Fan Favorite Chuck Bower Grabs Popular Brewerton Speedway Modified Win
Story By: DAVE MEDLER / BREWRTON SPEEDWAY MEDIA Photos By: JEFF CLEMONS / RACERSGUIDE.COM
BREWERTON, NY- July 2, 2016- Since the mid 1990s Lansing, NY Tracey Road Equipment DIRTcar Big Block Modified racer Chuck Bower has called the Brewerton Speedway home. The small independent team was track champion in 2000 and has always battled at the front of the field for top five finishes and wins, only to see victory slip away late in the going since his last win in 2011.
All the changed Friday night as Bower battled rookie Max McLaughlin back and forth for the lead most of the 35 lap feature and then had to hold off a hard charging Rob Bellinger before parking his Ingles Performance, No.99B in victory lane.
Other winners on Scott Jeffery’s Performance Plus night were, Jack Meeks (Sportsman) Chuck Powelczyk (4-CYL) Doug Williams (Mod Lites) Garrett Bard (NY6A Micro Sprints).
Max McLauglin would out race Jeff Blackburn and the rest of the field to lead the opening lap of the 35 lap Tracey Road Equipment DIRTcar Modified feature.
With 5 laps complete, McLaughlin and Chuck Bower ran nose to tail and side by side fighting for the lead. Blackburn, Tim Kerr, Jim Witko Jr. and Mike Bowman waged their own close battle for third through sixth. One lap later Bower using the top of the speedway would drive around McLaughlin to be scored the new leader.
On lap 8 the red flag would stop the race for the most serious incident of the night. Going into the entrance of turn three Bowman would get high on the speedway then caught a rut and flipping and landing outside of the racing surface. Bowman got out of his car and was okay.
On lap 10 With Bower still leading running the top of the speedway, McLaughlin on the bottom groove found the speed he needed to retake the top spot. Witko, Kerr, Tom Sears Jr. and Rob Bellinger raced in the top five.
With the scoring tower showing lap 20, McLaughlin and Bower still battled for the lead while behind them you could’ve thrown a blanket over Bellinger, Witko, Sears, Kerr, Ryan Phelps and Larry Wight for third through eighth.
On lap 23 was the winning move of the race. McLaughlin switched lanes he was running to try and put a car a lap down. Bower saw the opening on the bottom and drove back into the top spot.
Over the final 5 laps, Bower had to withstand constant pressure and challenges from Bellinger to pick up the narrow 0.212 of a second win at the checkers. Max McLaughlin, Tim Kerr and Larry Wight finished third through fifth.
Defending SUNY Canton Sportsman Track Champion Jack Meeks related earlier in the day his brand new chassis to start the 2016 season was giving him fits trying to figure out, but Meeks thought they found what was wrong coming into Friday night. Whatever they found worked for him and his race team.
Dylan Zacharias would lead the opening lap of the 20 lap SUNY Canton Sportsman feature before Alan Fink took over the top spot when a yellow flag would wave on lap four. On the restart Jack Meeks would bolt into the lead.
Meeks would build up a three second lead as the racing behind him was two and three wide battling for position. A yellow on lap 19 would wipe out the huge lead Meeks enjoyed. Over the final laps, Meeks would have to hold off repeated challenges from Brent Joy for the narrow 0.543 of a second win at the checkers. Zach Sobotka, Chris Cunningham and Dylan Zacharias chased the top two across the line.
History was made in the 20 lap Firehouse Subs Mod Lite feature when Doug Williams became the all-time feature winner. Williams broke a long standing tie for all time wins with Troy VanAllen grabbing his 44th win at the speedway.
In the feature, Josh Kinney would first hold off Brian Meyers for the opening four laps and then had a close battle with Justin Williams until a caution on lap 10. On the restart Doug Williams started fifth and would only need two laps to be scored the new leader. Once in the lead there was no stopping Williams for his record breaking win. Joe Isabell, Josh Kinney, Justin Williams and Jeff Sykes finished second through fifth.
Before the 15 lap JB Logging & Firewood Four Cylinder feature there was a missing lady formation on the pace laps. Earlier this week, Mariea Carista, wife of Four Cylinder racer Bill Carista passed away. Bill paced the field next to the open spot for his wife in a final goodbye where she loved to be every Friday night during the racing season.
