Hebing Wins Patriot Sprint Tour at Raceway 7

By Jay Pees

Conneaut, OH (May 30, 2014): For the first time in 2014 Mother Nature graced Raceway 7 with excellent weather, without a cloud in the sky at race time. The Patriot Sprint Tour made it’s second-ever visit, bringing 20 of the winged alcohol-burning racers to battle over a $2000 winner’s purse. Three heats, won by Clay, NY’s Joe Trenca, Ontario, NY’s Chuck Hebing, and Auburn, NY’s Bryan Howland, plus a dash won by Tiffen, OH’s Paige Polyak set the field for the 25-lap finale. The draw for starting positions was won by Hebing. Hebing led from flag to flag, pressured by Bryan Howland in the end stages of the event. The top four finisher accounted for the eight most recent Patriot Sprint Tour championship.

In regular racing action former champion Ed Bolyard came from third on the final restart of the Street Stock feature to the win on the final lap getting by former champion Chris Withers and race-long leader Jimmy Kennerknecht. Joel Watson took over at the front of the pack on lap seven and went on the E-Mod feature win. Darrell Bossard, a former Street stock champion, won his first-ever Crate Late Model feature, leading flag to flag. Defending Mini-Stock Champion Brad Cole came from fifth to third in three laps, then went on to win his first feature of the season. Last week’s winner Josh Ferry took over at the front of the Economod feature at lap seven and went on to his second-ever feature win.

Tony Hyde and Steve Burns Jr were slated to lead the Campbell’s Mini-Storage Street Stocks to the green for their 15-lap feature but Burns was unable to answer the call to the track so Jimmy Kennerknecht became the outside front row starter. Kennerknecht came to the lead in turn two with defending champion Chris Withers second at the end of one. Withers pulled to the high side at lap five and came alongside the leader but could not compete the pass and fell back. With six laps in, Darrin Hyde spun in turn two, slowing the event. When racing resumed Withers tried inside and outside to gain the lead but caution again slowed the race when Dave Myers spun in turn two. Kennerknecht led Withers with Bolyard third with a battle shaping up till two laps remaining when Myers again spun in turn two along with Mike Harmon. The final two lap run had Bolyard getting by Withers and Kennerknecht as the field came to the white flag and then on to the win. Kennerknecht was able to hang on to second with Withers third, Kenny Lamp fourth, and Tony Hyde fifth.

Mike Potosky and Dan McDonald brought the field to green in the Bonnell Collision Center E-Mods with Potosky leading lap one over former champion Russ Dunn and McDonald. McDonald got back to second at lap two with Joe Watson up to third a lap later. On lap six, Watson went low and got by McDonald for second then to the lead at the end of seven. Once in the lead Watson opened up his advantage. At halfway it was Watson, Potosky, McDonald, Russ Dunn, and Rich Michael fifth. With twelve complete Kenny Zimmer replaced Michael in fifth while up front Watson now had a full quarter-lap lead. Dunn got by McDonald at lap thirteen then caution came at lap fourteen when Dan Sasso looped it in turn four, erasing Watson’s huge lead. At the restart McDonald got by Potosky for the runner-up spot but only one lap was then completed before Denny Crawford spun, again slowing the event. Three cars piled up in turn one on the restart so another attempt was necessary to get the race moving again. Watson led to the restart with McDonald and Greg Johnson right behind. The three kept that order another lap with Russ Dunn getting by Potosky on the white flag then Josh McDonald, last week’s winner, spinning for the final caution. On the final lap Gary Eicher came by Dunn for fourth.

After the traditional four-wide salute Chuck Hebing and Scott Kruetter brought the field to the green with Hebing immediately opening a huge lead in one lap with Bryan Howland coming to second. Early in the event the top four drivers, Hebing, Howland, Kruetter, and Jared Zimbardi, were all former champions. Lapped cars came into play at lap seven with Hebing leading the charge until Paul Habeck looped his mount in turn four at lap eight. Zimbardi, the defending champion and winner in the September, 2013 appearance, came to third on the restart but CJ Jones spun in a compete ‘360°’ and kept going but the flagman threw caution even though the call had not come from race control for it. At green several cars made contact with Steve Glover winding up stalled on the track. Through two more cautions Hebing continued to build his lead with Howland and Zimbardi battling over second with Kruetter fourth. After a lap nineteen restart Hebing and Howland were together with Howland trying the low side for a pass. Hebing held on for the win with Howland second, Zimbardi third, Kruetter fourth, and Paige Polyak fifth. The top four drivers accounted for the eight most recent PST championships and the top two finishers were the only Ford-powered machines in the race.

Wendell Pinckney and Darrell Bossard were up front for the Evergreen Lake Park Campground Crate Late Models feature with defending champion Chad Wright starting sixth. Bossard took the immediate lead over Pinckney with caution for minor spins coming at the end of one lap. Mike Mitchell came to second after the restart. A three car pileup occurred before the green could fly then Bossard again led the way with Mitchell still second. Matt Latta came by Pinckney for third at lap 12. Bossard increased his lead to over a quarter lap at the checkers with Mitchell second, Latta third, with Pinckney and Billy Henry filling out the top five.

Hoyt Mihalak and Dale Fraschetti, both driving former Jonny Boyd Dodge Daytonas, started the Specialty Products Mini Stock feature on the front row with Fraschetti leading the way by turn two and Jason Easler next to the leader at the end of lap one. The race was red flagged at the end of lap one when James Miller and Scott Gill came together hard on the front straight. Before another lap could be completed several cars got together in turn three with John Boyd taking a hard hit, ending his night. After the next start Fraschetti led while Easler and Mihalak battled for second. On lap four defending champion Brad Cole used the high line in turns three and four to get to second then, still running the high side, took the lead at lap five. By lap seven points leader Carlos Aponte was third from his seventeen starting position. After a caution with three remaining Cole went on to the win over Fraschetti, Aponte, Mihalak, and Mitch Stokes.

