Burgoon, Charlier, and Schneider Top PPMS
Imperial, PA (August 6, 2016) Point leader Brandon Burgoon of McDonald picked up his first Diehl Automotive Super Late Model feature win of the season on Saturday night at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway. Chris Schneider of Lower Burrell was the winner of the “Cruise America PENNational” for the Sunoco Race Fuels Sportsman, sanctioned by the Homak Penn Ohio Pro Stock Series. Daryl Charlier of Midway padded his point lead with his second victory of the season in the Precise Racing Products RUSH Pro Late Models. Gary Kriess of Butler earned top honors in the Alternative Power Sources event for the Laurel Highlands Sprint Series RaceSaver 305 Sprints. Other winners were Danny Rich in the Miley BP Car Wash Hobby Stocks, Marc Simmons in the Imperial Heights Garage Young Guns, and Tom Anton in the Four Cylinders. Froggy FM 104.3 and Jefferson Hills Lawn and Tractor joined the speedway as guests with the Pittsburgh Circle Track Club.
Brandon Burgoon took off in the lead at the start of the non-stop 25-lap Diehl Super Late Model feature and threatened to turn it into a blowout. Third starting Christian Schneider took second at the start before second starting Josh Holtgraver regained the spot on lap 10. Eighth starting John Mollick inched forward and exchanged third with Schneider on lap 12, before finally taking the spot on lap 13. He likewise exchanged second with Holtgraver with 15 in before taking the spot for good on lap 16, but Burgoon’s lead was a mammoth 11.548 seconds at this point. Burgoon would cruise home the winner by 6.192 seconds over Mollick. Defending Pro Late Model champion Holtgraver was third for his best Super Late Model finish. John Flinner made a lap 22 pass of Schneider to take fourth. Burgoon also won the heat race. It was Burgoon’s 15th Super Late Model victory at the track, as his last win was just over one year ago as the track has run 780 Super Late Model features in its history.
The first feature of the night was the 20-lap “Cruise America PENNational” for the Sunoco Race Fuels Sportsman, sanctioned by the Homak Penn Ohio Pro Stock Series. With 28 entries, the four qualifying heats went to Joel Johns, Chris Schneider, Daryl Charlier, and Wayne Carbo. The redraw for the top 12 starting spots gave front row starting spots to Bobby Whitling and Rob Shook, as all 28 cars started the main. A tangle on the first lap involved third starting Randy Wyant and ninth starting Todd Weldon, who had won the Ed Laboon Memorial race earlier this season. Whitling grabbed the lead at the start over Brent Johnson and Shook. Schneider was quickly on the move from sixth starting spot, taking third on lap 2 and second on lap 3, bringing fourth starting Daryl Charlier with him to third. By lap 5, Schneider was looking inside of Whitling for the top spot. Schneider would make the pass to take over the lead at lap 6. On lap 8, Schneider got hung up in race traffic which allowed Charlier to grab the lead. Charlier had built a comfortable advantage of four seconds, but it would be wiped out when the second of the three caution periods of the event came with 15 laps complete. Charlier was able to regain command when racing resumed, but he wasn’t as lucky when the final caution appeared on lap 17. His car would struggle to come up to speed on the restart with three laps to go due to a mechanical issue, which allowed Schneider to regain the top spot. Schneider went on to take the win by 2.299 seconds over Whitling. Jake Simmons raced home third, as Charlier nursed his ailing mount home in fourth. Tenth starting Bill Robertson was fifth, as Carbo, Johns, Johnson, A.J. Poljak, and Ricky Steigerwald rounded out the top ten.
Daryl Charlier and Zachary Kane led the 20-lap Precise Racing Products RUSH Pro Late Models to the green flag with Charlier taking command. Fifth starting Brandon Burgoon passed Brian Goebel for second on lap 2 but Charlier continued to lead comfortably. Tenth starting Michael Reft passed Goebel for third on lap 6 as the green flag laps clicked by. The first and only caution period of the event came with Charlier leading and three laps to go. With the situation exactly the same as the Sportsman race above, this time Charlier had no problems on this restart as he went on to take a 1.316 second victory. Burgoon settled for second, one spot short of his Late Model effort. John Mollick was third from 12th starting spot, also one spot short of his Late Model effort. Reft was fourth, with Ben Policz fifth. Heat winners were Charlier and Reft. It was Charlier’s 15th victory in the class, tying him for ninth place all time with Ricky Thomas.
