Wiltrout, Koffler, Long and Kostelnik return to Victory Lane. Botti scores in Mods.

Published: August 2, 2015

Wiltrout, Koffler, Long and Kostelnik return to Victory Lane.  Botti scores in Mods.

Jennerstown, PA    (August 1, 2015)  When you walk through the gates of the Jennerstown Speedway Complex, you never know what to expect besides great action on the track.  Such was the case on Saturday.  On Martin Oil Night, fans were treated to a free can koozie compliments of Martin Oil.   During the evening’s 5-division program, tee shirts were launched into the stands, two young fans were given trophies by winning drivers and one lucky 50-50 contestant went home $1,577 richer.  A drivers’ autograph session on the front stretch preceded the night’s competition.  Four drivers returned to Victory Lane at the Laurel Highlands half-mile oval; Garry Wiltrout (Martella’s Pharmacy Late Models), Paul Koffler, Jr. (Somerset Trust Company Fast ‘N Furious 4’s), Adam Kostelnik (J&J Truck Bodies and Trailers Street Stocks) and Steve Long (Chargers).  Lou Botti (Modifieds) raced to his first win at Jennerstown in 2015.

As the season winds down, all eyes are on the points championships.  In the Martella’s Pharmacy Late Model division, 4-time and defending champ Barry Awtey came in with a one-point lead over West Newton’s Matt Sever; last week’s feature winner.  Awtey and Sever won their respective heat races which maintained Awtey’s slim margin going into the night’s feature.  Jeanette’s Jayme Beck started on the pole position of the 40-lap main event with Shawn Phillips, making his first Jennerstown start of 2015, to her outside.  From his 3rd starting position, 2004 Late Model champion Garry Wiltrout would take the lead from Beck by the time they reached Turn 1 on the first lap.  Beck would settle into 2nd Place ahead of Mahaffey’s Jeremiah Kuntz and Awtey from nearby Jenners.  Sever, who started 9th, got by Phillips for the 5th spot before the completion of three laps.  On Lap 7, Awtey worked his way around Kuntz and set his sights on Beck.  Awtey would claim the runner-up spot with a move under Beck exiting Turn 4 on Lap 12 while Sever overtook Kuntz for 4th Place on the same circuit.  Wiltrout continued to hold onto a slight lead as his closest pursuers diced it up for position.  From Laps 23 to 26, Beck and Sever raced side-by-side for the third spot with Sever eventually taking the position.  During the late stages of the event, Awtey could not close the gap on Wiltrout.  On Lap 38, Sever worked to the outside of Awtey in Turn 2 and powered to 2nd Place.  Wiltrout would continue to cruise on his way to his third victory at Jennerstown this season.  After his Victory Lane celebration, Wiltrout went into the stands and handed his trophy to a young fan.  Sever, Awtey, Beck and Kuntz rounded out the Top 5.  Sever’s pass of Awtey propelled him to a one-point advantage in the standings.

The points standings were also shuffled following a wild J&J Truck Bodies and Trailers Street Stock feature event.  Ron Eiford III came into the evening second in the standings.  The Scottdale driver started the race from the pole position flanked by rookie Dustin Gursky from Ridgeley, West Virginia.  Adam Kostelnik, the all-time feature winner in Street Stock competition at Jennerstown, quickly moved to the runner-up spot from his fifth starting position.  By the second lap, AJ Poljak had rocketed from 10th into 3rd Place with a pass of Jason Holder who started in the third spot.  Kostelnik pressured Eiford for the lead during the early laps.  By Lap 8, Eiford had started to push a little higher in the turns, allowing Kostelnik to drive under him for the lead on Lap 10.  While the Top 3 drivers raced in close proximity, a battle further back for the fourth position ensued during the middle stages of the event.  Anthony Aiello, who came into the night with the points lead, pressured Holder for a number of laps for the fourth spot.  It all came to a dramatic conclusion on Lap 20.  As they entered the first turn, Aiello bumped Holder.  Holder’s car turned slightly sideways, but the Stoystown driver maintained control of his machine.  Although Aiello slowed momentarily, it allowed him to work to Holder’s outside exiting Turn 2.  As the two drivers drag raced down the backstretch, Holder’s car began pushing Aiello’s towards the outside wall.  A hard collision in Turn 3 ended the evening for both drivers.  Kostelnik quickly opened up a sizable lead on Eiford, who lost the runner-up spot to Poljak before the first lap back to green was completed.  Poljak chased his HB Motorsports teammate for the next four laps before a caution for a spin by Jeff Thomas brought out the yellow flag on Lap 24.  Under Jennerstown Speedway rules, two green flag laps are required to complete a feature event.  A double-file restart led to a side-by-side contest over the last mile of competition with Kostelnik edging his teammate at the finish line.  Eiford held onto 3rd Place.  Gursky and fellow rookie David Beahr finished 4th and 5th respectively.  Aiello and Poljak each won a heat race earlier in the evening.  With Aiello’s misfortune, Eiford now holds a one-point lead over Aiello in the title hunt.

