Aug 24, 2012 11:05 PM EDT
Donnie Lawson Scores Second Sportsman Win of Season at Black Rock
Rich Vleck, DUNDEE, NY, (August 24, 2012)- It has not been a typical season for Donnie Lawson at the Black Rock Speedway, but for the second time this year he was able to visit Victory Lane, a spot on the grounds he is very familiar with.
Lawson, of Woodhull, NY, notched his second checkered flag in the last four Hoselton Sportsman races to and kept the discussion open for the championship with one race remaining, something that has not even been his focus in Dundee this season.
“We’ve came here this year not worrying about points and basically bringing a different car here each week with new setups,” explained Lawson. “We have been getting closer and tonight we were pretty good.”
Lawson started in third and once taking second started to chomp the gap down on early leader Nicole Hoag. The first caution on lap eight opened up the door for Donnie Lawson to take the lead on the restart. On the first attempt he was unsuccessful, but a lap later he peddled hard around the outside and took command of the field for good
“I thought I was catching (Hoag) some before the caution but she was pretty quick,” added Lawson. “I know I can usually roll people on the outside there but she was tough, she raced me clean.”
Two late-race restarts would force Lawson to remain solid on single-file restarts, but they would be no issue for the three-time track champion to score the win.
Nicole Hoag was able to hang on for a career-best second place, while Fran Hilton backed up his heat win with a third place effort. Randy McCulloch and John Venuto rounded out the top five while point leader Brady Fultz was 10th after getting collected in a lap eight incident.
John Waters has been the dominant force of the late model division this season, but in his seventh win in the ninth race of the season, he declared that it was the best his car was the entire season at BRS.
Waters, of Whitesville, won his third race in a row in convincing fashion. Mikey Wonderling gave him some challenges early on but as the race went along, Waters made it look easy. In the process, he was able to lock up the his first BRS Track Championship with a weak to spare.
As Waters drove away to the win, Brian Knowles was able to hang on for his third runner-up finish of the year. His brother Jason was third after being involved in the race’s final caution on lap 13 when he was spun around and went to the back along with Mikey Wonderling. Chris Peacock was fourth while Wonderling rounded out the top five.
In the third and final feature of the season at BRS for the Original Pizza Logs 600 Sprint Tour, the leaders kept their foot to the floor, putting passing at a premium. Ben Kysor had a strong car though, and his persistence would pay off as he would scoot by Darryl Ruggles and score his first career win in Dundee.
Kysor of Dansville, claimed his second career tour win, passing Ruggles on lap 12 after breathing down his right rear tire for seven laps before finally crossing over and driving underneath the No. 48Jr and then driving away in the late stages to put his No. 40 in Victory Lane.
Ruggles was able to hang on for second with A.J. Bogino a close third. Series point leader Tyler Walker was fourth while heat winner Kevin Carlson rounded out the top five.
Nate Daggett had the top three in the street stock point standings breathing down his No. 3D for the entire 20-lap feature, but he was able to prevail for his second win of the year.
Daggett, out of Dresden, won his heat race and lead from the drop of the green flag from the outside pole to withstand the advances of point leader Chris Fisher early on and then youngster Dylan Cecce in the late stages to earn a trip to Victory Lane.
Daggett ran the middle of the race track while Fisher and Cecce went low and lower to try to get by. As the race stretched along though Daggett’s No. 3D only got better and he was able to prevent any late-race manuvers by Cecce to grab the win. Cecce, Fisher, Bob Buono and Rich Sharpsteen I completed the top five.
At the end of the night, the IMCA Modifieds put on quite a show in a 20-lap caution-free event. Rich Karlnoski led the entire way, but Phil Yaw and Mike Smith, the top two in points were breathing down his neck the entire way.
Yaw searched for all sorts of lines to move by “Dick in the Dirt”, but Karlnoski used his years of the experience getting around his hometown track to score his fourth win of the season. Yaw was just inches away from the No. 55x at the line, with Mike Smith in third. Bruce Tinsley finished in fourth for the sixth time the season while Tony Harris completed the top five.
In one of the wildest races of the season, Rich Sharpsteen II outdueled Scott Bradley in the Signs Plus of Kanona 4-Cylinder feature for his eighth win of the year.
Sharpsteen started out the outside pole and quickly jumped into the lead which for many, including Rich, meant that the race was likely his. But on a lap four restart, Scott Bradley came tearing up through the pack and, surprising the point leader on lap eight and taking command of the field. Sharpsteen would answer though on lap 12 taking the top spot back.
The top two would swap the lead another two times, with Sharspteen having just enough steam to hang on for the win over Bradley. As Sharpsteen was driving underneath the checkered flags, his right rear was going down and was flat by the time he reached Victory Lane. James Kreidler III was third across the line but would later be disqualified upon technical inspection, which handed over the top five spots to Russ Wassner, Del Cummings and Zach Teed and secure the championship for Sharpsteen.
