SJDR - 600cc Modifieds

600cc Modified
Race Results & News

06/25/07

Hoosier Tres 600 Modifieds: Halabura and Keppler score double features at Big Diamond

June 23, 2007 - Minersville, PA. The Hoosier Tires 600 Modified Series had a busy night on tap at Big Diamond Raceway on Friday night. First on the card was the June 1st rained out make up feature. Matt Groover led the 27 car field to the green. Being the first feature on the track, the surface was heavy. The 600 Modifieds were locked down as Groover led from green to checker. Travis Halabura, Kyle Gardner, Chris Stocham and Mike Pychinka were all locked in a tight battle. Halabura secured the second spot late in the event which ended up being the money pass. At the scales, Groover was light which handed the win to Halabura for his triumph on the year. Halabura continued his good fortune by annexing the first qualifying event. Kyle Garder scored the second heat race win. Scott Washburn led the field at the start of the race. Mike Keppler tracked down Washburn and passed him for the top spot on lap five. Chris Stockham advanced three positions to third as Eric Witbe was hard charging into the top ten from his 19th place start. At the checkers, Keppler scored an impressive win, with Washburn, Stockham, Halabura and Joe Fanelli rounding out the top five. This time the scales bit another two cars as Washburn and Fanelli both came up light shuffling the finishing order and handing Witbe a top five finish.

Make-up (06-01-07) Feature: 1. Travis Halabura, 2. Kyle Gardner, 3. Chris Stockham, 4. Mike Pychinka, 5. Mike Keppler, 6. Curt Amey, 7. Dave Baldwin, Jr., 8. Brian Mady, 9. Ryan Higgs, 10. George Loux, 11. Scott Washburn, 12. Kevin Gruber, 13. Chuck Miller, 14. Eric Witbe, 15. JJ Newman, 16. Bucky Buczafusca, 17. Rick McGeady, 18. Dave Baldwin, 19. Tim Mineri, 20. Joe Fanelli, 21. John Landis, 22. Keith Jesburger, 23. Jonathan Kumernitsky, 24. Matt Green, 25. Nathan Dibble, 26. Nick Mady, 27. Matt Groover-DQ.

Heat 1: 1. Travis Halabura, 2. Scott Washburn, 3. Mike Keppler, 4. Chris Stockham, 5. Rick McGeady
Heat 2: 1. Kyle Gardner, 2. Brian Mady, 3. Joe Fanelli, 4. Chuck Miller, 5. Curt Amey

Feature: 1. Mike Keppler, 2. Chris Stockham, 3. Travis Halabura, 4. Rich McGeady, 5. Eric Witbe, 6. Curt Amey, 7. JJ Newman, 8. John Landis, 9. Dave Baldwin, 10. Dave Baldwin, Jr., 11. Brian Mady, 12. George Loux, 13. Keith Jesburger, 14. Nathan Dibble, 15. Tim Mineri, 16. Matt Green, 17. KJ Gardner, 18. Chuck Miller, 19. Ryan Higgs, 20. Kevin Gruber, 21. Nick Mady, 22. Jonathan Kumernitsky, 23. Mike Pychinka, 24. Bucky Buczafusca, 25. Scott Washburn-DQ, 26. Joe Fanelli-DQ, 27. Matt Groover-DNS

Hoosier Tires 600 Modified Series: Pychinka wins first ever at Kutztown

June 13, 2007 - Kutztown, PA. Mike Pychinka is no stranger to the bull rings. He used that experience Wednesday night to score his first win in a 600 Modified at the tight but racy Kutztown Fairgrounds. Twenty-three 600 Modifieds braved the threatening weather to race at the smallest race track on their schedule. Pychinka and Rick McGeady reeled off the first and second heat race wins respectively which placed them on the pole for the feature. At the drop of the green Pychinka out dragged McGeady to the first turn. Mike had to endure several cautions and as the drivers adapted to 23 cars bouncing off each other in very tight quarters. Even some of the veterans had trouble adapting to the tight 1/8th mile fairgrounds. Once the 600 Mod pilots settled down, the fans were treated to 2 and 3 wide racing. Brian Mady got by McGeady to put pressure on Pychinka once showing a nose. Pychinka got his #55 lower as Mady tried to adjust eventually spinning . McGeady and Chris Stockham were waging a torrid battle as McGeady assumed command of the runner-up spot and then tried his best to get by Pychinka. Meanwhile micro-sprint standout and ARDC rookie, Brett Arndt was wheeling the Xcel Chassis Rental Car from his 23rd starting spot up into the top ten. Kevin Gruber used patience from his 17th place start to crack the top ten by lap thirteen. With 3 laps to go, Pychnika started to tighten up. As he ran the car harder and harder each lap, his 600 Modified started get better side-bite and began to pull away from McGeady. Arndt had worked his way to fourth when contact with Grandview Speedway 358 Modified regular Kevin Hirthler sent him spinning into the infield on the white flag lap. Pychinka soared to his first win, with McGeady crossing the stripe second, followed by Stockham, Hirthler, and Gruber. A jubilated Pychinka was amazed, "the harder I ran the car the better it felt, it was on rails once I did that."

