PERLEY TOPS LAST YEAR’S WIN TOTAL WITH A VICTORY AT THE WORLD SERIES

Thompson, CT – Chris Perley put a cap on another phenomenal race season by adding the ISMA portion of the Thompson World series to his feature win list on Sunday. His eleventh win of the year topped his record-breaking ten win total of 2006. It also upped his All-Time ISMA wins to 50. While he had already claimed his fourth ISMA-Wirtgen championship, the victory was satisfying nonetheless. His main competition was once again Dave McKnight and for a while it seemed like Canadians were everywhere near the front fighting for the win. But, at the end, it was the Rowley Rocket carrying the checkered flag around the Connecticut oval.

" It was tough out there," said Chris in victory lane. "I knew Dave and Mike were going to be my toughest competitors because of the way they both were running yesterday in the heats. For a while I didn’t have much for Dave. I was just trying to keep in touch with him. He’d get through the lap traffic and he’d get some distance on me. So I just tried to stay with him. He ended up getting a little tight. I was a little loose. Then my car kind of came around toward the end. I didn’t know if I could stick on the outside but I thought if I could show him a wheel I might be able to hold him down. That was the only shot I had.

"What a race. This is just awesome. I want to thank everybody for coming out and watching us here today. I hope we put on a good show. My R& R engine really came to life today. And thanks Ed Shea, what a benefit he’s been to our team. All my sponsors are important. I just can’t say enough about my crew and my car owner. To win another championship this year is unbelievable. It’s been one heck of a season. I’m just really proud to be part of this team. I have to say a special thanks to my family for putting up with me while I do this. My wife and kids, my dad at work - all of my family– they are the ones that give me the opportunity. I couldn’t do it without them."

Dave McKnight caught up to his teammate and race leader Mike Lichty just before halfway of the 50-lapper, taking over the lead with a move on the front straight. But, McKnight, in an oft-repeated scene this season, lost the point to Perley just thirteen laps shy of the finish. The Brampton, Ontario driver has become resigned to finishing second to the champ. "Hats off to the whole team. Hats off to Paul and Glenn of Fourth and Fourth Racing. They built us a great motor this year. What can I say? Chris has been dominant all season. Here I am second again. This is getting old. Hey what can you do? He’s raised the bar. But, we’re getting close. We just have to tune up a little bit more and then we’ll see what happens next year."

Another Canadian followed McKnight to the finish. Mark Sammut capped off a great season also with a third place in the race and a possible third place in points after the tallies are in. "I’ve got to hand it to Chris Perley and Vic. They are the class of the field. Dave and Mike were definitely faster than we were today. We were decent all day, all weekend really. But we ran our own race and at the end of the day we were happy to finish third. I think we may have ended up third in points and if we did that would jack up a good year."

Joe Petro and Ohioan Gene Lee Gibson, in his first Thompson appearance since 1995, led the way to green. Petro grabbed the lead for one lap before Mike Lichty stormed past in three to take over, trying one more time to get that elusive first ISMA win. Petro stayed in second until young Michael Barnes took over on lap 7.

Caution flew for Vern Romanoski one lap later with pitstops being made by Lou Cicconi and Bentley Warren, driving the LaPrade 68. Romanoski and Warren restarted at the tail while Cicconi was out of the action.

Three laps after the restart, Dave McKnight moved past Petro for third and began pursuit of Lichty and Barnes while Perley moved into fifth.

Jamie Timmons brought out the next yellow with a broken wing strut. John Payne and Jeff Holbrook pulled in here with Holbrook ending his day.

McKnight, a master of restarts, used this one to take over second with Barnes, a relative newcomer to the winged scene, left to try his best to hold back Perley. On lap 16 he lost the battle as the 11 moved into third.

The top four began to dive in and out of heavy traffic as Mark Sammut stayed in touch in fifth. Barnes began to drift back as 22 clicked on the counter leaving Lichty, McKnight and Perley to battle alone. McKnight came away with the lead on lap 24 leaving Lichty to now fend off Perley. Barnes, Sammut, Doug Didero and Gibson were still in healthy pursuit.

Perley moved into second one lap later and the race between the 94 and 11 was on again. In and out of traffic the duo darted while Barnes moved back into third, as Lichty appeared to be slowing while his teammate seemed to be getting faster out front.

Barnes’ great run ended in the wall between three and four when something may have broken in the Double Deuce Racing 22, putting him on his side against the cement. While the track was being cleared Joe Petro called it a night at the same time.

The restart of this lap failed when Lichty stopped between one and two with a flat tire. He got in and made the change and restarted at the rear.

Again the restart did not make muster as Bobby Haynes Jr. pulled off the track with flames and fluid spewing from the 44. He too was done for the day. Joey Payne, trying to help keep the Lehnert 92 in the top ten in points, made a last pit.

When the green finally fell, it was Perley and McKnight fighting tooth and nail for the lead, almost brushing at one point until Perley came out on top to lead lap 37 and the rest of the way home to victory. The win was Chris’ fifth in the 34-years of World Series supermodified action. McKnight was unchallenged for second while Sammut had taken over Lichty’s third spot earlier. Doug Didero moved into fourth with Lichty charging back up for fifth. The battle for sixth between Mike Ordway Jr., Justin Belfiore and Scott Martel was won by Ordway. Belfiore, Martel, Otto Sitterly and Dave Trytek finished up the top ten.

SUMMARY

Saturday, Oct. 13 qualifying:

Heat 1: Dave McKnight, Gene Lee Gibson, Joey Payne, Jeff Holbrook, Lou Cicconi, Bobby Haynes Jr., Scott Martel, Bobby Bond, Craig Rayvals, Randy Wimert

Heat 2: Chris Perley, Joe Petro, Mark Sammut, Doug Didero, Mike Ordway Jr., Dave Trytek, Johnny Payne, Eric Lewis, Bob Timmons Sr., Bentley Warren

Heat 3: Mike Lichty, Michael Barnes, Justin Belfiore, Jamie Timmons, Brandon Bellinger, Bobby Magner, Vern Romanoski, Otto Sitterly, Bob Timmons Jr., Mike Keeler, Jeff Abold

Consi: Otto Sitterly, Bobby Bond, Eric Lewis, Craig Rayvals, Bob Timmons Sr., Bentley Warren, Bob Timmons Jr., Randy Wimert, Mike Keeler, Jeff Abold.

Rob Summers (blown motor in practice dns). Eric Emhoff (mechanical dns)

ISMA-WIRTGEN World Series 50.

