6/25/2005
FIDANZA AND TICCO FIND VICTORY LANE AT LANCASTER
Lancaster Raceway Park and its fans took time to honor the past last Saturday night with Racer’s Homecoming Night. About 50 retired drivers attended a special pre-race party that featured classic racecars, memorabilia, and lots of memories being relived. Several former track champions were in attendance including Chuck Boos, Ed Ortiz, Ross Holmes, Mike Scroger, Leo Lewandowski, and Ron Martin. Former Race of Champions winners Roger Treichler and Dutch Hoag were also there.
In the end it would be fitting for a couple of wily veterans that raced with some of those mentioned above to make long overdue returns to victory lane in their respective classes on this memorable night.
In the Advance Auto Parts Modifieds, Ron Williams and Bill Mislin would lead the field to the green flag for the 30-lap main event. Mislin took command of the race early on, while Sege Fidanza moved up from his fourth starting spot to second. Mislin and Fidanza would be tough to catch on this night, as the pair was able to pull away from the pack during green flag racing.
Mislin would lead for most of the way, thwarting Fidanza’s attempts to take lead a number of times. Following a lap 13 restart, “Super Sege” looked to have gotten past Mislin as he outraced him into turn one. Fidanza, however, would drive hard into turn two and get out of the racing groove ans Mislin was able to regain the lead by the time they hit the backstretch.
The pair would continue to tangle all the way to the end of the race. With less than two laps to go, Fidanza would take the lead for good to the delight of the crowd. Just after crossing the start/finish line with two laps to go, Fidanza dove under Mislin getting into turn one and would exit turn two as the leader. He would pull away in the final lap and a half to win his 106th career Lancaster Modified victory.
It was his first win at Lancaster since August of 2003 and his first win anywhere since the 2003 Race of Champions 200. Mislin would equal his career best with a second place run. Bill Putney, Tim Mangus, and Dave Wollaber completed the top five.
In the Bobcat of Buffalo Late Models, Mike Ticco and Ron Nurmi had an equally epic battle during the second half of their 25-lap feature. In the end, Ticco would lead 24 of 25 laps and pick up his first win since 1988. It was his 19th career win and the first since his return to racing in 2003. The 1985 Late Model champion, temporarily retired from racing in the mid 1990s, and then served for a brief period as Lancaster’s race director before getting back behind the wheel.
Ron Nurmi keeps his lead in the point standings with his second place finish. Mark Pennell, Joe Carbone, and TJ Johnson completed the top five.
Bobby Holmes picked up his second win of the year in the Signworks SST Sportsman. Holmes took the lead for good on lap 13 after passing Bill Hebing, who was forced to race in borrowed car from Spencer Speedway driver, Jeff Hammon. Jerry Gradl Jr. posted his best run of the year, finishing third after leading the race’s first 11 laps. Neal Dietz and Ed Weber closed out the top five.
Two-time defending Probity Construction Super Stock champion, Wayne Bernhard, finally broke through for the first win in his quest for a three-peat. Bernhard would pass Paul Alberti with eight laps to go and pull away to take the win.
Jim Bryant won his first-ever Glen Campbell Chevrolet Street Stock feature. Bryant becomes the sixth different winner in as many races for the highly competitive Street Stocks.
In the TQ Midgets, Jamie Collard of Princeton, ON scored the victory for car owner, Vinny Christiano. Collard’s teammate, Dave Wollaber, was pressing him hard late in the race, but Collard held on for the win. DJ Sossong finished third, while 14-year-old future star, Erick Rudolph, recorded his career best run to date with a fourth place finish. Erick is the son of former Modified champion, Charlie Rudolph, and grandson of Jim Rudolph.
The racing action gets hotter at LRP for Fourth of July Weekend. Next Saturday, July 2, there will be twin SST Modified features plus a holiday fireworks display. It’s also Hero Appreciation Night as all EMT’s, firefighters, policemen, and military personnel get in for free with proper ID. Racing starts at 6:30 PM.
RESULTS
ADVANCE AUTO PARTS MODIFIEDS
Heat Winners – Ron Williams, Bill Mislin
Feature -
1. SEGE FIDANZA
2. Bill Mislin
3. Bill Putney
4. Tim Mangus
5. Dave Wollaber
6. Tom McGrath
7. Karl Hehr
8. Ron Williams
9. Sean O'Neill
10. Mark Tychoniewicz
11. Matt Alix
12. Jeff Ulrich
13. Ed Murray
14. Bill Torrisi
BOBCAT OF BUFFALO LATE MODELS
Heat Winners – T.J. Johnson, John Julicher
Feature – MIKE TICCO, Ron Nurmi, Mark Pennell, Joe Carbone, T.J. Johnson, Tommy Reese, Scott Skora, Brandon Metz, Craig Orr, George Skora III, Tom MacLeod, Dan Habuda, Scott Jarrell, and John Julicher.
SIGNWORKS SST SPORTSMAN
Heat Winners – Bobby Holmes, John Barber
Feature – BOBBY HOLMES, Bill Hebing, Jerry Gradl Jr., Neal Dietz Jr., Ed Grimmer, Ed Weber, Mike Shields, Russ Gian, Justin Shepker, Mike Mitchell, Sherri Hogan, Jim Pierce, John Barber, Dave Johnson, Tom Kornowski, Frank Booker Jr., and Don Wylie.
PROBITY CONSTRUCTION SUPER STOCKS
Heat Winners – Paul Alberti, Wayne Bernhard
Feature – WAYNE BERNHARD, Doug Evans, Paul Alberti, Jay Mudra, A.J. Cole, Mike Scott, Ed Lechner, Mark Hoch, Ed Collver, Tom Carney, Dick Wieland, Jay Canonico, and Chris Pennell.
GLEN CAMPBELL CHEVROLET STREET STOCKS
Heat Winners – Frank Batista, Jim Stein, Dave Johnson
Feature – JIM BRYANT, Kyle Volk, Jim Offhaus, Jim Stein, Dave Johnson, Tom Agen, Jeff Madill, Wayne Lavis, Rick Widmer, Gary Light, John Shurmatz, Russell Knutsen, Pete Hackett, Joe Mergl, Scott Mutka, Rob Bulger, Mark Pew, Mike Maggiore, Tom Deville, Paul Tessier, Rick Ortwein, Dennis Pieczynski, Robert Dobuchi Jr., Tim Garlock, Frank Batista Jr., and Mike Fedele.
TQ MIDGETS
Heat Winners – Jamie Collard, Erick Rudolph
Feature – JAMIE COLLARD, Dave Wollaber, D.J. Sossong, Erick Rudolph, Chris Bandelian, Chad Haywood, Charlie DiRosa, James Michael Friesen, Mike Blair, Shaun Szejnar, Dan Wollaber, Gordon Steffan, and A.J. Hessler. DNS: Jim Fleischman.
Source: Dave Buchanan/Lancaster Raceway Park PR
Posted: June 26, 2005