By Mike Swanger
Although it was only the 4th night of racing this season, Saturday night was Mid Season Championships presented by Summit Racing for all four class’ at Wayne County Speedway. West Salem’s Andrew Palker would start third in the Pine Tree Towing & Recovery Sprint feature and before one lap had been completed, Palker had dashed to the front of the field and quickly opened up a big lead early on in the 25 lap feature. Tyler Dunn and Henry Malcuit dueled for second as points leader Dean Jacobs closed in on them. Jacobs would take third from Malcuit on lap 8 as Jordan Ryan, Danny Mumaw and Jac Haudenschild were in pursuit of them. At the halfway mark, Dean Jacobs slide past Dunn for second with Palker out front by a straightaway. Palker’s huge lead would vanish when Mumaw got sideways in turn four and collected Haudenschild in the process, ending both of their nights on lap 17. On the restart though, Palker and his El Campesino Restaurant, Greber Racing Products and Albright Construction #57x would once again pull away with Jacobs in second with Ryan moving past Dunn for third on lap 19. They would run in that order until lap 23 when Ryan would spin in turn one and Dunn trying to avoid contact with Ryan, smacked the turn one wall that sent him flipping to bring out the red flag and ending his race. Once again Palker would pull away on the restart and win his first of the season as Dean Jacobs took second with Malcuit finishing a career best third at WCS. Trey Jacobs was fourth and Cale Conley filled out the top five. Heat winners were Trevor Baker, Mumaw, Trey Jacobs and Malcuit. Clay Riney won the last chance race and started 17th in the feature and worked his way up to finish sixth.
Starting on the outside front row of the Malcuit’s Tavern Super Late Model feature, Millersburg’s Charlie Duncan would lead all the way (almost) for his first win of the season as he would hold off Doug Drown. Duncan would use the low groove all the way around the 3/8 mile track while 7th starting Drown would move up in the early laps by passing J R Gentry and Larry Bellman and then move into second on lap 10 as he got around Matt Irey. The Caution would come out on lap nine when Ryan Markham spun as he was challenging Gentry for 4th. The last caution of the race came on lap 15 when Brad Malcuit got into the wall in turn one and after that it was all green and the race heated up then. With Duncan staying with his low line and Drown using the top of the track, Duncan was able to hold the lead lap after lap as Drown could never make the pass. Behind them, Gentry, Irey and Markham was in a battle for third. Markham would take 4th from Irey on lap 17 and take third from Gentry on the white flag lap. Up front was the center of everybody’s attention though as Drown would make one last move on Duncan. Going into turn three with the checkered flag waiting, Duncan slipped up just enough to give Drown an opening and he tried a slider going into three and four and for an instant had the lead but the move caused him to slide up the track more than he wanted to and it allowed Duncan and his JOYRIDE Transportation, Ocala Restaurant, and Malcuits Engines #17 to out gas Drown back to the line and win by a half a car length. Markham would finish third with Irey passing Gentry on the last lap to pocket fourth. Gentry and Markham topped the heat races.
Before the field could get to the green flag of the McKenzie Concrete Super Stock feature, the caution flag would have to be waved for cars that spun coming to the green flag and in that short time, Doug Drown’s Char’s Cars, K &A Tree Service and Rick’s Hauling #21d had a flat tire and went to the pits to change it and would go to the tail of the 21 car field as he would have to work his way back through the field and with the help of a multitude of cautions, he would do that. Up front though, Gary Hensel Jr. was setting the pace with David Uhler and Michael Amick going side by side for second as Drown had placed himself into 4th on lap 6. Amick’s run would come to a halt when he spun in turn two on lap ten as Brandon Craver also would go to the pits as he was racing for a top five position. As the green reappeared, Drown motored past Uhler for second and the next circuit would power past Hensel Jr. In the closing laps, Hensel Jr. would stay close to Drown but never could reclaim the lead as Drown would win for the fourth time and be the leader of the Stake’s Shortstop ‘Summer Series’ points. Uhler would finish a career best third while Todd Sherwin took fourth in his season debut and James Stanley had his best finish ever in the fifth spot. Claiming the heat wins were Don Rutt, Drown and Paul McVicker.
Smithville’s Brad Hensel led every lap of the JOYRIDE Transportation Mini Stock feature but he never had any breathing room at all with at least three other drivers right on the JOYRIDE Transportation, D J Services and NewFast Motorsports #28. Colton St John, Doug Hensel and Wyatt Zimmerman spent most of the race going back and forth with each other and trying to unseat Brad Hensel from the lead but never could with Jordan James and Jason St John right behind that foursome. Those two drivers would make contact on lap 11 and both would go airborne at the start of the backstretch to bring out the red flag. Then on the restart, a couple of cars got together just past the flagstand that would send Jon Gamery barrel rolling. Gamery would be transported to the hospital. The race would finish up with the top five packed together with Brad Hensel getting his first win of the season and be the leader of the NewFast Motorsports ‘Summer Series’. Finishing behind him were Colton St John, Doug Hensel, Wayne Newbury and Wyatt Zimmerman. Posting heat wins were Colton St John, Will Rogers and Zimmerman. Jolene Voshel picked up her first ever last chance win after a few weeks ago winning her first heat win.
The next action at ‘Orrville’s Historic Oval’ will be on Monday, June 17th with the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Sprints and the Ohio Sprint Speedweek race for the Duffy Smith Memorial paying $5,000 to win. They will be right back to Wayne County Speedway on Saturday, June 22nd for the Speedweek finale which will pay the winner of the feature $10,000. For more information about Speedweek, go to www.allstarsprints.com
WAYNE COUNTY SPEEDWAY RESULTS
Saturday, June 8, 2019
PINE TREE TOWING & RECOVERY SPRINTS
Heat 1 Trevor Baker, Tyler Dunn, Cale Conley, Tom Schinderle, Clay Riney, Jordan Harble, Cale Stinson, Travis Danford
Heat 2 Danny Mumaw, Andrew Palker, Mitch Harble, Russ Sansosti, Troy Kingan, Neven Root, Steve Butler
Heat 3 Trey Jacobs, Dean Jacobs, Jess Stiger, Keith Baxter, Troy Vaccaro, Bill Ault, Ray Miller
Heat 4 Henry Malcuit, Jordan Ryan, Jamie Myers, Jac Haudenschild, Lance Webb, Nate Reeser, Bradley Ashford
‘B’ Main Clay Riney,Lance Webb, Troy Vaccaro, Bill Ault, Troy Kingan, Cale Stinson, Bradley Ashford, Ray Miller, Travis Danford, Nate Reeser, Jordan Harble, Neven Root, Steve Butler dns
Feature Andrew Palker, Dean Jacobs, Henry Malcuit, Trey Jacobs, Cale Conley, Clay Riney, Jordan Ryan, Jess Stiger, Mitch Harble, Keith Baxter, Lance Webb, Jamie Myers, Tom Schinderle, Troy Vaccaro, Bill Ault, Tyler Dunn, Jac Haudenschild, Danny Mumaw, Russ Sansosti, Trevor Baker