Due To Holiday, PPMS Checks Will Not Be Mailed Until Thursday
RAIN INTERRUPTS KODIAK MEMORIAL AT TRI-CITY
Just two laps shy of the halfway mark, a sudden downpour halted the Kodiak Memorial presented by Atkinson Fire Safety Equipment. The event will be completed when the BRP/Hoosier Tire Modified Tour returns to Tri-City Speedway on Sunday, July 3.
The evening’s action kicked off with one-lap time trials for the 23 car field. Brian Swartzlander, a three-time Modified Tour champion, circled the track faster than the rest, earning $250. His time of 18.906 was only .008 better than that of Dave Murdick, another former champion. Also advancing to the fast car heat were Kevin Bolland, Rex King, Sr., Jeremiah Shingledecker and Mark Flick. These drivers were locked into the top six positions for the 35 lap feature, but their heat race finish would set the starting line-up for the feature..
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BOLLAND MASTERS MONSTER HALF MILE
Kevin Bolland likes racing in his back yard. Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway is the closest stop on the BRP/Hoosier Tire Modified Tour to his home in New Brighton. His victory was the second since the mighty Big Blocks returned to the track after a long absence.
Bolland turned a potential strategic error into an advantage. He set the car up to run on a slick track, but the track prep crew applied some water before the features got started. He was able to get a decent start and he ran with the lead group in the early going. As the race progressed, the track came to him and he was able to build a sizable lead.
Lapped cars were almost his undoing. “The lapped traffic played a role tonight,” Bolland said. “Some of the lapped traffic slid up on the track and we really had to wait it out to get around them,” he explained. Bolland countered by coming down off the cushion and using a low line to pick off the lapped cars. While this maneuver proved to be effective, it enabled Jeremiah Shingledecker to close in on him over the final ten laps. Shingledecker may have been more of a factor in the final outcome were it not for his own run-in with a lapped car with about five laps to go. Bolland was confident that he could have held off the challenge. “They might have caught us, but I don’t think they would have gotten around us.”
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TIME TRIALS AT TRI-CITY SUNDAY
Sunday’s Kodiak Memorial for the BRP/Hoosier Tire Modified Tour at Tri-City Speedway will be a time trial event. The pill draw will determine the qualification order. Other details are still under negotiation with speedway management. If the details are settled before the weekend, an announcement will be posted on the website. Otherwise, the procedures will be announced at the drivers meeting.
SWARTZLANDER TAKES OPENER
Brian Swartzlander began his quest for a third BRP/Hoosier Tire Modified Tour championship in convincing style, sweeping his heat and capturing the feature. The victory was a record-setting achievement for the veteran from Leechburg, PA. It was win number 70, which means that he is now the winningest Big Block Modified driver in the history of Lernerville Speedway.
Swartzlander surpassed the late, great Lou Blaney. “He was my hero,” Swartzlander said. “It is truly an honor to be mentioned with him.”
Swartzlander added “I learned so much racing with Lou, I couldn’t carry his shoes to the track.”
Swartzlander started the thirty-lap feature in tenth spot and he was the one who took the other drivers to school. He mastered a difficult track surface and found a line that few others would dare to use. With the traditional grooves through turns three and four getting rough due to the extreme moisture, Swartzlander went above the cushion to find a smoother line. To make his winning pass of leader Brian Weaver, Swartzlander turned inside the New Yorker as the cars came off the corner and he dove to the inside as they raced side-by-side down the front stretch. That gave Swartzlander the preferred low line entering turn one. Weaver tried to close the door on him, but was unable to do so.
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Modified Tour Visits Rappin On Racin Broadcast
On Don Gamble’s show, Rappin on Racin, the May 23 edition, guests will include Bill Bauer and Chad Homan.