---

TODD WELDON WINS THE ED LABOON MEMORIAL AT PPMS

Imperial, PA (July 9, 2016) Todd Weldon from Monongahela earned the biggest victory of his career by winning the Fifth Annual Ed Laboon Memorial race for the Sunoco Race Fuels Sportsman at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway on Saturday night.  It was the third victory of the season and seventh in the division for the Weldon, but none were bigger as he earned $3,017 for his winning drive, sanctioned by the Homak Penn Ohio Pro Stock Series and presented by Brougher’s Machine Shop. Also earning feature wins on the night of racing were John Mollick in the Diehl Automotive Super Late Models, Justin Lamb in the Precise Racing Products RUSH Pro Late Models, Nick Ritchey in the RUSH Modifieds, Dave Sheriff in the Miley BP Car Wash Hobby Stocks, and Michael Jackson in the Imperial Heights Garage Young Guns.

The Fifth Annual Ed Laboon Memorial race for the Homak Penn Ohio Pro Stock Series presented by Brougher’s Machine Shop started on Saturday, June 4. A field of 52 cars had assembled, as time trials and six qualifying heat races were completed before rain put an early end to the racing program. Those races were official, but six additional entries added to the event tonight and pushed the total car count to 58. The three B-Mains to round out the 28 car starting field were won by Ricky Stigerwald, Bill Robertson, and Wayne Carbo.

Chris Schneider won the Dash over Brent Johnson, and they led the field to the green flag with Schneider taking the early lead for the 20-lap event. Early on, Schneider looked to turn the event into a romp, and had a big lead built before the first caution period of the event on lap 3. Schneider regained the lead on the restart, as fourth starting Todd Weldon passed Johnson for second. The next restart came on lap 8, with Schneider now feeling a challenge from Weldon, with Johnson, Andy Buckley, and 21st starting Wayne Carbo close behind. Weldon continued to challenge Schneider, as Buckley and Carbo battled for third. Weldon was as close as he had been the entire race on lap 18, when the lead was just .028 seconds, before the yellow flag waved to set up a two lap dash to the finish. Leader Schneider chose the inside for the double file restart, and Weldon made the outside pass in turn two to take the lead at the white flag. Weldon had the checkered flag in sight, but the yellow flag waved for a wreck in turn two, meaning that the race would be extended by one lap as track rules state that a feature must end with two consecutive laps. There would actually be two restarts on lap 19, but the young driver showed the poise of a veteran in controlling both restarts to take the prestigious victory. Schneider was second, 1.139 second behind. Third went to Carbo in an incredible effort from 21st starting spot and earlier from the tail of the B-Main. Buckley started third and turned in a solid drive for fourth. Fifth went to A.J. Poljak, advancing from starting position 23. Ricky Steigerwald from 19th, Johnson, Jackson Humanic from 15th, Jason Fosnaught from 18th, and Corey McPherson completed the top ten. Daryl Charlier took the win in the 15-lap Non-Qualifiers Race, earning $517.  Special thanks goes out to Vince Laboon for his tireless efforts in his father’s memorial race, and to the race teams, sponsors, and fans for their support of the event.

 

The 25-lap Diehl Automotive Super Late Model feature went to John Mollick, his first Super Late win of the season and fourth all-time. 778 Late Model events had been run previously since the first in 1979.  Just a single caution period slowed the pace in race 779, coming on lap 1.  Second starting Mollick led the entire distance, running the extreme outside groove of the speedway, just inches from the outside wall.  Heat winner Brandon Burgoon used a similar groove and stayed within striking distance of Mollick, but settled for runner-up honors, 1.713 seconds behind at the finish.  Third went to pole sitter Jake Gunn, his best finish of the season.  John Flinner was fourth, with Tommy Schirnhofer fifth.  Down by three points at the beginning of the night, Burgoon is the new point leader by two over Flinner.

