Familiar Faces and a New Name in Victory Lane at 250 Speedway

The opening feature of the evening was the Pure Stock 15 lapper. On the pole in only his second time off asphalt was "The Photographer" Gabe Pringle in the Rich Schweitzer #84 and Tory Gibbs in the Mike Powell #71. Gibbs was able to get the jump and take the top spot with last week’s winner Rich Frohnaple in the #80 moving into second. As the opening laps clicked away, Gibbs was able to stretch out his lead a little bit when "The Photographer" made a nice move off turn four to regain the second spot on lap five, but threw it all away in turn one when the car snapped loose. A couple mid-race cautions would slow the field, but not Gibbs. Frohnaple had nothing for the pilot of the point leading machine as Gibbs would pick up another victory and stretch out the Powell point lead a little bit more. The top two would be followed by a pair of asphalt invaders, Rob Scott in the #62 drove a nice race to finish third and "The Photographer" would make another nice recovery and come back to finish fourth. Rounding out the top 5 behind the Port Washington, OH driver in the #71 was Shawn Woods.

Heat race winners Cory Conley in the #14C and Jon Sluka in the #21J brought the field to the stripe in the TSMA 20 Lap Feature. Conley, who lives about an hour away, was making his first appearance at 250 Speedway. He looked as though he was very comfortable in unchartered waters as he raced his way out front with Sluka, living up to his new nickname "The Stalker", hot on the leaders trail. Unfortunately for Sluka, he pushed his racer a little too hard and spun his machine in turn #2 trying too hard to race down Conley. With the current point runner-up on the tail, drivers looked to try to make up some ground in the Championship fight. Ryan Thomas, owner and builder of Diamond Chassis with his wife Heather, came all the way from Martinsville Indiana (an 8 hour haul) and found his way into the second spot in his red #T9. Guys on the move were the #15 of "The Batman" Scotty Peltz and Kevin Morehouse in the #28. Peltz worked his way to 4^th and "The Logger" was able to work his way around his chassis builder Thomas for second. After a couple cautions that slowed the field, one sending point leader Rob Melzer in the #23M pit side with a flat after being marred in the middle of the field and another one that ended the day for Sluka that involved at least 6 cars, things got dicey and "The Logger" decided to make his charge on Conley. The #28 continued to try, lap after lap on the bottom of the race track, with the driver of the #14C holding his ground in the middle. Just as Morehouse got his best run down the front stretch and looked as though he would make the pass, the caution waved for the #S64 of Jeremy Sluka. After the restart, Conley found another gear and set sail, leaving "The Logger" to battle it out with Thomas for the runner-up spot, in which he would hold onto. In victory lane, the winner promised a return to "The Wide Oval". Following the Wellsburg, WVA driver in the #14C to the finish line was Morehouse, Thomas, Peltz and Bruce Takach. The hard-charger award goes to the #39S of Ronnie Schmitt who started out back in the 19 hole and fought his way up to an 8^th place finish.

The final feature of the evening was the Super Sport 15 lapper with heat race winners Glen Richea in the #77R and Kyle Warner in the #T1 on the front row. Earlier in the evening, the driver of that ol’ familiar yellow #77R machine told me that the driver on the top side of the race track had the advantage because the race track seeming like it was turning into a one groove facility. He also expressed how much it would mean for him to wrap up this championship. Well, as the story goes, sometimes you’re right and sometimes you’re wrong. The wrong was that the pole sitter got the jump and made his way out front with the #8T of last week’s winner Tim Rager following close behind (Rager also started on the bottom). The first caution flew on lap 4 for the #20 of Paul Murray who got sideways in turn one. Richea and Rager continued to battle for the race lead as the #8T looked all over for a way to get by until the second caution flew for the second place runner who lost his machine in turn three on the 8^th lap, forcing him to retire from the event. That moved the #11H of Jim Hess up to battle for the top spot over the final circuits. With the #2 of current point runner-up Sam Clegg having his problems after contact with the turn two wall, that’s where the "right" comes into play. Even though there is still plenty of time left in the season, it appears that the Championship is Richea’s to lose as he was able to pull away from "Hessy" to find his way back in the winner’s circle and extend that point lead. Also, battling his way through the field in only his third time at the speedway (the previous two landed him with a couple blown engines in hot laps and zero laps in competition) "Magic Shoes" Gary Hoopingarner in the #48 found himself on the podium after starting 11^th. Following the Quicktime and Orums Auto Body of Tridelphia, WVA sponsored #77R was Hess, Hoopingarner, Murray and Tom Fantin.

