06/28/2003
PUTNEY, CARBONE, AND RUTHERFORD
GET THIRD WINS OF 2003 AT LANCASTER
By Dave Buchanan
The old saying “bad things
come in threes,” was turned upside down at the Lancaster Motorsports Park
last Saturday. Instead it was
three good things as three different drivers each scored their third win of
the season on Stockmohr Roofing/Quebecor World night at LMP.
Billy Putney became the first
three-time winner in the Visteon Modifieds, although his night started off
sourly. In the heat races, Putney
scraped the front stretch wall and did some damage to the Rittling #88.
The Bandit Motorsports team had to replace a bent nerf bar and a
damaged rear end, among other things, to get their driver ready for the
feature. Putney started eighth in
the 20-car field, and the Modified points leader didn’t waste any time in
moving forward.
Putney took the lead from Tom
McGrath on lap 8 and would hold off McGrath and Brett Scherrer during several
restarts during laps 12-15. During
the next stretch of green flag laps, Sege Fidanza worked his way from fifth to
second. Fidanza was looking for
back-to-back wins after Monday night’s “Bud 75” victory.
He caught Putney and looked to have the faster car until a caution with
5 laps to go slowed his momentum.
After the restart, Putney’s
car became the better of the two and held off a last lap charge by Fidanza for
the win. The defending track
champion took the overall lead for the Smith’s Hot Dogs “Top Dog” of the
year award with the most feature wins so far.
Putney also maintained his points lead over Fidanza, which was at 22 at
the beginning of the night.
The Tops Markets Late Models
also received its first three-win driver in Joe Carbone.
Carbone, the points leader, took the race lead from Mark Pennell after
a caution for a melee that involved drivers running 2-5 in the point
standings. Ron Nurmi and Bobby
Weber got tangled together while coming down the front stretch.
As Weber spun, John Julicher tried to avoid the mishap but ran right
into the middle of it. At the
same time, Todd Hoddick’s hood flap came loose and blew into his windshield.
Hoddick and Nurmi made trips
to the pits and returned, Weber did also but lost a lap in the process, but
Julicher decided not to come back out. With
his closest competitors in the point standings in the back, Joe Carbone drove
away from the field. He built up
a straightaway sized lead over second place Tom MacLeod, but that would get
knocked down during the later stages. Todd Hoddick did a remarkable job by making up almost all the
ground he lost due to his pit stop.
Hoddick drove from last up to
the third spot, and had an outside shot of winning as he and Macleod reeled in
Carbone. However, they wouldn’t
catch him and Carbone won for the third time this year.
Carbone keeps his points lead over Hoddick in a season that is becoming
one to remember for the Gorman Enterprises #31.
The third three-time winner
was Kirk Rutherford in the Bobcat of Buffalo Sportsman.
After winning the first 2 races of the season, Rutherford has had
nothing but bad luck in the Mighty Auto Parts #95.
He would finally break the jinx after a tight battle with Nick Cappelli.
Cappelli was all over Rutherford for the last 7-8 laps but couldn’t
get around him. Bobby Holmes
would finish third in the race, while at the same time missing his own
graduation from Lockport High School.
The “Lavender Car” of
Wayne Bernhard won the 20-lap Jerry Gradl Motors Super Stock feature.
Bernhard spent most of the race following Craig Orr, who was leading,
until Orr’s car seemed to lose grip and wouldn’t stay in the low lane.
Bernhard drove under Orr and drove away with his second win of the
season.
Doug Evans finished in second
for the third time this season. He
has finished no worse than fifth this year, but can’t seem to win a race.
Cory Sawyer is developing the same kind of consistency with a third
place finish, as the rookie is becoming a weekly top five finisher.
Jeff Merritt was fourth, and Craig Orr held on for fifth.
Tom “Golden Wheels” Agen
made his first trip victory lane this season in the Glen Campbell Chevrolet
Street Stocks. It was a
well-deserved victory for the Agen crew that has spent a number on long nights
putting parts from an old car that was wrecked a few weeks ago into a new one.
The Street Stock feature was once again decided by the driver who could
best drive away from Jim Offhaus and Bobby Hanel while they worked their way
from deep in the field. Agen
started sixth and opened almost a full straightaway lead before Hanel and
Offhaus began chasing him down. They got close but ran out of time.
Next
weekend begin and end your Independence Day weekend at the Lancaster
Motorsports Park! Thursday, July
3rd, the Sunoco Race of Champions Modified Tour rolls into
Lancaster for the “Firecracker 50.” All
the stars of the RoC tour will be looking to steal a win from the LMP
regulars, which is no easy task. All
divisions will be in action plus a gigantic holiday fireworks display.
Saturday night, July 5th, is All-American night at LMP and
all fans are encouraged to wear their red, white, and blue.
The Cup Lite Series will make its first appearance of the year at
Lancaster that night along with a full card of racing.
Racing starts at 6 PM on both nights.
Sources: Dave
Buchanan/Lancaster Motorsports Park
Posted: July 1, 2003
