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COMING EVENTS:

April 1 Swap Meet 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Free admission to enter and shop ($15 vendor admission)

April 22/23 Evergreen Drift $15 admission

April 29/30 Open practice all division (Free grandstands - $25 pp in pits)

                   4/6-Cylinder Enduro after April 30 practice        

May 7 @ 2:00 pm Opening Day Tour Mods, 602 Mods, SS, 4-Cyl, Nov. + ECTQM & JuiceBox Division

“The Irishman” Tony Rispin Wins Evergreen Raceway Enduro 100

By DINO OBERTO

           (Butler Township, Pa. 3-26-23) Tony Rispin is a true blue Irishman, hailing from the village of Kildalkey, Meath, Ireland so to say he had the luck of the Irish when he won the 4/6-Cylinder Enduro at Evergreen Raceway on Sunday afternoon would be a bit of an understatement.

            Be it the “green” in Evergreen, the leftover of St. Patrick’s Day, his crewman John Gilroy, who is also from Ireland or any of other kind of luck, the fact is he did a fantastic job of skillfully weaving through traffic after starting deep in the pack and coming away with his first win here in 11 years.

“It felt great today, lucky but still a great day, it was about time my luck turned around, it’s been over 10 years since I last won a race here at Evergreen,” said Rispin, who now resides in Tannersville.

“I was wondering there for a while when my luck would run out but as the race went on it just got easier and easier. You didn’t have to take as many big chances when you have to go through the middle on the straights as the field thinned out.”

Rispin, who is a past two-time Enduro champion at Evergreen, was slotted back in the 36th starting spot for the outset of the 100 lap grind. However, early on he was having transponder issues and was forced to pit and make a change, although it was under a track caution to do so and did not lose any laps in the process.

While Rispin was able to get his problems solved, the race was being handled at the front by Justin Carneavale who led the early going over Michael Klotz and Michael Mujsce III. By lap 19 Enduro/4-Cylinder Stock specialist Harry O’Neill, who started two spots behind Rispin in 40th, had maneuvered his way into the lead.

From that point he was looking tough as his No. 126 was having little trouble in getting around the heavy traffic that dotted all around the race track.

Unlike Rispin though, O’Neill wasn’t as lucky when on 37th circuit he got clipped by a car he was attempting to lap and crashed hard into the Turn 1 barriers. O’Neill, thankfully was unhurt but done for the day nonetheless.

When the field was sorted out Rispin was now the new leader over Paul Mercante and Rob Longo but truth be told there was no stopping him from that point on as he was far and away the class of the field.   

“I started way back in the 12th row and in one of these events it gets very hard to know where you’re at as far as your position and you can have four or five cars that get out front early. Then I didn’t see Harry O’Neill and I knew he was still in the race and is obviously going to be running good,” said Rispin.

“But then when they took me in to replace the transponder and I knew I was doing well and was trying to watch the (score) board and I couldn’t see my number up there. But then when Harry (O’Neill) was knocked out they told me I was leading and luckily we held our own the rest of the way.”

            Indeed he was not only lucky but good too. Rispin would continue to pull away from the pack, lapping cars with ease and steering clear of trouble, almost.

            On lap 65 his luck almost ran out when he was making a move to get by a lapped car but contact was made and he suddenly went sideways. Rispin though made a tremendous save and got the car pointed back right without losing his spot.  

“When you get by someone once and maybe twice then you know you can trust them no matter if you’re on the outside or inside but sometimes it doesn’t always work out that way,” said Rispin.

When he crossed the finish line he had lapped all but second, third and fourth. It was his first Evergreen win since June 3, 2012.

“I tried Street Stocks once and I just couldn’t afford it to be honest. But with the Enduro’s you get the adrenalin going with all these cars out here, cars spinning out in front of you, it’s a big rush for me this type of racing,” Rispin said.

            Rispin, who still has a strong accent, began his was racing back in Ireland in fields and sandpits. He also won a pair of championships at his local raceway before coming to America in 1986.

            While he was running away en route to the win the battle for second between Longo and Mercante was a hot one that waged up until the final lap. That pair had swapped back and forth and heading into the last two corners on the final lap Mercante was trying to make the pass on Longo but got pinched instead from behind and lost the spots to Jason Bentzoni. Rounding out the top five with a steady run was 2022 4-Cylinder Stock champion Mackenzie Adams.

