HARTFORD, Ohio (August 13, 2010) – Friday Night Thunder at Sharon Speedway saw Josh Walker win his sixth Sportsman feature, Mark Marcucci end a losing streak in Mod Lites, Bradley Blackshear win for his first time in 2 bbl E-Mods, Michael Scharba record another Hobby Stock win and D.J. Ferney get his first Micro Sprint feature win.

Sharon Speedway Sportsman fans know the driving abilities Josh and Todd Walker in their matching blue cars, one of which Josh Walker drove to five victories in six starts prior to the August 13 race. So when luck put father, Todd Walker (Lordstown, Ohio), on the pole and son, Josh Walker (Warren, Ohio), in third for the A-Main event, fans knew it'd take a battle to get to the front.

Josh Walker quickly took first, forcing Todd Walker to second. They ran one-and-two until a caution on the second lap, that put them temporarily side-by-side. Behind the Walkers, Matt Berger benefited from the caution, running in third after having started 10th. One lap later, Steve Mix, the only driver to beat Josh Walker this season, saw his night come to the end with a cloud of white smoke.

A number of challengers tried to break the Walker team, including Allen Teeters, Matt Berger, Bill Johnson and Kyle Lawrence, but no one was able to break their one-two effort. Unfortunately, it was just bad luck that took out Todd Walker on the last lap, as he got loose and spun before making it across the finish line.

Josh Walker continued without incident, recording his sixth feature win in seven tries. (He finished second on the night he didn't win.) He continues to lead the Sportsman class in points, followed by Todd Walker.

Sportsman heat winners were Matt Berger and Josh Walker.

In six Friday Night Thunder Mod Lite feature starts at Sharon Speedway, Mark Marcucci (West Middlesex, Pa.) had only one top five finish and no feature wins. His luck changed Friday, winning his first feature in seven starts.

Matt Patterson, in his first Sharon Speedway race this season, started the Mod Lite feature first and charged forward, holding off Marcucci. But after a fourth lap caution, Marcucci had a solid restart and charged forward, as George Englert jumped into second and Lynn Knepper moved into third, sending Patterson back fourth.

Lap 12 began with a single file restart, as Marcucci stayed out front, with Knepper in second, Ken Meadows in third, Rick Ament in fourth and Patterson in fifth, holding on for the final three laps to finish that way. It was the first win of the season for Marcucci.

“Luck hasn't fallen our way and it's just about time,” Marcucci said in a post-race interview.

Joe Grzelak benefited from Todd Walker's misfortune, taking second in his first top-five finish at Sharon Speedway. Matt Berger recorded a third place finish, followed by Tiffany Williams in fourth, her second top-five finish this season. Rounding out the top five was Kyle Lawrence.

Marcucci is at seventh in Mod Lite points, gaining six positions in points with the feature win. With one more night of points racing, Ken Meadows continues to lead in Mod Lites points standings.

Mod Lite heat winners were Marcucci and Jeff Teeters.

In 2 bbl E-Mod action during Friday Night Thunder, newcomers Skip Hathaway and Chuck Campbell proved to be competition for the Sharon Speedway veterans. And despite a number of close calls, the action was smooth and the feature race ran free of any cautions.

16-year-old Bradley Blackshear (Brookfield, Ohio) jumped out to lead the 2 bbl E-Mod feature. Mark Williams (Warren, Ohio) started second and held onto the position, while Skip Hathaway (Bristolville, Ohio) moved into third, until he got loose and gave Brian Taft (Boardman, Ohio) a chance to take third place. The three leaders moved out in front of the rest of the pack, as Blackshear patiently paced the field.

By lap 10, Taft was on Willams' bumper and Hathaway stayed in fourth with company from Todd Canter (Warren, Ohio) in fifth. Williams got loose when he encountered lap traffic on lap 13 and Hathway pulled to the infield. Coming across the line, it was Blackshear, Taft, Williams, Canter and Chuck Campbell.

It was the first win in in five tries for Blackshear, who was also the heat winner. He is fourth in  Friday Night Thunder Hobby Stock points standings, though he leads in Saturday points. Stephen Walker leads on Friday Night, followed closely by McEwen.

