Archive for Short Track
ACCORD SPEEDWAY NEWS
Posted by: | CommentsAccord, NY- Rich Ricci Rockets Away To Second Accord Speedway Triumph
By: Steve Pados, Accord Speedway Media
With a week that began with rain, rain and more rain, Thursday finally saw the sun break through and left Promoter Gary Palmer in a total catch-up capacity in order to have the Accord Speedway ready for the Friday night racing action. Palmer accomplished his mission by racetime and the seven division show went off without a hitch and produced some results that had some younger drivers getting wins and some veteran performers gaining some luster after suffering through some problems at the beginning of the season. The evening of speed was presented by the fine folks at the Healey Brothers Car and Truck Dealerships throughout the greater Hudeson Valley. www.healeybrothers.com The checkered flag bonus was posted by AFCO Fuel Company located in Kingston, New York.
Securing wins at the sixth event of the season were "The Chairman of the Board" Rich Ricci Jr as he blistered through the field early to become the first Modified driver in 2016 to earn his second triumph of the season. "Jammin" Jimmy Wells put on a strong bid from night starting place and over took Brandon McGill to go on and capture his fifth win of the season in the Healey Brothers Group Sportsman division finale. "The Conductor" Bobby Butler worked his magic off of the hub rail to earn his third win of the season in his Short Load Concrete sponsored Sprinter. Bob Sleight regained some momentum from his opening night win to wire the field in the Arkel Motors Pure Stock feature. Samantha Muller had an easy run to capture her third win of the season in the Want Ad Digest All Star Slingshots. "The Hurricane" Hunter Lapp enjoys his trips to victory lane and added his fifth win of the season in the WRWD Radio Junior Slingshot main event. Youngster Tighe Sherlock only led one lap of the Ruge's Performance Center Rookie Sportsman feature but it was the last lap and it counted the most as he earned his first career victory at Accord.
"The Ice Man" Dom Roselli blasted into the lead at the start of the United Pump & Tank Modified main with Jesse Marks in tow. Rich Ricci wasted no time to establish himself as a man with a plan as he vaulted past Marks on lap three and went to work to challenge Roselli. Trying various channels of the raceway as he followed Roselli, Ricci challenged low and then took his race to the top only to find the bottom of the raceway to be faster. Ricci got a great run on Roselli down the backstretch and drove his car to the baseline in turn three to pull even and slip past Roselli in turn four on lap ten to assume command of the lead. Once he out in front of the field, Ricci was textbook as he raced away to a huge lead only to have a caution come out on lap-25 for a disabled Ryan Wood. On the restart, Ricci powered away and earned his second win of the season with Roselli a strong second place. Jesse Marks, in his best run to date, was third with Mike Ricci and Richie Eurich completing the top five. The second five were Anthony Perrego, Danny Creeden, Danny Tyler, Ken Ferrier and Brad Rothaupt.
The Healey Brothers Group Sportsman main proved to be Another Jimmy Wells show. Connor Otten, improving with each week, led the first eight laps before yielding to Brandon McGill. McGill raced away to a good sized lead but Wells was coming on strong as he raced to the front from ninth starting spot. A caution on lap-17 for a disabled Nick Johnson closed up the ranks for the restart. As the racing resumed, McGill remained in the front but was now being hard-pressed by Wells. With eight laps to go, Wells powered by McGill with a climb the ladder pass off of turn two and Wells would race away to another win at the speedway. McGill did a great job as he finally was able to finish a race with a fine runner-up performance. Phil Goetchius, Rich Ricci III and Collin DuBois completed the top five. Tyler Johnston, Robbie Knipe, Corey Cormier, Dave Demorest and the returning RJ Smith completed the top ten finishers.
The Arkel Motors Pure Stock feature attraction saw Bob Sleight jump out front with a great start and then drove away from the field at will to claim his second win of the season at the speedway. Hard-driving Jimmy Sykes earned a hard-fought second place finish with Livy Johnson third, Steve Williams fourth and Ray Tarantino in fifth and doing so with a left front flat.
Bobby Butler likes to race to the top of the speedway by the Redi Rock fencing, but on this night he found the baseline of the speedway much to his liking as he led all fifteen laps of the Ruges Parts Center NEWS Sprint Car finale to earn his third win of the season. Larry Ricci put on a close race but a later scramble for position cost him some real estate and he settled for runner-up honors. Brody Adamsky was a steady third with former Quad Champion Eric Jennings in fourth, Fred Proctor, Jesse James Bartleson and Don Smith following.
Jimmy Kraus had everything going his way in the Ruge's Performance Center Rookie Sportsman main but as he got into turn three on the final lap and spun into the fencing damaging his race car. Tighe Sherlock inherited the lead and led the final lap to earn a place in the Accord Speedway history books with his first ever triumph. Jason Feinberg was the runner-up with Matt Shultz, Ryan McCartney and John Dewiit completing the top five.
Samantha Muller led all of the way to claim her third win of the season in the Want Ad Digest All Star Slingshot main event.
Hunter Lapp has been a rocket ship all season long and he slipped past early leader John Kendall to claim his fifth win of the season at Accord. Kendall was second with Ryan Auchmoody, Justin Sleight, Michael Corbin and Ashton Dewitt the final finishers.
GEMSTONES:
Heat races were run off quickly and Bobby Butler captured the lone heat for the sprinters. Samantha Muller captured the All Star Slingshot heat and Hunter Lapp was victorious in the Junior Slingshots. Rookie heats were claimed by Jason Feinberg and Jimmy Kraus. Pure Stock heats were captured by Livy Johnson and Bob Sleight. Sportsman heats went to Brandon McGill, Nick Johnson and Phil Goetchius. Modified heats went to Rich Ricci, Jesse Marks and Dom Roselli.
RJ Smith returned to action as did Vinnie Gress in the Sportsman. Travis Brockner returned in the Pure Stocks but encountered some problems in the feature. Sarah Bohlin, last week's feature winner in the All Star Slingshots ran into problems in her heat event and later scratched for the evening. Michael Corbin detonated a motor in the Slingshot feature.
Healey Brothers Staff George Alicea and Rich Clark were on hand with Healey team members and they enjoyed the racing action. Rich Clark interviewed with announcer Steve Pados and gave the Accord Speedway a glowing report from his vantage point. Clark wants to see everyone seeking a new or quality pre-owned car to visit him at their Beacon, New York showroom located at 557 Route 52 in Beacon, New York or call them at: 845-360-9823.
RESULTS:
United Pump & Tank Modifieds: Rich Ricci, Dom Roselli, Jesse Marks, Mike Ricci, Richie Eurich, Anthony Perrego, Danny Creeden, Danny Tyler, Ken Ferrier, Brad Rothaupt, Lem Atkins Mark Pullen, Ryan Wood, Chad Loidice, Ed Dachenhausen, Kurt Hundeland, Lenny Helmich, Scott Ferrier, Joe Judge
Healey Brothers Group Sportsman: Jimmy Wells, Brandon McGill, Phil Goetchius, Rich Ricci III, Collin DuBois, Tyler Johnston, Robbie Knipe, Corey Cormier, Dave Demorest, RJ Smith, Nick Plumstead, Connor Otten, Ralph Ronk, Cole Hentschel, Nick Johnson, Chris Stevens, Vinnie Gress, Justin Brewster
Ruge's Performance Center NEWS Sprint Cars: Bobby Butler, Larry Ricci, Brody Adamsky, Eric Jennings, Fred Proctor, Jesse James Bartleson, Don Smith Jr
Arkel Motors Pure Stocks: Bob Sleight, Jimmy Sykes, Livy Johnson, Steve Williams, Ray Tarantino, Steve Kanuk, Gary Ronk, Lenny Helmich III, Travis Brockner, Harry Bachman, James Goetchius, Sean Maloney (DQ)
Ruges Part Center Rookie Crate Sportsman: Tighe Sherlock, Jason Feinberg, Matt Shultz, Ryan McCartney, John Dewitt, Kevin Stevens, Chris Van Dusen, Sarah Smith, Tanner Johnson, AJ Williams, Jake Granacker (DQ)
Want Ad Digest All Star Slingshots: Samantha Muller, Sarah Bohlin (DNS)
WRWD Radio Junior Slingshots: Hunter Lapp, John Kendall, Ryan Auchmoody, Justin Sleight, Michael Corbin, Ashton Dewitt, Jake Mason (DNS)
Racing is on tap every Friday night at Accord Speedway from April through September. Pit Gates open at 4:30; Spectator Gates open at 5:00; Hot Laps are at 6:30 and the racing begins at 7 PM. Admission for Adults $14.00; Seniors (65+) $12.00; Children $3.00 (11+ under) Indoor Seating $20.00; Family four pack special: 2 Adults + 2 Children and $20.00 in Accord Bucks for $44.00 (a savings of $10.00) Special event shows do have an increase in admission.
