Dick Barton Wins Ed Shultz sponsored PONY Race
 at Stateline Speedway
By Glenn Slocum

 Busti, NY: The rain finally cleared the area allowing the PONY Series sponsored by Ed Shults of Warren Resale in Sugar Grove to debut at Stateline Speedway. Twenty-four Super Late Models were on hand for the $3000 to win event including Titusville’s Robbie Blair who had won the first PONY race at Eriez Speedway last Sunday. A tornado watch forced management to bring the Super Late Models out for the PONY race early in the evening. Dick Barton slowed in his qualifying heat making contact with Rich Gardner but was able to return to start the main event from the tenth spot. Scott Gurdak lost the lead to Barton on lap twenty-six who held off a hard charging Robbie Blair for the win.

            Dennis Lunger won his second of the season in the Spectator division and Bobby Rohrer won in the Budweiser Super Sportsman class and Andy Knight made it four different winners in the Outlaw Cadets. Dale Applebee won a caution free E-Mod event and Ryan Scott won the Super Challenger feature. Ryan Scott won the first Super Challenger race and Glenn Slaney won the second.

            Rod Maloy and Scott Gurdak were on the front row for the PONY event with Andy Boozel and Doug Eck in row two. Bump Hedman and Matt Lanphere in row three followed by Scott Johnson and Robbie Blair. Eck and Boozel tangled on the backstretch on the first lap. Eck broke a tie rod in the incident as both he and Boozel reported to the pits prior to the restart. Maloy and Gurdak were still on the front row with Hedman and Lanphere in row two. Johnson gained the most ground on the restart moving into the third spot as Gurdak jumped way ahead of Maloy for the lead. Gurdak continued to build his lead over the next five laps as Blair and Dick Barton challenged Johnson for third. Barton and Blair exchanged the fourth spot on succeeding laps then Dave Hess Jr. spun into the infield in turn two for the second caution of the event with twenty-five laps remaining. Maloy pulled into the pits during the caution, as did Johnson with a right front problem. Barton was now second with Blair third. Maloy rejoined the field just before the restart. Matt Lanphere lost the handle in turn two on the restart collecting Jason Morell for the third yellow. Chris Hackett was now in the fourth spot with Hedman fifth. Lanphere was towed into the pits and Morell joined the rear of the field. Kevin Weise turned around on the restart for caution four. Two laps after the restart Barton had cleared two lap cars and began trying to catch a highflying Gurdak. Barton had whittled Gurdak’s lead to seven car lengths at the half way mark with Blair ten car lengths behind Barton. Barton caught Gurdak on lap twenty-three as they wove through lap traffic. Barton passed Gurdak on lap twenty-six going into turn three but Gurdak fought back and they went four wide coming out of turn four with Barton leading at the line. Kevin Weise and rookie Paul Briggs came together on the next lap for the fifth yellow. Gurdak left the speedway during the caution with a flat tire giving second to Blair. Barton was out front with one lap car then Blair then two more lap cars before Hackett. Gurdak returned just as the green flew and Hedman stopped in the pit gate for the sixth yellow. Blair pulled alongside Barton on the restart then slipped back two car lengths as Gurdak came for the back of the pack to fourth with four laps remaining. Barton shut the door on Blair with two to go and they made contact but Barton held the lead. Blair could not make up the ground Barton had gained as the race concluded with Barton the winner and Blair second. Hackett finished a strong third with early leader Gurdak fourth and pole sitter Maloy fifth.

Mike Coast led thirty-one spectators to the line for the Spectator feature. Bill Van Volkenburg was leader after the first circuit with Coast second and Dana Wellington third. Rusty Briggs brought out the first caution on lap three. Dennis Lunger moved into the top five on the restart then slipped under Coast and Ken Jackson to claim the number two spot on lap five. Van Volkenburg had a ten-car length lead over Lunger with five laps remaining. Lunger caught Van Volkenburg in lap eight and made the pass in traffic. One lap later the yellow appeared for Mark Luce who had slowed to a stop up against the front stretch wall. Nate Lester took third on the restart with Matt Lozowski fourth and Jackson fifth. Lozowski took thee third spot just before Lunger won his second of the season with Van Volkenburg hanging on to second

             The Outlaw Cadet feature did not start well as Scott Lewis, Mark Hall and Jamie Erhard tangled on the backstretch causing a complete restart. Alex Fiesler and Mike Knight were on the front row for the restart. Nathan Short moved from fourth to second on the restart then a lap two incident collected Tom Hagberg, Paul Norman and John Cline for the second caution. Jason Evans stopped on the restart forcing starter Spanky Hall to bring out the yellow once more. Short wrested the lead from Fiesler at the drop of the green and Andy and Mike Knight quickly followed as Fiesler slipped to the fourth spot. Phil Knight was fourth two laps later with 2003 Champ Ron Seeley fifth and Louie DeDionisio sixth. Bryan Campbell slowed up against the wall on the backstretch on lap seven for the fourth yellow. Andy Knight led after the restart with Short second and Mike Knight third at the half waypoint. Andy Knight had a ten car length lead with five laps remaining and never looked back handily winning his first feature of year with Short second and Mike Knight third.