"The Bat Man" Doubles Up At 250

The opening feature of the evening was the 20 lap TSMA Modified Mid-Season Championship feature and it was another good one. Bringing the field down for Chief Starter Keith Decker’s green flag was heat race winner’s Jon Sluka in the #21J and Scotty Peltz in the #15. After two failed attempts to get the field off and running, "The Batman" was able to put his machine out in front with Sluka and Joe Gabrielson in the #58 right behind. On lap 5 we had an extended red flag period after an accident in the pit chute. Under the red, I was able to go down and give the fans a rare visit into the minds of the drivers in the middle of an event. Peltz let me know that he had a vibration in the transmission and hoped it would hold together, Sluka said he was very hungry and wanted to pick up his first career feature victory, Gabrielson talked about graduating from college less than 48 hours after picking up his first feature win at 250 speedway a few weeks prior (of course he missed graduation because he was racing the previous evening….shocker!). It was awesome to get a chance to interview these fierce competitors during an unfortunate break, but I would like to thank each and every driver and each and every fan for being patient through the delay, you were all class acts!! Back to the action…..Peltz would continue to lead through the middle part of the event with Sluka closing in and mounting a charge on the longer runs after he disposed of the pesky Gabrielson. Unfortunately for the #21J machine and its driver, the caution fell over the speedway with 19 of the 20 laps completed when point’s leader Rob Melzer in the #23M spun in turn #4. Before the final restart, many questions loomed, but would soon be answered by the nocturnal flying mammal in the yellow #15. Peltz’s Transmission would hold together and he was just too strong on the short runs as he was able to point the Bat Mobile towards Victory Lane for the second week in a row. Following the Georgetown, OH driver in the #15 machine was new points leader Sluka, Gabrielson, Hard Charger Bruce Takach up from his 11^th starting position and Rory Reed rounding out the top 5.

Please join us next week as we host our first annual Summer Spectacular. All 5 Divisions will be in action, with the Mod’s running for $600, Super Sport’s for $400, Pure Stock’s for $300, 4-Cylinders for $250 and Mini Wedges for $50. Check out ohiovalleydtr.com (250 Speedway – Summer Spectacular Forum) for a complete list of the payouts. Make sure you visit 250speedway.com for all the latest news and information from "Ohio’s Place to Sling Dirt".

Week #6 of the 2010 racing season brought the "Rough Rider’s" Steel Block Late Model’s into town for the first time and with the show they put on, it won’t be the last! On a sticky night in June, the record setting crowd was treated to one of the best nights we have had at 250 Speedway as all of the divisions were very competitive and drove their guts out. A big call goes out to Track Owner Dan Wagner, "Stormin" Norman Aronhault, Jerrico Jones, Randy Twarog and Jay Cline and the rest of the track crew for all the hard work that went into the track preparation this past week and the organization of this wonderful event over the past few months. An eye popping eighty racers were pit side at the 3/8 mile oval where the spectators paid for a full seat, but they only needed the edge.

The final feature of the evening was in the 4-Cylinder division. Starting on the pole was Scott "Rowdy" Bush in the #95 with Jimmy Orr in the #28 along side. Orr was able to race his way out front with Bush close behind. Bush, trying to pick up another season dominating victory in the 4-Cylinder division had his work cut out for him tonight. Orr kept his machine right in the top groove and Bush would follow right in his tire tracks for most of the caution free event (did I say caution free again? Cudo’s to the 4-Cylinder guys as well). Attrition played a big part in this event as numerous competitors retired due to mechanical gremlins, but that didn’t slow down the front two. Bush continued to mirror Orr as the two took the fastest way around. The #28 may have slipped once or twice, but on this night he was too strong for Bush. Following the Dennison, OH driver in the R&K Supply and MFC Drilling sponsored #28 to the line was Bush, Dan Rummes, Luke Freed and Brandon Welker.