Heat 1: 1. Mike Pychinka, 2. Chris Stockham, 3. Kevin Hirthler, 4. Andrew Ressler, 5. Mike Keppler
Heat 2: 1. Rick McGeady, 2. Brian Mady, 3. JJ Newman, 4. Kyle Gardner, 5. George Loux

Feature: 1. Mike Pychinka, 2. Rick McGeady, 3. Chris Stockham, 4. Kevin Hirthler, 5. Kevin Gruber, 6. George Loux, 7. Curt Amey, 8. Jonathan Kumernitsky, 9. Matt Groover, 10. John Landis, 11. Chuck Miller, 12. Brett Arndt, 13. Matt Greene, 14. Eric Whitby, 15. Kyle Gardner, 16. Andrew Ressler, 17. Mike Keppler, 18. Nick Mady, 19. Ryan Higgs, 20. Brian Mady, 21. Keith Jesberger, 22. Tim Manieri, 23. J.J. Newman

Notes: Former 600 Modified winner McGeady had his best finish of the year with a solid second. Chris Stockham is putting together an impressive season with his first top five of the year. 358 Modified pilot, Kevin Hirthler will be running rookie Nathan Dibble's ride at Kutztown Fairgounds events along with the Grandview shows for the rest of the 2007 season.

Hoosier Tires 600 Modified Series: Witbe basks in history at Thunder Mountain Speedway on Ted Musgrave Night

June 2, 2007: Center Lisle, NY. Eric Witbe hasn't had the season he dreamed of... until now. Before the Hoosier Tires 600 Modified Series visited Thunder Mountain Speedway Saturday night, Witbe has had mechanical woes, been knocked out of races and has usually had to start deep in the pack. This night would be different. Tonight Witbe parked his own car to drive the Richie Evert entry. Evert is no stranger to victory lane as over the years drivers such as Frank Cozze, Buzzie Reutimann, Frankie Snyder and Rags Carter have all found first place glory in the legendary owner's mounts. Dave Lewis, driving in the Kindberg racing stable scored his first heat race victory in heat number 1. He had to hold off Mike Keppler to do it. Dave Balwin, Sr. also become a new heat race winner by convincingly beating Nick Mady and the rest of the heat race competition in the second qualifying race. Lewis flipped the coin which resulted in an inversion of the top ten qualifiers. This placed Witbe on the pole. At the drop of the green Witbe outdragged former Thunder Mountain feature winner Bruce Kindberg into turn one. Kindberg wasn't going to let Witbe have an easy time as he put his nose under Witbe several times over the next four laps. Witbe didn't rattle and eventually began putting some distance as his car began to work better. Kindberg had to change his focus to Kyle Gardner who was now dogging Bruce for second. Gardner was persistent as it took until the eighteenth circuit to get by Kindberg. While this heated battle raged, Mike Keppler was storming up through the ranks. The racing action was so tight that you could put a blanket over second through eighth for much of the race. Despite a heavy and very rough track, the 600 Modifieds ran caution free until Dave Lewis brought his mount to a stop on the speedway on lap 19. This set up a green-white-checkered finish. Witbe was starting hear all kinds of noises and feel vibrations he didn't notice before. Putting that aside, he punched the gas and roared to his first victory. Gardner crossed the stripe second with Keppler edging Kindberg for third by six inches at the flag. Ryan Higgs put another impressive run together to finish fifth. After the main event, Ted Musgrave climbed into the Rental Car while Thunder Mountain Speedway owner/promoter Dick Stark put on a match race. Stark was no match for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck star as Musgrave smoked Stark to the thrill of the crowd. Afterwards, Musgrave was tickled with the 600 Modifieds as they were "the coolest things I ever saw."

Heat 1: 1. Dave Lewis, 2. Mike Keppler, 3. Travis Hallabura, 4. Kyle Gardner, 5. Eric Witbe
Heat 2: 1. Dave Baldwin, Sr., 2. Nick Mady, 3. Chris Stockholm, 4. Dave Baldwin, Jr., 5. Bruce Kindberg

Feature: 1. Eric Witbe, 2. KJ Gardner, 3. Mike Keppler, 4. Bruce Kindberg, 5. Ryan Higgs, 6. Chris Stockholm, 7. Dave Baldwin, Jr., 8. JJ Newman, 9. Brian Mady, 10. Chuck Miller, 11. Dave Baldwin, 12. Rich McGeady, 13. Joe Fanelli, 14. Nathan Dibble, 15. Junior, 16. George Loux, 17. Travis Halabura, 18. Bucky Buczafusca, 19. Dave Lewis, 20. Bob Skoniecki, 21. Taylor Bartik, 22. Nick Mady

