JEFF PRICE EARNS SECOND CONSECUTIVE GEORGE DECKER MEMORIAL 100 VICTORY AT HOLLAND
Holland, NY
A lap 60 re-start combined with a visit by Mother Nature worked in the favor of Jeff Price, as the Buffalo, NY driver found victory lane for the second consecutive season in the George Decker Memorial 100 for the NASCAR Ragingwolf.com SST Pro Modified Sportsmen at the Holland NASCAR Motorsports Complex on Saturday night. A late evening rainfall forced the early checkered flag of the event after 66 of the scheduled 100 laps had been completed.
In other Holland Saturday action, Eldon King III of Freedom, NY scored his third Late Model of Tomorrow win of the year, Dave Krawczyk of Kenmore, NY notched 2009 win number two in the Charger main, and Chad Pusloski of East Aurora, NY also found victory lane for the second time in the Pro Four feature race. George Quintana of Eden, NY made it two in a row in Thiel Motorsports 4-cylinder Hornet action, and Samantha Lutz of Buffalo did likewise in the ladies-only Queen Bees. Two was also the lucky number for Jason Eck of Buffalo, as he captured his second M&M U-Pull-It Figure 8 Car race of the year.
By the luck of the draw, Jonathon Price and Jerry Gradl, Jr. led the 30 car field to the green flag to start the George Decker Memorial 100, and the two began to open up ground early over the field while racing for the lead, picking though lapped traffic as of lap 14. However, a rash of caution flags between laps 18 and 26 kept the field tight, and allowed Jeff Price (from the 12th starting spot) and Mike Fiebelkorn, Jr. (from 10th) to make up ground and settle into the third and fourth positions. On a lap 27 restart, Fiebelkorn was able to rocket up to second, and two laps later, was able to use the high groove to get around Jonathon Price for the top slot. Fiebelkorn began to open some ground, as the Price Brothers launched into a sibling rivalry for second place.
However, as of lap 45, yellow fever returned, keeping the field tight, and as of a lap 52 restart, Jeff Price and Fiebelkorn began a great battle for the lead, with side-by-side multiple passes happening on individual laps. Unfortuantely for Fiebelkorn, his transmission started slipping, and on that fateful lap 60 restart, he was freight-trained by the Price brothers, with Jeff back out in front and Jonathon snagging second. Jeff Price started to open a lead, while Fiebelkorn managed to get his mount back to speed and worked by Jonathon Price for second two laps later.
A yellow for a lap 66 back stretch skirmish slowed the field again, and under this caution period, the rain started to fall, quickly increasing in intensity, forcing the early conclusion of the event. Following Jeff Price in the official running order were Fiebelkorn in second and Jonathon Price in third. Jerry Gradl, Jr. ran a solid race to place fourth, while JR Kent had an impressive run from the 17th starting spot to round out the top five.
Thirty-six entries were on hand with four qualifying heats and a consolation race sorting out 28 main event starters, and two provisional starters rounding out the 30 car field. Nine caution flags slowed the pace. Twenty-one cars were running at the checkers, with the top 18 on the lead lap.
In the 20 lap Late Model of Tomorrow event, Dave Whittaker opened up a large lead, only to have it disappear under the only caution flag of the event on lap 13. On the restart, Eldon King III motored to the outside of Whittaker to grab the lead, and raced on to the victory. Whittaker held on for second, with T.J. Johnson in third.
Ted Welshans slipped under Shawn Lafferty on lap four and started to run away and hide from the field in the 30 lap Charger main. However, a caution flag at lap 19 brought Welshans back to the field, and the Western New York Wraps/Ohio Technical College Monte Carlo of Dave Krawczyk became a major player. Krawczyk took advantage of another restart on lap 24 to power to the outside of Welshans for the lead, surviving one more restart before drawing away for the victory. Jim Loffredo made a late run through the field to take second, while Mark Hoch worked his way up to third.
