Dark clouds loomed overhead at Marion Center Speedway Saturday night, and even an occasional raindrop would fall.  But loyal fans and drivers waited out the passing showers for a great night of racing in all four divisions.

The Stitching Post Strictly Stock division was the first feature of the evening.  After finishing third in his heat race, Larry Matter of Plumboro started on the pole for the feature.  When the green flag dropped it was all Larry Matter up front for the entire race.  Robert James (of Mahaffey) started behind Matter, but was overtaken by Steve McKendree after the third lap.  The leaders soon caught the back of the field and started lapping cars, but the car McKendree couldn’t get around was Matter.  McKendree (Mahaffey) took second place, and Justin Queen (Irvona) who had started second finished third after keeping up with the leaders weaving in and out of cars on the way.  Ed Keilman (Mundy’s Corner) finished fourth and Robert James was fifth.  The rest of the top ten filled in with Don Hickock (Punxsutawney)-6’th, Bruce Large (Saltsburg)-7’th, Dave Williams (Glen Campbell)-8’th, Tim Good (Vintondale)-9’th, and Dee Deyarmin (Glen Campbell)-10’th.  Three heats were held for the Stitching Post Strictly Stock division and those winners are:  Don Hickok, Robert James, and Justin Queen.

 In the East American Motorsport Steel Block Limited Latemodel division, it was also a flag to flag race with one leader-Dwayne Taneyhill (from Bellwood).  Taneyhill was pursued heavily by Bruce Walker and Shawn McGarvey.  Walker (Punxsutawney) was just passed by McGarvey (Coalport) after the halfway flags of the race when a caution put the race on hold.  In an attempt to get the jump on McGarvey, Walker jumped too soon and was caught by track officials for “jumping ahead on the restart.”  Walker was docked two positions for the error putting him in fifth place.  Between Walker and McGarvey’s second place, were Chris Johnston (Marion Center) and Bernie Whiteford (Hastings).  There were several cautions during the feature and Bruce Walker wasn’t the only driver caught by officials trying too hard to get out of the congested pack too soon.  But after the checkered flag was thrown and everything was sorted out the top ten were:  Taneyhill, McGarvey, Johnston, Whiteford, Walker, Gary Miller, Jr. (New Castle), Larry Hollenbaugh (Punxsutawney), Dan Stormer (Brookville), Tom Snyder (Mayport) and Bill Strong (Indiana).  The preliminary races in the East American Motorsport Steel Block Limited Latemodels were won by Bernie Whiteford, Shawn McGarvey, and Bruce Walker.

John Oaks from Punxsutawney was the leader of the Pepsi Street Stocks from start to finish.  Oaks started on the pole with Scott Alvetro (of Reynoldsville) lined up behind him and Alvetro stayed right behind Oaks the entire race for a second place finish.  Tim White (Punxsutawney) started in the fourth position but moved up to third bringing with him the fifth place starting car, Jeff Sweeney (Marion Center) to take fourth at the checkers.  Harold Sebring was able to move up two positions in the feature to take home fifth place.  Rounding out the top ten in order were Jeff Taylor (Corsica)-6’th, Rich Waltman (Coolspring)-7’th, Dave Potter, Jr. (Smokerun)-8’th, John Weaver (Commodore)-9’th and Eric Lingenfelter (Indiana)-10’th.  Tim White, Scott Alvetro, and Eric Lingenfelter won heat races. 

Dave Peterman won the Lias Tire Latemodels feature by staying in the front from green to checkers.  Peterman (Indiana) led all twenty laps to secure the win, but it wasn’t just that easy as Rod Phillips (Punxsutawney) made his up from fifth to challenge for the lead and ended up battling with Dave Satterlee (Home) to stay in second place.  Satterlee moved up from ninth to challenge for the front positions and ended with third.  Steve Everhart (Canoe Creek) came to the races for the first time and ran away with fourth place after starting third and winning his heat race.  Jerry Redden (Mahaffey) got fired up this weekend and after debuting at Dog Hollow Friday night, took fifth place at Marion Center.  The rest of the top ten for the Lias tire Latemodels in order were:  Ken Schaltenbrand (Sarver)-6’th, Dave Blazavich (Indiana)-7’th, Bob Sheesley (Marion Center)-8’th, Spanky Daugherty (Sarver)-9’th, and Rick Strong (Home)-10’th.  Rick Lias (Smicksburg), Steve Everhart, and Mike Blose (Dayton) were winners in the heat races.

Race fans!  Be sure to mark your calendars for a special race at Marion Center Speedway on Monday, May 31 for the Memorial Day Special-the Twin Twenty-Five lap features for the Lias Tire Latemodels.  Special thanks to the following sponsors for door prizes:  Vanderpools Checkered Flag Collectibles of Punxsutawney (near WalMart), Sandy Kaye’s Restaurant in Shelocta and Furniture World East in Kittanning and Indiana.

