MINERSVILLE, PA. -- After a few weeks of misfortune, lady luck shined brightly on Mike Lisowski on Friday night as he captured his first win of the 2016 season in the 20-lap U.S.S. Achey Sportsman feature along with wining five round to claim the Red White and Blue Autos Sportsman challenge race.
Other winners on the night included Elvin Brennan III (No Sweat Service Group Street Stocks); Kris Nye (Savage 61 Roadrunners) and Richie Hitzler (600 Modifieds).
The speedway is back in action on Friday, June 10, with the return of the CJ’s Tire & Automotive 358 modifieds to the racing card for the Savage 61 Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram $6 general admission night. The three-division card will also feature the sportsman and roadrunners.
The number nine starting spot was a lucky number on Friday night as Lisowski, who started ninth, move into the lead on lap six and was never contested as he pulled from the field to win by half a lap.
“We’ve been battling this car all year with motor problems and other minor things, but we’ve finally got it figured out, it was hooked up tonight” Lisowski said. “The track was very fast and hooked up tonight.”
It took Lisowski three laps to move from ninth to third while rookie Skylar Sheriff paced the opening laps of the feature while getting pressure from outside polesitter Glenn Rowan.
Doug Hendricks asserted himself into the battle for the lead on lap four as he moved into second place with Lisowski trailing him by less than a car length. When Hendricks developed a push on lap five going into Turn 1, Lisowski moved underneath him for the runner-up spot.
Lisowski would pass Sheriff on the fronstretch to make the winning move a lap later.
From there Sheriff held off Tim Fitzpatrick who came from 10th for the runner-up finish with Fitzpatrick third, Ray Woodall Jr., and Hendricks rounding out the top five.
Sixth through 10th were Shawn Light, Harry Landis, Chuck Fayash, Ray Woodall Sr, and Glenn Rowan. Heats for the sportsman were won by Light and Sheriff.
Missing from the sportsman division on Friday night was points leader Brandon Grosso who was attending his prom.
In the Red White and Blue Autos Sportsman challenge race, Lisowski was called out by Fayash for the one-lap, one-on-one match race in round six and it would begin Lisowski's streak of wins as he defeated Fayash; Woodall, Sr.; Woodall, Jr.; Light; and Hendricks to claim the title.
In the roadrunner feature, Ney would be the only driver not to start from the ninth starting spot to win on Friday night as he started in fourth and would be the third different leader of the 20-lap feature when he took the lead on lap six.
A caution on lap 18 set up a two-lap shootout that saw Ney, Jim Kost and Andrew Fayash III go three-wide in Turn 3 for the lead with Ney on the outside, Kost, a former leader of the event in the middle, and Fayash III on the inside.
As they came to the white flag, Ney used the outside momentum to take the lead going into Turn 1 as he would hold on for his first win of 2016 with Kost just edging Fayash III for the runner-up spot with Chuck Eckert and Shon Elk rounding out the top five.
“I guess they said it was close, I ran my line and just hoped and prayed,” Ney said. “In the beginning of the year we were having really bad luck and I knew that it had to break sooner or later and tonight was tonight.”
Sixth through 10th were Kody Sites, T.J. Fitzpatrick, Terry Kramer, Kyle Wingle and Steve Gromis. Heats were won by Wingle and Fitzpatrick Jr.
In the street stock feature, Brennan would not take the lead until lap 15 of the 20-lap feature as Rich Bossinger led for the majority of the race until a caution for debris on lap 15 bunched up an already tight running field.
It would take two tries to get back to racing on Lap 15 and that’s when Brennan, a former roadrunner competitor, took the lead from Bossinger as they raced off of Turn 2.
“It was some good, clean racing, it was tough,” Brennan said of the win. “On the top side, we ran around pretty good. These guys race you pretty clean, they give you room and stay in their groove, I like it.”
Bossinger would hold on for second with Jeremy Becker, Jim Somers and Bobby Kupp rounding out the top five.
Sixth through 10th were Kyle Saylor, Leroy Long, Tyler Stump, Chris Heller and Scott Strickler. Heats were won by Becker, Somers.
In the nightcap of the four-division card, Hitzler started ninth in the 20-lap feature for the 600 modifieds and he took the the lead on lap six of the event and then held off Josh Pepe over the final 10 laps for his first win at Big Diamond this season.
“I have to thank you guys for giving us such a great track tonight and for allowing us to be here as much as we are,” he said. “It’s awesome to run again Josh as he and I run so well against each other. He kept taking the top (groove) and I could get such a run off the bottom, and I knew sooner or later he was going to give me the top and I it worked in my favor.”
Pepe held on for second while Burrows who won the last time the 600s visited the track was third with Aaron Burrows and Kory Inglin rounding out the top five.
Sixth through 10th were Billy Koch, Corry Roth, Jon Josko, Dakota Barlet and Dylan McCarone. Heats were won by Burrows, Roth, Bowes.
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