SELINSGROVE, Pa. – Nate Snyder of Halifax made a late-race pass by Blane
Heimbach of Selinsgrove and stormed to his first win of the season in
Saturday night’s 25-lap 358 sprint car feature at Selinsgrove Speedway.
Snyder became the sixth different winner in the sprint car division this
season at the wheel of the Lisi Shell/Latshaw’s Landscaping No. 56. The
victory marked the 17th of his career at the speedway on PEPSI night.
Dylan Yoder of Selinsgrove set fast time (19.460) at the start of the night
then scored a convincing victory in the Jeff’s Auto Body & Recycling Center
30-lap late model championship. Yoder’s first win of the season at the
track was worth $2,000 and also made him the division’s sixth different
winner.
Jason Smith of Williamsport returned to Victory Lane with his third win of
the season in the 15-lap pro stock feature.
Scott Dunham Jr. of Selinsgrove and Bob Bussey of Northumberland won the
twin 12-lap roadrunner features.
Selinsgrove Speedway will present the 10th Annual Middleswarth Potato Chips
Firecracker 30 for 358 sprint cars at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 2. The 30-lap
main event will pay $2,000 to win and $225 to start out of a purse in
excess of $10,000. Time trials, heat races, and a B-main will be the
qualifying format for the 358 sprint cars.
Also on the racing card will be the late models, pro stocks, and
roadrunners. Track gates will open at 5 p.m.
The speedway will also be in operation over the Independence Day weekend on
Sunday, July 3, with the Mach 1 Chassis Jan Opperman Memorial PA Speedweek
Finale for 410 sprint cars plus super sportsman at 7:30 p.m. The rain date,
if needed, will be Monday, July 4.
Polesitter Ryan Kissinger powered into the lead at the start of the sprint
car feature. He was chased by second-place starter Brian Nornhold for the
first seven laps until Kissinger made contact with a slower car in turn
four, causing him to spin.
Nornhold inherited the lead for a single lap but developed a flat tire
while pacing under caution. Sixth-place starter Colby Womer took over the
lead position with ninth-place starter Pat Cannon, seventh-place starter
Nate Snyder, and third-place starter Matt Heimbach in tow.
On lap 10, 10th-place starter Blane Heimbach horsepowered his way into
third and began to challenge Cannon for second when Cannon’s car struck the
first turn wall and flipped over on lap 11. Cannon escaped the hard crash
uninjured.
On the restart, B. Heimbach pulled even with Womer, then took the lead
using the inside lane off turn four. B. Heimbach led through lap 17, when
Snyder stormed around the outside coming off turn four for the front spot.
Snyder went on to win the race by 2.2 seconds over B. Heimbach, Womer, TJ
Stutts, and Josh Beard.
Polesitter Dave Zona led second-place starter Dylan Yoder at the start of
the late model feature. By lap two, sixth-place starter Jeff Rine advanced
to third and a three-car battle unfolded for the lead. On a lap four
restart, D. Yoder and Rine dueled for the runner-up position for several
laps.
On the 11th circuit, D. Yoder made a thrilling pass between Zona and Rine
in turn one for the lead. At the halfway point, a high-speed chase ensued
in lapped traffic with D. Yoder leading and Rine in second. With ten laps
remaining, current point leader and eighth-place starter Jim Yoder moved
into the third position.
On the 23rd lap, Rine’s car developed mechanical problems, forcing him to
withdraw from the race. In the final laps, D. Yoder stretched his lead to
more than a straightway over his father, J. Yoder. At the checkered flag,
D. Yoder was victorious by 4.3 seconds over J. Yoder, Steve Campbell, Matt
Cochran, and Zona.
Polesitter Matt Johnson led the first four laps of the pro stock feature.
On a lap five restart, fourth-place starter Jason Schmidt took command of
the field with a pass for the lead on the backstretch.
In the ensuing laps, Schmidt was holding off ninth-place starter Jason
Smith for the front spot. On lap seven, Smith drove by Schmidt with an
inside pass in turn four. Then a four-car battle unfolded for the lead
between Smith, sixth-place starter Kyle Bachman, Schmidt, and 11th-place
starter AJ Hoffman, who made a charge into second on the final lap.
Smith was victorious by just .45 of a second over Hoffman, Bachman, Nate
Kerstetter, and Doug Minium.
In the makeup roadrunner feature from June 4, second-place starter Corey
Collier drove into the lead only to tag the third turn wall on the second
circuit. Fourth-place starter Brian Johnson inherited the lead and led two
laps before losing a wheel in turn two.
For the restart, Bob Bussey inherited the lead with 11th-place starter
Scott Dunham Jr. in pursuit. On the 10th lap, Bussey bobbled in turn four
when his steering wheel reportedly came loose, allowing Dunham to take the
lead and score the win. Bussey maintained second, while Nate Romig, John
Fowler Jr. and Jeff Swanger rounded out the top five.
In the regularly scheduled event, polesitter Rob Pyle took the lead at the
start. On the second lap, eighth-place starter Bussey powered into the lead
while a torrid battle for second unfolded between sixth-place starter Keith
Bissinger and seventh-place starter Ricky Bender. In the final laps, Bussey
was able to distance himself from the rest of the field and posted a
two-second margin of victory over Bender, Bissinger, Dunham, and Johnson.
SELINSGROVE SPEEDWAY SUMMARY – 25 June 2011
358 SPRINT CARS – 23 Entries
25-Lap A-Main: 1) 56 Nate Snyder 2) 12 Blane Heimbach 3) 19 Colby Womer
4) 23 TJ Stutts 5) 5B Josh Beard 6) 1W Eric Tomecek 7) 1S Logan Schuchart
8) 76 Larry Kelleher 9) 74 Matt Heimbach 10) 1M Jason Shultz 11) 8R
Michael Ruttkamp 12) 77 Derek Locke 13) 71 Jessica Anderson 14) 99K Cody
Keller 15) 80M Dan Richcreek 16) 1N Brian Nornhold 17) 16H Matt Horst
18) 42 Alan Spriggle 19) 3 Pat Cannon DNF 20) 66 Ryan Kissinger DNF 21)
5W Phil Walter DNF 22) 3G Ryan Gearhart DNF 23) 99B Nyle Berkes DNS
Heat Winners: Matt Heimbach, Pat Cannon, TJ Stutts