Mercer Raceway Park Press Releases

SATTERLEE WINS CAREER 1ST ALL STAR LATE MODEL RACE SATURDAY AT MERCER; HAY TOPS STAR’S MOD LITES; CAREER 1ST WIN FOR MCCONNELL I

Sat, Jul 10, 2010 -- All Star Late Model "Steel Valley 40"
Written by: Mike Leone

For the second straight Saturday, sunny, cloud-free conditions created for a perfect race night at Mercer Raceway Park. Celebrating in the Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic victory lane were Gregg Satterlee-O’Reilly All Star Super Late Models, Mikey Hay-STAR’S Mod Lite Series, and Mike McConnell-M&D Paving Mini Stocks. The inaugural event was presented by McCandless Ford and Mercer/New Castle NAPA Auto Parts.

Gregg Satterlee not only captured his career first Mercer win, but also his first ever All Star win as he dominated the “Steel Valley 40” for the $4,000 payday- the richest in Super Late Model history at Mercer. After a staunch battle with Rick “Boom” Briggs for the first half of the race, Satterlee pulled away to the popular win.

“I was trying to find the line I wanted to run,” explained the 25-year-old Rochester Mills, Pa. driver. “My car wasn’t working low like his (Briggs) was so I tried moving out. My car seemed to work a lot better in (turns) three and four and I felt like I could roll around there better. Once the tires got fired up, it stayed good the rest of the race. The lapped cars moved out of the way just as I caught them so I didn’t get stuck behind anyone.”

Briggs drew the pole position, but it was Satterlee taking command with Robbie Blair and Jared Miley in tow. Lux moved to fourth ahead of Miley on lap six before Miley would suffer a flat tire with nine laps scored. Four cautions slowed action between laps 9-11, but the last 29 laps would go green-to-checkered.

When racing resumed, Briggs challenged Satterlee and was all over the leader on lap 12 and 13. Briggs then pulled alongside Satterlee on laps 14 and 15. At times Briggs would have the advantage, but Satterlee carried too much momentum off the topside of the speedway to maintain the lead each lap. Eighth starting Jason Dupont moved into contention taking fourth from Lux on lap 15.

Back up front, Satterlee began to distance himself from Briggs on lap 19. With Satterlee pulling away, Blair caught up to Briggs on lap 22 and those two good friends raced hard side-by-side on laps 23 and 24. Dupont and Lux ran down Briggs and Blair making it a four-car race for second, while Satterlee stretched his lead to a straightaway.

Satterlee drove a perfect race through lapped traffic to collect his fourth overall win of 2010 in his Satterlee Petroleum Distributors/East American Motorsports-sponsored #22. Satterlee has a pair of regular event wins at Lernerville and one at Marion Center Speedway in 2010, but his victory Saturday was his biggest to date. In Satterlee’s two prior Mercer appearances he recorded an eighth in 2007 and a sixth in the season opening “Chiller Thriller”.

Briggs and Blair continued their battle right up to the finish as the duo raced side-by-side again on laps 37 and 38, but Briggs had just enough to hold on for second in his first ever Mercer appearance. Blair, the defending All Star Champion and current point leader, settled for third in his first ever Late Model start at Mercer.

Dupont made just his second ever start and came home a solid fourth. The Cyclone, Pa. driver last toured Mercer on March 31, 2007 when he finished 11th. Lux, a 12-time Mercer Stock Car winner, made his first Mercer Late Model start since finishing fifth in 2004 and ironically matched that finish on Saturday night. Completing the top 10 were John Garvin, Jr., Miley, Greg Oakes, Garrett Krummert, and Brent Rhebergen.

Heat winners were Briggs and Blair. Krummert, the 2008 Mercer Modified Champion who has also competed in the Mod Lites and Sprint Cars at Mercer, set fast time over the 17-car field in qualifying setting a new standard with a lap of 16.478 in his first ever Late Model start at Mercer.

Mikey Hay became the second #22 to win on the night as he topped the 24-car field of Mod Lites in their initial appearance of 2010. Hay’s third career Mercer win was worth $400 in the STAR’s Series event. Hay inherited the lead after race-long leader Mark Marcucci lost the handle on lap 15.

“This place has eluded me for quite some time now,” acknowledged the Somerset, Pa. driver. “I always seem to be leading a big race or fighting for the lead. Mark (Marcucci) was strong tonight, but he was pouring smoke out. I was tip-toeing into one and two. When you saw Mark lose it down there the lap before someone must have drug slime out on the bottom and I actually almost lost it myself, but gathered it together. I want to thank the fans for coming out and staying to watch the Mod Lites. They had a lot of other options tonight.”

Marcucci, the defending track champion, raced to the early lead with Lynn Knepper and Brian Woodhall trailing. Hay, who started seventh, quickly made his way forward taking third from Woodhall on the outside on lap three and drove around Knepper for second two laps later. Knepper slowed on lap six moving Woodhall back to third.

Marcucci had a half-straightaway lead built up when Angie Grzelak spun to bring out the caution with 10 laps completed. Marcucci was able to maintain his lead over Hay, but on lap 15 spun coming out of turn two bringing out the event’s final caution. Hay went unchallenged the rest of the way for his first Mercer win since winning the first two events of the 2008 season in his Evolution Chassis #22.

