By Steve Inch
SELINSGROVE, Pa. — Selinsgrove Speedway celebrated the Fourth of July Thursday with a four division racing card sponsored by Jeff’s Auto Body & Recycling Center.
Kyle Reinhardt of Neptune City, N.J., wired the field in the 30-lap Firecracker 360 sprint car race and collected the $3,000 prize at the wheel of the Central Builders No. 1 entry.
The $3,000 victory was Reinhardt’s third of the season at Selinsgrove and second straight night in a row as he took the win Wednesday night in the United Racing Club feature at Port Royal.
Gene Knaub of York also took home $3,000 with his win in the Grit House Route 35 Super Late Model Challenge Series race.
Shaun Lawton of Bloomsburg scored his fourth straight win in the 15-lap pro stock race, while Jake Jones of Cogan Station won his third race of the year in the 12-lap roadrunner feature.
There will be no racing at the track this Saturday, July 6.
Selinsgrove Speedway will be back in action at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July, 13, with the 19th annual Mach 1 Chassis Open for 360 sprint cars paying $5,000 to win. The super late models and pro stocks will also be in action. Gates will open at 5 p.m.
Kyle Reinhardt rocketed to the sprint car lead from the pole but the yellow flew when outside polesitter Cody Keller spun 360 degrees in the second turn and kept running giving him his starting position back.
On the restart, this time it was Blane Heimbach, from the second row, grabbing the lead when the caution flew again for Josh Weller.
On the third restart Reinhardt held of Heimbach, Keller, Austin Bishop and Mark Smith.
By lap two Smith was up to third and Chad Layton raced into the top five. As Reinhardt sliced through traffic Heimbach had trouble with Smith catching and briefly passing him.
Greg Jones brought out the red flag when he rolled his racer onto the side in the third turn. Jones was uninjured.
Heimbach tried to slide under Reinhardt on the restart but Reinhardt held him off. Layton also tested Smith for third and Ryan Kissinger roared into fifth.
By lap 20 Smith slid under Heimbach in the second turn only to have Heimbach return the favor in the fourth turn. Once by, Smith started to fade and Layton took over third.
In the final laps Heimbach ran the cushion and closed on Reinhardt but could not get by him. Reinhardt won by 2.176 seconds over Heimbach, Layton, Smith and Derek Locke.
Layton, Kissinger and Heimbach were sprint car heat winners.
Gene Knaub blasted to the lead to start the late model feature from the outside pole and was followed by Brett Schadel, Bryan Bernheisel, Mike Lupfer, and Dylan Yoder.
The caution flew on lap two when Kenny Trevitz, Nathan Long, and Jerry Bard got together in the third turn.
Using the Delaware double file restart, Knaub held the lead but a great battle between Schadel and Bernheisel developed, while Jeff Rine raced into the top five.
On lap 13 Yoder caught and passed Schadel. The pair battled for a lap before Yoder took the spot permanently.
Yoder continued flying around the top and passed Bernheisel for second on lap 23 and started to chip into Knaub’s lead but even with the five additional laps Yoder was able to get to Knaub’s rear bumper but could not get around the leader trailing by .307 seconds at the checkered flag.
Schadel, Bernheisel and Rine rounded out the top five.
Late model heats were won by Schadel and Knaub.
Shaun Lawton took the pro stock lead over Ray Rothfuss, Kyle Bachman, Brandon Moser and AJ Stroup. Moser slowed on the track bringing out a lap two caution.
Stroup shot around Bachman on lap three to take over the runner up position but Bachman kept the pressure on racing the inside. Brad Mitch stopped on the backstretch on lap 11 slowing the field again.
Lawton pulled to a sizable lead after the restart winning for the fourth time in a row by 2.083 seconds over Stroup, Bachman, John Schoch and Rothfuss.
AJ Hoffman and Moser were victorious in the pro stock heats.
Bob Bussey took the high line in turn one to take the roadrunner lead from Smith Cope, Jake Jones, Curtis Lawton and Hunter Shelley.
Cope passed Bussey high in lap two to take the lead and two laps later Jones was running second. Jimmy Kessler spun in turn two to slow the field on lap six.
Cope got out of shape on the restart and Jones took the lead with Bussey on his tail. Bussey dogged Jones the rest of the way but could not get by. Lawton, Cope and Brian Mabus rounded out the top five.
Will Brunson and Bussey won the roadrunner heats.
SELINSGROVE SPEEDWAY RACE SUMMARY – 4 July 2019
360 Sprint Cars – 21 Entries
30-Lap A-Main: 1) 1 Kyle Reinhart ($3,000) 2) 12 Blane Heimbach 3) 35 Chad Layton 4) M1 Mark Smith 5) 77 Derek Locke 6) 66 Ryan Kissinger 7) 11A Austin Bishop 8) 29 Jason Shultz 9) 5G Curt Michael 10) 5 Tyler Ross 11) 19 Colby Womer 12) 33 Michael Walter 13) 91 David Quackenbush 14) 5Q Ryan Quackenbush 15) 1 Jake Hummel 16) 11 Jim Shuster 17) 5N Brian Nornhold 18) 99 Cody Keller 19) 7J Gregg Jones 20) 63 Josh Weller 21) 49 Mallie Shuster
Heat Winners: Chad Layton, Ryan Kissinger, Blane Heimbach