In the race itself Chuck Powelczyk and Ray Bechler put on yet another battle at the front of the field with Powelczyk grabbing the narrow win over Bechler. Tim Dunn, Colby Herzog and Sam Curcie finished third through fifth.
The NY6A Micro Sprint brought over 30 cars to the speedway to battle for race one of their speedweek. In the 20 lap feature Garrett Bard made the long tow from Wells Tannery, PA off. Bard grabbed the lead at the drop of the green and would never look back leading every lap. Matt Smith, John Smith, Johnny Kolsek and Tyler Hill finished second through fifth.
This Friday, July 8, McDonald’s Restaurants present a full night of racing with a special appearance from the real Ronald McDonald and the Hamburglar.
On the race card will be the Tracey Road Equipment DIRTcar Big Block Modifieds, SUNY Canton Sportsman, Firehouse Subs Mod Lites and JB Logging and Firewood Four Cylinders. Adult admission is $12 with everyone 18 years old and younger free, pits are $27. Gates open at 5:30 with racing at 7:30.
Any questions you might have and for marketing opportunities please contact Cory Reed at cory@brewertonspeedway.com (315) 668-6906. For all the latest news log on to www.brewertonspeedway.com and like the the track Facebook page www.facebook.com/BrewertonSpeedway .
Scott Jeffery’s Performance Plus July 1 Results
(Tracey Road Equipment DIRTcar Modifieds 35 Laps) – CHUCK BOWER, Rob Bellinger, Max McLaughlin, Tim Kerr, Larry Wight, Ryan Phelps, Tim Sears Jr., Tom Sears Jr., Chad Phelps, Jim Witko Jr, Jimmy Phelps, Pat Ward, Chris Hile, Vic Coffey, Matt Hulsizer, Rich Scagliotta, Andrew Ferguson, Jeff Blackburn, Roy Shields, Ryan Bartlett, Mike Bowman.
(Heat Winners) – Max McLaughlin, Chuck Bower, Tim Kerr.
(SUNY Canton Sportsman 25 Laps) – JACK MEEKS, Brent Joy, Zach Sobotka, Chris Cunningham, Dylan Zacharias, Ronnie Davis III, Corey Barker, Tony Finch II, Stephen Denton, Will Shields, Beth Bellinger, Earl Rudy, Rich Townsend, Todd Root, Billy Clark Jr., Glenn Forward, Mike Stanton Jr., Ricky Yelle, Kyle Fink, Tyler Trump, JJ Courcy, Taylor Jackson, Alan Fink, Gregg Kimball, Nick Krause, Joe Sobotka.
(Heat Winners) – Jack Meeks, Dylan Zacharias, Glenn Forward.
(Firehouse Subs Mod Lites 25 Laps) – DOUG WILLIAMS, Joe Isabell, Josh Kinney, Justin Williams, Jeff Sykes, Joe Garafolo, Jeremy Isabell, Nick Graziano, Lowell Zehr, Mike LaRose, Casey Sykes, Sam Usborne, Brian Meyers, Jim Bogett, Keith Stevenson, Mike Mullen, Zack Babcock. DNS Dave Brown.
(Heat Winners) – Justin Williams, Josh Kinney.
(JB Logging & Firewood Four Cylinders 15 Laps) – CHUCK POWELCZYK, Ray Bechler, Tim Dunn, Colby Herzog, Sam Curcie, Mike Sherbeck, Nate Powers, Stephanie Seeley, Evan Wright, Bill Carista, Jake Petit, Quinn Wallis.
(Heat Winners) – Chuck Powelczyk, Ray Bechler.
(NY6A 600 Sprints Speedweek 20 Laps) – GARRETT BARD, Matt Smith, John Smith, Johnny Kolsek, Tyler Hill, Charles Hunt, Tyler Walker, Ben Kysor, Nate Hendrix, DJ Forbes, Gary Kratzer, Justin Groseup, Nick Groff, Jacob Lewczyk, Terry Griffin, Jonathan Westcott, Wyatt Walker, Brandyn Griffin, Nick Fauci, Danny Knoll, Cheynna Ling, Katy Knoll.
