Welcome to the official web-site of the 600 Modified Series and Xcel Chassis, LLC.  The 600 Modifieds are scaled down versions of Northeast Modifieds powered by 600cc engines.  The Series is a spec division that promotes tight, wheel-to-wheel racing throughout PA, NY and NJ.  

06.27.09 | Luckenbaugh takes first win at LANCO in bizarre twist

High banks and speed would be on the card for the Hoosier Tire 600 modifieds. Another record setting forty four cars signed in and were ready for nights action. Last time the series visited Lanco Speedway, Butch Getz won over Jeromy Guistwite by inches. This was the closest finish the series has seen so man wondered if a repeat wold be in order. Doug Borger, series owner, stated " Lanco always provides us with a great running surface. All the drivers want the bragging rights to say I won at Lanco."

Ryan Suchon would lead off the nights events winning the first of 4 heats. John Lakatos took the second heat with a fast time of 11.812 sec. Eric Whitby, current points leader, held off Nick Mady for the third heat. Bob Luckenbaugh finished out the heats with a convincing win. Whitby and Luckenbaugh both had times of 11.821 and 11.810 and the tone would be set for the night. Two B-Mains would round out the field. Chris Snyder, driving the #99 for the first time, won the first B-Main with Jeromy Guistwite taking the final B-Main. Jeromy threw the set up that brought him a second place on our last visit here. He talked about how challenging the track is any given night. "You not only have to beat your competitors but the track as well. What made the car perfect last time just isn’t cutting it this weekend. We’ll pull our heads together and get ready to go racing."

During intermission, Lanco prepared the track and laid out a smooth surface for the nights features. Aaron Bowes and Tyler Bartik were giving the track an eagle eye during prep to see what line might be best to run. The outside line had come in during the heats and they both wondered if it would stay the same. Soon after the mighty mods were called to the starting grid and 25 cars answered the call.

Ryan Suchon’s sponsored RACCE Foundation #37 would set on the pole and bring the field to the green. Two grooves would come in by lap #4 as John Lakatos and Bob Luckenbaugh would take to the outside and lead the field down the back stretch. Justin Schraden wanted in on the action and saw the outside worked and put the #45j in contention. Eric Whitby, always a strong contender, stayed to the bottom and to take the position away from Schraden.

Coming up thru the pack, Brian "Big Daddy" Mady, Ryan Kunkle and Kevin Pritchard found themselves just outside the top ten by lap #15. Unfortunately Mady would pull pitside with an electrical problem. "It felt good to be back. I had to send out the motor and missed a week but the motor is strong and we will just get ready for next week" stated Mady..

With the hard racing behind them, Lakatos and Luckenbaugh built a considerable lead and had a race within themselves. Side by side, switching back and forth made for a wild finish. Eric Whitby was glad to see the battle up front as it brought him closer to contention. A Lap #18 caution brought the field in line and the top three together. It actually brought them to close as Whitby tried to get underneath Luckenbaugh in turn #1 sending Luckenbaugh high. Luckenbaugh did an incredible save to bring the #50 home in third place.

John and his crew were ecstatic in victory lane. He talked about how good it felt to be here and wanted to thank Lanco and also Bob for the great racing they had. The excitement would be short lived for the #09 of Lakatos. He would be disqualified during tech for a front end deemed illegal and placed in the 25th position. Many thought the win would go to Whitby but it wouldn’t happen. Whitby would be penalized 1 spot for rough riding on his last lap pass. " I agree with the stricter rules Doug in enforcing and so I got bit tonight but we’ll take it and go from there."

After learning he would be awarded the win, Bob Luckenbaugh couldn’t believe how the night unfolded. " I knew we had a strong car, I lost a race a couple of weeks ago to mechanical failure so to get a victory here at Lanco is awesome". Unfortunately Bob would also be penalized for on track activities after the race. He will be suspended for a total of 2 races.

Hard charging Ryan Kunkle started the night in the 21st spot and crossed the line in 7th place earning him the hard charger. Kevin Pritchard was in close contention moving up 13 spots to take a 10th finish. Justin Schraden had his best career finish and earned highest finishing rookie with a top 4 finish.

The Xcel Chassis 600 modifieds will celebrate the 4th of July weekend starting on Saturday night at Five Mile Point Speedway and rounding out the weekend with a visit to Thunder Mountain Speedway on Sunday.

FEATURE:
BOB LUCKENBAUGH, Eric Whitby, Ryan Suchon, Justin Schraden, Dave Ogin, Aaron Bowes, Ryan Kunkle, Kasey Ernst, Tyler Bartik, Kevin Pritchard, Jeromy Guistwite, BJ Scherff, Brad Szulewski, Cody Coons, Ryan Higgs, George Loux, Joe Fanelli, Mike Fry, Chris Stockham, Nick Mady, Dave Baldwin Jr., Brian Mady, Chris Snyder, Butch Getz, John Lakatos

DNQ: Nick Seaman, Josh Fox, Joe Heintzelman, Joe Fahler, Geordan Farry, Bobby Scherff, Ray Horning, Kevin Gruber, Jeff Paulson, Kermit Horning, Mike Keppler, Joe Carter, Jaime Hess, Keith Gutshaw, Ian Detweiller, Dave Baldwin Sr., Brian Horning, Tyler Haydt

06.19.09 | Higgs wins by INCHES at Linda's Speedway

Mother Nature has played a big part in racing thru the Northeast region. The Hoosier Tire 600 modifies have dodged the bullet with rain staying to the north or south at each track they have attended this season. The mighty mods pulled into Linda Speedway for the second of a three race series. Linda has become the drivers favorite track on the traveling circuit. Tight turns and fast speeds makes this the ultimate drivers track. Nick Seaman, rookie of the year contender, explained how this one of the more challenging tracks in the series. "We can run 2 grooves here but the trick is to keep it off the turn 2 wall with the speeds we are running. Both races saw great side by side racing not only in the front but thru the entire field."

Thirty eight mods signed in for the nights events and were ready to roll. Ryan Higgs, previous winner, hoped he would have better luck this time around. "We busted a rear axle last time we were here right at the flaggers stand and bunched up the field, stated Ryan, we definitely don’t want to do that again. I think we might have found the magic set-up.

The first of 4 heat races would see the #16 of Higgs cross the line in convincing fashion followed by the #04 of Jeromy Guistwite. Heat #2 win would go the self-owner #33 of Kevin Gruber. Brad Szulewski would pass John Lakatos on lap #9 to take the checkered after a full red flag. Mark Schaffer, driver of the #61 would have a wicked flip on the backstretch but walked away uninjured. Butch Getz rounded out the heats with a win. Two B-Mains would see the top 4 transfer to the field with Joe Heintzelman and Aaron Bowes taking the wins

The field of 24 cars would be heads up start with a flip of the coin. Last weeks winner, Brad Szulewski, would be regulated to starting tenth on the grid but would put the 14z in contention. First lap jitters would see the caution early and put Butch Getz to the tail of the field and reset the field. By lap #5, Kevin Gruber and John Lakatos were doing battle with Higgs giving time for Eric Whitby and Szulewski to make their way to the front. Jaime Hess, driving the #20 , wanted to take advantage of his 6th starting position but ran out of real estate bringing out the red flag has he lost a tire and saw a few flames.

