Hammett, PA
May 11, 2014

By Jay Pees

One of the most pleasant opening nights in memory greeted fans as they arrived at Eriez Speedway after an exceptionally brutal winter. 2013 Jay’s Auto Wrecking Super Late Models champion Rob Blair took the lead with three laps remaining when race-long leader Mike Knight, himself a former champion, spun out of the lead. Blair had started the event from the eighth position on the grid. Max Blair, Rob’s son, who had started to the inside of his father, came to second at the finish. The younger Blair also won the Bonnell Collision Center FASTRAK Late Models feature, leading every lap after starting from the pole position.

Former champions Max Blair and Chad Wright led the fifteen Bonnell Collision Center FASTRAK Late Models to Spanky Hall’s green flag with Blair leading the way over Wright, Mike Knight, Dennis Lunger, and Darrell Bossard. Blair caught the back markers one lap before halfway, then weaving his way through the field up to the tenth running car by the time the checkers flew in the all-green event. Wright finished second with Knight third, Lunger fourth, and Kyle Zimmerman fifth.

The Jay’s Auto Wrecking Super Late Models started sixteen cars for their feature with Scott Gurdak and former champion Mike Knight on the front row. Knight and Gurdak ran side by side through lap one with caution flying at the end of the lap for Bob Dorman, against the wall in turn three.

After green was again shown, Knight took off with the lead with 2014 champion Rob Blair coming to second at the end of five laps from his eighth spot of the starting grid. At halfway Knight still had a comfortable lead over Blair with Chris Hackett third, Gurdak fourth, and Boom Briggs fifth. With ten to go Blair appeared to be closing the gap, but not by much.

At lap eighteen Max Blair was challenging Briggs for fifth getting by a lap later then going to work on Gurdak for fourth, claiming that spot at the end of nineteen. Darrell Bossard got by Briggs at lap twenty-two. Just as Knight was coming out of turn four to complete lap twenty three, he spun, bringing caution over the field with only three laps to go.

The final dash to the green had Rob Blair leading with Hackett second, Max Blair third, Bossard fourth, and Briggs fifth. During the yellow period Scott Gurdak took his smoking mount to the pit as did Knight. On the final dash for the glory it was Max Blair getting by Hackett with two to go then making it a Father-Son finish. Darrell Bossard got by Hackett for third on the final lap with Briggs winding up fifth.

Jay’s Auto Wrecking Super Late Models:
Heat 1: Boom Briggs, Mike Knight, Dave Hess Jr, Max Blair, Rich Gardner, Greg Oakes, Ryan Scott, Michael Oakes
Heat 2: Chris Hackett, Scott Gurdak, Doug Eck, Rob Blair, Bob Dorman, Darrell Bossard, Steve Kania, Andy Boozel
Feature: Rob. Blair, Max Blair, Darrell Bossard, Chris Hackett, Boom Briggs, Dave Hess Jr, Greg Oakes, Doug Eck, Ryan Scott, Rich Gardner, Steve Kania, Mike Knight, Scott Gurdak, Bob Dorman, Michael Oakes, Andy Boozel

Bonnell Collision Center FASTRAK Late Models:
Heat 1: Chad Wright, Mike Knight, Dennis Lunger, Darrell Bossard, Kyle Zimmerman, Khole Wanzer, Wyatt Scott, Michael Mitchell
Heat 2: Max Blair, Bobby Rohrer, Wendell Pinckney, Matt Latta, Mark Tatalovic, Bruce Hordusky, Mike Lozowski, Chad Schauers
Feature: Max Blair, Chad Wright, Mike Knight, Dennis Lunger, Kyle Zimmerman, Darrell Bossard, Bruce Hordusky, Bobby Rohrer, Matt Latta, Khole Wanzer, Mark Tatalovic, Wendell Pinckney, Wyatt Scott, Mike Lozowski, Chad Schauers, Michael Mitchell