5/27/06

A TALE OF TWO JOHNSONS WINNING AT LANCASTER PLUS GIAN AND MUTKA

 
Following a couple of false starts, the Lancaster Raceway Park finally got their first regular Saturday night show of the 2006 season in the books. All of the features came down to close finishes where the driver leading early on would not be out front by race’s end.

In the Bobcat of Buffalo Late Models, T.J. Johnson earned the first win in his defense of the 2005 track championship. Johnson started to the outside of pole sitter Ron Nurmi, and chased Nurmi around the track for the first 17 laps of the race. On lap 18, Johnson ducked under Nurmi in turn two to take the lead just as Nurmi began to slow on the track with suspension problems.

Johnson took control of the race from that point, but George Skora III was right there to pressure the defending track champion. Skora attempted a last lap run on the outside to steal the win, but came up short and lost out on second place to Tim Windnagle.

Skora III, Todd Hoddick, and Bobby Weber rounded out the top five. Skora was the only the driver who finished in the top five that was not a former Late Model track champion. Johnson won the title in 2005, Windnagle in 2001, Hoddick in 2003, and Weber in 1995.

The SST Sportsman had their third different winner to begin the 2006 season as Russ Gian captured his second career victory. Gian was in the right place at the right time on lap seven when Eddie Murray and Bill Burd tangled on the backstretch while racing for the lead along with Nick Cappelli and Justin Shepker spinning out in completely separate incidents.

Gian moved to the front of the field and held off Jerry Gradl Jr. to score the win. Frank Booker, Kirk Rutherford, and Sherri Hogan made up the rest of the top five. All three drivers bounced back from being involved in incidents earlier in the race.

Dave Johnson won the 20-lap Jerry Gradl Motors Super Stock feature for his first win in the division since 1995. After leaving racing in the mid-90s, Johnson returned in 2004 to compete in the Street Stocks where he won four times before moving back to the Super Stocks this season.

Johnson’s win came in his very first start of the season in the Super Stocks while driving a brand new car. He picked up the lead with just four laps to go after Jay Mudra dropped out with mechanical problems while leading. Mudra had led from lap seven before dropping out.

It was an extra-distance 25-lap race for the Glen Campbell Chevrolet Street Stocks as Scott Mutka held off Tim Garlock for his second career win. Garlock had led from the drop of the green flag, but gave up the lead to Mutka just before the halfway point of the race. Garlock would finish second over Joe Mergl, Kevin Mendel, and Jim Bryant.

Next week, June 3, at Lancaster is the first of the four big Modified races in the 2006 season. The Bud 50 will pit some of the top Modified in New York State against the tough group of Lancaster’s weekly competitors. The SST Super Stock Series will also run a special 50-lap feature. The SST Sportsman, Street Stocks, and TQ Midgets will also be in action. Racing starts at 6:30 PM.

RESULTS

BOBCAT OF BUFFALO LATE MODELS
Heat Winners – Ron Nurmi, George Skora III

Feature – T.J. JOHNSON, Tim Windnagle, George Skora III, Todd Hoddick, Bobby Weber, Rich Skora, Mike Ticco, Scott Skora, Matt Alix, Tommy Reese, Mark Krupczyk, Scott Nurmi, Richard Arndt, Ron Nurmi and Mark Pennell.

SST SPORTSMAN
Heat Winners – Eddie Murray, Kirk Rutherford

Feature – RUSS GIAN, Jerry Gradl Jr., Frank Booker Jr., Kirk Rutherford, Sherri Hogan, Justin Shepker, Bill Burd, Nick Cappelli, Craig Dolphin, Mike Stevenson, Luke Wozniak, Eddie Murray, Ed Weber, Ed Grimmer and T.J. Petrie.

JERRY GRADL MOTORS SUPER STOCKS
Heat Winners – Wayne Bernhard, Jay Mudra

Feature – DAVE JOHNSON, Mike Scott, Rick Widmer, Wayne Bernhard, Kyle Sharpe, Doug Evans, Frank Batista Jr., Paul Alberti, Jason Gwin, Ed Lechner, Jay Mudra and Jay Canonico.

GLEN CAMPBELL CHEVROLET STREET STOCKS
Heat Winners – Tim Garlock, Russell Knutsen, Jim Bryant

Feature – SCOTT MUTKA, Tim Garlock, Joe Mergl, Kevin Mendel, Jim Bryant, Jeff Madill, Russell Knutsen, Bobby Hanel Jr., Mike Maggiore, Jim Stein, Tom Agen Sr., Gary Light, Pete Hackett, Cory Gallagher, Joe Light, Don Deville, Kaz Toracek, Rick Ortwein, Gary Bartella, Tom Agen Jr., Dennis Pieczynski, Paul Tessier, Tom Deville, Bob Blaszak, Steve Cochran, Ed Nowak, Bob Hanel Sr., Matt Jurek and Mark Hoch. DNS: Tim Neis, Andy Jankowiak.

Source: Dave Buchanan/Lancaster Raceway Park PR
Posted: May 28, 2006