By Mike Milliron & Stacie
Peles
Jennerstown, PA – June 1, 2002 –
Marion
Reno Jr. from White Oak, PA used patience and
planning to maneuver from a back row starting
position into victory lane in the inaugural Tommy
Gale Memorial 64-lap Pro Truck event Saturday night
at Jennerstown Speedway. Other winners during Tommy
Gale/Haulmark Trailer Sales race night were Neil
Brown in Wheeler Brothers/AC Delco Late Models, Adam
Kostelnik in the Cenwest Street Stocks, Joey
Dennewitz in Cover Insurance Agency/PA Legacy
Series, Curtis Stewart, Jr. in the 96.5 The Mountain
Chargers. Brad McCoy won the Men’s Enduro race.
Marion Reno, Jr. was
one of fourteen Pro Trucks who took to the Laurel
Highlands Oval for the Inaugural Tommy Gale Memorial
64-lap Pro Truck race, in honor of Pittsburgh racing
legend Tommy Gale. Reno started from the ninth
position and methodically worked his way through the
front half of the field, to take the lead from Todd
Price on lap 22. A mandatory caution on lap 32
allowed all the teams to refuel their machines in
preparation for the second half of the event. Once
back under green flag action, the race turned into a
two-truck battle between Reno and Todd Price. The
front running pair extended their lead over the rest
of the field throughout the remainder of race. In
the final laps, Price closed in on the race leader
however Reno would not be denied his second straight
victory at Jennerstown Speedway. Price held on to
finish second, as Josh Coughenour finished a solid
third in front of Aaron Will who finished fourth.
Pro Truck Rookie of the Year contender Joe Kelley
continued to look impressive as he recorded his
first top five finish of the 2002 season. Aaron
Will and Dave Brunell won the heat races.
In the Wheeler Bros./AC
Delco Late Model feature event it was Neil Brown
returning to victory lane for the third time in four
races. The Acme, PA driver started the fifty-lap
feature race in tenth, and had to steadily work his
way through a talented field of experienced drivers
en route to his victory. Brown received a
fortunate break on lap 25, when a lapped car
collided with the two cars of Jayme Bolkovac and
Bobby Henry, forcing them into the pits for repairs.
This moved Brown from sixth to fourth, which put
him in position to make an impressive move for the
race lead, which he took from Mark Smith on lap 28.
The top two drivers stayed glued together throughout
the remainder of the race, racing several laps
side-by-side. At the checkers it was Neil Brown
claiming the win by less than a car length,
finishing behind the top two cars in third was Rick
Boyer, with Brad Creighton and Ryan Hemphill
rounding out the top five. Neil Brown and Bobby
Henry won the heat races.
Defending Cenwest
Street Stock divisional champion Adam Kostelnik
finally found his way back to victory lane, as he
claimed the victory in convincing style. After
starting the race in seventh place, the North
Braddock, PA native charged towards the front of the
pack and overtook race leader Johnny Jones on lap
14, with George Nicola, Jr. on his back bumper. The
two drivers looked to rekindle their rivalry, but in
the final laps race traffic played to Kostelnik’s
advantage as he rolled to his first win of the 2002
season. Drivers finishing third through fifth were
Roger Onstead, Rich Nicola and Johnny Jones. The
heat race was won by Tracy “Dink” Colarusso.
96.5 The Mountain
Charger feature race saw Curtis Stewart, Jr. become
a “three-peat” winner, as he once again displayed a
proven driving style that has served him well so far
in the 2002 season. Chuck Slate started the race
from the pole position and held onto the lead even
with a persistent challenge from Stewart, Jr. which
began on lap 5. The two drivers raced bumper to
bumper until Stewart, Jr. took the race lead on lap
9. Slate regained the lead on lap 11, during the
only restart of the race. But Stewart, Jr. would
not be denied as he regained the top position on lap
12 and held onto for the rest of the 15-lap event.
Chuck Slate finished a career high second, with Phil
Grubbs, Greg Praysner and Travis Smith closing out
the top five. The heat race win went to Curtis
Stewart, Jr.
Joey Dennewitz scored
his fourth consecutive victory in the Cover
Insurance Agency/PA Legacy Series, but had to
rebound from unfortunate circumstances to keep his
winning streak alive. Kyle Martel started the
feature race from the pole position and led the
first eight laps, while Dennewitz worked his way
into the third position before making contact with
Brett Boyer, sending both drivers to the tail end of
the field. Dennewitz quickly worked his way back
through the field and captured the race lead from
Chris Brink on lap 12. Once in the lead the Akron,
Ohio native seemed to double his determination and
refused to allow any of his competitors within
striking distance, and cruised to yet another
hard-earned victory. Chris Brink finished a distant
second, with Brett Boyer, Kyle Martel and P.J.
Ehrlich recording top five finishes. Joey Dennewitz
and Chris Brink picked up the heat race wins.
The Mens Enduro race
once again turned into a two-car battle, as Brad
McCoy and Gregory Lohr demonstrated their dominance
in the entry-level racing division. This time it
was McCoy who had the upper hand during the final
laps to claim victory over his closest rival.
Next week Jennerstown Speedway welcomes the USAR
Hooters Pro Cup Series as they present the Naturally
Fresh Foods 250. This Northern Division race will
be a nationally televised event on Speed Channel.
Also on the program will be the second round of five
races in the Naturally Fresh Late Model Challenge
Series. “The Classic Caesar Dressings 50” will also
feature R & M Trucking Fast Time qualifying, a five
lap Dash for Cash and the fan favorite “Spectator
500.” Pre-race ceremonies will include group of
Pittsburgh Steelers who will join the Hooters Pro
Cup Series drivers with an on-track autograph
session, accompanied by skydivers during the
National Anthem. Spectator Gates open at 3:30 p.m.
with the green flag dropping at 7:00 p.m. Advanced
tickets can be ordered online at
www.jennerstown.com
or by calling the Speedway office at 814.629.6677.
Complete Race
Results...
