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Cunningham and Zimmer win firsts of year at Raceway 7, Firestone, and Schenker also score wins. Blair, Watson, Withers, and Boyd are track champions.

By Jay Pees

Conneaut, OH, (September 2, 2011): Hot and muggy air greeted racefans on the final night of the 2011 season at Raceway 7 as season champions were crowned in all divisions. Max Blair had wrapped up his second championship two weeks prior to the season end and spent the weekend at Tyler County Speedway in WV at a FASTRAK major event. Jonny Boyd had also wrapped up his second consecutive title last week but the race for second was extremely tight with John Boy Sr and Bud Sergeff only 9 points apart coming into the evening. The other championship races went to Joel Watson in E-Mods, and Chris Withers in Street Stocks.

I regular racing action Bill Cunningham Sr won his first-ever Evergreen Lake Park Campground FASTRAK Late Model feature and Ken Zimmer won his first-ever Zimmer Service Center E-Mod feature.  Rush Firestone “bookended” his season, adding a win at the season closer to his win opening night.  John Schenker also collected his second feature win of the season, taking the honors in the Son Construction Mini Stock season finale.

Paul Schreckengost took off to the immediate lead in the Campbell’s Mini Storage Street Stock feature. After a minor skirmish in lap one, the next yellow period was for a 6-car pileup in turn three when Curt Bish got wide, spinning in front of several cars who came together trying to avoid the melee. Four cars got together on the restart for the next caution. Rush Firestone was second at the halfway point with Joe Rohrer running third. With five laps remaining, Ryan Blood spun in turn two for the final caution of the race. Schreckengost had his hands full over the final laps with Rush Firestone challenging all the way gaining the lead and the win on the final lap. With the win, Firestone “bookended” the season, winning both opening night and closing night, but nothing in between! In Victory Lane, Firestone noted he will be back at Raceway 7 next year to defend his title. Schreckengost wound up second with Joe Rohrer third, 2011 champion Chris Withers fourth, and former champion Ed Bolyard fifth.

2011 track Champion Jonny Boyd started on the pole for the finale for the Son Construction Mini Stocks feature. John Boyd Sr was second at the end of two laps with Bud Sergeff third. At the halfway point John Schenker got by Sergeff for third and then got by Boyd Sr for the runner-up spot a lap later.  With two laps remaining Schenker was leading. Schenker went on to the win with Boyd Jr second, Boyd Sr third, Trisha Wheeler fourth and Bud Sergeff fifth. The point’s battle for second went to Boyd Sr with Sergeff settling for third. For the first time in Raceway 7’s history (to this writer’s knowledge) the top two point’s positions went to a father and son in a division.

Billy Henry and Bob Rohrer paced the Evergreen Lake Park Campground FASTRAK Late Models. With the point’s championship already decided, and no 2011 Raceway 7 winners in the field, a first time winner was assured. Billy Henry, a former Steel Block Late Model Champion, grabbed the early lead with Jay Watson, making his first start on the year, coming to second at the end of three laps. Watson experienced mechanical problems at lap nine and exited the event. At halfway it was Henry with a seven car-length lead over Bill Cunningham Sr, Bob Rohrer, Matt Latta, and Billy Cunningham Jr. Justin Kreider came to a stop on the track at lap 13, bringing the first caution over the track. At green Rohrer came back to second from the double-file restart but Cunningham returned to the spot a lap later. With four laps remaining Joe Long, Bob Pifer, and Justin Kreider got together in turn four, bringing caution over the raceway again. Kyle Zimmerman and Jamie Brown retired to the pits from damage incurred in a separate wreck during the caution. On lap 18 Henry bobbled in turn two and Cunningham Sr got by for the lead, going on to his first FASTRAK Late Model win at Raceway 7. Henry was second with Bob Rohrer third, Matt Latta, fourth, and Billy Cunningham Jr fifth. Cunningham Jr failed to cross the scales at the end of the race and was disqualified from the event, moving Bryan Salisbury to fifth. 

