5/6/07

HEBING, MATUSZAK, JOHNSON AND JANKOWIAK WIN LANCASTER ’07 OPENERS

 
The Lancaster Raceway Park opened its 49th season of stock car racing with a special Sunday afternoon “double barrel” kickoff. Both the mighty Modifieds and Bobcat of Buffalo Late Models opened their 2007 schedule with 50-lap features.

In the Modified opener, Bill Hebing of Ontario, NY in the Kenny Troyer-owned #66 captured the win after leading the final 26 laps. Hebing started on the pole alongside T.J. Potrzebowski. Potrzebowski grabbed the early lead followed by Hebing, Chris Finocchario and Daren Scherer.

On lap three Jan Leaty got out of shape on the frontstretch (after contact from the Chris Finocchario car), which led to a massive pileup in turn one. Leaty’s car collided with Sege Fidanza and Erick Rudolph as all three plowed into the wall. Fidanza’s car took the hardest hit as it went airborne on impact. All three drivers were able to walk away, but Fidanza was noticeably sore.

Racing resumed following a lengthy cleanup period as Patsy Catalano moved into the runner up spot. The yellow flag came out again on lap 11 as Tom McGrath, Daren Scherer, and Buck Catalano came together in turn three. Both Scherer and McGrath suffered enough damage that would end their afternoon.

For the restart Potrzebowski and Patsy Catalano would line up side-by-side on the front row. When the green flag flew Catalano got the jump as he launched into the lead, and brought Bobby Holmes and Hebing with him.

Catalano and Holmes then pulled away from the field as the fastest two cars in the field. Holmes pushed hard for the lead as he was all over the rear bumper of Catalano. He pushed a little too much as he got Catalano out of shape on lap 24. The yellow flag quickly came out as it looked like Catalano was going to spin out, but he saved the car in the end. Holmes was sent to the rear of the field for the contact while Catalano kept his car moving forward and only fell to second behind Bill Hebing.

The yellow flag flew again on lap 38 as Potrzebowski and Holmes collided while trying to get around the lapped car of Tom Wiest. On the restart, Catalano got together with third place Larry Jackson as the field entered turn one.

This put Danny Knoll Jr. and Billy Putney on the back bumper of Hebing with 12 laps to go. Knoll suffered some damage in the lap three wreck with Jan Leaty, but battled his way back through the field.

Hebing, however, would prove too fast for Knoll and the rest of the cars remaining as he cruised to his second career Modified victory at Lancaster. Knoll finished second with Putney in third. Buck Catalano and Larry Jackson recovered from earlier incidents to finish in the top five.

Bill Matuszak of Arcade, NY found himself in the right place at the right time to win the first Bobcat of Buffalo Late Model feature of the season. Matuszak was running third behind leaders Will Thomas and Todd Hoddick when the white flag came out, but the race was far from over.

On the white flag lap Hoddick bumped Thomas in turn two, which spun out Thomas and brought out the yellow flag. Hoddick was sent to the rear of the field for the contact with the leader and it moved Matuszak into first.

Matuszak pulled away from George and Scott Skora during the final green-white-checkered restart to capture his first career win at Lancaster. Scott Skora edged George Skora for second. Jeff Brown and Mike Fiebelkorn Jr. rounded out the top five.

Dave Johnson was the opening day winner in the Ray Laks Resale Center Super Stocks. Johnson earned the win after early race leader Wayne Bernhard spun out while trying pass a lapped car with a just a few laps to go. Until that point Johnson had run the entire race on the back bumper of Bernhard in a tightly contested battle. Johnson’s win was his second in a row dating back to last October’s U.S. Open.

It was a similar story in the McGard Wheel Lock Street Stocks as U.S. Open winner Andy Jankowiak captured the first feature of 2007. It was Jankowiak’s second career win.

The second-generation driver grabbed the lead heading into turn one on a lap 12 restart. The field was just getting up to speed as Jankowiak charged from second underneath leader Jeff Madill. Andy J. then held off Madill for the final eight laps to secure the win. Tom Agen Sr., Jim Bryant, and Wayne Lavis finished in the top five.

