Mid-Atlantic Championship Series - MACS

Indiana, PA

September 17, 1999

By: Jeff Geesey

Third-time a charm for the “Flyin’ School Teacher Jack Pencil in first MACS win

Joe Padula welcomed the Mid-Atlantic Championship Series to his famed Bedford Speedway, Bedford, PA for the final MACS appearance of the season, the 11^th Annual Labor Day 55. Hurricane Dennis twice caused the event to be postponed from its typical Labor Day weekend running. Hurricane Floyd had designs on doing the same, but cleared the area by late Thursday dawning a cool, clear Friday.

Huge fan favorite and Bedford, PA, native Jack Pencil scored his career first MACS win and a very big one at that making him the eleventh different feature winner this season on the highly competitive MACS tour. He adds his name to an exclusive list by being the twenty-first driver to score at least one feature win with the Series in the last three seasons and from the 53 events presented. Pencil chauffeurs a Monte Carlo, MasterSbilt, skinned with McCreary’s, Home of the American Racer, and powered by a Chevrolet 430 by Semco. Jack’s boosters are R & L Insulation and Abatement; Stoystown Auto Wreckers; Baker’s Body Center; Keller Engineers; and the Breezewood Ramada Inn.

The 26-car starting field was whittled down from four heats and B Main. Luck of the draw found Tom Myers, past Bedford Track Champion and Bo Feather, Winchester standout comprising the front row, while eventual winner, Jack Pencil, was sixth.

Feathers snared the lead from the drop of the green. Bo catapulted around the oval at an amazing clip. On lap 12, he breezed into lapped traffic, on the huge Bedford oval. The first of four cautions waved on lap 14 with Feather’s firmly in control. His contenders were Scott Rhodes, currently residing fourth in Series points, as well as a being a past Bedford Track Champion; Myers; Todd Andrews, looking for his fourth consecutive MACS win; and Pencil.

As the field went back to green, Feathers again established a comfortable margin. Racing through out the field was fast. All the drivers were flying just trying to keep up with the driver in front of them and staving off the challenges of the one behind. The field demonstrated outstanding driving as the second caution flew on lap 22. Feather was still firmly entrenched as the leader over Rhodes, Andrews, Pencil and Myers.

Once the field regrouped, Feathers was able to record two more quick laps before the third, quick caution of the program. The top five remained unchanged through the fourth and final caution on lap 33. With just fifteen laps remaining the high-speed chess match was taking on a different look. Feathers, still in control, had new suitors trying to dethrone him. The top five were Rhodes, Andrews, Pencil and Andy Fries, from his ninth place start. Feathers was on a march to put his name in the record books. Pencil had other plans.

On lap 37, Pencil clawed his way past Andrews into third. One short circuit later, in an awesome power move, he blasted into second, dropping Rhodes to third. Lap 41 found the leader entering lapped traffic for the second time with all the contenders using his impedance to dramatically close and challenge for the win. As quickly as Feathers would dispatch a car Pencil matched his move gaining huge amounts of real estate with each passing revolution.

Feathers final lap at the helm was 43 as Pencil finally caught and passed him on the forty-fourth circuit. With clear track in front of him Pencil set sail to keep his challengers at bay. His pace was so astonishing that he wadded into the tail of the field again on lap 48. Pencil was leading the quintet of Feathers, Rhodes, Fries and Andrews. During that same stanza in a flurry of activity, Feathers, coming down the front chute, unexplainably, and dramatically slowed as he coasted into the turn on pit opening ending his gallant effort.

With five laps to go, Pencil led over Rhodes, Fries, Andrews, and Lynn Geisler, Series point leader. With the two-to-go signal given, Fries catapulted around Rhodes and into second. Pencil held off the final challenges of Fries to claim the win by a comfortable margin over Fries; Rhodes; Geisler, from tenth; and Jeremy Miller, whose stock with the Series continues to skyrocket with another fine performance.

Andrews slide to sixth in the closing stages and led the next tier of five including Chub Frank, from sixteenth; Myers; Rodney Sweitzer, from eighteenth; and Bob Salathe, after forging his way from the back of the field after the lap 33 caution.

MACS Junior Racer Club (JRC) winner was six-year old Kyle Weyant, New Paris, PA. He received t-shirts and hats from Hoosier and McCreary Tire, as well as a hat from Slavic Custom Racing Shirts and Decals. The Series provided the winner with a MACS checkered flag.

Calico Coatings gift certificate winners: Jack Pencil $125.00; Ken Dickson (Hard Charger) $75.00; Chris Harr $50.00 and Mike Altobelli $50.00

The next MACS stop is Friday and Saturday September 24 and 25, at Doug and Linda Timmon’s Winchester Speedway, Winchester, VA for the 36^th Annual Winchester 200. The MACS portion of the show includes Friday nighttime trials and heat events with Saturdays’ show containing the B Mains and the 100 lap Late Model A Main. This program pays $10,000 to win from the $43,000 total purse. Twelfth pays $1,000 and $600 to start. All drivers not transferring from the B Mains will earn $200.

The following week, Saturday, October 2, the Series makes in inaugural appearance at Pete Cameron’s Potomac Speedway, Budds Creek, Maryland. This one-day show boasts a $32,000 total purse that pays $6,000 to-win the 50-lap contest, with tenth $1,000 and $500 to start. All drivers not transferring from the B Mains will earn $200.

