Race fans who were on hand to watch the final Modified point race of the season at Mahoning Valley Speedway couldn’t have asked for anything better as a trio of title hopefuls put on a dazzling display of wheel twisting around the tight confines of the paved ¼-mile oval.

Brian DeFebo, Kyle Strohl and Lou Strohl raced the entire 35 laps under a blanket, lap after lap with amazing precision as they hovered tightly. When it was all said and done DeFebo scored his second straight win while Kyle Strohl crossed the line in second and earned the class championship. For Lou Strohl his close third placed him second in the final standings, just six points behind the champ.

“I have to thank Gary (Slusser, crew chief) and my mom (Sophie Welsh, car owner) who stuck behind me all year. The driver doesn’t make the right calls all the time and now here we are two weeks in a row getting wins,” said DeFebo. “I slowed down the pace, raced my own line and that kept them from going around me and it all paid off.

“Running for championships is fun but running for wins is a lot more fun and congratulations to Kyle and his team, they deserve the title.

A week ago Kyle Strohl took the championship in the Mahoning Valley Speedway Hall of Fame Series but truth be told winning the regular season battle was the main focus. And he did it without the aid of a feature win, although his eight runner-ups throughout the year didn’t hurt.

“This is what we were working so hard for ever since I got into a Modified and I’m glad that I can finally put us in the right spot for not only myself but my crew as well,” said Strohl.

Late Model

Late Model winner Frankie Althouse was parked in Victory Lane for the first time in three years and he couldn’t have been more grateful. Last year he was told his racing days where over due to a concussion he suffered from an early track accident, however, months of rehab paid off for Althouse.

Given the opportunity to drive Kenny Hein’s car, Althouse showed his old form that carried him to countless wins and a pair of championships over the years.

Sportsman Modified

Coming into the night the Sportsman Modifieds had the closest point battle to decide as Nick Baer and Jaden Brown began the feature separated by just two points.

For Baer, he was both lucky and good. Starting on the outside of the front row he was able to grab the lead from Greyson Ahner on lap one. He then stayed there the rest of the way, fending off a very strong Brody George en route to his second win and the championship.

Street Stock

Matt Kocher backed up his career first Street Stock win from a week ago with a return visit to Victory Lane.

There was also plenty of drama that unfolded in the fight for the championship as well which fell to Tommy Flanagan by just six points over Jillian Snyder and 10 on Todd Ahner.

Pro 4

When the Pro 4 feature began Cody Kohler started on the outside of row one. When it ended he finished in the Winner’s Circle for the sixth time this season and more notably the championship.

Hobby Stocks

In the Hobby Stocks there was no denying Corey Edelman his division leading eighth win of the season. Nnot only did his go on to a runaway victory, he also locked up the 2022 championship - his record third such with the Hobby Stocks.

Futures

Racing to the win and championship was 11-year old Parker Ahner. He passed Makayla Kohler midway through and then blistered the field the rest of the way. Ahner becomes the youngest driver in track history to win a championship.

Modified feature finish (35 laps)

: 1. Brian DeFebo, 2. Kyle Strohl, 3. Lou Strohl, 4. Bobby Jones, 5. Rod Snyder Jr., 6. Terry Markovic, 7. Nick Baer, 8. Cody Kohler

Late Model feature finish (25 laps)

: 1. Frankie Althouse, 2. Geno Steigerwalt, 3. Nick Ross, 4. Mark Hudson, 5. Mike VanFossen, 6. Brandon Turbush, 7. Brain Romig Jr., 8. Rusty Turbush, 9. Brooks Smith, 10. Seth VanFossen, 11. Paul Cummings

Sportsman Modified feature finish (25 laps)

: 1. Nick Baer, 2. Brody George, 3. Jaden Brown, 4. Greyson Ahner, 5. Troy Bollinger, 6. Richard Lapolt

Street Stock feature finish (30 laps)

: 1. Matt Kocher, 2. Jon Moser, 3. Tucker Muffley, 4. Todd Ahner, 5. Cody Geist, 6. Jamie smith, 7. Jillian Snyder, 8. Tommy Flanagan, 9. Logan Boyer, 10. Randy Green, 11. Mark Martini, 12. Rick Reichenbach, 13. Thomas Flanagan DQ: Jeremy Scheckler

Pro 4 feature finish (20 laps)

: 1. Cody Kohler, 2. Ken Reeder, 3. Colton Breiner, 4. Tyler Stangle, 5. Kadie Pursell, 6. Richie Pursell, 7. Alexis Jones

Hobby Stock feature finish (25 laps)

: 1. Corey Edelman, 2. Jake Kibler, 3. Travis Solomon, 4. Cody Boehm, 5. James Tout, 6. Michael Wambold, 7. Lyndsay Buss, 8. Dave Imler Jr., 9. Nicholas Kerstetter, 10. Don Bauder, 11. Ralph Borger Jr., 12. Mallory Kutz, 13. Shayne Geist, 4. Jake Oswald

Futures feature finish (20 laps)

: 1. Parker Ahner, 2. Gabrielle Steigerwalt, 3. Makayla Kohler, 4. Maggie Yeakel, 5. Mayson Moyer, 6. Michael Klotz, 7. Arland Moyer Jr., 8. Adam Steigerwalt, 9. Lexus Kutz, 10. Zoe Kuchera, 12. Hallie Muffley