The Zimmer Service Center E-Mods were the final feature of the season to take the green flag with Ken Zimmer on the pole and Mike Kinney on the outside, both looking for their first Raceway 7 E-Mod wins. Kinney led most of the first lap until going high in turn three, allowing Zimmer to assume the lead. Chuck Steinle Sr spun in turn four, slowing the event at the end of lap one. At green Percy McDonald briefly got by Zimmer but Zimmer re-assumed the lead by the end of lap one. Josh McDonald spun in turn four of lap five, again slowing the field.  Percy McDonald and Russ Dunn ran side-by-side for several laps with Dunn gaining the spot at lap eight. At halfway Zimmer had a five car-length lead but Dunn was gaining a little bit each lap. At lap 12 McDonald got by Dunn as Dunn started to slow and pulled to the pits at the end of the lap. With five to go Zimmer had a near half-straight advantage over Percy McDonald with the veteran Bill Taylor third. When the leader encountered lapped traffic with two laps to go McDonald was able to close the gap slightly but the race was again slowed as the leaders were coming through three and four when Ron Kahler spun in turn four. For the one-lap dash to the checkers, Zimmer brought the field to the green and led the final lap with McDonald hanging on for the win by .039 second at the line as recorded by the Amb-IT scoring system.  For Zimmer it was his first-ever E-Mod win, coming at the end of a frustration season for the former Street Stock Champion. McDonald, the 2009 E-Mod champion, finished a likewise frustrating season with a second place, his best finish of the season. Bill Taylor capped off his season with another good run, finishing third with Gerry Kielar, fresh off his first-ever win last week, getting fourth and Chuck Steinle Jr finishing fifth.

Evergreen Lake Park FASTRAK Late Models:

Heat 1: Matt Latta, Bill Cunningham Sr, Billy Cunningham Jr, Bob Rohrer, Ben Black, Bob Pifer, Joe Long, Joe DeFazio

Heat 2: Bryan Salisbury, Jamie Brown, Billy Henry, Jay Watson, Kyle Zimmerman, Justin Kreider, Damien Bidwell

Feature: Bill Cunningham Sr, Billy Henry, Bob Rohrer, Matt Latta, Bryan Salisbury, Damien Bidwell, Ben Black, Joe DeFazio, Bob Pifer, Justin Kreider, Joe Long, Kyle Zimmerman, Jamie Brown, Jay Watson, Billy Cunningham Jr (DQ)

Zimmer Service Center E-Mods:

Heat 1: Russ Dunn, Bill Taylor, Mike Kinney, Gerry Kielar, Josh McDonald, Tim Deutsch, Dan McDonald, Bud Watson

Heat 2: Joel Watson, Ken Zimmer, Chuck Steinle Jr, Percy McDonald, Gary Eicher, Chuck Steinle Sr, Ron Kahler

Feature: Ken Zimmer, Percy McDonald, Bill Taylor, Jerry Kielar, Chuck Steinle Jr, Mike Kinney, Bill Thomas, Josh McDonald, Chuck Steinle Sr, Ron Kahler, Joel Watson, Russ Dunn, Bud Watson, Dan McDonald, Gary Eicher (DNS)

Campbell Mini Storage Street Stocks:

Heat 1: Paul Schreckengost, Joe Rohrer, Jeff Buccella, Rush Firestone, Tommy Fox, Brent Coleman, Steven Burns, Ed Bolyard, Rusty Wheeler, Nate Arp

Heat 2: Shawn Fawcett, Chris Withers, Ryan Blood, Steve Horvath, Rick Prosser, Curt Bish, Charlie McMillen, David Snyder, Art Edwards, Alex Anderson

Feature: Rush Firestone, Paul Schreckengost, Joe Rohrer, Chris Withers, Ed Bolyard, Rick Prosser, Rusty Wheeler, Jeff Buccella, Brent Coleman, Nate Arp, Art Edwards, Ryan Blood, Curt Bish, Steve Burns, Shawn Fawcett, Tommy Fox, Steve Horvath, Charlie McMillen, David Snyder, Alex Anderson (DNS)

Son Construction Mini Stocks:

Heat 1: Bud Sergeff, John Boyd Sr, John Schenker, Brad Cole, Tim Gillette, Trisha Wheeler, Joe Keney

Heat 2: Jonny Boyd, Joe Longenecker, Jason Easler, Wes Stull, Ed Huge, Carlos Aponte, Mitch Stokes

Feature: John Schenker, Jonny Boyd, John Boyd Sr, Trisha Wheeler, Bud Sergeff, Ed Huge, Carlos Aponte, Wes Stull, Brad Cole, Tim Gillette, Jason Easler, Joe Longenecker, Mitch Stokes, Joe Keney