RGeeProductions
08-19-2013, 01:09 PM
Jankowiak & Piasecki Also Grab Checkers
Elegant Builders Raceway Park hosted one of its signature events this past Saturday as the “Mighty Modifieds” rolled into town for the annual Tommy Druar & Tony Jankowiak Memorial Modified 110. The best of the best were on hand to battle for the trophy and it was Matt Hirschman besting the field to take the checkered flag in the event. Checkered flags also were earned by Andy Jankowiak in the TQ Midget division and by Al Piasecki in the 4 Cylinder Division.
The night’s action began on the inner oval with the TQ Midgets taking to the track for their 20 lap main event. Leading the field to the green flag was Andy Jankowiak, with Arik McGruder to his outside, and Erick Musto and Timex Morgan immediately behind him. On lap one, Brandon Zavarella got out of shape and brought out the first yellow flag of the night. On the restart it was Jankowiak again leading the way with McGruder, Morgan, and Musto once again behind him. Jankowiak wasted no time in jumping into the lead although Morgan stayed in hot pursuit. The top two raced hard while Musto jumped into the third spot on lap five. The race stayed clean and green and Jankowiak and the other leaders began encountering lap traffic on lap 12 but had cleared them within two laps. Jankowiak, Morgan, Musto, Zavarella – who had worked his way back up for the first lap caution – and McGruder held pat and finished as the top five.
Next up was the 4 Cylinder division and it was Jayme Thompson, Brandon Sherwood, Garrett Cleversley, and Tim Durfy making up the front two rows of starters. Like the TQ Midgets though, a yellow flag was displayed very early in the race when four cars got together in turns one and two. A complete restart was called for and it was Thompson to the lead when the race went green. While Thompson led, Al Piasecki, who had started fifth, and Sherwood battled side by side for the second position while Cleversley and Tom LaLomia Jr. raced for fourth and fifth. Soon Piasecki had cleared Sherwood and set his sights on the leader. On lap five, Piasecki finally passed Thompson for the lead after going to her outside. Piasecki wasted no time in building a lead over the rest of the field and by the halfway point of the twenty lap feature, lead Thompson, LaLomia, Ken Hejna, Cleversley, and Sherwood, who all ran in a pack. While Piasecki cruised up front, Thompson had her hands full with LaLomia and company, who dogged her around the track, looking for any way around her second place car. Thompson managed to fend off the attack, maintaining her second place spot on the track at the checkered flag while, up front, Piasecki grabbed his third win of the season.
The final event of the evening was the Tommy Druar & Tony Jankowiak Memorial Modified 110, run each year in the driver’s honor and memory. A stout field of competitors was on hand and it was Daren Scherer, Jimmy Zacharias, Andy Jankowiak, Erick Rudolph, Karl Hehr, and Matt Hirschman comprising the first three rows of the starting grid. At the drop of the green flag it was Scherer out to the lead while the rest of the field settled in single file. Scherer soon had company with Zacharias on his bumper challenging for the lead but Scherer powered ahead and managed to build a cushion between himself and the second place car. The laps began to click off and by lap 20 Scherer lead Zacharias by a considerable distance while Zacharias in turn held a sizable lead over Jankowiak, Rudolph, Hirschman, Mike Fiebelkorn Jr., Hehr, and Ricky Kluth, who all ran close together. As the race took on a green flag feel, strategies changed and soon some of the cars further back began to make their moves. On lap 36, Hirschman began the upwards climb as he moved by Rudolph for fourth and by lap 42 had passed by Jankowiak for third. Chuck Hossfeld was right behind Hirschman and was moving through the pack at the same pace. At lap 55 – the halfway point of the feature – Scherer had lost a considerable amout of his lead to Zacharias while Hirschman, Hossfeld, and Rudolph ran third on back. Around lap 60, Zacharias seemed to have some sort of problem and suddenly fell back, allowing Hirschman, Hossfeld, and Rudolph to pass on by. But soon the first yellow flag of the race appeared on lap 66 as Bryan Sherwood spun in turn four. The pits became a busy place suddenly as all but the top two cars of Scherer and Hirschman pitted. On the ensuing restart Patrick Emerling washed high out of four and the cars of Putney, Fiebekorn, and Jankowiak were involved, causing another yellow flag. Hirschman took this opportunity to pit, while Scherer still gambled out front. The restart on lap 75 saw Scherer followed once again by Zacharias who in turn had Emerling, Hehr, Kluth, Rudolph, Hossfeld, and Hirschman behind him. As the cars clicked off lap 80, and with just 30 laps left to go in the race, the on track action began to heat up. A daring three wide pass down the front stretch on lap 83 saw second through fourth change from turn four to turn one as Hirschman dove low on Hossfeld, Zacharias, and Rudolph, vaulting Hirschman to the second spot on the track. He quickly passed Scherer for the lead, taking Hossfeld with him as he slotted into second. Both Scherer and Zacharias began falling back through the field and by lap 90 Hirschman lead comfortably over Hossfeld and Rudolph, who in turn had a nice lead over Putney, Emerling, and Jankowiak. A late race caution on lap 94 however saw everyone’s leads disappear and Scherer finally decided to duck into the pits for a new right rear tire. On the double file restart, Hirschman lead Hossfeld, Rudolph, Jankowiak, Putney, Emerling, Zacharias, and Scherer. Rudolph passed by Hossfeld for second on lap 97 and soon it was just ten laps to go, with Hirschman out front. The top three spread out equidistant from each other, with none of them gaining or losing an advantage. The race stayed green for the remainder of the race and Matt Hirschman grabbed the checkered flag.