1. Chris Perley (11), 2. Dave McKnight (94), 3. Mark Sammut (78), 4. Doug Didero (61), 5. Mike Lichty (84), 6. Mike Ordway Jr. (10), 7. Justin Belfiore (8), 8. Scott Martel (88), 9. Otto Sitterly (6), 10. Dave Trytek (70), 11. Brandon Bellinger (02), 12. Bobby Bond (25), 13. Bentley Warren (68), 14. Vern Romanoski (5), 15. Joey Payne Jr. (92), 16. Michael Barnes (22), 17. Bobby Haynes Jr, (44), 18. Joe Petro (33), 19. Bobby Magner (40), 20. Gene Lee Gibson (0), 21. Eric Lewis (28), 22. Johnny Payne (67), 23. Jamie Timmons (27), 24. Jeff Holbrook (35), 25. Lou Cicconi (75), 26. Bob Timmons Sr. (13), 27. Craig Rayvals (95), 28. Rob Summers (97) dns,

JUSTIN BELFIORE TAKES HIS FIRST ALL-STAR CLASSIC AND THIRD CAREER ISMA WIN

Epping, NH – Ipswich, Mass. driver Justin Belfiore took a dominating win of the All-Star Classic Saturday night – a race he’d always dreamed of winning. He led the way after the first segment of the race, reformatted this year into two 75-lap segments. He then went on to dominate the second portion, especially after ISMA point leader Chris Perley had been eliminated late in the first race in a hard crash off the first turn. Justin acquired his third career ISMA-Wirtgen race by taking the prestigious Classic win and he also was able to give his young son Justin, a sweet birthday present to remember.

"I can’t believe it," said Belfiore in victory lane. "The lap traffic was kind of tough. I’ve been doing this for a long time. I had a perfect car. My luck finally held out. I ran lean in practice and the team made it just right. I thought Chris was going to be tough there as the race went on. He and I were kind of swapping spots a couple times but then he got in that accident. I didn’t know if I had anyone to race with. He was the only one that was passing cars the way I was.

"First of all I’d like to wish my son a happy birthday. It’s his birthday. He was born on the Star Classic like five years ago. This is pretty cool. And, D&G Modular Homes, without them I wouldn’t even be racing. I’ve been through a lot of bad luck the past few weeks and I’ll tell you I would be here without him. My father – what can I say? He gave me a perfect racecar. He’s heart and soul with this car. He’s out in the garage every single night. I don’t know how he puts up with me. I don’t even know what to say. I’m at a loss for words."

After a rearranging of the order after a scoring check, Jeff Holbrook, driving the Brian Allegresso built 35, was determined the second place finisher. Jeff was a tired, but ecstatic guy in the post-race interview back in the pits. "I started 19th and finished 2nd. The longer the car ran, the better it got and the more tired I got. I’m ready to run some twin 35’s somewhere instead of 75. Seriously, the season has been disappointing for Brian and those guys. I was just glad that I could get my head together and do a good job today. It’s my best finish ever with a wing on. I’m sorry Bobby and Dave didn’t have better luck. This is a tough track. I don’t think I ran the right line until the last 25 laps. Brian was working with me all weekend to get me to drive the right groove. I finally got it at the end there. The highlight of my race was passing Russ Wood because I look up to Russell after him driving my cars before. That was fun chasing him down and passing him. And, passing Bentley, too. They are two of the greats."

The third place finisher was none other than five-time Classic winner Russ Wood. Wood had been thought to be a lap down, as had been Holbrook, but the recheck said no. Driving the Martel Motorsports 14, Russ had come to life in the second half, ala Classics of old. Car owner Scotty Martel said it best. "Russell Wood was driving like the Russell Wood of old. The changes we made after the first 75 obviously worked. He drove his butt off. He gave us a 100% just like we knew he would."

Russ was elated with a top five, wherever it might be and it was third. "We’re really happy with a top five. The guys worked really hard all day on the car and they got it in good shape. We lasted the whole thing. Everyone had to deal with the two 75’s, which was kind of cool. It changed the whole strategy of the race. I did get into Jon McKennedy there. I made a mistake and I feel bad about that. I hit him in the left rear and spun him around. It was a racing thing. All in all we’re happy to be here in one piece. I liked the two segments. It allowed the guys who were hurting to change things and come back in the second part. It might have made it a little more interesting or Justin might have lapped the whole field."

The first half of the 150 lapper started with Mark Sammut into the wall, but able to restart. Bob Magner, from the pole quickly took the point with Kyle Carpenter, in the Roundy 76, right behind. While this young duo maintained the front spots, the cars behind were playing out their strategy as Jon McKennedy, in the Dunigan Motorsports 79, Robbie Summers and Lou Cicconi third through fifth.

A yellow slowed the race on lap 20 with Scotty Martel going off the first turn in sparks. On the restart of this lap, Jeff Holbrook spun around but regained his car and went to the rear to start his trek forward.

Magner, Carpenter, McKennedy, Cicconi and Summers awaited the onslaught as Joe Petro, Mike Lichty, and Jamie Timmons tried to hold off Chris Perley and Justin Belfiore who looked to be the fast men. Jeffrey Abold in his first-ever visit to All-Star and Mike Ordway Jr. were running wheel to wheel next in line.

Lap 34 saw Robbie Summers making contact with the Cicconi 75 and both went pit side.

A couple more quick cautions fell between 35 and 37, one a precautionary for Perley, who bobbled and then kept going. The second was for Mike Lichty who was having car problems.

With twenty-two laps to go in segment one and Magner well out front, yellow flew for John Payne who had spun in turn three. Unfortunately, a slowing Kyle Carpenter in front of Chris Perley, who had just moved into third, caught the 11 up and sent him hard into the wall off turn one. His quest for a third Classic win was over before halfway.

One more yellow on lap 54 came before the first 75 was checkered when Dave Trytek and John Payne came together. Both restarted.

Justin Belfiore, who had moved methodically forward was now third behind Magner and Carpenter. After the restart, he was second. On lap 57, Justin swung the Belfiore-built 8 around leader Magner and off he went.

Justin Belfiore quickly built to his huge lead. Bob Magner, Carpenter, McKennedy, Petro, Jamie Timmons, Abold, Ordway Jr., Wood and Bentley Warren were the unofficial top ten at the break.

Due to the lateness of the hour after rain had put a delay on the day’s activities earlier, only a short time elapsed before the start of the next 75, which would never be completed.

Belfiore had a couple lap cars in line behind him on the straight up restart and off he went, leaving second Carpenter, having lost power steering, McKennedy and Abold were waging one great battle behind.

On lap 22 Abold and McKennedy brushed sending Abold out of his first Classic. A few more yellows affected Jamie Timmons, Mike Lichty and Magner with Timmons the only returner here. On lap 28 Russ Wood slid into McKennedy to send him out. The top ten runners were being eliminated rapidly.

Justin was well in command as the race resumed. Wood, Petro, Holbrook, Haynes, Ordway Jr. and Timmons were about the only lead lap cars remaining as Justin charged around his hometown track. Unfortunately, while the laps wound down, so did the time, which was mandated the race end at midnight.

