SJDR - Tobias Slingshot News and Race Results

Tobias Slingshot
News & Race Results

09/18/06

Shannon Gets Sassy at Selinsgrove

With showers and threatening skies the whole evening the Selinsgrove Raceway Park staff must be commended for getting the Slingshot by Tobias Southern Tour Event in with a very raceable track for the 25 lap main.Scott Elmes by virtue of a dominant heat win and the luck of the draw pulled the pole pill and was in charge of bringing the field down to the green."The Traveler" Steve Hicks wasted no time in showing who the fastest Slingshot was as he stayed to the high side heading into turn 1 and was clearly in command coming out of turn 2 in the Cenco USA-1.Matt Ritter who started third bobbled in turn 4 and lost 11 spots but kept moving to keep the green out.The yellow was displayed on lap 6 for "Nitro" Nick Pecko who got a slight tap to get him out of shape in turn 3.Hicks now had some serious competition from Shannon Smith and Steven Intravaia. Kyle Rohner 1R,Kyle Ebersole and Nate Christman in the Christman Meats 37 were swapping 5th,6th and 7th for 8 straight laps.No single file racing on this surface tonight as the whole field was separated by only 4 seconds at the 15 lap mark.On the 18th lap the Hicks' USA-1 started to studder and on lap 19 he pulled to the outside of turn 2 for the last yellow of the event and gave the top spot to Shannon in her S&S # 23.The 20 lap green gave Intravaia a shot at Shannon heading into turn 1 but she wasn't going to be denied her second tour win of 2006.The last 4 laps found some middle spots changed as the Ebersole Excavating 5E took the low side of turn 2 to sneak past "The Bushkill Bullet" Kyle Rohner and take the checkered in 3rd.Rohner hung on for 4th with Nate Christman getting 5th.Marc "The Iceman" Daniels was his usual steady self and brought the MD 357 home 6th followed by the S&S Speedways 551 of Ryan Smith."Broadway"Bill VanInwegen maintained his 9th place Southern Tour spot with a fine 8th place in the 04.Rounding out the top 10 were the NAPA team cars of Nick Pecko who rebounded from an early spin and "Rapid"Richard Curtis in the # 40.For those of you that decided to stay home you missed a great racing surface and an even better racing event.

Summary Finish:
1. Shannon Smith # 23 2. Steven Intravaia # 73 3. Kyle Ebersole # 5E 4. Kyle Rohner # 1R 5. Nate Christman # 37 6. Marc Daniels # 357 7. Ryan Smith # 551 8. Bill VanInwegen,Sr. # 04 9. Nick Pecko # 42 10. Richard Curtis # 40 11. Matt Ritter # 02 12.Ben Whitaker # 13X 13. Billy VanInwegen,Jr. # 23B 14. Paul Lotier,Jr. # 64X 15. Steve Hicks # USA-1 16. Scott Elmes # 18

Hamlin Secures a 2006 National Event

Hamlin Speedway has been given the nod to hold a Slingshot by Tobias National at the 1/5th mile clay oval on September 9th.Final approval from Hamlin promoter Randy Smith has been given and things are shaping up for that date.The race will attract the "Best of the Best" in the 2006 Slingshot Touring Series.The "Back to School Bash" will count toward the National as well as the Southern Tour points and as of the Wyalusing Valley Southern Tour stop,points have really tightened up from positions 1 through 20.Kyle"The Kwik One" Ebersole has taken on all challengers in the Bob Ebersole 5E,while "Message Board" Marc Daniels still basking in the glory of his Nostalgia Nationals win is starting to put some pressure on Kyle.Never being counted out of any tour races run this year is the Cenco USA1 of Steve "The Traveler" Hicks who had a GVAT top 10 finish taken away by a rule infraction just 4 laps from the finish,but still sits solidly in 3rd in Southern Region points.The black 13X of Ben "Flipper" Whitaker is making a statement late in season with 2 straight wins and becoming a force with his newly purchased S&S engine as he is only 172 points out the top spot."The Blast" Billy VanInwegen rounds out the top 5 in the Len & Jo's Racing # 23B and with end of the season point races on the horizon ,Billy still is not yet left out of the Champion Showdown.Hoping to gain some points and some added purse dollars are Nate Christman,Shannon & Ryan Smith,Kyle Rohner,2005 National Champion Steve Intravaia,"Nitro" Nick Pecko,"Rapid" or is that "Richocet" Richard Curtis,newcomer Rich Howard,Jr in the green and white 117,Bill VanInwegen,Bill Weaver,Tom Kohler,"Leadfoot Luke Schostkewitz and up and comer T.J Mayberry in the immaculate 27R.Possibly making a statement to the tour regulars will be Matt Carman in the Lentini # 2 and Kevin Albert in the Taxi-yellow # 333.Ouside chance the leading feature winner for 2006,Mike "The Magician" Mahaney will make the tow from King Ferry,New York to make the field.

