Jimmy McCune Caps Fourth MSR Title With Jennerstown Win
JENNERSTOWN, Pa. – After lacking the speed he's been accustomed to for much of the summer, Jimmy McCune capped his fourth-straight Must See Racing Sprint Car Series championship run just the way he started it: celebrating in victory lane.
McCune put together a stunning flourish during Saturday night's season-ending David D. Mateer Memorial Race at Pennsylvania's Jennerstown Speedway, charging from fourth to the race lead in two laps and then holding open-wheel ace Bobby Santos III at bay for the remainder of the 30-lap distance.
Jimmy McCune hoists the milk in victory lane after winning Saturday night at Jennerstown Speedway. (Jacob Seelman photo)
The Toledo, Ohio native had Santos at his rear flank for most of the night, with Santos within a half-second for most of the first half, but Santos caught traffic at the wrong spot entering turn one on lap 15 and dropped a second adrift of the No. 88 Abe's Auto Parts/B&B Machinery Movers/Rev-X Oil machine.
After that, Santos spent the second segment of the race trying to play catch-up, but could only watch as McCune stretched his advantage to 1.3 seconds inside of seven to go and then to two full seconds with three laps left.
Just after the twin sticks were displayed from the flag stand, however, a vicious three-car incident in turn one – involving fifth-running Tom Jewell and the slower machines of Joshua Sexton and James Rader – broke out just in front of the leaders and forced a red-flag stoppage for cleanup.
That erased McCune's two-second lead and set up Santos on his tail tank with one final shot to pounce on a green-white-checkered finish, but Santos simply couldn't keep pace on the restart.
McCune jetted out to a six-car length advantage off turn two and never looked back from there, crossing underneath the twin checkers 1.637 seconds clear of Santos in the end.
Jimmy McCune (88) races under Bobby Santos (22a) en route to winning Saturday night at Jennerstown Speedway. (David Sink photo)
The victory, which came after several dances through slower traffic, was worth $4,000 to McCune. It also featured a ceremonial drink of chocolate milk, courtesy of track sponsor Allied Milk Producers, in victory lane.
"The traffic was intense, it was insane and there were a few times in turns one and two where I was up in the marbles and didn't know what was going on," noted McCune of his battle with Santos. "It was fun; the closing rate was just a little crazy at times. We kept it in one piece, though, and held off a pretty darn good driver to get the job done here. It feels really good."
Saturday night's win marked McCune's series-leading fifth of the year and the record-extending 29th of his Must See Racing career. He'll go for an even 30 during the 2019 season kickoff next spring.
However, the focus in victory lane was celebrating a season's worth of accomplishments.
McCune cinched up his fourth title in a row simply by turning a lap of practice and earning the 25 'show-up' points that came with doing so, but he wanted as much hardware as possible at the end of the night and accomplished that goal to perfection.
"There's nothing more special than winning and taking home a championship on the same night," he said. "It's honestly too bad that it's the end of the season, because I think we've finally gotten the car back to where it's been the last few years. She was pretty sporty tonight; I think we've found the issues we had over the summer and ... next year will be pretty good."
Santos came home as the runner-up after leading practice and setting fast time to kick off the day. He said he just didn't have anything left after the final green flag waved.
"We had a couple shots at him, but we just couldn't quite pull it off," said Santos. "We were close. I feel like he and I were pretty evenly-matched tonight; it was just a matter of who could get out front first and he did that. Like I said, I had a couple looks on him through traffic, but he just got away in the end. That's racing, though. I really enjoyed my first trip here to Jennerstown."
Charlie Schultz completed the podium, followed by Ohio veteran Jerry Caryer, who was the final car on the lead lap in fourth. Schultz's teammate Adam Biltz finished fifth, both in the race and in points.
Of note, McCune and Santos finished the four-race Engine Pro Fast Car Dash mini-series tied in points, with 15 apiece following Saturday night's eight-lap sprint.
The bonus money for the Dash program, which includes a $500 bonus for the points champion, will be distributed at the 2018 banquet in January.
Must See Racing's 2019 schedule will be announced in the near future.
RESULTS: Must See Racing Sprint Car Series; Jennerstown Speedway; Sept. 15, 2018
American Racer A-Feature (30 laps): 1. #88 – Jimmy McCune [4]; 2. #22a – Bobby Santos [6]; 3. #9s – Charlie Schultz [5]; 4. #75c – Jerry Caryer [3]; 5. #8a – Adam Biltz [1]; 6. #81 – Johnny Petrozelle III [8]; 7. #7 – Tom Jewell [2]; 8. #85 – Rick Holley [9]; 9. #32 – Todd McQuillen [10]; 10. #90 – Joe Speakman [13]; 11. #4L – Anthony Linkenhoker [15]; 12. #15 – Tim Henthorne [12]; 13. #51s – Joshua Sexton [11]; 14. #99 – James Rader [14]; 15. #26 – Jeff Bloom [7]; 16. #8 – Anthony McCune [16].
