BEDFORD, Pa. – Jeff Rine and Mason Zeigler showcased their commemorative wraps the best way imaginable during Friday’s Keystone Cup qualifying night at Bedford Speedway.
Rine, carrying the No. F-100 honoring his late car owner, Bob Elbin Sr., and Zeigler, permanently changing his number to 9z from 25z in remembrance of his brother, Freddie, who unexpectedly passed away last month, raced to semi-feature wins.
Zeigler was overall fast-qualifier in advance of Saturday’s 60-lap, $25,000-to-win unsanctioned main event, putting forth a lap of 19.075 seconds around the five-eighths-mile clay oval.
Rine wasn’t far behind with a lap of 19.080 seconds in the second group.
Both drivers, in their special colors, savored clean air and led all 20 laps for the $2,500 semi-feature paydays without disruption.
“Hopefully we can keep it rolling,” Rine, the 2021 Bedford champion, said. “I have to thank the Elbin family for letting me drive this thing for like 15 years. We’re like family.”
Elbin, whose involvement in auto racing stems back to the 1950s, started his driving career in the F-100 and eventually raced Walter Dyer’s famous No. 461 sprint car in 1972. As time passed, Elbin’s No. 92 late model program amassed nine Bedford championships, seven coming with Rine.
Rine is the 2017 winner of the Keystone Cup, driving from 10th to snag the event win.
“He did so much for racing,” Rine said. “That’s all he ever did.”
Zeigler, meanwhile, has traded his longtime No. 25z for his brother’s No. 9z when he raced steel block late models in the Pennsylvania area. Freddie Zeigler, 30, died unexpectedly in August.
“I always like the No. 9z, the way it looked and sounded,” Zeigler said. “I thought it was cool to bring it back.”
Post-qualifying with @MzZeigler.
— Kyle McFadden (@ByKyleMcFadden) October 22, 2021
Ziggy nabs fast-time in Group A, setting himself up for a potentially sweet weekend.
The No. 9z is permanent (was No. 25z) in honor of his brother, Fred, who passed in August.#KeystoneCup | @BedfordSpeedway pic.twitter.com/j8tNYdZZSS
This weekend marks Zeigler’s 34th race of the year. He has one win — an unsanctioned win April 3 at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway — and 12 DNFs.
Zeigler did travel to Charlotte this week to visit Penske Shocks and complete a test session at The Dirt Track at Charlotte.
“We weren’t exactly where we wanted it to be,” Zeigler said. “I think we’re making strides.”
— Andy Haus, Scott Bloomquist, Jason Covert and Max Blair join Rine and Zeigler in Saturday’s six-car, six-lap dash that will determine the first six starting spots.
— The following drivers transferred through Friday’s qualifiers: Jared Miley (seventh), Rick Eckert (eighth), Ryan Montgomery (ninth), KC Burdette (10th), Alex Ferree (11th), Matt Cosner (12th), Trever Feathers (13th), Colton Flinner (14th), Jason Miller (15th), Jamie Lathroum (16th), Kyle Lee (17th), Bryan Bernheisel (18th).
— World of Outlaws Morton Buildings Late Model Series winner Gregg Satterlee and National Dirt Late Model Series Hall of Fame member Gary Stuhler will have to race their way through Saturday’s B mains.
B main one lineup: Ross Robinson, Dan Stone, Gregg Satterlee, Travis Stickley, Jeff Miller, Gary Stuhler, Dylan Yoder, Eddie Carrier Jr., Jim Yoder, Dave Stamm, Chuck Clise, Justin Weaver
B main two lineup: Tim Smith Jr., Drake Troutman, Clinton Hersh, Shaun Jones, Spike Moore, Wayne Johnson, John Weaver, Natham LaSalle, Tom Decker Jr., Tom Decker III, Mike Lupfer, Matt Murphy, Eric Hamilton Jr.
— Scott Bloomquist is, in his words, hitting his stride again.
Bloomquist drove from third to second in the second semi-feature and feels good off a promising weekend at the Dirt Track World Championship at Ohio’s Portsmouth Raceway.
The 57-year-old ran in the top three at Portsmouth before a mid-race incident knocked him back to 14th.
Oddly enough, Bloomquist searches for win No. 1 this year, where he’s compiled just seven podium runs in 52 starts. He’ll have a shot at recapturing his mojo Saturday nonetheless.
— Ryan Montgomery raced from outside the cutline (11th) to finish fifth in the first semi-feature.
— Virginia frontrunner Trever Feathers was snakebitten during qualifying when his No. 20 Longhorn Chassis bottomed out entering turn one, causing him to lose control and clobber the outside wall.
.@TFeathers27 & crew patching up the rear after the qualifying mishap.
— Kyle McFadden (@ByKyleMcFadden) October 23, 2021
If they can get it fixed they’ll start third in the first qualifier. #KeystoneCup | @BedfordSpeedway pic.twitter.com/9jV4HhhGtL
Feathers qualified third but couldn’t hold onto a dash spot as he backslid to seventh in the first qualifier.
— Modified ace and former Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series competitor Eddie Carrier Jr. contended in a second Matt Cosner Racing entry Friday night, driving the No. 66jr.
Carrier started 14th and finished 17th in the first qualifier.