Path Valley results 2004-07-16

Path Valley Continues to Welcome First Time Winners

Spring Run, PA_ Four of seven feature winners made their first visits to the Path Valley Speedway Park victory lane Friday night.

Leading the new winners were Chad Thomas of New Berlin in 270 Sprints and Ronnie Garlock of Mapleton RD in Mini Stocks. Kevin Keefer of Greencastle won his first feature ever in his third V-8 Street Stock entry, and Keith Tucker from Moscow PA won the Tobias Slingshots feature.

On an exceptionally fast and smooth track, Jimmy Brookens of Fayetteville started tenth and patiently advanced to his seventh season win to head the repeat winners. John Rasp of McConnellsburg won by three feet in the thunder cars and Randy Kissinger of Columbia won the Central PA Legends feature. All racing was completed at 10:15.

Next Friday, July 23, the PA 305 Sprints and the Dwarf Cars will alternate for the V-8 Street Stocks and Legends Cars. Then on Saturday a Candy Scramble for the kids is set to accent the afternoon Burris Karts and Quads races and also that evening's Strictly Stock features. Racing every Friday night are the 600 Sprints, 270 Sprints, Mini Stocks and 4-Cylinder Thunder Cars.

The signature Mini Stocks opened the night with points leader Kyle Wiser out in front of Dave Staley and Ronnie Garlock. On the restart after the second caution of the race, Garlock got to the inside of Wiser on turn three and completed the pass down the front stretch to take the lead and two laps later, his first win of the season. The front five were Garlock, Jerry Bard, Gary Dehart, Frankie Gordon and Wiser, and Bard and Garlock won the heats.

Gary Linderman and sometimes Chad Criswell led the 600 Sprints until lap 14 when Jimmy Brookens completed his careful and patient advance from tenth, with only two restarts, to edge inside Linderman going into turn one on lap 14. After a final caution with four laps to go, Brookens built on his lead and the front five were Brookens, Criswell, Linderman, Jim Fitz, and Jim Young. Criswell and the Fitz brothers, Richie and Jim, won the heats.

After a bad start, the 270 Sprints raced 18 laps without a caution and then had two red flags in a row as first Jeff Black hit the front stretch wall and then Sean McAndrew went into the same wall out of turn four. Neither was seriously injured. Rodney Glass led the first 13 laps and then slipped too far outside going into turn one on lap 14, permitting Chad Thomas the inside pass in his new Elite Chassis #33. Through the restarts Thomas held the lead and the front five finishers were Thomas, Jim Callahan, Glass, Colby Womer and Brian Walker. Thomas, Glass and Steve Dunmire won the heats.

"When the track is this fast, all I could do was take my time and wait for a chance," said Randy Kissinger of Columbia after waiting until lap 14 to pass Bill Harris on the outside line in turn two for the Legends Cars lead. Kissinger, Greg Burd, Denny Rothermel, Allen Felix and Harry Garber were the front five finishers and Felix, Burd and Kissinger won the heats.

The 4-Cylinder Thunder class provided the closest finish of the night as Tony Weller led from lap four to the finish, but lost in the final dash down the front stretch to John Rasp of McConnellsburg. Rasp said it took patience to wait for a chance at his sixth win, "I spent the whole race in second place and just had to go for it." The front five were Rasp, Weller, Lyle Barnes, Ken Lawrence and Terry Smith and the heat win went to Wes Scofield.

Kevin Keefer was as thrilled as any NASCAR champion as he danced on his car roof after winning his first ever feature by leading every lap non-stop in the V-8 Street Stocks. The Greencastle driver said he was racing for the third time and couldn't be happier as he worked at thanking his sponsors. In a duplicate performance, Keith Tucker of Moscow PA passed Rich Tobias on lap four and sailed to his own first Path Valley win in the Tobias Slingshots feature. "We travel all over, from upstate New York to Delaware, and this is the fastest track we've ever been on," Tucker said.

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 is 717-349-7111. For information on the 2004 schedule and rules, race teams and fans can consult our website at www.pathvalley.com or they can email Two Wheel Promotions at twp@pathvalley.com.

FINISH ORDER:

Mini Stock -- Ronnie Garlock (started 7), Jerry Bard, Gary Dehart, Frank Gordon, Kyle Wiser, Steve McCartney, Dave Staley, Tim Burkholder, Bob Starr, Kevin Thomas, Rickey Harper, Dave Bivens, DNS Mike Beidel. Heats to Bard, Garlock.

Legends -- Randy Kissinger (4), Greg Burd, Denny Rothermel, Allan Felix, Harry Garber, Josh Morrow, Jason Ewing, Roger Austin Sr., Andy Lupfer, Darryl Bloom, Nathan Fisher, Edward J. Wentz, Ronald Cooper, Bob Murray, Bill Harris, Dave Kline, Paul Fitzsimmons, Robert Sobieski, Ray Swank, Randy Fetterolf, Wayne Young. Heats to Felix, Burd, Kissinger.

600 Sprints -- Jim Brookens (10), Chad Criswell, Gary Linderman, Jim Fitz, Jim Young, Richie Fitz, Lyle Stroman, Mark Hendershot, Jordan Frontz, Colby Womer, Aaron Eichelberger, Justin Frontz, Jim Travis, Rich Latchaw, DJ Holland, Duane Harbaugh, Dan Kanagy, Tim Barrick, Steve Dull, Chris Crull. Heats to Fitz, Criswell, Fitz.

V-8 Street Stock -- Kevin Keefer (4), Alan Crum, Randy Paterson, DNS Wayne Hawbaker. Heat to Keefer.

4-Cyl Thunder -- John Rasp (6), Tony Weller, Lyle Barnes, Ken Lawrence Jr., Terry Smith, Jeff Christy, Tim Varner, Wes Scofield, Melvin Bigler, Ricky Rosenberry. Heat to Scofield.

270 Sprints -- Chad Thomas (2), Jim Callahan, Rodney Glass, Colby Womer, Brian Walker, Tom Tice, Josh Dressler, Brian Hart, Sean Good, Craig Myers, Steve Dunmire, Earl Hoon Jr., Lin Bowie, John Roberts, Sean McAndrew, Tony Jackson, Jeff Black, Chad Cooper, Ed Krupa, Chad Myers, Zack Zook, Craig Fulmar, Aaron Lynch. Heats to Thomas, Glass, Dunmire.

Tobias Slingshots -- Keith Tucker (3), Rich Tobias, Jim Johnston, Cody Roth. Heat to Johnston.

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