|
 The
Sweeney Chevrolet Buick GMC FASTRAK Northeast Late Model Touring Series
completed their fifth season on Saturday night at the beautiful and scenic
Roaring Knob Motorsports Complex. The event was part of the second annual
“Spectacular Fall Fest,” which saw heat races and the “Futures Cup”
Trifecta Race #3 contested on Friday night with the last chance races,
feature, and non-qualifier event held on Saturday night. Thirty-nine cars
competed from Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, New York, Maryland were
on hand for race #19 of the 2011 season.
Making just his fourth Northeast Touring Series start of the season,
Robbie Blair passed Derek Rogers on lap 12 and held off Friday night’s
“Futures Cup” Trifecta winner and champion Ryan Montgomery for his first
win of 2011. Blair’s 30-lap victory was worth $2,000 and was a perfect
tune-up for the three-night $30,000 to-win Grand National Championship.
Blair became the 11th different winner of the season!
“This class is so competitive,” acknowledged the 41-year-old Centerville,
Pa. veteran. “It’s just so equal and built for everyone. The 12-car
(Montgomery) was really good and if I would have screwed up he probably
would have passed me. There is so much money out there for FASTRAK; I mean
we have a chance of winning $30,000 in just three races! I really wanted
to be here with my Super Late Model too, but didn’t have a way of getting
it here and this is more important right now.”
Rogers was making just
his third start of the season, which have come in the last four races and
took off in the lead with Bobby Rohrer, Jr., Dan Angelicchio, Kyle Thomas,
and seventh starting Blair in tow. |
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Blair passed Thomas on lap two for fourth and it was a three-car race for
second on lap four. The trio of Rohrer, Angelicchio, and Blair were
three-wide off turn four for second with Blair getting under Angelicchio
for third in turn one on lap five. Blair was right on Rohrer as the two
ran side-by-side on laps seven and eight with Blair using a slider in turn
two to make the pass stick for second on lap eight.
Rogers continued to lead the first Touring laps of his career, but Blair
began to close the gap on lap 10, and was right on the leader on lap 11
before George Kowatic spun to bring out the caution. The caution wasn’t
what Rogers wanted to see as Blair powered around the outside in turns one
and two on the restart to take the lead on the 12th circuit.
Montgomery started sixth and wasn’t a factor until lap 13 when he passed
Thomas for fourth. By the halfway point, Blair stretched his lead, while
Montgomery edged ahead of Rohrer for third on lap 15. Following a caution
for a four-car spin, Montgomery and Rogers went at it for second with
Montgomery getting the spot coming out of turn two on lap 17.
Following another spin by Kowatic, Thomas regained third from Rogers
nipping him at the line on lap 22. The final caution of the event was
displayed with 22 laps completed when Bobby Cossell IV made contact with
Butch Lambert. Montgomery was slow on the ensuing restart as Thomas and
Angelicchio got by for second and third.
Montgomery wasn’t about to go away as he came right back driving by
Angelicchio on the backstretch for third on lap 26 then got under Thomas
coming out of turn four to regain second on lap 29. Blair though was too
strong as he won by a straightaway for his second career Northeast Touring
Series win, but first since June 17, 2010 at McKean County Raceway, in his
Specialty Products /Genesis Shocks /Bossard’s Auto /Moody & Son Welding -
sponsored #W11.
Montgomery, who won his first career Touring race on September 17 at
Sharon Speedway, ended the season strong in runner-up. Thomas made a
successful debut in the John Groves #32 and finished third- his best
Touring finish since September 3, 2010 at Tyler County Speedway.
Angelicchio was fourth over ninth starting Josh Holtgraver; however, it
was Holtgraver edging Angelicchio by one-point for third in the final
Touring standings.
Rogers dropped to sixth- his best career finish in a Touring event. Ken
Herman came back from two accidents to finish seventh in his first Touring
start of the season barely edging out Rohrer. Mike Lewis was ninth for his
best career Touring Series finish. Kyle Lukon completed the top 10.
