“The Steel City Outlaw” thrills home crowd at Lernerville Kasey Kahne drops in to headline stacked All Star field Frank, Kelley and Young win support Features 6.5
“The Steel City Outlaw” thrills home crowd at Lernerville
Kasey Kahne drops in to headline stacked All Star field
Frank, Kelley and Young win support Features
Sarver, PA (June 6, 2009) What was already shaping up to be one of the best events on Lernerville’s 2009 schedule quickly became a jaw dropping night of Fast & Furious racing action capped off by another thrilling victory by local product Tim Shaffer. The fever pitch started to build at 10:00 AM Friday morning as reports started to come into the Speedway Management team that weather conditions in Central Pennsylvania were going to force Williams Grove and Big Diamond to cancel their shows, paving the way for a caravan of hot shoes from the PA Posse and USAC. Fred Rahmer, Lance DeWease, Greg Hodnett and Cody Darrah led the Posse charge west, while Kasey Kahne and Jesse Hockett left the confines of Big Diamond’s USAC show to join the O’Reilly All Stars and Lernerville Locals to make up one of the best sprint car fields in recent memory at the Action Track!
42 sprinters stuffed the pits and the fast-paced action kicked off in time trials when All Time Lernerville wins leader Ed Lynch Jr. set the quick time with a lap of 12.413 seconds; less than a tenth of a second of the track record. NASCAR Superstar Kasey Kahne’s lap of 12.491 seconds was good for second, and made all the more impressive by the fact that Kasey has not set tire on the track since 1999 when he won an All Star feature at the speedway. Lernerville veteran Scott Bonnell also thrilled the home crowd by turning the third quickest lap of the night with a 12.515.
Unfortunately during time trials the “Furious” part of the equation started to take hold when the drive shaft in Lance DeWease’s #30C snapped exiting turn two injuring the PA Posse star. DeWease was taken to an area hospital where he was diagnosed with a crushed vertebra. DeWease returned to the speedway to rejoin his team, but the injury will sideline DeWease for 4-8 weeks. Lernerville Speedway wishes Lance a full and speedy recovery!
The Fast & Furious pace continued in the heat races, (each of the four heat races featured 10+ cars), as all of the drivers were trying to secure a top five finish to transfer directly into the $5000-to-win, 30-lap A-Main. Cody Darrah blistered the Action Track, dominating the first heat. Behind Darrah, Danny Holtgraver passed Troy Vaccaro on the last lap to take fourth, while Ed Lynch Jr. uncharaecteristically had trouble with lapped cars and missed the transfer by one spot. Bob Felmlee and Greg Hodnett finished second and third.
Heat race #2 featured 1991 Track Champion and Defending All Star Champion Dale Blaney, the newest addition to the PA Posse Justin Henderson and NASCAR Superstar Kasey Kahne. Blaney took the checkers with Henderson and Kahne in tow, while Rod George and David Gravel rounded out the top five to transfer into the A. Brandon Wimmer piloted the “Ferkel Circle” to the checkers in the third heat ahead of youngsters Ryan Myers and Craig Folmar. Recent National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee Fred Rahmer and Scott Bonnell also transferred into the main event.
Jack Sodeman Jr. followed up last Friday Night’s second place feature finish with a strong win in the fourth heat race tonight. In doing so, Sodeman beat former All Star Champion Greg Wilson and eventual feature winner Tim Shaffer. Posse member Doug Esh and the surging Carl Bowser also moved on to the big dance.
The high speeds and fast action created by the awesome racing surface, as prepared by Chad Alchier, Dan Bauman and crew, also resulted in a handful of furious flips during heat competition, as Lindsay Enscoe, Rob Eyler and Todd Bauer all went for wild rides on the track; then their cars went for rides on the tow truck!
Already a four-time feature winner this season at Lernerville Speedway, Ed Lynch Jr. started on the pole and dominated the B-Main. The real action was behind “The Apollo Rocket”, as Mark Smith, winner of the May 9, 2008 CTT Sprint feature, finished second ahead of Adam Wilt and Ryan Bunton. Bunton, (the current points leader in the All Star Rookie of the Year standings), and Three-time Defending Track Champion Kevin Schaeffer engaged in a wild battle for the final transfer spot. Schaeffer took the spot from Bunton on lap eight, but Bunton stole the spot back on the final lap to nail down the final transfer, but a local provisional ensured Schaeffer’s spot in the A-Main.
The carnage continued during the B-Main as Dan Shetler tagged the front stretch wall while riding in the final transfer spot on lap four. Later in the B-Main, Bud Watt took a wild ride entering turn three and Bill Kiley came to a rest on his side in turn two.
