The weather man co-operated and 32 600 micro sprints signed in for the first of 17 tour races.  It was a great night of racing with three heats and a B-Main.  We would like to thank everyone for a great fun filled night of racing.  Thanks to all our officals, drivers and fans.

Cory Gramlich received the Aero Wings hard luck award after flipping his car in between turns one and two during the feature.

Double Duty Dave Murdick Scores BRP Win!

Last week’s Diehl Auto Group DIRTcar Modified feature was one for the ages, as Jim Weller Jr. and Del Rougeux Jr. waged an epic battle that thrilled the crowd.  While Weller was away to watch his son race down south, Rougeux was knocking on the door again last night, but met a quick, abrupt end after being collected by a lapped car.  Friday Night was all about Dave Murdick.  After starting on the front row alongside Rex King Jr., Murdick jumped out to a quick lead.  By lap nine, Rougeux made his way to the front and was on Murdick’s back bumper as they started to lap the tail of the field.  For the next 12 laps, Rougeux chased and tested Murdick’s mettle, but his challenge came to a frustrating end on lap 21 when a lapped car made an evasive move in front of the leaders and destroyed Rougeux’s front end.  Rougeux got a free ride to the pits on the business end of a tow truck, leaving Murdick to battle King Jr. and Brian Swartzlander.

With just 10 laps remaining, Murdick was relatively unchallenged as King and Swartzlander battled for second.  Murdick had to face one last round of lapped traffic, but held true to score an emotional win in the 30-lap BRP Tour/Diehl Auto Group DIRTcar Modified feature.  Murdick’s 16^th career Lernerville feature was also his second career BRP Tour Feature win.

WEISS DOMINATES AGAIN

Weiss who started the day off by winning his heat secured himself with a 6^th starting spot in the feature; Weiss wasted no time and jumped to an early second following Kevin sexton on the bottom. He then moved up to the middle groove and got past the veteran Kevin sexton. He continued to pull away the whole race until a yellow came out with few laps to go but managed to hold off Kevin for the win.

Joining Braxton in the Seltzer’s Smokehouse Meats Winner’s Circle were: Richie Hartman (270cc); Cody Drace (125cc); Ken Miller (Sportsman); and Peter Michael (250cc Four-Stroke).

The soon-to-be 20-year-old Braxton, in his first full season of competition at the Clyde, struggled with handling issues during the early part of the campaign. “We were trying all sorts of things with the front axle during the first five races, and it wasn’t working,” explained the resident of West Grove, Pa. “Tonight, we just went back to a basic set-up, and what a difference! The car was just great all night long.”

Braxton, the grandson of well-known dirt Modified standout Bobby Braxton, led every lap of the feature, beating his front row starting mate Brittany Brown to the checkered flag by seven-tenths of a second.

Kory Merkey registered an impressive third-place finish, while Mark Yoder and Bob DeVault crossed the stripe in fourth and fifth, respectively.

Braxton, Brown, and Yoder won heat races for the 32 entrants, and Heath Hehnly notched the consolation triumph.

By virtue of his 13th place finish, Shaun Brandel was the recipient of the Kelly Fuels Gas It Up Award.

The path to victory - his second in a row and third overall - was not as easy for Hartman as it was for Braxton. The two-time and defending 270cc point champion was forced to run the consi, which he won, relegating him to the 19th starting position as the 25-lapper went green. And Hartman needed every one of those 25 trips around the banked oval, as he executed the winning pass on Josh Stoyer in turns one and two on the final circuit.

Stoyer set the pace for the vast majority of the event. But the engine in his Viper Chassis No. 3 began to sour in the waning laps of the race, allowing Hartman to erase the huge cushion built up by the young charger from Reading, Pa. As the lead duo roared under the white flag and into the first corner, Stoyer was not able to hug the bottom, leaving just enough room for Hartman to shove the nose of his RTS No. 39 under the leader’s car.

“Josh was definitely slowing at the end,” noted Hartman after the race. “I just had to try that move on the last lap…I would have hated myself if I hadn’t given it a shot.”

Hartman’s right-rear slapped the left-front wheel on Stoyer’s car as he took command, but the contact was incidental; just a product of the tight-quarters in which the two waged their duel. Hartman went on to record the victory, with Stoyer’s motor expiring just as he crossed the line as the disappointed runner-up.

Brandon Bucher turned in his best Lanco performance with a third-place effort, with Jesse Maurer and Chip Geib completing the top five.

