From Kalida M. Landis
Hanover, PA — (May 24, 2013) — The top two feature winners in Trail-Way Speedway’s 358 sprint history have turned the Adams County oval into a personal duel this season. On a chilly Friday night, that evenextended to the pill draw for the Insinger Fuels 358 Sprint Spring Championship.
“They made it easy on me,” York’s Jeff Rohrbaugh said about his selection of the pole position for the start after he won the 25-lap feature and earned the season’s largest winner’s share so far, $1,200. “Cris (Eash) was giving me heck there because I drew number one. I was like, ‘There were eight guys who drew before me.’”
However, Brad McClelland, who owns the all-time feature lead in the division with 27 triumphs, drew the outside pole, setting up a race-long dash which ended with McClelland trailing the 26-timefeature winner by .062 second at the finish.
“I’d seen him run her in there,” Rohrbaugh said about McClelland’s closest approach on the 15th lap. “I was like, ‘He’s probably carrying too much speed because the racetrack was real tricky.’ And he’ll probably tell you the same thing. It’s almost like you’re racing on Lestoil.”
The field of 16 cars suffered an aborted start when four cars tangled in the second turn of the opening lap. The victims included Hanover’s Tim Wagaman, whose car stalled during warm-up laps and had to start at the rear of the feature. Wagaman’s front wing was damaged and his crew removed it, setting up his eventual charge to a fifth-place finish.
“We got in an accident there on the first lap and tore the front wing off, so I pulled in there and they did a couple of changes,” Wagaman said about his crew, “And it felt good, so I think I might run it like that forever.”
Racing without his front wing, Wagaman used attrition and timely passes to eventually claim the Hard Charger Award.
Meanwhile, Rohrbaugh eventually had to withstand four caution flags and kept command over the entire distance, but McClelland and Manchester’s Austin Hogue, who surged from 10th starting spot, kept the pressure on the leader in a race which eventually had nine finishers from the field which took the first green flag.
“Brad, that’s Mr. Trail-Way. When you’re in front of him and he’s back there, you want to get it done,” Rohrbaugh said, noting he moved up the track at the midway point to block any charge by the heat winner to pass him on the outside.” At the end, McClelland, who has more than 100 total feature victories on the track, had to settle for his third straight runner-up finish.
Mike Bittinger placed fourth ahead of Wagaman. Mike Duncan Jr., Randy Whisler, Tyler Ross and Cody Fletcher completed the order of cars running. Heat winner Jason Cunningham Jr., who retired after his involvement in a crash with four laps remaining, completed the top 10.
In other action, Parkton, Md.’s David Holbrook, who placed fourth in his heat race, endured a caution-filled 20-lap 600cc micro sprint feature to win the race from the pole. He edged Brad Weber by .087 second at the finish. Jim Young, Eric Bodine and Travis Scott completed the top five. New Oxford’s Broc Lawrence was brieflypinned in his car and was taken by ambulance into the pits to be treated after his car flipped during a three-car accident on the third lap of the feature.
Tyler Walton, Tyler Esh and Scott won heat races for the 22 600cc micro sprints.
After winning his heat, Hanover’s Bill Foster drove from the outside pole to win the 20-lap street stock feature by pacing every circuit. Dan Furman placed second by two car-lengths in the 11-car field and was followed by Jeremy Stremmel, Timothy Hahn and heat winner Justin Mitchell to complete the top five.
Bonneauville’s Terry Hartlaub took the lead from Justin Bittle on the third lap and drove off to victory in the 15-lap limited stock feature. Ryan Smith claimed second place over Matt Chronister. Cory Weishaar and Brad Kress took fourth and fifth, respectively.
In qualifying action among the 25 competing teams, Shane Miller, Smith and Bittle took heat races. Jimmy Tyson won the consolation.
Next Friday (5/31), Trail-Way will host Camera and Autograph Night, which will feature the 358 sprints, Central PA Legends, street stocks and limited stocks in the 7:30 p.m. show. The following Friday (6/7), Trail-Way will host the 358 sprints, street stocks, 1,000cc Sidewinder sprints and limited stocks in another 7:30 p.m. card.
