By Steve Inch
SELINSGROVE, Pa. — Selinsgrove Speedway presented the Third Annual Selinsgrove Ford/ United Racing Club Kramer Cup Saturday, May 28, to honor the memory of sprint car racing legend Kramer Williamson of Palmyra, who succumbed to injuries he sustained in a sprint car racing accident at the Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown in 2013. The tribute race marked the second event of the season at Selinsgrove sanctioned by the United Racing Club 360 sprint cars.
There is an old saying that sometimes it is better to be lucky than good. Saturday night’s Newville Family of Companies/United Racing Club 360 Sprint Car Kramer Cup feature played out in a way similar to that saying. It was the misfortune of race-long leader Eric Tomecek, who hit the third turn wall with two to go, that handed the lead to Mark Smith. Smith had just finished a multi-lap side by side battle with TJ Stutts for the runner up spot when Tomecek wrecked.
Smith got a good start over Stutts on lap 28 and left Jason Shultz and Stutts in battle for second on his way to his second Kramer Cup win and his 17th career Selinsgrove Speedway win. Smith has won eight URC events at the track since 2012. Saturday night’s $2,573 victory was Smith’s second of the season at Selinsgrove driving the Mach 1 Chassis No. 1 entry.
Smith, Stutts, Shultz, Josh Weller, and Curt Michael were the top five finishers. URC point leader Davie Franek finished in sixth with Troy Betts seventh. Robbie Stillwaggon, Ed Aikin, and Adam Carberry rounded out the top ten finishers.
Josh Weller, Robbie Stillwagon, TJ Stutts, and Mark Smith won heat races for the 34 360 Sprint Car field with the B-Main being won by Nate Snyder. Selinsgrove Ford sponsored $73 to win all heat races in memory of Williamson. Jordan Thomas was the IBEW Local Electrical Union 1319 Hard Charger by advancing nine positions in the A-main.
Gene Knaub looked like a lock to win the feature that was being made up from April 30th for the Jeff’s Auto Body & Recycling Late Models to kick off the night’s racing. Knaub began to have mechanical failure with three laps to go. A two-second lead vanished and Steve Campbell and Coleby Frye were on the leader’s tail when the field saw two to go. Knaub withstood the late-race challenges to hang on and win his second career Selinsgrove feature and become the second different winner in the class this season.
Campbell settled for second and held off Frye who finished third. Jeff Rine finished in fourth with Chad Hollenbeck following in fifth. Tony Adams, Jim Yoder, Dave Zona, Matt Cochran, and Austin Berry rounded out the top ten finishers.
Jeff Rine started from the front row of the second Late Model feature of the night looking for his 98th career Selinsgrove Speedway feature win. By lap nine Rine was in lapped traffic while Steve Campbell worked his way to the front. Rine looked to have the field covered when a late race restart gave Campbell a shot at the leader. Campbell was unable to make the move around Rine on the restart and Rine drifted out of Campbell’s reach to the win.
Campbell was able to hold off pole setter Chris Casner for second. The second place finish was Campbell’s third runner-up finish in the three Late Model races this year at the track. Casner had to settle for third. Tony Adams and Bryan Bernheisel finished out the top five finishers. Jim Yoder came across the line in sixth followed by Chad Hollenback, Shawn Jones, Coleby Frye, and Hayes Mattern. Bryan Bernheisel, Chad Hollenbeck, and Shawn Jones won the heat races with Gene Knaub winning the consolation.
AJ Hoffman led the early stages of the A&A Auto Stores Pro Stock main event while Curtis Lawton hounded him for the race lead. Brandon Moser soon joined the duel at the front for the lead. As Lawton and Moser ran side-by-side Hoffman began to pull away. Opening night winner Andrew Shoop soon joined the race for second. On lap 7, just before halfway Shoop slid into second. Shoop closed a little bit on Hoffman, but could not reel in the race leader before the 15-lap feature ended.
Hoffman secured his first win at the track since 2012 saying he didn’t know if he would ever get back to victory lane. Shoop was second just ahead of Moser, Lawton, and Nate Stroup. John Troxell was sixth followed by Jim Payne, Dan Condo, Tommy Slanker, and Bill Conrad. Hoffman and Moser were heat race winners.
