Path Valley results 2003-09-12

Spring Run, PA_ From his starting eighth, Von McGee charged into second place on lap two of the PA 305 Sprint feature Friday night at the Path Valley Speedway.

At lap 12 he pulled alongside leader and past national champion Jason Shultz.

Running the high groove for better traction, the Spring Run sprint jockey completed his pass for the lead on lap 16, just before Shultz went into the turn two wall. By lap 18 McGee led by a full turn but in the final two laps Todd Spangler and defending Path Valley champion Scott Ellerman closed the lead to no more than four lengths as McGee won for the third time to continued his claim as the only repeat Path Valley 305 Sprints winner.

The front five finishers were McGee, Spangler, Ellerman, Chris Meleason, and Jim Roush, and Shultz and Meleason won the heat races. Six cautions, the last on lap 17, regrouped the sprints.

Aaron Eichelberger of York Springs won his second Path Valley 600 Sprints feature, and Sean Good of Middleburg raced his #17 Elite Chassis factory sprint to his 18th win in the 270 Sprints. Lyle Barnes of Chambersburg won his second feature in the thunder cars and Randy Wible of Three Springs raced the #65 Mini Stock to his first win of the season.

Senior Race Director John Winsett announced that the 305 Sprints have been added to the lineup for rain makeup races every Friday night in October, and that the Oct. 17 features will not be points races for the 270 Sprints and 600 Sprints because of a scheduling conflict with another track. Further, three of the October races will include exhibition features by the three classes of Strictly Stock cars that race Saturday nights.

The four-cylinder strictly stock exhibition feature will be Friday night, Oct. 10. The six-cylinders will race on Friday night Oct. 17, and the V-8 strictly stock cars, formerly known as junkyard or guardrail cars, will race their special Friday night feature on Oct. 24. In one additional significant schedule change the annual Four-Cylinder Shootout has been moved to Sunday, Oct. 19, with gates open at noon. "We are not adding race dates," Winsett said, "we are instead using all of the optional dates available to make up for the 28 rainouts we've had so far this season."

In the 600 Sprints Aaron Eichelberger led all but part of one lap when Duane Harbaugh briefly edged past him on the outside cushion. Then on lap 17 Harbaugh's #87 broke in turn one. The front five were Eichelberger, Jim Young, Jason Starr, Jim Brookens, and Richie Fritz and the heats went to Starr and Tim Robertson.

The 270 Sprint thriller was far from a runaway as Sean Good took his eighteenth win of the season overall. Good passed Chad Myers on a lap four restart after running from fourth side by side with Alex Cunningham. On lap 14 Matt Miller, up from a ninth place start, passed Good on the outside of turn two but on lap 18 Miller went wider in turn four and Good passed him on the inside. Through the final two laps Good gained a full turn. The front five were Good, Miller, Zack Zook, Todd Reusser, and Brian Walker. Randy Pitt, Myers and Cunningham won the heats.

The number 8 inversion pill put Randy Wible on the pole to start the mini stocks and he stayed there through five restarts in the first six laps. At the finish Kevin Thomas, Jerry Bard, Eric Mellott, Barry Welch, and Kyle Wiser were right behind like passenger cars on a train with Wible's #65 as the engine. Welch and Steve McCartney won the heats.

The four-cylinder thunder cars feature went to Lyle Barnes after seven restarts as he raced ahead of Wes Scofield and the Casner brothers. Barnes, Derrick Casner, Chris Casner, Richard Stache, and Melvin Bigler were the front five and Bigler and Dave Edwards won the heats.

Next Friday night the Legends Cars and the V-8 Street Stocks will join the regular lineup and the Legends return next Saturday as an added attraction with the three Strictly Stock classes.

The Path Valley Speedway Park is located in Spring Run PA a mile north on PA Route 641 from the intersection with PA Route 75, halfway between Port Royal and Hagerstown. It is five miles east from the Willow Hill Exit 14 of the PA Turnpike. The new phone number at the track for promoter Ken Geesey is 717-349-7111. For information on the 2003 schedule and rules, race teams and fans can consult the website at www.pathvalley.com or they can email Two Wheel Promotions at twp@pathvalley.com.

FINISH ORDER

PA 305 Sprints -- Von McGee, Todd Spangler, Scott Ellerman, Chris Meleason, Jim Roush, Greg Hammaker, Brett Comp, Mike Freet, Larry Shoop, Ryan Lynn, Bryan Golden, Jim Kennedy, Todd Lynn, Jason Shultz, Mike Wagner II, Dusty Shatzer. Heats to Shultz, Meleason

4-Cyl. Thunder -- Lyle Barnes, Derrick Casner, Chris Casner, Richard Stache, Melvin Bigler, Keith Armolt, Josh Detra, John Rasp, Joe Walker, Anthony Varner, Rocky Payne, David Edwards, Vance Kennedy, Terry Smith, Duane Ricker, Raymond Middaugh, Tony Weller, DNS Dave Ricker, DQ Wes Scofield. Heats to Bigler, Edwards.

600 Micro -- Aaron Eichelberger, Jim Young, Jason Starr, Jim Brookens, Richie Fritz, Gary Linderman, Mark Strickler, Rod Schell, Mark Watkins, Justin Frontz, Jim Fitz, Tim Robertson, Dan Kanagy, Donnie Hendershot, Jake Murphy, Ben Murphy, Duane Harbaugh. Heats to Starr, Tim Robertson.

270 Micro -- Sean Good, Matt Miller, Zack Zook, Todd Reusser, Brian Walker, Tom Tice, Tim Robertson, Rob Griffin, Brian Hart, Rodney Glass, Chad Myers, Bob Robertson, Aaron Lynch, Greg Kone, Doug Dodson, Jeff Hoover, Craig Folmar, Josh Dressler, Alex Cunningham, Dave Socks, Randy Pitt, Todd Steffy, Craig Myers. Heats to Pitt, Myers, Cunningham.

Mini Stock -- Randy Wible, Kevin Thomas, Jerry Bard, Eric Mellott, Barry Welch, Kyle Wiser, Gary Dehart, Steve McCartney, Mike Beidel, Jeff Mangie, Max Hampton, Tim Burkholder, Brenda McCartney, Mike Bagrosky, Ed Kirby, Ricky Harper, Korey Washinger. Heats to Welch, McCartney.

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