05/03/2003
LANCASTER MOTORSPORTS PARK OPENS ITS
SEASON ON AN EXCITING NOTE
Lancaster, NY – The Lancaster Motorsports Park began its
45th season of racing last Saturday night with their annual season opening
event, the Queen City Clash presented by Mighty Taco. A chilly and breezy
evening greeted race fans as they returned to LMP after a long and cold
winter. However it would not chill the spirit of the evening, as everyone was
eager to get back to racing.
The Queen City Clash had plenty of close and exciting racing
to open the season at LMP. In the Visteon Modifieds, Chuck Hossfeld renewed
his rivalry with Sege Fidanza. The former track champion and current points
leader in the NASCAR Featherlite Modified Tour started on the pole for 30-lap
feature in the Delange Racing #22. Fidanza started fifth but was knocking
Hossfeld’s door by lap 4. The “Hotshoe” did an excellent job of keeping
his car on the low side forcing Fidanza the higher groove. Fidanza made
several attempts from the outside but couldn’t power past the leader.
Hossfeld would lead all 30 laps to capture his first win at
Lancaster since 2001, however it was his second win of the 2003 racing season
after claming a NASCAR Modified Tour race win at Thompson, CT in April. A
late-race mistake almost cost Fidanza the runner-up spot but he managed to
hold off a challenge from Donny Staubitz Jr, who finished third.
Bobby Weber claimed the win in the 25-lap Tops Markets Late
Model feature. Weber battled hard for the lead with Tom Macleod for a good
portion of the race until Macleod temporarily lost control of his racecar.
Macleod kept it together but couldn’t make up the ground he lost to Weber
and finished second. The Stockmohr #11 of Weber was the runner-up for the Late
Model championship last season, losing the title to Ron Nurmi by just 2
points.
The Bobcat of Buffalo Sportsman feature showcased an intense
battle between 3 former track champions. The 2001 Sportsman champion, Jerry
Gradl Jr., started on the pole for the 20-lap event but would have to deal
with pressure from the 2002 champion, Nick Cappelli, and 1997-98 champion,
Kirk Rutherford. Rutherford and Cappelli took turns battling it out with Gradl
for the lead before Rutherford managed to take it away. Cappelli would soon
follow and then tried hard to pass Rutherford. However, Rutherford held strong
and scored his third-straight win driving for Manko Motorsports at Lancaster.
Jay Mudra grabbed the checkered flag in the first Jerry
Gradl Motors Super Stock feature of 2003. Mudra won a close race-long battle
with Terry Weldy to take the win from the pole. Doug Evans, Brian Richael, and
Ed Lechner completed the top five.
The “Heartthrob” Bobby Hanel opened his season with a
win for the second-straight year in the Glen Campbell Chevrolet Street Stocks.
Hanel outlasted Jim Offhaus and Frank Green in an exciting 3-car battle that
brought the crowd to their feet. On lap 9, the leaders went three-wide through
turns 3 & 4 and Offhaus would win the race down the frontstretch to take
the lead. Green drifted back but Hanel kept up with the Big “O” Sealing
#15 of Offhaus. Hanel would get underneath Offhaus with 3 laps to go to take
the lead for good. Hanel defended his Queen City Clash title by winning the
season opener two years in a row.
LMP played host to its 2nd Super Fan Plan drawing that gave
away over $15,000 in prize money and helped raise $8,200 for the driver’s
point fund.
LMP also paid tribute to the memory of one of its greatest
supporters, Bill Colton Sr., who passed away this winter. LMP Director of
Marketing, Jennifer Fidanza, paid tribute to Colton in a moving speech before
the Modifed feature. Feature winners Chuck Hossfeld and Jay Mudra also paid
tribute to Colton in their victory lane speeches. It was Colton who helped
jump-start the career of Chuck Hossfeld by helping purchase his first Modified
in the mid-1990s. Colton was also the innovator of soft-wall technology at
Lancaster. The Styrofoam blocks that line the concrete walls around LMP have
saved numerous racecars and race drivers for more than 10 years and are now
used at racetracks all over the country. Colton, along with the late Alex
Friesen, came up with the idea after two local drivers were killed in racing
accidents in the late 1980s.
The 45th season of racing at the Lancaster Motorsports Park
continues on Saturday, May 10th with FOAR Score night. All 5 divisions will be
in action plus the season debut of the FM Communications TQ Midgets. Racing
starts at 6 PM. For more information call (716) 759-6818 or log on to www.lancasterracing.com.
Sources: NYRaceZone.com
PR
Posted: May 3, 2003