The 27-car field was split into three qualifying heats, with Sheena Schaefer, Bucher, and Pete Skias claiming the wins. As mentioned, the consi went to Hartman.

“I never thought we’d win from 19th,” said Hartman afterwards. “We were junk in the heat race. But my dad kind of lit a fire under me, and we got the car right for the feature.”

After suffering through a miserable night on May 15, Cody Drace rebounded nicely on Saturday, winning his first of the year in the 125cc Micro-Sprint class.

Drace snatched the top spot from Ray Miller on the tenth revolution, then maintained a comfortable margin over Sonny Sweitzer for the duration of the 25-lap main event.

Sweitzer notched a well-deserved second, and Jesse Maurer came from 19th on the starting grid to finish third. Miller and Mark Yoder rounded out the top five at the checkered.

With 21 of the 125cc racers in the pit area, Ryan Wilson and Drace were victorious in the two qualifying heats.

In the previous week’s Sportsman feature, Ken Miller experienced the agony of defeat. He tangled with a lapped car while leading, marking yet another race where victory slipped through his fingers. Miller was not about to let that happen in Saturday’s 25-lapper, although he did have at least one close call when a slower car caromed off the left side of his No. 7P when Miller slowed as the yellow was displayed. Fortunately, the damage was minimal and it did not deter the wheel-twister from Birdsboro, Pa. from his appointed mission.

Starting fifth, Miller grabbed the lead from Wesley Fasnacht with five laps complete. He motored away on a handful of restarts and raced under Tim Gehret’s checkered flag with a lead of .872-seconds over runner-up Jamie Fetterolf. It was Miller’s second Sportsman triumph of the 2010 season.

Fetterolf, the current point leader in the Sportsman class, climbed from his eleventh starting spot to earn second-place money. Jeff Hughes, Fasnacht, and Billy Logeman made up the top five when the race ended.

Winning the three heat races were Brett Wanner, Miller, and Dwayne Mathias. Joel Tolley won the consolation as a field of 28 Sportsman entered the night’s program.

Fetterolf earned the Valken Racing Fast Lap of the Week, turning a quick lap of 11.342 seconds during the feature.

Webster’s Dictionary may have discovered a new definition for the word “domination” during Saturday’s main event for the 250cc Four-Stroke Micros. Look up that word, and there might be a photo of Peter Michael next to it.

Michael, the Lititz Pa. teenager, simply blew past his competitors during the early stages of the 25-lapper, blazing his way from ninth to the lead in just two laps. From that point on, A.J.’s younger brother cruised into his own zip code, scorching the oval and winning his second of the season by an astounding 6.7 seconds over Chip Geib.

Geib slowed to a stop on the initial start, then came from the rear to pass Craig DeSantis for second position in the final segment of the race. DeSantis hung on for third, with Jared Esh placing fourth and Lewis Kepple, Jr. finishing fifth.

Geib and Jessica Mohler won heat races for the Four-Strokes. In the first few laps of the feature, Mohler appeared to have a car that might keep pace with Peter Michael. Unfortunately, her evening came to a premature conclusion, as mechanical issues forced her to the sidelines prior to the halfway point.

This was the first of seven events to be recorded and broadcast on a tape-delayed basis by Blue Ridge Cable Channel 11. The Cable 11 cameras return this Saturday, May 29, as the Lanco club celebrates the holiday weekend with its annual Memorial Day Open Show. The five weekly Micro-Sprint classes will compete in qualifying heats, consolations, and 30-lap features, and they won’t have to worry about point battles during this program. The Open Show is all about cash and the glory associated with winning the Memorial Day main events.

In addition, the Micros will be joined by the Xcel 600 Modifieds, who are anxious to display their broadsliding brand of excitement to the Cable 11 audience. Last year, a stellar field of 44 Xcel 600’s made the haul to Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway for this big event.

The entire racing program will be sponsored by Bud’s Spring Service of Lancaster.

The time schedule for the Memorial Day Open Show is a bit different from the weekly agenda. This Saturday, gates will open at 2 p.m., with warm-ups slated for 4:15. The heat races will commence immediately following hot laps.

Sunday, May 30, and Monday, May 31st, will serve as the rain dates for the Memorial Day Open Show.

Help us honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service to this great country and at the same time, LIVE the excitement that is Lanco!

