Central Pennsylvania weekend summary 2002-09-07

Titlist Cory Haas wins fourth of year in Lincoln 358 championship.

ABBOTTSTOWN, PA, 9/7/02 - Dallastown's Cory Haas added an exclamation point to a championship season by claiming his fourth win of the year in Saturday' s 25-lap "358" Championship event at Lincoln Speedway.

"We came in here and just wanted to have a good night," said the 2002 champ in victory lane, "Last week, we were patient and just tried to wrap the point title up. Tonight, the track came right to my style. The cushion was way up, and you couldn't get around the top that well at all."

About the only thing that went wrong for the York P.B. Truss No.11C on the night was when new one-lap track record holder Eric Stambaugh drew a "six" pill for the inversion, forcing Haas to start seventh in the "A" main. But that was still five positions further to the front than Haas would've started in a normal handicapped race.

Haas was running sixth when the first caution flew for Joe Ilg on the backstretch of lap number two. By the end of the third lap, Haas was up to fourth, where he ran until getting under Brian Leppo for third on lap seven. He closed quickly on runner-up Dan Dietrich and raced with the former Lincoln 410 champ for the next nine laps before driving under Dietrich for second on lap 16. He then closed quickly on leader Adrian Shaffer, who drove around polesitter Dietrich for the lead on lap three and held as much as a two and-a-half second lead when he entered lapped traffic on lap 14.

Haas and Shaffer raced wheel-to-wheel through lapped traffic on laps 17 and 18. Shaffer was scored the leader of lap 17, and Haas took the top spot by inches on lap 18. Haas had moved out to about a two-car length lead when Shaffer looped it in turns three and four of lap 19, bringing out the final caution of the race.

Shaffer went to the rear, and finished 19th out of the 21 cars running at the end. The caution gave Dietrich one final shot at Haas, but he could never mount a challenge, with Haas pulling away to a 2.08-second win at the finish. The "358" Championship event was worth $1,000.

"It's a shame for Adrian.  I don't know what happened to him there.  Adrian
and I have been battling a lot this year, and I enjoy racing with him.  He's
a good racer.  I wish he'd have stayed in it to see who was better."

Third through fifth were Eric Stambaugh, Jim Siegel, and Scott Ausherman, with Leppo, Alan Krimes, Darren Eash, Billy Johns, and Billy Dietrich completing the top ten.

Time Trials saw three of the 45 drivers break the five-year old track record of 14.566 seconds (set by Mike Lehman in the 358 Sprint Championship on September 19th, 1997).

In the end, 2001 358 Sprint Champ Eric Stambaugh set the new record with a 1-lap time of 14.533 seconds (92.892 MPH). The two other drivers to eclipse the old mark were T.J. Stutts (14.555 seconds) and Brian Leppo (14.556 seconds).

York Haven's Carl Billet became the fourth different winner in four races in the 20-lap limited late model feature.

Harrisburg veteran Charlie Kope led the first six laps from the pole before yielding to fourth-starting Jeff Leiphart on lap seven. Billet, who started eighth, nudged under Leiphart for the race lead seven laps later, just before the first of two race cautions came out for Sterling Kinard, who came to a stop on the frontstretch but was able to restart.

Billet survived several challenges from Leiphart over the final six laps, with Leiphart tapping his rear end twice exiting turn number two on two additional restarts. His final margin of victory was four car lengths, with Bernie Beard piloting the Pat Beard X car to third, Jake Lettich fourth, and Rusty Sites crossing fifth.

Abbottstown's Bernie Beard took one step closer to securing his fifth track championship by winning the 20-lap thundercar feature for his fourth win of the season at Lincoln.

Beard drove his usual methodical race on the dry-slick late-evening track as he advanced from his 11th starting spot to move into the top-five by the fourth lap, fourth by the fifth, third by the sixth, second by the eighth, and then into the lead around Bobby Rudisill on the 10th lap. From there Beard held off Rudisill the remainder of the race to take the checkered 1.42 seconds ahead for his all-time leading 67th career win at the Pigeon Hills oval.

OTHER AREA/REGIONAL RACING ACTION

DEWEASE SCORES THIRD CAREER TUSCARORA 50 VICTORY

Fayetteville's Lance Dewease passed Fred Rahmer on a 27th lap caution restart to take the lead and went on to capture his third career Tuscarora 50 win Saturday night at Port Royal Speedway.

The first 25 laps of the feature went non-stop as Sean Michael led Fred Rahmer and Todd Hestor until the 10th lap when Rahmer tried to get around the full-time Allentown fireman in turn four for the lead. Rahmer make the pass stick, but Michael went high on the next lap in turn two giving Rahmer the opportunity he needed to take the lead.

The field was halted at the traditional half-way point to refuel, with Preliminary Tuscarora 50 winner Greg Hodnett changing tires, forcing him to restart for the final 25 laps at the rear of the field.

Dewease then went low under Rahmer following a 27th lap caution restart to take the lead and then led the rest of the way to pick up his 16th overall win of 2002 over Rahmer, Michael, Donnie Kreitz Jr. and Keith Kauffman. Hodnett came from the rear to finish sixth. The slow and tortuous 15-lap Pro Stock feature race went to Jim Palm who led from start to finish. Palm topped Gary Beward, Todd Snook, Dave Leahy and Matt Parks.

