RGeeProductions
09-16-2012, 06:16 PM
Skora, Jankowiak, Mancuso, Lyon, Reid, Julicher Jr., & Haudricourt
Also Add Their Name To Trophy
Over 165 race teams descended upon Dunn Tire Raceway Park for the 23rd Annual US Open this past weekend, with each vying to take home the prestigious win and to have their drivers name engraved on the US Open trophy.
The racing action began on the ¼ mile inner oval with the Legends taking to the track for their twenty lap feature. Cody Myers and Brett Coon brought the field down to the green flag to start the day’s racing and it was Myers into the lead on lap one. However, his time up front was limited as Jeremy Haudricourt, who had started fifth, vaulted into the lead on lap two. Soon Tony Hanbury, who had started sixth, moved up into second and began to hunt down Haudricourt for the lead. Hanbury would lose his opportunity to challenge for the lead on a lap 14 restart when he and Coon made contact and both spun out. This moved Carl Vilardo and Zach Truesdail into the second and third positions behind Haudricourt for the remaining laps of the race. Niether driver though was able to effectively challenge the leader and Haudricourt went on to capture another US Open feature win.
The TQ Midget’s were up next on the agenda for the Gail Barber Memorial and Jon Reid, Dave Wollaber, Cam Barber, and Andy Nye made up the front two rows of starters. At the drop of the green, Reid jumped into the top spot although the racing action was stopped quickly as another car flipped in turn two after trying to avoid Wollaber’s spun car. The ensuing restart resulted in another red flag and another flipped car. After racing resumed Reid took command of the race again and multiple restarts before the halfway point of the 25 lap feature. By that point, Reid was facing heavy pressure from second place Barber and third place Nye. The top three raced nose to tail, with Barber getting good runs on Reid on the turns but was unable to complete a pass. Reid had the car to beat and stayed out front, taking home his first TQ Midget US Open win.
The last race on the inner oval was the 4 Cylinder’s as they took to the track for their 25 lap main event. Lou Carbone, Dakota Packman, John Julicher Jr., Paul McCarthy, and 2012 DTRP 4 Cylinder Champion Tom LaLomia Jr. brought the field to the green flag. Carbone was out front early but Julicher Jr. quickly moved to the outside of the leader and slotted into the top spot on lap three. LaLomia also wasted no time in getting to the front of the pack, taking second position by lap five. Soon it was a two car show up front with Julicher Jr. doing his best to hold off the hard charging LaLomia Jr. At the halfway point the top two had built some distance between themselves and third place Bobby Woch, who in turn had a good size lead over fourth and fifth place drivers Brian Frost and Kevin Bainbridge. A caution on lap 14 presented LaLomia with his best chance at the lead through a double file restart. Julicher Jr. though got a great start and put some distance in between himself and the second place LaLomia. As the laps clicked off though LaLomia and Woch erased Julicher’s lead and the top three ran nose to tail with a considerable distance between themselves and fourth place Kalie Clementi. The top three finished as they ran the final laps, with Julicher Jr. taking the US Open 4 Cylinder feature win.
