Mitchell victorious in Chargers. Awtey, Wiltrout, Kostelnik, Beam and Fleegle return to Victory Lane.

Published: July 5, 2016

Mitchell victorious in Chargers.  Awtey, Wiltrout, Kostelnik, Beam and Fleegle return to Victory Lane.

Jennerstown, PA   (July 2, 2016):   Jennerstown Speedway Complex’s Saturday Night Thunder events were presented by Drive DeVilbiss Healthcare this week.  Many familiar faces were seen in Victory Lane on Saturday, which included a make-up feature for the Late Models.  Garnering victories during the evening’s five-division program were: Garry Wiltrout (Martella’s Pharmacy Late Models), Barry Awtey (Martella’s Pharmacy Late Models – make-up feature from June 11), Adam Kostelnik (Stoystown Auto Wreckers Modifieds), Lauren Butler (Riggs Industries Street Stocks), Scott Mitchell (Chargers) and Casey Fleegle (Somerset Trust Company Fast ‘N Furious 4’s).

The Martella’s Pharmacy Late Models started off the night’s activities with the running of a make-up feature from June 11th.  Bobby Henry started the 40-lap feature from the pole position and took the early lead of the race.  Jeremiah Kuntz ran in the 2nd spot behind Henry for the first two circuits before points leader Barry Awtey took the position.  On Lap 6, Awtey worked past Henry to take the lead.  A lap later, Kuntz passed Henry to reclaim the runner-up position.  With smoke pouring from his car, Bryan Shipp came to a halt on the track to bring out the caution with 16 laps completed.  On the single-file restart, Henry edged past Kuntz; only to fall back to 3rd Place before the field reached the start/finish line on Lap 17.  Awtey stretched his lead over Kuntz to a five car length advantage while Garry Wiltrout shuffled his teammate, Henry, back to 4th on Lap 18.  The Top 4 would not change during the remainder of the event as Awtey beat Kuntz to the line by six car lengths.  Wiltrout, Henry and Matt Sever rounded out the Top 5.  In its fifth race of the season, Awtey became the first repeat winner in the division.

Stahlstown’s Jeremy Hill led the Martella’s Pharmacy Late Models to the green for their regularly scheduled 40-lap feature.  However, it was outside polesitter Bobby Henry who jumped to the lead as the field got up to speed.  The veteran from Connellsville, seeking his first victory of the season, held the point for four laps before giving way to his teammate, Garry Wiltrout.  Matt Sever, who started sixth, would edge by Henry two laps later to take the runner-up spot.  Wiltrout and Sever settled into the top two spots while Barry Awtey, winner of the earlier make-up feature, challenged Henry for 3rd Place; eventually taking the spot on Lap 14.  Sever could not catch Wiltrout during caution-free event as Wiltrout cruised to his second win of the season.  Sever held onto 2nd ahead of Awtey, Henry and Teddy Gibala.    Heat race wins went to Awtey and Kuntz.  Awtey holds a seven point advantage over Wiltrout in the championship hunt.

A failed start to the Stoystown Auto Wreckers Modified feature led to a swap of the first two rows of racecars.  This placed Jacobs Creek’s Joe Ballough inside of the front row for the second attempt to get the 25-lap event underway.  To his outside was Tom Golik who sprinted out to the early lead of the race.  Pittsburgh’s Jason Busch asserted himself in the runner-up spot for the first two laps before being shuffled back to 4th by Zane Ferrell and Adam Kostelnik on the third lap.  On the next trip around the Somerset County oval, Kostelnik took 2nd Place from Ferrell.  Kostelnik, who was credited with a win on opening night following a disqualification of Chris Brink, took the lead from Golik on Lap 8.  Two laps later, Ferrell overtook Golik for 2nd.  Meanwhile, Brink, who came into the evening with four straight victories, was caught back in traffic during the early stages of the race.  Once he cleared those cars, he charged his way towards the front of the field.  By Lap 18, Brink has made his way up to the 3rd spot following Kostelnik and Ferrell.  Brink got by Ferrell on Lap 22 and continued to close on the leader.  Kostelnik would hold on to beat Brink to the checkers by four car lengths.  Ferrell crossed the line in 3rd Place ahead of Golik and Lonnie Hoffman.  Hoffman and Brink won the division’s heat races.  Ferrell leads Brink in the standings by 28 points.

For four straight weeks prior to Saturday, Shawn Beam and Lauren Butler were the Top 2 finishers in the Riggs Industries Street Stocks.  Last week, Beam barely beat Butler to the stripe to pick up his third victory of the season.  Butler had won the other two features in the division this season.  It would not take long for Butler to find her way to the front of the field in Saturday’s 25-lap feature.  For the first two laps, Dustin Gursky held the point with Aaron Van Fleet in tow.  Butler moved into 2nd Place on Lap 3 and one lap later took the lead from Gursky.  Beam quickly made his way from his seventh starting position to claim 2nd by Lap 4.  Fleet had his hands full fighting off the challenges of Andrew Kostelnik for the 3rd spot while Jason Lasky, visiting from North Carolina, pressured Gursky for a Top 5 position.  Kostelnik would take over 3rd on Lap 9.  Butler held a comfortable lead of about eight car lengths over Beam by the halfway mark.  A caution with 14 laps down bunched the field.  Butler was able to maintain the lead on the restart with Lasky working past Gursky for 5th Place once back under green.  Over the remainder of the event, Butler would build about a one second lead over Beam to garner her third win of the season.   Kostelnik, Van Fleet and Lasky rounded out the Top 5 finishers.  Van Fleet and Butler won their heat races.  With her heat and feature wins, Butler closed to within three points of Beam in the season standings.

The start of the 15-lap feature for the Chargers was called off when smoke began pouring from the car of polesitter Joe Ruskey.  This moved Somerset’s Scott Mitchell to inside of the front row.  Mitchell lead the first half of the race with Tanner Friedline, Stephen Shelpman and Dale Kimberly all in close pursuit and swapping positions behind the leader.  On Lap 9, Friedline took the lead from Mitchell with Shelpman running 3rd and Kimberly in 4th.  A caution with eleven laps completed gave Mitchell a chance to reclaim the lead, which he did before the first lap back under green was completed.  Mitchell would lead the last four laps to pick up his first win of the season.  In a photo-finish, Kimberly barely edged Friedline for the runner-up spot.  Shelpman came home in 4th ahead of Frank Novak.  Friedline won the Charger’s sole heat race.  Shelpman leads Friedline by 32 points in the standings.

Mount Pleasant’s Brian Noel led the first two trips around the track in the Somerset Trust Company Fast ‘N Furious 4’s 15-lap main event.  Flying through the field was Casey Fleegle.  After starting in the 11th position, the Friedens driver was up to 2nd Place by Lap 3, trailing only Evan Nibert.  Nibert’s time at the top was short-lived as Fleegle gained the point position on Lap 6.  Nibert and Joe Peifer swapped the runner-up spot during the remainder of the race as Fleegle continued to lead the field.  Last week’s winner, Paul Koffler III, started the race in 12th and raced within the Top 5 during the second half of the race.  Fleegle would hold on to collect his third win of the season ahead of Peifer, Nibert, Koffler and Cindy Rhodes.    Heat race wins went to Fleegle, Nibert and Rhodes.  Fleegle leads Rhodes by 19 points in the division standings.

This Saturday, July 9th, the Super Cup Stock Car Series makes their first of two visits to Jennerstown Speedway Complex this season.  The touring series will run twin 50-lap features in addition to Saturday Night Thunder’s five-division program.   Admission is only $10, $8 for senior citizens and free for children 12 and under.  Spectator gates open at 4PM.