Strategies wind up and season winds down at the Blacktop Bull Ring
Press release Wyoming County Intl. Speedway for 8/26/2017 racing
Dan Turner: Speedway announcer Well with only a handful of race nights on the WCIS schedule, teams are looking at all options to gain points on their competition. Many looking to grab their first track championship, other to retain their title or get back to back championship trophies. Some teams are putting plans in place to run for the big money at the end of the season (Labor day weekend, for the Jim Pierce Memorial 100 for the SST Modifieds on Oct 14th, and the $10,000 to win American 100, Oct 15th ). Either way it was a wild night and the “Bullring” Saturday night. With make-up features from two weeks ago to be run before our regular racing program scheduled for this Saturday night.
We will start off with the biggest stirrings in the pit area. That would be the fued between the Dave Krawczyk 11k Super Stock team and the balance of the Super Stock division. The Krawczyk team has been on point for the last two seasons. If the car was running at the end of their feature, it was a good bet Dave Krawczyk was in the winner circle. Its no doubt that this car/team/driver has dominated the Super Stock class at the Wyoming County Intl. Speedway the last couple of years. Many fans and teams have demed them illegal. It was not til Saturday night that the quiet chatter of what was illegal on the 11k was brought to the fore front with the Daniel Majchrzak team putting the money up to protest the internals of the Krawczyk engine( aka the crankshaft ). This sounds fairly typical at any race track across America. Not so at the WCIS. This protest came at the end of the make up feature from 2 weeks ago. Majchrzak put the money up for the 11k cars engine to be teched at the end of the make up race. This was the kill shot put into place to take the 11k out of the rast of the evenings racing program. Krawczyk and crew would have to tear their motor apart to pull the crankshaft out. This is a mult hour project in these full fendered cars. Here is where the twist comes in. The Majchrzak team has two #14 cars. So Majchrzak would have to surend his car also to teck of the crankshaft. So as the Krawczyk crew was working on getting the engine parts ready for inspect as was the Majchrzak crew. Krawczyk was losing points by not racing his heat and eventually the feature. Majchrzak parked his back up car (aka The Honey Badger) for tech and then jumped into his primary car and ran the heat and feature. Krawczyk has a 80 point lead over Mike Chenaille 2nd in points and 102 point lead over Majchrzak who is in third place in points. After the dust settled. Kraczyk was cleared of any wrong doing in the engine area and was deemed “LEGAL”, as well as the Majchrzak back up car.
Now back to the racing. The Super Stocks where ready for their make up feature and it was the Zach Meyers #17 showing the way. Meyersa jumped out to an early race lead and never looked back. “ I did not want to look in the mirror and see where everyone was behind me, but I could hear that Dave was close”.
4cylinders where next on the track with Maddy Virsts picked up another feature win. Virts was lite on the interview as she had to make the fast change to the Tommy Weist #35 SST Modified.
SST Modifieds where ready to do battle for 30 laps. Fourteen cars strong for this make up with 20 mods in total for the regular program. Nate Michealson was scheduled to be on the pole but due to engine issues he opted to go tail. This would shift the inside row forward. Now its Toad Bradshaw on the point with Cassy Logsdon on the outside. Its was like a jail break as the SST’s rocketed off the 2nd turn with Bradshaw out front and Ricky Knapp moving from his 7th starting spot to second position. Bradshaw would have his plans for a win cut short as Knapp would pass for the lead on lap 4. It was open up the sail and put it on cruise control as Knapp would bring home the victory “ Its been 12 years since I won a race here, and winning with my kids here makes it so much better”.
And that was just the make-up Features.
Super stocks with all their turmoil were ready for battle and the awesome crowd was ready to see if Zach Meyers can double up? Was the night a complete wash out for the Krawczyk 11k team? How many points could Majchrzak make up on this very strategic night? 25 laps would answer all questions. Well, lets start with the biggest question. Dave Krawczyk jumped into the Josh Landcastle #9 and renumbered it 11k. Took the green and collected some points for the night. Thou he did drop out shortly after the green flew. Dan Majchrzak made up some points, but only collecting a 2nd place in the feature, he did not take a massive bit into Krawczyk’s point lead. Zach Meyers, did make it a great night for team #17. Meyers won his second race of the year in the same night as the first.
Super 6’s were on hand as the team cars of Brian Hallett and Alison Knoepfler lead this new class to the start. It was all Brian Hallett as he lead every lap in route to his 3rd feature at the Blacktop Bullring. Followed by Knoepfler and Cocilova. Spencer invaders show their years of experience.
The 4 Bangs were ready to do battle on this chilly late summer night. Kathie Ricketson and Kyle Landcastle were the leaders to bring this exciting class to green. Ricketson jumped out front with her Dodge Charger with the rest of the field in tow. It was about half way when the yellows flew and that would erase Ricketson’s full straight away lead. This would bring the competition to Ricketson’s rear bumper. It would not take long for the up front regulars to start working over the Ricketson #44. It was long before multi feature winner, Maddy Virts would overtake the #44 and set sail to another win.
