explained Kochenash.Wagner was clearly upset afterwards and while they parked in Victory Lane he quickly unstrapped from his car and rushed over to Kochenash who was still in his mount. Heated words were being exchanged and a brief scuffle then took place between Wagner and members of Kochenash’s crew.“After the race he came into my window, pulling on my helmet and punching me and then he got hit. Every hero needs a villain and I guess I’m his villain. We’ll go on from this. I can’t thank Brent and Gary Wentz enough for giving me the opportunity to race their car and also the Scherer family for raising all the lap money and all that they do for this race in honor of Heavy,” added Kochenash.Wagner said he never touched Kochenash and was just letting him know of his displeasure for the way he felt he was being forced near the wall.“He’s (Kochenash) is a young driver and obviously he’s been taught some bad lessons by some people, I don’t know who but right now he’s making no friends in racing,” said Wagner. “This is a sport where your longevity is because of two reasons. You earn respect from your fellow drivers or you have a lot of money. This kid is gaining no respect,” he continued.
“We’re racing for the win and I understand if you’re the leader of the race you’ll do what you have to in order to protect the lead and not move over for anybody. But that doesn’t mean running to really block the guy next to you and trying to cause damage. That’s not the way we race. We’re all blue-collar working people that like their racing on a Saturday night. We all don’t want to be fixing our cars every week because of stupidity.”;
Kochenash opined his perspective afterwards while at his pit.“I was keeping the car on the bottom and he was hitting me in the bumper which was just racing. What I did to him is just racing. He’s not afraid to run anyone up to the wall but when he gets it done to him he doesn’t like it,” said Kochenash. “People just don’t like people that win, especially when they win and are half their age. He’s how old now and getting tired.”;
Mike Sweeney has done it again, taking another Late Model win. Sweeney had a hard fought battle with Jeremy Miller before making his way around for the lead with eight laps to go. He then stayed smooth and steady the rest of the way for his sixth victory of the year and on a night celebrating his 36th birthday.
Jamie Smith has had his share of tough luck this season but of late there has been a turn for the better and in last night’s 30-lap feature he showed it by leading very lap and taking his first win of 2016.
Mike Stofflet rebounded yet again from a previous week mishap and drove to a resounding verdict in the Dirt Mod main.Taking the lead from at the drop of the green, Stofflet was then able to hold steady at the front the rest of the way and although runner-up Ricky Yetter was closing in the final laps, there was no denying the sold and strong performance turned in by No. 38 winning car.
Kevin Graver Jr., has reached numerous feats during his career and Saturday night he entered one for the history books that may very well stand the test of time for years to come when he scored his record 33rd Pro 4 victory, which put him number one in class. Graver was engaged in a torrid battle for the lead that included a three-wide battle between himself, Tyler Stangle and Josh Scherer. It wasn’t until the final four laps that he secured the lead and then drove on to the historic win.
When rookie Travis Solomon crossed the finish line first in the Hobby Stock feature, it not only was his career first win but also marked a single season record for different winners with the class as he became the 10th driver to notch a win.
1st Modified Feature Finish (50 Laps): 1. Earl Paules, 2. Eric Beers, 3. Don Wagner, 4. Bobby Jones, 5. Jack Ely, 6. Kris Graver, 7. Chip Santee, 8. Austin Kochenash, 9. Brian DeFebo, 10. Lou Strohl, 11. John Markovic, 12. JP Curry, 13. Kevin Rex Jr., 14. Nick Bear, 15. Terry Markovic, 16. Joey Jarowicz, 17. Kyle Strohl, 18.Mike Quinn, 19. Todd Baer
2nd Modified Feature Finish (50 Laps): 1. Kochenash, 2. Wagner, 3. Jones, 4. Strohl, 5. J. Markovic, 6. Graver, 7. DeFebo, 8. Beers, 9. Strohl, 10. Rex, 11. Paules, 12. Santee, 13. T. Baer, 14. Ely, 15. N. Baer, 16. T. Markovic, 17. Curry 18. Quinn DNS: Jarowicz
Late Model Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Mike Sweeny, 2.Jeremy Miller, 3. Frankie Althouse, 4. Don Wagner, 5. Robbie Kutz, 6. Jacob Nemeth, 7. Chris Anderson, 8. Kenny Hein, 9. Jacob Kerstetter 10. Paul Koehler Jr., 11. Geno Steigerwalt, 12. Paul Skodacek, 13. Lorin Arthofer, 14. Josh Oswald, 15. George Ramos
Street Stock Feature Finish (30 Laps): 1. Jamie Smith, 2. Josh Mooney, 3. Jared Ahner, 4. Zach Graver, 5. Todd Ahner, 6. Jason Kuhn. 7. Jason Frey, 8. Rick Reichenbach, 9. Mark Martini, 10. Stacey Brown, 11. Jon Moser, 12. Corey Edelman, 13. Jon Tracy, 14. Randy Ahner Jr., 15. Greg Long, 16. Kristy Arthofer, 17. Dan Freundt, 18. Dennis Buss, 19. Eric Kocher, 20. Joe Mooney
Dirt Mod Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Mike Stofflet, 2. Ricky Yetter, 3. Aleia Geisler, 4. Ray Deemer, 5. Billy Lasko, 6. Dave Gorbatuk, 7. Charles Sabella
Pro 4 Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Kevin Graver Jr., 2. Josh Scherer, 3. Tyler Stangle, 4. Johnny Bennett, 5. Bobby Kibler Jr., 6. Brian Ahner, 7. Bob Kibler Sr., 8. Shawn Hoffman. 9. Bill Rooney, 10. Cody Kohler, 11. Kailyn Beers, 12. Jake Kibler, 13. Chase Hoffman
Hobby Stock Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Travis Solomon, 2. Ken Reeder, 3. Avery Arthofer, 4. Shayne Geist, 5. Michael Wambold, 6. Rich Mutarelli, 7. Cody Geist, 8. Sam Ryan, 9. Tiffany Wambold, 10. Ryan Berger, 11. Jesse Strohl, 12. Nicolas Kerstetter, 13. Jeff Biegley, 14. Austin Beers, 15. Devin Schmidt
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Mahoning Valley Speedway pushes this Saturday start time back to 7:00 pm
(LEHIGHTON, Pa. 7-21-16) In an effort to help cool things down a bit this Saturday, July 23, Mahoning Valley Speedway will be pushing back their start time to 7:00 pm.
