Ferrell captures first in Mods. Adam Kostelnik adds to all-time total. Return trips to Victory Lane for Awtey, Mitchell and Fleegle.

Published: August 15, 2016

Ferrell captures first in Mods.  Adam Kostelnik adds to all-time total.  Return trips to Victory Lane for Awtey, Mitchell and Fleegle.

Jennerstown, PA   (August 13, 2016):   Saturday was Scout Night presented by Dairy Queen of Somerset at Jennerstown Speedway Complex.  Saturday Night Thunder was just that with a brief delay for a light rain shower and some lightning fast drivers taking the checkers.  Victorious during the evening’s five-division program were: Barry Awtey (Martella’s Pharmacy Late Models), Zane Ferrell (Stoystown Auto Wreckers Modifieds), Adam Kostelnik (Riggs Industries Street Stocks), Scott Mitchell (Farmers Union Co-op Chargers) and Casey Fleegle (Somerset Trust Company Fast ‘N Furious 4’s).

Todd Price led the field to the green for the 30-lap main event for the Martella’s Pharmacy Late Models.  Fellow front row starter Teddy Gibala would challenge Price to the outside once the field got up to speed, but had to settle into the 2nd spot in the early going with Bryan Shipp holding onto the 3rd spot.  Points leader Barry Awtey would shuffle Shipp back a position on Lap 4.  Awtey would pick off Gibala and Price over the next two laps to take over the lead.  Price would run a strong 2nd until Lap 12 when he lost the position to Matt Sever.  One lap later, Garry Wiltrout would overtake Price for 3rd Place.  Wiltrout would run in Sever’s tire tracks for a number of laps as they tried to run down Awtey.  On Lap 18, Jeremiah Kuntz raced by Price for the 4th position.  Up front, Awtey enjoyed a comfortable lead as Sever tried to keep Wiltrout in his rearview mirror.  Eventually, Sever would start to distance himself from Wiltrout and slowly close on the leader.  In the latter stages of the race, the handling of Awtey’s mount began to go away as Sever got to within striking distance.  Awtey held on to collect his third win of 2016.  He was followed across the line by Sever, Wiltrout, Kuntz and Shipp.   Heat race wins went to Awtey and Wiltrout.  With his victory, Awtey now leads Sever by 22 points in the hunt for the Late Model title.

Lou Botti used his outside front row starting position to lead the pack at the beginning of the 25-lap Stoystown Auto Wreckers Modified feature.  Right on his heels was Somerset’s Jarred Barclay.  Also in the mix during the early going was Bernie McQuillan and points leader Zane Ferrell.  Barclay took the top spot from Botti on Lap 9 at which point Ferrell was now running in 3rd Place after getting by McQuillan for the position.  On Lap 11, the caution came out for Chris Brink who slowed on the backstretch with a flat right front tire.  Brink, winner of eight of the first ten races this season, would then drive to the pits but lose a lap in the scoring.  On the restart, Ferrell worked his way around Barclay to take the point position.  Botti would hold onto 3rd Place in the running while Tom Golik took the 4th spot away from McQuillan.  The race was red-flagged with 17 laps completed when contact between Gary Scott and Joe Ballough sent Ballough’s car hard into the inner Jersey barriers in Turn 3.  The red flag was displayed as Ballough’s car was towed away and the barriers were set back into place.  Once back up to speed, Golik asserted himself into the runner-up position and set his sights on Farrell.  Farrell was up to the task as the rookie from Ruff’s Dale held for his first ever win in the Modified division.  Golik, Barclay, Botti and McQuillan rounded out the Top 5.  Brink and Golik won their respective heat races.  With the victory, Farrell extended his lead to 23 points over Brink, who was credited with a 10th Place finish.

Dustin Gursky started on the pole for the 25-lap Riggs Industries Street Stock feature.  The Ridgeley, West Virginia driver led the first three laps before a caution came out for a spin in Turn 3 by Andrew Kostelnik. who was battling his brother, Adam, for the 3rd position.  Adam Kostelnik, the all-time leader in Street Stock wins at Jennerstown, shot to the lead on the restart.  Kostelnik was joined at the front of the field by his fifth row starting mate, points leader Shawn Beam, who had also charged quickly through the field.  The lead duo were followed by Gursky, Mel Wilt and Jason Holder.  While Adam Kostelnik enjoyed a comfortable lead over Beam, Andrew Kostelnik was climbing his way back to the top of the order after his his earlier spin.  By lap 10, Andrew Kostelnik had worked his way into the Top 5 with a pass of Holder.   Over the next three circuits, passes of Wilt and Gursky placed Andrew Kostelnik in the 3rd position.   Meanwhile, Kostelnik maintained a comfortable lead on Beam; winner of six features this season.  Adam Kostelnik, already victorious twice this season in the Modified division, would cruise to his first Street Stock victory this year and add to his all-time leader total.  Beam came home in the runner-up spot ahead of Andrew Kostelnik, Gursky and Wilt.   Adam Kostelnik and Beam were victorious in their heat races.  Beam’s points lead now stands at six over Andrew Kostelnik.

Starting on the front row alongside polesitter Jason Pritts, Somerset’s Scott Mitchell jumped to the lead of the 15-lap Farmers Union Co-op Charger feature.  In a caution-free race, Mitchell would pace the field while a tight battle ensued behind him involving Tanner Friedline, points leader Stephen Shelpman, Frank Novak, Steve Long and Pritts.  Friedline would take 2nd Place from Pritts on the third circuit and later try to fend off Shelpman down the stretch.  Long, the 2014 Charger champion and a rookie in the Street Stock class, joined in the mix with Friedline and Shelpman in the closing laps as Mitchell continued to lead the pack.  Exiting Turn 4 on the last lap, contact between Friedline and Shelpman slowed Shelpman’s progress; opening the door for Long to slip by for a 3rd Place finish as Mitchell went on to win his second feature of 2016.  Shelpman recovered from the last lap incident to finish in 4th Place with Novak crossing the line for 5th.  Novak and Shelpman took the checkers in their respective heat races for the Chargers.  Shelpman leads Mitchell by 50 points in the championship chase.

On Saturday, Casey Fleegle exhibited why he leads the points standings in the Somerset Trust Company Fast ‘N Furious 4’s division.  From his sixth starting position, the Frieden’s driver charged to the front of the pack before the first lap was completed.  He was joined at the top of the field by Connellsville’s Paul Koffler III.  Both drivers came into the event with three wins apiece: tops in the 4-cylinder compact division.  Koffler would dog Fleegle throughout the 15-lap feature with Andrew Pluta in close pursuit during the first half of the race.  Steve Settle gradually made his way towards the front of the field; taking 3rd Place from Pluta on Lap 9.  On Lap 14, Koffler got into the back of Fleegle’s machine going through Turn 3.  The contact upset Koffler’s ride, resulting in Fleegle opening up a slight advantage.  Fleegle would go on to lead flag-to-flag and pick up Win #4 of the season.  Koffler came up short to finish 2nd ahead of Settle, Pluta and Brian Noel.  Heat race wins went to Fleegle, Settle and Koffler.  Fleegle nows leads Cindy Rhodes by 66 points in the standings.

This Saturday, August 20th, is Martella’s Pharmacy’s “Back to School Special” at Jennerstown Speedway Complex.  Highlighting the evening will be the induction of the track’s 2016 Hall of Fame members.  On the track, an Enduro race will follow their regular Saturday Night Thunder five-division program.  Admission is only $10, $8 for senior citizens and free for children 12 and under.  Spectator gates open at 4PM.