7/2/2005
SOMMERS GETS
SECOND LATE MODEL WIN; RADER WINS 50-LAP LEGENDS SPECIAL
There were
fireworks in the air and on the track on Fourth of July weekend at
the Lake Erie Speedway. The NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series kicked off
the month of July with a special 50-lap feature for the Pepsi
Legends, the second annual Faster Pastor race, and another exciting
Friday Night Tri-State Showdown with the Plyler Overhead Door Late
Models.
For the Late
Models 40-lap feature, Western New York would represented on the
front row by one of its young guns and one of its wiliest veterans
as rookie Rich Skora and John Julicher started on the front row.
Skora would take the lead at the drop of the green flag with Tim
Williams and Dave Wollaber falling in behind him.
Late Model
point leader, Jay Sommers, started seventh looking to for his
tenth-straight top ten finish. Sommers is racing up the standings
in Division III of the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Racing Series points at
the season’s halfway point. Going into the event he was less than
70 points out of the division lead in fourth, despite having two
fewer starts than the leader.
By lap six,
Sommers had worked around Wollaber to take the third spot and would
be able to reel in the leader thanks to a yellow flag on the
following lap. Sommers would get under Skora on lap 10 and pulled
out in front of the field.
Glenn Gault
Jr. and Todd Hoddick have been chasing Sommers in the standing all
season and they would be chasing him on the track as well. Gault
would pass by Rich Skora to take over the second position, and one
lap later Hoddick move into third.
Things would
start to get a little dicey among the top three following a restart
on lap 22. The first few laps after the race went back to green,
Sommers had his hands full with turn two on a couple of occasions.
Each time it happened Gault and Hoddick would bunch up on the back
bumper of the leader, banging fiberglass and fenders. Sommers,
however, would not give up the preferred lane and would eventually
extend his lead with less than 15 laps to go.
Sommers took
the Francis Engineering #33 to victory lane for only the second time
this season. Hoddick pass Gault on lap 37 and would finish second.
Rich Skora continues to impress in his first full season of Late
Model competiton with another top five in fourth. Vern Bliss came
home fifth.
Alan Fisher
drove to his fourth win of the year in the Dodge Trucks. Fisher was
able to get by point leader, Tim Card, for the lead on lap 13 to
triumph for the third time in the last four races. This also
tightens up the points lead as Fisher began the evening just 14
points behind Card and should now be within 10 points with a 50-lap
feature on tap for the Trucks on Saturday night.
Eight is great
for Dave Krawczyk in the Advance Auto Parts Street Stocks. Krawczyk
earned his eighth win of the season in front of Dave Wilson and Ken
Moore. Terry Akerly finished fourth, and Kyle Sharpe finished fifth
in only his second LES start.
The Pepsi
Legends ran a special 50-lap event with 25 cars taking the green
flag. Bryan Maloney would lead for the first five laps before
surrendering it to Rodney Harrower. Harrower was looking to get
back on top of the points chase after losing it a week ago to Chris
Bailey. He could only lead until lap 13 when 2004 champion, James
Rader, grabbed it on a restart.
Rader would go
on to lead the next 37 laps for his second win of the season. Eric
Hammill would finish second, followed by Chris Bailey. Jason Knox
of Akron, OH finished fourth. Rick Riffle played the role of hard
charger with his fifth place run. Riffle crashed in his heat race
and had to start 19th in the field but picked up 14 spots
by race’s end. Late Model winner, Jay Sommers, finished seventh in
his first Legends start this season.
Grant Kirik
picked up his second win of the year in the Bandoleros. JP Weisser,
Nathan Rogers, Justin Hines, and Michaela Downes finished in the top
five.
It’s another
doubleheader weekend coming up at LES. Friday night, July 8, is the
second dollar night of the season. Grandstand admission is only
$1.00 to see the Late Models, Legends, and Street Stocks compete in
the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Racing Series.
On Saturday,
July 9, the NASCAR Busch North Series comes to town for the Local
Dodge Dealers 150 presented by Burnham Boilers. Andy Santerre will
try to win his third-straight Busch North race at LES. BNS
qualifying is at 5:45, and the race starts at 8 PM. The Trucks will
run a 50-lap event that night along with an appearance by the Cup
Lite Racing Series.
RESULTS
PLYLER
OVERHEAD DOOR LATE MODELS
Heat Winners –
Jay Sommers, Todd Hoddick, Jeremy Holbrook
Feature – JAY
SOMMERS, Todd Hoddick, Glenn Gault Jr., Rich Skora, Vern Bliss, Tim
Williams, Gary Eicher, Will Thomas, Dave Wollaber, Nick Crassi,
Jeremy Holbrook, John Julicher, Steve Watson, Scott Bayle, Bill
Catania, Greg Hoover, Ron Burkholder, Steve Hennessey, Scott Nurmi,
Mike Reed
DODGE
TRUCKS
Heat Winners –
Dale Peterman, John Coughlin
Feature – ALAN
FISHER, Tim Card, John Coughlin, Dale Peterman, Bill Ellison, Dana
Nova, Bryanne Downes, Jay Greene, Shawn Wood, John Malone, Sam
Conti, Chris Brockway
ADVANCE
AUTO PARTS STREET STOCKS
Heat Winners –
Dave Wilson Jr., Dave Krawczyk
Feature – DAVE
KRAWCZYK, Dave Wilson Jr., Ken Moore, Terry Akerly, Kyle Sharpe,
Dennis Kszos, Paul Thrasher, Dan Cragle, Randy Brown, Charles
Houser, Dean Craig, Russ Conti, Eric Hadley
PEPSI
LEGENDS
Heat Winners –
Eric Hammill, Tom Hall, Rodney Harrower
Feature –
JAMES RADER, Eric Hammill, Chris Bailey Jr., Jason Knox, Rick
Riffle, Larry Occhibone, Jay Sommers, Brad Salatino, Tom Hall, Jake
Francis, Rodney Harrower, Steve Sunday, Jeff Johnson, Ken Jackson,
Tim Hoegel, Dan Weaver, Bob McQuiston, Ed Hoegel, Jim Alexander,
Zach Truesdail, Bill Lyden, Dennis Shilling, Brian Downes, Bryan
Maloney, Jeff Burton
BANDOLEROS
Heat Winner –
Justin Hines
Feature
– GRANT KIRIK, JP Weisser, Nathan Rogers, Justin Hines, Michaela
Downes, Brady Wood, Patrick Lyden, Jesse Downes, Nate Carlson, Matt
Evans
Source: Dave Buchanan/Lake Erie PR
Posted: July 7, 2005