2014
Jason Swavely Wingless 600 Winner 7/11
05-06 Billet Oil Pan Price: $399.00
NEW - 270 Aluminum Shifter Handle $19.25
Danny Lane 270 Winner 6/21
Results from the TTC
Coverage from Action Track and Hamlin’s 100 lap events
Sit down interview with Richie Hitzler
Photographers Show Some of their Best
Shellhammers Wingless 270 Micro Sprint Race
Jesse Maurer – Brett Bieber Cover Photo: Rick Schwindenhammer photographed Chad Sandt at Linda’s Speedway Contents Page Photo: Terry Schaeffer & Dan Souder at the National Open. Sherry Kenderdine Photo
Why We Did It
The High Groove Winged or Wingless
Slingshot Young Guns
Blue Collar Racer
This is a different market with a different approach than has been seen before.
A lot of people have asked why we decided to do this? Why would anyone take on any type of publication in the midst of the closing of Gator Magazine, one of the industries longest running papers? The answer is pretty simple actually, this is a different market with a different approach than has been seen before. Sure there are other online racing papers and magazines, but this will be a true emagazine with no actual paper publication. This helps keeps the cost under control as well as opens the door for home office style preparation and distribution. Also we will be covering the "small car racing" that is being sometimes over looked by the bigger publications. I understand why they can't cover everything, they only have so many pages, that's where we come in. We can cover a lot and as we grow; hopefully cover even more! The small car world is full of great racers, great crews, loyal fans, and great stories to be covered. I feel that we have established a talented staff that will cover a little bit of everything. We don't want anyone to feel left out when we cover these stories. Of course there are only so many of us, and there are many more stories, so we will miss some things. And don't read this the wrong way, we will not be able to cover everything that we want to because it just simply is not possible. When this idea started, I wanted to get recognition to people that have earned it, and that's what we hope to do. Our magazine is based off of many other racing publications that came before us, and as we grow we hope to start to stray a little from the norm and build on what we have done. For right now, this is a bare boned idea. Something to get the ball rolling. I started by hoping for paper publication but, quickly realized the time, money, and risk was not something that I could do. This was the next avenue on the journey. I have very much respect for those that continue to do it the other way. This is not just about what we want or what we are doing. We want to hear from you and what you want to see. We are based in central PA, but there is plenty of room to grow and so much more to cover. We are on Facebook, Twitter, and you can email us as well. Most of the columnist have their twitter handle right on their page, give them a tweet. Let us know what you are thinking. Thank you for taking the time to check in on The Inside Track. The group of people behind this project is awesome. I'm not sure we will be a huge success, we intend to work toward that goal. With that said it will be a fun experience no matter what happens. 6 ~ The Inside Track
Slingshot Speedweek Aug 1 Linda's Speedway Jonestown, PA Aug 2 Shellhammers Speedway Leesport, PA Aug 4 Reading Fairgrounds Reading, PA Aug 6 Action Track USA Kutztown, PA Aug 8 Selinsgrove Speedway Selinsgrove, PA Aug 9 Hamlin Speedway Hamlin, PA Aug 10 Bridgeport Speedway Swedesboro, NJ ACTION TRACK USA Tuesday August 12 Fair Night #1 – Jr. Slingshot Fair NATIONALS **Wingless 270 Prelim to the NATIONALS** & **SpeedSTR Prelim to the Dick Tobias Open** ACTION TRACK USA Wednesday August 13 Fair Night #2 – Wingless 600 Fair NATIONALS **$750 to WIN** SpeedSTR NATIONALS, plus Slingshots ACTION TRACK USA Thursday August 14 Fair Night #3 – Wingless 270 Fair NATIONALS **$750 to WIN** Airport Speedway Fan Appreciation Night August 16th
Volume 1 Issue 0 Customer Service and other information: Theinsidetrack@snail-mail.net Publisher: Michael Batz
Hamlin Speedway Wingless 270 Special August 16th ACTION TRACK USA Sunday August 17 2nd annual “DICK TOBIAS CLASSIC” SpeedSTR’s * 60 laps $5000 to WIN !!! Championship Night for all 3 divisions STR, 600’s, Slingshots Shellhammers Wingless 270- Modified- Slingshots August 20th Linda's Speedway Ronnie Dunstan Tribute Race August 29th Path Valley Driver Autograph Night August 30 LANCO's Labor Day Shootout Aug 30 and 31 Deerfield Raceway Micro Sprint Championship Race Sept 6 Hamlin Speedway Stage One Modifieds Roy Smith Memorial
Copyright 2014 by Mike Co
The Inside Track assumes no liability or is not responsible for information contained in advertisements, articles, stories ect. The opinions expressed in this publication reflect those of the individual author and are not necessarily the view of The Inside Track. Reproduction of any content in any form without written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited. Readers should also be made aware that some items listed for sale in advertisements may not be legal on all states.