June 17th brings the Dig Safely Night to the Accord Speedway for seven divisions of great racing excitement. An extra added bonus will be the 100-lap 4-Cylinder Enduro event presented by Emmanuel's Marketplace.
June 24th will be Bike Night at the speedway sponsored by Alex's Marine. The speedway is accepting bike donations from Sponsors, Race Fans, Drivers, Teams and Families. Contact the office at: 845-626-1142 or through email at: accordspeedway@yahoo.com
July 1st in just around the corner and once again Saugerties Lumber will present the Fireworks Extravaganza and the Famous Chicken BBQ. More information regarding the event will be added shortly.
July 5th is the Battle of the Bullring sponsored by New York Truck Parts
For further updates and information regarding all of the news and additions to the Accord Speedway, log on to their well documented website at: http://www.accordspeedway.com or call the speedway hotline at: 845 626 3478.
At the Accord Speedway............................................
A TRAIL OF DIRT LEADS RIGHT TO OUR DOOR
CHAD HANGS TOUGH AT NEW EGYPT; BOESPFLUG BAGS NIGHT 3 OF EASTERN STORM
Posted by: | Comments
The United States Auto Club.
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Contact: Richie Murray | richie@usacracing.com
New Egypt, N.J. June 9, 2016.....Chad Boespflug was able to withstand the pressure from the two most successful drivers in "Eastern Storm" over the past two seasons, Robert Ballou and Bryan Clauson, to take his third career USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car victory during night three of "Eastern Storm" Thursday night at New Egypt (N.J.) Speedway.
On the start, pole sitter C.J. Leary slid up in front of Boespflug into turn one to take lead. Boespflug ran the top as Leary used the low line to beat Boespflug back to the line by half a car length at the conclusion of the opening lap.
After a yellow on the third lap, Boespflug stepped up the pressure on leader Leary. Coming down the front straightaway at the end of lap three, Boespflug pulled the front wheels off the ground in spectacular style as he pulled even with Leary for a dead heat at the start/finish line.
Leary was able to hold off Boespflug's pressure for only one more lap. Boespflug got the bite off of the turn two Jersey clay, running down Leary to get to the front of the pack on lap five.
One lap later, Bacon devoured Leary for the second spot and, on lap seven, Ballou bolted from the outside of turn one, cutting across the nose of Leary's machine and stealing his line away to slot into third.
After a lap eight caution, Boespflug wasted no time re-building his interval on the restart, opening up a sizable advantage as the field stormed into turn one.
On lap 12, Ballou swung low by Bacon in turn one for the second position, but still had an enormous amount of ground to overcome as he trailed Boespflug by a half-straightaway at the midway point of the 30-lap feature.
Meanwhile, Clauson had suddenly come alive as Bacon swung wide at the exit of turn two on the 16th lap, leaving the door open for Clauson to grab the third spot.
With 12 to go, leader Boespflug hit heavy, lapped traffic. That allowed Ballou to begin reeling in Boespflug as Clauson went into catch-up mode as he looked to take the upper hand while the Boespflug and Ballou navigated through the backmarkers.
With eight to go, Ballou was right within striking distance, trailing Boesplfug by just two car lengths. One slip-up by Boespflug was all the defending series champ needed to taste victory for the third time in 2016.
Ballou shot to the turn one inside guardrail for an attempted slider on Boespflug with seven laps remaining, but it was to no avail as he got stacked up by the lapped car of Kyle Moody. Boespflug, who was utilizing the middle of the racetrack was able to maintain his momentum to slip around Moody and Ballou to remain at the front.
Ballou put the gold number 1 right on the rear bumper of leader Boespflug while Clauson, in third, rapidly closed on the pair as a four-lap "trophy dash" to the finish ensued.
Ballou hounded Boespflug repeatedly, but couldn't inch his way closer to the confident Boespflug, who didn't flinch down the stretch, withstanding each and every jab Ballou threw his way to take his second USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car victory of the year over Ballou, Clauson, Bacon, Leary, Chase Stockon, Chris Windom, Max McGhee, Thomas Meseraull and Dave Darland.
Entering the 2016 season, Hanford, California's Boespflug had seen three years pass since his last USAC victory. After forming a new team in the offseason set on traveling the USAC National Sprint Car tour in its entirety, the odds were stacked against him. However, with himself, crew chief Davey Jones and car owners Chuck Eberhardt and Fred Zirzow, the team has stepped up to the plate, winning two races thus far in this young season in his NineEight Motorsports-EZR/Capitol Renegade - Capitol Custom Trailers/Maxim/Claxton.
"When we caught those lapped cars, it was really difficult with them running the bottom in front of me, but I saw Robert's nose there and knew it was go time," Chad recounted. "I was trying to minimize my mistakes. I knew Robert and Bryan were going to be right there; they were tough all week. To put an end to Bryan's run is pretty special for this team. It's a brand new racecar and a pretty fresh motor, so it's definitely working the way we wanted it to."
Defending "Eastern Storm" champion Robert Ballou of Rocklin, California came mighty close to returning to victory lane in the 2016 edition of the five-race series despite losing an engine just after taking the checkered flag, but remains optimistic after finishing second behind Boespflug in his Ballou Motorsports/Weikel Sunglasses - Sunglass Central/Maxim/Ott.
"The engine started letting go on us with about 10 to go," Ballou said. "We blew up this thing pretty bad. Don Ott will have it fixed in the morning and we'll get this thing in victory lane at Port Royal. We fell just one spot short tonight, but we got our ducks in a row. We've got everything figured out that we've had problems with. They're going be in trouble on Saturday!"
After winning first two races at Grandview and Lincoln Speedways, Noblesville, Indiana's Bryan Clauson was aiming at joining Levi Jones and Ballou as the only driver in the 10-year history of the event to win three straight "Eastern Storm" features in his Dooling-Hayward/B & H Contractors - Cancer Treatment Centers of America/Spike/Stanton Mopar. Clauson was able to manage a solid third and, in the process, extended his grasp of the "Eastern Storm" title by 24 points over Chris Windom heading into a night off on Friday before the series returns for the final two-race Pennsylvania stretch at Port Royal Speedway on Saturday and Susquehanna Speedway in York Haven on Sunday.
"We needed a 40-lapper," Clauson exclaimed. "We just got going a little too late there. We started running down those guys at the end, we just didn't have quite enough to get there in 30 laps. There at the end, we needed a yellow or something to fall our way. Tonight, it didn't happen. It's been a pretty good run here of late, so I can't complain."
