MIKE LONEY CAPTURES LARGEST BIG DIAMOND RACEWAY PAYCHECK OF HIS CAREER

UPCOMING EVENTS:
Sunday September 6, 7:00PM -Schuylkill County NAPA 29th Annual Coalcracker 100 358 Modifieds ($10,000 to win).
Sunday September 20, 5:00PM - Savage 61 Dodge/Dan Drobnick Welding Nutty Buddy Enduro Series Race #5.
Saturday September 26 - Landis C. Deck/Yuengling Group Diamond Nationals.
Sunday September 27 - Landis C. Deck/H & K Group Diamond Nationals.

Forestville, PA - September 4, 2009 - Mike Loney had picked up his first career Big Diamond Raceway Sportsman feature triumph back on May 15. His win this past Friday, however, was the largest of his brief two-year BDR career. Loney won the sixth annual Schuylkill County Napa Coalcracker 50, earning $2000 for his efforts.

     Elvin Brennan III continued the finest season of his career, after reaching victory lane in the Wooden Keg Roadrunner Coalcracker 25. It was Brennan's fourth overall victory of the year. Meme DeSantis won the 20-lap 358 Modified non-winners race.

     One more day remains during the race weekend. The prestigious Coalcracker 100 for 358 Modifieds is on tap for Sunday September 6th. This year's rendition is the 29th annual presentation of the classic event. Pit gates open at 4:00PM, spectators at 5:00PM, and racing begins at 7:00PM.

     Loney makes the 70 plus mile trip from Taylor PA on a weekly basis, and has quickly become one of the front runners in Sportsman division racing. Taylor was named Rookie of the year in 2008, finishing fourth in points. The 43 year old racer improved to second in the standings this season.

     Loney won his qualifying heat race on Friday, started tenth in the 50-lap A-Main, and eventually asserted himself behind the race-long front running pair of Bob Lineman Jr. and Craig Whitmoyer. Lineman Jr., his father competed at Big Diamond years ago, was only making his second start of the season. Whitmoyer, the track's all-time Sportsman win leader, sat behind the wheel of his #99 car for this event.

     Whitmoyer glanced to the high side of Lineman throughout most of the race's opening half. His second place effort drew to a conclusion due to a distributor cap issue on lap 30, however. Lineman's nightmare occurred just three laps later, when the motor expired in his #USA1 car. Loney became the new race leader and never looked back, becoming the sixth different winner of the famed Sportsman Coalcracker 50.

     Driving the Fitzpatrick Racing T102, Billy Pauch Jr. (Frenchtown NJ) entertained the crowd with his charge into the runner-up spot, worth $1200. The 21 year old racer pitted early, changing a tire, and returned. He throttled through the field via the outside groove working diligently through the front five (fifth on lap 35, fourth on lap 36, third on lap 39, and second on lap 44).

     Jarrad Miller (Barto) drew the outside front row starting spot and remained within the front five during the event's entire distance. Miller made his first starrt since May 15 a remarkable one as he cruised to a final finish of third, earning $1000.

     Clay Butler (Milford NJ) was home from serving our country in Iraq (he is returning there this upcoming Sunday) and made his first BDR start in quite some time aboard the #83K car. Butler, a third generation talent, won a heat race, started fifth, and ended up in fourth by race's end.

     Jared Umbenhauer (Richland), a 17 year old competitor who picked up his first career win this season, qualified via his consi, started 20th, made a pit stop, and mirrored Pauch by racing from the back to finish fifth.

     The event contained a pair of red flag periods. No injuries were received in either incident. The first hard crash took place with 14 laps showing on the scoreboard. Four cars made contact in turn one, and Steve Davis rolled his machine over. On lap 16, Earl Paules went off the backstretch berm and actually ended up rolling over. Paules later returned to the track in rather unsportsmanlike fashion.

     Vermont's John Scarborough made the long haul worthwhile, finishing sixth. Scarborough was actually quickest in the evening's earlier timed dashes. Greg Weiland (Port Carbon) continued his late season show of strength with a seventh place finish while John Stangle (Neshanic Station NJ) made his return to the track, finishing eighth. Chad Barney (Lakewood NJ) attemped a first ever Diamond start, finishing ninth. Former track champion Tom Brennan (Pottsville) rebounded from an earlier spin and rounded out the top ten.

     Kevin Holland led the opening lap of the Roadrunner feature, giving way to Joe Hendricks on the second circuit. Fifth starter Elvin Brennan III advanced into the runner-up spot on lap five and worked past Hendricks via the inside lane of the tenth lap, becoming the new pace setter.

