Sundance Vacations Speedway- Awesome Asphalt Racing in The Pocono Foothills

“Pistol” Pete Rides to Sundance Sunset

By: Gene Ostrowski

August 28, 2010

In what most would call the closest modified racing of the season at Sundance Vacations Speedway, the Jersey Outlaw, “Pistol” Pete Brittain held off Bobby Jones and company to score the $1800 cone race win Saturday on the 1/3-mile oval. In hard charger form, Steve Shultz of Drums came from the 13^th starting spot to notch his third Street Stock feature win of the season and Mike Kline of Lancaster claimed his fourth FWD main event victory of the year. Coplay’s Scott Hubler continued his winning ways and grabbed his seventh P.A.L. Legends victory of the season.

Time trails and then a redraw at intermission set the staring lineup for the 50-lap Modified main event.

Pete Brittain time trialed quickest with a lap of 13.619 seconds and picked the outside pole for his starting spot. Barry Callavini drew the pole position.

The green flag flew and Callavini led the opening lap over Brittain, Bobby Jones, Nick Pecko and Earl Paules. Paules moved to the fourth spot a few laps later and Kyle Ebersole joined the top five by lap 10.

Brittain hounded Callavini and jumped to the outside to make a bid at the lead. His outside pass was successful and he took the top spot on lap 17.

Several weeks prior to the event, track officials announced that the race would be a cone race, where drivers got to choose the inside or outside lanes for restarts, which can really shake up the positions for restarts. However, with 30 laps into the race and without a caution flag, it appeared that the fans might be let down.

That changed when Jim Bojohnny spun on the backstretch with 15 laps to go.

The drama was expected to unfold, but the only driver in the top six who chose to advance a position by taking the outside lane was Zane Zeiner, who gave up his fifth spot to line up fourth, in the outside groove.

Green flag racing resumed with Brittain in front over Jones, Ebersole, Zeiner and Paules. The top five ran hot and heavy, door-to-door, and wheel-to-wheel. The intensity rose as Jones continued to keep his car on the high side with hopes of finding a lane around the leader.

The yellow flag waved on lap 44 when Dave Schneider spun in turn one. While trying to avoid the spin, Geary Rinehimer made contact with the outside wall and retired from the event.

Most drivers chose the inside line for the restart but not Pecko. Instead, Pecko chose the outside and moved from seventh to fourth for the restart.

Despite several attempts to take the race lead from both Jones and Ebersole over the closing laps, Brittain went on to claim the victory for his first of the season at the speedway. Jones was forced to settle for a runner-up effort, followed by Ebersole, Pecko and Zeiner.

Jeff McGrath started from the pole and led the opening circuit of the 25-lpa Street Stock main over Mike Garris, Sr., Bernie Uphold, Robert Fink and Kevin Higgins.

The lap counter hit two and Fink shot by Garris for second. He then overtook McGrath and grabbed the race lead. Meanwhile, Chip Wanamaker climbed his way into the second spot and Dale Santee and Mitch Hawk cracked the top five by lap five.

The first and only caution flew for debris on lap seven. Wanamaker lined up alongside Fink for the restart and the two ran wheel to wheel once the green came back out.

It was a race of the fittest, as the two swapped the lead. First Wanamaker took it on lap nine. Then Fink regained the advantage on lap 10. Little did they know, Steve Shultz, who started13th, had moved to third when he overtook Higgins for the spot on lap 13.

As the top two dueled, Shultz overtook Fink and then took control of the race when he overtook Wanamaker for the lead on lap 14.

Shultz never looked back and went on to take his third $500 feature win of the season over Wanamaker, Fink, Higgins and Hawk.

Heat race wins went to Mike Garris, Sr., Kevin Higgins and Chip Wanamaker.

Jay Skupski started from the pole position and led the opening circuit of the 20-lap FWD feature. Brian Kunkel ran second, with Eric Banashefski, Mike Kline and John Smith in tow.

Dave Freundt overtook Smith for the fifth spot following the first lap and Kline overtook Banashefski for third two laps later. Kline then disposed of Kunkel for second on the next circuit.

Kline took the race lead on lap five before the yellow waved when Kunkel received a flat tire after contact with Skupski on lap six.

Green flag racing resumed and Banashefski, who had restarted in the second spot, overtook the leader. However, Kline came back and retook the top spot only one lap later.

Kline held on to notch his fourth win of the season over Banashefski, Freundt, Frank Katona and Smith.

Heat race wins went to Eric Banashefski and Mike Kline.

In dominating fashion, Scott Hubler beat Carl Jones to the finish for his seventh feature win of the season in the 15-lap Pennsylvania Asphalt Legends feature.

The Sundance Vacations Contingency Program winners were Earl Paules, Dale Santee and Paul Morgan, Jr.

Modified (50-laps) 1. PETE BRITTAIN 2. Bobby Jones 3. Kyle Ebersole 4. Nick Pecko 5. Zane Zeiner 6. Earl Paules 7. Barry Callavini 8. Allen Creveling 9. Marc Rogers 10. CJ Jones 11. David Schneider 12. Todd Baer 13. Rich Parker 14. Keith Bachman 15. Jim Bojohnny 16. Geary Rinehimer 17.Wayne Szerencsits 18. Ryan Russo

Street Stock (25-laps) 1. STEVE SHULTZ 2. Chip Wanamaker 3. Robert Fink 4. Kevin Higgins 5. Mitch Hawk 6. Nick Ross 7. Joe Barbush 8. Brian Wozniak 9. Mike Garris Sr 10. John Stonier 11. Dale Santee 12. Bernie Uphold 13. Jeff McGrath 14. Robert Haueisen 15. Rodney Gruber 16. Tony Hilliard DNS: Darryl Schwartz, Rich DiMarco, Scott Meckes

FWD (20-laps) 1. MIKE KLINE 2. Eric Banashefski 3. Dave Freundt 4. Frank Katona 5. John Smith 6. Paul Morgan Jr 7. Jay Skupski 8. Trevor Ahouse 9. Bruce Miller 10. Brian Kunkel

P.A.L. Legends (15-laps) 1. SCOTT HUBLER 2. Carl Jones