Lincoln Speedway results 2000-09-16

ABBOTTSTOWN, PA, 9/16/00 - It was called the "Last to First Challenge," and paid $15,000 to win. In all his years, Fred Rahmer had never won $15,000. He did Saturday night at Lincoln Speedway. "This is the best feeling I've ever had in racing...this wasn't about money, this was about pride." One of the many highlights of Lincoln's 12th Annual Manufacturers' Appreciation Race was the challenge for any driver who earned the pole and then was willing to trade it for the shot at the challenge. Rahmer accepted the challenge, and in true Rahmer style, charged through the field to pass Hanover's Cris Eash in the third and fourth turns of the 23rd lap for the lead. He held on over the final two laps to pick up his most lucrative payday ever. It was his 14th win of the year, and the most memorable of his 98 career wins in the Pigeon Hills. Rahmer's decision to move to the rear put Jesse Wentz on the pole for the 25-lapper. Wentz yielded to outside front row starter Matt Wingard, who help the top spot until the caution came out on lap five for Millerstown's Todd Shaffer, who came to a stop on turn three. Wingard abruptly slowed on the frontstretch on the restart, allowing Wentz to take the lead with Cris Eash on his tail. Eash got by Wentz in heavy lapped traffic exiting the second turn of the 13th lap. He built up a 1.7-second lead by the time the caution flag waived for Shawn Weaver, who came to a stop on the third turn. Meanwhile, Rahmer was mounting his charge. After passing more than half the field over the first four laps, Rahmer had advanced to third by the 15th lap and was on Wentz tail for the 18th lap restart. This was where Rahmer faced his biggest obstacle of the night, as Wentz blocked Rahmer until lap 19. But Rahmer was not to be denied, sliding under Wentz in turns one and two and going to work the Eash's 1.17-second lead. A P.J. Chesson spin in the first and second turns on the 23rd lap gave Rahmer the opportunity he needed to make his race-winning move under Eash in the third and fourth turns on the restart, just before Chris Knopp brought out the race's final caution on the next lap. "We got a lot of breaks, and a lot of yellows. We knew that's what we needed. I thought the track being this hooked up was going to be to our disadvantage. Fred Putney had the track so good you could run wide open the whole way around." "We've had our down times," Rahmer added. "But anybody that's got a down time with 26 wins in Pennsylvania against a good group of racers we have...Cris Eash, he was in a no win situation because I was going to run her through the fence rather than finish second. Al (Hamilton) told me we had plenty of race cars. He really didn't need the $2,500 for just winning the regular show. It's not even fair for the other guys for one guy to run for $15,000 because it puts you at a different level." Rahmer then led the final two laps and took the checkered .66 seconds ahead of Eash for his 26th overall win this season. "I have never, ever...World of Outlaw, All Star...ever run that hard at Lincoln Speedway. I love to race so much it makes me absolutely sick." "The $15,000 that Hank and Lincoln put up...that isn't what this was all about," said Rahmer after jumping from his Al & Betty Hamilton-owned Manheim Auto Auction No.77 sprinter in victory lane. "This is about starting last and kicking there (butt)!!" The win capped off a Manufacturers' Appreciation Night that included more than $42,000 in products and services by many of sprint car racing's most well-known companies to the starting feature field, including a J&J chassis to Brook Weibley. "This was really neat," said Rahmer. "When we announced we'd go to the back, the fan support we got, that's not our usual deal but. But hey, they came to watch a show, and we put on a show." "If I start on the front row here I can't win, I can only lose. For me it was a relief to start in the back. I love to race. I ran short tracks my whole life and this is racing here. This isn't just getting in line and going fast, this is the best win I have ever had!!" Jesse Wentz was third, followed by Steve Siegel and Weibley. Completing the top ten were Todd Hestor, Sean Michael, Mike Lutz, James Chesson, and Shawn Keen. Heats for the 37 super sprints on hand were won by Alan Cole, Rahmer, Wentz, and Wingard. Siegel ran the table and won all 11 match races to pick up an additional $1,100 in prize money. Rahmer won the Dash to earn the right to start on the pole - or opt to go to the rear of the feature and race after the bonus. Keith Kauffman won the consolation.

