| BRP Tour - Rougeux Top Cowboy at the Stampede; but King Crowned Again! |
 |
 |
 |
|
Del Rougeux, Jr. won the inaugural Steel City Stampede, but he fell just a few points short of capturing his first ever championship with the BRP/Hoosier Tire Modified Tour. Rougeux kept the pressure on Swartzlander through the early laps of the race. He swept past the first three-time champion coming off turn two and was scored as the leader on lap 4. Although Rougeux would lead the rest of the way, he had to fight off some stiff challenges for the win. A caution on lap 13 for Dave Reges allowed Jeremiah Shingledecker to take his first shot at the leader. Shingldecker disposed of a lapped car on the restart and pressed Rougeux for the lead. The two battled side-by side for the next four laps until the action was halted for a shunt involving Jeff Miller and McGinley in turn four. The restart put Shingledecker on the inside, his preferred line. He fired first and led Rougeux coming down to the start-finish line. Rougeux gained momentum as the cars raced down the frontstretch and he led into the first corner. Shingledecker remained close. Behind them, Crawford, King Sr., and Swartzlander battled for positions. The surprise, however, was the strong performance put forth by New Yorker Alan Johnson in the 777 usually driven by Kevin Bolland. Johnson started in position 20 after having a mechanical problem in his heat race Saturday. Johnson methodically worked his way through the field using the bottom line on the hard slick speedway. “There was some bite down there at the start,” Johnson said, “but it went away pretty quick.” The lap 17 restart put him on the outside, and the crowd had to wonder whether that would signal the end of the charge for A.J. Slideways. Johnson, however, said that he was fortunate to be on the outside for those final restarts. “We were lucky to be up high on those restarts, we picked up a few positions.” Rougeux continued to maintain a slight margin over Shingledecker and Crawford as the laps clicked off. King Sr. held onto fourth, but Johnson passed Swartzlander to reach the top five with five to go. Rougeux got a bit of a scare when Jeff Miller spun in turn four with two laps to go. Miller did a 360 and kept the car moving, but Rougeux was closing fast. Rougeux snuck by and used the pick to open a little cushion on Shingledecker. “I got worried when I saw that lapped car spin in front of me,” Rougeux said. “Today, I had a good enough car that I was able to drive right around him.” Things got a little confusing when the field came down for what should have been the white flag. The flagman displayed the two lap sign instead. As the leader raced into turn one, rookie Ryan Hall spun coming off the second turn. Under track scoring rules, the final two circuits must be completed under the green, so the caution redeemed the flagman and set up a two-lap shootout for the win. Once again, Rougeux lined up on the outside and Shingledecker to the inside. Shingledecker got another good start, but Rougeux rallied to maintain his lead as the pair entered the first corner. But, to the surprise of all, Johnson shot to the top of the track again and he was pressing them both for the win. The threesome battled hard over the final two laps, with less than a car length separating them as they raced through turns three and four to the checkers. Rougeux was now in the middle of the track as the leaders came off the final turn. He held on for the win, followed closely by Johnson on the outside and Shingledecker on his inside flank. “Del pinched down on me,” Shingledecker said. “I was surprised that Johnson didn’t get by us both.” Crawford crossed the line in fourth, followed by King Sr. Rounding out the top ten were Swartzlander, Murdick, Rapp, Turner and Rex King, Jr. “Today was a guessing game,” the happy winner said. “I was watching the track during that stock car race and came back and told the guys that we had a few changes to make.” Shingledecker agreed. “We should have made a few more changes. But it definitely was a good race.” Heats were won by Brian Swartzlander and Brad Rapp. There was no B Main. The Red Bear Hand Cleaner "Clean Move of the Race Award" was conferred on Alan Johnson for his steady climb through the field. The next BRP/Hoosier Tire Modified Tour event will be the 3rd Annual High Performance Swap Meet and Flea Market, on October 31, 2009, at Mercer Raceway Park. The activity will start at 7:00 for vendors and 9:00 for participants. The meet will be held rain or shine. For information or reservations, please contact Ray Baselj at Big Daddy's Speed Shop, 139 Gasper Road, Grove City, PA 16127, or 724-458-6465. The BRP Modified Tour '09 would like to thank the following series sponsors: Bicknell Racing Products, Hoosier Race Tire, Sunoco Race Fuel, Pennsylvania Army National Guard, Bilstein Shocks, Keizer Racing Wheels, Landrum Spring, ISC Racerstape, Wrisco Aluminum, Fast Axle LLC, Smokeys, Ray's Racing Collectibles, Approved Toilet Rentals, Inc., Hall's Safety Equipment, Engles Trucking, Big Daddy's Speed Center, King Brothers Feed and Supply, Oyler Action Photos, McCool's Signs and Graphics, Hometown Pharmacy, Wedge Motorsports, Red Bear Hand Cleaner, Motorsports World, and Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti, LLP. The Modified Tour, Inc. racing series is a non-profit organization established to give the V-8 Modifieds in the Western Pennsylvania area the opportunity to compete for higher purses and for a seasonal point fund. Started in 1998 by Tim Engles, Lon and Pam Baker, and Randy Myers, the Modified Tour has had great success at bringing the local cars together at the area racetracks. Official Order of Finish: BRP/Hoosier Race Tire Modified Tour (Round 10): Lernerville Speedway, Sarver, PA: 25 Laps: October 24-25, 2009 1. Del Rougeux, Jr. $2,000; 2. Alan Johnson $1,000; 3. Jeremiah Shingledecker $750; 4. Joe Crawford $600; 5. Rex King, Sr. $400; 6. Brian Swartzlander $350; 7. Dave Murdick $300; 8. Brad Rapp $290; 9. Mike Turner $280; 10. Rex King, Jr. $270; 11. Jim Rasey $260; 12. Gary Smoker $250; 13. Mark Frankhouser $240; 14. Mike Miller $230; 15. Carl Murdick $220; 16. Richard Whitney $210; 17. Ryan Hall $200; 18. jeff Miller $200; 19. Ted Ryan $200; 20. J.R. McGinley $200; 21. Dave Reges $200.
|