Alternative Power Sources presented the 20-lap feature event for the Laurel Highlands Sprint Series RaceSaver 305 Sprints with Robbie Batchy and Greg Dobrosky atop the starting grid. Dobrosky took the lead at the start of the non-stop event before getting a challenge from Jake Gomola, who won one of the group’s two visits last season. Gomola used an inside pass off turn four to take the lead on lap 4, just as sixth starting Gary Kriess passed Kyle Colwell for third. Gomola and Dobrosky exchanged the lead before Gomola finally nosed ahead on lap 5. Kriess passed Dobrosky on lap 8 to take second, and set his sights on Gomola in the lead. Gomola looked good in the top spot, but an issue in race traffic allowed Kriess to swoop past for the top spot on lap 14. Once in front, Kriess took off from the competition and would earn the win by 4.157 seconds. Colwell used the outside groove to pass Gomola in turn two for second during the final lap, but Gomola took the spot back off turn four and held off Colwell at the line. Dobrosky was fourth, with Bartchy fifth. Heat winners were Dylan Shatzer and Bartchy.
Substituting for Karlee Kovacs, Danny Rich captured the 12-lap feature race for the Miley BP Car Wash Hobby Stocks. Rich started outside row 1 and took the lead from Casey Grumling at the green flag. Fifth starting Dave Sheriff passed Grumling for second on lap 8 of the non-stop event, but settled for second as his three race winning streak was snapped. Grumling was third and trails point leader Dale Tuche by seven points, who finished fourth. Jacob Wiser was fifth . Rich also won the heat race.
Marc Simmons picked up his second feature of the season in as many starts in the 6-lap Imperial Heights Garage Young Gun main. Starting fourth, Simmons took the lead from Ben Anton on lap 3 as Anton settled for second. Michael Jackson was third and leads Anton by 11 points. Kayla McManus made her first start and finished fourth, with Tyler Tennant fifth.
Tom Anton was the uncontested winner in the Four Cylinders.
Racing continues at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway on Saturday night, August 13, as it will be Sherwin Williams Night. The RUSH Modifieds will be back for their third of four visits this season with the Super Late Models, Pro Late Models, Sportsman, Hobby Stocks, Young Guns, and Open Four Cylinders, as Rosedale Tech Students will be admitted free. Gates open at 5:00, with warm-ups at 6:00 and racing at 7:00. The track is located just south of the Noblestown exit of U.S. Route 22, or 170 Kelso Road in Imperial, PA, for GPS purposes. The track phone is 724-695-3363 on race days, or call 412-279-RACE. For complete information please visit the track website at www.ppms.com .
Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway results for Saturday, August 6, 2016.
Diehl Super Late Models
Feature – 1, 02, Brandon Burgoon. 2, 4J, John Mollick. 3, 00, Josh Holtgraver. 4, 4T8, John Flinner. 5, M5, Christian Schneider. 6, 7, Jake Gunn. 7, 8S, Tommy Schirnhofer. 8, 14, Butch Neubert.
Heat – 1, Brandon Burgoon. 2, John Flinner. 3, Josh Holtgraver. 4, Christian Schneider. 5, Jake Gunn. 6, Tommy Schirnhofer. 7, Butch Neubert. 8, John Mollick.
Precise Racing Products RUSH Pro Late Models
Feature – 1, 12C, Daryl Charlier. 2, 60B, Brandon Burgoon. 3, 60M, John Mollick. 4, 9R, Michael Reft. 5, 14B, Ben Policz. 6, 93X, Justin Lamb. 7, 14G, Jake Gunn. 8, 12G, Brian Goebel. 9, 11, Justin Massie. 10, 10, Zachary Kane. 11, 12S, Brian Swank. 12, 09, Bill Kessler. 13, 7, Jared Kane. 14, 60F, Colton Flinner. 15, 111, Pete Wearing. DNS, 17M, Russ Matejka.
Heat 1 – 1, Daryl Charlier. 2, John Mollick. 3, Brandon Burgoon. 4, Ben Policz. 5, Colton Flinner. 6, Zachary Kane. 7, Bill Kessler. DNS, Russ Matejka.
Heat 2 – 1, Michael Reft. 2, Jake Gunn. 3, Justin Lamb. 4, Brian Goebel. 5, Justin Massie. 6, Jared Kane. 7, Brian Swank. 8, Pete Wearing.
Sunoco Race Fuels Sportsman
Feature – 1, 55, Chris Schneider. 2, 7W, Bobby Whitling. 3, 68X, Jake Simmons. 4, 14, Daryl Charlier. 5, 1B, Bill Robertson. 6, 54, Wayne Carbo. 7, M5, Joel Johns. 8, 92X, Brent Johnson. 9, 36, A.J. Poljak. 10, 4S, Ricky Steigerwald. 11, 28S, Bob Schwartzmiller. 12, 10, Nick Kocuba. 13, 28N, Nate Smith. 14, 114, Dave McManus. 15, 12, Ryan Newman. 16, 69R, Brian Rhed. 17, 64, Rob Shook. 18, 1R, Rod Laskey. 19, 04, Joe Stajnrajh. 20, 16M, Rusty Martz. 21, 81, Robert Betz, III. 22, 25, Mark Lee. 23, 18, Mike Harris. 24, 17K, Jackson Humanic. 25, 45JR, Todd Weldon. 26, 92H, Bobby Heim. 27, 11T, Randy Wyant. 28, 22B, Jesse Brock.