Hoosier Tires 600 Modified Series: Rain headlines Big Diamond Raceway

June 1, 2007: Kunkleton, PA. Mother Nature teased the race teams and fans Friday night at Big Diamond Speedway. Thirty 600 Modified race teams were optimistic that the night's events would get in. All qualifying events were completed before the rains came. Big Diamond's track crew had the racing surface prepared beautifully, with a smooth and grippy surface that allowed the 600 Modifieds to go 3 and sometimes 4 wide entering the turns in the warm ups and heat races. Mike Pychinka worked on Nick Mady to wrestle the lead away in the first heat race. Keppler followed suit and passed Mady and pressured Pychincka for the final 4 laps of the heat. Mady withstood heavy pressure from Kyle Gardner as Tim Mineri drove the Xcel Chassis Rental Car up from his fifteenth place start to fifth. Ryan Higgs continued his strong run by winning the second heat race. George Loux finally got his gremlins worked out and ran a strong heat race coming in second followed by Curt Amey, Chris Stockholm, and Matt Groover. Groover secured the final point getting position in his heat by holding off repeated attempts by Brian Mady. Then the rains came. The make-up feature has not be rescheduled as of this date.

Hoosier Tires 600 Modified Series: Keppler scores again at Thunder Mountain Speedway

May 26, 2007 – Center Lisle, NY. The Hoosier Tires 600 Modifieds returned to Thunder Mountain Speedway saturday night. Dodging rain drops, twenty-eight 600 Modifieds signed into the pits. This year, Mike Keppler is the heat race king. He won his fourth heat race of the year by patiently passing Shawn Mills with three to go. Mills is a former Thunder Mountain Sportsman Modified Champion who was subbing in the Richie Evans 4jr. Nick Mady is also no stranger to running up front in heat races and annexed the win over Kyle Gardner. Keppler drew a straight up pill putting himself and Nick Mady, 1-2 on the grid. At the green flag Keppler led the 28 car field into turn 2 and maintained a stranglehold on the top position. Cautions began to mount, but on each restart Keppler kept the edge. As the laps began to unwind, Brian Mady navigated his way from his sixth place start. Last week's winner Bruce Kindberg, relegated to start tenth, was charging to the front. By lap six, Keppler led over Kindberg and Mady. Kindberg wasn't going to make it easy for Keppler as he continually put pressure while running the low line. While the top three battled, Dave Baldwin, Jr., Ryan Higgs, Doug Hendricks and Kevin Gruber were embroiled in a classic struggle for fourth. A late race caution bunched a field for the final time. Keppler was not be denied as he crossed the stripe first followed by Kindberg, and Brian Mady. Higgs passed Baldwin for fourth, with Gruber, Hendricks, Rich McGeady, Chris Stockholm, and Bucky Buczafusca rounding out the top ten. Kindberg and Stockholm were the hard chargers of the evening, each advancing eight positions from tenth and seventeenth respectively.

Heat 1: 1. Mike Keppler, 2. Shawn Mills, 3. Dave Baldwin, Jr., 4. Andy Ressler, 5. Kevin Gruber
Heat 2: 1. Nick Mady, 2. Kyle Gardner, 3. Bruce Kindberg, 4. Brian Mady, 5. Ryan Higgs

Feature: 1. Mike Keppler, 2. Bruce Kindberg, 3. Brian Mady, 4. Ryan Higgs, 5. Dave Baldwin, Jr., 6. Kevin Gruber, 7. Doug Hendricks, 8. Rich McGeady, 9. Chris Stockholm, 10. Bucky Buczafusca, 11. Curt Amey, 12. Andy Ressler, 13. Joe Fanelli, 14. Travis Halabura, 15. Mike Pychinka, 16. Dave Baldwin, 17. JJ Newman, 18. John Smith, 19. Bob Skoniecki, 20. Shawn Mills, 21. Chuck Miller, 22. Junior, 23. KJ Gardner, 24. Nick Mady, 25. Eric Witbe, 26. George Loux, 27. Steve Comers, 28. Matt Groover

Notes: Chris Stockholm scored his third consecutive top ten finish having to come from deep in the pack to do it. Ryan Higgs has been the most consistent rookie to date scoring a strong fourth. Doug Hendricks pilots a 358 Modified at Big Diamond Raceway out of the Pioneer Pole Buildings stable and operated the 600 Modified this evening. Matt Green will continue to drive the 600 Modified at Big Diamond Raceway, while Doug will operate the car at the other Series events for the remainder of the 2007 season. Doug compared the 600 Modifieds to his big car. "This class is a great feeder division for the big cars. They drive just like my Modified and with the short wheelbase you need to be smoother. If you can conquer a 600 Modified you are well on your way to running good in a Sportsman or 358 Modified." 4 drivers tested Raceceiver units. Mike Keppler, Brian Mady, Rich McGeady and Curt Amey all ran the one-way radio receivers with great success. Shawn Mills, last year's Thunder Mountain Sportsman Modified Champion was sidelined this year from financial difficulties dusted off his helmet. Mills scored an impressive second in his heat race and in the feature, ran in the top ten until contact sent him spinning. Mills tailed the end of the field and worked back up to twentieth.

