A big six class show greeted one of the biggest crowds of the season on one of the hottest days of the year at Ephrata Raceway Park. It was the Mid Season Championship races presented by Jerry?s Auto Supply. With over 70 cars jammed into the pit area and 210 laps of main event racing, the crowd was treated to a great variety of cars and action on the race track.
All classes timed in, with fast times going to Mike Fought in the 360 Sprints at 13.23 seconds, Tyler DeLong was fast time for the Pepsi Cola Street Stocks at 15.80. In the Jerry?s Auto Supply Hobby Stocks Dustin Kapalo went 16.56 to pace the class and Doug Brown was quickest in the Mini Stocks at 16.91. Both of the Hornet divisions were also racing with Rod Julian fast time in the Ephrata Pioneer Muffler II Adult Hornets with a 17.41 lap time and Evan Zema went 17.54 to set fast time for the Kim Janke State Farm Agent Youth Hornets.
The 360 Sprint cars led off the racing for the evening with the only trophy dashes of the night. Rod Stump won the 4-car B dash, and Tom Beierman took home the A dash trophy featuring the 5 fastest cars of the night. The Sprint cars utilized a different format than the rest of the divisons by running two 25-lap main events. Then tabulating the scores and declaring an overall winner on the evening from results of the two events.
In the first main event, Rod Stump held the field at bay for the first five laps, before Mike Fought powered past and into the lead. In the second main event Doug Peter took off like a scalded dog and looked to have the main event locked up when a lap 12 spin brought out the yellow flag and closed up the field. Fought and Kurt Myers had battled through traffic and were nose to tail chasing Peter. On the restart Peter again took off, but this time Fought was right on his rear nerf. For the pass Fought powered down the backstretch and under Peter, into turn three. This came after putting serious pressure on the leader for 6 laps. Once he got by on the 18th lap it was clear sailing running off to victory. Peter fought back Myers over the last few laps to finish second, his best ever at ERP.
In totaling the points afterward, it was Fought, Myers, Kevin Witte in the top three gaining Sprint car Main Event trophies on the night,
The 50-lap Pepsi Cola Street Stock main event featured a great battle between Tyler DeLong and JR Miner. DeLong was sitting behind the wheel of Eric Hector?s car and held the lead for the first 31 laps with Miner tagging along right behind. Into heavy traffic they came on, lap after lap DeLong maintaining the lead when Miner saw the opening and drove into it creating enough room for the pass. For Miner it was his first Street Stock main event win ever. Ron Stewart finished third. Heat race wins went to Nic Sieg and Dustin Hubbard.
The Jerry?s Auto Supply Hobby Stock 30-lap main event was one to be remembered. One of the best races of the night featuring Patrick Canady and Chris Costlow. Canady got by first lap leader Jason Ray and took off with Costlow making short work of the rest of the field and taking chase. By the time Costlow caught Canady they were into heavy traffic. What the fans saw were two drivers battling as hard and clean as they could. Costlow would thrust and Canady would parry. The two went at it like jousters in a medieval contest. Inside, outside, between lapped cars. Costlow on numerous occasions had the car up to the door panels and Canady would power forward. It was one of the best Hobby Stock races I can remember. Canady and Costlow were all smiles and congratulatory handshakes after the races and the crowd was very boisterous in their applause and cheers showing favor for what they had just witnessed. In Hobby Stock heat race action, Ray and Costlow were winners.
The Mini Stock 30-lap main was littered with yellow flags. Numerous cautions dotted the event. Multiple spins and blown motors caused a few stoppages in action. When the dust cleared, it was Jeff Hector with a brand new motor sitting in winners circle. Hector held off the challenges of Doug Brown in between the yellow flags for the win. Brown and Hector were the heat race winners.
The Pioneer Muffler II Adult Hornet 25-lap main event went green to checkered. Rod Julian was the 4th and final leader of the event. Julian had the only clean sweep of the night with fast time and the heat race win. The other heat race winner was Terry McGraw.
Another exciting night of racing in the Kim Janke State Farm Agent Youth Hornet division, as Evan Zema and Damon Claibourn swapped the lead back and forth over the 25-lap event. On the final lap, Zema edged out Claibourn at the stripe for the win. Give credit to both of these competitors as they drove a nice clean race, with neither driver giving any ground to the other the entire distance. Kelly Olsick and Austin Schooler won the heat races.
