From Williams Grove Speedway
Mechanicsburg, Pa. — Using a ten-dollar tire, Paul Miller dominated the Saturday night Blazer’s Body Shop Super Sportsman feature. The Fawn Grove driver’s No. 58 had a used right rear tire he purchased for ten dollars. The used rubber survived the 25-lap feature propelling Miller to his first victory of the season.
Paul Miller began the feature in fourth position. As the green flag came out for the start of the main event, the cars driven by Rich Eichelberger and Carmen Pergio Jr. bumped on the front stretch. The Eichelberger car shot across the track and slammed very hard into the inside guardrail. This triggered a front stretch pile-up between six cars including a flipping Jason Fry machine. While Fry walked away from his car, the speedway medical crew examined a shaken Eichelberger for a leg injury.
The new restart found Miller starting on the outside of the front row. Miller immediately took over the lead with Carmen Perigo Jr., Rick Barr, Dave Berkheimer and Russ Mitten in hot pursuit. Using the low line, Perigo caught the leader. Spying Perigo on the bottom, Miller moved down to the low lane. While Perigo was chasing the leader Miller, Russ Mitten, Rick Barr, Mike Enders and Frankie Herr were fighting for third.
At the midway point of the race, Perigo was closing the gap by a tenth of a second per lap. On lap 21 the caution flag came out. Following the restart a three-car tangle on the backstretch found the Daryl Sheaffer machine rolling over. Sheaffer was not hurt in the spill.
The subsequent restart it was Carmen Perigo Jr., Russ Mitten Frankie Herr and Rick Barr chasing the leader Paul Miller. Despite a last-lap caution, Miller led the remaining laps. He took the victory by six-lengths over Perigo, Mitten, Herr, Mike Enders and Barr.
“Bob Fannasy built this engine for us five or six years ago,” said the winner Miller. “It is well overdue, time to get it replaced.
“That is an old, old tire. We ran used tires all night, actually tires I bought from other teams over the winter for ten bucks. This is either (Russ) Mitten’s tire I got for ten bucks or it is (Bobby) Hockenberry’s that I got for twenty.”
Heat wins for the 34-car field went to Jay Fannasy, Rich Eichelberger and Chris Meleason. Scott Geesey captured the consolation victory.
Bobby Beard loves a hard surface and he was on the pole for the start of the 20-lap Tattooed Mom’s 358 Late Model feature. Beard took over the lead on the opening lap with Scott Richwine, Bernie Beard, Gene Wrightstone and Charlie Schaffer following. While Beard was setting the pace, Gene Knaub was advancing from his 12th starting position. By the end of the fifth lap Knaub was in fifth place.
On the eighth pass of the half-mile oval, Bernie Beard tried to overtake Scott Richwine in the third turn. The move for second did not work and Beard spun. Following the restart it was Bobby Beard in front with Scott Richwine in second, Gene Knaub was now third and Charlie Schaffer was in fourth. A caution flag with six laps remaining set up an exciting finish.
With the race back under green, Gene Knaub took over second place. One lap later Knaub used a low side pass off turn two to take the lead from Beard. Over the final four laps Knaub had Beard, Charlie Schaffer, Travis Mease, Craig Wagaman and Scott Richwine in very close pursuit. Knaub, from Dover, won his second straight at Williams Grove by four lengths over Schaffer, Bobby Beard, Mease and Wagaman.
“I told my guys it was going to take a perfect race car to come from 12th to win this deal, which obviously we had tonight. This week I was praying for a slick racetrack. Everybody’s got the same racetrack to run on and you got to deal with it,” said the winner Knaub.
Bernie Beard, Gene Knaub and Bobby Beard won the qualifying races for the 27-car field.
Kevin Thomas and Austin Kirby battled for the early lead in the Four-Cylinder feature. After a lap three caution Thomas took command of the lead. While Austin Kirby and Mike Buckley tried to catch the leader, the car on the move was the John Stoll Jr. Mustang. Stoll came from the end of the field to take over fourth place. Stoll’s run ended when engine woes sent him to the pits.
Kevin Thomas had no challengers and the St. Thomas racer won by a wide margin over Austin Kirby, Bryan Neff, Mike Buckley and Jeremy Ott.
“With six laps in my throttle cable broke,” said Thomas. “When that throttle broke, well, there goes the win. I just kept it down hoping it didn’t go into the wall.”
The Four-Cylinder qualifying races went to Kevin Thomas and Austin Kirby.
The Williams Grove Speedway Saturday Night Series returns next Saturday night, May 7. The Blazer’s Body Shop Super Sportsman, the Tattooed Mom’s 358 Late Models and the Street Stocks will be in action for the low adult admission of just five dollars. The racing action takes place at 6:30.
Super Sportsman results
1. Paul Miller, 2. Carmen Perigo Jr., 3. Russ Mitten, 4. Frankie Herr, 5. Mike Enders, 6. Rick Barr, 7. Scott Dellinger, 8. John Stoner, 9. Scott Geesey, 10. Gregg Foster, 11. John Garman, 12. Bobby Hockenberry, 13. Eric Walker, 14. LeRoy Martin, 15. Jay Fannasy, 16. Chris Meleason, 17. Daryl Sheaffer, 18. Lanny Hake, 19. Lee Taylor, 20. Dave Berkheimer, 21. Scott Grace, 22. Rich Eichelberger, 23. Dave Socks III, 24. Jason Fry DNQ: Bill Devine, Nat Tuckey, Jim Shuster, Tom Tomasko, Pete Lattanzio, Cody Fairchok, Tom Wyckoff, Jared Miller, Eric Eckert, Stan Wanner
358 Late Model results
1. Gene Knaub, 2. Charlie Schaffer, 3. Bobby Beard, 4. Travis Mease, 5. Craig Wagaman, 6. Scott Richwine, 7. Gene Wrightstone, 8. Jared Miller, 9. DJ Mease, 10. Roy Miller, 11. Ralph Morgan Jr., 12. Matt Nailor, 13. Bernie Beard, 14. Pat Beard, 15. John Ebersole, 16. Jake Jones, 17. Wes Alleman, 18. Jason Rochelle, 19. Steve Weikel, 20. Pancho Lawler, 21. Zach Kauffman, 22. Todd Bowersox, 23. Todd Leonard DNS: Steve Clabaugh DNQ: Rodney Walls, Randy Croop, Derrike Zirkle
Four-Cylinder results
1. Kevin Thomas, 2. Austin Kirby, 3. Bryan Neff, 4. Mike Buckley, 5. Jeremy Ott, 6. Steve Hastings, 7. Gary Newell, 8. Dave Edwards, 9. Keith Walls,10. Gary Dehart, 11. Mike Brindle, 12. Jodi Varner, 13. Shawn Patterson, 14. Frankie Gordon 15. John Stoll Jr., 16. Mike Potts DNS: Tracy Linn