Haynes, who had finished top ten in the Oswego Classic the previous weekend, saw his second top ten fail with a smoking car and a black flag on lap 56.

Jamie Timmons, running fifth, was about to befall the Belfiore charge when yellow flew on lap 65. Time was up for the race at that point and the checkered was thrown shortly thereafter. The clock tolled midnight and end of the race. Justin Belfiore was the certain winner, dominating much of the race while Joe Petro and Jamie Timmons was called to the podium. Unfortunately they were moved back a few spots after the recheck.

Petro said briefly not quite accepting a second place in victory lane, "At the beginning of the race my car was really good and at the end it was super loose. It was pushing. We didn’t know what to do at the break there so we just left it. We haven’t run the entire season this year and this is great."

Timmons wasn’t really sure where he was either. "I’m not really sure how I made it. We made some changes after the first yellow. We put a different right rear on and tightened up the stagger. Tonight wherever I finished – it’s a good run. I have to thank everyone who helped me out and everybody who’s stayed with me through the years. And my sponsors Red’s Speed Shop, Woody’s Auto and Kinglsey Automotive. It’s good to come back to the home track where I used to run the small block and have a great run in the Classic."

SUMMARY ALL-STAR CLASSIC 150

Time Trials: Fastest time Chris Perley 11.696.

Top twelve time trials inverted for start with next four in line.

Perley, Lichty, Abold, Ordway Jr., Summers, Cicconi, Martel, Timmons, McKennedy, Petro, Carpenter, Magner, Belfiore, Wood, Lewis and McKnight, top 16.

Consi 1 (4 qualify): Mark Sammut, Jeff Holbrook, John Payne, Bob Haynes Jr., Brandon Bellinger, Billy Buyck, Kelly Miller

Consi 2 (3 qualify): Dave Trytek, Vern Romanoski, Bentley Warren, RD Timmons, Larry Lehnert, Eric Emhoff (dns) Timmons Jr. and Sanborn eliminated in warm-ups.

All-Star Classic 150 (shortened): 1. Justin Belfiore (8), 2. Jeff Holbrook (35), 3. Russ Wood (14), 4. Joe Petro (33), 5. Jamie Timmons (27), 6. Mike Ordway Jr. (10), 7. Vern Romanoski (5), 8. Dave Trytek (70), 9, Bob Magner (40), 10. Bob Haynes Jr. (44), 11. Mark Sammut (78), 12. Jon McKennedy (79), 13. Bentley Warren (71), 14. Robbie Summers (97), 15. Jeff Abold (95), 16. Kyle Carpenter (76), 17. Mike Lichty (84), 18. John Payne (67), 19. Chris Perley (11), 20. Dave McKnight (94), 21. Lou Cicconi (75), 22. Scott Martel (88), 23. Larry Lehnert (92), 24. Eric Lewis (28)

DAVE SHULLICK JR TAKES ISMA SUPER NATIONALS FRIDAY NIGHT; CHRIS PERLEY LOOSES LEAD ON LAST LAP

Oswego, NY – It looked like Chris Perley was well on his way to win number ten on the ISMA-Wirtgen season Friday night at Oswego’s Bud Light Super Nationals. Perley took the white flag and suddenly the yellow flew for the Vic Miller 11 when a pass attempt at a slower car failed. Perley was able to get restarted but the road ahead was long and the race was short. Ohio’s Dave Shullick Jr. was quite capable of taking over for Perley after chasing him for half the 50-lap event. Dave easily pulled away from Joey Payne, driving the Cicconi 75 and young Mike Ordway Jr. to take the $5,000 win. It was the first ISMA win for car owner Steve Stout and Shullick’s career second.

Dave said, following a ride around the Big O before a cheering crowd, "This is awesome. It was a great run. The crew gives me a great car every time out. We didn’t have the best car here today. We probably had the second best car. Chris had it hands down. I almost spun myself out a couple of times trying to keep up with him. It was unfortunate for him, but we’ll take them any way we can get them. We made a really drastic change because the car was tight. The car was really good early but it got really loose toward the end of the race. It was a handful toward the end. But it worked out. I’d like to say congratulations to Steve Stout. He’s tried for a long time to get his first ISMA win and this is it. Congratulations to him and his whole team."

The second place finisher was Joey Payne who was in his first super ride in over two years. Aboard Lou Cicconi’s 75 for the first time that day, Payne started fifth on the field of 26 moving quickly into third where he stayed much of the race until Perley’s demise put him second. Payne would have liked to step it up one notch to dedicate a win to his lost NJ comrade, John Blewett who would have been behind the wheel of the same car Friday night had things been different. "I’ve got to thank Liquid Lou and the whole Cicconi team. They gave me a great car. It’s great to be back here at Oswego racing a super. It’s been a couple years of a dry spell for me. To come back here and finish second and to be contending for the win – it doesn’t get any better than that. I’d like to thank the fans for coming out. I wish we could have gotten the win for John Blewett. He was a good friend. He drove this car at Mansfield. He was looking forward to driving it car this weekend at Oswego. It’s a great loss and we’re going to miss him a lot."

The mover of the race had to be Ordway Jr. who had time trialed poorly then had a mishap in his heat. He started fifteenth in the strong field but moved tenaciously through the pack in his first race at Oswego Speedway where his father had claimed so much glory. Mikey’s road to the third was a tough one and exciting to watch.

Said Ordway Jr. on the podium, "I wish we could have gotten a win, but we’ll take third. I just have to thank my sponsors – Harrington Trucking, Vinal Excavating, Glenn Shanks Oil, and Wirtgen. It’s always been a dream to come here to Oswego and race. Now I finally haven gotten here in a super. I just drove the wheels off of it. It was bad luck for Perley and that kind of stinks. I have to thank the Perley crew because they helped me a ton. I wish we could have gotten Joey (Payne) at the end but we didn’t have anything for him today."

Mark Sammut and Eric Shirey sat on the front row for the 14th annual Bud Light Super Nationals and it was Sammut out front from the green. The determined Canadian took off to a good lead over Kelly Miller and Joey Payne until yellows bunched the field on lap 7 and then again on lap 11 as several cars were struggling to find the setup, including Bob Magner and Dave Trytek of the Holbrook stable.

On each restart Perley was picking off a car or two and by lap 11’s restart he was third having just gotten Dave Shullick Jr. One lap later he was second. With a move off turn two on lap 14, Perley took control. Sammut stayed second with Miller, Shullick, Payne, Lichty, McKnight and Ordway Jr. the next in line.

Yellow flew again on lap 23 affecting Jeff Holbrook as a number of cars dove in and out of the pits. History repeated on the restart as several jumbles sent cars flying. This time hooks brought in Shirey and Joe Scanlon while Lilje and Cicconi, driving for Soule Racing, declared their nights finished. Vern Romanoski limped in and out as Justin Belfiore, Holbrook and defending race champ Bentley Warren made pit stops.

