Maple Grove

Last weekend, several Carroll County drivers competed in the Sears Craftsman ET Finals at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa. Westminster's Cliff Peddicord and Marvin Ford were big winners.On the oval track, Gary Stuhler of Westminster once again turned back the top late-model drivers in the country to win the Miller High Life Winchester 200 at Winchester Speedway in Virginia.Peddicord started racing in August when he got his driver's license. Two weeks after his first trip down the track, he won the high school race and the opportunity to represent 75-80 Dragway and South Carroll High School in the E.T. Racing Series at Maple Grove.

FiresManchester: Firefighters from Manchester and Lineboro responded at 9: 08 p.m. Monday to a smoke detector alarm in the 100 block of Warner Road. Units were out 29 minutes.Hampstead: Firefighters assisted Baltimore County at 6: 46 p.m. Monday at an auto fire in the 5100 block of Black Rock Road. Units were out 45 minutes.Manchester: Firefighters responded at 6: 30 a.m. Sunday to a trash fire in the 4100 block of Maple Grove Road. Units were out an hour.Manchester: Firefighters from Manchester and Hampstead responded at 12: 46 p.m. Saturday to a trash fire in the 4000 block of Maple Grove Road.

Michael Bowen has been busy the past two weeks preparing for the Motorsports Nationals next weekend at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa.The three-day show will attract Ford Mustangs from a number of states, including Maryland, with several drivers from Carroll County.This will be the first trip for the 27-year-old Woodbine resident to Maple Grove, and he can't wait.He has been trying to get his car dialed-in the past month, but bad weather has cut down on the track time he's felt he needed to be ready.

Midway through the Sears Craftsman E. T. Bracket Finals at Maple Grove Raceway last weekend, the team from 75-80 Dragway was in eighth place. Hopes of winning, or even finishing in the top five, were fading. Then the rains came, and the remaining events were postponed until Sunday.Thanks to the performances of Carroll County's Chris Hruska and Tim Lippy, the 75-80 team rallied to a second-place finish, just four points behind defending champion Maple Grove Raceway. It was the second consecutive year that 75-80 finished in the runner-up spot.

Midway through the Sears Craftsman E. T. Bracket Finals at Maple Grove Raceway last weekend, the team from 75-80 Dragway was in eighth place. Hopes of winning, or even finishing in the top five, were fading. Then the rains came, and the remaining events were postponed until Sunday.Thanks to the performances of Carroll County's Chris Hruska and Tim Lippy, the 75-80 team rallied to a second-place finish, just four points behind defending champion Maple Grove Raceway. It was the second consecutive year that 75-80 finished in the runner-up spot.

One of the highlights of the drag racing season is the Firestone/TNN National Hot Rod Association Northeast Division Bracket Finals at the Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa.This weekend, more than 800 drivers from 17 Division I racetracks on the East Coast and Canada compete to see which racetrack team will record the most winning points in five classes.Today is the final eliminations as drivers in Class I, Class II, High School, Junior Dragster and Motorcycle divisions compete for team points as well as individual purse and contingency awards.

FiresManchester: Firefighters from Manchester and Lineboro responded at 9: 08 p.m. Monday to a smoke detector alarm in the 100 block of Warner Road. Units were out 29 minutes.Hampstead: Firefighters assisted Baltimore County at 6: 46 p.m. Monday at an auto fire in the 5100 block of Black Rock Road. Units were out 45 minutes.Manchester: Firefighters responded at 6: 30 a.m. Sunday to a trash fire in the 4100 block of Maple Grove Road. Units were out an hour.Manchester: Firefighters from Manchester and Hampstead responded at 12: 46 p.m. Saturday to a trash fire in the 4000 block of Maple Grove Road.

A 21-year-old man whose pickup truck failed to negotiate a curve on Maple Grove Road and ran into a century-old walnut tree was flown to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore Friday afternoon, state police said.He was listed in stable but serious condition yesterday, a shock trauma spokeswoman said.John E. Seets Jr. of the 2400 block of Fairmount Ave. in Hampstead was trapped in his truck after the crash, according to fire officials.Police said Mr. Seets was driving his 1981 Ford truck east on Maple Grove and failed to stay in the right lane.

Police today were seeking at least two gunmen who fatally shot a 17-year-old boy and critically wounded a man as they sat on the front steps of an apartment building on Fulton Avenue, police said.Homicide Detective Harry Edgerton said the shootings may be drug-related because police found several vials of suspected cocaine in the building's hallway immediately behind the victims.Dead on arrival at University of Maryland Medical Center was DaShawn Powell, of the 1700 block of St. Paul St., Edgerton said.

