Cory Haas wins record fourth 358 Sprint title; Duane Watson takes thundercar title in thrilling season-finale

YORK, PA, 11/17/07 - Lincoln Speedway track champions and special year-end awards were handed out at the Holiday Inn Holidome in York Saturday night, November 17th. Close to 400 people were in attendance to watch the crowning of the 410 sprint, 358 sprint and thundercar champions for 2007. The top ten finishers in the season-long point series for all three divisions were honored as well as special awards for each division.

Salfordville's Fred Rahmer, driving the Chad and Jenn Clemens-owned C&S Lawn & Landscaping/Miller Brothers Automotive/Bair’s Tree Service/Materials Handling Systems/Media Camping Center No.51 sprinter, completed his quest to rewrite the Lincoln Speedway record-books by winning an unprecedented 10th track championship and, along the way, became the winningest driver in history at the Pigeon Hills oval.

It was back on June 27, 1987, that Rahmer recorded his first career Lincoln Speedway win. That same year, New Oxford's Steve Smith recorded three wins en route to his eighth of nine track titles and, upped his all time Lincoln Speedway win count to 124. Smith eventually recorded his 150th and final win on May 4, 1996. Both of those records (150 wins & 9 track championships) have stood for more than 10 years, and were considered by many to be unbreakable in our lifetime.

That was until 2007.

Watson wins first Lincoln track title with seventh win of season in thundercars

ABBOTTSTOWN, PA, 10/20/07 -Lancaster’s Doug Esh found Lincoln Speedway’s experimental "passing points" system to his liking in claiming his second win of the year on Saturday night.

Esh, who along with Brian Montieth earned the most points in qualifying, received the honor of selecting the inversion pill because he passed more cars in his heat (5) than Montieth (3). The formula placed points values on each of the finishing positions, and added (two points) or removed (five points) scores based on where the drivers started.

Esh started eighth and finished third in his heat, earning 64 points in qualifying. But his most important move was selecting the "0" pill from a bag which contained the numbers 0, 4, 6, and 8.

"I was just a little grouchy coming into the night," said Esh upon exiting his Leach family Kinard Trucking/I Lend Mortgage #30 in victory lane, "We’re trying to work this deal (for next year) out, and it’s not going as well as I’d like it to. You know, there’s no better way to seal a deal than to win the race. I wanted to come out here and chew up some blood and spit it out, and I had nothing else in mind but winning. It’s just great to be here."

"I’ve never had such a tough road trying to put a team together and seal everything up," he added, "We’re just hoping all of our sponsors can join in and be a part and we can keep this deal together."

Eash acknowledged that the Leach team is negotiating with Pancho Lawler in an effort to combine forces for 2008.

"One thing for sure, without Dick (Leach) and the family, there wouldn’t be a Doug Esh."

"The Hammer" took the lead in the first two turns and was never headed, though second-starting Montieth stayed close the whole way. A fast, tacky racing surface helped the leaders reach lapped traffic within four laps of each of four restarts, and the leaders were sorting their way through lapped traffic most of the way.

Watson closes to within 10 points of Smith in season points with thundercar win; Wagaman takes makeup feature

ABBOTTSTOWN, PA, 10/6/07 - It was a year ago that Fred Rahmer gave Al Hamilton his last win as a car owner in claiming the 10^th Annual Kenny Weld Memorial.

On Saturday night, Rahmer gave car owners Chad and Jen Clemens their first Weld Memorial win at Lincoln Speedway.

Rahmer started on the pole, battled with Jeff Shepard and Lucas Wolfe for the race lead in the early going, and then used lapped traffic to drive away from the rest of the field to claim his eighth career Weld Memorial win in the Pigeon Hills. The win was Rahmer’s sixth of the year and all-time leading 154^th career win at the Abbottstown oval.

Rahmer was seventh-fastest in time trials, but earned the pole for the 40-lap "A" main when fast time trialer Cody Darrah, who pulled pill #6 for the inversion, failed to qualify in his heat. Darrah, who received a $300 bonus from Don Ott Racing Engines for setting fast time, also received the $100 hard-luck award from D&D Septic Service of Carlisle after suffering a flat front left tire and spinning while leading the "B" main.

Though he started on the pole and led the first seven laps, Rahmer’s lead did not go unchallenged. Outside front row starter and two-time Weld Memorial winner Jeff Shepard raced wheel-to-wheel with fourth-starting Lucas Wolfe over the first seven laps, with Wolfe passing Shepard on a seventh-lap restart and closing quickly on Rahmer on lap eight. But he tapped the back of Rahmer’s C&S Lawn & Landscape/Miller Brothers Automotive #51 and spun out in turn four of lap eight, suffering a flat right front tire and rejoining the rear after the tire change. Wolfe was never a factor after that.

But Shepard was. "The Jet" drove around Rahmer on the restart, and was officially scored the leader of lap eight. Rahmer reclaimed the lead in turns one and two of lap nine. Shepard drove back around Rahmer in turns one and two of lap 12, and led the next five laps after that until Rahmer dove under Shepard and the lapped car of Todd Hestor to take the lead for good on the back stretch of lap 18.