Nick Mady, driving the familiar 77x machine, found himself sitting in the 5th position after starting 19th along with BJ Scherff who picked his way from a 23rd position to 7th. After racing resumed, Gruber would fall back has his set up turned south. Mady and Getz would start at the back of the field after separate caution flags and started running out of time so the pair picked their way thru the field. In the middle of the pack, racing was just has hot and heavy between the #22 of Joe Fanelli , #64 of Aaron Bowes and the #77 of Ryan Kunkle for 10th position.

Higgs found himself holding off a charge by current points leader, Eric Whitby with Szulewski looking for the opening he needed to get by the two. Door to door racing brought the Whitby #12e machine wheel to wheel with Higgs coming out of turn 2 on the white flag lap. Real estate would not be for sale as Higgs quickly closed the door and brought the Flurers Auto Body #16 its second victory of the year with Whitby and Szulewski rounding out the top three.

Getz and Mady both talked about running up thru the pack to finish a respectable 6th and 8th place finish. BJ Scherff was ecstatic about his 7th place run since he qualified thru the B-main and started in 23rd position. He smiled as he stated " This feels like a win tonight, after hearing I got Hard Charger of the night award and highest finishing rookie." Tyler Bartik and John Lakatos would round off the top five. Lakatos had his best career finish and wanted to thank his crew for all the support over the years.

Ryan Higgs could not be more excited during tech as he told me about the great racing with Szulewski and Whitby. "They are 2 of the cleanest drivers out there, we all wanted the same thing but never did I think anyone of us would take the short cut. Linda provides great racing action for not only the fans but for the drivers as well".

The Hoosier Tire 600 Modifies return the high banks of Lanco Speedway this Saturday June 27th. Lanco is also very popular with the drivers so expect another high car count as everybody wants to win on the "Bristol" like track.

FEATURE:
RYAN HIGGS, Eric Whitby, Brad Szulewski, Tyler Bartik, John Lakatos, Butch Getz, BJ Scherff, Nick Mady, Ian Detweiller, Ryan Kunkle, Aaron Bowes, Joe Fanelli, Jeromy Guistwite, Justin Schraden, Joey Fahler, Mike Kelly, Kevin Gruber, Jaime Hess, Josh Fox, Ryan Suchon, Kasey Ernst, Joe Heintzelman, Gary Lerch, Mike Fry

DNQ: Cody Coons, Nick Seaman, Chris Stockham, George Loux, Geordan Farry, Kermit Horning, Brian Thomas, Gary Suchy, Dave Ogen, Ray Horning, Bob Luckenbaugh, Brian Horning, Mark Schaffer, Ken Moody Jr.

06.13.09 | Szulewski Scores First at Jam-packed Five Mile Point Speedway

Turning around the cars in one night can lead to a late night for some competitors racing a back to back weekend. Twenty seven cars rolled into Five Mile Point speedway with the teams a little tired but ready to go again. Cody Coons, driver of the #82 modified said it best. You know you’re in for a long weekend but the racer comes out in you. This is why the saying goes. " It’s just not a hobby but a passion !."

Eric Whitby would start the nights events where he left off by drawing the number one spot for the heat line-ups. Butch Getz joked how we needed to start a lottery pool and let Eric buy the tickets since Lady Luck is on his side. Everybody hoped a little luck would go towards the weather and hold off the impending storm. The radar showed a severe storm was to roll thru about 5:00 but a mile from the track the storm split and racing was a go.

Showing his intention of trying for a second repeat, Whiby took the first heat win. Joe Heintzelman put the #09 powerplant to the line for the second heat race. Josh Fox, Rookie of the year contender won his first heat race win by a convincing margin. Tyler Bartik followed up by taking the B- main.

A flip of the coin would put the 14Z of Brad Szulewski on the pole with Mark Schaffer driving the #61 powerplant. Bob Luckenbaugh, driving the National Parts Peddler #50 knew his car was good and was ready to put it to the test. By lap #7 he made the pass stick and took the lead but would have to hold off a determined Szulewski to keep it Szulewski tried everything in the book and finally found the opening he needed but the caution flag reared its ugly head and saw him in the bridesmaid place again. Eric Whitby couldn’t have been happier with the hard racing up front helping him to a third place contention. Luckenbaugh ticked of the next 12 circuits with Szulewski’s bumper on his left rear but pulled him coming out of turn four. The jam packed crowd was on their feet trying to see who would eventually win the duel. Coming out of turn four on the white flag lap, Luckenbaugh would lose power bringing out the caution ending one of his best runs of his career. Whitby found himself on the bumper of Szulewski and knew he had four turns to make his move but Szulewski made the most of his run with Luckenbaugh and kept the line to cross the checkers bringing home his first victory with the 600 mods.

"Victory lane was awesome. To have my first win on "Pack the Track night" here at Five Mile Point and race Bob for all those laps was unbelievable. I’m not sure what happened with his car but running side by side with him was great. We ran each other clean and I look forward to running with him again" stated an ecstatic Szulewski.

Tyler Bartik finished up the top three and what made it more impressive he did it from the 16th position also earning him the hard charger award. Dave Ogin finished in the top ten giving his #31 machine the highest finishing rookie award.

Next up for the Hoosier tire 600 modifieds will be the fast track of Lindas speedway on Friday June 19th.

FEATURE:
BRAD SZULEWSKI, Eric Whitby, Tyler Bartik, Cody Coons, Joe heintzelman, Ryan Higgs, Bob Luckenbaugh, Kevin Pritchard, Aaron Bowes, Dave Ogin, Joe Fanelli, John Lakatos, Kevin rex jr. Justin Schraden, Mark Schaffer, George Loux, Butch Getz, Brian Mady, BJ Scherff, Chris Stockham, Josh fox, Ryan Suchon, Kasey Ernst, Geordan Farry, Loren Ward, Nick Mady, Curt Amey

06.12.09 | Whitby Scores in Wild Finish at Penn Can Speedway

Action packed was the word for the double header weekend for the Hoosier Tire 600 modifieds. First to see the hot and heavy action would be Penn Can Speedway. Thirty one cars rolled onto the grounds ready for action after a week off. "Car counts have been consistent all year with an average of 40 cars to date, stated Doug Borger, It’s a statement to affordable racing and the future of the small car divisions."

Coming off the last race win, Joe Heintzelman was ready to bring the Don’s Automotive sponsored #09 a victory on dirt. After missing the transfer by one spot in the heat he knew he would have to drive in the B-main to make the field. " You used to worry about the feature but with the car counts and caliper of drivers, qualifying has hit a all time high and to make the field is a win in itself" Joe stated after qualifying thru the B-main.

