(Jennerstown, PA) Former Champion, Garry Wiltrout, of Somerset, PA, claimed his first victory of 2018 at the Jennerstown Speedway Complex on Saturday, June 30, 2018, in the Martella's Pharmacies RUSH Late Model division of racing. Anthony Aiello continued his dominance in the Stoystown Auto Wreckers RUSH Modified division, and Josh Coughenour won for the third time this season in the J&J Truck Equipment RUSH Street Stock division. Dale Kimberly won a pair of races in the Farmers Union Co-Op Charger division, and James Gottschalk, Jr. won the dramatic Shane Shaffer Inc. First Round of the Ron’s Collision Center Enduro Series.
Joe Maruca is a rising star in Martella's Pharmacies RUSH Late Model competition. Although he has competed for several seasons, he is still among the youngest contenders in the division, and is seeking his first career victory. In late 2017, Maruca’s team made notable improvements to the race car’s handling, and he threatened to visit victory lane in the final races of last season. After early 2018 misfortunes, Maruca returned to the front of the pack to battle for a win last Saturday. Maruca started the 30-lap feature race on June 30, in the third position. Todd Price started from the pole position with former Champion Garry Wiltrout alongside in row one. Wiltrout took the early lead, as Price later retired with mechanical problems. Just like Maruca, Wiltrout struggled in the early races of 2018, as the team experimented with new chassis setups. As Wiltrout led early, Mike “Hollywood” Hemminger passed Maruca for second place. Hemminger started in fourth position, and has led laps in nearly every race this year, seeking his first win of 2018. Also in the early stage of the race, points leader Barry Awtey spun, bringing out a caution flag. On lap eight, Maruca passed Hemminger to become the runner up again, but Wiltrout had a comfortable margin, running away from the battle for second place. Maruca quickly closed the gap on the leader, and filled Wiltrout’s rearview mirror. For several laps, Maruca challenged Wiltrout, often pulling even with the leader in a side-by-side duel. Fans were riveted as the duo at the front of the pack had not shown “lead strength” for most of the year. But, now, the rejuvenated pair distanced themselves from all other competitors to decide the win. Wiltrout, on the opposite end of the age and experience spectrum from Maruca, was fighting a loose handling condition, and Maruca tried repeatedly to capitalize. Although the scoring records indicate that Wiltrout officially led every lap of the race, Maruca’s door-to-door challenges produced a memorable battle. When the checkered flag waved, Wiltrout, a multiple race winner in 2017, parked the R&R Motorsports entry in victory lane for his first win of 2018. Also a former Motordrome Speedway Champion, Wiltrout has been racing since the 1990’s, and offered gratitude to his crew, for their hard work on his Franjo Construction/Stone and Company/Meegan Ford, in his post race interview. Maruca finished second by just more than one car length to equal his previous “best career finish,” with heat race winner Hemminger placing third. Rick Boyer had a strong, consistent run, finishing fourth and defending Champion Jeremiah Kuntz finished fifth, after winning his heat race.
The Stoystown Auto Wreckers RUSH Modified 20-lap feature was uncharacteristically marred with several caution flag incidents, including the scariest flip in recent Jennerstown history. Defending Champion Chris Brink hit the outside wall on the back straight, and landed on his roof at the entrance to turn three, on the first lap. The track safety crew did an admirable job to rescue the popular driver, and Brink was not seriously injured. When the race was restarted, West Virginian Dustin Gursky grabbed the early lead. Seeking his first win, Gursky remained in front of the pack for four laps, before veteran Tom Golik made a pass for the lead. Golik, a two-time winner in 2017, was forced to defend his lead from the challenges of Gary Scott. Golik and Scott are the two most-veteran drivers in competition, and Scott spun from their battle to bring out a caution flag on lap eleven. On the restart, heat race winner Adam Kostelnik grabbed the lead from Golik. Kostelnik, the region’s leading Modified winner over the past decade, looked poised for his first victory of 2018, after starting back in eighth place. However a loose oil line forced him to the pits while leading. Anthony Aiello inherited the lead, and dominated the final five laps to earn another win in his rookie season as a Modified racer. The former Street Stock Champion has a commanding lead in the Championship Standings, as he won his heat, and raced to the feature win after starting in 13th position. Golik placed second, and “Racin’ Jason” Busch advanced from the twelfth starting position to finish in third place. Making an impressive recovery after his spin, Scott placed fourth and Gursky finished fifth.
