9/9/07

CHUCK HOSSFELD CLAIMS LRP'S 2007 "MR. MODIFIED" TITLE

 
Lancaster, NY: Chuck Hossfeld added yet another prestigious win to his already impressive racing resume last Saturday night at Lancaster Raceway Park as Hossfeld was crowned “2007 Mr. Modified”. Hossfeld, who also won the “Mr. Modified” race in 2003, started from the pole and led all fifty laps, surviving pressure from a start studded field of competitors. Also capturing the checkered flag to take home wins were Jerry Carpenter in the 4 Cylinders, Scott Mutka in the Street Stocks, Wayne Bernhard in the Super Stocks, Erick Rudolph in the SST Sportsman and Bobby Weber in the Late Model division.

The night's action began with the Thiel Motorsports Fast & Furious 4 Cylinders. The division, which at time seems like a demo derby in a circle, featured some of the most exciting racing of the evening as the cars sliced and diced, beat and banged, and drove through the infield to rejoin the field. Mike Jarek started on the pole but was soon challenged by Dan Wieland and Ken Hejna. Soon Carpenter had moved his way up from his seventh starting spot to challenge for the lead, taking the top spot on lap three. Behind him a battle for second raged with Wieland and Brandon Hirsch, with Hirsch taking second on lap seven. Hirsch began applying heavy pressure to leader Carpenter, even leading a lap at one point, but Carpenter managed to hold onto his lead and took home his first checkered flag of the season.

The McGard Street Stocks were next on the racing card and featured a strong 29 car field. At the drop of the green the battle began and Rick Ortwein jumped to the lead from the outside pole starting position. Just six laps into the race Mike Maggiore took over the top spot on the track although he had many contenders quickly closing in. Scott Mutka and Andy Jankowiak made good use of the outside groove and were sitting in second and third on lap ten. A lap ten caution bunched the field together for a single file restart after a yellow flag, giving Mutka and Jankowiak the opportunity to get a good run on leader Maggiore. Just three laps later Mutka was able to capitalize and grabbed the lead from Maggiore and Jankowiak followed suit slotting into the second spot and relegating Maggiore to third. With just five laps to go Jankowiak was applying heavy pressure to leader Mutka, looking over every inch of the racing groove trying to find a way around him. Mutka however had the car to beat and crossed the finish line first, taking home his first Street Stock feature of 2007.

The always competitive Ray Laks Resale Super Stocks were next out on the track and as always put on a great show for the fans. George Roesch started from the pole and immediately jumped into the lead. He was not without company however as Frank Batista Jr. was right there with him, trying to grab the lead away from Roesch. As Roesch and Batista battled up front, Wayne Bernhard was charging through the field from his fifth place starting spot. Bernhard soon caught the leaders and dispatched Batista from second as Bernhard made the outside groove work once again. By the halfway point of the race Roesch, Bernhard, and Batista led the field while Kyle Sharpe and Dave Johnson struggled to keep up with the top three. With Batista fading back just a touch, Bernhard was able to get a great run on Roesch and took the lead on lap twelve. Roesch was not content to let Bernhard cruise off and stayed right there with him, drag racing around the track in a clean side by side battle. Bernhard was just too strong for Roesch however and Bernhard went on to record his division leading seventh win of the season.

The SST Sportsman took to the track with a sixteen car field. Starting from the front row in the SST Sportsman, Russ Gian and Erick Rudolph began a battle for the lead. Gian led the first lap although by the second circuit around the track Rudolph had gained possession of the top spot. They were followed by Billy Burd, Tom MacLeod, Kirk Rutherford, and Nick Cappelli after the drop of the green flag. The field began to sort itself out and soon the top three of Rudolph, MacLeod, and Rutherford had pulled away from Burd and Cappelli. MacLeod began applying pressure to leader Rudolph, challenging for the top spot while Rutherford seemed to struggle a bit as he was loosing touch with the leaders coming out of the corners. The field began to spread out even more and Rudolph cruised in the lead as MacLeod, Rutherford, and Burd were a distance behind him. With two laps to go the leaders encountered lap traffic, but Rudolph navigated the track like an expert and went on to cross the finish line first for the fourth time this year.