Next week Lancaster Raceway Park will return to its regular Saturday night race program. The SST Modifieds and T.Q. Midgets will make their first appearance of the season, plus the brand new 4-Cylinder Mini Stock division makes its debut on the inner-oval. The Late Models, Super Stocks, and Street Stocks will also be in action. Racing starts at 6:30 PM.

RESULTS

MODIFIEDS

Heat Winners – Jan Leaty, Daren Scherer, Bobby Holmes

Feature –
1. (1) BILL HEBING #66
2. (8) Danny Knoll, Jr. #17
3. (13) Billy Putney #88
4. (10) Buck Catalano #4
5. (20) Larry Jackson #84
6. (17) Phil Slater #24
7. (5) Patsy Catalano #45C
8. (11) Mark Tychoniewicz #01
9. (4) Chris Finocchario #8F
10. (16) Sean O'Neill #7
11. (18) Dan Chimera #44
12. (2) T.J. Potrzebowski #72
13. (6) Bobby Holmes #22
14. (19) Tom Wiest #35
15. (15) Brett Scherrer #8
16. (9) Tom McGrath #12
17. (3) Daren Scherer #3
18. (7) Jan Leaty #6
19. (14) Sege Fidanza #77
20. (12) Erick Rudolph #45.

BOBCAT OF BUFFALO LATE MODELS

Heat Winners – Will Thomas, Bobby Weber

Feature –
1. (13) BILL MATUSZAK #1
2. (8) Scott Skora #56
3. (11) George Skora, III #65
4. (10) Jeff Brown, Jr. #3
5. (12) Mike Fiebelkorn, Jr. #50
6. (2) Will Thomas #9
7. (4) Todd Hoddick #49
8. (5) Chris Ross #4s
9. (9) Ron Nurmi #2
10. (7) Joe Carbone #31
11. (1) Bobby Weber #11
12. (3) Matt Alix #24
13. (6) Tommy Reese #54
14. (15) Dan Habuda #15
15. (14) Cory Lischer #3L
16. (16) Phil Hayne #52.

RAY LAKS RESALE CENTER SUPER STOCKS

Heat Winner – Wayne Bernhard

Feature –
1. (3) DAVE JOHNSON #52
2. (2) Frank Batista, Jr. #37
3. (6) Rick Widmer #78
4. (4) George Roesch #61
5. (1) Wayne Bernhard #23
6. (5) Jim Kron, III #31
7. (8) Jay Canonico #13
8. (7) John Kraemer #77.

MCGARD WHEEL LOCK STREET STOCKS

Heat Winners – Rob Bulger, Wayne Lavis, Cory Gallagher

Feature –
1. (8) ANDY JANKOWIAK #73
2. (1) Jeff Madill #6
3. (4) Tom Agen #3
4. (11) Jim Bryant #49
5. (12) Wayne Lavis #1
6. (2) John Julicher, Jr. #9
7. (15) Scott Mutka #23
8. (6) Russell Knutsen #93
9. (16) Jeff Guidotti #20
10. (13) Mike Maggiore #28
11. (23) Bob Blaszak #56
12. (20) Ed Nowak #96
13. (10) Rob Bulger #32
14. (21) Steve Cochran #70
15. (5) Gary Bartella #99
16. (9) Cory Gallagher #24
17. (17) Darryl McKay #13
18. (25) Gary Denea #33D
19. (19) Paul Tessier #12
20. (22) Matt Jurek #57
21. (26) Debbie Jurek #65
22. (18) Joe Light #44
23. (7) Gary Light #40
24. (3) Tim Garlock #88
25. (27) Rick Ortwein #58
26. (24) Bob Hanel #33
27. (14) Jim Stein #21
DNS: Jay Ciamaga #54.

Source: Dave Buchanan/Lancaster PR
Additions: Mark Southcott/NYRaceZone.com
Posted: May 7, 2007