The season finale will be at Jack and Donna Lentz Challenger Raceway, Indiana, PA, for Fall Fest V. The dates are Friday-Sunday, October 8 – 10. One driver could win $15,000 from the $80,000 posted purse. Friday is a complete one-day show paying $3,000 to-win. Saturday is the first day of a two-day show featuring heats and the King of the Hill paying $2,000 to-win. Sunday will have the B Mains, B Feature and the 75-lap A Main paying $10,000 to-win. Sunday’s A Main has twelfth paying $1,000 with $600 to-start. All drivers not transferring from the B Mains will earn $200.00 for Sunday and $100 for Friday.

MACS Facts: Series stats reveal 260 drivers participating in seventeen events.

This program drew 35 drivers from six states including Maryland, New York, Ohio,Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.

Event: # 18
Bedford Speedway, Bedford, PA
09/17/99

Hoosier Racing Tire/Stan Hover Racing
Heat #1 (10 Laps)
Car # Driver Hometown
1. W11 Rob Blair Titusville, PA
2. 42 Todd Andrews Eldred, PA
3. 82 Andy Fries Mercersburg, PA
4. RG3 Bob Salathe Bedford, PA
5. 33 Carl Billet York Haven, PA

Slavic Custom Racing Shirts and Decals
Heat #2 (10 Laps)
Car # Driver Hometown
1. 83R Scott Rhodes Somerset, PA
2. 00F Bo Feathers Winchester, VA
3. 1C Lynn Geisler Cranberry Twp., PA
4. 92K JR Keifer Bedford, PA
5. 84 Rodney Sweitzer Stoystown, PA

Lias Tire Racing Division/McCreary
Heat #3 (10 Laps)
Car # Driver Hometown
1. 50E Tom Myers Greencastle, PA
2. 1H Scott Haus Hamburg, PA
3. 19 Gary Stuhler Greencastle, PA
4. 55 Bob Wearing Jr. Renfrew, PA
5. 21K Kory Sites Hamburg, PA

King's Jewelry/ARTCARVED
Heat #4 (10 Laps)
Car # Driver Hometown
1. 1M Jeremy Miller Littlestown, PA
2. 14 Jack Pencil Bedford, PA
3. 880 Todd Ritchey Everett, PA
4. 1* Chub Frank Sugar Grove, PA
5. 49 Eric Zembower Bedford, PA

PROShocks
B Main #1 (10 Laps)
Car # Driver Hometown
1. 99 Rick Singleton Hesston, PA
2. 28 Ed Carley Freedom, NY
3. 17 Ken Dickson McVeytown, PA
4. 11L Jeff Ferguson Brownfield, PA
5. 1W Chris Harr Claysburg, PA

A Main (55 laps)
Car # Driver Hometown
1. 14 Jack Pencil Bedford, PA
2. 82 Andy Fries Mercersburg, PA
3. 83R Scott Rhodes Somerset, PA
4. 1C Lynn Geisler Cranberry Twp., PA
5. 1M Jeremy Miller Littlestown, PA
6. 42 Todd Andrews Eldred, PA
7. 1* Chub Frank Sugar Grove, PA
8. 50E Tom Myers Greencastle, PA
9. 84 Rodney Sweitzer Stoystown, PA
10. RG3 Bob Salathe Bedford, PA
11. W11 Rob Blair Titusville, PA
12. 1H Scott Haus Hamburg, PA
13. 55 Bob Wearing Jr. Renfrew, PA
14. 17 Ken Dickson McVeytown, PA
15. 92K JR Keifer Bedford, PA
16. 49 Eric Zembower Bedford, PA
17. 99 Rick Singleton Hesston, PA
18. 21K Kory Sites Hamburg, PA
19. 11L Jeff Ferguson Brownfield, PA
20. 00F Bo Feathers Winchester, VA
21. 42B Scott Brode Keyser, WV
22. 19 Gary Stuhler Greencastle, PA
23. 880 Todd Ritchey Everett, PA
24. 28 Ed Carley Freedom, NY
25. 33 Carl Billet York Haven, PA
26. 38L Dion LaSalle Everett, PA

Car Count: 35 Lap Leaders: 1-43 Feathers; 44-55 Pencil
Cautions: 14, 22, 24, 33 Time of event: 30:01

Hard Chargers

Start Finish Advanced

Ken Dickson 25 14 11
Chub Frank 16 7 9
Rodney Sweitzer 18 9 9
Andy Fries 9 2 7
Jeff Ferguson 26 19 7
Lynn Geisler 10 4 6
Jack Pencil 6 1 5

Upcoming Events

September 24-25 Winchester Speedway, Winchester, VA $10,000 to-win
October 2 Potomac Speedway, Budds Creek, MD $6,000 to-win
October 8-10 Challenger Raceway, Indiana, PA $15,000 to-win possible

Top Ten MACS Driver Points

1. Lynn Geisler 1626

2. Robbie Blair 1614

3. Todd Andrews 1428

4. Scott Rhodes 1380

5. Scott Brode 1314

6. Jeff Ferguson 1238

7. Dave Padula 1175

8. Ed Carley 1106

9. Skeet Reckner 1100

10. Ron Davies 1063

Thanks for your continued support and cooperation.

Andy Geesey President 724.463.0255

Matt Geesey Secretary/Treasurer 724.463.0453

Jeff Geesey Public Relations 724.465.2222

FAX: 724.465.2529

E-mail: macs@microserve.net

Website: http://www.macsracing.com