June
15th, 2007
CATALANO AND POTRZEBOWSKI LEAD SPENCER’S WAY “BACK TO
THE FUTURE” - By Gary M. Spaid
WILLIAMSON,
NY…Last Friday evening at Spencer it was Craftsman Tool
night. But the real fact was that long lines of spectators
were waiting to buy tickets, the pits were full and the
racing was great. Spencer Speedway was back to it’s old
self, complete with a decent field of NASCAR modifieds.
This put the question as to the future of the NASCAR
Modifieds at Spencer on the back burner. Track
promoter/owner, John White, announced they would be
keeping the modifieds on a weekly basis.
“Tonight
we took a step in the right direction,” stated White.
“We had seventeen modifieds and a great field of SST
mods. Now we have to try and prove we can maintain these
types of numbers. I want to also thanks the fans for their
support”
On the
track Buck Catalano picked up his third NASCAR Modified
feature win of the season at Spencer. During the post race
interview, when announcer Jim Fremouw, told Buck that the
modifieds would remain on the weekly schedule, Buck gave a
shout “yes!” and waved the checker flag high over his
head, grinning all the time.
T.J.
Potrzebowski took top honors in the SST Modified 25-lap
feature. In Street Stock action Jim Steffenhagen Jr. took
the feature win, however he was placed back to the last
car on the lead lap after post race inspection found he
was using an aluminum intake manifold. This gave the
victory over to Bobby Lippa Jr., who also earned his third
feature win of the season at the track.
Billy
Semmler broke the string of feature wins established by
Kris Hillegeer in the Super Six division. A special NORA
Small Block Supermodified race was also run with Louie
LaMay taking the 25-lap feature win, his first ever at
Spencer.
The 30-lap
NASCAR modified main got off to a rough start. The opening
lap saw a lot of jockeying for position and contact. As
the leaders completed the second lap the yellow had to fly
when Dean DeMarree spun in the third turn. Sege Fidanza
made contact with the DeMarree car, bending the tie rod on
his car.
The
restart saw leader Potrzebowski passed by Buck Catalano as
they went through turns one and two. Everyone’s focus
remained in that turn as Todd Smith’s car have a flat
and send a shower of sparking flew into the air. With the
yellow out many were surprised when they returned their
attention to the race to see the former leader, T.J.
Potrzebowski in the wall on the back stretch and Patsy
Catalano limp into the pits with a flat and showing
sparks.
Buck took
off on the restart leading Mark Tychoniewicz, Mike Leaty,
Tom Kinsella and Tim McMullen. Kinsella showed his
strength by taking to the outside and passing cars. His
charge was cut short when the yellow flew on lap seven as
Tychoniewicz slipped off the speedway in the first turn
and came to a stop. Also Chris Ridsdale found himself in
the front stretch wall with a bent tie rod.
A long
green run now saw Catalano trying to hold back Leaty, who
seemed to catch up with the leader in the turns, but fall
back some on the straights. The yellow flew on lap 17 when
Chris Finocchario looped high in the fourth turn. This put
Leaty on Catalano’s rear nerf bar.
It would
be Tim McMullen who would challenge the leader. Following
one more yellow for a spin by Dean DeMarree in the fourth
turn, lap 23, McMullen moved by Leaty to take second. He
then charged at Catalano, falling just short of moving
along side of the leader at the checkers. Catalano took
the win followed by McMullen, Leaty, Kinsella and Terry
Cheetham.
“I didn’t
know what happened to T.J.,” stated Buck. “I was sorry
to see that happen as it is always good to race with him.”
Twenty-seven
SST cars were called to the line and only 24 made the
start. But after two yellows on the first lap and one more
on lap two only 19 cars remained. Point’s leader Jeff
Hamman Jr. found himself in the second turn wall on the
initial start. The second attempt saw a number of cars
scramble on the front straight. Finally on the second lap
a three wide pass down the back stretch saw all three cars
swing high and contact the back stretch wall.
Once under
way the green would remain out for the remainder of the
race. Andy Lewis was leading with Matt Lees right there to
challenge. Lees made his move and took the lead on lap
ten. T.J. Potrzebowski caught these two leaders and passed
Lewis low in the third turn on lap 14 to take second. He
then set sights on Lees, going high exiting the fourth
turn on lap 18. Potrzebowski out dragged Lees and as he
exited on the back stretch with the lead.
At the
finish line it would be Potrzebowski followed by Daryl
Lewis Jr., who took that position on lap 22 as he and Lees
went side-by-side. Less came home in third followed by
Kevin Timmerman and Bill Hebing to round out the top five.
“I
thought we might have a good chance at doubling up
tonight,” stated T.J, referring to his run in the
modifieds also. “But the modified race proved a problem.
We will be here all year and working to gain the
championships.”
The NORA
Small Block Supermodifieds were on hand, returning to the
speedway after last week’s rainout. Following an opening
lap yellow, when Jason Simmons slowed on the front stretch
and was showing sparks from underneath the chassis, the
race would remain green for all 25-laps.
Tim
Barbeau would lead and four car freight train made up of
himself, Louie LaMay, Russ Brown and Alan Barker. On lap
13 LaMay opened a door on the low side of Barbeau as they
exited the second turn. Before they came back to the
start-finish line Barbeau had fallen back to fourth as
Brown and Barker also followed LaMay through the opening
he had made on the low side.
LaMay
would then have to hold off late race challenges by Brown.
On the final lap, Barker took some of the pressure off
LaMay as he made a run at Brown in second. At the finish
line it would be LaMay with his first ever Spencer
Speedway victory followed by Brown, Barker, Barbeau and
Rob Pullen in fifth.