Hoosier Tires 600 Modified Series: Keppler wins heated battle at Big Diamond Raceway

May 12, 2007 – Minersville, PA. The Hoosier Tires 600 Modified Series visited Big Diamond Raceway for the second time this year and brought their biggest car count to-date. Thirty 600 Modifieds took the green flag for the feature event. Mike Keppler continued his strong run and annexed a second consecutive victory of the season. It wasn't a walk in the park, as he had to march from his 10th place start. At the drop of the green flag, Mike Pychinka led them to the flagstand, but third place starter Scott Washburn made an inside move into turn one and grabbed the lead and led the opening circuit. Pychinka would not go away as he battled Washburn as they swapped positions with Washburn regaining the lead. Meanwhile Keppler was on the move as he was in fifth by lap three. Gary Suchy was also making headway as he was up from his fourteenth spot to sixth by lap four. On a lap four restart, Washburn spun in turn three handing the lead to Pychinka. On the restart, Nick Mady was up to second and Keppler in third both worked over Pychinka. A tremendous three way battle for the lead ensued. By lap five Keppler made an outside move and was in the lead over Mady and Pychinka. Heated battles were happening all over the track as Dave Baldwin, Travis Halabura and Suchy were all battling for fourth. Kevin Gruber took his time and was patiently working his way up from his thirteenth position start. A lap ten miscue by Keppler exiting turn four allowed Mady and Pychinka to roar by on the frontstretch. Pychinka didn't let Mady rest as he dogged him and vaulted into the top spot on lap fourteen. Keppler then swapped positions with Mady as the three navigated lapped traffic. On lap sixteen, Baldwin, Halabura, Suchy and Gruber were all bunched up fighting for fourth when contact sent Suchy careening into the frontstretch barrier. The caution bunched the field for one last time. Past the restart cone, Pychinka ran the high groove into turn one when Keppler gave his 600 Modified a mighty toss down low and made the pass stick. Keppler never looked back and maintained a three car length lead the rest of the way. Pychinka scored a solid second as Nick Mady crossed the stripe third for his best finish of the year. Travis 'The Farmer' Halabura ran a clean race and finished fourth. Kevin Gruber, despite going over the backstretch in the closing laps, rounded out the top five. The 600 Modified Series returns to Thunder Mountain Speedway this Saturday, May 19th.

Feature: 1. Mike Keppler, 2. Mike Pychinka, 3. Nick Mady, 4. Travis Halabura, 5. Kevin Gruber, 6. Dave Baldwin Jr., 7. Chris Stockholm, 8. Bryan Mady, 9. Curt Amey, 10. Kyle Gardner. 11. Ryan Higgs, 12. Rich McGeady, 1 3. Chuck Miller, 14.Joe Fanelli, 15. Todd Hanlin, 16. Pioneer Pole Building, 17. Andy Resler , 18. Bucky Buczafusca, 19. Keith Jesburger, 20. Bob Skoniecki, 21. Gary Suchy, Jr.. 22. Scott Washburn , 23. Eric Witbe, 24. Dave Baldwin, 25. Matt Green, 26. George Loux, 27. John Landis, 28. Nathan Dibble, 29. JJ Newman, 30. Matt Groover.

Hoosier Tires 600 Modified Series: Keppler wins at lightning fast Thunder Mountain

May 5, 2007: Lisle, NY - Mike Keppler staved off repeated attempts from Mike Pychinka and Brian Mady to score his first victory of the year at Thunder Mountain Speedway Saturday night. The Hoosier Tires 600 Modified Series teams were treated to a lighting fast and super tacky track all night. Kyle Gardner and Dave Baldwin, Jr. started off the night's action by each scoring heat race victories. Pychincha led the field to the green flag and bolted to the lead for the first circuit. Meanwhile, Keppler dogged Pychinka and made the pass to gain control of the top spot on lap 2. This didn't phase Pychinka as the two waged a torrid battle for the lead over the next ten laps. Keppler stuck to the middle and top grooves as Pychinka continually showed a nose on the bottom groove. The swapped the lead on several occasions until lap eleven when Pychinka lost power and stopped on the track. While Keppler and Pychinka were going at it, 'Mr. Thunder Mountain', Brian Mady had succesfully disposed of Dave Baldwin, Sr., his brother Nick Mady, Rich McGeady, and Kyle Gardner for the third spot. All five drivers were dicing it up for position. Mady then assumed second on the restart and immediately went to work on Keppler. Towards the closing stages of the race, Mady's handling started to go away forcing him to pinch the car more and more. Keppler maintained a smooth line in the middle and sailed to his first victory of the year. Hard charger Dave Baldwin, Jr. had climbed from his tenth starting position to challenge Mady for second but couldn't complete the pass. At the checkers, Keppler, Brian Mady, Baldwin, Nick Mady, and McGeady completed the top five.

