Umbenhauer breaks lock to win at Grandview
Keith Brightbill of Mooresville, N.C. returned to his hometown area for a visit on Saturday night and drove his brother Brad’s car to victory, over a stellar field of racers, taking top honors in the 52nd annual Firecracker 40 T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman Championship race at Grandview Speedway.
Jared Umbenhauer of Richland had a strong night from start to finish, winning his heat race and then his first 30-lap T.P. Trailer Modified feature of the season. Umbenhauer was able to finally secure the lead from a strong running Dylan Swinehart of Fleetwood, on lap 22, then race home to his fifth career T.P. Trailer Modified victory.
Both winners received bonus money from T.P. Trailers and Truck Equipment (Modified $300, Sportsman $200) in the race program that was part of the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Racing Series.
The T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman 40-lap Firecracker Championship race was a rough and tumble affair at the beginning. The beginning of the race saw several yellow flags for minor spins and two red flags for multi-car pile-ups caused by cars running in the top five spinning out and collecting fellow competitors.
Throughout all this wild action, Mike Myers of Alburtis was the race leader and found himself battling several different drivers to hold on to the top spot including Zane Roth of Slatington, Kenny Bock of Oley, Mark Kemmerer of Green Lane and Nathan Mohr of Reading.
As the race approached the half-way mark, the drivers settled down into racing mode and the action was fierce. Myers was under attack from Bock, Brightbill, up from his 22nd starting spot, Kyle Smith of Fleetwood, up from his 21st starting position, and Cole Stangle from Neshanic Station, NJ who started 24th.
On lap 20, Bock suffered a breakdown and stopped for a caution. During this break, Smith and Brian Hirthler of Green Lane, who was running in fifth up from 28th starting spot, pitted with flat tires after getting together in turn two.
On this restart Brightbill was able to grab the lead away from Myers and pull away to a small advantage. Jimmy Leiby of West Milford, NJ was on the move in the second half of the race after starting 27th and made a bold outside threewide move to grab position number two and begin to chase after Brightbill.
Leiby got close and showed his nose alongside of Brightbill a couple times, before Brightbill changed lanes late in the race to preserve the lead and race on to the popular victory, his first in Grandview T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman racing. For Keith Brightbill he joins his brother Brad who also won the Firecracker 40 in 2019.
Following Brightbill to the finish were Leiby, Hirthler who made a late race comeback from the flat tire, Stangle, Mohr, Parker Guldin of Fleetwood, Myers, Cody Manmiller of Philadelphia, Smith, and Mike Schneck Jr. of Lebanon, Pa.
The T.P. Trailer Modified feature was very competitive from the drop of starter Ray Kemp’s green flag. Darrin Schuler of Stroudsburg, led lap one, before Steve Swinehart of Perkiomenville took over on lap two, being chased and challenged by Dylan Swinehart, Bobby Gunther-Walsh of Allentown and a quick moving Umbenhauer who was into the top five by the third lap after starting 10th.
While this was happening, a great battle was happening for position between Kevin Hirthler of Boyertown, Doug Manmiller of Shoemakersville, Jeff Strunk of Boyertown, and point leader Brett Kressley of Orefield, who all were challenging each other while advancing through the field.
Just before halfway the only two slowdowns of the race occurred, as a yellow on lap 12 for a spinning Nate Brinker of Macungie reset the field, and that was followed on lap 13 by a red flag for a track blocking seven car tangle in turn three.
After this restart the race ran green to the finish with Dylan Swinehart the new leader after securing the lead from Steve Swinehart at the line on lap 13 just before the caution. Dylan Swinehart led with Umbenhauer in pursuit, followed by a great multi-car duel between Manmiller, Kressley, Steve Swinehart, Strunk and Hirthler.
Umbenhauer kept the pressure on Dylan Swinehart and was finally able to slide by into the lead entering turn one on lap 22 and run the remaining laps to his first win of 2022 and fifth career T.P. Trailer Modified victory.
The action never stopped until the checkered dropped, as positions in the top ten were changing right to the finish. Kressley, who finally was able to get to the top lane late in the event, made a late race charge around many cars, and was able to take second place and close in on Umbehauer but ran out of laps before he could catch the leader.
The final run-down saw Umbenhauer the winner followed by Kressley, Strunk, Manmiller, Craig Von Dohren of Oley, who just got to fifth on the final lap, Duane Howard of Oley, Pa, Steve Swinehart, Gunther-Walsh with his best outing of the season, Tim Buckwalter of Douglasville and Brad Grim of Coplay.