Christman Conquers Selinsgrove

The infield at Selinsgrove is known as Raceway Park and there was plenty of racing Friday night as the Slingshot by Tobias Southern Tour parked 16 racers into the pit area.Linda's Speedway in Jonestown gave the regular point contenders a night off to chase the tour points.With the dual heat format setting up a possible feature lineup inversion,Billy VanInwegen,Jr. picked the # 3 pill and that put Nate Christman and the Christman Meats # 37 on the pole for the 25 lap "Raceway Run at Selinsgrove".Nate wasted no time showing his dominance at the drop of the green had him a 1/2 straightaway lead by the end of lap 1.Behind Nate it was a Slingshot free-for-all as Steve Hicks in the Cenco USA1,the Ebersole Excavating 5E of Kyle Ebersole and Billy"The Blast" VanInwegen in the Len & Jo's 23B each traded paint staying in the top 4.8th starting Kyle Rohner made a competitive entrance into the top 5 but that was as far as he could move up since the other 4 were now checked out and it took a surge of power for Kyle to maintain that position.'Rapid" Ryan Smith took the high side to pass Rich Curtis and Bill VanInwegen,Sr for 6th at the checkers.The # 40 of Rich Curtis finished 7th with Matt Ritter just nipping Bill VanInwegen for 8th at the finish line.Having a solid run was Scott Elmes in the Jaflo # 18 for a top 10 payoff envelope.
Summary Results:
1.Nate Christman # 37 2.Steve Hicks #USA1 3.Kyle Ebersole #5E 4.Billy VanInwegen,Jr. #23B
5.Kyle Rohner #1R 6.Ryan Smith #551 7.Rich Curtis #40 8.Matt Ritter # 02 9.Bill VanInwegen # 04 10.Scott Elmes #18 11.Shannon Smith #23 12.Marc Daniels #357 13.Ben Whitaker #555 14.Nick Pecko #42 15.Steve Intravaia #73 16.Randy Smith #13X

Smith at Greenwood Valley.....Shannon That Is

The Action Track at Greenwood Valley hosted 18 of the best Slingshot by Tobias Southern Tour racers and it sure showed on the speedway.With special thanks to Hamlin Speedway shutting down their evening's festivities many of the Hamlin regulars including 5 of the Junior Division racers headed to Orangeville for a night of competition.The 18 tour teams fought hard for the top qualifying spots with Jeff Cosgrove,"Nitro"Nick Pecko,Bill VanInwegen,Sr. and Billy VanInwegen,Jr. getting the 10 lap qualifiers."Rapid" Ryan Smith by virtue of his 2 second place finishes was the low point getter and was in charge of selecting the feature lineup.Setting the pace for the "Rally in the Valley 25" was the S&S Speedways # 23 of Shannon Smith.Shannon took the green and was immediately challenged on the high side of turns 1and 2 by the Len & Jo Racing # 04 of "Broadway"Bill VanInwegen and by her brother Ryan.Once Shannon got to the 5th lap she had built up a 10 car length lead and was hoping for no cautions to be waved.Lap traffic posed no threat to Shannon and all drivers heeded the move-over flag and Shannon was on a mission for the Southern Tour win.Kyle Rohner,Steve Hicks,Billy VanInwegen,Nick Pecko,Nate Christman and Steve Intravaia getting a ride in the S&S Speedways # 555 after his 73 broke in the second qualifier were all swapping positions 5 through 10.The Action Track provided a multi-grooved racing surface and this delighted the many fans who had their own favorites in the field.After 25 quickly scored laps Shannon had the female fans give her a standing ovation as she took the checkered flag around the speedway in her cooldown lap.Ryan Smith used a lapped car to his advantage to pass Bill VanInwegen for 2nd coming to the finish line.Southern Tour point leader Kyle Ebersole put the red Ebersole Excavating 5E home for 4th.Receiving the 5th place purse was the Not Just Kuts 1R of Kyle Rohner.Billy VanInwegen,Jr.nipped Nick Pecko in the NAPA # 42 for 6th.Selinsgrove winner Nate Christman was a top 10 finisher at 8th.Hopping in to a strange car for the main was Steve Intravaia and he looked at home settling in at 9th.The Nostalgia Nationals winner Marc Daniels had the MD Home Improvement # 357 10th at the finish.Steve Hicks was a surefire top 10 finisher but a loose exhaust part relegated the USA1 to an 18th place finish due to the Slingshot tour rules stating all exhaust parts must be in proper working order at all times.
The Junior Slingshots proved that driving talent doesn't start in your teens as the 55R of Ryan Wood added to his 2006 season totals with a win over the likes of Junior racers,Emily VanInwegen,Mack Brink,Adam Brown and Derrick Burd.
This week the Slingshot Tour heads to Accord on Friday with Saturday and Sunday stops at Oswego and Wyalusing Valley Motorsports Park.
For Slingshot and tour info call 717-866-7450 or email us at speede61@aol.com.

