From Selinsgrove Speedway
Selinsgrove, PA — (May 9, 2015) — Eric Tomecek of Abbottstown thrilled the huge crowd that was on hand Saturday at Selinsgrove Speedway for the Max Media Pack The Track Night with a convincing victory in the 25-lap 360 sprint car feature.
The $2,000 win in the Central Builders Supply Company No. 1W was Tomecek’s first since May 4, 2013, at the track. He became the third different winner in five races in 360 sprint car competition.
Steve Campbell of Danville made it two wins in a row in the 25-lap super late model feature. The victory was the 47th of Campbell’s career at the speedway.
Defending champion Brad Mitch of McClure won his first race of the season in the 15-lap pro stock feature, while John Fowler Jr. of Montandon became the first repeat roadrunner winner with a victory in the division’s 12-lap feature.
Selinsgrove Speedway will be back in action at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 17, with a $3,000-to-win 360 sprint car race sanctioned by the Empire Super Sprints (ESS) plus late models and pro stocks. Track gates will open at 5 p.m.
Fourth-place starter Cody Keller shot into the lead at the start of the sprint car feature and was chased by polesitter Mallie Shuster and third-place starter Michael Walter. On the third circuit, Walter moved into the second spot while eighth-place starter Mark Smith drove into third.
On lap four, the caution flag unfurled when Derek Steward crashed in turn one. For the lap five restart, Keller held off Smith, Walter, and sixth-place starter Colby Womer. The race was slowed again on lap seven when Jason Shultz slammed the second turn wall.
Smith drove around the outside of Keller for the lead in turn two on the lap eight restart. Another caution for a flat tire on TJ Stutts’ car regrouped the field. Racing back into turn one, Keller put in a bid to reclaim the lead, only to make contact with Smith’s car, which ended the three-time winner’s night. Keller was the pacesetter on the restart and was moving at a fast clip at the front of the pack until 11th-place starter Eric Tomecek became a threat.
Tomecek found lightning speed late in the race and drove by Keller in the second turn on the 16th circuit. From that point on, Tomecek blistered the speedway and went on to post a convincing 8.5-second margin of victory over Womer, fifth-place starter Derek Locke, Stutts, and Shuster. Keller dropped out of the race with mechanical issues with two laps remaining.
Second-place starter Tony Adams pulled into the lead at the start of the super late model feature. Adams was trailed by polesitter Danny Snyder for the first lap until fifth-place starter Jim Yoder took command of the field. Adams, Yoder, and fourth-place starter Chad Hollenbeck streaked away from the field early in the race.
On the seventh circuit, Yoder drove by Adams using the inside lane in turn three for the lead. A lap later, seventh-place starter Matt Cochran advanced to second. With 10 laps to race, eighth-place starter Steve Campbell surged his way to the front of the pack, passing Yoder on the 17th lap on the backstretch.
Campbell then opened up a lead late in the race and posted a five-second margin of victory over Yoder, Cochran, 15th-place starter Jeff Rine, and ninth-place starter Kenny Trevitz.
Polesitter Brad Mitch put his pro stock in front of the field at the drop of the green flag in the main event. A multi-car incident in turn three regrouped the field for a complete restart. When the race resumed, Mitch again darted into the lead.
For most of the race, second-place starter Dave Brouse Jr. kept Mitch in his sights, with sixth-place starter Adam Campbell racing in the third position. With two laps remaining, Campbell showed a lot of speed, passing Brouse for second and closing in on Mitch for the lead.
At the checkered flag, Mitch was victorious by one second over Campbell, Brouse, Nathan Long, and Matt Hornberger. Curtis Lawton, who crossed the line in the third position, was disqualified after failing a post-race inspection.
Fourth-place starter John Fowler Jr. powered into the lead at the start of the roadrunner feature and wired the field for his second win of the season. Fowler was closely chased by fifth-place starter Bob Bussy, who did a 360-degree spin in turn two early in the race and kept racing.
At the finish, Fowler was victorious by just .55 of a second over Bussey, Butch Shaffer, Ricky Buss, and Tom Underwood.
SELINSGROVE SPEEDWAY RACE SUMMARY – 9 May 2015
360 Sprint Cars – 16 Entries
25-Lap A-Main: 1) 1W Eric Tomecek 2) 19 Colby Womer 3) 77 Derek Locke 4) 23 TJ Stutts 5) 49S Mallie Shuster 6) 28F Davie Franek 7) 66 Ryan Kissinger 8) 39 Eric Parker 9) 3A Kevin Albert 10) C4 Jim Shuster 11) 99K Cody Keller 12) 33W Michael Walter II 13) 1 Mark Smith 14) 29 Jason Shultz 15) 47 Bill Unglert 16) 29S Derek Steward
Heat Winners: Michael Walter II, Mallie Shuster
Late Models – 16 Entries
25-Lap A-Main: 1) 2 Steve Campbell 2) 27 Jim Yoder 3) 16 Matt Cochran 4) 2J Jeff Rine 5) 16 Matt Cochran 6) 88 Tony Adams 7) 99Z Dave Zona 8) 4DS Chad Hollenbeck 9) 28 Jason Smith 10) 7M Meade Hahn 11) 10 Dave Stamm 12) 111 Dave Shulski 13) 4S Danny Snyder 14) 6 Donnie Schick 15) 88T Ernie Millon 16) 9 Hayes Mattern
Heat Winners: Matt Cochran, Jim Yoder
Pro Stocks – 22 Entries
15-Lap A-Main: 1) 10M Brad Mitch 2) 2C Adam Campbell 3) 14 Dave Brouse Jr. 4) 63 Nathan Long 5) 88 Matt Hornberger 6) 26 AJ Stroup 7) 99 Kyle Bachman 8) 28 Dan Condo 9) G3 Jim Gearhart 10) 14C Bill Conrad 11) 4 Jim Payne 12) 71 Kurt Wray 13) 44 Frank Dibella 14) 11 Derrick Garman 15) 26S Nate Stroup 16) 31 Chris Snyder 17) 8M Brandon Moser 18) 8S Andrew Shoop 19) 99 Peanut Heintzelman 20) 33 Curtis Lawton DQ 21) 55 John Troxell 22) 6C Jake Buck
Heat Winners: Brad Mitch, Dave Brouse Jr., Curtis Lawton
Roadrunners – 10 Entries
12-Lap A-Main: 1) 02 John Fowler 2) 76 Bob Bussey 3) 7 Butch Shaffer 4) 28 Ricky Buss 5) 12 Tom Underwood 6) 15 Dustin Snook 7) F14 Ed Capper 8) 8K Jeremy Kline 9) 31B Brandon Shultz 10) 3B Jason Brosius