It looked as if Nik Welshans was going to cruise to an easy victory in the 15 lap Pro Four main, but fate intervened, as the Welshans Nissan lost power and coasted to a stop in the infield on lap 9. Jason Eck and Chad Pusloski, part of an intense four car battle for second, then went to work for the lead, with Pusloski finally getting his TW Signs/Slippy’s Collision Nissan by Eck for good on lap 12. Eck edged a charging J.D. Roberts for second.
George Quintana made a gutsy three-wide move on lap 11 to jump from 3rd to 1st en route to his victory in the 30 lap main for the Thiel Motorsports 4-cylinder Hornets. Early race leader Mae Urban held on for a second place finish, while points leader Jeff Szafraniec moved from the 18th starting spot to take third.
Samantha Lutz raced her Dice Racing/Elite Custom Collision Honda to the point on the first lap of the 15 lap Thiel Motorsports Queen Bee main, and drove on to the win in the caution-free race. Sylvia Miszczak battled by Kim Marzec on the final circuit for second place honors.
The 12 lap M&M U-Pull-It Figure 8 Car main started out with a bang, as 1st lap contact between Jesse Baker and Marty Hughes resulted in Hughes getting on his roof - Marty emerged ok. When racing resumed, Jason Eck, Eric Brown, and Mike Eckam put on a race-long tussle for the top spot, with points leader Eck prevailing in a tight finish just ahead of Eckam and Brown.
The Holland NASCAR Motorpsorts Complex will celebrate Buffalo Sports Day and Toys for Tots Day on Saturday, July 25th. Fans bringing a new, unwrapped toy to the Motorsports Complex for the Toys for Tots collection will receive a $5 discount on grandstand general admission. Past stars of the NFL Bills and NHL Sabres will also be on hand to meet and greet the fans prior to the racing program - any fan wearing a Buffalo professional sports shirt will receive a $5 discount on grandstand general admission. On the track, the Chargers will be featured in a 50 lap Race of Champions qualifier. The NASCAR Ragingwolf.com SST Pro Modifieds, Late Models of Tomorrow, Pro Fours, M&M U-Pull-It Figure 8 Cars, and the Thiel Motorsports Hornets, along with an appearance by the Cup Lites Series, will round out the racing program. The racing action will get underway at 7:15 PM. For more information, contact the Holland office at (716)-537-2272, or visit the web site at
www.hollandspeedway.com and check out discounts available only to web site registrants.
Results Summary - Saturday, July 18, 2009
NASCAR Raginwolf.com SST PRO MODIFIEDS – George Decker Memorial 100
(Called complete after 66 laps complete due to rain)
Finish Start Car # Driver, Hometown Laps Running/Reason Out
1. 12 31 JEFF PRICE – Buffalo NY 66 running
2. 10 10 Mike Fiebelkorn, Jr. – Eden NY 66 running
3. 1 13 Jonathon Price – Colden NY 66 running
4. 2 2 Jerry Gradl, Jr. – Getzville NY 66 running
5. 17 16 JR Kent – Horseheads NY 66 running
6. 5 4 Neil Hopkins – West Falls NY 66 running
7. 14 60 Justin Shepker – Lawtons NY 66 running
8. 18 57 Andy Jankowiak – Tonawanda NY 66 running
9. 11 91 Joe Evans – Holland NY 66 running
10. 16 22b Frank Booker, Jr. – Orchard Park NY 66 running
11. 22 32 Tim Welshans – West Falls NY 66 running
12. 15 71 Tim Gullo – Elmira NY 66 running
13. 26 4w Ed Weber – Cheektowaga NY 66 running
14. 27 09jr John Julicher, Jr. – Williamsville NY 66 running
15. 3 09 Bobby Osgood – Wellsburg NY 66 running
16. 25 50 Terry Cheetham – Sodus NY 66 running
17. 4 49 Todd Hoddick – Lancaster NY 66 running
18. 8 03 Patrick Emerling – Boston NY 66 running
19. 30 45 Kevin Miller – Spencerport NY 65 running
20. 29 9 Jeff Ruddy – Caledonia ON 65 running
21. 19 72 Mike Bliss – Warsaw NY 64 running
22. 13 54 Amy Catalano – Ontario NY 62 damage
23. 28 74 Sherri Hogan – Belwood ON 57 mechanical
24. 20 6 Buck Catalano – Ontario NY 49 mechanical
25. 21 18 Don King – East Aurora NY 26 damage
26. 24 4r Scott Reece – Lancaster NY 25 mechanical
27. 7 22k Matt Kurzejewski – Mansfield PA 24 damage
28. 6 11 Bill Burd – Akron NY 18 mechanical
29. 23 92 Kyle Sharpe – Lancaster NY 9 mechanical
30. 9 14 Jeff Patton – Freedom NY 2 mechanical
Lap Leaders - 1-23: Jonathon Price, 24-25: Jerry Gradl, Jr., 26-28: Jonathon Price, 29-51: Mike Fiebelkorn, Jr., 52: Jeff Price, 53-59: Mike Fiebelkorn, Jr., 60-66: Jeff Price.
