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Mike Leone
HERMITAGE, Penn. (January 18) - The FASTRAK Northeast Late Model Touring Series honored its top 15 racers from the 2009 season on Saturday night, January 16. The Normandy Banquet Center played host to the third annual event, which was held in conjunction with the Mercer Raceway Park Awards Banquet & Dinner. Nearly $19,000 in cash, contingencies, and prizes were handed out. A record $17,200 in cash was distributed to the top 12 racers with more than $800 handed out in contingencies to positions 13-15.
The 2009 season was the third year for the Northeast Touring Series and was a record breaking year. A record 138 different drivers competed in the 15 completed events with an average car count of 32 per night. A new car count record of 43 was established at the Tri-City Speedway event on Labor Day Weekend.
David Scott of Garland, Pa. celebrated his first championship in his inaugural season driving the #100 Bullitt House Car for John and Janet Powell out of Huntingdon, Pa. Scott and the Powells each received championship jackets along with the $5,000 title. Scott became the third different champion in as many seasons joining 2007 champion Alan Dellinger and 2008 champion Max Blair.
Scott recorded three wins along the way, but his first didn't come until the August 8 event at Elkins Speedway in West Virginia. He later added wins at Mercer Raceway Park on September 12 and a week later at Sharon Speedway on September 19. Scott finished with 11 top 5s and 13 top 10s in 15 events.
Defending 2008 Northeast Touring and National Weekly Series Champion, Max Blair, had another stellar season. The 19-year-old Centerville, Pa. driver won events at Mercer, Expo, and Dog Hollow on his way to a runner-up finish. Blair had nine top three finishes and challenges Scott down to the wire in his Eagle Hoist & Winch/Specialty Products/Loney Timber/Moody Welding-sponsored #111.
2008 Mercer Raceway Park Mod Lite Champion made the jump up to the FASTRAK Late Models in 2009 and had an excellent debut competing in all 15 Northeast Touring Series events and coming up third in the final standings. The 16-year-old Conneaut, Ohio racer drove the Main Avenue Insurance/Chardies Auto Parts/Bushnell Store-sponsored #2 to 7 top 8s including a career best second at McKean County Raceway in the season finale.
Despite tying for the National Weekly Series Championship, Mike Pegher, Jr. didn't have the success he had hoped for on the Northeast Touring Series slate finishing fourth. The Wexford, Pa. driver of the Lynn Geisler-owned #1 Cochran/Pegher Custom Home Painting/Triple-S Auto-sponsored #1c started the year off on fire winning the opening two events at Tyler County and Sharon, but could only muster 4 top 5 finishes in the final 13 events.
Completing the top 5 was Bobby Powell. The Waterford, Pa. driver completed his second full year behind the wheel of the Scott Bidwell-owned, Fame RV Center/Maloney Tool/Houck Carbide/Jay's Auto Wrecking/Rich Johnson Electric-sponsored #B1D with two wins at Roaring Knob and Tri-City.
Carl McKinney competed full-time on the Northeast Touring Series slate for the first time and turned in a respectable sixth place effort despite missing the rescheduled Expo event due to leading the E-Mod points at Tri-City. The Cranberry Township, Pa. driver started the year off with four straight top 10s and ended the year with 10 including a season best third at Tri-City on September 6 in his Mikan Motors/Hufnagel Motors Trailer Sales/Results Chiropractic/Strutz Fabricators/Randy's Window Clean-sponsored #6M.
Dan Angelicchio started the year off as the early Northeast Touring Series point leader thanks to four straight top 7 finishes, but struggled from July on with only two top 10s in the final 11 shows. The New Stanton, Pa. driver ended up seventh in the Denny Angelicchio-owned, Brooks Auto-sponsored #14.
After digging himself a big hole missing two of the first four shows and finishes of 20th and 22nd in the other two, Butch Lambert charged back with 8 top 8 finishes in the final 11 shows to finish eighth in points. The Mars, Pa. driver had a pair of thirds at Elkins and Mercer for his season best efforts in his Bagel Bites/Fannie's Friends Pet Cremation/Austin's A1 Bleach/RAM Transit-sponsored #27.
