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Lancaster Dragway

LANCASTER DRAGWAY CROWNS 2018 TRACK CHAMPIONS

Passero, Banas, Puglia & Wischman take season finale wins

LANCASTER, NY – Lancaster National Dragway put a wrap on its 2018 Franco’s Pizza IHRA Drag Racing season on Friday night. With the end of another successful season of straight-line racing, the track champions were crowned in all four weekly classes.

Dale Eckert of South Wales, N.Y. earned his second-straight Top ET track title. Eckert now has 12 track championships over the last 13 seasons with run of 10 Mod ET championships from 2006-2016. In McGard Mod ET, Jeff Kerl of Cheektowaga, N.Y. claimed fourth career class championship, and first since 2009. Mike Peters of Angola, N.Y. took top honors in Hebeler’s Sales Bikes & Sleds for the third year in a row. Second-generation driver, Mason Fix of Amherst, N.Y., had already sewn up his third Tread City Tire Street ET championship in a row heading into the final race of the season.

It was three-way race for the Top ET championship with Jan Winkowski leading both Eckert and Mike Swinarski by 10 points at the start of the event. Winkowski was eliminated in the first round paving the way for Eckert and Swinarski to take advantage. Swinarski did not get past the second round, while Eckert made it to the semi-finals to clinch his 13th championship.

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CLAY RICKETSON IS A DOUBLE WINNER AT LANCASTER

Mason Fix clinches Street ET track title 

LANCASTER, NY – Clay Ricketson of East Aurora, N.Y. scored two class victories on Friday night at Lancaster National Dragway. Ricketson grabbed the win in McGard Mod ET and then took top honors in the special Heads-Up 7.50 Index class presented by Slim Stang Racing.

It was the next-to-last night of the season for the Franco’s Pizza Friday Night IHRA Drag Racing Program and drivers looking to go as many rounds as possible to score the maximum amount of points. Ricketson started the night second in McGard Mod ET points with teammate Dale Eckert as they trailed Jeff Kerl & Keith Banas by 50 points.

Ricketson’s final round matchup in Mod was almost a heads up race as he and his opponent Ben Haight had nearly identical dial-ins. He got a break when Haight broke out by one ten-thousandth (.0001) of a second to pick up his first win of the night.

The Heads-Up 7.50 Index class typically runs on Tuesday night, but was added to the Friday night program following the cancellation of the last Tuesday night program of the season. Ricketson met Keith Kraemer in the final, and once good fortune was on his side as Kraemer tripped the red light to hand the win to Ricketson.

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MASON FIX TAKES TWO ON BIG RIG NIGHT AT LANCASTER

Cleveland, Pepi, Kerl & Nearhoof score victories

LANCASTER, NY – Lancaster National Dragway hosted its popular Big Rig Night on Friday. Over 45 semi trucks, dump trucks and pick-up trucks were part of the 200 vehicles in competition for the Franco’s Pizza IHRA Drag Racing program.

Mason Fix of Amherst, N.Y. scored victories in both Tread City Street and the special Pick-Up Truck class sponsored by Halleen’s Automotive. Fix beat Scott Baron for his third win of the year in Street, and then defeated Meg Grzekiewicz in the Pick-Up Truck final for his second win of the evening. Fix had a chance to go for a hat trick in McGard Mod, but lost in the semifinals.

In Top 8 Eliminator, Wayne Cleveland of Williamsville, N.Y. went to victory lane for the second time in 2018. Cleveland got the win after Bill Bigham triggered the red light in the finals. Fran Pepi of Lancaster got his first win of the season Top ET. Pepi edged Tony Galuzzi in his final run of the night to pick up the win.

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LANCASTER NATIONAL DRAGWAY SUFFERS FIRST RAINOUT OF 2018 SEASON

LANCASTER, NY – Lancaster National Dragway has canceled its Franco’s Pizza Friday Night IHRA Drag Racing program for August 17. Afternoon rain showers combined with the significant threat of evening thunderstorms forced officials to pull the plug on racing for the first time in the 2018 season.

The X-Press Signs Stock Car Series event scheduled for tomorrow is still on as planned. Racing starts at 6:30 p.m. for the Tommy Druar/Tony Jankowiak Memorial 110 for the Race of Champions Modified Series.

Drag racing action continues Tuesday night with Advance Auto Parts Test & Tune, Amateur Drags, Junior Dragsters and 7.50 Index Heads-Up class. Wednesday night Grudge Racing resumes this week after a two week break as well.

