LEPPO CLAIMS RAIN-SHORTENED SPRING CHAMPIONSHIP AT LINCOLN

lincoln speedway

From Lincoln Speedway

ABBOTTSTOWN, PA, 4/23/2011 – Make it two in-a-row for New Oxford’s Brian Leppo.

Leppo, winner of last Friday’s feature at Williams Grove, drove under Daryn Pittman for the race lead coming down the front stretch to complete lap 17, and was still the leader when the rains came during a fuel stop on lap 24, ending the Spring Championship for “410″ sprinters at Lincoln Speedway Saturday night.

The win was worth $4,000 to Leppo, who claimed the Championship trophy in an interview in the tower shortly after the race became official.

“I’m just thankful to win here at Lincoln, it’s been a little while,” said Leppo, “I’m very happy with the way we’ve started out the season.”

“It had to be a good race for the fans,” continued Leppo, “Not that I was taking it easy…but I was trying to be conservative and race smarter when I was behind Daryn. And then when Greg drove by us, it totally changed the plan that I had. I had to step up and try to do something different in order to win the race.”

The slow-moving storm forced promoters to postpone the “358″ sprint car feature until next Saturday night (4/30).

Time trials and an inversion of eight put Leppo on the inside of row two for the start. He followed second-starting Pittman and polesitter Doug Dodson two laps, then challenged Pittman for the race lead following a third-lap restart for four cars involved in a turn two tangle.

Leppo couldn’t make the pass, and in fact got hung up in a four-car battle for second that saw Greg Hodnett take the runner-up spot from Leppo on lap 11. Leppo reclaimed second the next lap, as Hodnett, Fred Rahmer, and Brian Montieth battled for third.

Leppo then set his sights on Pittman again, and pressured the Owasso, OK driver for the next four laps before making the race-winning pass. The seventh caution flag on lap 24 for Lance Dewease and Adam Wilt on turn two forced the fuel stop. Cars were lined up and ready for the restart when the rains arrived and the cars were sent to the pits.

Pittman settled for second, with Hodnett, Rahmer, and Montieth completing the top five. Sixth through tenth were Dodson, fast time trialer Alan Krimes (who missed the inversion and started ninth), Jim Siegel (who timed second quick, also missed the inversion, and started tenth), Cory Haas, and Bill Stine.

Heats for the 30 “410″ Sprints were won by Brent Marks, Chad Criswell, and Brad McClelland, with Krimes winning the consolation. Fast time in time trials over the 30-car field was set by Krimes with a one-lap time of 13.338-seconds (101.215 MPH).

With the starting field set, the rained out “358″ sprint feature will be the first event after warm-ups next Saturday night.

Heats for the 35 “358″ Sprints were won by Steve Owings, Isaac Sneeringer, Kyle Moody, and Jeff Rohrbaugh, with Jeff Geiges winning the consolation.

Next Saturday, April 30th, at 7 PM, Lincoln Speedway will host a regular 3-division point show featuring the Lawrence Chevrolet 410 Sprints, the Keizer Aluminum Wheels 358 Sprints (including the make-up feature), and Thundercars. Gates will open at 5 PM.

To get all the latest news, results, schedule changes and rule changes, visit Lincoln Speedway’s website at http://www.lincolnspeedway.com to stay up-to-date on all the action or pending weather conditions at Central Pennsylvania’s “Premier” Saturday night race track – The Fabulous Lincoln Speedway.

RACE RESULTS
Saturday, April 23, 2011
LINCOLN SPEEDWAY
Abbottstown, PA
SPRING CHAMPIONSHIP
LAWRENCE CHEVROLET 410 SPRINTS
Feature (23-Laps) – 1. 71-Brian Leppo ($4,000); 2. 27-Daryn Pittman; 3. 39-Greg Hodnett; 4-51-Fred Rahmer; 5. 21-Brian Montieth; 6. 14-Doug Dodson; 7. 87-Alan Krimes; 8. 59-Jim Siegel; 9. 11C-Cory Haas; 10. 71X-Bill Stine, Jr.; 11. 1-Stevie Smith; 12. 92-Justin Collett; 13. 77-Aaron Ott; 14. 84C-Chad Criswell; 15. 20S-Derek Sell; 16. 30C-Lance Dewease; 17. 15-Adam Wilt; 18. 6-Brad McClelland (DNF); 19. 85-Gerard McIntyre (DNF); 20. 30-Doug Esh (DNF); 21. 19M-Brent Marks (DNF); 22. 48-Danny Dietrich (DNF); 23. 17B-Steve Buckwalter (DNF); 24. 7M-Mark Smith (DNF). No Time

Lap Leaders – Daryn Pittman (1-16), Brian Leppo (17-23)

1st Heat (10 Laps/6 to qualify) – 1. 19M-Brent Marks; 2. 11C-Cory Haas; 3. 85-Gerard McIntyre, Jr.; 4. 77-Aaron Ott; 5. 14-Doug Dodson; 6. 17-Tyler Walker; 7. 87-Alan Krimes; 8. 15-Adam Wilt; 9. 1-Stevie Smith; 10. 75-Nicole Bower. Time – 2:27.082

