By Paul Harkenrider
(Canandaigua, NY) Making one of the longest drives out of any driver in the pit area, Mechanicsburg, Pa driver Lucas Wolfe traveled just over four hours to get to the Land of Legends Raceway as the trek was well worth it securing a the win over Matt Tanner and Billy VanInwegen.
This is Wolfe’s second career win with the Patriot Sprint Tour with the first win coming back in 2016 when he scored a victory at Rolling Wheels.
Wolfe won in what is considered unprecedented in sprint car racing today as he won from the ninth starting position. Wolfe was running mainly in fifth through the majority of the race before a lap 18 restart that took him from fifth to second by riding through the outside of the half mile oval.
“The car was kind of a struggle early” admitted the former full time World of Outlaws competitor. “I just had to wait to get the wing back a little bit, and I got a break on the restart when the top was left open and that gave me a lot of speed to get around.”
The A-Main can easily be classified as crazy from the drop of the first green flag as polesitter Jared Zimbardi sustained a broken drive link entering the first corner. This collected several drivers including Larry Wight, Danny Varin, Steve Glover and Jonathan Preston. Both Glover and Preston were able to return to the race after the red flag but nights would be over for Wight, Varin and Zimbardi, three of which were all looked as favorites to win the event.
A restacked double file restart would now have Matt Farnham and Joe Trenca on the front row with Farnham jumping out to the race lead. This would change on lap nine as seventh starter Billy VanInwegen would get Farnham thanks to lap traffic that got in the way of Farnham.
A second red flag was drawn as Jordan Thomas would take a rough end over end tumble in turn two. On the restart, Paulie Colagiovanni who was running third at the time would run at the same pace Farnham and VanInwegen and would take command of the race getting by both drivers on lap 15 and 16.
However, on lap 18, Colagiovanni would strike a uke tire in turn two resulting in a broken left front axel and shock tower.
VanInwegen would retake over the lead with Farnham, Matt Tanner, Joe Trenca and Lucas Wolfe all running in the top five.
On the restart, Wolfe was the only driver who elected to go to the top getting by everyone on the start besides the leader in VanInwegen. Until lap 19 when Wolfe was able to muscle around the leader in VanInwegen.
Wolfe would about dominate the final five laps scoring his second career PST victory over Matt Tanner and Billy VanInwegen, Joe Trenca, and PST Series Champion Davie Franek.
Darryl Ruggles would come home in sixth after starting 21st in the A-Main, it is important to note that this was in 305 sprint car.
“A lot of New York tracks get real shiny and slick but I think it’s good that way when they get cleaned off.” Wolfe continued “That was about as wide of a track that you are going to get, where back home they stay a little more dirty and don’t get as shiny.”
Finishing in second was Matt Tanner who overall was pleased with his first start in 2020. “In the beginning, we were a little too tight and making some mistakes for not being in the car. Once it got rolling, it seemed pretty good.” Commented Tanner. “ I think another five laps, we would have been as good as Lucas, we just have to clean up those mistakes.”
Completing the podium was Billy VanInwegen who was searching for his first career Patriot Sprint Tour A-Main Triumph but had to settle for third.
“Pretty heart broken over that finish” said VanInwegen “Our car was breaking up all over the track, up to that point we had the car to beat, you never know. Our first night out and Mike VanDusen (Car owner) gave me a great race car. I am confident we can do well.”
Reluctantly for Lucas Wolfe, he was able to get four extra laps of track time as he was unable to make it into the redraw but did qualify for the Bonnell’s Rod Shop Dash for Cash. After winning that, that would put him into the ninth starting spot.
Heat wins were picked up by Matt Farnham, Matt Tanner, Paulie Colagiovanni and Billy VanInwegen. The B-Main was won by Darryl Ruggles. 34 Cars were singed into the night’s events.
The next confirmed race will be July 24 at Outlaw Speedway for the Outlaw Summer Nationals. However, PST officials will continue to work with tracks to possibly add any more races to make up for what was lost in the early spring.
Please be sure to visit Patriot Sprint Tour social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) as well visiting patriotsprinttour.com.
Patriot Sprint Tour
Land of Legends Raceway
Canandaigua, N.Y.
Wednesday June 17, 2020
Heat Race #1:
1. 7ny-Matt Farnham
2. 0-Danny Varin
3. 121-Steve Glover
4. 5w-Lucas Wolfe
5. 17-Sammy Reakes IV
6. 45-Chuck Hebing
7. 66-Erik Karlson
8. 42-Jesse Pruchnik
DNS: 9-Josh Pieniazek
Heat Race #2:
1. 90-Matt Tanner
2. 98-Joe Trenca
3. 79-Jordan Thomas
4. 35-Jared Zimbardi
5. 49k-Scott Kreutter
6. 48J-Darryl Ruggles
7. 87-Jason Barney
8. 36-Tyler Trump
9. 36b-Brian Preston
Heat Race #3:
1. 10c-Paulie Colagiovanni
2. 99L-Larry Wight
3. 10h-Kelly Hebing
4. 28f-Davie Franek
5. 23-Tyler Cartier
6. 21-Will Glover
7. 55-Dallas Schott
8. 67-Pete Richardson
Heat Race #4:
1. 56-Billy VanInwegan
2. X-Dan Bennett
3. 22-Jonathan Preston
4. 2-Dave Axton
5. 46-Ryan Conian
6. 38-Brad Knab
7. 14b-Brett Wright
8. 86-Jeremy Barnard
Dash:
1. 5w-Lucas Wolfe
2. 28f-Davie Franek
3. 17-Sammy Reakes IV
4. 22-Jonathan Preston
5. X-Dan Bennett
6. 121-Steve Glover
B-Main:
1. 48J-Darryl Ruggles
2. 45-Chuck Hebing
3. 66-Erik Karlson
4. 87-Jason Barney
5. 21-Will Glover
6. 36-Tyler Trump
7. 55-Dallas Schott
8. 14b-Brett Wright
9. 67-Pete Richardson
10. 38-Brad Knab
11. 86-Jeremy Barnard
12. 42-Jesse Pruchnik
DNS: 36b-Brian Preston
DNS: 9-Josh Pieniazek
A-Main:
1. 5w-Lucas Wolfe
2. 90-Matt Tanner
3. 56-Billy VanInwegan
4. 98-Joe Trenca
5. 28f-Davie Franek
6. 48J-Darryl Ruggles
7. 22-Jonathan Preston
8. 7ny-Matt Farnham
9. 66-Erik Karlson
10. 17-Sammy Reakes IV
11. 87-Jason Barney
12. 46-Ryan Coniam
13. 49k-Scott Kreutter
14. X-Dan Bennett
15. 45-Chuck Hebing
16. 67-Pete Richardson
17. 10c-Paulie Colagiovanni
18. 121-Steve Glover
19. 79-Jordan Thomas
20. 2-Dave Axton
21. 23-Tyler Cartier