Robbie Blair Tops Mega-Blitz 2007 at Challenger

by Rich Berry

Indiana, PA (June 10, 2007) – Rob Blair from Centerville continues to have the hot hand at the Jack and Donna Lentz owned Challenger Raceway.  In an event that will be remembered for an unbelievable race for the lead in the first half of the 50-lap race, Blair took the lead on lap 28 en route to a $5000 payday in Mega Blitz 2007 on Sunday evening, sanctioned by the Independent Racing Series.  It was a repeat of his winning drive in the track’s Spring Fest event in April, which was also worth $5000.

Four heats and two Last Chance Races trimmed a field of 34 cars down to the 24-car starting field for the 50-lap Mega Blitz 2007.  Heat winners were Robbie Scott, Matt Lux, Ryan Markham, and Gary Lyle.  Jason Covert and Mark Banal took the Last Chance Races.

The redraw for the top 12 starting positions found West Virginia drivers Robbie Scott and Jared Hawkins getting front row starting positions.  The race would start with an extended period of green flag racing.  The first caution period did not appear until lap 24, and the first half of the event featured an all-out war for the race lead.  Hawkins took the lead at the start, with Scott, third starting Rob Blair, and Dave Hess, Jr. in tow.  Hess used the outside to take third on lap 3, and he passed Scott for second on lap 5.  Hawkins continued to show the way, but by lap 9 Hess was up to challenge on his outside as Alex Ferree passed Blair for fourth place.  Ferree used the outside to take third from Scott, as Blair cleared Scott for fourth by lap 11.  Hess nosed ahead of Hawkins at the line to lead lap 12, but Hawkins pulled back ahead the next time by.  Blair passed Ferree for third at lap 14, as the battle between the top four was intense as they started to encounter race traffic.  Ferree shot through traffic to get to second by lap 16, but Hess and Blair passed him back a lap later.  On lap 20, Hess got by Hawkins to regain the lead, as Ferree and Blair trailed closely behind. 

As the lead battle raged on through race traffic, disaster struck the lead battle on lap 24.  Chris Wilson’s car spun directly in front of the leaders as they raced into turn three at full racing speed.  With his spun car blocking the middle of the track, race leader Hess and third running Ferree both made contact with the outside retaining wall in their efforts to try to miss the spinning car.  Under the resulting caution period, both made quick visits to the pits and returned to the track, but unfortunately both were forced to drop to the tail of the field. 

Hawkins inherited the lead after the caution, and he showed the way again as racing resumed.  Todd Andrews had started eleventh and he passed Blair for second at this point.  The next caution appeared on lap 27 as the running order remained that way.  Blair made what would be his winning move on this next restart.  Using the inside lane to perfection, he cleared Andrews and slipped by Hawkins to take the race lead for the first time in the event on lap 28.  Two more caution periods slowed the pace on laps 33 and 35, but they did nothing to affect Blair as he controlled the remaining distance in picking up the victory.  Hawkins and Andrews swapped second between the caution periods, but Hawkins took it for good on lap 36 in settling for runner-up honors.  Western Ohio driver Wayne Chinn made a late charge forward, and he was third at the finish.  Andrews was fourth, as Matt Lux raced home fifth.  Sam Stile was sixth, as Ferree and Hess charged back through the field to net seventh and eighth.  Gary Lyle and Jason Covert completed the top ten.

Late Models - Car Count - 34. 
Heat winners – Robbie Scott, Matt Lux, Ryan Markham, Gary Lyle.
Last Chance Race winners – Jason Covert, Mark Banal.
Feature – 1, Rob Blair, Centerville; 2, Jared Hawkins, Fairmont, WV; 3, Wayne Chinn, Bradford, OH; 4, Todd Andrews, Eldred; 5, Matt Lux, Franklin; 6, Sam Stile, Charleroi; 7, Alex Ferree, Saxonburg; 8, Dave Hess, Jr., Waterford; 9, Gary Lyle, Hyde Park; 10, Jason Covert, York Haven; 11, Ryan Markham, Ashland, OH; 12, Jim Yoder, Selinsgrove; 13, Rick Aukland, Zanesville, OH; 14, Robbie Scott, Shinnston, WV; 15, Davey Johnson, Latrobe; 16, Scott Rhodes, Somerset; 17, Dave Blazavich, Marion Center; 18, Mike Blose, Dayton; 19, Mark Banal, St. Clairsville, OH; 20, Tom Kitchen, Indiana; 21, Chris Wilson, Louisa, KY; 22, Keith Barbara, South Park; 23, Rod Phillips, Punxsutawney; 24, David Scott, Garland.