The full fendered excitement of the Bobcat of Buffalo Late Models was up next on the program. At the drop of the green the front row of Tommy Reese and Mark Pennell drag raced around the track, with Pennell getting the better of Reese to take the lead. Pennell didn’t have much time to enjoy his top dog status as Bobby Weber, Ron Nurmi, Scott Skora, Todd Hoddick, and Matt Alix were all on the move behind him. On the sixth lap, Weber took control of the race as he passed Pennell on the inside. Weber set off on a torrid pace as the rest of the field behind him was battling for position. By the halfway point Weber had built a substantial lead over Pennell, Nurmi, Skora, Hoddick, Alix, and Jeff Brown. The pack began to slice and dice as Skora slid under Nurmi for third and took Hoddick and Alix with him, relegating Nurmi back to sixth where he soon had to contend with Brown. The second place on back pack was slowly reeling in the leader Weber as they ran nose to tail. A lap 20 caution evaporated Weber’s lead in an instant and now the field was lined up right on his bumper. Weber got a good start but it was for nothing as another yellow flag appeared as Skora and Pennell made contact. This put Hoddick on Weber’s bumper on the restart along with Alix, Nurmi, and Brown. Weber’s car was hooked up though and even though it looked like Hoddick and Alix were going to be able to make a run on the leader in the corners, Webers car just powered away from them down the straightaways. Weber went on to capture his third checkered flag of the season.

The “Mighty Modifieds” were next up with the premier event of the evening – the “Mr. Modified” 50 lap feature race. It was a pair of “22’s” on the front row as Chuck Hossfeld and Bobby Holmes brought the field of veterans and young guns to the green flag. Soon it was an old rivalry renewed as Hossfeld led, but with heavy pressure being applied by his nemesis Sege Fidanza. Tom McGrath was on a mission as he raced his way up from his ninth starting spot, picking off cars on the outside and inside like they were standing still. He was up to third by lap 11 which also brought out the first yellow flag of the night as Wilbur Hebing had too close of an encounter with the back stretch wall. Hebing was done for the night. A double file restart had Hossfeld and Fidanza on the front row with McGrath and Holmes right behind them. It was close racing for a few laps and McGrath and Holmes made contact as they were battling for the second running spot. The contact brought out the second yellow flag and sent McGrath to the tail of the field. The restart once again had Hossfeld and Fidanza up front but they had new company behind them with Buck Catalano, Erick Rudolph, and Patsy Catalano knocking at their door. Rudolph battled with B. Catalano and captured the third place spot on the track and began looking Fidanza over for second. Rudolph began a challenge to the outside of Fidanza and it lasted for a good couple of laps. However, Rudolph pulled back in line after not being able to grab the second spot from Fidanza. At the halfway point of the feature the front five were Hossfeld, Fidanza, Rudolph, B. Catalano, and P. Catalano. A force moving up through the field however was McGrath, who by lap 28, was back up to sixth position. The top five were single file and Fidanza was hanging in there with Hossfeld, not allowing him to build up any type of significant lead. Lap 38 saw the race's final caution as the tires finally seemed to give out underneath McGrath as he spun in turn two. The single file restart had the field nose to tail with Hossfeld, Fidanza, Rudolph, B. Catalano, and P. Catalano leading the way. With just ten laps left, some of drivers began to look a little racy as they used up what they had been saving throughout the race. Rudolph once again began a challenge for second place, going to the outside of Fidanza while B. Catalano was right there waiting for any type of mistake by the cars in front of him. However, as the laps ticked away, Rudolph was unable to make the pass on Fidanza and Fidanza was unable to get around longtime rival Hossfeld. At the checkers it was Hossfeld, Fidanza, Rudolph, B. Catalano, and P. Catalano. Chuck Hossfeld was crowned Lancaster Raceway Park ’s 2007 “Mr. Modified”.