Justin Massie and Justin Lamb led the 20-lap Precise Racing Products RUSH Pro Late Models to green with Lamb leading Massie at the start. Fourth starting Michael Reft moved to second on lap 2, before the first of two caution periods of the event came on lap 3. Lamb moved away on the restart, but Reft started to close in as the laps went by. Pulling to Lamb’s inside on several occasions, the two battled for the lead as John Mollick and Ben Policz had an equally entertaining battle for third. On the final restart on lap 11, Mollick got a good run and entered turn one between Lamb on the outside and Reft on the inside, but his breathtaking move did not work and he lost third to point leader Daryl Charlier. Again, Lamb nosed back ahead with Reft challenging on the inside. Their battle for the lead lasted a few laps, but in the late going Lamb was able to pull away on the way to his first victory of the season, and the fourth of his career in the division in the 564th all time race. Reft settled for second, .455 seconds behind. Charlier was third, with Policz fourth. Mollick, who had just gotten out of his winning Super Late Model ride, had his bid for two feature wins in the same night ended with a fifth place finish. Heat winners were Mollick and Reft.

 

The RUSH Modifieds were visiting for the first of four times this season, and brought a strong field of 16 for an entertaining feature race. The 20-lap event was led to green by Brian Schaffer and Kyle Martell, with Schaffer leading from the start. Schaffer led the way using the outside groove, but would soon feel a challenge from fourth starting Kole Holden. By lap 5, the lead battle was door to door. Schaffer led lap 6 by a scant .024 seconds, but Holden nosed ahead to take the lead on lap 7 by inches, .007 seconds at the line. Losing the lead seemed to make Schaffer turn up the wick, as he not only regained the lead but began to pull away from the competition. The lone caution period of the race on lap 16 would change the outcome of the event. On the restart, third running Nick Ritchey used the outside lane to pass both top runners, on his way to the victory by 1.890 seconds. While Schaffer ended up second, Holden retired from the event. Chelsie Kriegisch was third, over Martell and Jeremy Weaver. Justin Shea and Ritchey took heat wins.

 

Dave Sheriff won the heat race and the 12-lap feature event for the Miley BP Car Wash Hobby Stocks.  Dale Tuche and Casey Grumling brought the six car field to green with Sheriff sixth on the grid.  Tuche led the first three laps before being passed for the lead by Eric Goldberg.  Sheriff moved to the inside of Goldberg on lap 5, and at the line on lap 6 it was Sheriff by a few inches at the line, .008 seconds according to the track’s computerized scoring system.  Sheriff pulled away over the closing laps for his second straight victory in the non-stop event over Goldberg, Grumling, Karlee Kovacs, and Tuche.

Just three Imperial Heights Garage Young Guns were on hand, but their 6-lap feature went right down to the wire. Ben Anton and Michael Jackson took the green with last week’s first time winner Vinnie Zymroz right behind.  Zymroz used up his luck last week, as he hit the wall on the first lap and retired early.  Anton and Jackson raced side-by-side for the entire distance with Anton leading the first three laps and Jackson leading the second three, which included the most important lap.  At the checkered flag, Jackson was ahead by a car length over Anton for his third feature win of the season.

Racing continues at Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway on Saturday night, July 16, for the running of “Modasaures X,” featuring the return of the Bicknell Racing Products Modified Tour for Big Block Modifieds.  The RUSH Modifieds will return, along with regular racing for the Precise Racing Products RUSH Pro Late Models, Sunoco Race Fuels Sportsman, Miley BP Car Wash Hobby Stocks, and Imperial Heights Garage Young Guns. The Super Late Models will not be in action, due to the special event. Gates open at 5:00, with warm-ups at 6:00 and racing at 7:00.  The track is located just south of the Noblestown exit of U.S. Route 22, or 170 Kelso Road in Imperial, PA, for GPS purposes.  The track phone is 724-695-3363 on race days, or call 412-279-RACE.  For complete information please visit the track website at www.ppms.com .

 

Pittsburgh's Pennsylvania Motor Speedway results for Saturday, July 9, 2016.

