Flick Dominates Sprint Finale at Tri-City and Clinches Championship; Reitz, Whitling, Potosky, and Urey also Score
(Franklin, PA September 3, 2023): There was no doubt that A.J. Flick was on a mission at Tri-City Raceway Park. In the Diehl Chevrolet Sprint Car finale, he took the lead coming through turn two on the opening lap and he never looked back. In fact, his eyes were fixed forward, as he lapped all but two competitors in the non-stop affair.
Also scoring wins were Chad Reitz in the Pitt Stop Pub 358 Modifieds, Bobby Whitling for the second night in a row in the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Pro Stocks, Mike Potosky in the A & MP electric, Inc. UMP Modifieds, and Matt Urey in the 4 Your Car Connection Four Cylinder Mini Stocks.
The Old Skool Kool Vintage Tour also presented a pair of races. The Stock Car win went to Larry Walters. The Modified win belonged to Paul Bacchus.
Flick, who also won his heat race, noted that the track was in excellent shape for the feature event. “The track was a little narrow the last two weeks, but it was great tonight. It did not take any rubber. I have a tendency to over think things sometimes, but I listened to my dad, and he said to let things go for the feature.” That obviously was a good call. The car was flawless.
Flick apologized to the fans for the low car count. “I feel that we have to do something. Merle Black supports us, he has not cut the purses. The fans have been great and we hope that we can get more cars and more fans to help him keep this track going. It is one of the best in Western PA.”
In the final race of the season for the Diehl Chevrolet 410 Sprint Cars, Jack Sodeman, Jr. started on the pole with A.J. Flick next to him. Flick was seeking his second track championship. Andy Cavanaugh and Bob Felmlee were in row two. Felmlee entered the race second in points, 25 behind Flick. Andy Priest and Steven Bright were in the third row. The fourth row belonged to Bodey McClintock and Cameron Nastasi.
Flick rode the outside line to take the lead from Sodeman going through turns one and two on the opening lap. Felmlee raced along in third, ahead of Priest, Cavanaugh, McClintock, Nastasi, and Bright.
As the laps clicked away, Flick’s lead got bigger and bigger. He had more than two-thirds of a lap on Sodeman and he was within striking distance of putting Felmlee one lap in arrears by the time that the checkers fell.
At the finish, it was Flick, Sodeman, Felmlee, Priest, Cavanaugh, McClintock, Bright, and Nastasi.
Flick took the preliminary. There was no B Main.
In the Pitt Stop Pub closer, Tom Holden started on the inside of row one. Chad Reitz was his wingman. Colton Walters and Ayden Cipriano were in row two, The third row belonged to Anthony Antus and Macey Adamic. The final row had Lenny Liebold, III and Steve Slater.
Reitz took the early lead, with Cipriano in second, followed by Holden, Walters, and Liebold. Cipriano raced in the outside groove to take over the point on lap two. He held command through most of the race.
Consecutive restarts on laps fifteen and sixteen made the difference, however. On the first one, Cipriano used the outside line to hold Reitz off. But on the second try, Reitz went into turn one a little bit harder. The car freed up and he crowded Cipriano. There was no contact, but the veteran’s aggressive move made the pass work.
Reitz led the rest of the way, with Cipriano taking second to lock up his first track championship. Walters and Holden fought for third on those restarts, and Walters came out on top. Fifth went to the only distaff driver, Adamcik. Liebold, Antus, and Slater completed the field.
The heat race win went to Reitz. There was no B Main.
For Reitz, the win came in his return to racing after a nineteen-year absence. “It feels good to get the win here at Tri-City. It is my home track. I only live a few minutes from here. My goal was to win one for the season and we accomplished that on the last night.
In the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Pro Stock twenty-five lapper, Jackson Humanic drew the pole. Moving up to the front row was Nathan Yeaney. Rod Laskey, and Gary Miller, Jr. were in row two. Matt Bernard and Bobby Whitling were in row three. Josh Seippel and Chris Withers made up row four. The fifth row paired Russ Coyne and Pat Fielding. The sixth was Tim Bish and Mike Miller. Buried in the last row was defending champion Tyler Wyant, who was looking to claim his second title.
Yeaney grabbed the lead, with Humanic, Whitling, Gary Miller, Laskey, Bernard, Josh Seippel, Withers, Mike Miller, and Coyne following. A caution for a three-car tangle that eliminated Charlie McMillen and substantially damaged Brayden Seippel necessitated a restart with one lap complete.
Humanic assumed command on lap two and Whitling took over third one lap later. Whittling chased down Humanic to take the lead on lap five.
Whitling maintained control through a couple of restarts, with Humanic staying close. Josh Seippel raced along in third. The next several positions were changing hands with some frequency involving Wyant, Mike Miller, Bish, Fielding, and Schneider.
A number of late race cautions provided extra drama. Humanic tried to roll the outside to take the lead away from Whitling, but he was not successful. However, on the next try, the maneuver worked to perfection. Unfortunately, a caution bunched the field up again, and Whitling was able to return the favor.
