Marks on the Mark in Night Before the 50

by Tyler Altmeyer, PORT ROYAL, Pa. (September 11, 2015) – For the first time in his career, Brent Marks planted himself in UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions victory lane. The Myerstown, Pennsylvania native made his UNOH All Star victory lane debut during the “Night Before The 50” at Port Royal Speedway in Port Royal, Pennsylvania; the prelude to the prestigious “Tuscarora 50.”

Marks would fend off pole-sitter Ryan Smith and sixth-starting Brock Zearfoss for the $5,000 check, leading the last nine circuits to officially propel himself onto the Port Royal Speedway victory lane stage. Impressively enough, the win was a second-consecutive at Port Royal Speedway in less than a week. Marks earned the unsanctioned “Labor Day Classic” win on Monday, September 7, worth $4,000.

“This is awesome!” said Brent Marks, “This is my first All Star win so this is really special to me. To get two wins in a row here also feels pretty incredible. This car has been on a rail lately…whatever we did to it, it’s working. We were fast all night tonight and those long green flag runs really helped us out. We were able to get by Ryan (Smith) there…he’s one helluva racer and to get by him says a lot.”

Jac Haudenschild, who started on the outside of the front row, led the first several circuits of the 30-lap main event until the first caution slowed the field with eight laps in the books. Just after the yellow was displayed, Haudenschild spun and came to a stop in turn two, handing over the top spot to Ryan Smith. Green flag conditions would soon return at the half-mile with the Kunkletown, Pennsylvania native maintaining command, followed by third row starters Brent Marks and Brock Zearfoss.

Even after the event’s second caution at the midpoint of the race, Smith appeared to be uncatchable. Marks, who started fifth on the main event grid, eventually closed the gap between himself and Smith and claimed the lead on lap 22. Unfortunately for Marks, caution flags would reappear on the final circuit, ultimately erasing his half-straightaway lead and setting up a “green, white, checkered” scenario due to UNOH All Star Circuit of Champions rules.

After a quick fuel stop, green flag conditions would resume with Brent Marks in charge, followed by Smith and Zearfoss. The “Myerstown Missile” would survive the final two circuits and cruise home to a $5,000 jackpot. Ryan Smith made it under the final checkers just behind Marks, followed by the “Jonestown Jet” Brock Zearfoss.

“Being out front like that doesn’t really allow you to know what’s going on behind you” said Ryan Smith, “We didn’t quite get the wing back quick enough. We were good, just not good enough. Congratulations to Brent (Marks). Glad to see him back in victory lane, but hopefully we can beat him tomorrow.”

Contingency Awards/Results – Port Royal Speedway – Friday, September 11, 2015

Entrants: 47
Lincoln Electric Fast Qualifier: Danny Holtgraver – 15.733 seconds
Kistler Racing Products Heat #1: Brent Marks
All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads Heat #2: Mike Erdley
Hunt Brothers Pizza Heat #3: Brock Zearfoss
Kistler Engines Heat #4: Lucas Wolfe

All Pro Aluminum Cylinder Heads Heat #5: Jac Haudenschild
JE Pistons Dash: Ryan Smith
Daido Engine Bearings Main Event Winner: Brent Marks
MSD A-Main 3rd Place Finisher: Brock Zearfoss
Outback Steakhouse A-Main 10th Place Finisher: Greg Wilson
Outback Steakhouse A-Main 15th Place Finisher: Dylan Cisney

Qualifying
1.59-Danny Holtgraver, 15.733; 2.48-Danny Dietrich, 15.796; 3.51-Stevie Smith, 15.839; 4.94-Ryan Smith, 15.855; 5.25-Aaron Ott, 15.877; 6.27-Greg Hodnett, 15.886; 7.1Z-Lucas Wolfe, 15.898; 8.19m-Brent Marks, 15.917; 9.17B-Steve Buckwalter, 15.920; 10.10H-Chad Kemenah, 15.956; 11.20-Ryan Taylor, 15.994; 12.93-Sheldon Haudenschild, 16.017; 13.1-Dale Blaney, 16.023; 14.98-Mike Erdley, 16.026; 15.98H-Dave Blaney, 16.026; 16.3Z-Brock Zearfoss, 16.029; 17.8S-Trenton Sheaffer, 16.041; 18.3-Dave Ely, 16.049; 19.89-Cody Darrah, 16.050; 20.13-Jac Haudenschild, 16.052; 21.5C-Dylan Cisney, 16.054; 22.5T-Travis Philo, 16.111; 23.11c-Cory Haas, 16.135; 24.55-Mike Wagner, 16.140; 25.99-Brady Bacon, 16.204; 26.57X-Andrew Palker, 16.216; 27.747-Davey Sammons, 16.247; 28.7W-Logan Wagner, 16.250; 29.14-Lance Dewease, 16.256; 30.23-TJ Stutts, 16.256; 31.45-Tim Shaffer, 16.262; 32.36D-Wayne Dadetto, 16.280; 33.W20-Greg Wilson, 16.283; 34.39-Tim Glatfelter, 16.286; 35.8C-Brain Carber, 16.307; 36.O7-Doug Esh, 16.316; 37.12-Blane Heimbach, 16.327; 38.33-Curt Stroup, 16.434; 39.44W-Rodney Westhafer, 16.463; 40.44-Joey Hershey, 16.474; 41.99M-Kyle Moody, 16.506; 42.55W-Michael Wagner II, 16.537; 43.7-Todd Shaffer, 16.630; 44.49-Tanner Thorson, 16.685; 45.75-Nicole Bower, 16.755; 46.4-Danny Smith, 16.787; 47.91-Anthony Fiore, 99.060;