 

Sunoco Race Fuels Sportsman

Feature – 1, 45JR, Todd Weldon. 2, 55, Chris Schneider. 3, 54, Wayne Carbo. 4, 965, Andy Buckley. 5, 36, A.J. Poljak. 6, 4S, Ricky Steigerwald. 7, 92X, Brent Johnson. 8, 17K, Jackson Humanic. 9, T73, Jason Fosnaught. 10, C33, Corey McPherson. 11, 1B, Bill Robertson. 12, 28S, Bob Schwartzmiller. 13, 12, Ryan Newman. 14, 68X, Jake Simmons. 15, 7W, Bobby Whitling. 16, 17M, Rusty Moore. 17, 16M, Rusty Martz. 18, 84, Steve D'Apolito. 19, 04, Joe Stajniajh. 20, 10, Nick Kocuba. 21, 114, Dave McManus. 22, 69R, Brian Rhed. 23, 11T, Randy Wyant. 24, 1S, Kyle Shannon. 25, 48M, Greg Moore. 26, 08, Jeff Broniszewski. 27, 64, Rob Shook. 28, 948, Joey Zambotti. Did not start, 29, Curtis Bish, T1B, Tim Bish.

Non-Qualifier Race – 1, 14, Daryl Charlier. 2, 56, Bryan Wagner. 3, 25M, Brent McDonald. 4, 30, Bob Egley. 5, 7, Eric Piotrowski. 6, 1R, Rod Laskey. 7, 92H, Bobby Heim. 8, 33K, Brad Koteles. 9, 25X, Justin Lamb. 10, 22B, Jesse Brock. 11, A22, Bill Slade. 12, M1, Bryan Mitchell. 13, 4, Jacob Billyk. 14, 96, Davy Lee. 15, 1M, Gary Miller, Jr. 16, 25L, Mark Lee. 17, 36J, Steve Pyeritz. Did not start, 717, Leigh Wheeler. C8, William Hurrelbrink. 23, Pat Fielding. 2W, Terry Wheeler. 16T, T.A. Perrine. 73, Shaun Neubert. 28N, Nate Smith. 28, Fuzzy Fields. 18, Mike Harris. 2*, Boyd Brode. 64K, Gary Koteles.

Heat winners on June 4 – Chris Schneider, Corey McPherson, Andy Buckley, Todd Weldon, Brent Johnson, and Rusty Moore.

Dash – 1, Chris Schneider. 2, Brent Johnson. 3, Andy Buckley. 4, Todd Weldon. 5, Corey McPherson. 6, Rusty Moore.

B-Main 1 – 1, Ricky Steigerwald. 2, Brian Rhed. 3, Greg Moore. 4, Bryan Wagner. 5, Brad Koteles. 6, Bob Egley. 7, Bill Slade. 8, Gary Miller, Jr. Did not start, Davy Lee.

B-Main 2 – 1, Bill Robertson. 2, A.J. Poljak. 3, Jake Simmons. 4, Daryl Charlier. 5, Brent McDonald. 6, Bryan Mitchell. 7, Rod Laskey. 8, Jesse Brock. 9, Bobby Heim.

B-Main 3 – 1, Wayne Carbo. 2, Nick Kocuba. 3, Kyle Shannon. 4, Joe Stajniajh. 5, Eric Piotrowski. 6, Jacob Billyk. 7, Mark Lee. 8, Steve Pyeritz. 9, Justin Lamb.

 

Diehl Super Late Models

Feature – 1, 4J, John Mollick. 2, 02, Brandon Burgoon. 3, 7, Jake Gunn. 4, 4T8, John Flinner. 5, 8S, Tommy Schirnhofer. 6, 14, Butch Neubert. 7, M5, Christian Schneider. Did not start, 09, Bill Kessler.

Heat 1 – 1, Brandon Burgoon. 2, John Mollick. 3, John Flinner. 4, Jake Gunn. 5, Christian Schneider. 6, Tommy Schirnhofer. Did not start, Bill Kessler, Butch Neubert.

