2009 Results

Quad racers added to Saturday night stock car action
By: Rob Keller

The management at Path Valley Speedway is always looking for something different to excite the fans.  In 2009 they have five dates when the Saturday night crowd not only gets the paint-swapping action of the stock car racing, but also the high-flying action of the River Valley Quad TT Challenge Series.  Saturday, April 25th was the first date in 
the series.

The Quad racers kicked off the night?s activities.  Kris Bures got the hole shot on the start and lead the entire 15 laps to take the win. Bures did make one slip when he spun entering the infield.  But he quickly turned his quad around and retained the lead.  Eric Jennings ran second early on, but a bobble in the infield let Matt Dice get by. 
  Jennings recovered and was able to chase down Dice and reclaim second.  Dice finished third and Robert Kline and Jeff Horseman completed the top five.  Bures and Jennings won their respective heats.

Dale Martin outran Rodney Brown and Chuck Gipe to win the Strictly Stock Truck feature while Dan Gelwicks outlasted Joseph Daywalt to win the 6-Cylinder Strictly Stock main event.  Martin and Gelwicks also 
won their heat races.

While most of the 8-Cylinder Strictly Stock field were running the high groove Carl Miller stuck to the bottom.  On lap five he drove underneath Joey Burdge and into the lead.  After that he slowly pulled away and won by a full straightaway.  Burdge held on to second, ahead of Steve Frazier, Jeremy Woodring, and Robby Eaton.  Miller also won the heat race.

Steve Harlan started on the pole and when he beat Adam Imes to turn one it turned out to be the winning move.  Imes ran a strong second until his string of bad luck continued when his right rear axle broke on lap 13, ending his night.  Adam Yetter took over second at that point, but he could not advance any further.  At the checkers it was 
Harlan, Yetter, Bobby Witters, Craig Imes, and Mike Saylor.  Adam Imes took the heat race win.

Johnny Runk won for the second week in a row taking the checkers in the 4-Cylinder Strictly Stock feature.  The action was wild and wooly early on.  With Jesse Dehart leading, Robbie Imgrund, Dan Smith, and Runk raced three-wide right behind him.  Runk was able to drive underneath the whole pack and take the lead he wouldn?t relinquish.  
Smith and Imgrund battled hard the entire twenty laps with Smith just edging out Imgrund by less than a foot to take second.  Imgrund finished third and Dehart fourth.  Runk also won the heat race.

Saturday night stock car action continues on May 2nd with the Super Stocks and Strictly Stocks along with a demolition derby.  Gates open at 3:00pm and warm-ups begin at 5:00pm.

In an effort to attract more racers, the track management announced a rule change before the racing began.  Full roll cages will now be allowed in the Strictly Stock classes.  For more information on this 
change please see the track website at www.pathvalley.com.


Walton, Bear, Hough, and Mertz take sprint wins
By: Rob Keller

Four divisions of sprint cars and two stock car classes were on the card Friday night along with a make-up feature from March 27th for the 4-Cylinder Thunder Cars.  Two drivers made their first trip to victory  lane in 2009 while another continued a perfect season.

The make-up feature for the 4-Cylinder Thunder Cars kicked off the program.  Eric Seibert started on the pole and grabbed the lead at the  drop of the green flag.  John Rasp started ninth, but he quickly moved towards the front, taking fourth on lap 4 and third on lap eight. Three laps later he passed his son, Justin, for second.  Rasp then 
took advantage of a lap fourteen restart and used the high groove to drive around Seibert for the winning pass.  Seibert held off Justin Rasp for second with Bill Kennedy in fourth and Andy Stouffer in fifth.  John Rasp was the heat winner on March 27th.

In the 600cc Micro Sprint feature Eddie Rice started outside the front row and lead the first lap.  Tyler Walton started sixth, but quickly showed he was the man to beat, jumping to second on the first lap and into the lead one lap later.  From there he was never challenged the remainder of the distance as he took his second win at Path Valley in 
2009.  Timmie Barrick also put on a strong performance, starting eighth and finishing second.  Rice held on for third and was followed by Tim Buckwalter and Jesse Fitz.  Mike Freed and Barrick were heat race winners.