Kyle Fellows and Josh Mueller led the Zimmer Service Center Economods to Roger Osburn’s green flag with Mueller leading the way after lap one. Two cars spun at the end of lap one, slowing the event then another three cars spun one lap after restarting. Leader Mueller spun after a restart at lap three. Steve Burns inherited the lead but by lap five last week’s winner Josh Ferry was next to him at the stripe and leading at the end of seven. Ferry went on to his second win in as many weeks over Brandon Blackshear, Burns, Ty Rhoades fourth, and Jace Ferringer filling out the top five.

Results:

Patriot Sprint Tour:
Heat 1: Joe Trenca, Steve Glover, Dennis Wagner, Paige Polyak, Scott Just, Dane Lorenc, Paul Habeck
Heat 2: Chuck Hebing, Jared Zimbardi, Scott Kruetter, C J Jones, Derek Jonathan, Dave Just
Heat 3: Bryan Howland, Steve Collins, Parker Evans, Brad Knab, Tyler Graves, Stan Zanchin
Dash: Paige Polyak, C J Jones, Parker Evans, Scott Just, Brad Knab, Derek Jonathan
Feature: Chuck Hebing, Bryan Howland, Jared Zimbardi, Scott Kruetter, Paige Polyak, Steve Collins, C J Jones, Joe Trenca, David Just, Parker Evans, Scott Just, Dane Lorenc, Derek Jonathan, Brad Knab, Stan Zanchin, Tyler Graves, Dennis Wagner, Steve Glover, Paul Habeck

Evergreen Lake Park Campground FASTRAK Late Models:
Heat 1: Kyle Zimmerman, Bob Dorman, Wendell Pinckney, Billy Henry, Bob Pifer, Khole Wanzer, Breyton Santee
Heat 2: Chad Wright, Mike Mitchell, Matt Latta, Darrell Bossard, Dave Airgood, Bruce Hordusky, Dennis Lunger (DQ)
Feature: Darrell Bossard, Mike Mitchell, Matt Latta, Wendell Pinckney, Billy Henry, Chad Wright, Bruce Hordusky, Dave Airgood, Bob Pifer, Khole Wanzer, Bob Dorman, Kyle Zimmerman, Dennis Lunger, Breyton Santee

Bonnell Collision Center E-Mods:
Heat 1: Russ Dunn, Mike Potosky, Rich Michael, Dan McDonald, Kenny Zimmer, Josh McDonald, Dan Sasso, Joe DeFazio, Chuck Steinle Jr
Heat 2: Joel Watson, Gary Eicher, Mike McGee, Bill Taylor, Greg Johnson, Percy McDonald, John Boardman
Feature: Joel Watson, Dan McDonald, Greg Johnson, Gary Eicher, Russ Dunn, Ken Zimmer, John Boardman, Mike Potosky, Percy McDonald, Bill Taylor, Dan Sasso, Rich Michael, Josh McDonald, Denny Crawford, Chuck Steinle Jr, Joe DeFazio, Mike McGee

Campbell’s Mini-Storage Street Stocks:
Heat 1: Tony Hyde, Kenny Lamp, Chris Hochschild, Ed Bolyard, Mike Harmon, Dave Myers
Heat 2: Steve Burns Jr, Jimmy Kennerknecht, Chris Withers, Darrin Hyde, Art Gilchrist, Kyle Reinwald
Feature: Ed Bolyard, Jimmy Kennerknecht, Chris Withers, Kenny Lamp, Tony Hyde, Kyle Reinwald, Chris Hochschild, Art Gilchrist, Dave Myers, Darron Hyde, Mike Harmon, Steve Burns Jr (DNS)

Zimmer Service Center Economods:
Heat 1: Josh Ferry, Ty Rhoades, Russ Kapalin, Chuck Steinle Sr, Casey Bowers, Jamie Scharba, Devin Henry, Megan Adams
Heat 2: Brandon Blackshear, Steve Burns, Kyle Fellows, Josh Mueller, Jace Ferringer, Eric Reinwald, Rick Prosser, Steven Samuelson
Feature: Josh Ferry, Brandon Blackshear, Steve Burns, Ty Rhoades, Jace Ferringer, Rick Prosser, Eric Reinwald, Jamie Scharba, Russ Kapalin, Steve Samuelson, Casey Bowers, Kyle Fellows, Devin Henry, Josh Mueller (DQ), Megan Adams, Chuck Steinle Sr (DNS)

Specialty Products Mini Stocks:
Heat 1: Joe Plesniak, Brad Cole, Bud Sergeff, Hoyt Mihalak, Alex Siekennen, Scott Gill, Cody Minor, Chris Forbes, Carlos Aponte
Heat 2: Dale Fraschetti, Jason Easler, Mitch Stokes, John Boyd, James Miller, Alex Forbes, Logan Kesey, Cale Sousa
Feature: Brad Cole, Dale Fraschetti, Carlos Aponte, Hoyt Mihalak, Mitch Stokes, Cale Sousa, Logan Keney, Alex Forbes, Jason Easler, Bud Sergeff, Chris Forbes, John Boyd, Joe Plesniak, Cody Minor, James Miller, Scott Gill, Alex Siekinnen (DNS)