PATH VALLEY SPEEDWAY COMPLETES PROGRAM AFTER RAIN
By Judy McGee Timmons
Path Valley Speedway had the second feature event of the evening almost completed
when a quick, but forceful rain brought the program to a brief delay, after which the
remaining scheduled features, & all winner circle interviews were finalized.
The PA 500 Sprints was the first division to compete, with drivers, Ryan Rost, &
Landon Godfrey, leading the 17 car field to the green. Jeremy Sperlein pulled
from his 5th place starting spot to go wheel to wheel with Justin Care for 2nd
position behind Ryan Rost with Godfrey falling to 4th & Conner Geiman
advancing to the top five spot in the 1st lap.
The drivers held their positions till lap 5 when Geiman passed Godfrey to
move to 4th, & on lap 8, when Nick Decker, also came forward from 7th to
take control of 5th place as the front of the competitors met with the back,
bringing lapped traffic into the contention.
Nine laps were on the books when Brady Wilt brought out a caution, resulting in his racer entering the pits, with Landon Godfrey also leaving the oval on lap 10. Ryan Rost, Care, Sperlein, Geiman, & Decker, were in the top five on the restart, as the rivalry became more intense, with contact being made on the frontstretch, with an outcome that put 3rd place runner, Sperlein, out of the race. Ryan Rost led Care, Jim Rost, Josh Forry & Andrew Ketterman, to the green after the caution adjustment, where they competed till lap 17, when Bobby Geiman put his racer into the turn two infield, from where he had to be towed. One lap remained when 4th place runner, Jim Rost Sr., put his racer into a spin on the frontstretch, putting the frontrunner to the rear. Ryan Rost, Care, Forry, Ketterman & Jesse Hammond, finished the event in the top five, with Josh Forry having the best lap speed, going 66.924 MPH in 13.448 seconds.
The CISNEY AUTO PARTS 4 CYLINDER THUNDER CARS division had Jeremy Eutzy & Matt Williamson sitting in the pole positions, with Eutzy taking the lead on green, as Wiliamson, Cameron Defenderfer, Kenny Yoder, & Nicholas Barthalow, claimed the first lap top five, where they remained for 7 laps. A caution for Michael Danner brought the racers to a reline after Danner came to a stop in turn 3 & was pushed to the pit area.
Eutzy remained in control of the lead, but had an entourage at his back bumper, as Williamson & Defenderfer, ran inches behind him, with Yoder, Barthalow, Updegraff, & Charlie Stallman, tightening the competition as the laps counted down. As the racers approached lap 12, Jeremy Shoup got into the backstretch infield, putting his ride to the rear. Rhyann Arcq also visited the backstretch infield, but retired her racer for the evening. Eutzy brought the line-up to the green as the tension became apparent immediately, as Williamson & Defenderfer went side by side , watching for an opening to make a pass. Updegraff & Barthalow were also into a wheel to wheel battle for 5th place. Charlie Stallman’s racer came to a stop on the top side of turn two, entering the pits, just as the rainstorm erupted, putting all racers off the oval with 2 laps to go. Eutzy had maneuvered his racer on the oval to keep the competition behind him for several laps, therefore receiving the win, followed by Williamson, Defenderfer, Barthalow, & Updegraff. Rodney Walls had the best lap speed traveling 61.576 MPH and the best lap time at 14.616 seconds.
Following a time lapse with no rain, but increased winds, a run-in vehicle tested the track surface, & the racing agenda was back in action, as the T.A. WARD CONSTRUCTION 270 MICRO SPRINTS were called to the grid. Hunter Forsythe & Bradyn Kuhn escorted the racers to the green, but had an immediate caution when several racers got together, some due to a chain reaction of limited space. Those involved were Matthew Dixson, Zach Glass, Gaitlin Kauffman, Jordan Knable & Eric Forsythe Sr., which all retired their racers for the evening. Dustin Stimeling completed one lap, before also entering the pits.
Bradyn Kuhn pulled to the lead on the reline with Craig Myers, Mason McAndrew, Hunter Forsythe & Aidan Crouse, racing in the top five. Crouse passed Forsythe to take 4th by the 3rd lap, as Cory Myers pulled into 5th place, before his car came to a stop out of turn 2, from which he was pulled to the pits. Kuhn, Myers, McAndrew, Crouse & Bret Cronrath, were now placing in the top five, as the flag went green, the top runners remaining in their positions for 11 laps, till lap 16 when Mark Snyder stopped on the frontstretch, calling it a night, as he entered the pits. The next lap also brought out the caution flag when Jamie Connelly & Bret Cronrath, came to a stop in turn 2, exiting the oval for the evening.
