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News from the
Short Track SuperNationals presented by Dart Machinery
For Immediate
Release/October 11, 2009
Kevin
Hirthler Collects Over $5,000 As Short Track SuperNationals Victor
KIRKWOOD, NY - For Kevin Hirthler, it was meant to be.
The Boyertown,
Pa., driver capitalized on a front-row starting spot, a stout race car and
some good fortune to win Saturday night's Short Track SuperNationals
presented by Dart Machinery at Five Mile Point Speedway.
Hirthler, a
Grandview (Pa.) Speedway regular, earned well over $5,000 via the 'Roll
the Dice Challenge' sponsored by Pioneer Pole Buildings Inc. It was his
first victory at Five Mile Point. He was visiting the racy Kirkwood, N.Y.,
oval for only the second time in his career.
The 29-year-old
experienced good luck at the draw twice during the evening, picking No. 1
for his heat event and the pole again in the top-14 redraw for the
feature.
"It's great to
be in New York," exclaimed Hirthler, who now has victories in five
different states (New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and
Delaware).
"My Dad (Craig)
pulled No. 1 coming through the gate and then my son (Jesse James) did it
in the redraw. It was a shame Jeff (Strunk) broke. He had a fast car. I
guess it was our night."
Driving his Doug
Meyers-powered No. 117 Bicknell, Hirthler outgunned Jeff Strunk at the
outset of the 50-lap big-block/small-block Modified event. Strunk
pressured Hirthler heavily until completing an outside pass on lap 23 to
put his Vince Gagliardo-owned No. 41 into the lead.
Moments after
collecting the $500 Halfway Bonus from Dale Smith Photography, Strunk's
victory bid ended on lap 27 when his car lost its left-rear wheel, the
victim of a busted hub assembly.
Hirthler
regained the lead over ninth-starter Billy Pauch Sr.
Pauch, the
52-year-old icon from Frenchtown, N.J., chased Hirthler through lap 47
when he retired to the pits with drive-line failure.
Pauch's
misfortune momentarily turned the runner-up spot over to Mike Gular.
However, Mike
Ricci had other ideas. The Rosendale, N.Y., driver, who was forced to the
rear of the field following an opening-lap incident, romped back to the
front driving Jeff Mastracola's No. 76R.
Ricci wheeled
around the outside of Gular with the white flag in the air, but ran out of
time to challenge Hirthler. Ricci, a regular at Accord (N.Y.) Speedway,
won the first Short Track SuperNationals in 2006 at Afton (N.Y.) Speedway.
Gular, of Green
Lane, Pa., turned in the best effort of his career at Five Mile Point,
finishing third driving Terry Fasnacht's No. 53. He started sixth.
First-time Five
Mile Point visitor Sean Merkel of Bechtelsville, Pa., was fourth after
starting 14th in his family-owned No. 118 and Joey Grammes of Lehighton,
Pa., placed fifth. Grammes ran inside the top five for the entire distance
with the No. 5 owned by his older brother, Brad.
Completing the
top-10 were 23rd-starter Stewart Friesen of Old Forge, N.Y., in the Mike
Dinatale No. 11D; veteran Mike Colsten of Binghamton, N.Y.; Jim Gabriel of
Binghamton, N.Y., driving the Randy Decker No. 9R; Billy Pauch Jr. of
Frenchtown, N.J., who recovered from a first-lap skirmish in Bob Greene's
No. 8; and Mitch Gibbs of North Norwich, N.Y., who was slowed by a
mid-race right-rear flat tire with Ken Brewer's No. 77x.
A quality field
of 70 Modifieds jammed the Five Mile Point pit area for the event. Heat
winners were Hirthler, Brent Boyer, Grammes, Pauch Sr., Colsten, Strunk
and Gular.
Three
consolations set the remainder of the 27-car starting field. The winners
were Jamie Batzel, Friesen and Jason Hamilton.
Grandview
Speedway champion Jeff Strunk of Bechtelsville, Pa., pocketed $600 for
winning the Trackside Products All-Star Clash, a unique 6 1/2-lap event
featuring track champions from a variety of speedways.
Five Mile Point
champ Brian Weaver, Orange County (N.Y.) Fair Speedway champion Chuck
McKee, 2006 SuperNationals winner Mike Ricci and Woodhull (N.Y.) Raceway
champion Billy Van Pelt trailed.
Harold Humphrey
of Windsor, N.Y., took command on lap three and drove to victory in the
25-lap Trackside Products Race of Champions Dart Pure Stock Series
headline event.
Butch Green, who
led briefly early in the race, was second, followed by Rich Talada,
Woodhull Raceway champion Russ Morseman and Butch Green.
Tunkhannock,
Pa.'s Kenny Underwood emerged victorious in the 18-lap Four Cylinder Open.
Jeff Richardson
of Goshen, N.Y., topped the 15-lap Vintage Modified Open over Northeastern
Pennsylvania legend Lynn Highhouse, who drove a beautifully-restored No.
98B in his return to Five Mile Point.
SUPERNATIONALS SIDE NOTES: Modified teams from New York, New
Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Vermont congregated at Five Mile Point
for the Short Track SuperNationals event....
A total of 132
cars jammed both Five Mile Point pit areas to capacity, while the
spectator lot was filled to the point of overflow....