The Street
Stock division saw a new competitor in their field. SST
Modified driver Bill Hebing took over the wheel of the Bob
Minacapelli number 2 driven to victory last week by Amy
Catalano. But it would be regulars Jim Steffenhagen Jr.
and Bobby Lippa Jr. who would keep Hebing behind them as
the 20-lap Street Stock main went green-to-checkers.
Steffenhagen Jr., celebrated his birthday with a victory
over Lippa Jr., Hebing, Ryan Corso and Willie Strusz.
Steffenhagen’s birthday celebration was about to have
his “candles blown out” as his win was taken away
following post race tech inspection, giving the victory
over to Bobby Lippa Jr.
The Super
Sixes ran their 15-lap main event with Billy Semmler
taking the victory. Kris Hillegeer, who has won almost
every feature run this year in the Super Six division
seemed to have ignition problems. In the late stages of
the race his car seemed to get back to where it should be
and he tried to catch Semmler over the closing laps but
fell short.
“These
gals are getting much better,” started Semmler,
referring to drivers Patti Davenport and Cassandra
Johnstone, who compete weekly in the division. Semmler had
to race Davenport for the lead on the opening lap.
This
Friday the Kids Bicycle Races will be staged starting at
6:30 p.m. on the front straight. Kids should have signed
in by 6:15 p.m. to make sure they have a change to
compete. Following the bicycles a full program of NASCAR
Modifieds, SST Modified, Street Stocks and Super Six cars
will take to the speedway. NASCAR race time starts at 7
p.m. sharp.
Spencer
Speedway is located just fifteen minutes east of
Rochester, NY, along Route 104 in the Town of Williamson.
CRAFTSMAN
TOOL NIGHT SUMMARY
SUPER SIX
HEAT: B.
Semmler, P. Davenport, C. Butler, C. Johnstone, F.
Parsons.
FEATURE
(15-laps): BILL SEMMLER, Kris Hillegeer, Patti Davenport,
Cassandra Johnstone, Craig Butler, Frank Parsons.
STREET
STOCKS
HEAT 1: T.
Carino Jr., B. Hebing, B. Lippa Jr., R. Corso, D. Stevens.
HEAT 2: W.
Strusz, J. Steffenhagen Jr., P. Alhart, J. VanHooydonk, J.
Parent.
FEATURE
(20-laps): BOBBY LIPPA JR., Bill Hebing, Ryan Corso,
Willie Strusz, Don Stevens, Phil Alhart, Tom Carino Jr.,
John VanHooydonk, Jim Steffenhagen Jr., Roger Worden, Jeff
Parent.
NORA SMALL
BLOCK SUPERMODIFIEDS
HEAT 1:R.
Pullen, L. LaMay, A. Barker, R. Brown, A. Noto.
HEAT 2: J.
Simmons, T. Barbeau, S. Walker, G. Nearbin, M. Bond.
FEATURE
(25-laps): LOUIE LaMAY, Russ Brown, Alan Barker, Tim
Barbeau, Robby Pullen, Larry Muroski, Shawn Walker, Guard
Nearbin, Mike Bond, Andy Noto, Jason Simmons, DNS-Dave
Cliff
SST
MODIFIEDS
HEAT 1: M.
Florio, B. Hebing, K. Rutherford, J. Hamman Jr., J.
Pringle.
HEAT 2: A.
Lewis, C. Finocchario, T.J. Potrzebowski, K. Timmerman, S.
Malin.
HEAT 3: D.
Lewis Jr., M. Lees, K. Meyn, D. DeMarree, P. Johnson.
FEATURE
(25-laps): T.J. POTRZEBOWSKI, Daryl Lewis Jr., Matt Lees,
Kevin Timmerman, Bill Hebing, Mike Florio, Andy Lewis,
Phil Johnson, Steve Malin, Toad Bradshaw, Jeff Polaski,
Phil Wehrheim, Dean DeMarree, Terry Cheetham, Fred Taylor,
Kris Meyn, Gary Walker, Scott Combs, Tom Fecteau, Jeff
Pringle, Kirk Rutherford, Chris Finocchario, Ryan Beeman,
Jeff Hamman Jr., DNS-Alva English, Don Pringle, Ron Wildey
II.
NASCAR
MODIFIEDS
HEAT 1:
T.J. Potrzebowski, M. Leaty, D. DeMarree, M. Tychoniewicz,
T. Kinsella.
HEAT 2: B.
Catalano, P. Catalano, T. McMullen, T. Smith, S. Fidanza.
FEATURE
(30-laps): BUCK CATALANO, Tim McMullen, Mike Leaty, Tom
Kinsella, Terry Cheetham, Todd Smith, Eddie Hawkins, Chris
Finocchario, Philip Slater, Dean DeMarree, Jimmy Zacharias,
Scott Bleskoski, Mark Tychoniewicz, Chris Ridsdale, T.J.
Potrzebowski, Patsy Catalano, Sege Fidanza.
Street
Stocks: 1) Bobby Lippa Jr. 240, 2) Jim Steffenhagen Jr.
205, 3) Don Stevens 203, 4) Roger Worden 196, 5) John
VanHooydonk 194, 6) Willie Strusz 92, 7) Ryan Corso 186,
8) Thomas Carino Jr. 152, 9) Amy Catalano 65, 10) Jeff
Parent 40.
Super
Sixes: 1) Kris Hillegeer 248, 2) Billy Semmler 236, 3)
Patti Davenport 216, 4) Cassandra Johnstone 192, 5) Frank
Parsons 188, 6) Keith Butler 100, 6) Craig Butler 100, 8)
Bunny Bennett 92
