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Chuck Griffith
MERCER, Penn. (June 13) - While heavy rain was only about a mile south of track, only a couple brief showers and sprinkles fell with two huge rainbows to the east as Mercer Raceway Park completed racing on Saturday night. Celebrating in the Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic victory lane were Dan Kuriger-Luxaire Heating & Cooling Sprint Cars, Gary Smoker-Approved Toilet Rentals Modifieds, Max Blair-4 Your Car Connection FASTRAK Late Models, Andy Buckley-GM 602 Stock Cars, Mark Marcucci-Big Daddy's Speed Center Mod Lites, and Jamey Lee-M&D Paving Mini Stocks. A big crowd turned out for $10 Family Night presented by Door World of Hadley and Armstrong.
Defending FASTRAK Late Model National Weekly Series Champion, Max Blair, captured his fourth Mercer win of the season in the 20-lap 4 Your Car Connection-sponsored feature and unofficially took over the 2009 national lead from Mike Pegher, Jr.
"The track was a little choppy," described the Centerville, Pa. point leader. "If you could get rid of the ruts that was a beautiful surface. You could really race on it and pass. The place was unreal tonight- fast and racey. When you can have fast and racey together, it doesn't get any better than that."
Mike Anderson, Jr. took off in the lead from the pole position with Butch Lambert and Brian Booher getting by Steve Hollabaugh for second and third. Blair, who started fourth, moved up to third on lap four when he went under Hollabaugh in turn one and then made the identical move on Booher two laps later for third. On lap eight, Blair dove under Lambert in turn four to grab second. The contact allowed Booher to also get by in third.
Blair ran down Anderson and by the halfway point he was right on the leader. Blair would make his winning move on lap 11 when he drove to the inside of Anderson in turn four and made the pass stick. The event's only caution was displayed for Ben Black and Chris Force with 13 laps completed. When racing resumed, Blair pulled away, while everyone turned their attention to 11th starting Pegher, who grabbed fourth from Lambert and then third from Booher on lap 16. Up front, Blair was too much as he nailed down his fourth win of the season and all-time division-leading seventh of his career at Mercer by a margin of 4.44 seconds in his Eagle Hoist & Winch/Specialty Products/Loney Timber/Moody Welding-sponsored #111.
For the second straight race, Anderson was able to hold off Pegher for second. Booher was fourth over a strong run by Gary Miller, Jr., who started 15th. Lambert and Hollabaugh dropped to sixth and seventh respectively as Bill Thomas, Bud Watson, and Bryan Force completed the top 10. Heat victors were Lambert and rookie Michael Mitchell.
Luxaire Heating & Cooling Sprint Cars (20 laps): 1. DAN KURIGER (08) 2. Rod George (4) 3. Nate Stein (93) 4. Arnie Kent (18) 5. Andy McKisson (0) 6. Eric Williams (7) 7. Chris Shuttleworth (11) 8. Carl Bowser (10) 9. Bob Howard (49) 10. Jeff Taylor (17T) 11. Gale Ruth (1R) 12. Chris Best (66) 13. Jack Helget (Taylor 71c) 14. Johnny Beaber (Taylor 7B) 15. Tony Beaber (3T) 16. Gale Ruth, Jr. (5x) 17. Terry Young (VanTassel 69x).
Approved Toilet Rentals 358 Modifieds (20 laps): 1. GARY SMOKER (516) 2. Jimmy Holden (28H) 3. Garrett Krummert (29) 4. Frank Guidace (1G) 5. Rick Hall (B2) 6. Rodney Beltz (Emig 1) 7. Eric Gabany (3E) 8. Matt Reeher (711) 9. Jr. Baker (359) 10. Wayne Bice (66) 11. Rick Kress (222).
4 Your Car Connection FASTRAK Late Models (20 laps): 1. MAX BLAIR (111) 2. Mike Anderson, Jr. (72) 3. Mike Pegher, Jr. (Geisler 1C) 4. Brian Booher (Hoover 00H) 5. Gary Miller, Jr. (1M) 6. Butch Lambert (27) 7. Steve Hollabaugh (3H) 8. Bill Thomas (22) 9. Bud Watson (2) 10. Bryan Force (69) 11. Chris Haines (35H) 12. Chris Force (68) 13. Jamie Brown (135) 14. Ben Black (27B) 15. Michael Mitchell (19) 16. Bobby Powell (Bidwell B1D)-DNS.
GM 602 Crate Stock Cars (12 laps): 1. ANDY BUCKLEY (965) 2. Steve D'Apolito (Utsinger 84) 3. Shaun Hooks (Janovick 65) 4. Russ Coyne (8c).
Big Daddy's Speed Center Mod Lites (15 laps): 1. MARK MARCUCCI (8M) 2. Garrett Krummert (Spinneweber 10s) 3. Shane Pfeuffer (Lawson 40L) 4. Terry Young (98) 5. Kotie Kirkbride (97N) 6. Bill Stivason (116) 7. Chad Yeager (7) 8. Andy Feil (08) 9. Richard Lawson (70x7) 10. Alan Knepper (10)-DNS.
M&D Paving Mini Stocks (12 laps): 1. JAMEY LEE (44J) 2. Mike McConnell (31) 3. Dan McEwen (44) 4. Lee Lehnerd (71) 5. John Shannon (14) 6. Max Smoker (409) 7. Bill Fuchs (10) 8. Dillon Barr (15) 9. Jerry Batcher (Blazczak 7) 10. Rudolph Troples III (28) 11. Brad Shaffer (17) 12. Michael Thompson (82T) 13. Dan Koebler (62) 14. Ed Haylett (8-ball) 15. Tim Callahan (54) 16. Pete Blazczak (77) 17. Shannon Heberling (1H) 18. Matt Cwynar (21JR) 19. Steve Walker (McEwen 4M) 20. Wally Stearns, Jr. (33)-DNS.
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