Speedway Digest Staff

Kevin Lacroix competed in the first two events of the NASCAR Pinty's season last Sunday at the 1/3-mile Sunset Speedway. The Bumper to Bumper team started strong with a 4^th place finish in the Frontline Workers 125.

However, Lacroix suffered a mechanical issue around lap 30 of the night's second event, the General Tire 125, which ended his race prematurely. The driver of the #74 Bumper to Bumper  / Lacroix Tuning car.

 car had set the fastest time in practice earlier on Sunday and then the 5th place in the qualifying session.

"It was going very well in practice, but I missed my shot in qualifying, which explains my 5th place," said Kevin Lacroix.

Frontline Workers 125 Race Recap

It was an action-packed 125-lap race at all levels. Kevin Lacroix fought hard with the drivers around him in the first half of the race, staying between 7^th and 5^th position. These battles slowed down his ascent as he was caught in traffic as the train of cars was very tight. However, after a mid-race restart, Lacroix worked his way to the top of the pack, narrowly avoiding a car that went off the track.

Lacroix battled with Andrew Ranger, Treyton Lapcevich and Peter Shepherd III, all of whom were hoping for the lead. He finished the race in 4th place as he battled with Alex Tagliani.

"The race went well, except that I was stuck in traffic, so it was hard to pass other drivers," explained Lacroix. "When I was passing, there was often a caution, so I would lose the place I had gained. However, when I finally got to the front of the pack, everything was fine, and the speed was there," he concluded.

General Tire 125 Race Recap

Kevin Lacroix started from the 7^th place for the second and last race of the night. Once again, the St-Eustache native was caught in traffic but managed to pull away and move up the field.

The driver explains that "I was once again caught in traffic, but everything was going well. It took a few laps to pass Alex Tagliani; we were side by side for a while. However, when I was able to finalize my pass, I was able to go faster, and I was moving up on the top four. However, my race ended on lap 30 because of a mechanical failure. It was not our day!

Kevin Lacroix remains confident for the next race, which will be on August 15, in the streets of Trois-Rivières; "I have always been very comfortable at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières, so I hope to finish on the podium, and even win the race. It will be nice to see the fans in the stands, and I'm especially looking forward to seeing all the guests wearing red Bumper to Bumper shirts to cheer on our team!

The Frontline Workers 125 will be broadcast on TSN on Sunday, August 8 at 1 pm, and on RDS2 on Friday, August 13 at 9:30 pm. The General Tire 125 will air on August 15 at 11 am on TSN and on Monday, August 23 at 7 pm on RDS 2.

Kevin Lacroix PR

Watkins Glen International today announced long-time partner Empire Merchants North has expanded their relationship with the track to become the entitlement partner of the NASCAR Xfinity Series race with the Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey 200 on Sat., Aug. 7.

“It’s always means a lot when a company increases their involvement with the track and we greatly appreciate the support from Empire Merchants North over the years,” said WGI President Michael Printup. “And to now have them partner with us for the Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey 200, during what will be a unique and historic Saturday of racing at The Glen, is very special.”

In a first for Watkins Glen, Saturday will feature a double-header of NASCAR racing, starting off with the United Rentals 167 at The Glen at 12:30 p.m. ET in the return of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to The Glen for the first time since 2000. That will be followed up by the Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey 200 at 4 p.m. ET, as the NASCAR Xfinity Series races at WGI for the 27^th time.

Those two races are just part of what will be an action-packed weekend for fans at The Glen, as the ARCA Menards Series returns for just the second time at the track, and the first since 2001, with Friday’s Clean Harbors 100 at 6 p.m. ET. The double-header will then be on Saturday, and the NASCAR Cup Series caps off the weekend on Sunday with the Go Bowling at The Glen at 3 p.m. ET.

“As a family-owned New York State-based wholesaler of fine wine and spirits, we are as dedicated to our local partnerships as we are to the products we offer,” said Mike Lynch, Vice President of Sales Execution for Empire Merchants North. “We are excited to be a part of the Watkins Glen story as we showcase the rocketing success of Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey.”

