Justin Holland Upsets 72-Car Short Track SuperNationals Field For $6,650 Victory - Upstart Modified Driver Has A New Career Highlight!
KIRKWOOD, NY - The Short Track SuperNationals presented by Dart Machinery is truly the "Working Man's Race" for dirt Modifieds.
Justin Holland proved it Saturday night at Five Mile Point Speedway. The 31-year-old from White Lake, N.Y., defeated a talent-filled and diverse field of 72 Modifieds to score the most prestigious victory of his short Modified career before a capacity crowd at the historic facility.
Holland, a graduate of Five Mile Point's Sportsman division, had made just a handful of starts in a Modified entering Saturday's program. He already proved his worth in Southern Tier Mod racing when he won an extra-distance event at I-88 Speedway in Afton, N.Y., Sept. 24. Now, Holland has an even larger conquest on his resume in the Brett Deyo-promoted SuperNationals.
"It doesn't get any better than this," Holland exclaimed after celebrating in Five Mile Point's Victory Lane. Holland becomes the third SuperNationals winner in the event's three runnings, joining Kevin Hirthler (2009) and Mike Ricci (2006) on the list.
Holland's earnings were boosted by the Alpine Building & Post Supply 'Roll the Dice' Challenge (worth $1,500 since he posted the $20 "Gambler's Fee" pre-race) plus numerous contingenccy prizes and lap money.
Driving his No. 280, Holland started the 50-lap big-block/small-block Modified main second, but took a back seat in the early laps to pole starter Kevin Bates of Lake Ariel, Pa., who set a torrid pace aboard his family-owned No. 42B. Danny Tyler, an Accord (N.Y.) Speedway regular from Cottekill, N.Y., rocketed into second on lap seven after starting 11th.
Bates, Tyler and Holland raced in close formation as they diced through lapped traffic, fanning out three-wide on multiple occasions.
Holland's car improved as the race progressed. He worked by Tyler on lap 30 and two circuits later used the inside lane to charge into the top spot.
Following the race's final caution on lap 38, attention turned toward ninth-starter Billy Pauch Jr. of Frenchtown, N.J., driving his self-owned No. T102. The 23-year-old broke into third place on lap 43 and slid past Bates for second on the 48th lap.
Pauch's charge was too late to eclipse Holland, who had opened up a lead of more than a half-straightaway.
Big Diamond (Pa.)/Grandview (Pa.) regular Pauch Jr. settled for a runner-up effort, earning a $400 bonus from Mark "Buck" Fegley as the highest-finishing driver across the line not having won a Modified feature this season. Bates was third, with his pay boosted by $1,760 in lap money, including $700 for halfway courtesy of Dale Smith Photography in Afton, N.Y.
Former Five Mile Point champion Brian Weaver of Windsor, N.Y., guided Randy Decker's No. 9R to a fourth-place finish after starting 18th on the grid, while Tyler placed fifth: his first-ever top-five effort at FMP.
Placing sixth through 10th, respectively, were 2010 Five Mile Point and Utica-Rome (N.Y.) champion Stewart Friesen of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. (starting 23rd) driving the Tadd Parks No. 1, 24th-starter Joey Grammes of Lehighton, Pa., a Penn Can (Pa.) Speedway regular, in his brother Brad's No. 5J, Bobby Trapper of Scranton, Pa., 2009 race winner Kevin Hirthler of Boyertown, Pa., (started 15th) and Big Diamond's track champion Doug Manmiller of Shoemakersville, Pa., driving the Josh Biever No. 14M. Manmiller started 13th.
Heat winners for the 72 Modifieds were Mike Nagel Jr., Tyler, Clinton Mills, John Willman, Shaun Walker, Mike Gular and Manmiller. Jeff Strunk, Friesen and Grammes were consolation victors. Ryan Godown raced his way into the starting field by winning the 3-lap Ed Tauschman Memorial Money Run, contested among the three drivers missing a consolation transfer by one position.
Gular, of Green Lane, Pa., picked up a $650 payout by winning the EZ Release Pro Shops Cash Dash with a late pass of Mike Nagel Jr. The seven heat winners participated in the event, which offered a $1,500 total purse.
