Watt cashes in again in Money in the Mountains
There were postponements, fire and rain.
Not even an electrical issue could stop the 5th annual Money in the Mountains 40-lap big block/small block show from finally happening.
Ryan Watt led 37 laps to become the first repeat winner of the event on Slifko Service Center Night/Gone But Not Forgotten Memorial/US.S. Achey night.
Other winners on Friday night were Matt Stangle (U.S.S. Achey sportsman), Jim Kost (Savage 61 roadrunners); Jeff Haag (No Sweet Service Group street stock).
The speedway returns action on Tuesday, June 6 for the Short Track Super Series North/South Region event which sees the modified racing for 50 laps for $5,000 to win. Also on the racing card will be the sportsman and the roadrunners.
On Tuesday, the pit gates will open at 4 p.m. with the grandstands opening at 5. Hot laps are slated for 7:15 with qualifying getting underway at 7:45.
Admission for Tuesday is $25 while kids 12-and-under and active military with a valid ID are free.
Watt was one of three drivers to utilize a big-block engine on Friday night and the extra horsepower showed as he came from his sixth starting position to take the lead on lap 3 after Duane Howard led the opening two circuits.
From there Watt had to negotiate lapped traffic on several occasions as Rick Laubach, the defending winner of the race, who had moved into second on lap 5, was keeping Watt at bay.
Laubach used lapped traffic to his advantage to pull to within two car lengths at times of the leader.
Watt would hold off Laubach on a lap 15 restart only to have the race stopped for a short-lived fuel fire for Scott Albert. The driver was OK.
At the halfway point, Watt still showed the way over Laubach with pole sitter and early race leader Howard sitting in third.
Watt opened his lead up again on lap 30 only to have Laubach close in two laps later, however, with five to go, Watt opened his lead again and he crossed the line .974 seconds ahead of Laubach for the win and the automatic starting spot in Tuesday’s STSS race.
“I’ve been running the big blocks for quite a few years and I just prefer running the big block when we travel,” Watt said. “Rick (Laubach) runs here weekly, he knows this place and I knew that if he got ahead of me on the restarts, I probably wasn’t going to get back by him.
Ryan Godown who started 11th, came home third with Howard and inaugural MITM winner Jeff Strunk, fifth.
Sixth through 10th were Craig VonDohren, Jared Umbenhauer, Jimmy Horton, Brett Kressley, and Ryan Grim. Heats for the 37 modifieds were won by Watt, Godown, John Willman and Umbenhauer. VonDohren won the consolation event.
Dave Dissinger seemed to have the field covered in the 20-lap sportsman feature but raced around the outside of the veteran on a lap 19 restart to take the lead in Turn 2 and go on to score his second win of the season at the speedway.
“I liked having those long green-flag laps as I was catching Dave on the bottom and once that caution (lap 19) came out, I didn’t think my car was that good on the top side, we got lucky I guess,” Stangle said.
Dissinger took control of the race from the green flag and checked out from the field while Stangle, who started ninth, moved his way into the runner-up spot on lap 6. From there he closed in the race leader but was not able to do anything with him on a lap 12 restart.
The caution flew on the final lap for a spin in Turn 4 which set up the one-lap dash.
Dissinger used the low side on the restart while Stangle was on the high side and made the winning move in the apex of Turns 1 and 2.
Mike Mammana, who was the only driver to pull double-duty on the night snuck in a runner-up spot at the line after having started 12th with Dissinger settling for third.
Ray Woodall Jr., and Wayne Witmer completed the top five.
Sixth through 10th were Billy Moyer, Shawn Light, Glenn Rowan, Ray Woodall Sr. and Rob Light. Heat winners were Stangle, D. Dissinger and Moyer, Jr.
Results
Slifko Service Center Night/Gone But Not Forgotten Memorial/US.S. Achey night 5th annual Money in the Mountains big block/small block challenge Modified feature (40 laps): 1. Ryan Watt, 2. Rick Laubach, 3. Ryan Godown, 4. Duane Howard, 5. Jeff Strunk, 6. Craig VonDohren, 7. Jared Umbenhauer, 8. Jimmy Horton, 9. Brett Kressley, 10. Ryan Grim, 11. Frank Cozze, 12. Kevin Beach Jr., 13. Mike Lisowski, 14. Roger Manning, 15. Steve Davis, 16. Jimmy Reppert, 17. Kyle Borror, 18. Scott Albert, 19. David VanHorn, 20. John Willman, 21. Mike Dougherty, 22. Tim Fitzpatrick, 23. Billy Pauch Jr., 24. Shawn Fitzpatrick, DNS. Heat winners: Watt, Godown, Willman, Umbenhauer. Consolation winner: VonDohren. U.S.S. Achey sportsman feature (20 laps): 1. John Stangle, 2. Mike Mammana, 3. Dave Dissinger, 4. Ray Woodall Jr., 5. Wayne Witmer, 6. Billy Moyer, 7. Shawn Light, 8. Glenn Rowan, 9. Ray Woodall Sr., 10. Rob Light, 11. Nate Mohr, 12. Tim Fitzpatrick, 13. Gary Wagner, 14. Ed Mrochko, 15. Mike Burrows, 16. Dylan Smith, 17. Kevin Brady, 18. Daryl Dissinger, 19. Matt Clay, 20. Gary Grim, 21. Doug Hendricks, 22. Todd Huffman, 23. Chuck Fayash, 24. Tyler Reber. Heat winners: Stangle, D. Dissinger, Moyer Jr. Savage 61 roadrunner feature (20 laps): 1. Jim Kost, 2. Kody Sites, 3. Devin Trexler, 4. Reichert, Kramer, Holland, Fayash III, Shawn Mulhall, Schlauch, Hill, Elk, Everly, Rock, Buchinski and C. Reichert. Kyle Wingle, DNS. Heat winners: Mulhall, Trexler. No Sweat Service Group street stock feature (20 laps): 1. Jeff Haag, 2. Chris Heller, 3. Joey Hoffa, 4. Elvin Brennan III, 5. Eric Tripp, 6. Chris Derr, 7. Bobby Kupp, 8. Justin Rhoads, 9. Butch Helsel,10. Kevin Heckman, 11. Mike Radocha, 12. Robin Wagner, 13. Jesse Krasnitsky, 14. Billy Wentz, 15. Dean Hine, 16. Tyler Stump, 17. Joey Brennan, 18. Jasen Geesaman. Heat winners: Hine, Geesaman.