MARK SMITH CAPTURES CHECKERED FLAG AT J-TOWN 

Jennerstown, PA (September 7, 2002) – Mark Smith made it back to victory lane once again in the Wheeler Bros./AC Delco Late Model feature race in NASCAR Weekly Racing Series presented by Dodge racing action Saturday night at Jennerstown Speedway.  Other winners during Cover Insurance Agency race night were Josh Coughenour, picking up two feature race wins in the Tommy Gale/Haulmark Trailers Pro Trucks, Adam Kostelnik in the Cenwest Street Stocks, and Curtis Stewart, Jr. in the 96.5 Mountain Chargers.  Rick Sheeler won the Chargers Mechanics race, while Gregory Lohr won the Mens Enduro race.  Joey Dennewitz won the Cover Insurance Agency/PA Legacy Series race.   

Mark Smith returned to victory lane after a one week absence in the Wheeler Bros./AC Delco Late Model feature division.  Smith worked his way through the field from his sixth place starting position, but had a tough time battling early race leader Cary Todaro and second place runner Snooky Williams.  Jayme Bolkovac sat on the pole and led the first lap before being overtaken by Todaro.  Todaro took over on lap two and held the lead for the next 15 laps before Smith finally managed to pass for the lead on lap 18.  There was no looking back from that point on, as the “Meyersdale Missile” cruised onto the victory.  Neil Brown also worked his way through the field to finish the race in a distant second, while Todaro held on to finish third.  Barry Awtey and Brad Creighton rounded out the top five.  Heat race wins went to Mark Cottone and Mark Smith.   

Josh Coughenour captured both ends of the twin 25-lap features in the Tommy Gale/Haulmark Trailers Pro Truck divisions.  In the first of two features Coughenour rocketed from his eighth place starting position to the second place in three laps, as he sliced and diced his way through the field.  Once behind race leader Aaron Will, Coughenour continued to show his muscle as he overpowered Will on lap 13 for the race lead.  From that point on, his main competition came from Marion Reno, Jr. who shadowed the Somerset driver to the finish line, but had to settle for second place.  Finishing third through fifth were Aaron Will, Dave Brunell and Todd Price. 

 In the second Tommy Gale/Haulmark Trailers Pro Truck feature race, it took Josh Coughenour only seven laps to move from his ninth place starting position into the lead.  Eugene Ciferno started on the pole and led the first four laps before Jason Hounshell and Jason Lasky each shared the front position for a lap.  That’s when Coughenour once again asserted himself into the lead.  This time though, Marion Reno, Jr. was able to get by Todd Price for second and run down the race leader.  The two battled side-by-side with Reno able to lead lap 20.  In the final laps Price joined the top two trucks to make it a three truck battle for the top spot.  On the final turn of the race, Price attempted a three wide pass for the win, but it was unsuccessful as Coughenour and Reno made contact slowing the trucks down and allowing Coughenour to claim the win by less than a truck length.  Reno managed to finish second just ahead of Price in third, but the Reno lost the handle and found himself in the turn 1 wall.  Finishing behind the top three trucks were Aaron Will in fourth and Jason Lasky in fifth.   

Adam Kostelnik wasted little time in moving from his eighth place starting position and into the lead by lap six in the Cenwest Street Stock division feature race.  Once in the lead, the challenge came from division points leader George Nicola, Jr. and Tracy “Dink” Colarusso who hounded each other while following Kostelnik all the way to the finish line.  The win was Kostelnik’s third of the 2002 race season.  At the finish line it was Nicola ahead of Colarusso for second, as Roger Onstead and Jeff Petrini finished fourth and fifth.  The heat race wins went to George Nicola, Jr. and Adam Kostelnik.   

The 96.5 Mountain Charger feature saw a familiar face in victory lane as Curtis Stewart, Jr. was once again the class of the field, taking his eleventh win of the season at the Laurel Highlands Oval.  This race saw an unfamiliar face provide the closest competition Stewart has faced recently as Jefferson Hills, PA native Bobby Shipp challenged the race leader in the closing laps.  In the end though it was Stewart winning, with Shipp a close second.  Third through fifth were Jesse King, Travis Smith and Chuck Slate.  The heat race win went to Phill Grubbs.

 In a special presentation of the Mechanics Charger race, it was Rick Sheeler outdistancing the rest of the field in the 15-lap event.  The real battle was for second as former promoter/racecar driver Stan Lasky, Jr. worked his way through the pack after starting shotgun on the field.  He got by Mike Smith and was tracking down the race leader, but time ran out as the Westmont, PA pilot had to settle for second.  Mike Smith third, Ron Braun and John George rounded out the top five.   

Joey Dennewitz captured both ends of the Cover Insurance Agency/PA Legacy Series special two-segment race event.  The first segment saw Brett Boyer lead the first five circuits before P.J. Ehrlich and Dennewitz got by for the top two spots.  The two ran nose to tail for the next 12 laps, before Dennewitz became too impatient and made contact with Ehrlich, sending him spinning.  After being sent to the back of the eleven-car field for his part in the accident, Dennewitz went on a kamikaze mission through the field which ended with him leading at the end of the first segment.  With the top five inverted for the second 25-lap segment, Dennewitz needed only three laps to move into the race lead before running off and hiding from the rest of the field en route to yet another feature win.  Rick Boyer, Brett Boyer, P.J. Ehrlich and Chris Brink raced close together to the finish line, finishing second through fifth respectively.  The heat race win also went to Dennewitz.   

Gregory Lohr won another Mens Enduro race, after Rick Smith, who led 92 of the 100 laps blew a tire and was forced out of contention.   

Next week Jennerstown Speedway will mark the one-year anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on America with the inaugural Flight 93 Memorial, “A Celebration of Heroes” race weekend.  Events will include the presentation of the World’s Largest American Flag beginning Wednesday, September 11 through Saturday, September 14, 2002.  Helicopter rides will be available and an emergency vehicle display will accompany the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series presented by Dodge racing program, highlighted by a 93-lap Wheeler Bros./AC Delco Late Models feature event

Complete Race Results...