RGeeProductions
08-09-2015, 11:05 AM
Paul Koehler Jr. takes sixth win in Late Models
After taking the lead with six laps to go, Kris Graver had no problem pulling away to his third Modified win of the year on Checkered Flag Fan Club Night at Mahoning Valley Speedway. However, getting to the front was a whole other story as he was in the grip of a torrid battle with Eric Kocher and Kevin Rex Jr., which began on lap nine and lasted until his race-winning pass.
“We think we found some things that were wrong with the car and what other people are missing,” said Graver.
And, while Graver was on his way to victory, Austin Kochenash continued his run of rock solid top-5 finishes with his seventh straight tally of fifth or better and in the process has heated up the division championship battle, now moving to second, just four points away from leader Earl Paules.
At the outset pole sitter Kocher jumped into the lead over Kyle Strohl with Rex third. When the race reached lap five a red flag waved for a frightening crash by Paul Frantz.
Frantz got turned while racing on the outside lane exiting turn two and then went nearly head-on into the turn three wall. Emergency medical crew where quickly on the scene and Frantz was taken off by ambulance for further observation. He was later transported to the hospital for an addition examination. After getting the OK he was released and returned to the track by night’s end. Unfortunately his car was severely damaged from the hit.
Kocher remained at the lead on the restart while Rex took over second. Graver then came into play on lap nine and once in place he would go side-by-side with Rex and all the while they rode the rear bumper of Kocher over the next 24 circuits.
With Graver running the low groove, he was repeatedly trying to sneak underneath Kocher but each time the leader would close that door. Kocher was also busy fending off Rex who was aggressively making moves from the top.
For Kocher, he was also dealing with his car tightening up which was making it difficult for him to protect the inside, thus Graver got the opportunity to again put his nose in. As the field began to record the 30th lap the trio of leaders came to the line and Graver was now in front.
At the same time the caution also waved for a back straight incident that took out Eric Beers. On the single file restart Graver then wasted little time in pulling away from everyone.
“I was just biding my time and it was all about patience. I saw when it was seven (laps) to go he (Kocher) moved up just that little bit and I felt that was my time to get under him,” said Graver.
Kochenash, who was fifth when the race resumed, quickly powered by Strohl, Rex and Kocher but time had run out for any chance at catching Graver.
“Coming from 12th it’s tough to sometimes get in the right lanes. Towards the end though the outside opened up and I was able to drive to the front,” said Kochenash. “You have to know when to be patient and when to go. Kris (Graver) ran well tonight and he was able to unitize the opportunity when it came his way. Hopefully it will come our way again soon.”
Kocher held on for third, his best effort to date. Rex was fourth and Strohl rounded out the top five.
Once Paul Koehler Jr., took the lead on lap 17 in the Late Model feature there was no stopping the current point leader as he cruised to his sixth win of 2015.
Jacob Kerstetter handled the early lead until George Ramos took control after a lap four restart. He was then showing the look of a winner, safeguarding his spot nicely while Kerstetter as well as Jeremy Miller closely pursued him.
Tracking directly behind the lead pack was Koehler and at the 10 lap mark he wasn’t settling for that any longer. Within the next five tours he marched to second and quickly began to eye up leader Ramos. With a surge of power he passed Ramos with eight laps to go and then pulled away to a comfortable two car length margin of victory.
Ramos had a season best second while Frankie Althouse came home third.
When Bernie Uphold won the Street Stock feature, it marked a triumphant return to Victory Lane for the first time in 23 years. Uphold had struggled all season to get his newly built car into the show and Saturday evening it all came together. He went out and won his heat and for the feature was lined up on the pole.
Once underway he would not let his chance of a good run, let alone a win, slip away. Uphold showed perfection from flag to flag, leading all the way and scoring his first win since a Late Model victory in 1992.
In the Dirt Mod main it was one again a solid effort turned in by Jack Ely who would win for the fourth time, although there was a little luck that aided him this time.
