Ott first ‘08 repeat winner in "358" sprints; Gallagher pads points lead with second ‘08 thundercar win
ABBOTTSTOWN, PA, 6/21/08 - There’s been a lot of talk this year about Lincoln’s crop of young drivers and the next generation of sprint car superstars.But it’s the veterans who have dominated victory lane in the Pigeon Hills for the past six weeks.
And the master took ‘em to school in the25-lap Lawrence Chevrolet Night"410" sprint feature at Lincoln Speedway Saturday night.
Fred Rahmer came from his customary 12th starting spot to track down and pass race-leading Jim Siegel in the third and fourth turns of the 19th lap, then raced away to his fifth win of 2008. With his 159th career Lincoln win, the 10-time track champ ended a resurgent Cris Eash’s three-race win streak.
"I’m just too stubborn to let them beat me," said Rahmer upon exiting his Chad and Jen Clemens-owned C&S Lawn & Landscaping/Miller Brothers Automotive No.51 sprinter in victory lane, "It was tricky racing out there, and I just went where they weren’t...everybody went to the bottom like I always do, and that was the wrong move tonight."
"Tonight I wasn’t going to let starting position beat me," Rahmer added with a smile, "Right now, for whatever reason, everybody is just blocking you running for ninth and the idea is to get to eighth...it makes it a lot tougher but you do what you’ve got to do."
Outside frontrow starter Craig Keel grabbed the lead from polesitter Mike Bittinger at the drop of the green and led the opening laps while fourth-starting Jimmy Siegel flexed his muscles following his Friday night win at Williams Grove Speedway and moved into the runner-up spot on lap five.
Siegel got around Keel for the top spot with a low-side move in the third and fourth turns of lap 15.
But Rahmer was on the move too, and was in fifth spot when a spinning Alan Krimes brought out the caution on the 16th lap.Rahmer passed Nick Schlauch and then Craig Keel for third on the restart, drove around Brian Leppo for second a lap later, and then his sights on Siegel.He snatched the race lead one lap before a caution came out for the spinning cars of Cory Haas and Cody Darrah in the first two turns of lap 20.
From there, as Rahmer would say, it was "church over," with Rahmer driving away to a 2.83-second win.
Leppo got around Siegel for second on lap 21, and Siegel settled for third.Doug Esh and Nick Schlauch, Jr. completed the top five.Rounding out the top ten were Niki Young, 19th-starting Brian Montieth, Cris Eash, Chad Layton, and Aaron Ott.
"Next week is the beginning of PA SpeedWeek, and we really try to be prepared," said Rahmer, "Don (Ott) has got all our motors fresh.SpeedWeek is always a goal of mine.I like to win it so somebody else can’t, and if we could win it again I’d be really happy."
Heats for the 27 "410" Sprints were won by Leppo, Bittinger and Ott, with Montieth winning the consolation.
16-year-old Aaron Ott capped off two heat wins and a top ten finish in the "410" sprint feature by claiming his second win of the year in the 20-lap "358" sprint feature.
It was also Miller Brothers Chevrolet’s second appearance in victory lane on Lawrence Chevrolet Night.
Ott started fifth and had the lead by the end of the first lap.He led all 20 laps, with Adrian Shaffer coming from sixth starting spot to finish second and Jeff Rohrbaugh coming from eighth starting spot to finish third.Tenth-starting Gerard McIntyre, Jr. and front row starter Chad Myers completed the top five.Sixth through tenth were Dale Hammaker, 18th-starting Todd Rittenhouse, Jr., Chad Criswell, Tim Berkheimer, and Kevin Nagy.
Heats for the 46 "358" Sprints were won by Dale Hammaker, Ott, McIntyre, and Kevin Nouse. Twin consolations were won by Adam Wilt and Rittenhouse.
Hanover’s Sam Gallagher fought Joe Racine for 10 laps but finally grabbed the lead on lap 16 and then held Racine off in a one-lap shoot to register his second win of the year in the 20-lap thundercar feature. Gallagher, the current thundercar point leader, by virtue of his win, will be the favorite to claim the final segment of the annual Lincoln Speedway/Trail-Way Speedway Thundercar Shootout next Friday night.
Gallagher registered his sixth career thundercar win at the Pigeon Hills oval by .84-seconds over Race, with Mike Slaybaugh third, Marshall McMullen fourth and Scott Fisher fifth. Completing the top-10 were Larry Niederer, Brad Shank, Gino Comi, Jimmy Combs and Danny Beard.
Heats for the 26 thundercars were won by Fisher, Racine and Gallagher.