Heat Race 1 (top five): 1. Kyle Gardner, 2. Rich McGeady, 3. Travis 'the Farmer' Halabura, 4. Rich Engert, 5. Mike Keppler
Heat Race 2 (top five): 1. Dave Balwin, Jr., 2. Brian Mady, 3. Kevin Gruber, 4. Dave Baldwin, Sr., 5. Mike Pychinka

Feature Result: 1. Mike Keppler, 2. Brian Mady, 3. Dave Balwin, Jr., 4. Nick Mady, 5. Rich McGeady, 6. Travis Halabura, 7. Andy Rissler, 8. Curt Amey, 9. Bucky Buczafusca 10. Rich Engert, 11. Chris Stockholm, 12. Chuck Miller, 13. Nathan Dibble, 14. John Landis, 15. Bob Skoniecki, 16. Keith Jesburger, 17. Dave Baldwin, Sr., 18. Eric Witbe, 19. Kyle Gardner, 20. Mike Pychinka, 21. Scott Washburn, 22. JJ Newman, 23. Kevin Gruber, 24. George Loux.

Hoosier Tires 600 Modified Series: Thunder Mountain Reschedules for May 5th

April 23, 2007 - Kunkletown, PA. 18" inches of snow pack from the
April 15th Noreaster storm has forced Thunder Mountain Speedway to
cancel their racing activities for Saturday's racing activities.
Despite temps in the mid 70's this weekend, too much snow remained to
prepare the racing surface in time. The Hoosier Tires 600 Modified
Series was scheduled on the racing card is rescheduled for Saturday,
May 5th.

Hoosier Tires 600 Modifieds: Getz gets first at season opener thriller

April 14, 2007: Minersville, PA - Butch Getz is no stranger to victory lane. The experienced modified shoe piloted a 600 modified for the first time and quickly adapted to the car. Twenty-five 600 Mods braved bitter cold winds and signed in for the Series season opener at Big Diamond Raceway. They were treated to a perfect racing surface all night. The evening festivities started with smooth operating Kyle Gardner winning the first heat race while Getz annexed the second event from an eighth place start. Through the inversion, Rich McGeady paced the field for the start. At the drop of the green flag, the 600 Mods blasted into turn one and Brian Mady used the outside line to grab the lead. Gary Suchy was close in pursuit and settled into second place. Mady and Suchy waged a close battle as the laps clicked off. Mike Keppler and Butch Getz, starting eight and twelfth respectively, slowly made their way through the field. By lap twelve, Mady approached lapped traffic and Suchy tried a turn four pass low between a lapped car. Mady ran the high side and maintained the lead at the stripe. The caution flag flew on lap fourteen for Curt Amey who was collected by George Loux after he made contact with the turn three barrier and bounced into the racing groove. This bunched up the field and gave fourth place runner Getz a chance at the race. Mady got a great restart and stretched his lead. Getz wasted no time and made a quick move in turn one and snagged second from Suchy. One lap later the caution flag flew again for Andy Ressler who spun in turn one. With the field bunched again, Mady led them to the cone. In turn one Getz made the outside stick and vaulted into the lead. Keppler did the same and moved into third. By lap seventeen, Keppler displaced Mady for second and set his sights on Getz who had built a ten car length advantage. Kevin Gruber made a three way battle for third as he used the high line to his advantage. Lapped traffic was again coming into play. Getz, getting looser each lap was backing up to Keppler. A lapped car slowed Getz and Keppler closed within his bumper at the checkers. Gruber's late surge netted him third with Mady and Suchy close behind. Gruber was disqualified when he failed to report to the tech area. This placed Ryan Higgs in ninth as the highest placing rookie. Mike Pychincka was the hard charger of the night. Despite sustaining significant damage in a heat race accident, he started in twenty-fourth and patiently worked up to tenth. The Hoosier Tires 600 Modified Series heads to Thunder Mountain Speedway on Saturday, April 21st.

1. Butch Getz 2. Mike Keppler, 3. Brian Mady, 4. Gary Suchy, Jr., 5. Nick Mady, 6. Scott Washburn, 7. Rich McGeady, 8. Dave Baldwin, Jr., 9. Ryan Higgs, 10. Mike Pychincka, 11. Eric Witbe, 12. Joe Fanelli, 13., J.J. Newman, 14. Curt Amey, 15. John Landis, 16. George Loux, 17. Bucky Buczafusca, 18. Nathan Dibble, 19. Kevin Gruber, 20. Andy Ressler, 21. Travis Halabura, 22. Dave Baldwin, 23. Kyle Garnder, 24. Chuck Miller, 25. Matt Green.