Empire Merchants North also partners with The Glen to sponsor the Jack Daniel’s Club, one of the premier hospitality locations at WGI. Fan can enjoy a climate-controlled view of the famed Esses, while also taking in the sights and sounds of the race from an expansive outdoor deck at the Jack Daniel’s Club.

To purchase NASCAR race tickets, camping and additional information, call 1-866-461-RACE or visit TheGlen.com. Fans can view the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedules and purchase tickets at nascar.com/tickets.

WGI PR

Jordan Anderson Racing (JAR) announced today Erik Jones will make his first NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) start since 2019 driving the team’s No. 31 Bommarito Automotive Group Chevrolet Camaro SS at Watkins Glen International on August 7. 

“Total respect to the entire No. 31 team and everyone at the Bommarito Automotive Group, and Chevrolet for what they have been able to accomplish with this organization in such a short amount of time. It has been so cool to watch from the outside.” said Jones.

“I am thankful for the opportunity to join a JAR line-up of some very talented drivers. It will be great to return to the Xfinity Series behind the wheel of the No. 31 Camaro at Watkins Glen. With my past experience there I am hopeful we will be able to garner a great finish.”

Now in the fifth full-season of competing in the NASCAR Cup Series (NCS), the Byron, Mich. native holds 169 NCS starts to his credit claiming two victories; Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and Darlington (S.C.) Raceway to go with 33 top-five’s and 64 top-10 finishes. 
 
The 25-year-old Jones wrote NASCAR history in 2017 becoming the first driver ever to win Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors in all of NASCAR’s top-three national touring series.
 
In 2015 Jones went on to capture the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) championship in his first full season, followed by finishing fourth in the NXS championship standings the next year in his only full season. In 78 career NXS races, Jones has raced to nine wins with 37 top-five finishes, and 50 top-10 finishes.
 
For Jones, whose career has been predominantly made up by competing on ovals, he has adapted well to the scenic upstate New York road course. In three starts at Watkins Glen in NCS competition, Jones holds an average finish of 6.33 with a best of fourth in 2019, while holding an average finish of 10 with a best of eighth in two starts in NXS.

“Erik is a very talented driver and one that can immediately jump in and make a positive impact - bringing a wealth of knowledge and depth to the team,” stated JAR President Jordan Anderson.

“To have another Cup driver, who has been successful at every level he has been in, get behind the wheel of one our JAR racecars will help us continue to build our program for the future. My first full season competing in the Truck Series was Erik’s first full season as well, as he went on to win the Championship that year, so it is pretty exciting to see things come full circle for us to have the opportunity to work together.” 

At the mid-point of the JAR Xfinity teams debut season, the new organization has had success early racing to four top-ten finishes in nine races with a driver lineup consisting of Tyler Reddick, Josh Berry, Kaz Grala and owner/driver Jordan Anderson. 
 
Crew chief Arthur (Artie) Haire will continue to oversee the team’s efforts at Watkins Glen as they continue to utilize cars acquired from RCR and engines from ECR.

Jones’ No. 31 Chevrolet Camaro SS will carry familiar branding and colors of Bommarito Automotive Group of St. Louis, Missouri. 
 
Bommarito Automotive Group currently operates 20 automotive franchises throughout every St. Louis neighborhood led by President John Bommarito and over 900 dedicated team members. What once started as a vision to have one Bommarito vehicle in every driveway, is today a reality thanks to the family’s “Where Price Sells Cars” mission.
 
For more information on the Bommarito Automotive Group and to shop the inventory of current vehicles available visit them online at Bommarito.com, and follow their social channels on Facebook,  Twitter, and Instagram.
 
Coverage of the NXS race at Watkins Glen International begins at 4:00 PM ET on Saturday, August 7. The event will air on the Motor Racing Network (MRN), SIRIUS XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90, CNBC, and the NBC Sports APP.
 