Lap Leader(s): Biltz 1, J. McCune 2-30.
Hard Charger: #22a – Bobby Santos (+4)
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Santos Stays Fast In MSR Qualifying At Jennerstown
JENNERSTOWN, Pa. – Bobby Santos kept his dreams of sweeping the David D. Mateer Tribute Race alive by leading the way in Hamilton Trucking Time Trials on Saturday afternoon at Jennerstown Speedway.
Santos, the 2010 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour champion, earned his second fast time of the season with the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series by posting a time of 15.550 seconds (120.849 mph) in the No. 22a Mayhew Tools sprinter for veteran car owner Dick Fieler.
He earned $500 for his leading qualifying time, a bonus put up by American Racer Tires in honor of their late past president Mateer.
Saturday's effort marked the sixth time in Santos' Must See Racing career that he has topped qualifying, tying him for fifth all-time with Jason Blonde. He was less than a quarter of a second off the all-time sprint car track record of 15.320 seconds (122.663 mph) set by Jeff Bloom in 2005.
"We had a good car all the way through practice. I just spent most of the day trying to get comfortable around this place, seeing as how it's my first time here," said Santos. "This is a neat race track ... really fast, and I'm really excited to race here tonight after hearing so much about it.
"It's a nice, smooth race track. I'm honestly still learning it as we go, but I'm having a lot of fun," Santos added. "We won at another half-mile (Madison Int'l Speedway) earlier this summer, so hopefully that bodes well for us later on tonight.
Second-fastest in qualifying was Berlin (Mich.) Raceway winner Charlie Schultz, who toured the flat, .522-mile oval in 15.611 seconds (120.377 mph) with the No. 9s Perfection Fabricators entry for John Reiser.
Schultz was followed by newly-crowned four-time series champion Jimmy McCune (15.634/120.200). The top three drivers were the only ones to break the 120 mph threshold in qualifying.
Jerry Caryer and Tom Jewell completed the Fast Five.
Sixth through 10th were Adam Biltz, Jeff Bloom, Johnny Petrozelle III, Rick Holley and Todd McQuillen.
Heat races for the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series are slated to begin at approximately 7 p.m. The David D. Mateer Memorial Race will take the green flag shortly after 9 p.m.
QUALIFYING RESULTS: Must See Racing Sprint Car Series; Jennerstown Speedway; Sept. 15, 2018
- #22a – Bobby Santos III, 15.550
2. #9s – Charlie Schultz, 15.611
3. #88 – Jimmy McCune, 15.634
4. #75c – Jerry Caryer, 15.923
5. #7 – Tom Jewell, 16.185
6. #8a – Adam Biltz, 16.442
7. #26 – Jeff Bloom, 16.521
8. #81 – Johnny Petrozelle III, 16.614
9. #85 – Rick Holley, 17.947
10. #32 – Todd McQuillen, 18.524
11. #51s – Joshua Sexton, 18.592
12. #15 – Tim Henthorne, 19.423
13. #90 – Joe Speakman, 19.745
14. #99 – James Rader, 19.905
15. #4L – Anthony Linkenhoker, 20.686
16. #8 – Anthony McCune, NT
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Jacob Seelman
Freelance Writer
Series Announcer for Must See Racing
Santos Speeds During Saturday Must See Practice At Jennerstown
JENNERSTOWN, Pa. – Looking to end his season on a high note, NASCAR modified ace Bobby Santos III led the way during Saturday practice for the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series at Jennerstown Speedway.
Santos, who was unofficially the fastest driver during the single Friday-night session that was completed 16 hours earlier, turned an official lap of 15.988 seconds (117.538 mph) around the flat Pennsylvania half-milein the No. 22a Mayhew Tools-sponsored entry for veteran car owner Dick Fieler.
The Franklin, Mass., native finally scored his first Must See Racing win earlier in the summer, topping a 30-lap feature at the similarly-structured Madison (Wis.) Int'l Speedway half-mile, making him an early favorite to win the $4,000 top prize in Saturday night's David D. Mateer Memorial Race.
Jimmy McCune, who secured his fourth-straight Must See Racing championship simply by firing the motor for practice on Saturday, posted the second-fastest lap of the two sessions with a time of 16.091 seconds (116.786 mph) in the No. 88 Abe's Auto Parts/B&B Machinery Movers/Rev-X Oil sprinter.
Third on the overall time sheets went to recent Berlin (Mich.) Raceway winner Charlie Schultz, who toured the half-mile in 16.373 seconds (114.781 mph) with the No. 9s for car owner John Reiser.