"The Iceman" Freezes Reading Field

Marc "The Iceman" Daniels took the early lead from his pole position but had to reclaim it 6 laps later as "Rapid" Richard Curtis made a bold outside in move to pass Marc on lap 3.Curtis held the lead for 3 laps and on a lap 7 restart Daniels did a little bump and run off of turn 2 to retake the lead which he would never relinquish.While these 2 were having a private battle in the early going Bill Weaver was patiently watching what was happening in front of him and when Curtis tried to get his 40 back into the lead he bobbled coming off of turn 4 and Weaver became the new challenger.The Weaver # 7 could not make up any ground on Daniels but was not written off as the runner-up either.With 4 cautions needed in 5 laps things were getting intense for the 5th through 10th spot.Michael Glass,Ryan Smith,"Leadfoot" Luke Schostkewitz,Jake Smith,Kyle Ebersole and Steve Hicks in the Cenco #USA1 were swapping positions with every passing lap.2005 National Champion Steven Intravaia brought out the caution after making contact with the outside marker tire in turn 3.With 10 to go outside pole starter Billy VanInwegen got back into the hunt in his red 23B.The making of a blanket finish was drawing near as a caution on lap 35 bunched up the field for one more chance."Message Board" Marc took command on the restart and was waiting for the checkered to be waving.There was one problem,a restart on lap 38 made the green,white,checker a finish that had the Reading faithful on their feet.Ryan Smith in the S&S Speedway 551 passed Bill Weaver in turn 1 when Bill had to back off to avoid taking the Daniels 357 around and tracked down Marc with the white flag waving.Smith got to within 2 car lengths heading into turn 3 but had nothing left for Marc at the finish line.Bill Weaver held steady for 3rd with early leader Rich Curtis staying in the top 5 with a 4th place tally.Getting the 5th place purse in addition to his $150.00 Cash Dash victory was Michael Glass in the 27J.6th through 10th was dominated by the Under 20 Club with Southern Region point leader Kyle Ebersole finishing 6th in the Ebersole Excavating 5E,nabbing 7th was Billy"The Blast" VanInwegen in the family owned 23B.The 18a of Jake Smith stayed in the top 10 the whole night finishing 8th."Leadfoot" Luke Schostkewitz earned a 9th in addition to his $50.00 second place Cash Dash finish.Rounding out the top 10 was the black # 37 Christman Meats Special with Nate Christman at the helm.The $1,000 first place prize and over $4,000 purse was presented by the Reading Fairgrounds Racing Historical Society in conjunction with J&J Demos and Speedway Entertainment.An estimated crowd of over 1,800 witnessed some very close,intense racing by the Slingshot by Tobias Touring Racers.
The "B" Main was won by Bill VanInwegen in the 04.
Summary Finish:
1.Marc Daniels #357 2.Ryan Smith #551 3.Bill Weaver # 7 4.Rich Curtis #40 5.Michael Glass # 27J 6.Kyle Ebersole #5E 7.Billy VanInwegen #23B 8.Jake Smith #18A 9.Luke Schostkewitz #57 10.Nate Christman #37 11.Steve Hicks #USA1 12.Shannon Smith #23 13.Andrew Damiani #77 14.Ben Whitaker #13X 15.Nick Pecko #42 16.Rich Brown #46 17.Jordan Henn #77H 18.Bobby Butler #5X 19.Tim Carter #1 20.Dale Kober #555 21.Kyle Rohner #1R 22.Bill VanInwegen #04 23.Steven Intravaia #73 24.Steve Whary #4W 25.Tom Kohler #5 26.Mike Butler #4