On each restart Perley pulled easily away. Lap 29 saw another quick yellow for Rich Reid and this would be the last until the last lap flag flew for the Rowley Rocket himself.

While Perley cruised out front, Dave Shullick Jr. tried to catch up, driving as hard as he could. Kelly Miller held off Mark Sammut, Payne, Ordway and Dave McKnight. Unfortunately McKnight was under penalty for a jump on the lap 29 restart. As the laps wore down rapidly now, Miller’s 16 began to falter and he slid backwards. He would be Perley’s demise as he slid back to meet Perley coming in from behind. Coming up in the field was Greg Furlong who suddenly was on fire as he came around Miller, running seventh on lap 41.

With Perley in command at the point, Payne and Ordway Jr. – the vet and the kid – put on a show for third behind Shullick as Sammut and McKnight (not yet serving his penalty) held off Furlong.

Perley took the white flag and suddenly a half a lap later, yellow flew and the Miller 11 sat on the backstretch in a cloud of smoke. Perley described the events as only Perley can, which led to the yellow. "I had been trying to get around this guy. Maybe I shouldn’t have. I tried to get under and he came across in front of me. If I didn’t hit the brakes I would have run over him."

Perley was pushed away to the rear and the race resumed with Dave Shullick Jr., Payne Ordway Jr., Furlong and Sammut the top five under the checkers shortly thereafter.

Mike Lichty, Kelly Miller, Bentley Warren, Rob Summers and Vern Romanoski finished up the top ten.

SUMMARY BUD LIGHT SUPER NATIONALS

Time Trials: Chris Perley, fastest, 15.742

Top 18 inverted into heats.

Heat 1: Mark Sammut, Moe Lilje, Jeff Holbrook, Dave McKnight, Bentley Warren, Jason Spaulding, Bob Haynes Jr., Howard Page, Dave Trytek, Bob Magner (dns)

Heat 2: Dave Shullick Jr., Mike Lichty, Eric Shirey, Justin Belfiore, Lou Cicconi, Greg Furlong, Jamie Timmons, Gene Gibson, Terry Gibson, Larry Lehnert

Heat 3: Chris Perley, Joey Payne, Kelly Miller, Robbie Summers, Mike Ordway Jr., Joey Scanlon, Vern Romanoski, Dave Sanborn, Charlie Shultz, Rich Reid

Consi: Howie Page, Dave Trytek, Bob Magner, Dave Sanborn, Rich Reid, Larry Lehnert, Jamie Timmons, Terry Gibson

Super Nationals 50: 1. Dave Shullick Jr. (49), 2. Joey Payne (75), 3. Mike Ordway Jr. (10), 4. Greg Furlong (72), 5. Mark Sammut (78), 6. Mike Lichty (84), 7. Kelly Miller (16), 8. Bentley Warren (71) 9. Rob Summers (97), 10. Vern Romanoski (5), 11. Bobby Haynes Jr. (44), 12. Chris Perley (11), 13. Rich Reid (55), 14. Dave McKnight (94), 15. Bob Magner (40), 16. Dave Trytek (70), 17. Justin Belfiore (8), 18. Dave Sanborn (24), 19. Jeff Holbrook (35), 20. Eric Shirey (V2), 21. Joey Scanlon (51), 22. Lou Cicconi Jr. (32), 23. Moe Lilje (19), 24. Jason Spaulding (23), 25. Larry Lehnert (92), 26. Howie Page (18).

PERLEY STANDS ALONE ATOP THE ISMA ALL-TIME FEATURE WIN LIST AFTER TAKING OXFORD MAINE CLASSIC 75 SATURDAY NIGHT

Oxford, Maine – Saturday night’s drive for the checkered for Chris Perley was like any other of late except this ninth win of the ISMA-Wirtgen season also placed him atop the ISMA All-Time feature win list passing Bentley Warren and Russ Wood who held the one-two spots until recently. At Oxford Plains Speedway, ironically, Perley had to pass the legendary Warren driving one of the cars that has brought the Rowley driver to that pinnacle. Warren took the lead in the Oxford Maine Classic on lap 14 but lost it to Perley on lap 21restart for a 3-car tangle happened right in front of both the Vic Miller machines. Perley is still amazing himself at what he has done since the start of last season.

"I was out there knowing that I had the old car and that Bentley had the newer car," said Chris. "And, you know something, old things just don’t go away. I figured I was going to be out there racing against Bentley instead of myself. I just wanted the lead and I figured if anybody was going to go by me I was going to make him work for it. I can’t believe we took the lead in the ISMA All-Time feature wins list. To be in that company is just amazing. I just want to say hats off to all the crew because this car is awesome. Anybody can see it. It’s a blast to drive and I can’t believe I just keep ending up here in victory lane."

And, he paused after almost wrecking his 11 in a post-race attempt at a donut as an errant super was heading back to the pits, to thank all those people who have helped bring him to this level. "I have awesome motors by R&R Competition Engines. Ed Shea Concrete has helped us so much with the engine program and all the way through the car. We have Perley’s Marina and Blink’s Fry Doe now, New England Motor Racing Supply, Barrett’s Transportation, Cook’s Enterprises and a whole bunch of people that back me in each and every race. I just want to say thanks to all my sponsors and to all the fans that hung around to watch. I hope we gave you something to watch tonight."

The sage Bentley Warren smiled broadly after his run and as he listened to the crowd applause which accompanies his every race achievement. "This was fun," said the man of few words. "I had a good time. The car ran wicked good. I tried to stay out front but Chris just goes too fast. He’s just so good."

Robbie Summers brought the Lane 97 home for a podium finish at Oxford after a fifth place at Lee. It was tough going through the traffic after an early pit stop. "We had some problems there at the beginning and had to pit. The car started to come on and we worked back up from the rear to battle by Sammut and Lichty for fourth. That probably would have been it had Vern not pulled out late in the race. Thanks again to Howie and the crew for their hard work."

After three qualifying heats won by Justin Belfiore, Dave Trytek and Perley, Mike Keeler and Vern Romanoski sat on the front row for the 75-lap main. Romanoski, from Strong, Maine, was determined to put on a show for his friends, family and fans in attendance. Unfortunately in a scene from at Lee, only one lap was in the books before caution flew. This time a nasty accident took place when Dave McKnight caught a wheel coming out of turn four, sending him hard into the front straight concrete. Dave was shaken after the hit and was transported to a Lewiston Hospital for a thorough checkup.

After the red Romanoski took up the lead and began to pull away only to have the yellow fly on lap 6 for a spin by Bob Timmons’ 31. Brandon Bellinger went pit side on this one.

Back underway; Vern soon had Kennebunkport’s Bentley Warren breathing down his neck. The two Maine residents took charge out front as Romanoski held off the 71 with Scotty Martel, Jon Gambuti and Perley third through fifth. Mike Keeler’s 56 brought out the yellow on lap 11 to slow the action. The 10 of Mikey Ordway swung into the pits at his crew’s request and then re=entered the fray.