How competitive
was the Modified field? Track champions Bobby Varin (N.Y.'s Fonda
Speedway), Chuck McKee (Orange County) and Billy Van Pelt (Woodhull)
didn't make the feature lineup. Five Mile Point title winner Brian Weaver
was leading a consolation when he experienced engine woes....
Planning is
already underway for the 2010 SuperNationals. Look for details in the near
future....
SHORT
TRACK SUPERNATIONALS PRESENTED BY DART MACHINERY AND PIONEER POLE
BUILDINGS INC. RACE SUMMARY - OCTOBER 10, 2009
SHORT
TRACK SUPERNATIONALS PRESENTED BY DART MACHINERY MODIFIED FEATURE FINISH:
KEVIN HIRTHLER, Mike Ricci, Mike Gular, Sean Merkel, Joey Grammes, Stewart
Friesen, Mike Colsten, Jim Gabriel Jr., Billy Pauch Jr., Mitch Gibbs,
Brent Wilcox, Rich Ricci Jr., Jesse Hill, Russ Zimmerman, Scott Van Gorder,
Billy Pauch Sr., Brent Boyer, Jamie Batzel, Bobby Trapper, Meme DeSantis,
Jimmy Chester, Jeff Strunk, Jason Hamilton, Mike Nagel Jr., Ken Titus, Dan
Hineline, Keith Hoffman.
Did Not
Qualify: Jared Umbenhauer, Billy Van Pelt, Jeff Sechrist, Eric
Palmer, Danny Erb, J.R. Hurlburt, Paul Jensen, Steve Transue, Chris
Ostrowsky, Eric Stephens Jr., Ray Swinehart, Bob Hamm Jr., Josh Ainey, Joe
Eisenhauer, Bruce Evans Jr., Brian Malcolm, Danny Tyler, Gary Griffin, Ben
Bushaw, Ryan Godown, Bobby Varin, Jason Memrick, Shaun Walker, Larry
Lippincott, Randy Brokaw, Jimmy Howard, Bernie Griffin, Dave Camara, Scott
Frack, Chic Cossaboone, Shawn Reimert, Barry White, Brian Weaver, Eric
Kocher, Mike Austin, Glenn Knapp, Rich Wallace, Ricky Yetter, Tony
Kawalchuk, Wade Decker, Greg Hastie, Chuck McKee, Kerry Kratz.
Pioneer
Pole Buildings Inc. Roll the Dice Challenge ($1,500): Kevin
Hirthler
Dale Smith Photography Halfway Bonus ($500): Jeff Strunk
Vogel Race Designs/Jim Young Race Photos Hard Charger Award ($200
and custom poster): Stewart Friesen - 23rd to sixth
Grandview Speedway Starter's Stand First Non-Winner Award ($150):
Sean Merkel
Penn-Can Oct. 24 King of the Can Guaranteed Spot: Kevin
Hirthler
Grant Buck 10th-Place Bonus ($50): Mitch Gibbs
Behrent's Performance Warehouse Perseverance Award ($75 Gift
Card): Rich Ricci Jr.
Fabrications By Tauschman Hard Luck Award ($150): Chuck
McKee
BFP Specialty Top PA 358 Award ($75 Gift Card): Kevin
Hirthler
Lap 20 In Memory of Bob Whitman ($65): Kevin Hirthler
Selinsgrove Speedway Top 358 Award (4 passes to 2010 Icebreaker):
Kevin Hirthler
Accord Speedway Heat Winners ($70 each): Kevin Hirthler,
Brent Boyer, Joey Grammes, Billy Pauch Sr., Mike Colsten, Jeff Strunk,
Mike Gular
TRACKSIDE PRODUCTS ALL-STAR CLASH FINISH: JEFF STRUNK, Brian
Weaver, Chuck McKee, Mike Ricci, Billy Van Pelt, Jesse Hill.
TRACKSIDE PRODUCTS RoC PURE STOCK FEATURE FINISH: HAROLD
HUMPHREY, Butch Green, Rich Talada, Russ Morseman, Rich Green, Gene
Sharpsteen, Tom Garren, Karl Shimer, Earl Zimmer, Louie Gordinier, Charlie
Gilbert, Steve Sharpsteen, Dave Metz, Jon Carpenter, Jake Fowlston, Nathan
Klinger, Doug Polhamus, Kevin Boynton, Jason Butler, Darl Ellis Jr., Kirby
Sites, Hank Decker, Rich Sharpsteen, Shane Wolf.
Did Not
Qualify: Ken Winn, Toby Lehr, Mike Codington, Ben Call, Kody
Sites, Kevin Beach, Bimmer Gulley, Chuck Culbertson.
FOUR
CYLINDER OPEN FEATURE FINISH: KEN UNDERWOOD, Dan Smith, Dave
Jenkins, Dan Wood, Gary Kinne, Beezer Wilkie, Dave Simms, Andy Colwell,
Dennis Keesler, Nick Greist, Curt McCormick, Shawn Colwell, Dave
Bainbridge, Andy Brigham, Dave Desmond, Matt Tripp, Billy Price Jr., Phil
Clapper.
VINTAGE
MODIFIED OPEN FEATURE FINISH: JEFF RICHARDSON, Lynn Highhouse,
Mike Murphy, Howie Murphy, Mike Cole, Bob Campbell, Ricky Rutt, Scott
Gates, Ray Preston, Rob Casti.
Did Not
Start: Jeff Ackerman, Dick Ackerman.
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