Jerry Caryer and National Sprint Car Hall of Famer Jeff Bloom completed the top five.
Sixth through 10th went to Adam Biltz, Tom Jewell, Johnny Petrozelle, Rick Holley and Todd McQuillen.
Mechanical issues shortly after pushoff kept Anthony McCune from completing a timed lap in either of the two practice sessions. As a result, he will qualify at the head of the line during time trials.
Hamilton Trucking Time Trials for the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series are scheduled for 3 p.m.
PRACTICE RESULTS: Must See Racing Sprint Car Series; Jennerstown Speedway; Sept. 15, 2018
1. #22a – Bobby Santos III, 15.988
2. #88 – Jimmy McCune, 16.091
3. #9s – Charlie Schultz, 16.372
4. #75c – Jerry Caryer, 16.905
5. #26 – Jeff Bloom, 16.906
6. #8a – Adam Biltz, 17.063
7. #7 – Tom Jewell, 17.159
8. #81 – Johnny Petrozelle III, 17.582
9. #85 – Rick Holley, 18.143
10. #32 – Todd McQuillen, 18.822
11. #51 – Joshua Sexton, 19.202
12. #15 – Tim Henthorne, 19.960
13. #99 – James Rader, 20.062
14. #4L – Anthony Linkenhoker, 20.630
15. #8 – Anthony McCune, NT
16. #90 – Joe Speakman, NT
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Jacob Seelman
Freelance Writer
Series Announcer for Must See Racing
Must See Drivers Shake Down Jennerstown During Open Practice
JENNERSTOWN, Pa. – Despite intermittent rain and mist that plagued the Laurel Highlands on Friday night, Must See Racing drivers still got a chance to preview the Jennerstown Speedway half-mile ahead of the season-ending David D. Mateer Tribute Race.
A scheduled four-hour open practice for all competing divisions was shaved to just one session apiece after rain dampened Central Pennsylvania around 4:15 p.m. Showers then returned just before the scheduled 6 p.m. start time, forcing a second delay before cars finally hit the racing surface.
Six Must See Racing teams were on hand to shake down their cars on Friday, led by the two-car JR Motorsports tandem of Charlie Schultz and Adam Biltz. Also at the track were Bobby Santos III, Tom Jewell, Jerry Caryer and Jeff Bloom.
Five of those six drivers turned laps during the single eight-lap session that was completed before heavy mist rolled in and ended the night prematurely. Only Bloom, the sprint car track record holder at Jennerstown, was unable to get on-track.
No official times were recorded, but unofficial stopwatches had the drivers in the 16.1- and 16.2-second brackets Friday night, just under a second off Bloom's record mark of 15.32 seconds set in 2005.
Schultz, who comes to Jennerstown fresh off a victory at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway last month, was also a part of an exhibition session for Must See Racing at the flat half-mile along with his teammate Biltz.
Though he had prior laps at the track before Friday, Schultz said not much translated between the two visits due to how many changes he and team owner John Reiser have made to the No. 9s since then.
"It was definitely a different feel to the car than when we were here in June," said Schultz. "Basically, we unloaded with our Berlin setup that we won with and figured that was a good place to start. The two tracks, size-wise, are pretty comparable. Here the top speed is a little faster, but they're both high-speed race tracks and I felt like they run at least a little similar to one another.
"We figure we can tune on this for tomorrow. The car was very stable and very comfortable," Schultz added. "We had some good tires on it and I was really pleased, even with just the eight laps we got, and I think it's a great baseline for us for race day."
Santos, who picked up his first win at Madison (Wis.) Int'l Speedway earlier in the summer, noted that he didn't feel like there were a lot of bullets he could gather from a single Friday night session.
"There's only so much you can learn from such a short time on track," he pointed out. "It's a cool track, though. The straightaways are really fast. This team always brings a fast car every time we unload and I have no doubt we'll be right in the thick of things when it counts tomorrow."
Santos leads the Engine Pro Fast Car Dash bonus series standings entering the Jennerstown finale, holding a one-point advantage over Jimmy McCune in the race for the $500 top prize from Engine Pro.
Notably, the top two drivers in points – champion-elect Jimmy McCune and runner-up Anthony McCune – were not in attendance for Friday night's open practice.
Jimmy McCune will collect his fourth series title just by signing in on Saturday morning.
Pit gates open at 10 a.m. on Saturday for the David D. Mateer Tribute Race. The Super Cup Stock Car Series will co-headline the night alongside the Must See Racing sprint cars.
For more information on Must See Racing, visit www.mustseeracing.com.
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Jacob Seelman
Freelance Writer
Series Announcer for Must See Racing
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