The action shifted to the outer track for the rest of the day’s racing action as the open wheel Sportsman were next on the days schedule. Thirty Sportsman took the green flag and it was Bobby Weber, Rick Kluth, Chuck Hossfeld, John Barber, and Andy Jankowiak making up the top five starting positions. Weber grabbed the lead early on from his pole starting position although Jankowiak was soon on his tail challenging for the lead. On lap three, Jankowiak dove low on Weber and took the top spot. The field soon settled in for the 75 lap race, with cars spread out around the track, mostly single file. As the race went green, Jankowiak began to stretch his lead over Weber, Jimmy Zacharias, 2012 DTRP Sportsman Champion Bobby Holmes, Tony Hanbury, Hossfeld, and George Skora. The racing action was halted on lap 23 with a yellow flag. Another yellow was displayed on the restart as Kluth spun, resulting in a pile up in turn four that involved seven other cars. After a lengthy clean up and double file restart, Jankowiak once again took control of the race. Behind him, Holmes had made his way into second while Weber, Zacharias, Hanbury, and Mike Fiebelkorn Jr. raced for third on back. A yellow flag on lap 32 would lead to yellow fever as the caution flag was displayed four times in the next three laps. The cautions would end the night for some top competitors including Fiebelkorn who went nose first into the turn four Thermal Foam. After racing resumed Jankowiak once again took the lead, while Holmes faced a hard charging Zacharias. With twenty-five laps remaining, Jankowiak held a solid lead over Zacharias, Skora, Holmes, Mike Leaty, Rusty Smith, and Hanbury. The teams up front raced hard, with Skora besting Zacharias for second by the ten to go mark and Smith and Hanbury moving past Leaty for fifth and sixth. With just two laps to go, the yellow flag appeared yet again for a spun out car on the backstretch. The yellow flag would be disastrous though for Skora who stalled on the backstretch and forced to give up his second place run. The double file restart had Zacharias to the outside of Jankowiak on the front row and Holmes, Smith, Hanbury, and Leaty lined up double file behind them. Jankowiak however continued his dominating performance and took home his second US Open Sportsman feature win in a row.
After a brief intermission in the marathon day of racing, the Street Stocks were next up on the track. Joe Haley, Bb Hieneman, Charles Buchanan, and Nate Straus brought the field to the green flag but the racing action didn’t last long as four yellow flags accompanied the first four laps of the race. In the midst of the multiple double file restarts, Jake Lyon, who had originally started sixth, too the lead from Heineman on lap three. By lap ten, 2012 DTRP Street Stock Champion TJ Cochrane had moved up to challenge Lyon for the lead and the two ran side by side for over two laps until Cochrane took possession of the top spot on lap ten. At the halfway point of the 40 lap feature, Cochrane had a sizable lead over Scott Mutka, Lyon, Matt Druar – who had worked his way back up from last and an earlier accident, and Dennis Londos. Another bout of yellow flags would soon hit the race as the caution was displayed on both laps 20 and 22 for the cars of Lyon and Buchanan respectively. After the race went back green Cochrane began to fend off a challenge from Druar, who had raced back into second spot. Druar however would get loose coming off of turn four, tagged the inside wall of the track, and was then hit by another Mike Dalfonso Sr. after coming to a stop in the entrance to turn one. Both drivers would walk away from the accident but the red flag was brought out, halting the race. After the clean up was complete the race was restarted with Cochrane leading Haley, Londos, and Lyon. More yellow flags and double file restarts dotted the next couple of laps but by lap thirty, Cochrane had a sizable lead over Londos and Lyon who were battling for second. By lap 32, Lyon had moved into second and began to hunt down the leader. Yet another yellow flag for the spun out car of Buchanan brought the final double file restart of the race. Cochrane once again took the lead but this time Lyon stayed with him, glued to his back bumper. With just two laps to go, Lyon dove low on Cochrane in turn one and grabbed the lead. Lyon managed to stay in front of Cochrane for the remaining two laps and captured the US Open Street Stock feature win.
The Late Models were up next it was an “all Skora” front row with Scott Skora and George Skora leading Jeff Brown, Bobby Weber, and Dave Whittaker to the green. S. Skora and G. Skora raced side by side for the first lap before G. Skora took the lead from his cousin. Weber followed G. Skora under S. Skora, taking second. Soon the top two had separated themselves from the rest of the field, which had strung out around the track. Weber kept pace with G. Skora, looking for a way around him. In the process of the top two racing hard, they soon had a half track advantage over Scott Wylie, who in turn had room between himself and S. Skora, Brown, and Whittaker. Brown was on the move and had passed Whittaker on lap 22 for fourth and passed Wylie for third just nine laps later. Up front G. Skora and Weber continued their fierce battle for the lead, with Weber looking high and low for a way to get around G. Skora. As the race stayed clean and green, the leaders began to hit heavy lap traffic with just a handful of laps remaining. Weber upped the level of intensity in his bid to get around G. Skora but Skora held the top spot for all fifty laps, taking home his first Late Model US Open feature win.