Defending Champion of the J&J Truck Equipment RUSH Street Stocks, Lauren Butler returned to Championship form, taking the early race lead from Mel Wilt in the 20-lap feature race. Butler, who’s car needed rebuilt after a late 2017 season crash, struggled so far in 2018, after her multiple-win season a year ago. Butler led seven laps, before a spin in turn two resulted in slight damage to her car, and a restart at the back of the pack. Her 2017 nemesis, Josh Coughenour inherited the lead, as a two time winner in 2018. Wilt, who got stronger as the race progressed, caught and challenged Coughenour in the late stages of the event. But, for the third time this year, Coughenour drove his beautiful Camaro to the finish line in the first position, cementing his place at the top of the point standings. Coughenour also won his heat race, earlier in the night. Wilt, a feature winner in 2018, finished second with veteran Rick Meehleib placing third after starting seventh. Heat winner Aaron Van Fleet finished fourth, after winning the feature one week prior, and Butler recovered from her spin to earn fifth place.
The first of two 15-lap feature races for the Farmers Union Co-Op Chargers began with Steven Brown leading early. The dirt track veteran, turned asphalt racing rookie, looked very strong. But on lap five, veteran Dale Kimberly grabbed the lead, amidst a three car battle with Brown and fellow rookie Casey Fleegle. Kimberly went on to lead the remainder of the event, which was a make-up from the May 26th rain postponement. Fleegle, Kimberly’s teammate Adam Kostelnik, defending Champ Jason Pritts, and Scott Mitchell were the top five finishers. In the regularly scheduled Charger feature race, Kimberly started in tenth place, after winning his heat race, and began advancing through the field early in the event. Fleegle made some bold moves on the first lap, to rise from the fifth starting spot to the lead. Brown chased Fleegle, matching two rookies bumper-to-bumper for the top spot. On lap seven, recent winner Pritts claimed the second position. Pritts gained on leader Fleegle, until Kimberly grabbed the runner-up spot with three laps to go. Fans were on their feet, as Fleegle led 14 of the 15 laps, but finished second when the checkered flag waved. Kimberly swept the Charger racing for the night, making a last lap winning pass, and earning a cash bonus from Farmers Union Co-Op. Fleegle placed second in both events looking for a first win in the division, and Mitchell passed heat race winner, Pritts, for third place at the conclusion. Brown finished fifth behind Pritts.
The Shane Shaffer Inc. Round One of the Ron’s Collision Center Enduro Series was unquestionably the most memorable in recent history. James Gottschalk, Jr. took the early lead after starting sixth, and just after the mid-point of the race he surrendered the top spot to Dustin Brown. Brown, with dirt track racing experience in Central PA, held a comfortable lead until the final lap. Three-wide lapped cars in turn three, slowed Brown’s pace, and Gottschalk stole the lead in turn four on the last lap. Gottschalk won by inches at the finish line, as the duo drove under the checkered flag side-by-side. Gottschalk, of nearby Boswell, PA, had the fans on their feet and screaming, as he earned his first ever trophy. Brown, veteran Kelly Shaulis, Scott Mitchell, and Randy Wengren finished in positions two through five.
Saturday July 7, 2018, Jennerstown Speedway’s five division “Motor Mountain Mania” will be joined by the nationally televised Super Cup Stock Series tour. The travelling racers will hit the pavement at 5pm for time trials, and then compete in a pair of 50 lap feature events. In spite of the special addition to the schedule, admission prices will remain at the regular cost of $10 for adults, with children ages 12 and under FREE.
