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LANCASTER, NY (Sunday, Sept. 19, 1976) – Richie Evans made only two visits to Lancaster Speedway in 1976, but each trip east on I-90 was well worth it for the man who put Rome, N.Y., on the map.  Having won on his first visit to the paved 5/8-mile oval near Buffalo, N.Y., in May, Evans backed it up with an autumn victory in the Genesee 200 for asphalt Modifieds.  The month of September was a profitable one for Evans, who also won the Modified Madness race at Stafford Springs, Ct., and the All Star 300 at Islip, N.Y.  

Lancaster Speedway was finishing up its first season under the NEARA banner for '76 after serving as a NASCAR track from '74-'75.  NEARA's blanket also covered Spencer Speedway, Fulton Raceway, Chemung Speedrome and Shangri-La Speedway.  The extra-distance finale also was Lancaster's final points race of the '76 campaign.

Dave Cramer won the first qualifying heat and earned the pole position for the Genesee 200.  Evans won the second heat and started alongside Cramer in the front row.  George Kent and Maynard Troyer comprised the second row, having won the third and fourth heats, respectively.

Evans jumped into the lead at the opening green flag, followed by Troyer and Bill Bitterman.  The Pinto body on Evans' Modified, normally draped in his signature color of Ford Grabber Orange, sported lots of red oxide primer and shoe polish numbers from collision work necessitated by a wreck at Spencer Speedway earlier in the month.

Evans pitted on lap 48 when the caution flag flew for the third time due to an accident which involved Tim Mislin, Gary Cornelius and Mark Newton.  He rejoined the field in the middle of the pack following a 14-second stop for fuel.  Maynard Troyer opted not to pit and was now the leader when the race restarted.  Troyer was followed by Bitterman, Cramer and Sege Fidanza (back in
competition following a one-month NEARA suspension).

Evans began passing cars on his way back to the front, making short work of Ronnie Wallace, Bob Hudson, Fidanza and Cramer.  Evans passed Bitterman on lap 75 to take second place and went to work on Troyer for the lead.  Richie took the lead from Troyer on lap 90 and never looked back. Troyer tried to regain the lead for the next 12 laps, but finally made his mandatory pit stop, under
caution, on lap 102.

By lap 138, Troyer was in third place behind Roger Treichler and race leader Evans.  Troyer tried to pass Treichler on the outside in tricky Turn 4 but went too high and hit the front chute wall.  He recorded lap 139 in a shower of sparks and came to rest in Turn 1.  Ironically -- although his Nagle Ford was finished for the day -- he managed to earn enough points to claim
Lancaster's 1976 Modified crown.  

Evans went on to win the Genesee 200 lapping all but second-place finisher George Kent.  Roger Treichler finished third (one lap down to Evans) and Don "Satch" Worley, of Rocky Mount, Va., was fourth.  Buffalo police officer Ron Martin claimed fifth place, followed by 1976 Oswego Speedway Supermodified champion Jim Shampine (driving Ed Cloce's Hemi-Cuda Colt), Cramer, Spencer Speedway regular Dave Nichols, Dale Merz (aboard his 4D Gremlin) and Fidanza (who was in second place on lap 195 but suffered axle problems).

For Fidanza, his 10th-place finish almost never happened: his fellow drivers signed a petition, asking NEARA to end his suspension and allow him to compete in the Genesee 200.

The 25-lap Street Stock feature was won by Doug Day, his third of the year.  Mike Ticco finished second, followed by Gary Verdow, Mark Vincent and John Julicher.  Julicher's fifth-place finish earned enough points for him to claim the '76 Lancaster Street Stock championship.

1976 Genesee 200 finish: 1. Richie Evans ($3,000 first prize plus $430 in lap money), 2. George Kent, 3. Roger Treichler, 4. Satch Worley, 5. Ronnie Martin, 6. Jim Shampine, 7. Dave Cramer, 8. Dave Nichols, 9. Dale Merz, 10. Sege Fidanza.

Announced attendance: 6,180.
 
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