Eric "Front Row" Whitby would lead the first of 4 heats and take the win over Brad Szulewski. Chris Stockham took heat two with a convincing win. Nick Mady, driving the #19 for Horning Racing took heat three. Mady was thrilled with the car. "This is my first time in the car. Kermit and Tracie let me borrow the car due to my regular ride having motor issues. Now I can call them with the good news and a big thank you". Butch Getz took the fourth heat over Kevin Pritchard. Bon Luckenbaugh would win the B-main and the field would be placed. Making the feature for the first time, Joey Fahler couldn’t wait for the start. ‘Starting in the back makes it that much more fun" said Smiling Joe.

The final tweaks and turns were done and twenty four modifieds were rolling to the track. Whitby and Stockham paced the field to the green with Stockham going straight to the front and made ground early on. By lap six, Stockham held a convincing lead only to have mechanical failure to end his night early. Disappointed but not dejected he was determined to turn it around on Saturday. " I guess it’s back to the shop for a late night but we will be ready as Chris and his crew looked at the car.

Tyler Haydt would get caught up in a caution on lap #4 putting him to the back of the field but brought the #4 back thru the field and caught the leaders by lap 15. On lap #18 saw the #G1 of Kyle Gardner take the point. Haydt garnered second from Whitby on the next circuit and coming into turns 1 and 2 on the white flag lap nosed his car under Gardner taking the lead on the back stretch. Gardner drove in full throttle in turn three and took both cars out of contention. Defensive driving by Szulewski and Ryan Higgs earned top finishes and the win going to the SSI Inc. #12e to Eric Whitby. " What a way to win, that was one of the wildest finishes I’ve ever been in but we’ll take it. Now I wonder what tomorrow will be like" stated Eric in victory lane.

Joe Heintzelman worked his way from a 19th place start to bring home a top four finish earning him the hard charger of the night. Jaime Hess, driver of the #20, placed himself in 6th at the checkers to bring home the highest finishing rookie award.

Doug Borger, series owner, has announced the following suspensions. Tyler Haydt has been suspended for 2 races due to entering a competitors trailer after the nights events. Kyle Gardner has received a 2 race suspension for on track conduct and an additional 2 race suspension for off track conduct detrimental to the series for a total of 4 races. Doug stated " This behavior will not be tolerated at any time. The rules are in place for a reason and consequences will follow for any and all infractions for all competitors."

A quick turnaround is in store for the 600 modifieds as they head to Five Mile Point Speedway the next day.

FEATURE:
ERIC WHITBY, Brad Szulewski, Ryan Higgs, Joe Heintzelman, Bob Luckenbaugh, Jaime Hess, Joe Fanelli, Dave Ogin, Cody Coons, Nick Mady, Jeromy Guistwite, Kasey Ernst, Tyler Bartik, Marty Bunker, Aaron Bowes, Joey Fahler, John Lakatos, Kevin Pritchard, Tyler Haydt, Kyle Gardner, Chris Stockham, Ryan Suchon, Butch Getz, Justin Schraden, Gary Lerch, Josh Fox, Nick Seaman, Brian Mady, Loren Ward, Ken Moody jr., George Loux
 

05.30.09 | Heintzelman Scores First at Mahoning Valley
 

photos courtesy of Jeff Martz
   

Coming back to asphalt always makes the #09 sponsored Don’s Automotive of owner Joe Grocholski bring it up a notch. "Joe started racing on asphalt and they say you never forget your roots, stated Joe G., Joe wanted to come a put a few more laps in before we came back tonight and I guess it paid off. I want to give him every opportunity I can to bring home a victory".

Sixteen cars would pull into the fast track of Mahoning with some running asphalt tires and some running the dirt skins. Joe Fanelli, one of the most popular drivers in the series elected to run dirt tires with a asphalt suspension. He is sitting in third place in the point standings and is showing consistency at every race. As Joe stated, "You may not win every race but you have to be there at the end which is where he was with a tenth place finish".

Kevin Rex jr. hoped to bring the #47 back to victory lane. He won the last event after picking up the car only 5 days prior. Kevin put everyone on notice as he set fast time of 10.30 secs. during the first heat race and eventually taking the win. Chris Stockham, driving the National Parts Peddler machine followed Rex’s time by a close margin with a 10.36 sec. lap time winning the second heat.

Three cars elected to put new slicks placing them in the rear of the field. Doug Borger, series owner, had established a rule that if you must run the same tires in the heats and feature if you elect to change you start at the rear. Chris Stockham, Butch Getz and Kyle "HAYSEED" Gardner took the chance hoping it would pay off.

Tonight would also see a first as the father and son team of Eric Whitby and Justin Schraden lead the field to the green flag. Justin has earned the nick name of Showtime and being curious I asked Eric how the name came about and he started to laugh as the story began. " After watching him run some B-Main to make the field and giving me a couple of heart attacks, I asked him why he has to put such a show on and the comeback I got was " It’s Showtime" and it’s stuck ever since then".

Putting on a show is exactly what the Hoosier Tire 600 mods would give the fans. Twenty laps of full field racing kept everybody on their toes wondering where to watch and what not to miss. Hard racing between the #4 of Tyler Haydt and the 12E of Whitby would have them hooked together coming off of turn 2 but separated by turn 3. George Loux, driver of the 48g, and Butch Getz would be door to door for five laps but mechanical problems brought the Getz machine to an early night. Meanwhile Rex, Stockham and Gardner picked their way up thru the field and put themselves in contention. A late caution would bring the field back together and set up a scramble with only four laps left. Stockham had put himself in the number two position and went to work on the #09 of Joe Heintzelman. Kevin Rex wanted a piece of the action taking the spot on the next circuit putting Heintzelman on the radar. The side by side racing worked to Heintzelman’s advantage as he was able to put some real estate between them and brought home the victory in convincing style

Joe’s racing career started on asphalt and he only started running dirt full time this season. "Being in victory lane after running on the asphalt for my first win is so cool. You always want the win so come close to home and that puts the icing on the cake" stated Joe. He wanted to thank Joe Grocholski and Don’s Automotive for putting together a great car and program.

The Hoosier Tires 600 modifieds will return to racing action with a double header weekend in upstate Pennsylvania and New York Penn Can Speedway will be the first on the card followed on Saturday with Five Mile Point June 12th and 13th.

FEATURE:
JOE HEINTZELMAN, Kevin Rex Jr. Chris Stockham. Kyle Gardner, Tyler Haydt, George Loux, Eric Whitby, Shannon Mosteller, Aaron Bowes, Joe Fanelli, Kasey Ernst, Justin Schraden, Bruce Kindberg, Ryan Suchon, Butch Getz, Cody Coons

05.24.09 | Riggs victorious in first ever visit by the Series to Trailways.
 

photos courtesy of Len Cobosco at www.photofinishingstation.com and www.pfsimages.com

   
31 cars would roll into Trailways Speedway for their inaugural race. The Hoosier tire 600 Modifieds were invited to be part of the Microracing.com Spring Nationals. Dry and slick would be the words of the day. Throttle control would play into action along with tire wear. Jason Van Dohren and Heath Henley would buckle the belts in 600 Modifieds. Jason took over the driving duties for the X car and Heath would pilot the 99. Both had busy days since they were also competing in the 600 sprints with Henley also driving a 270 sprint.

