Deinhardt Wins Mike Petrilak Memorial King of the Can Night 1

By Kayla Peting – Penn Can PR Staff

King of the Can Weekend is upon us with several high paying prize purses and thousands of dollars available in lap money and finish position bonuses up for grabs throughout the weekend. With five divisions on the card Friday night, as well as Modified practice and match racing action, a large crowd sat in eager anticipation. The pits were jam packed with cars everywhere, even out to the entrance of the pit area. Track regulars and invaders alike vied for the coveted seat upon the Golden Throne and the title King of the Can. 

Coming from deep in the field AJ Miller picked up the win in Friday night’s main event the 602 GRIT series Crate Sportsman show. It was an action-packed feature with multiple lead changes throughout the race. With 60 plus sportsman signed in it was going to be a tough challenge for drivers to make the field. Penn Can speedway regulars Randy Brokaw and Alan Komar brought the field of 26 star drivers to the green. The first green would be called a no start as a loose Brokaw got into 2020 Track Champion Jimmy Zacharias and the lineup was reset. The second try at the start saw a nasty pileup in turn two including Dale Welty, Tyler Johnston, Todd Titus, Bob Butcher and Andrew Smith. Titus would head pit side as all others pulled away. Try three at the start would see Komar and Brett Tonkin hooked together, their loss of momentum led to a pileup including Johnston, Butcher, Komar, Welty, Zacharias, Tonkin, Randy Gates and Frank Payne. 

The lap would be counted this time as a lap one restart put Mike Schane out front as Brokaw and Gary Smith took up the fight for second. Smith would work the outside on lap 4 as he completed the pass on Brokaw, Isabel Barron and AJ Miller were right behind fighting for fifth as Miller would use the low line to take the spot. Lap 7 would again slow the field as Johnston went around on the backstretch. Schane would get the jump on the restart as Brokaw and Smith continued their fight in second. Mike Nagel Jr. and Rich Talada were getting at it for fifth when Reynolds, Miller, Andrew Smith, and Johnston took it four wide. In the shuffle Miller and Reynolds came out fighting for fourth as Nagel and Talada followed. Farther back Danny Creeden had managed to crack the top 10 after what had been a rough start for the driver. Slicing and dicing his way up Miller advanced to third as the yellow flew to clear debris in turn 3. 

Lap 10 had Schane getting the jump on Brokaw while a good battle for fourth saw Reynolds working Nagel’s inside. It wouldn’t last as lap 11 Talada and Rohner tangled on the backstretch and Will shields slowed in turn 3. Schane again had Brokaw’s number on the restart as Leonard came under fire from Travis Green for fourth. The halfway running order of Schane, Browkaw, Miller, Gary Smith and Nagel would hold until a lap 17 caution for Creeden spinning in turn 3. Schane took the restart over Brokaw when Green, Danielle Thomas and Welty tangled. The restart would not go well for Schane as heavy contact from he and Miller going for the same real estate sent Schane, Reynolds and Andrew Smith pit side. The same lap caution saw Travis Green and Reynolds spin in turn 4. Schane would not return however as Miller moved into the lead with Gary Smith to his outside. Smith would take the lead on the restart as Rohner and Matt Brewer fought for fourth and Nagel held third. The field would finally get into a rhythm as Gary Smith held the lead and Johnston moved past Rohner for sixth. The lead fight would see Gary Smith and Miller door to door, lap after lap until a lap 24 caution for debris setup another double file restart.

