Lancaster, NY: Lancaster Raceway Park was blessed with yet another week of perfect racing weather as Wilbert’s Buick & GM Parts and the FOAR SCORE CLUB presented the 4th Annual Heroes Homecoming. Past Lancaster drivers, crew members, employees, fans, and even track owners and promoters were on hand to reminisce about their days at the racetrack. Later on in the evening today’s drivers put on a great show for the assembled crowd including the Bobcat of Buffalo Late Models, Ray Laks Resale Super Stocks, McGard Street Stocks, Probity Group TQ Midgets, the visiting Canadian Vintage Modified Series and in a special 75 lap race, the SST Sportsman.
2007 Heroes Homecoming Group Shot
First up were the Probity Group TQ Midgets for their 20 lap feature race. Arik McGruder started on the pole with Vinny Christiano Jr. starting to his outside. McGruder jumped out to an early lead and lead up until lap 6 when Bobby Holmes, who had started in the seventh position, passed McGruder for the lead. After the pass Holmes checked out on the field, leaving Dave Wollaber to battle McGruder for the runner up position and Chris Bandelian and Mark Schulz for third and fourth on the track. With five laps left to go, Schulz passed Bandelian for the third position and Wollaber got past McGruder for second. Wollaber was on a tear to the front of the field to Holmes, but the laps ran out. Bobby Holmes went on to win his first TQ Midget feature of the season and of his career.
Andy Jankowiak picked up where he left off last week and pulled off another win in the McGard Street Stock division. Steve Cochran started on the pole with Rob Bulger beside him on the outside. After Cochran took the initial lead, a three car battle for the top spot developed with Cochran, Gary Bartella, and Gary Light with Bartella grabbing the top spot. Five laps in the field began to sort itself out and Tom Agen Sr. had joined the party at the front of the field and began challenging the leader from his second spot on the track. However, Andy Jankowiak had impressively made his way up to the front after starting eleventh and used the high line to get around Agen and Bartella and took the lead on lap seven. At halfway Jankowiak lead Agen Sr., Jeff Madill, Mike Maggiore, and Bartella. Agen gave it everything he had in trying to overthrow the leader, but Jankowiak had the race wrapped up as he went on to win his third McGard Street Stock feature of 2007.
The Ray Laks Resale Super Stocks were next in the running order and, as usual, put on a great racing show for the fans. George Roesch and Dave Johnson comprised the starting row and began their battle at the drop of the green flag. Roesch and Johnson raced side by side with Roesch on the low side and Johnson occupying the high line. It was a give and take as each driver swapped the advantage back and forth. By lap five, Johnson had managed to clear Roesch and left Frank Batista Jr. to battle it out with him for second. Batista cleared the Roesch car and took second and it was the same song, different verse as Wayne Bernhard now stepped up to race with Roesch. As Johnson lead the field and Batista tried to gain ground in second, Bernhard and Roesch waged a side by side racing battle that continued to the checkered flag. Johnson went on to garner his second win of the season while Batista finished second and Roesch came home third.
After an exhibition race by the Canadian Vintage Modifieds, the Bobcat of Buffalo Late Models were ready to take to the track. On the start pole sitter Scott Skora jumped into the lead while Bobby Weber grabbed second place. Third place Tommy Reese had a pack of Late Models on his heels looking to take the third spot away from him. On the move through the field were Todd Hoddick, who had started fifth, and Ron Nurmi, who had started fourth. Hoddick began his march to the front as Weber was throwing everything he had at Skora in an attempt to gain the lead. By halfway Skora, Weber, and Hoddick had separated themselves from the rest of the field. Soon Hoddick had control of second place and Skora tried his hardest to keep Hoddick at bay. With just five laps left to go, Hoddick made his move on the outside of Skora and took the lead. It would be short lived however as Skora and Hoddick made contact in turn 2, resulting in both of them going tail on the ensuing caution and restart. This put Weber in the lead and he managed to hold on for the remaining three laps to capture his second win of the season.