The Hobby Stock feature put Pete Blaczcak out front in a black Neon, and Jerry Batcher in second, Dan McEwen in third, but on the second lap, Michael Scharba took third and started eyeing second. By the fifth lap, Scharba and Batcher (both in Neons) were running door-to-door.

Scharba stayed on the inside, getting around Batcher on lap seven. The first three – Blaczcak, Scharba and Batcher, ran Neons while fourth place was McEwen in a Ford Escort. Lap 10 pitted the feature's two black Neons against each other – Scharba getting the lead on lap 11, with Blaczcak slowing to a stop on the event's final lap, giving the lead to Scharba.

It was the second Friday Night Thunder win for Scharba.

The Hobby Stock heat winner was Batcher, his third heat win this season.

A bad luck streak was also broken for D.J. Ferney (Malvern, Ohio) in Micro Sprints, after no wins but five top-five finishes in five starts – until Friday.

Ferney had a great start in the Micro Sprint feature, jumping out to a solid lead on the first lap. Ryan Fredericks (Hillsville, Pa.) moved into second, but had pressure from division-points-leader Craig Daniels (Cranesville, Pa.).

As Dave Hawkins ran fourth and looked to pass Daniels, Todd Reusser moved into fifth and began tracking the leaders down. They came across the line with Ferney in first, followed by  Fredericks in second, Daniels in third, Dave Hawkins fourth and Reusser in fifth.

“We've been up front during the season a lot, but haven't been able to win one,” Ferney said. “It just goes to show you that it takes luck, starting up front. I just ran like a scared rabbit.”

The Micro Sprint heat winner was Todd Reusser, his first of the season. Craig Daniels continues to lead the Micro Sprints in points.

Friday Night Thunder will conclude with a race on August 27.

August 13 Friday Night Thunder feature results:

Mod Lites: 1. Mark Marcucci 2. Lynn Knepper 3. Ken Meadows 4. Rick Ament 5. Matt Patterson 6. Chas Wolbert 7. Anthony Gillespie 8. Brian Daniszewski 9. Andy Feil 10. Kotie Kirkbride 11. Eric Williams 12. David Innes 13. Pat Green 14. Jim Gump Jr. 15. Darin Gallagher 16. Jeff Teeters 17. George Englert 18. Angie Grzelak 19. Tom Kline 20. Curtis Stivason 21. Kenny Hall DNS: Dustin Salvino

Sportsman: 1. Josh Walker 2. Joe Grzelak 3. Matt Berger 4. Tiffany Williams 5. Kyle Lawrence 6. Bill Johnson 7. Levi Walters 8. Chris Brocious 9.  Todd Walker 10. Darrel Lewis 11. Anthony Gillespie 12. Allen Gillespie, Allen Teeters, Troll Sevacko, Jason Darocha, Steve Mix, Keith Schauer DNS: Cody Dye, Todd Lawrence

Micro Sprints: 1. D.J. Ferney 2. Ryan Fredericks 3. Craig Daniels 4. Dave Hawkins 5. Todd Reusser 6. Jeff Haefke 7. Mike Borawiec Jr. 8. Brandon Hawkins 9. Dalton Daniels 10. JC Boyer

2 bbl E-Mods: 1. Bradley Blackshear 2. Brian Taft 3. Mark Williams 4. Todd Canter 5. Chuck Campbell 6. Skip Hathaway 7. Kevin Robinson DNS: Gene Crouch

Hobby Stocks: 1. Michael Scharba 2. Jerry Batcher 3. Dan McEwen 4. Duane Westfall 5. Mitch Stokes 6. Stephen Walker 7. Pete Blaczcak

UPCOMING EVENTS: Friday Night Thunder August 27. Faster Pastor and $1,000-to-win E-Mod feature August 14. Applefest September 17 and 18. Dirtcar Sprints August 21. Labor Day Special with ASCS Sprints September 4.

Sharon Speedway is a 3/8-mile dirt oval located in Hartford, Ohio. Sharon Speedway is one of the oldest, continuously running weekly racetracks in the United States. Visit sharonspeedway.com for a complete schedule, directions to the track and the latest news. Buckle up and hang on as Sharon Speedway brings you dirt track racing at its finest!