Contingency award winners at New Egypt Speedway included Bryan Clauson (ProSource Fast Qualifier), Mark Smith (Simpson Race Products First Heat Race Winner), Dave Darland (Competition Suspension, Inc. (CSI) Second Heat Race Winner), Chris Windom (Benic Enterprises Third Heat Race Winner) Brady Bacon (Indy Race Parts Semi Winner), Jerry Coons, Jr. (KSE Racing Products Hard Charger) and Shane Golobic (Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Feature Finisher).
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USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: June 9, 2016 - New Egypt, New Jersey - New Egypt Speedway - "Eastern Storm"
PROSOURCE QUALIFYING: 1. Bryan Clauson, 63, Dooling/Hayward-16.362; 2. Robert Ballou, 1, Ballou-16.524; 3. Kevin Thomas, Jr., 4J, 4J Motorsports-16.542; 4. Chase Stockon, 32, 32 TBI-16.608; 5. Chad Boespflug, 98E, NineEight/EZR-16.643; 6. Tony DiMattia, 50, DiMattia-16.689; 7. C.J. Leary, 17GP, Dutcher-16.708; 8. Brady Bacon, 69, Dynamics-16.770; 9. Jarett Andretti, 18, Andretti-16.820; 10. Max McGhee, 17, McGhee-16.855; 11. Shane Cottle, 65, Franckowiak-16.896; 12. Chris Windom, 5, Baldwin-16.922; 13. Mark Smith, 3R, Rock Steady-16.947; 14. Dave Darland, 11, Walker/Curb-Agajanian-16.963; 15. Thomas Meseraull, 66, Amati-17.006; 16. Shane Golobic, 60, Ely-17.023; 17. Landon Simon, 24, LSR-17.025; 18. Kyle Moody, 99m, Moody-17.042; 19. Jerry Coons, Jr., 39, TWH-17.152; 20. Isaac Chapple, 52, LNR-17.159; 21. Dustin Smith, 77, Smith-17.336; 22. Tom Harris, 5E, East-17.365; 23. Aaron Farney, 15F, Farney-17.411; 24. Joey Biasi, B1, Biasi-17.480; 25. Bret Mellenberndt, 97, Mellenberndt-17.533; 26. J.R. Berry, 74, Berry-17.763; 27. Dick Mahoney, 79, Mahoney-18.133; 28. Harris Kohen, 0, Kohen-18.881.
SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (8 laps) 1. M. Smith, 2. Leary, 3. Stockon, 4. Clauson, 5. McGhee, 6. Golobic, 7. Coons, 8. Mellenberndt, 9. Kohen. NT
COMPETITION SUSPENSION (CSI) SECOND HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Darland, 2. Cottle, 3. Boespflug, 4. Ballou, 5. Simon, 6. Bacon, 7. Chapple, 8. Farney, 9. Berry. 2:21.40
BENIC ENTERPRISES THIRD HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Windom, 2. Meseraull, 3. Thomas, 4. Moody, 5. Andretti, 6. Biasi, 7. Mahoney, 8. D. Smith, 9. DiMattia. NT
INDY RACE PARTS SEMI: (12 laps) 1. Bacon, 2. Chapple, 3. Golobic, 4. Coons, 5. Farney, 6. Biasi, 7. Mellenberndt, 8. Berry, 9. Kohen, 10. Mahoney. 3:33.82
FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Chad Boespflug, 2. Robert Ballou, 3. Bryan Clauson, 4. Brady Bacon, 5. C.J. Leary, 6. Chase Stockon, 7. Chris Windom, 8. Max McGhee, 9. Thomas Meseraull, 10. Dave Darland, 11. Jerry Coons, Jr., 12. Shane Cottle, 13. Shane Golobic, 14. Mark Smith, 15. Aaron Farney, 16. Kyle Moody, 17. Bret Mellenberndt, 18. Landon Simon, 19. Joey Biasi, 20. Kevin Thomas, Jr., 21. Isaac Chapple, 22. Jarett Andretti. NT
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**D. Smith flipped during the third heat.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-4 Leary, Laps 5-30 Boespflug.
KSE HARD CHARGER: Jerry Coons, Jr. (18th to 11th)
NEW AMSOIL NATIONAL SPRINT POINTS: 1-Meseraull-975, 2-Bacon-953, 3-Stockon-894, 4-Ballou-854, 5-Darland-834, 6-Leary-825, 7-Boespflug-797, 8-McGhee-709, 9-Clauson-662, 10-Kyle Cummins-658.
NEW EASTERN STORM POINTS: 1-Clauson-234, 2-Windom-210, 3-Ballou-199, 4-Meseraull-188, 5-Stockon-182, 6-Boespflug-179, 7-Thomas-161, 8-Leary-152, 9-McGhee-150, 10-Darland-150.
NEXT AMSOIL NATIONAL SPRINT RACE: June 11 - Port Royal, PA - Port Royal Speedway - "Eastern Storm"
New Egypt Speedway News
Posted by: | CommentsIt's Race Day and The Wings Are Off! The USAC Wingless Sprints will be invading New Egypt Speedway tonight Thursday, June 9th for their only NJ appearance of 2016. Joining them on the schedule will be the NEWS Sprints presented by Burlington Overhead Door to make it a "Topless Thursday."
USAC drivers Bryan Clauson and Kevin Thomas, Jr. will be doing the Low Down and Dirty meet and greet tomorrow starting at 5 pm. NEWS Sprint driver Johnny Cornell will also be doing a meet and greet with candy, goodie bags, and t-shirts for the first 20 people who stop by his car starting at 5 pm.
The Speedway will have TONS of giveaways throughout the night including t-shirts from Craig's Flooring and Route 1 Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, tickets to PST's Summer Fest from AEG Live events, and frisbees signed by all the USAC drivers. Catch the feature winning driver's frisbee and win two free tickets to any Saturday night event.
Pit gates open at 3 pm, grandstands open at 4 pm, hot laps begin at 6:30 pm, and racing starts at 7 pm. Adults are $28, teens 12-15 and military and their spouses with ID are $15, and children 11 and under are FREE. Pit admission is $35 with no license required.
Schatz Out-duels Gravel for Lincoln Park Victory
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World of Outlaws
Contact: Jordan Morris
World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series PR
704-795-7223 | jmorris@dirtcar.com
PUTNAMVILLE, Ind. - June 8, 2016 - Seven-time World of Outlaws Craftsman® Sprint Car Series champion Donny Schatz held off a red-hot David Gravel on a green-white-checkered finish to claim his eighth victory of the season at Lincoln Park Speedway on Wednesday night.
Making their first trip since 1988 to the track located just an hour from Indianapolis, the World of Outlaws returned with a thrilling show that saw Schatz hold on to the lead for all 40 laps to claim the victory and tie Brad Sweet atop the championship standings.
"I wasn't here in '88 but I am feeling old tonight," Schatz said. "This place takes its toll on you - it's a neat little place, very tricky...I'd rather it went right to the end, but I knew [David Gravel] is a racer and he is going to try something - wherever I am at he is going to try and go somewhere else.
"It's a bonus [to be tied in the championship standings]. We are here to win races, and that's what this team has always stood for...we have never been point's racers and I am not going to start that now. We're in a better position than we were a month ago and I know these guys are going to go work their hearts out."
Gravel, who captured the checkered flag the last time the series was on track at I-96 Speedway on Sunday, finished in the runner-up position after he challenged Schatz all night for the win.
"It was really fun racing with the best," Gravel said. "Kyle [Larson] gave us a run for our money there early, and Donny [Scahtz] is a really smart racer and it's hard to go around him, especially with this tight track.
"We will take second tonight, but I really would've liked to win. I would've liked to see how that last lap would've finished instead of having the red flag."
To start the night, NASCAR star, and Larson Marks Racing co-owner, Kyle Larson, captured quick time in qualifying. Larson's time was just a tenth of a second slower than the track record for a winged 410 sprint car set by Danny Lasoski in 2006.
