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View Full Version : Stroud, Trimboli and Nowak Win to Close out Mountain Speedway Season



LongIslandJam
11-06-2011, 04:06 PM
By: Gene Ostrowski
November 5, 2011

St. Johns, Pa- With Winter approaching, the final racing event of the season was held Saturday at Mountain Speedway. With championships on the line, Walter Stroud and Steve Trimboli drover off to wins in the 150-lap Mountain Madness Enduro Series events and Kevin Nowak took his second straight INEX Legends victory. With a healthy advantage over his competition, Alex McCollum drove off with the Bandolero victory.

Eyeing his second straight championship, TJ Kapish came into the day as the points leader in the 6/8-cylinder enduro division. He started from the pole and led the opening circuit of the 150-lap double points paying event over Tom Szoke, James Pressley, Walter Stroud and Scott Sipe.

Stroud climbed to second and then took the lead from Kapish on lap 18. Meanwhile, Rob McCormick and Dominic Ranieri moved into the top five. McCormick worked his way into second and then battled with Stroud for the top spot. He completed the pass for the lead on lap 32 and Stroud slipped back to second.

The first and only red flag of the afternoon flew on lap 50 when Szoke climbed the protective foam and guiderail in turn one. Track crews took his car from the wall and Szoke continued in the event.

With the green flag back out, trouble struck McCormick on lap 57 and his machine began to dump fluid on the speedway. He headed to the pits and retired from the race. The turn of events gave the lead back to Stroud.

Behind the wheel of a four cylinder Mercedes, Steve Trimboli rocketed up to the second spot. He grabbed the race lead from Stroud on lap 67 and began to distance himself from the field. With just over 50 laps remaining, Trimboli held the lead, followed by Stroud, Shaun Burd, Don Carasiti and TJ Kapish.

It appeared that Trimboli would take the victory, but Stroud closed in fast. The pair ran side by side toward the checkered flag on the final lap and Stroud came out on top. Trimboli settled for second, followed by Carasiti, Burd and Kapish, who clinched his second straight championship.

Sam Ryan started from the pole position in the 150-lap 4 cyl. Enduro and led the opening lap over Tony Rispin, Bruce Miller, Justin Martinson and Larry Spencer III. Trimboli cracked the top five early and then climbed to the second spot with Robert Fink in tow.

Looking for his second straight championship, Ken Harper motored toward the front of the pack. However, lady luck didn’t shine on Harper and he lost a right front wheel, which forced him out of the show on lap 25.

Ryan continued out front on lap 40 and had to contend with both, Trimboli and third place, Rispin, as the trio ran nose to tail lap after lap. Rispin finally overtook the leader on lap 86 and Trimboli followed. Trimboli has his shot at the lead on lap 93 and both he and Ryan swapped the spot before Ryan was back in command.

Many laps passed before Trimboli regained the top spot on lap 148. He went on to take his first victory at the speedway over Ryan, Rispin, Fink and Spencer.

Rispin, who appeared to have a car to beat earlier in the race, had mechanical problems and his car limped around the track in the closing laps. In a gallant effort to endure the situation, Rispin clinched his first enduro championship.

Cole Fuatesi Started from the pole position and was overtaken by Carl Jones before a lap was complete in the 30-lap INEX Legends Fall Championship. With one lap in the books, Scott Hubler held second, followed by Raven Schrantz, Rob McCormick and Kevin Nowak.

Hubler took the race lead on the second lap and then Nowak, who had climbed to second, challenged him. Nowak made the pass stick and Hubler dropped to second.

Hubler made several attempts to retake the lead in doing so, brought out the yellow flag on lap 17 when he spun in turns three and four. Nowak continued to lead at that point, trailed by Kyle Soper, Tony Hanbury, Schrantz and Jones.

Green flag racing resumed and Nowak seemed untouchable over the closing laps, as he drove off with his second straight victory at the speedway. Hanbury, who had climbed to second earlier, was forced to settle for second, followed by Schrantz, Zach Truesdail and Jones.

Despite his DNF, Hubler took the championship, which was his second in three seasons at the speedway.

Heat race victories went to Kyle Soper and Kevin Nowak

6/8-Cylinders (150-laps) 1. WALTER STROUD 2. Steve Trimboli 3. Don Carasiti 4. Shawn Burd 5. TJ Kapish 6. Rich Galante 7. Mike Parisi 8. Steven Fabb 9. Scott Sipe 10. James Presley 11. Sam Ryan 12. Tom Szoke 13. Steven Brooks 14. Bill Schwenck 15. Ralph Bankess 16. David Baker 17.Dominic Ranieri 18. John O'Ruke 19. Rob McCormick

4-Cylinders (150-laps) 1. STEVE TRIMBOLI 2. Sam Ryan 3. Tony Rispin 4. Robert Fink 5. Larry Spencer III 6. Bruce Miller 7. Doug Johnson 8. Jay Skupski 9. Justin Martinson 10. Jake McGrath 11. Costas Efantis 12. Mark Spencer 13. Howard Effron 14. Edward Michael 15. Ken Harper 16. Joseph Martinson 17.Justin Hughes

INEX Legends (30-laps) 1. KEVIN NOWAK 2. Tony Hanbury 3. Raven Schrantz 4. Zach Truesdail 5. Carl Jones 6. Cole Fuatesi 7. Stephen Gaul 8. David Chapman 9. Kyle Soper 10. Rob McCormick 11. Byron Warthing 12. Scott Hubler 13. Barry Schrantz


Mountain Speedway is just minutes from Hazleton, PA, located on St. John’s Road, between Routes 93 and 309. Grandstand admission for all regular events is just $10 for ages 11 and older. Children 10 years of age and younger are admitted for free.



Please like Mountain Speedway on Facebook or visit www.mountainspeedway.com for the entire 2011 schedule, point standings and up to date news and information.