 

 

Don Peffer

Light rain or a drizzle throughout much of the day, and overcast skies kept Marion Center  Speedway’s clay oval damp and tacky for Saturday night’s races.  The track conditions are always favored by some and disliked by a few, but there wasn’t any dust in the fans’ eyes so they could witness all the exciting action on the track.

The Pepsi Street Stock division was the first feature of the night. John Oaks started on the pole and was running great, but the front-runners in the race soon found themselves intermixed with slower cars as they started to lap cars.  After the halfway flags came out, Scott Stein found an opening to shoot through to take the lead.  Stein won the feature with Oaks coming in second place.  Scott Alvetro picked up third followed by Eric Lingenfelter in fourth, Bob Hill in fifth, and Tim White was sixth.  Next came Jeff Taylor-seventh, Jim Boyer-eighth, Skip Lindemuth-ninth, and Don Waltman in tenth.  The preliminary heats were won by John Weaver and Scott Stein.

B D Laraway started on the pole of the Lias Tire Latemodels, and went on to take the checkered flag for his first win in driving Late Models.  If it wouldn’t have been for Sammy Stile, Laraway would’ve went flag to flag in the lead.  Early into the race Stile made a pass on Laraway for the lead, then coming off number 4 turn, something let loose in the Stile car and he was left sitting waiting on tow.  The incident put Laraway back into the lead, which he held onto despite the efforts of other tough competitors.  Mike Blose, Jerry Redden, Rod Phillips were just some of the drivers that came close to taking the lead, but it wasn’t to be-it was BD’s night.  Finishing second to Laraway was Rodney Phillips; Jerry Redden was in third, Mike Blose took fourth, and Dave Peterman was fifth.  Dave Blazavich finished sixth with Dave Satterlee in seventh, Bobby Stone in eighth, Keith Witherite was ninth and Chuck Sarver took tenth.  Dave Satterlee and Dave Peterman each won a heat race for the Lias Tire Late Models.

The end of the Stitching Post Strictly Stock feature was exciting with the lead changing every other lap.  Bruce Large started on the pole and held the front position for the first ten laps.  Steve McKendree then passed Large to lead two laps, then debris on the racetrack brought out a caution flag to slow things down.  The restart was what Jack Mumau needed to get around McKendree.  Mumau was able to keep the lead for the remaining few laps for the victory.  Steve McKendree took second, Robert James was third, Dave Williams took fourth and fifth went to Tim Good.  Rounding out the top ten were in order: Bruce Large, Tom Baun, Justin Queen, Don Hickok, and Dee Deyarmin.  Justin Queen and Robert James won the heat races.

There were some exciting times in the East American Motorsport Steel Block Limited Latemodel division feature.  Shawn McGarvey brought the cars onto the track from his pole position starting point and continued to lead until a caution came out after four laps into the race.  McGarvey was not involved in the incident, but for some reason McGarvey went to the pits under caution and never returned.  The action of McGarvey put Bernie Whiteford in the leaders position.  Whiteford was pursued by Denny Walker and then Cheyenne Reed came around Walker to challenge Whiteford, but Reed wasn’t able to pass Whiteford either.  Larry Hollenbaugh had worked his way to the front and also tried to pass Whiteford but wasn’t able to do it.  Bernie Whiteford picked up the checkered flag for first; Larry Hollenbaugh was second, Cheyenne Reed-third, Chris Johnston-fourth and Denny Walker-fifth.  Sixth through tenth positions were filled by Dan Stormer-sixth, Ray Weaver-seventh, Carl Ruth-eighth, Tom Jobe-ninth and an unidentified new driver to the track was tenth driving the 1B car.  The heat races were won by Shane McMeans and Tom Snyder.

The Don Huey Custom Building and Remodeling 4 Cylinder Rice Burner division was won by Randy Reed for the second week in a row, which makes Reed undefeated in the division.  Reed pulled away from the field after coming from last in a field of a dozen cars to take the lead at the halfway point from Dan Adams who led the first half of the feature.  Dennis Weisgarber followed Reed around Adams but was unable to keep up with Reed and finished in second with Adams in third.  Matt Shirk finished fourth, Jason Peters-fifth, Andrew Satterlee-sixth, Gregg Satterlee-seventh, Virgil Small –eighth, Wayne Keith-ninth, and an unidentified 18F was tenth.  Finishing out the field were Bert Wetzel and Brent Buterbaugh.  The heats for the Don Huey 4 Cylinders were won by Randy Reed and Jason Peters.

