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Mountain Madness from April 9th

Welcome back fans!! Man, it seems like forever since we watched the Mountain Speedway drivers turning laps on this 1/3rd miler, but Spring is back and so is racing! If you're not familiar with Mountain Madness, here's a quick description:

This column (Mountain Madness) is written weekly to give the quick scoop on the latest race happenings and giving a few drivers 'On the Fast Track' a pat on the back for their efforts. The drivers On the Fast Track might not have necessarily won the night's features, but will be given credit to running better than previous weeks, passing most cars, etc. etc. There will be one mention of a driver from each division. Thanks to Valley Service of NJ there is a weekly trophy given to a driver 'On the Fast Track' in each division. The whole idea is to not only recognize the feature winners, but to also recognize others who are 'On the Fast Track' to success at Mountain Speedway.

So, there's the scoop, now let's get to it! Last season we started off week one with a 'hard charger' trophy. Not the case for the start of this season, but it will happen in the upcoming weeks. Instead, let's focus on what helps get drivers competitive, but doesn't always win the race; SPEED! We'll take a in-depth look at the drivers who had the fastest lap in each feature and see how they compared to the second fastest lap times.

Congrats to 'Pistol' Pete Brittain for winning the Balliet's Country Corners modified feature, but there was that one driver (with the big rig) who turned some really quick speeds all day while in the top 5. Who was that? Wes Swartout. The man turned a 14.056 and beat out Brian Defebo for the quickest lap by 0.002 of a second! Well, welcome to the Mountain fast track Wes!

Typically Larry Fisher has the fast time in the late model feature. Not the case this week folks, although Fisher did win the feature. Congratulations to Larry and the entire team for the win after that fierce battle with Mike Coll. Oh yeah, fast times…Here's a hint: This driver gives Hershey bars out on autograph night. Hmmmm, thinking? You got it; it's Joe Hoffman! Hoffman ran a 14.752, which beat out Fisher's lap by 0.071 of a second. Although Hoffman had his share of problems, he looked smooth and strong, but not in contention at the end. However, the fast lap stands and Joe's on the fast track for '06…congrats!

Brad Kline picked up where he left off the last few seasons in the street stocks, in championship form! Kline not only took the win over 'Hollywood' Geist, but he also ran the second fastest time with a 16.010. However, there was a driver who accrued serious problems and dropped from the race after a strong run. This guy beat out Kline's time by 0.117 of a second. Scooby Dooby Doo, welcome back Scott Meckes!

The only division where the feature winner had the fastest time was the thrillers. Bill Price Jr. picked up the hard fought win over Shaun 'Wallbanger' Burd, and in doing so, Price ran a 17.311 to Mike Skelly's 17.403. Nice run for the top 5, as they were all nose to tail at the end. For the first time in two seasons, Price is on the fast track at Mountain Speedway. Congratulations!

Eleven cars set the field for the four cylinder thrillers, but like the big thrillers, they put on a great show. Bob "Maddawg' Wink, Harry Sager, Chris Meeker and Travis Fisher had their eyes wide open the entire race. Congrats to Sager for taking the win, but congrats to Fisher for running the fastest time! Fisher's 18.846 over Wink's 18.860 put him on the fast track in '06.

Congrats to all the feature & Mountain Madness winners. Have a great Easter and in two weeks from now tune in again to see who is 'On the Fast Track' to success in Mountain Madness at Mountain Speedway.