RGeeProductions
06-23-2013, 04:10 PM
Bring together a high caliber field of pavement Modified aces, put 22 of them on a tight bullring quarter-mile oval for three 25-lap features and then watch in awe as they unleash a fury of flat out thrilling action and you have the popular Mahoning Valley Speedway Triple 25s.
It was round two of the Mahoning Modified Madness Series and the Triple 25s segment of the high profile races have become a fan favorite. For good reason too as drivers display true talent in racing for the wins in the short distance jaunts and although there was an assembly of star talent, none could equal the display put in by Eric Beers who took the headlines in two of three features. Matt Hirschman was also a winner making it a sweep for the drivers who both hail from Northampton and earned $1000 for each victory.
For Beers, it was a night filled with celebration. He was fastest in time trials and started from the pole in the first main. After leading every lap in a non-stop run he scored what was a record setting triumph as he became Mahoning’s all-time wins leader in the Modifieds, marking his 33rd time of placing first.
In race one he would prove to be unstoppable as he raced in first place over the distance. Zane Zeiner stayed close to Beers as best he could but in the end it was no contest as drove the DeLange No. 45 took the history making win. Hirschman was third.
“It’s just awesome. To get that win and take over from guys like Lou Strohl (who he was tied) and the all-time greats who raced here back in the day like George Wambold and so many others, it’s just an honor to finally achieve this goal,” said Beers.
“Time trials tonight were huge. If Matt (Hirschman) would have started pole then he would have won the race. If Zane (Zeiner) would have started pole he could have won the race and the same goes for at least ten other guys. We just got lucky enough that we pulled off a good lap in qualifying and then took the first race. Having this many cars out there and to run so clean is great showmanship and hats off to all of them.”
For race two he came from 12th after a redraw and in distinctive Beers fashion worked his way forward with meticulous precision by avoiding all incidents in his path and in the end notched a solid third.
The in the nightcap Beers would bide his time and ride closely behind Nevin George, waiting for just the right moment to make his race winning move. It happened on lap 16 and afterwards it was his race to loose. Not a chance either, as Beers was too strong to overtake and became the first driver to win more than one race in a night during a Triple 25 event. His results also netted the overall winner of the evening. It was also his unequaled sixth win in 12 starts this season.
“I have to thank Nevin George for running me clean. I saw his car getting tight as the race went on. Our car was just a little bit free which helped us. I got to the outside if him and he gave me enough room that we could complete the pass,” offered Beers.
While Beers’ victories may have come by way of authority, it was a much different case for Hirschman in the middle 25er. His route to winning came after front runners Chip Santee and Roger Coss collided on the final lap.
Race number two was by far the best of the trio. With the first 12 cars inverted via a pill pick, Santee had the pole and early race lead with Todd Baer running second. Those two remained closely together with Coss riding third. By lap 14 Coss slipped by for second and from there on he and Santee waged an intense battle. Coss had the inside line working for him and he would take that route to try and get by Santee.
After insistent tries he got his nose underneath Santee as they took the white flag. Side-by-side they raced into turn one. Directly on their rear bumpers were Hirschman and hard charging Zeiner. As the leaders worked towards turn two Santee was slightly ahead. Zeiner, who was on the low groove, then gave a nudge to Coss, hoping to then dive for the lead. Instead Coss slipped up and banged into Santee causing them to spin and bring out the yellow.
Hirschman, driving the J & J Motorsports No. 59, was able to steer away from the skirmish and inherited the lead. He then held off Zeiner and Beers over the final lap.
“I used up the car really hard. It got exciting there upfront and I went to the outside of the Coss thinking I might be able to get him and Santee. Just as I thought to do that Coss had the same notion and he moved up and actually took me wide and Zeiner got by us both. It was good exciting short tracking,” said Hirschman.
In the Late Models, Earl Paules zipped around the outside of early leader George Ramos on lap three and then cruised to a decisive win. It was his fourth of the year.
Mike Sweeney was second with Kevin Graver, Jr., third.