Smith Aces Accord as Hicks Masters Mahoning

The weekend was a dual tour stop for the Slingshot by Tobias racers as Friday evening's stop was a Northeastern Tour Series event at Gary Palmer's 1/4 mile Accord Speedway.The wide 1/4 mile was no problem for the race teams as the qualifying and 15 lap main went of without a hitch.Ben Whitaker in the black 13X was the driver responsible for the feature lineup and he picked # 3 which inverted the top 3 and it put the Cenco # USA1 of Steve Hicks on the pole position.At the drop of the green Steve took charge and had 5 Slingshots under a blanket behind him.Chad King in the # 24 made 2 challenges for the lead in the first 4 laps but was overtaken by Steve Intravaia in the Frank's Pizza # 73 as he faltered in turn 2 and drifted high allowing Steve a run at Hicks.Intravaia found some traction in the middle of the speedway and tracked down the USA1 on lap 6 and was sailing to a win when with 2 laps to go Ryan Smith in the S&S Speedways # 55 passed King and made up 15 car lengths in a lap and a half.Heading into turn 3 and charging to the checker Intravaia got crossed up with a lapped car and had to really back down with Ryan passing him on the lowside of the speedway.By the time they got to the checkers,Chad passed Intravaia for 2nd by the scantest of margins.A last corner tangle found 'Flipper Whitaker and early leader Steve Hicks out of shape and bouncing off the inside retainer just a few yards from top 5 finishes.The top 5 earned their finishes with Ryan Smith increasing his all time Slingshot feature winner total 1st,Chad King in the Cliff Wright white # 24 second,Steve Intravaia hanging on for 3rd in the Frank's Pizza # 73.A finish line photo was needed for 4th as Kyle Rohner just bested Shannon Smith in the S&S # 23.Billy VanInwegen,Jr. took the post in the beautifully painted # 29 of Ron Smykla and settled for 6th after the 15 laps were run.
Doug and Gena Hoffman added the "Lehighton Asphalt 15" to it's August 5th schedule and the show went off without a hitch.Coming off a win at Oswego's 3/8th asphalt track gave Steve Hicks and the USA1 all the momentum he needed for a successful night.The 1/4 mile circle in Lehighton drew some rave reviews by the fans in the stands for the close,competitive racing the Slingshot by Tobias teams gave them for their money's worth.Steve Hicks picked no inversion so he was in charge of leading the field to the green.Hicks wasted no time setting the pace and had second starting Kyle Ebersole tapping his rear bumper.By the 1/2 way point 5th through 8th was swapping spots every lap.Matt Dealaman,Marc Daniels and Tiffany Wambold each owned those 3 positions at one point during the race.Hicks had the Cenco USA1 honking on his way to the Southern Tour win.Kyle Ebersole had the fastest lap of the evening on his way to the runner-up spot.His one lap time of 11.815 wasn't enough to get past Hicks.Finishing 3rd and getting the Game Breakers Sportscards $100.00 Top 3 Back to Back bonus was Steve Intravaia in the family owned # 73.Ben "Flipper Whitaker came back from a disasterous night at Accord to finish 4th.Matt Dealaman in the navy # 07,Marc" The Iceman" Daniels in his # 357 and Tiffany Wambold in the # 81 bested invader Jim Pollard,who made the 4 hour tow to have some "Saturday Night Fun"in his maroon # 99J.
The Slingshot Tour continues August 7 / 8th with the Nostalgia Nationals" at the Reading Fairgrounds,a regular event at Kutztown on the 9th.Thursday is head to the garage time for Selinsgrove Speedway Park on August 11th and a Saturday night at the "Action Track" Greenwood Valley.The whole Slingshot organization would like to thank Linda's and Hamlin for closing down a week to make this Week of Speed a possibility for many of their regular teams.

Outten GM to Sponsor Linda's Nationals

Outten GM located in Hamburg, PA has signed on to become the title sponsor for the Outten GM Slingshot by Tobias Nationals at Linda's Speedway on Sept. 29 & 30. Outten Service Manager and rookie Slingshot driver Joe Stoudt has worked endlessly to present a lucrative package that would be lucrative to all teams involved. Outten will provide a Pace Car for the event as well as having the Outten GM name on the Slingshot # 17 owned by Blake Tobias and driven by Joe.
Stoudt feels the affordability and the true sensation of racing in the Slingshot division is what racing should be all about. Everyone that races that night realizes that all cars are the same. It takes driver ability and a set-up that gets you to the front. Age is no restriction either as the Slingshots have drivers as young as 6 and as old as 80.
Outten GM is located on Rt 61 in Hamburg, just off of Rt.78, 2 miles south of Cabela's. Their new and used auto inventory is steadily growing and the service department headed by Stoudt is quickly becoming # 1 in the Northeast Region.
Linda's Speedway, who schedules the Slingshots as a regular weekly division will now see an even bigger influx of teams as they host the Outten GM National event. Linda's is located off of Rtes. 78 and 72 in Jonestown and the 1/4 mile clay oval will get plenty of use in these 2 Sept. evenings of speed.
Anyone in need of a new or used vehicle can check out the vast inventory at www.outtencars.com.
Linda's Speedway track info is on the web at www.lindasspeedway.com.
www.slingshotbytobias.com will give as much info and up to date news for anyone wanting to possibly give this form of racing a try or want to catch other tour events.
Rich Tobias,Jr. and the Linda's Speedway management want to thank Outten GM and Joe Stoudt for their dedication and devotion to auto racing at Linda's Speedway.

