ERP treats moms at pre-Mother's-Day races

by Kelly Hart<br>Ephrata Raceway Park
| May 12, 2008 9:00 PM

It was SR Custom Auto Repair and Superior Refrigeration Night at Ephrata Raceway Park on Saturday. The first 50 moms through the gates got free carnations. No moms won any of the races but plenty of racers' moms had many reasons to celebrate as a number of ERP chauffeurs found winners circle.

For the Ephrata Pioneer Muffler II Adult Hornets, Josh Hector started off the evening setting fast time at 17.31 seconds around the quarter-mile asphalt oval. Patrick Lyons and Chris McCart won the trophy dashes. Rod Julian and Terry McGraw were the heat race winners. Three different racers led the Adult Hornet main event - Terry McGraw led laps one through four, McCart looked strong holding the lead at the middle of the race in laps five through 23, then Julian used lapped traffic perfectly to take the lead and hold on for the last two laps for the win.

Kenny Brown had a clean sweep of the Jerry's Auto Supply Hobby Stocks. He set fast time of 16.35, then won the A trophy dash, the A heat race and the main event. Derrick Kapalo won the B dash and B heat race from the pole. Brown got a couple of serious challenges in the main event from Patrick Canady and Jason Ray, but was able to keep the lead for 20 of the 25 laps in the main.

In the Ephrata Raceway Park 360 Sprint division, Bob Witte looked like the man to beat after winning the trophy dash and heat race. He led the first 16 laps of the main event before Donnie Kudrna swept underneath down the back stretch when a slower car posed Witte with the challenge of blocking or holding his line. Kudrna squeezed low, somehow got the old No. 6 car to make the third turn and pulled away for the win. Kudrna set fast time of 13.44. Good showings for Tom Beierman third and Kevin Witte in fourth. Rod Stump overcame engine woes to finish fifth.

The last main event of the night was the Pepsi Cola Street Stock Main Event. All night long, Street Stock defending champion Bart Hector looked like he was the man to beat, and right up until lap 25 he was looking good for a win. Hector and Mitch Kleyn had been going nose to tail since both passed Brad Morrison on lap 12. Kleyn was a half groove lower than Hector for many of those laps but couldn't edge past or get Hector covered enough to take over the spot.

The two played bumper tag for a few laps, with each of the long-time competitors giving as well as they took. Finally Kleyn made the pass on lap 26 and held on for the 35-lap main event win. It was great Street Stock action with two great professionals going at it toe-to-toe in a heavyweight fight to the finish.

Hector set fast time at 15.50 with a win in the A heat to his credit. Charles Miner II won the B dash and Brad Morrison won the A dash. Nic Sieg captured the B heat race.

For more information about rules, race dates and other great facts about the track, go online at www.ephrataracewaypark.com, where full results from Saturday can be found. The next race is Three Dog Night at Ephrata Raceway Park on Saturday, including three hot dogs for a dollar, hot dog eating contests and racing action featuring the Kim Janke State Farm Agent Youth Hornets, Mini Stocks, Jerry's Auto Supply Hobby Stocks and the debut of the Big Cars on the slate.