Heat 1, Group A – (8 Laps)
1. 19m-Brent Marks[2] ; 2. 17B-Steve Buckwalter[1] ; 3. 48-Danny Dietrich[4] ; 4. 25-Aaron Ott[3] ; 5. 7W-Logan Wagner[6] ; 6. 3-Dave Ely[5] ; 7. 36D-Wayne Dadetto[7] ; 8. 39-Tim Glatfelter[8] ; 9. 55W-Michael Wagner II[9]

Heat 2, Group B – (8 Laps)
1. 98-Mike Erdley[2] ; 2. 10H-Chad Kemenah[4] ; 3. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild[3] ; 4. 8S-Trenton Sheaffer[1] ; 5. 11c-Cory Haas[6] ; 6. 5T-Travis Philo[5] ; 7. W20-Greg Wilson[7] ; 8. 8C-Brain Carber[8] ; 9. 4-Danny Smith[10] ; 10. 33-Curt Stroup[9]

Heat 3, Group C – (8 Laps)
1. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[1] ; 2. 98H-Dave Blaney[2] ; 3. 20-Ryan Taylor[4] ; 4. 1-Dale Blaney[3] ; 5. 14-Lance Dewease[6] ; 6. 5C-Dylan Cisney[5] ; 7. 7-Todd Shaffer[8] ; 8. 49-Tanner Thorson[9] ; 9. 99M-Kyle Moody[7]

Heat 4, Group D – (8 Laps)
1. 1Z-Lucas Wolfe[1] ; 2. 94-Ryan Smith[2] ; 3. 59-Danny Holtgraver[4] ; 4. 51-Stevie Smith[3] ; 5. 55-Mike Wagner[5] ; 6. 747-Davey Sammons[7] ; 7. 99-Brady Bacon[6] ; 8. 44-Joey Hershey[9] ; 9. 44W-Rodney Westhafer[8]

Heat 5, Group E – (8 Laps)
1. 13-Jac Haudenschild[2] ; 2. 27-Greg Hodnett[4] ; 3. 57X-Andrew Palker[1] ; 4. 45-Tim Shaffer[6] ; 5. 89-Cody Darrah[3] ; 6. 23-TJ Stutts[5] ; 7. 12-Blane Heimbach[8] ; 8. O7-Doug Esh[7] ; 9. 75-Nicole Bower[9]

Dash 1 – (5 Laps)
1. 94-Ryan Smith[1] ; 2. 13-Jac Haudenschild[2] ; 3. 17B-Steve Buckwalter[6] ; 4. 98-Mike Erdley[3] ; 5. 19m-Brent Marks[7] ; 6. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[4] ; 7. 1Z-Lucas Wolfe[8] ; 8. 59-Danny Holtgraver[9] ; 9. 27-Greg Hodnett[12] ; 10. 10H-Chad Kemenah[10] ; 11. 48-Danny Dietrich[11] ; 12. 98H-Dave Blaney[5]

C-Main 1 – (10 Laps)
1. 12-Blane Heimbach[1] ; 2. 33-Curt Stroup[2] ; 3. 44W-Rodney Westhafer[3] ; 4. 7-Todd Shaffer[7] ; 5. 44-Joey Hershey[4] ; 6. 99M-Kyle Moody[5] ; 7. 49-Tanner Thorson[8] ; 8. 55W-Michael Wagner II[6] ; 9. 4-Danny Smith[10] ; 10. 75-Nicole Bower[9]

B-Main 1 – (12 Laps)
1. 3-Dave Ely[1] ; 2. 89-Cody Darrah[2] ; 3. 11c-Cory Haas[5] ; 4. 55-Mike Wagner[6] ; 5. 5T-Travis Philo[4] ; 6. 747-Davey Sammons[8] ; 7. 14-Lance Dewease[10] ; 8. 7W-Logan Wagner[9] ; 9. 99-Brady Bacon[7] ; 10. O7-Doug Esh[16] ; 11. 8C-Brain Carber[15] ; 12. 12-Blane Heimbach[17] ; 13. 5C-Dylan Cisney[3] ; 14. W20-Greg Wilson[13] ; 15. 33-Curt Stroup[18] ; 16. 36D-Wayne Dadetto[12] ; 17. 23-TJ Stutts[11] ; 18. 39-Tim Glatfelter[14]

A-Main 1 – (30 Laps)
1. 19m-Brent Marks[5] ; 2. 94-Ryan Smith[1] ; 3. 3Z-Brock Zearfoss[6] ; 4. 98-Mike Erdley[4] ; 5. 48-Danny Dietrich[11] ; 6. 93-Sheldon Haudenschild[13] ; 7. 20-Ryan Taylor[14] ; 8. 25-Aaron Ott[16] ; 9. 10H-Chad Kemenah[10] ; 10. W20-Greg Wilson[25] ; 11. 89-Cody Darrah[22] ; 12. 45-Tim Shaffer[20] ; 13. 1-Dale Blaney[18] ; 14. 1Z-Lucas Wolfe[7] ; 15. 5C-Dylan Cisney[26] ; 16. 55-Mike Wagner[24] ; 17. 59-Danny Holtgraver[8] ; 18. 8S-Trenton Sheaffer[17] ; 19. 17B-Steve Buckwalter[3] ; 20. 13-Jac Haudenschild[2] ; 21. 27-Greg Hodnett[9] ; 22. 11c-Cory Haas[23] ; 23. 51-Stevie Smith[19] ; 24. 3-Dave Ely[21] ; 25. 98H-Dave Blaney[12] ; 26. 57X-Andrew Palker[15]