RESULTS:
600cc Feature, 25 laps: 1.Shane Braxton, 2.Brittany Brown, 3.Kory Merkey, 4.Mark Yoder, 5.Bob DeVault, 6.Shane Lewis, 7.Brent Ely, 8.Jeff Halligan, 9.Tyler Esh, 10.Ken Miller, 11.Tom Kohler, 12.Mark Ludwig, 13.Shaun Brandel, 14.Bruce Ginther Jr., 15.Heath Hehnly, 16.Ryan Wilson, 17.Mike Rutherford, 18.Chris Gerhart, 19.Dave Brown, 20.Jon Stewart, 21.Tyler Ross, 22.Mike Freed, 23.Jamie Kostic, 24.Tim Buckwalter.

270cc Feature, 25 laps: 1.Richie Hartman, 2.Josh Stoyer, 3.Brandon Bucher, 4.Jesse Maurer, 5.Chip Geib, 6.Steve Drevicki, 7.Jason Swavely, 8.Nick Skias, 9.Billy Logeman, 10.Greg Miller, 11.Terry Ellex, 12.A.J. Michael, 13.Phil Rupert, 14.Zack Fouse, 15.Roger Graham III, 16.Christi Sweigart, 17.Sheena Schaefer, 18.Kerry Lengle, 19.Devin Harron, 20.Dave Grube, 21.Todd Steffy, 22.Pete Skias. DNS: Edward Holz II. DQ: Jay Batdorf.

La Salle, IL (May 22, 2010) – Before one of the largest crowds in the history of La Salle Speedway, reigning Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series Champion, Scott Bloomquist of Mooresburg, TN raced to the win. This victory marks his 21^st career series win and the 390^th of his Hall of Fame career. The Annual Spring Shootout on Saturday Night earned Bloomquist $10,000 for his triumph. Bloomquist crossed the line ahead of 11^th starting Earl Pearson Jr. of Jacksonville, FL. Pearson passed Jimmy Owens of Newport, TN on the final lap for second. Owens saw his three-race win streak end by finishing third. Eighteenth starting Matt Miller of Waterville, Oh finished fourth followed by Doug Drown of Wooster, OH; who recorded his best ever LOLMDS finish in fifth.

Red Buck Cigars Fast Qualifier Mark Burgtorf and Bloomquist made up the front row for the eighth appearance for the LOLMDS at La Salle Speedway. Bloomquist grabbed the early lead, setting the pace, followed by Burgtorf, Mike Marlar, Drown and Ray Cook. Marlar challenged Drown for third as the two went back-and-forth for three laps with Drown finally regaining the spot.

Up front, Bloomquist held a narrow lead over Burgtorf, who was making his first Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series start of 2010. At the same time, a tremendous battle for third was taking place between Drown, Marlar, and Cook. Drown, who had broken away from Marlar, began to put the pressure on Burgtorf for second by lap ten.

Drown cleared Burgtorf for second on lap eleven as he started to make a run on the leader, Bloomquist. Bloomquist had started to pick-up the tail end of the field by lap 15, allowing Drown to close even closer. Bloomquist put, Quarter Master Rookie of the Year contender, Eric Wells, a lap down. Wells then stayed between Bloomquist and Drown until the first caution of the race came out on lap 25 for a spinning Dale McDowell.

On the restart, Bloomquist was out in front for the Delaware double-file restart with Drown and Owens. With 30 laps in the books Bloomquist was starting to receive some heavy heat from Owens and Pearson, who was now up to third, as he had come from the inside of row number six. Matt Miller was now in the hunt as the 18^th starting spot driver had moved within striking distance of the leaders.

A caution for debris on lap 36 slowed the field once more. Bloomquist had to fight off challenges from both Owens and Pearson. On the restart Owens and Pearson crowded Bloomquist on his deck lid as the duo made the Team Zero captain work hard for the lead.

Owens tried lap after lap to sneak to the inside of Bloomquist coming off of turn four. He pulled even with Bloomquist coming down the main straightaway multiple times, but Owens could not clear Bloomquist to take over the lead. With six laps to go, the final yellow came out for Steve Casebolt.

Bloomquist re-fired for the final restart of the race and pulled away from Owens. Bloomquist went on unchallenged the remainder of the race to pick up his fourth Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series win of the season. The duo of Bloomquist and Owens are now tied for the Lucas Oil Championship Points Standings with 1565 points, and Pearson closely behind in third.