August 2014 ~7
Jake Hagopian came to Southern Illinois Raceway over the weekend with a dream in mind and a car to drive. He left with $5,000 in his pocket and all the spoils of victory. Hagopian, driving for car owner Eric Wright, stormed up the outside on the opening lap of Saturday night’s Sawyer Chassis Highbanks Hustle presented by Lightning Wings, moving from fourth to first and passing preliminary night winner Frank Flud for the lead in turn three. Flud made a bonzai move to try and snatch the win away in turn one on the final lap, but could not complete the slide job, losing second to Joe B. Miller in the final corners. “I’m speechless right now man, I can’t believe we just beat Frank Flud,” a stunned Hagopian said in Victory Lane. "This is amazing; we just won the Hustle.” Photo by Jim Viviano
Mark Sensenig captured the $700 triumph in the Slide at the Clyde 2 for the All Star Slingshots presented by Kovatch Motorsports at Lanco’s Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway after going by early race leader Louden Reimert and Dylan Hoch.
Eighteen year old Brandon Azzalina entered the record books as the second winner of the Bob Tidaback Memorial Race while Bob's son Mike chased him all the way to the finish. Fifteen TQ/Asphalt 600 Sprints roared into turn one at Borger’s Speedway in back of pole sitter Austin Fehr. Azzalina blasted past Fehr on lap twenty two to take the lead for good.
Mike Rutherford made a late race pass of race long leader Devin Harron in the Linda's Speedway 4th of July event for an $800 payday
Slide at the Clyde 2 (30 Laps) 1- Mark Sensenig 2- Dylan Hoch 3- Larry Raifsnyder 4- Cody Kline 5- Brett Bieber 6- Alex Schoffstall 7- Joe Bodenschatz 8- Mike Fogler 9- Kyle Gruber 10- Justin Thompson 8 ~ The Inside Track
Bob Tidaback Memorial (50 Laps) 1- Brandon Azzalina 2- Mike Tidabac 3- Mark Yoder 4- Larry Hoagland 5- Brandon Zavarella 6- Austin Fehr 7- Jason Hentrich 8- Thomas Radivoy 9- Zack Burd 10- Sheldon Iudecillo
Freedom 30 (30 Laps) 1- Mike Rutherford 2- Devin Harron 3- Bradley Brown 4- Ross Perchak 5- Nick Skias 6- Kyle Weiss 7- Richie Hartman 8- Jesse Maurer 9- Jason Swavely 10- Mike Boyer
The field of Sr. Honda drivers are set to go green for feature action at the annual Schnecksville Fair (Dennis Takacs Photo)
Photographers: Supply your Âź Midget pictures for display in the Stars of Tomorrow section of the magazine by sending them to Theinsidetrack@snail-mail.net August 2014 ~ 9
Amy Williams Photo
Linda’s Speedway 1- 7 Timmie Barrick 2- 14t Tyler Walton 3- 14 Jason Swavely 4- 6 Mike Rutherford 5- 75x James Morris 6- 44 Mike Dicely 7- 5m Kenny Murray 8- 8w PJ Williams
9- 026 Jeff Hartman 10- 44s Steve Whary 11- 8 Kyle Lick 12- 74 Dwayne Gutshall 13- 11 Dan Souder 14- 51 Kevin Steele 15- 24 Jay Hartman
Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway 1-Kameron Morral 2-James Morris 3-Jason Swavely 4-PJ Williams 5-Tony DiMattia 6-Tyler Walton 7-Jared Esh 8-Alex Bright
9-Shaun Brandel 10-Mike Rutherford 11-Tim Buckwalter 12-Dan Souder 13-Austin Bishop 14-Brittany Brown 15-Luke Thomas
Action Track USA 1-Alex Bright 2-Jason Swavely 3-Rhett Long 4-Jay Hartman 5-Tyler Walton 6-Brandon Azzalina 7-Jeff Hartman 8-Tony DiMattia
9-Eddie Strada 10-Frank Cozze 11-James Morris 12-Billy Ney 13-Brittany Brown 14-Kyle Lick 15-Tim Buckwalter
Final Points 1) 14 Jason Swavely …100 2) 14t Tyler Walton …95 3) 75x James Morris …90 4) 5d Tony Dimattia …78 5) 6 Mike Rutherford …75 6) 8w PJ Williams …72 7) 70g Alex Bright…68 8) 8x Kyle Lick …62 9) 026 Jeff Hartman …56 10) 11 Dan Souder …55
11) 24 Jay Hartman…53 12) 71x Tim Buckwalter…46 13) 23 Brittany Brown…45 14) 11a Austin Bishop…40 15) 44s Steve Whary …39 16) 7 Timmie Barrick …35 17) 880 Kameron Morral…35 18) 86 Rhett Long…33 19) 43 Brandon Azzalina…30 20) 44 Mike Dicely…30
August 2014 ~11
Which Is More Popular…Winged or Wingless? Let’s Look At The Numbers… Non-winged 600cc Sprint Car racing (here in the northeastern section of the country) has grown by leaps and bounds over the past several seasons – both in popularity and number of participants. But you probably already know that. I’ve made no secret about the fact that I’m a huge fan of wingless competition, and I am evidently not alone…as evidenced by the large and enthusiastic crowds who have embraced the wingless 600’s at the JeffreyHogueRealtor.com Action Track USA on the Kutztown Fairgrounds. Come on out some Wednesday night and take a poll of the folks who frequent the speedway on a weekly basis; they’ll tell you the non-winged 600’s regularly put on the best show of any of the divisions at the Action Track USA. It’s also pretty neat to see how many of the northeastern tracks (that host the 600’s as a weekly class) have switched them over to the wingless style of racing. When