     From this moment on, Brennan kept a hard charging Marc Berzowski in his rear view and held off the well-established racing veteran during countless laps. Brennan of Forestville captured his tenth career win since beginning his BDR career in 2003. Brennan grabbed the $500 first prize plus a $100 bonus courtesy of the Fans of Big Diamond.

     Berzowski (Branchdale) steered his Monte Carlo-66K to a runner-up finish while veteran racer Kirby Sites (Hamburg) returned to the driver's seat of his son's #95K and finished third. Hendricks (Auburn) settled into the fourth position and Tom Hablett (Schuylkill Haven) was the event's hard charger award winner, racing from 12th to fifth.

     Meme DeSantis switched to a different car, and walked away with a convincing win in the Penske Racing Shocks 358 Modified non-winners race. In the 18 car field, DeSantis led the opening lap, gave way to Kevin Albert Jr. for a few minutes, and powered back into the lead on lap six. 

     DeSantis (Temple) has officially become the first car to qualify for Sunday's Coalcraacker 100 by virtue of his win. DeSantis received a guaranteed drawing position for the event. Doug Manmiller (Shoemakersville) moved into second on lap 11. Mike Gular (Green Lane) finished third ahead of John Willman (Birdsboro) and Jordan Umbenhauer (Richland).

Did not qualify: 29-Sammy Piazza, 55B-Bobby Butler, 044-Lew Farina III, 3V-Kevin Vaclavicek, 3-Corey Renninger, 24-Richard Andrews, M7-Shane Moser, 17H-Mike Howardson, 87-Johnny Cornell III, 73-Jason James, 32-Kevin Reese, 35-Ebby Ridge, 520-Gary Rothermel, 98-Tim Apgar, 18-Michael Weinert, 66-David Wolfe, 119-Derek Bender, 31T-Troy Gibson, 76-Jeff Hertzog, 5-Ryan Moyer, 19K-Brett Kressley.

SCHUYLKILL COUNTY NAPA COALCRACKER (50-LAPS): 1) 17D-Mike Loney, 2) T102-Billy Pauch Jr., 3) 917-Jarrad Miller, 4) 83K-Clay Butler, 5) 32s-Jared Umbenhauer, 6) 61s-John Scarborough, 7) 1450-Greg Weiland, 8) 6-John Stangle, 9) 84-Chad Barney, 10) 26-Tom Brennan, 11) 79-Jack Hartnett, 12) 17-Billy Moyer Jr., 13) 15-Mike Lisowski Jr., 14) 42-Jack Swain, 15) 72-Ray Woodall Jr., 16) 3H-Marc Herman. DNF: 17) USA1-Bob Lineman Jr., 18) 99-Craig Whitmoyer, 19) 4-Earl Paules, 20) 13-Steve Davis, 21) 19-Brad Brightbill, 22) 21L-Mike Lyons, 23) 90-DJ Ruppert (Fans of BDR Provisional), 24) x5-Daryl Dissinger (BDR Provisional), 25) JR1-Rocco Infante, 26) 17x-Kevin Beach, 27) 5D-Jordan Dreher, 28) 71-Mike Mammana, 29) 31-Harry Landis, 30) 45x-Andy Fayash Jr. (BDR Provisional). DNS: 7-Kevin Smith.

LAP LEADERS: Bob Lineman Jr. (1-33), M. Loney (34-50). 

SCHUYLKILL COUNTY NAPA COALCRACKER (25-LAPS): 1) 555-Elvin Brennan III, 2) 66K-Marc Berzowski, 3) 95K-Kirby Sites, 4) 11x-Joe Hendricks, 5) 22-Tom Hablett, 6) 101-Kody Sites, 7) 22G-Steve Gromis, 8) 8-Davey Nester, 9) 550-Joe Kavanaugh, 10) 23-Ed Kuperavage, 11) 450-Kevin Olenick, 12) CR7-Butch Lesher. DNF: 13) 8c-Kevin Holland, 14) 97-Jeremy Becker, 15) 18-Ed Bartlett, 16) 6-Dylan Quinn, 17) 32-Phillip May, 18) 00-Glenn Rowan, 19) 454-Mike Radocha, 20) 102-TJ Fitzpatrick, 21) 666-Cory Baver, 22) 909-Neil Bressler, 23) 98-Chip Kennedy, 24) 17-Bud Vidal. DNS: 4-Nate Klinger.

Lap Leaders: K. Holland (1), J. Hendricks (2-9), E. Brennan III (10-25).

Lap Leaders: M. DeSantis (1), K. Albert Jr. (2-5), M. DeSantis (6-20).