The Twin Twenty-five lap features for the Lias Tire Latemodels that was scheduled for Memorial Day and rained out has been rescheduled for Saturday, July31 as a regular night of racing.  The Twin twenty-five lap features will have preliminary heats for each with only a pre-determined number of cars from the first feature automatically qualifying for the second feature.  The payoff for the Latemodels will be $1500 MINIMUM to win each feature-the payoff continues to grow as new sponsors come forward to increase the purse (thanks to Pepsi and Don Huey Custom Building and Remodeling, and there’s always room for more-contact the speedway at 724-397-2620 or 724-397-2718 for more information).  The race time will be 7:30 PM, same as Saturday nights’ regular programs.  The night’s events will also include the Stitching Post Strictly Stocks, and the Don Huey Custom Building and Remodeling 4 Cylinder Rice Burners.  The East American Motorsport Steel Block Limited Late Models are invited to run with the Lias Tire Latemodels that night.  All other track rules will be in effect.

Kid’s Bike Races have been scheduled!  The bike races will be held during intermission on June 26, July 17, and the Championship on August 14.  The Home Made Restaurant in Home and Pepsi are helping to sponsor this seasons bike races.  

Special thanks to Butler Auto Supply for their sponsorship and the following sponsors for door prizes:  Vanderpools Checkered Flag Collectibles of Punxsutawney (near WalMart), Sandy Kaye’s Restaurant in Shelocta, Furniture World East in Kittanning and Indiana Don Huey Custom Building and Remodeling of Indiana, and Freedom Outdoor Furnaces. 

 

 

Don Peffer

It was a great night of racing at Marion Center Speedway Saturday night with friendly skies shining overhead and  a shiny red pace truck from Kelly Chrysler/Jeep /Dodge of Brookville to lead the features onto the track and set the pace for restarts when necessary.  Jerome Gearhart, Service Manager for Kelly brought the truck to the track and Bill Kelly from the dealership was also on board the Hemi Sport model of the Dodge Ram truck.

 Aaron Walker was a good leader in the Stitching Post Strictly Stock feature as he took his line from the outside pole position to the checkered flag.  Walker from Sykesville, led the entire race with Tim Good right behind him (where he started) and Dee Deyarmin had the starting position behind Good and finished third-behind Good.  That’s as far as the line-up went in following the leader with Robert James coming up from the 17’th slot to take fourth splitting Deyarmin and Jack Mumau to break the chain.  Sixth place went to Steve McKendree; followed by Justin Queen in seventh, Dave Williams-8’th, Mike Boring-9’th, and Ryan Daughenbaugh in tenth.  The Stitching Post Strictly Stock heats were won by Jack Mumau, Don Hickok and Dee Deyarmin.

 In the East American Motorsport Steel Block Limited Latemodel division feature the Punxsutawney Trio swept the top three positions.  Bruce Walker started on the pole and kept the lead throughout the feature.  Walker was pursued heavily by Cheyenne Reed who started beside him, but Reed couldn’t get past Walker.  Larry Hollenbaugh was hooked up again Saturday night coming from eleventh on the starting grid to challenge Walker for the lead in laps 14 through 20 after Hollenbaugh passed Reed, and settled into second place.  Following Reed’s third place finish was Alex Nicoletti in fourth and Chris Johnston in fifth.  Gary Miller, Jr. took sixth; Dave Buchanan-7’th, Dan Stormer was eighth after having two positions taken away from him for jumping on the last restart after a caution; Clay Copeman was ninth, and tenth went to Ray Weaver.  Ray Weaver had won his heat race as well as Chris Johnston and Rich Womeldorf.  –On a side note, Tom Snyder who was ejected from last weeks races for rough driving and then given two weeks off for the hand gestures he made at the officials while leaving the track, has been suspended indefinitely from being at Marion Center Speedway for continuing his actions and the actions of his pit crew after leaving the racing surface area.  Good sportsmanship is a must for all competitors in any sport, and the family friendly atmosphere of Marion Center Speedway should not be compromised by inappropriate actions of participants, spectators or staff.

 The Pepsi Street Stock division was the next feature race of the night.  Eric Lingenfelter took the pole for this event and was able to lead the first seven laps before he spun out and Jim Boyer took over the lead.  Boyer started in eighth place and had caught up to Lingenfelter thus getting the lead with Lingenfelter’s spin out.  Jeff Taylor worked his way from fifteenth into second place to put Tim White in third after White had started in second.  One of the new people at the track Saturday night, Paul Schreckengost of Creighton, took fourth place and Scott Stein rounded out the top five.  Jake Ayers finished sixth; Rob Shook (also new from Creighton) –seventh, Eric Lingenfelter ended the race in eighth, John Weaver –ninth and Jason Fosnaught was tenth.  Taking the heats for the Pepsi Street Stocks were Jim Boyer, Jake Ayers and John Oaks. 

