Column By: TOM WENNER / RPW – MINERSVILLE, PA – The Fitzpatrick Racing Team has been a Big Diamond Speedway staple for many years.
Two weeks ago during the Thursday Night Thunder USAC Eastern Storm event Tim Fitzpatrick took the team’s E-Z102 Spec 358 Modified to Quandel Concrete Victory Lane. On that night Tim led wire to wire in a non-stop event scoring his first Spec 358 Modified career victory.
Friday night the team returned to God’s Country for the special July 4th Georgie Stevenson Memorial that paid a cool $6000 to win for 40 trips around the Big D clay.
Ryan Watt had another had special night at the Minersville Speed Plant. He timed 15th in the timed warmup period, won the heat race from the pole, (Top 4 in time were inverted across 4 heat races) and then drove off from the pole position in the 40 lap feature event and did not look back.
Watt had to sustain challenges from Nick Rochinski and Duane Howard on separate restarts, but neither driver was able to sneak by the lighting quick CACL Financial E-Z Rent to Own #T102 Modified.
Ryan Watt and Nick Rochinski led the Quandel Concrete 24 car Spec 358 Modified field to the B&H Landscaping Green Flag.
Ryan Watt took the early lead with Nick Rochinski, Duane Howard, Jared Umbenhauer, Jack Butler, Billy Pauch Jr. and Justin Grim in tow. Craig Von Dohren took the Dissinger 88x Modified to the pit area on lap 1. CVD elected to go to the rear at the start of the race, so there was an indication that Von Dohren was not planning to compete in the entire event.
With 3 laps down Watt was stretching the legs on the CACL Financial T102 out front, Rochinski, Howard, Umbenhauer, and Butler remained the Top 5.
At the 5 mark of the event Ryan Watt remained in race control as Rochinski, Howard, Umbenhauer and Butler followed. Billy Pauch Jr. wheeling the Breitenstein Motorsports #14 on the night was reeling in the Jack Butler for the Top 5. Big Diamond Speedway Point Leader, Brett Kressley was on the move early challenging for a Top 10 spot on Lap 5.
Shawn Light retired from the event on Lap 6.
With 8 laps down the field was racing for positions all over, But the titans of the division were battling for the back half of the Top 10. Frank Cozze, Brett Kressley, Mike Gular, Anthony Perrego in the FOUR STAR #4, and Jeff Strunk were all nose to nose and side by side looking for spots 8 to 11.
Lap 10 of the event saw the first yellow flag displayed as Tim Fitzpatrick lost power and stopped the E-Z102 at the pit entrance. The field was reset with Ryan Watt showing as the leader, Nick Rochinski 2nd, Duane Howard 3rd, Jared Umbenhauer 4th, Jack Butler 5th, Billy Pauch Jr. 6th, Louden Reimert 7th, Justin Grim 8th, Frank Cozze 9th and Brett Kressley 10th.
On the restart Nick Rochinski went the race lead on the topside and Ryan Watt and Rochinski made contact. Watt would speed off with the race lead, Rochinski lost a few spots. Duane Howard drove to 2nd, Jared Umbenhauer to 3rd, Rochinski fell to 4th and Butler stayed in 5th.
On lap 13 of the event Big Diamond Speedway Modified Point Leader Brett Kressley went to the high side of the speedway with the Kressley’s Auto and Trucks 19k after losing power and retired from the event. The race event paid 50 show up points and was not a full paid point event. A lap later, Mike Gular took the Conestoga Valley Custom Kitchens 2A to the infield.
At the lap 15 mark of the race Ryan Watt was sailing out front. Duane Howard was chasing, but not able to match the Fitzpatrick CACL Financial T102 speed. Nick Rochinski moved back to 3rd, Jared Umbenhauer in his father’s #5 was 4th, Jack Butler continued in 5th.
On lap 17 of the event Mike Lisowski retired from the event.
As Ryan Watt scored lap 20, the crossed flags for the event he was about to enter lapped traffic. Duane Howard was solid in 2nd, Nick Rochinski 3rd, Jared Umbenhauer 4th, Jack Butler 5th, Louden Reimert 6th, Billy Pauch Jr. 7th, Frank Cozze 8th, Justin Grim 9th and Anthony Perrego 10th.
The yellow appeared again on lap 23 for Ken Eckert Jr. who had the #29x stopped in the turn 3 infield. This was setting up a 17 lap dash to the cash for $6k to win. Ryan Watt vs. Duane Howard, the former Big D champ.
On the restart, Ryan Watt powered to the lead after a close battle with Duane Howard for the race lead. Jared Umbenhauer snuck past Rochinski for 3rd while Jack Butler remained holding down 5th.
At the lap 25 mark of the event, Ryan Watt controlled the race lead as Duane Howard was not able to mount any charge. Umbenhauer, Rochinski, and Butler were the Top 5. Jeff Strunk and Anthony Perrego were battling side by side as the 2 veterans in iconic modified rides – Keystone Racing #126 and the FOUR STAR racing #4* went after it for spots just outside the Top 10.
As Ryan Watt crossed the flag stand for lap 30 he was controlling the pace and race lead. Howard, Umbenhauer, Rochinski, and Louden Reimert were the balance of the Top 5 with 10 to go.
On lap 34 Ken Eckert Jr. retired from the event.
As Ryan Watt clicked off lap 35, 5 to go he was pulling away from the Butch Getz owned, Duane Howard driven #15g. Jared Umbenhauer held 3rd, Nick Rochinski was locked down in 4th, Louden Reimert in 5th.
At the 2 to go signals for the Watt T102, Ryan held a half straightaway lead. It was looking like Howard would be settling for 2nd on the night. Umbenhauer, Rochinski, and Reimert followed. Pauch Jr, Butler, Cozze, Perrego, and Grim were the next 5 that made up the Top 10.
Ryan Watt would cruise off to the popular wire to wire Georgie Stevenson Memorial 40 Lap race win. A cool $6000 pay day for the Fitzpatrick Racing Team, going back to back in the Big Diamond Victory Lane.
Duane Howard settled for 2nd after starting 3rd, Jared Umbenhauer 3rd, Nick Rochinski 4th, Louden Reimert 5th, Jack Butler 6th, Frank Cozze 7th, Anthony Perrego 8th , Justin Grim 9th, and Jeff Strunk 10th.
Georgie Notes:
33 Spec Modified graced the Big Diamond Speedway pit area for the Georgie Stevenson Memorial. Modifieds paid a cool $6k to win. 24 602 Sportsman were in attendance with a cool $1500 check waiting for them, 9 RoadRunners, and 24 XCEL 600 Modifieds were in attendance.
90 race cars filled the Big D pit area on Friday night. Jasmine and Jake Smulley were greeted with a standing room only crowd on the holiday weekend, the line to get into the track at warmup’s pushed to the turn 4 pit area. Jake and the track crew once again prepared a tacky and smooth surface that created multiple grooves for a great racing all night.
The modified division drew 33, but had top quality invaders like Frank Cozze, Jared Umbenhauer, Anthony Perrego, Jack Butler, Justin Grim, Brett Gilmore was behind the wheel of the Cliff Quinn 69C, and Kyle Smith. The Modified division treated fans with timed warmup sessions. Brett Kressley locked down the fastest lap at 15.904, the only driver to break into the 15 second bracket.
Craig Von Dohren and Jeff Strunk were the Top 3 for timed Hot Laps. A nasty Modified accident in Heat Race one saw Kevin Beach’s 17b towed off on the double business end of wreckers. Scott Albert and Mike Gular were also towed off.