Mark Bitner wins first of the year in URC Feature
ABBOTTSTOWN, PA , 7/17/2010 - Put Doug Esh and Brian Montieth together racing for the lead. Add in Jimmy Siegel and Danny Dietrich and what do you get? The best race of the year!
Those four sprint stars had fans on their feet for the last five laps of a 25-lap feature that by all accounts was the best Central Pennsylvania sprint car race of 2010.
Esh, piloting the Pancho Racing Products #93 that he first climbed into during Pennsylvania Speedweek, started sixth , faded in the early going, then charged back the front for his first 410 sprint car win of the year.
Dietrich got by Montieth on a last-lap restart to cross second a mere .398 seconds behind Esh, who scored his 23rd career Lincoln win, moving his alongside Stevie Smith for 11th on the all-time Lincoln win list.
"Dietrich has been really tough lately,...he’s got my old mechanic (Dennis Kohler), and I know how he can get a car screwed down," said Esh after climbing down from his famous wing dance in victory lane, "Jimmy (Siegel) got out ahead there at the beginning, but I felt like I was running him down. He had his wing the whole way back 10 laps in, and I hadn’t even started mine yet, so I figured he was in trouble. Dietrich and him made a move down there in turns three and four, and I was able to get up beside them...I think I puckered up a little bit going down into one. But that’s the way you have to race if you want to race up front."
Esh was running seventh when the red flag came out for Cory Haas (who was uninjured) on lap three. He got around Bobby Howard and Randy Baughman to move into fifth on the restart, passed Dietrich for fourth on lap six, and caught polesitter Bill Stine on lap seven for third.
A near-spin by race leader Doug Dodson on lap nine allowed Jim Siegel to grab the lead exiting turn four of lap nine. Esh took the runner-up spot from Dodson just before a caution flew on lap 12 for a stopped Bob Howard on the backstretch.
Esh than chased Siegel for the next seven laps before Dietrich took second away from Esh on lap 19. Esh returned the favor on lap 21 as the #21 of 11t-starting Brian Montieth was entering the fray.
All of a sudden, it was a four-car battle for the lead.
Montieth flexed his muscles and got around Deitrich into second on lap 23, and was all over Esh when the final caution of the race came out for Siegel, who spun but kept going in turn two.
Esh took no prisoners on the restart, with Dietrich getting by Montieth off the final turn for second.
"Watch Brian Montieth, he’s just a bad-assed racer and he don’t care," quipped Esh, "His owner doesn’t care if he tears it up, as long as he puts on a good show."
"I’ve talked with a lot of the other good drivers," said Esh on his up and downs over the past year. "Times like I’ve had over the last year and a half, being spotty and not always real consistent...it shows you what you are made of and shows how big your shoulders are. It just feels good to be back on top!"
Coming on to finish fourth was 12th-starting Alan Krimes, with Mark Smith completing the top five. Sixth through tenth were Aaron Ott, Dodson, 22nd-starting Brent Marks, 14th-starting Adam Wilt, and 23rd-starting Brad McClelland.
Heats for the 33 "410" Sprints were won by Dietrich , Krimes, Haas, and Fred Rahmer, with Brian Leppo winning the consolation.
Trenton, New Jersey’s Mark Bitner scored his first win of the year and third of his career in the 25-lap URC sprint car feature. Bitner started on the outside of the front row and followed fifth-starting Nick Schlauch, Jr. for the first three laps before making the race-winning pass.
The race was marred by an eight-car pileup on the first lap which altered the starting lineup. There were no injuries in the opening-lap crash.
Though he yielded to Bitner on lap four, Schlauch ran a strong race to finish second, with Josh Weller, Kevin Nouse, and Curt Michael completing the top five. Sixth through tenth were Justin Collett, JJ Grosso, Kevin Darling, Chris Coyle, and Kyle Purks.
Heats for the 23 URC Sprints were won by Rory Janney, Kramer Williamson, and Schlauch.
