BUTLER TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Evergreen Raceway played host to the second race of the Evergreen Raceway/Mahoning Valley Speedway 602 Crate Modified Duel Track Series sponsored by Blue Mountain Woodworking of Bath, and the 40-lap feature catered fans with twists and turns of drama-filled action throughout the contest.
At the end it was a day long to be remembered for the George family as Broc George held off his stepbrother, Jaden Brown, in a close finish. But before the brothers would square off there was some very intense battling that took place.
Polesitter Bobby Jones was leading while round one winner of the DTS Brody Brown was glued to his rear bumper. Brown was relentlessly pressuring Jones but no matter how hard he tried the journeyman leader was not giving in.
When the race was past halfway not only were Jones and Brown still going at it but Evan Rygielski and Paulie Hartwig III were going side-by-side while running no more than a car length behind the front two.
Hartwig then used a lap 30 restart to get by Rygielski and when he did he wasted little time in making it a three-car tussle for the lead. Hartwig and Brown swapped second spot while keeping right on the heels of Jones.
The anticipation of a thrilling finish would come to a rushed end with seven laps to go. In turn three, Hartwig went spinning into the fence, Jones got looped and Brown was sent to the rear as officials deemed him the initiator.
When the field was reset George and J. Brown were lined up first and second, and when the race resumed there was pressing contact between them as they banged wheels. Somehow they never lost traction or their positions and over the remaining laps J. Brown tried every way possible to unseat his teammate, but it was nothing doing as George held on for his first win with a Modified.
“It feels really, really good to be that fast car out there today. I got a little banged up in the heat race but we turned it around for the feature and we had some good luck too when the leaders wrecked out,” said George.
“My brother and I were both fast but I feel I was the quickest between us and in the end it was a great race and I can’t thank my dad enough and also Kyle Knecht of Blue Mountain Woodworking for all he did today and of course all of my family.”
Rygielski was third with Neil Rutt III and Troy Bollinger rounding out the top five.
In the Late Model feature, Mike Sweeney was uncontested en route to victory. It would be his 75th overall win, 73 coming in Late Models.
Mitch Hawk won the street stock feature, while Jimmy Ayre won in the 4-Cylinder Stocks.