EBRP Stock Cars are off Saturday, August 24th but return on August 31st with a full card including Sportsman, Big 10 Super Stocks, Street Stocks, 4 Cylinders, and TQ Midgets. For more info visit www.ebrpracing.com or “like” us on Facebook!
TOMMY DRUAR & TONY JANKOWIAK MEMORIAL MODIFIED 110 FEATURE FINISH (8/17/13): MATT HIRSCHMAN, Erick Rudolph, Chuck Hossfeld, Andy Jankowiak, Billy Putney, Daren Scherer, Jimmy Zacharias, Karl Hehr, Ricky Kluth, Patrick Emerling, Bryan Sherwood, Mike Fiebelkorn Jr., Chris Clemens
Lap Leaders: 1-83 Scherer, 84-110 Hirschman
Heat Winners: Zacharias, Scherer
4 CYLINDER FEATURE FINISH (8/17/13): AL PIASECKI, Jayme Thompson, Ken Hejna, Peter Koschuk, Tom LaLomia Jr., Bobby Woch, Garrett Cleversley, Brandon Sherwood, Tim Durfy, Curt Sherwood, Derrick Brant, Christine Hanel, Rich Bartel, Jason Morgan
Lap Leaders: 1-6 Thompson, 7-20 Piasecki
Heat Winners: Thompson, B. Sherwood
TQ MIDGET FEATURE FINISH (8/17/13): ANDY JANKOWIAK, Timex Morgan, Erik Musto, Brandon Zavarella, Arik McGruder, Amy Catalano, Jim Musto, Sonny Goodnough, Ethan Morgan, Shaun, Szejnar
Lap Leaders: 1-20 Jankowiak
Heat Winner: Jankowiak
Lori Overdorf
Elegant Builders Raceway Park hosted one of its signature events this past Saturday as the “Mighty Modifieds” rolled into town for the annual Tommy Druar & Tony Jankowiak Memorial Modified 110. The best of the best were on hand to battle for the trophy and it was Matt Hirschman besting the field to take the checkered flag in the event. Checkered flags also were earned by Andy Jankowiak in the TQ Midget division and by Al Piasecki in the 4 Cylinder Division.
The night’s action began on the inner oval with the TQ Midgets taking to the track for their 20 lap main event. Leading the field to the green flag was Andy Jankowiak, with Arik McGruder to his outside, and Erick Musto and Timex Morgan immediately behind him. On lap one, Brandon Zavarella got out of shape and brought out the first yellow flag of the night. On the restart it was Jankowiak again leading the way with McGruder, Morgan, and Musto once again behind him. Jankowiak wasted no time in jumping into the lead although Morgan stayed in hot pursuit. The top two raced hard while Musto jumped into the third spot on lap five. The race stayed clean and green and Jankowiak and the other leaders began encountering lap traffic on lap 12 but had cleared them within two laps. Jankowiak, Morgan, Musto, Zavarella – who had worked his way back up for the first lap caution – and McGruder held pat and finished as the top five.
Next up was the 4 Cylinder division and it was Jayme Thompson, Brandon Sherwood, Garrett Cleversley, and Tim Durfy making up the front two rows of starters. Like the TQ Midgets though, a yellow flag was displayed very early in the race when four cars got together in turns one and two. A complete restart was called for and it was Thompson to the lead when the race went green. While Thompson led, Al Piasecki, who had started fifth, and Sherwood battled side by side for the second position while Cleversley and Tom LaLomia Jr. raced for fourth and fifth. Soon Piasecki had cleared Sherwood and set his sights on the leader. On lap five, Piasecki finally passed Thompson for the lead after going to her outside. Piasecki wasted no time in building a lead over the rest of the field and by the halfway point of the twenty lap feature, lead Thompson, LaLomia, Ken Hejna, Cleversley, and Sherwood, who all ran in a pack. While Piasecki cruised up front, Thompson had her hands full with LaLomia and company, who dogged her around the track, looking for any way around her second place car. Thompson managed to fend off the attack, maintaining her second place spot on the track at the checkered flag while, up front, Piasecki grabbed his third win of the season.