Next Saturday night, July 24th, Lincoln Speedway will be idle. But the next night, Sunday, July 25th at 7:30 PM it will be Premier AutoWorks/Auto Locator Night featuring the Lawrence Chevrolet 410 Sprints, Thundercars & SpeedSTERS. 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, July 17, 2010
LINCOLN SPEEDWAY
Abbottstown, PA
LAWRENCE CHEVROLET 410 SPRINTS
Feature (25 Laps) - 1. 93-Doug Esh ($3,000); 2. 48-Danny Dietrich; 3. 21-Brian Montieth; 4. 87-Alan Krimes; 5. 7M-Mark Smith; 6. 25-Aaron Ott; 7. 14-Doug Dodson; 8. 19M-Brent Marks; 9. 15-Adam Wilt; 10. 6-Brad McClelland; 11. 39-Keith Kauffman; 12. 65-Johnny Mackison Jr.; 13. 51-Fred Rahmer; 14. 71-Brian Leppo; 15. 26-Pat Cooper; 16. 71X-Bill Stine; 17. 59-Jim Siegel; 18. 74JR-JR Berry; 19. 6W-Josh Wells (DNF); 20. 3B-Randy Baughma (DNF); 21. 49-Bobby Howard (DNF); 22. 7-Ed Aikin (DNF); 23. 11C-Cory Haas (DNF); 24. 1*-Tim Wagaman (DNF). No Time
Lap Leaders - Bill Stine (1), Doug Dodson (2-8), Jim Siegel (9-21), Doug Esh (22-25)
1st Heat (10 Laps/5 to qualify) - 1. 48-Danny Dietrich; 2. 49-Bobby Howard; 3. 3B-Randy Baughman; 4. 1*-Tim Wagaman; 5. 74JR-JR Berry; 6. 19M-Brent Marks (DNF); 7. 20S-Derek Sell (DNF); 8. 16-Gerard McIntyre Jr. (DNF); 9. 30C-Lance Dewease (DNF). No Time
2nd Heat (10 Laps/5 to qualify) - 1. 87-Alan Krimes; 2. 21-Brian Montieth; 3. 71X-Bill Stine; 4. 15-Adam Wilt; 5. 6W-Josh Wells; 6. 747-Kevin Nagy; 7. 65-Johnny Mackison Jr.; 8. 23-Todd Rittenhouse Jr.. No Time
3rd Heat (10 Laps/5 to qualify) - 1. 11C-Cory Haas; 2. 59-Jim Siegel; 3. 7M-Mark Smith; 4. 7-Ed Aikin; 5. 26-Pat Cooper; 6. 19H-Michael Carber; 7. 6-Brad McClelland; 8. 22-Bryn Gohn. Time - 2:40.542
4th Heat (10 Laps/5 to qualify) - 1. 51-Fred Rahmer; 2. 14-Doug Dodson; 3. 93-Doug Esh; 4. 25-Aaron Ott; 5. 39-Keith Kauffman; 6. 71-Brian Leppo; 7. 4-John Rudisill; 8. 45-Kyle Pruitt (DNF). Time - 2:39.168
Consolation (10 Laps/4 to qualify) - 1. 71-Brian Leppo; 2. 19M-Brent Marks; 3. 6-Brad McClelland; 4. 65-Johnny Mackison Jr.; 5. 22-Bryn Gohn; 6. 4-John Rudisill; 7. 30C-Lance Dewease (DNF); 8. 23-Todd Rittenhouse Jr. (DNF); DNS - 747-Kevin Nagy, 19H-Michael Carber, 45-Kyle Pruitt. No Time
UNITED RACING COMPANY (URC) SPRINTS
Rislone Urc Sprint Feature (25-Laps) - 1. 15-Mark Bitner; 2. 38N-Nick Schlauch Jr.; 3. 63-Josh Weller; 4. 00-Kevin Nouse; 5. 5G-Curt Michael; 6. 92-Justin Collett; 7. 99-JJ Grasso; 8. 9D-Kevin Darling; 9. 22-Chris Coyle; 10. 64K-Kyle Purks; 11. 89-Robbie Stillwaggon; 12. 73-Kramer Williamson; 13. 47M-Bill Unglert; 14. 4-Ken Meisner; 15. 2-Art Liedl; 16. 12-Jimmy Stitzel; 17. 17J-Jonathon Swanson; 18. 29-Chris Weiss (DNF); 19. 56-Randy West (DNF); 20. 1-Scott Purcell (DNF); 21. 88-Rory Janney (DNF); 22. 47-Tim Higgins (DNF); DNS - 88B-Andy Best. No Time
Lap Leaders - Nick Schlauch Jr. (1-4), Mark Bitner (5-25)
Engler Machine & Tool 1st Heat (8 Laps/6 to qualify) - 1. 88-Rory Janney; 2. 12-Jimmy Stitzel; 3. 22-Chris Coyle; 4. 2-Art Liedl; 5. 5G-Curt Michael; 6. 99-JJ Grasso; 7. 17J-Jonathon Swanson; 8. 29-Chris Weiss. Time - 2:56.653
Brad Penn Oil 2nd Heat (8 Laps/6 to qualify) - 1. 73-Kramer Williamson; 2. 15-Mark Bitner; 3. 89-Robbie Stillwaggon; 4. 56-Randy West; 5. 00-Kevin Nouse; 6. 1-Scott Purcell; 7. 4-Ken Meisner (DNF); 8. 88B-Andy Best (DNF). No Time
Bar's Leaks 3rd Heat (8 Laps/6 to qualify) - 1. 38N-Nick Schlauch Jr.; 2. 92-Justin Collett; 3. 63-Josh Weller; 4. 64K-Kyle Purks; 5. 47M-Bill Unglert; 6. 47-Tim Higgins; DNS - 9D-Kevin Darling. Time - 2:59.259
