RGeeProductions
08-18-2013, 05:20 PM
Every now and again there is that one race, you know the one that will always standout as memory maker for years to come, the kind of race that was a thriller from start to finish.
Well if you were at Mahoning Valley Speedway this past Saturday night you saw one for the ages as Todd Baer scored an absolute nail-bitter over Chip Santee and Kevin Rex Jr., in what would be his first time winning in a Modified at the popular Lehighton paved quarter mile oval.
The record will show that Baer led every lap of the 35-lap feature but that was the least of the story. From the drop of Bob Stull’s race commencing green Baer would be shrouded in an intense battle with Rex and later Santee.
Rex, who started second, worked to the outside of Baer and would try numerous times to power past but each time Baer would be protective of his spot. There was a set of cautions that waved on laps 10 and 12 and on each of the restarts Baer got the jump. Rex, however, remained at his side and the ongoing fight waged on.
With no cautions over the next 11 laps their battle became wicked and Santee, who started ninth, entered into the fray after the 19th tour was completed.
From the two car match that was already amazing, now enter Santee and this party just got flaming hot. Fans were in awe as the trio raced under a blanket in a spectacular display of close action that had to be seen to be believed.
Mahoning is known for its outstanding side-by-side racing but when you have three Modifieds in that same fashion, the level of intensity is as good as it gets.
On lap 21 Rick Reichenbach spun and brought out the yellow. Once again on the restart Baer was on his toes as he pulled out quickly to maintain the lead. Rex then dipped low and was on his rear bumper which gave Santee the chance to take the high lane. In doing so he found the thrust he need to get around and it was now his turn to run against Baer.
And that he did. For the rest of the race Santee tried lap after lap to make a pass but just as he did with Rex, Baer was up to the challenge. All eyes stayed glued on this front duo as the best race of the season was unfolding before them. And Rex stayed within a few feet.
Baer would cross the finish line a scant .240 of a second over Santee with Rex right there in third. Roger Heffelfinger Jr., and Lou Strohl would complete the top five.
“Chip (Santee) gave me a hell of a run on the outside and I wasn’t sure if I had it for him but thankfully we held on and here we are in Victory Lane,” said Baer, who last won a feature at Mahoning Valley in 2006 which came in a Pro 4.
“It was hard racing. He gave it his all from the outside and I did the same from the inside and that’s what you have to do here. I won a lot of races in the Pro 4 and we’ve had a lot of bad luck with this Modified but we got one now and it feels good.”
This marked only the third time Baer has was led with a Modified at Mahoning. In ’09 he led single laps in two separate events. Up until this night his year has been a struggle. Other than a lone top five, his results were drab. He almost parked the car too. His son, Pro 4 regular Nick Baer, was racing a second prepared Modified for the first time at this track and all focus was on him.
“It wasn’t until about 9:00 this morning that we decided to even bring the car to the track. All the concentration was on him. He was going to race and I wasn’t. But this morning we decided that we were going for it and it turned into the right decision,” said Baer.
For Santee the runner-up was another close call to victory which has eluded him over the past few weeks.
“That’s what I love about this place. It’s exciting and tonight was the first time in a while that I was white-knuckling it,” said Santee.
“Todd (Baer) had to do what he had to do in order protect his lead and I don’t blame him. It was a great run for him and “Congratulations to Todd. I was on the outside and working this baby (car). It wasn’t quite right and if I could have gotten it to turn just a little bit better I think I could have got him. It was just a little tight.”
For the third time in a row and ninth of the season, Earl Paules collected the checkers in the Late Models.
After starting eighth Paules powered up to leader Mike Sweeney by lap 10 and then began a fierce side-by-side race. At the same time Frankie Althouse run a close third.
Paules finally worked into the lead on lap 15 and from there on he made it a race for second which was a squeaker between Sweeney and Althouse.
After four lead changes among three drivers, including four times in the last six laps, Gene Bowers emerged victorious for the first time this season with the Street Stocks.
The race was tightly run between Willie Knappenberger and Jillian Long who were the other two leaders. With seven laps to go Bowers was heavily in the mix.
He watched as Knappenberger and Long exchanged first place then he struck with three laps to go. He zoomed in the lead and held on for his first win of 2013. Jason Frey and Justin Mooney took second and third respectively as Long and Knappenberger faded over the final two circuits.
Aleia Geisler was victorious for a second time this year in the Dirt Mods. Geisler chased down and passed Dave Thomas 10 laps from the finish then beat point leader Jeff Parker to the stripe.
For the second time in as many weeks a new face graced Victory Lane with the Hobby Stocks as Bill Verwys took top honors. Verwys took the lead after Corey Edelman lost his right rear wheel while out front and slammed hard into the front stretch wall. He walked away shaken but otherwise okay.
It was the first career win at Mahoning for Verwys.
Wes Gilbert won the 4c Super Modified feature that was marred by a scary crash.
Mike Renn was chasing leader Ron Merlino Jr., and coming up on the white flag lap when they suddenly made contact. Renn lost control and smacked hard into the front straight wall then flipped at the start/finish line. He was unconscious for a brief time but was able to walk into the ambulance under his own power.
