Ruhlman, Wolbert Win RUSH Specials At Raceway 7

Conneaut, OH (June 14, 2019): The RUSH Sportsmen-Modifieds and the RUSH Sprint cars were at Raceway 7 along with the Vintage Modifieds for a special night of dirt track excitement. The night was punctuated by two red flags resulting from a RUSH Late Model driven by Ron Boardman rolling onto his driver’s side then bouncing back to his wheels in his heat, then a Mini Stock driven by Scott Gill erupted into flames during their feature on lap four. Drivers scoring victories were the defending Evergreen Lake Park Campground RUSH Late Models champion Darrell Bossard, Mike Potosky (Bonnell’s Collision Center E-Mods), defending Sunnyside Farms Transit Mini Stocks champion Dillon Speer, Chas Wolbert (RUSH Sportsmen Modifieds), defending RUSH Sprints champion Chad Ruhlman, and Jim Kerpakus (Vintage Modifieds)

The Evergreen Lake Park Campground RUSH Late Model feature started with the current points leader and defending champion Darrell Bossard in the pole position with Chad Sines outside. Bossard led the distance in the all-green event but the action was close throughout the field as Sines and last week’s winner Breyton Santee were side by side for second at lap three. At four laps it was Bossard leading Sines, Genco (from sixth), and Dave Airgood. Back markers were being lapped at the halfway point with the order now Bossard, Genco, Sines, Santee, and Airgood, who then got by Santee by lap fifteen. The finish was Bossard, Genco, Airgood, by .009 second over Sines, with Santee fifth.

The Bonnell’s Collision Center E-Mod feature started with Dan McDonald and Bill Taylor on the front row and McDonald leading from green with fourth starting Mike Potosky coming to the lead on the back straight. The race was slowed under caution before the cars completed a lap when Brian Huffman spun in turns one and two. Again on green McDonald led with Potosky next to him by the time the field got to turn three but McDonald held on to lead the first time across the stripe just as Brandon Grossman spun in turn three, gathering Judson Fell and Huffman in the incident, although Huffman kept his car moving. At lap two Potosky was solidly in the lead with sixth starting Casey Bowers up to second at lap three and opening night winner Mike Kinney third at lap four after starting seventh. At five laps complete it was Potosky, Bowers, Kinney, McDonald, and former champion Gary Eicher fifth from eighth on the grid. Former champion Percy McDonald took over fifth at six laps as Grossman spun again, this time in turns one and two. At green Kinney grabbed second and was challenging for the lead at lap nine, pulling alongside the leader on the back straight at the halfway point but fell back into second in turns three and four. The standings at halfway were Potosky, Kinney, Bowers, Eicher, and Percy McDonald. With five to go the order was the same but Bowers managed to take over second before the checkers fell. The top five were Potosky, Bowers, Kinney, Eicher, and Dan McDonald.

Jim Haefke and Scott Gill led the Sunnyside Farm Transit Mini Stocks to the green with Gill jumping out to the lead but yellow immediately flying when Pete Blazcak got into the retaining rails in turn three. Gill led again after the green fell but defending champion Dillon Speer had charged up from fifth at the start to be alongside the leader at the end of two laps. At three complete Speer was the leader. The first yellow flew at that time when Zack Eller slowed on the back straight. He slowly made his way pitside. At four laps second-running Gill suddenly erupted into flames, coming to a halt near the entrance for the fire truck. He was OK and the flames were extinguished. Lane Reinwald and Blazcak got together while racing for third on the back straight, sliding into an infield marking tractor tire just a lap after green. At halfway Speer was leading Brandon Huffman, Mark Lawrence, Jim Haefke, and Emily Stoyer when Corey Wick spun to the infield coming off turn four. Huffman hit the outside rails on the restart but was able to drive the car to the pit. Harvey got up to third with Emily Stoyer fourth at lap seven and the two young ladies raced side by side with two to go. Harvey had the spot at the white flag. The finish was Speer for the win, his second of the season, with June 7 winner Lawrence second, Harvey third, Stoyer fourth, and Haefke fifth.