Heat Race Winners: Jeff Price, Mike Fiebelkorn, Jr., Matt Kurzejewski, Jonathon Price.
Consolation Race Winner: Terry Cheetham.
Did Not Qualify: Dick Kluth, Kevin Lewis, Don Wylie, Jr., Ron Williams, Dan Hoag, Steve Fuchs.
LATE MODELS OF TOMORROW– 20 laps: 1. (started 5th) ELDON KING III, 2. (2) Dave Whittaker, 3. (6) T.J. Johnson, 4. (7) Joe Carbone, 5. (3) Mike Ticco, 6. (4) Nick Crassi, 7. (1) Jason Kline, 8. (8 ) Jason Gwin.
CHARGERS – 30 laps: 1. (started 7th) DAVE KRAWCZYK, 2. (9) Jim Loffredo, 3. (11) Mark Hoch, 4. (6) Mike Flaig, 5. (2) Ted Welshans, 6. (5) Jerry Kosmowski, 7. (12) Al Grimmer, 8. (15) Matt Welshans, 9. (14) Zach Myers, 10. (13) Joe Mergel, 11. (3) Joe Eck, 12. (4) Rich Carnes, 13. (10) Tom Northem, 14. (16) Mark Harsch, 15. (1) Shawn Lafferty, 16. (8 ) Jim Mallaber. Did Not Start: Greg Miszczak, Jerry Carpenter.
PRO FOURS – 15 laps: 1. (started 5th) CHAD PUSLOSKI, 2. (4) Jason Eck, 3. (6) J.D. Roberts, 4. (2) Josh Hathaway, 5. (1) Mike Eckam, 6. (12) George Quintana, 7. (8 ) Mae Urban, 8. (10) Jeff Szafraniec, 9. (9) Bill Lutz, 10. (11) Jammer Mueckl, 11. (7) Joe Mastrocicco III, 12. (1) Nik Welshans. Did Not Start: Bob Marzec.
Thiel Motorsports HORNETS – 30 laps: 1. (started 12th) GEORGE QUINTANA, 2. (1) Mae Urban, 3. (18) Jeff Szafraniec, 4. (11) Bill Lutz, 5. (16) Jammer Mueckl, 6. (6) Jesse Baker, 7. (3) Jason Adams, 8. (13) Dennis Felton, 9. (17) Kim Marzec, 10. (15) Eric Marzec, 11. (4) David Warrior, 12. (7) Kyle Skoney, 13. (2) Josh Hunter, 14. (9) Jerry Toms, 15. (10) Butcher Palmer, 16. (5) Ben Russo, 17. (14) Samantha Lutz, 18. (19) Eric Brown, 19. (8 ) Tony Caruana.
Thiel Motorsports QUEEN BEES – 15 laps: 1. (started 4th) SAMANTHA LUTZ, 2. (3) Sylvia Miszczak, 3. (5) Kim Marzec, 4. (2) Elaine Pimpo, 5. (1) Mae Urban.
M&M U-Pull-It FIGURE 8 CARS – 12 laps: 1. (started 3rd) JASON ECK, 2. (6) Mike Eckam, 3. (4) Eric Brown, 4. (5) Jason Adams, 5. (7) Butcher Palmer, 6. (1) Jesse Baker, 7. (2) Marty Hughes.