Mark and Sam Yoder celebrate in victory lane at Evergreen Raceway - Dino Oberto Photo
Staff Report | Monday, June 10th, 2024
Photography Credit: Dino Oberto & Dawson Hess
ST JOHNS, PA- Mark Yoder of Ephrata, PA, led wire to wire and held off the field on multiple restarts, to earn the Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic ATQMRA fueled by VP Racing Fuels at Evergreen Raceway.
Yoder’s day started off strong by winning the opening heat race of the afternoon. Buddy Sload earned the second heat win of the day.
Buddy Sload hasn't finished worse than 3rd all season, earning him the championship points lead - Dino Oberto Photo
At the drop of the green flag for the 25-lap feature, Yoder jumped to a big lead over Steve Craig. The inside lane was on the move as Ryan Tidman and Buddy Sload followed Yoder to the front of the field.
Matt Janisch of Nazareth, PA, made a hard charge from 7th to 3rd in the opening laps, as Yoder continued to set his pace on the field.
A pair of cautions stacked the field up, with the first yellow falling just after the halfway point. Previous week’s ATQMRA winner Kyle Taraska self-spun entering the 3rd corner, battling Ryan Tidman for fourth.
Mark Yoder leads the field - Dawson Hess Photo
On the restart, although Yoder continued to set his pace, the field remained tight as the drivers did all they could to pass the #75 Ames Construction team. Matt Janisch continued his charge through the field by passing Sload for second with six laps remaining.
As Janisch set his sights on the lead, a caution with two laps remaining flew for yet again, Kyle Taraska spinning off the second corner.
The green-white-checkered finish set up one last chance for Matt Janisch to grab the lead, but his efforts were no match for Mark Yoder. Mark Yoder would go on to earn the hard-fought victory to earn his first ATQMRA feature win of the season!
Mark Yoder holds off Matt Janisch on a GWC finish to win his second career feature and first career victory at Evergreen Raceway - Dawson Hess Photo
Matt Janisch and Buddy Sload rounded out the podium. Sload’s consistent strong runs have earned the defending champion (2X total) the points lead heading into the next event.
Ryan Tidman put together another great run in the Burd Racing entry, finishing 4th.
Steve Craig ran one of his strongest features of late, earning a fifth-place finish. Craig started the race on the front row and ran within the top-5 for the duration of the event.
Kyle Taraska recovered from his multiple spins to earn a 6th place finish. Taraska finished side by side in a tight battle with Tyler Wagner, who finished 7th. Josh Patterson finished in 8th.
Billy Cole of Forked River, NJ made his ATQMRA debut and had a respectable showing at Evergreen. Cole finished on the lead lap in ninth, in what was a day of learning. Cole is expected to be a regular on the tour, especially at his home track of Wall Stadium Speedway.
Kyle Herve made his anticipated return to the ATQMRA this weekend after missing the first three events of the year. Herve showed competitive speed throughout the afternoon but did not complete the full feature due to overheating issues.
The Yoder family racing team have been committed members of the ATQMRA for years and their victory this weekend was celebrated by many within the community. Mark, and his father Sam, earned their second career series win this weekend and simultaneously punched their way into the top-5 in championship standings. Yoder seeks his first career ATQMRA championship this season. Yoder is now the fourth feature winner through four ATQMRA events this season.
On a final somber note, the ATQMRA extends their condolences to the family and friends of dirt racer Joe Kay, who tragically lost his life last weekend in a non-racing incident. While Joe was not an ATQMRA competitor, he was a racer at heart like all of us within our community. Kay was honored by the ATQMRA during the opening pace lap with a missing man formation. Godspeed Joe Kay.
The ATQMRA honor's Joe Kay with a missing man formation during the pace laps of Sunday's feature. The organization extends their condolences to the family and friends impacted by Joe's sudden passing. - Dawson Hess Photo
The Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic ATQMRA fueled by VP Racing Fuels returns to racing in three weeks, for the Garden State Classic and the Hamer Heating and Cooling Hometrack Shootout at Wall Stadium Speedway.
RACE RESULTS:
FEATURE (25 LAPS):
1. #75 Mark Yoder
2. #51J Matt Janisch
3. #36 Buddy Sload
4. #5z Ryan Tidman
5. #55 Steve Craig
6. #22 Kyle Taraska
7. #51 Tyler Wagner
8. #02 Josh Patterson
9. #0 Billy Cole
10. #24 Kyle Herve
HEAT 1 (8 LAPS):
1. #75 Mark Yoder
2. #5z Ryan Tidman
3. #51 Tyler Wagner
4. #22 Kyle Taraska
5. #0 Billy Cole
HEAT 2 (8 LAPS):
1. #36 Buddy Sload
2. #51J Matt Janisch
3. #55 Steve Craig
4. #24 Kyle Herve
5. #02 Josh Patterson
FEATURE FAST FACTS:
Time of Race: 11:37.456
Leader: 1
Lap Leader: #75 Mark Yoder (25)
Caution(s): 2
Fastest Lap: #36 Buddy Sload (13.217)
Rookie of the Race: #02 Josh Patterson (8th)