Kyle Strohl looked as though he would hold on for his first Street Stock win of the season as he was holding off Jason Frey nicely. However, under a lap 19 caution period, Strohl was forced to make a pit stop due to a flat right rear. Frey then inherited the top spot and would fend off Josh Mooney and Steve Steigerwalt over the remaining distance in capturing his first win of 2013.
Strohl did have much better luck in the Pro 4 feature. After a fan pleasing dogfight with Nick Baer where they swapped the lead several times, Strohl took control for good with seven laps to go and went on a division best fourth win and second in a row.
In the Dirt Mods it was Mike Stofflet taking top honors. To do so he had to work extremely hard to snag the lead away from Ray Deemer who fought off Stofflet tooth and nail. It would take 19 of the 20 laps to pull off the pass too. The he then had to fend off both Deemer and Aleia Geisler in securing his third verdict of the season.
1st Modified Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Eric Beers, 2. Zane Zeiner, 3. Matt Hirschman, 4. Bobby Jones, 5. Nevin George, 6. John Markovic, 7. Roger Coss, 8. Don Wagner, 9. Tom Flanagan, 10. Terry Markovic, 11. Todd Baer, 12. Chip Santee, 13. Earl Paules, 14. Matt Wentz, 15. Eric Kocher, 16. Rick Reichenbach, 17. Brandon Oltra, 18. Kevin Rex, Jr., 19. Lou Strohl, 20. DJ Wagner, 21. Mike Quinn, 22, Kris Graver
2nd Modified Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Hirschman, 2. Zeiner, 3. Beers, 4. John Markovic, 5. George, 6. Baer, 7. Jones, 8. Strohl, 9. Kocher, 10. Rex, 11. Wentz, 12. Paules, 13. Reichenbach, 14. Paul Hartwig, Jr., 15. Santee, 16, Coss, 17. Terry Markovic, 18. DJ Wagner, 19. Don Wagner, 20. Flanagan, 21. Andrew Krause, 22. Quinn
3rd Modified Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Beers, 2. George, 3. Hirschman, 4. John Markovic, 5. Jones, 6. Wentz, 7. Coss, 8. Zeiner, 9. Oltra, 10. Strohl, 11. Baer, 12. Reichenbach, 13. Santee, 14. Rex, 15. DJ Wagner, 16. Terry Markovic, 17. Kocher, 18. Don Wagner, 19. Flanagan, 20. Graver, 21. Quinn
Late Model Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Earl Paules, 2. Mike Sweeney, 3. Kevin Graver, Jr., 4. George Ramos, 6. Frankie Althouse, 6. Paul Effrig, 7. Jason Zatsko, 8. Jennifer Kutz, 9. Geno Steigerwalt, 10. Kenny Hein
Street Stock Feature Finish (30 Laps): 1. Jason Frey, 2. Josh Mooney, 3. Steven Steigerwalt, 4. Lonnie Behler, 5. Justin Mooney, 6. Chip Wanamaker, 7. Stacey Brown, 8. Zach Graver, 9. Jason Beers, 10. TJ Gursky, 11. Gene Bowers, 12. Jonathan Tracey, 13. Jamie Smith, 14. Aaron Kromer, 15. Joe Roberts, 16. Kyle Strohl, 17. BJ Wambold, 18. Tiffany Wambold, 19. Willie Knappenberger, 20. Randy Ahner, Jr.
DNQ: Todd Ahner, Jillian Long, Guy Ackerman, Cody Geist, Stone Wentz, Jason Kuhn, Kristy Arthofer, Cody Roth
Dirt Modified Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Mike Stofflet, 2. Aleia Geisler, 3. Ray Deemer, 4. Dave Gorbatuk, 5. Ricky Yetter, 6. Mark Martini, 7. Jeff Parker, 8. JP Curry, 9. Dave Thomas, 10. Joe Stangle
Pro4 Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Kyle Strohl, 2. Nick Baer, 3. Jake Kibler, 4. Danielle Paules, 5. Doug Knauss, 6. Bobby Kibler, Jr., 7. Tanner Laybourn, 8. Robert Miller, 9. Corey Edelman, 10. Tyler Stangle, 11. Bob Wagner DNS: Dave Chapman DQ: Cody Kohler
Dino Oberto
It was round two of the Mahoning Modified Madness Series and the Triple 25s segment of the high profile races have become a fan favorite. For good reason too as drivers display true talent in racing for the wins in the short distance jaunts and although there was an assembly of star talent, none could equal the display put in by Eric Beers who took the headlines in two of three features. Matt Hirschman was also a winner making it a sweep for the drivers who both hail from Northampton and earned $1000 for each victory.