 "Two Back to Back and a Four Bagger on Week # 4 at 250 Speedway"            

 What a spectacular night of racing at “Ohio’s Place to Sling Dirt”, and everyone should have been home to check out the 11:00 news. Unusually, repeat winners dominated the headlines, but each driver had to work for their spot in victory lane. Fifty Six machines were pit side on a beautiful Friday night in mid May.

 The second feature of the evening was the 15 lap Pure Stock feature. Heat race winners DJ Hores in the #43 and Rich Frohnaple in the #80 brought the field to the green flag. Frohnaple was able to move the #80 out front in the early going with Hores right on his tail. After a caution on lap three, the #81 of last weeks feature winner Tony Paynter was on the move from his tenth starting position. In the heat race he had a future place kicker for the University of Notre Dame, Jack Derringer in the car. Because of the driver change, that put Paynter at the tail end of the field, but by lap #5 he had diced his way thru the field and snatched the lead away from Frohnaple. Bad luck struck the #80 as he had a right rear wheel come off the car in turn #1 on lap ten. After the restart Paynter was able to distance himself from Hores and pick up the back to back victory. Following the Dresden, OH driver in the Paynter Garage, QuickTime Performance Parts, Dinger & Sons Welding sponsored #81 was Hores, Justin VanFossen, Matt Wallick and Mike Powell.

 Next up was the 20 lap TSMA Modified main event. Heat race winners “Stormin” Norman Aronhalt in the “Phantom” #309 and Ryan West in the #9 brought the field down for Chief Starter Keith Decker’s green flag. West was able to move out front and after a couple early cautions, we had a great battle between the top three drivers. Aronhalt continued to try the bottom side of the race track to get by the leader and heat race #3 winner Scott Stiffler in the #14 was sitting in third, waiting on one of the top two to flinch. Just after the halfway mark, “Stormin” Norman was finally able to find enough bite on the bottom and made the pass for the top spot. Unfortunately for Stiffler, mechanical problems forced him pit side once again this season after a strong showing in the early going the last three weeks. As West continued to stalk the leader, the #58 of Joe Gabrielson was filling up his mirror. Once the #58 and #9 started battling for the runner up spot, Aronhalt was able to start inching away. The battle for the second spot turned into a one man show after bad luck struck the #9 machine after a very strong, impressive performance. As the laps wound down, Gabrielson was unable to do anything with Norm as he was able to pick up the double this week as well. Following the Warsaw, OH driver in the Starbust Vinyl Graphics, Wyler Enterprises sponsored “Phantom” #309 was Gabrielson, Mitch Basich, Rob Melzer and “Hard Charger” Randy Bauknecht up from his 12^th starting spot to round out the top 5. 

  The fourth feature of the evening was the 4-Cylinder 15 lapper. Heat race winners Scotty Bush in the #95, looking to continue his undefeated streak in 2010, had the #28 of Jimmy Orr along side in the front row. Orr was able to race out front and had a different agenda than second place runner Bush. Orr was looking for that first feature win of the season and was driving a perfect race. The #28 was glued to the middle and Bush kept peaking to the inside, looking to take over the position. The front two were able to pull away slightly until Bush’s patients paid off. Going down the back stretch with four to go, Bush put his racer in the outside lane and completed the pass off turn four. After that, he checked out, leaving Orr to fall into a battle with the #12 of Kevin Davis, which he would eventually win. Bush was able to remain undefeated and pick up the “4-bagger” going away. Following the Massillon, OH driver in the Discount Tire Outlet of Massillon sponsored #95 was Orr, Davis, Mike Seifert and Robert Frohnaple, all the way up from the 11^th starting position.

The opening feature of the evening was the 8 lapper for the Mini Wedge division. Despite the low car count, they once again put on a good show for the fans and this division is looking at having its National Event right here at 250 Speedway with more information to follow in the upcoming weeks. On to the racing action, heat race winner Dakota Hess in the #11H found himself on the pole with the #4 of Phillip Bubeck along side. At the drop of the green flag Hess was able to race out front, but the #15 was on the charge. Unable to make the call for the heat race, Brady Reed had to start at the tail of the field. He was able to pick his way thru the field and pick up the top spot from Hess on lap three. The cars got strung out over the final few circuits and Reed was able to pick up another feature win at the “Wide Oval”. Following the St. Clairsville, OH driver in the Dairy Queen of St. Clairsville, Tweed’s Trucking, Special Thanks to the Eaton Family sponsored #15 was Hess, Bubeck and Susie”Q” Rudolph. Noah Stewart had problems in the heat and was unable to make the feature.