Finally the 75 lap feature for the SST Sportsman was ready to roll out. Sherri Hogan was the polesitter with Russ Gian to her outside. Hogan jumped into the lead on the start, but the action was short lived as a pile up in turn one occurred, bringing out the first caution of the race on lap two. Involved in the wreck were cars that were favorites to win – MacLeod, Rutherford, Bill Hebing, and Rudolph. On the restart Hogan raced to the lead once again and soon the field settled in behind her. However Eddie Murray soon was all over Hogan while Cappelli raced hard against Murray . Murray soon took the race lead and Cappelli worked Hogan over for second. Cappelli was better in the turns but Murray managed to power back into the lead each time on the straightaways. Murray and Cappelli got a little too close on lap 23 causing Murray to spin out and bring out a yellow flag. The incident put Cappelli in the lead as race officials deemed Murray had spun out on his own. A number of cautions occurred before the halfway mark jostling the field into the running order of Cappelli, Burd, Daryl Lewis Jr., Rudolph and Gian. By lap 43 lap traffic became a factor and Burd was able to hang with the leader Cappelli. Rudolph battled with Lewis to capture the third spot but was still a full straightaway from the leaders. Lap 60 brought out another yellow flag and bunched up the field on the restart. This put the field of Burd, Rudolph, Lewis, and Gian right on the tail of the leader. However at the drop of the green flag, the field separated and the top three broke away from the rest of the pack. As the laps wound down, Cappelli maintained his lead over Burd although it appeared the Burd was creeping closer and closer to the leader. There were not enough laps though to see if Burd would be able to catch and pass the leader as at the end of 75 laps, Cappelli was the first to cross the finish line.
Next week on Saturday, June 16th Lancaster Raceway Park AAA and Stedman Nurseries presents a “Night at the Races”. For more information visit www.lancasterracing.com or call the track office at 716-758-6818.
Probity Group TQ Midgets Feature Finish: Bobby Holmes, Dave Wollaber, Arik McGruder, Mark Schulz, Chris Bandelian, Vinny Christiano Jr., AJ Hessler, Dan Lawrence, Jamie Collard, Shaun Szejnar, Joel Friesen DNS: Cam Barber, Mel Raab
Lap Leaders: Laps 1-6 McGruder; Laps 7-20 Holmes
Heat Winners: Wollaber, Holmes
McGard Street Stock Feature Finish: Andy Jankowiak, Tom Agen Sr., Jeff Madill, Russell Knutsen, Cory Gallagher, Mike Maggiore, John Julicher Jr., Gary Bartella, Gary Light, Rick Ortwein, Steve Cochran, Joe Light, Ed Nowak, Paul Tessier, Gary Denea, Scott Mutka, Rob Bulger, Tom DeVille, Bob Blaszak Jr., Debbie Jurek, Shane Porter, Matt Jurek, Jim Bryant DNS: Tim Garlock
Lap Leaders: Laps 1-2 Cochran; Laps 3-7 Bartella, Laps 8-20 Jankowiak
Heat Winners: Maggiore, Jankowiak, Agen Sr.
Ray Laks Resale Super Stock Feature Finish: Dave Johnson, Frank Batista Jr., George Roesch, Wayne Bernhard, John Kraemer, Jay Canonico, James Kron III, Rick Widmer
Lap Leaders: Laps 1-20 Johnson
Heat Winner: Johnson
Bobcat of Buffalo Feature Finish: Bob Weber, Ron Nurmi, Jeff Brown Jr., Mark Pennell, Todd Hoddick, Tommy Reese, Scott Skora, Cory Lischer, Frank Green, Dan Habuda
Lap Leaders: Lap 1-22 Skora; Lap 23 Hoddick; Laps 24-25 Weber
Heat Winners: Hoddick, Weber
SST Sportsman Feature Finish: Nick Cappelli, Billy Burd, Erick Rudolph, Daryl Lewis Jr., Russ Gian, Phil Johnson, Craig Dolphin, Eddie Murray, Luke Wozniak, Kevin Lewis, Ed Weber, Andy Lewis, David Tedesco, Dick Kluth, Sherri Hogan, Jerry Gradl Jr., Tom MacLeod, Kirk Rutherford, Bill Hebing DNS: Mike Stevenson
Lap Leaders: Laps 1-11 Hogan; Laps 12-23 Murray ; Laps 24-75 Cappelli
Heat Winners: Cappelli, Hogan, MacLeod