a facility such as Micro-Sprint stalwart Linda’s Speedway – long devoted to winged 270’s and 600’s – decides to alternate, on a monthly basis, between wings and no wings for the 600’s, well…you get an idea of just how well this wingless deal has caught on… I decided to look at some numbers to back up the theory (or disprove it) that wingless has overtaken winged 600cc action in popularity. While I readily admit that I don’t have exact numbers for any tracks except Action Track USA and Lanco’s Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway, I have paid attention to the number of drivers in the finishing order, week after week, at most area speedways, so I have a pretty good idea of the average car count at most of the northeastern small car dirt ovals. I counted four tracks that present winged 600cc activity on a regular schedule, and four that host non-wing competition each week. I gave Linda’s Speedway credit in both categories, since they alternate between the two styles and boast a lengthy schedule (late March to mid-October). Winged tracks include Clyde Martin, Linda’s, Greenwood Valley, and Bridgeport. The non-wing facilities are Action Track USA, Airport, Linda’s, and Hamlin. New York’s Limerock runs wingless 600’s weekly, and I’m not sure about Paradise Speedway…but I really have no idea about the car counts at those two tracks. To Be Continued… 12 ~ The Inside Track
August 2014 ~13
By: Steve Pados The Fourth of July weekend found the Hamlin Speedway kicking back into racing mode after being shut down for a week. The spectacular evening of racing unfolded on Saturday night with the successful running of the Wounded Warriors Project Firecracker 100. Race car trailers and teams were still arriving at the speedway after 5 PM as more than 135 entries lined the pit area and included 40 of the top Slingshot drivers in the country today. Speedway Promoters Denise and Randy Smith greeted a standing room only crowd with a dynamic 100 lap Slingshot event. The Wounded Warriors Project, headed up by Kim's Kreations, S&S Speedways, Hamlin Speedway and Rode Racing, put forth a solid effort that saw $8994.50 raised for the charitable organization. After a series of time trials and two B Mains, the 31-car starting field for the All Star Slingshots was established for the run at the hefty pot of gold that would await the winner. The event was the curtain closer for the evening but the headline attraction for the Wounded Warriors Project Firecracker 100 at the speedway. Utilizing the "revenge draw" found the top twelve drivers being shuffled a bit but the field was without question the top field of Slingshot drivers in the country today when the green flag fell. Modified talent "Fast" Frank Yankowski began from the pole position and held off all comers until lap 53 when "Kid Wicked" Tyler Pirone used a full head of steam to power past Yankowski. Pirone would hold onto the lead until lap-68 when mechanical problems forced him to the infield and out of the event. The battle royal behind the leaders was unbelievable as one driver after another would race into contention with brassy moves from all corners of the speedway. Russ Benke seized the moment and built up a sizeable lead until a skirmish slowed the field. When racing resumed it would be the S&S Speedway team cars going to war with each other and Dale Kober would find the room to slip past "The Sheriff" Simon Egan for the runner-up slot. Egan would make a comeback from the baseline of the speedway and the two warriors made contact with Egan ending up facing the Jersey barriers and out of the event. Benke would again resume command of the field with Kober racing him hard and clean. From lap-90 it appeared the handling on the Jordan Towing sponsored machine of Benke was losing grip in the corners and the veteran Kober began to push the nose of his race car underneath him. Kober throttled past Benke on lap-97 to take over the lead and race away to a hard fought win. Benke ran an excellent race to claim runner-up honors. Troy Langendoerfer was third but a post race infraction found his racer disqualified. Wes Hearn would move to third with Mack Brink in fourth and Louden Reimert claiming a top five after starting from 28th position. Trevor LaBagh, John Gilroy, Collin DuBois, John Rooks Jr and Frank Yankowski completed the top ten with LaBagh, DuBois and Yankowski all racing back through the field after being involved in incidents along the way. 1- Dale Kober 2- Russ Benke III 3- Wes Hearn 4- Mack Brink 5- Louden Reimert 6- Trevor LaBagh 7 - John Gilroy 8- Collin DuBois 9- John Rooks Jr 10- Frank Yankowski 11- AJ Hobbs 14 ~ The Inside Track
12- Kyle Herve 13- Ryan Quackenbush 14- Shane Lewis 15- Jimmy Johnston 16- Charlie Lawrence 17- Simon Egan 18- Dakota Kohler 19- Jeff Cosgrove 20- Jared LaBagh 21- Tyler Pirone 22- Aaron Henneforth