This yellow was Romanoski’s demise as the 66-year old Warren drove past on the outside in the backstretch to take over the lead on lap 14. Bentley only was out front two laps before the 56 brushed the back straight wall hard, with yellow flying. He was able to continue and this time Robbie Summers used the time to pit quickly.

As Bentley held a solid lead with Romanoski right behind, eyes were on the "other" black and orange car of Perley who had methodically worked up to third. Perley worked Vern high and low for a couple laps and then made his move. The powerful front duo of Warren and Perley didn’t have much time to pull away as a three-car pileup occurred right as the 71 and 11 approached to lap on the fast 3/8ths. Jamie Timmons, Bob Timmons and Keeler were involved.

Perley had the "old man" in his sites on the restart and punched it out of two to take the lead. Justin Belfiore’s 8 also used the restart to take third from Romanoski.

Perley, as has been the norm, set the car on cruise and pulled away from teammate Warren as Belfiore, Romanoski and Scotty Martel stayed top five trailed by Mark Sammut, Mikey Ordway Jr and Mike Lichty. Two more yellows flew for spins on laps 24 and 26 by Timmons and Keeler. Keeler was called pit side for his third encounter.

The slowdown allowed Bentley and Belfiore to close the gap on Perley and away they went weaving through some tough traffic with finesse. Belfiore was on fire and on lap 34 he charged by Bentley and had only the 11 in his way to a potential win. Unfortunately for Justin, the 8’s motor blew big time on lap 36 and red was called for cleanup and a refueling.

Romanoski had his third place back and Bentley his second place but now a long green stretch found the dynamic duo leaving the country as they dove in and out of some pretty scary traffic. Romanoski kept them in sight but the battle was now between Mark Sammut. Robbie Summers and Lichty as they were three wide at times all going for fourth. When Summers and Sammut finally claimed their real estate, Scotty Martel, Mike Lichty and Mike Ordway Jr were the next trio to watch as the laps ticked away.

With ten to go it was evident that nothing was stopping the front two except another yellow. It came on lap 72 when Larry Lehnert drove off the track in three and came back on in four. As the lineup was sorting out for the final laps, Vern Romanoski’s 5 slowed suddenly and entered the pits in a heartbreaking conclusion to what would have been his best and probably proudest race to date. Vern recapped the end of his race; "I went down underneath the 14 and got up beside him going into three and four. The 24 was straight ahead of me. I was going to swing in and then swing out and pass him on the outside going into one and two. I believe he said he lost his collector off the exhaust and I ran over it. It got my left front tire, my fuel line and an oil line. We had four laps to go. It would have been nice to finish behind Perley and the legend Bentley. I run one of Bentley’s old numbers, the 5, and it would have been a great finish for me in Maine in front of the people who support me and came out to see me tonight."

With lap cars scattered throughout the running order, Perley and Warren were divided by one or two cars on the restart while Summers, Sammut and Lichty were the top five. Sammut ended his best New England run saying, "The car was awful all day. The only race it was even close was the feature. It was great really for where we came from. We started fourteenth and ended up fourth. We could have had third but Summers was a little stronger than we were at the end. All in all this was a great weekend. We’ll take that anytime. Hopefully we’ll keep plugging away in the points and see what happens."

For Lichty standing in the pits next to his teammates mangled 94, it was a bittersweet fifth. One car is in one piece. It was unfortunate for my teammate Dave. It happened right in front of me. It was a hard impact and I just hope everything is all right with him. We just missed the setup another night. These are two of my worst tracks – Lee and Oxford. I don’t have any enjoyment coming up to these places. But, my car is in one piece and I think we gained a little more on Ordway in points. We’ll just have to keep it up."

ISMA is off until Oswego’s Super Nationals on Friday, Aug. 31 and to the All-Star Speedway Classic featuring a new split 150-lap format with 75 laps each segment.

SUMMARY ISMA-WIRTGEN EVENT #11

Heat #1: Justin Belfiore, Vern Romanoski, Robbie Summers, Jeff Holbrook, Mike Ordway Jr., Bob Timmons, R.D. Timmons, Billy Buyck

Heat #2: Dave Trytek Jamie Timmons, Dave McKnight, Bentley Warren, Mark Sammut, Jon Gambuti, Randy Wimert (Kelly Miller ofn)

Heat #3: Chris Perley, Mike Keeler, Mike Lichty, Scotty Martel, Brandon Bellinger, Dave Sanborn, Larry Lehnert

Oxford Plains Classic 75: 1. Chris Perley (11), 2. Bentley Warren (71), 3. Robbie Summers (97), 4. Mark Sammut (78), 5. Mike Lichty (84), 6. Mike Ordway Jr. (10), 7. Scott Martel (88), 8. Jon Gambuti (14), 9. Dave Trytek (40), 10. Bob Timmons Sr. (13), 11. Dave Sanborn (24), 12. Larry Lehnert (92), 13. Vern Romanoski (5), 14. Randy Wimert (60), 15. Bob Timmons Jr. (31), 16. Jamie Timmons (27), 17. Justin Belfiore (8), 18. Mike Keeler (56), 19. Billy Buyck (38), 20. Brandon Bellinger (02), 21. Dave McKnight (94), 22. Jeff Holbrook (35).

CHRIS PERLEY KEEPS ROLLING AS HE TAKES OLLIE SILVA CLASSIC AT LEE AND TIES WOOD FOR ALL-TIME ISMA WINS

Lee, NH – The Ollie Silva Memorial 75 got off to a real rough start at Lee USA Speedway Friday night but when all was said and done, Chris Perley came away with his eighth win of the season, and a tie for the ISMA All-Time win list. What was purported to be one of the largest crowds in years saw one hometown boy – Perley – take the lead on lap 38 from another hometown boy – Justin Belfiore. Another young hometown boy, Mike Ordway Jr., gained second on lap 42, to chase Perley to the checkers. It was a popular podium finish.

"It’s awesome to bring one home for the hometown crowd. There are so many people who came out. There’s a lot of pressure. You’re afraid you’re going to be an idiot out there. The first lap, the back of the car got drilled. The car lifted up. I was sideways. I thought we were all done. I just got lucky and plugged away. I’m just ecstatic. We’re still on a roll and that new bucket of luck still has some in it, so we’ll keep on rolling on to Oxford. To be tied for the top spot in the ISMA all-time wins is amazing. It’s great to just be among those guys at the top."

Mikey Ordway pressured Belfiore and then Perley, but after loosing brakes on lap 45, settled into a strong second. His running mate of just a week ago, John Blewett III, was on the teenager’s mind all the while. "The car was awesome. It was real loose in practice and I didn’t know how good we were going to be for the feature. We got it fixed up pretty good and I just followed Perley around. We lost the brakes on lap 45 and that made it tough. I wish we could have gotten the win for Johnny Blewett but I’ll take a second to Perley. We’ll keep John in our prayers. And, hopefully we’ll give Perley another run for his money tomorrow night."

