ZEDRECK TAKES BUTLER ‘RWYB’ VICTORY
PHOTO BY HAROLD CARD PHOTOGRAPHY of NEW YORK
Eddie Zedreck from Chicora, Pennsylvania accomplished one of his most sought-after goals on Thursday night when he grabbed the first place trophy at his hometown Big Butler Fair. Zedreck’s “Little Irish II” took home the laurels in the Modified 4x4 division of the “Run What Ya Brung Series” with a hard-fought pull-off victory. The “Little Irish II” Chevrolet was fitted with a new 600+ cubic inch GM power plant over the winter of 2007-08 and Zedreck has been working to ‘get the bugs out’ for the first six weeks of the new season.
The original “Little Irish” was campaigned by his mother, Cindi Zedreck (now Heltman) during the 1970s in the small-block division and was at one time the NW Pennsylvania champion in that class. Cindi and her husband, Howie, are now serving as officials with USA-EAST and both were present for this super victory at Butler.
Second in the USA-EAST RWYB was the current point leader, Fred Virgili from Mather, Pennsylvania, with his “Never Satisfied” Ford while the 2007 champion, Jeremy Davis from Jefferson, Pennsylvania ended up third with “Producer’s Supply” Chevrolet. Mark Tatalovic’s Dodge “Mighty Mouse” was 4th as that new truck from Crawford County appears ready to challenge for the top spot in the near future.
The Pro Street Diesel 4x4 class found Matt Erman back on the top with “Bad Reputation” last season’s champion for the Wilkin’s Team. That Dodge from Fresno, Ohio has had some difficulty in 2008 but was at the top of the game at the Big Butler Fair. Matt Cooper from Portersville, Pennsylvania – the 2007 Street Licensed Diesel Champ – was second with “Goin’ The Distance’, a Duramax powered Chevrolet in what was his best run of the young season. And Calvin Miller from Guys Mills, Pennsylvania, another former street champion in the diesel ranks got third with his new joint venture with Sean Hodges named “On Borrowed Time”. With both Cooper and Miller now doing well this class has become a very wide-open affair in 2008.
The Street Licensed GAS class went to Titusville’s Craig Bell with a 460 cubic inch crew cab Ford. Bell and Aaron Rupert from Rural Valley are now tied for the point lead in that division after Rupert’s “Black Sheep” Ford got 2nd at Butler. The beautifully prepared “SuperRam” Dodge of Glenn Savage from Normalville, Pennsylvania got back on track after some serious breakage at Dayton with a strong 3rd on this night.
With 37 entries, the USA-EAST Street Licensed DIESEL class was a very interesting division, but the same winner emerged as Bill Bowser pushed his “Old Blue – NOS Express II” to the victory for the third straight event. Bowser is campaigning three different trucks in 2008 in three different divisions out of his Bowser Performance facility in Mayport, Pennsylvania. The ever-improving Ed Dicks from Portersville was second and third went to “Pullin’ To Please” and Brent Shick from Oak Ridge, Pennsylvania as Mopar with Cummins took all three of the top spots in the street division.
Full Pull Productions pulling is next scheduled on Friday, July 11th at the Trumbull County Fair near Cortland, Ohio when the Modified Four-Wheel Drive Trucks from the “Run What Ya Brung” Series as well as the “Hot Farm” Tractors and the world-famous Big Rigs Pulling Series take to the track. USA-EAST sanctioned action is set to get under way at 6:30pm.
And then on Saturday, July 12th at 6:00pm, the second evening of championship pulling returns to the Trumbull County Fair with the Pro Street Diesels leading off a serious night of USA-EAST action. Limited Pros and Super Farms will follow and then the Street Licensed Semis from the “Pennsylvania Posse” will take to the track. The culmination of the Saturday evening pull will be a full USA-EAST point class for the “Smoker Series” Tractors featuring the best Super Stock and Pro Stock Tractors in the region.