Larson's speed continued into his heat race in which he beat Schatz and the No. 15 Bad Boy/Chevrolet Performance car, who finished second. Gravel and Daryn Pittman claimed wins in the other two heat races, granting them spots in the six-lap dash.
Unfortunately for Larson, his luck did not match his speed as a four was drawn for the dash inversion, placing Schatz on the pole and sliding Larson to the fourth starting position.
In what became a preview for the feature, Schatz and Gravel battled back-and-forth for the victory in the dash, with Schatz prevailing for the win and the pole position for the feature. The only other time Schatz has started on the pole for a feature in 2016 was when he won at Lincoln Speedway on May 19.
When the green flag dropped for the 40-lap A-Main, Schatz jumped out to an early lead over Gravel, who started second in the Big Game Treestands/Nyce Crete & Landis No. 5. Meanwhile, Larson, who started in the sixth position, charged his way to the front of the field quickly. By lap five, Larson had made his way to the third position just behind Schatz and Gravel.
The three drivers remained nose-to-tail, even as they started dicing through heavy lapped traffic. Gravel eventually made his way around Schatz to lead a lap at the halfway point in the race, but Schatz motored back to the top spot the following lap.
All the while, Larson lurked behind the leaders.
The third-place car tried every move imaginable to work his way around Gravel for a shot at Schatz for the lead, but he could never build up enough speed to sling-shot around the second-place car.
Larson's willingness to try anything to get to the front became his downfall. With less than 20 to go, Larson pushed his car onto the cushion exiting turn four causing him to lose control and flip in front of oncoming traffic.
Luckily, the driver avoided collecting other cars and was okay after the crash. Larson retired to his trailer and became a spectator for the final laps.
When the green flag came back out, Schatz again held off Gravel, who stayed glued to the leader's bumper while searching for the right line to make his move to the lead.
As the laps flew by, Schatz and Gravel navigated their way through the lapped traffic while also battling for the top spot. Eventually, with just a few laps remaining the tug-of-war for the lead hit a boiling point.
As the leaders took the white flag for the final lap, Paul McMahan flipped on the front stretch, causing a red flag and a temporary stoppage to the race. McMahan was okay and continued the race, but the stoppage set up a green-white-checkered finish to conclude an already thrilling race.
Over the final two laps, Gravel tried everything he could to steal the victory from Schatz. In the end, Gravel came up just short as Schatz captured the checkered flag and the $6,000 paycheck at Lincoln Park.
"Racing in the lapped traffic was fun, that's what a driver lives for," Scahtz added. "I hope the fans had as much fun with it as I did. It's always nice to come out on the better end of it.
"Tony Stewart's guys are phenomenal, I keep getting a better race car each night and it makes it more fun for me to keep getting in it...more importantly, I think we learned more here tonight that we have in 20 races this year."
Gravel, who sits sixth in the points, just 153 markers behind Schatz and Sweet, scored his 18th top-five of the season and his 13th podium finish.
"It's been a pretty good year so far; we have been fast lately," Gravel said. "Finishing on the podium with two past champions - and I am just a kid - so hopefully we can stay up here and see what happens."
While most of the attention was on the two leaders at the end of the race, Daryn Pittman, in the Great Clips/Sage Fruit No. 9, quietly started and finished in the third position to pick up his series-leading 15th top-three finish of the season.
"It's always nice to race this close to home and sleep in your own bed," Pittman said, who is from Owasso, Okla. but lives less than an hour from Lincoln Park. "This is pretty cool, I came out here and watched a Midget Week race last Thursday and that was the first time I have ever seen the place. This was a cool race to watch and fun to be a part of.
"The guys worked really hard this week and built a brand new car, and we were pretty decent with it. This is the type of racetrack that isn't my best so for us to come out of here with a third, and be solid and right there as the night went on, I am pretty proud of that."
Brad Sweet, who came into the night with a slim point lead, started the feature in the 13th position and charged his way to a seventh-place finish, which earned him the KSE Hard Charger Award for the night.
The World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series will head to historical Knoxville Raceway for the Budweiser Night with the World of Outlaws on Friday, June 10 and Xtreme Shootout powered by Mediacom on Saturday, June 11. For more race information and ticket purchasing options, visit: www.WoOSprint.com/Knoxville-Raceway.
Follow the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Car Series on Twitter at www.twitter.com/WorldofOutlaws, like it on Facebook at www.facebook.com/WorldofOutlaws, or check out the latest videos on YouTube at www.youtube.com/WorldofOutlaws.
Lincoln Park Speedway Notebook
RACE NOTES: Donny Schatz picks up series-leading eighth win of the season and passes Brad Sweet for the points lead...Schatz started on the pole position for the feature for just the second time in 2016...NASCAR star, and Larson Marks Racing co-owner, Kyle Larson captured his first quick time of the season.
CONTINGENCY WINNERS - MSD Ignitions ($25 cash): Bill Rose; MSD Ignitions ($50 cash): Donny Schatz; Penske Shocks ($50 cash): David Gravel; JE Pistons ($50 cash): Jason Johnson; VP Racing Fuels ($50 cash): Jamie Veal; Edelbrock ($50 cash): Jacob Allen; Comp Cams ($50 cash): Joey Saldana; Morton Buildings ($50 cash): Logan Schuchart; Cometic Gasket ($50 cash): Kraig Kinser; Super Flow ($50 cash): Kody Kinser; Craftsman/Sears ($100 cash): Kyle Larson; KSE Racing Products ($100 product certificate): Brad Sweet; Comp Cams ($50 product certificate): Donny Schatz; JE Pistons (Set of Rings): Dominic Scelzi; JE Pistons (Set of Rings): Parker Price-Miller.
SEASON WINNERS: Donny Schatz - 8 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 14, The Dirt Track at Las Vegas on March 4, Stockton Dirt Track on March 18, Stockton Dirt Track on March 19, Silver Dollar Speedway on April 2, Lincoln Speedway on May 19, Weedsport Speedway on May 22, Lincoln Park Speedway on June 8); Brad Sweet - 6 (Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 13, Volusia Speedway Park on Feb. 14, Cotton Bowl Speedway on Feb. 26, Ocean Speedway on April 1, Bakersfield Speedway on April 15, Plymouth Speedway on May 13); Daryn Pittman - 4 (Royal Purple Raceway on Feb. 27, Perris Auto Speedway on April 16, USA Raceway on April 18, New Egypt Speedway on May 24); David Gravel - 3 (Thunderbowl Raceway on March 12, Tri-State Speedway on May 14, I-96 Speedway on June 6); Joey Saldana - 3 (The Dirt Track at Las Vegas on March 3, Devil's Bowl Speedway on April 22, Jacksonville Speedway on May 4);Shane Stewart - 3 (Arizona Speedway on March 6, Devil's Bowl Speedway on April 23, Lawrenceburg Speedway on May 30);Kerry Madsen - 2 (Eldora Speedway on May 6 and 7); Lance Dewease - 1 (Williams Grove Speedway on May 20);Chad Kemenah - 1 (Fremont Speedway on June 3); Jason Johnson - 1 (Placerville Speedway on March 24); Jason Sides - 1 (I-30 Speedway on April 26); Greg Wilson - 1 (The Dirt Track at Charlotte on May 27).
World of Outlaws Craftsman® Sprint Car Series Statistical Report; Lincoln Park Speedway; Putnamville, Ind.; June 8, 2016.