On Friday, June 14, the limited late models will join the 358 sprints, 600cc micro sprints and classic cars in a 7:30 p.m. program
For all the latest news and related information from Trail-Way Speedway, fans are reminded to visit the speedway website at www.trail-wayspeedway.com. The complete story and agate from each race night is posted shortly after the final checkered falls.
Trail-Way Speedway
May 24, 2013
RACE RESULTS
358 Sprint Cars
Insinger Fuels 358 Spring Championship
Feature (25 Laps)
1. 45-Jeff Rohrbaugh; 2. 6R-Brad McClelland; 3. 52-Austin Hogue; 4.
12-Mike Bittinger; 5. 1*-Tim Wagaman; 6. 11D-Mike Duncan; 7. 64-Randy
Whisler; 8. 5-Tyler Ross; 9. 66a-Cody Fletcher; 10.7C-Jason Cunningham
Jr. (DNF); 11. 55K-Robbie Kendall (DNF); 12. 10-Zach Eucolano (DNF);
13. 99-Joe Trone Jr. (DNF); 14. 17E-Cris Eash (DNF); 16. 33-Brad
Gleason (DNF); 16. 30-Seth Kearchner (DNF). No Time.
Lap Leader – Jeff Rohrbaugh (1-25).
Heat 1 (10 Laps/All Qualify)
1. 6R-Brad McClelland; 2. 12-Mike Bittinger; 3. 17e-Cris Eash; 4.
10-Zach Eucolano; 5. 64-Randy Whisler; 6. 11D-Mike Duncan Jr.; 7.
30-Seth Kearchner. DNS: 1*-Tim Wagaman. Time – 2:21.75.
Heat 2 (10 Laps/All Qualify)
1. 7C-Jason Cunningham Jr.; 2. 5-Tyler Ross; 3. 52-Austin Hogue; 4.
45-Jeff Rohrbaugh; 5. 55K-Robbie Kendall; 6. 33-Brad Gleason; 7.
66a-Cody Fletcher; 8. 99-Joe Trone Jr. (DNF). No Time.
600cc Micro Sprints
Feature (25 Laps)
1. 17D-David Holbrook; 2. 17-Brad Weber; 3. 8-Jim Young; 4. 99-Eric
Bodine; 5. 07-Travis Scott; 6. 55L-Shane Lewis; 7. 6-Hank Donovan Jr.;
8. 2-Tyler Esh; 9. 5E-Travis Esh; 10. 11Z-Zachary Light; 11. 13-Bo
Gordon Jr.; 12. 42-Ed Guevara; 13. 30-Jared Esh; 14. 10-Jeremy Glass;
15. 84-Colton Laughman; 16. 1-Shawn Seifert; 17. 76-Broc Lawrence
(DNF); 18. 10W-Spencer Wassilewski (DNF); 19. 4C-Cheyenne Topper
(DNF); 20. 14K-Hannah Riser (DNF); 21. 89-Alyson Dietz (DNF). DNS:
12-Joe Kay. No Time.
Lap Leader – David Holbrook (1-20).
Heat 1 (8 Laps/All Qualify)
1. 14T-Tyler Walton; 2. 1-Shawn Seifert; 3. 55L-Shane Lewis; 4.
99-Eric Bodine; 5. 10W-Spencer Wassilewski; 6. 76-Broc Lawrence; 7.
42-Ed Guevara; 8. 11Z-Zachary Light. Time – 2:02.93.
Heat 2 (8 Laps/All Qualify)
1. 2-Tyler Esh; 2. 8-Jim Young; 3. 5E-Travis Esh; 4. 17D-David
Holbrook; 5. 30-Jared Esh; 6. 10-Jeremy Glass; 7. 84-Colton Laughman;
8. 89-Alyson Dietz. Time – 2:02.20.
Heat 3 (8 Laps/All Qualify)
1. 17-Bradley Weber; 2. 07-Travis Scott; 3. 4C-Cheyenne Topper; 4.
13-Bo Gordon Jr.; 5. 6-Hank Donovan Jr.; 6. 12-Joe Kay; 7. 14K-Hannah
Riser. Time – 2:03.73.
