Banner opening night for Hirthler brothers
Brothers Brian and Kevin Hirthler both ran their ways to victory lane on opening night of the 2017 season Saturday night at Grandview Speedway.
BECHTELSVILLE >> Brothers Kevin Hirthler, 39, and Brian Hirthler, 37, both of Perkiomenville, took home a feature win Saturday night at Grandview Speedway on the opening night of the Bechtelsville track’s 2017 season.
Kevin Hirthler scored his 12th career TP Trailers 358 Modified feature win at the high-banked third-mile dirt track, while Brian Hirthler collected his second career Sportsman triumph. The raceway promoted by the Rogers family celebrated 55 consecutive seasons of racing with the annual opening night program Saturday night.
Ron Kline, 48, of Salford, steering the Wanda Brown-owned Junior Grebe Motorsports No. 3 Late Model claimed his 37th career feature triumph in the BRC Late Model main event.
“We’ve been trying to do this over the past five or six years, now, and finally we got it done tonight,” remarked a bearded Brian Hirthler after his win in the 25-lap Sportsman fray aboard his selfowned Pioneer Pole Building No. 4* Sportsman car.
Provided they met all requirements, each feature winner earned bonus bucks from T.P. Trailers and Truck Equipment of Limerick. And VP Racing Fuels had product awards for top performers that met the requirements.
Coming up on Saturday, April 15th, 7 p.m. is the first extra distance event of the season for the T.P. Trailers NASCAR 358 Modifieds. They will be featured in a 35-lap main event paying $3500 to win along with T.P. Trailers and VP Racing Fuel bonuses. Also included will be the BRC Late Models and Sportsman. Spectator gates open at 5 p.m. with the Low Down and Dirty Meet and Greet set to take place as gates open.
In the 25-lap Late model main, Chuck Schutz, the 2016 Late Model track champion, was held off over the final 12 laps by Kline with Kyle Merkel finishing up third. Stephen Todorow brought home a solid fourth in front of Brian Sipe.
“You got to keep your foot in it,” explained Kline. “We survived. The lapped cars were all over. Tonight, being in second was a better thing. I found the guard rail twice tonight and got by Chuck down there off the bottom in turn 4 and, believe me, once I got out in front I wasn’t about to give it back. Junior Grebe gave me a heck of a car.”
Kline now has won three of the last five features run at the track in recent years on Opening Night.
In the 30-lap 358 Modified feature, 10-time track champion Jeff Strunk started from the pole with Kevin Hirthler outside the front row chauffeuring his self-owned Bicknell chassied Pioneer Pole Building No. 117 mount.
Hirthler kept his advantage from lap 13 on and easily took the win in the 30-lapper over Strunk, with Craig Von Dohren finishing up a real strong third-place. In fourth it was invader Ryan Watt and five-time track champion rounded out the top five finishers.
“I won three features here in 2015 and got zero wins in 2016,” explained Hirthler. “One night I was leading the feature and broke a bolt. Strunk got passed me and won that night taking that win from me. I guess tonight we got him back, with this win?
“I might have jumped Jeff slightly on that restart early on, but he certainly had his chances to get me back throughout tonight. All the yellow’s just kept coming out. The track was choppy because of all the wet weather we’ve had recently. Give the track crew time to work on it. It’s understandable. Everyone knows I am out there pushing on the gas every lap. We had a great race car tonight,” said Hirthler.