 Ken Schaltenbrand started the Lias Tire Latemodel feature on the outside pole and led the first eight laps, but before the half-way flags came out, Dave Satterlee who started in line behind Schaltenbrand made a pass for the lead that he would not relinquish for the rest of the race.  Satterlee was caught by Mike Blose who only had to keep up with Satterlee from the beginning of the race, starting directly behind him, but the other cars on the track kept “following the leader” a little difficult at times.  Satterlee knew that any mistake would let Blose into the lead, but Dave Satterlee didn’t make any mistakes to win the Lias Tire Latemodel Feature with Mike Blose in a close second place finish.  Ken Schaltenbrand took third place; Rod Phillips was fourth, and Rick Lias finished fifth.  Rounding out the top ten in order were Rick Strong-sixth, Dave Blazavich-seventh, Tom Kitchen-eighth, Chuck Sarver-ninth and then Rick Davis.  In the preliminary heats, Rick Strong and Rod Phillips were the winners.

 Randy Reed swept the Don Huey Custom Building and Remodeling 4 Cylinder Rice Burners again for the third straight win, but this time it wasn’t as easy.  Reed started last on the inside row of an eighteen car starting grid (It’s Growing!) and a new driver in the division, Doug Hollenbaugh (only new to this division of racing) was starting near the front and determined to keep fellow Punxsy native out of first place.  Hollenbaugh nearly succeeded in dethroning the Rice Burner King, Randy Reed but on the last turn of the last lap, Randy Reed was coming past Hollenbaugh to take the checkers.  Hollenbaugh gave Reed a friendly “nudge” towards the wall as Reed went by him in a last ditch effort to win the race, but Reed handled that too and won the third straight 4 Cylinder feature.  Doug Hollenbaugh took second and was there to congratulate Reed when he posed for photos after the race.  Brent Buterbaugh took third place, Chad Satterlee was fourth (yes it’s yet another Satterlee on the track)-followed by Andrew Satterlee in fifth and Greg Satterlee in sixth.  Richie Brown started on the pole for the feature and finished seventh; Eric Myers was eighth, Glen Carpenter was ninth and Wayne Keith was tenth.  Winning the heats were Andrew Satterlee and Jeremy Detwiler.  The 4 Cylinders are really having fun on the track, and there might be a little more bumping, or “rubbing” going on that makes the track officials nervous.  But you know they’re having fun when Greg Satterlee comes onto the track in his miniature station wagon with luggage strapped to the roof like the “family truckster” in a Chevy Chase movie. 

 Next week at the track will be the “Father’s Day Special” so bring Dad to a night of racing for Father’s Day.  Also, be sure to mark your calendars for this year’s Independence Day celebration with racing and fireworks on Saturday night, July 3.  As a part of the regular racing program, a fireworks display by the Starfire Corp. will light up the skies again this year.

 The Twin Twenty-five lap features for the Lias Tire Latemodels that was scheduled for Memorial Day and rained out has been rescheduled for Saturday, July 31 as a regular night of racing.  The Twin twenty-five lap features will have preliminary heats for each with only a pre-determined number of cars from the first feature automatically qualifying for the second feature.  The payoff for the Latemodels will be $1500 MINIMUM to win each feature-the payoff continues to grow as new sponsors come forward to increase the purse (thanks to Pepsi and Don Huey Custom Building and Remodeling, and there’s always room for more-contact the speedway at 724-397-2620 or 724-397-2718 for more information).  The race time will be 7:30 PM, same as Saturday nights’ regular programs.  The night’s events will also include the Stitching Post Strictly Stocks, and the Don Huey Custom Building and Remodeling 4 Cylinder Rice Burners.  The East American Motorsport Steel Block Limited Late Models are invited to run with the Lias Tire Latemodels that night.  All other track rules will be in effect.

 A Special race for the East American Motorsport Limited Latemodels will be held on Wednesday, August 4, 2004.  Keep watching for more details-as of now the Pepsi Street Stocks and the Stitching Post Strictly Stocks as well as the Don Huey $ Cylinders may also be running that night with the Limited Lates.

 Kid’s Bike Races have been scheduled!  The bike races will be held during intermission on June 26, July 17, and the Championship on August 14.  The Home Made Restaurant in Home and Pepsi are helping to sponsor this seasons bike races.  

 Special thanks to Butler Auto Supply for their sponsorship and the following sponsors for door prizes:  Vanderpools Checkered Flag Collectibles of Punxsutawney (near WalMart), Sandy Kaye’s Restaurant in Shelocta, Furniture World East in Kittanning and Indiana Don Huey Custom Building and Remodeling of Indiana, and Freedom Outdoor Furnaces. 

 

Don Peffer

peffer@earthlink.net