REX KING, MAX BLAIR, CARL McKINNEY, JASON JOHNS AND JASON REAGLE SCORE TOP HONORS AT TRI-CITY SPEEDWAY; JON HUFF AWARDED THUNDERCAR WIN
by Brian Spaid

June 15, 2008

   FRANKLIN, PA  ... Tri-City Speedway was back in action on a cloudy and warm Sunday night as Rex King (Engles Trucking DIRTcar Big Block Modifieds), Max Blair (4 Your Car Connection FASTRAK Late Models), Carl McKinney (RPM Auto Sales/Sherry Shawgo Real Estate E Mods), Jason Johns and Jason Reagle (E.F. Rogers Plumbing & Heating Pro Stocks), and Jon Huff (Klapec Auto Body Thundercars) captured feature wins on Cranberry Pennzoil 10 Minute Oil Change Night at the Venango County half-mile oval.

   Rex King of Bristolville, Ohio, captured his first win of the season in fine style leading every circuit of the 20-lap DIRTcar Big Block Modified feature. Starting on the outside pole position, King rode the high groove to perfection blistering the field for his 14^th career win at Tri-City aboard his Alltel/Hanyady Auction Co. Bicknell No. 65. After skipping last week’s races due to nagging back problems, King was pleased with this win.

   “I have to see the doctor tomorrow, and I’ll bet my back feels better after this win,” smiled King in victory lane. “The boys setup the car tonight, and it was perfect. You couldn’t ask for it to be any better. This is a great Father’s Day gift from them.”

   After King blasted away to the lead at the start of the race, Dave Schrader and Kevin Hoffman engaged in a race-long duel for second. Following King’s lead, Hoffman used the outside cushion, but Schrader held him at bay for several circuits. On the seventh lap, Hoffman finally took second and set sail after King. The leader entered lapped traffic just past the halfway mark, then barely missed a spinning Rich Whitney in turn two for the first caution of the race.

   Although two other cautions slowed the pace, King outgunned Hoffman on every restart and raced to the win with ease. Hoffman held off a persistent Schrader to finish second for the second week in a row. Point leader Kevin Bolland finished fourth while Brad Rapp was fifth for his best career finish at Tri-City. Del Rougeux Jr. and Andy Priest won the DIRTcar Big Block Modified heats.

   Max Blair of Titusville, Pa., continued his hot streak in the FASTRAK Late Models as he scored his fourth consecutive and overall win of the season in his Bossard’s Auto Parts/Donovan & Bauer Auto Group/Specialty Products Rocket No. 111. This time, Blair started 11^th in the 20-lap feature event, but he was still the class of the field.

   “This is awesome,” said Blair. “I just wanted to win one feature at the start of the season. I was lucky at the start of the race because a few cars drifted high in turn one, and I raced under all of them to get to the front.”

   Dereck Frank led at the start of the race as Bobby Whitling gave chase taking second from opening night winner Dave Lyon. As a result of his lucky break while racing mid-pack, Blair was running fourth by the third circuit. On the fifth circuit, Whitling drove around Frank for the lead while Blair took third from Lyon. Two laps later, Blair raced under Whitling off turn four to lead the race.

   Once out front, Blair was unstoppable. Only one caution slowed the pace, but it only delayed the inevitable. With Blair our front and Whitling giving chase, Bobby Powell entered the fray. He worked his way through the top five, and was the fastest car on the track at the end of the race. But his progress ended in third place without additional cautions to give him an opportunity to chase down Blair and Whitling.

  At the finish, Blair was the winner over Whitling, Powell, Steve Hollabaugh and Lyon. Powell and Blair won the FASTRAK Late Model heat races.

   Carl McKinney of Cranberry Township, Pa., engaged in a stirring battle with Mike Potosky for the win in the 15-lap E Mod feature. With McKinney inside and Potosky outside, the two veterans gave the fans their money’s worth with one of the best feature race battles of the season. McKinney topped Potosky in the end. It was his third win of the season and his ninth career victory at Tri-City tying him for third overall with Potosky and Alan Dellinger.

