Katie L Boyer  June 5, 2010  Frankfort, OH

After a week of wet weather, Mother Nature took her toll on many tracks across the state. However, with the help of track workers and a little bit of luck, racing action went on as scheduled.

In Jr Kart heat 1A, Anthony Helms in the 51 took the win with the 10 of Drake Ray in second and the 88 of Cassie Ervin in third. Heat 2as won by the 11 of Talon Price with the 4 of Trevor Daniels in second and the 212 of Dave Seitz in third. In senior clone heat 1A, the 0 of Darrell Bowe took the win with the 7 of John Park in second and the 30L of Laci Speakman in third. Heat 1B was won by the 88 of Lonnie Ervin with the 2 of Kelsey Daniels in second and the 98 of Ryan Sexton in third. In heat 1C, the 17 of Jack Morris took the top spot with the 14 of Lucas Morris in second and the 10 of Jerry Pavey in third. Go-kart open heat 1A was won by the 75 of Justin Rittenhouse with the 9 of Kevin Wills in second and the 00 of Tristen Carter in third. In heat 1B, the 73 of Tonka Harris took the top spot with the 44X of Joe Conley in second and the C16 of James Campbell in third. The 600 mini sprint heat was won by the 24P of Jamie Paul with the 31 of Bob Owens in second and the 80 of Trey Gustin in third. In the sportsman dwarf heat, the 26 of Gary Griffith took the point with the 34 of Dylan Rittenhouse in second and the 42 of Kevin Rittenhouse in third. The senior clone b-main was won by the 95 of Barney Dubob with the 96 of Bobby Taylor in second and the 22T of Tim Malone in third. In the pro dwarf heat, the 46 of James Halfhill took the top spot with the 11 of Todd Dunkle in second and the 22 of Roger Seitz in third. In 4-cylinder Mini Late Models heat 1A, the 32 of Brandon Furniss took the win with the 53 of Floyd Simmons in second and the 1M of Mike Arthurs in third. Heat 1B was won by the 16 of Josh May with the 24M of Tom McVey in second and the 765 of Todd Ervin in third. In 4-cylinder stock heat1A, the 12 of Slade Mack took the win with the 777 of Josh Atwood in second and the 3 of Zach Ackley in third. Heat 1B was won by the 9X of Rodney Rittenhouse with the 99 of Chris Rittenhouse in second and the 3K of Kyle Payne in third.

The Jr Kart feature was the first up of the night. The 4 of Trevor Daniels led the field to the green, but the caution was out on lap one after the 51 of Anthony Helms came to a stop in turn three. The caution came out before the first lap was completed so the field was bunched back up for a complete restart. At the green, Daniels was at the point again, but behind him, Helms had already shot up to the second spot and was setting his sights quickly on the lead. The 51 dropped low under the 4 on the backstretch and it was Helms at the top spot going into turn three. While the top two were swapping spots, the 212 of Dave Seitz had worked his way up to the third position and only a lap later, Seitz was battling side by side with Daniels for the third spot. The 212 had the spot by taking the high line around turn one to get around the 4. With only 5 to go, the top three cars were working around lap traffic, and Helms was able to lengthen his lead to about a straightaway over the field. When the checkers were in the air it was Helms who took the win with Seitz coming home second and Daniels in third. Thus far this season, Helms has won every feature race in the Jr Kart class.

The senior clones were the next up on the grid. The 2 of Kelsey Daniels and the 88 of Lonnie Ervin were side by side at the line, but it was Ervin who was able to grab the point on the exit of turn two. However, the lead was quickly taken away as the 0 of Darrell Bowe shot to the outside to take the top spot on the backstretch, bringing along the 7 of John Park to the third position. The battle was on for the second spot between Park and Ervin, and before long, second through sixth were battling three-wide for position. In the thick of the battle, Ervin began falling back, and the 14 of Lucas Morris took the opportunity to shoot up to the front and battle with Park for the runner-up spot. Morris was able to secure the spot, but the caution flag was in the air for the 17 of Jack Morris getting turned around in turn four. At the restart, Bowe jumped out with the lead and the 14 and 7 were nose to tail behind him fighting for second. Only a lap later, Park had taken the second spot and had chased down Bowe. The two frontrunners were bumper to bumper battling for the lead. However, Morris wasn’t done yet, and had worked his way back up to the rear bumper of Park to fight back for the second spot. While the top three battled, the 327 of Donald Giles had worked his way around the fourth place car of Laci Speakman in the 30L. Park and Morris swapped positions in the closing laps, but with five to go, Park had the second spot and Morris was forced to battle with Giles to hold on to the third position. With only four to go, Giles got a run on Morris and was able to take away the third spot, while Bowe ran away from the field. When they crossed the finish line it was Bowe who took the top spot with Park in second and Giles in third.