Mikey’s brother Matt Hay took over third when Marcucci spun then passed Woodhall on lap 15 to finish second. Rick Ament, a two-time winner last season, came all the way from the tail after an early spin to finish third after getting by Woodhall on lap 15. Woodhall, who owns two Mercer Sprint wins and three Mod Lite wins, dropped to fourth over Shane Pfeuffer. Ament, Mikey Hay, and Marcucci won the heats.

After finishing runner-up the past two weeks and three of his last four races, Mike McConnell finally captured his first career win after three years of trying. McConnell’s victory came with a last lap turn four pass of Wally Stearns, Jr. for the $150 prize in the 15-lap M&D Paving event. McConnell became the amazing ninth different winner in 11 Mini Stock races in 2010!

“That was fun,” expressed the happy Jackson Center, Pa. driver. “When I ended up in third I didn’t know if I was going to be able to get them, but they got together and that slowed them up and I came out on top finally.”

Merle Black led the opening lap before Stearns and McConnell made their way by on lap two. Tenth starting Bobby Siegel, who currently resides in Honolulu, Hawaii and is being deployed next week to Afghanistan, charged from 10th to third by lap seven.

It was a three-car race for the lead on lap nine, which continued over the event’s final six laps. Stearns and McConnell raced side-by-side for the lead on laps 12 and 13 with McConnell taking over on lap 13. Stearns though came back and took the lead back from McConnell in turns one and two on lap 14 as the two made contact.

It looked like Stearns was set for his third win of the season and another runner-up for McConnell, but Stearns pushed coming out of turn four allowing McConnell to get under Stearns. It was a drag race down the frontstretch. The two made contact again with McConnell brushing the frontstretch wall. McConnell crossed the finish line first with sparks flying by less than a car length for the exciting win in his Atlantic Timberframes/Broadway Ernie’s/Harper & Houston Masonry-sponsored #31. Stearns extended his point lead with his runner-up edging Siegel. Tim Callahan came from 11th to finish fourth over newcomer Martin Jones. Siegel and Callahan won the heat races.

O’Reilly All Star Super Late Models (40 laps, $4,000 to-win): 1. GREGG SATTERLEE (22) 2. Rick “Boom” Briggs (99B) 3. Robbie Blair (W11) 4. Jason Dupont (No7) 5. Matt Lux (21) 6. John Garvin, Jr. (J4) 7. Jared Miley (H1) 8. Greg Oakes (22) 9. Garrett Krummert (29) 10. Brent Rhebergen (07R) 11. Dan Swartzlander (3) 12. Jason Morrell (8) 13. Rusty Cade (47) 14. Ben Porter (16B) 15. Alex Ferree (4) 16. Jared Hawkins (37) 17. Jacob Hawkins (20H).

STAR’s Mod Lite Series (20 laps, $400 to-win): 1. MIKEY HAY (22) 2. Matt Hay (Evans 99) 3. Rick Ament (27) 4. Brian Woodhall (Miller 726) 5. Shane Pfeuffer (717) 6. Alan Knepper (20) 7. Tracy Fritter (59) 8. George Englert (11x) 9. Jeremy Adamik (7J) 10. Matt Patterson (13M) 11. Eric Hay (Lawson 70x7) 12. Darin Gallagher (12) 13. Angie Grzelak (57) 14. Andy Feil (08) 15. Curtis Stivason (36s) 16. Kevin Brown (2B) 17. Kotie Kirkbride (97N) 18. Tom Kline (3D) 19. Bill Stivason (116) 20. Brian Kaszubski (32) 21. Mark Marcucci (8M) 22. Kevin Sevacko (76) 23. Lynn Knepper (10) 24. Jeff Teeters (23)-DNS.

M&D Paving Mini Stocks (15 laps, $150 to-win): 1. MIKE MCCONNELL (31) 2. Wally Stearns, Jr. (33) 3. Bobby Siegel (91) 4. Tim Callahan (54) 5. Martin Jones (13) 6. Bill Reitz (2x) 7. Brad Shaffer (17) 8. Rudolph Troples III (28) 9. Jeff Little (42) 10. Ed Haylett (8-ball) 11. Merle Black (76) 12. Pete Blazczak (77) 13. Josh Ehrenberg (3T1)-DNS 14. Byron Kress (62)-DNS.

Upcoming Events:

07/14 Open practice from 5 PM til dark.

07/17 Sprints, Mods, FASTRAK Late Models, Stocks & Mini Stocks plus the “KABOOM 100” Enduro. Free Ohio Night and Venango County Night presented by Spanky’s Tobacco World. Dean Dairy Corp. Night.

07/24 Sprints, Mods, FASTRAK Late Models, Stocks & Mini Stocks. $10 Family Night presented by Klingensmith’s Drugstore. Free Crawford County Night presented by Spanky’s Tobacco Word & Armstrong. Meet Your Heroes Autograph Night presented by Herr Foods.

Grandstands at 4:30 PM. Hot laps at 6:15. Racing at 7.

Mercer Raceway Park is a 3/8-mile dirt track located minutes from both Interstate 79 and 80 just off Route 19 on Fairground Road in Mercer, Pa. Dirt track racing and quality family entertainment are presented weekly late March through early October. The office in New Bedford, Pa. is open year-round late mornings and after 1:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information call the office at 724-964-9300 or the track on race day at 724-662-1310. Check out our website at www.mercerracewaypark.com for the latest. Go to www.twitter.com/mercerraceway or Mercer Raceway Park at www.facebook.com/mercerracewaypark to stay up to date.

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