   “It is great racing with Mike,” said McKinney in victory lane beside Mike Hendrickson’s Dahlstrom Iron and Metal Pierce No. 6M. “We can go side-by-side with no problem. That was an incredible race, and I just stayed on the low side. This win is for my dad and Mr. Hendrickson. Without them, I wouldn’t be here.”

   McKinney started on the pole position and Potosky immediately jumped into second. With those two engaged in a hard duel for first, Evan Taylor passed Shawn Shingledecker for third on the third circuit. On the fifth circuit, Potosky actually took the lead in the backstretch, but drifted too high in turn three allowing McKinney to slip back underneath. A crash on the 12^th circuit slowed the race for a few minutes, but Potosky was still unable to mount a successful charge on the top side of the track for the win. At the finish, McKinney was the winner over Potosky, Taylor, Shingledecker and Dave Lyon, who scored two top five finishes on the night. Potosky and Taylor won the E Mod heats.

   Jason Johns of Oil City, Pa., started the night off by winning the 16-lap Pro Stock feature rain delayed from June 8^th. Taking the lead on the fourth circuit from Dave Ferringer, Johns was the class of the race, which included an early crash that eliminated top contenders from action. For Johns, it was his first win of the season in his Changing Times Telephone Service/Cherrytree Mini Storage Chevrolet No. 31. It was his fifth career Pro Stock feature win at Tri-City and his first since 2005 following two seasons racing E Mods.

   “This car is finally starting to feel good,” said Johns. “Dave is great to race against and we were side-by-side for several laps there. It’s great to get a win, and I’d like to thank all the fans for coming out, and I’d also like to say hello to all the fathers in the stands.”

   The start of the race involved a melee that began when Ferringer got sideways in turn one. He recovered from a near spin, but other drivers checked up and the resulting crash collected point leader Jason Reagle, Don Kramer, Rod Laskey and Ronnie Davis. Other cars were damaged in the incident, including Jackson Humanic. Reagle made repairs in the pit area, but lost a lap before he could make it back out. Laskey and Kramer restarted at the rear of the field. Davis was forced out and Humanic’s car suffered damage that caused him to make several trips to the pit area before he called it quits.

   Ferringer led at the start of the race after the initial crash was cleared, and Johns challenged him for the front spot in the opening laps. Kramer was stellar on the restart as he charged from the rear of the field into third with only three laps completed. Johns made the winning move one circuit later using the low groove to pass Ferringer at the line. Kramer gave chase to Ferringer, and passed the wily veteran on the 13^th circuit after a race-long duel. A late yellow was caused when Bobby Sutley spun out of the top five. That added an extra circuit to the race.

    Johns was undeterred as he scored the win over Kramer, who earned his best career finish at Tri-City. Ferringer finished third over Chris Haines and Laskey, who recovered from the first caution to make the top five like Kramer.

   Jason Reagle of Oil City, Pa., used his pole position in the final 15-lap Pro Stock feature to his advantage as he led every lap to earn his third win of the season aboard his R.K. Virgile Scrap Metal Dodge Charger No. 888. It was his 11^th career feature win and was well earned after his crew thrashed the car together following the damage from the first feature race.

   “We redeemed ourselves with this win,” said Reagle. “It was just a bad break in that first race. It was just racing. But my guys did everything they could to put this car back in shape. I’d like to thank them and Randy Wyant. We used parts from his car to make this thing work. This was all worth it.”

   When Reagle jumped into the lead at the start, Jason Johns broke ending the possibility of two wins on the night. Former track champion Darrell Bossard ran second to Reagle while driving a backup car belonging to Jackson Humanic. Bossard was no match for Reagle and spent his time fending off Rod Laskey. The man on the move, however, was Alan Dellinger. He worked his way under Chris Haines and Don Kramer to steal fourth on the sixth circuit. One lap later, Laskey finally passed Bossard, who then went pitside with mechanical problems. That moved Dellinger into third. He closed on Laskey and took over second with three laps to go. The nonstop race fell perfectly for Reagle as Dellinger never had a chance to challenge him. At the checkered flag, Reagle won over Dellinger, Laskey, Kramer and Haines. The latter three drivers scored top five finishes in both feature races. Laskey and Bossard captured the Pro Stock heats.

