Kressley, Hirthler win points openers
BECHTELSVILLE >> Brett Kressley took full advantage of the race leaders getting bunched up on the high side racing into turn 3 on the 18th lap and never looked back on the way to taking his first checkered flag this season in the T.P. Trailers 358 Modified 30-lap main event at Grandview Speedway in Bechtelsville Saturday night to kick off the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series season.
It was career win No. 14 for the 28-year-old veteran Kressley and his first at the high-banked thirdmile dirt oval since August 29 of last season. The Orefield-based driver started from ninth place in the first points-paying event of the season and ran strong after going out in front aboard his familiar family-owned Kressley Auto & Truck Sales No. 19K machine.
“I kind of sat back there and waited,” said Kressley. “They got into lapped traffic and that held them up enough so I could roll off the bottom and complete that lap, coming out on top. I didn’t think there was anything down on the bottom until I rolled down there and found out there was something down there. That move definitely worked out for us tonight. I made the right adjustments tonight and everything worked out well tonight for us.”
Craig Von Dohren, Ryan Grim, Duane Howard and Kevin Hirthler completed the top five.
In the 25-lap T.P Truck Equipment Sportsman main event, twotime Sportsman track champion and the defending champion Brian Hirthler got involved in a fan-pleasing three-car fight for first place, covering the final dozen or so circuits, and raced out in front exiting turn 4 on the high side to make the winning pass with the white flag waving and go on to lay claim to career win number 9, his first since July 11, 2020. The 38-yearold veteran chauffeur out of Green Lane easily captured the triumph once out in front wheeling his family-funded Four Star Lettering No. 4* open Sportsman powered ride.
Edgar registered a solid secondplace finish followed by Gilmore, Beltz and Lilick completing the top five finishers.
“I got a good run there on Gilmore after the caution and got into
second,” said Hirthler. “Edgar went to the bottom and I had the car set up to go up on the top. I watched a cushion build up through the turns during the 358 Modified race and quickly raced back to change the car around so I could run up on the top. Everyone seemed a little too tight to run up on the top there at the end. My car was a real gem with the set up tonight.
“I didn’t have the power I used to have since they changed the rules this year
for the open Sportsman cars so I had to learn more about set ups and I needed
to be more aggressive. I was just back there waiting for a chance to get ahead.”