The Final feature of week #4 was the Super Sport 15 Lapper and it was a good one. Once again, this division continues to put on some of the best racing. Heat race winners Chris Seifert in the #16 and Sam Clegg in the #2 brought the field down for the start. Clegg was able to make his way into the lead with Glen Richea in the #77R right behind. The battle for the top spot was fierce. The #77R looked high and low but in the early going the Clegg machine was too strong. Clegg was able to run right in the middle of the race track until his car developed a very slight push at the exit of the corners. Just a little handling issue was all Richea needed when he made the move of the night and maybe the season on lap nine. Going into turn three he set up the #2 as he positioned his machine to the outside. Just when you thought he would look to make the move upstairs, Ritchea knew with a slight push, Clegg would drift high at the exit of the corner, so he slung his #77R to the bottom and put the perfect “slide job” on the Clegg machine. The spectacular move would steal the thunder from Clegg and Glen was able to pull away. The #2 machine was able to hold on to second despite the handling issue and the late charge by last weeks feature winner Mike Phillips Jr. in the #11TEEN. Following the Valley Grove, WVA driver in the QuickTime Performance, Orums Auto Body of Tridelphia, WVA sponsored #77R to the stripe was Clegg, “Hard Charger” Phillips from his 8^th starting spot, Kyle Warner in his first race of the season and Tory Gibbs.

 Please come out and join us this Friday Night at 250 Speedway where the “Rough Rider’s” Steel Block Late Model’s will make their initial visit to the “Wide Oval”, battling for the $1500 top prize. TSMA Modified’s, Super Sports, Pure Stocks and 4-Cylinders will all be in action, you don’t want to miss this show!!! Racing Action Starts At 8:00. Visit 250speedway.com or ohiovalleydtr.com for more news and information on “Ohio’s Place to Sling Dirt”. -By Chris “Hot Rod” Kail, “Voice of 250 Speedway”

A “Stormy” Kind of Night at 250 Speedway

Week #3 of the 2010 racing season saw threatening skies, hot temper’s and lots of side by side racing – what more could you ask for on a wild and crazy but very entertaining Friday night. We had cars upside down, inside out and all over the speedway with four more drivers picking up their first feature wins this season. Sixty three racers were pit side and as stated in the headline, fans witnessed a “stormy” night at the 3/8 mile oval.

Before the evening got started, we held a moment of silence for Dirt Track Hall of Famer Herb Scott who passed away this week. 250 Speedway sends out our prayers and condolences to the Scott family.

The TSMA Modified 20 lap main event was the third feature to hit the speedway and it was a wild one. Due to the quick schedule trying to beat the weather front that was fast approaching and the delay while EMS crews transported 4-Cylinder driver Jamie Leslie to the Care Center after an acrobatic flip gone bad on the back straightaway (Thankfully, Jamie was ok and returned to the speedway later on), it took some extra time to get everyone lined up. The #30 of Todd Brennan, who won heat race number one, made it on to the speedway for the feature, but pulled off unexpectedly before the drop of the green. I know what you’re thinking and yes, it was that kind of a night. So that moved the #309 of “Stormin” Norman Aronhalt to the pole position with the #65M of Mike Davis along side. At the drop of the green flag, Aronhalt was able to race out front with Davis right behind. After a few early cautions involving some “quickie” yellows, even the second on lap four when the #23M of Rob Melzer joined the upside down club, the race looked as though it would settle down with the #309 setting the pace and the #28 of Kevin Morehouse working his way nicely up into the second spot. That is when things got crazy. At the halfway mark, the #65 of Bruce Takach appeared to lose power on the backstretch and stopped at the exit of turn #4. After a brief delay for some extracurricular activity and some drivers being disqualified under TSMA General Rule #3, we got back to racing like it should be. With the final caution waving on lap twelve, the final restart of the evening would be key. “Stormin” Norman was bringing the field in very slow all night, and all night it worked to perfection. “The Logger” staged a valiant effort over the final eight circuits, but there was a storm brewing on the horizon and “Stormin” Norman wasn’t to be denied on this night. Following the Wooster, OH driver in the #309 was Morehouse, Randy Bauknecht, Jim Plance and Hard Charger of the night Mike Enos, filling in for Jon Sluka in the #21J, all the way from the 13^th starting position.  

