At 50, Pete Rech of Castle Shannon is hardly a rookie when it comes to anything. The veteran dirt-track racer has won at Pittsburgh's Pa. Motor Speedway and last Friday, at Motordrome Speedway in Smithton, Rech won again, this time as a rookie in NASCAR's Whelen All American Series Modifieds.

Rech's first win on the asphalt came in his fifth attempt, but didn't come easy. Starting fourth in the feature, Rech's bumper got hooked up with another car, which caused his teammate and heat winner Harry Opfer to crash out on the first lap.

"Something got hooked in the bumper area," Rech explained in Victory Lane.

"I did some zigzagging to get out of it and I saw something happened behind me, and the caution [flag] came out. I didn't mean to take my car owner [Harry Opfer] out."

Rech took the lead on lap three and dominated the remaining laps for the win, his first, but possibly not his last as a rookie on the Motordrome asphalt.

The Northeast Outlaw Pro Modified Association event scheduled for tomorrow at Pittsburgh Raceway Park has been cancelled due to an unfavorable weather forecast.

The metropolitan New York City-based organization and PRP management mutually agreed that with high fuel costs it would be best to cancel the group's first of two visits. The Pro Mods are scheduled to return Saturday, Aug. 16.

The International Hot Road Association (IHRA) announced yesterday that the Sportsman portion of the canceled Toronto Nitro Jam has been added to the double Pro-Am weekend at PRP, which will now become a triple-race weekend.

The Pittsburgh Thunder Nationals will be added as the third race the weekend of July 11-13.

The Sunday event will feature a national event payout, points and more for all IHRA sportsman racers.

Both Pittsburgh's Pa. Motor Speedway near Imperial, and Sharon Speedway in nearby Hartford, Ohio, will be in action Tuesday.

PPMS will hold Topless Tuesday with the Super and Crate late model cars removing their roofs, providing the fans with a close-up view of the drivers on the Monster Half-Mile.

Racing starts at 7 p.m. with all six divisions in action.

Sharon Speedway will host NASCAR Sprint Cup racers Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne and Sharon Speedway co-owner Dave Blaney for a night of winged-sprint car racing in the Ollie's 360 Challenge.

Gates open at 4 p.m., hot laps at 6 p.m., with racing to begin after the practice session.

Lernerville is in action at 7 p.m. today along with Motordrome Speedway. ... PPMS, Mercer and Sharon Speedway race tomorrow evening, and PRP has drag racing tomorrow and Sunday. Tri-City Speedway in Franklin races Sunday. ... Roaring Knob Motorsports Complex hosts a late model special tomorrow.