In the Sunoco Race Fuels Road to Wheatland Victory Lane, Bloomquist mentioned that the last restart was to his benefit and felt that it killed Owens’ chance for the win. “The car fired real well out of the corner, we had a push across the corner on the other side, I saw his nose a couple of times before the caution, but under the caution we slowed down enough to keep the tires warm, because I knew he (Owens) went with a little harder on the left rear, I have to thank Tommy Hicks, my crew chief and the entire crew, they did a great job getting this car ready, we’ve run the Jay Dickens and the Vic Hill, both are great engines.”

The 46-year-old Bloomquist drives his own Bloomquist Race Cars Monte Carlo SS powered by a Vic Hill Racing Engine and sponsored by Miller Brothers Construction/Hawkeye Trucking/Sweet Mfg/VP Racing Fuels/Hoosier Tires/Arizona Sport Shirts/Ohlins and Lane Automotive.

Pearson finished second, passing Owens on the last lap, in the Bobby Labonte Racing/Lucas Oil Products/MasterSbilt Dodge Charger to maintain third in the points standings. Owens, who fell into a tie with Bloomquist for the points lead after entering the event leading by 30, was third in the Mike Reece/Reece Monument/Bloomquist Race Cars Ford Fusion.

Completing the top five were Miller, who charged from 18^th to earn the PBM/Erson Cams Hard Charger of the Race was fourth in the McCullough Industries/Gressman Racing Engine/MasterSbilt; with Drown scoring his best ever Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series finish in the Wooster Glass Company/Malcuit Racing Engines/Lazer Chassis.

Completing the top ten were Dennis Erb, Jr. of Carpentersville, IL; Don O’Neal of Martinsville, IN; Ray Cook of Brasstown,NC; Tim Isenberg of Marshfield, WI; and John Blankenship of Williamson, WV.

For the latest breaking news on the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, log on to www.lucasdirt.com or call the series office at (951) 532-2503.

Jimmy Horton Has Banner Night at New Egypt

New Egypt, NJ (May 22, 2010) – Jimmy Horton of Neshanic, NJ picked up his first victory of the season at New Egypt Speedway on Saturday night as he captured the 30 lap Banner Night feature event sponsored by Roma Bank. Horton, who started 7th, grabbed the lead on lap 14 from David Van Horn and never looked back. The victory was the 17th at New Egypt for Horton.

“We had to come up with a new gameplan,” stated Horton very matter of factly, “We have had a very slow start. I think we changed everything on the car but the number.” David Van Horn grabbed the lead at the start of the event driving Brian Truppi’s #02 and controlled the early part of the event chased by Ron John Koczon, Frank Cozze Jr. and Horton. Thru the first ten laps Van Horn pulled away at will, but then Horton began to track him down and finally on lap 14 a turn 4 slider put him in the lead. Once in front, It was all Horton as he pulled away with ease leaving everyone else to battle for second. The final five laps saw Van Horn’s car start to go away as he began to fade, as a late race charge by Keith Hoffman put him second at the checkered. Billy Pauch, who looked like he would not crack the top five did was he does best, that is get the most he can get out of what he has and still make it work as he ended up third by pure determination. Bobby Drayton had a great run all night long and ended up fourth followed by Van Horn who hung on for a top five finish.

HENDRICKSON HAULS IN $2600 AT BRIDGEPORT SPEEDWAY

BRIDGEPORT, NJ (May 23, 2010) - On Ciconte’s Pizza Wild Wing Night at Bridgeport Speedway, Wade Hendrickson won the Big Block Modified feature and took home the $2600 prize for first place with the expanded entry list. In the Crate Modified event, Neal Williams was the victor. Chuck Palmucci collected the checkered flag in the
Tri-State Racesaver Series Sprint Car contest.

