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Sunday, April 28, 2002

By Chris Dolack, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Running two feature races on one night can bring twice the joy to a team, or twice the headaches. Just make sure there's plenty of duct tape in the hauler.

For Logan Dernoshek and his team, it certainly was twice as nice as he won his first career late model feature at Motordrome Speedway Friday night in a race that was rained out April 19. After another set of heat races, he charged through the field from the 12th starting position to finish second to Neil Brown in the second feature. Dernoshek's previous victory was in 1998 -- on dirt in a modified race. In 1999, he switched to late models and began racing in the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series at the half-mile asphalt oval in Smithton.

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"If you don't have any trouble [in the first feature], it's not that big a deal," he said. "If you have trouble, it's tough. Everything's condensed because they're trying to do two shows in the same time they would get a regular show in."

Officials at Pittsburgh's Pennsylvania Motor Speedway also were trying to run twin features for its late model division last night, but the program was rained out.

Brown's team was celebrating Friday night, too, after he avoided a wreck in the first feature to finish third. In the second race, he slipped past pole-sitter Travis Geisler on the inside in turns three and four and drove away from the field. Brown outlasted Dernoshek, who had moved into second on lap 20, to take the checkered flag.

"We went through a lot of maintenance this week to make sure all the nuts and bolts were tight," said Brown, who won the Jennerstown Speedway late model championship last season. "Twin features are mainly about maintenance. If you're lucky enough to unload and the car's good, you'll have a good night. If you unload the car and it's junk, you're in for a long night."

Brown used the first feature to get a feel for the track, because rain had washed off most of the rubber leaving only one racing groove. His adjustments paid off.

"We went out there in the first feature and the car got real loose, and then we tightened it up for the second one," he said. "We still didn't get it tight enough; the car was a little bit loose at the end.

"I kind of like running twin features. It gives you one feature to dial it in and then the other to get down to business."

A minor melee midway through the first race sent Geisler, Ryan Hemphill and Doug Bacchiochi into the pits with damaged cars. Geisler's team appeared to have the biggest headache of the night, trying to reconstruct his front end in time to make the heat races. After banging it back into shape and holding it together with tape, Geisler was able to fend off Mark Cottone for the final transfer spot in the heat race and drew the pole. He wasn't able to slow Brown or Dernoshek, but he did manage a third-place finish.

"Whenever you get banged up in the first one, you have to recuperate and get ready for the second one," Geisler said. "I love twins on a good night because it's a good chance to learn a lot about the race car. But when you get banged up in the first one, it's kind of an uphill battle.

"Other than a couple rolls of duct tape and some fenders, I can't really complain too much."

The truck division also was running double features, and Marion Reno Jr. made it look easy by sweeping the races. Bob Bentz Jr. (modifieds), Mark Blolum (street stocks) and Curtis Stewart Jr. (chargers) also were winners.

Veterans reign at Lernerville

Ed Lynch Jr. closed to within four wins of tying the record for sprint car victories at Lernerville Speedway Friday night, but he has a long way to go to catch Lynn Geisler, who won the late model race.

Lynch, the 1990 track champion, earned his 51st career victory -- four behind Johnny Beaber's record, which has stood since 1987 -- after finishing a straightaway ahead of runner-up Brent Matus.

Geisler, a three-time Lernerville champion, earned his 93rd career late model victory at the Sarver oval after settling into the high groove and getting past Gary Lyle with two laps to go. Geisler is third all time in victories at Lernerville. Bob Wearing Sr. combined to win 179 races in late models and modifieds, and Lou Blaney combined to win 118 races in sprints and modifieds.

Jim Weller (modifieds) and Butch Lambert (pure stocks) also were winners Friday night.

Chris Dolack can be reached at cdolack@post-gazette.com.