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Marion Center Speedway’s Lias Tire Latemodel feature
was won by Bobby Stokes from Milton Saturday night. It was Stokes’ first trip to quarter-mile dirt track this season and he made it a good one. After winning his heat race, Bobby Stokes started sixth for the main event. Matt Gaston pulled pole position and kept the lead for the first fifteen laps of the twenty-lap feature. Then Bobby Stokes took the lead with a pass on Gaston and started to pull away. Gaston stayed as close as he could to Stokes but Stokes had power to spare as he put space between the two cars. Gaston then had to contend with Rick Davis from Home. Davis started right behind Gaston and had been on his tail throughout the race even to the finish line. Gaston hung onto second place leaving Davis in third. Fourth went to Billy Eash from Johnstown and Dane Laraway took fifth. Denton Boyer, who had won the other heat race finished sixth with Rod Phillips close behind in seventh. Sammy Stile took eighth, Wally Fox was ninth and Jerry Redden was tenth. The rest of the Lias Tire Latemodel field finished as follows: Clate Copeman, George Fultz, John Myers, Dave Blazavich, Mike Sgro, Will Cochran, Bob Sheesley, Paul Michny and John Poling. Nate Smith from Glen Campbell won the Mike’s Auto and Towing Strictly Stock feature by taking advantage of a mistake by Steve Matko. Matko had started on the pole with Smith on the outside pole. Matko was leading the race when he went wide in turn two and gave room to Smith to make an inside pass for the lead. As the two raced back to the flagstand for the lap to count, the caution flag came out nullifying the pass and lead change. Matko caught a break that he needed to keep the lead. With the twelfth of fifteen laps in the books, Matko comes off turn four and goes too wide and scrapes the front stretch wall causing him to let off the gas or risk further catastrophe. It was just what Smith needed to once again get around Matko. Nate Smith takes the lead for the remaining three laps to the checkered flag leaving Matko in second place. Greg Buterbaugh was in the front of the pack keeping pressure on the other two leaders and easily took third and nearly second. Fourth went to Brett Bingaman and Bryant Small was fifth. Sixth place was taken by Gary Furman, Jr. and he was followed by Matthew Eiselman, Tim Laughard, Justin Queen, And Ryan Weakland for the top ten. The Mike’s Auto and Towing heat races were won by Steve Matko and Nate Smith. It was Tim Bish all the way in the W. G. Satterlee & Sons Street Stocks feature. But it wasn’t as easy as it sounds. Bish had to battle Corey Neal all the way through the race to keep the lead and subsequent win. Bish successfully held off Neal leaving him in second and then came Tim White, Eric Lingenfelter, Randy Reitz and Jeff Taylor; followed by Ray Hickok, Jr., Jason Fosnaught, Rich Waltman and Jackie Phillips in the top ten. In the preliminary heat races the winners were Ray Hickok, Jr. and Corey Neal. Andrew Satterlee found his way to the Integra Racing Shocks Winner’s Circle in the Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic Limited Latemodels. Satterlee started fifth but by the third lap, he was in the lead to stay. Mike Laughard was the only other leader of the race and he stayed in contention throughout the feature. But the real pressure for the lead came from Rod Phillips who worked his way up from eighth to challenge Satterlee at the end of the feature. Satterlee held off the late advances of Phillips and claimed the victory with Phillips taking second and Laughard in third. Scott Alvetro was fourth and Cheyenne Reed was fifth. Sixth through tenth places went to Tom Shaffer, Scott Stein, Tommy Dembowski, Shane Weaver, and Ron Marsh. The Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic Limited Latemodel heat races were won by Scott Alvetro and Scott Stein. Adam Pletcher made it back-to-back victories in the Today’s Hot Country Q-102 Front Wheel Drive 4 Cylinder Riceburners’ feature. After winning last Saturday night’s feature, Pletcher started in the thirteenth position for this week’s event. But the13 must be lucky for Pletcher because it’s also his car number and it was no deterrent for him taking the lead. Joe Petyak started out in front but the first lap was led by Donny Lechak; then it was Petyak, followed by Pletcher who successfully passed Petyak on the fifth lap to take the lead of the twelve-lap feature. Once in front Pletcher had no challenges for the lead and put a straight stretch between himself and second place Petyak. Larry Depp, Jr. came up to finish third and Brent Sholtis was fourth. Fifth place went to Jon Lee and the top ten rounded out with Shawn Hadden, Michael Phillipson, Shane Bronson, David Buterbaugh and Denny Phillips. The Q-102 4 Cylinder heat races were won by Adam Pletcher and Craig Decker. Be sure to join us at Marion Center Speedway next Saturday night for “Fan Appreciation Night.” Today’s Hot Country Q-102 will also be there sponsoring the trophies for the night. Come on out and meet with the drivers and get up close views of the cars during intermission and meet some of the popular Q-102 celebrities. Marion Center Speedway would like to thank some of its sponsors this season including Lias Tire –Latemodels, Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic Limited Latemodels, Q-102 Front Wheel Drive Four Cylinder Rice Burners, W. G. Satterlee & Sons Street Stocks and the newly sponsored Strictly Stocks by Mike’s Auto and Towing from Clymer. Also thanks to Butler Auto Supply of Indiana and the Indiana and Resort Plaza McDonalds in Blairsville for their support. Continuing this season is the cooperative effort between Dog Hollow Speedway and Marion Center Speedway to run the new Coal Country Championship Late Model Series so Latemodel drivers can once again go for some big cash money by winning races at both tracks. |