Steve Shultz was leading from the get-go and was being heavily pressured by Mike Stofflet. Coming off turn four and about to complete lap 17, Shultz was a bit high and Stofflet nipped him from behind, sending the leader into a spin. Unfortunately for Stofflet he was placed to the rear with Shultz.
As that dust-up was unfolding, Ely was quick to dash by the high outside of them and into the lead. The rest of the way he had no worries and went on to claim victory.
In the make-up Pro 4 feature from July 20 Bobby Kibler Sr., took the lead on lap one and was able to stay that way for the rest of the caution free race. His son, Bobby Kibler Jr., was second.
In the regular feature the win was taken by Jake Kibler who had a tooth and nail race long battle with Nick Baer.
For a second time this season rookie Kyle Krempasky was taking a checkered flag in the Hobby Stock event. Krempasky took the lead at the drop of the green and afterwards pulled away to a commanding lead.
Alex Greenzweig went wire-to-wire in winning the 20-lap Micro Stock feature
Modified Feature Finish (35 Laps): 1. Kris Graver 2. Austin Kochenash 3. Eric Kocher 4. Kevin Rex 5. Kyle Strohl 6. Don Wagner 7. Earl Paules 8. Lou Strohl 9. John Markovic 10. Mike Quinn 11. Chip Santee 12. Bobby Jones 13. Eric Beers 14. Terry Markovic 15. Matt Higgins 16. Brian Sones 17. Paul Frantz
Late Model Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Paul Koehler Jr., 2. George Ramos, 3. Frankie Althouse, 4. Jeremy Miller, 5. Mike Sweeney, 6. Jacob Kerstetter, 7. Jacob Nemeth, 8. Troy Bollinger, 9. Tony Hilliard, 10. Josh Oswald, 11. Barry Kutz, 12. Broc Brown, 13. Geno Steigerwalt, 14. Kenny Hein
Street Stock Feature Finish (30 Laps): 1. Bernie Uphold, 2. Zach Graver, 3. Jason Kuhn, 4. Randy Schlenker, 5. Gene Bowers, 6. Todd Ahner, 7. Randy Ahner Jr., 8. Jillian Long, 9. Aaron Kromer, 10. Josh Mooney, 11. Kristy Arthofer, 12. Joe Mooney, 13. Corey Edelman, 14. Lonnie Behler Sr., 15. TJ Gursky, 16. Jared Ahner, 17. Stacey Brown, 18. Jonathan Tracey, 19. Joe Stangle, 20. Jason Frey DNQ: Jamie Smith, Logan Boyer, George Ramos, Brian Labar
Dirt Mod Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Jack Ely, 2. Ricky Yetter, 3. Ray Deemer, 4. Lorin Arthofer II, 5. Aleia Geisler, 6. Scott Adams, 7. Mike Stofflet, 8. JP Curry, 9. Dave Gorbatuk, 10. Steve Shultz, 11. Billy Lasko, 12. Bill Sittler Jr.
Pro 4 7/18 Make-up Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Bobby Kibler Sr., 2. Bobby Kibler Jr., 3. Nick Baer, 4. Jake Kibler, 5. Cody Kohler, 6. Joe Stangle, 7. Kailyn Beers, 8. Johnny Bennett DNS: JD Light, Chad Miller, Harvey Keiper, Lou Gara
Regular Pro 4 Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Jake Kibler, 2. Baer, 3. Bobby Kibler Sr., 4. Kistler, 5. Bobby Kibler Jr., 6. Kohler, 7. Bill Rooney, 8. Beers, 9. Stangle, 10. Bennett
Hobby Stock Feature Finish (15 Laps): 1. Kyle Krempasky, 2. Cody Geist, 3. Seth VanFossen, 4. Ken Reeder, 5. Rich Mutarelli, 6. Lyndsay Buss, 7. Bob Azarowitz, 8. Devon Schmidt, 9. Shayne Geist, 10. Michael Wambold, 11. Daniel Hargan, 12. Ron Heeter
Dino Oberto
After taking the lead with six laps to go, Kris Graver had no problem pulling away to his third Modified win of the year on Checkered Flag Fan Club Night at Mahoning Valley Speedway. However, getting to the front was a whole other story as he was in the grip of a torrid battle with Eric Kocher and Kevin Rex Jr., which began on lap nine and lasted until his race-winning pass.