Despite the Fast & Furious action of the qualifying events, the real show was still yet to come! With $5000 on the line and 30 laps to get to Sheetz Victory Lane, there was no time to waste as Bob Felmlee and Tim Shaffer led the field to green! Shaffer took the lead at the drop of the green by flagman Greg Wheeling, but on the opening lap, dash winner David Gravel found himself stopped backwards in turn two. Somehow all 20+ cars behind him avoided contact and he was able to tail the field on the restart.
When the field went back to green, Shaffer rocketed off turn two to a big lead. By lap six, Shaffer reeled in lapped traffic and had to fight off a slide job by Bob Felmlee exiting turn four. Shaffer almost caught the flip bug on lap seven as he entered turn three high, when Jack Sodeman Jr. was trying to roll into the pits. Shaffer narrowly avoided clipping the 23JR Unwired Inc. car of Sodeman, but the check up by Shaffer allowed Hodnett to briefly slide into the lead in turns three & four. But the lap was officially led by Shaffer as he blasted back around Hodnett to maintain the lead at the flagstand.
Disaster almost struck again on lap 11 as Brandon Wimmer and Craig Folmar made contact right in front of the leaders in turns one & two. On the second restart, necessitated by the spin of Justin Henderson, Bob Felmlee drove past Hodnett to take second. By lap 16, Shaffer had a full straightaway lead as he was flying around the top of turns one & two and zipping through the bottom of turns three & four. But on lap 17, Ryan Bunton took quite possibly the most violent flip of the night after contact with Cody Darrah, grinding the action to a halt.
NASCAR Superstar Kasey Kahne spent the first 19 laps of the feature running a solid fourth behind leaders Shaffer, Hodnett and Felmlee. But on lap 20, Kahne slid under Bob Felmlee in turn three to take third and looked like he was on his way to the front. But the pilot of the Budweiser #9 on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series bobbled a few laps later in turn two, allowing Bob Felmlee, Fred Rahmer and Mark Smith to get by.
Back out front, Tim Shaffer was mired in heavy lapped traffic on lap 24. Greg Hodnett smelled blood in the water and slid under Shaffer in turn three to take the lead. Hodnett led laps 24-26 and despite all the action leading up to this moment in the race, the best was still yet to come!
On lap 26, Shaffer pulled even with Hodnett, then made a “Did you see that?” move on Hodnett entering turn three. Three lapped cars lie just ahead of the leaders entering turn three, Shaffer mashed the loud pedal, dove under Hodnett and split two of the lapped cars in turn three and powered under the third lapped car in turn four. The crowd erupted and rose to its feet as the local product blasted down the front straight away and onto the feature win!
Greg Hodnett ran a great race, but had to settle for second place. Bob Felmlee had a much needed and hard earned third place finish. Felmlee is hands down the early leader for the Hard Luck Award this year, but was on top of his game last night, qualifying ninth quick, second in his heat, fourth in the dash and third in the feature. Hopefully last night will turn the tide of Felmlee’s 2009 season at Lernerville Speedway! PA Posse top guns Fred Rahmer and Mark Smith finished fourth and fifth respectively. The All Star Top Ten rounded out with Ed Lynch Jr., Kasey Kahne, Greg Wilson, Dale Blaney and Danny Holtgraver.
In other competition, Terry Young and Joe Kelley picked up feature wins in the Advance Auto Parts DIRTcar Sportsman division. Young’s win came in a makeup race for last week’s postponed feature, while Kelley won tonight’s scheduled feature. Jim Frank checkered the UMP Pro (Crate) Late Model feature, holding off a hungry Butch Lambert.