Hoosier Tires 600 Modified Series: Season Opener

April 9, 2007 - Kunkletown, PA. With the cooperation of mother nature, the Hoosier Tires 600 Modified Series is only a few days away from the start of the 2007 campaign. Big Diamond Raceway will host the season opener as they too look to put race#1 in the record books. Over 40 drivers are slotted to see green flag action this year. For the 2007 season, Xcel Chassis is debuting it's Xmen Top Ten. Ten drivers, the highest point getters returning from the 2006 season, will battle for the driver's championship. They include: Brian 'Rocket' Mady, Kevin Gruber, Mike Keppler, KJ Gardner, Rich 'RC' McGeady, Nick 'Wild Child' Mady, Travis 'Farmer' Halabura, Bucky Buczafusca, Curt Amey, and Dave 'The Fossil' Baldwin. This won't stop other drivers contending for the title, as Bruce Kindberg, Dave Lewis, Scott Washburn, Mike Pychinka, Dave Baldwin, Jr., Matt Groover, Steve Comers, and Joe Auriemma will put heavy pressure on the Xmen Top Ten. The Series has also attracted new faces with previous racing experience. Both Gary Suchy, Sr. and Jr., will be sharing piloting duties this year. Joe Fanelli, Jeff Doeboel, Rich Everitt, Bill Moffett, Bennie Bish , and John Kumanonski all bring a myriad of different racing backgrounds to the mix. In an unprecedented growth, twelve (12) drivers are eligible for the Rookie-of-the-Year honors. Nathan Dibble, John Landis, George Loux, Keith Jesburger, Chuck Miller, Bob Skonicki, Eric Witbe, Matt Green, JJ Newman, Andy Resler, Ryan Higgs, and Erick Rejencrantz. Doug Borger, Series President, offered, "This is an amazing crop of rookies this year. A few of these drivers will crack the top ten in points throughout the year." Back for more, Butch Getz, Tim Mineri, Chris Stockholm and Jeff Hazard have extended stints in the Xcel Chassis Rental Car. Look for them to play spoiler.

On the eve of the Series biggest season ever, Borger extended a big thanks to the teams that have been there since the beginning as well as the tracks. "When we started this endeavor, we brought a handful of teams to tracks in the tri-state area. Each year it has seen triple-digit growth and the tracks stuck with us. A big thank you goes out to the returning teams and the track ownerships of Big Diamond Raceway, Grandview Speedway, plus Thunder-On-The-Hill, Thunder Mountain Speedway, Black Rock Speedway, Clinton County Speedway and Kutztown Fairgrounds. Without their trust in our deal, we would be bench racing in our garages." The 2007 season will see a huge increase in purse payout as the Series will be participating in three (3), $1,000 to win shows throughout the season. Make sure you support your local tracks and witness some great side by side racing action.

Hoosier Tires 600 Modified Series: Grandview Practice gets large turnout

April 2, 2007 – Kunkletown, PA. The Hoosier Tires 600 Modified Series season can not come quick enough. Grandview Speedway hosted their annual practice day on Saturday, March 31 st before kicking off their 2007 season opener. Like the previous two years, the 600 Modifieds were invited to practice. Twenty-three 600 Modifieds attended, all eager to get laps, knock the rust off the elbows, and tweak on setups. Mother nature did her part by providing a beautiful day in the Bechtelsville hills. The track surface underwent a broad range of conditions as it started off wet and tacky, grew some ruts, dusted off and eventually turned 'rubber down' with a nice cushion by the end of the day. The top 600 Mods turned laps consistently in the low 16 second bracket. Doug Borger put the Xcel Chassis Rental car through its paces and clocked a 16.05 lap in the first session. He then turned the reins over to several drivers interested in finding out what piloting a 600 Modified is all about. Local hotshoe, Mike Keppler was on top of the leader board with a 16.32 lap. Brian and Nick Mady, Kyle Gardner and Dave Baldwin weren't far behind Keppler's time. First timer Chuck Miller took some time to get used to his machine, but by the end of the day, he was blasting the cushion like a pro. Borger was ecstatic with the turnout. "This really shows that our Series is committed to going racing and bringing good car counts all year. You can see how important running at Grandview is to them, not to mention the lure of a $1,000 paycheck in June." Doug continued, "I can't thank the teams enough for their enthusiasm and support." The 600 Modifieds start their 2007 season on April 13th at Big Diamond Speedway. Come out and see the excitement.

Hoosier Tires 600 Modified Series: announces three $1,000 to win shows with more on the way!
March 19, 2007

