MITCHELL MAKES IT A CLEAN SWEEP FOR 2003, WINS WHEELER BROTHERS 200 AT JENNERSTOWN SPEEDWAY 

(Jennerstown, PA) Even though the weather looked threatening throughout Saturday morning, the skies cleared and allowed for a fantastic night of NASCAR racing at Jennerstown Speedway. 

In the Rolling Rock Late Models, Bruceton Mills, WV’s Richard Mitchell made it a clean sweep in extra distance races in 2003 by winning the Wheeler Brothers 200. While pole sitter Barry Awtey and Bobby Henry shared the lead for the first 140 laps of the race, patience and perseverance once again paid off for Mitchell as he lingered in the top five throughout the feature and then struck when the time was right to take home his fourth trophy of the season.  Mitchell was followed by Bobby Henry, Barry Awtey, Garry Wiltrout and Neil Brown in the top five. 

The third place finish allows Barry Awtey to extend his points lead over Neil Brown by ten points in the Rolling Rock Late Model division standings. 

In the Tommy Gale/Haulmark Trailers Pro Trucks, points leader Todd Price looked to have the race sewn up. He held the lead for 24 of the 25 laps in the feature. But, on the final lap, Somerset, PA’s Josh Coughenour planted the throttle and passed Price for the lead and the win coming down the stretch for the checkered. This was Coughenour’s third win of 2003. He and Price were followed by Derek Wink, Jason Lasky and Marion Reno, Jr. in the top five finishers in the feature. Jason Lasky was the heat race winner. 

Todd Price now leads the Tommy Gale/Haulmark Trailers Pro Trucks point standings by eight points over Jason Lasky. 

The football term “pile on” perfectly described Saturday’s feature of the Jennerstown Speedway Modifieds. On lap 14, Matt Smith and Bob Bentz, Jr. got together and five of the eight cars in the feature were involved in the ensuing incident outside of turn two. When the dust settled and the race was resumed, three cars were able to compete with North Versailles, PA’s Mike Bakalon coming out on top. Jason Busch narrowly edged out Paul Urso for second in a photo finish. Despite not finishing the race, Smith and Bentz were fourth and fifth respectively. Bentz was the heat race winner. 

The win moves Mike Bakalon to within four points of the Modified division points leader Paul Urso. 

“Dink Watch 2003” continues for yet another week as West Mifflin, PA’s Dink Colarusso continues his winning streak in the Jennerstown Speedway Street Stock division. After breaking Steve Peles’s record for consecutive wins by logging his eleventh straight win last week, Colarusso made it twelve straight Saturday night. He started back in sixth place in a season high field of fifteen Street Stocks. Colarusso worked his way up to take the lead on lap 17 and won convincingly. He was followed by Richard Nicola, Jeff Petrini, Roger Onstead and Bill Ashton in the feature’s top five finishers. Colarusso and Jason Holder shared heat race wins. 

In the Jennerstown Speedway Chargers, Duane Noel started on the pole, took off with the lead and stayed in front to win his second feature win of 2003. Phill “Hoss” Grubbs, Mike Stevens, Chantal Germek and Rick Phillips made up the rest of the top five finishers in the feature. Germek was also the heat race winner. 

On lap 3 of the Charger feature, Greg Praysner was involved in a serious accident coming down the back stretch where his car slid heavily into the inside retaining wall. While he escaped without serious injury, his last place position enabled Chantal Germek to retake the lead in the Charger division points. She now leads Praysner by eight points.  

The PA Legacy Series did not run a feature due to the extended Rolling Rock Late Model race. It will return to the Laurel Highlands Oval this Saturday night. 

This coming Saturday, September 6, 2003, Leader Drug Stores presents the racing of the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series and the PA Legacy Series at Jennerstown Speedway. Eight divisions will be racing at the Laurel Highlands Oval with adult admission being $10 and children under 12 will be admitted for free. Pit gates will open at 2PM, grandstand gates will open at 3PM, and racing will begin at 6PM. 

This Saturday is also Car Cruise night at Jennerstown Speedway. Drivers of classic and antique cars will be admitted to the grand stands for free. Passengers will be admitted for half price up to $5 off a ticket. 

Jennerstown Speedway, Western Pennsylvania’s Finest Motorsports Complex, is located in the beautiful Laurel Highlands of Western Pennsylvania and offers race fans up to eight divisions of racing on Saturday nights throughout the summer. For driving directions, ticket information or to learn more about the many promotional opportunities at the Laurel Highlands Oval, please visit www.jennerstown.com or call the Jennerstown Speedway business office at 814-629-6677.