The RUSH Modifieds had Ron Kristyak and Chelsie Kriegisch on the front row for their twenty lap finale with Kristyak the immediate leader over fourth starting Chas Wolbert, Kole Holden, Kriegisch, and Jim Rasey through lap six when Rasey spun to the infield with apparent mechanic issues. At halfway it was Kristyak over Wolbert, Holden, David Kalb Jr, and Jerry Schaffer. Wolbert was challenging at lap fourteen and used the outside lane to sweep past the leader in turns three and four with five laps to go. At the checkers it was Wolbert, Kristyak, Holden, Kalb, and Schaffer.

The RUSH Wingless Sprints started twenty competitors with John Mollick and Brad Blackshear, a former Raceway 7 champion, on the front row. Mollick took the lead at green with Chad Ruhlman, the defending series champion, to fourth from sixth on the grid at lap three. Ruhlman was third at five laps with his brother Brian Ruhlman, the 1995 Late Model Raceway 7 (then called Ace High Speedway) champion fourth and 17 year old Jeremy Weaver fifth. Yellow flew at lap eight as Brad Blackshear slowed to a stop in turn two. On the restart Mollick failed to come up to speed. Chad Ruhlman was now the leader over Brian Ruhlman, Weaver, Brian Woodhall, and Annie Kent. Hawkins got by Weaver for third at lap nine. At halfway it was C Ruhlman, B Ruhlman, Hawkins, Weaver, and Woodhall. Zack Morrow got to fifth at lap twelve then Hawkins dropped oil in turns one and two with Weaver then spinning in the oil and out of contention. The restart had Chad Ruhlman leading Brian Ruhlman, Morrow, Woodhall, and Brandon Blackshear (a former Raceway 7 Economod champion). Morrow got up near the edge of turn two and slipped back to sixth at lap fourteen. With five to go it was Chad Ruhlman, Brian Ruhlman, Blackshear, Kent, and Kevin Ruhlman, Chad’s son. The younger Ruhlman got to fourth as the white flag waved but Woodhall got the spot at the finish. The top five at the checkers were defending series champion Chad Ruhlman, who won his third in a row, Brian Ruhlman, Blackshear, Woodhall, and Kevin Ruhlman.

The Vintage Modifieds were paced by Luke Zimmer and Steve Longo with Longo leading lap one. Zimmer spun on turn four for the only caution of the event. Third starting Jim Kerpakus took over at the front and led the rest of the fifteen lap distance. Longo wound up second with Luke Zimmer third, Jeff Manner fourth, and Dale Zimmer fifth.

This week’s race report brought to you by Close Racing Supply:

Evergreen Lake Park Campground RUSH Crate Late Models:
Heat 1: Breyton Santee, Steve Hollabaugh, John Watson, Joe Long, Joe DeFazio, Ron Boardman, Joe Watson
Heat 2: Chad Sines, Jamie Wrightsman, Matt Sipes, Jacob Peterson, Bruce Hordusky, Brandon Porter
Heat 3: Jason Genco, Darrell Bossard, Dave Airgood, Kyle Zimmerman, Bob Diver, Zach Downes, Joe Howell
Feature: Darrell Bossard, Jason a Genco, Dave Airgood, Chad Sines, Breyton Santee, Kyle Zimmerman, John Watson, Jamie Wrightsman, Matt Sipes, Joe Long, Joe DeFazio, Jacob Peterson, Dennis Dellinger, Steve Hollabaugh, Joe Howell, Brandon Porter, Bruce Hordusky Jr (DNS), Joe Watson (DNS), Ron Boardman (DNS), Zach Downes (DNS, Bob Diver (DNS)