For those wishing to come out for early paid practice the pit gates will open at 12:30. Paid practice will take place from 1:00 – 4:00.
Regular warm-ups will get underway at 5:30. The grandstand gates will open at 5:00 pm. Heat races will start at 7:00 pm.
Saturday’s race line-up will be headlined by the Third Annual Bob “Heavy” Scherer Memorial. The race, which is twin 50 lappers for the Modifieds, pays $1800 to win each.
The winner of the second 50-lapper will be awarded a guaranteed starting spot for the 66th Annual Race of Champions 250 at Oswego Speedway on September 15-17, 2016.
Also on the card this Saturday will be Late Models, Street Stocks, Dirt Mods, Pro 4s and Hobby Stocks plus Kids Big Wheels at intermission.
Adult front gate admission is $22. There is a $2 discount for students, seniors 65+ and active Military.
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16-year Kyle Strohl cruises to second Mahoning Modified win of ’16; Mike Sweeney picks up fifth win in Late Models
(LEHIGHTON, Pa. 7-16-16) Once Kyle Strohl snagged the lead from Nick Baer on lap three he showed all kinds of power and speed and left everyone in his wake en route to his second Modified win of the season on Saturday night at Mahoning Valley Speedway. With the race going caution free the entire 35-laps, Strohl was kicking in the afterburners on his Paul’s Towing/Shear-N-Vee No. 44 long before the finish where he was four-seconds ahead of runner-up Austin Kochenash. “This was finally a good night for us and we hit the set-up just right. We had to overcome some bad weeks and tonight we had good luck on our side and we came up with the win,” said 16-year old Strohl. Nick Baer was the pole sitter and took the early lead but Strohl, who started second, pressured him from the onset and eased by with three laps complete. Brian DeFebo then followed into second spot with Kris Graver third, Kochenash fourth and Don Wagner fifth. The laps where soon clicking off in quick fashion as the pack did a great job racing each other clean. And, while there was numerous battles unfolding, none of them included Strohl who was in a league of his own. “This was an awesome race and I haven’t raced like this in a long, long time. It feels good to run a caution free feature and I know we can do it and it’s what makes for great racing and it’s what I come here for,” said Strohl, who competed the jaunt in a time of 5:54. “When I started lapping cars I thought maybe I had a good lead but my concentration was to stay steady and keep a clear mind. You didn’t know who’s coming behind you or when so I just ran every lap like it was my last. This is a real confidence booster heading into next week’s twin 50s. Hopefully this is the right set-up and it works for us again,” said Strohl. While Strohl was running away with the race the battle for second spot was quite intense. DeFebo was looking solid holding off Kochenash for a number of laps. Just past mid-race, however, Kochenash made it by and brought Wagner along. From there on those two would fight persistently to the finish. “Kyle (Strohl) starting second and getting the lead right away helped him out and we had to come through traffic. Donny (Wagner) was beating on me and I knew he wasn’t going to go around me and wasn’t fast enough. I just had to keep my line and hope for a caution but unfortunately there wasn’t one,” said Kochenash. “We know our car can start in the back and come to the front and we’ll come back next week even better.” Point leader Eric Beers and Graver completed the top five.
