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SEASON’S RICHEST TOURING EVENT FRIDAY AT TYLER COUNTY WITH $3,000 ON THE LINE FOR FASTRAK NORTHEAST & MOV SERIES By Mike Leone August 30, 2011 (Middlebourne, WV)…After a two-week layoff, the Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC FASTRAK Northeast Late Model Touring Series will resume action this Friday night (September 2) at Tyler County Speedway. Race #16 on the 2011 slate will be a co-sanctioned event with the Mid-Ohio Valley Touring Series as part of the second annual “Black Diamond Weekend” at the ¼-mile West Virginia bullring. The race also marks the historic 70th Northeast Touring Series event in the five-year history! Friday was supposed to be the fourth co-sanctioned Touring Series event this season at the Middlebourne oval, but rain washed out two of those events and the other event that was completed took two tries. Back on June 11, Dan Angelicchio captured his first career Touring Series event with a thrilling win over Daniel Hill. Since then, Angelicchio has been strong finishing in the top nine in all but one event including a second win on July 2 at Pittsburgh that’s propelled him to third in points. Angelicchio also went on the road and picked up a Southeast Touring Series victory on August 20 at Thunder Mountain Speedway in southern West Virginia. Heading into Friday’s action, Max Blair still holds down a 26-point lead despite being outgained by Mike Pegher, Jr. in each of the last five events and six of the last seven. Blair, 21 of Centerville, Pa., hasn’t been in victory lane since the June 25 Gary Knollinger Memorial at Sharon, but hasn’t finished outside the top seven all season long. Blair is a two-time Northeast and National Weekly Series Champion and is looking to make it three for both categories this season. Blair suffered a setback on Sunday when his new Rocket Chassis suffered severe damage after heavy contact with fourth place point man Steve Dixon after Dixon got upside down at Eriez Speedway in a Weekly Series event. Both drivers were bruised and shaken, but otherwise ok. Dixon will be in a different car on Friday night. Pegher leads the Series’ win list this season with four checkered flags with two of them coming at McKean County and one at both Roaring Knob and Eriez. Pegher has also tied Blair atop of the Series’ all-time win list with 12 victories. Josh Holtgraver is the Series’ most recent winner taking his first career win at McKean County for their Fair race on August 18. Two of Holtgraver’s three career wins have come this season and he sits just three points behind Dixon for fourth in points. Competing the top 10 in points are Butch Lambert, Joe Martin, Damian Bidwell, John Volpe, and 14-year-old Lauren Longbrake, who has qualified for 8 of the past 10 features! There has yet to be a repeat winner in the six Touring Series events contested at Tyler County. At last year’s Black Diamond, Dusty Hamrick came from 17th to pick up his exciting first Touring victory. Ironically, victories by Chris Meadows, Mike Blose, and Angelicchio were those drivers’ inaugural wins. Pegher and Blair also have one win each. Some of the top West Virginia area racers will be on hand to take on the Northeast’s best like Shawn Jett, Derek Doll, Kyle Thomas, Daniel Hill, Shane Hitt, Rick Strickler, Jacob Lash, Chad Green, Joel Prosser, Josh Watson, Mike Griffin, Ryan Montgomery, and more! “Tyler County is always a fun track to go to,” expressed fifth year Northeast Co-Director Vicki Emig. “The track is always racey and everyone is always so competitive that just about everyone has a shot at winning. Just the fact that we’ve never had a repeat winning in any Touring race at Tyler shows the competitiveness. Tyler has been on board now with FASTRAK for three seasons and their car