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BIG-BLOCK MODS & FASTRAK LATE MODELS HEADLINE SATURDAY’S 6-DIVISION PROGRAM ALONG WITH KIDS BIKE RACES

By Mike Leone

August 24, 2011        

(Hartford, OH)…Sharon Speedway is coming off an exciting night of racing last weekend that featured 119 cars and three new faces in the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Victory Lane.  As the 2011 season begins to wind down, this Saturday night (August 27) will feature another six-division “Steel Valley Thunder� program including the Governor Insurance Agency Big-Block Modifieds, Barris Supply FASTRAK Late Models, Ainsley 500 Heating & Cooling E-Mods, Gibson Insurance Agency Stock Cars, Summit Racing Equipment Econo Mods, and the Presidential Lawn Care Mini Stocks. 

Kids bike races will be held on the speedway during intermission.  Helmets are required.  It’s Boundary Systems Corporate Night.  Race time is set for 7 p.m.  
Kevin Bolland raced to his second Big-Block Modified win last Saturday night and in the meantime greatly cut into Rex King’s point lead.  King, who owns four feature wins and is looking for his second straight championship, holds down a 28-point lead after a DNF last Saturday night.  Bolland won earlier this season on his sponsor’s night and would love to do it again Saturday night for Boundary Systems! 

The back and forth point lead by John Volpe and Josh Double continued as these two are going to fight right down to the wire to determine the inaugural FASTRAK Late Model champion.  Double entered Saturday night trailing Volpe by one-point, now heading into Saturday, the Bristolville, Ohio one-time winner leads the Lakewood, New York two-time winner by just two markers.

Last Saturday, 14-year-old rookie Eric Wilson Kowatic became the 12^th different winner in 17 races this season in a division that’s averaged nearly 30 cars per night with 87 different drivers!  Only Mike Pegher, Jr. (three), Joe Martin (three), and Volpe (two) have won more than one time.

The E-Mod car count, competition, and different winners nearly rivals FASTRAK.  Only on one occasion have there been less than 22 cars present as 83 different drivers have been in action.  In fact, last Saturday night’s 31-count was the third time this season over 30 cars have been on hand.  Carl McKinney became the newest winner capturing his first Sharon win in seven years last Saturday night!  In the meantime, he overtook Mike Kinney in the championship race by 13 points.  The last year that McKinney won at Sharon was 2004 when he won the championship.  Could it be an omen? 

After getting his $3,000 GM 602 crate protested last Saturday night and coming out clean, Steve D’Apolito is closing in on his fourth track championship in the Stock Cars.  D’Apolito of Boardman, Ohio, who won last year’s championship at Mercer Raceway Park, has yet to finish worse than sixth in any heat or feature!  Two-time winner Mike Clark isn’t letting D’Apolito out of his sights as he’s still within striking distance at 18 behind. 

Veteran Junior Mechling attended the NASCAR races in Michigan last weekend and saw his Econo Mod point lead shrink from a comfortable 64-point lead down to just 24 over another veteran in Jim Turley.  The Warren, Ohio driver has amazingly finished third in each of the past six weeks and hasn’t finished worse than fourth in any of the 10 races this season!  Turley was able to close in thanks to a season best second last Saturday.

Bill Fuchs clinched his first track championship after five years of trying and did it in grand style last Saturday night as he captured his track leading ninth feature win.  The Greenville, Pa. racer had been shutout of victory lane since July 9 and will now try to hit double figures Saturday.  The battle is on for second place as Lucas Sprouse leads rookie Jamie Wrightsman by one-point and his father Randy by only 11.

“We had another stellar night of racing with great field of cars last Saturday,� acknowledged second year GM Dave Willoughby.  “The point races are going down to the wire in the FASTRAK, E-Mods, and Stock Cars so that always adds to the excitement.  Saturday’s weather is looking perfect so hopefully you can make it out as the season is quickly winding down.  Don’t forget to bring the kids bikes for races on the speedway during intermission.�

The new boy’s and girl’s bike giveaway program presented by King Bros. Feed Supply & Redi Mix will continue.  Kids 4-14 can sign up until intermission.  If either Rex King, Sr. or Jr. wins the feature, a new bike will be presented to a lucky boy and girl the following Saturday.

Pits open at 4 p.m. with the grandstands at 5 and racing at 7.  Adult admission is $13 and family passes are $32.  Students 9-13 are $5 and children 8 and under are free.  Pit passes are $25.  There are no driver registration fees for the remainder of the season.  

There will be no racing over Labor Day Weekend.  The final “Steel Valley Thunder� program will take place on Saturday, September 10 before the two-day Apple Festival Nationals on Friday and Saturday, September 16-17.
Sharon Speedway is owned by the Blaney, Weller, and Kirila Families and is a 3/8-mile dirt track located on Custer-Orangeville Road in Hartford, Ohio near the intersection of Routes 7 & 305. For more information, check out the website at www.sharonspeedway.com or call 330-772-5481.  Become a fan of Sharon Speedway on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sharonspeedway and follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sharonspdwy.

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