Next Friday is Big Rig Night for the Franco’s Pizza IHRA Drag Racing program. We will run special drag racing classes for big rigs, dump trucks and more. Time trials start at 5 p.m.

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JOE SKOK RACKS UP THREE WINS IN ONE WEEK AT LANCASTER

Alcohol Funny Cars thrill fans in exciting match races

LANCASTER, NY – Joe Skok of Lancaster wrapped up quite a week on Friday night at Lancaster National Dragway. Skok took the win in McGard Mod ET on Friday for his third victory and fourth final round appearance in the past six days.

Skok’s hot streak started during last weekend’s Sunday Nostalgia event where he won Comp Eliminator on both Saturday on Sunday. He then advanced to the final round of a special Tuesday night Box/No-Box Shootout, but could not get his third win in a row. Skok’s “Head Knocker” Chevrolet Nova was back in a final round during Franco’s Pizza Friday Night Drag Racing as he defeated Eddie Semlitsch in the Mod ET finals for his third class victory in six days.

Mike Swinarski of Orchard Park, N.Y. scored his second win of the year in Top 8 Eliminator and his third win overall at Lancaster in 2018. He picked up the win after Wayne Cleveland triggered the red light in the finals. Swinarski was recently named to the 2018 class of the Lancaster National Dragway Wall of Fame. He’ll be inducted during the season awards banquet in November.

In Top ET, Paul Cochi of Amherst, N.Y. earned his first win of the season after a red light by his opponent, Dale Eckert. The only final round that wasn’t decided by a red light was Hebeler’s Sales Bikes & Sleds as Vic Puglia of Tonawanda, N.Y. scored his third win of the season. Puglia beat Patrick Vaughan despite Vaughan having nearly two second head start on the starting tree.

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MALVASO TOPS SUPERCHARGED BOUNTYHUNTERS FIELD AT LANCASTER

Mallare & Maduri, Sr. win Dynabrade Top ET specials 

LANCASTER, NY – Frank Malvaso of Rochester is always threat to win when he comes to Lancaster National Dragway. Malvaso’s 1933 “Rush” Willy’s has had success in a number of events in recent years, and this past Friday night Malvaso added another Lancaster win to his resume as he conquered the field of Supercharged Bountyhunters as part of Franco’s Pizza IHRA Drag Racing.

Malvaso defeated David Texido in the Supercharged Bountyhunters finals as Texido had to pedal the car down the strip to maintain traction. Malvaso ran 4.328 seconds at 169.15 mph in the 1/8-mile to pick up the win.

Dynabrade sponsored Top 8 Eliminator and Top ET on Friday to set up a special night for both classes. Jimmy Mallare of Lancaster defeated the Dynabrae-sponsored Chevrolet S-10 of Pete Maduri, Jr. to win Top 8 Eliminator. Maduri was making his first appearance at his home track since winning his first-ever NHRA National Event at the New England Nationals in Epping, N.H. on July 8. The final run was nearly a heads-up race with both drivers’ dial-ins separated but only .04 seconds. The slight advantage on the starting tree gave Mallare the margin he needed to pick up the win.

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ALFAQIH & DOTY SCORE BUFFALO STREET OUTLAWS WINS AT LANCASTER

Peters tops in $500-to-win Bikes & Sleds special 

LANCASTER, NY – The Buffalo Street Outlaws (BSO) and Hebeler’s Sales Bikes & Sleds class shared the spotlight on Friday at Lancaster National Dragway. The BSO crew made its third appearance of the season at Lancaster while the Bikes & Sleds had a $500 top prize up for grabs.

Moe Alfaiqh of Cheektowaga, N.Y. picked up his first BSO win of 2018 at Lancaster. Alfaqih defeated former BSO winner Rachel Jewell in the final pairing of the night. First time winner Jason Doty of Bergen, N.Y. walked away with top honors in BSO Street Limited. Doty took down top competition in the finals as he beat Jason Bezinque, who won several times at Lancaster in 2017.

In Franco’s Pizza IHRA Drag Racing action, Mike Peters of Angola, N.Y. won the $500-to-win Hebeler’s Sales Bikes & Sleds special for his second-straight victory in the class. Peters scored the victory after Drew Nearhoof triggered the red light in the final round.

