6/6/2019
Awtey Wins Thriller at Jennerstown Speedway
(Jennerstown, PA) On Saturday night, June 1, 2019, former track Champion Barry Awtey rebounded from consecutive weeks of misfortune to earn his first win of the season, after a memorable duel in the Martella's Pharmacies Late Model division. Veterans Pete Rech (Stoystown Auto Wreckers Modifieds), Scott Mitchell (Farmers Union Co-Op Chargers), and Andrew Pluta (Somerset Trust Company Fast 'n Furious 4-Cylinders) also celebrated in Stoney’s Beer victory lane. And, for the first time in his career, popular Zach Todaro scored a win in the Tunstall Auto & Truck Repair Street Stock division at the Jennerstown Speedway Complex.
Rookie of the Year contender Paul Fess, Jr. started the Martella's Pharmacies Late Model division 30-lap feature race on the front row. Alongside, Joe Maruca launched from the pole position, to grab the lead of the race. Veteran Rick Boyer moved into second place early on, and held that spot for the first ten laps. Maruca opened up a sizable lead over the rest of the field, pulling farther away with each lap. In the first two events of the season, Maruca proved to be a contender with a fifth place finish the previous week, and an impressive third place finish after starting tenth on opening night. Racing in the third position for several laps, Barry Awtey advanced to second place, passing Boyer, on lap eleven. Awtey started the race in eighth position, and although he was showing quick lap times as runner up, Maruca was far ahead maintaining a comfortable lead. With only a couple of laps to go, Maruca’s quest for a first-career victory suffered a setback. A caution flag for a spin by Mike “Hollywood Hemminger” erased Maruca’s margin over the field. The restart would align the far-more-experienced Awtey directly to Maruca's outside, for a late race restart. A tense excitement gripped the crowd, as fans recalled a very recent history of on-track incidents between Maruca and Awtey. On the first attempted restart, with Maruca and Awtey door to door, Awtey launched too soon. The start was waved off with another caution flag to assess a penalty – moving Awey back to third position for the second attempt at completing the event. The race resumed, with Maruca only two laps from becoming a winner, as Awtey reclaimed the runner up position at the restart. On the final lap, with fans on their feet, Awtey was within striking distance of Maruca. Less than a half mile from the checkered flag, Maruca’s car drifted up the banking in turn two, and smacked the outside retaining wall, resulting in severe right-front damage to the leader's car. Awtey, of Jenners, PA, led only the final half-lap to the checkered flag. Maruca, who won his heat race earlier in the night, failed to finish the event after leading 29 of 30 laps. Awtey, the multi-time Jennerstown Champion, had been involved in incidents during both previous races of 2019. But the all-time leading winner in track history, notched victory number one of the young season, aboard the Wheeler Show Cattle/Stoystown Auto Wreckers/Pizza Hut Chevrolet in a dramatic change of fortunes. Two time winner, Teddy Gibala started in tenth place and methodically worked his way into second position at the finish. Heat race winner Zane Ferrell started in seventh position, and earned a third place finish. Boyer, and twelfth place starter Bryan Shipp finished fourth and fifth.
What appeared to be an intense battle for a first career win in the Stoystown Auto Wreckers Modified division, changed after post-race technical inspection. Fans were treated to an outstanding duel for the win, late in the 20-lap feature race. Pete Rech led 18 laps, holding off repeated challenges from young R.J. Dallape. Sophomore driver Dallape, made a pass of Rech’s loose handling car on the backstraight and took the checkered flag in dramatic fashion. However, Dallape was disqualified as his car failed to meet the weight requirement. Veteran Rech, a former dirt track ace, inherited the win – his second in three events. Adam Kostelnik made his first start of the year, and finished in second place after starting eleventh. Heat race winner “Racin’ Jason” Busch started in seventh position and grabbed third place in the final rundown. Defending Champion and previous week’s winner Anthony Aiello finished in fourth place, after taking the green flag in the ninth spot. Veteran Tom Golik was the fifth place finisher.
Opening night winner, Casey Fleegle took the lead at the start of the Tunstall Auto & Truck Repair Street Stocks’ 20-lap feature. Fleegle, a heat race winner earlier in the night, grabbed the lead from pole starter Mel Wilt. But on lap six, fourth-place starter, Zach Todaro, roared by Fleegle into the lead. After racing closely with one another through the middle stages of the event, Todaro opened up a healthy advantage in the closing laps. Todaro had several impressive performances in 2018, but fell just short of his first win more than once. Saturday, the second-generation driver crossed the finish line for his first career victory, to become the third different Street Stock winner in three events this year. He dedicated the win to his late father, with a traditional “victory lap,” to the fan’s delight. Fleegle placed second, holding off the previous week’s winner Aaron Van Fleet, who finished third after starting seventh. Jeremy Shaffer claimed fourth place at the conclusion of the race with Wilt crossing the finish line in fifth position.
After veteran Kelly Shaulis and dirt-track convert Steven Brown won heat races for the Farmers Union Co-Op Chargers, the duo were at the head of the pack when the 15-lap feature race began. Two notable crashes slowed the action, near the midpoint of the event. One crash eliminated Brown, and the other was a frightening wreck. Popular Justin Frampton slammed the turn one wall, in a double impact, that resulted in a brief fire. Although his car was destroyed, quick work by the rescue team prevented Frampton from suffering injuries in the incident. Shaulis, driving a classic Ford Torino-bodied racer, led the first nine laps, before veteran Scott Mitchell made the winning pass. Mitchell started in fifth place, and as the the longest tenured driver in the division, he led the final five laps for his first win of the year. Defending Champion Dale Kimberly applied late-race pressure to Mitchell. Kimberly started ninth, and finished a close second. Shaulis, 2018 winner Dan Jackson, and rookie Chase Payton finished in positions third, fourth, and fifth.
“Redemption” was the story of the 15-lap Somerset Trust Company Fast 'n Furious 4-Cylinder division feature race. Andrew Pluta won his heat race, then led every lap of the feature, in dominating fashion. Pluta, a multi-race winner annually, battled serious mechanical problems in the first two rounds of action this season. Former Champion Brent Bickerstaff finished in the second position, with newcomers Michael Strouse, and Michael Saler again notching “top five” finishes, nailing down third and fourth places. Veteran Brian Noel finished in fifth position, and Saler won the other heat race earlier in the night.
Five division racing action continues on Saturday, June 8th, with gates opening at 4pm and racing starting at 6pm. For more information visit
www.jennerstown.org.
Article Credit: Mike Lysakowski