counts have increased each year. This year they’ve averaged over 22 cars per night with only three nights fewer than 20 and none lower than 18!” The Utsinger’s Towing “Hoosier Tire Giveaway” program will resume awarding a new FASTRAK Hoosier tire to the driver running last on the lead lap at the finish. The Original Pizza Logs Contingency Connection will again award two $1,000 contingency packages to lucky drivers on Friday that have yet to receive them in 2011. There have been 69 Northeast Touring Series races contested with 28 different winners all-time in the Northeast Touring Series. Max Blair and Mike Pegher, Jr. are tied with 12 victories apiece followed by Dick Barton, Bobby Powell, John Lacki, and David Scott with four, Steve Dixon and Josh Holtgraver at three, Alan Dellinger, Dan Angelicchio, and Joe Martin with two, and Todd Andrews, Kyle Drum, Frank Guidace, Butch Lambert, Carl McKinney, Dennis Lunger, Jr., Tom Snyder, Jr., Chris Meadows, Jim Frank, Mike Blose, Robbie Blair, Jonathan Davenport, Gary Knollinger, Dusty Hamrick, Bud Watson, Russell King, and George Kowatic with one victory. Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC FASTRAK Northeast Touring Series Points (only Northeast Touring Series members receive points): 1. Max Blair 489 2. Mike Pegher, Jr. 463 3. Dan Angelicchio 413 4. Steve Dixon 396 5. Josh Holtgraver 393 6. Butch Lambert 360 7. Joe Martin 331 8. Damian Bidwell 288 9. John Volpe 226 10. Lauren Longbrake 217 11. Kyle Zimmerman 206 12. George Kowatic 190 13. Josh Double 177 14. Jamie Brown 165 15. Chad Wright 164 16. Andrew Wylie 152 17. Wayne Robertson 134 18. Brian Lessley 130 19. Shane Hitt 127 20. Robbie Marhefka 118 21. Kyle Lukon 104 22. Junior Peters & Adam Sixt 97 24. Ryan Montgomery 92 25. Clay Ruffo 89 26. Mike Blose 87 27. Robbie Blair 77 28. T.J. Downs 72 29. Mike Laughard 66 30. Troy Shields 62 31. Darren Peters 55 32. Bill Cunningham 50 33. Bobby Rohrer, Jr. 42 34. Bobby Cossell IV 40 35. Billy Cunningham 38 36. Rick Strickler 34 37. Tyler Barris 32 38. Patrick Willar 30 39. Billy Stile II 25 40. Jim Long 23 41. Andrew Satterlee 20 42. Laura Lukon 19 43. Bud Watson 17 44. Joe Long, Matt Bassaro, Michael Hughes, Rich Logan, Jr., Russell Baird, Jr., Scott Beitzel 10. Tyler County September 2 payoff: 1. $3,000 2. $1,500 3. $800 4. $600 5. $500 6. $450 7. $425 8. $400 9. $350 10. $325 11. $300 12. $275 13. $250 14. $245 15. $240 16. $235 17. $230 18-24 $225. $100 non-qualifier/tow. (A non-qualifier race may be run, time permitting) RACEceivers are mandatory. There is a $100 entry fee for any new cars. Any tech questions or information on the RACEceivers, call Brad Hibbard at 330-540-RACE. Pits open at 2 p.m. A drivers meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. with hot laps at 6:45 and racing at 7:15. FASTRAK is scheduled to be the second division in order on the program. Pit passes are $65, which includes all three nights of racing. Tyler County Speedway is a ¼-mile high-banked dirt oval located at the Tyler County Fairgrounds in Middlebourne, West Virginia. For more information, check out their website at www.tylercountyspeedwayonline. website at http://www.blackdiamond125.com 304-758-2660. FASTRAK Northeast’s 2011 marketing partners include Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC, The Original Pizza Logs, Bully Dog, Contingency Connection, Utsinger’s Towing, and Hoosier Tire. You can reach co-directors Vicki Emig and Mike Leone at the FASTRAK Northeast office at 724-964-9300. E-mail to info@fastraknortheast.com and snail mail to 4368 Route 422, Pulaski, PA 16143. The office is open daily late mornings and after 1:30 p.m. For more information, check out the FASTRAK Northeast website at www.fastraknortheast.com. Become our fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ |
