From Steve Inch
SELINSGROVE, Pa. – The victory in Saturday night’s 25-lap 358 sprint car
feature at Selinsgrove Speedway came down to a final-lap duel between
cousins Matt Heimbach and Blane Heimbach of Selinsgrove. Following a
side-by-side race through turns three and four, it was Matt who took his
first career checkered flag at Selinsgrove by just a half of a second over
Blane.
M. Heimbach became the division’s eighth different feature winner this
season. He joins Colby Womer of Mt. Pleasant Mills as the second 358 sprint
car driver to earn a career-first victory at the track in 2010.
Dan Stone of Thompson turned in a dominating performance for his $3,140
victory in the 35-lap Late Model Open. Stone became the sixth different
winner in late model racing at the track this season. Steve Campbell of
Danville earned a $200 bonus for setting fast time with a lap of 20.354.
AJ Hoffman of Richfield became the pro stock division’s leading feature
winner with his fourth victory of the year in the 15-lap main event. The
12-lap roadrunner features were won by Ricky Bender of Jolliett and Brian
Johnson of Ashland, both first-time winners this season. Johnson was the
winner of the makeup feature from July 24.
Randy Nowlan was transported to the Geisinger Medical Center in Danville
with undisclosed injuries following a lap 14 crash involving three cars in
turn four in the pro stock feature.
Selinsgrove Speedway will present a four division racing program at 7:30
p.m. Saturday, Aug. 14, featuring the 358 sprint cars, late models, pro
stocks, and roadrunners sponsored by Foss Jewelers of Selinsgrove. The 358
sprint cars will also run the feature that was rained out on July 24.
On Saturday, Aug. 21, the speedway will host an open wheel doubleheader
featuring the URC sprint cars and 358 sprint cars. Also on the Aug. 21
program will be the late models.
Second-place starter Matt Heimbach powered into the lead at the start of
the sprint car feature. M. Heimbach was chased by polesitter Cody Keller
and fifth-place starter Phil Walter. On the second lap, 12th-place starter
Pat Cannon stopped on the track with a flat tire and then rejoined the
field, only to withdraw from the race with another flat tire on lap six.
Following spirited battles for both the second and third positions with
Keller and fourth-place starter Nyle Berkes, Walter’s car lost power on the
backstretch due to engine woes on the 11th lap. When the race resumed, M.
Heimbach continued to set the pace in front of Keller, Berkes, and
10th-place starter Blane Heimbach.
On the 15th circuit, B. Heimbach advanced to second and began to reel in M.
Heimbach for the lead as Franek then made it a three-car battle at the
front of the pack. On the final circuit in lapped traffic, B. Heimbach
edged out M. Heimbach for the lead racing out of turn two. Entering turns
three and four, the Heimbach cousins raced side by side, with M. Heimbach
using the inside lane.
Racing off turn four, M. Heimbach pulled into the lead and posted a half of
a second margin of victory over B. Heimbach, Franek, Berkes, and 11th-place
starter Derek Locke.
Second-place starter Mike Walls drove into the lead at the start of the
Late Model Open, with third-place starter Steve Campbell racing in second.
On the second circuit, a spectacular crash unfolded on the backstretch
involving nearly half of the 25-car field. Tim Wilson’s No. 3 race car
flipped violently into the third turn of the speedway. Fortunately, all the
drivers escaped injury and all but six of the original starters of the race
were able to restart the event.
Walls continued to set the pace on the restart as fifth-place starter Dan
Stone stormed by Campbell for second. On the sixth circuit, Stone made the
winning pass by Walls racing off turn four. Once in front of the pack,
Stone began to stretch his lead over Walls and Campbell.
Point leader Jeff Rine, who was involved in the second lap melee, withdrew
from the race on lap 19. In the final laps, Stone was able to open up more
than a straightaway lead, posting the victory over Campbell, sixth-place
starter Dylan Yoder, 10th-place starter Kyle Rhoads, and polesitter Dave
Zona.
Second-place starter Kyle Bachman, who was seeking his third straight win,
took the lead at the start of the pro stock feature. Bachman was trailed by
fourth-place starter Jason Schmidt for the first two laps until third-place
starter Gerald Kratzer moved into the second position.
On the sixth circuit, point leader and 10th-place starter AJ Hoffman
advanced to second and set his sites on Bachman. An intense wheel-to-wheel
battle for the top five positions unfolded between Bachman, Hoffman,
Kratzer, 12th-place starter Tim Krape, and defending champion and
eighth-place starter Jason Smith.
A hard crash in turn four on lap 14 involving Dave Brouse Jr., Ken Stitt,
and Randy Nowlan stopped the race. Nowlan was transported to the Geisinger
Medical Center with undisclosed injuries.
The one-lap chase to the checkered flag netted Hoffman his fourth win of
the season over Krape, Bachman, Kratzer, and Smith.
In the July 24 makeup roadrunner feature, second-place starter Brian
Johnson wired the field for his first win of the season over eighth-place
starter Cory Long, who moved into the second position by the completion of
the first lap. Ricky Bender, Brad Mitch, and Bob Bussey completed the top
five.
In the regularly scheduled roadrunner feature, Johnson started second again
and powered into the lead at the drop of the green flag. On the second lap,
sixth-place starter Jason Sherman took command of the field and led through
the fourth circuit. On lap five, 10th-place starter Ricky Bender charged
into the lead and went the distance for his first win of the season over
point leader Mitch, Bussey, Davey Nester, and Scott Dunham Jr.
SELINSGROVE SPEEDWAY RACE SUMMARY – 7 August 2010
358 Sprint Cars – 23 Entries
25-Lap A-Main: 1) 14 Matt Heimbach 2) 12 Blane Heimbach 3) 3R Davie Franek
4) 99B Nyle Bekes 5) 77 Derek Locke 6) 99K Cody Keller 7) 76 Larry
Kelleher 8) 5B Josh Beard 9) 19 Colby Womer 10) 71 Jessica Anderson 11)
66 Ryan Kissinger 12) 22M Brian Garland 13) 769 Steven Nederostek 14)
16H Matt Horst 15) 71C Charlie Anderson 16) 6S Bill Sherman 17) 21
Shannon Mausteller 18) Phil Walter DNF 19) 23M TJ Stutts DNF 20) Pat
Cannon DNF 21) 7 Nick Harner DNF 22) 63 Mike Walter DNS 23) John Troxell
DNS
Heat Winners: Nyle Berkes, Matt Heimbach, Davie Franek
Late Models – 30 Entries
35-Lap Open: 1) 21D Dan Stone $3,000 2) 2 Steve Campbell 3) 32 Dylan Yoder
4) 90 Kyle Rhoads 5) 99Z Dave Zona 6) 27 Jim Yoder 7) 06 Mike Lupfer
8) 0 Brett Schadel 9) 17 Nick Dickson 10) 88 Tony Adams 11) 19 Gary
Beward 12) 45 Eric Hons 13) 13B James Cornell 14) 33C Chris Casner 15)
115 Troy Miller 16) 1W Mike Walls DNF 17) 1T Tim Murphy DNF 18) 2J Jeff
Rine DNF 19) 7M Meade Hahn DNF 20) 26 Jerry Bard DNF 21) 99 Jeff Smith