Dogdays of Summer Greet Slingshot Teams

The HHH weather that has been prevalant in the northeast is nothing compared to the early August schedule for the Briggs & Stratton Slingshot by Tobias Touring Series.Accord Speedway starts the action off with a rain makeup from May.It will be a Northeast Region point show and will also serve as the Matthew R. Lentz Memorial Race.Currently the Northeast Point Showdown is a tight one with Mike Mahaney and Steve Hicks tied for the point lead.Some competition should come from Rick LaMont,Jim Pollard,Ron Smykla and the rest of the Accord regulars.After the checkers are thrown for this it's off to Doug Hoffman's Mahoning Valley Speedway in Lehighton for a Southern Tour Stop.The Southern Tour currently has 73 drivers earning points and the tightness of this race should draw the best the Southern Division has to offer.Current point leader Kyle "The Kwik One " Ebersole,Marc 'The Ice Man Daniels",Steve "The Traveller"Hicks,"Nitro"Nick Pecko and Ben"Flipper" Whitaker are all within a top 5 finish of each other.The Lehighton asphalt bullring will be a tough nut to crack for the strictly dirt drivers in the series.
Sunday August 6th provides a break for the weekend and it also gives the out of state teams travel time for the second annual"Summer Nostalgia Nationals" being held at the newly redesigned Reading Fairgrounds 1/5th mile oval.There are currently 37 pre-paid entries with stars and cars from NY,NJ,PA and possibly AL heading to Reading.Since it is the first National in the tri-state area the $1,000 top prize will be up for grabs.Last years winner Ryan Smith in the S&S Speedways house car is looking to repeat.Michael Glass,Rob Light,Nate Christman and a few of the former Reading drivers are looking for rides as well.Qualifying is Monday the 7th with the "B" Main and the 40 lap Nostalgia Nationals on tap for Tues.
Kutztown Fairgrounds has a non-tour race on Weds the 9th and another day off for the Slingshots on the 10th.The 10th will be used at the raindate for the Reading Fairgrounds events.
Selinsgrove Raceway Park gets the nod for a Southern Region race on August 11th.A great car count and close racing gave the fans something to cheer about when the evening was over.2005 National Champion Steven Intravaia worked his way to the front and notched his first and only tour win to date for 2006.You can expect the best of the best in Slingshot racing heading to the 1/5 mile speedplant.
Rounding out the 10 days on the road will be Greenwood Valley on August 12th.Looking to repeat his earlier perforance will be the 357 of Marc"The IceMan" Daniels from Bethlehem.Point positions will be changing.The first local National will be run and the Northeast teams find some track time all in this short amount of time.
Not to be left out is the West Coast region having a 25 lap main at Petaluma Speedway where T.J.Etchison has been unbeatable.Fred Baker,Hawk Valentine,Roger Miller,Jeff Kindt and Tim Etchison all have other ideas about the finish of this race.
Visit a track near you or call Speedway Entertainment at 717-866-7450 for more info.

Marlin Drag Races To Joltin' Jersey 20 Win

Bridgeport Speedway hosted the Briggs & Stratton Slingshot by Tobias Southern Tour on Friday night and it was a last lap that many race fans dream about seeing. Kyle Rohner in the Not Just Kuts # 1R was off and running from his pole position spot with numerous challenges coming from Marc Daniels and Kyle Ebersole. Getting a good view of the action in front of him was steady running Harry Marlin in the Infante Sod # 14 who was satisfied keeping pace in third spot. Front end failure found Daniels spinning in turn 2 and having to head pitward for repairs. When racing resumed Rohner maintained a slight advantage but it was Marlin's turn to take charge. With 5 laps remaining Rohner's 6 car length lead looked safe and secure but on lap 19 a slight bobble in turn 2 had Rohner back off just a little to correct and opened the low side up for Marlin. Harry and Kyle drag raced in to turn 3 and were still side by side heading down to the checker. At first scoring check the win was given to Rohner but upon a review of the track photographers start-finish line photo Marlin won by about 9 inches. The fans went wild and it was one of the closest finishes in Slingshot history. Following Marlin and Rohner to the waving checkered flag were Kyle Ebersole in the Ebersole Excavating 5E,Gary Berkenstock giving the Billy VanInwegen, Jr 23B a great run for 4th(Billy was underage for New Jersey racing requirements). Rounding out the top 5 was Bill VanInwegen, Sr. in the Markle's Store 04."Nitro" Nick Pecko, Steve Hicks, Steven Intravaia, Rich Curtis and Dave McCullough were 6th through 10th.

Jim Housworth Dandy at Borger's

The Briggs & Stratton Slingshot by Tobias had a back to back Southern Tour weekend with the tour challengers heading up Rt. 33 Saturday evening to Saylorsburg, Pa. Borger's Speedway, home to regular weekly Slingshot racing. Tour regulars invaded the pit area for a chance to notch the "Blast at Borger's 25".The dual heat format found Steven Intravaia picking the straight up inversion and was in charge of leading the 22 car field to the green. Intravaia in the taxi yellow 73 was withstanding constant advances by Jim Housworth, Matt Carman and Charlie Bodine as a blanket would have covered the top 6 throughout the first 15 laps. Taking the green on a 16th lap restart Steven was still in command but heading into turn 2 on the 19th lap Intravaia slowed and came to a stop against the wall. Jim "Dandy" Housworth was now in command in the McNichol Lawn # 72 and had to keep back every challenge dished out by the Lentini # 2 of Matt Carman. Matt tried the bump and run between turns 3 & 4 on the last lap but Housworth was not to be denied his second tour win of 2006.Still running under a blanket for the rest of the top 5 were Charlie Bodine taking advantage of the 785 pound tire rule for a solid 3rd,Tyler Potts in the patriotic # 3 was 4th and Howie Bedell rounded out the top 5 in the Acu-Data 395. Kyle Ebersole was a competitive 6th in the Ebersole Excavating 5E, taking the old style Slingshot body home for 7th was Bobby Butler, Marc "The Ice Man" Daniels was 8th in his self-sponsored 357 with the red 18A of Jake Smith and Steve "The Traveler" Hicks in the Cenco USA-1 rounding out the top 10.
The Briggs & Stratton Slingshot by Tobias Tour heads to Trumansburg, NY's Starlite Speedway for a Northwestern Tour date on July 21st.