The open kart feature event was the next to hit the dirt. The 44X of Joe Conley led the field to the green, but the kart was slow on the backstretch and eventually came to a stop in turn four, bringing out the caution. When the field restarted, the 9 of Kevin Wills was at the point at the green. The 27 of Tabitha Rittenhouse and the 73 of Tonka Harris were battling for the second position, but it was Harris who had the runner-up spot on the backstretch. Wills and Harris were running away from the field. The 73 had worked his way under the 9 in turn two and was able to take the top spot away on the backstretch. Wills wasn’t ready to throw in the towel just yet and shot back under Harris in turn three for the point. However, the two got together on the exit of turn four and the 73 machine was spinning and came to a stop on the front stretch, sending him to the tail for the restart. At the restart it was Wills at the point with the 75 of Justin Rittenhouse in second and the 00 of Tristen Carter in third. However, the 9 machine was slow at the start and the 75 and 00 shot around him. Wills’ kart came to a stop in turn one and he had to leave the race due to mechanical issues. At the restart, Rittenhouse led the field, but Harris was working his way through the field quickly, picking off a position every lap. With only a few laps left to go, Harris was battling nose to tail with Rittenhouse for the point. He was able to take the top spot away in turn one and began running away from the field. At the checkers it was Harris who took the win with Rittenhouse in second and Carter in third.

The 4-cylinder Mini Late Models feature was next on track. The 24M of Tom McVey led the field to the green, but behind him the 32 of Brandon Furniss and the 53 of Floyd Simmons were battling side by side for second. Before lap one was completed, the caution flag was waving for a three-car pile-up in turns three and four. The field was stacked back up for a complete restart, and McVey again jumped out with the lead. Simmons tried the high line to battle with McVey for the lead, but he couldn’t make the car stick to get around him. Furniss was able to get around Simmons for the second spot, and the 53 then had to fight to hold the third spot, with the 16 of Josh May at his door. It was McVey, Furniss and May in the top three positions, and the battle was heating up as May tried to get his nose under Furniss to take the second spot away. The 765 of Todd Ervin worked his way under Simmons for the fourth position and began setting his sights on May. In the midst of the battle for the third and fourth positions, Furniss had worked his way up to the rear bumper of the 24M. Only a lap or two later, the two were battling side by side for the point. Furniss pulled a textbook slide job in turn four to secure the top spot on the front stretch. The caution flag came out mid-race after the power went out at the track. Track workers got everything going shortly thereafter and racing action was back underway. At the restart, Furniss led the way, but the caution was waving again after four cars got together hard into the wall on the exit of turn four. Simmons made a gentlemen’s call, and went to the tail for the restart. It was Furniss, McVey, May and Ervin at the front of the field. May had caught up to the 24M and the two were battling nose to tail for the runner-up spot. However, May got loose coming out of turn four, opening the door for Ervin to take the third position away. Lap traffic began playing a part in the closing laps of the race, but Furniss was able to hold on until the end. When the checkers were in the air it was Furniss who took the win with McVey in second and Ervin in third.

The 600 mini sprint feature was next up. The 6T of Michael Thompson, the 80 of Trey Gustin and the 31 of Bob Owens were three wide at the line, fighting for the top spot. However, it was Gustin who had the lead coming out of turn four. The 24P of Jamie Paul was picking away positions in the first few laps, working his way up to the second position. The very next lap, Paul took the low line around the fifth mile to take the lead away in turn two. Owens was battling with Gustin for the runner-up spot and took it away on the backstretch. The field was spread out around the track, and Paul had a straightaway lead over the field. When they crossed the finish line it was Paul who took the win with Owens in second and Thompson in third.

The pro dwarf feature was set to hit the track next. The 112 of David Seitz led the field to the green, but the caution flag flew quickly thereafter when the 11 of Todd Dunkle went for a spin in turn four. At the restart, Seitz led the way with the 53 of Toby Boetcher and the 22 of Roger Seitz battling side by side for second. Boetcher was able to secure the second spot, and the top three had pulled away from the field. The 22 fell back two positions, giving the third spot to the 5 of Mike Weaver. Only laps later, the 112 and 53 were battling closely for the lead. The two got together in turn two and the 53 was leading on the backstretch. The caution came out one more time for the 11 after hitting the cone in turn four. Seitz and Boetcher were side by side again battling for the lead, but it was Boetcher who held on to it. When the checkers were in the air it was Boetcher who took the win with Seitz in second and Weaver in third.

