Kyle Strohl Comes Out on Top in Modifieds; Frankie Althouse Wins Back-to-Back Street Stock Features

COLUMN BY: Genevive Yamelski – MAHONING VALLEY SPEEDWAY – LEHIGHTON, PA  –Kyle Strohl picked up his second Modified victory of the season in the 35-lap feature. Starting on the inside of row two, Strohl wasted little time getting to the front, taking over the lead by lap three.

Lou Strohl settled into second during the early stages while Austin Kochenash worked to the rear bumper of the No. 85. The battle for the runner-up spot continued for several laps before Kochenash completed the pass on lap 10.

From there, Kyle Strohl remained out front for the remainder of the event while Kochenash secured second place. Lou Strohl completed the podium in third, followed by Rick Ross and Nick Baer.

Cody Geist led the Street Stock field to green and paced the opening laps before Brandon Christman brought out the race’s first caution on lap five.

Geist continued to show the way on the restart until Frankie Althouse found momentum on the outside groove and completed the pass for the lead on lap 10. Althouse remained out front while Geist held second place until retiring from the event on lap 19, bringing out the race’s next caution.

The restart lined up Rick Reichenbach in second, Jill Snyder in third and Adam Steigerwalt in fourth. Snyder quickly moved into the runner-up position while Steigerwalt followed her through to take over third. Althouse went on to collect the victory while Snyder finished second. Steigerwalt completed the podium in third, followed by Reichenbach and Cody Boehm.

James Tout led the Hobby Stock field to green and went on to collect his first victory of the season. On the opening lap, Tout and Taylor Schmidt made contact while battling for the lead as Maggie Wambold spun on her own to bring out the caution.

Following the restart, Tout paced the field while both Schmidt brothers kept the heat on Tout for the lengthy green flag run ahead.  Travis Solomon and Shayne Geist were inside the top five before Wambold brought out another caution on lap 20.

A single-file restart set up a five-lap dash to the finish. With two laps remaining, Solomon and Geist both worked their way around Devin Schmidt for third and fourth. Tout took the checkered flag over Taylor Schmidt, Solomon, Geist and Devin Schmidt.

Mark Fister led the Pro 4 field to green and paced the opening half of the 20-lap feature while Bobby Kibler Jr. methodically worked his way through traffic. Fister held a comfortable advantage early, but Kibler gradually reeled him in as the race approached the halfway point.

The battle for the lead came to a head on lap 11 when Kibler completed the pass on the backstretch. Once out front, Kibler never relinquished the top spot, collecting another Pro 4 victory. Fister crossed the line second with Tyler Stangle finishing third. Ron Pierson Jr. and Terry Peters completed the top five.

The East Coast TQ Midgets returned for a 20-lap feature around the 1/4 mile. Kyle Herve took over the lead on the opening lap while Tyler Wagner steadily worked his way up through the field. The race’s first caution flew on lap eight when Lexi Przybylinski spun in turn three and was unable to continue.

On the restart, Wagner worked his way around Jasper Zeigafuse for second before setting his sights on Herve. Wagner completed the winning pass on the backstretch on lap 15 and pulled away over the closing laps to secure the victory. Herve finished second, and Zeigafuse third.

The Vintage TQ Midgets lined up for a 12-lap feature with Mallory Kutz and Ed Windt sharing the front row. Tyler Wagner started just behind the duo looking to make up ground early.

While Kutz held the top spot, Wagner worked his way around Windt, and those positions remained unchanged when the checkered flag flew.

Modified (35 Laps)

1. Kyle Strohl, 2. Austin Kochenash, 3. Lou Strohl, 4. Rick Ross, 5. Nick Baer, 6. Terry Markovick, 7. Brian Romig Jr, 8. Mark Miller, 9. Brian Romig Sr

Street Stock (30 Laps) 

1. Frankie Althouse, 2. Jill Snyder, 3. Adam Steigerwalt, 4. Rick Reichenbach, 5. Cody Boehm, 6. Randy Green, 7. Jamie Smith, 8. Dennis Buss, 9. Keith Boehm, 10. Cody Geist, 11. TJ Kemmerer, 12. Brandon Christman, 13. Blaine Barry

Hobby Stock (25 Laps) 

1. James Tout, 2. Taylor Schmidt, 3. Travis Solomon, 4. Shayne Geist, 5. Devin Schmidt, 6. Bj Wambold, 7. Nick Schaeffer, 8. Jeremy Henry, 9. TJ REX, 10. Arland Moyer Jr, 11. Parker Phillis, 12. Jaden Brown, 13. Maggie Wambold, 14. Ian Ashford, 15. Doug Ashford, DNS. Adam Steigerwalt

Pro 4 (20 Laps)

1. Bobby Kibler Jr, 2. Mark Fister, 3. Tyler Stangle, 4. Ron Pierson Jr, 5. Terry Peters, 6. Rich Pursell, 7. Kadie Pursell

TQ (20 Laps) 

1. Tyler Wagner, 2. Kyle Hereve, 3. Jasper Zeigafuse, 4. Dylan Hahn, 5. Lexi Przybylinski, 6. Ozzy Carlino, 7. Vinny Testanero, 8. Mark Janisch, 9. Ed Windt

Vintage TQ (12 Laps)

1. Mallory Kutz, 2. Tyler Wagner, 3. Ed Windt