June 6, 2009
Race Results

Cory Stivason's Photos

Late Model	Limited Late Model	Street Stock	Strictly Stock	4-Cylinder
18 - John Britsky	1P - Rod Phillips	1B - Tim Bish	28N - Nate Smith	10P - Bob Pease

            Another great Saturday night for racing at Marion Center Speedway with the pits and stands full for the five divisions working towards the Butler Auto Supply Season Championships this September.

            The first feature of the night was in the Pikel’s Universal Auto Repair Strictly Stock division.  Brett Bingaman from Cherry Tree brought the field of cars from the pits and led to the halfway point of the feature.  Then a flat tire took him out of contention for the win and allowed Nate Smith from Geln Campbell to take over.  Smith held off advances from A. J. Flick to keep the lead and get the win-leaving Flick from Pittsburgh in second place.  Third place went to Bobby Noel from Mundys Corner and Bryant Small from Cherry Tree was fourth.  Justin Queen of Irvona was fifth, Bingaman was sixth and followed by Bob Geer, Jr;; Gregg Buterbaugh, Steve Matko and Robin Welsh for the top ten.  Winning the Pikel’s Universal Auto Repair Strictly Stock heat races were A. J. Flick, Cory Kilgore and Ray Hickok, Jr.

            The Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic Limited Latemodels came onto the track next led out by Tom Shaffer from Punxsutawney.  Shaffer ran very strong Saturday night keeping the lead for restart after restart for cautions plaguing the race.  With less than five laps remaining in the feature, Rod Phillips from Punxsutawney had made his way into the lead and landed his fourth consecutive win for the division.  Phillips had started seventh in the lineup and was breathing down the neck of Shaffer before the sixth lap was completed.  At the checkered flag Phillips was victorious, Shaffer was second, Cheyenne Reed completed the Punxsutawney-Trio for third place and was followed by Chris Clark back behind the wheel of the 5 R car from Mahaffey.  Jim Whiteford from Northern Cambria was fifth and the rest of the top ten were Scott Stein, Bobby Watt, Jeff Weakland, Joey Valenti and Andrew Satterlee.  The Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic Limited Latemodel heat race winners were Dave Buchanan, Scott Stein and Rod Phillips.

            John Britsky from Indiana dominated the Lias Tire Latemodel feature.  Britsky was one of three winners of the heat races and was placed on the outside pole position to start the feature.  Britsky moved ahead of Dane Laraway at the drop of green flag and didn’t let anyone around him the rest of the night.  Clate Copeman from Greensburg started fourth and battled Britsky for the lead from about the eighth lap on, but Britsky kept control of his car and the race for the win.   Copeman finished second; Mike Blose from Dayton, the other heat race winner, was third in the feature; Matt Gaston from Rochester Mills took fourth and Laraway from Harrison City was fifth.  Sammy Stile was going for the Force Inc. Super Late Model Challenge Saturday night after his win at Dog Hollow Friday, but the Charleroi native came up short at Marion Center Speedway with a sixth place finish.  Bobby Stokes finished in seventh place and was followed by Jerry Redden, Rick Davis and Dave Blazavich-Happy Birthday Dave!  Once again the Lias Tire Latemodel heat races went to Britsky, Laraway and Blose.

            Bob Pease from Blairsville overtook Larry Depp, Jr. from Punxsutawney to win the Q-102 Front Wheel Drive 4 Cylinder Rice Burners feature.  Depp started on the pole and was leading through the eighth of fifteen laps when Pease made the pass for the victory.  Pease had started eighth and took eight laps to gain the lead, but took the remaining four laps in front to secure the win.  Depp came in second and Chris Hickok from Commodore moved up from tenth for third place.  Joe Petyak from Gallitzin was fourth, and Tom Pavelko of Cherry Tree took fifth.  Rounding out the top ten in order were Jesse Laughard, Tina Weaver, Craig Decker, Shane Weaver and Stephanie Whiteford.  Tina Weaver, Chris Hickok and Tom Pavelko were the Q-102 Front Wheel Drive 4 Cylinder heat race winners.

            An exciting end to the evening was made possible by the efforts of the W. G. Satterlee & Sons Street Stocks.  The twenty-lap feature was full of close racing action.  It all started with Jim Boyer from Indiana starting on the pole and leading the beginning laps with Nick Goss from Punxsutawney in hot pursuit from the outside pole.  The duo raced side by side and nose to tail for the first half of the feature with Tim Bish from Ringgold moving into contention from a sixth place start.  By the twelfth lap, Bish had maneuvered his way into the lead with a pass on both Boyer and Goss who were blocked by some slower traffic.  Goss then got around Boyer to make a run on Bish and then Jeff Taylor passed Boyer to get into the front lines for a shot at the lead.  Taylor from Corsica, started seventh and put the pressure on the leaders but didn’t get past the two remaining cars for the lead.  At the checkers it was Tim Bish with the win, Nick Goss in second, Jeff Taylor with third, Tim White from Punxsutawney in fourth and Jim Boyer in fifth.  Sixth through tenth places went to Bill Philips, Jr.; Eric Baun, Rich Waltman, Chad Covatch and Mike Valasek.  Jeff Taylor and Tim White won the W. G. Satterlee & Sons Street Stock heat races. 

            Be sure to join us next Saturday night at Marion Center Speedway for the regular five divisions racing every Saturday night this season until we reach the Butler Auto Supply Season Championships.   A special thanks to all those that participated in the Marion Center Volunteer Fire Department's 50/50 raffle that raised about $830 going to each the winner and the MCVFD. 

By Don Peffer

Results