Friesen ran the gamut in the Trackside Products American Racer East Coast Modified Cup Champion's Challenge, defeating Billy Van Pelt, Manmiller, Wade Hendrickson, Bobby Varin, Gular, Jerry Higbie Jr. and Billy Pauch Sr. to earn $1,300 - $1,000 as the winner plus $50 per round. The event was open to the 12 American Racer Cup track champions from 2010.
Butch Green of Newark Valley, N.Y., nosed out a victory in the 20-lap Trackside Products RoC Street Stock event. Green narrowly earned the $400 payday in a three-wide finish over Bob Buono and Gene Sharpsteen, who authored an impressive outside-lane charge. Tyler Yeagle and John Cooper Jr. were fourth and fifth, respectively.
Invader Kerrie Hollenbeck of Cobleskill, N.Y., a Glen Ridge (N.Y.) Motorsports Park regular, won the 18-lap Four Cylinder main over Jon Carpenter and Beezer Wilkie.
Jeff Richardson of Goshen, N.Y., was the SuperNationals Vintage Open 15-lap winner for the second consecutive season.
SUPERNATIONALS SIDE NOTES: An overflow crowd and a record high 141 race cars used every inch of the Five Mile Point Speedway grounds for the third running of the Short Track SuperNationals presented by Dart Machinery. The 72 Modifieds were joined by 35 RoC Street Stocks, 24 Four Cylinders and 10 Vintage Modifieds....
The Modified field included drivers from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware, along with the Ontario, Canada. Modified track champions from Accord, Bridgeport (N.J.), Five Mile Point, Fonda (N.Y.), Orange County (N.Y.), Penn Can, Woodhull (N.Y.) and Utica-Rome (N.Y.) took part in the program.
Jeff Ahlum joined track announcer Leon Andrus on the microphone for the event, while Dina Marie Leach was a guest singer of the national anthem....
Nearly $9,000 in bonuses, contingency prizes and cash awards were distributed to Modified teams at the SuperNationals...
Keep posted to www.bdmotorsportsmedia.com for updates on the 2011 Short Track SuperNationals....
SHORT TRACK SUPERNATIONALS PRESENTED BY DART MACHINERY RACE SUMMARY - OCT. 9, 2010
Modified Feature Finish, 50 Laps: JUSTIN HOLLAND ($6,650 - Cash & Awards), Billy Pauch Jr., Kevin Bates, Brian Weaver, Danny Tyler, Stewart Friesen, Joey Grammes, Bobby Trapper, Kevin Hirthler, Doug Manmiller, Mike Ricci, Mike Gular, Wade Hendrickson, Ryan Godown, Brent Wilcox, Clinton Mills, Shaun Walker, Billy Van Pelt, Mike Colsten, Elmo Reckner, John Willman, Kevin Albert Jr., Steve Babicek, Jeff Strunk, Jamie Yannone, Kerry Kratz, Billy Pauch Sr., Brian Malcolm, Mike Nagel Jr., Gary Tomkins.
Did Not Qualify: Meme DeSantis, Jordan Umbenhauer, Rich Ricci Jr., Mike Mahaney, Michael Weinert, Erik Nelson, Frank Yankowski, Larry Lippincott, Wade Decker, Tom Collins Jr., Rich Eurich, Mike Bowman, Colt Harris, Kyle Follweiler, Jim Wells, Jim Gabriel Jr., Kevin Hartnett, Nick Rochinski, Dave Constantino, Chris Esposito, Eric Stephens Jr., Corey Anderson, Kirk Horton, Glenn Knapp, Bobby Trapper Jr., Eddie White, Ken Titus, Bobby Varin, Jerry Higbie Jr., Russ Zimmerman, Scott Van Gorder, Mike Decker, Kenny Peoples Jr., Joey Colsten, Scott Brady, Geoff Quackenbush, Jamie Batzel, Eric Palmer, Gary Card Jr., Chris Weaver, Dan Hineline, Danny Johnson.
