Full moon ensures an eventful night at the Berlin Raceway

MARNE – With a full moon in the sky, there was a bit of chaos at the Berlin Raceway on Saturday evening, but it led to some fantastic racing.

Ford and Frye outlast the pack

The Model Coverall Limited Late Models saw a smaller field than previous weeks, but featured a little more of the wild action the series was known for.

The first main race saw two consecutive yellow flags. The first came on lap 13 when former mini-wedge champion Tony Caputo spun out alone on the backstretch. Shortly after the restart, Adam Casari and Billy Eppink collided exiting Turn 2, with Tim Greene rear-ending Eppink. Casari and Eppink were able to continue, but Greene’s No. 21 sustained too much damage and he was done for the evening.

Ford then built a big lead, but Josh Frye was able to close the gap, setting up a thrilling finish. Ford was able to keep Frye at bay, however, and secured his second Limited Late Model win of the season.

Race two was much quieter, with the only incident being a collision between Casari and Biniam Van Wynen on lap 12. The highlight was Frye taking the lead from Eppink on lap 9 of the race and sprinting to his fourth win of the season.

DWARFS TURN AROUND AND FIGHT

The MCR Dwarf Series visited Berlin for the second time and once again offered a great show.

The heats were pretty crazy. After Michael Petrizzo pulled off a daring maneuver at the start of the first heat and won, Michael Beissel’s car overturned in the second race after a collision that also involved Steve Shlater Jr. and Jody Johnson.

The main race saw no major accidents, but a thrilling finale. Jackson driver Parker Tatro took the lead shortly after an early restart. However, he was caught by current points leader Zack Nichols of Stockbridge and Matt Kemp of Sawyer. It resulted in three drivers battling for the lead with just a few laps to go. Nichols, the fastest qualifier of the evening, managed to get past Tatro and help Kemp score his second win of the season in Berlin.

MARCOTT LEAVES

The Engine Pro Vintage Modifieds returned to Marne on Saturday, but one of their top drivers retired early.

On the second lap of the main race, heat winner and pole sitter Terry Byrne lost control of his car on the backstretch after just two laps, causing damage to Mike Ouendag and Brady Musser that ended their night.

The big blow came shortly after racing resumed. As Al Marcott attempted to take the lead at the end of a three-way battle on the backstretch, he was clipped by Randy Pierson. This caused Marcott’s No. 57 machine to make a U-turn and crash head-on into the concrete barrier in Turn 1. Marcott somehow managed to escape unscathed, although his car was destroyed.

Less than a lap later, Pierson was involved in an incident alone when he crashed into the wall of turn three, ending his evening.

Once the race found its rhythm, Dave Sensiba was at the front, the two-time defending VROA champion taking his second win of the season.

POWELL IS TOO FAST

There were no major accidents or incidents at the third and final visit of the National Compact Touring Series season. Instead, fans were able to see a driver win for the first time.

Milford’s Ray Powell finished 12th in each of the first two races this season at Marne, but he had already set the tone earlier in the day by setting the fastest qualifying lap. He then quickly worked his way through the field in the main race, taking the lead from local 4-cylinder driver Keegan Leep shortly after the restart on lap 11. From then on, Powell was all alone in the race, as he took his first win on Saturday night.

MINI WEDGE

Even the Good Humor Mini-Wedges saw wild action. During the Big Guns feature, Abby Maurer and Hudson Lynch collided, causing Lynch’s No. 12 car to flip over. Jackson Cook secured the win thanks to a passing maneuver on the last lap.

Kane Lynch won the Youngins race.

LOOKING AHEAD

The TEKTON Super Late Models are back in action next Saturday night, along with the Baker Auto Group Sportsmans, Auto Value 4-Cylinders and the Mini-Wedges. Racing begins at 6:30 p.m. ET and can be streamed on FloRacing.

FINAL RESULTS FOR JULY 20

Limited Late Model Feature No. 1 (25 laps)

1. Kevin Ford (2)

2. Josh Frye

3. Denny Anderson

4. Billy Eppink

5. Allen Davis

6. Tom Boorsma

7. Adam Casari

8. Biniam Van Wynen

9. Tim DeVos

10. Tony Caputo (DNF)

11. Tim Greene (failure)

Limited Late Model Feature No. 2 (25 laps)

1. Josh Frye (4)

2. Billy Eppink

3. Kevin Ford

4. Denny Anderson

5. Tom Boorsma

6. Allen Davis

7. Tony Caputo

8. Biniam Van Wynen

9. Adam Casari (DNF)

10. Tim Greene (Not signed out)

Main race of the National Compact Touring Series (25 laps)

1. Ray Powell

2. Keegan Leep

3. Dave Simpson

4. Dan Irvine

5. Matthew Elsey Sr.

6. James Sumerix

7. Blake Huitema

8. Matthew Elsey Jr.

9. Charlie DeJong (DNF)

10. Logan Charron (failure to reach)

11. Sheldon Lindlag (DNF)

12. Richard Succaw (DNF)

13. Andrew Church (Not signed off)

14. Kevin Powell (failure)

15. George Sparkman (failure)

MCR Dwarf Cars Feature (20 laps)

1. Zack Nichols (4)

2. Matt Kemp

3. Parker Tatoo

4. Troy Hoffman

5. Greg Rudzik

6. Steve Shlater Jr.

7. Jody Johnson

8. Derek Nolan

9. Jeff Slayton

10. Ken Germain

11. Michael Petrizzo

12. Larry Gurganus

13. Nicole Olmstead

14. Todd Johnson

15. Eric Hoffman

16. Jennifer Aker (DNF)

VROA feature (20 rounds)

1. Dave Sensiba (2)

2. Dave Cutler

3. Trinton Bronkema

4. John Ray

5. Jim Bond

6. John Montgomery

7. Ken Quimby (default)

8. Larry Bryle Jr. (did not finish)

9. Randy Pierson (DNF)

10. Alan Marcott (failure)

11. Duane Debonte (DNF)

12. Terry Byrne (DNF)

13. Brady Musser (DNF)

14. Mike Ouendag (DNF)

Check out the entire Berlin Raceway Event calendar here