Mike Sweeney’s dream season continued as he notched his fifth Late Model win and 10th time of scoring either 1st or 2nd. While the win was certain, getting there would be a battle. Sweeney would be the fifth different leader of the race and for him it was no easy task as Frankie Althouse kept him at bay as long as he possibly could. Racing side-by-side for a handful of laps, Sweeney didn’t officially take the lead until four laps to go and even then he was still fighting off Althouse right down to the wire. “That was an awesome and exciting race,” said Sweeney from Victory Lane. “I have to tip my hat off to Frankie (Althouse). That was one hell of a battle and I’m out of breath. That was pretty intense and I knew it was going to be either checkers or wreckers. He did a great job tonight.”; Althouse was actually vying for the win from early on. He and Jeremy Miller also had a fan pleasing two-wide stint that at time included several lead swapping laps. If that close duel wasn’t enough there was Jacob Kerstetter who was right in tune with them at the time. With 10 laps to go Sweeney began his frontward march by grabbing third spot from Kerstetter and keeping that momentum going, he soon handled Miller. Then came the clash for the lead with Althouse. “It was all go-time and I had to wait for the line to open up and pick and choose and just try and get who I can quick. This win dedicated to a good friend, Mitch Nace who is recovering from a bad accident,” said Sweeney.
Randy Ahner Jr., counted his first Street Stock win of the year that came after a hard fought run against Rick Reichenbach. Ahner would lead the final lap and go on to victory for the 18th time with the class. Reichenbach, who had turned the fastest laps of the race, earned his best finish since coming into the Street Stock fold this year.
There is no question that the Dirt Mod feature won by Billy Lasko was the most exciting feature of the night. Lasko was putting on an amazing defense drive of holding off Ricky Yetter who never let up in trying to pass him for the lead. Be it high or low by Yetter, Lasko stood his ground and held on for his second career win.
Everyone knows all too well the extent of success by Eric Beers. But on this memorable night there was celebration for another Beers, as Kailyn, his daughter, won her career first feature in the Pro 4 main. Starting from the pole, Beers took the early lead and would not let go. With the race remaining green until a caution with two laps to go, she showed that after three years of trying she wasn’t going to let this one slip away. On the restart Beers hit the throttle and remained in focus, crossing the finish line to a throng of cheers for her well-earned verdict over Tyler Stangle and Kevin Graver Jr.
Hobby Stock point leader Cody Geist picked up his second win of the season. After passing Devon Schmidt with seven laps to go he was good from there on, holding off Rich Mutarelli for the victory.
Kassidy Altemose was the winner of the Jr. Enduro over Avery Arthofer.
Moddified Feature Finish (35 Laps): 1. Kyle Strohl, 2. Austin Kochenash, 3. Don Wagner, 4. Eric Beers, 5. Kristopher Graver, 6. Brian DeFebo, 7. Earl Paules, 8. Jack Ely, 9. John Markovic, 10. Nick Baer, 11. Todd Baer, 12. Bobby Jones, 13. Mike Quinn, 14. Zane Zeiner, 15. Joey Jarowicz, 16. Chip Santee, 17. Terry Markovic DNS: Brian Labar
Late Model Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Mike Sweeney, 2. Frankie Althouse, 3. Paul Koehler Jr., 4. Jacob Kerstetter, 5. Jeremy Miller, 6. Don Wagner, 7. Jacob Nemeth, 8. Chris Anderson, 9. Kenny Hein, 10. Josh Oswald, 11. George Ramos, 12. Robbie Kutz DNS: Lorin Arthofer
Street Stock Feature Finish (30 Laps): 1. Randy Ahner Jr., 2. Rick Reichenbach, 3. Jon Tracy, 4. Kristy Arthofer, 5. Zach Graver, 6. Mark Martini, 7. Jason Kuhn, 8. Jon Moser, 9. Greg Long, 10. Jason Frey, 11. Josh Mooney, 12. Todd Ahner, 13. Dan Freundt, 14. Aaron Kromer, 15. Corey Edelman, 16. Stacey Brown, 17. Jamie Smith, 18. Lindsay Buss, 19. BJ Wambold, 20. Jared Ahner DNQ: Eric Kocher, Mike Piechota
Dirt Mod Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Billy Lasko, 2. Ricky Yetter, 3. Aleia Geisler, 4. Ray Deemer, 5. Rich Coons, 6. Dave Gorbatuk, 7. Mark Levy, 8. Mike Stofflet, 9. Scott Hyland
Pro 4 Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Kailyn Beers, 2. Tyler Stangle, 3. Kevin Graver, Jr. 4. Cody Kohler. 5. Johnny Bennett, 6. Jake Kibler, 7. Josh Scherer, 8. Bryan Ahner, 9. Shawn Hoffman, 10. Bobby Kibler Jr., 11. JD Light, 12. Chris Kuronya, 13. Latonia Barlow
Hobby Stock Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Cody Geist, 2. Rich Mutarelli, 3. Michael Wambold, 4.Ryan Berger, 5. Devin Schmidt, 6. Shayne Geist, 7. Ron Heeter, 8. Travis Solomon, 9. Randy Sicher, 10. Austin Beers, 11. Ken Reeder, 12. Dean Strohl Jr, 13. Avery Arthofer, 14. Jesse Strohl, 15. Tiffany Wambold, 16. Dean Strohl Sr., 17. Nicolas Kerstetter DNS: Jason Gould
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Jr. Enduro returns for round two this Saturday at Mahoning Valley Speedway
