8/19/07

TODD HODDICK WINS DAVE BLACK LATE MODEL MEMORIAL

 
Lancaster, NY: It was a night to honor a former Lancaster Raceway Park Late Model competitor last Saturday as LRP hosted the “Dave Black Memorial” 76 Lap Late Model feature. Dave raced the #76 Late Model at Lancaster and was the co-owner of D&G Welding in Buffalo, New York. Always willing to help any racer out, Dave epitomized what the sport is all about. Extra money was donated by Dave’s friends and family for the top five finishers while a “Lucky 15” Lap Money Program also added to the Late Model purse.

Starting the nights action off were the Thiel Motorsports Fast & Furious Four Cylinders. Seemingly a demo derby in a circle, the Four Cylinders are one of Lancaster ’s most entertaining divisions and Saturday night’s feature was no exception. At the drop of the green, Kevin Morreale jumped into the lead but it would not last long as Don Roesch ducked underneath Morreale and nabbed the top spot. As Morreale was hung out to dry on the outside line, Tim Haniszewski Jr. sailed by and set out to grab the lead from Roesch. Tim Haniszewski Sr. and Dan Wieland were also hot on the trail of the leaders in third and fourth respectively. However Roesch held off the challengers and recorded his second win of the season.

The fan favorite McGard Street Stocks rolled out next for their feature event. Jim Bryant and Rob Bulger started on the front row and at the drop of the green flag drag raced around the track each one just giving an inch here or there for the top spot. By lap three, Bryant had wrested control of the lead from Bulger. An early race caution doubled up the field once again, but Bryant shot out to the lead on the restart. Behind him Bulger, Tom Agen Sr., John Julicher Jr., Andy Jankowiak, Jeff Magill, Matt Jarek, Wayne Lavis, and Tim Garlock had formed a very large second pack of cars. At the halfway point of the feature Bryant had a considerable lead over second place Julicher. Lap 13 saw a yellow flag come out – not something Bryant was pleased about he saw his lead evaporate and a number of former feature winners now hot on his tail. The single file start gave Julicher just the chance he was looking for and he flew past Bryant at the drop of the green. Jankowiak and Madill followed Julicher around Bryant on the outside and with just five laps to go, Julicher was already looking towards the checkered flag. It was not meant to be however as Jankowiak began applying heavy pressure to Julicher. With two laps to go, Jankowiak made his move and grabbed the lead. Jankowiak, the Street Stock points leader, notched his fifth win of 2007.

Wayne Bernhard led from the outside pole for all twenty laps of the Ray Laks Resale Super Stock feature event to score his division leading sixth win. On track rivals Dave Johnson and Bernhard made up the front row for the feature and gave the fans a show in side by side racing as they battled around the Lancaster oval. Jay Mudra sat in third just waiting for a mistake by the leaders. An early race caution on lap three reset the field and Mudra stayed glued to Bernhard’s bumper, grabbing the second spot from Johnson. Johnson however battled back and before the halfway point, Johnson was right back up to Bernhard looking for a way around him. This left Mudra to race with Frank Batista Jr. for the third running position. Johnson raced his hardest to get around the leader Bernhard while Batista did the same with Mudra. There weren’t enough laps in the race though for either one to get around and advance their positions as they finished Bernhard, Johnson, Mudra, and Batista.

The Lorigo Insurance SST Sportsman were next on the card as Russ Gian and Nick Cappelli made up the front row for the start of the feature. At the drop of the green flag, Gian bolted out to the lead. Behind him the field sorted themselves out and were running single file – Cappelli, Tom MacLeod, Kirk Rutherford, and Erick Rudolph. The top five soon created a large lead over Ed Weber, John Barber, and Eddie Murray who had a battle themselves for sixth position on back. By the halfway point of the feature, the top five were running side by side and nose to tail in a tight pack. Gian still had the lead over Cappelli, MacLeod, Rudolph, and Rutherford. On Lap 13 Gian’s night took a turn for the worse as he bobbled his car, allowing Cappelli to fly by and into the coveted first spot. Cappelli set the pace as MacLeod ran second. Gian continued his fall through the field as Rudolph and Rutherford passed him for third and fourth respectively. Nick Cappelli held on a charge by MacLeod to capture the feature win, which is his second of the year.

With the rest of the features in the books, it was time for the night’s main event – the Dave Black Memorial. Seventy-six laps was the race distance in honor of the #76 that Black used to race. Scott Skora, Mark Pennell, Todd Hoddick, Bob Weber, Jeff Brown, Tommy Reese comprised the first three rows as the field took the green flag. Scott Skora took the lead early and behind him there was a lot of movement throughout the field in the early goings of the race. Trouble found eighth place starter Ron Nurmi early as he was going for the fourth on lap three and went racing through the grass and dropped to the 11th position. Bobby Weber was soon on the move from his fourth starting spot as he began to run down the front three of Scott Skora, Todd Hoddick, and Jeff Brown who had created about a half straightaway lead just six laps into the race. Further back, Nurmi began picking his way back through the field as he took tenth from Mike Ticco and ninth from John Julicher Sr. just one lap later.

By lap 13 Weber caught the front four. Rich Skora ran in fifth position but was about ten car lengths behind the leaders. By lap ten the field had sorted themselves out and were running single file. The first caution of the night appeared on the nineteenth lap as Julicher Sr. tagged the turn one Thermal Foam after experiencing some mechanical problems. The field lined up double file for the restart and Scott Skora and Todd Hoddick restarted first and second from the front row. Hoddick got a great start and beat Skora off of turn two on the outside for the lead, taking command of the lead and of the race. Hoddick certainly had the car to beat as he began stretching out quite a lead over the field.