Three heats would be on tap along with the B-main to set the twenty eight car field. Heath would quickly adapt to the 600 Modified making his first ever race starting eighth and finishing behind eventual heat race winner Ryan Higgs. Heat two saw a repeat of the previous night as Getz came across the line in first. Tyler Bartik, driver of the 85am, quickly found his groove to take heat three. Tyler Haydt would need to qualify through the B-main and made is way into the field with his first place finish. Many unanswered question would remain since qualifying was held during the day and the feature would be under the lights. Ryan Higgs flipped the coin to decide a heads up start putting himself and Nick Mady on the front row. Previous nights winner Butch Getz would be regulated to a tenth place position. Unfortunately , the feature would end early for Heath Henley after a tangle on the track. A quick caution on lap six would see the 77x of Nick Mady on the point followed by Bartik and Higgs. Racing throughout the field would keep the spectators not knowing where to watch. Lap eight would see Higgs, Bartik and Whitby fight over real estate to gun down Mady for the next five laps. On lap thirteen, Mady would drift up half a groove leaving the door open for Higgs to pull along side of him in turns three and four. Going into one and two Higgs put the nose of the car right to the bottom and made the stick to take the lead. A lap sixteen caution would see the 44 of Chris Stockham facing the field and Butch Getz having no room avoided a head on by throwing the car sideways into Stockham. Both drivers walked away frustrated but uninjured. The next four laps were run like they were the last one. Higgs had found the clean air and wasn’t ready to give it up. Eric Whitbe and Nick Mady would jockey for position the next three laps giving Higgs the cushion he needed. On lap nineteen would see Whitbe take over the second spot but ran out of time giving Ryan Higg’s sponsored Flurers Autobody #16 his first victory of the year. After receiving his trophy in victory lane, he wanted to thank Microracing.com the opportunity to bring the series to Trailways for the first time. He also stated " I have to thank Nick for showing me the fast line around the track. I’ve raced with Nick for three years and he’s always a tough competitor. Now we can really celebrate Memorial Day and thank all our veterans".

Kasey Ernst " Rookie of the Year Contender" earned another highest finishing rookie with a 7th place finish. He stated " Last night I didn’t qualify at Lanco and to come to Trailways and bring home a 7th place finish shows me the ups and downs of racing but I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else". For the second night in a row Hard Charger of the night would belong to Tyler Haydt once again by moving up 15 positions. The Hoosier Tires will take off the dirt skins and mount the asphalt for their visit to Mahoning Speedway on May 30th for their second of five visits.

FEATURE:
RYAN HIGGS, Eric White, Nick Mady, Tyler Haydt, Tyler Bartik, Brad Szulewski, Kasey Ernst, Joe Fanelli, Jason Van Dohren, Joe Heinzelman, Aaron Bowes, Bob Luckenbaugh, Gary Suchy, Mike Kelly, Dave Ogin, Cody Coons, Ryan Suchon, Geordan Farry, Ray Horning, Jaime Hess, Ian Detweiler, Kevin Pritchard, Butch Getz, George Loux, Chris Stockham, Heath Henley, Kermit Horning, Justin Schraden, Brian Horning, John Lakatos, Josh Fox

05.23.09 | Getz WINS BY INCHES at LANCO!
 

photos courtesy of Dick Greenawalt Photos

   
Beautiful weather was on tap for Memorial Day weekend. The Hoosier Tire 600 Modified series would see two tracks in two days. Lanco Speedway was the first to play host to a record breaking field of forty four cars. The high banks and unbelievably smooth track surface would bring the average lap times of 12.6 seconds. " With the large car count, Lanco was able to provide two B- mains. It’s great to work with a track that works with us" stated Doug Borger.

" The guys love the high banks and the Bristol feel of the tight turns. We always put a good show on for the fans and look forward to coming back on June 27th."

Starting off the nights events, Brad Szulewski took the first heat race win over Dave Baldwin Sr. Bobby Scherff, driver of the 56, would hold off the 77x of Nick Mady for his first heat race win of the year. A three car battle in heat three between the 4jr of Butch Getz, the 16 of Ryan Higgs and the 04 of Jeremy Guistewite would set the tone for the rest of the nights racing as the track would come in giving Getz heat three. Eric Whitbe, current points leader, held a hard charging Aaron Bowes by 3/10ths of a second to take heat four. Twenty eight would now have to qualify through the B-mains. The 42k of Kevin Pritchard would lead the pack to the checkers to take the first B-main. Unfortunently the 44 of Chris Stockham’s National Parts Peddler car would post the best times of the night with a 12.5 but would DNF due to mechanical problems. Joe " The Geezer" Fanelli would bring the 22 WASAK sponsored powerplant to take the second B-main.

After the last B-main, a lot of the drivers and owners went up to congratulate "Rookie of the Year" contender, Josh Fox, for making his first feature of the season. As Josh was climbing out of his Remax sponsored 48, he looked out to the crowd that formed around him and yelled " It feels like I just won a feature". His father Jake expressed how frustrating its been for his son being one or two spots out of contention for a feature. "The guys in the series have been a great help to me and Josh with setups and advice" stated Jake Fox.

On the starting grid would be the 48g of George Loux and the 04 of Jeremy Guistewite. Guistewite would take the early lead followed by the 27 of Gary Suchy. Mid-pack saw the 4 of Tyler Haydt and Brad Szulewski ,driver of the 14z, dice it up with the 12e of Eric Whitby and the 4jr of Butch Getz. Haydt and Getz would make their way through the pack and by lap five put themselves in the top five. At this point Ryan Higgs and Nick Mady had moved into second and third place. With the hard racing through the top ten, Guistewite had developed a nice cushion in the top spot. On lap fifteen the yellow flag would fly for the second place runner of Nick Mady. A bolt has broken sending the 77x up to the wall. A five lap shootout would put the Guistewite machine on the mark. By this time Getz earned his way up to third with Haydt and Whitbe on his bumper. The next two laps Getz would look to the inside of Guistewite and found the extra room he needed to be side by side on lap 18. Great door to door action were the highlight and on the white flag lap Getz gave it that extra push he needed to take the checkereds by a nose. The audience waited for the announcer to say the finish because it was to close to call by sight.

Ed Guistewite, owner of the 04 sponsored Alpine Building and Post Supply, stood along side Richie Everett, owner of the 4jr and waited for the decision. Both were excited as their drivers ran a great race. As the checkered flag came out and was handed to Butch Getz, both men congratulated each other on a great win. Ed stated " I couldn’t stand still watching those last five laps. I know we didn’t win but it was great to see the car up front and congrats to Butch Getz and the Everett racing team". Since rain was on the horizon victory lane interviews would become photo op only. During tech Getz stated " It was great to run with Jeremy for the first time. He held his line and ran me clean. Let’s hope we can do a repeat at Trailways tomorrow".

