Kelly and Lawrence Celebrate with Evergreen Wins; Verwys and Lawrence Claim Championships
(March 26, 2017) – St. Johns, PA — The third and final leg of Evergreen’s “Triple Crown Series” for Enduro competitor concluded Saturday afternoon with the running of their “March Madness” event. With hopes of winning the event and with championships on the line, Enduro racers and fans braved Mother Nature’s cool spring temperatures. However, that didn’t slow the action one bit. When it was all said and done, Bryan Kelly of Long Island claimed the Four Cylinder victory. A strong second place finish by Pete Verwys of Stroudsburg propelled him to not only the championship in his division, but also to the overall Triple Crown. In different fashion, Woot Lawrence of Long Island, NY capitalized on Harry O’Neill’s misfortune to not only claim the 6/8-Cylinder victory, but also the divisional championship and Triple Crown.
The green flag dropped for the 100-lap Four Cylinder Enduro portion of the show and Mark Hammer quickly took command over Jeff Ackerman. With nearly three laps in the books, Ackerman took his turn at the race lead.
Hammer regained the top spot just before twenty laps were complete and Ackerman rustled it back on lap 36. Meanwhile, Carl Altemose cracked the top five and took his hand at controlling the field on lap 55 before Pete Verwys, who started deep in the field, made an outside move to gain the top spot on lap 66. Altemose fought hard and battled back to the front on lap 70, but he suffered mechanical issues shortly after and retired from the event.
Verwys was back in command and appeared to have the win in the bag. However, with just over a lap remaining, Bryan Kelly made his move to take the lead and victory in a nail biter. Verwys settled for second, followed by Hammer, Tony Rispin, and Ackerman.
Thanks to kitchen managers, Kevin and April Makarewicz, Kelly also won a $100 Visa gift card for the longest 4 Cylinder tow.
After starting from the pole, Dennis Kurras led the first lap of the 6/8-Cylinder Enduro over Harry O’Neill, Joey Helberg, Scott Adams and Mike Asdahl.
After winning the first two events, O’Neill didn’t waste any time and grabbed the race lead. Woot Lawrence climbed into the second spot and with 31 laps complete, Kurras held third, followed by Kevin Nowak and Adams.
Trouble struck O’Neill on lap 59 when his right front wheel left his racecar. Although it attempted to complete another circuit, O’Neill’s car did not and his day came to an end.
The change of events handed the lead to Lawrence, who drove away with the victory over Nowak, Kurras, Asdahl and minivan driver Kenny Hejna.
Evergreen management would like to extend their thanks to all of the drivers and fans that helped make the Triple Crown Series a success. The speedway will be hosting a Triple Awards Ceremony, which is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, May 20. More details will follow on the speedway website and Facebook page.
In just two weeks, the speedway will is hosting an event called “Four Banger Sunday”. The Sunday, April 9 show will feature non-points events for the Evan’s Roadhouse Four Cylinders and the Wheel’s Bar & Grill Junior Four Cylinders. The regular Four Cylinder feature will be 40 laps and thanks to Thanks to J & K Auto Service and Race Fab, Big Al’s Subpar Sandwich Shop, Lehigh Valley Grand Prix and Talk Shirty to Me, the winner will take home $400. A 40-lap “Soccer Mom 40” minivan Enduro is slated to cap off the events for that afternoon.
Those who wish to compete in the Soccer Mom 40 event will be charged a $40 registration fee on race day. Drivers are to follow the regular Enduro event rules for the event. The payout will be based on the speedway’s standard Enduro payout sheet, based on car count.
The pit gates on Sunday, April 9 will swing open at 10:30 AM. Four Cylinder practice will kick off at 12:30 PM and racing will begin at 2 PM. The grandstands will open at 11 AM. Grandstand admission is just $5 for adults and free for kids 12 years of age and younger. Pit admission is $35 and transponder rental fee is $10.
Evergreen Raceway is located minutes from Hazleton, PA, in between routes 93 and 309. For more information regarding Evergreen Raceway, including the entire season schedule, directions, and divisional payouts, please visit www.evergreenracewaypark.com and don’t forget to like their Facebook page as well.
Evergreen Raceway is proud to be associated with Harry’s U Pull It, Penn’s Peak Radio, Wheel’s Bar & Grill, CK Auto Service & Race Fab, Himmer Graphics, Evan’s Roadhouse, Bob’s Subs, Piechota’s Service Center, Barbush Automotive, Penn’s Peak, Printers Edge, Tito Juice & RockAuto.com.
Four Cylinder Enduro (100-laps) 1. BRYAN KELLY 2. Pete Verwys 3. Mark Hammer 4. Tony Rispin 5. Jeff Ackerman 6. Jimmy Ayre 7. Don Rogers 8. Bob Wink 9. Joey Helberg 10. Mitch Sponenberg 11. Jake Jones 12. Eric Germuth 13. Ray Kennedy 14. James Prestly 15. Paul Mercante 16. Mark Morgan 17.Ray Kochin 18. Scott Adams 19. Evan Gregory 20. Matt Hauck 21. Kyle Laubach 22.Kody Welsh 23. Mitch Patern 24. Larry Spencer III 25. Randy Parsons 26. Tom Stevens 27. PJ Thomas 28. Hunter Iatalese 29. Ray Downs 30. Randy Boston 31. Joe Russell 32. Matt Lloyd 33. Carl Altemose 34. Kevin Nowak 35. David Sponenberg 36. Cody Fronk 37. John Rose 38. Dave Imler Jr 39. Jeff Statkiewicz 40. Anthony Patti 41.Nate Henry 42. Victor Vega 43. Chris Small 44. Dave Imler 45. Harry O’Neill 46.Robert Jakubowski 47. Brian Brian 48. Pete Verwys 49. Frank Shetler 50. Ed Spencer 51. Scott Sipe
6/8-Cylinder Enduro (100-laps) 1. WOOT LAWRENCE 2. Kevin Nowak 3. Dennis Kurras 4. Michael Asdahl 5. Kenny Hejna 6. Brandon Esposito 7. Ray Kennedy 8. Shawn Galluci 9. Hunter Iatalese 10. Kyle Lilick 11. Erick Knapp 12. Carl Altemose 13. Joe Russell 14. Pete Verwys 15. Lauren Gimbi 16. Matt Hauck 17.Harry O’Neill 18. Kris Dane 19. Scott Adams 20. Bryan Kelly 21. Jeff Stansky
Promoters: Jason Makarewicz & Gene Ostrowski
Competition Director: Jeff Owler
Upcoming Shows:
Sunday, April 9- Four Banger Sunday- Regular Four Cylinders, Jr. Four Cylinders, “Soccer Mom 40” Minivan Enduro
Saturday, April 29- Drifting Day & Car Show/Flea Market- $10.00 Spectator Admission
Sunday, April 30 Practice for all regular divisions- FREE Grandstand Admission
Sources: Gene Ostrowski/Evergreen Raceway PR