2nd Heat (10 Laps/6 to qualify) – 1. 84C-Chad Criswell; 2. 71-Brian Leppo; 3. 7M-Mark Smith; 4. 17-Tyler Walker; 5. 48-Danny Dietrich; 6. 30C-Lance Dewease; 7. 20S-Derek Sell; 8. 59-Jim Siegel; 9. 4-John Rudisill; 10. 26-Pat Cooper. No Time

3rd Heat (10 Laps/6 to qualify) – 1. 6-Brad McClelland; 2. 51-Fred Rahmer; 3. 21-Brian Montieth; 4. 39-Greg Hodnett; 5. 27-Daryn Pittman; 6. 30-Doug Esh; 7. 71X-Bill Stine; 8. 92-Justin Collett; 9. 12-Mike Bittinger; 10. 44-Frank Cozze (DNF). Time – 2:27.377

Consolation (10 Laps/6 to qualify) – 1. 87-Alan Krimes; 2. 1-Stevie Smith; 3. 59-Jim Siegel; 4. 92-Justin Collett; 5. 20S-Derek Sell; 6. 15-Adam Wilt; 7. 12-Mike Bittinger; 8. 4-John Rudisill; 9. 26-Pat Cooper; 10. 75-Nicole Bower; 11. 71X-Bill Stine; 12. 44-Frank Cozze (DNF). Time – 2:36.479

Time Trials – 1. 87-Alan Krimes, 13.338 seconds (101.215 MPH); 2. 59-Jim Siegel, 13.416; 3. 39-Greg Hodnett, 13.453; 4. 77-Aaron Ott, 13.507; 5. 71-Brian Leppo, 13.583; 6. 27-Daryn Pittman, 13.668; 7. 14-Doug Dodson, 13.669; 8. 20S-Derek Sell, 13.704; 9. 51-Fred Rahmer, 13.705; 10. 85-Gerard McIntyre, Jr., 13.706; 11. 17B-Steve Buckwalter, 13.711; 12. 21-Brian Montieth, 13.727; 13. 19M-Brent Marks, 13.735; 14. 48-Danny Dietrich, 13.735; 15. 6-Brad McClelland, 13.738; 16. 11C-Cory Haas, 13.739; 17. 84C-Chad Criswell, 13.744; 18. 71X-Bill Stine, 13.804; 19. 1-Stevie Smith, 13.810; 20. 30C-Lance Dewease, 13.823; 21. 92-Justin Collett, 13.832; 22. 15-Adam Wilt, 13.840; 23. 7M-Mark Smith, 13.872; 24. 30-Doug Esh, 14.042; 25. 17-Tyler Walker, 14.115; 26. 4-John Rudisill, 14.156; 27. 12-Mike Bittinger, 14.196; 28. 75-Nicole Bower, 14.204; 29. 26-Pat Cooper, 14.309; 30. 44-Frank Cozzie, 14.825.

KEIZER ALUMINUM WHEELS 358 SPRINTS
Feature (20-Laps) – To be made-up April 30, 2011

1st Heat (10 Laps/5 qualify) – 1. 35-Steve Owings; 2. 1*-Tim Wagaman; 3. 1S-Logan Schuchart; 4. 23B-Billy Pauch, Jr.; 5. 27-Jay Galloway; 6. 76-Kevin Nagy; 7. 21-Scott Fisher (DNF); DNS – 7V-Mike Ressler, 85-Nathan Berwager. Time – 2:27.06

2nd Heat (10 Laps/5 qualify)- 1. 19Z-Isaac Sneeringer; 2. 91-Adrian Shaffer; 3. 66-Dale Hammaker; 4. 22T-Matt Boland; 5. 0-Steve Storrie; 6. 67K-Jeff Geiges; 7. 11D-Mike Duncan, Jr. (DNF); 8. 8R-Michael Ruttkamp (DNF); 9. 69-Travis Willow (DNF). No Time

3rd Heat (10 Laps/5 qualify) – 1. 99M_Kyle Moody; 2. 7-JB Cunningham; 3. B52-Brook Weibley; 4. 7C-Chad Trout; 5. 65-Niki Young; 6. 50-Tim Berkheimer; 7. 63-Stan Campbell; 8. 23-Chris Arnold (DNF); 9. 83-Joey Allen (DNF). No Time

4th Heat (10 Laps/5 qualify) – 1. 45-Jeff Rohrbaugh; 2. 8D-Billy Dietrich; 3. 28-Keith Prutzman; 4. 5T-Glenndon Forsythe; 5. 97-Brie Hershey; 6. 99-Jan Luckenbaugh; 7. 74-Dwayne Morris; 8. 1W-Eric Tomecek (DNF). Time – 2:30.06

Consolation (10 Laps/4 qualify) – 1. 67K-Jeff Geiges; 2. 50-Tim Berkheimer; 3. 99-Jan Luckenbaugh; 4. 69-Travis Willow; 5. 74-Dwayne Morris; 6. 76-Kevin Nagy (DNF); 7. 85-Nathan Berwager (DNF); 8. 11D-Mike Duncan (DNF); 9. 7V-Mike Ressler (DNF); 10. 63-Stan Campbell (DNF); 11. 21-Scott Fisher (DNF); DNS – 8R-Michael Ruttkamp, 23-Chris Arnold, 1W-Eric Tomecek, 83-Joey Allen. No Time