Smith wins second in-a-row, fourth of the year in thundercars; Sites victor in street stocks
ABBOTTSTOWN, PA, 9/15/07 - It sure beats sitting at home and drinking beer.
That’s what J.R. Fry was doing the last time the super sportsman ran the "Sportsman 100" at Lincoln Speedway.
The Summerdale driver started on the pole and spotted outside front row starter Russ Mitten the lead on lap one. He took the lead with a low-side move exiting turn four of the second lap, and led the rest of the way, picking up $1,000 in lap money to go with the $4,000 top prize.
"The car was running great," said a jubilant Fry in victory lane, "Everyone’s biggest concern was that for the past two years, I’ve been sittin’ on the couch drinkin’ beer while these guys were racing. Then Dane and Eric called me up and asked me if I’d come back and race again. They thought ‘Can you make it the whole race?’ I was a little worried there, but when you have a car that handles like that, it’s easy to drive."
One thing that helped was timely cautions, which seemed to occur every time the Dane Hursh-owned #22H caught lapped traffic.
Red flags came out twice in the first two laps. Rick Barr was taken for a checkup after suffering a back or shoulder injury when his #00 hopped the cushion and hit the outside wall on the initial start. Bobby Hockenberry brought out the red on turn three of lap two.
Fry pulled away to a 1.26-second lead over third-starting Frankie Herr by the time he hit lapped traffic for the first time on lap 24. And he literally hit the lapped traffic, spinning Stan Wanner in turn one.
After four caution laps, Fry again pulled away to a 1.51-second lead over Herr by lap 34. Defending "Sportsman 100" winner Rich Eichelberger, who started sixth, dropped from the field on lap 30 while running fourth. Fry’s lead was 1.7 seconds when he hit lapped traffic on lap 38. Again a caution came out and cleared the track for the leaders.
Fry continued to pull away from the field after each in a series of cautions from laps 44 through 60, when a pre-determined mandatory red flag came out for fuel.
Fry was never challenged until he finally hit the first serious lapped traffic of the race with five laps to go. Carmen Perigo, Jr., who came from 17th starting spot and caught Herr for second on lap 67, closed quickly on the leader as the two raced through lapped traffic from laps 95 through 98. But Fry had enough at the end, crossing 1.68-seconds ahead of Perigo.
"With Carmen, I know he’s going to be there no matter what," said Fry, "So all I did was run as hard as I possible could. The car was really tight in lapped traffic, but we held him off."
Herr settled for third, with 10th-starting Danny Hager fourth, and 21st-starting Derek Locke fifth. Locke was named the event’s hard-charger, collecting an extra $150 awarded by Lobar, Inc.
Sixth through tenth were Paul Miller (who came from the back after an early-race crash), 20th-starting Dave Socks, Jake Raudabaugh, Mitten, and Aaron Eichelberger.
Fast time in time trials over the 32-car super sportsman field was set by Rich Eichelberger with a new one-lap track record time of 15.566-seconds (86.727 MPH). Eichelberger held the previous record of 15.838-seconds set last year in this event on 9/16/2006.
Gregg Foster and Paul Miller won 10-lap qualifiers.
Mechanicsburg’s Kory Sites watched Kevin Sigler and Bob Gutshall battle for the lead over the first quarter of the race, passed Gutshall for second on lap six, and then took over the top spot from Sigler on lap 12 to win the 20-lap street stock feature.
Counting wins at Williams Grove and Susquehanna Speedway Park, it was Sites’ ninth win of the year.
Gutshall, who was using one of Sites’ motors, crossed second, with Sigler third. Rodney Clouser and Gary Johnston completed the top five.