Limited Stocks
Feature (15 Laps)
1. 92-Terry Hartlaub; 2. 59-Ryan Smith; 3. 81-Jason Chronister; 4.
37-Cory Weishaar; 5. 56-Brad Kress; 6. 86-Brian Walls; 7. 32-Jeff
Foster; 8. 9-Justin Bittle; 9. 1-Todd Miller; 10. 16-Julio Perez; 11.
39-Shane Miller; 12. 21-Ricky Weaver Jr.; 13. 5-Wes Kellison; 14.
13-John Shorb Jr.; 15. 69-Robbie Carroll; 16. 27-Donald Hopkins Jr.;
17. 70-Jimmy Tyson; 18. 88-Justin Oberlin; 19. 77-Brian Blank Jr.; 20.
3-Rod Weaver (DNF); 21. 41-Robert Wellman (DNF); 22. 38-Jason
Chronister (DNF); 23. 54-Tyler Gastley (DNF); 24. 99-Cody Klinedinst
(DNF).
Lap Leaders – Justin Bittle (1-2); Terry Hartlaub (3-15).
Heat 1 (6 Laps/7 Qualify)
1. 39-Shane Miller; 2. 1-Todd Miller; 3. 56-Brad Kress; 4. 81-Jason
Chronister; 5. 41-Robert Wellman; 6. 16-Julio Perez; 7. 27-Donald
Hopkins Sr.; 8. 10-Aaron Levin; 9. 17-Brian Blank Jr.; 10. 01-Chelsea
Weaver (DNF). Time – 2:05.40.
Heat 2 (6 Laps/7 Qualify)
1. 59-Ryan Smith; 2. 3-Rod Weaver; 3. 13-John Shorb Jr.; 4. 32-Jeff
Foster; 5. 54-Tyler Gastley; 6. 99-Cody Klinedinst; 7. 88-Justin
Oberlin; 8. 77-Brian Blank Sr.; 9. 30-Justin Wagaman (DNF); 10.
28-Dale Arnold (DNF). No Time.
Heat 3 (6 Laps/7 Qualify)
1. 9-Justin Bittle; 2. 21-Ricky Weaver Jr.; 3. 37-Cory Weishaar; 4.
92-Terry Hartlaub; 5. 38-Jason Chronister; 6. 86-Brian Walls; 7.
69-Robbie Carroll; 8. 5-Wes Kellison; 9. 70-Jimmy Tyson (DNF). DNS:
11-Michael Kolodiej Jr. Time – 2:06.61.
Consolation (6 Laps/3 Qualify)
1. 70-Jimmy Tyson; 2. 5-Wes Kellison; 3. 77-Brian Blank Jr. (replaced
Brian Blank Sr.); 4. 10-Aaron Levin; 5. 11-Michael Kolodiej Jr.; 6.
30-Justin Wagaman; 7. 01-Chelsea Weaver (DNF). DNS: 17-Brian Blank
Jr.; 28-Dale Arnold. Time – 2:07.22.
Street Stocks
Feature (20 Laps)
1. 8-Bill Foster; 2. 5M-Dan Furman; 3. 99-Jeremy Stremmel; 4.
659H-Timothy Hahn; 5. 77-Justin Mitchell; 6. 7M-Craig Wagaman; 7.
3-Larry Landis; 8. 74-Joe Racine; 9. 71-Joseph Racine; 10.10-Kyle Emig
(DNF); 11. 33-Michael Goodwin (DNF). No Time.
Lap Leader – Bill Foster (1-20).
Heat 1 (8 Laps/All Qualify)
1. 8-Bill Foster; 2. 5M-Dan Furman; 3. 33-Michael Goodwin; 4.
659H-Timothy Hahn; 5. 10-Kyle Emig; 6. 71-Joseph Racine. Time –
2:42.56.
Heat 2 (8 Laps/All Qualify)
1. 77-Justin Mitchell; 2. 99-Jeremy Stremmel; 3. 74-Joe Racine; 4.
7M-Craig Wagaman; 5. 3-Larry Landis. Time – 2:42.51.