The sportsman dwarf feature event was next up. The 56 of Jim Monst led the field to the green with the 42 of Kevin Rittenhouse close behind in second. The battle was heating up for the third position where the 34 of Dylan Rittenhouse and the 26 of Gary Griffith were battling side by side. Lap traffic began playing a part only halfway through the race, and after being held up by a lap car, the 31 of Jeff Surber got around Griffith for third. Monst was able to stretch out his lead, while the 42 and the 34 battled side by side for second. Griffith had worked his way back under Surber on the front stretch for the fourth position. Monst had fallen back through the field, giving up four positions, and giving the lead to the 42. As Monst fell back, the 34 took the opportunity to take the low line to secure the second position. It was the two Rittenhouse boys in the first two positions, with Surber, Monst and Griffith securing the top five. Griffith was able to work his way past both Monst and Surber to take the third position. However, lap traffic played a part yet again in the race, holding up Griffith and allowing two cars to get around him. The 34 and 42 were side by side for the lead on the front stretch, with Dylan trying his way around the low line. However, the 34 got too low in turn two, taking out a cone, and bringing out the caution. The 34 went to the tail for the restart with only one lap to go in the race. At the white flag restart, the 42 led the way and kept the point through the last four corners around the fifth mile. At the finish line it was Rittenhouse who took the top spot with Surber in second and Griffith in third.

The final feature event of the evening was the 4-cylinder stock class. The 777 of Josh Atwood and the 9X of Rodney Rittenhouse led the field to the green side by side. While the top two battled, the 12 of Slade Mack shot up the middle to the third position and then went to the inside to take the second position from Atwood in turn four. However, the caution flag was flying after a car stopped in turn four. Without a completed lap in the books, the field lined up double file for a complete restart. At the start, the caution came out again quickly after four cars got together hard into the guardrail on the front stretch. When the field restarted again, it was Rittenhouse who led the field with Mack in second and the 3K of Kyle Payne in third. The 3 of Zach Ackley dropped to the inside of Payne to take third away on the front stretch. Rittenhouse was lengthening his lead over the field. Mack and Ackley were nose to tail for the second position, and in turn two, Ackley dropped the three machine low to take the spot away in turn two. The race was at the halfway point, but the battle for second wasn’t over yet. Rittenhouse had stretched his lead to a half-track advantage over the field. Mack was able to take the second spot back on the exit of turn four with only two laps to go. Rittenhouse’s 9X was on rails and was running away from the pack. At the finish line, it was Rittenhouse who took the win with Mack in second and Ackley in third.

Next week, 35 Raceway Park will be hosting Pepsi employee night, and will also feature wingless 600 mini sprints in addition to a full racing program. Be sure to head out to the fastest fifth mile in the Midwest for a night of side-by-side, dirt racing action!

RESULTS

Jr. Go-Karts
Heat: Anthony Helms, Talon Price
Feature: Anthony Helms, Dave Seitz, Trevor Daniels, Drake Ray, Cassie Ervin, Talon Price, Austin Gatwood, Shawn Taylor, Jeff Madden, Jakeb Cockerill, Lane Hetzel, Dalten Rittenhouse, Drew Vance, Reece Bloomfield

Sportsman Dwarf
Heat: Gary Griffith
Feature: Kevin Rittenhouse, Jeff Surber, Gary Griffith, Josh Clifton, Jim Monst, Dylan Rittenhouse, Corey Barcus, Jack Kriel

Mod-Lite Dwarf
Heat: James Halfhill
Feature: Toby Boetcher, David Seitz, Mike Weaver, Roger Seitz, Todd Dunkle, James Halfhill, DNS Richie Armentrout

600 Outlaw Mini Sprints
Heat: Jamie Paul
Feature: Jamie Paul, Bob Owens, Michael Thompson, Trey Gustin, Eric Semple

Open Go-Karts
Heat: Justin Rittenhouse, Tonka Harris
Feature: Tonka Harris, Justin Rittenhouse, Tristen Carter, James Campbell, Tabitha Rittenhouse, David Potter, Kevin Wills, Sheena Rittenhouse, Colt Allman, Joe Conley, Casey Wood

Sr. Go-Karts
Heat: Darrell Bowe, Lonnie Ervin, Jack Morris
B-Main: Barney Dubob
Feature: Darrell Bowe, John Park, Donald Giles, Laci Speakman, Ron Cubbage, Barney Dubob, Lonnie Ervin, David Seitz, Jerry Pavey, Breanna Rittenhouse, Jarrod Bloomfield, Jason Rittenhouse, Kelsey Daniels, Tim Malone, Jack Morris, Ryan Sexton, Lucas Morris, Kevin Wills, Bobby Taylor, Josh Chesser

Mini Late Models
Heats: Brandon Furniss, Josh May
Feature: Brandon Furniss, Tom McVey, Todd Ervin, Josh May, James Ball, Vonley Jordan, Mike Arthurs, Mark Clifford, Danny Dean, Floyd Simmons, Jeremy Queen.

4 Cyl Stocks
Heats: Slade Mack, Rodney Rittenhouse
Feature: Rodney Rittenhouse, Slade Mack, Zach Ackley, Kyle Payne, Calvin Fyffe, Matthew Smith, Todd Miley, Michael Johnson, Josh Atwood, Chris Rittenhouse, Josh Queen