Hanover’s Neil Smith made it two wins in-a-row and fourth of the year by claiming the thrilling 20-lap thundercar feature. Smith, who started eighth, picked his way through the field while outside frontrow starter Danny Beard led the first five laps and then fourth-starting Mike Zeigler Jr. who took over the top spot on lap six. Smith used his familiar inside groove to make his pass for the lead on the 13th lap. But the defending track champion and point leader had his hands full over the final laps as Duane Watson (who is second in points) and Sam Gallagher (driving the Smoke Christine No.35) battled bumper-to-bumper with Smith hanging on for the .38-second win over Watson for his 42nd career win at the Pigeon Hills oval. Gallagher settled for third, with Scott Fisher fourth and Zeigler fifth. Completing the top-10 were Justin Mong, Mike Slaybaugh, Gino Comi, Ronnie Thomas and Al Crammer.
Heats for the 20 Thundercars on hand were won by Watson and Smith.
Next Saturday night, September 22nd, at 6 PM, Lincoln Speedway will once again host the 19TH ANNUAL HANK GENTZLER MEMORIAL MANUFACTURERS APPRECIATION RACE for the 410 Sprinters. There will also be a Central Maryland Pools Non-Qualifiers feature for the sprinters. Joining them will be the thundercars as they continue the battle down the stretch for the 2007 Lincoln Speedway track title.
Racing action will get underway at 6 PM with gates opening at 4 PM.
To get all the latest news, results, schedule changes and rule changes, visit Lincoln Speedway’s website at http://www.lincolnspeedway.com to stay up-to-date on all the action or pending weather conditions at Central Pennsylvania’s "Premier" Saturday night race track - The Fabulous Lincoln Speedway.
RACE RESULTS
Saturday - September 15, 2007
LINCOLN SPEEDWAY
Abbottstown, PA
33RD ANNUAL SPORTSMAN 100:
Feature (100 Laps) - 1. 22H-JR Fry ($4,000); 2. 2A-Carmen Perigo Jr.; 3. 99-Frankie Herr; 4. 55-Danny Hager; 5. 30R-Derek Locke (Hard-Charger); 6. 58-Paul Miller; 7. 45-Dave Socks; 8. 93-Jake Raudabaugh; 9. 77-Russ Mitten; 10. 88-Aaron Eichelberger; 11. 30-Scott Dellinger; 12. 66-Leroy Martin; 13. 07-Mike Enders; 14. 1-John Stehman; 15. 20-Eric Eckert; 16. 9G-Glenn Keller (DNF); 17. 64-Stan Wanner (-18); 18. 56-John Garman (DNF); 19. 11-Steve Fannasy (DNF); 20. 318-Duaine Smith (DNF); 21. 29-Gregg Foster (DNF); 22. 8-Rich Eichelberger (DNF); 23. 25-Bobby Hockenberry (DNF); 24. 00-Rick Barr (DNF); DNS - 91-Lanny Hake. No Time
Lap Leaders - Russ Mitten (1), JR Fry (2-100)
1st Heat (10 Laps/5 to qualify) - 1. 29-Gregg Foster; 2. 2A-Carmen Perigo Jr.; 3. 9G-Glenn Keller; 4. 30R-Derek Locke; 5. 11-Steve Fannasy; 6. 64-Stan Wanner; 7. 21-Jerry Speck; 8. 59-Steve Wilbur; 9. 33-Ryan Rupp. No Time