Modified Feature Finish (35 Laps): 1. Todd Baer, 2. Chip Santee, 3. Kevin Rex Jr., 4. Roger Heffelfinger Jr., 5. Lou Strohl, 6. Rick Kirkendall, 7. Eric Beers, 8. Kris Graver, 9. Roger Coss, 10. Nevin George, 11. Earl Paules, 12. John Markovic, 13. Terry Markovic, 14. Eric Kocher, 15. Nick Baer, 16. Rick Reichenbach, 17. Rob Shultz, 18. Mike Odwazny, 19. Matt Wentz, 20. John Bennett
Late Model (25 Laps): 1. Earl Paules, 2. Mike Sweeney, 3. Frankie Althouse, 4. Kenny Hein, 5. Kevin Graver Jr., 6. Paul Effrig, 7. Jennifer Kutz, 8. Danielle Paules, 9. George Ramos, 10. Glenn Slocum 11. Geno Steigerwalt, 12. Taya Wentz
Street Stock Feature Finish (30 Laps): 1. Gene Bowers, 2. Jason Frey, 3. Justin Mooney, 4. Lonnie Behler, 5. Aaron Kromer. 6. TJ Gursky, 7. Kyle Strohl, 8. Willie Knappenberger, 9. Jillian Long, 10. Josh Mooney, 11. Stacey Brown, 12. Kristy Arthofer, 13. Chip Wanamaker, 14. Jamie Smith, 15. Todd Ahner, 16. Guy Ackerman, 17. Tiffany Wambold, 18. Randy Ahner Jr., 19. Zach Graver, 20. Steven Steigerwalt
DNQ: Jason Kuhn, Jason Beers, Eric Kocher, Jonathan Tracey, BJ Wambold
Dirt Modified Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Aleia Geisler, 2. Jeff Parker, 3. Dave Thomas, 4. Ricky Yetter, 5. JP Curry, 6. Billy Lowden Jr., 7. Dave Gorbatuk, 8. Ray Deemer, 9. Jack Ely, 10. Frank Parastino, 11. Tyler Stangle
Hobby Stock Feature Finish (15 Laps): 1. Bill Verwys, 2. Tim Oswald, 3. Chad Miller, 4. Jeff Biegley, 5. Klem Underwood, 6. Gunner Yost, 7. Corey Edelman, 8. Elyse Bollinger, 9. Cody Geist DNS: Steve McDonough
4C Super Modified Feature Finish, (15 Laps): 1. Wes Gilbert, 2. Steve Renn, 3. Bob Renn, 4. Ron Merlino Jr., 5. Mike Renn
Dino Oberto
Well if you were at Mahoning Valley Speedway this past Saturday night you saw one for the ages as Todd Baer scored an absolute nail-bitter over Chip Santee and Kevin Rex Jr., in what would be his first time winning in a Modified at the popular Lehighton paved quarter mile oval.
The record will show that Baer led every lap of the 35-lap feature but that was the least of the story. From the drop of Bob Stull’s race commencing green Baer would be shrouded in an intense battle with Rex and later Santee.
Rex, who started second, worked to the outside of Baer and would try numerous times to power past but each time Baer would be protective of his spot. There was a set of cautions that waved on laps 10 and 12 and on each of the restarts Baer got the jump. Rex, however, remained at his side and the ongoing fight waged on.
With no cautions over the next 11 laps their battle became wicked and Santee, who started ninth, entered into the fray after the 19th tour was completed.
From the two car match that was already amazing, now enter Santee and this party just got flaming hot. Fans were in awe as the trio raced under a blanket in a spectacular display of close action that had to be seen to be believed.
Mahoning is known for its outstanding side-by-side racing but when you have three Modifieds in that same fashion, the level of intensity is as good as it gets.
On lap 21 Rick Reichenbach spun and brought out the yellow. Once again on the restart Baer was on his toes as he pulled out quickly to maintain the lead. Rex then dipped low and was on his rear bumper which gave Santee the chance to take the high lane. In doing so he found the thrust he need to get around and it was now his turn to run against Baer.
And that he did. For the rest of the race Santee tried lap after lap to make a pass but just as he did with Rex, Baer was up to the challenge. All eyes stayed glued on this front duo as the best race of the season was unfolding before them. And Rex stayed within a few feet.
Baer would cross the finish line a scant .240 of a second over Santee with Rex right there in third. Roger Heffelfinger Jr., and Lou Strohl would complete the top five.
“Chip (Santee) gave me a hell of a run on the outside and I wasn’t sure if I had it for him but thankfully we held on and here we are in Victory Lane,” said Baer, who last won a feature at Mahoning Valley in 2006 which came in a Pro 4.
“It was hard racing. He gave it his all from the outside and I did the same from the inside and that’s what you have to do here. I won a lot of races in the Pro 4 and we’ve had a lot of bad luck with this Modified but we got one now and it feels good.”
This marked only the third time Baer has was led with a Modified at Mahoning. In ’09 he led single laps in two separate events. Up until this night his year has been a struggle. Other than a lone top five, his results were drab. He almost parked the car too. His son, Pro 4 regular Nick Baer, was racing a second prepared Modified for the first time at this track and all focus was on him.
