LEHIGHTON, Pa. – As a winner and top runner in weekly action with the Hobby Stock division, Trisha Connolly knows her way around Mahoning Valley Speedway quite well.
On Saturday afternoon, she made good use of her track talent by claiming victory in the Junk Car race.
Junk Car races have become a popular attraction over the past few seasons running at a number of local county fairs and related venues. The tracks are tight small dirt ovals, however, drivers got the opportunity to test their skills on the quarter-mile paved Mahoning Valley Speedway.
By the end of the day, no one fared as well as Connolly.
She not only showed her prowess during the 30-lap feature by leading every lap after starting from the pole, but it was how she won the heat that also added to her merit.
In a twist of the norm, the heats where contested in the opposite direction, with drivers racing the track clockwise. That put everyone at a drawback, but for Connolly it did not deter her in the least, winning with a thrilling last-lap pass.
Charles Holland and Michael Klotz, first time Mahoning racers, were also heat winners.
When it came time for the feature, a coin toss determined the direction by which the cars would race and the result was to proceed going counter-clockwise.
The grid was set heads up from the heat finishes, and once the initial green waved Connolly set sail as the leader with Carl Altemose making chase.
Despite a bevy of lapped traffic, Connolly never turned a wheel wrong and most times stayed ahead by a few car lengths, ultimately picking up the victory uncontested by the time she reached the checkers.
Altemose would hold on for second and beat his daughter, Kassidy Altemose, in the process.
The event was run under the direction of Old School Promotions. A field of 38 entered the contest, and although Connolly proved to be the car to beat, there was still plenty of close and exciting racing throughout.
Mahoning Valley Speedway returns to action on Oct. 2-3 with the final event of the Mahoning Valley Speedway Hall of Fame Series, staging the Hal Renninger 99-lap Tribute.
The race will feature the Race of Champions Modified Tour in their final points race of the season.