(continued)
Also Add Their Name To Trophy
Over 165 race teams descended upon Dunn Tire Raceway Park for the 23rd Annual US Open this past weekend, with each vying to take home the prestigious win and to have their drivers name engraved on the US Open trophy.
The racing action began on the ¼ mile inner oval with the Legends taking to the track for their twenty lap feature. Cody Myers and Brett Coon brought the field down to the green flag to start the day’s racing and it was Myers into the lead on lap one. However, his time up front was limited as Jeremy Haudricourt, who had started fifth, vaulted into the lead on lap two. Soon Tony Hanbury, who had started sixth, moved up into second and began to hunt down Haudricourt for the lead. Hanbury would lose his opportunity to challenge for the lead on a lap 14 restart when he and Coon made contact and both spun out. This moved Carl Vilardo and Zach Truesdail into the second and third positions behind Haudricourt for the remaining laps of the race. Niether driver though was able to effectively challenge the leader and Haudricourt went on to capture another US Open feature win.
The TQ Midget’s were up next on the agenda for the Gail Barber Memorial and Jon Reid, Dave Wollaber, Cam Barber, and Andy Nye made up the front two rows of starters. At the drop of the green, Reid jumped into the top spot although the racing action was stopped quickly as another car flipped in turn two after trying to avoid Wollaber’s spun car. The ensuing restart resulted in another red flag and another flipped car. After racing resumed Reid took command of the race again and multiple restarts before the halfway point of the 25 lap feature. By that point, Reid was facing heavy pressure from second place Barber and third place Nye. The top three raced nose to tail, with Barber getting good runs on Reid on the turns but was unable to complete a pass. Reid had the car to beat and stayed out front, taking home his first TQ Midget US Open win.
The last race on the inner oval was the 4 Cylinder’s as they took to the track for their 25 lap main event. Lou Carbone, Dakota Packman, John Julicher Jr., Paul McCarthy, and 2012 DTRP 4 Cylinder Champion Tom LaLomia Jr. brought the field to the green flag. Carbone was out front early but Julicher Jr. quickly moved to the outside of the leader and slotted into the top spot on lap three. LaLomia also wasted no time in getting to the front of the pack, taking second position by lap five. Soon it was a two car show up front with Julicher Jr. doing his best to hold off the hard charging LaLomia Jr. At the halfway point the top two had built some distance between themselves and third place Bobby Woch, who in turn had a good size lead over fourth and fifth place drivers Brian Frost and Kevin Bainbridge. A caution on lap 14 presented LaLomia with his best chance at the lead through a double file restart. Julicher Jr. though got a great start and put some distance in between himself and the second place LaLomia. As the laps clicked off though LaLomia and Woch erased Julicher’s lead and the top three ran nose to tail with a considerable distance between themselves and fourth place Kalie Clementi. The top three finished as they ran the final laps, with Julicher Jr. taking the US Open 4 Cylinder feature win.