Smith would elect for the outside on the restart as Tommy Collins worked past Rohner for the sixth spot and Johnston looked to take both competitors 3 wide. With 5 to go the same battles continued before a lap 26 caution slowed the field a final time. The Butcher and Seth Zacharias spin would setup a four-lap shootout With Miller taking away Smith’s preferred highline the two cars would battle it out down to the wire. Miller would cross the line first with Smith, Johnston, Nagel and Collins rounding out the top 5. Post-race Miller was still in disbelief stating the King of the Can win is the biggest of his career. The young driver feels he has proven himself with Schane and the other track veterans and worked hard to stay with Smith on the restarts. Miller didn’t have a preferred line with his crew putting together an excellent car that would allow him to run anywhere on the track. Miller said it felt good knowing that with a 62-car field his was the best and could get the win. With the win Miller now has a guaranteed starting spot for the GRIT winter nationals in Florida but is currently unsure if he will be attending. Miller would like to thank his sponsors Sowle Hardware, DIG Race Products, Pioneer Windows, Built Lake Homes, N.H. Kelman, and Kennedy Architectural. Special thanks to his Crew, Girlfriend, Dale and Brandon Plank. Miller dedicated this win to his Grandmother who is currently battling cancer and we all hope for a thorough and speedy recovery. 

Steven Deinhardt took up his second stay on the golden toilet winning the Mike Petrilak Memorial street stock event in a nail biter over Shane Wolf Jr. The 22-lap event celebrating Mike Petrilak and his number 2 car was brought to green by Luke Boom and CJ Guererri with Boom holding the lap one lead. A ferocious battle for the podium quickly saw Wolf Jr, John Carpenter and Guererri fighting for second through fourth. Wolf would emerge to challenge and take the lead from Boom. He would get no respite however as Carpenter immediately challenged Boom for second. Right behind Doug Polhamus and Tyler Yeagle fought it out for fifth before the first yellow came out for Shawn Boynton heading pit side. The quick lap 4 restart would see Wolf get the jump on Carpenter with a top 5 forming of Wolf, Carpenter, Boom, Polhamus and Deinhardt. Deinhardt would go after Polhamus for fourth completing the pass and opening the door for Lanson Albanese to challenge Polhamus. A pileup in turn 4 would collect Doug Stack Sr, Butch Green, Mike Stoddard, Eric Beach, Aaron Miller, and Gary Roberts.

Lap 8’s double file restart wouldn’t go well as Wolf led Carpenter into turn one and some contact int the top 5 led to a huge pileup including Carpenter, Yeagle, Miller, Beach, Kyle Stark, and Abe Rohanik. The restart saw some intense battles throughout the top 5 before Rich Sharpsteen and Rohanik tangled bringing out yet another yellow. The restart had Wolf powering around the high side to stay in front of Dinehardt as Travis Brockner and Gene Sharpsteen fought for sixth. Lap 10 saw Green, Decker and Stoddard collected as the yellow came out. Another caution led the field past halfway and a single file restart followed. Polhamus and Boom would pickup the fight for fourth as Wolf took off on the highline and by lap 14 would catch the tail of the field. Five to go the caution flies for a stopped Brockner on the backstretch. Two to go and while Dinehardt and Wolf fought for the lead the red flag flew as Dusty Decker’s machine flipped twice into the outside wall between turns 1 and 2. The driver emerged and gave the all good with the excellent assistance of the hardworking and busy safety crew. After the debris was cleared Deinhardt would win the restart as he and Wolf put on an amazing show up front. As the leaders came out of four the cars were dead even and Deinhardt would close the distance faster beating wolf by less than a quarter car length. 

An ecstatic Deinhardt pulled into Victory Lane celebrating a huge win in one of the best races at the speedway this year and an all-time great moment. Wolf and Deinhardt embraced in Victory Lane. Post-race Deinhardt mentioned that battle was one of the best he’s ever had. He and Wolf were both able to make every line work well in a show that wowed the crowd. His second Golden Toilet was a well-earned win and he wanted to thank his awesome Wife, Matt and the rest of his crew, Dad and CJ for his tires and all their support of him. This win means a lot to him as he was a fan of Mike Petrilak throughout his career. Deinhardt would also like to thank sponsors: Winsor Acres, Paige Smith Logging and Excavating, Team Jackson, Smith Logging, Cook Bros. Trucking, TPH Construction, KJ Industries, Wheeler’s excavating, DIG Race Products, Wind Swept Heating Oil, and Deckelman Trucking. Thank you to Pop’s Automotive for their $100 sponsorship to the feature winner.