SST modifieds wanted to make sure the entire grandstand got to see all aspects of racing, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. The race was for 35 laps, and it was the winner was a guaranteed starter in the 75 lap race in a few weeks. Cassy Logsdon jumped to the lead quickly from her second row starting spot and Ryan Nugent was following to the 2nd position. Lap 2, Nugent lost traction off turn 4 and spin the car. That’s when things went way wrong….. The field stracked up trying to get stopped or go around the wreck. I a blink of an eye, First feature SST winner, Rick Knappjr was nosed under Allen Bookmiller. Bookmiller was nosed into the forth turn safety tire barrier. Former track champion, Patti Pruitt was on two wheels. That’s two tires on the grond, the right side tires were on the left side of Knapp’s #11. Tony Hanbury was slide into and was looking as if he was exiting the track thru the on lane. Numerous other cars were involved with little or no damage. A round of applause should be givin to the fantastic pit crews these teams come with. In record time, the Pruitt team replaced the entire right front suspension and never lost a lap. #40 of Allen Bookmiller’s crew re-formed and shaped his body work to still cool the radiator and check the toe in. Also no losing a lap. That could not be said for the Rick Knapp #11 machine. Too many bent, broke and twisted parts. Racing would resume and it was a fantastic race to watch as the drivers were all racing for positions. It was only about half way when Hanbury took the lead. Steve Fuchs in the “Wings for Cystic Fibrosis” #4 was on a rail in the second position having the best run of 2017. Patti Pruitt was comfortably in the #3 position with new right front suspension and all. With the white flag in the air, the engine in the Pruitt #8 was blowing up and with less than a straight away to go, Timmy Lewis would sneak by for a respectable 3 after a wild start to this race. Hanbury said” Well we plan on running here the balance of the season to help get tuned up for the big pay out races on Oct 14th and 15th “.
Make up features
4 Cylinder #
1 Madalyn Virts 27
2 Otis Bradshaw 00
3 Paul Flye 94
4 Carrie Bolton 6
5 Jennifer Dennie 22
6 David Heimes 8
7 Brian Johnson 85
8 Kory Lanni 29
9 Jody London 89
10 Kyle Landcastle 33
11 Kathie Ricketson 44
12 Scott Mocsman 95X
13 Matt Hurlburt 88
14 Chris Haas 52
15 Robert Cassidy 16
Super Stock #
1 Zach Meyers 17
2 Dave Krawczyk 11
3 Daniel Majchrzak 14
4 Eric Hastreiter 47
5 Mike Chenaille 20
6 Eric Stone 09
7 Ron Ricter 31X
8 Kyle Skoney 55
SST #
1 Ricky Knapp 11
2 Daniel Majchrzak 14
3 Allen Bookmiller 40
4 Toad Bradshaw 00
5 Steve Fuchs 4
6 Tim Lewis 41
7 Cassie Logsdon 09
8 Tom Alloco 6
9 Ryan Nugent 42
10 Billy Kosachock 19
11 Nathan Michielsen 68
12 Dale Wolfer 76
13 Maddy Virst 35
14 Zach Kosachock 5
This weeks show, finishes
4 Cylinder #
1 Madalyn Virts 27
2 Carrie Bolton 6
3 Paul Flye 94
4 Otis Bradshaw 00
5 Jody London 89
6 Jennifer Dennie 22
7 Kathie Ricketson 44
8 Brian Johnson 85
9 David Heimes 8
10 Kyle Landcastle 33
11 Chris Haas 52
12 Robert Cassidy 16
13 Scott Mocsman 95X
14 Kory Lanni 29
15 Matt Hurlburt 88
6 Cylinder #
1 Ryan Hallett 36
2 Alison Knoepfler 35
3 Andy Cocilova 93
4 Frank Parsons 14
5 John Parthemer 95
6 Tammie Bennett 78
7 Frank Klien 33
Super Stock #
1 Zach Meyers 17
2 Daniel Majchrzak 14
3 Eric Hastreiter 47
4 Eric Stone 09
5 Ron Ricter 31X
6 Kyle Skoney 55
7 Mike Chenaille 20
8 Dave Krawczyk 11k
SST #
1 Tony Hanbury 42X
2 Steve Fuchs 4
3 Tim Lewis 41
4 Patti Pruitt 8
5 Allen Bookmiller 40
6 Toad Bradshaw 00
7 Tom Alloco 6
8 Nathan Michielsen 68
9 Scott Stolzenberg 33
10 Tom Weist 35
11 Billy Kosachock 19
12 Cassie Logsdon 09
13 Zach Kosachock 5
14 Jason Landcastle 9L
15 Daniel Majchrzak 14
16 Jay Withy 29
17 Eric Hastreiter 4F
18 Ryan Nugent 42
19 Ricky Knapp 11