Justin Belfiore, coming back after a crash at Sandusky, had a strong run out front before Perley took over. "It was kind of a weird night. My car was good all day. I just think I ran it a little too hard at the beginning. I was hoping I could keep those guys behind me and that the laps would wear down quicker. But, Chris and Mikey were hooked up. I’ll take the third. Those two have been racing every week and they’re into it a little more right now. We’ll be back. We’ve got a good car now."

The race started out with four straight yellows before one lap was in. Affected were Mike Keeler, Kelly Miller, Eric Emhoff, Vern Romanoski, Joe Petro and Bob Timmons Jr. Miller and Emhoff were the only cars not to restart at this juncture.

It was Jon Gambuti, driving the Martel 14, out front when the race finally took hold. Belfiore was right there as was Robbie Summers and Dave McKnight. Belfiore moved in to take the lead from the New Jersey driver on lap 4. As things started to settle into green flag racing, Jeff Holbrook, Scott Martel, Jamie Timmons, Mark Sammut and Chris Perley were the men up front behind the 8 and 14.

Yellow flew again on lap 13 when the 31 spun again and Joe Petro headed into the pits. Billy Buyck in the Bushley 38, also pitted here.

Belfiore charged out front on the restart chased by Dave McKnight who had come by Gambuti and Summers but Justin quickly put some distance between his car and the Canadian.

Things just couldn’t seem to stay green however as poor Belfiore found the field bunched behind him on restarts. One came on lap 18 when Bob Timmons finally parked it and both Dave McKnight and Mike Lichty were pitside. Lichty came back out but McKnight was done. Just as Belfiore pulled away from Gambuti again, yellow flew on lap 21 for Vern Romanoski and Jamie Timmons. Vern got back on track only to find himself sliding into the grass with R.D. Timmons joining him on lap 22.

Finally, the yellow fever was cured and Justin took off out front as Gambuti, Scotty Martel, Summers, Perley, and Ordway began their assault of the front spot. But, as often has been the story this summer, it was Perley making the most moves the fastest. He described it this way. "I realized there was nothing on the bottom and I move way to the outside. Then I basically did kind of a Dale Earnhardt rim riding effect. That was the only place I could get some bite. It seemed to work and it allowed me to save the tires for the end."

By lap 25, Perley was third. On lap 28 he had moved by Gambuti for second as Martel fought his own car in fourth and Mikey Ordway Jr moved into fifth.

Justin was able to hold on until lap 38 when Perley took over the front spot, leaving Belfiore to fend off Mikey Ordway. Gambuti, Martel, Mark Sammut, and Summers were swapping spots just behind.

Lap 42 saw Ordway by Belfiore and the two black and orange machines kept together for a while until Ordway lost brakes and began to fade back from the high flying Rowley driver. Ordway was reported to be smoking with about 20 to go and when the yellow flew on lap 61, he was asked to stop out front for a check while the 55 of Joey Scanlon was attended to. With many caution laps already run, it was decided to do a quick refueling while the tech men checked over the 10 which was deemed okay.

On the restart, Ordway tried to stick with Perley but couldn’t. In the meantime Belfiore closed in on Ordway for several laps. Unfortunately for Gambuti he was penalized for jumping on the lap 61 restart, and although running fourth on the track, he was no longer holding that position. Mark Sammut moved into fourth with Gambuti and Summers the next in line behind Perley and Ordway when the checkered fell on lap 75. Gambuti was scored at the tail of the lead lap giving Summers fifth.

Sammut, who had never run well at the New Hampshire oval commented, "I’m glad to get a fourth coming out of here. We usually run terrible here. We were a little looser than we needed to be. Too bad we didn’t tighten it just a bit more. We might have been better. The car was actually coming back around toward the end. We’re happy with fourth. I could see Justin and Mikey Ordway so we were close. We just need a bit more."

Summers, off a streak of bad luck, was happy with fifth. "We had a decent car and we got out in one piece. The past couple weeks have been real tough on the whole team and they worked real hard to get the car back together. We were just a little too tight tonight. So, we’ll go on to Oxford and hope we do a little better."

SUMMARY ISMA-WIRTGEN EVENT #10

Lee USA Speedway

Heat 1: Justin Belfiore, Kelly Miller, Mark Sammut, Jeff Holbrook, R.D. Timmons, Bob Timmons, Brandon Bellinger, Mike Keeler

Heat 2: Chris Perley, Jon Gambuti, Dave McKnight, Mike Ordway, Jr., Vern Romanoski, Dave Trytek, Joey Scanlon, Larry Lehnert

Heat 3: Robbie Summers, Scott Martel, Mike Lichty, Jamie Timmons, Dave Sanborn, Billy Buyck, Joe Petro. Eric Emhoff (dns)

Ollie Silva Memorial 75: 1. Chris Perley (11), 2. Mike Ordway Jr. (10), 3. Justin Belfiore (8), 4. Mark Sammut (78), 5. Rob Summers (97), 6. Scott Martel (88), 7. Jon Gambuti (14), 8. Jeff Holbrook (35), 9. Joey Scanlon (55), 10. Dave Trytek (40), 11. Mike Lichty (84), 12. Brandon Bellinger (02), 13. Mike Keeler (56), 14. Dave Sanborn (24), 15. RD Timmons (13), 16. Jamie Timmons (27), 17. Vern Romanoski (5), 18. Bob Timmons (31), 19. Dave McKnight (94), 20. Joe Petro Jr. (33), 21. Billy Buyck (38), 22. Larry Lehnert (92), 23. Kelly Miller (16), 24. Eric Emhoff (22).

CHRIS PERLEY OPENS A NEW BATCH OF LUCK TO TAKE MANSFIELD SATURDAY ISMA SHOW

Mansfield, OH – Chris Perley said Friday night at Mansfield that he’d run out of luck after a minor wreck on lap six put him out of the 40-lap ISMA-Wirtgen event. But, he added kidding, that he had a new bucket of luck in the trailer, unopened. Saturday night he put that new batch of luck to good use as he stood in victory lane next to a hissing rear tire, which would go flat moments after his post-race interview. A lap or two more and he would not have been there. But, that’s the way things have been going this year – and last, for Perley and the Vic Miller team. Perley’s seventh win of the season puts him two races away from taking over the ISMA all-time feature win list from Pelham, NH’s Russ Wood.

Said Perley, "We just opened that new bucket of good luck because I don’t know if you can hear it, but my tire has a big hole in it. So we pulled this one off tonight. We got lucky. The car was just awesome. Last night was a bit of a disappointment but we just come back and try to do the best we can the next day. And the crew said ‘we’re going to give you a car tonight that will get the job done’ and boy did they because this thing was on a rail.

