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LEHIGHTON, P.A. (October 10, 2026) — The Race of Champions Modifieds rolled into Mahoning Valley Speedway for their Fall Brawl on Saturday.
Austin Kochenash, a native of Danielsville, PA, had an absolute unbeatable streak going before heading into the 75-lap main event. Kochenash finished first in practice with a 10.319 second lap; first in qualifying with a 10.347 second lap; and finished first in his Heat race.
Kochenash started fourth, while Nick Baer led the field to the green. Immediately, Kochenash, Baer, Jayden Harman, and Bobby Jones all started vying for position.
Baer slowly faded back to sixth, while Roger Cross, and Earl Paules slowly worked their way up. A caution came out on Lap 19, slowing down the momentum temporarily.
On the restart, Kochenash, Harman, and Jones went at it. Side-by-side all the way around the quarter mile paved oval, they put on a show for the fans. Another caution came out on Lap 49, but that didn’t stop the intense action from picking right back up again.
Two laps later, the third, and final, yellow flag came out. Involving some of the front-runners, Cross and Paules were able to make their way into the top five.
The remaining 24 laps went by without a single snag, and Kochenash was finally able to get around Jones for first. Harman followed closely behind, but didn’t have enough time to try and get by Jones, as well.
“We were tight all day,” said Kochenash in Victory Lane. “[Everything went great] and I want to thank my car owner for the opportunity and my family. It’s my Dad’s birthday and this is a pretty good present.”
Rounding out the top three were:
● Lou Strohl — Palmertown, PA
● Zane Zeiner — Bath, PA
Next up on the Race of Champions schedule is Shangri-La II Speedway, with its “Family of Series” making their appearance on Saturday, October 17, and Sunday, October 18 for the 76th Annual Race of Champions Weekend.
Full unofficial results and more: https://www.rocmodifiedseries.
The Race of Champions is a premier sanctioning body for Modified and Stock Car racing on both asphalt and dirt surfaces throughout the Northeast, with events across New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Its primary marketing partners include Sunoco Race Fuels, Hoosier Racing Tire, Racing America,Airport Collision, Rocket Performance, Waddell Communications, Image X Design, Sherwood Racing Wheels, DirtTrackDigest.com, and Speed Sport.
The 76th Annual Race of Champions Weekend will take place later this year, continuing its tradition as the second-longest-running auto racing event in North America—second only to the Indianapolis 500.
For more information, contact Race of Champions Media at media@rocmodifiedseries.com
Follow us on X, Instagram and Facebook: @RoCModSeries or visit our website: www.rocmodifiedseries.com