The final event of the evening was the Tommy Druar & Tony Jankowiak Memorial Modified 110, run each year in the driver’s honor and memory. A stout field of competitors was on hand and it was Daren Scherer, Jimmy Zacharias, Andy Jankowiak, Erick Rudolph, Karl Hehr, and Matt Hirschman comprising the first three rows of the starting grid. At the drop of the green flag it was Scherer out to the lead while the rest of the field settled in single file. Scherer soon had company with Zacharias on his bumper challenging for the lead but Scherer powered ahead and managed to build a cushion between himself and the second place car. The laps began to click off and by lap 20 Scherer lead Zacharias by a considerable distance while Zacharias in turn held a sizable lead over Jankowiak, Rudolph, Hirschman, Mike Fiebelkorn Jr., Hehr, and Ricky Kluth, who all ran close together. As the race took on a green flag feel, strategies changed and soon some of the cars further back began to make their moves. On lap 36, Hirschman began the upwards climb as he moved by Rudolph for fourth and by lap 42 had passed by Jankowiak for third. Chuck Hossfeld was right behind Hirschman and was moving through the pack at the same pace. At lap 55 – the halfway point of the feature – Scherer had lost a considerable amout of his lead to Zacharias while Hirschman, Hossfeld, and Rudolph ran third on back. Around lap 60, Zacharias seemed to have some sort of problem and suddenly fell back, allowing Hirschman, Hossfeld, and Rudolph to pass on by. But soon the first yellow flag of the race appeared on lap 66 as Bryan Sherwood spun in turn four. The pits became a busy place suddenly as all but the top two cars of Scherer and Hirschman pitted. On the ensuing restart Patrick Emerling washed high out of four and the cars of Putney, Fiebekorn, and Jankowiak were involved, causing another yellow flag. Hirschman took this opportunity to pit, while Scherer still gambled out front. The restart on lap 75 saw Scherer followed once again by Zacharias who in turn had Emerling, Hehr, Kluth, Rudolph, Hossfeld, and Hirschman behind him. As the cars clicked off lap 80, and with just 30 laps left to go in the race, the on track action began to heat up. A daring three wide pass down the front stretch on lap 83 saw second through fourth change from turn four to turn one as Hirschman dove low on Hossfeld, Zacharias, and Rudolph, vaulting Hirschman to the second spot on the track. He quickly passed Scherer for the lead, taking Hossfeld with him as he slotted into second. Both Scherer and Zacharias began falling back through the field and by lap 90 Hirschman lead comfortably over Hossfeld and Rudolph, who in turn had a nice lead over Putney, Emerling, and Jankowiak. A late race caution on lap 94 however saw everyone’s leads disappear and Scherer finally decided to duck into the pits for a new right rear tire. On the double file restart, Hirschman lead Hossfeld, Rudolph, Jankowiak, Putney, Emerling, Zacharias, and Scherer. Rudolph passed by Hossfeld for second on lap 97 and soon it was just ten laps to go, with Hirschman out front. The top three spread out equidistant from each other, with none of them gaining or losing an advantage. The race stayed green for the remainder of the race and Matt Hirschman grabbed the checkered flag.
EBRP Stock Cars are off Saturday, August 24th but return on August 31st with a full card including Sportsman, Big 10 Super Stocks, Street Stocks, 4 Cylinders, and TQ Midgets. For more info visit www.ebrpracing.com or “like” us on Facebook!
TOMMY DRUAR & TONY JANKOWIAK MEMORIAL MODIFIED 110 FEATURE FINISH (8/17/13): MATT HIRSCHMAN, Erick Rudolph, Chuck Hossfeld, Andy Jankowiak, Billy Putney, Daren Scherer, Jimmy Zacharias, Karl Hehr, Ricky Kluth, Patrick Emerling, Bryan Sherwood, Mike Fiebelkorn Jr., Chris Clemens
Lap Leaders: 1-83 Scherer, 84-110 Hirschman
Heat Winners: Zacharias, Scherer
4 CYLINDER FEATURE FINISH (8/17/13): AL PIASECKI, Jayme Thompson, Ken Hejna, Peter Koschuk, Tom LaLomia Jr., Bobby Woch, Garrett Cleversley, Brandon Sherwood, Tim Durfy, Curt Sherwood, Derrick Brant, Christine Hanel, Rich Bartel, Jason Morgan
Lap Leaders: 1-6 Thompson, 7-20 Piasecki
Heat Winners: Thompson, B. Sherwood
TQ MIDGET FEATURE FINISH (8/17/13): ANDY JANKOWIAK, Timex Morgan, Erik Musto, Brandon Zavarella, Arik McGruder, Amy Catalano, Jim Musto, Sonny Goodnough, Ethan Morgan, Shaun, Szejnar
Lap Leaders: 1-20 Jankowiak
Heat Winner: Jankowiak
Lori Overdorf