Despite missing the Elkins event due to his active service requirement, the Rome, Ohio racer competed in the remainder 14 events to finish ninth in the final ranking. Watson turned in a pair of season best fifth place finishes at Sharon and Raceway 7 in the Mike Horton-owned, Chief's Garage & Service/Custom Quality & Collision/BK Trucking/Hide-a-way Campgrounds-sponsored #48.
Joining the FASTRAK ranks in 2009 and finishing 10th was West Virginia racer Gary Knollinger. Driving the Gumby's/HP Excavating/Earth & Sun-sponsored #38K, Knollinger started off the year in contention for the title with a third at his home track Tyler County, added a runner-up at Mercer on Memorial Day, and turned in a fifth at Raceway 7 on July 3. He continued his strong efforts in West Virginia with a fourth and a second in August at Elkins and Tyler County, but failing to qualify for two features and missing two others late in the year ended his chance at a top five placing.
Another driver to join the FASTRAK Series in 2009 was Garrett Mott, who would finish 11th in the final standings. Not only was he a rookie to FASTRAK, but a raw rookie never racing another division. The young Smethport, Pa. driver missed only the season opening Tyler County event and followed the Touring Series the rest of the way recording a career best third on July 3 at Raceway 7 in his #43x.
Tommy Schirnhofer, Jr. was 12th in his first full season in the Northeast Touring Series to earn the final points paying position. The Pittsburgh, Pa. driver had 5 top 10s in the 11 shows he competed in the Tom Schirnhofer, Sr.-owned, Bucky Gebert Motorsports/Woody's Towing/Tomei's Towing/Schirnhofer Welding/R. Torrence, Jr. Trucking-sponsored #8s.
Mike Blose, Joe Martin, and Tom Copeland finished 13th through 15th in points respectively and received a pair of Hoosier FASTRAK tires for the 2010 season. Blose moved into FASTRAK in July and had a season best second in his first ever Touring Series event at Dog Hollow on July 24. Martin, who formerly turned the wrenches for Blose, was another raw rookie and ended the season with a career best Touring Series effort in fifth at Sharon. Copeland missed only the rescheduled Dog Hollow event due to work obligations and had a season best 18th at Mercer on September 19.
Following the top 15 presentation, FASTRAK Northeast Co-Directors Vicki Emig and Mike Leone presented Brad Hibbard with an appreciate award for his efforts over the past three seasons. The Boardman, Ohio residents has served as the Northeast Tech Inspector and has held that position at the Grand Nationals, as well as National events at tracks like Eldora Speedway in Ohio and Wythe Raceway in Virginia. He's also conducted numerous seminars and has been instrumental in the rapid growth and integrity of the Series.
The 2010 FASTRAK Northeast Late Model Touring Series schedule is hoped to be finalized by the end of the month and is expected to feature 16-20 events with several high paying shows along with new stops along the way.
Final 2009 FASTRAK Northeast Late Model Touring Series Points (only Touring Series members received points): 1. DAVID SCOTT (Powell 100) 458 2. Max Blair (111) 452 3. Bud Watson (2) 376 4. Mike Pegher, Jr. (Geisler 1C) 374 5. Bobby Powell (Bidwell B1D) 372 6. Carl McKinney (6M) 359 7. Dan Angelicchio (14) 354 8. Butch Lambert (27) 334 9. John Watson (Horton 48) 322 10. Gary Knollinger (38K) 319 11. Garrett Mott (43X) 262 12. Tommy Schirnhofer, Jr. (8s) 245 13. Mike Blose (5) 182 14. Joe Martin (55) 179 15. Tom Copeland (98) 167 16. Jim Frank (14*) 141 17. Joel Prosser (77) 138 18. Bob Kish (5) 93 19. Shane Hitt (2H) 79 20. Dan Karalagas (1R) 77 21. Dereck Frank (16*) 74 22. Troy Shields (11) 72 23. Jay Watson (7x) 67 24. Jim Long (71) 51 25. Bobby Whitling (7w) 48 26. Jason Fosnaught (J19) 37 27. Chris Schneider (55) 32 28. Andrew Wylie (84) 30.
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