Friedline picks up first ever win.   Kuntz, Brink, Beam, Shelpman and Koffler also victorious.  Olah survives in the  Enduros.

Published: June 27, 2016

Jennerstown, PA   (June 25, 2016):   Race fans were treated to a jam-packed program Saturday night at Jennerstown Speedway Complex.  In addition to their regular Saturday Night Thunder events, fans got to see their favorite drivers and race cars up close during an autograph session on the speedway’s frontstretch as well as a make-up feature for the Chargers and a 75-lap Enduro.  Victorious during the evening’s five-division program were: Jeremiah Kuntz (Martella’s Pharmacy Late Models), Chris Brink (Stoystown Auto Wreckers Modifieds), Shawn Beam (Riggs Industries Street Stocks), Tanner Friedline (Chargers – make-up feature from June 11), Stephen Shelpman (Chargers – scheduled feature) and Paul Koffler III (Somerset Trust Company Fast ‘N Furious 4’s).  Dan Olah picked up the victory in the Big John’s Enduro 75.

The night’s racing activities began with the running of a make-up feature for the Chargers from June 11th.  Rookie Tanner Friedline started on the outside of the front row for the 15-lap event and jumped to the early lead.  Dale Kimberly needed only a lap to move into 2nd Place with a pass on polesitter Jason Pritts.  A hard crash into the Turn 3 wall by Paul Molnar ended his night and brought out the yellow flag with seven laps completed.  Friedline held off Kimberly on the single-file restart.  Stephen Shelpman, the current points leader and last week’s winner, started the race in the 8th position and was challenging Kimberly for the runner-up spot by Lap 8.  Shelpman battled with Kimberly for the position for a number of laps before securing the position on Lap 12.  By this point, Friedline had extended his lead over his closest pursuers to over three seconds.  The Hooversville driver would hold on to claim his first ever victory.  Shelpman came home in 2nd ahead of Kimberly.  Pritts withstood a late challenge by Frank Novak to finish 4th by less than a car length.

Coming into Saturday, three different drivers had won in the Martella’s Pharmacy Late Models; Matt Sever, Garry Wiltrout and Barry Awtey.  Early in the 40-lap feature, Bobby Henry looked like he would become the fourth different winner in as many races this season.  The Connellsville driver quickly took the lead from his inside second row starting spot.  Rookie Bryan Shipp ran in the 2nd spot for the first three circuits before Jeremiah Kuntz took the position.  Awtey, Wiltrout and Sever were also making their way to the front after starting at the rear of the field.  On Lap 9, Kuntz powered to the outside of Henry to take the top spot.  Kuntz build a one second lead by Lap 15 as Awtey and Wiltrout closed on Henry.  On Lap 19, Awtey passed Henry for 2nd Place, but was a considerable distance behind Kuntz.  By Lap 30, Kuntz’s lead was nearly six seconds.  In the latter stages of the race, Wiltrout passed his teammate, Henry, for the 3rd position.  Kuntz went unchallenged in picking up his first victory of the season.  Awtey came home a distant 2nd ahead of Wiltrout, Henry and Sever.   Heat race wins went to Kuntz and Henry.  Awtey now leads Wiltrout by eight points in the division standings.

Can anyone stop Chris Brink in the Stoystown Auto Wreckers Modified division?  Brink had won three consecutive races since a post-race disqualification on opening night; spoiling a perfect record for the season going into Saturday’s 20-lap feature.  For the first half of the race, Tom Golik from West Newton held the lead while Brink worked his way to the front from his 6th starting position.  On Lap 6, Brink got by Zane Ferrell to take over the 2nd spot.  From there, Brink chased down Golik and the lead pair were side-by-side as they crossed the line to complete nine laps.  Golik then slightly pulled away on the next lap.  On Lap 11, Brink found an opening under Golik and shot into the lead.  A caution with 16 laps down gave Golik another chance to claim the point.  He took the lead on the restart only to have Brink beat him back to the line.  Down the stretch, Brink held off Golik to win his fourth consecutive race.  Ferrell finished in 3rd Place.  Opening night winner Adam Kostelnik came in 4th with Joe Ballough being credited with 5th Place.  Brink won the division’s only heat race.  Ferrell leads Ballough in the standings by 30 points and Brink by 31 markers.

