6/24/06

FIDANZA, REESE, SHEPKER, SHARPE AND MADILL FIND VICTORY LANE AT LANCASTER

 
It was a taste of the old and the new at Lancaster Raceway Park on Motorcycle Appreciation Night sponsored by Kantor & Godwin Motorcycle Accident Attorneys and Wilbert’s Buick & GM Parts. It had a few familiar faces and teams finding victory lane plus three first time feature winners landing in the winner’s circle for the first time in their respective classes.

In the Modifieds, Sege Fidanza earned Modified career win #109 and his first of the 2006 season. Fidanza passed pole sitter Bobby Holmes for the lead at the halfway point of the 30-lap event and then pulled away for his first win in nearly a year.

Holmes led from the drop of the green flag, but Fidanza quickly moved from the fourth starting spot to latch himself on to the back bumper of the young third-generation driver.

Tom McGrath was looking to rebound from a rough outing in his heat race that forced him to start towards the rear of the field. McGrath was charging to the front until lap 10 when he drove hard into turn three and into the back bumper of Dave Wollaber. The incidental contact sent both cars spinning to bring out the yellow and forced them to the rear.

Fidanza took over on lap 15 after finally getting a clean run underneath Holmes in turn one. As he pulled away, Holmes had his hands full with Billy Putney, Lee Sherwood, and Wollaber who were challenging for the runner up spot.

Putney got free of Holmes with less than five laps to go, but did not have enough time left to reel in Fidanza. The “Superman” held on for his 121st overall career win at Lancaster, and now heads to next week’s RoC Tour “Firecracker 75” with some added confidence.

There was a void for Fidanza in victory lane as car owner and longtime friend and employee of LRP, Dennis Petrie, was missing. Petrie was hospitalized earlier in the day after suffering a stroke. Everyone at Lancaster Raceway Park sends out their thoughts and prayers to Dennis and the entire Petrie family.

In the Bobcat of Buffalo Late Models, Tommy Reese picked up his first career victory. Reese started on the pole and led all 25 laps, but faced stiff pressure from Rich Skora for the entire race. Bobby Weber also made a late charge after moving into the third spot and was denied his third-straight win.

 

For Reese’s Thompson Racing team it was their first win since 1999 with Randy Frantz driving the car at the time. They also won a track title with Bob Straus back in 1996, but they never won a feature during the championship run. This is Reese’s second year driving for the Thompsons.

Rich Skora settled for a valiant second place run for his career best at Lancaster. Weber, Scott Skora and George Skora III rounded out the top five.

Justin Shepker became the sixth different winner in as many races in the SST Sportsman. Shepker and Nick Cappelli were the story of the 20-lap feature as Cappelli chased Shepker for the entire distance of the race.

On the final lap, Cappelli made a charge coming out of turn four to make a pass but came up less than a car length short. Shepker denied him from becoming the division’s first repeat winner this season and scored his sixth career win.

In the Jerry Gradl Motors Super Stocks, Kyle Sharpe dominated the 20-lap feature for his first career win in the division. Sharpe had won six times in three seasons in the Street Stocks before moving up full time to the Super Stocks this year.

Mike Scott finished second, but never got a chance to challenge Sharpe. Doug Evans, Wayne Bernhard and Paul Alberti rounded out the top five.

The third first-time feature winner of the evening came in the Glen Campbell Chevrolet Street Stocks as Jeff Madill collected his first checkered flag. Madill passed Wayne Lavis for the lead on lap 10 of the 20-lap feature to procure the top spot.

Madill, a former Holland Speedway champion, had quickly become a consistent front-runner in the division since running weekly at Lancaster. He out ran Tim Garlock who finished second. Russell Knutsen, Jim Stein and Rich Hoch finished out the top five.

Next week, July 1, the stars of the Sunoco Race of Champions Modified Tour invade LRP for the annual “Firecracker 75”. Defending race winner, Sege Fidanza, will challenge RoC Tour stalwarts like Pete Brittain, Zane Zeiner, T.J. Potrzebowski and Jan Leaty. Plus NASCAR Modified stars Chuck Hossfeld and Eric Beers are expected to tangle with the Lancaster hometown heroes.

The SST Sportsman will be off, but the Late Models, Super Stocks, and Street Stocks will be in action. Racing begins at 6:30 PM.

UNOFFICIAL RESULTS

MODIFIEDS
Heat Winners – Brett Scherrer, Bobby Holmes

Feature – SEGE FIDANZA, Billy Putney, Bobby Holmes, Lee Sherwood, Dave Wollaber, Karl Hehr, Rick Kluth, Brett Scherrer, Bob Reis, Tom McGrath, Phil Slater, Mark Tychoniewicz, Sean O'Neill, Ron Martin and Kevin Lewis.

BOBCAT OF BUFFALO LATE MODELS
Heat Winners – Tommy Reese, Rich Skora

Feature – TOMMY REESE, Rich Skora, Bob Weber, Scott Skora, George Skora III, Mark Pennell, T.J. Johnson, Tim Windnagle, Ron Nurmi and Mike Ticco.

SST SPORTSMAN
Heat Winners – Nick Cappelli, Justin Shepker

Feature – JUSTIN SHEPKER, Nick Cappelli, Frank Booker Jr., Billy Burd, Eddie Murray, Kirk Rutherford, Craig Dolphin, Russ Gian, Mike Stevenson, Luke Wozniak, Sherri Hogan, Ed Weber, Ed Grimmer, T.J. Petrie and Jerry Gradl, Jr.

JERRY GRADL MOTORS SUPER STOCKS
Heat Winners – Doug Evans, Kyle Sharpe

Feature – KYLE SHARPE, Mike Scott, Doug Evans, Wayne Bernhard, Paul Alberti, Frank Batista Jr., Rick Widmer, Ed Lechner, Jason Gwin, Dave Johnson, George Roesch and Jay Canonico.

GLEN CAMPBELL CHEVROLET STREET STOCKS
Heat Winners – Joe Mergl, Bobby Hanel Jr., Scott Mutka

Feature – JEFF MADILL, Tim Garlock, Russell Knutsen, Jim Stein, Rich Hoch, Wayne Lavis, Kevin Mendel, Mike Maggiore, Jim Bryant, Tom Agen Sr., Joe Mergl, Bobby Hanel Jr., Andy Jankowiak, Pete Hackett, Rob Bulger, Tom Agen Jr., Bob Hanel Sr., Rick Ortwein, Andy Cryan, Dennis Pieczynski, Bob Blaszak, Tom Deville, Steve Cochran, Paul Tessier, Mike Fedele, Gary Bartella, Ed Nowak, John Julicher Jr., Scott Mutka and Tim Neis. DNS: Kaz Toracek, Joe Light.

Source: Dave Buchanan/Lancaster Raceway Park PR
Additions & Corrections: Mark Southcott
Posted: June 25, 2006; updated June 27, 2006