23- Danny Buccafusca 24- Joe Kata 25- Mike McLaughlin 26- John Pantis 27- Dalton Maynard 28- Ben Whitaker 29- Kim Glass 30- Steve Svanda 31- Troy Langendoerfer (DQ)
by: Barry Angstadt
Mike Fry Photos
Brett Bieber, the three-time and defending National Slingshot Champion, registered his first win of the year at the fairgrounds across from Kutztown University. And the Oley driver picked a good race in which to record his initial victory, as the All Star Slingshots took part in the Kutztown Komet 100 on Wednesday. The race honors the memory of the late, great dirt Modified legend Freddy Adam, who was known far and wide as “the Kutztown Komet” during his long and distinguished racing career. Thirty-five All Star Slingshots took the green in the NAPA Auto Parts Kutztown Komet 100 for the All Star Slingshots. It was a two-car race for most of the event that turned into a wild battle for the lead and the win. Joe Nemeth and John Bockhorn waged an entertaining duel for the race lead, with Larry Raifsnider in the mix as well, shoving the nose of his No. 11R under Nemeth on numerous occasions. By the 20th trip around the clay, Brett Bieber had navigated his way from 12th on the starting grid to fourth, right behind Kutztown’s defending Slingshot point champ, Danny Buccafusca. Nemeth and Bockhorn traded the top spot on several occasions, with Nemeth leading early and then Bockhorn putting his No. 97 in front on lap 32. Nemeth went back to the head of the pack just before the halfway mark, which also happened to be the “halftime break” of the event. The cars were stopped on the front stretch, in full view of the packed grandstand. Crews were permitted to do anything they wanted to the cars, as long as their mounts were ready to roll at the end of the fiveminute stoppage. Back under green, Bockhorn forged ahead once more on the 58th tour, but Nemeth roared past again with 35 to go. As the race reached lap 70, the intensity picked up noticeably, and Brett Bieber decided it was time to go. Bieber wrestled the runner-up slot away from Bockhorn, then snatched the lead from Nemeth in turns one and two with only ten circuits remaining. Buccafusca and Pete Knappenberger went to work on Nemeth, and Knappenberger took advantage of the opportunity when Nemeth got sideways in one and two and Buccafusca hopped over his left-front wheel. At the finish of the century grind, the Oley Jet, Brett Bieber, cruised to the win over Knappenberger, Buccafusca, Raifsnider, and Kurt Bettler (who raced back to the front after spinning just prior to the halfway break and restarted in 29th position). With the victory, Bieber also leap-frogged over Buccafusca to take the point lead. 1-Brett Bieber 2-Pete Knappenberger 3-Danny Buccafusca 4-Larry Raifsnider 5-Kurt Bettler 6-Joe Nemeth 7-Ray Nemeth 8-Cody Kline 9-Jay Hartman 10-Matt Miller 11-Erik Jones 12-William Mohring
13-Donny Hockman 14-Scott Heilman 15-Tess Horvath 16-Tayllor Schoenly 17-Kim Glass 18-Damian Nemeth 19-Dylan Hoch 20-Justin Thompson 21-John Bockhorn 22-Carl Bittenbender 23-Jordan Knepp 24-Matt Massone
25-Matt Stangle 26-Mark Sensenig 27-Jackson Ring 28-Simon Whitnell 29-Austin Stufflet 30-Louden Reimert 31-Kassidy Kreitz 32-Dave Carraghan 33-Travis Bieber 34-Mark Hartman DNS: Steve Svanda August 2014 ~15
Richie Hitzler has been racing for many years even though he is still under 20 years old. Hitzler is the current leader of the Xcel Chassis Modified Tour point standings and is coming off an amazing season at his home track of Linda's Speedway where he was named Driver of the Year. Hitzler's accolade came after winning the Modified championship as well as the mid season Poker Series. Also Hitzler closed out the speedways season with a win in the 50 lap Leon Gruber Memorial event. We sat down with Hitzler to take racing and more. IST: Last year you won the Linda's Speedway championship, Leon Gruber Memorial 50, and the Poker Series. What is left to prove at your home track? RH: There is a lot to prove yet for me. Everyone saw the year I had last year and now other competitors are trying to do the same thing. I want to keep finishing good and show everyone that we are a championshipwinning car again this year.
IST : Is it ever hard to get motivated to show up on a Friday and run knowing what you have already accomplished? RH : I am always motivated because there is always more you can accomplish. IST : You are currently the tour point leader, is that your next goal, to win the tour championship? If you plan to win it, what do you think will be the biggest element to doing so? RH : Yes, that is a goal but, when we get to the track and unload; our goal is to win and keep winning so the championship will take care of itself.
