MARION CENTER SPEEDWAY June 28, 2014

Marion Center Speedway held its Mid-Season Championships for all five divisions Saturday night at the quarter-mile clay oval between Indiana and Punxsutawney. 

The Lias Tire Super Late Model Mid-Season Champion is Doug Glessner from Johnstown.  Glessner claimed the championship by leading all twenty-five laps from his outside pole position starting point to the checkered flag waving at the end.  Shawn Claar from Imler started on the pole but ended up following Glessner around the track waiting for Glessner to make a mistake he could take advantage of to gain the lead.  Glessner was able to keep the lead and went to the Integra Racing Shocks Winner’s Circle for his Mid-Season Championship trophy presentation.  Claar took second place over Billy Eash from Johnstown who took third and fourth place went to Andrew Gordon from DuBois.  Fifth place was filled by Dave Blazavich from Marion Center and sixth through tenth spots went in the order of John Myers, Wayne Maffet, Jr., Mike Blose, George Lee and Denny Fenton.  Rounding out the field were Rod Phillips in eleventh and Bill Burns twelfth.  The Lias Tire Super Latemodel heat races were won by Mike Blose and George Lee.

The Force Inc. Steel Block Limited Late Model Division invited the Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic Crate Late Models to run with them Saturday night for the Mid-Season Championships since there were only 3 Crates at the track to race.  The Crate Late Models joined in with the Steel Block Limited Lates and took over the top spots for the feature.  Mike Laughard of Twin Rocks was the overall victor of the race and was representing the Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic Crate Late Model Division.  Laughard started on the pole and maintained the lead from start to finish.  Josh Valenti from Clymer had made a deal with Andrew Satterlee to run Saturday night’s feature as Satterlee, giving Andrew Satterlee the points he made during that race.  So Valenti’s car was scored as Satterlee’s for the night.  Valenti did well for his efforts finishing in overall second place and also representing the Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic Crate Late Models.  Overall third place went to the first Force Inc. Steel Block Limited Latemodel to cross the finish line and that made Joe Petyak of Gallitzin the Mid-Season Champion of that division.  Petyak is now the man to beat for the Force Inc. Steel Block Limited Latemodels as he is the winningest driver in the division.  Petyak started seventh in a nineteen car feature and worked his way to the front through restarts and great racing.  So Joe Petyak is the Mid-Season Champion of the Force Inc. Steel Block Limited Latemodels, finishing after him was Rod Phillips of Punxsutawney for second place in the Limited Lates then Cheyenne Reed, Scott Stein, Jeff Weakland, Frank Brocious, Mike Williams and Gale Huey.  Next across the line came Patrick Waugh who was the third and final Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic Crate Late Model driver.  Finishing the top ten for the Force, Inc. Steel Block Limited Lates were Levi Sikora and Tim Fannin.  In the heat races for the combined divisions the winners were Gabe Shaffer, Scott Stein and Levi Sikora.

Nate Smith of Glen Campbell claimed the Mid-Season Championship of the W. G. Satterlee & Sons Street Stock Division.  Smith started out last in the nine car feature and worked his way into the lead by lap number seven of twenty taking the lead away from Eric Lingenfelter of Creekside.  Lingenfelter started on the outside pole and was pushing pole position starter, Luke Barnett of Mahaffey.  Barnett spun out after the first lap and Lingenfelter took over the lead.  Then Smith overtook Lingenfelter for the lead six laps later and went on to the Integra Racing Shocks Winner’s Circle for the Mid-Season Championship trophy presentation.  Ray Hickok, Jr. of Commodore finished second in the feature and Andy Burns was third.  Barnett was fourth and Gary Furman, Jr. of New Alexandria was fifth.  The rest of the field did not finish the feature but consisted of Jim Handy side in sixth then Eric Lingenfelter, Matt Krause and Brett Bingaman.  In the W. G. Satterlee & Sons heat race the winner was Ray Hickok, Jr.

Nick Fulmer is the Mid-Season Champion of the Willow Farm Campground Strictly Stock Division.  Fulmer from Marion Center made a clean sweep of the fifteen lap feature to be crowned Champion in the Integra Racing Shocks Winner’s Circle.  He led every lap from pole position start to checkered flag finish.  Fulmer had pressure throughout the feature from Jon Lee of Mahaffey who ended up finishing second and Nick Erskine of Mahaffey that took third.  Bryant Small from Cherry Tree was fourth and Ryan Caldwell of Marion Center was fifth.  The rest of the top ten in a twenty car field consisted of Ben Krause, Jim Hamilton, Gary Stitt, Kylie Hamilton and Derek Buterbaugh.  The Willow Farm Campground Strictly Stock heat race winners were Bryant Small, Nick Erskine and Rich Waltman, Jr.

Congratulations to this week’s Marion Center Speedway Kid’s Club coloring contest winner, Katelin Komlosky who will present a checkered flag to a feature winner at a future race and to this week’s Fan of the Week, Kenneth Bryner who took a ride around the track in the Marion Center Volunteer Fire Company’s fire truck.

It’s going to be a busy week at Marion Center Speedway with the Independence Day Celebrations going on.  Thursday, July 3, 2014 there will be special races for the Lias Tire Super Late Models, the W. G. Satterlee & Sons Street Stocks and the Willow Farm Campground Strictly Stocks.  All divisions need a minimum car count of 16 cars to gain the top cash prizes of $1500 to win for the Late Model 35 lap feature, $500 to win 30 lap Street Stock special and $350 to win 20 lap Strictly Stock feature PLUS Fireworks!!!  And Race Fans that attend Thursday Night’s festivities and come back for Saturday night July 5 and bring their July 3 Ticket stub will get $2 off the admission price for Saturday July 5 only.  Then Saturday July 5 the Independence Day Celebrations continue with Twin 20 Lap features for the Force Inc. Steel Block Limited Latemodels and the night will include a full regular racing program for the Super Late Models, Crate Late Models, Street Stocks and Strictly Stocks.  Each of the Twin 20 special features will pay out $750 to win if the car count is more that 16 cars for the division. So keep those admission tickets for the discount and get bonus racing too!   See the website for more detailed information about the upcoming specials at Marion Center Speedway.

Race Fans!  Keep up to date with what’s happening via the internet and our website marioncenterspeedway.net, or Facebook and our blog.  You can also get race day information on Saturdays by calling the Speedway Race Day Hotline at 724-397-2108, or now go online to RainedOut.com and follow the easy instructions to get race day text or e- mail messages sent to you if Marion Center Speedway is rained out.  Also stayed tuned to Froggy 95 for Speedway information and a chance to win free admission tickets.  That’s 95.5 on the FM dial for Froggy 95. 

Thanks to our sponsors for this 48^TH Season of Racing under the direction of the Potts family which include Butler Auto Supplies of Indiana, Mike’s Towing from Clymer, Lias Tire and Auto Service, Colonial Motor Mart, Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic, Delaney Hyundai, Force Inc., W. G. Satterlee & Sons, Willow Farm Campground, Tri-Star Motors of Indiana, Froggy 95 and Integra Racing Shocks.  Race Fans, Rich’s Garage is now open to serve the community with oil changes, mechanical work, welding, painting and more.  If you need help with your vehicle call Rich’s Garage at 724-388-6462.  Rich’s garage is conveniently located at the Marion Center Speedway Complex on Potts Road.  See you this Thursday, July 3 for our Independence Day Celebration and also Saturday night, July 5 for the Twin 20’s and full program at Marion Center Speedway “The Thrill On The Hill.”