(Kaitlyne Freer, Smethport, PA) Brady Wonderling held his own and emerged victorious in the Troups Creek Heating RUSH Crate Late Model Feature for the first time at McKean County Raceway, holding off late pressure from both Paul Grigsby and his hard-charging brother. At the drop of the green, it was Grigsby who stormed to the early lead, showing impressive speed through the opening laps. Meanwhile, Jeremy Wonderling was slicing through the field, rocketing from his 8th-place starting spot into 3rd in just two circuits, putting both Wonderling brothers in striking distance. As laps clicked off, Jeremy began reeling in Brady, closing the gap inch by inch while Grigsby maintained control up front. The battle tightened dramatically just past halfway, when lap traffic triggered a caution on lap 12, resetting the field and the stakes. On the restart, it was Brady Wonderling who made his move—powering past Grigsby to seize the lead. Grigsby refused to let him go easily, stalking Wonderling’s rear bumper over the final stretch, with Jeremy in tow looking for any opening of his own. Despite relentless pressure, Brady held strong, taking the checkers in one of the night’s most competitive features. Grigsby settled for second, while Jeremy Wonderling completed the podium after an impressive charge through the pack.

Terry Mealy claimed a dramatic win in the Mr. D’s Donuts SHARP Mini Late Model feature, edging out Josh Outman at the line by just 0.02 seconds in Friday evening’s closest finish. Mealy took the lead early and steadily extended his advantage, building nearly a one-second gap over the field by lap 7. However, Travis Asel began closing that gap shortly after, catching Mealy by lap 9. Chris Whyte and Josh Outman also joined the lead pack, forming a tight four-car battle just as a caution came out on lap 11 for debris. On the restart, Outman made a decisive move, jumping from fourth to second on the first lap back under green. The front three—Mealy, Outman, and Asel—ran nose to tail and frequently side by side, keeping the outcome in doubt to the very end. Coming to the white flag, Outman pulled even with Mealy at the flag stand and edged ahead briefly. The two raced side by side through the final lap, making contact in turn four and again down the frontstretch before Mealy surged ahead at the line to secure the win by the narrowest of margins.

Zach Hamer secured the win in the Costa’s SuperMarket Pure Stock feature. Hamer and Bruno Mowery raced side by side during lap 2 and continued to run nose to tail for the next 10 laps, with Mowery applying steady pressure throughout the first half of the race. Following lap 12, Hamer began to create separation from Mowery and the rest of the field, gradually building a comfortable lead. As the race wore on, lap times across the field began to fall off, but Hamer maintained a consistent pace and controlled the final laps. He took the checkered flag with a solid margin, closing out a strong performance and adding his first feature win of the season at MCR.

Trever Putt earned the Mini Stock feature victory on Friday night, completing a late-race pass to secure the win in a competitive field. Early in the event, Ryan Burke held the lead, but mechanical issues forced him to slow and exit the track on lap 2. That handed the lead to last week’s feature winner, Preston Cobb, with Trever Putt moving into second. Behind the front-runners, a tight battle developed for third, as Shaine Putt and Holden Heineman raced side by side for several laps. A similar contest unfolded between Khloe Griffin and Dennis Harrison, who dueled for fifth and sixth throughout the middle stages of the race. Trever Putt steadily closed the gap on Cobb, eventually catching him on lap 10. As the leaders approached the white flag, Putt made his move to the outside, pulling alongside Cobb, passing him and never looking back.

Addison Chamberlain captured her first victory of the season in the Kids Mini Stock Feature after a well-timed pass and a late-race caution helped shift momentum in her favor. Jake Skinner jumped to an early lead and controlled the pace through the opening laps. As the race progressed, Chamberlain and Kyleigh Putt closed in, battling side by side for second and eventually challenging for the lead. The race took a dramatic turn on lap 10 when Chamberlain made a move to pass Putt. At the same moment, a lapped car—Alivia Miller—got loose and drifted up the track. With no room to react, Putt made contact and neither she nor Miller were able to continue to race, bringing out the caution. On the restart, Chamberlain restarted behind Skinner and used the momentum to her advantage. With one lap remaining, she made a clean pass and pulled away to secure the win—her first of the season.

Steve Dixon led from start to finish to secure a convincing victory in the Close Racing Supply RUSH Pro Mod feature event. Dixon took command early, jumping to the lead at the drop of the green flag and maintaining control throughout the race. Al Brewer settled into second and held the position through the opening laps as the field organized behind him. The race’s only caution came on lap 7 when Josh Canfield spun into the infield on the backstretch. On the restart, Ed Carley made a strong move, advancing into second and beginning to close the gap to Dixon. While Dixon and Carley maintained their positions at the front, a competitive battle developed for third between Brewer and Tyler Oakes. The two raced closely for multiple laps, exchanging pressure but maintaining clean racing. At the finish, Dixon crossed the line unchallenged, earning a flag-to-flag victory. Carley’s restart effort secured him second place, while Brewer held off Oakes to claim third.

Steve Dixon (driver) of the Tom McFall 33Y car, gets a DQ for Track Bashing during his on track interview, along with on and off the track inappropriate behavior that took place on the property of McKean County Raceway. Poor Sportsmanship will NOT be tolerated on the property. The consequence for this incident is: DQ for the night, loss of pay, loss of points, and a two week suspension.

Racing continues next Friday night for the Lee Anderson Memorial and Woah Nellie Modifieds at McKean County Raceway. For more information and updates, visit the official McKean County Raceway website: https://mckeancounty-raceway.com

Troups Creek Heating RUSH Crate Late Model Feature (20 Laps) – BRADY WONDERLING (1s), Paul Grigsby (24), Jeremy Wonderling (3J), Brad Mesler (87s), Chuck Lafleur (61), Bill Holmes (8), Kevin Smith (96), Steve Labarron (29), Ian Travis (36), Brett Marlatt (99M), Kassandra Norman (6), Wyatt White (5W), John Haggerty (49)

Heat Winners – Brady Wonderling & Paul Grigsby

Close Racing Supply RUSH Pro Mod Feature (20 Laps) – Steve Dixon (33Y)-DQ, Ed Carley (02), Al Brewer (71), Tyler Oakes (22t), Derek Austin (15), Josh Canfield (33), Tim Schram (1s), Dean Ingalls (36)

Heat Winners – Steve Dixon & Al Brewer

Mr. Ds Donuts SHARP Mini Late Model Feature (15 Laps) – TERRY MEALY (14), Josh Outman (8), Travis Asel (09), Chris Whyte (9w), Rob Eaton (82), Jackson Himes (999)

Heat Winner – Terry Mealy

Costa’s SuperMarket Pure Stock Feature (15 Laps) – ZACH HAMER (7), Bruno Mowery (48), Mike Parmenter (34), Joe Skinner (69), Matt Grigsby (5), Ryan Johnson (45J)

Heat Winners – Bruno Mowery & Mike Parmenter

Mini Stock Feature (15 Laps) – TREVER PUTT (4p), Holden Heineman (32h), Preston Cobb (28c), Shaine Putt (7p), Dennis Harrison (42h), Khloe Griffin (13g), Tanor Shaw (69t), Kevin Bacon (1b), DJ Williams (28), Jacob Tubbs (89jr), Ryan Burke (18), Henry Privette (2)

Heat Winners – Preston Cobb & Trever Putt

Kids Mini Stock Feature Only (12 Laps) – ADDISON CHAMBERLAIN (11), Jake Skinner (69), Kyliegh Putt (7p), Alivia Miller (8)