IST : If you are able to win the Modified championship, what is the next step then? What goals do you have for the near future? RH : The goal is to race Modifieds but for our team right now that is not a realistic goal. We will continue to race the 600 Modifieds until we can make that dream become a reality. IST : How many of your career races can you remember? Sherry Kenderdine Photo
RH : I can remember a lot but, I will never forget the championship race from last year when Hitzler Motorsports claimed our first title at our home track. IST : When is the last time you got nervous about a race? RH : Every time I strap in my car in the staging area my nerves are going hard, once I pull onto the race track they go away and I am ready to race. IST : Who is a clean driver you enjoy racing with? RH : I really enjoy racing with Aaron Bowes.
August 2014 ~17
IST: On the opposite side of that, who is a driver that makes it especially hard on you?
RH: Still Aaron Bowes. He is fast and runs me hard every corner. I really enjoy good side by side racing like that. IST : What is your personal code of conduct on the track? RH : Give 110% and whatever happens, happens. IST : What driver did you look up to as a kid? RH : Bill Elliot has been my idol for a long time which is where the number nine actually comes from. IST : Some people would you come off as confident, maybe even cocky. How do you respond to that? RH : I trust the car and the setups my dad puts on them. It is not that I am cocky, I am just very confident in what I have. IST : You guys pull into the track in an open trailer after downscaling last year. Did you have to change your mindset after that change? RH : Well, a fast trailer never won a race so it didn't change my mind set at all. IST : You're a dad now. Looking into the future a little bit, do you see your son racing? Does it make you feel different about how your dad feels when you race now? RH : In the future, I would like to get him into racing. If he likes it of course. I have not hit the point where I have to watch my son race so I do not completely get the idea of what my dad does yet. IST : You seem to have a very tight knit family and race crew. How important is that to your success?
18 ~ The Inside Track
Amy Williams Photo
RH : With the support of my family, I am where I am. They are why I am here and if it were not for them, I wouldn't be here.
Amy Williams Photo
The Pit Crew For Devin Harron : (Left to Right) Bob Harron- Steve Becker- Devin HarronCora Luckenbill- Ryan McFadden
20 ~ The Inside Track
Samantha Bowen Photo
Since the inception of the Slingshots in 1999,drivers from the ages of 6 to 86 have taken a lap or two around many ovals in the United States and Canada. Many of these drivers have moved to various forms of racing in the bigger car classes, with quite a few making some headlines. Billy Pauch Jr., Ryan Smith, Kyle Ebersole, Billy Van Inwegen Jr., Anthony Perrego, Jim Housworth, Sean Merkel, Joe Funk and Steve Hicks to name a few.
The Slingshots race in two primary categories, the basic weekly track racer and the championship tour followers in which award money is distributed each season to the Elite 11 in the All Star Class and the Great 8 for the Junior Class , which is the 8 to 14 year olds. There are many racers that have been racing the Slingshots for many years due to its affordability and overall enjoyment of actually competing. For many of these veterans such as Simon Egan, Dale Kober, Brett Bieber, John Bockhorn, Kurt Bettler, that have seen their names listed among the top runners year after year, a new crop of racers, many not yet old enough to drive a street car are becoming a dominant force in the Slingshots. Dylan Hoch, winner of the Shellhammer's Spring Spectacular and currently in the top 5 in 2014 National points, Louden Reimert, who finished 2nd to Brett Bieber in the 2013 championship points race and recently a 1st time winner at Linda's Speedway, Jared LaBagh,2013 Junior National Champion, winner of numerous events this year at Accord and Hamlin are looking to move into the upper tier of Slingshot racers. Kassidy Kreitz has shown her ability to wheel a Slingshot after her time in the Junior Class and Jim Chisholm has taken the Midwest Region by storm winning the 2013 Great Lakes Region and being an Elite 11 member, not bad for a 13 year old. Not to be overlooked are the Junior racers, some of which ,will enter an All Star event and be very competitive or become a dominant force in the Junior class, such as Damon Paul, Dakota Kohler, Chloe Andreas, Dylan Swinehart, Daniel Morgiewicz Jr. and Kyle Smith. Slingshot racers have many weekly and selected tour tracks to race at from the AC Indoor Series to the Fall Jamboree. It's tracks like Linda's, Hamlin, Action Track ect. and even a track built especially for the Slingshots for a onetime event, the Nesquehoning Grand Prix. The talent level of the Slingshots will never peak, because every year new drivers will enter the class, the veterans will work to improve their programs and the tried and true will battle it out wheel to wheel with their younger counterparts or even a rookie driver that is in their 30's or 40's. But in 2014, the younger talent is making quite a few race fans take notice that driving a Slingshot has no age restrictions, both young and old. August 2014 ~ 21