The second feature of the evening was the 15 lap Super Sport feature and it was a good one. Bringing the field down for Chief Starter Keith Decker’s green flag was heat race winner’s Mike Phillips Jr. in the #11TEEN and Tory Gibbs in the #10. Gibbs was able to race out front with Phillips and the #11H of Jim Hess close in tow. During the first few circuits, the man on the charge was the #77R of Glen Richea. In preliminary action, the Richea ride experienced some mechanical woes, which relegated him to the 7^th starting position for the main event. By the time the green and white cross flags were displayed, Richea was up fighting for the third position, with the top two in his crosshairs. About that time, the leader slowed and later had to pull pit side for the finish, handing over the lead to Phillips. As the laps clicked away in the caution free event, Phillips kept his racer right in the middle of the race track as Hess searched for a way around and Ritchea tried to play catch up. Philips drove a perfect race in his first time out this season and was able to fend off all challengers to pick up the victory. Another great race by the driver’s in this class, who continue to race side by side, high and low and caution free. Following the New Philadelphia, OH driver in the Ridge Pump Supply, Mushrush Utilities, Allstate Insurance – Mike Taylor, Foutz Appliance, MJP Logging, Walton’s Auto Parts and JW Cookson Co. sponsored #11TEEN was Hess, Richea, Brock Burcher and Paul Murray.   

The Pure Stock’s took to the speedway for their feature, with the #81 of Tony Painter and the #43 of DJ Hores leading the field to the green flag. The only caution of the event was on lap three for the #21 of Phil Wade who spun at the exit of turn #2. Painter was setting the pace with Hores in second and the #80 of Rich Frohnaple running in third. Hores continued to try and work on the leader as the laps wound down, but came under fire from Frohnaple.  That’s when offensive mode turned to defensive, allowing Painter to inch away and pick up the victory leaving a side by side, photo finish for second. Following the Dresden, OH driver in the #81 machine to the stripe was Frohnaple, Hores, Justin VanFossen and Wade.

The final feature of the evening was in the 4-Cylinder division. Starting on the pole and looking for the 3-peat to start off the season was the #95 of Scotty Bush with the #28 of Jimmy Orr along side. Orr was able to grab the top spot and started to ease away from the black and yellow Neon of Bush as the caution waved on lap five for the #45 of Robert Frohnaple in turn three. On the restart, Orr got a great jump and looked as if he might end the Bush streak……….and then he spun in turn four. Watching Jimmy this season is like watching Mario Andretti at the Indianapolis 500, every time he is leading and you think he has it in the bag, something happens. You could always count on Tom Carnegie, the long time voice of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, saying “Andretti is slow on the backstretch”. At 250 Speedway, it’s “Hot Rod” saying “What just happened to Jimmy?” Back under green, Bush set sail and was able to pick up the tri-fecta, despite a strong effort by Dan Rummes in the #12K machine to dethrone the great Neon. Following the Massillon, OH driver in the Discount Tire Outlet of Massillon sponsored #95 was Rummes, Brian King, Brandon Welker and Orr.

We will finish up this week with the first feature to hit the Speedway on week three, The Mini Wedges. Last week was a mess, this week an adjustment by the scorers and a great job by the drivers left us with a much better event. With the car count on the rise and officials getting better learning our newest division, this could be the division to watch throughout the season. Heat race winners Levi Bowen in the #95 and Blake Morris in the #1 started on the front row. Bowen was able to position his racer out front followed closely by the #13 of last week’s winner Dillyn Wyer and Morris. On lap number two, the third place runner Morris spun in turn three bringing out the caution. After the restart it was all Bowen as he was able to motor away and pick up his first win at the “Wide Oval”. Following the Zanesville, OH driver in the orange and white #95 was Wyer, Bubeck, hard charger Dakota Hess up from the tenth starting position and Lane Bryan rounding out the top 5.

