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Brandon Ritchey takes the win as mother nature has her way with season opener

After a long off season, it was a rainy night at the Monster for the 2018 opening race. There were six classes set to race but mother nature had other ideas. With a light drizzle falling most of the evening, PPMS was forced to postpone the action, but all of the heat races and two of the features were able to run. Brandon Ritchey from Seneca, PA, took the win in the Rush Sportsman Modified feature, and Frank Magill picked up his first career victory in the Young Guns division.
In the RUSH Sportsman Modified fifteen lap feature Alan Dellinger led the first 9 laps after starting fourth when the event's lone caution slowed the pace. Dellinger chose the inside on the restart when Brandon Ritchey passed him on the outside taking the lead after starting sixth. Dellinger pressed Ritchey for the lead on lap ten before Richiey pulled away, leading the remaining five laps for a 0.934 second win. John Mollick from Toronto, OH, finished in the third spot after starting fifth. 2017 points champion Kole Holden from Tiona, PA, finished fourth after starting eigth and Garrett Krummert fifth. Justin Shea, Chelsie Kriegisch, Kyle Martel, Rocky Kugel, and Steve Slater rounded out the top ten. Heat race winners were Justin Shea, John Mollick, and Brandon Ritchie.

As rain continued to fall, the Diehl Automotive RUSH Late Model feature was lined up and running the track under caution while the infamous pit steward Smokey Schempp was inspecting track conditions. After every Diehl Automotive RUSH Late Model driver gave Smokey the thumbs down, and after viewing the radar, track officals made the decision to postpone the remainder of the evening. The Diehl Automotive RUSH Late Model heat race winners were John Mollick from Toronto, OH, and Mike Duritsky from Masontown, PA.

The rest of the heat race winners were as follows. In the Sunoco Sportsman division Jason Fosnaught from Tarentum, PA, after starting sixth, and Andrew Gordon from DuBois, PA, set a new sportsman track record of 19.617 seconds after starting fifth. 2017 champion Stephen Shelpman from Pleasant Hills, PA, and Adam Ferree from Jefferson Hills, PA, won the Miley Motorhome Rental Hobby Stock heat races after both started second. The Black Label Business Center Open 4s had Okey Howard and Andy Garlinger both from Hopedale, OH, picking up the heat race wins after starting fifth and fourth respectively.

Make up dates are as follows: The Sunoco Sportsman and Open 4s will run double features on May 12, and on May 19 the RUSH Late Models & MMR Hobby Stocks will run double features.
Results
Diehl Automotive RUSH Late Models
Feature make up 5.19.18
Heat 1
1 John Mollick
2 Scott Gunn
3 Ron Hall
4 Mike Reft
5 Zach Kane
6 Christian Schneider
7 Jabo Jablonski
8 Josh Stocia
Heat 2
1 Mike Duritsky
2 Bill Kessler
3 03,
4 Cory Sines
5 Chuck Medved
6 Zach Gunn
7 Colby Beighey
8 Justin Lamb
9 Pete Wearing
RUSH Sportsman Modifieds
Feature
1, 6, 17, Brandon Ritchey, Seneca
2, 4, 8
3, 5, 5 John Mollick, Toronto, OH
4, 8, 2, Kole Holden, Tiona
5, 2, 10S
6, 3, Justin Shea, Franklin
7, 7, Kyle Martel, Rootstown, OH
8, 9, 10, Chelsie Kriegisch, Elwood City
9, 12, 83X, Rocky Kugel, East Liverpool, OH
10, 9, 29, Steve Slater, Butler
11, 20, 28
12, 13, 22
13, 15, 4S
14, 17, 4
15, 23, 28J Jacob Jordan, Aliquippa
16, 18, 24
17, 11, 57
18, 19, 51
19, 1, 048, Jason Hufnagel, New Castle
20, 19, 6
21, 27, 7
22, 20, 35W Jeremy Weaver
Did not start #7
Heat 1
1 Justin Shea
2 Chelsie Kriegisch
3 Kyle Martel
4 Rocky Kugel
5 22
6 6
7 51
8 Chas Wolbert
Heat 2
1 John Mollick
2 Kole Holden
3 10S
4 57
5 7
6 4
7 Jeremy Weaver
8 Jacob Jordan
Heat 3
1 Brandon Ritchey
2 8
3 Steve Slater
4 Jason Hufnagel
5 4
6 24P
7 28
Sunoco Sportsman (Pro Stocks)
Feature
Start of race. Make up 5.12.18

1, 10, Nick Kocuba, Imperial
2, 33x, Greg Beach,
3, 114, Dave McManus, Elizabeth
4, 77, Heath Close, Shaler
5, 81, Robert Betz, South Heights
6, 1B, Bill Robertson, Upper Saint Clair
7, 30, Bob Egley, Kitanning
8, 73, Jason Fosnaught, Tarentum
9, 25G, Andrew Gordon, DuBois
10, 54, Wayne Carbo, Saxonburg
11, 36, AJ Poljak, Baldwin
12, 67X Danny Rich, Imperial
13, 28S Bob Schartzmiller, Robinson Township
14, 96L, Davey Lee, Independence
Did not start 45 Todd Weldon
Heat 1
1 Jason Fosnaught
2 Wayne Carbo
3 Todd Weldon
4 Bill Robertson
5 Bob Egley
6 Dave McManus
7 Danny Rich
Heat 2
1 Andrew Gordon
2 AJ Poljak
3 Nick Kocuba
4 Greg Beach
5 Heath Close
6 Robert Betz
7 Bob Schwartzmiller
8 Davy Lee
Hobby Stocks
Feature
(Start) make up 5.19.18

1, 8, Dave Sheriff, Imperial
2, 17S, Stephen Shelpman, Pleasant Hills
3, 77X, Casey Grumling, Elrama
4, 29, Adam Ferree, Jefferson Hills
5, 221K, Karlee Kovacs, Carnegie
6, 15,
7, 14, Kayla McManus, Elizabeth
8, 11, John Hollister
9, 13, Ben Anton, Jefferson Hills
Heat 1
1, Adam Ferree
2, Dave Sheriff
3, Karlee Kovacs
4, Ben Anton
5, Kayla McManus
Heat 2
1, Stephen Shelpman
2, Casey Grumling
3, Matt Bernard
4, John Hollister
Open 4s
Feature
(Start) Make up 5.12.18

1, 6k,
2, 02, Justin Clark, Pittsburgh
3, 51, Jeff Howard, Hopedale, OH
4, 44, Matthew Rubright, Harmony
5, R88, Andy Garlinger, Hopedale, OH
6, 39, Brian Noel, Mt. Pleasant
7, 78, Chris Knight, Plum
8, 0, Okey Howard, Hopedale, OH
9, x, Dale Rubright, Harmony
10, 19G, John Gill, Burgettstown
11, 14k,
12, 13J, Jay Swager, New Kensington
Heat 1
1, Okey Howard
2, 6K
3, Justin Clark
4, Brian Noel
5, Dale Rubright
6, John Gill
Heat 2
1, Andy Garlinger
2, Jeff Howard
3, Matthew Rubright
4, Chris Knight
5, 16K
6, 14K
7, Jay Swager
Young Guns
Feature
1, 2 , 05 Frank McGill
2, 1 , 88
3, 3 , 13, Ella Anton, Jefferson Hills

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