Mahaney Doubles,Tobias Invades

The Briggs & Stratton Slingshot by Tobias racers had tour races from coast to coast this weekend with the Northwestern Region visiting Dean Hoag's outstanding Black Rock Speedway in Dundee,New York.The "D" shaped 1/8th mile black clay raceway was a tricky but racy surface to figure out.At the drop of the green "Gentleman" Jim Mahaney had clear sailing into turn 1 with Bob Finley and Mike"The Magician"Mahaney having a spirited battle of their own giving Jim a sizeable lead.At the halfway point ,Mike made an outside in move on Finley and set his sights on his father.The gap narrowed until with 1 to go,Mike put the left front where no had tried during the race,the Slingshot held and he passed Jim off of turn 2 and won by a narrow margin when the checker was waving.Finley held on for a hard earned 3rd spot.
The Geneva,NY speedplant known as Paradise Speedway found a regrouping of the Slingshots for the back-end of the weekend doubleheader.Action was fast and furious on the wide open 1/4 mile.Hot laps proved costly to Josh Flach as he had problems which resulted him being loaded for the evening.The dual heat format was won by Bob Finley in the Pilot Air Freight 21 and Mike Mahaney took the second end of qualifying.High point qualifier Mike Tasillo drew a number 3 inversion putting Finley on the pole for the Paradise Pride 20 lap main.Finley elected to start in the rear after a quick repair to his 21 was not up to his competitive standards.At the drop of the green,Mike Mahaney and Mike Tasillo in the Tasillo Racing/No Fear 76 were side by side heading into turn 1.Mahaney stayed on the throttle a little longer in his JBL Management Associates # 33 and took the lead out of turn 2.The top 3 went unchallenged but Devon Parmenter,Dylan Parmenter,Justin Garcia and Melissa Garno were covered by a blanket for 8 laps as Garcia stayed low and pulled away in the late stages for 4th.The red # 33 gave Mike"The Magician" a sweep of the tour weekend.Tasillo was the runnerup with Jim Mahaney third,Garcia in the Dunkin' Donuts # 71 4th.Dylan Parmenter outlasted his brother Devon for 5th with Melissa Garno getting the 6th spot.Robbie Schimschack III was an early force to be reckoned with but a heat tangle with Bob Finley ended his chances for a podium finish.
Rich Tobias,Jr. went to Cora Speedway in sunny California to help his West Coast Slingshot salesman Fred Baker of BRC Race Cars answer any questions from the race teams and some new found Slingshot fans that are encouraged and excited about the racing that has made it's way to Delta,Petaluma and Cora Speedway."When a ride opened up ,Rich made the most of his chance and took the 25 lap "Left Coast 25 National Event.All of the West Coast challengers were there along with point leader T.J.Etchison,Fred Baker,Hawk Valentine,Roger Miller and new sensation Jeff Kindt.At some point during the event each one had a shot at keeping Tobias behind them ,but the high-flying Lebanon,Pa leadfoot had other intentions.

Mahaney, Hicks Dominate Oswego

The Briggs & Stratton Slingshot by Tobias dual regional tour settled in at The New Oswego Dirt Track Friday for a spirited 20 lap main event.Polesitter Rich LaMont kept the USA1 of Steve Hicks from getting to the first turn first and led laps 1 and 2 of the 20 lap main.Third starting Mike Mahaney got a lucky break as Hicks drifited high in turn 3 allowing the Mahaney Team car # 33 to quickly overtake Hicks and set his sights on leader LaMont.The 12K of LaMont was strong but a slight bobble coming off of turn 2 of this newly built 1/9th mile dirt oval gave Mahaney all the room he needed to take the lead and ride it out for the win.A top 3 spot fell by the wayside for LaMont as his right rear shock collar broke and he was sent pitward with 1 lap remaining..With the checker waving it was Mike Mahaney taking the Northeastern/Northwestern Dual Tour win.Mahaney has won 3 in a row in the NY Slingshot by Tobias tour.Hicks came back strong in the last 5 laps and was working on becoming a feature win contender but the race went non-stop and the laps ran out for Steve.Running a steady bottom groove was the open roofed 99J of Jim Pollard with LaMont still finishing fourth and Jim Mahaney garnering 5th after oil pressure problems sidelined the # 30 Slingshot.Track conditions for an opening night were extremely radical.The hot lap session gave the speedway a raceable surface,but pre-feature watering gave the teams some early lap problems.Once the 1/2 sign was displayed the surface came to the racers and it was a multi-grooved speedway at the checkered.