Dave Friedrich started on the pole and he beat the rest of the Mini Stock drivers to turn one and the lead.  Scott Gordon slipped by Terry Smith and into second.  Frank Gordon was closing in on the leaders when his right front tire went flat.  On the ensuing restart Friedrich bobbled in turn two, allowing Scott Gordon and Kevin Thomas to get by. 
  Two laps later Thomas used an inside move to grab the lead.  Thomas lead the remaining five laps to take his fifth win in as many races.  Thomas has also won four out of five heat races.  Scott Gordon held on for second ahead of Friedrich, Kenny Hill, and David Showalter.  Heat wins went to Jodie Varner and Frank Gordon.

With a smooth groove and a strong cushion to lean on the PASS 305 Sprint cars were blistering the quarter mile oval.  Mark Watkins dominated his heat race and looked like the car to beat when he started on the pole.  Watkins fast pace found him catching the tail end of the seventeen-car field by lap seven.  On lap eight Watkins went to go around a slower car in turn three.  But he got too high and into the marbles.  Tyler Bear seized the opportunity and dove low to take the lead.  With two laps to go Bear narrowly missed several cars spinning in front of him.  Mike Freet was running fourth at the time, but he rolled over after contact with the stopped cars, bringing out the red flag.  All the drivers were uninjured, but three were finished for the night.  Bear brought the field quickly back to green and held off Watkins for his first win in 2009.  Todd Spangler, Ben Naugle, and Doug Distasio completed the top five with Naugle also getting a heat win.

Mark Strickler started third for the Sidewinder main event and he powered by Rohan Beasley and Gary Funck right at the start to take the lead.  On a lap three restart Strickler pulled two wheelies and while he was fighting to gain control Chad Hough drove underneath and into the lead.  From there Hough easily drove away for his second win in 
2009.  Strickler held off an improving Joe Robertson for second while Tim Mertz finished fourth.  Jim Young substituted for Sean McAndrew and he finished fifth.  Alex Schanz and Mertz collected heat wins.

Lyle Barnes made his 2009 debut a success in the 4-Cylinder Thunder Cars as he wired the field to take the win.  Mike Brindle started alongside Barnes on the front row and stayed within a car length of the lead the entire distance to finish second.  Justin Rasp continues to show improvement with a third place finish.  Denny Scofield and 
Matt Sowers battled side-by-side for fourth for almost five laps with Scofield taking the position with two laps to go.  Sowers held off John Rasp for fifth.  Heat race wins went to Randy Stull and Justin Rasp.

If you want the definition of ?heartbreak?, just watch the replay of the 270cc Micro Sprint feature.  Kameron Morral took the lead from his second place starting position on lap one.  His dad, Randy, jumped into second and the idea of a father-son one-two finish quickly came to mind.  Tim Mertz squeezed by Randy Morral on lap three and into 
second.  As those three sped away Kameron Morral maintained a small advantage over Mertz.  With the checkered flag in sight, Kameron?s car got loose in the final turn and as he fought for control Mertz drove to the inside and the win.  In victory lane Mertz was actually apologetic, saying he knows how bad it feels to lose a race in that fashion, especially when you are still trying for your first win.  Kameron Morral finished second, ahead of Steve Whary, Randy Morral, and Colby Dice.  Heat race wins went to Mertz, Sean McAndrew, and Matt Mountz.

Path Valley Speedway returns to action May 1st with Late Models and Legends joining the regular show of 270cc and 600cc Micro Sprints, Mini Stocks, and 4-Cylinder Thunder Cars.  For schedule information and much more, go to the track website at www.pathvalley.com.

 

Rain cuts Path Valley program short

By: Rob Keller 

Friday night it started to rain just as the third of six features ended.  They attempted to get the next feature started, but after one lap it was apparent the track was too slippery to safely race.  The three classes that did not get to run their feature will be running make-up events in the coming weeks.

