Story By: JAKE MAYNARD / NY-PENN IMCA MODIFIED SERIES – MONROETON, PA – The Close Racing Supply NY-PENN IMCA MODIFIED SERIES presented by Insinger Performance rolled into The Hill Speedway in Monroeton, PA under threatening skies and occasional rain drops, but Mother Nature decided to allow the event, already rescheduled from Augiust 2nd, to get the green flag.
Wolf’s Truck and Auto and Nimble Hill Media Solutions co-sponsored the race.
MIDOSA USA LTD. sponsored qualifying races were first on the agenda, with $100 going to each heat winner. Rodney Morgan outran hard charging IMCA Rookie Brad Delameter to win heat 1, cousins Jake and Dalton Maynard battled the entire eight lap heat 2, with Jake edging out the win, and heat 3 was a precursor of things to come in the feature with points leader Kieth Lamphere and Logan Terry debating the top spot. Lamphere won the debate
The “Wolfpack 25” got underway with Terry and Lamphere on the front row, but a multi-car incident in turn one immediately brought out the yellow. Everyone involved were able to continue. A second caution flag flew without a lap being completed when Jake Maynard slowed to a stop on the back straight with driveline problems.
On the restart, Terry, Lamphere, Dalton Maynard, and Brad Delameter battled at the front as everyone else debated who was going to fill in that fifth spot. With Terry leading, and Lamphere a close second, Rodney Morgan was on the move from his fourth row starting spot, and quickly moved to fifth, then again to fourth and third , and began to put pressure on the lead pair. By the midpoint of the race, Morgan had taken over the runner-up spot and the 2022 Series Champion was putting some serious pressure on leader Terry.
With two laps to go, Morgan has come up short on numerous attempts to get by Terry, but the pair was approaching lap traffic. They caught the lap traffic on the back straight and quickly cleared the first car. Coming under the flagstand for the white flag, Morgan and Terry were side by side, but Terry dove for the bottom in turn one, attempting to close the door on his challenger. Morgan made the crossover and was in the lead exitting turn two and on down the backstretch. Terry took it deep into turn three, rotated and dove for the bottom, with the leaders wheel to wheel with the lap car on the outside, as they charged off the final turn. Morgan led the way by only inches at the finish line with Terry settling for second.
Points leader Keith Lamphere had a solid run for third, but Rodney Morgan’s win has only one point separating the top two. Tyler Stoddard started 12th, went to the back during an early caution, and did a great job of getting back to fourth at the finish. IMCA Rookie Dalton Maynard rounded out the top five.
MIDOSA USA LTD. Heats: Rodney Morgan, Jake Maynard, Keith Lamphere
WOLF’S TRUCK AND AUTO/NIMBLE HILL MEDIA SOLUTIONS “WOLFPACK 25”
RODNEY MORGAN , Logan Terry, Keith Lamphere, Tyler Stoddard, Dalton Maynard, Brad Delamater, Jakub Ingham, Harry Ely, JW Lamphere, Brandon Smith, AJ Hunsinger, Gary Roberts(DNF), Rich McNeal(DNF), Brad Chilson(DNF), Jake Maynard(DNF), Bobby Maynard (DNS)