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Hagerstown
AUGUST 13TH, 1999
BALZANO CRUISES TO $7,000 WIN TO
OPEN 52ND ANNIVERSARY WEEKEND 50-lap Mid-Atlantic
Championship Series feature
Stan Dillon
HAGERSTOWN, MD - Friday the 13th wasn't unlucky for Mike Balzano, the
Parkersburg, WV driver kicked off the first night of the two day 52nd
Anniversary Show in a dominating effort as he cruised to a half-lap win in
the 50-lap Mid-Atlantic Championship Series feature at the Hagerstown
Speedway Friday night. Balzano collected $7,000 as he dominated the final 25
laps of the race in a light drizzle lapping all but 11 cars. Gary Stuhler
finished second after a 15-lap side-by-side battle with Nathan Durboraw. Chub
Frank, who went out over the cushion on the first lap to lose several spots
fought back to take third with Durboraw fourth. Rodney Franklin, who led the
first 17 laps from the outside pole, rounded out the top five.
"It was a great win for us," said Balzano in
Victory Lane. "This was an
old car we brought out a few races ago and it was good tonight. The track was in
the best shape I have seen for a long time, you had three or more grooves to
race."
A heavy downpour moved into the area night as the late model
sportsman
was ready to take the green for its 25-lap championship feature forcing
Promoter Frank Plessinger to reschedule the sportsman and the pure stock
features to Saturday, September 4th as part of the Ronnie McBee Memorial on
Labor Day weekend.
Balzano started fifth in the 26-car field as Rodney Franklin
grabbed the
early lead from the outside pole. Balzano quickly worked his way into second
by the third lap as Franklin worked on a ten-car length lead. As Balzano
started closing in on the leader, Nathan Durboraw and Gary Stuhler were
beginning to work their way to the front. Durboraw, who started eighth,
passed Brent Smith for fourth on the seventh lap as 13th starting Stuhler
passed Chub Frank for sixth. As Franklin set the pace high against the
cushion, Balzano began closing the gap down low.
A caution on lap 13 for the smoking
engine of third place Andy
Anderson put Balzano, Durboraw, Stuhler and Frank on Franklin's bumper for
the restart. Balzano began working the inside on the restart pulling even
with Franklin down the backstretch. For the next two laps, the two cars raced
almost even around the smooth half-mile with Balzano edging in front on the 16th
lap. Balzano was able to get his car in front on lap 17 and once clear of
Franklin, started to pull away from the field.
On lap 20, Durboraw and Stuhler closed in on Franklin as
Balzano began
opening some daylight in first. Durboraw and Stuhler both pulled even with
Franklin on lap 21 with all three cars side-by-side going into the first
turn. With no room for error, Durboraw came out ofthe second turn in second with
Stuhler third and Franklin fourth. The third and final caution was waved on lap
22 for debris on the track as a light drizzle began to fall. Balzano picked up
his pace on the restart as Stuhler began to work on Durboraw for second. As the
two cars battled it out side-by-side, Balzano was able to open a large lead. By
the time that Stuhler got by Durboraw on lap 38, Balzano had a half-lap lead.
Stuhler tried to close the gap on the leader, but did not have enough time as
Balzano cruised to a dominating win. Stuhler was second with Frank coming on
strong for third. Durboraw and Franklin rounded out the top five. Todd Andrews,
Charlie Schaffer and Steve Shaver were next with Kenny Pettyjohn in the Ron Hays
#44 ninth. Seventeenth starting Bart Hartman finished out the top ten. Heat
winners for the 44 cars were Durboraw, Franklin, Balzano and Brent Smith.
Hartman and Les Hare won the consolations.
Just as the late model sportsman were ready to take the green
for its
25-lap Summer Championship feature, the skies opened up with a much needed heavy
downpour forcing Promoter Frank Plessinger to postpone the sportsman and pure
stock feature events. The two features were rescheduled to Saturday, September
4th, and will be first on the Ronnie McBee Memorial program. The postponement
was just what sportsman point leader and defending champion Wayne Walls wanted
to see. After experiencing engine problems in his qualifying heat, he was
scheduled to start the feature last in his son's back-up car. With two weeks
off, Walls should be ready to go for the two features remaining in the point
battle, both on September 4th.
Daryl Kendall and Scott Palmer won the qualifying heats for
the late
model sportsman and Gary Calimer Jr., Kenny Dillon and Dave Rice Jr. were the
heat winners for the pure stocks.
RESULTS:
MACS LATE MODELS: (Heat 1) 1. Durboraw; 2. Anderson; 3. Geisler; 4. Stuhler.
(Heat 2) 1. Franklin; 2. Frank; 3. J. Smith; 4. Blair.
(Heat 3) 1. Balzano;2. Schaffer; 3. Combs; 4. Andrews.
(Heat 4) 1. B. Smith; 2. Mason; 3. Brode;4. Pettyjohn.
(B-Main#1) 1. Hartman; 2. Shaver; 3. Robinson; 4. Workman.
(B-Main#2) 1. Hare; 2. Moran; 3. D.J. Myers; 4. Burkholder.
50-LAP LATE MODEL FEATURE: 1. Mike Balzano; 2. Gary Stuhler; 3. Chub Frank;4.
Nathan Durboraw; 5. Rodney Franklin; 6. Todd Andrews; 7. Charlie Schaffer;8.
Steve Shaver; 9. Kenny Pettyjohn; 10. Bart Hartman; 11. Donnie Moran; 12.Roy
Deese Jr.; 13. Robbie Blair; 14. Brent Smith; 15. Jeff Robinson; 16. Les Hare;
17. Rodney Combs; 18. Lynn Geisler; 19. Rick Workman; 20. Jeff Smith;21. Scott
Brode; 22. Doug Burkholder; 23. Scott Rhodes; 24. D.J. Myers; 25.John Mason; 26.
Andy Anderson.
DNQ: Bob Close; Booper Bare; Jeremy Miller; Alan Sagi; Jesse Sheckler; Dave
Padula; Jeff Ferguson; Jeff Shearer; Tommy Armel; Tom Myers; Bubby Dillman;
Duane Woolford; Marshall Shunk; Rob Nichols;
Jim Mazur; Bill Palmer; Frankie Plessinger; Skeet Reckner; Jeff Rine; Jeff
Bryner; Roy Deese Jr.; Scott Rhodes.
(Logo design by Karen Teets)