For Beers, it was a night filled with celebration. He was fastest in time trials and started from the pole in the first main. After leading every lap in a non-stop run he scored what was a record setting triumph as he became Mahoning’s all-time wins leader in the Modifieds, marking his 33rd time of placing first.
In race one he would prove to be unstoppable as he raced in first place over the distance. Zane Zeiner stayed close to Beers as best he could but in the end it was no contest as drove the DeLange No. 45 took the history making win. Hirschman was third.
“It’s just awesome. To get that win and take over from guys like Lou Strohl (who he was tied) and the all-time greats who raced here back in the day like George Wambold and so many others, it’s just an honor to finally achieve this goal,” said Beers.
“Time trials tonight were huge. If Matt (Hirschman) would have started pole then he would have won the race. If Zane (Zeiner) would have started pole he could have won the race and the same goes for at least ten other guys. We just got lucky enough that we pulled off a good lap in qualifying and then took the first race. Having this many cars out there and to run so clean is great showmanship and hats off to all of them.”
For race two he came from 12th after a redraw and in distinctive Beers fashion worked his way forward with meticulous precision by avoiding all incidents in his path and in the end notched a solid third.
The in the nightcap Beers would bide his time and ride closely behind Nevin George, waiting for just the right moment to make his race winning move. It happened on lap 16 and afterwards it was his race to loose. Not a chance either, as Beers was too strong to overtake and became the first driver to win more than one race in a night during a Triple 25 event. His results also netted the overall winner of the evening. It was also his unequaled sixth win in 12 starts this season.
“I have to thank Nevin George for running me clean. I saw his car getting tight as the race went on. Our car was just a little bit free which helped us. I got to the outside if him and he gave me enough room that we could complete the pass,” offered Beers.
While Beers’ victories may have come by way of authority, it was a much different case for Hirschman in the middle 25er. His route to winning came after front runners Chip Santee and Roger Coss collided on the final lap.
Race number two was by far the best of the trio. With the first 12 cars inverted via a pill pick, Santee had the pole and early race lead with Todd Baer running second. Those two remained closely together with Coss riding third. By lap 14 Coss slipped by for second and from there on he and Santee waged an intense battle. Coss had the inside line working for him and he would take that route to try and get by Santee.
After insistent tries he got his nose underneath Santee as they took the white flag. Side-by-side they raced into turn one. Directly on their rear bumpers were Hirschman and hard charging Zeiner. As the leaders worked towards turn two Santee was slightly ahead. Zeiner, who was on the low groove, then gave a nudge to Coss, hoping to then dive for the lead. Instead Coss slipped up and banged into Santee causing them to spin and bring out the yellow.
Hirschman, driving the J & J Motorsports No. 59, was able to steer away from the skirmish and inherited the lead. He then held off Zeiner and Beers over the final lap.
“I used up the car really hard. It got exciting there upfront and I went to the outside of the Coss thinking I might be able to get him and Santee. Just as I thought to do that Coss had the same notion and he moved up and actually took me wide and Zeiner got by us both. It was good exciting short tracking,” said Hirschman.
In the Late Models, Earl Paules zipped around the outside of early leader George Ramos on lap three and then cruised to a decisive win. It was his fourth of the year.
Mike Sweeney was second with Kevin Graver, Jr., third.
Kyle Strohl looked as though he would hold on for his first Street Stock win of the season as he was holding off Jason Frey nicely. However, under a lap 19 caution period, Strohl was forced to make a pit stop due to a flat right rear. Frey then inherited the top spot and would fend off Josh Mooney and Steve Steigerwalt over the remaining distance in capturing his first win of 2013.