Brett Gray is no stranger to victory lane at the Penn Can speedway and the GRIT 600cc Modified feature proved to be no different Friday night. The 24-car field was led to green by Jared Green and Stanley Matthews with Green holding the top spot at the completion of lap one. The opening laps would be action packed as Gray began to challenge Green for the lead. Lap 3 would see Gray complete the pass over Green for the lead while a little bit farther back Casey Plummer and Chuck Lohmeyer battled for fifth. Gray would open up his lead as Bretton Miller went to work on Green for the second spot and Adam Mudge joined the battle with Lohmeyer for fifth. By lap five Miller would move into second behind Gray, with Green, Alex Tonkin, Plummer and Lohmeyer holding the top 5 positions. By lap 8 Gray would catch the end of the field as the leaders began to work lapped traffic on the long green flag run.                                  

Ali Scutt slowing to a stop in turn 2 would bring out the first caution and regroup the field for a double file restart. Gray would get the jump over Miller as the two went door to door. Right behind a frisky competition brewed for third as Plummer, Green, Tonkin and Lohmeyer went four wide. It wouldn’t hold out for long however as Mathews would come to a stop in turn 2 and Green would slow on the backstretch bringing the field to a second yellow on lap 15. With the GRIT series rulebook in effect all restarts come with a double file format keeping life just a little more interesting for leader Gray. Post-race he stated “the cooling of the tires on those cautions at the end got me loose and I had a hard time getting back going on the restarts”. Gray would again hold the lead over Miller as the field came back up to speed with Tonkin challenging Miller for second. The two drivers’ battling would slow them enough for Lohmeyer to join the fray before a lap 16 caution for the stopped car of John Groover on the front stretch.

Gray would find a new dancing partner on the front row as he and Tonkin led the field back to green. Gray would hit the restart well as he held the lead and Lohmeyer and Miller went to work on Tonkin for second. Tonkin would lose ground and come under fire from Plummer for fourth as Lohmeyer and Miller continued to fight for second. They’d fight it out all the way to the line as Gray picked up the win chased by Miller, Lohmeyer, Tonkin, and Plummer following. Gray praised the track and the job done by the Folk family to provide a great racing surface all season. He said it was great competition with both Lohmeyer and Tonkin being fast all night and Miller always looking to beat him. Special thanks to the Stark family for their work with the GRIT series. Gray will look to make the trip to Florida in February for the series’ winter nationals. Gray would also like to thank the flaggers and staff for their efforts throughout the season. He appreciates his stay on the golden toilet as it’s good to be the king. GRIT series champion Jared Green was somber in his interview saying that they battled car troubles all night making it hard to really enjoy the moment. The driver will be attending the Winter Nationals with both Gray and Miller as all three are locked in however Green doesn’t’ yet know if it will be in his 600 or the sportsman division.

The Stafursky NAPA front wheel drive 4-cylinder division brought Matt Browning to Victory Lane for a seat on the golden toilet. A strong front row Browning and Nick Kennedy brought the field out of turn 4 as Kennedy quickly went to work on the high side. Deep in the pack Rich Wagner, Mike Ferris and Brian Salmini swapped the eighth spot as farther ahead Phil Burns and Brian Gregory tussled for third. Browning and Kennedy would remain door to door for the lead until a lap 5 caution slowed the field. DJ Fox stopped on the backstretch as the restart would again see Browning and Kennedy get at it. Kennedy would take the lead while Adam Delgrosso and Burns swapped racing for third. Ferris and Kevin Whitman were fighting for sixth when Wagner’s car caught fire coming to a stop in turn four and leading to a lap 7 restart.

