Callahan Surprised by Keystone Nationals Win

Steve Callahan Shocked to Win RT 93 Feature on Opening Night of SUPRS Keystone Nationals

March 27, 2018 – Slusser, PA…Supermodified Ultimate Pavement Racing Series, (SUPRS), veteran Steve Callahan of Cuyahoga Falls, OH, wasn’t too shy about admitting his complete dislike of RT 93 Raceway before Tuesday night. But when the opening salvo of SUPRS 13^th Annual Keystone Nationals was complete, he found himself shocked to be sitting in victory lane and may have changed his mind.

Steve Callahan led all 50 laps to win the Keystone Nationals opener at RT 93. (Victory Lane Art by BreezeGraphics.com)

Disbelief Turns to Cheer

“Actually I’m in shock because I suck at this track. This is unbelievable,” Callahan said. Throughout testing, and frankly, his entire career, Callahan never took to this “Square circle” and has always struggled to find his rhythm. However, he proved that having a “Never Give Up’ attitude goes a long way toward finding success. 

“Got into a good rhythm, but the car started to fall off a bit and I think the driver did too. This is unbelievable, this is the last thing I expected,” he stated.

Jumps Out to Early Lead

Callahan wasted no time taking advantage of his outside row one starting place and after a few laps of side by side racing with pole-sitter Bob Gangwer, took over the lead. Then he steadily stretched his lead to nearly six car lengths as Gangwer struggled to find his groove.

Defending Race Winner Gives Chase

Rob Warren, a master at RT 93 and the defending race winner there, got around Gangwer and set sail trying to catch up to the leader Callahan. He eventually got there and looked to be in place to win his third race in a row at RT 93.

However, just as he set his sights on taking over the top spot he misjudged the treacherous inside Armco barrier and sustained enough damage to keep him from being able to overtake Callahan.

Powell, Gangwer Close Gap

In just his second race at RT 93 since 2011, Keith Powell quickly got up to speed from third starting place in the feature. He passed Gangwer for third when Warren took over second place early on.

The duo had their own race going for the better part of the 50 lap show, swapping places on at least one occasion. As they had their battle raging, Warren continued to struggle with his damaged race car, allowing both to catch up as the race neared the end.

Warren Loses Podium

Using the lapped car of Nelson Rodrigues as a roadblock, Powell powered by Warren for second with about 10 laps to go. Not to be outdone, Gangwer latched onto the rear nerf bar of Powell’s “Mayfield Missile” and followed the Icings on Top sponsored driver past Warren to a podium finish for the fourth year in a row.

KEYSTONE NATIONALS POINTS

Keystone Nationals Continues Wednesday

The supermodified sim racers continue their trek through PA on Wednesday March 28 for night two of the SUPRS 13^th Annual Keystone Nationals at Nazareth Speedway. The drivers will run a 25 lap feature on tricky and technical one-mile track after Time Trials and Heat Races.

All Three Nights Shown Live

For the first time in Keystone Nationals history all three nights of racing are going to be shown via SUPRS LIVE! Beginning with the first race at RT 93 through Nazareth on night two and the Randy Witkum Memorial fans can expect to see plenty of supermodified sim racing action.

Featuring Live Timing, Scoring, Track Telemetry and Streaming Video, SUPRS LIVE! is the perfect page on the web to cheer on your favorite SUPRS racer.

Race Schedule

Practice begins at 8:15pm on the first two nights. Then Heats, and Feature follow after 9:00pm. On Thursday, things get rolling a little sooner due to the length of the race. Practice starts at 7:45pm and the racing begins at 8:35pm with the Heat Races.

Get Social with SUPRS

The Supermodified Ultimate Pavement Racing Series is the original supermodified sim racing sanction and supports real supermodified racing. You can learn more about SUPRS by visiting www.SUPRS.net, “Liking” SUPRS on Facebook, Circling SUPRS on Google+, Following @SUPRSOnline on Twitter, and viewing SUPRS videos on YouTube. Don’t forget to watch live and previously broadcast races, as well as test nights on our Twitch Channel.

RACE RESULTS

• 13th Annual Keystone Nationals Race 1
• Race 34 of 42
• March 27, 2018
• SUPRS NASCAR Heat W v6 mod
• RT 93 Raceway
• 50 Laps

Supermodified Time Trials (showing car number, driver name, hometown, sponsors, lap 1, lap 2-best lap underlined)

1. 35-Rob Warren; Pulaski, NY; 1st to Finish Race Servers, Designs of Elegance: 13.422, 13.389
2. 41-Keith Powell; Carrollton, OH; Icings on Top, CPR Motorsports: 13.404, 13.498
3. 55-Steve Callahan: Ciyahoga Falls, OH; Exide Battery, CPR Motorsports: 13.628, 13.538
4. 25-Bob Gangwer; Goshen, IN; Wing Side Up Enterprises, RW Woodworking: 13.545, 13.540
5. 42-Carl Becker; Lansing, MI; Wholesale Diamond Exchange, Michigan Hill Gang: 13.653, 13.735
6. 38-Kyle Clark; Mexico, NY; Coors’ Light, Disturbed Motorsports: 13.887, 13.872
7. 7-Nelson Rodrigues; Stoneham, MA; Star Speedway: 14.050, 13.886

Supermodified Heat Race 13 Laps (showing car number, driver name-top two get time back)

1. 41- Keith Powell
2. 25-Bob Gangwer
3. 38-Kyle Clark

Supermodified Heat Race 13 Laps (showing car number, driver name-top two get time back)

1. 35-Rob Warren
2. 55-Steve Callahan
3. 42-Carl Becker
4. 7-Nelson Rodrigues

Supermodified Feature 75 Laps (showing car number, driver name, bonus, starting place, distance behind winner)

1. 55 Steve Callahan:  * | ** | P2 
2. 41-Keith Powell: ! | P3 | 13.325 | +0.686
3. 25-Bob Gangwer: P1 | +1.088
4. 35 Rob Warren: P4 | +2.426
5. Carl Becker: P6 | +10.819
6. 38-Kyle Clark: P5 | 13.637 | +2 Laps
7. 7-Nelson Rodrigues: P7 | 13.760 | +2 Laps

Time of Race:  12:55.430

• * Denotes Lap Led
• ** Denotes Most Laps Led
• ! Denotes Fastest Lap of Race