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By DINO OBERTO
Photo: Edge of Traction
(Butler Township, Pa. 6-11-23) Evergreen Raceway played host to Race #2 of the Evergreen Raceway/Mahoning Valley Speedway 602 Crate Modified Duel Track Series (DTS) sponsored by Blue Mountain Woodworking of Bath and the 40 lap feature catered fans with twists and turns of drama-filled action throughout the contest.
At the end it was a day long to be remembered for the George family of Kunkletown as Brody George held off his stepbrother, Jaden Brown, in a close finish. But before the brothers would square off there was some very intense battling that took place.
Pole sitter Bobby Jones was leading while round one winner of the DTS Broc Brown was glued to his rear bumper. Brown was relentlessly pressuring Jones but no matter how hard he tried the journeyman leader was not giving in.
When the race was past halfway not only where Jones and Brown still going at it but Evan Rygielski and Paulie Hartwig III were going side-by-side while running no more than a car length behind the front two.
Hartwig then used a lap 30 restart to get by Rygielski and when he did he wasted little time in making it a three car tussle for the lead and to say the trio were deeply immersed in a torrid dogfight was quite the understatement. Hartwig and Brown swapped second spot while keeping right on the heels of Jones.
The anticipation of a thrilling finish would come to a rushed end with seven laps to go. Running under a blanket they entered Turn 3 and as they did all heck broke loose. Hartwig went spinning into the fence, Jones got looped and Brown was sent to the rear as officials deemed him the initiator.
When the field was reset George and J. Brown were lined up one and two and when the race resumed there was pressing contact between them as they banged wheels. Somehow they never lost traction or their positions and over the remaining laps J. Brown tried every way possible to unseat his teammate but it was nothing doing as George held on for his first win with a Modified.
“It feels really, really good to be that fast car out there today. I got a little banged up in the heat race but we turned it around for the feature and we had some good luck too when the leaders wrecked out,” said George.
“My brother and I were both fast but I feel I was the quickest between us and in the end it was a great race and I can’t thank my dad enough and also Kyle Knecht of Blue Mountain Woodworking for all he did today and of course all of my family.”
Rygielski was third with Neil Rutt III and Troy Bollinger rounding out the top five.
In the Late Model feature there was no refuting the excellence of Mike Sweeney. Sweeney would start from the pole and when Nick Ross moved into second six laps in it began a close duel between two of the premier area asphalt Late Model stars.
Holding a steady line on each lap Sweeney was able to resist the challenges that Ross kept giving him, especially on restarts. And when the race was winding down it became clear that it was Sweeney’s to lose as Ross was backing down.
Sweeney crossed the finish line uncontested and won for the second time in three starts. It would be his 75th overall win, 73 coming in Late Models.
“Nick and I have a lot of respect for one another so I know I was going to get a fair shake and I was just trying to keep my pace for as long as I could and not burn the tires off,” said Sweeney.
“We just had a really good car and we’re glad we could get this win today and I can’t thank everybody enough, starting with my crew and they know we just have to get the job done.”
Micah Adams was never lower then third, while Geno Steigerwalt took fourth and Even Berretta, in his very first Late Model race was a respectable fifth.
Mitch Hawk has won in Late Models and Factory Stocks and he can now add Street Stocks to that list.
Ninth starting Hawk snagged the lead from Brandon Oltra with seven laps to go and then remained smooth and steady to the finish for his first win since 2020. Oltra, who continues to be a factor, settled for second. Jason Gould came on like gangbusters at the end and took third.
In the 4-Cylinder Stocks it was Jimmy Ayre winning and in doing so he pulled off a feat that he’s never been able to do in his 35 years of racing, win back-to-back features.
Ayre, who had been in very close clash with leader Larry Spencer III and Micah Adams, pulled off and inside pass on Spencer with seven laps to go and then had to resist a very persistent Adams en route to collecting the win.
It doesn’t happen often in the Rotten and Forgotten class that a driver named Jensen doesn’t win but for Anthony Napolitano he would be the guy.
Leading from the outset Napolitano showed no slowing up and cruised out front the entire way. Chub Jensen was second and Tom Jensen third.
For the second time this season Tyler Skordensky had the hot had with the Novice’s. Once he took the lead on lap four there was no looking back as he sailed easily to victory over runner-up Dillon Beadle.
602 Modified feature finish (40 laps): 1. Brody George, 2. Jaden Brown, 3. Evan Rygielski, 4. Neil Rutt III, 5. Troy Bollinger, 6. Bobby Jones, 7. Brian Halecki, 8. Nick Baer, 9. Paulie Hartwig III, 10. Brian Osborn, 11. Jayden Harman, 12. Mackenzie Adams, 13. Steve Shultz, 14. Brian Rygielski, 15. Makayla Kohler, 16. Broc Brown, 17. Mike Pollack
Late Model feature finish (50 laps): 1. Mike Sweeney, 2. Nick Ross, 3. Micah Adams, 4. Geno Steigerwalt, 5. Evan Berretta, 6. Roger Maynor, 7. Brian Romig Jr., 8. Dennis Wenner, 9. Dave Imler Sr., 10. Mike VanFossen, 12. Marc Aigeldinger
Street Stock feature finish (30 laps): 1. Mitch Hawk, 2. Brandon Oltra, 3. Jason Gould, 4. Jason Harman, 5. Dan Pawlicki, 6. Gordie Buchman, 7. Brandon Christman, 8. Tucker Muffley, Amber Knecht, 10. Mike Pollack, 11. Bobby Kibler Jr., 12. Larry Labatch
4-Cylinder Stock feature finish (25 laps): 1. Jimmy Ayre, 2. Micha Adams, 3. Michael Wambold, 4. Dave Imler Jr., 5. Mackenzie Adams, 6. Mallory Kutz, 7. Mark Spencer, 8. Brooklyn Peters, 9. Larry Spencer III, 10. Ralph Borger Jr., 11. TJ Kapish, 12. Maggie Yeakel, 13. BJ Wambold, 14. Tom Cavagnino, 15. Jacob Knittle, 16. Brian Romig Jr., 17. Zeb Farber, 18. Tony Hilliard, 19. Robert McNulty
Rotten and Forgotten feature finish (25 laps): 1. Anthony Napolitano, 2. Chub Jensen, 3. Tom Jensen, 4. Jon Jensen, 5. Josh Jensen, 6. Dan Jensen
Novice feature finish (12 laps): 1. Tyler Skordensky, 2. Dillon Beadle. 3. Riley Titus, 4. Adam Heckman, 5. Savannah Romig, 6. Sarabeth Mesko, 7. Lexus Kutz, 8. Abby McNulty, 9. Ella Sones
