New Egypt Speedway March Meltdown Notebook
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New Egypt Speedway March Meltdown Notebook
By: Pete MacDonald
26 Big/Small Block Modifieds and 18 Sportsman entered the program which was run under overcast and cool conditions, this marked the 19th opening event for the Ocean County dirt track.
Despite the cold weather, a healthy crowd showed up for the afternoon’s festivities with the majority of the front stretch grandstands filled.
The New Egypt Speedway surface on Saturday afternoon was smooth as glass. It began to slick up late in the program offering a challenge to drivers as they selected tire compounds for the main event. Overall, a huge improvement from previous March events. The slower/slicker surface created an awesome battle for the lead between Stewart Friesen and Duane Howard throughout most of the race.
Eventual race winner, Stewart Friesen took the long way to victory lane on Saturday Night. After making a commitment to New Egypt, Friesen changed his mind early Saturday morning and headed to the Selinsgrove Speedway to compete in their Race of Champions event – citing a possible weather issue at the New Jersey speedway. When Selinsgrove cancelled early in the afternoon, Friesen and crew shot down the Pennsylvania Turnpike to New Egypt heading pre-race tech inspection while the Modifieds were on the track for hot laps. Friesen’s machine – suited with borrowed sail-panels from Halmar International teammate, Jimmy Horton. “I really wanted to race today, that’s why we decided to go to Selinsgrove, if we had got there and gotten unloaded like everybody else, there was no way we were making it here. I found out that the truck tops out on 85 down the Pennsylvania turnpike”, laughed Friesen.
Speaking of sail panels, New Egypt Speedway Modified regular John McClelland was the only Modified sporting a standard body, without the benefit of sail panels. McClelland’s early event lap time were comparable to his sail paneled counterparts easily landing him a spot in the main event where he finished 15th.
Fresh off of his NASCAR K&N East Series win in Mobile, AL, 15-year-old Tyler Dippel made his New Egypt Speedway Modified debut. Dippel was a threat to win all day long, winning his heat race qualifying event and finishing 5th in the Feature.
A variety of rule combinations left teams with options of what type of machines to compete with. The top three Modified finishers all raced with different motor/tire packages, Friesen powered his way around the 5/16 mile oval with a “Billy The Kid” Big Block motor and an 
American Racer 50 right rear tire compound, Billy Pauch Jr. – who passed the most amount of cars during the Feature – competed with a New Egypt legal Spec-358 motor and a softer compound 48 right rear tire, and Duane Howard was fast all day along aboard the Mike Petruska-owned No. 66 with a fresh “Billy The Kid” Open Small Block with a 53 tire compound mounted on the right rear.
Billy Pauch Jr. led the assault of the New Egypt Speedway regulars with the most spectacular run of the day battling from 19th to 2nd at the end of 50 laps – with more than 30 of those laps under green flag conditions. But the day wasn’t without challenges for the 28-year-old racer. A fuel filter issue left Pauch without a full hotlap session and forced him to retire from his heat race. Pauch Jr. would battle back, winning the B-Main and advancing to the feature aboard Rick Holsten’s No. 96 machine. “If you’re going to run second, might as well run second to the best in the business”, said Pauch Jr. Pauch Jr. plans on racing this Saturday at Bridgeport behind the wheel of John Pakenham’s No.18.
A rough Saturday morning left defending New Egypt Speedway Modified Champion, Ryan Godown scrambling. Godown’s original plan was to bring a brand-new ERD Racing Engines open small block to compete however, when the team started the engine early Saturday morning, they discovered a broken valve – sidelining the Godown Motorsports No. 747 machine. With little notice, Godown and crew thrashed to get the Bill Hewlett No. 901 Big-Block together for competition rallying behind the 40-year-old racer and helping bring home a fourth place Feature finish.
With plans to compete regularly at New Egypt Speedway in 2016, thirty-four-year-old Modified ace, Dominick Buffalino was on-hand with the Michael Dow Electric No. 51M machine. Buffalino, who started his career at New Egypt – and has seven Big-Block wins at the raceway — has competed regularly at the Bridgeport Speedway the past few seasons.
Fresh off a start at Georgetown Speedway in the Short Track Super Series event, Modified rookie Brett Kressley was missing in action at New Egypt on Saturday Night. Kressley, who finished second in Sportsman competition at New Egypt’s Prelude to the All-Star Cup, was in Los Angeles filming an episode of Celebrity Family Feud with television personality, Carson Kressley.
Seven-time New Egypt Speedway Winner, Mark Bitner was behind the wheel of the Anthony Moran No. 61 Modified on Saturday Night. After cutting his teeth in the Modified ranks when New Egypt Speedway opened, Bitner has since moved on to Sprint Car competition where he competes in the 410, 360, and 305 Sprint Car classes, as well as, competing at New Egypt with the USAC Non-Wing National Sprint Car Series.
Four different states were represented in competition on Saturday. They were New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut.
The final checkered flag of the evening flew at 7:33PM, 2 hrs and 33 minutes after racing was scheduled to begin.
I’m off to Georgetown this Friday for the Deron Rust Memorial, back to New Egypt for their open practice on Saturday morning and off to Bridgeport for the Doug Hoffman Memorial on Saturday night.
Any questions I can be reached at racersguide@gmail.com or found on Twitter @PMacDonald51. Thanks for reading!
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