Please join us next week and watch all 5 division’s in regular program action. Don’t forget, next Saturday is week #1 of 6 for our “Wheel to wheel racing” night at 250 Speedway. Make sure you visit 250speedway.com for all the latest news and information from “Ohio’s Place to Sling Dirt”.

Round Two Goes To Mardis, Ritchea, Hores, Bush and a Mini Wedge Tie

Week #2 of the 2010 racing season saw beautiful sunshine and warm temperatures in the air and hot action on the “Wide Oval”. The second night saw one and a half repeat winners from opening night, I’ll explain the half in a little while. Just like last season, we continue to have first time winners in victory lane and few multiple winners, which say’s a lot for the competition. Fifty nine racers were pit side and an outstanding crowd witnessed a very good, clean, quick night of racing.

The TSMA Modified 20 lap main event was the second feature of the evening, but was arguably the best. Heat race number one winner Rick Mardis in the #2 and heat race number two winner Scotty Peltz in the #15 led the field to Chief Starter Keith Decker’s green flag. “The Batman” was able to race out front in the #15 machine until the first caution on lap five when the #SS11 of Paul Phillips, The #4J of Jim Plance and the #04 of Mike Stringer got tangled up like a pretzel in turn number four. After Peltz led the next 3 green flag laps, the final caution of the event fell on lap eight for debris on the front straightway. Back under green, Peltz, Mardis and the #R88 of Larry Kugal were in a dogfight for the top spot and the #B55 of Mitch Basich, the #21J of Jon Sluka, the #21R of Randy Bauknecht and the #58 of Joe Gabrielson slugged it out for the other two top five spots. The action over the final twelve circuits was uninterrupted and as fierce as it gets, drivers were wheeling their machines like they were in mid-season form. With “Racin’ Rick” all over the rear deck lid of the #15, looking high and low, in and out of lapped traffic it appeared that “The Batman” was starting to push high at the exit of the corners. Later we would find out that the #15 had a tire going soft. Coming down to take the white flag, Mardis capitalized on the ill handling of the #15 and was able to make a nice inside pass for the top spot and never looked back. Following the West Lafayette, OH driver to his first career feature win in the Eddie Wilson Carpet Installation, G&M 5 Point Auto Sales sponsored #2 were Peltz, Kugal, Basich and “Hard Charger” Gabrielson, who made his way up from the tenth starting position.

Next up was the Super Sport 15 lapper. Jim Hess in the #11H and Glen Richea in the #77R started on the front row. Last season these two seemed to always find themselves together on the race track and tonight would be no exception. Richea was able to take the top spot with Hess tucking in behind and the #2 of Sam Clegg moving up to third. Just then the #2 machine had problems making contact with the concrete in turn number three on lap two bringing out the only caution. Unfortunately, the contact would end the night for last week’s winner. After the restart, Ritchea stayed out front with the #11H trying everything in the book to get a sniff of that top spot. Hess searched all over the race track, looking for an advantage, but the #77R was flawless over the final 13 circuits and after a tough opening night, landed his machine in victory lane. Following the Valley Grove, WVA pilot of the Orums Auto Body of Tridelphia WVA and QuickTime Performance sponsored #77R was Hess, Frank Oriti, Tory Gibbs and Chris Seifert.

The fourth feature event was the Pure Stock division. Heat race winners DJ Hores in the #43 and Mike Powell in the #71 were the front row starters. After a failed first attempt Hores was able to pace the field until the caution waved on lap number 2 for contact between the #60 of Brian Hutcho and the #73 of Shaun Newbert in turn number one. After a couple more early cautions, the race settled in with Hores setting the pace with the #84 of Rich Schweitzer and the #21 of Phil Wade giving chase. Wade had mechanical issues and had to retire from the event on lap six, giving the third position to Shawn Woods in the #X100. Hores and Schweitzer staged a good fight for the victory, weaving in and out of some of the lapped cars, but last week’s feature winner was just not able to get the job done. Following the Wheeling, WVA driver to the stripe in the #43 was Schweitzer, Rich Frohnaple, Woods and Newbert.