“We think we found some things that were wrong with the car and what other people are missing,” said Graver.
And, while Graver was on his way to victory, Austin Kochenash continued his run of rock solid top-5 finishes with his seventh straight tally of fifth or better and in the process has heated up the division championship battle, now moving to second, just four points away from leader Earl Paules.
At the outset pole sitter Kocher jumped into the lead over Kyle Strohl with Rex third. When the race reached lap five a red flag waved for a frightening crash by Paul Frantz.
Frantz got turned while racing on the outside lane exiting turn two and then went nearly head-on into the turn three wall. Emergency medical crew where quickly on the scene and Frantz was taken off by ambulance for further observation. He was later transported to the hospital for an addition examination. After getting the OK he was released and returned to the track by night’s end. Unfortunately his car was severely damaged from the hit.
Kocher remained at the lead on the restart while Rex took over second. Graver then came into play on lap nine and once in place he would go side-by-side with Rex and all the while they rode the rear bumper of Kocher over the next 24 circuits.
With Graver running the low groove, he was repeatedly trying to sneak underneath Kocher but each time the leader would close that door. Kocher was also busy fending off Rex who was aggressively making moves from the top.
For Kocher, he was also dealing with his car tightening up which was making it difficult for him to protect the inside, thus Graver got the opportunity to again put his nose in. As the field began to record the 30th lap the trio of leaders came to the line and Graver was now in front.
At the same time the caution also waved for a back straight incident that took out Eric Beers. On the single file restart Graver then wasted little time in pulling away from everyone.
“I was just biding my time and it was all about patience. I saw when it was seven (laps) to go he (Kocher) moved up just that little bit and I felt that was my time to get under him,” said Graver.
Kochenash, who was fifth when the race resumed, quickly powered by Strohl, Rex and Kocher but time had run out for any chance at catching Graver.
“Coming from 12th it’s tough to sometimes get in the right lanes. Towards the end though the outside opened up and I was able to drive to the front,” said Kochenash. “You have to know when to be patient and when to go. Kris (Graver) ran well tonight and he was able to unitize the opportunity when it came his way. Hopefully it will come our way again soon.”
Kocher held on for third, his best effort to date. Rex was fourth and Strohl rounded out the top five.
Once Paul Koehler Jr., took the lead on lap 17 in the Late Model feature there was no stopping the current point leader as he cruised to his sixth win of 2015.
Jacob Kerstetter handled the early lead until George Ramos took control after a lap four restart. He was then showing the look of a winner, safeguarding his spot nicely while Kerstetter as well as Jeremy Miller closely pursued him.
Tracking directly behind the lead pack was Koehler and at the 10 lap mark he wasn’t settling for that any longer. Within the next five tours he marched to second and quickly began to eye up leader Ramos. With a surge of power he passed Ramos with eight laps to go and then pulled away to a comfortable two car length margin of victory.
Ramos had a season best second while Frankie Althouse came home third.
When Bernie Uphold won the Street Stock feature, it marked a triumphant return to Victory Lane for the first time in 23 years. Uphold had struggled all season to get his newly built car into the show and Saturday evening it all came together. He went out and won his heat and for the feature was lined up on the pole.
Once underway he would not let his chance of a good run, let alone a win, slip away. Uphold showed perfection from flag to flag, leading all the way and scoring his first win since a Late Model victory in 1992.
In the Dirt Mod main it was one again a solid effort turned in by Jack Ely who would win for the fourth time, although there was a little luck that aided him this time.