 

Precise Racing Products RUSH Pro Late Models

Feature – 1, 93X, Justin Lamb. 2, 9R, Michael Reft. 3, 12C, Daryl Charlier. 4, 14B, Ben Policz. 5, 60M, John Mollick. 6, RJ1, Mike Pegher, Jr. 7, 75S, Scott Schempp. 8, 11, Justin Massie. 9, 5X, Ken Chernik. 10, 27, Tony White. 11, 12G, Brian Goebel. 12, 12S, Brian Swank. 13, 18, Chris Lander.

Heat 1 – 1, John Mollick. 2, Daryl Charlier. 3, Mike Pegher, Jr. 4, Scott Schempp. 5, Brian Goebel. 6, Tony White. 7, Chris Lander.

Heat 2 – 1, Michael Reft. 2, Justin Lamb. 3, Ben Policz. 4, Justin Massie. 5, Ken Chernik. 6, Brian Swank.

 

RUSH Modifieds

Feature – 1, 77N, Nick Ritchey. 2, 41, Brian Schaffer. 3, 10, Chelsie Kriegisch. 4, 8, Kyle Martell. 5, 35W, Jeremy Weaver. 6, 17, Brandon Ritchey. 7, 20, Jeremy Zufall. 8, 35, Steve Slater. 9, 84, Josh Seippel. 10, 3G, Mike Sparks. 11, 43JR, Billy Myers. 12, 63, Jessica Kriegisch. 13, JD57, Jordan Ehrenberg. 14, 58, Tiffany Williams. 15, 2, Kole Holden. Did not start, 14S, Justin Shea.

Heat 1 – 1, Justin Shea. 2, Kole Holden. 3, Kyle Martell. 4, Steve Slater. 5, Jeremy Weaver. 6, Chelsie Kriegisch. 7, Billy Myers. 8, Jordan Ehrenberg.

Heat 2 – 1, 77N, Nick Ritchey. 2, 41, Brian Schaffer. 3, 17, Brandon Ritchey. 4, 3G, Mike Sparks. 5, 58, Tiffany Williams. 6, 20, Jeremy Zufall. 7, 84, Josh Seippel. 8, 63, Jessica Kriegisch.

 

Miley BP Car Wash Hobby Stocks

Feature – 1, 8S, Dave Sheriff. 2, 08, Eric Goldberg. 3, 77X, Casey Grumling. 4, 221K, Karlee Kovacs. 5, 310, Dale Tuche. 6, OU2, Jacob Wiser.

Heat 1 – 1, Dave Sheriff. 2, Eric Goldberg. 3, Karlee Kovacs. 4, Dale Tuche. 5, Casey Grumling. 6, Jacob Wiser.

 

Imperial Heights Garage Young Guns

Feature – 1, 89, Michael Jackson. 2, 13, Ben Anton. 3, 83, Vinnie Zymroz.

 

Upcoming Events:

 

Saturday, July 16 – “Modasaures X” featuring the BRP Modified Tour for Big Block Modifieds and the RUSH Modifieds, plus the Precise Racing Products RUSH Pro Late Models, Sunoco Race Fuels Sportsman, Miley BP Car Wash Hobby Stocks, Imperial Heights Garage Young Guns.

Saturday, July 23 – The Alternative Power Sources LHSS Race Saver winged Sprints, with a Summer Sizzler for the Precise Racing Products RUSH Pro Late Models. Plus Diehl Automotive Super Late Models, , Sunoco Race Fuels Sportsman, Miley BP Car Wash Hobby Stocks, and Imperial Heights Garage Young Guns.

Saturday, July 30 – Tony Stewart’s Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions winged 410 sprint cars in the Third Annual Falconi’s Moon Township Automotive “Sprint Monster,” plus the Precise Racing Products RUSH Pro Late Models Sizzler event.

Saturday, August 6 – The “Cruise America PENNational for the Sunoco Race Fuels Sportsman, sanctioned by the Homak Penn Ohio Pro Stock Series, plus the Diehl Automotive Super Late Models, Precise Racing Products RUSH Pro Late Models, , Miley BP Car Wash Hobby Stocks, and Imperial Heights Garage Young Guns.

 

Back to News