Dave Ogin " Rookie of the Year Contender" would have his best finish of the year by bringing the 31 home to an 8th place finish giving him the highest finishing rookie for the night. Tyler Haydt, teammate to Getz, earned Hard Charger of the night starting from 14th place to bring home a 3rd place finish.

FEATURE:
BUTCH GETZ, Jeremy Guistwite, Tyler Haydt, Eric Whitbe, Gary Suchy, Ryan Suchon, Brad Szulewski, Dave Ogin, Kevin Pritchard, Joe Fanelli, Ryan Kunkle, Ryan Higgs, Mark Schaffer, Bobby Scherff, Cody Coons, Justin Schraden, Mike Kelly, George Loux, Aaron Bowes, Josh Fox, Gary Lerch, Nick Mady, Rich Einsinger, Dave Baldwin Sr,

DNQ: Tyler Bartik, Joe Heintzelman, BJ Scherff, Mike Fry, Nick Seaman, Kermit Horning, Joe Carter, John Lakatos, Ray Horning, Tim VanHorn Jr, Jaime Hess, Brian Horning, Brian Mady, Keith Gutshaw, Kasey Ernst, Chris Stockham, Bob Luckenbaugh, Dave Baldwin Jr, Geordan Farry, Ken Moody Jr

 

05.15.09 | Haydt Dominates in 1st Victory with 600 Mods at Penn Can Speedway

photos courtesy of Reed Miller

Wrong place wrong time seemed to be the monkey on Tyler Haydt's back for the beginning of the 2009 season. The month of April saw the #4 car of Rich Everett pull pitside with mechanical problems on the first lap. Penn Can Speedway was glad to see the sun after 2 rain outs in a row and the excitement was in the air. Lady Luck paid a visit along with the sun to turn the momentum around for the Everitt Racing team. "The start of the season wasn't what we had planned. You try not to get frustrated and work thru it or around it. Tonight the hard work paid off" smiled Rich Everitt.
 

Twenty nine cars were hoping to have the same luck sitting on the grid waiting for their hot lap session. The second of a six race mini series proved to have the best track conditions the series has run so far. Doug Borger, series owner, was quick to point out Al Wilcox and Reed Miller put together a remarkable track surface. " The surface stayed grippy thru out the night. The drivers were able to fine tune their cars early on since the track stayed smooth all night long". Great battles thru out the field for the 20 lap feature kept everyone on the toes. Butch Getz, driver of the 4jr, is a notable force at each Penn Can show. Coming back to his old stomping grounds brings a renewed confidence and the desire to win even stronger. Leading every lap in the first heat made the statement he would be a force to reckon with. Joe Fannelli showcased his Viagra/Rogaine sponsored powerplant by taking the checkered flag for his second heat race win of the year. Standing by his car, he tapped the corner panel and hoped his sponsor would give him the "boost" he would need to get the job done. Eric Whitby, current points leader, showed strong leading the heat 3 for all 6 circuits. The King Powder Coating sponsored #116 of Kasey Ernst qualified thru the B main taking the win. The heats went caution free with the top 6 making the transfer to the feature.
 

A heads up start set the 24 car field putting the #4jr of Getz and the #22 of Joe Fannelli on the front row. Steering problems for the #37 of Ryan Suchon put him to the wall to bring an early caution out resetting the field early. By lap #4, Tyler Haydt moved into contention from his sixth starting position lining up besides teammate Getz. Racing thru out the field quickly heated up. Tyler Bartik, #85am, worked his way thru the field as the car hooked up to the track. Lap #11 would be the final caution of the race and set up the remaining 21 cars for a nine lap shootout. Ryan Higgs, driver of the #16, and Fanelli would swap real estate with great side by side racing with Ryan Hiigs bringing home a 4th place finish. Fannelli was all smiles as the Rogaine sponsored #22 garnered fifth place."Running side by side with Ryan felt great! I never felt a "hairy" moment and would run with Ryan anyday" stated Joe with a wink of the eye. Middle of the pack racing tends to make everyone nervous. Terry Bartik, owner of the 85am. was impressed with how the car handled and only got better has the race progressed. Nerves were never an issue has Tyler made his way from the 15th spot to bring home a 7th place run. Ditto goes to the #2 of Brian "Big Daddy" Mady. He was happy to bring the Mady Motorsports #2 to a top ten finish. Bartik and Mady worked hard to both bring home Hard Charger of the Race awards. Tyler hopes to keep the momentum for the big double header weekend of Memorial day.
 

Mean while up front, Haydt had a significant lead on the pack with his teammate trying to close in. Eric Whitby had found the groove and started to close in on Getz but ran out of time to bring the #12e home in 3rd place. Chris Stockham had found himself drooping back with car issues but the gremlins seemed to disappear has he worked his way from a low of 11th place on lap #15th to bring the #44 National Parts Peddler a respectable 7th place finish. The point battle is already heating up betweeen the 12e of Eric Whitby and Stockham. Both drivers have been working hard and it seems to be paying off. Victory Lane started the celebration for Tyler Haydt and carried over into tech as the car was deemed perfect by Doug Borger.

For the first time this year, tires were being checked before and after the feature. "With the stricter rule enforcement, I want everybody to know items will be checked thru out the year and not the same thing week in and week out. You never know what might be checked so that everyone has and will run a clean car. I started this series has a stock deal and plan to keep it that way so that it stays in the drivers hands not in the wallet" stated Doug Borger.
 

Talking to Tyler at the end of the night brought some insight into the nights events. "Changing the setup on the car always makes me a little nervous but after the heat I was ready to take it to the front. The start of the season was pretty rough for me and made me want it that much more. The car handled the way I wanted it to handle and brought me by first win of the year stated Tyler with a pump of the fist in the air. He added that the same setup would start the night when the series makes the return trip.
 

The Hoosier Tire 600 mods will have a double header next weekend. Lanco will see racing action on Sat. May 23rd and the inaugural race at Trailways Speedway on one of their biggest weekends of racing. Look for some hot and heavy racing action at the tracks or visit our website at xcelchassis.com for final weekend results.

FEATURE:
TYLER HAYDT, Butch Getz, Eric Whitby, Ryan Higgs, Joe Fannelli, Tyler
Bartik, Chris Stockham, Brain Mady,Brad Szulewski, Cody Coons, Rich
Einsinger, Bob Luckenbaugh, Kasey Ernst, Nick Mady, Kevin Pritchard, Mike
Pychinka, Dave Baldwin jr., Little Al, John Lakatos, Loren Ward, Joe
Heintzelman, Dave Baldwin Sr., Aaron Bowes, Ryan Suchon

DNQ: Nick Seaman, Ken Moody Jr, Josh Fox, Geordan Farry, George Loux

05.14.09 | 600 Modified Series statement

As you are aware, the 600 Modified Series and Kutztown Fairgrounds have mutually agreed to cancel the remaining shows on the 2009 schedule. The Series apologizes for any inconvenience this has caused our teams.

