Max Blair ends Stateline season with win!

September 19, 2015  |  by Jay Pees

Waters, Holmes, Hemphill, Bryant get first-ever Stateline wins, Carlson and Kosinski add to win totals!

  Busti, NY (September 18, 2015): it was a night of firsts at Stateline Speedway presented by Lite House Auto under threatening skies but warm weather for the crowd of thrilled race fans as four drivers won their first-ever Stateline features, two in their first visit to the famed facility! A season-high 157 cars signed into the pits to end the first year under the ownership of Jim Scott, Jean Scott, and Brian Horner.    John Waters brought his RUSH Crate Late Model to Busti for the first-time ever, then proceeded to win both his heat and feature. Bill Holmes Jr, long a fixture in the McKean County 360 Late Model scene, was in the Ron Scharf-owned #65 in his first-ever visit to the track and staved off the track class champion, Ryan Scott in the Limited Late Model season finale. Rich ‘Critter’ Hemphill had been to Stateline before but had never put his car in the winner’s circle. Hemphill held off veteran Chris Withers for his first-ever Stateline Street Stock feature win in a race that was called short when the time limit was reached just as the year’s most spectacular wreck occurred, a violent flip by Wade Watson on the front straight at lap twelve. Hummingbird Speedway regular Matt Bryant got his first Stateline win in the final event of the season, the night-capper for the Challenger racers.    In other action, Max Blair collected his second Overhead Door of Jamestown feature win of the season. Veteran Justin Carlson also made it to Victory Lane for the second time this year in the Sugar Grove Beverage E-Mod season finale. In the Sportsmen season-ender it was Michael Kosinski in Victory Lane for the fourth time this season.   The first feature up was the Limited Late Models Special sponsored by Northstar Unlimited with Bill Reeves and Bill Applebee's on the front row. Reeves led for the first five laps then Bill Holmes, in his first visit to the track, took over at the point. Caution flew at lap eight when Nate Short spun in turn four. For the restart Ryan Scott, the newly crowned 2015 Champion was second, looking for his third feature win of the year. Wally Wade brought the second caution over the field when he spun in turn one at lap ten. Over the remaining laps Holmes extended his lead and collected his first Stateline win in his first visit. Scott would up second with Kelly Frederes third, Chris McGuire fourth, and Reeves fifth. The event paid $750 for the win, courtesy of Northstar Unlimited.    Max Blair and Russ King started on the front row of the Overhead Door of Jamestown Super Late Model 30-lap feature with King taking the immediate lead but four cars including Darrell Bossard, Dutch Davies, Paul Briggs, and Bobby Rohrer piled up in turn one, putting the race into a complete restart. On the restart Max Blair ‘jumped’ the restart so was penalized back a row. On the next start King was also penalized for ‘jumping’ so the front row was now Rob Blair and Mike Knight. Knight led lap one with Max Blair, King, and Rob Blair three wide for second. Rob Blair and King then got together coming out of turn four, spinning and bringing caution over the field at the end of two laps. King and Blair both retired pitside with Knight, Max Blair, Jason DuPont, John Lobb, and John Volpe bringing the field back to green. Knight and Max Blair then raced side by side with Knight holding the lead at the stripe until caution again flew at the end of five when a double spin in turn one again slowed the field. After green DuPont powered around the outside of Max Blair to take second then started challenging for the lead. DuPont slipped high in turn one on lap nine allowing Blair to get back to second. At twelve laps in Knight was feeling the heat for the lead with Blair using the high line and Lobb also getting by DuPont for third. At halfway Knight was into lapped traffic with Blair right behind, Lobb holding third with Volpe now fourth and DuPont back to fifth. At eighteen laps Blair was leading and going through lapped traffic until Ryan Scott experienced mechanical ails at lap nineteen and came to a stop in turn two. Blair led again after green until lap 21 when Doug Eck slowed coming out of turn four, putting the event under caution again. The top five were now Max Blair, Knight, Volpe, Lobb, and Rich Gardner, who had started 23rd. Only one lap more was in the books when Dutch Davies looped his mount in turn one. The field only got to turn one when Paul Briggs and Steve Kania got together. Chris Hackett headed for the pit with six laps remaining as caution flew for debris. The final laps were all Blair with Knight slipping further back but opening a lead on the fight for third, which went to Volpe over Lobb with Brent Rhegergen getting by Gardner for fifth. The $3000 to win 30-lapper was sponsored by Lite House Auto, the track title sponsor.   