"I’ll tell you I never thought I'd be here - to be in the company of Russ Wood and Bentley and those guys in all-time wins. It's just awesome. I’m just so lucky to be with this team. They work so hard and I can’t say enough for them. Vic Miller is the best car owner in the world. Don’t tell him I said that because it will go to his head. I have awesome motors built by R&R Automotive and I have great sponsors in Ed Shea and in Perley’s Marina, New England Motor Racing Supply, KidsFirstUSA and I want to thank all the fans for coming out and watching us. I hope we put on a good show tonight."

Perley took the lead from Canadian Mark Sammut on a lap 32 restart, slipping under the 78 to lead on lap 33. Trying hard to stay out front eventually cost Sammut his second place when Ohio’s Charlie Schultz grabbed the spot with less than five laps to go. Charlie, driving the May Motorsports 7, was ecstatic with second. . "We weren’t real good last night. When I got here this afternoon I made some changes in the car. We still weren’t real good. Then I tried something kind of spur of the moment before the last hot lap session and then the car was like three times faster. I thought we might be on to something here. The car was really raceable all night. It was good enough to come up second. Chris got through some of the lap cars better than I did. They said Chris had a tire going down and if the race had been 100 laps it might have been somebody else different in victory lane. I just want to thank my sponsors, Dave and Lori May, my mom and dad, my entire crew, Performance Race Fuels, Hempel Transport, Burke’s Home Center, DEI – everybody who works on this car. I’d also like to thank Lou Cicconi. He came down and helped us out too. It ended up being a pretty good day."

Sammut, still yearning for that first win, settled in for third and a podium finish. He had to run the wheels off his car to even hope for that first one. "Starting where I started I had no choice but to go right off the start. I held it down for everything it had and maybe that was a mistake. By the end I was out of tires and just hanging on. It probably cost us second. We fought the car all weekend and this was definitely the best the car has been. We’ll take third place anytime running ISMA. We’ll just keep plugging and doing what we need to do. Maybe one of these days things will go our way and that first win will come."

After time trials and the first heat was run, won by Dave McKnight, a horrendous crash occurred in the second heat, which caused hearts to stop and some anxious moments. While Robbie Summers led out front, a crash involving Johnny Torrese and Vern Romanoski stopped the action and saw Torrese airlifted to a local hospital. On lap 9, the 91 apparently lost a wheel nut, which caused the spline to break. Torrese, coming into turn three, caught Romanoski, spun around and slammed hard into the soft walls pretty much destroying the 91. Torrese was being x-rayed for a possible broken shoulder at press time, but otherwise had escaped serious injury.

Racing resumed with Bob Dawson beating out Perley for the third heat win.

The 23-car field was led immediately from the green by Sammut who started outside front row. Sammut knew he had to get out as fast and as far as he could. He did just that. By lap 15 he was well out front of Kelly Miller, Schultz, Perley, John Blewett and Dave McKnight. On lap 17, his efforts were negated as yellow flew for the 24 of Dave Sanborn who had a flat tire and was towed to the pits.

On the restart, Schultz and Perley fought by Miller for second and third as Sammut once again tried to flee. Behind that trio, Mike Ordway Jr., McKnight and Blewett were furiously swapping spots. One lap later, Perley was by Schultz and tucked up behind Sammut, but Sammut was not giving up easily.

The 78 held off the 11 until a lap 33 yellow, which saw the 16 of Miller, go up in smoke as he headed into the pits. A couple lap cars now sat between first and second while McKnight, Blewett, Ordway, Bob Dawson, Jeff Holbrook, Mike Lichty, Ray Graham Jr. and Robbie Summers were still fighting for top ten spots.

This restart was Sammut’s demise as Perley got along side and rode next to Sammut for half a lap before taking over the lead on lap 33. In a scene repeated six other times this season, it was bye, bye Perley. Sammut, Schultz, McKnight, Blewett and Ordway, however, were putting on one heck of a show well behind as the laps ticked away.

The flap fifty mark had the order behind Perley showing Sammut, Schultz, McKnight and now Ordway, Blewett, as the youngster battled with one of the modified world’s best for the second straight night. Ordway Jr. was the one to watch as he put away McKnight on lap 65 as McKnight’s car began to have its fuel problem once again. With less than ten to go it was Perley, several lap cars, then Sammut, Schultz, Ordway, McKnight and Blewett.

With five to go, Schultz had used traffic to move past Sammut and Blewett had moved into fifth past McKnight. And, that’s the way they passed under the checkered with Perley’s tire hissing as he pulled into victory lane with Schultz and Sammut parking nearby.

Second-generation driver Mikey Ordway had another fine run, holding off Blewett. "We were joking around all day that John and I were going to get stuck with each other again. He’s just a great driver. He ran me clean both nights. Louie helped me out a ton this weekend. John was helping me out – he’s great with the chassis stuff. I have to thank Lee Vinal Excavating, Harrington Trucking and Harrington Paving, Glenn Shanks Oil, my dad, Ricky Wentworth, Vic Miller and all those guys, because they helped me out a ton again. The car was good. The car came on great at the end. I told Perley’s guys if it had been a 100 laps, I would have passed him too. It’s just unbelievable. Hopefully we can go home to Lee and run good there."

And, Blewett, in only his second supermodified run ever, was all smiles after finishing a strong fifth. "I just have to thank the Cicconi's. I had a really great time. The guys worked their tail off trying to get the car where we thought it needed to be. It was an opportunity for me to come out and do something different from what I usually do. It was fun. This is a great group of guys – a great organization. I don’t race much with no radios and no mirrors. I think a lot of series could take a page off of this series where the guys drive with a lot more respect than we have on say the Whelen Tour and even the weekly series. I see radio driving a lot. I didn’t know who was around me or behind me when I was running. I was cautious and listening for guys coming around me. It’s nice when you’re running with guys who are racing hard, but clean. Like I said, I have to thank the Cicconi family for having me come out here. The closest thing to a super I’ve raced are the modifieds we ran at Flemington. We had a lot of horsepower there. I’ve never driven anything with a wing before. It’s similar to the midget I ran at Atlantic City for Lou but that track is small and tight and you can’t use the horsepower. This is definitely not like anything I’ve ever driven before."

McKnight, Mike Lichty who had indicated they’d missed the setup on his 84 that night, Summers, Bobby Dawson and Jeff Holbrook, rounded out the top ten.