DNF 22) 16 Matt Cochran DNF 23) 3 Tim Wilson DNF 24) 91 Chad Davis DNF
25) 61 Ken Trevitz DNF
Heat Winners: Dave Zona, Tony Adams, Dan Stone, Mike Walls
B-Main Winner: Jeff Rine
Time Trials: 1) 2 Steve Campbell 20.354 2) 99Z Dave Zona 20.399 3) 2J Jeff
Rine 20.434 4) 88 Tony Adams 20.541 5) 21D Dan Stone 20.659 6) 26 Jerry
Bard 20.670 7) 19 Gary Beward 20.731 8) 6 Donnie Schick 20.787 9) 32
Dylan Yoder 20.838 10) 27 Jim Yoder 20.873 11) 0 Brett Schadel 21.088
12) 13B James Cornell 21.109 13) 17 Nick Dixson 21.115 14) 1W Mike Walls
21.116 15) 16 Matt Cochran 21.138 16) 3 Tim Wilson 21.227 17) 45 Eric
Hons 21.237 18) 99 Jeff Smith 21.360 19) 90 Kyle Rhoads 21.370 20) 115
Troy Miller 21.427 21) 91 Chad Davis 21.466 22) 61 Kenny Trevitz 21.544
23) 06 Mike Lupfer 21.628 24) 92 Mike Romig 21.653 25) 7M Meade Hahn
21.807 26) 1T Tim Murphy 21.940 27) 21M Matt Murphy 22.066 28) 0N Ryan
Nearhood 23.373 29) 33C Chris Casner DNT 30) 14 Dave Brouse Sr. DNT
Pro Stocks – 25 Entries
15-Lap A-Main: 1) 19 AJ Hoffman 2) 07 Tim Krape 3) 70 Kyle Bachman 4) 10
Gerald Kratzer 5) 28 Jason Smith 6) 111 Derick Garman 7) 27 Jason
Schmidt 8) 26 AJ Stroup 9) 115 Shaun Miller 10) 21K Mike Kiehl 11) 3
Brad Trump 12) 06 Frank Reisser 13) 97 Alex Frey 14) 1 Rick Bixler 15)
38S Scott Sipe 16) 28J Jeff Ceballa 17) 85 Terry Lauver DNF 18) 14 Dave
Brouse Jr. DNF 19) 88 Randy Nowlen DNF 20) 99 Ken Stitt Jr. DNF 21) 8K
Nate Kerstetter DNF 22) 64 Cody McFadden DNF 23) 99 Peanut Heintzelman
DNS 24) 85L Pete Lauver DNS 25) 12 Doug Minium
Heat Winners: Nate Kerstetter, Derick Garman, Tim Krape
Roadrunners – 24 Entries
12-Lap A-Main: 1) 29B Ricky Bender 2) 10M Brad Mitch 3) 76 Bob Bussey 4)
8 Davey Nestor 5) 77 Scott Dunham Jr. 6) 69 Marlin Dunham 7) 77J Jeff
Swaner 8) 00 Cory Long 9) 70J John Schreffler 10) 7 Butch Shaffer 11)
5D Dave Adams 12) 32 Ken Shreffler 13) 25J Nate Romig 14) 6 Tom Jensen
DNF 15) 721 Jason Sherman DNF 16) 37 Eric Pinkerton DNF 17) 41D Dennis
Conrad DNF 18) 201 Brian Johnson DNF 19) 28 Bob Mentzer DNS 20) 44 Jim
Collier Sr. DNS 21) 13 Jim Collier Jr. DNS 22) 89 John Schoch DNS 23) 11
Keith Bissinger DNS 24) 105 Tim Mitch DNS
Heat Winners: Ricky Bender, Brad Mitch
Make-up 12-Lap A-Main (from 7-24-10): 1) 201 Brian Johnson 2) 00 Cory Long
3) 29B Ricky Bender 4) 10M Brad Mitch 5) 76 Bob Bussey 6) 37 Eric
Pinkerton 7) 77J Jeff Swanger 8) 721 Jason Sherman 9) 70J John
Schreffler 10) 28 Bob Mentzer 11) 7 Butch Shaffer 12) 41D Dennis Conrad
13) 6 Tom Jensen 14) 32 Ken Shreffler 15) 5D Dave Adams 16) 11B Keith
Bissinger DNF 17) 77 Scott Dunham Jr. DNF 18) 69 Marlin Dunham DNF 19)
13 Jim Collier Jr. DNF 20) 44 Jim Collier Sr. DNF 21) 89 John Schoch DNF
22) 105 Tim Mitch DNS