Kennedy would get the jump on the restart as Burns challenged Browning for second and Delgrosso battled Whitman for fourth. A huge pileup in turn 1 including Freddy Velez, Dave Donovan, Phil Clapper, Salmini and Jeff Degroat would lead to a lap 10 restart with 5 to go. Kennedy would again hold the lead over Browning as Ferris and Burns went side by side for third. Kennedy would turn the lead over to Browning as the two approached lap traffic on lap 12 while Don Doster, 2020 Champion Josh Wilder and Jeff Stirling fought for tenth. Kennedy and Browning would battle it out the rest of the way to the checkers. Browning said Kennedy was great competition and that his car was hammer down all night long. He was able to work the bottom very well and that was key as Nick was fast up top. It was his first King of the Can victory and he would like to thank all of his family, friends and sponsors. Browning coming home first followed by Kennedy, Delgrosso, Burns and Ferris.

An abbreviated win came for Kevin Garland in the Stafursky NAPA open four-cylinder class to end the night. Rich Conte and Nick Kennedy paced the field as Conte got the jump and led lap one. Shane Moshier and Dante Moncuso were locked in a battle with Garland and Eric Ellsworth for top five spots behind the leaders. A quick lap 3 caution would see contact as Moshier went around in turn 1. The restart had Conte and Moncuso going at it with Conte holding the lead and Garland battling Randy Mathews for third. Moshier, Mathews and Ellsworth turned up the heat in an intense battle for fifth as Garland moved into first. The leader would hit lapped traffic at lap 9 and work through it with ease. The red flag would cut through the air as a scary crash between Nick Kennedy and Shane Moshier happened at the end of the straightaway. A full speed Kennedy hit the rear of a stopped Moshier. Kennedy was announced responsive and assisted from his car before being taken to the hospital for evaluation. Talking with Kennedy Saturday the driver said he was feeling very sore but was otherwise okay with no long-term injuries. It was a somber interview for winner Kevin Garland however he expressed concern for Nick and thanked the Folk family for adding the open 4 cylinders to the night. A thank you to Josh Wilder, D & N Waffles, Rich Wagner, and Wolf PAK Race Team for their sponsorships of position money for the 4-cylinder divisions.

The Stafursky’s Paving Modified match race for $500 was led off by Tyler Dippel and Cory Cormier with Dippel going on to beat Marshall Hurd, and Marc Goodwin. Trouble would arrive for Dippel however when he chose the 133 of Kevin Hartnett. Hartnett would beat Dippel to the line before choosing Alan Rudalavadge. Slight contact in turn two would see Hartnett fall behind as Rudalavadge beat him back to the line. Rudalavadge would hang on from there beating Andy Bachetti, Billy Pauch Jr, 2020 Track Champion Brett Tonkin, Alex Stanton, Danny Creeden, Jacob Dgien, 80 (unknown), Leo McGurrin, and Aleia Geisler.  

In another thrilling feature for the Junior division Josh Landers passed Liam Jackson for the win on the last lap with the main event. A big thank you to Brad Tokarz Grandma Houghton, and DJ Dave for their sponsorships of the Junior Division for King of the Can Weekend.

King of the Can weekend will wrap up tomorrow night with the running of the 55 lap $5,555 to win Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track Super Series fueled by SUNOCO King of the Can Main Event. Also, in action will be huge shows for the IMCA Modifieds, Factory Stocks and Vintage tours. General Admission $20 with pit admission $40. Hot Laps at 5:15 and racing action to follow. Come out for a great night of racing as we wrap up the 2020 season!

MODIFIED MATCH RACE

WINNER: 145- ALAN RUDALVAGE

GRIT 602 CRATE SPORTSMAN

WINNER – 14AJ- AJ Miller

2)7UP- Gary Smith 3)5- Tyler Johnston 4)M7-Mike Nagle Jr. 5)713- Tommy Collins 6) 125- Jimmy Zacharias7) 39B-Matt Brewer 8) 7L- Danny Creeden 9) B17- Randy Brokaw 10)40- Clinton Mills 11) R4- Kyle Rohner 12) 08- Rich Talada13) 17Z-Seth Zacharias 14) 44M- Danielle Thomas 15) 4- Isabel Barron 16) 99-Bob Butler DNF 17) T69- Travis Green 18) M16- Mike Schane 19)3R- Ray Reynolds 20)1- Andrew Smith 21)9T- Todd Titus 22)82-Will Shields 23)88- Alan Komar 24)8C- Randy Gates 25)123- Dale Welty 26)27K- Brett Tonkin 27) 3F- Frank Payne