By lap twenty five Nurmi had climbed his way back into the top five and the front five of Hoddick, Skora, Weber, Brown and Nurmi began pulling away from the rest of the pack. By lap 45 Hoddick had a three quarter length straightaway lead and was pulling away each lap. Further back, and after a heated battle for most of the race up until that point, Jeff Brown got around Bobby Weber on lap 60 to take the third position away. It was short lived however as just seven laps later Brown broke entering turn three and spun bringing out the features second yellow flag.

The field was now bunched back up together and Hoddick had a mirror full of Scott Skora, Bobby Weber, Ron Nurmi, and Mike Ticco. Hoddick had the car to beat however as in just one lap he had gained a five car-length lead. After the restart second place runner Scott Skora lost the handle on his car and Bobby Weber was able to capitalize, moving into the second position on lap 70 with an inside move coming out of turn four.

At the checkers and after 76 laps, Todd Hoddick cruised home to his third win of the season and in the process, unofficially grabbed the Bobcat of Buffalo Late Model points lead from Bobby Weber.

Next week at Lancaster Raceway Park, the “Mighty Modifieds” return for the rescheduled Bud 50. The top Modified drivers in the area will descend upon Lancaster as Kantor & Godwin, Buffalo Harley Davidson, and Hard Tales Magazine present “Bike Blast”, the Bud 50, and demo derby. For more information visit www.lancasterracing.com or call 716-759-6818.

Thiel Motorsports Fast & Furious 4 Cylinders Feature Finish:
1. (3) Don Roesch #77
2. (6) Tim Haniszewski, Jr. #10
3. (8) Tim Haniszewski #02
4. (7) Dan Wieland #40
5. (4) Ken Hejna #9
6. (10) Kay Holmes #09x - last lead lap car
7. (2) Mike Jurek #57
8. (9) Russ Bulger #32
9. (5) T.J. Petrie #74
10. (1) Kevin Morreale #14
11. (11) Dan Roesch #69

Lap Leader: Laps 1-20 Don Roesch

McGard Street Stock Feature Finish:
1. (11) Andy Jankowiak #73
2. (12) Jeff Madill #6
3. (9) Wayne Lavis #1
4. (10) Tim Garlock #88
5. (5) Tom Agen #3
6. (7) John Julicher, Jr. #9 (set back 3 spots at finish)
7. (17) Scott Mutka #23
8. (1) Jim Bryant #49
9. (4) Matt Jurek #57
10. (2) Rob Bulger #32
11. (3) Gary Bartella #99
12. (18) Bobby Hanel, Jr. #33
13. (14) Kaz Tarasek #18
14. (13) Gary Denea #33D
15. (6) Mike Maggiore #28
16. (16) Ed Nowak #96
17. (20) Joe Light #44 - last lead lap car
18. (19) Paul Tessier #12
19. (22) Bob Blaszak #53
20. (15) Darryl McKay #13
21. (21) Debbie Jurek #65
22. (8) Cory Gallagher #24
DNS: Rick Ortwein #58, Tom DeVille #61, Tim Neis #74

Lap Leaders: Lap 1 Bryant; Lap 2 Bulger; Laps 3-13 Bryant; Laps 14-17 Julicher Jr., Laps 18-20 Jankowiak

Heat Winners: Jankowiak, Bulger, Garlock

Ray Laks Resale Super Stock Feature Finish:
1. (2) Wayne Bernhard #23
2. (1) Dave Johnson #52
3. (4) Jay Mudra #16
4. (5) Frank Batista, Jr. #37
5. (3) John Kraemer #77
6. (6) Rick Widmer #78 - last lead lap car
7. (7) George Roesch #61
DNS: Jason Gwin #30

Lap Leader: Laps 1-20 Bernhard

Heat Winner: Bernhard

Lorigo Insurance SST Sportsman Feature Finish:
1. (2) Nick Cappelli #86
2. (4) Tom MacLeod #32
3. (7) Erick Rudolph #12
4. (6) Kirk Rutherford #11
5. (1) Russ Gian #9
6. (3) Ed Weber #4
7. (5) Eddie Murray #37
8. (10) Billy Burd #57 (his #20 had problems)
9. (11) Sherri Hogan #57B (her #74 had problems)
10. (8) Dave Tedesco #44 - last lead lap car
11. (12) Mike Stevenson #1
12. (9) John Barber #01
DNS: Luke Wozniak #57, Jerry Harding, Jr. #57B

Lap Leaders: Laps 1-11 Gian; Laps 12-20 Cappelli

Heat Winners: Gian, Cappelli

Bobcat of Buffalo Late Model Feature Finish:
1. (3) Todd Hoddick #49
2. (4) Bobby Weber #11
3. (1) Scott Skora #56
4. (8) Ron Nurmi #2 - last lead lap car
5. (11) Mike Ticco #65sr
6. (2) Mark Pennell #18
7. (6) Tommy Reese #54
8. (13) Bob Nye #41
9. (15) Jason Petri #53
10. (14) Frank Green #52G
11. (12) Jeff Merritt #61
12. (5) Jeff Brown, Jr. #3
13. (9) Rich Skora #56x
14. (7) Dan Habuda #15
15. (10) John Julicher #10
DNS: Richard Arndt #29

Lap Leaders: Laps 1-20 S. Skora; Laps 21-76 Hoddick

Heat Winners: Weber, Nurmi

Source: Lori Overdorf/Lancaster PR
Additions: Mark Southcott/NYRaceZone.com
Posted: August 20, 2007