Notes… Bob Magner sat out Saturday night’s event after Friday night’s wreck left him extremely sore…Vern Romanoski tried in vain to make the feature after his heat race incident that also involved Torrese… Viewers likened the damage to Torrese’s 91 to his car owner, Ray Graham’s bad accident at Oswego earlier this year….Kelly Miller discovered a cracked axle on the 16 prior to the feature with hasty repairs made….A piece of aluminum was found in Perley’s tire after the race….Larry Lehnert’s 92 had overheating problems after that team had managed to work all night to get a second car back in competition after Friday’s wreck…The Lane team spent a long night on spindle-rack and pinion repair to get Robbie Summers back into the fray on Saturday… Gene Lee Gibson reported that his 0 was damaged beyond repair on Friday and may not be out the rest of the year…

SUMMARY Mansfield Motorsports Park 75

Time Trials: Fast time Chris Perley, 13.705

Heat 1: Dave McKnight, John Blewett III, Charlie Schultz, Ray Graham, Jr., Brandon Bellinger, Terry Gibson, Ryan Klingelhofer, Larry Lehnert

Heat 2: Robbie Summers, Kelly Miller, Jeff Holbrook, Mike Lichty, Jack Smith, Dave Sanborn, John Torrese, Vern Romanoski

Heat 3: Bobby Dawson, Chris Perley, Mark Sammut, Mike Ordway Jr., Dave Trytek, Rich Reid, Jon Henes, Dave Mumaw.

Feature ISMA-Wirtgen 75: 1. Chris Perley (11), 2. Charlie Schultz (7), 3. Mark Sammut (78), 4. Mike Ordway Jr. (10), 5. John Blewett III (75), 6. Dave McKnight (94), 7. Mike Lichty (84), 8. Rob Summers (97), 9. Bobby Dawson (28), 10. Jeff Holbrook (35), 11. Dave Trytek (40), 12. Rich Reid (55), 13. Brandon Bellinger (02), 14. Terry Gibson (2), 15. Ray Graham Jr. (99), 16. Jack Smith (09), 17. Jon Henes (36), 18. Kelly Miller (16), 19. Larry Lehnert (92), 20. Dave Sanborn (24), 21. Dave Mumaw (14), 22. Ryan Klingelhofer (77). Romanoski dns

RAY GRAHAM TAKES HIS ISMA FIRST AT MANSFIELD FRIDAY EVENT

Mansfield, OH – Ray Graham Jr. took off from the pole at Mansfield Motorsports Park in Friday night’s ISMA-Wirtgen Super Series 40-lapper and stayed right there to finish in the same spot. It was a career first for the Iowa resident who has been in the hunt on many an occasion. Surviving a red and a couple yellows, Graham looked to be running away with the short sprint, but with ten to go, his 99 car began to falter and Dave Trytek and then young Mike Lichty came on to challenge. Lichty made a last lap, last corner attempt to take what would have been his career first also, but fell short as Graham brought his first win home. Six time winner to date, Chris Perley was out of the action on lap six after a brush, ironically, with Lichty. But it was Graham’s night to shine.

Said Ray in the post race interview; "The car was handling really well in the heat race until the motor started skipping. We thought we had it fixed but in the last ten to twelve laps of the race it started again. I could hear them coming but the motor just wouldn’t go. It kept sputtering. We have something in the fuel system that’s making the motor skip. It plugged up the motor after the heat race. So we’re going to have to find out what that is. If there were another five laps, they probably would have had me. I didn’t know whether it was Mike or Dave at the end there. I just put the car in the middle of the track and if they were going to go around, they were going to work hard for it. The first win feels good. "I feel good for the guys who do all the work. I just show up at the track"

Once again Mike Lichty stood on the podium just shy of his goal. In the waning laps of the race he did everything he could to pull off his first win, but once again fell short by one spot. "We had a good car. We just missed a little bit for a 40-lap run. I probably spent two or three extra laps trying to get around Dave than I should have, but he was running good and pretty tough to pass. Hats off to the whole crew. The Patco Transportation Stage Door 84 car is getting close. We’ve got a 100-lapper tomorrow so we’ll see what’s going to happen."

Third place finisher Dave Trytek was the only member of the Holbrook team to finish and he made it a good one. "Tonight the car was good," Dave said smiling. "When we unloaded tonight, it was good. In the heat race we did good. In the feature we started up front and finished up front which is good. I’m very happy. Unfortunately our other two cars didn’t fare so well, but at least one car was salvaged. We’ve run good here before. I wish we could have held on for second, but I’m happy with a podium finish. It’s my first one."

The 40-lap Mansfield prelim got off to a bad start when after one lap, red fell with a major pileup in between 1 and 2. A jumble toward the back of the pack saw eight cars end up with some kind of damage after all was said and done. Included in the melee which saw Larry Lehnert hit do some air time and hit hard into the soft walls in turn two, were Dave Shullick jr., Rich Reid, Gene Gibson, Dave McKnight, Dave Mumaw, Terry Gibson and Jeff Holbrook. After a lengthy red, a flatbed and a bunch of tow jobs, the race resumed with none of the aforementioned making it back out.

Graham quickly pulled away from Dave Trytek, Bob Dawson, Mikey Ordway and John Blewett III, driving his first super race in the Cicconi 75. Right behind Blewett, the current point leader and six-time feature winner this season, Chris Perley looked to be making his run forward. Unfortunately while coming under Mike Lichty, the two brushed and Perley spun bringing out the yellow and a hook. Perley was to watch the remainder of the 34 laps from the infield. He would say later, "I ran out of luck. I got a new bucket of luck in the truck though. I haven’t even opened it up. It was just a racing accident. I got too close. It was awesome to see the race finish that we had tonight. The exciting end – new people winning – it was great. You can’t beat that with a stick!"

Lichty concurred. "I think I pinched Perley a little bit coming down but it was two tough guys running for the same spot. It was just one of those deals."

On the green, Graham took off again and put some distance between his car and Trytek’s. Bob Dawson, Moe Lilje, John Blewett, Mike Lichty and Mike Ordway Jr. were battling behind, but it was Lichty on the move forward.

By lap ten, Lichty had fought past Blewett who was left to fend off the advances of young Ordway.

By lap 20, Graham had put two lap cars behind him and second place runner Trytek. Dawson held third, while Lilje in the Stout 19 and Lichty were top five.

Yellow flew on lap 23 for the 91 of John Torrese who had slowed and was coasting into the pits.

Everyone behind Graham only got a quick glimpse of the rapidly moving 99 machine as Ray ran and hid once more. Lichty was still fighting forward as he came by first Lilje and then Dawson. With ten to go things started to heat up in the decimated field. With Lichty third and Trytek second, Graham’s motor began to sputter. Lichty was not about to miss out on the opportunity to run the 99 down.

Each lap the second and third place runners got closer and closer to the leader. On lap 38, Lichty made a breathtaking move around Trytek and headed for Graham. On lap 39 in the last turn, The Canadian driver described his last ditch attempt. "I just needed one more lap to get by Ray. I drove it in a ton there at the end but the car just washed up the race track. If it had stuck we probably would have made the pass. There’s only so much real estate you can use over there."

Graham sputtered to his very first ISMA win with Lichty, Trytek, Dawson and Lilje on his tail.