By: Randy Albert The US Army invaded Hummingbird Speedway on Saturday night when Staff Sergeant Kevin Dugan brought the Humvee “pace car” to the speedway to celebrate the birth of our nation. The Sunny 106.5, 270 Micro Sprints were ready to rumble for the $1000 to win shootout with Robert Robertson and D J Furney out of Ohio leading the charge. Robertson was out to the early lead but the drivers were focused on the prize and not the task of driving to get the prize as a number of early cautions regrouped the competitors. After the drivers settled down Robertson still held the lead followed closely by Furney. Brian Marriott from Harrisburg and Sean McAndrew brought up the third and fourth positions waiting for an opening. Furney took a number of “looks” down low but then moved to the high groove to run side by side with Robertson eventually making the pass for the lead. Robertson clipped a tire in turn two drawing the caution and ending his bid for the cash. Furney had a good run going but Marriott moved under him into the lead. Steve Dunmire out of Kittanning was the man on the move coming into the picture from back in the pack passing McAndrew for the third spot and applying pressure to Marriott and Furney. As the cars began to string out Marriott appeared to have it covered. They began to encounter lap traffic and Marriott tried to duck low under a slower car going into turn one. Marriott clipped the slower cars sending him sideways and bringing out the caution. This put Steve Dunmire in the “catbird seat” for the restart. He took advantage of the opportunity as McAndrew had his mirror full of Jason Houtz and Ryan McAndrew as the white flag flew. Dunmire held on to take the win followed by Sean McAndrew, Houtz, Ryan McAndrew and Brandon Hawkins. Heat race winners included Robert Robertson, Brian Marriott, Dave Hawkins, and Sean McAndrew. A special “Dash for Cash” was held for the division and the winner was Robert Robertson. 1-2C Steve Dunmire 2-15 Sean McAndrew 3-00 Jason Houtz 4-25 Ryan McAndrew 5-27H Brandon Hawkins 6-11X Robert Garvey Jr 7. 20 Cory Meyers 8-80jr Kyle Colwell 22 ~ The Inside Track
9-47jr Brett Bronkenhoefer 10-71 Lee Lehnerd 11-29 Jeff Haefke 12-29L Larry Straw 13- 18 Brian Marriott 14-12 DJ Furney 15-11 Anthony Pasquerella
Joe Nowak Photos
by Joanne Mady So young yet so old. Nate Brinker showed the nerves of a veteran on a night he will not forget. The 13 year old young gun held off the best of the best for the first FXG Sign & Label 100 lap race and to win his first Xcel Chassis 600 modified tour race. It was a $1000 payday to round off the night at Shippensburg Speedway on July 12th. No one knew what to expect or could guess how the night would go. The two biggest questions of the night were tires and brakes. Fuel was not an issue but would your brakes run hot or the tires run bald. Nate summed up some of the race during tech. "After the redraw, my dad and I were talking set up and decided to go with our normal set up. Even though it was a 100 laps, the biggest thing would be patience. At the end of the race, my arms felt like they had grown 2 feet running 75 green flag laps but picking up that $1000 envelope sure did help. I'm glad to have my grandmother and grandfather here and Dectis Painting for the sponsorship. Man I was so happy to see the smile my dad had running down here" On the final restart with 5 laps to go had the fans on their feet. Could this 13 year old keep the "old timers" at bay? That question was quickly answered when Nate pulled away with a text book start that left Dunkleberger and Pepe fighting for second place. Pepe gave everything the car had and tried the outside but to no avail bringing home a third place finish. Heat winners Brinker, Jason Dunkleberger and Aaron Bowes set the pace for the night with Brinker and Dunkleberger on the front row. Patience would be the last word on the radio before the green dropped. "This is so cool. I can't believe it happened. I knew the car could do it but I had to keep telling myself to hit my marks. Those last five laps were the best and worst all at the same time. Your heart's going a mile a minute and I just had to keep doing what I had been doing. "stated Brinker" The first run was a blast running with Dustin and the second green flag run I ran the car hard. I prayed I didn't use up the tires for the last five laps and I still don't know but I will look at them when the car goes thru tech.“
“ Those last five laps were the best and worst all at the same time. Your heart's going a mile a minute and I just had to keep doing what I had been doing.”