HODNETT SCORES TUSCARORA PRELIMINARY

Memphis, TN driver Greg Hodnett continued his late-season winning spree by out-classing the super sprint field to easily win Friday night's Preliminary Tuscarora 50 25 lap feature.

Hodnett started 11th in the 24-car field and moved into the top-five by the second lap, was third on lap three, second on lap four and moved into the lead on the fifth lap.

The next 20 laps were a matter of formality.

Hodnett's victory was his second of the season at Port Royal and his 19th overall. It also locked him into Saturday's Tuscarora 50 along with Lance Dewease, Don Kreitz Jr. and Keith Kauffman, all who completed the top-four spots.

DAVE CALAMAN TUNES UP FOR SPORTSMAN 100 WITH FEATURE WIN

Dave Calaman tuned up for next weekend's Annual Sportsman 100 by winning the 25-lap super sportsman feature Saturday night at Silver Spring Speedway.

Meanwhile, Frankie Herr of Carlisle finished 10th to clinch his first Silver Spring Super Sportsman Speedway Track Championship to go along with his 1996 & 2001 Sportsman Tour Titles.

Calaman started fifth and took the lead from polesitter Chris Reed on the ninth lap and wen to score his 17th career sportsman feature by about three car lengths over Dave Neuman and J.R. Fry.

Bob Scott Jr. took the lead from Gregg Foster with 13 laps down and then held Foster off over the final laps to win the Stock feature. Meanwhile, Gerry Stutting Jr. wrapped up his first street stock track title with a 10th place finish.

J.R. Fry of Summerdale won $250 in the five-lap Cash Dash.

John Stoll Jr. of Wellsville started on the pole and led all 15 laps of the 4-Cylinder feature event for the win.

STIDFOLE REPEATS, HEIMBACH WINS CLINTON COUNTY SPEEDWAY SPRINT CHAMPIONSHIP

Mifflintown's Shawn Stidfole was able to repeat his efforts of just one-week ago by pulling off back to back sprint car victories at the Clinton County Speedway Friday night in Lock Haven. Stidfole topped the full field of 20 sprint cars for his second win of the season.

The 25-lap race also decided the 2002 sprint car championship, which was the closest margin in the speedway's history with Selinsgrove's Blane Heimbach claiming the 2002 crown by a mere four points over Lewistown's Darryl Stimeling.

REED SCORES FIRST WIN IN PURE STOCK CHAMPIONSHIP

Keith Reed of Hagerstown has had his share of bad luck this season, but on Saturday night he put it all behind him as he drove to his first career win holding off the challenges of Dean Holmes and Steve Kent in the 20-lap Fall Championship for pure stocks at the Hagerstown Speedway.

In other action, Larry Hurley of Thurmont, MD, came from deep in the 34 car field to take the lead on lap 95 to win the Fall Championship Enduro for $800 and James Gress of McConnellsburg, PA outlasted 24 other cars in the Tommy Thompson Memorial Demolition Derby.

$2500 WILLIAMS GROVE ENDURO VICTORY TO CURTIS NICHOLS

Curtis Nichols used a late race restart to wrestle the lead from Neil Foust and went on to score a $2500 victory in the Enduro 200 for stock cars Friday night at Williams Grove Speedway.

It was the second victory of the season for Nichols, 39, a heavy equipment operator from Aberdeen, Maryland, and it allowed him to clinch the season championship at Williams Grove.

Randy Swartz paced the 81-car field through the early stages before David Yingst and Jerry Robinson began a duel for the lead which lasted for more than 70 laps.

Foust, who started 25th, moved into the top spot for the first time on lap 92 and during the next 75 laps he and Nichols swapped the lead nine times. Nichols made what proved to be the winning pass following a restart on lap 167. Foust had built a slim lead at that point, but when the green light came back on, Nichols shot past him.

Nichols, whose usual Saturday night stop pays just $300 to win, was elated with the $2500 winner's share at Williams Grove. Foust crossed the line in second place 5.6 seconds off the winner's pace, but was disqualified for a rules violation. Robinson was awarded the runner-up spot, the only other driver on the lead lap. He collected $1000.

The August Enduro winner, Rick Reinoehl, finished third, one lap down, and late entry Pat Hires along with Phil Levering completed the top five.

REED SCORES FIRST WIN IN PURE STOCK CHAMPIONSHIP

Keith Reed of Hagerstown has had his share of bad luck this season, but on Saturday night he put it all behind him as he drove to his first career win holding off the challenges of Dean Holmes and Steve Kent in the 20-lap Fall Championship for pure stocks at the Hagerstown Speedway.

In other action, Larry Hurley of Thurmont, MD, came from deep in the 34 car field to take the lead on lap 95 to win the Fall Championship Enduro for $800 and James Gress of McConnellsburg, PA outlasted 24 other cars in the Tommy Thompson Memorial Demolition Derby.

-bill meyer-