Next Saturday night, June 4, at Selinsgrove Speedway the United Racing Club 360 Sprint Cars will return to compete along with the 305 Sprints in an open wheel doubleheader. The rescheduled A&A Auto Stores Pro Stock 20 will also be on the racing card along with two roadrunner features. Gates will open at 5 pm with racing at 7pm.
For the latest news, results, and race status, visit selinsgrovespeedway.com or follow us on Twitter and Facebook. The speedway office can also be reached at 570.374.2266.
SELINSGROVE SPEEDWAY RACE SUMMARY – 28 May 2016
360 Sprints – 34 Entries
30-Lap Kramer Cup A-Main: 1) Mark Smith 2) 23 TJ Stutts 3) 29 Jason Shultz 4) 63 Josh Weller 5) 5G Curt Michael 6) 28F Davie Franek 7) 22 Troy Betts 8) 89 Robbie Stillwaggon 9) 21 Ed Aikin 10) 47 Adam Carberry 11) 67 Steve Collins 12) 66 Ryan Kissinger 13) 39 Nate Snyder 14) 79 Jordan Thomas 15) 23A Chris Arnold 16)10K Rob Dietrick 17) 1W Eric Tomecek 18) 39 Eric Parker 19) C4 Jim Shuster 20) 33 Michael Walter II 21) 77 Derek Locke 22) 5W Phil Walter 23) 49S Mallie Shuster 24) 8C Brian Carber 25) 56 Randy West 26) 706 Mark Sasso
Heat Winners: Josh Weller, Robbie Stillwaggon, TJ Stutts, Mark Smith
B-Main Winner: Nate Snyder
Late Models – 29 Entries
Make-Up 25-Lap A-Main from April 30: 1) 1 Gene Knaub 2) 2 Steve Campbell 3) 0 Coleby Frye 4) 2J Jeff Rine 5) 4D Chad Hollenbeck 6) 88 Tony Adams 7) 27 Jim Yoder 8) 99Z Dave Zona 9) 16 Matt Cochran 10) 86 Austin Berry 11) 10 Dave Stamm 12) 33C Chris Casner 13) 0B Larry Baer 14) 4S Danny Snyder 15) 28 Jason Smith 16) 9 Hayes Mattern 17) 99 Steve Stitt 18) 15 Shaun Miller 19) 77 Dick Houtz 20) 119B Bryan Bernheisel 21) 24J Jon Rohacevich 22) 79 Jason Nace 23) 33 Chris Casner 24) 88T Ernie Millon 25) 000Shawn Jones
25-Lap A-Main: 1) 2J Jeff Rine 2) 2 Steve Campbell 3) 33C Chris Casner 4) 88 Tony Adams 5) 119B bryan Bernheisel 6) 27 Jim Yoder 7) 4D Chad Hollenbeck 8) 000 Shaun Jones 9) 0 Coleby Frye 10) 9 Hayes Mattern 11) 16 Matt Cochran 12) 2 Andrew Yoder 13) 86 Austin Berry 14) 10 Dave Stamm 15) 7M Meade Hahn 16) 90 Kyle Rhoads 17) 99 Steve Stitt 18) 28 Jason Smith 19) 99Z Dave Zona 20) 63 Nathan Long 21) 79 Jason Nace 22) 1 Gene Knaub 23) 33 Derrick Casner 24) 24J Jon Rohacevich
Heat Winners: Bryan Bernheisel, Chad Hollenbeck, Shaun Jones
B-Main Winner: Gene Knaub
Pro Stocks – 18 Entries
15-Lap A-Main: 1)6C AJ Hoffman 2) 8S Andrew Shoop 3) 8M Brandon Moser 4) 33 Curtis Lawton 5) 26 Nate Stroup 6) 55T John Troxell 7) 28 Dan Condo 8) 40 Tommy Slanker 9) 14C Bill Conrad 10) 19 Brandon Auman 11) 83 Matt Wilson 12) 28J Jeff Ceballo 13) 99H Peanut Heintzelman 14) 88Matt Hornberger 15) 4 Jim Payne 16) 8K Jeremy Kline
Heat Winners: AJ Hoffman, Brandon Moser