Despite great competition and increasing car counts, the Riggs Industries Street Stocks have become the “Beam and Butler Show”.  Points leader Shawn Beam and Lauren Butler had split the first four races of the season.  For the previous three races, they had finished 1-2.  Saturday’s 25-lap main event would be no different, with fans on the edge of their seats until the checkers flew.  Hollidaysburg’s Mel Wilt led the field to the green, but it would be Dustin Gursky taking the initial lead of the race from his outside pole starting position.  Aaron Van Fleet held the runner-spot and was racing door-to-door with Gursky for the lead as they crossed the stripe to complete the first three laps.  Van Fleet would secure the spot on the next lap while Gursky was shuffled back in the order by AJ Poljak and Beam.  Beam passed Poljak for 2nd on Lap 6 with Butler running in the 4th position at this point in the race.  Van Fleet lost the lead to Beam on Lap 9.  Butler would work her way around Poljak and Van Fleet over the next two laps to position herself to challenge Beam for the win.  Butler, running the outer groove, constantly pressured Beam for the top spot.  On Lap 21, she changed her strategy and began to work to the lowside of Beam as the laps counted down.  With the white flag in the air, Beam began to completely clear Butler’s car on the exit of Turn 2.  Yet, by the time the top two reached Turn 3, Butler was again knocking on Beam’s door.  Beam powered off of Turn 4 and beat Butler to the checkers by half of a car length.  Van Fleet held onto 3rd Place ahead of Poljak and Andrew Kostelnik.      Butler and Poljak won their heat races.  Beam now leads Butler by six points in the championship hunt.

The Chargers scheduled event featured four lead changes among four different drivers during the first half of their 15-lap race.  Boswell’s Jason Pritts started on the point and led the first official lap.  By the second lap, he had fallen back to 4th Place as Scott Mitchell took the lead, followed by Dale Kimberly and Stephen Shelpman.    Kimberly led Lap 3 only to have Mitchell regain the point position on the next lap.  Mitchell led until the yellow flag came out with six laps in the books.  Kimberly powered to the lead on the restart with Shelpman in tow.  On the next circuit, Shelpman just beat Kimberly to the line to officially lead Lap 8.  For the remainder of the race, Shelpman extended his lead over Kimberly who fell into a 4-way battle with Tanner Friedline, Mitchell and Frank Novak.  Shelpman maintained a one second lead to take his third victory of the season.  Kimberly held off Friedline for 2nd Place with Mitchell finishing 4th and Novak in 5th.  Shelpman also won the Charger’s heat race and leads Novak by 32 points in the standings.

Casey Fleegle had won the previous two features in the Somerset Trust Company Fast ‘N Furious 4’s going into Saturday’s 15-lap race.  To make it three in a row, the Friedens driver would have to do so from the 12th starting position.  While pole sitter Paul Koffler III shot out to the early lead, Fleegle was up to the 3rd spot by Lap 2.  Koffler, from Connellsville, continued to distance himself from 2nd Place runner Joe Peifer, who had his mirror full of Fleegle’s machine.  A tight battle for the remaining Top 5 positions involved Larry Deeter, Brent Bickerstaff, Evan Nibert and Cindy Rhodes.  Koffler led flag-to-flag to garner his second victory of the season.  Peifer held onto 2nd, with Fleegle 3rd, Deeter in 4th and Nibert rounding out the Top 5.  Heat race wins went to Fleegle, Peifer and Nibert.  Fleegle now leads Rhodes by 11 points in the championship hunt.

The night culminated with the running of the Big John’s Enduro 75.  23 drivers started the event.  Starting in the 3rd position, Josh Dunmyer jumped to the early lead of the race.  He enjoyed a comfortable lead during the first half of the race.  However, on Lap 52 he clipped the back of a lapped car; sending his ride into the Turn 4 wall and ending his evening.  This handed the lead to Doug Shaulis.  Shaulis then seemed to have victory well in hand unto he slowed and pitted on Lap 67.  Shaulis returned to the track shortly thereafter.  This moved Travis Beam into the lead.  Beam’s lead was short-lived as he pitted just one lap later.  Next, it was Dan Olah’s turn at the front.  On the last lap, Olah’s car began to slow dramatically on the last lap.  But, he was able to cross the line to pick up the victory.  The other paying positions went to Joe Nicola (2nd), Kelly Shaulis (3rd), Jason Hale (4th) and Emily Shaulis (5th).

This Saturday, July 2nd, Saturday Night Thunder returns with their five-division program presented by Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare.  Also on the card is the June 11 make-up feature for the Martella’s Pharmacy Late Models.  Admission is only $10, $8 for senior citizens and free for children 12 and under.  Spectator gates open at 4PM.