A-Main - (40 Laps) - 1. 15-Donny Schatz [1][$6,000]; 2. 5-David Gravel [2][$3,500]; 3. 9-Daryn Pittman [3][$2,000]; 4. 7S-Jason Sides [4][$1,800]; 5. 41-Jason Johnson [10][$1,500]; 6. 2-Shane Stewart [5][$1,400]; 7. 49-Brad Sweet [13][$1,350]; 8. 71-Jamie Veal [8][$1,300]; 9. 1A-Jacob Allen [12][$1,250]; 10. 83-Joey Saldana [9][$1,200]; 11. 1S-Logan Schuchart [15][$900]; 12. 11K-Kraig Kinser [16][$800]; 13. 4-Danny Smith [18][$700]; 14. 4K-Kody Kinser [11][$650]; 15. 7-Paul McMahan [7][$600]; 16. 41X-Dominic Scelzi [20][$550]; 17. O7-Jacob Wilson [22][$500]; 18. 85-Mike Terry Jr [21][$500]; 19. W20-Greg Wilson [19][$500]; 20. 57-Kyle Larson [6][$500]; 21. 2X-Parker Price-Miller [24][$500]; 22. 91-Cale Thomas [14][$500]; 23. 23-Jimmie Light [17][$500]; 24. 6-Bill Rose [23][$500]. Lap Leaders: Donny Schatz 1-21, 21-40; David Gravel 22-23. KSE Hard Charger Award: 49-Brad Sweet [+6]
Qualifying - 1. 57-Kyle Larson, 11.291; 2. 5-David Gravel, 11.298; 3. 2-Shane Stewart, 11.549; 4. 15-Donny Schatz, 11.667; 5. 91-Cale Thomas, 11.810; 6. 9-Daryn Pittman, 11.849; 7. W20-Greg Wilson, 11.858; 8. 7S-Jason Sides, 11.865; 9. 1A-Jacob Allen, 11.922; 10. 7-Paul McMahan, 11.927; 11. 4K-Kody Kinser, 11.931; 12. 1S-Logan Schuchart, 11.938; 13. 41-Jason Johnson, 11.997; 14. 71-Jamie Veal, 12.000; 15. 83-Joey Saldana, 12.036; 16. 49-Brad Sweet, 12.101; 17. 41X-Dominic Scelzi, 12.148; 18. O7-Jacob Wilson, 12.148; 19. 11K-Kraig Kinser, 12.152; 20. 23-Jimmie Light, 12.156; 21. 85-Mike Terry Jr, 12.184; 22. 2X-Parker Price-Miller, 12.200; 23. 6-Bill Rose, 12.254; 24. 4-Danny Smith, 12.260; 25. 13-Clyde Knipp, 12.290; 26. 11-Daniel Harding, 12.313; 27. 7X-Critter Malone, 12.388; 28. 20N-Hunter Schuerenberg, 12.490; 29. 23C-Tyler Courtney, 12.700; 30. 27Z-Sean Zemunik, 12.866
Heat 1 - (10 Laps - Top 6 finishers transfer to the A-feature) - 1. 57-Kyle Larson [1]; 2. 15-Donny Schatz [2]; 3. 7-Paul McMahan [4]; 4. 41-Jason Johnson [5]; 5. 49-Brad Sweet [6]; 6. 11K-Kraig Kinser [7]; 7. 20N-Hunter Schuerenberg [10]; 8. W20-Greg Wilson [3]; 9. 2X-Parker Price-Miller [8]; 10. 13-Clyde Knipp [9]
Heat 2 - (10 Laps - Top 6 finishers transfer to the A-feature) - 1. 5-David Gravel [1]; 2. 7S-Jason Sides [3]; 3. 71-Jamie Veal [5]; 4. 4K-Kody Kinser [4]; 5. 91-Cale Thomas [2]; 6. 23-Jimmie Light [7]; 7. 41X-Dominic Scelzi [6]; 8. 6-Bill Rose [8]; 9. 11-Daniel Harding [9]; 10. 23C-Tyler Courtney [10]
Heat 3 - (10 Laps - Top 6 finishers transfer to the A-feature) - 1. 9-Daryn Pittman [2]; 2. 2-Shane Stewart [1]; 3. 83-Joey Saldana [5]; 4. 1A-Jacob Allen [3]; 5. 1S-Logan Schuchart [4]; 6. 4-Danny Smith [8]; 7. O7-Jacob Wilson [6]; 8. 85-Mike Terry Jr [7]; 9. 7X-Critter Malone [9]; 10. 27Z-Sean Zemunik [10]
Dash - (8 Laps, finishing order determined first 6 starting positions of A-feature) - 1. 15-Donny Schatz [1]; 2. 5-David Gravel [3]; 3. 9-Daryn Pittman [2]; 4. 7S-Jason Sides [5]; 5. 2-Shane Stewart [6]; 6. 57-Kyle Larson [4]
Last Chance Showdown - (12 Laps - Top 6 finishers transfer to the A-feature) - 1. W20-Greg Wilson [1][-]; 2. 41X-Dominic Scelzi [2][-]; 3. 85-Mike Terry Jr [4][-]; 4. O7-Jacob Wilson [3][-]; 5. 6-Bill Rose [6][-]; 6. 2X-Parker Price-Miller [5][-]; 7. 20N-Hunter Schuerenberg [10][$300]; 8. 23C-Tyler Courtney [11][$250]; 9. 11-Daniel Harding [8][$225]; 10. 13-Clyde Knipp [7][$200]; 11. 7X-Critter Malone [9][$200]; 12. 27Z-Sean Zemunik [12][$200].
JUNE 8, 2016
CONTACT: BOB MILLER 443 513 4456
LINCOLN SPEEDWAY USAC EASTERN STORM
BRYAN CLAUSON NOW TWO FOR TWO IN EASTERN STORM, SIMON CLAIMS FIRST EVER USAC WIN ON THIRLLING NIGHT AT LINCOLN
ABBOTTSTOWN, PA (June 8, 2016) – Noblesville, IN’s Bryan Clauson claimed his second straight Eastern Storm victory in the non-stop 30 lap USAC AMSOIL National Non-Wing Sprint Car Championship event while Tipp City, OH’s Landon Simon picked up his first ever USAC victory in the 25 lap make-up feature. Jeff Halligan held off a determined Chandler Leiby to win the exciting twenty lap 358 Sprint car feature. Twenty-nine USAC sprint cars were on hand with thirty-one 358 sprints taking part in the Wednesday night show at the Lincoln Speedway.
In the first of two USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car Championship Series events, Fremont, CA’s Shane Golobic shot from the pole to take the early lead in the 30 lap A-main event, with Chase Stockon – rocketing on the high-side of the Speedway from the sixth starting position -- following right on his rear bumper. Stockon took the top spot from Golobic on the fifth circuit and pulled a five car lead.
With Stockon powering away, Bryan Clauson charged into 2nd place with his sights set on the leader. Stockon hammered away on the high side as Clauson began to close in just prior to the half way point. Chris Windom made his intentions known as he battled into the third position.
While at one time in Clauson’s sights, Stockon charged forward to an almost 10 car lead while Clauson fought to hold off third place runner, Chris Windom at the halfway point.
Stockon hit lapped traffic on the 18th circuit running in the middle of corners one and two, while Clauson – holding off a hard charging Windom – raced around the high side of the Speedway.
Clauson slid passed Stockon with five-laps remaining quickly pulling a strong lead and claiming his second straight Eastern Storm Victory in a caution free 30 lap event. Clauson earned $6,000 for the victory. Windom would pull by Stockon to claim second position, with Thomas Meseraull and Shane Golobic rounding out the top five finishers.
In the make-up USAC A-main, Landon Simon charged, from the front row, into the lead on the initial start while CJ Leary raced around just inches from the outside guardrail – powering from the sixth starting spot in 2nd position by the third circuit.
The first caution of the evening fell on the ninth lap with an incident that included earlier winner Bryan Clauson and retiring the cars of Thomas Meseraull, Tony DiMattia and Shane Cottle.
Simon launched away on the restart followed quickly by Brady Bacon and Aaron Farney. Switching from running the far top side to the bottom, Bacon closed on Simon running some of his fastest laps of the evening. Inch-by-inch Bacon closed on Simon and was within two car lengths with five laps to go, while Aaron Farney stayed right on their tail.