Polesitter Jesse Hill led the first two circuits of the 25-lap Big
Block Modified feature before Tommy Scheetz, Jr. used the outside
groove to overtake Hill. On the fourth tour, Hill lost two more places
as Brian Kressley took over second and Wade Hendrickson gained third place. Kressley reeled in Scheetz, Jr, and motored by him on lap 7. Just as Kressley began to enter lap traffic, the first yellow came out as Hill and Butch Tittle simultaneously slowed down on the speedway. When action got back underway, Kressley maintained the top spot but
Hendrickson scooted around Scheetz, Jr. for the runner-up position. On lap 10, both Richie Pratt, Jr. and Ryan Watt motored by Scheetz, Jr. and began a tooth and nail fight for third place that was eventually won by Pratt, Jr. Back at the top, Kressley began to confront heavy lap traffic on lap 15. Hendrickson eventually closed in on the leader and was able to get by Kressley on lap 17. As the top two still negotiated congestion on the track, Pratt, Jr. narrowed the gap and passed Kressley for second on lap 20. With Pratt, Jr. appearing to be making a bid for the lead, the final yellow flag was waved for a spin by Chic Cossaboone on lap 23. On the single file restart, Hendrickson outgunned Pratt, Jr. and went unchallenged in the final two laps to collect his forty-fifth career Big Block Modified win at Bridgeport Speedway. With the entries for the Big Block Modified class numbering over twenty-four cars, Hendrickson received a $2600 check for his win. Pratt, Jr. wound up in second place with Kressley taking home a strong third place finish. Chad  James passed Ryan Watt on the last lap to garner the fourth spot. The Big Block Modified heat winners were Kressley, Mike Franz, and Bob Sarkisian. The consolation race was won by Jack Hartnett.

Ransomville, NY – Friday, May 21, 2010 – A total of 116 cars entered competition last Friday night at the big R – Ransomville Speedway.  Despite mother natures’s best efforts – the management stayed strong and was able to complete the four division show which featured twin 50’s for the Sportsman and Streetstock divisions. Late afternoon showers did not deter race fans as a great crowd was on hand to witness plenty of side by side racing action through-out the night.

Danny Johnson of Rochester, NY took top honors for the second week in a row aboard the thirty lap Mighty Taco Modified feature main. Johnson took the lead away from Todd Gordon late in the event aboard his Waste Management sponsored #27j and quickly pulled away from the field. Johnson took the win followed by Gordon who held on for second. Pete Bicknell finished in the third position followed by Todd Burley and Boyd MacTavish.

“THE HURRICANE” WINS HOLDOVER RACE; BIG MEMORIAL WEEKEND EVENT SCHEDULED WITH THREE WAYS TO SAVE

Steve Paine, a nine time DIRTcar Modified track champion at the Canandaigua Speedway, took the holdover 35 lap DIRTcar Modified main that kicked off the night.  Currier, in just his first full season in a DIRTcar Modified dominated the 35 lap feature.

DIRTcar Modifieds. Rescheduled from Saturday, May 15 (35 laps)_ 1. STEVE PAINE  2. Danny Johnson 3. Brian Swarthout 4. Rob Bellinger 5.  Dave Allen  6. Chad Homan 7. Tim Currier 8. Vince Vitale 9. Charlie Donk 10. Paul Habeck 11. Derrick Podsiadlo 12.  Justin Haers 13. Mike O’Brien 14. Dave Rauscher 15. Eldon Payne Jr. 16. Ron Cartright 17. Don Slover 18. Marcus Dinkins.

The “Hurricane” Blows through Can-Am; Hulsizer, White, Scott, Kidd, Smith and Belcher Win

LaFargeville NY… Steve Paine has been known as the “Hurricane” of DIRTcar Racing. On Friday, May 21, 2010, that storm flew through Chapman’s Can-Am Motorsports Park as Paine took the checkers in the Modified division. The evening, sponsored by Watertown Power Sports also featured the DIRTcar Sportsman, DIRTcar Crate Late Models, IMCA Modifieds, Street Stocks, Thunder Cars and Purestocks.

“Last week my car would only work in one spot around the speedway and that made it hard,” commented Steve Paine from victory lane. “It was a tacky slick last week and this week it was a little drier. I don’t mind the track either way but this place is a dream. Tonight I was able to go wherever I wanted and it worked. We just worked.”

The 22 car field was led to the green by Kevin Gamble and Jason Potter. Potter controlled the opening laps as the high side of the speedway suited his car. Billy Dunn and Steve Paine quickly and quietly moved through the speedway. Dunn attempted to move around Steve Paine for the sixth position but was not able to as Paine would keep his 7x machine in control around the track. Tim O’Brien’s small block modified was a strong force early. O’Brien ran in the second position and closed the gap on then leader Potter in hopes of taking advantage of any window of opportunity. Steve Paine picked away as he moved high around Matt Billings to enter the top five before moving around Tim Kerr, Lance Willix and Tim O’Brien before finishing his pursuit to the front around Jason Potter for the lead. Billy Dunn followed him as he also picked away at the field and slip into second. The field worked around the track for 30 circuits without a yellow making an even more interesting finish. Billy Dunn hoped to overtake Steve Paine but the Hurricane prevailed and took the win.