Justin Carlson and Mike Kinney brought the Sugar Grove Beverage E-Mods to green but it took three tries to get the race underway. When the race finally started Carlson took off with the lead and Dan Davies came to second. By the end of three laps Cale Crocker was up to third with Kinney back to fourth. Joel Watson got to fourth a lap later then caution flew as Jason Brightman spun in four. After another yellow a lap later that ended the race for John Woodward and John Schenker four cars piled up in turn one before a lap could be completed. After green Carlson started opening a lead over Watson but Brightman spun again at nine complete, ending his night. At halfway Crocker was back to second but Carlson was again increasing his lead. Troy Carr and Kirk Bradley filled out the top five at halfway. Mike Kinney brought the next yellow when he wound up sideways at the pit entrance with four laps left. With two to go Crocker got ‘out of shape’ in four, surrendering second to Watson. Carlson went on to his second win of the season over Watson, Crocker, Carr, and John Boyd. Carlson apparently experienced mechanical problems and had to be towed from the speedway after Victory Lane festivities.    Matt Kosinski led from outside front row of the Sportsmen feature over pole-sitter Tom Kosinski. Ted Kosinski took over at the front after a first lap caution and was still in front when caution flew at lap seven for a spin in turn four by Tom Kosinski. Mike Kosinski led after green again was shown with Ted Kosinski second and Don McGuire third. The front five at the finish were Mike Kosinski, Ted Kosinski, Don McGuire, Ron Bergen, and Matt Kosinski.   Kyle Scott and former champion Damian Bidwell brought the Shults Auto Group RUSH Crate Late Model to green for the $1000 to win season finale with Scott leading lap one over John Waters. Wyatt Scott turned his car around in turn two at lap two, slowing the event. Kyle Scott led the field back to green over Waters, 2015 point champion Jason Genco, Damian Bidwell, and Mike Wonderling. One lap after green Waters was leading with Bidwell challenging Scott for second when yellow flew for a spin in turn three. A four car pile up happened on turn two at lap five. After green Waters again led with Bidwell second, Genco third, Scott back to fourth and Kyle Zimmerman fifth when caution again flew at lap eight. Zimmerman immediately came to fourth on green and Randy Hall displaced Scott for fifth at lap eleven. Waters caught lapped traffic at lap nineteen while Bidwell and Genco fought over second. Waters went on to the win, his first at Stateline, with Bidwell second, Genco third, Hall fourth, and Zimmerman fifth. The win for Waters came in his first-ever visit to Stateline.   John Cline Jr led the Street Stocks from the drop of the green until lap two when caution flew for a two car incident in turn two. Under the caution Cline had a flat rear tire, ending his run at the front. Guy Adams led after green then former champion Chris Withers got by at lap three as caution again flew for another two-car wreck on turn two. Adams went back to the lead for one more lap when calamity again struck for another two cars, again in turn two. Adams led after green with Withers again second but spun coming out of four at lap six. In the ensuing scramble Rich ‘Critter’ Hemphill came through to take the lead. Eights lap in caution again hit, this time for simultaneous spins in turns two and four. Again, only a lap got in before a spin in two slowed the race. Debris in the form of a dropped lead weight was the next caution at lap ten. Disaster struck on lap twelve when Wade Watson flipped violently after contact from Devin Dudenhoeffer. Watson was unhurt in the incident but the car was extensively damaged. With the time limit of the event reached, Hemphill was declared the winner, his first ever at Stateline, worth $500. Following Hemphill to the checkers were Withers, opening night winner Brian Crandall, Tony Marotto, and David Baker.  

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