Submitted by Terry Whetstone
STRONGSTOWN, PA – Mike Laughard of Nanty Glo became the seventh different winner in as many races in the Force Paving/Zero Wrap Fastrak Late Models at Dog Hollow Speedway on Friday on Ingrams Engine Trophy night.
Repeat winners included: Clate Copeman of Greensburg in the Townsend Gas and Oil Super Late Models, Nick Goss of Punxsutawney in the Stoystown Auto Wreckers Street Stocks, Jeremy Shaffer of Derry won another Brush Valley Tire Pure Stock feature as did Adam Pletcher of Tire Hill in the Four Cylinders and Tom Pavelko of Cherry Tree in the Modified Four Cylinders.
Clate Copeman and Doug Glessner led the Super Late Models to the green flag with Copeman taking the lead and setting the pace. John Britsky moved into second immediately and was pressuring Copeman, but Copeman had the extra power off the corners and continued to set the pace.
By the 11th lap Sammy Stile was able to move under Britsky for the runner up spot and he set his sights on Copeman. Stile was trying every line he could but Copeman was strong off the turns, then entering lapped traffic on lap 17, Stile pulled closer to Copeman and on the 18th lap Stile made contact with Copeman, but to keep from spinning Copeman, Stile spun the 2s and brought out the final caution. When the final two laps were run it was Copeman getting win number three on the season with Britsky second, Dane Laraway third from 12th , Billy Eash fourth and Dwayne Taneyhill fifth. Heat wins went to Eash and Glessner.
“The track was great,” Copeman said in victory lane.He said he’d been having trouble with hard tracks.“I saw a couple of noses,” he said when asked about Britsky and Stile right with him. “I wasn’t sure how hard I had run, then we got into the lapped traffic and I got hit pretty hard in the back…I’m not sure what happened there.”
The Fastrak Late Models took to the speedway with Mike Laughard and Ken Herman on the front row and it was Laughard who took the lead but a rash of cautions slowed the race on the first lap before it finally got going, but the field was only clicking off two laps at a time before another yellow waved.
Finally they settled in for some racing with Herman and Andrew Wylie second and third the whole race. Fourth wasn’t decided until the end with the final top five being Laughard becoming the seventh different winner of the season and earning his career first Fastrak Late Model win. Herman was second with Wylie, Dan Karalagas and Joey Valenti competing the top five. Wylie and Karalagas won the heats.
Laughard said he’d been battling the car a lot, it was good to finally get that first win.
By the luck of the redraw Nick Goss pulled the pole position for the Street Stock feature and it’s never good to start someone that fast on the pole, but, he did and the fans saw why he is the current point leader. Goss led the 15 lap jaunt the whole way with little if any competition. Second place was a hot battle with David Rocker, Jim Boyer, Harry Smith and Josh Jacoby all jockeying for the position then with just four laps to go, Jacoby moved into second and set his sights on the leader, but it was too late as Goss had gone on to get his fourth win of the season. Jacoby, Smith, Ray Hickok and Boyer completed the top five. Goss and Boyer split heat wins.
Matt Summers took the lead at the start of the Pure Stock feature with Justin Queen taking second then the lead in time to lead the second lap. A caution on lap two relegated Queen to third for jumping the start, thus giving Summers the lead back.
Summers led for the next nine laps, holding Queen at bay, but contact between the leaders brought out a yellow and sent queen to the pits with a flat. On the restart Jeremy Shaffer was now second and a lap later Shaffer stole the lead and went on to grab his fifth win of the season. Shaffer, Joey Petyak, John Mazey and Tim Laughard completed the top five. Shaffer and his dad, Gary won the heats.
“The track was awesome tonight,” Shaffer said. “And it was just awesome racing with my dad tonight.”
Brent Sholtis took the lead of the Four Cylinder feature from fellow front row starter Paul Little and led the first three laps, with heavy pressure from Bob Pease, who took the lead on lap four. Pease only led two laps before Adam Pletcher took the lead and drove off to his own zip code for the win. Pease was a distance second, Donny Lechak was third, Jesse Laughard was fourth and Lee Fitzpatrick was fifth. Pletcher, Pease and Lechak took heat wins.
Chris Hickok and Mark Maglet led the Modified Four Cylinders to the start with Hickok taking the lead and looking like a definite winner, but on lap nine, the Hickok #84 puffed smoke and gave up the lead to a distant Tom Pavelko who went on to grab his fourth win. Jason Mullen, Robert Lydic, Hickok and Maglet completed the run down. Hickok won the heat.
DOG TRAX: 103 cars filled the pits, including: 20 Super Late Models, 16 Fastrak Late Models, 14 Street Stocks, 18 Pure Stocks, 28 Four Cylinder Sidewinders and 5 Modified Four Cylinders…Coming up this week is a regular show for the Super Late Models, Fastrak Late Models, Street Stocks, Pure Stocks, Four Cylinders and Modified Four Cylinders PLUS the second annual Shawn “Sheetz” McGarvey Memorial Shootout for the Super Late Models. The winner will receive $888 and second will get $200….Also coming up on July 11 the UFO Late Models will make their first ever Dog Hollow appearance for $5,000 to win. The Street Stocks will race for $1000 to win and the Four Cylinder will race for $500 to win. More information can be found at www.dog-hollow.com.
SUMMARY:
Townsend Gas and Oil Super Late Models: 1. Clate Copeman, Greensburg; 2. John Britsky, 3. Dane Laraway, 4. Billy Eash, 5. Dwayne Taneyhill, 6. Doug Glessner, 7. Bobby Stokes, 8. Jerry Redden, 9. Rick Davis, 10. Dan Lee, 11. John Myers, 12. Brandon Delano,13. Sammy Stile, 14. Tom Eriksson, 15. Rich Logan, 16. Bob Sheesley, 17. Danny Mitchell, 18. Shane McMeans, 19. Paul Domikick, 20. Sam Gindlesperger.
Zero Wrap Fastrak Late Models: 1. Mike Laughard, Nanty Glo; 2. Ken Herman, 3. Andrew Wylie, 4. Dan Karalagas, 5. Joey Valenti, 6. Joe Moyer, 7. Shane Weaver, 8. Michael Highes, 9. Frank Monteparte, 10. Sierra Records, 11. Bryan Force, 12. Ron Smithley, 13. John Eckenrod, 14. Tim Snare Jr., 15. Sam Eichelberger, 16. Shawn Schaltenbrand.
Stoystown Auto Wreckers Street Stocks: 1. Nick Goss, Punxsutawney; 2. Josh Jacoby, 3. Harry Smith, 4. Ray Hickok, 5. Jim Boyer, 6. David Rocker, 7. Denny Keener, 8. Marshall Detwiler, 9. Bill Pluta, 10. Joey Pluta.
Brush Valley Tire Pure Stocks: 1. Jeremy Shaffer, Derry, 2. Matt Summers, 3. Joey Petyak, 4. John Mazey, 5. Tim Laughard, 6. Charlie Boring, 7. Nathan Howe, 8. Steve Huey, 9. Mike Silk, 10. Eric Ager.
Four Cylinders: 1. Adam Pletcher, Tire Hill, 2. Bob Pease, 3. Donny Lechak, 4. Jesse Laughard, 5. Lee Fitzpatrick, 6. Chris Yoder, 7. Mark Wetzel Jr., 8. Wes McKeel, 9. Ashley Rocker, 10. Rickey Myers.
Modified Four Cylinders: 1. Tom Pavelko, Cherry Tree; 2. Jason Mullen, 3. Robert Lydic, 4. Chris Hickok, 5. Mark Maglet.