"Unlimited All-Stars Nationals now history, Bergfelt is first champion"
CONWAY, PA - Ed Naugle has always wanted to establish his speedway as a focal point of Unlimited kart racing. There is a certain mystique about this 1/8 mile clay track, with its steel guardrail and high banking. Although the speedway is not large, it is unique in that the entire width of its surface is usually suitable for racing. Two abreast racing is normal and three wide is not uncommon there. One visit to watch the racing at Naugle Speedway will convince the observer that Ed has sprint car roots and wanted his facility and the action there to resemble a sprint car show. He has done well in creating that ambiance. For that reason, he took on the task of hosting the first ever Unlimited All-Stars National Championship.
The weather is unpredictable, and the evenings in Western Pennsylvania are often uncomfortably cool in October, so Naugle made the decision to have the race in the afternoon rather than his normal evening program. With cooler weather, even during the afternoon, it was anticipated that the track would remain moist and tacky as is usually the case there. That prediction proved to be incorrect as the sun dried out the surface in spite of the cooler temperatures.
Twenty drivers took on the challenge on October 6th at the Pittsburgh area speedway. Haddock Limited, B.R.E. Small Engines and J & J Racing, were the sponsors of the event. The entry list included champion drivers from a number of other tracks and series. The field was split into three groups for the qualifying heats. Each group was to run two heats, the first according to a pill draw and the second inverted. The top three from each group advanced directly to the A-main. The remaining three starting spots would be determined by the B-main.
Randy Adair, #38, of Akron, Ohio, a past champion of the Russell Truit Memorial, proved to be the man to beat in the A group for the heats. He won both of his qualifiers from mid-pack starts, earning him a front row spot for the A-main. In group B the first qualifying heat was won by the 3X of Joe Forsythe. Forsythe was the 2000 High Bank Series Champion at Naugle Speedway and traveled from the eastern part of the state. #20 Jeff Metsger, a three time Unlimited All-Stars North Champion won the second heat of group B. Mark Bergfelt, #99, of West Mayfield, Pennsylvania, the 2001 Unlimited All-Stars North Champion, dominated group C with two convincing heat wins. That would earn him a front row starting spot alongside of Adair.
In the B-main, ten karts were slated to compete for the final three A-Main starting spots. The front row was made up of the #2 of Bill Brock, who made the trip from the state of New York, and the #2G of Tim Gould, of Moon Township, Pennsylvania. Brock grabbed the lead at the start and motored on in that position until the finish. Gould dropped out during lap three allowing the 169 of Bobby Castlevetter, who spent most of the past racing season piloting a late model, to inherit the second spot. He finished in that position Jim Capell, in the #7, charged from an eighth place starting position to finish third, the final transfer spot.
The ground rules at Naugle Speedway allow the pole position earner to choose whether he will start on the inside or the outside. Since Adair and Bergfelt won both of their qualifiers, the pill draw determined the pole position. Adair chose the inside. Since Bergfelt preferred the outside anyway, both drivers got to start from their respective preferred positions. The second row was made up of Forsythe and Paul White, #00, who was driving the only Briggs powered kart. Row three consisted of the #86 of Scott Deasy, the 2001 Unlimited All-Stars North runner-up, and the #55 of Joe/Ed Mudrick, the 2001 Naugle Speedway High Bank Series Champion and the 2000 track champion. Row four had the 2000 Unlimited All-Stars North champion, #45, Paul Kish on the inside and the Tecumseh Star powered #45K, of Keith Clark on the inside. Metsger started on the inside of the fifth row and Brock started alongside. The last row was made up of Bobby Castlevetter and the Capell.
At the drop of the green, Bergfelt immediately shot off of turn four to take the lead. Adair tucked in behind followed by Forsythe and Deasy. Although each was running full tilt, the top four made up a freight train for much of the race and rarely was there more than a margin of two kart lengths between each of the top four karts. White dropped back to fifth, which resulted in a tight battle between he and Mudrick for the entire twenty-five laps. Two cautions allowed a break in the intense action. One when Metsger dropped out with mechanical problems on lap eight and a second when Brock fell victim to mechanical failure. At the drop of the checkered flag, Bergfelt, driving a CRG kart powered by a Parilla Sudam on Burris tires, became the first ever Unlimited All-Stars National champion. Adair was second followed by Forsythe, Deasy, Mudrick, White, Castlevetter, Capell, Clark, Kish, Brock and Metsger. Bergfelt took home $500 for his win. Adair netted $300 and all of the feature finishers were paid well. The top spots prize money was due to the generosity of the sponsors of the event, Haddock limited, B.R.E. Small Engines and J & J Racing. The 2002 Unlimited All-Stars Nationals has been scheduled for the final weekend of September at Naugle Speedway.
