New trio of winners at Grandview
BECHTELSVILLE >> Three new names were added to the winner’s list on Saturday night at Grandview Speedway and all three feature winners captured their first career NASCAR divisonal triumphs at the 1/3-mile clay oval in the racing action sponsored by T.P. Trailers, Limerick and broadcast by RCN-TV, Allentown.
Brett “The Threat” Kressley, a rookie this season after graduating from being the Sportsman point champion, who was shut out of victory lane a few weeks ago, put the Norm Hansell-owned Norm’s Save Station No. 357 into the lead on the ninth lap and went on to score the win in the T.P. Trailers NASCAR 358 Modified All-American Racing Series 30-Lap feature with Jeff Strunk chasing him across the line. Kressley commented that his first win in the division at Grandview was special adding a notch in his belt and gave a “hats off” to Norm and crew for an awesome car. He said he made some rookie mistakes early in the season and is getting adjusted to things.
In the 25-lap BRC NASCAR Late Model feature Drew Weisser, who has been close on occasions to winning only to be defeated in the later stages, scored his first career win.
There have now been five different winners in seven Modified races this season. In Late Models four drivers have visited victory lane and in the Sportsman seven different winners. Seven nights of racing have been completed for the NASCAR sanctioned divisions.
Brian Papiez, a graduate from the crate division at New Eqypt Speedway, who didn’t run the early part of the year, led from start to finish in the 25-lap NASCAR Sportsman event. He dedicated the win to his grandmother who recently passed away and especially thanked Ray Carroll and driver Jeff Strunk for helping him set up the car.
All three drivers received monetary awards from T.P. Trailers.
$250, Modified and $100 for both the Late Model and Sportsman and the Dan’s Deli ½-way Hoagie award.
Racing will return to the Bechtelsville racing facility on Saturday, June 18th at 7:30 p.m. when the NASCAR Sportsman stock cars will be featured in a 40-lap feature race. In addition there will be racing for the T.P.Trailers NASCAR 358 Modifieds along with the BRC Late Models. The night will be sponsored by BFP Specialties and Bashore Trucking.
Ron Haring Jr. set the pace for eight laps of the Modified feature before Kressley, who started fifth, and chasing him since the green motored into the lead.
Behind Kressley dicing for positions were Mike
Kellner, Haring Jr., Ray Swinehart and John Willman.
The half of straightaway lead Kressley built up was erased when Kellner, running a solid second, had a left rear tire go flat causing him to spin in turn four and the caution to come out on lap 17. Kressley held his ground when action re-
sumed, but now the competition was from Willman, Kenny Gilmore, Swinehart and Kevin Hirthler.
On the 20th lap Tim Buckwalter and Craig Von Dohren made contact with Buckwalter spinning. Frank Cozze had nowhere to go and was involved in the mishap. It was still Kressley first.
The caution was out again on lap 21 after Don Norris Jr. and Von Dohren collided with Norris Jr. spinning in turn two. Defending champion Von Dohren was put to the rear for a rule infraction. The leader continued to be Kressley being chased by Willman, Strunk, Gilmore and Danny Erb with Mike Gular soon in the mix.
Strunk advanced to second with five to go to see if he had anything for Kressley.
his time Kressley was determined to grab the win and did just that followed by Strunk, for the second week in a row, Willman, for
his season best finish; Gular and Gilmore. Rounding out the top ten were Erb, Buckwalter, Kyle Borror, last week’s feature winner; Hirthler and Ryan Grim.
Willman, Chris Gambler and Haring Jr. won the heats.
For the second consecutive week, Joe “Geezer” Fanelli was the early race leader in the Late Model feature, a position he held for five laps before Lou Egrie became the new pacesetter.
Weisser overtook Fanelli for second on the seventh lap and five laps later he was in control of the race.
The action for the spots behind Weisser developed between Egrie, Dave Ogin, Brian Shuey, last week’s feature winner and Cory Merkel and it didn’t take Chuck Schutz long to get into the shuffle.
Positions changed behind Weisser, but he never surrendered the top spot and claimed a well- deserved victory trailed by Egrie, Shuey, Merkel and Schutz. Ogin, Dan Green, Bryon Sipe, Wayne Pfeil and Dean Stoudt were sixth through tenth.
Heats were won by Sipe and Shuey.
Papiez was off and running at the onset of the Sportsman feature being challenged by Kyle Lilick, Ryan Beltz, Mark Kemmerer and Jack Butler. Joe Funk III moved into second on the third lap to put his bids in for first.
The field regrouped on lap 11 after Craig Whitmoyer slowed his pace in turn two when he glanced off the homestretch wall. Papiez remained in front but now Beltz, who recently captured his first win and was in the hunt for another, was in the runner-up spot.
Papiez never looked back once he was ahead and went on to score the win chassed across by Beltz. Funk III, Kemmerer and Brad Brightbill were third through fifth for their season best finishes. Sixth through tenth were Brian Hirthler, Paul Kline, Jordan Henn, Brett Gilmore and Kyle Lilick.
Dean Bachman, Ryan Lilick, Papiez and Hirthler won the heats. Consies went to Derrick Smith and Craig Whitmoyer.
Dave Smith and former Grandview standout Ronnie Peck were the winners in the two 15-lap Blast from the Past features.