When 13-year old Avery Arthofer won the inaugural Jr. Enduro event on June 18, it was the highlight of a proud day in the history of her famous racing family, marking the 100th stock car feature win for the Arthofer/Morone clan. The race was sponsored by Ahner Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning of Palmerton and Arthofer won $350 for her effort. Sponsor Ahner also added an additional $100 to the highest non track racer which gave runner-up Cassidy Altemose $325 at the payout window. That was also a great night for Mahoning Valley Speedway as well as it marked the dawn of a new limited class for aspiring young talent to best get acclimated to racing on a full size scale. Since that memorable night the talk hasn’t stop and coming up this Saturday, July 16 those young racers will be set for round two of the Jr. Enduro which will again be sponsored by Ahner’s Plumping, Heating and Air Conditioning who is repeating their generosity of $100 to the highest non-weekly Mahoning Valley racer plus added cash to the purse which will be an 80/20 payout. The concept behind the Jr. Enduro is to give desiring racers coming out of such ranks as 1/4-midgets and karts, the opportunity to get a feel for driving a stock car without going through the weekly grind. The cars run under the same rules as the current Small Car Enduro class. The 4-Cylinder front wheel drive Hobby Stock cars are allowed to compete. Racers must be between the ages of 12-18. A driver who has more than a year of racing experience in a stock car is not eligible. And, they do have the option to have a passenger seat and an experienced tutor ride along for guidance. The Jr. Enduro feature will be a timed event. Last month’s race went 30 minutes and nearly 120 laps in distance. The price to enter is $40 per car (transponder included) and $25 per driver. The purse will be determined by the car count and adjusted accordingly. Rules can be found on the Mahoning Valley Speedway website at following the link:
http://www.mahoningvalley-speedway.com/uploads/1/1/8/6/11865016/small_car_enduro_2013_ver_2.0.pdf
Also on the card will be regular features and heats for the Modifieds, Late Models, Street Stocks, Pro 4s and Hobby Stocks. At intermission Kids Big Wheel Races will take place. Grandstands open at 4:00 pm and racing begins at 6:00. Warm-ups will get underway at 4:00. Pit gates will open at 11:30 am for early paid practice which gets underway at 12:30. Adult front gate admission is $12. There is a $2 discount for students, seniors 65+ and active Military.
In two weeks’ time the Modifieds will be running twin 50 lap features as part of the Bob “Heavy” Scherer Memorial. Each of the 50 lappers will pay $1800 to win and there will be regular championship points awarded after each event. If anyone would like to become a lap sponsor please see JoAnn Scherer at the track this coming Saturday.
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Mahoning Valley Speedway reaches mid-season…All regular track classes + Micro Stocks on tap for July 9
(LEHIGHTON, Pa. 7-4-16) The 2016 season at Lehighton’s Mahoning Valley Speedway is at the midway point of the season and after 10 events run (there have been 3 rainouts), the competition across the six regular classes remains tight and now looking to this week’s action, Saturday, July 9, it is becoming clear as to how the points are shaping up for those making their bid at respective class titles.
The line-up for Saturday will be regular heats and features for the Modifieds, Late Models, Street Stocks, Dirt Mods, Pro 4s and Hobby Stocks plus the touring Micro Stocks join the slate. At intermission Kids Box Car Races will take place which has become quite entertaining for both the kids and fans. Race time is 6:00 pm. Grandstands open at 4:00 pm. Warm-ups will get underway at 4:00. Pit gates will open at 11:30 am for early paid practice which gets underway at 12:30. Adult front gate admission is $12. There is a $2 discount for students, seniors 65+ and active Military. Heading into the start of the second half of the season Eric Beers leads the Modified standings. He has 5 wins and 11 of 12 top-5 finishes. In close chase is Austin Kochenash who has a run of top-3s over the past month including a feature win two weeks ago. Defending champion Earl Paules is third with Kris Graver and Don Wagner fourth and fifth respectively. Mike Sweeney has been atop the Late Model standings since week one. Fresh off his win in the “Pineapple 50”, Sweeney brings a class leading 4 wins to start the second half and 10 straight top 5s. And, although that is impressive, reigning champion Paul Koehler Jr., is right on his heels as well as Frankie Althouse and Jeremy Miller. The Street Stocks show Jon Moser currently leading the points but is has been a rubber match at the top between him and ’15 titlist Zach Graver. Only nine point separate the two and Jason Kuhn is in their shadows as well. Ricky Yetter is holding the lead in points with the Dirt Mods, thanks largely to three straight wins and a slew of top-5s over the past month. But, he can’t take any time to relax as Billy Lasko and Aleia Giesler remain hot on his tail.
Likewise in the Pro 4s where Bobby Kibler Jr., has been number one throughout the season but closing fast is four time winner Josh Scherer and last year’s champ Cody Kohler. The Hobby Stocks have a great battle ongoing. Cody Geist, who is the defending champion, sits in the top spot over his brother and last week’s winner, Shayne Geist, by just seven points. And taking into consideration that there has been a record tying 9 different winners in 10 races, the rest of the top-10 is keeping up on to pace with the Geist brothers.
