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Full Track story
McGuire wins first late model feature of
season at Eriez
By Jay Pees
ERIE, PA (July 18, 1999) - Northeast, PA’s Pat McGuire won his qualifying heat
to earn the pole position for tonight’s feature, then led wire-to-wire for his
first Late Model victory of 1999. McGuire, who has five Limited Late Model wins
this year, opened a quarter lap lead by the tenth circuit and was nearly half a
lap ahead of nearest competitor Rod Maloy when the race’s first caution flew
on lap sixteen, for Maloy, whose car had lost power in turn three and was unable
to leave the track. Another caution was wave on the seventeenth lap, but after
that, McGuire simply powered away from the field. Matt Urban ran second at the
checkers with John Lobb recording yet another fine run for third. Steve Halpainy
and Chub Frank ranked fourth and fifth. McGuire, Maloy, and Urban won the heat
events.
Sinclairville, NY’s John Lacki triumphed in the Limited Late Model feature,
bringing his win total for the weekend to two, having won the previous night at
Stateline. Lacki started the race in seventh position. Bill Catania, Jr had
started from the pole position and led the first three laps. On the restart from
a caution after three laps, Joe Weber made a daring three-wide pass going down
the back straight. The race ran green only two more laps before the two more
caution flags were required to complete lap five. Lacki had by this time
advanced to second and began hounding Weber at the drop of the flag on lap six.
Coming out of turn two on lap nine, Lacki got to the inside of Weber and
outpowered him down the back chute for the lead. The veteran driver was never
challenged the remainder of the event. Lacki had previously scored two wins at
Stateline, but this was his first at Eriez in ’99. Weber finished the race
second with Chris Hackett third, Bobby Rohrer fourth, and Pat McGuire fifth.
John "Snoop Losey" and Hackett won the heat races.
The Empire Super Sprints were at Eriez for their second and final visit in 1999.
Tim Kelly scored his third ESS victory of 1999, besting Tom Taber, Gregg
Pottorff, Scott Holcomb, and Dan Kaszubinski. Kelly started from the pole
position and was never challenged over the twenty-lap distance. Holcomb,
Kaszubinski, and Kelly won the qualifying heats for the twenty-nine sprinters on
hand while John Karklin, Jr won the B-Main.
Matt Green and Dave Eades brought the fifteen Super Sportsman cars to Spanky
Hall’s green flag with Green winning the drag race to turn one. Eades kept
close to the leader until a caution in lap three returned the cars to a double
file format for the restart. Going into turn one on the restart, the leaders
made contact and both spun, bringing out another caution. After this yellow, Don
McGuire was first on the grid and immediately pulled out to a large lead and was
never challenged as he went on to his first win of the year at Eriez. Eades came
back through the field to finish second with Don Stanley third, John Willow
fourth, and Dan Nocero, Jr fifth. Stanley and Gary Foster won the heats.
Dewey Kinnear led the eighteen cars to the stripe for the first Cadet finale and
led for the first lap, then looped his car in turn two, with several cars piling
into him to bring out the first of seven yellow flags. On the restart Ken Drake
took command and held it until point leader Wade Slaney got by on lap nine when
the leader slipped up the racetrack in turn two and went on to record his second
victory of the season. Drake continued to the finish in second with Herm Hilyer
in third.
John Coughlin led the first six laps of the second cadet feature, then was
displaced at the front by 1998 Champion Greg Fenno. Fenno went on to his third
triumph of 1999 with Jeff Gunnell winding up second and current circuit points
leader Steve Yokum third.
Kinnear, Chris Withers, and Andy Sweetland were victorious in the heats. Chad
Carlson grabbed the win in the "Run for the Money" race for last
week’s winners.
Justin Carlson led the entire 10 laps to record his first win of 1999 in the
first Spectator feature. Following Carlson to the line were Scott Coon and Brad
Pease.
Derrick Dickerson paced the field for the first two circuits in the second
Spectator feature before surrendering the lead to Jim Kennerknecht, driving the
car formerly driven by 1998 point champion Ed Hart. Kennerknecht steered his new
mount to his first win of the season with Dickerson second and Mike Harmon
third.
The final Spectator feature had Brian Guzowski leading through lap three, then
Kelly Frederes up front in lap four. Rick Thompson then took over and held the
lead until the white flag lap when young Dave Hess, Jr got by on the inside.
Thompson wasn’t through, however, and got back by Hess in the final turn to
capture his second win of 1999 and fifth overall on the circuit. Hess wound up
second with point leader Chris Sutton coming home third.
Coon, Harmon, and Chuck Hart won the preliminaries.
(Logo design by Karen Teets)