Next week, Saturday, September 15th, closes out the regular season at Lancaster Raceway Park as the champions in the TQ Midgets, Street Stock, Super Stock, SST Sportsman, and Late Models are crowned. It will also be “Pack the Track” Night and Fan Appreciation Night with discounted admission and lots of giveaways! For more information visit www.lancasterracing.com or call 716-759-6818.

Thiel Motorsports Fast & Furious 4 Cylinder Feature finish: Jerry Carpenter, Dan Wieland, Brandon Hirsch, Jesse Baker, Mike Buchanan, Eddie Whodat #25, Debbie Hoddick #3, Mike Jurek, Matt Druar, Tim Haniszewski, Jr., Kevin Morreale and Ken Hejna. DNS: Joe Merlino.

Lap Leaders: Lap 1 Hejna; Lap 2 Wieland; Laps 3-12 Carpenter; Lap 13 Hirsch; Laps 14-20 Carpenter

McGard Street Stock Feature Finish: Scott Mutka, Andy Jankowiak, Tom Agen, Mike Maggiore, Bobby Hanel, Jr., Wayne Lavis, John Julicher, Jr., John Hewson Jr., Cory Gallagher, Jeff Madill, Rick Ortwein, Gary Bartella, Gary Denea, Rob Bulger, Tim Neis, Darryl McKay, Jim Stein, Steve Cochran, Paul Tessier, Ed Nowak, Tom DeVille, Debbie Jurek, Ray Valentine, Jim Bryant, Joe Light, Kevin Flanagan, Bob Blaszak, Jr., Matt Jurek and Tim Garlock.

Lap Leaders: Laps 1-5 Ortwein; Laps 6-12 Maggiore; Laps 13-20 Mutka
Heat Winners: Agen, Mutka, Madill

Ray Laks Resale Super Stock Feature Finish: Wayne Bernhard, George Roesch, Frank Batista Jr., Kyle Sharpe, Dave Johnson, Jay Canonico, J.W. Flagler, James Kron III, John Kraemer and Jason Gwin.

Lap Leaders: Laps 1-11 Roesch; Laps 12-17 Bernhard; Lap 18 Roesch; Laps 19-20 Bernhard
Heat Winners: Batista Jr., Johnson

Lorigo Insurance SST Sportsman Feature Finish: Erick Rudolph, Tom MacLeod, Kirk Rutherford, Billy Burd, Nick Cappelli, Ed Weber, John Barber, Jerry Harding, Jr., Sherri Hogan, Craig Dolphin, Russ Gian, Kirk Sherwood, Mike Stevenson, Dave Tedesco, Don King and Andy Jankowiak (subbing for Luke Wozniak).

Lap Leaders: Lap 1 Gian; Laps 2-20 Rudolph
Heat Winners: MacLeod, Rutherford

Bobcat of Buffalo Late Model Feature Finish: Bobby Weber, Todd Hoddick, Matt Alix, Ron Nurmi, Jeff Brown Jr., Tommy Reese, Scott Nurmi, Mike Ticco, Scott Skora, Dan Habuda, Jeff Merritt, Richard Arndt, Mark Pennell, Bob Nye and Art Hill.

Lap Leaders: Laps 1-5 Pennell; Laps 6-25 Weber
Heat Winners: Weber, Pennell

Modified Feature Finish: Chuck Hossfeld, Sege Fidanza, Erick Rudolph, Buck Catalano, Patsy Catalano, Brett Scherrer, Bobby Holmes, Tom McGrath, Mark Tychoniewicz, Sean O’Neill, Chris Ridsdale, Tom Wiest, Dan Chimera, Bill Hebing and Daryl Lewis, Jr.

Lap Leader: Laps 1-50 Hossfeld
Heat Winners: Rudolph, Holmes

Source: Lori Overdorf/Lancaster PR
Additions: Mark Southcott/NYRaceZone.com
Posted: September 9, 2007