It’s all made for great racing thus far and undoubtedly just as much yet to come. A reminder that the next Jr. Enduro race will be held on Saturday, July 16 following that evening’s regular divisions of races. Also, if anyone would like to become a lap sponsor for the upcoming Bob “Heavy” Scherer Twin 50s for Modified on July 23, please see JoAnn Scherer at the track.
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Bobby Jones returns to Mahoning Victory Lane; Mike Sweeney dominates en route to “Pineapple 50” Late Model win
(LEHIGHTON, Pa. 7-2-16) Bobby Jones is easily considered one of the best racers Mahoning Valley Speedway showcases which makes it is hard to fathom that this classy veteran has not been a winner in over four years. A string of bad luck had a lot to do with it. Missed set-ups on his No. 1J more times than not can be taken into consideration for the Victory Lane absence too. No matter what the case may have been it is all behind him now after a solid drive brought him back to his winning ways in Saturday night’s 35-lap Modified feature.And this was classic Jones. Jumping out front early and holding a commanding lead then withstanding the late race charge by Eric Beers. Beers, who has been the class of the field, would put the pressure on but when you are a many time winner and have been shunned from victory as long as Jones, neither Beers nor anyone for that matter was going to get between him and those checkers. Jones did what was expected of him, protecting the bottom while Beers was compelled to do his bidding from the top lane. Try as he may, Jones would hold off the point leader and make his triumphant return to glory. “It’s been rough for us. We had a lot of good years where there was three or four years in a row we just couldn’t do any wrong and it went the other way the past few years,” said Jones. During the early stages of the race Jones was holding a comfortable lead over Terry Markovic and Brian DeFebo. Over a stretch of green flag laps 13th place starter and previous week winner Austin Kochenash had advanced through the pack and up to second. Tagging along with him was Beers. That duo soon went into a fierce two-wide battle for a number of laps while Jones continued to maintain a steady and smooth run. Then with nine laps to go a caution waved when Chip Santee had a spin in turn three. That allowed Beers to restart alongside Jones. When the race resumed Jones knew he had to be up on the wheel. Beers tried but Jones clamped down tight and would keep Beers in check the rest of the way.“I just wanted to keep on going and didn’t want to stop when that caution came out,” said Jones.“I was protecting the bottom and didn’t want to get up to high and have someone slip underneath me. This is a brand new car and you don’t come out and do this. I didn’t know the speed I have with the car yet or how well it was working. But when I saw Eric (Beers) there and I knew I had to get going.”;Kochenash settled for third with Don Wagner and Earl Paules rounding out the top five.
The 4th Annual George Ramos Jr., “Pineapple 50” Memorial race for the Late Models was held and in each of the previous outings of the event that pays honor to the late car-owner, the current point leader at the time won. So for Mike Sweeney, he wasn’t about to change that routine.Coming in number one in the standings, Sweeney had this race pinpointed on his schedule as a must win. And, not only was he able to claim the $1200 verdict, he did it in one of the most dominating performances he has ever had in earning his 40th career Late Model victory. Jacob Kerstetter and Jeremy Miller dueled early on for the front spot but once Sweeney took control on lap 13 it became a race for second as he was simply no match for the rest of the pack.By the midway point he had opened a half track lead and when he reached the finish he had lapped all but three cars. His margin of victory was a whopping 8.2-seconds over Frankie Althouse. Sweeney was actually in the process of edging by fourth place finisher Paul Koehler Jr., at the end of the race and could see Althouse and third placer Miller just ahead.
“Week in and week out we go home and work hard. It’s because of this great crew that I was able to put on a performance like that. I even had one of our crew guys who had to get rushed to the ER today and still made it back to be here. That’s the kind of dedication that this team is all about,” said Sweeney.“This race had always eluded us and I really wanted to win it and not only for the team but everything that George (Ramos III) does for the Late Models and how his dad was so prominent, giving so many good guys the chance to drive his car. I’m very honored.”;Kerstetter, whose father, Wayne drover for Ramos, was putting in a great effort and Sweeney had to tackle him as well as Miller before taking command.“Jacob (Kerstetter) gets better and better every week. He keeps his head about him and he’s only getting faster. Jeremy (Miller) and I raced clean tonight and he always makes it tough,” said Sweeney.
Dan Freundt has really come into his own since stepping into a Street Stock this season. For the second time in a month he has captured the checkers and leading every lap in doing so.Freundt had the pole and darted out quickly, however, the whole while Corey Edelman was on his tail and matters got tougher when Jason Kuhn joined the fray. Freundt though stood solid and never wavered as he raced to win number two.
In the Pro 4 feature it was another victory being chalked up by Josh Scherer. And just as his previous victories have come Scherer did not move to the lead until late in the race, this time taking the lead away from one very impressive Johnny Bennett. Once in front Scherer then held off Cody Kohler and Bobby Kibler Jr.
In the Dirt Mod feature it took some time to get the right set-up but for Aleia Geisler once she found that combination there was no denying the popular “Hell on Heels” driver picking up her first win of 2016. There is no question that Geisler has been good thus far, she always has been. She has finished every race in the top-5 and was the point leader for the first two months. But unfortunately her and the team have not been able to get the car to work just right when it came feature time. Led by crew chief and dad Ray Geisler, the car was spot on as it has ever been on this night and Aleia romped out front all 25 laps for her elusive first win of the season.
