Marion Center Speedway showed their appreciation for their fans Saturday night with a Fan Appreciation Night which consisted of a full night of all six divisions racing and at the intermission break, the race cars and drivers came out to the front stretch and the fans went down on the track to mingle with the drivers and get up close to the race cars.  A special thank you to E and E Propane and Billy Eash Racing for providing a kid’s activity consisting of seeing how much money they could gather up after it was scattered in the infield in a contained area.  It was fun and profitable for the kids- Here’s what happened on the track:

Marion Center Speedway was a stopping point for Max Blair on his travels which may be taking him into Canada for his racing tour this weekend.  While at Marion Center Speedway, Blair raced in the Lias Tire Super Late Model Feature and won!  Blair started in tenth position and worked his way to the front to challenge the leader, Dave Blazavich of Marion Center.  Blazavich had started on the outside pole with Levi Sikora beside him on the pole.  Blazavich took the lead at the start of the race and kept some distance between his car and the rest of the field.  A couple of cautions kept the pack of sixteen cars close together and Blazavich seemed to have power to pull away each time.  Then Max Blair showed up and powered his way into the right spot to take over the lead with a half dozen or so laps to go.  Once he got the fresh air in his grill, Blair was set to take the checkered flag.  Here are the results for the Lias Tire Super Late Model Feature:  1) Max Blair, 2) Dave Blazavich,   3) George Lee, 4) Shawn Claar, 5) Doug Eck, 6) Rich Gardner, 7) Doug Glessner, 8) Joe Petyak,     9) Billy Eash, 10) Rod Phillips, 11) John Myers, 12) Dane Laraway, 13) Levi Sikora, 14) Andrew Gordon, 15) John Britsky, 16) Bob Sheesley.  The Lias Tire Super Late Model heat races were won by Dane Laraway and Shawn Claar.

Joe Martin has won back-to-back features at Marion Center Speedway in the Huey Brothers, Inc. Crate Late Model division.  Martin started the twenty-lap feature on the outside pole and took over the lead from Patrick Waugh at the start of the race.  Martin had complete control of the race and there was no stopping him from going back to the Integra Racing Shocks Winner’s Circle like he did last week.  Wendell Pinckney challenged Martin by passing Blazavich and staying close enough that if Martin had faltered, Pinckney could capitalize on his mistake.  But there was no mistake, Martin won the feature.  Here is the finish of the Huey Bros. Crate Late Model Feature:  1) Joe Martin,        2) Wendell Pinckney, 3) Dave Blazavich, 4) Corey Neal, 5) Jeremy Shaffer, 6) Matt Bassaro,                 7) Stephanie Ivory, 8) Patrick Waugh did not finish the feature.  The Huey Bros. Crate Late Model heat was won by Joe Martin also.

The R. D. Shaffer Well Services Steel Block Limited Late Model feature was won by Greg Beach Saturday night.  Beach had the pole and held the front position throughout the twenty-lap feature.  Bernie Whiteford kept Beach honest but Beach had put some distance between their cars.  When the checkered flags flew, the final standing for the R. D. Shaffer Well Services Steel Block Limited Late Model feature are 1) Greg Beach, 2) Bernie Whiteford, 3) Zach Snyder, 4) Frank Brocious, 5)Dan Boyd, 6) Sam Gindlesberger, 7) Carl Pierce, 8) Tom Jobe, 9) Paul Ivory,                10) Adam Nixon.  Williams, Getch, Reed, Scaife and Luzier did not finish the feature.  Tom Shaffer didn’t take the green flag in the feature to start.  The R. D. Shaffer Well Services Steel Block Limited Late Model heat races were won by Tom Shaffer and Bernie Whiteford.

The W. G. Satterlee & Sons Street Stock feature gave Joey Zambotti from Kittanning his third victory in a row at Marion Center Speedway.  Zambotti led the entire feature from outside pole at the start to the checkered flags at the end.  Tim Bish followed Zambotti throughout the twenty-lap race, but there was no passing Zambotti in the feature.  The finish for the W. G. Satterlee & Sons Street Stock feature consisted of 1) Joey Zambotti, 2) Tim Bish, 3) Ray Hickok, Jr. 4) Bob Egley, 5) Jeff Sweeney, 6) Tony Iarrapino.  Gary Furman didn’t finish the feature and Rich Waltman didn’t start the feature.  The W. G. Satterlee and Sons Street Stock heat race was won by Ray Hickok, Jr..

Chris Hickok won the Willow Farm Campground Strictly Stock Feature giving him back-to-back victories in the division and his fourth win for the season so far.  Hickok went from the outside pole to the Integra Racing Shocks Winner’s Circle in fifteen laps.  Nick Erskine made his way from fifth position to challenge Hickok in the final five laps but Hickok held the lead and took home the win.  The results of the Willow Farm Campground Strictly Stock Feature are:  1) Chris Hickok,        2) Nick Erskine, 3) Craig Fox, 4) Ryan Caldwell, 5) Jim Hamilton, 6) Nick Fulmer, 7) Gary Stitt,     8) Duke Davidson, 9) Dillon Smith, 10) Larry Brewer and Dusty Gray was the last competitor to finish the feature with Jim Decker, Rich Waltman, Jr., Kenny Haight, and Andy Komlosky, Jr. not finishing the feature.  The Willow Farm Campground Strictly Stock heats were won by Nick Erskine and Chris Hickok.

Two cars nearly alike were in the front row of the Butler Auto Supplies Front Wheel Drive 4/6 Cylinder feature, with only one number added to make a difference in their appearance.   During the feature the two cars caught a break when Michael Phillipson of  Ebensburg had to bow out of the feature leaving what was thought to be Robert Lydic of Rochester Mills in the lead with Jack Mumau from East Run in second.  Lydic and Mumau finished the feature first and second, but it was Mumau driving the Lydic car that took the checkers and Lydic finishing second in the Mumau car.  The car gets the points but the way the drivers finished is: 1) Jack Mumau, 2) Robert Lydic, 3) Tanner Lansberry, 4) Jesse Laughard, 5) Jamie Noel.  Phillipson and Dave Kunes did not finish the feature.  Michael Phillipson was the winner in the Butler Auto Supplies Front Wheel Drive 6/4 Cylinder heat race.

Next Saturday, July 25 the ULMS Racing Series Super Late Model Special paying $2000 to win will be at Marion Center Speedway.  The racing program will also include the Willow Farm Campground Strictly Socks and the Butler Auto Supplies Front Wheel Drive 4/6 Cylinders Plus the Dave & Belle Thrill on the Hill Dash.  There’s a whole lot more information and news relating to the season on the website:  marioncenterspeedway.net, or you can follow us on facebook, or catch up on twitter or the blog with what’s happening. You can also make sure you don’t make that unnecessary drive up to the top of the hill if we’re rained out by signing up for text messages or e-mails from “Rainedout.com” and receive up to the minute messages if the track should cancel for the night.  Plus there’s the new Race Day Hotline phone number 724-397-2108 to call on days of events only for a recorded message of the status of the events for the day.

Thanks to E and E Propane, and Bertolini Racing for keeping the Kids in consideration and providing prizes and activities and sponsoring t-shirts are just some of the things the race teams do that we appreciate greatly.  Also Thanks to our sponsors for the season which include those picking up division sponsorships like our newest additions R. D. Shaffer Well Services, Huey Bros, Inc., Butler Auto Supplies, Lias Tire, Willow Farm Campground and W. G. Satterlee & Sons,.  Also thanks to Rich’s Garage at 724-388-6462 for all their help to get things going for the season and Integra Racing Shocks, Colonial Motor Mart and others.