Amid rumors and speculation it's important to note:

1. The Series had a verbal agreement on the purse in place before the season started. The 2008 traveling purse was to be honored for 2009 events.

2. Regrettably, the Series did not have a contract in-place, a valuable lesson learned. Contracts are signed for all other events on the schedule.

3. The decision to cancel remaining Kutztown shows was a business decision by both parties.

4. Accepting a lower purse at Kutztown jeopardizes our contracts with other promoters now & in the future.

The Series looks forward to talking with Kutztown for possible future dates. Stay tuned for more exciting announcements coming for the Series.

05.08.09 | Keppler makes triumphant return to Linda's Speedway 

photos courtesy of Sherry Kenderdine

   
An impressive forty two cars rolled into Linda’s Speedway on the inaugural race of the Hoosier tire 600 modified series. Only a handful of drivers had experienced the tight turns and fast track. The grounds crew had provided an excellent racing surface even though the area had been inundated with rain all week. Jeromy Guistwite, driver of the 04, was part of the exhibition last year and stated " I waited all winter to see how the drivers would react to the fast track".

Earman Fulk built the speedway in 1976 and now the Speedway is promoted by his Daughter Linda and her husband John. Officials at Linda’s Speedway had decided to have the 600's run four heats and provide two consis to give everyone a fair shape. Linda stated " We wanted to give Doug Borgers 600 series drivers a chance to make the feature so we decided to give time for two consis". With that decided four would qualify out of the heats and four would qualify out of the consis to fill the field of twenty four cars.

Starting off the night would be Mike Keppler, substituting for Ken Moody jr, in the 99. The #4 of Tyler Haydt would win the second heat over the rookie Jaime Hess. Joe Fannelli, driver of the Rogaine sponsored 22 took the third heat win. Joe was ecstatic to have his first heat race win under his belt. Kasey Ernst looked in great shape after crossing the checkered. Tyler Bartik " 2008 Rookie of the Year" qualified for the field taking the first consi. Ian Detweiler, driver of the #18, took the last remaining consi.

During intermission many people came over to see what the 600's were all about. Many were impressed by the speeds and the handling of the cars. Twenty four cars were more than ready to take the green flag for the twenty lap feature. Starting on the pole would be the power plants of Mike Keppler and Tyler Haydt. The engines were revved as high as the driver were since the race went green after the third start. The racing action quickly heated up as he battle for first would dice up between Keppler, Haydt and the SSI sponsored machine of Eric Whitby made it three wide coming out of turn two. Three wide action in the middle of the pack between George Loux Bob Luckenbaugh and Kyle Gardner would unfortunently send the 48G of George Loux pitside. Butch Getz, previous feature winner , started midfield and worked his way through the field to come up on the 77x of Nick Mady to take the fourth place piece of real estate. Back in the pack, Brian " BIG DADDY" Mady, driver of the Moyers Grove Campground sponsored #2, started 24th after having a wicked wreck in his heat and qualifying through the consi, paced his way to the front and turned on the switch the last five laps to garnish a 7th place finish. Hard charger of the night was definently won by Brian Mady.

Justin Schraden " Rookie of the Year contender" would qualify the car through the consi and worked his way to the highest finishing rookie with an 11th place finish. Most of the crowd were wowed by the side by side racing throughout the field and commented how good it was to watch some good old fashioned hard racing. They look forward to the return of the 600 Modifieds on June 19th for a repeat performance.

The action up-front was just as hot and heavy as the humidity. Tyler Haydt would battle his teammate Butch Getz for the last five laps to cross the line for 3rd place. This opened for Whitby to set his sights on the first place car of Mike Keppler. With two laps to go Whitby could see the door of the 99 but just couldn’t find the opening he needed. Mike Keppler took the checkered to bring the car to victory lane. In victory lane, Mike stated " It was great to be back in a 600 modified" and wanted to give special thanks to Ken Moody jr for providing a great race car. All of the drivers that did not qualify stayed for the nights events to see how the cars would react to a full field. Joey Fahler, driver of the #3 and Rookie of the Year contender , is always looking for that learning curve. He was impressed by how racy the entire field was and quickly learned even if you start in the back you can make it to the front with some patience and fortitude. Weekly program books are new to the series this year. " We have found early success after selling out programs for the last four weeks. Photographers from all tracks have been a great help. I just want to give a shout out to them and to LeaAnn Buchman for selling programs throughout the pits and grandstand areas" stated Joanne Mady. The Hoosier Tire 600 modified series returns to Penn Can Speedway on May 15th for the second of the six miniseries. Butch Getz is looking for a repeat trip to victory lane. You can follow the series on their website www.xcelchassis.com and get all the latest information.

FEATURE:
MIKE KEPPLER, Eric Whitby, Tyler Haydt, Butch Getz, Nick Mady, Bob Luckenbaugh, Brian Mady, Joe Fannelli, Dave Ogin, Kyle Gardner, Justin Schraden, Bobby Scherff, Mike Kelly, Jaime Hess, Nick Seaman, Ray Horning, Tyler Bartik, Chris Stockham, Ian Detweiler, John Lakatos, Ryan Kunkle, George Loux, Cody Coons, Kasey Ernst

DNQ: Joey Fahler, Jeromy Guistwite, George Bark, Gary Suchy Jr, Geordan Farry, Aaron Bowes, Ryan George, Josh Fox, Kevin Gruber, Brian Horning, Ryan Higgs, Ryan Suchon, Bj Scherff, Kermit Horning, Tim VanHorn, Mark Schaffer, Mike Fry, Gary Lerch

04.29.09 | New Photos from 5 Mile Pt., Penn Can and Mahoning Valley

Click here to check out the new photos added from 5 Mile Point, Penn Can and Mahoning Valley Speedways.  Thanks Photogs!

04.25.09 | Rex returns to Mahoning Valley victorious

photos courtesy of Jeff Martz
   

The Lehighton, Pa. native returned to his old stomping grounds on Sat. April 25th at Mahoning Valley Speedway in style. Kevin Rex Jr. is no stranger to asphalt racing but was unfamiliar with is new car. Just last weekend, they purchased a used Xcel Chassis 600 modified and were not sure what to expect from the car or how it would react. Taking advantage of the early practice pointed them in the right direction and they were ready to go.

Seventeen cars signed in for the first of five asphalt races at the fast Mahoning track. Last year many drivers elected to run dirt tires and posted fast speeds of 11 seconds. With the addition of 5 shows for the 2009 season, asphalt tires were going to be put to the test. The majority of cars were able to run the same set thru warm ups, heat races, and the feature and looked to use them on their return trip. Joe Fanelli, driver of the #22 WASAK sponsored machine and the #37 RAACE Foundation powerplant of Ryan Suchon decided to run dirt tires and both had strong 9th and 10th place finishes. Some drivers, who had not decided to run, were now second guessing their decisions and made plans to attend the next show.