The first feature of the evening was the Mini Wedge six lap fiasco. Now, I say it was a fiasco, it was more like controlled chaos. There was action everywhere! To say it was difficult to score would be the understatement of the year. With the machines only having numbers on the side pods, when they get next to the wall on the front straightaway, it is impossible to see them. That makes it difficult on the officials and with this class being new, drivers and officials have to learn as we go. With that being said, the kids did an outstanding job and things will get better as we all learn together and get some races under our belt. Now, on to the action….and I mean action! Heat race winners Dillyn Wyer in the #13 and Charitty Bubeck in the #4C led the field to the green flag. Wyer was able to make his way out front with the #15 of Brady Reed in second. That’s when the fun began, battles all over the race track with each battle getting strung out from the others. Wyer and Reed battled for the lead, Charitty Bubeck,  Phillip Bubeck in the #4 and Lane Bryan in the #11 battled for position, Melanie Bryan in the #44, Susie”Q” Rudolph in the #55 and Dakota Hess in the #11H also fought for position. At the completion of lap five, an accident in turn three involving Hess and the two race leaders put the field under the caution. That’s when the chaos ensued. Trying to figure out who was where when the caution came out and who was leading, because both were involved. After much conversation between scorers and track officials, we were going to give them one lap to settle it all with Reed leading and Wyer in the second spot. This is where the tie and half repeat winner part of the equation comes in. On the attempted restart, the field didn’t quite understand what Chief Started Keith Decker wanted them to do and it was determined the best course of action was to award the victory to The #15 and the #13, who were battling for the lead when they were involved in the accident. So, following Last week’s winner in the Dairy Queen of St. Clairsville, Tweed’s Trucking and Special Thanks to the Eaton Family sponsored #15 and the Dillyn Wyer #13 machines were Phillip Bubeck, Lane Bryan and Charitty Bubeck.

WWWHHHHEEEEEEEW………

The final event of week #2 was the fifteen lap 4-Cylinder feature. Leading the field to the green flag was heat race winners Scott Bush in the #95 and Jamie Leslie in the #99. After being initiated into the upside down club on opening night, Leslie found himself out front for the first three laps until front suspension problems after contact with the turn three wall dropped him back to fifth and putting the #95 at the point and the #16 of Mike Seifert in second. Bush was able to take full advantage and set sail, cruising to victory and leaving the others to battle for the runner up spot. Jimmy Orr in the #28 would fight his way up from the eleventh starting position and may have had something for Bush, but ran out of time with the race running flag to flag with no cautions. Following the Massillon, OH driver in the Discount Tire Outlet of Massillon sponsored Neon #95 was Orr, Robert Frohnapfel, Brandon Welker and Seifert.

Please join us next week and get your Mother’s Day weekend started right. The first 100 Mom’s will receive a free gift and get to watch all 5 division’s in regular program action. Make sure you visit 250speedway.com for all the latest news and information from “Ohio’s Place to Sling Dirt”.

“The Martins Ferry Masher”, Clegg, Schweitzer, Bush and Reed Highlight Opener

After a long, cold, snow filled winter, the engines roared to life on the lid lifter of the 2010 racing season. On a nice, overcast Friday night, fifty six cars and a wonderful crowd witnessed some exciting racing to kick off our third campaign.

The opening feature of the evening was our newest class, the Mini Wedges. Heat race winner Brady Reed in the #15 and Phillip Bubeck in the #4 were on the front row. Bubeck was able to race out front for the first lap and a half until he got loose in turn four and lost power, handing the lead over to Reed. Susie”Q” Rudolph in the #55 was able to hold off a late race challenge by Bubeck, once he was able to get restarted, but it was all Reed over the final two circuits as he was able to pick up the first feature of 2010. Following the St. Clairsville, OH driver in the Dairy Queen of St. Clairsville, Tweed’s Trucking and Special Thanks to The Eaton Family Sponsored #15 were Rudolph, Bubeck and Dakota Hess.