Kunkletown, PA - The financial outlook just keeps getting better for the owners and drivers of the Hoosier Tires 600 Modified Series. Doug Borger, Series President confirmed that the teams will be competing for $1,000 to win on three (3) occasions this year. The first increased payout will occur at Grandview Speedway on Saturday, June 23rd. Gary O Mangold Excavating, located in Kutztown, PA, will be the event sponsor for the evening. The next scheduled $1,000 to win race will take place at Big Diamond raceway on Friday, July 13th. Pioneer Pole Buildings who is already is a staunch supporter of racing activities at Big D will be the sponsor for that night's events. Pioneer is owned and operated by Bob and Diane Green who will field a 600 Modified for son and rookie Matt Green. The Greens' currently sponsor the Doug Hendrick wheeled 358 Modified and Sportsman Modified piloted by Rob Gibson which both complete weekly at Big Diamond. The third big money show will take place at Thunder Mountain Speedway on Saturday, September 22nd during the 600 Modified Series Nationals. The winning driver must complete a grueling 75 lap event to pocket the lion's share of the purse: $1,000. Xcel Chassis, manufacturer and supplier to the 600 Modified Series is sponsoring the Nationals extravaganza. "We're really trying hard to find ways to give more dollars back to the teams. The Series puts on an entertaining show and I think the racing community is starting to take notice." Borger continued, "This offseason we focused again on finding ways to keep the cost of racing down and these big money shows will help put some money back into the owners hands. For a small car traveling division, this is the best deal going." Additional big payout events are expected to be finalized in the coming weeks. Look for more announcements soon for more $1,000 to win shows!

Hoosier Tires 600 Modified Series: Seminar a Success
March 9, 2007

Kunkletown, PA - Xcel Chassis held a seminar on March 3rd and March 4th at its Kunkletown, PA shop for 600 Modified Series members and the general racing public. Eighteen participants attended Saturday's session, while sixteen were present on Sunday. Both sessions were identical in content and focused on explaining the basics of race car suspension, engine maintenance, gearing, set-ups specific to the 600 Modifieds and the specific tracks they visit, benefits of scaling, and how to approach different track conditions throughout the night. The 600 Modifieds were used as a reference point but concepts such as how a shock works, how shocks are numbered, how spring rates work as applied to the racing environment were all addressed. "I wanted to make sure there was a reference point before we started talking about specific setups and the how and why to adjust them throughout the night." Doug Borger, presenter continued, "a race car is a race car, they operate under the same laws of physics." There's a large crop of rookie teams and drivers that comprise the 2007 roster in the Hoosier Tires 600 Modified Series. Many found the introduction very useful. Chuck Miller offered, " As a rookie coming into this class the advice he gave us was excellent." Even 600 modified hotshoe Mike Keppler attended the seminar. "Listening to Doug help confirm which direction is was going in on setups. Plus, t he more everyone knows and better everyone is prepared, the better racing we will have." 600 Modifed Champion contender, Kevin Gruber conceded, "I thought I knew everything there is to know about these race cars, boy was I wrong." Keep a lookout for next year's classes. Racers of all levels could benefit from the 600 Modified Series seminars. The 600 Modified Series hits the starter button at Big Diamond Speedway on April 13th for the season opener.

The Hoosier Tires 600 Modified Series continues to spread its reach into the PA racing circuit
Kutztown adds 2 dates
February 26, 2007

Kunkletown, PA - The Hoosier Tires 600 Modified Series continues to spread its reach into the PA racing circuit. Kutztown Speedway located at the Kutztown Fairgrounds have agreed to host the Series on two separate dates in 2007. Danny Sammons (Kutztown's Promoter) contacted Doug Borger and secured Wednesday, June 13th and Thursday, August 16th. The August date is held during Kutztown's Fair week and the 600 Modifieds will be joined by the Slingshots and Legends to make it an all fender night of racing.

The 600 Modifieds have now completed the 2007 schedule totaling 31 dates traveling to six (6) different tracks across both PA and NY. The Sereis will visit Pennsylvania tracks a total of 17 times, including Big Diamond Raceway in Minersville, PA seven (7) times, Grandview Speedway in Bechtelsville five (5) times, Clinton County Speedway in Mackeyville three (3) times and Kutztown Speedway at the Kutztown Fairgrounds twice. The New York state swing will include fourteen (14) races with thirteen (13) of them occurring at Thunder Mountain Speedway in Centre Isle and one (1) event at Black Rock Speedway. The Series will be attending some very high profile events. These include Grandview Speedway's Thunder On The Hill, Thunder Mountain Speedway's Short Track Supernationals II, Fair Week at Kutztown Speedway, and Big Diamond Speedway's Sunday afternoon event in September. The 600 Modifieds will also be racing for their highest purse ever when the winner will be handed a $1,000 check at Grandview Speedway on Saturday June 23rd. The complete schedule is below:

April
4/13 Friday Big Diamond Raceway, Minersville, PA
4/21 Saturday Thunder Mountain Speedway, Center Lisle, NY

May
5/11 Friday Big Diamond Raceway , Minersville, PA
5/12 Saturday Clinton County Speedway , Mackeyville, PA
5/19 Saturday Thunder Mountain Speedway , Center Lisle, NY
5/26 Saturday Thunder Mountain Speedway, Center Lisle, NY