For the final restart, with three to go, Whitling changed the script. He took the inside line. He got the advantage over Humanic coming off turn four and he led the rest of the way without any challenges.
Whitling collected a cool thousand dollars for the win. Humanic was second. Bish, Schneider, Josh Seippel amde up the top five. Mike Miller, Coyne, Cole Miller, Gary Miller, Jr., and Jimmy Fosnaught were the next finishers.
The heat winners were Humanic and Whitling. There was no B Main.
Tyler Waynt’s finish of seventeenth, while below par, was good enough to bag his second championship in a row in the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Pro Stock division.
Tri-City Raceway Park would like to thank a bevy of sponsors who raised extra money and special gifts for the Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Pro Stocks for both feature races held over the weekend. RK Virgile Scrap & Iron, through its owner Randy Wyant, put $1,000 on the top for the payout each night. Mark McIver of Shaffer’s oil sponsored all of the cautions for the weekend. Oil Valley Outdoor Services and Oil Creek Family Camp Grounds split the hard luck awards. Integra Shocks presented a free set of racing shocks to a lucky racer. Rod Laskey and Gibson Hill Automotive presented a lap leader bonus to the racer at the front of the pack on lap eighteen. Josh Seipple presented a case of Les Friction Racing Oil for a lucky driver. In addition, extra money was donated for the purses courtesy of White Star Racing and Driver Aaron Smith, Jones Notary, PJ Concrete and Excavation and driver Pat Fielding, Billy’s Garage, Langworthy Services. Ringgold Plumbing and Heating and driver Tim Bish, Slider Racing Chassis and driver Bobby Whitling, Kevin Irwin and Jaqulin Irwin Pro Stock Fans, Bernards Electrical Services and driver Matt Bernard, Pete Stearns and Venango Automotive, Grandview Autobody, Griffen Collision & Design, and ABL Creations and Ash Blossom. Without their generosity and support, these events would not have been possible.
The 4 Your Car Connection Four Cylinder Mini Stocks were the final race of the evening. Thomas Warren had the pole for that, with Tim Dragar next to him. Chad Greeley was in third, with Bill Fuchs in fourth. Row three paired Dillon Morrison and Joe Campbell. The fifth row consisted of Tim Callahan and Matt Urey. Row six had Zack Swartz and Adam Aley.
Urey raced to the front in his speedy Honda and led to the checkers. Campbell, Morrison, Callahan, and Warren completed the top five. Ben Aley, Greeley, Jared Hall, Tim Dragar, and Justin Dragar rounded out the top ten.
Campbell and Morrison split the heat wins. There was no B Main.
Urey clinched the championship by a substantial margin.
The Old Skool Kool Vintage Tour was back with a pair of feature events. Larry Walters repeated as the winner in the Stock Car class, followed by Foxie Sumner and Steve Tanner. In the Modified class, Paul Bacchus prevailed over Tim Beatty. Allen Guthrie and Allen Clarke were next. The heat winners were Sumner and Guthrie in the Stocks and Modifieds, respectively.
Information about the 2024 season at 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. Professional auto racing was presented in a family friendly atmosphere most Sunday evenings from May through Labor Day weekend. The race night for 2024 has yet to be determined.
Diehl Chevrolet 410 Sprints: A.J. Flick, Jack Sodeman, Jr., Bob Felmlee, Andy Priest, Andy Cavanaugh, Bodey McClintock, Steve Bright, and Cameron Nastasi.
Pitt Stop Pub 358 Modifieds: Chad Reitz, Ayden Cipriano, Colton Walters, Tom Holden, Macey Adamic, Lenny Liebold, III, Anthony Antus, Steve Slater.
Hovis Auto & Truck Supply Pro Stocks: Bobby Whittling, Jackson Humanic, Tim Bish, Chris Schneider, Josh Seippel, Mike Miller, Russ Coyne, Cole Miller, Gary Miller, Jr., Jimmy Fosnaught, Brayden Seippel, Pat Fielding, Nathan Yeaney, Chris Withers, Ron Boardman, Matt Bernard, Tyler Wyant, Andrew Hammond, Rod Laskey, Aaron Smith, Charlie McMillen, Randy Wyant (DNS).
A & MP electric. Inc. UMP Modifieds: Mike Potosky, David Scott, Steve Rex, Garrett Clavert, Brandon Grossman, Alec Siekkinen, Donny May.
4 Your Car Connection Four Cylinder Mini Stocks: Matt Urey, Joe Campbell, Dillon Morrison, Tim Callahan, Thomas Warren, Ben Aley, Chad Greeley, Jared Hall, Tim Dragar, Justin Dragar, Bill Fuchs, Zack Swartz, Adam Aley.
Old Skool Kool Vintage Stocks: Larry Walters, Foxie Sumner, Steve Tanner.
Old Skool Kool Vintage Modifieds: Paul Bacchus, Tim Beatty, Allen Guthrie, Allen Clarke.
Media Contact: Lou Long (412-760-9755)