Next up was the TSMA Modified 20 Lap Main Event. Occupying the front row were Heat Race winners Mike Davis in the #65M and Kacy Campbell in the #1KC. As the field raced into turn one Campbell, who was trying to squash that bad luck bug that bit him at the end of last year, made contact with the concrete wall in the middle of the corner and then exiting the corner got up on the wall and bicycled once, before coming to rest on the back straightaway. The good news was that Kacy was OK, the bad news was that his night was finished. On the restart, the #1X of Rex Slaughter was able to quickly work his way up to the point with the #B55 of last season’s Points Champion Mitch Basich and Davis right in his tracks. Slaughter was able to put some distance between himself and the field until the #E0 of Mark Enos got turned over on the back stretch on lap 5. Once again, after a nasty looking accident, the driver was A-OK. After the green flag waved for the restart, Slaughter checked himself out. The #1X machine was pinned right in the middle of the race track and it looked like he was going to let Basich, Rob Melzer in the #23M and “The Martins Ferry Masher” JE Stalder in the #17JE argue over who was going to be the bridesmaid. Then on lap number fifteen, that bad luck bug’s daddy, “Papa Bad Luck” sucked the power right out of the #1X machine, denying him a visit to victory lane. That landed Stalder in the Cat-Bird’s seat, with Basich and Melzer hot on his tail. Over the final five circuits, Stalder was able to maintain a comfortable cushion and pick up his first victory at 250 Speedway. Following the “Martins Ferry Masher” in the #17JE machine to the stripe were Basich, Melzer, “Hard Charger” Randy Bauknecht who started seventeenth and “Rookie of the Year” candidate Jon Sluka.  

The third feature of the evening was the 15 lapper for the Super Sport’s. Heat race winner and 2009 Point Champion Jim Hess in the #11H was on the pole, with the #2 of Sam Clegg along side. Going into the first turn, Hess pushed up into Clegg and that allowed the #77R of Glen Richea to make in a threesome off turn two until they all ran out of room. The end result was that Richea spent the rest of the evening pit side because of damage and a flat right rear tire, and a complete restart for the rest of the field. On the restart, Hess was able to stick his nose out front briefly until Clegg was able to take control. The #2 looked like a slot car, glued to the middle lane, making no mistakes. Hess tried every line on the “Wide Oval”, trying to reel in the race leader, but on opening night, Clegg was just too strong. Declaring in victory lane that this division “is no longer a two car show”, last season’s runner-up in the standings looks poised to make a run at the top in ’10. Following the Jacobsburgh, OH driver in the Doug’s Custom Vinyl Graphics sponsored #2 were Hess, Tim Rager, Levi Flesher and Tom Thomas.

Next on the ticket was the Pure Stock 15 lap feature. Heat Race #1 winner and 2009 Point Champion Rich Schweitzer in the #84 and Heat Race #2 winner Tory Gibbs, driving Mike Powell’s #71 lead the field down for Chief Starter Keith Decker’s green flag. Gibbs was able to lead the field through the completion of the opening lap and a half until the “Champ” flexed his muscles and worked past the Gibbs machine down the back stretch. The field was able to stay clean and green, but had to watch the #84 get smaller and smaller out of their windshields. Following the New Philadelphia, OH driver in the Pringlephotography.net, Kidd Pringle Graphix, Austin –Branson and Cale Sponsored #84 to the stripe was Gibbs, third generation driver Shawn Woods and the Newbert Boys, Butch in fourth and Shawn in fifth. 

The final event of the evening was the 4-Cylinder 15 lapper. Heat Race winners Luke Freed in the #12 and Scott Bush in the #95 lead the field in for the start. Bush was able to race out front with Freed in second and Jamie Leslie in the #99 slotting in third. On lap number four Craig Rudolph in the #5R did a “Tommy Tip-Over” in turn #4, bringing out the caution. On the restart Bush was able to race out to a comfortable lead with Brandon Welker in the #66 working his way up to the second spot. On lap #9, the fourth place runner in the #99 became the fourth and final member of the upside-down club on opening night. Once again, the driver was OK. After the final green flag of the evening waved, the new slim and trim Scotty Bush was able to cruise into Victory Lane after taking a year off and scoring at the Speedway in ’09. Following the Massillon, OH driver in the Discount Tire Outlet of Massillon sponsored #95 Neon was Welker, Jimmy Orr, Freed and Robert Frohnaple.

 Thank you to all the drivers, crews, fans and track officials for making out third opening night our most successful yet. Please join us next week with all 5 divisions competing in a regular program. Please visit 250speedway.com for all the latest news and information from “Ohio’s Place To Sling Dirt”.

–By Chris “Hot Rod” Kail