FEATURE FINISH (100 LAPS) 1)NATE BRINKER 2)Josh Pepe 3)Aaron Bowes 4)Ian Williamson 5)Michael Burrows 6)Jonathan Josko 7)Scott Washburn 8)Dustin Dunkleberger 9)Shawna Schibilia 10)Charles Bowers 11)Jonathan Pepe 12)Ray Horning 13)Jordyn Mohr 14)Tim VanHorn Jr. 15)Chad Zornek 16)(Ryan Mohr 17)Brad Smith 18)Abbey Price 19)Richie Hitzler 20)Jason Dunkleberger 21)Rich Savage
August 2014 ~ 23
Stage 1 Modified by Rick Schwindenhammer
24~ The Inside Track
Wingless 600 Micro Sprint by SMS Photo
Slide at the Clyde by Tim Krysiuk
GVAT by Sherry Kenderdine
The Chargers by Amy Williams
August 2014 ~ 25
Hammer Series I (25 Laps) 1...........Mike Rutherford 2............Rachel Godusky 3............Steven Drevicki 4..................Nick Walton 5..............Richie Hartman 6.........Toby Blumenshine 7.................Josh Schaffer 8...................Cale Mutter 9................Hunter James 10.............Mike Sherman 11............Ronald Helmick 12..................Brice Harro 13.................Chris James
Mike Fry Photos
The first of 13 270 Wingless Micro Sprint Cars pushed onto the track for hot laps at Seven on Wednesday June 25th, 2014 at Shellhammers Speedway. After the first session the cars were getting around the speedway at ten second time frames nearing 50 miles per hour. As the second set of hot laps rolled out, the skies began to darken and it became apparent that this show would need a push to get in. (No pun intended) The stands filled with eager fans ready for heat race number one that had a nice line up with a lot of potential. Josh Schaffer was on row one with one of the original driver to turn laps at the track, Chris James. Row two was Mike Rutherford and Richie Hartman the two quickest guys in the hot lap sessions. At the drop of the green Hartman went from fourth to first with some quick moves. Rutherford was in second by lap two and they would stay that way for the finish. Heat race number two started with some excitement. Toby Blumenshine and Steve Drevicki traded spots on lap one from the front row. Blumenshine went for the same piece of real estate as Ronald Helmick bringing out the races only yellow flag. Blumenshine went back to the top spot to stay. Blumenshine got a little out of shape coming down the back stretch after two to go and Drevicki almost flipped after contact. Miraculously Drevicki never stopped and minus Blumenshine the field came to the checkered under a blanket. Blumenshine joined Hartman on row one of the feature.
26~ The Inside Track
Mike Fry Photos
The 25 lap feature looked like it was going to pit two of Micro Sprint racings best against each other in quite the duel. Hartman went to spot one at the drop of the green flag for the 25 lap event with Rutherford quickly bolting into second. Hartman began drifting higher and higher off the corners and on lap four Rutherford made his move on Hartman for the lead. As Hartman went to drive back by he ran into the rear bumper of the 5k and spun bringing out the events first yellow flag. We would later find out Hartman was losing brakes from early in the race. Hartman rejoined, Rutherford led Nick Walton and Blumenshine as the race began again. Hunter James was on his way to the front when he got together with another car and spun just prior to half way. James was involved in a yellow in hot laps that broke his front end and after missing the heats he returned for the feature finishing in ninth. Ronald Helmick tried to avoid the spinning car but, ended up spun with a puncture fuel cell on the front stretch. Rachel Godusky was Rutherfords new challenger on the restart. Rutherford was the class of the field on this night though. With five to go Rutherford caught the tail of the field and began lapping cars. He enjoyed just under a half a track lead at that point. Godusky, Drevicki, and Walton continued to battle for second as Rutherford swept under the checkered flag for the $500 victory. Godusky was second, Drevicki and Walton third and fourth while “A real racy little place� Hartman fought back to finish fifth. Rutherford was -Mike Rutherford a fan of the race saying Shellhammers was "a real In Shellhammers Victory Lane racy little place" in victory lane. The racing was good, the atmosphere was nice, and the racing was done in a little over an hour and half. Heat races started at 7:40 and 7:45 with the feature pushing off at 8:05. This was a "fan"tastic mid week show. Time was allowed in between events to let drivers adjust, but nothing over the top with skies black for much of the night. The Cordier family did a nice job with this show and still paid the $500 to win after the rain scared off a few drivers and fans. Did I mention it rained cats and dogs about five minutes after the feature ended? August 2014 ~ 27
The blue collar division of the local small car tracks in the central Pa area is the Thunder Car/Charger division, that races at Path Valley, Linda's and Shippensburg Speedway. The class is an affordable form of racing for those guys (and gals every once in awhile) that work all day long to support their love of the sport that we all love so much. The drivers are some of the fiercest competitors when on the track, but when you get them off the track they will bend over backwards to help another person. The class is set up with 4 cylinder rear wheel drive stock cars, (mostly Ford Mustangs) with very little modifications to the car, except for the cage and other safety features. Drivers are able to go out and find a cheap run down car, that they can go tear the seats and other parts out of the car and weld a roll cage into the car. The motors can be built up but only to a certain extent, and the rest is pretty much up to the drivers to set the car up how they like it to be. The class is also set up so drivers who have moved up into higher divisions, can come out with a car and race for fun. The drivers have 3 tracks to choose from between Path Valley Speedway, which races the class Friday and Saturday nights, Shippensburg Speedway who race on Saturdays, and Linda's Speedway who have the division race about every other week on a Friday nights.