            In the Spectator Drags that started out the day, Charlie Guardino from Nassau, Long Island NY, was the winner.

 

Enduro feature finish (100 laps): 1. Tony Rispin, 2. Rob Longo, 3. Jason Bentzoni, 4. Paul Mercante, 5. Mackenzie Adams, 6. Mark Rittenhouse Jr., 7. Mike Mujsce III, 8. Justin Carneavale, 9. Tony Hilliard, 10. Stewart Smith, 11. Michael Klotz, 12. Jake Oswald, 13. Mariah Lawrence, 14. Jeremy Randy, 15. Destinee Arnold, 16. Jacob Shearer, 17. Jeremy Spanburg, 18. Larry Spencer III, 19. Victoria Burd, 20. Dan Boughton, 21. Evan Wood, 22. Travis Frantz, 23. TJ Kapish, 24. Kevin Behler, 25. Adam Kratzer, 26. Adam Kraus, 27. Kevin Brown, 28. Mitch Sharpe, 29. Jerry Daignault, 30. Harry O’Neill, 31. Cliff Jones, 32. David Duran, 33. Mike Green, 34. Mike Mujsce Jr., 35. Blake Snyder, 36. Jimmy Ayre, 37. Rachel Morgan, 38. Corey Koch, 39. Brian Kohut, 40. Brian Halecki, 41. Danny Cascioli

RoC Dash Series Inks Weekend Dates At Mahoning Valley Speedway And Evergreen Raceway

 

            (2-24-23) The 2023 schedules for Mahoning Valley Speedway in Lehighton and Evergreen Raceway in Butler Township has been released and on their respective calendar events are a collaboration of Series races between the two paved eastern Pennsylvania tracks which includes the 602 Crate Modifieds and the Hobby Stock/4-Cylinder Stocks.

            Those two divisions are set to compete in three races each at both facilities and since being announced there has been much anticipation and excitement building for fans and drivers who are looking forward to those special shows.

            Now another two-track effort can be added as the RoC FOAR Score Four Cylinder Dash Series will be making a weekend trip to Mahoning and Evergreen on Saturday and Sunday, May 6 & 7.

            There is no question that the Hobby/4-Cylinder Stocks at both tracks remains one of the strongest classes in terms of car counts and competition. And, now with the RoC FOAR Score Four Cylinder Dash Series coming in it brings an added level of prominence as the very talented locals will square off against a stout group of tour drivers on back-to-back days. 

            The Dash Series continues to be one of the most populated divisions on the RoC schedule. The RoC permits drivers to run their “home track” rules which allows them to race the same car they would have weekly.

            Under that logic with more cars comes more and stronger competition. On the RoC Tour the Dash Series draws as many as 40 entries and taking into consideration the solid car counts that Mahoning and Evergreen pull, the May 6/7 weekend can easily see those numbers and even better.

            A Mahoning Valley the racing will get underway starting at 5:00 pm and include the 602 Crate Modifieds, Street Stocks, Pro 4s, Futures and Junk Car Races plus the JuiceBox Division.

            Evergreen will have a 2:00 pm start which will also be their Opening Day. Tour Type Modifieds, 602 Crate Modifieds, Street Stocks and Novice are on the docket plus the East Coast TQ Midgets and the JuiceBox division.

            Nick Robinson of Waverly, NY is the defending Roc Dash Series champion. At Mahoning Valley Corey Edelman of Northampton collected his third Hobby Stock crown in 2022 and at Evergreen it was Makenzie Adams taking the championship honors.