June
6/1 Friday Big Diamond Raceway, Minersville, PA
6/2 Saturday Thunder Mountain Speedway, Center Lisle, NY
6/9 Saturday Clinton County Speedway , Mackeyville, PA
6/13 Wednesday Kutztown Speedway, Kutztown, PA
6/16 Saturday Thunder Mountain Speedway , Center Lisle, NY
6/22 Friday Big Diamond Raceway , Minersville, PA
6/23 Saturday Grandview Speedway [$1,000 to WIN] , Bechtelsville, PA
6/30 Saturday Thunder Mountain Speedway , Center Lisle, NY

July
7/7 Saturday Thunder Mountain Speedway , Center Lisle, NY
7/13 Friday Big Diamond Raceway , Minersville, PA
7/14 Saturday Clinton County Speedway, Mackeyville, PA
7/21 Saturday Thunder Mountain Speedway , Center Lisle, NY
7/28 Saturday Grandview Speedway , Bechtelsville, PA

August
8/4 Saturday Thunder Mountain Speedway , Center Lisle, NY
8/11 Saturday Black Rock Speedway , Dundee, NY
8/16 Thursday Kutztown Speedway, Kutztown, PA
8/18 Saturday Grandview Speedway , Bechtelsville, PA
8/21 Tuesday Grandview Speedway [THUNDER ON THE HILL] , Bechtelsville, PA
8/24 Friday Big Diamond Raceway , Minersville, PA

September
9/1 Saturday Thunder Mountain Speedway , Center Lisle, NY
9/8 Saturday Thunder Mountain Speedway , Center Lisle, NY
9/16 Sunday Big Diamond Raceway , Minersville, PA
9/22 Saturday Thunder Mountain Speedway, Center Lisle, NY

October
10/5 Friday Thunder Mountain Speedway [SHORT TRACK SUPERNATIONALS] , Center Lisle, NY
10/20 Saturday Grandview Speedway [THUNDER ON THE HILL] , Bechtelsville, PA

Big Diamond headlines new dates to the 2007 600 Modified Series schedule
January 8, 2007: Hoosier Tires 600 Modified

A balanced schedule is important for a touring series to get more widespread interest and to pull teams from a larger area into the series itself. Keeping this in mind, the 600 Modified Series has been hard at work to optimize the 2007 racing schedule. Big Diamond Raceway recently inked six (6) shows with the Series with the commitment to book more shows in the near future for this calendar year. The 600 Modifieds will be invading the mountains of Minersville, PA to put on an action packed show. The opening event begins Sunday April 15th as the 600 Modified Series returns May 4th, May 25th, June 15th, July 13th, and August 24th.

The 600 Modified Series will also be racing at Clinton County Speedway's 1/3rd mile high banked dirt oval a total of three times in 2007. This will be the first time the mighty 600 Modifieds will visit the speedway. Dates are set for May 12th, June 9th and July 14th. These dates are all Saturdays.

The driver/owner roster continues to swell as new teams are signing up. Look for a driver/owner roster to be released in the near future. For additional information, visit www.xcelchassis.com.

Hoosier Tires 600 Modified Series: 2006 Banquet
December 10, 2006.

Hoosier Tires 600 Modified Series closed out the 2006 racing season
with a bang Saturday night. Hosted by the Polk Township Fire House in
Beltzville, PA the 600 Modified Series drew it largest crowd to-date,
over 100 Series supporters attending the bash. Pete Knappenberger
MC'd the night's festivities including a raffle of over 50 items
supplied by the Series contingency sponsors. Wayne Kuehn,
championship owner of the number 2 piloted by Bryan Mady, took home
the lion's share of the of the awards by earning $1,000 for the
owner's title and a Hoosier Tires Championship jacket. The top ten
owners also received a cash payout, and contingency awards from the
Series sponsors. Each owner received a beautiful wall clock that
mimics a tire complete with a Hoosier Tire decal. A 1/48th scale
model of their car was mounted below the clock. For the third
straight year, Tommy Martocci scored the Driver's Point Title. This
time by his narrowest margin of three points over runner-up Bryan
Mady. Martocci was dwarfed next to the 6 1/2 foot trophy which will
be another excellent addition to his previous two trophies. He also
received a new UltraShield driver uniform and a Hoosier Tires
Championship jacket. Bryan Mady received a beautiful 6 foot trophy
for his runnerup finish in the points and Kevin Gruber scored a 5 1/2
foot trophy for his third place finish in the driver points standings.
All of the top ten in driver points each received a trophy. Dylan
Cisney had an impressive year with one win scored at Five Mile Point
Speedway to earn the 2006 Rookie of The Year honors. Bucky
Buczufuska, or simply "Bucky" as he's affectionately known earned the
Best Appearing Car Award. The 2007 season Driver title will be up for
grabs as Tommy Martocci will not defend his title. He announced at
the banquet his intentions on running 358 sprint cars at Selingsgrove.
That leaves the door wide open for 2006 contenders, Bryan Mady, Mike
Keppler, Kevin Gruber, Kyle Gardner, Nick Mady, and Rick McGeady to
name a few. Kyle Gardner displayed his new mount for 2007 at the
banquet. Stay tuned for more Series information throughout the off
season.