 Joe Kay grabbed the early lead in the 600cc Micro Sprint feature, but he could only hold on for one lap.  Ryan Greth started fourth, but moved past Kay and into the lead on lap two.  Jim Brookens started eighth, but made his way into third by lap four and second on lap six.  A tangle on an early restart sent several contenders to the rear or out of the race including Tyler Walton, Tim Barrick, and Keith McIntyre.  In the end, Greth easily outdistanced Brookens by several car lengths to take the win.  Walton came back from the early spin and passed Jesse Fitz for third on the next to last lap.  Kay held on for fifth.  Walton and Brookens won their heat races.

 The Mini Stock feature provided plenty of excitement for the fans in attendance.  Ricky Harper started on the pole and wrestled the lead from Jodie Varner, who started outside the front row.  Varner has been showing improvement every week and was able to stay right with Harper.  Then on lap nine Varner made his move and drove past Harper and into the lead.  All the while Kevin Thomas had been working his way through the field after starting twelfth.  Thomas was in the top five by lap five and up to third by lap seven.  Just as Thomas caught up to the leaders on lap fourteen, Harper attempted to make a pass for the lead in turn one.  Harper caught the lip of the apron and spun sideways.  Sometime during the incident Harper got a flat tire and he had to pit.  A lap after the restart, Varner’s engine expired in a huge ball of fire on the backstretch that continued until he brought the car to a stop near the finish line.  Varner quickly exited the car and the officials put the fire out.  Varner was uninjured by the fire.  Thomas lead the field the remaining laps to claim the second win in as many races this season.  Second through fifth put on an outstanding show of their own, often running lap after lap side by side.  At the finish second through fifth were Kyle Wiser, Leroy Long, Gary Newell, and Jeremy Ott.  Heat wins went to Harper and Thomas.

Jeff Sell made the most of his starting position, first, by leading all twenty laps to take his first win in the PASS 305 Sprinters.  The event was slowed by several cautions, including a spin by Mark Watkins, who was running third at the time and looked like a contender for the win.  Todd Spangler jumped into second on lap two and ran there the rest of the way.  The big mover in the field was young Rodney Westhafer, who came from eleventh to finish third.  Ryan Lynn finished fourth and Watkins recovered from his spin to round out the top five.  Tyler Bear and Watkins were the heat winners.

As the 305 Sprinters finished it started to rain.  The track officials hurried the Thunder Car feature onto the track.  But, the rain was too much and the cars began to slip and slide.

The Thunder Car feature and the 270cc Micro Sprint feature are scheduled to be made-up next Friday, April 3^rd.  The Late Model feature will be made up the next time they race, which is scheduled for the following week, April 10^th.  The Thunder Car feature will be a complete restart.  All drivers that were scheduled to race will get their starting position for the make-up.

Stock cars kick-off 2009 season at Path Valley Speedway

By: Rob Keller

The season opener is in the books for the Saturday night stock car racers at Path Valley Speedway.  Although the cool temperatures kept the car counts on the low side, there was plenty of action on the track.

Doug Weller grabbed the lead from his outside front row starting position and he held it for the first two laps.  Meanwhile Steve Frazier was working his way up through the field from his fourth place starting position.  On lap three Frazier took over the lead and never looked back.  Joe Daywalt had followed Frazier to the front of the field and was in second on lap four.  Daywalt worked on closing the gap on Frazier, but he was still two car lengths back when his race ended in a cloud of smoke on lap 12.  From there Frazier was uncontested for the win.  It was an emotional victory lane, as Frazier dedicated this win and the entire 2009 season to his mom, Cathy, who passed away over the winter.  Jeremy Woodring drove a solid race to finish second, while Jason Ege passed Derrick Casner with one to go to claim third.  Casner and Weller rounded out the top five.  Joey Burdge won the heat race.

Jan Powell started third in the Super Stock feature, but was in the lead before the end of lap one.  Unfortunately he lost control on lap three and spun sending him to the rear for the restart.  Bobby Witters was on the point for the restart, but he bobbled slightly exiting turn four and Mike Saylor drove underneath and into the lead.  Saylor held the lead from there on out to take his first ever feature win.  Witters claimed second and Powell was able to make his way back to third at the end.  Steve Harlon and Craig Imes completed the top five.  Buddy Smith won the heat race.

