Von Dohren wins Grandview season-opener
Craig Von Dohren of Oley was able to take over the lead on lap 47, following a multi-lap battle with Tim Buckwalter of Douglasville, and raced home with the win in the 60th anniversary season opening VP Racing Fuels Bruce Rogers Memorial Money Maker 60-lap feature race for Big Block/ Small Block Modifieds Saturday Night at Grandview Speedway.
The victory for Von Dohren, his first in the Bruce Rogers Memorial, was worth a cool $10,060 and was the seventh time he has won on Opening Night in Grandview track history.
Jordan Henn of Kutztown was able to wrestle the lead away from Mark Kemmerer of Green Lane, on lap 12 of the 25-lap T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman Opening Night feature and picked up his third career victory. The main event went green to checkers without a caution and was over in just under seven minutes.
Finishing out the top five behind Von Dohren in the Modified main event was Jeff Strunk of Boyertown, Doug Manmiller of Shoemakersville,
Jared Umbenhauer of Richland and Craig Whitmoyer of Hamburg.
The remaining top five in the Sportsman main were Cody Manmiller of Philadelphia, Jimmy Leiby of West Milford, N.J., and Dakota Kohler of Kutztown.
The Modified main event saw Buckwalter race out to the lead from his pole starting position and set a quick pace. The race upfront soon became fast and furious with Buckwalter leading a group of cars including Manmiller, Von Dohren, Strunk and Brett Kressley of Orefield.
The leaders soon entered lapped traffic and had a real battle between themselves and the slower cars, putting on a crowd-pleasing duel. By lap 20, Buckwalter was leading Manmiller, Strunk, Von Dohren Kressley, Umbenhauer and Bobby Varin of Sharon Springs, NY.
This battle was slowed by the first caution for Kevin Hirthler of Boyertown on lap 21 who stopped with mechanical problems. The lead pack shifted positions several times including Von Dohren sliding back to fourth by the half-way mark.
On lap 38 a caution for a strong running Ryan Krachun of Branchburg, NJ., who had started 19th and was running sixth, began a turnaround for Von Dohren’s run to the front.
Following that restart, he was able to pass Strunk for third, take Manmiller for second on lap 41, then track down Buckwalter, and after a multi-lap dual, slide by in turn two and have the lead to score lap 47
Several late race cautions regrouped the field, including a flat tire for Kressley and a pit stop for Buckwalter, but Von Dohren survived all to race home to the huge $10,060 pay day.
The remaining top ten spots went to Buckwalter who rebounded from a flat front tire, Jordan Henn who was doing double-duty, Nate Brinker of Macungie, Bobby Gunther-Walsh of Allentown and Kressley.
Modified qualifying heats for the 44-car field on hand were won by Kressley, Ryan Beltz of Barto, Varin and Brian Hirthler of Green Lane. Consolations were won by Dylan Swinehart of Fleetwood and Brad Brightbill of Sinking Spring.
Action in the Sportsman main was constant throughout the whole field for the entire race. Dakota Kohler and Mark Kemmerer were the early leaders before Jordan Henn quickly moved in to challenge from his fifth starting spot.
Henn put a lot of pressure on Kemmerer in heavy lapped traffic once they caught the tail of the field and the battle for the top spot was on.
Henn was finally able to make his move and slide underneath Kemmerer on lap 12 entering turn one. Once in front. Henn had to cut the path through traffic, and did so very well, never allowing anyone to catch him, racing on to the win.
The remaining laps of the feature was an entertaining battle for the remaining top ten spots down to the checkered, as Manmiller and Leiby had moved in on Kemmerer and put on a lot of pressure to the finish.
The final rundown was Henn, Kemmerer, Manmiller, Leiby and Kohler. The rest of the top ten was completed by teammates Logan Bauman of Boyertown and Dylan Swinehart, Brian Hirthler, Ryan Grim of Laury Station and Matt Clay of Lebanon.