Shayne Geist became the latest driver to earn a Hobby Stock win. Geist was able to take the lead from Austin Beers with a swift inside pass off turn four on lap three. Not long afterwards Michael Wambold was challenging and doing everything possible to get by but Geist was able to keep it tight on the bottom which enabled him to hold his lead and go on to become the ninth different winner in 10 races.
Modified Feature Finish (35 Laps): 1. Bobby Jones, 2. Eric Beers, 3. Austin Kochenash, 4. Don Wagner, 5. Earl Paules, 6. John Markovic, 7. Kris Graver, 8. Jack Ely, 9. Brian DeFebo, 10. Chip Santee, 11. Terry Markovic, 12. Sal Accardi, 13. Brian Labar, 14. Nick Baer, 15. Roger Heffelfinger Jr., 16. Billy Lasko, 17. Gene Bowers, 18. Kyle Strohl
Late Model Feature Finish (50 Laps): 1. Mike Sweeney, 2. Frankie Althouse, 3. Jeremy Miller, 4. Paul Koehler Jr., 5. Jacob Kerstetter, 6. Jacob Nemeth, 7. Geno Steigerwalt, 8. George Ramos III, 9. JR Roth, 10. Kenny Hein, 11. Chris Anderson, 12. Don Wagner, 13. Robbie Kutz, 14. Paul Effrig, 15. Troy Bollinger
Street Stock Feature Finish (30 Laps): 1. Dan Freundt, 2. Corey Edelman, 3. Jason Kuhn, 4. Stacey Brown, 5. Kristy Arthofer, 6. Mark Martini, 7. Josh Mooney, 8.Zach Graver, 9. Rick Reichenbach, 10. Randy Ahner Jr., 11. Jon Moser, 12. Jared Ahner, 13. Aaron Kromer, 14. Todd Ahner, 15. Jamie Smith, 16. Jason Frey, 17. Greg Long, 18. Scott Adams, 19. Justin Mooney, 20. Dennis Buss DNQ: Logan Boyer
Dirt Mod Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Aleia Geisler, 2. Ricky Yetter, 3. Billy Lasko, 4. Scott Hyland, 5. Dave Gorbatuk, 6. Matt Curry, 7. Mike Stofflet DNS: Frank Parastino
Pro 4 Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Josh Scherer, 2. Cody Kohler, 3. Bobby Kibler Jr., 4. Bryan Ahner, 5. Kevin Graver Jr., 6. Jake Kibler 7. Shawn Kistler, 8. Shawn Hoffman, 9. Tyler Stangle, 10. Mark Kohler, 11. Johnny Bennett, 12. Kailyn Beers
Hobby Stock Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Shayne Geist, 2. Michael Wambold, 3. Ryan Berger, 4. Rich Mutarelli, 5. Cody geist, 6. Randy Sicher, 7. Avery Arthofer, 8. Austin Beers, 9. Sam Ryan, 10. Tiff Wambold, 11. Nicholas Kerstetter, 12. Jason Gould, 13. Dean Strohl Jr., 14. Travis Solomon, 15. Jeff Biegley, 16. Devin Schmidt, 17. Jesse Strohl, 18. Dean Strohl Sr., 19. Brian Wambold DNS: Colton Perry
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George Ramos Jr. “Pineapple 50” for Late Models to pay $1200-to-win this Saturday at Mahoning Valley Speedway
(LEHIGHTON, Pa. 6-28-16) This coming Saturday, July 2 at 6:00 pm, Mahoning Valley Speedway presents the 5th Annual George Ramos Jr. “Pineapple 50” for Late Models. The feature race will award the winner $1200.
The Pineapple 50 is run in honor of the late George Ramos Jr., who passed away in 2012. Ramos was a racer who competed at Mahoning Valley and Dorney Park Speedways, but he is most remembered as a huge supporter of both tracks as a car owner.
Thanks to the effort of his son, George Ramos III, who is races in the Street Stock division at Mahoning and ran Late Models and Modifieds over the years, along with Mahoning promoter Floyd Santee, each year since his untimely passing there has been a 50 lap feature run in his honor.
Appropriately it is with the Late Model division which Ramos Jr., always fielded. His first win as an owner actually was with Santee at Dorney Park. Popular Bob Landis won his career first race with Ramos. Other drivers who have been in the seat include Chris Hahn, Jimmy Roth, Charlie Brinkman, Wayne Kerstetter, Hal Resh, Bill Schaefer, Ed Hunsberger, Keith Kidd, Mike Kemmerer and of course George III.
Paul Koehler Jr., was last year’s winner which helped in his bid for a fourth career class championship. He also won the first Pineapple 50 in ’12. In-between the event was won by Earl Paules.
Heading into this year’s edition Mike Sweeney, who has come close in all previous events, leads the points and is focusing on making this race his fourth win of the year at Mahoning Valley.