Mike Nowak of Lancaster notched his third win of the season in Top 8 Eliminator. Nowak blistered 1/8-mile dragstrip in just under 5 seconds (4.987) at 138 mph to beat Scott Winkleman in the finals. Winkleman made the Top 8 final for the second week in a row, but came up on losing end once again. Veteran Dick Siepel of Kenmore, N.Y. grabbed the win in Top ET over Jimmy Mallare, Jr. It was the first win of 2018 for Siepel and his “Blind Faith” 1968 Corvette.

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TOP FUEL DRAGSTERS WOW THE NITRO NIGHT CROWD AT LANCASTER

Leber takes TNT Super Series win; Noltee & Neri score Top wins

LANCASTER, NY – A jam-packed crowd was on hand Friday night at Lancaster National Dragway for the annual Nitro Night of Fire. The crowd saw a pair of thrilling match races between the Top Fuel Dragsters of Todd Paton and Dom Lagana plus a battle between the nitrous-powered A-Fuel Dragster piloted by Chuck Getz and the supercharged “Moonshine Express” 1940 Ford of Gary Kraus.

The Top Fuelers of Paton and Lagana did not disappoint once again with both runs featuring side-by-side action for the length of the 1/8-mile dragstrip. Lagana took the first race with a 3.79 second run. For the second pass, Paton wanted to break the track speed and elapsed time records he set in 2016 (3.306 seconds, 233 mph). His determination nearly paid off as Paton nearly broke the ET record with a 3.399 second run at 211 mph. Lagana was also faster on his second run at 3.669 seconds.

There was also a full show of Franco’s Pizza Friday Night IHRA Drag Racing to go along with the Nitro Night festivities. The TNT Super Series was on hand for their second time in 2018. Veteran racer Billy Leber of Tonawanda, N.Y. picked up the TNT Series win over Jeff Sobczysnki in the final round as Sobczysnki ran under the 7.00 index.

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Swinarski sweeps Top ET & Top 8 Eliminator

LANCASTER, NY – Lancaster National Dragway partnered with the Supercharged Bounty Hunters on Friday night for a special event that pitted four of the top supercharged blown doorslammers against four of the fastest nitrous-powered cars on the property.

The blown engine versus nitrous challenge came down to Dave Texido of the Supercharged Bounty Hunters against the nitrous-powered Camaro of Mike Nowak. The nitrous cars earned the bragging rights at the end of the night as Nowak got the win on a holeshot. Texido had the faster elapsed time, but Nowak launched off the starting line quicker. It was the third-straight win at Lancaster for Nowak with Top 8 Eliminator victories the previous two weeks.

In Franco’s Pizza Friday Night IHRA Drag Racing action, Mike Swinarski of Orchard Park, N.Y. picked up wins in both Top 8 Eliminator and Top ET. It marked the second year in a row that Swinarski accomplished the feat. He defeated Alex Noltee in the Top 8 Final, and then dispatched of Mark Glomb in the final round of Top. Swinarski was the second car to leave the starting line in both races as his opponents had the slower dial-ins.

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GREAT TURNOUT FOR LANCASTER’S STREET OUTLAW SHOWDOWN

Street Outlaws from 3 States & Canada Battle for Expanded Purse

LANCASTER, NY – Lancaster National Dragway hosted small tire racers from Ontario, Pennsylvania and Ohio on Friday night plus the hometown Buffalo Street Outlaws (BSO) in showdown for a bigger purse and bragging rights to be the top street racer.

Thirty-five Street Outlaw racers were on hand to challenge for a piece of the $7,000 purse. John Sahli of Youngstown, Ohio took top honors in the Buffalo Street Outlaws Street Limited class. Sahli defeated Jonathan Kroll in the final round. The BSO Outlaw Street class finished in a three-way split due to Lancaster’s curfew. Racers on hand from all three states were represented in the final trio with Moe Alfaqih from Cheektowaga, N.Y., Dan Turner from Greenville, PA and Keith Sletvold of Youngstown, OH splitting the top prize.

The Franco’s Pizza Friday Night IHRA Drag Racing Program featured plenty of familiar faces in victory lane with a number of seasoned veterans taking wins. Mike Nowak of Lancaster made it to two final rounds starting with Top 8 Eliminator. Nowak got his second-straight win in Top 8 when Carl Ettipio tripped the red light at the starting line. He then went on the finals in Top Eliminator where Nowak went up against Jan Winkowski. Winkowski’s “Lunatic Fringe” Chevy Nova held off Nowak’s Camaro at top end to score his first win of the season.

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