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Rusty Smith Lands in Victory Lane Following Last-to-First Run at
Mountain Speedway
By: Gene Ostrowski
August 31, 2008
Mountain
Speedway closed out the month of August on Sunday with round #5 of the
PA Asphalt Modified Championship Series. With three laps remaining,
Rusty Smith of Oxford, NY bumped Berwick’s Brian DeFebo and went on to
take the win in the 75-lap main event. Chip Wanamaker notched his
fourth street stock win of the season and Scott Adams grabbed his
seventh thriller win of the year. Ken Kleppinger held off Robert Fink
to score the 4 cyl. FWD victory.
Seventeen-year-old Kyle Ebersole started on the pole and took the early
lead in round #5 of the Pennsylvania Modified Championship Series. With
a trio of laps complete, Larry Fisher held second, followed by Brian
DeFebo, Barry Callavini and Lew Hallock.
Matt
Hirschman grabbed fifth from Hallock, but then appeared to be tagged
from behind in turn two. A spinning Hirschman brought out the lap five
caution.
With a
terrific restart, DeFebo powered by Fisher and took second. Two laps
later he grabbed the race lead from Ebersole. Several yellow flag
periods slowed the action early on, but it didn’t seem to affect DeFebo,
who was up on the wheel for each restart.
After running the heat race in his back up car, Rusty Smith started dead
last in the feature with his primary car. He challenged Hallock for
fifth and took the position on lap twenty-one.
DeFebo continued to lead at halfway and Ebersole held second. Fisher
ran third, followed by John Fortin and Smith. Hirschman ran sixth and
relinquished that position when he headed pit side just past halfway
into the event. As the handling on his car began to fade, Ebersole
started to slide backward.
Smith moved even further toward the front as the laps ticked off.
First, he shot by Fortin to take third on lap forty-two. Fifteen laps
later he overtook Fisher for second and began to chase down DeFebo.
With only three laps remaining and while racing hard for the lead, Smith
made contact with DeFebo in turn four. Smith allowed DeFebo to
straighten out his ride, then shot underneath him and into the lead.
Smith led the final laps and went on to take the win over DeFebo and
Fortin. After pitting numerous times throughout the afternoon,
Hirschman rebounded to finish fourth and Fisher was fifth in his first
outing of the season.
Lew Hallock, Matt Hirschman and Billy Weichert were heat race winners.
Brad Kline started from the pole in the 20-lap street stock feature.
With only a lap complete, Steve Shultz, who was running in the second
spot, got a nudge from behind and shot up the race track in turn four.
Paul Frantz and Brian Wozniak were also collected.
Chip Wanamaker started sixth, worked through traffic and grabbed the
lead from Kline on lap three.
With only
five laps complete, the red flag was thrown when Jeff McGrath and
Jennifer Kutz tangled while exiting turn four. McGrath suffered minor
damage and Kutz was not so lucky after hitting the front stretch wall
nearly head on.
The race restarted and Wanamaker continued out front with Kline in
second. Brian Sones was third, followed by Richie DiMarco and Wozniak.
DiMarco and Sones raced hard for the third position and DiMarco took the
spot for good on lap twelve. Three laps later he overtook Kline for
second.
Without enough time for DiMarco to challenge, Wanamaker notched his
fourth feature win of the season. DiMarco finished second, followed by
Kline, Sones and Wozniak.
Brian Wozniak and Chip Wanamaker were heat race victors.
Bob Wink and Jay Gould shared the front row for the start of the 20-lap
thriller main. Wink jumped out and into the lead on the start. Gould
tucked into the second spot with Paul Morgan, Jr., Nick Shaw and Mike
Moyer, Sr. in tow.
The yellow flag flew on lap four when Morgan bounced off of the back
stretch wall. Green flag racing resumed and Shaw got by Gould for
second and Scott Adams got around Mike Moyer, Sr. to take fourth.
Looking to win his first career thriller event, Wink continued to hold
off challenges from Shaw, then Adams.
Adams got by Wink for the top spot with three laps remaining. Wink
finished as the runner up. Nick Ross was third, followed by Mike Moyer,
Jr. and Shaw completed the top five.
Mike Moyer, Sr. and Bob Wink were heat race winners.
Eric Banashefski led the 4 cyl. FWD field to the drop of the green flag
in the 20-lap feature. The first five circuits went caution-free, then
due to a rear wheel issue, Jeff Biegley spun and brought out the yellow
flag.
The race restarted and the caution waved again. This time for a Jess
McGlynn and Frank Katona tangle in turn four.
Kleppinger lined up second for the restart and quickly took the race
lead when green flag racing resumed. Nikki Wachs moved by Banashefski
for second, followed by Robert Fink and Jake Oswald.
Wachs pressured Kleppinger for the lead and actually grabbed the top
spot for a moment on lap sixteen, then lost the spot after rubbing
fenders with Banashefski and McGlynn. The end result was s spin by
Banashefski and Wachs dropped to fourth.
Green flag racing resumed and Kleppinger held on to take his third win
of the season over Fink, Verwys, Wachs and Oswald.
Results
Modified (75-laps)
1. RUSTY SMITH 2. Brian Defebo 3. John Fortin 4. Matt
Hirshman 5. Larry Fisher 6. Kyle Ebersole 7. Johnny Bush 8. Amber
Levandowski 9. Andy Walko 10. Eric Kocher 11. Billy Weichert 12. Steve
Tooker 13. Eddie Brunnhoelzl III 14. Harry Buchman 15. Lewis Hallock 16.
Todd Baer 17.Barry Callavini DNS: Wayne Szerencsits
Street
Stock (20-laps) 1. CHIP WANAMAKER 2. Rich Dimarco 3. Brad Kline
4. Brian Sones 5. Brian Wozniak 6. Jason Arthoefer 7. Steve Shultz 8.
Brian Hughes 9. Jeff McGrath 10. CJ Lehmann 11. Steve Clark 12. Paul
Frantz 13. Jennifer Kutz DNS: Keith St Clair
Thriller (20-laps) 1. SCOTT ADAMS 2. Bob Wink 3. Nick Ross 4. Mike Moyer
Jr 5. Nick Shaw 6. Mike Moyer Sr 7. Wayne Lowe 8. Paul Morgan Jr 9. Jay
Gould 10. Pat Verwys 11. Dave Bartuski 12. Nick Adams 13. Eric Wink
4 Cyl. FWD (20-laps) 1. KEN KLEPPINGER 2. Robert Fink 3. Bill Verwys Sr 4.
Nikki Wachs 5. Jake Oswald 6. Eric Banashefski 7. Jess McGlynn 8. Frank
Katona 9. Jeff Biegley
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