Polesitter Allen Haines gave way to Mike Ciezobka for the first two laps before taking command and claiming his first win of the year in the 15-lap thundercar feature. Haines received heavy pressure from Mike Potts over the final ten laps to pick up his third career Lincoln win and become the 14th different thundercar winner of 2000. Potts crossed second, with Nat Tuckey advancing from tenth starting spot to finish third, Mike Zeigler coming from 11th to finish fourth, and Steve Clabaugh, who started 12th, crossing fifth. Bobby Beard wrapped up his second straight track title with a sixth-place finish from his 17th starting spot. Heats for the 31 thundercars on hand were won by the Zieglers and Haines, with Cork Laughman winning the consolation.

Next Saturday night, September 23rd, Lincoln Speedway will take the night off in observance of the Selinsgrove National Open. The following Saturday night, September 30th, the 358 sprints will compete in there final race of the season at the Pigeon Hills oval. They will be joined by two of Silver Springs Speedway's regular divisions - the super sportsman and street stocks. Gates will open at 5 PM, with racing action getting underway at 7 PM.

<pre> RACE RESULTS Saturday - September 16, 2000 LINCOLN SPEEDWAY Abbottstown, PA 12TH ANNUAL MANUFACTURERS APPRECIATION NIGHT

Super Sprints: Feature (25 Laps) - 1. 77-Fred Rahmer ($15,000); 2. 17E-Cris Eash; 3. 2W-Jesse Wentz; 4. 59-Steve Siegel; 5. 32-Brook Weibley; 6. 7M-Todd Hestor; 7. 1-Sean Michael; 8. 07-Mike Lutz; 9. 22-James Chesson; 10. 53-Shawn Keen; 11. 88H-Lance Dewease; 12. 0-Jeff Rohrbaugh; 13. 65-Johnny Mackison Jr.; 14. 55-Mike Wagner; 15. 84-Alan Cole; 16. 76-P.J. Chesson; 17. 17N-Niki Young; 18. 94-Glenndon Forsythe; 19. 6-Chris Knopp (DNF); 20. 69-Shawn Weaver (DNF); 21. 49-Matt Wingard (DNF); 22. 16-Bill Brian Jr. (DNF); 23. 88-Todd Shaffer (DNF); 24. 7-Keith Kauffman (DNF). No Time

Lap Leaders - Matt Wingard (1-4), Jesse Wentz (5-12), Cris Eash (13-22), Fred Rahmer (23-25)

1st Heat (10 Laps/5 to qualify) - 1. 84-Alan Cole; 2. 6-Chris Knopp; 3. 17E-Cris Eash; 4. 53-Shawn Keen; 5. 17N-Niki Young; 6. 17K-Greg Klarr; 7. 5G-Todd Rittenhouse Jr.; 8. 9-Gordon Senft; 9. 21T-Troy Fraker; 10. C4-Dave Cook (DNF). No Time

2nd Heat (10 Laps/5 to qualify) - 1. 77-Fred Rahmer; 2. 7M-Todd Hestor; 3. 94-Glendon Forsythe; 4. 69-Shawn Weaver; 5. 16-Bill Brian Jr.; 6. 7-Keith Kauffman; 7. 88H-Lance Dewease; 8. 21-Rod Stroup; 9. 65-Johnny Mackison Jr. (DNF). Time - 2:16.98

3rd Heat (10 Laps/5 to qualify) - 1. 2W-Jesse Wentz; 2. 76-P.J. Chesson; 3. 88-Todd Shaffer; 4. 55-Mike Wagner; 5. 0-Jeff Rohrbaugh; 6. 55S-Billy Sims; 7. 29-Dave Ely; 8. 6W-Josh Wells (DNF); 9. 92-Brian Gobrecht (DNF). No Time

4th Heat (10 Laps/5 to qualify) - 1. 49-Matt Wingard; 2. 32-Brook Weibley; 3. 59-Steve Siegel; 4. 22-James Chesson; 5. 07-Mike Lutz; 6. 1-Sean Michael; 7. 461-Curt Michael; 8. 34-Al DeAngelis; 9. 10X-Doug Rohrbaugh. Time - 2:23.33

Manufacturers Appreciation Race 2-Lap Match Race Results - 1. 59-Steve Siegel ($1,100); 2. 84-Alan Cole; 3. 77-Fred Rahmer; 4. 2W-Jesse Wentz; 5. 49-Matt Wingard; 6. 6-Chris Knopp; 7. 7M-Todd Hestor; 8. 76-P.J. Chesson; 9. 32-Brook Weibley; 10. 17E-Cris Eash; 11. 94-Glenndon Forsythe; 12. 88-Todd Shaffer.