The Race of Champions is a sanctioning body presenting Modified and Stock Car racing on asphalt and dirt surfaces throughout the Northeast, with events in New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The 72nd and 73rd annual Race of Champions weekend will take place in 2022 at Lake Erie Speedway in North East, Pennsylvania and is the second longest consecutive 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 Twitter; Instagram and Facebook; @RoCModSeries or visit our website: www.rocmodifiedseries.com

For more on news and updates on Mahoning Valley and Evergreen Raceway please log onto the official websites at www.mahoningvalley-speedway.com or on Facebook at Mahoning Valley Speedway or Evergreen Raceway at www.evergreenraceway.com and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/291604498458996

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Evergreen Raceway/Mahoning Valley Speedway to Run 602 Crate Modified Dual Track Series

 

            (Lehighton 2-5-23) In a continuing effort to work in unison on selective cross-promoting endeavors, Lehighton’s Mahoning Valley Speedway and Evergreen Raceway in Butler Township are excited to announce a Dual Track Series (DTS) with the 602 Crate Modifieds.

            This announcement comes after both facilities revealed a Hobby Stock/4-Cylinder Stock Dual Track Series for the two eastern Pennsylvania asphalt short tracks located just 35 miles from one another.

            The 602 Crate Dual Track Series came to fruition when Mahoning Valley Speedway Operations Manager Todd Baer collaborated with team owner/drivers Nevin George and Jimmy Blewett about the opportunities that would come from such a venture. Then after working out rules and details with Evergreen promoter/owner Jason Makarewicz, the DTS has become a reality.

            With an increase in popularity of the 602 Crate Modified division it was felt that a series between both tracks would be a great opportunity for drivers to showcase their skills with more flexibility to do so. The class has become a steppingstone for rising talent and at the same time giving them the chance to compete against some savvy veteran drivers who also race with the division. And, with a few modifications the cars can also be raced with the Tour Type Modifieds and giving those drivers additional track time.

            The 602 Crate Modifieds have run the past two seasons at Evergreen with very respectable car counts. Rick Smith was the 2022 champion. At Mahoning Valley the class had a rousing debut during last season’s annual Fall Brawl. That race was won by 11-year old Paulie Hartwig III against a stout field.

In 2023 the class will be part of the respective tracks regular division line-up and with rules that are closely related makes it encouraging for drivers to race at either facility without the worry of making changes to their cars. Aside from the immediate area competition also comes in from New Jersey, New England and New York. 

            Based on that and what lies ahead for the DTS between Evergreen and Mahoning is the possibility for future growth to bring into the fold additional tracks to expand on the Series. 

Just as the with the DTS for the Hobby Stock/4-Cylinder Stocks, respective track points and series points for the 602 Crate Modifieds will be kept and aside from regular payouts there will be a point fund in place paying $1500, $1000 and $500 to the top three. Plus each race will designate five “Lucky Draw” awards of $200.

            Race dates for the 602 Crate Modified DTS are April 22/Mahoning Valley, June 11/Evergreen, July 8/Mahoning Valley, August 13/Evergreen, September 17/Evergreen and October 7/Mahoning Valley.

            The 602 Crate Modified DTS is being made possible by sponsors Bruce George Paving and Excavating of Kunkletown, Aqua Duck Water Transport of New Tripoli, Rustic Roots Salon of Lehighton, Blue Mountain Woodworking of Bath, Future Homes also from Lehighton and O & S Maintenance of Moscow.

The dates for the Hobby Stock/4-Cylinder Stocks DTS are as follows; April 29/Mahoning Valley, June 18/Evergreen, July 29/Mahoning Valley, August 20/Evergreen, September 9/Mahoning Valley and October 1/Evergreen.

            In the event a race is rained out the make-up will take place at the next regularly scheduled date for that track.

            Mahoning Valley Speedway’s Opening Day 2023 is slated for Saturday, April 8 at 3:00 pm headlined by the Race of Champions Series Modifieds plus Street Socks, Dirt Modifieds, Pro 4s, Hobby Stocks, Futures and the JuiceBox Division.

            Evergreen Raceway swings into action March 26 at 1:00 pm with a ‘Gut N’ Go’ 4/6-Cylinder Enduro as the main attraction plus there will be Spectator Drags and the JuiceBox Division for the younger set.

            The regular season begins on Sunday, May 7 with Tour Type Modifieds heading the day’s line-up along with Late Models, Street Stocks and 4-Cylinder Stocks.

Please log onto the official Mahoning Valley Speedway website at www.mahoningvalley-speedway.com or on Facebook at Mahoning Valley Speedway or Evergreen Raceway at www.evergreenraceway.com and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/291604498458996

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