Sundance Vacations Speedway- Awesome Asphalt Racing in The Pocono Foothills

Todd Baer Earns First Sundance Sport Modified Victory

By: Gene Ostrowski

July 11, 2010

Postponed from a weather threatened Saturday, drivers took to the 1/3-mile asphalt oval on Sunday at Sundance vacations Speedway. It was a day of firsts, as all of the feature winners went to victory lane for the very first time in their division. Without pitting for tires, Todd Baer of New Tripoli grabbed the $1250 prize after picking up his first career Sport Modified victory in the 75-lap contest. Following a handful of runner up finishes this season, Lorin Arthofer of Bethlehem went on to claim the $800 prize and his first feature win in a Late Model at the speedway and Eric Wink of Palm capitalized on a late race tangle to score his first career Factory Stock feature win.

Seventy-five laps of action set the stage for the $1250 to win Sport Modified main event. Double points were also on the line, which made track position even more important for the drivers when decision time came for pit stops.

Will Schneider sat on the pole position and was overtaken by Dan Speeney for the race lead on lap one. Geary Rinehimer and Mike Speeney held positions in the top five early on but the yellow flag waved when Rinehimer spun in turn four on the twelfth circuit.

Green flag racing resumed and Todd Baer, who had fought his way to second after starting in the ninth spot, grabbed the race lead. Nick Pecko climbed his way past D. Speeney and into second a few laps later, with Barry Callavini and Jason Hearne entering the top five.

With Baer out front at halfway, Callavini ran in the second spot, followed closely by M. Speeney, Hearne and Ricky Ross, Jr.

The yellow flag waved once more when Jerry Hildebrand tagged Pat Verwys on the backstretch. Several of the top ten drivers pitted for rubber under the caution, including Earl Paules, Rusty Smith and Pecko.

Green flag racing resumed and with Smith right on his rear bumper, Paules began to dispose of the competition left and right. He grabbed the fifth spot from Ross on lap 57 and then took fourth from Hearne two laps later. Smith followed the entire time. Paules then overtook M. Speeney for third on lap 65 and then set sail for Callavini.

Meanwhile, Mike Skarbowski snuck by Smith to take the fourth spot.

Baer never pitted for tires, yet set a blistering pace over the final circuits to earn his first career Sport Modified win over Callavini, Paules, Skarbowski and Smith.

Baer said during his victory lane interview that the team’s initial plan was to pit for tires sometime past the halfway point. “We planned to pit, but we were leading and couldn’t afford to give up the track position”, he said.

The winning driver also thanked Paules, who Baer had finished second to on multiple occasions. “He (Paules) taught me a lot just by following him and this time we got him”, said Baer.

Heat race victories went to Mike Skarbowski, Jason Hearne and Dan Speeney.

Geno Steigerwalt started on the pole in the 30-lap Late Model feature, but the yellow flag waved before a lap was complete when Travis Fisher, Justin Onderko and Kyle Harvell tangled in turns one and two.

Green flag racing resumed and another caution flew when Joe Burns got into Austin Kochenash. With nowhere to go, Harvell drilled Kochenash in the turn one and two incident. Steigerwalt continued out front with Todd Geist in second, followed by Todd Stehle, Craig Lutz and Lorin Arthofer.

The green flag waved once again and Mike Sweeney began to battle with Lutz for the fourth spot. Sweeney made contact with the other competitor and received a flat tire, which brought out the caution and forced him pit side on lap three.

With the green back out, Fisher began to climb toward the front. He got by Stehle for fourth and the by Geist for third on lap four. However, Fisher’s day came to end during the next caution when he gave up his spot and retired with mechanical woes.

Meanwhile, Arthofer worked his way into second, with Onderko and Harvell close behind. Arthofer jumped to the outside of Steigerwalt for the lead in turn one and Onderko attempted to take the lead with the three-wide maneuver on lap six. Arthofer came out as the leader and Onderko climbed to second.

Despite pressure from Onderko over the closing laps, Arthofer went on to score his first career victory at the speedway over Onderko, Lutz, Sweeney and Steigerwalt.

Austin Kochenash and Todd Stehle were heat race winners.

Matt Schlenker started from the pole position and led the opening lap of the 20-lap Factory Stock event. With one lap complete, Paul Morgan, Jr. ran second, followed by Eric Wink, Brandon Oltra and Kendall Foulk.

Rich Piciotti took the fifth spot from Foulk in the early going and it began to appear that the event would feature a first career feature winner, as Schlenker held of advances by Morgan lap after lap. However, that changed on lap 12 when the yellow flag waved when Oltra spun on the backstretch.

Schlenker had a great restart and Morgan climbed to the leader’s back bumper. As Morgan tried to find a way under the leader, Wink patiently sat back in the third spot just waiting for something to happen. It did and on lap 16 Morgan applied a little too much pressure to the leader and he spun in turn two.

Wink assumed the race lead and despite pressure from Oltra over the closing laps, he went on to score his first career Factory Stock win. Oltra settled for second, followed by Morgan, Paciotti and Foulk.

Matt Schlenker and Eric Wink were heat race winners.

The Sundance Vacations Contingency Program winners were Todd Baer and Adam Cox.

Sport Modifieds (75-Laps) 1. TODD BAER 2. Barry Callavini 3. Earl Paules 4. Mike Skarbowski 5. Rusty Smith 6. Mike Speeney 7. Ricky Ross Jr 8. Jason Hearne 9. Dan Speeney 10. Nick Pecko 11. CJ Lacatvia 12. Pat Verwys 13. William Schneider 14. Bill Lowden Jr 15. Frank Scimeca 16. Jerry Hildebrand 17.Jim Zacharias 18. Dean Ficarro 19. Geary Rinehimer 20. Brian Sones

Late Models (30-Laps) 1. LORIN ARTHOFER 2. Justin Onderko 3. Craig Lutz 4. Mike Sweeney 5. Geno Steigerwalt 6. Kyle Harvell 7. Adam Cox 8. Todd Geist 9. Mike Coll 10. Joe Burns 11. Todd Stehle 12. Frank Katona 13. Troy Bollinger 14. Travis Fisher 15. Austin Kochenash

Factory Stocks (20-Laps) 1. ERIC WINK 2. Brandon Oltra 3. Paul Morgan Jr 4. Richard Paciotti 5. Kendall Foulk 6. Matt Schlenker 7. Keith Frankenfield