Dash (6 Laps/finish determines first four starting positions of the feature) - 1. 77-Fred Rahmer; 2. 49-Matt Wingard; 3. 2W-Jesse Wentz; 4. 84-Alan Cole. Time - 1:24.38

Consolation (12 Laps/4 to qualify) - 1. 7-Keith Kauffman; 2. 88H-Lance Dewease; 3. 1-Sean Michael; 4. 65-Johnny Mackison Jr.; 5. 29-Dave Ely; 6. 461-Curt Michael; 7. 17K-Greg Klarr; 8. 55S-Billy Sims; 9. 6W-Josh wells; 10. 34-Al DeAngelis; 11. 21T-Troy Fraker; 12. 9-Gordon Senft; 13. 5G-Todd Rittenhouse Jr.; 14. C4-Dave Cook; 15. 10X-Doug Rohhrbaugh; 16. 21-Rod Stroup; DNS - 92-Brian Gobrecht. No Time

Thundercars: Feature (15 Laps) - 1. 13-Allen Haines; 2. M1-Mike Potts; 3. 22-Nat Tuckey; 4. 21A-Mike Zeigler; 5. 10-Steve Clabaugh; 6. 5-Bobby Beard; 7. 1-Neil Smith; 8. 8MD-David Prunkl; 9. 3R-Bobby Rudisill; 10. 7-Duane Hahn; 11. X-Bernie Beard; 12. 60-Cork Laughman; 13. 61S-Sheldon Klinefelter; 14. 100-Mike Zeigler Jr.; 15. 39F-Bill Foard; 16. 12M-Jake Markey (DNF); 17. 61-Mike Ciezobka (DNF); 18. 6-Tony Kuhn (DNF); 19. 95-Fred Cullum (DNF); 20. 1W-Mike Walls (DNF); 21. 4-Greg Feltch (DNF); 22. 77-Ken Berwager (DNF); 23. 25-Sean Herrick (DNF); 24. 38-Roy Warehime (DNF). No Time

Lap Leaders - Mike Ciezobka (1-2), Allan Haines (3-15)

1st Heat (8 Laps/6 to qualify) - 1. 100-Mike Zeigler Jr.; 2. M1-Mike Potts; 3. 10-Steve Clabaugh; 4. 61-Mike Ciezobka; 5. 25-Sean Herrick; 6. 1-Neil Smith; 7. 60-Cork Laughman; 8. 1W-Tom Walls; 9. 12M-Jake Markey; 10. 99-Ken Stitt Jr.; 11. 2-Steve Gantz. No Time

2nd Heat (8 Laps/6 to qualify) - 1. 13-Allen Haines; 2. 8MD-David Prunkl; 3. 77-Ken Berwager; 4. 22-Nat Tuckey; 5. 7-Duane Hahn; 6. 5-Bobby Beard; 7. 3-Duane Watson; 8. X-Bernie Beard; 9. 39F-Bill Foard; 10. 30-Bryan Wagaman (DNF). Time - 2:48.06

3rd Heat (8 Laps/6 to qualify) - 1. 21A-Mike Zeigler; 2. 3R-Bobby Rudisill; 3. 6-Tony Kuhn; 4. 4-Greg Feltch; 5. 95-Fred Cullum; 6. 61S-Sheldon Klinefelter; 7. 38-Roy Warehime; 8. 11-Scott Geib; 9. 9J-Mike Johnson; DNS - 88-Bill Brown. No Time

Consolation (6 Laps/6 to qualify) - 1. 60-Cork Laughman; 2. 1W-Mike Walls; 3. 38-Roy Warehime; 4. X-Bernie Beard; 5. 12M-Jake Markey; 6. 39F-Bill Foard; 7. 2-Steve Gantz; 8. 9J-Mike Johnson; 9. 11-Scott Geib; 10. 3-Duane Watson; 11. 99-Ken Stitt Jr.; DNS - 30-Bryan Wagaman, 88-Bill Brian. No Time