   Jon Huff of Oil City, Pa., was handed the win in the 12-lap Thundercar feature after apparent winner Cody Manners was disqualified following post-race technical inspection. Manners and his team later filed a protest to that decision, which is now subject to further review by track officials. For now, unofficially, Huff earned his first win of the season and the third victory of his career aboard his Dahlstrom Iron & Metal/Shook’s Garage Chevrolet No. 75. Huff will receive his trophy from track officials next week.  For an update on the official finish, click here.

   The rough-and-tumble event started with point leader Chadd Uber in the lead followed by Huff and Dave Baker. Curtis J. Bish was a man on a mission after a disqualification two weeks ago for illegal offset tires. He took the third spot on the sixth lap while Manners followed him into fourth on the seventh circuit. After Curt Bish Sr. slowed on the eighth lap to bring out a caution, the restart saw a wild melee when Joe Blake and defending track champion Bill Myers slammed into the fence off turn two. The wreck was a hard one and bent the guardrails and knocked loose a small section of the backstretch fencing between the race track and adjoining golf course. Both drivers were uninjured, and track officials inspected the fence and deemed it safe to continue racing.

   On the restart, Uber slowed suddenly, and Bish and Manners dashed under Uber and Huff to take first and second. On the next lap, however, Bish and Manners made contact in turn three while battling for the lead. Bish spun around, and Manners continued in command of the race. The incident was deemed racing contact by track officials and Manners continued in the lead. He then raced to the checkered flag over Huff and Uber. The finish was marred by Joe Sloss, who executed a violent flip across the finish line. He was uninjured in the wild wreck.

   After the race was completed and Manners took the victory lane photos, pre-planned tech inspections commenced. Uber did not present his car for inspection. As a result, he was disqualified from third. During the inspection process, Manners’ engine was deemed illegal, and he too was disqualified. Following Manners’ subsequent protest, his disqualification will be reviewed by the technical team to determine whether the decision should stand.

   By the end of the night, Huff was declared the unofficial winner of the race over Bill Winters, Regina Deloe, Ed Deloe and Charlie McMillen. Myers and Regina Deloe captured the Thundercar heats.

   At the conclusion of the racing action, Erica Walker of Knox, Pa., won the 7^th Annual PPC Violence Free Network Ladies Only Mid-Sized Car Demolition Derby.

   On Sunday June 22^nd, Tri-City Speedway will return to action as McDonald’s Presents Five-Star Racing featuring the Engles Trucking DIRTcar Big Block Modifieds, 4 Your Car Connection FASTRAK Late Models, RPM Auto Sales/Sherry Shawgo Real Estate E Mods, E.F. Rogers Plumbing & Heating Pro Stocks and Klapec Auto Body Thundercars. The E Mods will run double features with the June 8^th event first on the card. The Pro Stocks will commence the 2008 William R. Karns Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning Detroit Iron Pro Stock Series with a special 20-lap event. During the show, McDonald’s will host the annual kids bike races on Kids Night. Children 12 and under may participate, and each child must wear a helmet. George Stroupe will host the 2008 Tri-City Speedway Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies at the start of the show as veterans Lou Blaney, Ralph Quarterson, Jim Magill and Johnny Axe will be inducted along with former track announcer and promoter Bud Miller. Gates open at 4 p.m. and racing starts at 6 p.m. Adult grandstand admission will remain at $11 with students (13-15) at $5 and children 12 and under admitted free.

   DIRTcar BIG BLOCK MODIFIEDS (20 Laps): 1. REX KING, 2. Kevin Hoffman, 3. Dave Schrader, 4. Kevin Bolland, 5. Brad Rapp, 6. Jeremiah Shingledecker, 7. Del Rougeux Jr., 8. Joe Crawford, 9. Andy Priest, 10. Rex King Jr., 11. Jim Rasey, 12. Skip Moore, 13. Eric Gabany, 14. Dean Pearson, 15. Mark Frankhouser, 16. Carl Murdick, 17. Kyle Fink, 18. Tommy Kristyak, 19. Rich Whitney, 20. Mike Turner.