On Saturday it was the Briggs & Stratton Slingshot by Tobias Dual Tour Flyin' 15 at Oswego with the 40 HP racers going all out on the abbreviated asphalt 3/8th mile track.Due to the many divisions of racing and the quality of the program Steve Gioia wanted to give his fans, the Slingshots ran 1- 8 lap qualifier with Doylestown,PA's Steve Hicks setting some blistering lap times in the Hicks' USA1 racer.The Oswego faithfuls were really seeing some great driving and passing with Hicks winning the heat coming from 4th.Mike Mahaney and Jim Mahaney finished 2nd and 3rd after starting 5th and sixth.All eyes were now on the #301 Mahaney owned Slingshot with Ford Focus winner Ryan Smith finishing 4th and looking to move up some spots come feature time.Hicks pulled the #1 pill so there was no inversion and Hicks started from the pole for the Flyin' 15.At the drop of the green flag the USA1 was off and running with Mike Mahaney,Jim Mahaney and Melissa Garno in her Tony Stewart look-alike 20K working the field quite admirably.Garno passed the Mahaney's in turn 2 and rocketed to second with her sights set on Hicks.While these 3 were having their own private battle,Mike Tasillo in the family owned 76,Rich LaMont hopping into the 301 after Ryan Smith had Ford Focus Midget problems and had to stay focused for that feature so he turned the ride over to LaMont and Jim Pollard were trying to move into the top 5.Nicole Mosley who never saw a track this size was doing her best to stay within reach of the front 7 had to head pitward after fuel pressure problems beset the colorful 8N.With the crossed flags out,Hicks had a whole straightaway lead and Mike Mahaney found the handle on the tricky turn 3 entry.He never lifted and shot around Garno to recapture second but was watching Hicks pull even farther away as this was happening.At the 5 to go sign Jim Pollard passed Mike Tasillo midway down the backstretch and the finishing spots were set for the run to the checker.Steve Hicks and the Cenco USA1 gets the winners accolades with Mike Mahaney grabbing second.Melissa Garno drove the race of her life to see the checker in third spot.Trying to make the best of a rough weekend Jim Mahaney notched fourth with the maroon 99J of Jim Pollard rounding out the top 5.Tasillo,LaMont and Mosely will also garner some Slingshot by Tobias Tour Points.
The Briggs & Stratton Slingshot by Tobias Tour head to Wilson's Motorsports Track for a National Points event on the 24th and to the fine New York facility run by Gary Palmer,Accord Speedway for a makeup event that will pay double the purse on Friday June,23rd.
Tour Results:
The New Oswego Dirt Track Oswego Speedway 3/8th mile
1.Mike Mahaney # 33 1.Steve Hicks/ Cenco # USA1
2.Steve Hicks # USA1 2.Mike Mahaney /JBL Management # 33
3.Jim Pollard #99J 3.Melissa Garno /Family 20K
4.Rich LaMont # 12K 4.Jim Mahaney /Croft's # 30
5.Jim Mahaney # 30 5.Jim Pollard /ThermoPride # 99J

Smith, Mahaney Join Forces for Oswego

The winningest driver in Slingshot history, Ryan Smith teams up with noted New York driver /owner Jim Mahaney to tackle the Briggs & Stratton Slingshot by Tobias Northwestern/Northeastern Dual Tour weekend at Oswego on June 16 & 17th. Ryan will be attempting to qualify the King Ferry, New York based Mahaney owned Slingshot as well as the Ford Focus Midget housed at Stroudsburg's S & S Speedways owned by Ryan's father, former modified driver Randy Smith. The weekend starts Friday June 16th at the newly built 1/6th mile dirt oval which Ryan is hoping to get to, schedule permitting. His main objective with the Mahaney team is to make a solid showing at the Oswego Speedway abbreviated asphalt layout on June 18th. Mahaney Motorsports is coming off a solid campaign with Mike Mahaney taking the #33 team car to a sweep of Briggs & Stratton Slingshot by Tobias Northwestern Tour wins at Starlite and Paradise in May with Jim notching a third and a seventh in the same events with his familiar # 30. Hoping to put a damper on the Mahaney Sweep will be Russ Kisselburg, Rick LaMont, Devon and Dylan Parmenter, Jim Pollard, Melissa Garno, Chad King, Dave DePaulo and the fine array of Slingshot drivers from the Northeast.
Check out www.oswegospeedway.com and www.slingshotbytobias.com for more info.
The Briggs & Stratton Slingshot by Tobias Tour has upcoming stops at Petaluma Speedway in sunny California on June 17th and a National event to be held at Wilson's Motorsports Track in Santuck, AL. on June 24th.