During hot laps, times of 10.9 and 10.8 seconds were being posted by the #44 of Chris Stockham and the #4jr of Butch Getz. Tire pressures were the biggest question and most everybody would run about equal. This would set the stage to have the race decided by who wanted it more.

Eric Whitby and Butch Getz made their intentions known in the first heat race as they crossed the checkers with the win going to Whitby by a nose. The second heat race would serve up some of the same action as Stockham and rex crossed the checkered flag in that order. The flip of the coin would see the first heads up start of the season.

Rookie contenders Joey Fahler and Justin Schraden looked to gain some points running the night events. Fahler would close the deal by qualifying for his first feature of the year but Justin would bring the #45j just ahead of him in 13th place giving Justin top finishing rookie honors.

Whitby and Stockham were to bring the modifieds to the green flag. Great side by side action started off on the first lap as the #47 of Kevin Rex Jr. took to the outside and by turn three had taken the top spot. By lap # 5 Butch Getz made is way to the top five after starting in the 10th position bringing the #82 of Cody Coons on his tail. Ken Moody jr. wanted to get in the thick of things and moved up to fourth by lap #7 and made an outside move on Getz to take the third position. Joe Hentzelman was running a strong third place when lap traffic would play a key factor and bring the one and only caution with 3 laps to go. Chris Stockham looked to take the lead from Kevin with great side by side racing action but would have to settle for a second place finish. Bringing the car over the scales, Chris had a hard time steering as he was exhausted. " Getting over food poisoning last weekend and the heat just drained me out, Kevin ran one hell of a race and made me work him all night", Chris stated.

Kevin Rex Sr. couldn’t of been more happier during tech. Kevin stated,

"Doug Borger , series owner, has a great thing going here. He does tech the way it should be done and answered all my questions all night long. It’s great to see my son running again and we look forward to running the series for the rest of the year. Posting a time of 10.4 seconds is what we needed to hold off the field".

In victory lane. Kevin Jr. wanted to thank his crew for getting things together in a short span of time. Returning to Mahoning Valley after winning so many races and a championship in the Pro 4 Late models proved to be the edge he needed to bring the #47 sponsored by Rebs Pallet co. machine to victory lane on its first showing.

The Hoosier Tire 600 Modifeds will be in action on May 8th. Visiting Linda’s speedway for the first time.

FEATURE:

1.KEVIN REX, JR. 2.Chris Stockham 3.Ken Moody, Jr. 4.Butch Getz 5.Cody Coons 6.Eric Whitby 7.Joe Heintzelman 8.George Loux 9.Joe Fanelli 10.Joe Heintzelman 11.Ryan Suchon 12.Aaron Bowes 13.Gary Mondschein 14.Justin Schraden 15.Joey Fahler 16.Wayne Cucker 17. Tyler Haydt

04.19.09 | Butch Getz thunders to victory at Penn Can Speedway

photos courtesy of Reed Miller
   

Pulling into Penn Can Speedway for the first of six races were a total of 34 cars. Tyler Haydt would not be able to start in the familiar #4 of Ritchie Everitt so he would substitute in the "X" rental car of Xcel Chassis. The Hoosier tire 600 mods took up where they left off the night before. Four heats and one consi would set the grid for a 24 car feature line up. George Loux would take the green for the first heat. The second heat would be decided at the line with Tyler Bartik leading by a nose over Brad Szulewski. Heat three would see the 4jr of Butch Getz take the win. Rich Einsinger would hold off the 50 of Bob Luckenbaugh. The consi win went to the 37 of Ryan Suchon. 2008 rookie of the year Tyler Bartik and George Loux would lead 24 cars to the start. Bartik would hold off a hard charge from the 4jr of Getz. Getz would not give the top spot to the 12E of Eric Whitby and the 44 of Chris Stockham for the remainder of the race. For the second night in a row fans came to their feet to watch three wide racing for the last four laps. Whitbe and Stockham both looked for the opening they needed but Getz shut the door. Butch Getz, in his second year driving for Ritchie Everitt, is showing to be the dominate force at Penn Can Speedway. At the end of the night he talked about the bad luck from the night before for both cars and how a win made it a little easier. He wanted to thank Penn Can Speedway for providing a great racing surface and looks forward to our return. Top finishing rookie went to Kasey Ernst with his 13th place finish. Hard charger of the night, Ryan Higgs went from 15th to cross in the 6th position.
 

Mahoning Speedway will play host on April 25th for the first of five asphalt shows for the 2009 season.
 

FEATURE:
BUTCH GETZ, Eric Whitby, Chris Stockham, Brad Szulewski, Rich Einsinger, Ryan Higgs, Tyler Haydt, Cody Coons, Geroge Loux, Jeff Paulson, Jeremy Guistewite, Brian Mady, Kasey Ernst, Dave Ogin, Tyler Bartik, Joe Fannelli, Nick Seaman, Ray Horning, Aaron Bowes, Ian Detweiller, Bob Luckenbaugh, John Lakatos, Ryan Suchon, Ken Moody Jr, Joe Heinztelman, Josh Fox, Tim VanHorn Jr, Mike Kelly, Geordan Farry, Brian Horning, Justin Schraden, Nick Mady, Kevin Gruber, Kermit Horning

04.18.09 | Eric Whitby fast as lightning at Five Mile Point Speedway

photos courtesy of MojoPhotos.org

Double header weekend faced the Hoosier Tire 600 Modifieds Series at two tracks Saturday and Sunday. First on the card would be Five Mile Point playing host to 42 cars looking to get the checkered flag by nights end. The biggest car count in series history would set up for 4 heats and 1 consi. After taking hot laps, the drivers set the cars for a prime condition track. Last feature winner, Eric Whitby, looked to a repeat for his new owners Patrick Bushman along with his brother Billie and his wife LeaAnn. First time car owner, Patrick, is excited how the team has gelled together so quick and looks forward to the 2009 season. Racing action would get hot and heavy thru out the heats with Tyler Haydt, Eric Whitby, Ryan Higgs and Brad Szulewski winning their respective heats and Jaime Hess taking the consi.
 

The line up would be set and feature time was soon to come. The #2 of Brian " Big Daddy" Mady and the #1 of Paul DeRuyter would lead the 28 car field to the green flag. The first caution would reel its ugly head very early and unfortunately send the 77x of Nick Mady end over end and come to rest on the #4 of Tyler Haydt. Both drivers walked away and started to go to work on repairs. After resetting the field, the mighty modifieds were ready to go green. Rich Eisinger would lead the first to laps but lose the lead to the #44 of Chris Stockham. Ryan Higgs. driver of the #16 and Whitby were ready and willing to take the top spot. All three would switch positions for the next 6 laps. No one was willing to give up real estate and raced side by side. On lap 11, the KYS Motorsports sponsored 12E of Whitby found the groove and pulled away from the pack. Brad Szulewski raced his way closer to the front and battled with Stockham and Higgs for the next 9 laps. Coming to the final laps, Higgs made a do or die move to the inside of Stockham in turns one and two but only to have Stockham make the same move in three and four to cross the checkers in second. With the three wide racing behind him, Eric Whitby would bring the Suppression Systems Inc. #12e home to victory lane for the second time of the year.
 