Max Blair was the first car to drop out of the event for his third
straight finish outside of the top 16, but the three-time National Weekly
Series Champion was also able to clinch his third Northeast Touring Series
Championship in the past four seasons.
Russell Baird, Jr. finished a Touring Series career best 15th and was the
final car on the lead lap, which earned him the free FASTRAK Hoosier Tire
from High Gear Speed Shop in the program presented by Utsinger’s Towing.
Rogers and Shane Weaver received the $1,000 Contingency Connection
packages presented by Original Pizza Logs.
Jamie Brown ended the night by winning the eight-lap non-qualifier event
presented by T.J. Contracting as part of the “Wheelman” Bonus Event
Challenge Series. Brown passed Jeff Compton on lap two and held off Todd
Dennis for his first ever victory, which was worth $175.
“This Series is a lot of fun,” stated the 21-year-old Jamestown, New York
driver. “We get to travel to so many different tracks everywhere and that
makes it that much more fun. I’m looking forward to the Grand Nationals
and think we have a better shot at making the show at Dog Hollow with
qualifying because we have a good, fast car.”
Brown earned the pole position for being the first non-qualifier, but it
was Jeff Compton taking the early lead. Compton pushed high in turn two on
lap two allowing Brown to take over. Laura Lukon then passed Compton for
second in turn four later that lap. Compton would spin on lap three to
bring out the first caution.
When racing resumed, Todd Dennis passed Lukon for second with Nolan Dalton
trailing in third. Dalton would get under and past Dennis for second on
lap four, but one lap later lost the handle to bring out the second and
final caution with five laps completed.
Brown then held off a valiant effort by Dennis in his Roger’s
Auto/Applebee Motorsports/Hientzman Accounting-sponsored #135 to become
the 15th different winner in 17 races held all-time! His win also moved
him up to third in the season ending “Wheelman” standings, which was won
by Shane Weaver, and 13th in the Northeast Touring Series points. Dennis’
first ever FASTRAK start came in the John and Janet Powell #100. Compton,
another Series first-timer, edged Dalton and Lukon for third.
Winning the heat races on Friday night were track champion John Over,
Robbie Blair, Holtgraver, and Billy Stile III, while track regulars Bobby
Cossell IV and Ricky Meglaye won the B mains on Saturday night.
Also on Friday night, Ryan Montgomery capped off his $1,000 “Futures Cup”
championship by winning the “Trifecta” finale presented by T.J.
Contracting. Montgomery passed Bobby Rohrer, Jr. on lap eight and went on
for the 12-lap $200 victory. It was Montgomery’s first win in the
“Trifecta” three-race series as he joined prior winners Newt Tackett
(Sharon) and Lauren Longbrake (Pittsburgh).
“This is pretty nice,” acknowledged the 14-year-old Fairmont, West
Virginia high school freshman. “It’s fun to go to different tracks and run
against each other. My goal is to finish in the top five of Saturday’s
feature.”
In his first ever appearance, Rohrer took the early lead past pole-sitter
Shane Weaver. Montgomery started third when Longbrake scratched from the
event and drove under Weaver for second down the backstretch on lap two.
Fifth starting Nico Dabecco passed Russell Baird, Jr. then nipped Weaver
at the line for third on lap four.
Montgomery ran down Rohrer and was on the leader on lap five. They raced
side-by-side on laps six and seven before the race’s only caution of the
event was displayed when Weaver spun with seven laps completed. On the
ensuing restart, Montgomery took over from Rohrer and pulled away for the
easy win in his father Jeff’s Mountain State Plumbing/Longneck
Saloon/Central Heating & Cooling/T.J. Contracting-sponsored #12. Rohrer
was second. Baird edged Dabecco for third at the finish. Weaver was fifth
over Cody Rogers. |
