From Port Royal Speedway
Port Royal, PA — (August 31, 2013) — York Haven’s Jason Covert made his first career Port Royal Speedway late model win a big one on Saturday night when he won the annual Butch Renninger Memorial in a Three State Flyers Series event for the division at the track.
Covert took home $3,696 for the victory after leading the final 10 circuits of the event.
In the 410 sprint main it was point leader Blane Heimbach of Selinsgrove wiring the field for his fifth win of the year at the oval and expanding his lead in the points with just three full point races left on the season.
Tim Krape won the Renninger Memorial for pro stocks on the night while Jason Zook won his second enduro dash of the season in honor of Renninger as well.
The 33-lap late model Renninger Memorial go started on a rough note when the second attempt at a start saw the backstretch get blocked after an eight-car pile up.
Covert started seventh in the field and watched as Huntingdon’s Justin Kann took the lead from the pole when racing finally got started with Andy Haus running second.
However Three State series regular Kenny Pettyjohn, who started eighth, was fleet aboard his black racer and he was already up to second on the second circuit when a restart regrouped the field.
Kann could only hold on two more laps before Pettyjohn took the lead with five down to begin streaking away as he entered the backmarkers on the 12th tour.
Pettyjohn looked headed to a sure victory with 11 laps to go when his right rear tire exploded on the backchute, forcing him to the pits for new treads.
And just before the caution for Pettyjohn’s stopped racer, Covert had rallied to surpass Haus for second which wound up to be the winning pass after the leader’s bad luck.
Covert had his hands full with Haus on the restart as the Hamburg driver wanted the spot back.
Haus got under Covert on the restart and again on a restart with six laps to go, forcing Covert to sit up in the seat to thwart his attacks using outside momentum.
Haus actually got by for the lead on the 29th loop but Covert recovered to preserved the lead at the line.
And then late in the event all eyes turned to a rebounding Pettyjohn of Millsboro, Del., who had went to the rear after getting a new tire to come blasting back through the pack.
He got by Matt Parks for third with three laps to go but ran out of time to enter the race for the win.
Covert took the checkers by 1.379 seconds over Haus, Pettyjohn, Parks and Kann.
In victory lane veteran Covert mechanic and car owner Gary Klinedinst dropped a bombshell by announcing his retirement from the sport at the end of the season.
Sixth through 10th went to Brett Schadel, who earned hard charger honors, followed by Waylon Wagner, Mitch Hack, Eric Zembower and Jason Schmidt.
Heats for the 30-car field went to Mark Pettyjohn, Kann, Derek Byler and Haus with Schadel taking the consolation event.
Fast time was set by Kenny Pettyjohn with a lap of 18.628 seconds.
Heimbach of Selinsgrove led start to finish for the $3,000 win in the 410 sprint feature after an inversion of six put him on the pole for the 25-lapper.
His pace was halted with two laps down and again on lap three, both time with Brent Marks restarting in second.
Heimbach entered the backmarkers with nine laps in the book and by the halfway point he had Doug Esh in third with Lance Dewease in fourth.
Just as it appeared the race was going to end cleanly the red flag appeared with just two to go for Joey Hershey who slammed into the outside turn four retaining wall, taking a nasty pounding while bouncing back across the pit entrance.
Dylan Cisney was motivated late and blasted by both Dewease and Marks on the restart to ride home third with Esh just ahead, also having gotten marks in the final mile of racing.
Dewease was fourth followed by Brian Leppo.
Sixth through 10th went to Marks, Rodney Westhafer, Chad Layton, Mike Wagner and Keith Kauffman.
Heats for the 28-car field went to Dewease, Hershey and Cisney with Nate Snyder taking the consolation.
Dewease set a new 10-lap track record in his heat run with a time of 2:45.551.
Tim Krape took the lead from Derrick Garman on the fifth lap of the 15-lap pro stock main to win his ninth pro stock main of the year.
Garman rode home second with Kyle Rapp in third.
Heats went to Krape and Rapp.
Devin Hart, Jared Fulkroad and finally Jason Zook led in the 20-lap enduro dash to get the victory.
Zook, who started sixth in the field, took the lead from Fulkroad with three down to hold of Bill Powell during the final laps for the victory.
Fulkroad settled for third with Mark Goodwin fourth and Pete Leiser in fifth.
August 31, 2013 feature finishes:
410 sprints, 25 laps, 28 entires: 1. Blane Heimbach, 2. Doug Esh, 3. Dylan Cisney, 4. Lance Dewease, 5. Brian Leppo, 6. Brent Marks, 7. Rodney Westhafer, 8. Chad Layton, 9. Mike Wagner, 10. Keith Kauffman, 11. Brock Zearfoss, 12. Nate Snyder, 13. Mike Erdley, 14. Jimmy Seger, 15. Mark Zimmerman, 16. Joey Hershey, 17. Davey Sammons, 18. Daryl Stimeling, 19. TJ Stutts, 20. Cliff Brian, 21. Curt Stroup, 22. Ryan Kissinger, 23. Jessica Anderson, 24. Trenton Scheaffer
DNQ: Tyler Bear, Tracey Templin, Steve Buckwalter, Vince Snyder
Late models, 33 laps, 30 entries: 1. Jason Covert, 2. Andy Haus, 3. Kenny Pettyjohn, 4. Matt Parks, 5. Justin Kann, 6. Brett Schadel, 7. Waylon Wagner, 8. Mitch Hack, 9. Eric Zembower, 10. Jason Schmidt, 11. Mike Mort, 12. Mark Pettyjohn, 13. Glenn Elliott, 14. Bob Dunn, 15. Harold Ranck, 16. Tim Wilson, 17. Patrick Bryner, 18. Brian Hack, 19. Terry Naugle, 20. Chad Hollenbeck, 21. Scott Haus, 22. Tim Fedder, 23. Lindsay Barton, 24. Marvin Winters, 25. Jeff Miller
DNQ: Chuck Haydt, Steve Stitt, Derek Byler, Trent Brenneman, Mike Lupfer
Pro stocks, 15 laps, 14 entries: 1. Tim Krape, 2. Derrick Garman, 3. Kyle Rapp, 4. Tim Fedder, 5. Andrew Shoop, 6. Jared Fulkroad, 7. Nate Fisher, 8. Dan Berry, 9. Kurt Wray, 10. Scott Landis, 11. Dustin Kirk, 12. Nate Stroup, 13. Dave Kepner, 14. Chase Bowsman
Enduro dash, 20 laps, 15 entries: 1. Jason Zook, 2. Bill Powell, 3. Jared Fulkroad, 4. Mark Goodwin, 5. Pete Leister, 6. Devin Hart, 7. Deron Henry, 8. Jesse Brown, 9. Tyler Amtower, 10. Jason Davis, 11. Craig Dodson, 12. Rich Adair, 13. Carl Miller, 14. Brady Cauffman, 15. Craig Imes
2013 Butch Renninger Memorial Contingency Sponsors: Brown Funeral Homes, Leonard Insurance, Goshorn Racing Supplies, Juniata Valley RV, Juniata Beverage, BT Truck Service, Jimmy’s Tire Sales, Bryan Imes Auctioneering, Wilson’s Body Shop, Ron Grassmyer Auctioneering, OIP, Zimmerman’s Wholesale, Kicker Fittipaldi, Garman Concrete, Rock-It Pizza, Burker King, Jack Gaughen Hower Associates, Brent Leach, Central Penn Consulting, Kauffman Insurance, Ryan Pellman, Wade Cleck, Mifflintown Ag & Auto, Norm Leonard, Fox’s Pizza.