The action shifted to the outer track for the rest of the day’s racing action as the open wheel Sportsman were next on the days schedule. Thirty Sportsman took the green flag and it was Bobby Weber, Rick Kluth, Chuck Hossfeld, John Barber, and Andy Jankowiak making up the top five starting positions. Weber grabbed the lead early on from his pole starting position although Jankowiak was soon on his tail challenging for the lead. On lap three, Jankowiak dove low on Weber and took the top spot. The field soon settled in for the 75 lap race, with cars spread out around the track, mostly single file. As the race went green, Jankowiak began to stretch his lead over Weber, Jimmy Zacharias, 2012 DTRP Sportsman Champion Bobby Holmes, Tony Hanbury, Hossfeld, and George Skora. The racing action was halted on lap 23 with a yellow flag. Another yellow was displayed on the restart as Kluth spun, resulting in a pile up in turn four that involved seven other cars. After a lengthy clean up and double file restart, Jankowiak once again took control of the race. Behind him, Holmes had made his way into second while Weber, Zacharias, Hanbury, and Mike Fiebelkorn Jr. raced for third on back. A yellow flag on lap 32 would lead to yellow fever as the caution flag was displayed four times in the next three laps. The cautions would end the night for some top competitors including Fiebelkorn who went nose first into the turn four Thermal Foam. After racing resumed Jankowiak once again took the lead, while Holmes faced a hard charging Zacharias. With twenty-five laps remaining, Jankowiak held a solid lead over Zacharias, Skora, Holmes, Mike Leaty, Rusty Smith, and Hanbury. The teams up front raced hard, with Skora besting Zacharias for second by the ten to go mark and Smith and Hanbury moving past Leaty for fifth and sixth. With just two laps to go, the yellow flag appeared yet again for a spun out car on the backstretch. The yellow flag would be disastrous though for Skora who stalled on the backstretch and forced to give up his second place run. The double file restart had Zacharias to the outside of Jankowiak on the front row and Holmes, Smith, Hanbury, and Leaty lined up double file behind them. Jankowiak however continued his dominating performance and took home his second US Open Sportsman feature win in a row.
After a brief intermission in the marathon day of racing, the Street Stocks were next up on the track. Joe Haley, Bb Hieneman, Charles Buchanan, and Nate Straus brought the field to the green flag but the racing action didn’t last long as four yellow flags accompanied the first four laps of the race. In the midst of the multiple double file restarts, Jake Lyon, who had originally started sixth, too the lead from Heineman on lap three. By lap ten, 2012 DTRP Street Stock Champion TJ Cochrane had moved up to challenge Lyon for the lead and the two ran side by side for over two laps until Cochrane took possession of the top spot on lap ten. At the halfway point of the 40 lap feature, Cochrane had a sizable lead over Scott Mutka, Lyon, Matt Druar – who had worked his way back up from last and an earlier accident, and Dennis Londos. Another bout of yellow flags would soon hit the race as the caution was displayed on both laps 20 and 22 for the cars of Lyon and Buchanan respectively. After the race went back green Cochrane began to fend off a challenge from Druar, who had raced back into second spot. Druar however would get loose coming off of turn four, tagged the inside wall of the track, and was then hit by another Mike Dalfonso Sr. after coming to a stop in the entrance to turn one. Both drivers would walk away from the accident but the red flag was brought out, halting the race. After the clean up was complete the race was restarted with Cochrane leading Haley, Londos, and Lyon. More yellow flags and double file restarts dotted the next couple of laps but by lap thirty, Cochrane had a sizable lead over Londos and Lyon who were battling for second. By lap 32, Lyon had moved into second and began to hunt down the leader. Yet another yellow flag for the spun out car of Buchanan brought the final double file restart of the race. Cochrane once again took the lead but this time Lyon stayed with him, glued to his back bumper. With just two laps to go, Lyon dove low on Cochrane in turn one and grabbed the lead. Lyon managed to stay in front of Cochrane for the remaining two laps and captured the US Open Street Stock feature win.
The Late Models were up next it was an “all Skora” front row with Scott Skora and George Skora leading Jeff Brown, Bobby Weber, and Dave Whittaker to the green. S. Skora and G. Skora raced side by side for the first lap before G. Skora took the lead from his cousin. Weber followed G. Skora under S. Skora, taking second. Soon the top two had separated themselves from the rest of the field, which had strung out around the track. Weber kept pace with G. Skora, looking for a way around him. In the process of the top two racing hard, they soon had a half track advantage over Scott Wylie, who in turn had room between himself and S. Skora, Brown, and Whittaker. Brown was on the move and had passed Whittaker on lap 22 for fourth and passed Wylie for third just nine laps later. Up front G. Skora and Weber continued their fierce battle for the lead, with Weber looking high and low for a way to get around G. Skora. As the race stayed clean and green, the leaders began to hit heavy lap traffic with just a handful of laps remaining. Weber upped the level of intensity in his bid to get around G. Skora but Skora held the top spot for all fifty laps, taking home his first Late Model US Open feature win.
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