Home track favorite Barry Awtey earned his fourth victory of the season in the Martella's Pharmacies Late Model division of racing at the Jennerstown Speedway Complex, on Saturday night.  Other winners on September 7th, visiting Stoney's Beer Victory Lane were:  “Racin’ Jason” Busch, for the first time in 2019 (Stoystown Auto Wreckers Modifieds), Aaron Van Fleet (Tunstall Auto & Truck Repair Street Stocks), Dale Kimberly (Farmers Union Co-Op Chargers), and Andrew Pluta (Somerset Trust Company Fast 'n Furious 4-Cylinders).

Five time Jennerstown Champion Barry Awtey started on the front row for the 30-lap Martella's Pharmacies Late Model feature, and launched into the lead from the outside lane.  Pole position starter, Zane Ferrell, maintained the second spot early in the event.  Ferrell looked impressive during the heat races, in the quest for his second feature win of the year, but could not keep pace with Awtey.  On lap ten, point standings leader Teddy Gibala and Mike "Hollywood" Hemminger made contact, in a mid-pack battle.  Both are winners in 2019, but their spin in turn two slowed the action and damaged both machines. Both drivers made pit stops, and returned to action, but limped to the finish.  Awtey's margin over Ferrell was erased for the restart, but Ferrell surrendered second place to Todd Price when racing resumed.  Price, who debuted a new race car mid-summer, was involved in a crash in the prior event.  After a week of repairs and replacing parts, Price performed at his best, pulling away from third-place Ferrell, in the middle stages of the race.  At lap 20, Awtey enjoyed a half-straightwaway lead over the field.  Awtey is the all-time leading winner at Jennerstown Speedway, and the second-generation driver would face no challenges, headed to the finish line.  Scoring his fourth win of 2019, Awtey’s Wheeler Family Show Cattle/Stoystown Auto Wreckers/Pizza Hut Chevy was far ahead of the pack when the checkered flag waved.  As the second-place driver in the Championship Standings, Awtey gained on Gibala, who now holds a mere 25-point advantage (after finishing eighth), with two races left on the schedule.   Awtey and Gibala also won the heat races.  Price’s impressive run earned him a second place finish – his best at his home track.  The former Truck division Champion has won in Late Model racing at the now closed Motordrome Speedway, but never at Jennerstown.  Former Modified Champions placed third and fourth behind Price;  Ferrell and Bryan Shipp.  Shipp has looked very strong in recent weeks, seeking his second career win in the division.  Rookie Jarred Barclay started in eighth position and earned another top five finish.

The race of the night began with multi-car contact, which resulted in Dustin Gursky's car heading to the pits and a caution flag delay, before a lap was completed for the Stoystown Auto Wreckers Modified division.  Adam Kostelnik led lap one of 20, after starting in fourth position, when the green flag waved.  As one of the hottest drivers of late, Kostelnik is one of the all-time leading winners in Modified racing in Western PA.  By the midpoint of the race, "Racin' Jason" Busch was closing in on Kostelnik, seeking his first win of the year.  Defending Champ Anthony Aiello was holding the third spot, after passing Brad Milburn early on.  With just five laps to go, Kostelnik's car fishtailed out of turn two, allowing Busch to pull even, after Busch steadily reeled in the leader for several laps.   An entire half mile of dueling wheel-to-wheel, put the fans on their feet, and Busch took the lead with three laps to go.  Fighting a “loose” handling condition, Kostelnik dropped back as the race came to a close.  Popular Busch ended a lengthy victory drought with his first triumph of 2019, after taking the checkered flag amidst the late race excitement.  Winning a pair of events in 2017, Busch was shut out of Stoney’s Victory Lane in 2018, but recorded numerous podium finishes this year.  Aiello made a last lap pass for second place, to preserve his lead in the point standings, after starting back in tenth position.  Kostelnik crossed the line in fourth place, and Championship contender R.J. Dallape rallied to a fifth place finish after an early race pit stop.  Busch and Kostelnik won the heats.

Defending Champion of the Tunstall Auto & Truck Repair Street Stocks, Josh Coughenour, took the early lead in the division's 20-lap feature.  Coughenour, who started in second place, is racing on a part-time basis this year, but was the leading winner of 2018; he is seeking his first victory of 2019.  Coughenour’s reign at the front lasted five laps. The current point standings leader, Aaron Van Fleet, advanced from the starting berth of fourth, and grabbed the lead on lap six.  Van Fleet, on a recent tear of victories, opened a five-car-length advantage, quickly, over the field. Casey Fleegle started in eighth place, and advanced to third position early on.  The top three drivers would maintain their spots for the distance of the event, in a smooth race.  When the checkered flag was displayed, Van Fleet scored his fourth win of the year and padded his hopes for a division title.  Coughenour placed second with 2019’s leading winner Fleegle, in third place.  Zac Todaro, a winner this year, placed fourth and former Champ Andrew Kostelnik steered the Kimberly Racing machine to the fifth position.  Fleegle and Van Fleet won the heat races.

Three different drivers led during the 15-lap Farmers Union Co-Op Charger feature race.  Third generation driver Riley Hemminger led for two laps, as the youngest competitor in the field.  Then, recent winner, and long time veteran Kelly Shaulis grabbed the top spot.  For seven laps, Shaulis’ vintage Ford Torino was the car to beat.  But, after starting deep in the pack, the 2018 Champion, Dale Kimberly roared to the front.  Kimberly was forced to demonstrate his reflexes more than once, avioding multiple incidents at full speed, early in the event. Kimberly started in eighth place and has a commanding lead in the standings after this- his eighth- win of the year.  On the final lap, recent winner Scott Mitchell grabbed the second position, after starting seventh.  Shaulis placed third, with Chase Payton finishing fourth and Steven Brown placing fifth.  Payton and local favorite Steve Singo won the heats.An opening lap crash involved four cars at the start of the 15-lap Somerset Trust Company Fast ‘n Furious 4-Cylinder feature race, which turned out to be the best finish of the night.  All drivers were uninjured and only two cars were eliminated at the start.  A thrilling battle between former Champion Brent Bickerstaff and Andrew Pluta lasted the entire duration of the race.  Fourth starting Bickerstaff led 13 laps of the contest.  But, Pluta inched ahead with two laps to go, and the pair of off-track buddies battled door-to-door for the entire white flag lap.  At the finish line, fans cheered as Pluta won by just a car length, after starting in twelfth place.  It was the former dirt-tracker's eighth victory of the season.  Bickerstaff, placing second, holds a 21-point advantage in the standings.  Defending Champion Evan Nibert finished in third spot, with rookie Michael Saylor finishing fourth ahead of former Champ Steve Settle.  Saylor and Bickerstaff won the heats.

Saturday, September 14th, Jennerstown Speedway presents the most anticipated event on the 2019 schedule.  The winged Sprint Cars, of the nationally televised “Must See Sprint Car Series,” will make their only visit of the season.  The open-wheel, methanol-injected monsters are returning for the second consecutive year by popular demand.  The Super Cup Stock Car Series is also competing on the same night.  The two touring groups will join all five divisions of Jennerstown Speedway's weekly competitors, for a unique extravaganza of motorsports on September 14th.  Time trial qualifications begin at 3pm, with racing action at 6pm.  Advance tickets are discounted $3.00 and can be purchased online at www.jennerstown.org until Friday, September 13^th.  Day of event tickets will be available at a cost of $18.