“It wasn’t until about 9:00 this morning that we decided to even bring the car to the track. All the concentration was on him. He was going to race and I wasn’t. But this morning we decided that we were going for it and it turned into the right decision,” said Baer.
For Santee the runner-up was another close call to victory which has eluded him over the past few weeks.
“That’s what I love about this place. It’s exciting and tonight was the first time in a while that I was white-knuckling it,” said Santee.
“Todd (Baer) had to do what he had to do in order protect his lead and I don’t blame him. It was a great run for him and “Congratulations to Todd. I was on the outside and working this baby (car). It wasn’t quite right and if I could have gotten it to turn just a little bit better I think I could have got him. It was just a little tight.”
For the third time in a row and ninth of the season, Earl Paules collected the checkers in the Late Models.
After starting eighth Paules powered up to leader Mike Sweeney by lap 10 and then began a fierce side-by-side race. At the same time Frankie Althouse run a close third.
Paules finally worked into the lead on lap 15 and from there on he made it a race for second which was a squeaker between Sweeney and Althouse.
After four lead changes among three drivers, including four times in the last six laps, Gene Bowers emerged victorious for the first time this season with the Street Stocks.
The race was tightly run between Willie Knappenberger and Jillian Long who were the other two leaders. With seven laps to go Bowers was heavily in the mix.
He watched as Knappenberger and Long exchanged first place then he struck with three laps to go. He zoomed in the lead and held on for his first win of 2013. Jason Frey and Justin Mooney took second and third respectively as Long and Knappenberger faded over the final two circuits.
Aleia Geisler was victorious for a second time this year in the Dirt Mods. Geisler chased down and passed Dave Thomas 10 laps from the finish then beat point leader Jeff Parker to the stripe.
For the second time in as many weeks a new face graced Victory Lane with the Hobby Stocks as Bill Verwys took top honors. Verwys took the lead after Corey Edelman lost his right rear wheel while out front and slammed hard into the front stretch wall. He walked away shaken but otherwise okay.
It was the first career win at Mahoning for Verwys.
Wes Gilbert won the 4c Super Modified feature that was marred by a scary crash.
Mike Renn was chasing leader Ron Merlino Jr., and coming up on the white flag lap when they suddenly made contact. Renn lost control and smacked hard into the front straight wall then flipped at the start/finish line. He was unconscious for a brief time but was able to walk into the ambulance under his own power.
Modified Feature Finish (35 Laps): 1. Todd Baer, 2. Chip Santee, 3. Kevin Rex Jr., 4. Roger Heffelfinger Jr., 5. Lou Strohl, 6. Rick Kirkendall, 7. Eric Beers, 8. Kris Graver, 9. Roger Coss, 10. Nevin George, 11. Earl Paules, 12. John Markovic, 13. Terry Markovic, 14. Eric Kocher, 15. Nick Baer, 16. Rick Reichenbach, 17. Rob Shultz, 18. Mike Odwazny, 19. Matt Wentz, 20. John Bennett
Late Model (25 Laps): 1. Earl Paules, 2. Mike Sweeney, 3. Frankie Althouse, 4. Kenny Hein, 5. Kevin Graver Jr., 6. Paul Effrig, 7. Jennifer Kutz, 8. Danielle Paules, 9. George Ramos, 10. Glenn Slocum 11. Geno Steigerwalt, 12. Taya Wentz
Street Stock Feature Finish (30 Laps): 1. Gene Bowers, 2. Jason Frey, 3. Justin Mooney, 4. Lonnie Behler, 5. Aaron Kromer. 6. TJ Gursky, 7. Kyle Strohl, 8. Willie Knappenberger, 9. Jillian Long, 10. Josh Mooney, 11. Stacey Brown, 12. Kristy Arthofer, 13. Chip Wanamaker, 14. Jamie Smith, 15. Todd Ahner, 16. Guy Ackerman, 17. Tiffany Wambold, 18. Randy Ahner Jr., 19. Zach Graver, 20. Steven Steigerwalt
DNQ: Jason Kuhn, Jason Beers, Eric Kocher, Jonathan Tracey, BJ Wambold
Dirt Modified Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Aleia Geisler, 2. Jeff Parker, 3. Dave Thomas, 4. Ricky Yetter, 5. JP Curry, 6. Billy Lowden Jr., 7. Dave Gorbatuk, 8. Ray Deemer, 9. Jack Ely, 10. Frank Parastino, 11. Tyler Stangle
Hobby Stock Feature Finish (15 Laps): 1. Bill Verwys, 2. Tim Oswald, 3. Chad Miller, 4. Jeff Biegley, 5. Klem Underwood, 6. Gunner Yost, 7. Corey Edelman, 8. Elyse Bollinger, 9. Cody Geist DNS: Steve McDonough
4C Super Modified Feature Finish, (15 Laps): 1. Wes Gilbert, 2. Steve Renn, 3. Bob Renn, 4. Ron Merlino Jr., 5. Mike Renn
Dino Oberto