By Steve Inch
SELINSGROVE, Pa. – Jason Shultz of Carlisle inherited the lead from Pat
Cannon of Etters on the fifth lap of the 25-lap 358 sprint car feature
Saturday night at Selinsgrove Speedway and scored his first win of the
season behind the wheel of the Mach 1 Chassis No. 1. The $1,500 victory
marked the fifth of Shultz’s career at the track.
Point leader Blane Heimbach of Selinsgrove, who was seeking his third
consecutive win, finished third, while TJ Stutts of Liverpool settled for
second. Ironically, all three drivers were competing in a Mach 1 Chassis.
Tony Adams of Sunbury came away with his first late model victory since the
2009 season following a spirited battle with Jeff Rine of Danville in the
division’s 25-lap main event. Adams made a last-lap pass by Rine just as
Rine’s car began to lose an engine. The win marked the 14th of Adams’
career at Selinsgrove.
Nate Kerstetter of Liverpool scored a convincing win in the 15-lap pro
stock feature, while defending champion Ricky Bender of Jolliett took the
win in the 12-lap roadrunner race.
Selinsgrove Speedway will present the 10th annual Pro Stock 20 at 7 p.m.
Saturday, April 30, plus a complete program of 358 sprint cars, late
models, and roadrunners. Track gates will open at 5 p.m. The Pro Stock 20
will pay $1,000 to win and $100 to start the division’s annual headline
event.
Polesitter Pat Cannon powered into the lead at the start of the sprint car
feature and was chased by second-place starter Matt Horst. On the fifth
circuit, fourth-place starter Jason Shultz moved into the second position
while Cannon continued to stretch his lead. A lap later, however, Cannon’s
inside wing panel began to peel away and he withdrew from the race.
With Shultz setting the pace, Horst contended with sixth-place starter TJ
Stutts for the runner up position. Stutts advanced to second on the 12th
lap while eighth-place starter Blane Heimbach followed him into the third
position. Lap after lap, Heimbach challenged Stutts for the spot to no
avail. At the checkered flag, Shultz was victorious by just one second over
Stutts, Heimbach, Horst, and Larry Kelleher.
Veteran late model drivers Tony Adams and Jeff Rine shared the front row
for the start of the late model feature. At the drop of the green flag,
Rine darted into the lead from his second starting position while Adams
kept him in his sites. Early in the race, Rine led Adams, fourth-place
starter Steve Campbell, and sixth-place starter Jim Yoder.
By lap 10, the leaders began to encounter slower traffic and the race for
the lead between Rine and Adams intensified. On each restart, Rine and
Adams pulled away from the rest of the field in an all-out war on wheels.
On the 24th lap, Adams made the winning pass exiting the second turn as
Rine’s engine expired just moments afterwards.
For the restart, Adams was on the point with lapped cars separating him and
second-place runner Yoder, who made a last-ditch effort to clear the
traffic and put in a bid for the lead but came up short. Adams was
victorious by 1.3 seconds over Yoder, Campbell, ninth-place starter Donnie
Schick, and fifth-place starter Matt Cochran.
Polesitter Doug Minium took the lead at the start of the pro stock feature
while defending champion and point leader AJ Hoffman withdrew from the
race. On the third circuit, third-place starter Kyle Bachman stormed into
the lead using the outside lane on the frontstretch as ninth-place starter
Nate Kerstetter followed him into second.
Following a side-by-side battle, Kerstetter pulled into the lead on the
12th circuit and went on to post a 1.9-second margin of victory over
Bachman and two-time winner Jason Smith. Jason Schmidt and Minium rounded
out the top five.
Fourth-place starter Keith Bissinger stormed into the lead at the start of
the roadrunner feature. On the second circuit, defending champion and
third-place starter Ricky Bender moved into second.
A close battle between Bissinger and Bender unfolded as seventh-place
starter Bob Bussey, who was seeking his third straight win, raced a close
third. On the final lap, Bender made the winning pass in turn two and went
on to post a .72 of a second margin of victory over Bissinger, Bussey, Jeff
Swanger, and John Fowler, Jr.
SELINSGROVE SPEEDWAY RACE SUMMARY – 23 April 2011
358 Sprint Cars – 17 Entries
25-Lap A-Main: 1) 1 Jason Shultz 2) 23M TJ Stutts 3) 12 Blane Heimbach 4)
16H Matt Horst 5) 76 Larry Kelleher 6) 56 Nate Snyder 7) 99K Cody Keller 8)
5W Phil Walter 9) 94 Ted Thomas 10) 5B Josh Beard 11) 71 Jessica Anderson
12) 21 Duane Mausteller 13) 77 Derek Locke 14) 9 Wes Irwin 15) 19 Colby
Womer 16) 3 Pat Cannon 17) 66 Ryan Kissinger DNS
Heat Winners: Pat Cannon, Nate Snyder