Mahoning Valley Speedway results 2000-07-22

Todd Geist Races To 20th Career Win At Mahoning Valley
By Dino Oberto

(Lehighton, PA 7-22-00) After loosing the previous week's action to wet weather, Mahoning Valley Speedway was back in full swing Saturday night.

The Late Models took top billing as the Modified class had the night off and coming up big was Wescosville's Todd "Hollywood" Geist who scored his 20th career win in his Deka Battery Powered Monte Carlo at the Lehighton oval. Geist and Don Holland, Jr., shared front row honors but before getting the first lap completed trouble unfolded on the back straight when Holland got into Geist and brought out the caution. Holland was sent to the rear for the restart while Geno Steigerwalt joined Geist at the front. When the action resumed Geist grabbed the lead with Paul Koehler, Jr., slipping into second. Over the first half of the 20-lap race Geist was running a solid pace and pulled out to a nice advantage over the rest of the pack. Kohler in the meantime had his hands full with Nate Correll and Rick Wallace giving him all kinds of pressure. A yellow on lap eleven wiped out Giest's lead and when the race went back green Correll was able to make his way past Kohler and then went to work on trying to overtake Geist. Geist had a rear bumper full of Correll as he hounded him relentlessly. With three laps to go a final caution waved and Correll made every attempt over the final three tours to get around Geist but to no avail as he held on for career win number twenty and second this season. Geist is second only to John Markovic in Late Model wins. Following Correll was Wallace with point leader Frank Del Nero, Jr., and Steigerwalt rounding out the top five. The 20-lap Street Stock feature was an outstandingly run race with almost non-stop side-by-side action from start to finish.

John Bennett of Lehighton padded his Street Stock point lead by scoring a hard fought win, his third of the season.

With a season high 27 Street Stocks on hand just qualifying for the 20-car field was hard enough.

Scott Meckes jumped out to the early lead and had Scott Lesher, Jason Beers, Randy Schlenker and Todd Ahner all in close proximity.

By lap five Beers was up to second and on the following lap 11th place starter Bennett was running fourth.

At the halfway mark the lead switched over to Ahner while Bennett hustled his way to second. Beers was riding right along side the point leader while they where within a half a car length behind Ahner.

With four laps to go Bennett stormed to the outside of Ahner and grabbed the lead and then held off Beers for the win.

Ahner came across third with Rich Weber fourth and Steve Hahn getting a career high fifth. In the D/A Mod feature it was rookie Barry Malcolm of Bordertown, NJ parleying his pole starting spot into his career first win. The 20-lap race was run off in quick fashion as the distance went caution free and Malcolm did a great job of holding his own out front. Jarred Nace kept watch from second the whole time and was runner-up while point leader Bup Dreher, Scott Haller and Kevin Hahn completed the top five.

Andy Walko of Flemington, NJ put on a fabulous drive in just 15-laps as he came from 16th and last position to win for the second time in a row and third of the season.

Walko took the lead on a lap ten restart from Jonathan Fegley and never looked back from there. At the finish it was Walko winning over Tyler Haydt, Pat Hargan, Jeremy Miller and Fegley. The racing continues this coming Saturday night, July 29 with Autograph and Camera Night. Fans will get to come onto the track during intermission and meet all the drivers from the Modifies, Late Models, D/A Mods, Street Stocks and 4-Cylinders. Coming up in two weeks will be the Summer Cruise and Burn-out Contest that was rained out on July 15. It will be S & S Speedways Night as well.

For more information on Mahoning Valley Speedway call the track hotline at 570-386-1225 or check out the track web page at www.mahoningvalleyspeedway.com {TB| RESULTS:

LATE MODELS (20): 1.Todd Geist 2.Nate Correll 3.Rick Wallace 4.Frank Del Nero, Jr. 5.Geno Steigerwalt 6.Brian Romig 7.Don Holland Jr. 8.Dave Wallace 9.Mike Snyder 10.Paul Koehler Jr. 11.Bill Voorhees 12.Mike Van Fossen 13.Vince Fegley 14.Lonnie Behler 15.Ernest Breiner 16.Fran Grimes 17.Todd Stehle

STREET STOCKS (20): 1.John Bennett 2.Jason Beers 3.Todd Ahner 4.Rich Weber 5.Steve Hahn 6.Bill Hunara 7.Mick Serfass 8.Eric Danyluk 9.Scott Breiner 10.Scott Lesher 11.Randy Schlenker 12.Troy Bollinger 13.Willie Knappenberger 14.Bob Kibler 15.Dave Imler 16.Scott Meckes 17.Mathias Hoffman 18.Jerry Evans 19.Bob Brown 20.Richard Beers

DNQ: Lorne Kresge, Dave McCloud, Scott Andrews, Gary Larch, Frank Hoffman, J.D. Light, Larry Kibler

DA MODIFIEDS (20): 1.Barry Malcolm 2.Jarred Nace 3.Bup Dreher 4.Scott Haller 5.Kevin Hahn 6.Brian Delanoy 7.Jason Trinchere 8.Darryl Breunig 9.Amanda Sesely 10.Jeff Rushton 11.Rich Crompton 12.Randy Schlenker 13.Chris Horning 14.Glenn Anderson 15.Bobby Trumbauer 16.Dave Miller 17.Anthony Sesely

4-Cylinders (15): 1.Andy Walko 2.Tyler Haydt 3.Pat Hargan 4.Jeremy Miller 5.Jonathan Fegley 6.Dave Laubach 7.DJ Fredricks 8.Chris Kuronya 9.Todd Baer 10.Mike Bernadyn 11.Robert Fredricks 12.Warren Fegley 13.Chez Santee 14.Paul Effrig 15.Kristin Thibault 16.TJ Kemmerer DNS: Brian Sivak, Jake Kibler