Top finishing rookie went to the #20 of Jaime Hess for the second week in a row. Kasey Ernst, driver of the #116, fought his way to the hard charger of the night award with a 28th place start to bring home a solid 10th place finish.

FEATURE:
ERIC WHITBY, Chris Stockham, Ryan Higgs, Brad Szulewski, Jaime Hess, Cody Coons, Ryan Suchon, Joe Fannelli, Kasey Ernst, Tyler Bartik, Curt Amey, Jeromy Guistewite, Joe Heinztelman, Kevin Pritchard, Brian Mady, Paul DeRuyter, Aaron Bowes, John Lakatos, Ken Moody Jr, Dave Baldwin Jr, Butch Getz, Justin Schraden, Bob Luckenbaugh, Mark Schaffer, BJ Scherff, Nick Mady, Tyler Haydt, Mike Kelly, Loren Ward, Josh Fox, Joey Fahler, Ray Horning, Kermit Horning, Tim VanHorn Jr, Brian Horning, Nick Seamon, Dave Ogin, Geordan Farry, Kevin Gruber, George Loux, Chris Ostrowski
 

04.05.09 | Eric Witbe Takes Opening Night Thriller at Black Rock Speedway

Winning is always good but to see victory lane on opening night makes it that much sweeter. The Emmaus PA native made the five hour trek to Black Rock Speedway hoping to make the show. The Suppression Systems Inc. sponsored 12E was lightning fast for the heats and never wavered during the feature race.

Bill and Lea Ann Buchman looked for a driver for their newly formed KYS Motorsports team and had met with Eric over the winter. " We were looking for a driver who would not only respect our new car but run it like he stole it. I think we may have found our driver" Bill stated with a wink of the eye and a smile from ear to ear.

Signed in and ready to race were 28 mighty modifieds with 6 rookies taking the green for the first time. Many of the returning drivers were on hand to answer any questions and give advice. It wouldn’t be long for the track to call the 600 mods to the line and bring in the new season.

Brian Mady would lead the first heat to the green flag and held off a strong run from Brad Szulewski to take the checkers. Tyler Bartik, 2008 Rookie of the Year, showed strong with a heat race win along with Whitbe showing what was to come by winning heat #3.

Leading the pack of hungry drivers, Brian " Big Daddy" Mady started the 2009 season on the pole along side the #85am of Bartik. Coming out of turn 2 saw Mady up front with Whitbe and Bartik along side for three wide racing going into turn three. Unfortunately, Tyler Haydt, driving the #4 of Rich Everitt would pull track side and see an early night.

Caution reared its ugly head on lap on lap #4 for the 77x of Nick Mady after getting turned around but worked his way thru the field to bring home a 10^th place finish.

Chris Stockham, driver of the #44, was ready to get in the mix by then and made his presence known by taking the lead on lap 10. As Whitbe and Stockham were slicing and dicing, Brad Szulewski, #14z , showed how strong his car would be by bringing the crowd to their feet for a three car run to the finish. Szulewski posted his best career finish and looks forward to a repeat. Whitbe would not be outdone and brought home the checkered flag for his newly formed team.

The 2 car teams of KYS Motorsports, Corky Stockham and Joanne Mady each brought home top ten finishes for the first race of the year. Hard charger of the race went to the #09 sponsored by Don’s Automotive of Joe Heintzelman who started 20^th and placed 7^th. Highest finishing rookie went to the #20 of Jaime Hess. He was thrilled with his 12^th place finish considering it was his first time out with the car. Josh Fox and Casey Ernst also had strong showings and will also be running for the Rookie of the Year award.

In victory lane, Eric Whitbe couldn’t thank Bill and Lea Ann enough for the new car and the all around support. He talked about how it sometimes it takes a while for a new team to gel and how everything fell into place . He also wanted to thank his associate sponsor Total Performance Auto Body.

The Hoosier Tire 600 Mods will see double action on Sat. April 18^th at Five Mile Point Speedway followed by Penn Can Speedway on April 19^th.

FEATURE: ERIC WHITBY, Chris Stockham, Brad Szulewski, Bob Lucksenbaugh, Brian Mady, Mike Pychinka, Joe Heintzelmen, Tyler Bartick, Aaron Bowes, Nick Mady, Joe Fanelli, Jamie Hess, John Lakatos, Josh Fox,  Kasey Ernst, Butch Getz, Dave Baldwin Jr., Ken Moody Jr., Fahler, Ostrowski, Paul Deruyter, Loren Ward, Dave Ogen, Geordan Farry, Ryan Suchon, Cody Coons, Tyler Haydt, George Loux
 

03.10.09 | Xcel Chassis Registers OVER 60 CARS! for '09 season

Despite the economy taking its toll, the Hoosier Tire 600 modifieds have their biggest field in its 6th year. This past Sunday, Doug Borger, series owner held a meeting and car inspection. Mandatory car inspection has been implemented for this year. Doug stated " Due to the increase in car count, I felt it was necessary to implement the new system. Each car must pass inspect. and will receive a sticker. If the car has not passed. It will not be eligible to race. I feel it was not only a safety factor but a cost effective one as well with the economy playing a part in teams racing schedule. A lot of the guys came aboard due to the fact I run a stock division and I plan to keep it that way."

New to the series this year are a couple of tracks that will see the mighty modifieds in action. Lindas Speedway along with Trailways, Woodhull and Clinton County will host races and returning tracks such as Black Rock, Five Mile Point, Penn Can, Lanco and Thunder Mountain look forward to the modifieds return. Mahoning Speedway has invited the series to run 5 asphalt shows this year and already looking to expand. Kutztown Fairground will see weekly running of the modifieds. They will be instituting their own handicapping and points for the year and will crown the champion at the banquet.

Making its debut at Black Rock will be the weekly program for the Hoosier tire 600 mods. Doug along with Joan Heintzelman of Printers Edge have created the program for the upcoming season. Ads space is limited so give Doug a call at 610-681-2689 for information.

The talk among the drivers and owners was the registering of 60 cars. With the increase in car count, many expect qualifying to be the make or break of their season. The new point system will take your 20 best finishes for the year.

Brian Mady, driver representative, talked to many of the drivers and basically got the same feedback. " All of us look forward to this season. With the stricter rule enforcments and Doug scheduling shows so the traveling is contained, a lot of the guys will be able to run the full schedule and get the extra points at the end of the year. Doug does a great job with the series and is always on the hunt to save us money."

The Hoosier Tire 600 modifieds will start the season at Black Rock Speedway on April 4th followed by a double weekend with Five Mile Point Speedway playing host on April 18th and Penn Can seeing action on April 19th. 

610-681-2689

          - or email us at -

 600Mods@xcelchassis.com

(FOR GENERAL INFO ONLY)

Highlights:

All Mahoning Valley Shows are Asphalt shows.

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