ALLSTAR: Port Royal report 96-08-29

United Expressline All Star Sprint Results Port Royal Speedway, Port Royal, PA - Thurs. 8/29/96

PORT ROYAL, PA - Thursday night the United Expressline All Star sprints returned to the Port Royal Speedway for an event rescheduled from a July 13 rainout. It was Donnie Kreitz, Jr. outrunning 31 other drivers to keep the $4,000 winner’s check in Pennsylvania. Kreitz was the fifth fastest qualifier and started on the front row, with Kevin Huntley on the pole. Kreitz led the opening two circuits of the 30-lap race before Huntley moved the Warren Johnson Schnee in front on the backstretch of lap two. Once out front, Huntley made the most of the high groove, leading until lap 12 when he got loose in the cushion behind lapped traffic. Huntley’s bobble allowed Kreitz and third starting Lance Dewease to move to the front underneath him. Dewease’s brickmobile was smoking as he advanced, and the Dyer No. 461 retired to the pits on lap 18, relinquishing the second spot to Todd Shaffer, who had passed Huntley on lap 13 for third. The only caution of the 15 mile event waved for Dean Jacobs’ Frigidaire Stealth, which came to a halt on the backstretch during lap 19 with a flat right rear tire. That caution allowed Shaffer to close up to Kreitz for the restart. The top five were bunched nose-to-tail when the green flag replaced the yellow. Kreitz led Shaffer, Huntley, Dale Blaney and fast qualifier Billy Pauch to the stripe with 11 laps remaining. Kreitz kept his machine as low as possible through the corners of the half-mile oval, while Shaffer’s Gambler was working best on the high side of the track. On laps 21-24 Shaffer pulled even with the leader in turns one and two, but fell inches shy of the lead on the backstretch. Kreitz maintained a car length lead through turns three and four, but his minimal margin was erased by Shaffer each lap exiting turn two. On lap 28 Kreitz was forced high by the lapped cars of Rod Stroup and Van Gurley, Jr., but Kreitz’s Brown-Chevrolet engine had enough power to make the high groove work as well, while Shaffer actually lost ground the last two laps. Kreitz had recently returned to action after a six-week layoff due to a back injury, and his first All Star win of the season is only his second victory since getting back behind the wheel again. He talked about the injury in victory lane. "It’s one thing not to be allowed to race, but the doctor told me I couldn’t work on the car either. It felt like our stuff was six weeks behind when we came back. I couldn’t use those six weeks for accomplishing anything." The Keystone state driver also cited his impressive record at Port Royal, but couldn’t explain the reason for success. "I don’t know what it is about this track, but we always run good here. The regulars here are pretty tough but we have a pretty good win percentage. I was biting my nails at the end because I saw the board under caution, and I knew Todd would be using the high line. I figured he’d get me in a couple of laps since we were good on the bottom." Shaffer congratulated Kreitz after the race, "Donnie held his line and we just went at it. I had a real good chance for about four laps near the end, but I started to get a little loose up high." Blaney finished third and won the Commercial Truck & Trailer Dash and the Outerwears Pre-filters B Main. Huntley was fourth with Pauch fifth. Fred Rahmer, Mark Richard, Keith Kauffman, Mike Wagner and Jeff Shepard completed the top ten. Kauffman advanced ten spots in the B main after failing to make a time trial attempt. He then advanced 14 spots in the main after starting 22nd. The only crash of the evening was Jamie Steffy, who pounded the outside guardrail during the B Main, shearing off his right rear wheel. He was uninjured. Shepard, Rahmer and Danny Smith were the heat race winners. Time Trials: 1. Billy Pauch, Zemaitis 1z, 16.827; 2. Dale Blaney, Hughes 94, 16.858; 3. Will Cramer, Cramer 2c, 17.194; 4. Lance Dewease, Dyer 461, 17.220; 5. Donnie Kreitz, Jr., Kreitz 69k, 17.246; 6. Kevin Huntley, Johnson U2, 17.279; 7. Mark Richard, Kronenburg 5k, 17.321; 8. Todd Shaffer, Beam 88, 17.345; 9. Dean Jacobs, Jacobs 1f, 17.354; 10. Mike Wagner, Wagner 55w, 17.390; 11. Van Gurley, Jr., Gurley 3b, 17.395; 12. Alan Cole, Cole 17, 17.508; 13. Rod George, Penn 5g, 17.515; 14. Dave Calaman, Weikert 29, 17.576; 15. Tim Shaffer, J&M 55, 17.577; 16. Jeff Shepard, Wahlie 1w, 17.581; 17. Fred Rahmer, Hamilton 77, 17.593; 18. Danny Smith, Bodkins 00, 17.596; 19. Frankie Kerr, Shoff 23s, 17.870; 20. Dave Hahn, Hahn 2h, 18.046; 21. Daryl Stimeling, Stimeling 30, 18.071; 22. Rod Stroup, Stroup 21, 18.417; 23. Brian Carlson, SC Motorsports 18, 18.445; 24. Joe Diehl, Diehl 3d, 18.452; 25. Troy Camp, B&C 14jr., 18.459; 26. Scott Matas, Matas 9, 18.480; 27. Jamie Steffy, Steffy 76, 18.539; 28. Tony Greener, Greener 61, 18.618; 29. Von McGee, Ritzman ½, 18.968; 30. Vince Snyder, Snyder 15, NT, 31. Rochy Hodges, Holbrook 8h, NT; 32. Keith Kauffman, Apple 12, NT.

Southwest Expresslines Heat (8 laps): 1. Shepard 2. Wagner 3. Richard 4. Pauch 5. Dewease 6. Camp 7. Greener 8. Kerr 9. George.

ButlerBuilt Heat (8 laps): 1. Rahmer 2. Todd Shaffer 3. Calaman 4. Kreitz 5. Gurley 6. Blaney 7. Hahn 8. Matas 9. Carlson 10. McGee.

Heat (8 laps): 1. Smith 2. Tim Shaffer 3. Jacobs 4. Huntley 5. Cole 6. Cramer 7. Kauffman 8. Steffy 9. Diehl 10. Stimeling.

Commercial Truck & Trailer Dash (4 laps): 1. Blaney 2. Todd Shaffer 3. Huntley 4. Kreitz 5. Gurley 6. Jacobs.

Outerwears Pre-filters B Main (12 laps): 1. Blaney 2. Cramer 3. Kerr 4. Kauffman 5. Hahn 6. Stroup 7. Carlson 8. Stimeling 9. Camp 10. Diehl 11. Greener 12. McGee.

A Main (30 laps): 1. Kreitz 2. Todd Shaffer 3. Blaney 4. Huntley 5. Pauch 6. Rahmer 7. Richard 8. Kauffman 9. Wagner 10. Shepard 11. Calaman 12. Kerr 13. Cramer 14. Gurley 15. Smith 16. Cole 17. Stroup 18. Hahn 19. Tim Shaffer 20. Jacobs 21. Dewease 22. Carlson.