 The Six-cylinder Strictly Stock and the Strictly Stock Truck race were run simultaneously, as both divisions only had two entries.  Chris Anderson beat Jason Stoner in the Six-cylinder portion while Rob Woodring outran Chuck Gipe in the Trucks.  Both Anderson and Woodring won their heat races also.

 In the Four-cylinder Strictly Stock main event it was a two-man battle for the lead for all 20 laps.  Frankie Gordon and Robbie Imgrund started on the front row.  Gordon jumped out on the start but Imgrund got back around before the end of lap one.  Gordon stayed ring on Imgrund’s bumper while looking for room to pass.  On lap 18 Gordon slipped by on the inside.  But the next lap Imgrund came back around for the lead and the win.  Johnny Runk ran third the whole event while Dan Smith came home fourth and Jesse Dehart in fifth.  The heat race win went to Imgrund.

 The Saturday night stockers schedule has changed in 2009.  Instead of running every other week as was done in the past, this year they are running almost every week of the season.  They will return to action next week, Saturday March 28^th.

McAndrew, Walton, and Hough dominate Path Valley Micros

By: Rob Keller

Although the season opener was delayed two days due to cold weather, the wait was well worth it for three drivers in the Micro Sprint divisions.  All three drivers put on a dominating display in their respective feature events.

 Tim Mertz lead the first seven laps of the 270cc Micro Sprint feature until Sean McAndrew powered by on lap eight.  From there McAndrew easily pulled away and led by nearly a full straightaway at the checkers.  Mertz held on to second while Ryan McAndrew finished third.  Jesse Maurer and Levi Peck completed the top five.  Mertz, Peck, and Steve Whary were the heat winners.

 Tyler Walton started fourth in the 600cc Micro Sprint main event, but quickly showed he was the man to beat as he was in the lead by the end of lap one.  Walton easily pulled away from Duane Harbaugh and was only slowed when he caught the tail end of the field.  Walton led by nearly half a lap at the end over Harbaugh.  Aaron Spahr finished third, Travis Saner fourth, and Shane Lewis took home fifth.  Heat wins went to Jesse Fitz and Ryan Wilson.

 In the Central PA Legend feature Jason Rochelle, Randy Kissinger, and Reed Salony waged a tight three-way battle for the lead.  That was until one of the many restarts on lap 17 when Kissinger and Salony were sent to the rear for separate infractions.  Rochelle then was able to fend off Nate Fisher to take the win.  Jason Ewing, Bill Diehl, and Greg Burd rounded out the top five.  Lucas Montgomery and Salony won the heat races.

 When the green flag dropped for the start of the Sidewinder feature Chad Hough took off from the pole and never looked back.  Hough, just like Tyler Walton in the 600cc Micro Sprint race, was only slowed once he caught the tail end of the field.  But by then he was leading by well over a straightaway and he carefully dispatched of the back markers.  Alex Schanz ran a strong second, finishing ahead of Tim Mertz, Joe Robertson, and Mark Strickler.  Schanz and Hough also won the heats.

 John Rasp started on the pole of the 4-Cylinder Thunder Car main event and quickly showed why he is a five-time champion of the division.  With Rasp out front, the big battle was for second, which Bill Kennedy took control of with a three-wide move on lap eight.  Eric Seibert and Justin Rasp battled for third over the final ten laps, with Seibert taking the spot at the end.  Gerald Varner came back from an early spin to finish fifth.  John Rasp also won the heat race.

 Kevin Thomas started on the pole and led every lap of the Mini Stock feature, but it wasn’t as easy as that sounds.  Ricky Harper moved into second on lap thirteen and put strong pressure on Thomas over the final three laps, but he was not able to complete the pass and had to settle for second.  Kyle Wiser finished a strong third with Dave Edwards just holding off Jodie Varner for fourth.  The heat race wins went to Wiser and Thomas.