Car Count: 72
Lap Leaders: Kevin Bates (1-31), Justin Holland (32-50)
Heat Winners: Mike Nagel Jr., Danny Tyler, Clinton Mills, John Willman, Shaun Walker, Mike Gular, Doug Manmiller
Consolation Winners: Jeff Strunk, Stewart Friesen, Joey Grammes
Trackside Products American Racer Cup East Coast Modified Cup Champion's Challenge: Stewart Friesen ($1,300)
EZ Release Modified Cash Dash, 6 1/2 Laps: MIKE GULAR ($650), Mike Nagel Jr. ($350), Shaun Walker ($100), Doug Manmiller ($100), Clinton Mills ($100), Danny Tyler ($100), John Willman ($100).
Vogel Race Designs/Mike Shara/Grant Buck/Crackers Motorsports Ed Tauschman Memorial Money Run, 3 Laps: RYAN GODOWN ($100 & Feature Spot), Meme DeSantis ($100), Jordan Umbenhauer ($100)
Alpine Building & Post Supply 'Roll the Dice' Challenge ($1,500): Justin Holland
Dale Smith Photography Halfway Leader Award ($700): Kevin Bates
Dart Machinery $500 Certificate Toward Engine Block: Justin Holland
Dart Machinery Bonus ($500 cash to attend Oct. 30 Southern Tier 100, $1,000 to win the Southern Tier $100): Justin Holland
Dart Machinery $250 Certificate Toward Heads: Billy Pauch Jr.
Dart Machinery $75 Certificate Toward Intake Manifold: Kevin Bates
Mark "Buck" Fegley First Non-Winner Award ($400): Billy Pauch Jr.
Vogel Race Designs/Jim Young Race Photos Hard Charger ($200 & Custom 16- by 20-inch Poster): Mike Ricci - 30th to 11th
BFP Specialty PA Dual-Track Bonus ($75 Certificate): Billy Pauch Jr.
Ed Tauschman Memorial Hard Luck Award ($100): Eric Palmer
Selinsgrove Speedway Icebreaker Two Passes: Justin Holland
Penn Can Speedway Guaranteed Redraw Position For Oct. 15 'King of the Can' Race: Justin Holland
Reading Plastic Fabricators Berks County Bonus ($100): Kevin Hirthler
Subway of Castle Creek, N.Y. Six-Foot Sub: Justin Holland
SuperNationals Free Pass Giveaway: Justin Holland
Total Lap Money Distributed: Kevin Bates ($1,760), Justin Holland ($390), Stewart Friesen ($110), Elmo Reckner ($50), Billy Pauch Sr. ($50), Joey Grammes ($50) Billy Pauch Jr. ($30), Bobby Trapper ($20).
RoC Trackside Products Street Stock Feature Finish, 20 Laps: BUTCH GREEN, Bob Buono, Gene Sharpsteen, Tyler Yeagle, John Cooper Jr., Rich Talada, Nate Peckham, Darl Ellis Jr., Dan Hoffman Sr., Nick Robinson, Dave Pope, Shane Wolf Jr., Pat Nolan, Matt Spencer, Kevin Boynton, Brenton Miller, Doug O'Hara, Paul Harrington, Charlie Gilbert, Jon Carpenter, Rich Sharpsteen, Lanson Albanese, Denny Decker, Louie Gordinier, Nick Nye.
Did Not Qualify: Mike Codington, Rob Snow, Roger Walburn, Jamie Warner, Josh Stilson, John Petrovich, Dave Mannise, Steve Sharpsteen, Chad Sinon, Dan Hoffman Jr.
Four Cylinder Feature Finish, 18 Laps: KERRIE HOLLENBECK, Jon Carpenter, Beezer Wilkie, George Brown, Dave Simms, Dan Wood, Duane Kinne, Scott Chapman, Tom Desmond, Alan Houghtaling, Eric Boynton, Sarah Bohlin, Rich Page, Wayne Bohlin, Anthony Seward, Mark Bausenwein, Bobby Edwards, Kenny Underwood, Pete Christenson, Jerry Tunney, Dave Desmond, Chuck Miller.
Did Not Start: Jason Colwell, Damien Busenwein.
Vintage Modified Feature Finish, 15 Laps: JEFF RICHARDSON, Howie Murphy, Aaron Brammer, Clark Bartholomew Jr., David Charczeuk, Stan Woyt, Brent Cobb, Dave Dissinger, Mike Cole.
Did Not Start: Mike Murphy.
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