STREET STOCKS

WINNER – 73- STEVEN DEINHARDT

2) 81-Shane Wolf Jr 3) 14A- Lanson Albanese 4) 00LB- Luke Boom 5) 41S- Doug Stack Jr. 6) 33- Tyler Yeagle 7)98P- Doug Polhamas 8) 34- Doug Stack Sr. 9)7- Gene Sharpsteen 10) 89-Damon Decker 11) 85- Abe Rohanick 12) 151- Travis Brockner 13) 42- Josh Butler 14) 83T- Rich Sharpsteen 15) 55S-Kyle Stark 16)420- Hank Morin DNF17) SIX- Jimmy Sykes 18) 20JR-Dusty Decker 19) 167-Eric Beach 20)36- Dan Force 21)14B- Butch Green 22)23-Mike Stoddard 23)20- Aaron Miller 24)312- Jon Carpenter  25)CJ1- CJ Guererri 26)00D- Don Reeves27)3L- Shawn Boyton 

GRIT 600cc MODIFIEDS

WINNER – 28-BRETT GREY

2) 29-Bretton Miller 3) 5-Chuck Lohmeyer 4)8- Alex Tonkin 5)42- Casey Plummer 6)5AM- Adam Mudge 7)101- Doug Lattner 8)67E- Ely Ashkar 9) 80- Tyler Smith 10) 77X- Nolan Smith 11)17J- James Randall12)17C- Chelsie Beebe 13) 5Y- Matt Yoder 14)54T- Travis Rooney 15) 22C- Sharon Sealy 16) 0-Jeff Baldwin 17) 911- Mike Anzelone DNF 18) 72- John Grover 19)35- Jared Green 20)22m- Stan Matthews 21) 108- Ali Scutt 22) 15- Ryan Jordan 23) 1T- TJ Smith DNS 24)99L- Justin LaDue 25) 343- Mike Frye 26) 133- Larry Furman

FWD 4 CYLINDERS

WINNER-8- MATT BROWNING

2)X- Nick Kennedy 3) 11- Adam Delgresso 4)7- Phil Burns 5)17- Mike Ferris 6)2- Scott Miller 7)72X- Ken Evans 8)5- Josh Wilder 9)56- Jeff Sterling 10)38- Dave Simms 11)61- Don Doster 12)19- Anthony Zecchino 13)77-Brian Salamini 14)30- Tom Bumpus 15)90C- Cassandra Woinoski 16)74- Dave Dixon 17)RC2- Phil Clapper DNF 18)2K- Kevin Whitman 19)227- Brian Gregory 20)18J- Jeff DeGroat21)22D- Walter Decker 22)11X-Dave Donovan 23)8X- Fred Velez 24)8W- Rich Wagner Jr. 25)28- Dylan Hartman 26)7F- DJ Fox 27)100- Francis White 28)72- James Havens DNS29)9D5- Derek Evans 30)4X- Nick Brown 

OPEN 4 CYLINDERS

WINNER- 22M-KEVIN GARLAND 

2)1-Dante Moncuso 3)5-Josh Wilder 4)717-Rich Conte 5)7-Mike Brown 6)89-Randy Mathews 7)33-Brett Nelly 8)14-Eric Ellsworth 9)3-Shawn Gowin 10)68-Mike Navone 11)16-Zack Bruce 12)30-Unknown DNF X-Nick Kennedy, 1I-Shane Moshier, 56-Jeff Stirling, 17-Mike Ferris, 227-Brian Gregory DNS 7F-Dave Fox , 100-Francis White, 800-Unknown, 15-Luke Mills

JUNIOR DIVISION

WINNER – JOSH LANDERS

2) 82- Liam Jackson 3) 1- Frank Twing 4) 10- Trevor Houghton 5) 22A- Avery Decker 6) 11J- Jakoby Thompson