
Louis DeDionisio Wins Miller Beer Cadet Championship and Chris Hackett
Wins Super Late Model Feature at Eriez Speedway
By Glenn Slocum
Erie, Pa: The Outlaw Cadet division was highlighted on Miller Beer Night
at Eriez Speedway with a King of the Hill contest and a Championship Race. Mike
Knight won the King of the Hill defeating Ron Seeley in the final round. Mike
Knight briefly led the Championship race then spun on a restart and was forced
to retire for the event. Louis DeDionisio won the Championship race in a runaway
for his fourth win of the season and his third consecutive win on the circuit.
Chris Hackett made it into the Super Late Model winners circle after Scott
Gurdak was forced to retire with mechanical problems. Wade Slaney won his second
win of the year in the Spectator feature passing Brian Crandall with two laps
remaining. Dan Osborne won the Four Cylinder feature for his thirteenth win. Don
McGuire won the Budweiser Super Sportsman feature that saw his brother Pat flip
on the initial start. Dale Applebee held off Dave Hess Jr. to win his third of
the year. Ryan Scott took the lead on lap four of the Super Challenger feature
and never looked back to win his fifth of the year.
Jamie Erhard and Scott Lewis were on the front row for the Outlaw Cadet
Championship race. Louis DeDionisio and John Cline spun in turn two on the
initial lap and Erhard pulled into the infield billowing blue smoke. Eugene
Bevil moved up to the pole position for the restart and Lewis remained on the
outside pole. Dave Tolon and Mike Knight were in row two. Mike Knight moved into
second on the restart as Lewis led. Mike Knight passed Lewis on lap two for the
lead then Alex Fiesler spun for the second yellow. Joe Weber was pushed from the
speedway trailing steam during the caution. Brian Campbell hit the turn four
fence during the restart ant DeDionisio and Bevil tangled in turn one for the
third caution. Mike Knight led lap three followed by Lewis, Phil Knight, Andy
Knight and Tolon. Lee Rider spun on lap four for the third caution. Mike Knight
got sideways on the restart and almost the entire field was involved in the
incident. Mike Knight left the speedway on the hook as Tolon was placed in the
number one spot followed by DeDionisio, Brian Zimmerly, Paul Norman and Andy
Knight. DeDionisio won the dash to turn one on the restart and Tolon settled
into second followed by Zimmerly and Andy Knight. Feisler brought the caution
with five laps complete and only eleven of the eighteen starters remained.
DeDionisio built a sizeable lead of the next three laps then Tolon spun in turn
two with nine complete but the green stayed out. Zimmerly was second followed by
Andy Knight, Ron Seeley and Cline. Bevil slowed in turn one after losing his
drive shaft with twelve complete. Andy Knight and Zimmerly fought for the runner
up spot as DeDionisio rebuilt his lead. Debris on the speedway brought out the
yellow with four laps to go. DeDionisio ran away from the field in the final
laps to win the event for his fourth win of the season.
Paul Briggs lead Chris Hackett on the first lap of the Super Late Model
feature then John Lobb spun nearly collecting Wendell Pinckney for the first
caution on lap two. Scott Gurdak passed Hackett for second on the restart with
Rich Gardner third. Jason Morell and Merle Terry tangled on the back straight
for the second caution with three laps complete. Briggs was the leader followed
by Gurdak, Hackett, Gardner, Dave Hess Jr. and Bruce Hordusky. Hordusky stole
fifth from Hess on the restart then Gurdak passed Briggs for the lead on lap
five. Mike Coyle spun with six complete to slow the field once more. Hackett was
able to get under Briggs on the restart and the tow races side by side for the
spot until Briggs lost the handle spinning in turn two and bringing out the
caution. Briggs ran into Hackett during the yellow and was sent to the pits by
starter Spanky Hall. Gurdak, Hackett, Gardner, Hess and Hordusky were the
leaders for the restart. Gurdak pulled away from the field after the restart.
The green stayed out until Morell slowed with a smoking racecar with eighteen
laps complete. Hackett tried to move under Gurdak on the restart but could not
get the job done. One lap later the Gurdak car started dumping fluid on the
speedway and the caution flew. Gurdak was forced to retire relinquishing the
lead to Hackett with Gardner second, Hess third and Hordusky fourth. An incident
involving Merle Terry, Steve Halpainy, Andy Kania stopped the race with
twenty-one complete. The single file restart was controlled by Hackett who drove
the final four unchallenged for his first win of the season.
Brian Crandall started on the pole and led the first lap of the Spectator
feature with Jeremy English second and Matt Lozowski third. Mark and Rick
Thompson were fourth and fifth. The race went green for the first five laps then
Bill Grover spun in turn two for the first caution. Wade Slaney charged into the
top five on the restart. Rick Thompson and Lozowski tangled coming out of four
and Thompson left the speedway with a left rear flat. The top five for the
restart were Crandall, Mark Thompson, English, Slaney and Rush Firestone. Rick
Thompson returned to the speedway during the yellow. Slaney gained two spots on
the restart then passed Mark Thompson for the runner up spot on lap nine then
took the lead from Crandall on lap ten. Mark Thompson spun then slowed to a stop
on lap eleven for the second yellow of the event with two laps remaining in the
event. Slaney controlled the restart building up a five-car length lead over
Crandall at the checkers for his second win of the season.
Pat McGuire took a wild ride during the start of the Budweiser Super
Sportsman feature as he rolled just before reaching the flag stand. McGuire was
okay but his racecar required two wreckers to leave the speedway. The next start
was successful with Brent Crandall grabbing the lead followed by Bryan Ester and
Will Wanstreet. Ester lost a spot Wanstreet on lap four and the yellow flew for
a smoking Bobby Rohrer in turn four. One lap after the restart John Boardman and
Aaron Robinson were involved in an accident in turn one for the third caution.