Next weekend will be a special one for Cliff Peddicord. He will be making his first trip to the Northeast Divisional Sears Craftsman E.T. Series Finals at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa.What is so remarkable about Peddicord's trip is that he has not been racing very long. The 16-year-old started drag racing the first weekend after he got his driver's license at the end of August and made it to the second round in his first race.The next week, in only his second week of competition, Peddicord won the high school race at 75-80 Dragway.

One of the highlights of the local drag-racing season is the Craftsman National Hot Rod Association Northeast Division Bracket Finals contested annually at the Maple Grove Raceway near Reading, Pa.This weekend, more than 850 drivers from 22 Division I tracks in the northeastern United States and Canada compete in a three-day championship to see what race track will record the most round-win points in five classes.Final eliminations began Friday and end today as drivers in Class I, Class II, High School, Junior Dragster and Motorcycle divisions compete for team points, as well as individual purse and contingency awards.

Three weeks ago, Bill Fifrick of Woodbine had a day that he will never forget. Driving a 1990 Ford Mustang 5.0, Fifrick put together eight great rounds to win his class at the Ford Motorsports Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa. It was a day that everyone dreams of, but very few get the opportunity to experience it."It was a lot of racing," said Fifrick. "No one red-lighted on me, so I had to work every round. I dialed in 12.55 seconds for my elapsed time and never changed it all day."

Nathan Etzler returned to drag racing at 75-80 Dragway in a big way. Hoping to make the top 16 in points after sitting out for 11 years, the Mount Airy driver had a season he will never forget.All Etzler did was win the Class I track championship and the Race of Champions at Maple Grove in the Sears Craftsman Northeast Division Bracket Finals.Coming from a racing family, Etzler started drag racing in a 1968 Plymouth Barracuda as soon as he was old enough to drive. It wasn't long before he was going past the first couple rounds into the quarters and semifinals.

Every year, the top drivers from 22 tracks throughout the northeast United States and Canada converge on the Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pa., for the Sears Craftsman ET Finals.The top 16 drivers from the Super and Heavy Eliminator classes and top eight from the motorcycle division from each track go to Maple Grove not only to win their divisions, but to score as many points as they can for their home track.The 75-80 Dragway in Monrovia has gained national recognition over the years as having some of the best drivers among the local tracks.

Michael Bowen has been busy the past two weeks preparing for the Motorsports Nationals next weekend at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa.The three-day show will attract Ford Mustangs from a number of states, including Maryland, with several drivers from Carroll County.This will be the first trip for the 27-year-old Woodbine resident to Maple Grove, and he can't wait.He has been trying to get his car dialed-in the past month, but bad weather has cut down on the track time he's felt he needed to be ready.

Mickey Kappes had one goal when the drag-racing season started. He hoped to do well enough to earn sufficient points to make the team and represent the 75-80 Dragway in the Northeast Divisional Bracket Finals at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pa., in September.So far, he is on track to achieve his goal. But he knows that the season has just begun and a lot can happen between now and the end of the points battle."This is my first full season at 75-80," said Kappes. "I just didn't have time to run for points before.

Every year, the top drivers from 22 tracks throughout the northeast United States and Canada converge on the Maple Grove Raceway in Mohnton, Pa., for the Sears Craftsman ET Finals.The top 16 drivers from the Super and Heavy Eliminator classes and top eight from the motorcycle division from each track go to Maple Grove not only to win their divisions, but to score as many points as they can for their home track.The 75-80 Dragway in Monrovia has gained national recognition over the years as having some of the best drivers among the local tracks.

Located in Monrovia just across the Carroll County line, the 75-80 Dragway is the home track to most Carroll County drivers. So it came as no surprise that when the awards were passed out last Saturday at the annual banquet, the Carroll County drivers received the most recognition.Joe Mayne of Mount Airy was the overall points leader in Class I Eliminator division. Mayne had another phenomenal year in his dragster and continues to be the man to beat at 75-80."I felt good about winning the championship," said Mayne.

A 21-year-old man whose pickup truck failed to negotiate a curve on Maple Grove Road and ran into a century-old walnut tree was flown to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore Friday afternoon, state police said.He was listed in stable but serious condition yesterday, a shock trauma spokeswoman said.John E. Seets Jr. of the 2400 block of Fairmount Ave. in Hampstead was trapped in his truck after the crash, according to fire officials.Police said Mr. Seets was driving his 1981 Ford truck east on Maple Grove and failed to stay in the right lane.

Located in Monrovia just across the Carroll County line, the 75-80 Dragway is the home track to most Carroll County drivers. So it came as no surprise that when the awards were passed out last Saturday at the annual banquet, the Carroll County drivers received the most recognition.Joe Mayne of Mount Airy was the overall points leader in Class I Eliminator division. Mayne had another phenomenal year in his dragster and continues to be the man to beat at 75-80."I felt good about winning the championship," said Mayne.