Flick Wins Battle and War at Tri-City Raceway Park; Dobrosky, Laskey, Dietz, and Maskal Also Victorious; Holiday Racing Plans Altered
(Franklin, PA August 28, 2022): A.J. Flick took the lead on lap twenty-nine of thirty in the first-ever challenge between the FAST 410 Sprint Series and the Shawgo Real Estate LLC 410 Sprint Cars. That pass gave Flick enough breathing room to clinch the track championship over Jack Sodeman, Jr. despite the fact that Flick passed up on one race at Tri-City Raceway Park to compete in Central Pennsylvania.
Also taking wins were Greg Dobrosky (Allegheny Sprint Tour 305 Sprint Cars), Rod Laskey and Tyler Dietz (Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Pro Stocks), and Levi Maskal (4 Your Car Connection Mini Stocks).
Tri-City Raceway Park announced its divisional champions at the conclusion of each class of racing. Taking top honors in the Shawgo Real Estate LLC 410 Sprint Cars was Flick by six over Sodeman. Kevin Hoffman topped the Donovan & Bauer Auto Group 358 Modifieds, which had the night off due to the appearance of the Allegheny Sprint Tour 305 Sprint Car Series. Teenager Tyler Wyant prevailed in the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Pro Stocks by fourteen points over Pat Fielding. The crown in the 4 Your Car Connection Mini Stocks went to Levi Maskal, who was red hot at the start of the season. Congratulations to all competitors for a job well done and thanks to all for their support through a difficult 2022 racing season.
Tri-City Raceway Park will be in operation over the Labor Day weekend. However, the racing program has been modified. It will be a Sunday Thunder event for the track’s four regular classes. These races will not count toward the track championships. There will be no racing held on Friday or Saturday.
Sean Rayhall had the pole for the 410 Sprint Car thirty lapper run under the twin banners of the FAST 410 Series (formerly the Fremont Attica Sprint Tour) and the Shawgo Real Estate LLC Sprint Cars. Next to him was Brandon Matus, the defending Tri-City Raceway Park champion. Row two consisted of Jeremy Weaver and A.J. Flick. Brandon Spithaler came off row three, along with Nate Dussel, the FAST Series points leader. Row four paired Ricky Peterson and Carl Bowser. The fifth row had Logan McCandless and David Kalb. Bob Felmlee and Lee Jacobs departed from row six.
Brandon Matus and Flick entered turn one with the advantage, but a tangle involving Brent Matus and Nate Dussel slowed the pace and necessitated a restart. Brent Matus was able to push back off, but Dussel broke a front axle and was done for the evening.
On the second try, Brandon Matus surged ahead at the drop of the green, but Rayhall drove through the middle of the track to come off turn two with a slight lead. Taking third was Flick, ahead of Spithaler, Weaver, Bowser, Peterson, Kalb, McCandless, and Felmlee.
Flick swept past Matus on lap two but Rayhall was off and running. Rayhall maintained a comfortable lead throughout most of the race as Flick went into conservation mode. “I expected the top to get very far up and the bottom to come in, but I was too tight to run down there. In the middle of the race, I saved my tires and started to play with the wing. I would put it down when I came up on a lapped car and then I would slide it back again.”
Flick added that Tri-City was one of the places that he struggled early in his career, but now he is very comfortable here. “We’ll do all that we can to support this place.” Flick thanked track owner Merle Black and the race fans for providing a great venue for Sunday racing, He anticipates racing next Sunday if all goes well in the big holiday events being staged elsewhere in the region.
In the second half of the race, Flick began to cut into Rayhall’s lead. The critical moment came late in the contest when Rayhall slid over the cushion in turns three and four, allowing Flick to scoot by to be scored as the leader on lap twenty-nine.
Rayhall gathered things up to keep second, ahead of Brandon Spithaler. Jeremy Weaver registered a solid fourth. Brandon Matus crossed in fifth. The next six finishers were Ricky Peterson, Logan McCandless, Carl Bowser, Lee Jacobs, and Bob Felmlee. Jack Sodeman, Jr. was eleventh, which was not good enough to preserve his points lead.
Heat wins in the FAST 410 Sprint Series and Shawgo Real Estate 410 Sprint Cars went to Brandon Spithaler, Jeremy Weaver, and Brandon Matus. There was no B Main. A.J. Flick was the fastest qualifier, lapping the big half mile oval in 15.277 seconds.
In the Allegheny Sprint Tour contest for the 305 Sprint Cars, Greg Dobrosky started on the pole, with Nolan Groves as his wing man. Andy Priest and Jacob Gomola were in row two. The third row matched Shane Shook and Roman Jones. Vivian Jones started inside row four, with Jim Morris beside her. Row five had Jarrett Rosencrance and Mike Mathieson paired up. The final row belonged to John Jerich and Andy Cavanaugh.
Dobrosky got out front early and ran away from the rest of the field to score the win. Nolan Groves drove a steady race for the second spot. Veteran Andy Priest was third, ahead of Jimmy Morris, and Roman Jones. Vivian Jones was sixth, with Jacob Gomola, Jarrett Rosencrance, Shane Shook, and Andy Cavanaugh completing the top ten.
The heat races for the 305 Sprint Cars of the Allegheny Sprint Tour went to Andy Priest and Vivian Jones. There was no B Main.