It was Crandall, Wanstreet, Scott Kuschel and Don McGuire after the restart.
Crandall and Wanstreet got together on lap eight spinning to a stop in turn one
and Don McGuire took the lead with Scott Kuschel second and Chris Kuschel third.
Don McGuire led the next three laps then the yellow flew for Jack Eller who had
stopped on the back straight. Scott Kuschel moved high allowing the field to
pass on the restart then pulled into the pits as Don McGuire led with Chris
Kuschel second and Boardman third. Don McGuire won unchallenged for his fourth
of the season.
Joel Watson brought twenty E-Mods onto the speedway for their feature event.
Dale Applebee was on the outside pole with Bill Thomas and Chad Silleman in row
two. Applebee led the first lap and Thomas slowed bringing out the caution
before lap two was complete. Applebee was still the leader after the restart
with Dave Hess Jr. second followed by Joel Watson and Mike Hess. Tim Churchill
brought out the caution with four complete. Chad Silleman stopped on the front
stretch for caution number three. K.C. Decker turned around on the restart
collecting Chuck Steinle and Bob Vogt Jr. Applebee continued to lead after the
restart with Dave Hess Jr. trying every thing in the book to make the pass.
Applebee’s car stated showing smoke with ten laps complete buy remained in
front. The two leaders had a five car length advantage over Mike Hess in third.
The leaders were in lap traffic when the white flag flew. Dave Hess moved under
Applebee coming out of turn four on the final lap but fell just short at the
line giving Applebee his third win of the season.
Spectators:
Heat 1:
Mark Thompson, Don Standley, Jim Tolon
Heat 2:
Rush Firestone, John Kelsey, Lester Shoff
Feature: Wade Slaney, Brian Crandall, John Kelsey, Matt Lozowski, Tom
Norland, Rush Firestone, Mark Thompson, Lester Shoff, Jeremy English, Rick
Thompson
Outlaw Cadets:
King of the Hill
Round 1: Nathan Short, Jamie Erhard
Round 2: Paul Norman, Dave Tolon
Round 3: Andy Knight, Joe Weber
Round 4: Ron Seeley, Phil Knight
Round 5: Eugene Bevil, Dennis Lunger
Round 6: Alex Feisler, Lee Rider
Round 7: Brian Campbell, Bill Dunn
Round 8: Mike Knight, Louis DeDionisio
Round 9: Brian Zimmerly, John Cline
Round 10: Nathan Short, Scott Lewis
Round 11:Andy Knight, Paul Norman
Round 12: Ron Seeley, Eugene Bevil
Round 13: Alex Feisler, Brian Campbell
Round 14: Mike Knight, Brian Zimmerly
Round 15: Andy Knight, Nathan Short
Round 16: Ron Seeley, Alex Feisler
Round 17: Mike Knight, Andy Knight
Round 18:
Mike Knight, Ron Seeley
Feature: Louis DeDionisio, Brian Zimmerly, Andy Knight, Paul Norman, Ron
Seeley, Scott Lewis, Dave Tolon, John Cline, Lee Rider, Dennis Lunger
Four Cylinder:
Heat 1:
Dan Osborne, Tom Bean, Brian Duryee
Feature: Dan Osborne, Tom Bean, Stanley Davis Jr., Mike Harmon, Brian Duryee,
Doug Kirik
Budweiser Super Sportsman:
Heat 1: Chris Kuschel, John Volpe, Will Wanstreet
Heat 2:
Pat McGuire, Chad Carlson, Don McGuire
Feature: Don McGuire, Chris Kuschel, John Boardman, John Volpe, Aaron
Robinson, Bryan Ester, Jim Leonard, Richard Digirolamo, Scott Kuschel, Jake
Eller
E-Mod:
Heat 1:
Joel Watson, Chad Silleman, K.C. Decker
Heat 2:
Dale Applebee, Mike Hess, Mike Munsee
Heat 3:
Bill Thomas, Dave Hess Jr., Justin Carlson
Feature: Dale Applebee, Dave Hess Jr., Mike Hess, Mike Boyd, Bill Thomas,
Mike Munsee, Troy Carr, Brad Pease, Dave Will, Bill Taylor
Super Late Model:
Heat 1:
Paul Briggs, Bruce Hordusky, Randy Lobb, Merle Terry, Andy Kania
Heat 2:
Chris Hackett, Rich Gardner, Doug Eck, Steve Halpainy, Bump Hedman
Heat 3:
Scott Gurdak, Dave Hess Jr., Wendell Pinckney, John Lobb, Moose
Dunnewold
Feature: Chris Hackett, Rich Gardner, Dave Hess Jr., Bruce Hordusky, Randy
Lobb, Steve Halpainy, Doug Eck, Bump Hedman, Ward Schell, Merle Terry, Moose
Dunnewold, Mike Coyle, Pete Alspaugh, John Lobb, Scott Gurdak, Andy Kania,
Wendell Pinckney, Jason Morell
Super Challenger:
Heat 1:
Jay Seekings, Aaron Danko, Brett Van Guilder
Heat 2:
Lee Matczak, Chris Withers, Ryan Scott
Feature: Ryan Scott, Bob Belson, Lee Matczak, Mike Beatman, Glenn Slaney,
Steve Soto, Ben Burgess, Shayne Erhard, Aaron Danko, Brett VanGuilder
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