Also on the card will be Modifieds, Street Stock, Dirt Mods, Pro 4s and Hobby Stocks. At intermission Kids Big Wheel races take place.
Grandstands open at 4:00 pm. Warm-ups will get underway at 4:00. Pit gates will open at 11:30 am for early paid practice which gets underway at 12:30. Adult front gate admission is $18. There is a $2 discount for students, seniors 65+ and active Military. Pits are $30 for members and $40 for non-members. Racing begins at 6:00
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Austin Kochenash survives to win Mahoning Modified slugfest; Frankie Althouse does the same for Late Model glory
(LEHIGHTON, Pa. 6-25-16) At the bullring ¼-mile Mahoning Valley Speedway on a sizzling Saturday night, there was beating and banging, there was spins and dings and there was action galore, and that was just in the Modified feature. It was a race that was a slugfest in every sense of the word and after all was said and done standing tall in Victory Lane after a hard fought battle was Austin Kochenash, claiming his first win of the season. Kochenash, who was wheeling the Gary and Brent Wentz No. 72, held off point leader Eric Beers by less than a half car length while very close in third was Earl Paules. A more than usual number of cautions interrupted the 35-lap contest. Kochenash was involved in one such in a lap 10 pile-up. His keen skill was put to the test afterwards as he would need to maneuver accurately past ensuing incidents in in his march towards the front. One of those was a grinding crash by Gene Bowers who smacked the turn four wall head-on on lap 20. Although his car was badly damaged, Bowers thankfully walked away unscathed. Due to that calamity the track was in need of a major cleanup from all the liquid that was deposited from Bowers’ car. The good part was that the considerable amount of speedy dry that was put down was just high enough off the racing groove and allowed drivers two doable lanes of racing. Kochenash was in ninth when the race resumed and he meticulously drove the right lanes and did a perfect job of avoiding any further collisions, reaching the top five by lap 21. With 10 laps to go he would be handed first place due to a Don Wagner and Jack Ely scrape while battling for the lead. Kochenash had just made his way by Paules and Beers at the same time for third spot. He then kept his sights on maintaining his lead while Beers and Paules contested for second. Beers did shake free and soon zeroed in on the leader and made it a great dogfight to the finish. Kochenash had no choice but to push the issue with Beers in the closing laps too as he continued to force him high in order to stay protective of his spot. “I knew Eric (Beers) and Earl (Paules) were going to be real tough to beat especially with how bad the front of the car is. We were able to get the lead and it was a matter of just holding on the rest of the way,” said Kochenash. “There’s nothing straight on the car after that incident in the beginning. But once I got the lead I realized it’s a $900 difference from first to second and I needed the money to fix the car. I may have been a little rough but that was no different than anyone else would have run.”; Beers, who like nearly everyone else was caught up in a tangle, came up a few feet short from scoring another win. “That was a rough one tonight. We’d been pretty clean all year until tonight. Austin (Kochenash) did what he had to do in order to get the win. Both of our cars where a little damaged and my front end is all dinged up and Earl (Paules) is battle scorn too so we were all running around with roughed-up equipment,” said Beers. “We were on the edge all night and with the speedy dry over in turn four that made it a little leery but Austin gave me just enough room and hats off to him. It was fun.”; Kris Graver had another solid outing despite being gathered in a few caution scenes and was fourth. Likewise with John Markovic who bounced back several times on his way to rounding out the top five.
In the Late Model feature it was a tough go for the race leaders as one by one the front runners all fell from grace due to scuffles. That was until Frankie Althouse got there and he would not fall victim to the bad luck. Althouse inherited the top spot with four circuits to go and held off Paul Koehler Jr. for the verdict.Lorin Arthofer II, Koehler, Jeremy Miller, Mike Sweeney and Arthofer again all led but all had their time at the front cut short due to mishaps that came from close encounters with second and third place cars at those respective times. Althouse, who has been the mark of consistency all season thus far, notched his ninth consecutive top five. “It feels really good and our car was spot on tonight. We made a boatload of changes and went back to basics. We did a few more adjustment before the feature and the car was phenomenal,” said Althouse. “I knew even when we got the lead with four laps to go that Paul (Koehler) was right there and that Mike (Sweeney) could get there too because he’s been the class of the field. I just figured that I was going to hold the bottom and try and make them go around me. This has me real excited for next week’s 50 lapper.”; Miller, Sweeney and Kenny Hein completed the top five.
Mark Martini finally, after 10 years of trying, got the proverbially monkey off his back as he won his career first feature at Mahoning Valley Speedway in the nonstop 30-lap Street Stock main. Starting third, Martini squeezed by Jamie Smith on the inside off turn four and with the completion of that lap he was in front and for good. Martini kept determined the next 20 laps despite some very intense pressure from Justin Mooney and eventually his teammate Randy Ahner Jr. The caution free race was completed in a time of 6:18.
If there is a way to best describe Mike Stofflet and his 2016 season it would be resilient. Stofflet has been able to bounce back time and again after suffering one set back after another but each time it’s been with a resounding run that ends with a victory.