Kuhn led the restart again, followed by Craig Myers, McAndrew, Crouse, & Cameron McClure, {who had moved to fifth place}, where they held their positions as Kuhn collected his win. Bradyn Kuhn also had the best lap speed, running at 75.579 MPH, and the best lap time of 11.908 seconds.
The METZLER AUTO, TRUCK, & TRAILER SALES WINGLESS SUPER SPORTSMAN brought the rumble of power to the oval, as Jason Failor, & Sam Leonard, sat in the front of the line-up when the green flag waved. Failor took the lead as Leonard & Craig Perigo went into an immediate wheel to wheel competition by lap 2, with Perigo holding the spot till Tony Jackson brought his ride passed Failor, C. Perigo, & Leonard to take the lead by lap 6. Failor controlled 2nd as C. Perigo, Brett Perigo & Leonard were now racing in the top five. As lap ten approached, the racer of 8th place starter, Steve Wilbur, was also approaching, as he pulled into 5th place on lap 10, then moving by B. Perigo to move to 4th by lap 11. As the 30 lap feature continued non-stop, the top runners began to shift, as they caught up with the back of the circuit. Brett Perigo brought his machine through the line to challenge Jackson, taking the lead at midrace, while Steve Wilbur pulled into 3rd, Craig Perigo into 4th, & Failor into 5th. The final laps put everybody on the move as Ehrenzeller moved up the line, pulling into fifth position, as Brandon Shearer claimed 6th. Issues with their racers & cautions were added to the final 6 laps, eliminating Donnie Farling, Brad Mellott, Tony Hampton, Sam Leonard, Craig Perigo, Billy Doyle, & Jordon Fulton from the checkered flag.
Brett Perigo took the win, as Steve Wilbur pulled into second, Tony Jackson, third, Ehrenzeller & Shearer for the final top five. Brett Perigo had the best lap speed running at 69.386 MPH in 12.971 seconds.
The FRIESE TRANSPORTATION/ZACHARY D CROUSE DVM INC East Coast Legends had Devin Friese & Ryan Walls in the pole positions of a full field of 24 cars for their feature event. Devin Friese pulled to the lead on green with Colton Friese taking second, followed by Walls, Logan Carbaugh, & Logan Jones for the top five. Carbaugh & Walls were side by side by lap 4, with Carbaugh holding 3rd as Logan Jones & Jeremy Ott passed Walls, taking the top five positions. Carbaugh moved by Colton Friese on lap 9 to claim 2nd before the first caution waved for Walls, when he got his racer turned in the wrong direction on the backstretch, putting the 6th place runner to the rear. The restart had D. Friese, Carbaugh, C. Friese, Ott, & Jones in the top 5, but racers shifted when the flag waved green, with Logan Jones moving to third & Tanner Jones driving from 8th to go wheel to wheel with Colton Friese. Six laps were remaining when Jones got turned in turn 4, putting the 3rd place racer to the rear of the line, resetting the front with D. Friese, Carbaugh, C. Friese, Tanner Jones, & Ott were now in the top 5, where they remained till lap 17, when Ott gained an advantage, passing Jones to claim 4th position as Devin Friese led the racers to the checkered. Devin Friese posted the best lap speed, traveling at 67.004 MPH and the best timed lap at 13.432 seconds.
The MACRI CONCRETE 600 SPRINTS began their 20 lap feature event with Jim Young & Dylan Anderson in the front row, with Young taking the lead on green, followed by Anderson, Cole Dewease, Jason Sechrist, & Randy Kunkle. Sechrist passed Dewease to take 3rd, as did Kunkle, to claim 4th. Anderson & Sechrist were putting on the pressure, but Young held his lead for eight laps, catching the back of the circuit, when Anderson gained the lead. Young held strong in second for four laps before Sechrist moved into second & Kunkle moved into fourth. Mike Sherman held the top five spot as the drivers ran non-stop for 16 laps before Matthew Morrissey brought out the first caution, retiring his racer for the evening. The reline was Anderson, Sechrist, Young, Kunkle & Sherman when the flag went green, but on the final lap, Dakota Sheaffer passed Sherman to take the top five position. Dylan Anderson had the best speed going 78.864 MPH, with the best time of 11.412 seconds.