Next Saturday night, June 28th, Pennsylvania Speedweek action gets underway with the traditional 9th Annual Kevin Gobrecht Memorial. The thundercars will round out the evening’s racing action with time trials getting underway at 7:30 PM. Gates will open at 5:30 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 - June 21, 2008
LINCOLN SPEEDWAY
Abbottstown, PA
CINDY ROWE AUTO GLASS 410 SPRINTS:
Feature (25 Laps) - 1. 51-Fred Rahmer ($3,000); 2. 71-Brian Leppo; 3. 59-Jimmy Siegel; 4. 30-Doug Esh; 5. 38N-Nick Schlauch Jr.; 6. 10N-Niki Young; 7. 21-Brian Montieth; 8. 17E-Cris Eash; 9. 25-Chad Layton; 10. 25O-Aaron Ott; 11. 22Z-Michael Carber; 12. 49-Bobby Howard; 13. 6W-Josh Wells; 14. 9-Craig Keel; 15. 4-John Rudisill; 16. 5-Adam Lawrence; 17. 45-AJ Michael; 18. 47J-Jeff Busby; 19. 87-Alan Krimes; 20. 12-Mike Bittinger; 21. 89-Cody Darrah; 22. 11C-Cory Haas; 23. 3B-Randy Baughman; 24. 43-Doug Dodson. No Time
Lap Leaders - Craig Keel (1-14), Jimmy Siegel (15-18), Fred Rahmer (19-25)
1st Heat (10 Laps/6 to qualify) - 1. 71-Brian Leppo; 2. 51-Fred Rahmer; 3. 87-Alan Krimes; 4. 10N-Niki Young; 5. 5-Adam Lawrence; 6. 49-Bobby Howard; 7. 45-AJ Michael; 8. 11C-Cory Haas; 9. 47J-Jeff Busby. No Time
2nd Heat (10 Laps/6 to qualify) - 1. 12-Mike Bittinger; 2. 38N-Nick Schlauch Jr.; 3. 9-Craig Keel; 4. 17E-Cris Eash; 5. 22Z-Michael Carber; 6. 6W-Josh Wells; 7. 21-Brian Montieth; 8. 3B-Randy Baughman; 9. 26-Pat Cooper. Time - 2:40.705
3rd Heat (10 Laps/6 to qualify) - 1. 25-Aaron Ott; 2. 59-Jimmy Siegel; 3. 30-Doug Esh; 4. 25-Chad Layton; 5. 89-Cody Darrah; 6. 4-John Rudisill; 7. 69-Shawn "Big Block" Weaver; 8. 43-Doug Dodson; 9. 23-Todd Zinn. No Time
Consolation (10 Laps/6 to qualify) - 1. 21-Brian Montieth; 2. 11C-Cory Haas; 3. 43-Doug Dodson; 4. 3B-Randy Baughman; 5. 47J-Jeff Busby; 6. 45-AJ Michael; 7. 26-Pat Cooper; 8. 23-Todd Zinn; DNS - 69-Shawn Weaver. Time - 2:42.957
KEIZER ALUMINUM WHEELS 358 SPRINTS:
Feature (20-Laps) - 1. 25-Aaron Ott; 2. 21-Adrian Shaffer; 3. 7V-Jeff Rohrbaugh; 4. 16-Gerard McIntyre Jr.; 5. 32-Chad Myers; 6. 66-Dale Hammaker; 7. 23-Todd Rittenhouse; 8. 84C-Chad Criswell; 9. 50B-Tim Berkheimer; 10. 45-Kevin Nagy; 11. 1-Tim Wagaman; 12. 11T-Eric Tomecek; 13. 6-Brad McClelland; 14. 16M-Craig Myers; 15. 88-Danny Dietrich; 16. 27-Jay Galloway; 17. 15-Adam Wilt; 18. 22T-Matt Boland; 19. 28H-Billy Heltzel Jr. (DNF); 20. 91-Scott Geesey (DNF); 21. 4U-Nathan Berwager (DNF); 22. 4R-Kevin Nouse (DNF); 23. 5T-Glenndon Forsythe (DNF); 24. 8D-Billy Dietrich (DNF). No Time
Lap Leaders - Aaron Ott (1-20)
1st Heat (10 Laps/4 to qualify) - 1. 66-Dale Hammaker; 2. 21-Adrian Shaffer; 3. 28H-Billy Heltzel Jr.; 4. 84C-Chad Criswell; 5. 15-Adam Wilt; 6. 17-Matt Beasley; 7. 35-Steve Owings; 8. 5X-Ricky Stonebraker; 9. 51N-Nick Palmerino; 10. 36T-Peter Bartley; 11. 18-Scott Lehman (DNF); DNS - 88-Danny Dietrich. No Time
