Dave Murdick captured his second straight Kodiak Memorial at Tri-City Speedway and second win of the 2010 BRP/Hoosier Tire Modified Tour. The race was presented by Atkinson Fire Safety Equipment in honor of Bob “Kodiak” Graham, a long-time Modified car owner.
“I know the whole Graham family, so this means something special to me,” said the happy winner. Adding to the festivity of the occasion was the fact that Dave’s father, Carl Murdick, was inducted into the Tri-City Speedway Hall of Fame earlier in the evening.
Late in the race, Murdick had to fight off the strong challenge of Kevin Hoffman, whose “big” Small Block hooked up well on the slick but racy surface. “I knew that Kevin was racing hard, (but) he gave me room,” Murdick added.
Rookie Chris Haines and veteran Skip Moore lit the fuse for the July 4 holiday event. Haines shot out into the lead like a skyrocket and led the first two laps. J.R. McGinley slipped into second with his fresh Big Block, followed by Moore and Murdick.
Action was slowed on lap two for a spin by Don Brown. On the restart, Haines maintained control, but Murdick was on the move. He gained second on lap four and took off after the leader. Using the outside line, Murdick swept past Haines to lead lap 9.
Haines did not give up, though. He caught Murdick in traffic and used a lapped car as a pick to regain the lead on lap 11. He would lead but two more laps before Murdick would again swoop past on the outside.
Meanwhile, there was intense action all over the speedway, as drivers fought for position.
Through the first half of the race, Hoffman used the low groove to advance from his eleventh place starting spot to sixth.
Shawn Fleeger brought out the second caution on lap 18. By then, Hoffman was into fourth spot. On the restart, he dove under Jeremiah Shingledecker to claim third. Two laps later, Hoffman worked into second and began chopping away at Murdick’s lead.
Hoffman, a hometown favorite, had the crowd cheering him on as he closed in on the leader. With Hoffman on the bottom and Murdick on the outside, the pair raced side by side for the final laps.
Hoffman mad his final bid for the win as the duo entered turn three. However, Murdick was able to use the momentum off the top of turn four to grab the win.
Hoffman was a close second, followed by Shingledecker, Rex King, Sr. and Kevin Bolland.
New York invader Charlie Donk advanced from fourteenth to sixth. McGinley, Haines, Del Rougeux, Jr. (from twenty-first) and Mike Turner completed the top ten.
Heat wins for the 31 car field went to Shingledecker, Mark Frankhouser, D. Murdick, and Bolland.
The B Main winner was Del Rougeux, Jr.
The next event for the BRP/Hoosier Tire Modified Tour will be the Lou Blaney Memorial on Wednesday, July 7, at Sharon Speedway, in Hartford, OH.
BRP/Hoosier Tire Modified Tour Round Five: July 4, 2010: Tri-City Speedway, Franklin, PA: 30 Laps: 1. (61) Dave Murdick, Slippery Rock, ($2000); 2. (17H) Kevin Hoffman, Franklin ($870); 3. (37MD) Jeremiah Shingledecker, Polk ($650); 4. (65) Rex King, Sr., Bristolville, OH ($550); 5. (777) Kevin Bolland, New Brighton ($500); 6. (99) Charlie Donk, Palmyra, NY ($420); 7. (66) J.R. McGinley, Fairmount City, PA ($400); 8. (35H) Chris Haines, Sandy Lake ($380); 9. (20D) Del Rougeux, Jr., Frenchville ($360); 10. (96) Mike Turner, Butler ($330); 11. (165) Rex King, Jr., Bristolville, OH ($320); 12. (3E) Eric Gabany, Mercer ($310); 13. (X) Jeremy Paup, Polk ($300); 14. (8J) Dean Pearson, Harrisville (290); 15. (03) Mark frankhouser, Phillipsburg ($280); 16. (516) Gary Smoker, Mercer ($260); 17. (333) Ron Eperthener, Jr., Grove City ($240); 18. (6) Carl Murdick, Butler ($230); 19. (B4) Ryan Hall, Grove City ($220); 20. (88) Shawn Fleeger, Butler ($200); 21. (71B) Don Brown, Butler ($200); 22. (17M) Skip Moore, Jackson Center ($200); 23. (74) Kevin Green, New Castle ($200); 24. (41) Andy Priest, New Castle ($200); 25. (2) Mark Flick, Apollo ($200); 26. (77) Steve Barr, Mercer, PA ($200).
DNQ (all $100 unless indicated): Jeff Miller; Steve Feder; Dillon Barr; Duane Botelho; Brad Rapp ($50).
The Modified Tour, Inc. would like to thank the 2010 series sponsors: Bicknell Racing Products; Hoosier Racing Tire Corp.; Sunoco Racing Fuel – Bazell Oil Co., Inc.; World Racing Group – DIRTcar; Approved Toilet Rentals, Inc.; Behrent’s Speed Center, Inc.; Bert Transmission; Big Daddy’s Speed Center Inc.; Engles Trucking Services, Inc.; Bilstein Shocks – Fastline Performance; Fast Axle, LLC; Frankland Racing Supply; ISC Racers Tape; Hall’s Safety Equipment Corp.; Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG); Keizer Aluminum Wheels, Inc.; King Brothers; Kirkey Racing Fabrication Inc.; Landrum Spring; McCool’s Signs and Graphics; Motorsports World; Oyler Photos & More; Pennsylvania Army National Guard; Pietragallo Gordon Alfano Bosick & Raspanti, LLP; Preist Enterprises, Inc.; Pro Shocks; RaceQuip; Ray’s Racing Collectibles; Red Bear Hand Cleaner; Schaeffer’s Specialized Lubricants; Slippery Rock Sportswear; Smokey’s; SpeedBear Fasteners; Turbo Start Batteries; Ultra-Shield Race Products; Valken Wheels; Wedge Motorsports, LLC; Winters Performance Products Inc.; and Wrisco Industries Inc.
The Modified Tour, Inc. racing series is a non-profit organization established in 1998 to give the V-8 Modifieds in the Western Pennsylvania area the opportunity to compete for higher purses and for a seasonal point fund. It has had great success at bringing the local cars together at tracks throughout the tri-state area and in expanding the profile for this exciting brand of motorsports.