He did it once again on this night, leading all 25 laps of the Dirt Mod main while manhandling a car that had no power steering after the second lap and then having to hold off the fast approaching Billy Lasko en route to his third feature win of the year.
Josh Scherer worked his tail off to get around Kevin Graver Jr., but once he did there was not stopping him in gaining his third Pro 4 win of the season.
For the first time this year a repeat winner has emerged in the Hobby Stocks. Ryan Berger grabbed the lead from his front row starting spot at the get-go and held it the rest of the way, becoming the first to repeat after nine races.
Modified Feature Finish (35 Laps): 1. Austin Kochenash, 2. Eric Beers, 3. Earl Paules, 4. Kris Graver, 5. John Markovic, 6. Brian Labar, 7. Don Wagner, 8. Jack Ely, 9. Nick Baer, 10. Terry Markovic, 11. Brian DeFebo, 12. Gene Bowers, 13. Bobby Jones, 15. Kyle Strohl, 16. Jon Moser
Late Model Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Frankie Althouse, 2. Paul Koehler Jr., 3. Jeremy Miller, 4. Mike Sweeney, 5. Kenny Hein, 6. Josh Oswald, 7. Chris Anderson, 8. Jacob Nemeth, 9. Lorin Arthofer II, 10. Jacob Kerstetter, 11. JR Roth, 12. Don Wagner, 13. Paul Effrig, 14. Robbie Kutz
Street Stock Feature Finish (30 Laps): 1. Mark Martini, 2. Randy Ahner Jr., 3. Jason Kuhn, 4. Justin Mooney, 5. Jon Moser, 6. Jared Ahner, 7. Stacey Brown, 8. Rick Reichenbach, 9. Josh Mooney, 10. Corey Edelman, 11. Jason Frey, 12. Aaron Kromer, 13. Todd Ahner, 14. Kristy Ahner, 15. Zach Graver, 16. Greg Long, 17. Dan Freundt, 18. George Ramos, 19. Lindsay Buss, 20. Jamie Smith
Dirt Mod Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Mike Stofflet, 2. Billy Lasko, 3. Ricky Yetter, 4. Aleia Geisler, 5. Scott Hyland, 6. Dave Gorbatuk
Pro 4 Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Josh Scherer, 2. Kevin Graver Jr., 3. Bobby Kibler Jr., 4. Jake Kibler, 5. Johnny Bennett, 6. Shawn Kistler, 7. Cody Kohler, 8. Kailyn Beers, 9. Tyler Stangle
Hobby Stock Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Ryan Berger, 2. Avery Arthofer, 3. Rich Mutarelli, 4. Shayne Geist, 5. Austin Beers, 6. Randy Sicher, 7. Devin Schmidt, 8. Tiff Wambold, 9. Jesse Strohl. 10. Michael Wambold, 11. Cody Geist, 12. Colton Perry, 13. Nicholas Kerstetter, 14. Jeff Biegley. 15. Ken Reeder, 16. Trisha Connolly, 17. Dean Strohl Sr., 18. Travis Solomon
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The Youth Was Good But Beers Was Better…“Master of Faster” Earns 50th Career Mahoning Modified Win
(LEHIGHTON, Pa. 6-18-16) The youth movement was quite evident during Saturday night’s Modified feature at Mahoning Valley Speedway as teenagers Nick Baer, Jack Ely and Kyle Strohl all came close to winning but when it was all said and done the highly experienced Eric Beers showed the young talents that he is still the man to beat, winning for a fifth time. And, not only was Beers celebrating the night’s accomplishment, he was likewise basking in a milestone victory as he reached his 50th career Modified feature win at the Lehighton paved ¼-mile oval.
“It’s really awesome. I have to thank the race track for having Modifieds here and staying with a great program and for the fans coming out every Saturday and watching us. If it wasn’t for the fans in those stands we drivers wouldn’t have anything to do,” said Beers. There was no doubt that the young guns are rising in the Modified division. Baer was the early leader through the first seven laps until Ely used a restart to work his way by. At that point he was holding off another veteran, classy John Markovic. In their shadows rode last week’s winner Strohl who would bide his time to get by Markovic. Once that took place Ely and Strohl began to duel closely for the lead. Ely was running the low lane and at times able to race ahead to a few car lengths advantage although Strohl was always within reach. A caution with 25 laps completed enabled Strohl to line up alongside the leader and when the race resumed he had great forward bite that allowed him to slip by Ely. At the same time another of the already proven young drivers, Austin Kochenash, was racing in third.Beers, who had started eighth, was in fifth behind Kris Graver but on the same restart he thrust by to grab third and was locked behind teammate Ely. One lap later he took over second. There would be a final caution with 8 laps remaining and it would also be Beer’s race winning move on that restart as he shot by Strohl and onto his fifth win in ten starts this season. “The future of Modified racing is very strong here. Kyle (Strohl) ran a heck of race. Just battling there with him, Jack (Ely) and Austin (Kochenash), we were side-by-side and it was amazing,” said Beers. “If Kyle wouldn’t have gave the room on the outside I wouldn’t have completed the pass. Hats off to him and of course my crew guys for once again putting a great car un
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