Bonnell’s Collision Center E-Mods:
Heat 1: Gary Eicher, Mike Kinney, Dan McDonald, Bill Taylor, Eric Reinwald, Jesse Gould, Judson Fell, Brian Huffman, Josh McDonald
Heat 2: Mike Potosky, Casey Bowers, Percy McDonald, Troy Johnson, Rick Pratschler, Brandon Grossman, Mark Titus, Alan Atkinson
Feature: Mike Potosky, Casey Bowers, Mike Kinney, Gary Eicher, Dan McDonald, Percy McDonald, Jesse Gould, Troy Johnson, Alan Atkinson, Rick Pratschler, Eric Reinwald, Mark Titus, Brandon Grossman, Judson Fell, Bill Taylor, Brian Huffman, Josh McDonald (DNS)

RUSH Sportsmen-Modifieds:
Heat 1: Chas Wolbert, Tony Tatgenhorst, Brandon Ritchy, Jordan Ehrenberg, Jessica Kriegisch, Cameron Nastasi, Preston Cope
Heat 2: Rob Kristyak, Kole Holden, Jim Rasey, Kyle Martell, Amelia Clay, Steve Slater, Clayton Deems
Heat 3: David Kalb Jr, Chelsie Kriegisch, Josh Deems, Jerry Schaffer, Gary Haupt, Joe Gibson, Lucas DeGroat
Feature: Chas Wolbert, Rob Kristyak, Kole Holden, David Kalb Jr, Jerry Schaffer, Kyle Martell, Chelsie Kriegisch, Gary Haupt, Tony Tatgenhorst, Jordan Ehrenberg, Steve Slater, Jessica Kriegisch, Amelia Clay, Brandon Ritchy, Cameron Nastasi, Preston Cope, Joe Gibson, Clayton Deems, Josh Deems, Jim Rasey, Lucas DeGroat

RUSH Sprints:
Heat 1: John Mollick, Jeremy Weaver, Chad Ruhlman, Zack Morrow, Tyler Powell, Brian Hartzell, Brad Church
Heat 2: Brian Woodhall, Brandon Blackshear, Brad Blackshear, Kevin Ruhlman, Nolan Groves, Phil Thornton, Andy Feil
Heat 3: Annie Kent, Dave Hawkins, Brian Ruhlman, Shawn Smith, Steve Pedley, Matt Sherlock
Feature: Chad Ruhlman, Brian Ruhlman, Brandon Blackshear, Brian Woodhall, Kevin Ruhlman, Arnie Kent, Zack Morrow, Shawn Smith, Tyler Powell, Phil Thornton, Brian Hartzell, Matt Sherlock. Nolan Groves, Steve Pedley, Jeremy Weaver, Brad Church, Dave Hawkins, John Mollick, Brad Blackshear, Andy Feil (DNS)

Sunnyside Farm Transit Mini Stocks:
Heat 1: Pete Blaczak, Scott Gill, Zach Eller, Jessica Harvey, Corey Wick, Alan Sousa, Zoey Gill
Heat 2: Lane Reinwald, Jim Haefke, Dalton Speer, Emily Stoyer, Brian McGarvie, Tricia Jacklett
Heat 3: Dillon Speer, Mark Lawrence, Brandon Huffman, Mike Barr, Phil Powell, Ana Vassen
Feature: Dillon Speer, Mark Lawrence, Jessica Harvey, Emily Stoyer, Jim Haefke, Lane Reinwald, Zoey Gill, Mike Barr, Brian McGarvie, Ana Vassen, Pete Blaczak, Alan Sousa, Trisha Jacklett, Dalton Speer, Corey Wick. Brandon Huffman, Zach Eller, Scott Gill, 42 (DNS)

Vintage Modifieds:
Heat: Steve Longo, Jim Kerpakus, Jeff Manner, Luke Zimmer, Dale Zimmer.
Feature: Jim Kerpakus, Steve Longo, Luke Zimmer, Dale Zimmer, Jeff Manner