In a bizarre FWD 4-Cylinder Feature, James Werner came from his dead-last starting spot to score his second win of the month in the divison.
Werner inherited the lead with one lap left when leader Brian Grant’s No. 46 suffered a major mechanical failure in turns three and four after leading the entire distance. Werner would have no issue on the final circuit and hold off Jamie Eldridge Jr. and Alyssa Duby.
Joey Rodbourn season has been a struggle to say the least but without mechanical issues impacting him, he was able to hit his marks and become the fifth different feature winner in the bandit division this season.
Rodbourn rocketed away from the pole and had a healthy lead when the caution flag flew on lap eight to have his lead evaporate. On the restart, Justin Eldridge and Allison Teed split the leader heading into turn one, but he would not give up and hit his mark perfectly in the corner to regain the lead and not look back to claim the win.
Eldridge was able to cross in second while Teed was in third. Behind them were Lance Irwin and Brandon Mathews, the top two in points entering the night, who got tangled up while battling for the runner-up spot on lap eight and who were forced to come from the back to salvage their points position.
Black Rock Speedway Results: 8/24/2012-
BRS/Raceway 5 Challenge Night
Hoselton Auto Mall Crate Sportsman Feature (20 Laps)- DONNIE LAWSON, Nicole Hoag, Fran Hilton, Randy McCulloch, John Venuto, Dale Welty, Ross Vleck, Loren Lincoln, Ray Bliss, Brady Fultz, Brent Ayers, Josh Butler, Brett Buono, Josh Butler, Gary Hotelling, Josh Livingston, Chris Silvers, Joe Cook Jr., Brian McKelhey (DNS).
Lap Leader- Hoag 1-9, Lawson 10-20.
Heat Winners- Hilton, Lawson.
Late Model Feature (20 Laps)- JOHN WATERS, Brian Knowles, Jason Knowles, Chris Peacock, Mikey Wonderling, Wally Wade, Bill Miller, Steve LeBarron, Quinn Sutherland, Les McCann, Carl Cleveland, Jared Hill, J.J. Mazur, Bruce Miller, Bob Babbitt (DNS).
Lap Leaders- Waters 1-20.
Heat Winners- Mikey Wonderling, Mazur.
Original Pizza Logs 600 Sprint Tour Feature (20 Laps)- BEN KYSOR, Darryl Ruggles, A.J. Bogino, Tyler Walker, Kevin Carlson, Matt Smith, Megan Allen, Alyssa Ruggles, Clayton Brewer III, Josh Azzi, Nate Hendrix, Kirsten Dombroski, Bob Finley Jr., Dan Naegele, Hank Stanhope, Val Stephens, John Smith, Dominic Fuller, Colton Wilson, Cody Shurgot.
Lap Leaders- D. Ruggles 1-11, Kysor 12-20.
Heat Winners- Wilson, Carlson, Kysor.
Street Stock Feature (20 Laps)- NATE DAGGETT, Dylan Cecce, Chris Fisher, Bob Buono, Rich Sharpteen I, Larry Fenton Jr., Jeremy Perkins, Byron Dewitt, Todd Hayward, Jessica Pruden, Erica Bell, Chuck Winslow, Mike Jackson, Les McCann, Jeff Elliott (DNS), Jake Karlnoski (DNS), Dave Matwiejow (DNS).
Lap Leaders- Daggett 1-20.
Heat Winners- Daggett, Fisher.
IMCA Modified Feature (20 Laps)- RICH KARLNOSKI, Phil Yaw, Mike Smith, Bruce Tinsley, Tony Harris, Dave Yehl, Jared Spaulding, Rob Wilcox, Scott Sebring.
Lap Leaders- Tinsley 1, Karlnoski 2-20.
Heat Winner- Karlnoski.
Signs Plus of Kanona/ Watkins Glen NAPA 4-Cylinder Feature (20 Laps)- RICH SHARPSTEEN II, Scott Bradley, Russ Wassner, Del Cummings, Zach Teed, Bobby Teed, Val Stephens, Chris Bulmahn, Bubba VanCise, Jeremy Trank, Erick Bell, Donna Bliss, Harold Fenton Jr., Jayson Smart, Billy Cagle, Brad Rathbun, James Kreidler III (DQ), Chad Ayers (DNS), Ron Butler (DNS).
Lap Leaders- Sharpsteen 1-7, Bradley 8-11, Sharpsteen 12-15, Bradley 16, Sharpsteen 17-20.
Heat Winners- Teed, Sharpsteen.
Front Wheel Drive 4 Cylinder Feature (12 Laps)- JAMES WERNER, Jamie Eldridge Jr., Alyssa Duby, Karl Werner, Steven Rogers, Zach Curren, Brian Grant, Craig Mahrt, Jamie Eldridge Sr. (DQ).
Lap Leaders- Eldridge 1, Grant 2-10, J. Werner 11-12.
Heat Winner- Grant.