2nd Heat (10 Laps/5 to qualify) - 1. 58-Paul Miller; 2. 25-Bobby Hockenberry; 3. 45-Dave Socks; 4. 66-Leroy Martin; 5. 91-Lanny Hake; 6. 5-Dave Berkheimer; 7. 51-Lyle Stroman; 8. 73K-Rocky Magaro (DNF). No Time
Time Trials - 1. 8-Rich Eichelberger, 15.566 (86.727 MPH)(New 1-Lap Track record - old record was 15.838-seconds, set by Rich Eichelberger on 9/16/2006) ; 2. 318-Duaine Smith, 15.659; 3. 1-John Stehman, 15.794; 4. 99-Frankie Herr, 15.841; 5. 77-Russ Mitten, 15.925; 6. 22H-JR Fry, 15.943; 7. 20-Eric Eckert, 15.971; 8. 88-Aaron Eichelberger, 15.976; 9. 30-Scott Dellinger, 15.985; 10. 55-Danny Hager, 16.049; 11. 07-Mike Enders, 16.061; 12. 00-Rick Barr, 16.100; 13. 93-Jake Raudabaugh, 16.104; 14. 56-John Garman, 16.111; 15. 9G-Glenn Keller, 16.117; 16. 58-Paul Miller, 16.127; 17. 29-Gregg Foster, 16.146; 18. 66-Leroy Martin, 16.187; 19. 64-Stan Wanner, 16.250; 20. 45-Dave Socks III, 16.320; 21. 2A-Carmen Perigo Jr., 16.328; 22. 25-Bobby Hockenberry, 16.378; 23. 33-Ryan Rupp, 16.378; 24. 5-Dave Berkheimer, 16.387; 25. 11-Steve Fannasy, 16.387; 26. 91-Lanny Hake, 16.406; 27. 30R-Derek Locke, 16.429; 28. 51-Lyle Stroman, 16.447; 29. 59-Steve Wilbur, 16.509; 30. 73K-Rocky Magaro, 16.512; 31. 21-Jerry Speck, 16.807; 32. 24-Jason Fry, NT.
STREET STOCKS:
Feature (20-Laps) - 1. 21K-Kory Sites; 2. 20-Bob Gutshall; 3. 7S-Kevin Sigler; 4. 8-Rodney Clouser; 5. 35-Gary Johnston; 6. 7W-Gary Welsh; 7. M15-Dave Motter; 8. 19-Skip Findley; 9. 17-Jenn Scott (DNF); 10. 57-Brad Shank (DNF); 11. 97-Devin Frey (DNF); 12. 48-Jim Salisbury (DNF); 13. 5-Adam Gutshall (DNF); 14. 9-Dave Raudabaugh (DNF); 15. 75-Ben Cornbower (DNF); 16. 56-Lance Grove (DNF). No Time
Lap Leaders - Kevin Sigler (1-2), Bob Gutshall (3-4), Kevin Sigler (5-11), Kory Sites
THUNDERCARS:
Feature (20 Laps) - 1. 1B-Neil Smith; 2. 3W-Duane Watson; 3. 35-Sam Gallagher; 4. 20-Scott Fisher; 5. 21A-Mike Zeigler, Jr.; 6. 77-Justin Mong; 7. 61-Mike Slaybaugh; 8. 33-Gino Comi; 9. 21-Ronnie Thomas; 10. 9-Al Crammer; 11. 07-Bob Stough; 12. 70-Rick Weaver; 13. 54W-Roy Warehime, Jr.; 14. 1E-Greg Emlet, Jr.; 15. 60-Danny Beard (DNF); 16. 6X-Daryl Groft (DNF); 17. 35C-Dave Crone (DNF); 18. 54J-Jimmy Combs (DNF); 19. 1-Greg Feltch (DNF). No Time
Lap Leaders - Danny Beard (1-5), Mike Zeigler, Jr. (6-12), Neil Smith (13-20)
1st Heat (8 Laps) - 1. 3W-Duane Watson; 2. 33-Gino Comi; 3. 54J-Jimmy Combs; 4. 61M-Mike Slaybaugh (DNF); 5. 07-Bob Stough (DNF); 6. 1-Greg Feltch (DNF); 7. 70-Rick Weaver (DNF); 8. 54W-Roy Warehime, Jr. (DNF); 9. 9-Al Crammer (DNF); 10. 35-Smoke Christine (DNS). No Time
2nd Heat (8 Laps) - 1. 1B-Neil Smith; 2. 60-Danny Beard; 3. 21-Ronnie Thomas; 4. 21A-Mike Zeigler, Jr.; 5. 20-Scott Fisher; 6. 1E-Greg Emlet Jr.; 7. 77-Justin Mong; 8. 6X-Daryl Groft; 9. 61-Frankie Topper; 10. 35C-Dave Crone. Time - 2:44.27