These are the drivers who tend to stand out to the regular race fan like myself. You can walk the back pit area and see almost all of the cars lined up close by each other. If anything would happen during the night to a competitor, you will see people that were trading paint the week before hustling around trying to help each other get back out onto the track, so they can try to beat that person on the track and not in the pits. Now yes there are times when tempers flare and the drivers and crew are in disagreement with each other over something that happened on the track, then usually when the next race weekend rolls around those drivers that were at each other's throats are laughing about it and it is only an afterthought. In closing the Thunder Car/Charger division is a staple for the blue collar person who just wants to go out and have fun racing, even if you don't necessarily like the division, you should respect the drivers, crew, friends, and family because these guys and girls bust their butts to get to the races. In many cases without all of their friends and family who show up to support them, there would not be a full crowd at any of the 3 race tracks who have these cars; so to the Blue collar racer we the FANS thank you for all you do! 28 ~ The Inside Track
Sherry’s Photos
Jesse Maurer can pull into a racetrack and pilot any of five different Micro Sprints right now. Maurer has won in each of them this season in central PA. Maurer has a 270, Winged and Wingless 600, and 125 Micro Sprint win at Linda's Speedway. Maurer is the first driver to win at the track in four different classes in the same season. Maurer also has a 125 Micro Sprint win at Lanco's CMMS. Maurer's two 125 wins came in different cars; at Linda's Speedway Maurer ran Chip Geibs 4-Stroke and at Lanco Gary Gorski's car which he also has multiple championship in. Maurer has nine wins in 2014 including the Wingless 600 Micro Sprint win, which he holds as his most memorable win to date. Maurer has competed in the Linda's Speedway National Open with two second place finishes including one in 2013. He has also won 125 Micro races on Labor Day weekend at Lanco. Maurer has a win total of 46 for his career. Maurer has also begun competing in the indoor events over the winter months as a new challenge. 30 ~ The Inside Track
His racing roots run back to the 60's when his grandparents owned car at Williams Grove. Maurer's racing started in 1/4 midgets at the Norlebco Club where he was a feature winner. Maurer started competing in Micro Sprints weekly at the Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway. Since then Maurer has competed at many tracks including a trip to North Carolina to run with the 270 Micro Sprints.
Type of Car: 600 Micro Sprint Car Number: 72
Home Town: Mount Joy
Some of Maurer's goals in racing are to return to Williams Grove with his family and compete again in a Sprint Cars. For right now he has short-term goals that include marrying his fiancée Samantha and to win in Micro Sprints and build on his knowledge.
Date of Birth: 06/19/1988
Sponsors: Geib Trucking, Gary's Automotive, Lancaster Starter & Alternator, Root Distributor
Amy Williams Photo
The reason Maurer runs the number 72 on all his self owned cars is because growing up he was a Fred Rahmer and Rusty Wallace fan.
“Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8 August 2014 ~ 31
Brett Bieber grew up at the Modified tracks before his dad started him in 1/4 midget racing. Brett and his brother Travis both grew up in racing and continues to race together weekly. Brett raced Quarter Midgets from Age 8 to 16. He has raced Slingshots from age 18 until now. Bieber currently holds 91 Quarter Midget Feature Wins and ironically 91 Slingshot Feature Wins. The Slingshot total will continue to grow or the three time National Champion. Bieber has won a championship of some sort every year since 2009 [National Championships (2011-2013), 5 Time Shellhammers Champion (2009-2013), Kutztown Champion (2012), Linda's Champion (2012)] and has nine wins already in 2014 which includes the Kutztown Komet 100 at Action Track USA. Bieber also has wins at Borgers, Fort Wayne Indiana, Greenwood Valley, Hamlin, Linda's, Paradise, Path Valley, Penn Can, Selinsgrove, Shellhammers in his racing years. 32 ~ The Inside Track
As for where he goes from here, Bieber is happy to graduate from college and hopes to one day fill a seat on the hill at Grandview in a 358 Modified. For now, one of Slingshot racings best will continue to pound the clay in his Tobias built machine. Major events you have competed in: Atlantic City Indoor Race, Fort Wayne Indiana Indoor Race, Reading Fair Events, Lebanon Valley 100 at Linda's, Slingshot 10th Anniversary race at Trailways, Dutch Classic at Kutztown, Nesquehoning Grand Prix
Type of Car: Slingshot Car Number: #32 Home Town: Oley Date of Birth: 3/27/1989 Sponsors: JP Mascaro & Sons, Tim Long Insurance, Kutztown Napa, The Paperbag, Pioneer Pole Building (PPB), SLC Heifers, Sloan Paving
Amy Williams Photo
Bieber says winning the three consecutive National Champions tops his list of racing memories. It's easy to see why with all the work that goes into winning just one championship. 2012 was Bieber's most prized year with 28 feature wins and 3 championships. Bieber has also won the Linda’s Lebanon Valley 100 and the Shellhammers $2000 Spring Spectacular.
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August 2014 ~ 33
“Photography is the only language that can be understood anywhere in the world.� -Bruno Barbey
Amy Williams Photo
36~ The Inside Track