June 2nd Penn Can Slingshot Date Cancelled

The weather situation at Penn Can has pushed back the proposed building of the small track at this fine Susquehanna, Pa facility resulting in the cancellation of the Southern/Northeastern Region Tour race for the Slingshot by Tobias Series. Penn Can has offered the Slingshots the use of the regular 3/8th mile clay oval to be a part of the evening's festivities but the Slingshots were designed and built for tracks in the 1/4 to 1/5th mile range. Gearing and engine strain would be a problem with a speedway this size. Reed Miller and his staff have been very cooperative in having the Slingshots be a part of the Penn Can 2006 schedule. If the smaller size track does become a reality in the 2006 season the Briggs & Stratton Slingshot by Tobias Series would love to be a part of the welcomed addition. With an average of 31 cars signing in for the Southern Region Tour races so far this season, the top 20 drivers in points were all looking for this date on the schedule. A later date will be determined if Speedway Entertainment gets the good news from Reed Miller that the smaller track was completed. 'Nitro" Nick Pecko and Marc "The Man" Daniels have been 2 drivers leading the way so far this season. Joltin' Jim Housworth has been racking up wins this season and was victorious in the Southern Region stop at the Kutztown Fairgrounds opener. Don't count out a trip to "The Can" for the 2006 season. Upcoming tour races will find the Wyoming County International Speedway entertaining the Northwestern Region on the 4th of June. The Perry, NY 1/3rd mile asphalt oval should make for some high speed Slingshot action with Mike Mahaney leading the Northwestern Region after a weekend of wins at Starlite and Paradise Speedways. Briggs & Stratton Slingshot by Tobias info and schedule can be viewed at www.slingshotbytobias.com.

Mahaney, Housworth Slingshot Tour Victors

The 2006 Briggs & Stratton Slingshot by Tobias Tour made three stops this week with the Southern Region helping to open the 2006 Kutztown Fairgrounds racing season and the Northwestern Region visiting Starlite and Paradise Speedways in New York. Jim Housworth with multiple wins at Borger's this year led the 29 car field from flag to flag on Wednesday at Kutztown to become the sixth different tour winner for the season. Challenging Housworth in the early going was Joel Smith and Bill Weaver. Working through the pack was Billy VanInwegen in the family #23B who was a few laps short in making a challenge for the win.Trailing Jim and Billy was Greenwood Valley winner Marc "The Man" Daniels,early threat Joel Smith and Ben Whitaker.
Heading north to New York for the Northwestern Region opener at Starlite Speedway on Friday was the Central New York teams looking to get a great jump on the competition. Without any qualifying worries the Slingshots took the 30 lap feature green and with only 2 cautions the checker flew over the high-flying #33 of Mike Mahaney. Finishing second in the T&J Motorsports # 77 was Mike Tasillo and rounding out the top 3 was Jim Mahaney in the Mahaney Motorsports #30.
Moving to the spacious Paradise Speedway in Geneva, NY for a Saturday night of side-by-side racing the Tobias Slingshots ran off dual heats with Chad King winning heat # 1 and Jim Mahaney in the JBL Management # 30 winning heat # 2. The inversion picked was 5 so 5th place heat finisher Rick LaMont was in charge of bringing the field to the green. Top 5 spots were changing rapidly until Melissa Garno and her Tony Stewart # 20(K) look alike got tangled with the Jim Mahaney racer heading into turn 3. This gave Mahaney a right front flat and sent Garno pitward with front end problems. This yellow flag did nothing to thwart the lap speeds of eventual winner Mike Mahaney who was beginning to lap the field halfway through the 25 lap main. Michael and his Croft Hitches # 33 had no threats to the checker with Devon Parmenter working hard for the second spot having to race with his brother Dylan who started the main from the last spot to garner 3rd. Fourth finishing Bob Finley in the family owned #21 and Niagra Falls' Robbie Schimschack, Jr. rounded out the top 5.All Paradise Slingshot events were run off in less than 40 minutes, a real testament to the driving abilities of these racers. The Briggs & Stratton Slinsghot by Tobias Tour visits Caroga Creek in New York, Alabama's Wilson's Motorsports Park and Petaluma Speedway in sunny California.

WILSON'S NATIONALS - SLINGSHOTS

Saturday April 22nd at Wilson's Motorsports in Santuck, AL the first 2006 Briggs & Stratton Slingshot by Tobias National Tour event was held and taking home the victory was Shawn Cater in his # 49. Following Shawn to the checkers was Jeff Crook in the 23 and Robert Swindall in the #05. The Beavers Racing Team was unable to make the event due to a farming accident resulting in minor injuries. Steve Sticker was a no-show due to relocating from Hurricane Katrina. Larry Spencer's evening ended early with clutch problems in his #1.

Weekly winners this week were Jim Housworth at Borger's and Mike Carpenter at Caroga Creek.

Upcoming Tour Events are May 5th at Linda's (Southern) and the Matthew Lentz Memorial Race at Accord (Northeastern) with an additional 600.00 payout also on May 5th. May 6th finds the the California teams trying to get an event in as the Slingshots head to Cora Speedway for a West Coast Regional