By Eric Westendorf
Jack Sodeman Jr. injured in an All Star Race in Canada
July 6, 2011 (Sarver, PA) Fab Four Racing is the name of the game this Friday, July 8 and Nostalgia Night will precede the on track excitement. Local media icon Don Gamble has been hard at work recruiting the best race car drivers of the past 40+ years of dirt track racing at Don Martin’s Lernerville Speedway to return to the hallowed grounds where they once so boldly flatfooted it around the 4/10 Action Track.
The following drivers attended last year’s Nostalgia Night: Johnny Axe, Dick Bailey, Carl Bittner, Paul Brougher, Mark Cassella, Harley Chuba, Tim Guzzo, Gene Habbyshaw, Doc Harmon, Walt Keller, Kenny, Kevin & Joe Harris, Dave Hoffman, Ed Lynch Sr., Rick Majors, Jerry Matus, Dave Mohn, Mark Muehlman, Carl Murdick, Art Osmer, Barry Peters, John Phillips, Bob Puz, Ralph Quarterson, Deek Scott, Smokey Schempp, Jack Sodeman, Bob Stanford and Bill Wheeling. There will also be a variety of classic race cars on display.
Last Friday Night, July 1 saw a pair of repeat winners and a pair of drivers picking up their first win of the season. Budweiser Points leaders Dave Hess Jr. and Jeremiah Shingledecker padded their respective leads with sound feature wins in the Precise Lates and Diehl Mods, while Carl Bowser and Joe Kelley won their first features of the season.
Carl Bowser dominated the Ti22 Sprint feature to score his first win of 2011 in his return from an accident a few weeks back at Mercer Raceway Park. Joe Kelley also made his 2011 debut in Sheetz Victory Lane in the ultra-competitive Pic-A-Part Sportsman feature over would be first career feature winner Jimmy Fosnaught. By this time last year, Kelley had already captured seven feature wins on the way to his seventh Lernerville Track Championship!
As mentioned above Hess and Shingledecker stretched their lead in the Bud Points, while Bowser inched closer to Brian Ellenberger in the Ti22 Sprints and Mike Miller reclaimed the lead over AJ Flick in the Pic-A-Part Sportsman. Miller finished second while Flick suffered the dreaded DNF after an engine fire ended his night short.
If you missed or just want to relive all the exciting action from the 5th Annual Firecracker 100 presented by GottaRace.com, it will be broadcast this Saturday afternoon, July 9 on SPEED at 1:00PM. The two hour broadcast will feature highlights from preliminary action from Thursday & Friday Nights, as well as Saturday Night’s heats, B-Mains, Uncle Sam 30 and all 100 laps of the Firecracker 100 A-Main in which 2009 winner Jimmy Mars passed inaugural winner Scott Bloomquist midrace to become the first repeat winner of the newest Crown Jewel of Dirt Late Model racing. Set your DVRs now for SPEED on Saturday, July 9 from 1:00-3:00PM.
One of Lernerville Speedway’s travelling All Stars was injured this weekend in Canada. Jack Sodeman Jr., (winner of the Ti22 Sprint feature at Lernerville Speedway on Friday, June 3), took a nasty ride at Autodrome Grandby and had to be transported to a nearby hospital. Jack’s injures were mostly moderate, with a bump on the head, facial swelling and bruised lungs, but he did require surgery to repair a broken shin bone. Jack is expected to return home by the end of the week, but faces a difficult recovery! Jack’s father, former sprint car and modified star Jack Sodeman Sr., needed medical attention at the track while rushing to the scene to check on his son. He received nitroglycerine and oxygen therapy and is expected to make a full recovery. Cards and Get Well wishes can be sent to the Sodemans at 2659 Pritchard Ohltown Rd., Lordstown, OH 44481.