By Steve Inch
SELINSGROVE, Pa. – In the Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic Central PA 358 Sprint
Car Series, defending champion Pat Cannon of Etters dueled with current
series point leader Logan Schuchart of Hanover before making a late-race
pass for the victory in Saturday night’s suspenseful 25-lap main event at
Selinsgrove Speedway.
The victory marked Cannon’s third of the season and 30th of his career at
Selinsgrove behind the wheel of the Highlands’ Tire & Service Center No. 3.
Blane Heimbach of Selinsgrove, who was sidelined in both his heat and the
feature in separate crashes, continues to lead the track point standings
entering next weekend’s race.
Jeff Rine of Danville scored his fourth win of the season and 68th of his
career in the 25-lap late model feature. Rine, who also took over the
points lead from Jim Yoder of Selinsgrove, is now one win away from tying
Bobby Croop’s all-time win record of 69.
Defending champion AJ Hoffman of Richfield won his fourth race of the
season in the division’s 15-lap main event, while Brad Mitch of McClure
drove to his second straight win in the 12-lap roadrunner feature.
Selinsgrove Speedway will be in action Sunday night (May 29) at 7 p.m. with
the Keystone Cup Series event for 410 sprint cars plus super sportsman
sponsored by Icon Legacy Custom Modular Homes. The 30-lap 410 sprint car
feature will pay $5,000 to win. Track gates will open at 5 p.m.
The speedway will host another four division show of 358 sprint cars, late
models, pro stocks, and roadrunners at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 4, sponsored
by Selinsgrove Ford. Dealership owner Todd Benner posted a $200 bonus for
the winner of each feature on June 4.
On the initial start of the sprint car feature, polesitter Ryan Kissinger
took the early lead only to fall off the pace entering turn three. For the
restart, outside front row starter Michael Ruttkamp pulled into the lead
while fourth-place starter Kevin Nouse followed in close pursuit.
By lap five, sixth-place starter Eric Tomecek and 10th-place starter Logan
Schuchart were dueling for the third position as 12th-place starter Pat
Cannon advanced to fifth.
A six-car melee in turns three and four stopped the race on lap six when
Jason Shultz’s car flipped over. Also involved in the incident were Derek
Locke, TJ Stutts, Brian Nornhold, Matt Horst, and point leader Blane
Heimbach. All drivers escaped injury and Locke, Horst, and Stutts were able
to rejoin the race.
On the 11th circuit, Schuchart passed Nouse for second and set his sites on
Ruttkamp. A lap later, Cannon powered into third. By lap 18, an all-out war
on wheels unfolded for the lead between Ruttkamp, Schuchart, and Cannon.
Schuchart eventually took the lead with an inside pass off turn four on the
20th circuit, then was pressured by Cannon until the white-flag lap when
Cannon made the winning pass using the inside lane entering turn one.
Cannon took the checkered flag by one second over Schuchart, Stutts,
Ruttkamp, and Tomecek.
Polesitter Eric Hons pulled into the lead at the start of the late model
feature. On the fifth lap, misfortune struck Hons when his race car fell
off the pace with mechanical woes. Sixth-place starter Kenny Trevitz
inherited the lead and had to contend with 10th-place starter Jeff Rine,
who quickly worked his way to front of the field.
Trevitz and Rine broke away from the field in a battle for the lead, while
seventh-place starter Matt Cochran, fifth-place starter Donnie Schick, and
ninth-place starter Steve Campbell raced in the top five.
Before a lap 12 caution flag, Rine edged out Trevitz for the lead at the
start/finish line. When the race resumed, Rine streaked away from the field
as 15th-place starter Jim Yoder began to show some speed in the second half
of the event. With five laps remaining, Yoder horsepowered his way into
second and became a late-race threat to Rine.
Rine and Yoder raced nose-to-tail to the finish, with Rine taking the win
by just .45 of a second over Yoder. Campbell, Trevitz, and Cochran
completed the top five.
Fourth-place starter Dave Brouse Jr. moved into the lead at the start of
the pro stock feature and was chased by third-place starter Tim Krape. On
the eighth lap, Brouse’s car fell off the pace and allowed Krape to take
command of the field. At the same time, 10th-place starter AJ Hoffman
stormed into second and reeled in Krape.
Krape and Hoffman were in a wheel-to-wheel battle when Krape’s car also
fell off the pace while leading. Hoffman inherited the lead and pulled away
from the field, posting a 1.6 second margin of victory over Shaun Miller,
Steve Knepp, Mike Kiehl, and Harold Ranck Jr.
Polesitter Brian Johnson led second-place starter John Schoch for the first
two laps of the roadrunner race until ninth-place starter Bob Bussey
stormed into second. Bussey raced in Johnson’s shadow through the eighth
lap, when 10th-place Brad Mitch made the winning pass using the inside lane
entering turn three.
For the duration of the event, Bussey remained in contention and put in a
bid for the lead on several occasions to no avail. At the finish, Mitch was
victorious for the second week in a row by just .21 of a second over
Bussey, Johnson, John Fowler, and Butch Shaffer.
SELINSGROVE SPEEDWAY RACE SUMMARY – 28 May 2011
358 Sprint Cars – 25 Entries
25-Lap A-Main: 1) 3 Pat Cannon 2) 1S Logan Schuchart 3) 23M TJ Stutts 4) 8R
Michael Ruttkamp 5) 1W Eric Tomecek 6) 76 Larry Kelleher 7) 71 Jessica
Anderson 8) 99K Cody Keller 9) 77 Derek Locke 10) 16H Matt Horst 11) 19
Colby Womer 12) 80M Dan Richcreek 13) 42 Alan Spriggle 14) 6s Bill Sherman
15) 2M Billy McNeal 16) 5B Josh Beard 17) 21T Kevin Knouse 18) 99 Jan
Luckenbaugh 19) 1N Brian Nornhold 20) 1M Jason Shultz 21) 12 Blane Heimbach
22) 5W Phil Walter 23) 38 Scott Wilson 24) 66 Ryan Kissinger 25) 21 Duane
Mausteller DNS
Heat Winners: Josh Beard, Eric Tomecek, Pat Cannon