O’ Reilly All Star Sprint Feature (30 Laps)
- (83) Tim Shaffer, Aliquippa
- (22) Greg Hodnett, Thomasville
- (6F) Bob Felmlee, Seneca
- (51) Fred Rahmer, Salfordville
- (7M) Mark Smith, Tower City
- (2L) Ed Lynch Jr., Apollo
- (91E) Kasey Kahne, Enumclaw WA
- (W20) Greg Wilson, Benton Ridge OH
- (2) Dale Blaney, Hartford OH
- (D4) Danny Holtgraver, Pittsburgh
- (25) Justin Henderson, Sioux Falls SD
- (4) Rod George, Kittanning
- (15X) Adam Wilt, York
- (89) Cody Darrah, Red Lion
- (56R) Ryan Myers, Ethan OH
- (10) Carl Bowser, Sarver
- (3B) Scott Bonnell, Fairview
- (89G) David Gravel, Royal Town CT
- (6R) Ryan Bunton, Morton IL
- (39) Doug Esh, Lancaster
- (81) Craig Folmar, Philipsburg
- (0) Brandon Wimmer, Fairmount IN
- (9) Kevin Schaeffer, Kittanning
- (23JR) Jack Sodeman Jr., N. Jackson OH
- (7T) Troy Vaccaro, Sandusky OH
Quick Time: Ed Lynch Jr. 12.413 seconds
B-Main Transfers: Ed Lynch Jr., Mark Smith, Adam Wilt, Ryan Bunton
Dash Finish: David Gravel, Tim Shaffer, Greg Hodnett, Bob Felmlee, Fred Rahmer, Greg Wilson
UMP DIRTcar Late Model Feature (20 Laps)
- (14*) Jim Frank, Jamestown NY
- (27) Butch Lambert, Mars
- (55S) Chris Schneider, Springdale
- (8B) Steve Banal, St. Clairsville OH
- (J19) Jason Fosnaught, Creighton
- (16*) Dereck Frank, Jamestown NY
- (6M) Carl McKinney, Mars
- (14) Daniel Angelicchio, Greensburg
- (22C) Chad Wilds, Vandergrift
- (8S) Tommy Schirnhofer, Dormont
- (1M) Gary Miller, New Castle
- (66) Sean Puz, Springdale
- (75) Scott Schemp
- (00H) Brian Booher, Sandy Lake
- (8) Alan Dellinger, Hermitage
- (8V) Joey Valenti, Clymer
- (92) Jayme Beck, Jeanette
- (68) Chris Force, Indiana
- (D10) Tyler Dietz, Saxonburg
- (77) Joel Prosser, New Martinsville WV
- (55) Joe Martin, Mayport
- (84) Andrew Wylie, Saltsburg
- (5M) Ricky Meglay, Greensburg
- (1) Dan Karalagias, Pittsburgh
- (1C) Mike Pegher Jr., Wexford
- (2) Andrew Satterlee, Rochester Mills
- (69) Brian Force, Indiana
Sportsman Series Feature (20 Laps)
- (66) Joe Kelley, Mt. Pleasant
- (13X) Ryan Moyer, Portersville
- (55L) Bob Lipinski, Pittsburgh
- (C33) Corey McPherson, Tarentum
- (30) Bob Egley, Kittanning
- (20J) Jim Fosnaught, Bairdford
- (54) Wayne Carbo, Saxonburg
- (7) Eric Piotrowski, Cranberry Twp.
- (380) Pat Hanley, Monroeville
- (87) Mike Miller, Chicora
- (25) Brett McDonald, Saxonburg
- (1) Randy Hanovick, Mars
- (78) John Watson, Apollo
- (13M) Mark Marshall, Portersville
- (21) Jeff Miller, Natrona Heights
- (29B) Scott Byers, Butler
- (12) Shawn Thorn, Vandergrift
- (28Y) Terry Young, Butler
- (55S) Dr. Bob Lipinski, Valencia
- (32) Mark Sanders, Lowellville OH
DNS: (24) Mike Gilliland, Portersville
DNS: (3S) Paul Schreckengost, Polk
Sportsman Series Feature (Make-up from 5/30/2009)
- (28Y) Terry Young, Butler
- (380) Pat Hanley, Monroeville
- (55L) Bob Lipinski, Pittsburgh
- (66) Joe Kelley, Mt. Pleasant
- (12) Shawn Thorn, Vandergrift
- (20J) Jim Fosnaught, Bairdford
- (13X) Ryan Moyer, Portersville
- (C33) Corey McPherson, Tarentum
- (32) Mark Sanders, Lowellville OH
- (29B) Scott Byers, Butler
- (7) Eric Piotrowski, Cranberry Twp.
- (1) Randy Hanovick, Mars
- (21) Jeff Miller, Natrona Heights
- (54) Wayne Carbo, Saxonburg
- (30) Bob Egley, Kittanning
- (48) Kevin Haas, Sarver
- (24) Mike Gilliland, Everett
- (25) Brett McDonald, Saxonburg
- (78) John Watson, Apollo
- (87) Mike Miller, Chicora
- (3S) Paul Schreckengost
DNS: (74) Paul Petrovich, Gibsonia
DNS: (8C) Fred Casagni, Vandergrift
DNS: (98) Carl Keller, Arnold
DNS: (55S) Dr. Bob Lipinski, Valencia
Contact: Lernerville Speedway
Eric J. Westendorf, Public Relations Director
(724) 664-1075 · This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. "> This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.