             Bobby Rohrer was in the lead after three laps of the Budweiser Super Sportsman event when Tim Nocero brought out the yellow. Mike Murray and Chris Kuschel had problems on the restart and the yellow appeared once more. Pat McGuire moved alongside Rohrer on the restart then fell back to fend off brother Don McGuire. Joe Buccola Jr. brought out the yellow on lap seven. Pete Volpe passed Don McGuire on the restart then lost the spot two turns later. Volpe broke on the final lap as Rohrer won followed by Pat and Don McGuire.

             Dale Applebee and Mike Hess lead the first lap of the E-Mod main event but lap two saw Mike slip up the speedway in turn two allowing Dave Hess Jr. into the second spot. Quincy Turner also took advantage of Hess for third. Dave Hess caught Applebee on lap six and trailer the leader through the next four laps. Hess moved under Applebee with five remaining but a lap car drove Hess low into the infield. Hess slowed after the incident allowing Applebee to run the remainder of the event unchallenged. Dave Hess held on to the runner up spot with Quincy Turner third.

 Spectators:

 Heat 1: Rusty Briggs, Lester Shoff, Ken Jackson

Heat 2: Rush Firestone, Matt Lozowski, Dana Wellington

 Feature: Dennis Lunger, Bill Van Volkenburg, Matt Lozowski, Nate Lester, Chris Couchenour, Steve Keith, Ken Jackson, Dave Tackett, John Swabik, Rusty Briggs

 Outlaw Cadets:

 Heat 1: Rick Loomis, Mike Knight, Andy Knight

Heat 2: Louis DeDionisio, Tom Hagberg, Mike Moore

 Feature: Andy Knight, Nathan Short, Mike Knight, Phil Knight, Ron Seeley, Louis DeDionisio, Rick Loomis, Alex Fiesler, Mark Hall, Chuck Parker

 Budweiser Super Sportsman:

Heat 1: Scott Kuschel, Mike Murray, John Boardman
Heat 2: Don McGuire, Pat McGuire, Bobby Rohrer

 Feature: Bobby Rohrer, Pat McGuire, Don McGuire, Bob Van Arsdale, Scott Kuschel, Mike Corrigan, Pete Volpe, Tim Nocero, Mike Murray, Brian Collins

 Super Late Model:

Heat 1: Rod Maloy, Doug Eck, Scott Johnson, Dick Barton , Paul Briggs

Heat 2: Scott Gurdak, Bump Hedman, Robbie Blair, Wally Fox, Dan Armbruster

Heat 3: Andy Boozel, Matt Lamphere, Ron Philips, Chris Hackett, Chad Valone

 Feature: Dick Barton, Robbie Blair, Chris Hackett, Scott Gurdak, Wally Fox, Chad Valone, Rich Gardner, Dave Hess Jr., Wendell Pinckney, Jason Morell, Moose Dunnewold, Paul Briggs, Bump Hedman, Dan Armbruster, Kevin Weise, Matt Lanphere, Rod Maloy, Scott Johnson, Rod Philips, Randy Lobb, Mark Ramsey, Andy Boozel, Doug Eck, Ted Kosinski

 E-Mod:

Heat 1: Mike Hess, Dave Hess Jr., K.C. Decker

Heat 2: Dale Applebee, Quincy Turner, Tim Rater

 Feature: Dale Applebee, Dave Hess Jr., Quincy Turner, Mike Hess, Bill Thomas, Tim Rater, Kevin Decker, Fuzzy Stiffler, Holly Nelson, Chris Peterson

 Super Challenger:

 Heat 1: Ryan Scott, Mike Beatman, Wade Slaney

Heat 2: Casey Swabik, Sam Courson, Brett Van Guilder

 Feature 1: Ryan Scott, Bob Belson, Mike Genco, Scott Jordan, Jay Seekings, Cedric Denson, Bryon Johnson, Jamie McMillan, Bryan Muscarella, John Mace

Feature 2: Glenn Slaney, Brett Van Guilder,, Luke Rutsky, Rick Sperry, Jermin Strickland, Dereck Frank, Ken Randolph, Tom Mellows, Sam Courson, Steve Soto