From Mercer
Mercer, PA (July 23, 2011): Bob Felmlee (Luxaire Heating & Cooling Sprint Cars) and Rusty Moore (Precise Racing Products Stock Cars) captured feature wins before a major storm rolled into Mercer Raceway Park during the Approved Toilet Rentals 358 Modified Feature. Make-up features will be held for the remaining classes in the weeks ahead. Please cjheck the website, www.mercerracewaypark.com, to confirm the make-up dates.
The Flyin One, Bob Felmlee, swooped past Eric Turkey Williams to take the lead as the Luxaire Heating & Cooling Sprint Cars completed lap seven. Felmlee led the rest of the way, but got pressure late in the race from Danny Holtgraver. However, Felmlee was able to use the heavy traffic to keep his younger challenger at bay.
“I figured Danny was there, but I didn’t see him,” said the happy winner. “The lapped cars were killing me, when I’d go high, they’d go high; then, when I went low, they came low.” Felmlee added that he was fortunate to get by a few of them to preserve his lead.
Williams got a fantastic start, powering from third to first by the time the Sprints reached the first turn. Brandon Spithaler followed him into second, with Jason Dolick and Scott Priester nipping on Spithaler’s heels.
The battle for positions within the top five came to an abrupt halt when Dolick and Priester got together coming off turn four on lap four. That gave Felmlee the chance to start beside Williams. Williams, who was seeking his career first Sprint Car win, was up to the task, and led Felmlee for one more circuit.
But, Felmlee used a power move coming off the bottom of turn four to overtake him.
Williams held second through the middle stages of the race. Danny Holtgraver was continuing to close on him, though. Holtgraver made his move into second by going three wide down the back stretch with Williams and a lapped car.
Holtgraver then began to chop into Felmlee’s lead. The young All Star driver closed in on Felmlee, but the veteran Felmlee safely negotiated past enough of the lapped cars to earn the win.
Behind Felmlee and Holtgraver were Spithaler in third, ahead of Williams and The Kittanning Comet, Rod George.
Marty Muscles Perovich, Adam Bomb Kekich, Brent Matus, Brandon the Wheelman Matus, and Gale Ruth Jr. ran sixth through tenth.
Goodyear tire certificates were awarded to Felmlee as the winner, Holtgraver as the hard charger and Brandon Matus as the last car on the lead lap. Random recipients were George and Cowboy Brian Steinman.
Trusty Rusty Moore patiently worked his way from twelfth starting spot to the top five by the halfway mark of the Precise Racing Products Stock Cars. He took advantage of a series of yellow flags in the middle of the race to bunch up the field, which enabled him to pick up a position on each restart. By lap 12, he was second and challenging for the lead.
Moore made his winning move coming off turn two on lap 13, when he passed Dan Lewis. Lewis had led from the start of the race, but was no match for the speedy Moore.
Lewis held on for second, followed by Bob Schwartzmiller, who ran second for the first half of the event. Marty Warren and Curtis Bish, Jr. rounded out the top five.
Sixth through tenth were Russ Byler, Terry Kroner, Darrin Hyde and Matt Wagner.
The Approved Toilet Rentals 358 Modified feature got off to a scary start, when the cars got bunched up behind the leaders. Rich Whitney got airborne in the melee, but he landed on his wheels and brought his car to a stop before striking the turn one wall. About half of the field was involved in the chaos, but no drivers were injured. Whitney, Don Brown, Rick Hall and Mopar Matt Reeher were unable to continue.
Shortly after the race resumed, Frank on the Gas Guidace jumped into the lead. Lonnie Tugboat Riggs, who somehow managed to sail through the pile up on the opening lap, was running second, followed by Ron Eperthener, Jr. and the heavily damaged car of Kyle Fink. Dustin Martin was running fifth when the race was halted with four laps completed. Those drivers will lead the way when the race resumes on August 6.
Positions six through ten will be Chris Myers, Jimmy the jet Holden, Eric Gabany, Dan Fink and Kevin Green, who will be three laps down.
Brown, Hall, Reeher and Whitney will be able to restart the race as well, but they are scored four laps in arears.
The Approved Toilet Rentals 358 Modifieds will complete the remaining 16 laps of their race on August 6. Joining them will be the Big Daddy’s Speed Center Modified Lites.
The Big Dog R/C Center Mini Stocks and teh ti22 Performance outlaw Sprint Warriors will do double duty on August 20.
Luxaire Heating & Cooling Sprint Cars: 1. Bob Felmlee (6); 2. Danny Holtgraver (D4); 3. Brandon Spithaler (22s); 4. Eric Williams (7); 5. Rod George (4); 6. Marty Perovich (17); 7. Adam Kekich (5K); 8. Brent Matus (33); 9. Brandon Matus (13); 10. Gale Ruth Jr. (1R); 11. Scott Priester (15); 12. Jason Dolick (12D); 13. Brian Steinman (24S); 14. Brian Ehrenzeller (33X); 15. Chris Best (66); 16. Davey Jones (76). Heat wins: George, Holtgraver.