Strohl did have much better luck in the Pro 4 feature. After a fan pleasing dogfight with Nick Baer where they swapped the lead several times, Strohl took control for good with seven laps to go and went on a division best fourth win and second in a row.
In the Dirt Mods it was Mike Stofflet taking top honors. To do so he had to work extremely hard to snag the lead away from Ray Deemer who fought off Stofflet tooth and nail. It would take 19 of the 20 laps to pull off the pass too. The he then had to fend off both Deemer and Aleia Geisler in securing his third verdict of the season.
1st Modified Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Eric Beers, 2. Zane Zeiner, 3. Matt Hirschman, 4. Bobby Jones, 5. Nevin George, 6. John Markovic, 7. Roger Coss, 8. Don Wagner, 9. Tom Flanagan, 10. Terry Markovic, 11. Todd Baer, 12. Chip Santee, 13. Earl Paules, 14. Matt Wentz, 15. Eric Kocher, 16. Rick Reichenbach, 17. Brandon Oltra, 18. Kevin Rex, Jr., 19. Lou Strohl, 20. DJ Wagner, 21. Mike Quinn, 22, Kris Graver
2nd Modified Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Hirschman, 2. Zeiner, 3. Beers, 4. John Markovic, 5. George, 6. Baer, 7. Jones, 8. Strohl, 9. Kocher, 10. Rex, 11. Wentz, 12. Paules, 13. Reichenbach, 14. Paul Hartwig, Jr., 15. Santee, 16, Coss, 17. Terry Markovic, 18. DJ Wagner, 19. Don Wagner, 20. Flanagan, 21. Andrew Krause, 22. Quinn
3rd Modified Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Beers, 2. George, 3. Hirschman, 4. John Markovic, 5. Jones, 6. Wentz, 7. Coss, 8. Zeiner, 9. Oltra, 10. Strohl, 11. Baer, 12. Reichenbach, 13. Santee, 14. Rex, 15. DJ Wagner, 16. Terry Markovic, 17. Kocher, 18. Don Wagner, 19. Flanagan, 20. Graver, 21. Quinn
Late Model Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Earl Paules, 2. Mike Sweeney, 3. Kevin Graver, Jr., 4. George Ramos, 6. Frankie Althouse, 6. Paul Effrig, 7. Jason Zatsko, 8. Jennifer Kutz, 9. Geno Steigerwalt, 10. Kenny Hein
Street Stock Feature Finish (30 Laps): 1. Jason Frey, 2. Josh Mooney, 3. Steven Steigerwalt, 4. Lonnie Behler, 5. Justin Mooney, 6. Chip Wanamaker, 7. Stacey Brown, 8. Zach Graver, 9. Jason Beers, 10. TJ Gursky, 11. Gene Bowers, 12. Jonathan Tracey, 13. Jamie Smith, 14. Aaron Kromer, 15. Joe Roberts, 16. Kyle Strohl, 17. BJ Wambold, 18. Tiffany Wambold, 19. Willie Knappenberger, 20. Randy Ahner, Jr.
DNQ: Todd Ahner, Jillian Long, Guy Ackerman, Cody Geist, Stone Wentz, Jason Kuhn, Kristy Arthofer, Cody Roth
Dirt Modified Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Mike Stofflet, 2. Aleia Geisler, 3. Ray Deemer, 4. Dave Gorbatuk, 5. Ricky Yetter, 6. Mark Martini, 7. Jeff Parker, 8. JP Curry, 9. Dave Thomas, 10. Joe Stangle
Pro4 Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Kyle Strohl, 2. Nick Baer, 3. Jake Kibler, 4. Danielle Paules, 5. Doug Knauss, 6. Bobby Kibler, Jr., 7. Tanner Laybourn, 8. Robert Miller, 9. Corey Edelman, 10. Tyler Stangle, 11. Bob Wagner DNS: Dave Chapman DQ: Cody Kohler
Dino Oberto