Next Saturday night at Ephrata Raceway Park is another MotoCross Under The Lights race. For more details log onto www.ephrataracewaypark.com .
| 360 Sprint Cars |
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| Fast time: 78 Mike Fought 13.23 B dash: 44 Rod Stump, 96 Kevin Witte, 50 Rich Hill, 6 Rich Fast A dash: 28 Tom Beierman, 78 Fought, 32 Kurt Myers, 42 Doug Peter, 55 Donnie Kudrna Sprint main 1: 78 Mike Fought, 32 Myers, 96 Witte, 28 Beierman, 6 Fast, 44 Stump DNF, 42 Peter DNF, 50 Hill DNF, 55 Kudrna DNS Lap leaders: 44 Stump 1-5, 78 Fought 6-25 Sprint main 2: 78 Mike Fought, 42 Peter, 32 Myers, 96 Witte, 28 Beierman, 6 Fast, 44 Stump DNF, 55 Kudrna DNS Lap leaders: 42 Peter 1-17, 78 Fought 18-25 Total night point standings adding two mains together: 1) 78 Fought, 2) 32 Myers, 3) 96 Witte, 4) 28 Beierman, 5) 6 Fast, 7) 50 Hill, 8) 42 Peter, 9) 44 Stump, 10) 55 Kudrna |
| Pepsi Cola Street Stocks |
| Fast time: 81 Tyler DeLong 15.80 B heat: 2 Nic Sieg, 20 Ron Stewart, 1 Kurt Kleyn, 8 Gary Creech, 12 Robert Sieg A heat: 22 Dustin Hubbard, 64 Mike Cockrum, 4 Brad Morrison, 81 Tyler DeLong, 68 Billy Barger Main: 29 JR Miner, 81 DeLong, 20 Stewart, 1 Kleyn, 22 Hubbard, 12 R. Sieg, 2 N. Sieg, 8 Creech, 68 Barger, 92 Mike Bise, 41 Sam Todd, 64 Cockrum DNF, 7 Terri McCart DNF, 4 Morrison DNF, 12x Rick Bretches Lap leaders: 81 DeLong 1-31, 29 Miner 32-50 |
| Hobby Stocks |
| Fast time: 47 Dustin Kapalo 16.56 B heat: 18 Jason Ray, K9 Russell Kane, 76 Patrick Canady, 42 Neil Nelson, 45 JD Nelson DNF A heat: 32 Chris Costlow, 66 Kenny Brown, 20 Randy Pugh, 34 Josh Mackenzie, 47 Kapalo Main: 76 Patrick Canady, 32 Costlow, K9 Kane, 34 Mackenzie, 20 Pugh, 47 Kapalo, 18 Ray, 66 Brown, 42 Nelson DNF, 45 Nelson DNF Lap leaders: 18 Ray 1, 76 Canady 2-30 |
| Mini Stocks |
| Fast time: 84 Doug Brown 16.91 B heat: 78 Jeff Hector, 81 Richard Brown, 65 Robert Martin, 38 Andrew Sonnenberg A heat: 84 Doug Brown, 8 Fred Moore, 52 David Macken, 44 Charles Larr, 18 Jeremy Razey Main: 78 Jeff Hector, 84 D. Brown, 52 Macken, 8 Moore, 18 Razey, 53 Josh Buys, 65 Martin, 44 Larr DNF, 81 R. Brown DNF, 38 Sonnenberg DNF, 1 black flagged was not scored driver unknown, 71 DNS Lap leaders: 18 Razey 1-6, 78 Hector 7-18, 84 Brown 19-20, 78 Hector 21-30 |
| Adult Hornets |
| Fast time: 45 Rod Julian 17.41 B heat: 32 Terry McGraw, 58 Scott Carabajal, 39 Evan Evans, 83 Patrick Lyons, 3 Chad Moore A heat: 45 Julian, 95 Chris McCart, 09 Sid White, 78 Eddie Razey Main: 45 Rod Julian, 84 Josh Hector, 95 McCart, 78 Razey, 09 White, 83 Lyons, 3 Moore, 32 McGraw, 39 Evans, 42 Lance White, 58 Carabajal DNF Lap leaders: 39 Evans 1, 95 McCart 2-4, 84 Hector 5-17, 45 Julian 18-25 |
| Youth Hornets |
| Fast time: 68 Evan Zema 17.54 B heat: 72 Kelly Olsick, 76 Cody Berry, 00 Dylan Adamson, 16 Taylor Blackburn, 64 Sami Todd A heat: 96 Austin Schooler, 61 Stephnie Patty, 68 Zema, 09 Dallas White, 08 Jesse Hector Main: 68 Evan Zema, 43 Damon Claibourn, 09 White, 61 Patty, 11 Jatender Veenstra, 96 Schooler, 72 K. Olsick, 00 Adamson, 16 Blackburn, 64 Todd, 76 Berry DNF, 08 Hector DNF, 6 M.Olsick DNF Lap leaders: 43 Claibourne 1-10, 68 Zema 11-13, 43 Claibourn 14-24, Zema 25 |