Steve Shultz was leading from the get-go and was being heavily pressured by Mike Stofflet. Coming off turn four and about to complete lap 17, Shultz was a bit high and Stofflet nipped him from behind, sending the leader into a spin. Unfortunately for Stofflet he was placed to the rear with Shultz.
As that dust-up was unfolding, Ely was quick to dash by the high outside of them and into the lead. The rest of the way he had no worries and went on to claim victory.
In the make-up Pro 4 feature from July 20 Bobby Kibler Sr., took the lead on lap one and was able to stay that way for the rest of the caution free race. His son, Bobby Kibler Jr., was second.
In the regular feature the win was taken by Jake Kibler who had a tooth and nail race long battle with Nick Baer.
For a second time this season rookie Kyle Krempasky was taking a checkered flag in the Hobby Stock event. Krempasky took the lead at the drop of the green and afterwards pulled away to a commanding lead.
Alex Greenzweig went wire-to-wire in winning the 20-lap Micro Stock feature
Modified Feature Finish (35 Laps): 1. Kris Graver 2. Austin Kochenash 3. Eric Kocher 4. Kevin Rex 5. Kyle Strohl 6. Don Wagner 7. Earl Paules 8. Lou Strohl 9. John Markovic 10. Mike Quinn 11. Chip Santee 12. Bobby Jones 13. Eric Beers 14. Terry Markovic 15. Matt Higgins 16. Brian Sones 17. Paul Frantz
Late Model Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Paul Koehler Jr., 2. George Ramos, 3. Frankie Althouse, 4. Jeremy Miller, 5. Mike Sweeney, 6. Jacob Kerstetter, 7. Jacob Nemeth, 8. Troy Bollinger, 9. Tony Hilliard, 10. Josh Oswald, 11. Barry Kutz, 12. Broc Brown, 13. Geno Steigerwalt, 14. Kenny Hein
Street Stock Feature Finish (30 Laps): 1. Bernie Uphold, 2. Zach Graver, 3. Jason Kuhn, 4. Randy Schlenker, 5. Gene Bowers, 6. Todd Ahner, 7. Randy Ahner Jr., 8. Jillian Long, 9. Aaron Kromer, 10. Josh Mooney, 11. Kristy Arthofer, 12. Joe Mooney, 13. Corey Edelman, 14. Lonnie Behler Sr., 15. TJ Gursky, 16. Jared Ahner, 17. Stacey Brown, 18. Jonathan Tracey, 19. Joe Stangle, 20. Jason Frey DNQ: Jamie Smith, Logan Boyer, George Ramos, Brian Labar
Dirt Mod Feature Finish (25 Laps): 1. Jack Ely, 2. Ricky Yetter, 3. Ray Deemer, 4. Lorin Arthofer II, 5. Aleia Geisler, 6. Scott Adams, 7. Mike Stofflet, 8. JP Curry, 9. Dave Gorbatuk, 10. Steve Shultz, 11. Billy Lasko, 12. Bill Sittler Jr.
Pro 4 7/18 Make-up Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Bobby Kibler Sr., 2. Bobby Kibler Jr., 3. Nick Baer, 4. Jake Kibler, 5. Cody Kohler, 6. Joe Stangle, 7. Kailyn Beers, 8. Johnny Bennett DNS: JD Light, Chad Miller, Harvey Keiper, Lou Gara
Regular Pro 4 Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Jake Kibler, 2. Baer, 3. Bobby Kibler Sr., 4. Kistler, 5. Bobby Kibler Jr., 6. Kohler, 7. Bill Rooney, 8. Beers, 9. Stangle, 10. Bennett
Hobby Stock Feature Finish (15 Laps): 1. Kyle Krempasky, 2. Cody Geist, 3. Seth VanFossen, 4. Ken Reeder, 5. Rich Mutarelli, 6. Lyndsay Buss, 7. Bob Azarowitz, 8. Devon Schmidt, 9. Shayne Geist, 10. Michael Wambold, 11. Daniel Hargan, 12. Ron Heeter
Dino Oberto