Lou Botti and Tom Golik from West Newton led the Modifieds to the green for their 15-lap feature.  Botti, a winner at Jennertown in 2014, was seeking his first win at the Somerset County facility this season.  The North Huntingdon driver would jump to the lead at the drop of the green while Golik had to fend off points leader, Bryan Shipp.  Boswell’s John Gerula was the field’s other entrant.  Shipp looked to take 2nd Place from Golik during the event’s early laps, but settled into the third position.  Over the course of the feature, Botti maintained a six to ten car length advantage over Golik.  In the closing laps, Golik made a charge at the lead; narrowing the gap to a couple of car lengths.  Botti, who also won the heat race for the Modifieds, withstood the challenge to collect his first checkers in 2015.   Shipp fell back to finish in 3rd Place with Gerula rounding out the field.

The Somerset Trust Company Fast ‘N Furious 4’s were led to the green by veteran Eugene Zerfoss and rookie Casey Fleegle.  Fleegle took the initial lead of the 15-lap feature at the drop of the green with sixth-starting Paul Koffler, Jr. up to the second position by the time the field reached Turn 1.  During the second lap, Ligonier’s Joe Laposky displaced Zerfoss for 3rd Place.  On the next lap, Koffler edged Fleegle for the lead at the start/finish line.   Cindy Rhodes, the current points leader and last week’s feature winner, started the race in ninth.  By Lap 5, she had charged to the fifth spot with a pass of Evan Nibert.  While Koffler led the way with Fleegle in pursuit, Rhodes continued to gain ground by taking the third spot from Laposky on Lap 8.  Rhodes gained on the leaders lap after lap, but was too far back to mount a challenge as Koffler crossed the finish line ahead of Fleegle to garner his third win of 2015.   With her 3rd Place finish, Rhodes holds a 35-point lead over Nibert, who finished 5th in the feature.  Laposky came home 4th.    Koffler and Fleegle won their heat races..

After turning his car over to fellow competitors the previous two weeks, defending champion Steve Long returned to the driver’s seat for the 15-lap Charger feature.  Long, who earlier won the division’s heat race, started outside of the front row with Joe Geary to his inside.  Geary, a 3-time winner at Motordrome Speedway this season, was making his first start at Jennerstown.  Jon Scott, whose engine expired before last week’s heat race and borrowed Long’s mount for the feature, returned to action in his own machine this week.  Unfortunately, he had to pull into the pits during the feature’s pace laps for mechanical woes.  Geary, Long and points leader Ron Eiford, Jr. appeared to be glued together for the first three laps before Long passed Geary on Lap 4 to take the top spot.  On the next lap, Eiford displaced Geary for the runner-up position.  Over the remainder of the race, Long maintained about a four car length advantage over Eiford on his way to his third victory this season.  Geary finished a distant 3rd while rookie PJ Molnar finished 4th.  Scott was credited with a 5th Place finish.  Like Wiltrout earlier in the evening, Long gave his trophy to a young fan after the Victory Lane ceremonies.

This Saturday, August 8th, Saturday Night Thunder is presented by Riggs Industries.  Twin 25-Lap events for the ARCA Truck Series headline the evening.  Spectator gates open at 4PM.