Bacon moved to the outside coming to the checkered flag but couldn’t make it all the way. Landon Simon would claim his first USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car Championship win. Simon earned $3,000 for the win. Brady Bacon would settle for second, Aaron Farney finished third, Kyle Moody was fourth and CJ Leary came home in fifth.
Ephrata, PA’s Jeff Halligan held off a hard charging Chandler Leiby to pick up the win in the 20 Lap 358 Sprint Car event and claim the $1,000 top prize. Brie Hersey jumped to the early lead before emitting a puff of smoke just prior to the halfway point sidelining the No. 91 machine. Halligan inherited the lead racing hard around the top side with Leiby closing on the bottom. The only other yellow flag flew on the eleventh circuit but that didn’t slow Halligan’s efforts. He ran away at the re-start and claiming his 3rd career Lincoln Speedway victory and his first of the season.
Leiby settled for second place, Matt Campbell finished in third, Jordan Givler in the fourth position and Doug Hammaker completed the top five.
USAC QUALIFYING RESULTS: 1. Chase Stockon, 32, - 15.730; 2. C.J. Leary, 17GP, - 15.891; 3. Chad Boespflug, 98E, - 16.051; 4. Chris Windom, 5, - 16.212; 5. Bryan Clauson, 63, - 16.290; 6. Joey Biasi, B1, -16.354; 7. Kevin Thomas, Jr., 4J -16.358; 8. Shane Golobic, 60, -16.372; 9. Robert Ballou, 1, -16.449; 10. Jerry Coons, Jr., 39, -16.467; 11. Thomas Meseraull, 66, -16.521; 12. Brady Bacon, 69, -16.558; 13. Carmen Perigo, 21, -16.608; 14. Isaac Chapple, 52, -16.612; 15. Shane Cottle, 3, -16.614; 16. Bret Mellenberndt, 97, -16.733; 17. Tony DiMattia, 50, -16.736; 18. Dave Darland, 11, -16.849; 19. Max McGhee, 17, -16.941; 20. Kyle Moody, 99m, -17.111; 21. Lilleandon Simon, 24, -17.266; 22. Tom Harris, 5E, -17.292; 23. Dustin Smith, 77, -17.340; 24. Mark Smith, 3R, -17.376; 25. Harris Kohen, 0, -17.470; 26. Aaron Farney, 15F, -17.491; 27. Dick Mahoney, 79, -17.793; 28. Michael Hamer, 47, -21.018; 29. Jarett Andretti, 18, -22.433.
HEAT 1 RESULTS (8 Laps): 1. Carmen Perigo 2. Bryan Clauson 3. Landon Simon 4. Chase Stockon 5. Tony DiMattia 6. Robert Ballou 7. Harris Kohen
HEAT 2 RESULTS (8 Laps): 1. Jerry Coons, Jr. 2. Dave Darland 3. Joey Biasi 4. C.J. Leary 5. Tom Harris 6. Isaac Chapple 7. Aaron Farney
HEAT 3 RESULTS (8 Laps): 1. Shane Cottle 2. Max McGhee 3. Thomas Meseraull 4. Dustin Smith 5. Kevin Thomas Jr. 6. Chad Boespflug 7. Dick Mahoney
HEAT 4 RESULTS (8 Laps): 1. Chris Windom 2. Kyle Moody 3. Shane Golobic 4. Mark Smith 5. Brady Bacon 5. Mellenberndt
B-MAIN (12 Laps): 1. Chad Boespflug 2 Kevin Thomas, Jr. 3. Brady Bacon 4. Robert Ballou 5. Tony DiMattia 6. Aaron Farney
USAC Feature (30 Laps) – 1. Bryan Clauson 2. Chris Windom 3. Chase Stockon 4. Thomas Meseraull 5. Shane Golobic 6. Robert Ballou 7. Kevin Thomas 8. Joey Biasi 9. Chad Boespflug 10. Jerry Coons, Jr. 11. Dave Darland 12. Kyle Moody 13. Shane Cottle 14. CJ Leary 15. Max McGhee 16. Brady Bacon 17. Aaron Farney 18. Landon Simon 19. Carmen Perigo 20. Dustin Smith 21. Tony DiMattia 22. Mark Smith
USAC Make-Up Feature (25 Laps) - 1. Landon Simon 2. Brady Bacon 3. Aaron Farney 4. CJ Leary 5. Kyle Moody 6. Max McGhee 7. Dave Darland 8. Jerry Coons, Jr. 9. Chris Windom 10. Kevin Thomas 11. Shane Golobic 12. Robert Ballou 13. Bryan Clauson 14. Carmen Perigo 15. Mark Smith 16. Chase Stockon 17. Dustin Smith 18. Joey Biasi 19. Shane Cottle 20. Chad Boespflug 21. Thomas Meseraull 22. Tony DiMattia
DNQ: Dick Mahoney, Tom Harris, Isaac Chapple, Harris Kohen, Bret Mellenberndt
358 HEAT 1 RESULTS (8 LAPS) – 1. Matt Campbell 2. Jeff Rohrbough 3. Jordan Givler 4. Ashley Capetta 5. Tyler Esh 6. Brian Allman 7. Wyatt Hinkle 8. Jake Eldreth 9. Brandon Noel 10. Nat Tuckey DNS - George Streaker
358 HEAT 2 RESULTS (8 LAPS) – 1. Doug Hammaker 2. Brie Hersey 3. Jeff Halligan 4. Chandler Leiby 5. Mike Bittinger 6. Adrian Shaffer 7. Kyle Abrahams 8. Matt Findley 9. Chris Arnold 10. Kevin Nouse
358 HEAT 3 RESULTS (8 LAPS) – 1. Todd Rittenhouse, Jr. 2. Dalton Dietrich 3. Brent Shearer 4. Chris Frank 5. Mark Strickler 6. Trey Hivner 7. Ryan Higgins 8. Cody Fletcher 9. Justin Whittall
B MAIN RESULTS (8 LAPS) – 1. Wyatt Hinkle 2. Kyle Abrahams 3. Ryan Higgins 4. Jake Eldreth 5. Matt Findley 6. Cody Fletcher
358 Sprint Feature (20 Laps) – 1. Jeff Halligan 2. Chandler Leiby; 3. Matt Campbell; 4. Jordan Givler; 5. Doug Hammaker; 6. Ashley Cappetta; 7. 1Brent Shearer; 8. Jeff Rohrbaugh; 9. Todd Rittenhouse, Jr.; 10. Chris Frank; 11. Adrian Shaffer; 12. Tyler Esh; 13. Dalton Dietrich; 14. Mike Bittinger; 15. Wyatt Hinkle; 16. Ryan Higgins; 17. Mark Strickler; 18. Brian Allman; 19 Trey Hivner; 20. Matt Findley; 21. Cody Fletcher; 22. Jake Eldreth; 23. Kyle Abrahims; 24. Brie Hershey
DNQ: Chris Arnold, Justin Whittall, Brandon Noel, Nat Tuckey, Kevin Nouse, Shai Morris
CLAUSON CORRALS WILD GRANDVIEW EASTERN STORM OPENER
Posted by: | Comments- The United States Auto Club.
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Contact: Richie Murray | richie@usacracing.com
CLAUSON CORRALS WILD GRANDVIEW EASTERN STORM OPENER
Bryan Clauson (WoS photo)
Bechtelsville, PA June 7, 2016..... Since starting his third Indianapolis 500-mile race a little over a week ago, Bryan Clauson has been on an absolute tear. Along with picking up the recent "Indiana Midget Week" championship, the Noblesville, Indiana driver had won five of his last six non-wing sprint car starts coming into Tuesday night's "Jesse Hockett Classic" - "Eastern Storm" opener at Grandview Speedway in Bechtelsville, Pennsylvania.