   FASTRAK LATE MODELS (20 Laps): 1. MAX BLAIR, 2. Bobby Whitling, 3. Bobby Powell, 4. Steve Hollabaugh, 5. Dave Lyon, 6. Andy Buckley, 7. Dennis Lunger Jr., 8. Butch Lambert, 9. Tom Copeland, 10. Dereck Frank, 11. Chad Myers, 12. Jim Frank, 13. Carl McKinney, 14. Chris Haines, 15. Kyle Zimmerman.

   E MODS (15 Laps): 1. CARL McKINNEY, 2. Mike Potosky, 3. Evan Taylor, 4. Shawn Shingledecker, 5. Dave Lyon, 6. Bruce Powell, 7. Jim Frontz, 8. Butch Lambert, 9. Tim Deutsch, 10. Rob Kristyak, 11. Paul Phillips, 12. Gary Sullivan, 13. Randy Beck, 14. Russ Dunn, 15. Jeff Deeter, 16. Billy Henry, 17. Chip Mahood, 18. Jim Turley, 19. Jonathan Taylor. DNS: Ed Wilson, Jeremy Boratyn.

   PRO STOCKS NO. 1 (Rain Delayed from June 8^th) (16 Laps): 1. JASON JOHNS, 2. Don Kramer, 3. Dave Ferringer, 4. Chris Haines, 5. Rod Laskey, 6. Denny Crawford, 7. Terry Wheeler, 8. Arthur Edwards, 9. Bobby Sutley, 10. A.J. MacQuarrie, 11. Jason Reagle, 12. Jackson Humanic, 13. Russ Coyne, 14. Josh Seippel, 15. Gerry Bruce, 16. Matt Thomas, 17. Ronnie Davis. DNS: Kevin Carson, Randy Wyant, Jeff Manners, Jim Keith.

   PRO STOCKS NO. 2 (15 Laps): 1. JASON REAGLE, 2. Alan Dellinger, 3. Rod Laskey, 4. Don Kramer, 5. Chris Haines, 6. Dave Ferringer, 7. Russ Coyne, 8. Terry Wheeler, 9. Denny Crawford, 10. Matt Thomas, 11. Jackson Humanic, 12. Mike Pegher Jr., 13. Arthur Edwards, 14. Ronnie Davis, 15. Josh Seippel, 16. A.J. MacQuarrie, 17. Darrell Bossard, 18. Jason Johns. DNS: Bobby Sutley, Kevin Carson.

   THUNDERCARS (12 Laps) (Unofficial): 1. JON HUFF, 2. Bill Winters, 3. Regina Deloe, 4. Ed Deloe, 5. Charlie McMillen, 6. Don Blake Jr., 7. Bill Baker, 8. Kenny Alcorn, 9. Ed Roberts, 10. Curt Bish Sr., 11. Joe Sloss, 12. Dave Baker, 13. Greg Myers, 14. Alan Perry, 15. Curtis J. Bish, 16. Patrick Fielding, 17. Bill Myers, 18. Joe Blake. DISQ: Cody Manners, Chadd Uber. DNS: Cody Carson, Jeff Manners.  For an update on the official finish, click here.

   UPCOMING EVENTS

   June 22 – McDonald’s Presents DIRTcar Big Block Modifieds, FASTRAK Late Models, E Mods (Double Features), Pro Stocks (William R. Karns Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning Detroit Iron Pro Stock Series) and Thundercars (Kids Night Bike Races) (Tri-City Speedway Hall of Fame Inductions)

   June 29 – Edward Jones Presents Fireworks Extravaganza with DIRTcar Big Block Modifieds, FASTRAK Late Models, E Mods, Pro Stocks and Thundercars (Double Features)

   July 3 and 4 – Hetrick Racing Presents The AVTA Extreme Dirt Track Series 2008 ATV Races

   July 6 – Buyer’s Fair and Pennzoil Present DIRTcar Big Block Modifieds, FASTRAK Late Models, E Mods (Welding Technologies E Series), Pro Stocks and Thundercars (Scout Night: All Boy and Girl Scouts in Uniform Receive Free Grandstand Admission) (Fireworks Raindate)

   July 13 – Atkinson Fire Safety Equipment Presents BRP Modified Tour 2008 16^th Annual Kodiak Memorial for DIRTcar Big Block Modifieds, FASTRAK Late Models, E Mods, Pro Stocks and Thundercars