The first race of the night was the make-up feature for the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Pro Stocks. This race was carried over from a rain-shortened program on August 7. Bobby Whitling grabbed the early lead over Tyler Dietz, Joey Zambotti, Pat Fielding, and Josh Seippel. Five laps into the fray, Dietz got inside of Whitling coming through turns three and four. Dietz powered off the corner to take the lead, which he never surrendered in the remaining ten laps. Just past the halfway mark, Tyler Wyant mounted a charge to try to overtake Pat Fielding for third. However, the veteran, Fielding, held his line and prevailed over his younger foe.
At the checkers, it was Dietz scoring his second victory of the season at Tri-City Raceway Park. Whitling, Fielding, Wyant, and Charlie McMillen were in the top five. Then came Aden Boozel, Aaron Smith, Matt Bernard, Joey Zambotti, Josh Seippel, and Doug Iorio, II. Hunter Exley did not start the race.
In the regular feature for the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Pro Stocks, Aden Boozel had the pole with Bobby Whitling on the outside. Doug Iorio, II and Rod Laskey started from row two. Tyler Wyant and Russ Coyne were in row three. Pat Fielding and Charlie McMillen made up the fourth row. Matt Bernard and Ron Boardman started from row five. The sixth row had Brayden Seippel at the wheel of his father’s racer.
Laskey grabbed the early lead and held off a persistent Whitling over the course of the fifteen laps. Tyler Wyant challenged for second briefly, but settled into third. He held off Pat Fielding in the final laps to preserve his points championship. Doug Iorio, II was fifth. Sixth through tenth went to Aden Boozel, Matt Bernard, Ron Boardman, Charlie McMillen, and Brayden Seippel.
The pair of heat races for the regularly scheduled race went to Rod Laskey and Bobby Whitling.
In the 4 Your Car Connection Mini Stocks, Levi Maskal led wire to wire to put an exclamation mark on his outstanding season at Tri-City Raceway Park Maskal started the season hotter than a firecracker. In the middle of the season, he had a bit of a lull, but he has now two out of three.
Maskal moved to the pole position when Bodey McClintock elected to start at the tail due to a steering problem. That moved Joe Campbell to the front row. D.J. Macrae and Thomas Warren were in the second row. The third row was Adam Aley and Dalton Speer. Row four matched Matt Urey with Paul Marsh, Jr. The fifth had Chad Greeley and Mike Barr, while Kevin Wice and Tyler Ellenberger made up row six.
Maskal the Rascal led the entire distance to triumph over Matt Urey, who also placed second in the championship standings. D.J. Macrae was third. Fourth went to Thomas Warren, and fifth to Adam Aley. Dalton Speer, Chad Greeley, Dillon Thorne, Tyler Ellenberger, and Kevin Wice, Jr. completed the top ten.
Heat races for the 4 Your Car Connection Mini Stocks went to Urey and Maskal. There was no B Main.
As noted, Tri-City Raceway Park has made a schedule change for the Labor Day weekend. The three-day extravaganza will be cut back to a Sunday-only racing program. All four of the track’s normal divisions will race; however, no points will be awarded for the program. Point champions were announced in the Shawgo Real Estate LLC 410 Sprint Cars, the Donovan & Bauer Auto Group 358 Modifieds, the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Pro Stocks, and the 4 Your Car Connection Mini Stocks at the conclusion of the racing on August 28. The grounds will be open for camping for the entire weekend. There will be a bonfire on Saturday evening and all in attendance must bring their own refreshments of choice.
Further information about Tri-City Raceway Park can be obtained by calling the track office at 724-967-4601, or by e-mailing the office at tricityracewaypark2020@gmail.com. Or, you can check the web at Tri-CityRacewayPark.com, or the Facebook page at Tri City Raceway Park. Tri-City Raceway Park is located just a few miles north of Franklin, PA, at 3430 State Route 417 in Oakland Township.
FAST 410 Sprint Series/Shawgo Real Estate LLC 410 Sprint Cars: A.J. Flick, Sean Rayhall, Brandon Spithaler, Jeremy Weaver, Brandon Matus, Ricky Peterson, Logan McCandless, Carl Bowser, Lee Jacobs, and Bob Felmlee, Jack Sodeman, Jr., Gale Ruth, Jr., Brent Matus, Leyton Wagner, David Kalb, Bob Lime, Nate Dussel, Andy McKisson (DNS).
Allegheny Sprint Tour 305 Sprint Cars: Greg Dobrosky, Nolan Groves, Andy Priest, Jimmy Morris, Roman Jones, Vivian Jones, Jacob Gomola, Jarrett Rosencrance, Shane Shook, Andy Cavanaugh, Mike Mathieson (DNS), John Jerich (DNS).
Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Pro Stocks (make-up from August 7): Tyler Dietz, Bobby Whitling, Pat Fielding, Tyler Wyant, Charlie McMillen, Aden Boozel, Aaron Smith, Matt Bernard, Joey Zambotti, Josh Seippel, Doug Iorio, II, Hunter Exley (DNS).
Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Pro Socks (regularly scheduled race): Rod Laskey, Bobby Whitling, Tyler Wyant, Pat Fielding, Doug Iorio, II, Aden Boozel, Matt Bernard, Ron Boardman, Charlie McMillen, Brayden Seippel, Russ Coyne, Joey Zambotti (DNS), Tyler Dietz (DNS), Aaron Smith (DNS).
4 Your Car Connection Mini Stocks: Levi Maskal, Matt Urey, D.J. Macrae, Thomas Warren, Adam Aley, Dalton Speer, Chad Greeley, Dillon Thorne, Tyler Ellenberger, Kevin Wice, Jr., Paul Marsh, Jr., Trevn Schaffer, Mike Barr, Benjamin Aley, Randy Miller, Joe Campbell, Bodey McClintock (DNS).