On Tuesday night, Clauson chalked up his series-leading fourth USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car victory in 2016, as well as tallying his 10th overall USAC-sanctioned win, leading the last 17 laps after a torrid battle up front that saw four different leaders and a bevy of others battle tooth and nail in a see-saw war of supremacy.
Pleasant surprises and front row starters Tony DiMattia and Jarett Andretti led the field to the green at the start of the 40-lap event - the longest race on the USAC National Sprint calendar this season.
Andretti got the jump from the outside as the 22-car pack headed for turn one, but it was DiMattia who found the grip to pull ahead into the lead exiting turn two.
By the end of the opening lap, fourth-starting Kevin Thomas, Jr. used the outside groove to motor past Andretti for the second spot.
DiMattia was able to hold off continuous pressure from Thomas until the sixth lap when Thomas outdueled DiMattia up top in the second turn for the lead.
After a yellow for Bret Mellenberndt, on the ensuing restart, Andretti made quick work of DiMattia for second, sliding up in front of DiMattia to secure the position in turn two.
Andretti, whose best career finish coming into the night was a seventh at Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway one year ago, was having the race of his life as he rapidly reeled in Thomas, blasting by him on the backstretch on lap 12. Thomas reared back as he took a shot at him in turn three, but Andretti was able to ward him off for the time being.
As the barrage of sliders between the two continued, Andretti and Thomas stuck like glue as the two ran side-by-side through turns one and two on the 13th circuit, but Thomas was able to assume control to regain his lead.
A yellow on lap 16 halted the action and bunched the field up, but it didn't slow down the clash between Thomas and Andretti up front as Andretti immediately took to the high line on the restart. As the two drag raced down the back straightaway, Thomas pinched Andretti toward the wall, forcing Andretti to crossover at the entrance of turn three. As the two hit the start/finish line on lap 17, it was a dead heat.
A five-car race for the lead ensued with Thomas heading a tight-knit slew of drivers that included himself, Andretti, Chris Windom, Clauson and Robert Ballou. Windom catfished the bottom to take second from Andretti on the 18th lap, but one lap later, Andretti used the middle-road to slingshot around both Windom and Thomas for the lead at the exit of the second turn.
Andretti flew into turn three, nearly knocking down the wall as he sprayed the ecstatic Pennsylvania crowd with Grandview Speedway soil, emerging through the fourth corner four-wide with Thomas, Clauson and Windom underneath him heading for the stripe on lap 19.
All the while, Clauson's car seemingly got stronger on the bottom as Andretti blitzed the cushion lap-after-lap. Clauson disposed of both Windom and Thomas to move from fourth to second in one fell swoop off of turn two on the 21st lap.
By lap 24, the bottom/middle of the track was the place to be as the top began to go away, causing Andretti to begin to fade and Clauson to have it made, as he flipped the figurative switch and cruised by Andretti for the lead and began to pull away.
Despite a caution with 12 to go, a result of contact between Shane Golobic and Shane Cottle, that erased the lead he'd built, no one could match Clauson after the last restart. Clauson was able to seal the deal, winning by a full straightaway and taking his second "Eastern Storm" victory at Grandview, backing up his win in 2012. He was followed to the line by Thomas, Windom, Thomas Meseraull, Andretti, Ballou, Max McGhee, Brady Bacon, DiMattia and Dave Darland.
Clauson's victory was the fourth of his career in "Eastern Storm." The 2011 and 2012 "Eastern Storm" champion now moves into sole possession of eighth on the all-time USAC National Sprint Car win list, surpassing Sheldon Kinser with his 38th career series win in his Dooling-Hayward/B & H Contractors - Cancer Treatment Centers of America/Spike/Stanton Mopar.
"When everybody was all over each other there through the middle part of the race, I just needed to find a clean lane," Clauson explained. "We got moving around and I didn't even really know until the very end, when the bottom got cleaned off, where exactly I needed to run. On the restarts, I just tried to keep my momentum up so I could react more than anything. I kept looking over my shoulder and didn't see anybody, but this place changes so much over 40 laps, you always have to be on your toes. These last eight or nine days have been special. My guys are giving me fantastic cars to drive right now and it's making my job easy."
Cullman, Alabama's Kevin Thomas, Jr. led 12 laps on his way to a second place finish in his 4J Motorsports/Franklin Equipment - CEP Concrete/DRC/Chevy, his third top-three finish in his last four USAC National Sprint Car appearances.
"That battle with Andretti was fun," Thomas exclaimed. "He stepped it up tonight and kept everything clean. I was kind of out to lunch, though, honestly. I missed the setup pretty bad and, when it laid rubber at the end, that helped me. I felt like we had about a sixth place car, but we held on and got a good run out of it."
Chris Windom of Canton, Illinois won KSE Racing Products Hard Charger honors for his run from the 14th starting position to third, running as high as second just before the midway point in his Baldwin Brothers Racing/Fox Paving - AMSOIL/Maxim/Claxton Mopar.
"I was all over the place when I was moving forward," Windom said. "I picked up a lot of ground diamonding turns three and four when guys would slide up and I could get them on the bottom. But, we got to the lead battle and, just because the track is so narrow going into turn one, I ran out of room and jumped Thomas' right rear and fell back to sixth or seven. Derek (Claxton) gave me a great car, though, and we could drive back to a podium run."
Contingency award winners at Grandview Speedway included Bryan Clauson (ProSource Fast Qualifier), Chad Boespflug (Simpson Race Products First Heat Race Winner), Dave Darland (Competition Suspension, Inc. (CSI) Second Heat Race Winner), Chris Windom (Benic Enterprises Third Heat Race Winner & KSE Racing Products Hard Charger), Robert Ballou (Indy Race Parts Fourth Heat Race Winner), and C.J. Leary (Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Feature Finisher).
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USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: June 7, 2016 - Bechtelsville, Pennsylvania - Grandview Speedway - "Eastern Storm" - "Jesse Hockett Classic"
PROSOURCE QUALIFYING: 1. Bryan Clauson, 63, Dooling/Hayward-13.664; 2. Chase Stockon, 32, 32 TBI-13.778; 3. C.J. Leary, 17GP, Dutcher-13.876; 4. Robert Ballou, 1, Ballou-13.900; 5. Thomas Meseraull, 66, Amati-13.934; 6. Kevin Thomas, Jr., 4J, 4J Motorsports-13.937; 7. Max McGhee, 17, McGhee-13.952; 8. Tony DiMattia, 50, DiMattia-14.015; 9. Brady Bacon, 69, Dynamics-14.032; 10. Jarett Andretti, 18, Andretti-14.039; 11. Aaron Farney, 15F, Farney-14.099; 12. Shane Golobic, 60, Ely-14.107; 13. Shane Cottle, 3, Franckowiak-14.126; 14. Trevor Kobylarz, 14, Becker-14.141; 15. Chris Windom, 5, Baldwin-14.219; 16. Mark Smith, 3R, Rock Steady-14.289; 17. Isaac Chapple, 52, LNR-14.294; 18. Dave Darland, 11, Walker/Curb-Agajanian-14.313; 19. Jerry Coons, Jr., 39, TWH-14.326; 20. Kyle Moody, 99m, Moody-14.341; 21. Chad Boespflug, 98E, NineEight/EZR-14.341; 22. Bret Mellenberndt, 97, Mellenberndt-14.489; 23. Landon Simon, 24, LSR-14.559; 24. Joey Biasi, B1, Biasi-14.628; 25. Carmen Perigo, 21, Stehman-14.711; 26. Dustin Smith, 77, Smith-14.860; 27. J.R. Berry, 74JR, Berry-15.222; 28. Dick Mahoney, 79, Mahoney-15.358; 29. Michael Hamer, 47, Hamer-15.527; 30. Harris Kohen, 0, Kohen-16.329.
SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Boespflug, 2. Chapple, 3. Cottle, 4. Meseraull, 5. Bacon, 6. Clauson, 7. Perigo, 8. Hamer. 1:56.30
COMPETITION SUSPENSION (CSI) SECOND HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Darland, 2. Mellenberndt, 3. Andretti, 4. Thomas, 5. Kobylarz, 6. D.Smith, 7. Stockon, 8. Kohen. NT
BENIC ENTERPRISES THIRD HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Windom, 2. Simon, 3. Coons, 4. McGhee, 5. Farney, 6. Berry, 7. Leary. NT
INDY RACE PARTS FOURTH HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Ballou, 2. Biasi, 3. DiMattia, 4. Golobic, 5. M.Smith, 6. Moody, 7. Mahoney. NT
SEMI: (12 laps) 1. Clauson, 2. Stockon, 3. Bacon, 4. Leary, 5. M.Smith, 6. Farney, 7. D.Smith, 8. Kobylarz, 9. Hamer, 10. Perigo, 11. Moody, 12. Berry, 13. Kohen. NT
FEATURE: (40 laps) 1. Bryan Clauson, 2. Kevin Thomas, Jr., 3. Chris Windom, 4. Thomas Meseraull, 5. Jarett Andretti, 6. Robert Ballou, 7. Max McGhee, 8. Brady Bacon, 9. Tony DiMattia, 10. Dave Darland, 11. Shane Golobic, 12. Chad Boespflug, 13. C.J. Leary, 14. Chase Stockon, 15. Aaron Farney, 16. Jerry Coons, Jr., 17. Landon Simon, 18. Mark Smith, 19. Bret Mellenberndt, 20. Isaac Chapple, 21. Shane Cottle, 22. Joey Biasi. NT
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**Berry flipped during the semi.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-5 DiMattia, Laps 6-11 Thomas, Lap 12 Andretti, Laps 13-18 Thomas, Laps 19-23 Andretti, Laps 24-40 Clauson.
KSE HARD CHARGER: Chris Windom (14th to 3rd)
NEW AMSOIL NATIONAL SPRINT POINTS: 1-Bacon-855, 2-Meseraull-855, 3-Stockon-755, 4-Darland-735, 5-Ballou-721, 6-Leary-715, 7-Boespflug-665, 8-Kyle Cummins-658, 9-McGhee-616, 10-Clauson-508.
NEW EASTERN STORM POINTS: 1-Clauson-80, 2-Thomas-73, 3-Windom-72, 4-Meseraull-68, 5-Ballou-66, 6-Andretti-64, 7-McGhee-57, 8-DiMattia-52, 9-Bacon and Darland-51.
NEXT AMSOIL NATIONAL SPRINT RACE: June 8 - Abbottstown, PA - Lincoln Speedway - "Eastern Storm"
Thunder on the Hill
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BECHTELSVILLE, PA (June 5, 2016) – Lightning fast, bouncing-off-the-cushion, wheelie-popping, barely completing a slide-job action – a staple event for any true race fan.
That’s what the ultra-exciting USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car Series brings to Grandview Speedway this Tuesday, June 7 for NAPA Auto Parts Thunder on the Hill Racing Series. The 10th Annual Eastern Storm, featuring a double-header of non-wing sprint car drivers from all over the country – in their only east coast tour — plus action from the exciting NASCAR 358 Modifieds, the premiere weekly division at the Bechtelsville high-banks. Gates open at 5 PM with race time set for 7:30 PM.
Mix the top open-wheel drivers in the country, the unpredictability of Grandview Speedway, with a $6,000 winner’s share and you have a battle like no other – a countless number of drivers could take home the victory.
Defending race winner, Chase Stockon of Fort Branch, Indiana currently sits third in the series points standings. The 28-year-old competitor has proven he knows the quick way around Grandview’s 1/3-mile – capturing the 2014 edition of the Hockett Classic besting a hard charging Jon Stanbrough.
Standing in Stockon’s path is 2015 USAC National Series Champion and 2015 Eastern Storm Champion, Robert Ballou. It’s been nearly two weeks since the USAC National Sprint Series took to the track at Terre Haute Action Track – where Ballou took home the victory. The Rocklin, California native is an easy favorite after claiming a near-record 13 series victories in 2015.
2014 Eastern Storm Champion, Brady Bacon charges into Grandview with the current series point lead over Thomas Meseraull – both contenders in the 40-lap Jesse Hockett Classic. On a chase to complete 200-races this season — and fresh off a start in the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 — 2-time Eastern Storm champion Bryan Clauson has had previous success at Grandview Speedway, winning the 2012 event.
Series regulars Dave Darland, C.J. Leary, Kyle Cummins and Chad Boespflug are all expected in attendance. While local drivers from a variety of divisions are planning on competing including Kyle Moody, Tony DiMattia, Trevor Kobylarz, and Mark Smith.
The 358 Modifieds compete in a 30-lap event with a $3,000 top prize. The event is open to all 358 Modified competitors that meet Grandview rule specifications. Competitors will draw for heat starting positions, where the top-12 qualified cars will re-draw for feature starting positions. The 30-lap event pays $1,000 for a fifth-place finish and $300 to start.
Grandview Speedway kicked off the initial Eastern Storm swing of USAC National Sprint Car Series events in June of 2007, at its inception and has remained one of the most popular events of the week. Past winners of the USAC event at Grandview Speedway include: Levi Jones (2007, 2010), Jesse Hockett (2009), Bobby East (2011), Bryan Clauson (2012), Daron Clayton (2013) and Chase Stockon (2014).
General Admission ticket pricing for Tuesday, June 7 is $30 for Adults, Children 6-11 are $10 and Kids 5 & under are FREE! Pit Admission pricing is $35.
Advance tickets are on sale now and may be ordered by calling 443-513-4456. Please provide your name and the number of tickets requested. Tickets may be picked up and paid for on race night after 3:30 PM. Advance ticket holders may enter the grandstands at 4:30 PM, one half hour prior to the sale of General Admission tickets.
Action kicks off early at 4:30 PM with the popular Low Down & Dirty Radio Show Meet & Greet taking place right outside the main entrance featuring: Robert Ballou, Thomas Meseraull and Tony DiMattia.
Grandstand Gates open at 5:00 PM and Racing starts at 7:30 PM
Celebrating the 27th season of racing action NAPA Auto Parts Thunder on the Hill Racing Series always includes fun for the fans with activities such as: Pre-Race Pit Tours, the Inside/Out Experience – where fans can sign-up to watch hot laps from the infield, JOE “THE PIZZA DUDE”, giveaways, fireworks and appearances by the Thunder Girls.
NAPA Auto Parts continues their long run with Thunder on the Hill as the Series title sponsor joined by: Pioneer Pole Buildings, Quaker Steak & Lube, and GALCO Business Communications.
For full rules, format, purse and information visit: www.thunderonthehillracingseries.com
Grandview Speedway
GPS USERS: 43 Passamore Road, Bechtelsville, PA 19505
Located less than a mile off Route 100, 10 miles north of Pottstown, PA
Speedway Phone: 610-754-7688
Thunder on the Hill Racing Series Phone: 443-513-4456
Series Website: http://www.thunderonthehillracingseries.com
Track Website: http://www.grandviewspeedway.com
Twitter/Instagram: @TOTHRACING, #TOTHRACING
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thunderonthehill
Advanced Ticket Entrance: 4:30 PM
Low Down & Dirty Meet & Greet: 4:30 PM
Grandstand Gates: 5:00 PM
Racing: 7:30 PM
General Admission Ticket Pricing: Adults: $30 Children 6-11: $10 Kids 5 & Under: FREE!
Pit Admission: $35