Heat 1 – 1, Joel Johns. 2, Brent Johnson. 3, Bob Schwartzmiller. 4, Nick Kocuba. 5, Ricky Steigerwald. 6, Rod Laskey. 7, Rusty Martz.
Heat 2 – 1, Chris Schneider. 2, Rob Shook. 3, Bobby Whitling. 4, Robert Betz, III. 5, Bobby Heim. 6, Mark Lee. 7, Jesse Brock.
Heat 3 – 1, Daryl Charlier. 2, Bill Robertson. 3, Randy Wyant. 4, A.J. Poljak. 5, Ryan Newman. 6, Dave McManus. 7, Mike Harris.
Heat 4 – 1, Wayne Carbo. 2, Todd Weldon. 3, Jake Simmons. 4, Nate Smith. 5, Joe Stajnrajh. 6, Jackson Humanic. 7, Brian Rhed.
Race Saver 305 Sprints
Feature – 1, 22, Gary Kriess. 2, 4J, Jake Gomola. 3, 80JR, Kyle Colwell. 4, 88, Greg Dobrosky. 5, 29B, Robbie Bartchy. 6, 15, Ed Mesaros. 7, 33Z, Joe Zapotoczny. 8, 55H, Brian Haney. 9, 26, Ryan Lynn. 10, 75, Dylan Shatzer.
Heat 1 – 1, Dylan Shatzer. 2, Greg Dobrosky. 3, Brian Haney. 4, Ed Mesaros. 5, Joe Zapotoczny.
Heat 2 – 1, Robbie Bartchy. 2, Jake Gomola. 3, Gary Kriess. 4, Kyle Colwell. 5, Ryan Lynn.
Miley BP Car Wash Hobby Stocks
Feature – 1, 221, Danny Rich. 2, 8, Dave Sheriff. 3, 77X, Casey Grumling. 4, 310, Dale Tuche. 5, OU2, Jacob Wiser.
Heat – 1, Danny Rich. 2, Jacob Wiser. 3, Casey Grumling. 4, Dave Sheriff. 5, Dale Tuche.
Imperial Heights Garage Young Guns
Feature – 1, 83, Marc Simmons. 2, 13, Ben Anton. 3, 89, Michael Jackson. 4, 14, Kayla McManus. 5, 24, Tyler Tennant.
Four Cylinders
Feature – 1, 64, Tom Anton.
Upcoming Events:
Saturday, August 13 – Sherwin Williams Night, as the RUSH Modifieds join an Action Event featuring the Diehl Automotive Super Late Models, Precise Racing Products RUSH Pro Late Models, Sunoco Race Fuels Sportsman, Miley BP Car Wash Hobby Stocks, Imperial Heights Garage Young Guns, and Open Four Cylinders. Rosedale Tech Students admitted free.
Saturday, August 20 – Colussy Chevrolet presents Nostalgia Night, Kids Bike Races plus AAA Members receive a $5 discount on admission. An Action Event featuring the Diehl Automotive Super Late Models, Precise Racing Products RUSH Pro Late Models, Sunoco Race Fuels Sportsman, Miley BP Car Wash Hobby Stocks, Imperial Heights Garage Young Guns, and Open Four Cylinders, plus the CarSmile Wiperblades “Thunder on the Dirt” Vintage Racing Series.
Saturday, August 27 – The Tenth Annual Red Miley Rumble for the Diehl Automotive Super Late Models, sanctioned by the UFo Race Championship, plus Precise Racing Products RUSH Pro Late Models, Sunoco Race Fuels Sportsman, Miley BP Car Wash Hobby Stocks, and Imperial Heights Garage Young Guns.
Saturday, September 3 – Winged 410 Sprints and the 27th Annual Jook George Steel City Fall Classic for the Precise Racing Products RUSH Pro Late Models. RUSH Modifieds, plus the Sunoco Race Fuels Sportsman, Miley BP Car Wash Hobby Stocks, and Imperial Heights Garage Young Guns. No Late Models.
Saturday, September 10 – Diehl Automotive Night with Driver Autographs. The final night for points featuring an Action Event with the Diehl Automotive Super Late Models, Precise Racing Products RUSH Pro Late Models, Sunoco Race Fuels Sportsman, Miley BP Car Wash Hobby Stocks, and Imperial Heights Garage Young Guns. Willie White Memorial for Sportsman.
Friday and Saturday, October 7 and 8 – The 28th Annual Pittsburgher 100 featuring the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, plus a RUSH Dirt Late Model Touring Series Marquee event, and the Sportsman Showdown
Sources: Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway PR