2nd Heat (10 Laps/4 to qualify) - 1. 25-Aaron Ott; 2. 8D-Billy Dietrich; 3. 50B-Tim Berkheimer; 4. 22T-Matt Boland; 5. 27-Jay Galloway; 6. 55E-Brian Eichelberger; 7. 6-Brad McClelland; 8. 28-Keith Prutzman; 9. 75-Nicole Bower; 10. 45-Colt White; 11. 01-Rick Horn (DNF). Time - 2:38.85
3rd Heat (10 Laps/4 to qualify) - 1. 16-Gerard McIntyre Jr.; 2. 5T-Glenndon Forsythe; 3. 32-Chad Myers; 4. 11T-Eric Tomecek; 5. 23-Todd Rittenhouse Jr.; 6. 65-Cale Griffin; 7. 99-Joe Trone Jr.; 8. 50-Jimmy Strausbaugh; 9. 18J-Jesse Morrison; 10. 22-Kevin Eshelman (DNF); 11. 81B-Bob Anderson (DNF); 12. 23B-Jimmy Stitzel (DNF). No Time
4th Heat (10 Laps/4 to qualify) - 1. 4R-Kevin Nouse; 2.7V-Jeff Rohrbaugh; 3. 91-Scott Geesey; 4. 45-Kevin Nagy; 5. 01A-Denny Gross; 6. 1-Tim Wagaman; 7. 16M-Craig Myers; 8. 34-Austin Reed; 9. 4U-Nathan Berwager (DNF); 10. 66N-Nate Hammaker (DNF); DNS - U1-Smokey Snellbaker. No Time
1st Consolation (10 Laps/4 to qualify)- 1. 15-Adam Wilt; 2. 6-Brad McClelland; 3. 88-Danny Dietrich; 4. 27-Jay Galloway; 5. 35-Steve Owings; 6. 55E-Brian Eichelberger; 7. 28-Keith Prutzman; 8. 5X-Ricky Stonebraker; 9. 45-Colt White; 10. 51N-Nick Palmerino; 11. 18-Scott Lehman; 12. 36T-Peter Bartley; 13. 01-Rick Horn (DNF); 14. 17-Matt Beasley (DNF); DNS - 75-Nicole Bower. No Time
2nd Consolation (10 Laps/4 to qualify) - 1. 23-Todd Rittenhouse Jr.; 2. 16M-Craig Myers; 3. 1-Tim Wagaman; 4. 4U-Nathan Berwager; 5. 34-Austin Reed; 6. 65-Cale Griffin; 7. 99-Joe Trone Jr.; 8. 18J-Jesse Morrison; 9. 23B-Jimmy Stitzel; 10. 81B-Bob Anderson (DNF); 11. 22-Kevin Eshleman (DNF); 12. 50-Jimmy Strausbaugh (DNF); 13. 01A-Denny Gross (DNF); DNS - 66N-Nate Hammaker. No Time
THUNDERCARS:
Feature (20-Laps) - 1. 25-Sam Gallagher; 2. 6M-Joe Racine; 3. 61M-Mike Slaybaugh; 4. 7M-Marshall McMullen; 5. 20-Scott Fisher; 6. 21N-Larry Niederer; 7. 57-Brad Shank; 8. 33-Gino Comi; 9. 54J-Jimmy Combs; 10. 60-Danny Beard; 11. 77-Justin Mong; 12. 1X-Jimmy Walker (DNF); 13. 93-Mikey Guise; 14. 21-Ronnie Thomas (DNF); 15. 81J-Jamie Zentmyer (DNF); 16. 22-David Haught (DNF); 17. 11-Jimmy Walker (DNF); 18. 1E-Greg Emlet (DNF); 19. 54-Kyle Martin (DNF); 20. 61-Shawn Miller (DNF); 21. 2W-Brain Walls (DNF); 22. 9-Al Crammer (DNF); DNS - 8-Bob Allen, 15-Dave Reever Jr.. No Time
Lap Leaders - Joe Racine (1-15), Sam Gallagher (16-20)
1st Heat (8 Laps/6 to qualify) - 1. 20-Scott Fisher; 2. 21N-Larry Neiderer; 3. 57-Brad Shank; 4. 61M-Mike Slaybaugh; 5. 7M-Marshall McMullen; 6. 61-Sleeper Miller; 7. 54-Kyle Martin (DNF); 8. 44-Dave Mantegna (DNF); 9. 9-Al Crammer (DNS). No Time
2nd Heat (8 Laps/6 to qualify) - 1. 6M-Joe Racine;2. 33-Gino Comi; 3. 11-Jimmy Walker; 4. 1X-Scott Yount; 5. 22-David Haught; 6. 21-Ronnie Thomas (DNF); 7. 60-Danny Beard (DNF); 8. 8-Bob Allen (DNF); 9. 15-Dave Reever, Jr. (DNF). No Time
3rd Heat (8 Laps/6 to qualify) - 1. 77-Justin Mong; 2. 25-Sam Gallagher; 3. 54J-Jimmy Combs; 4. 93-Mikey Guise; 5. 81J-Jamie Zentmyer; 6. 2W-Brian Walls (DNF); 7. 1E-Greg Emlet Jr. (DNF); DNS - 70-Rick Weaver. Time - 2:42.47