Stay updated with everything Erik Jones by following him on Social Media; Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 
 
For more information on JAR, visit JordanAndersonRacing.com, and be sure to follow the team all season on the JAR social channels on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  

JAR PR

Penske Entertainment Corp. has launched a new digital asset site in partnership with intuitive rich media management platform Imagen, providing modern, comprehensive access to the vast archive of digital content of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The new site can be accessed at content.indycar.com or content.ims.com. The site uses the Imagen Pro platform for media, race teams, race promoters, domestic and international broadcast partners and corporate partners to download video, audio, images, news content, publications and much more.

“Digital assets are essential to help tell the stories that continue the growth of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” said Allison Melangton, Penske Entertainment Corp. senior vice president. “The cloud-based Imagen Pro platform makes it easy for media, race teams and partners to find and access this content quickly and efficiently from any connected device while also providing us with many tools to build and manage our library and track its usage.”

Users can begin to register for the new site immediately at content.indycar.com or content.ims.com, with content from the 2021 INDYCAR and IMS racing season available. The previous INDYCAR and IMS media sites also will remain functional through the end of this year during the transition to the new platform.

The tools built into the Imagen Pro platform offer detailed information on each piece of content, with additional related content available just a click or tap away. The Imagen Pro platform also will allow Penske Entertainment to provide much more video content and clips, a mainstay of social media and other popular digital platforms.

Imagen Pro also provides Penske Entertainment Corp. with full control over storing, managing and tracking the INDYCAR and IMS media libraries, with automated processes for ingest, tagging and distribution.

“I’m delighted to be working with INDYCAR and Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as their need for a flexible and agile solution that scales with the growth of their business made Imagen the perfect fit,” said Nick Ashwin, Imagen vice president of sales. “I look forward to continuing our efforts to streamline their content lifecycle and ultimately maximize the value of their content.”

Imagen is an intuitive and highly customizable rich media management platform that enables sports organizations, media companies and enterprise sectors to intelligently manage their video and creative content. Imagen is used by globally to manage, gain insight into and distribute organizations’ expanding video and media libraries – enabling fast, easy and secure access to content.

With offices in the United Kingdom and New York, Imagen’s customers include the English Premier League, Penske Entertainment Corp., St. Louis Zoo, America’s Cup, Major League Baseball, Women’s Tennis Association, BP, Reuters, BBC, Team Rubicon, the UK’s Ministry of Defence, IMG and many more.

For more information visit, imagen.io/products/platform/.

IndyCar/IMS PR

Fleur-De-Lis Motorsports is partnering with MBM Motorsports to field the number 66 Chevrolet Camaro for the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Watkins Glen International. Timmy Hill will pilot the car known as “2nd Chances.”

Craig Partee, owner of Fleur-De-Lis Motorsports, considers Watkins Glen International his home track.

Craig’s weekday vocation is construction, racing is his passion. Craig’s 30-year racing history started driving in the SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) racing series. He moved through the local track ranks from assisting to build a championship-winning Microd (specialized go-kart) chassis to ARCA-East racing series as a crew member. His experience and hard work afforded him opportunities with the NASCAR Xfinity series and NASCAR Cup series as a team member in a variety of roles. From 2010-2011, Craig fielded cars in the Xfinity series as the car and team owner of Fleur-De-Lis Motorsports. The following years he continued to support various race teams including MBM Motorsports.

Craig’s 30-year racing career tribute was scheduled for Watkins Glen International for the NASCAR Xfinity race August 2020. The pandemic and fate had other plans for Craig.

On June 26, 2020 he was seriously injured when a historic barn he was dismantling collapsed and buried him in heavy debris. He was entrapped under the rubble for over an hour. Thanks to the brave first responders and law enforcement officials in Ontario County NY, they rescued Craig and transported him to the trauma center via Mercy Flight Central air medical service. After several days of hospitalization, Craig returned to Seneca Falls for further recovery from his injuries.

“I wanted to do something special to show my appreciation to the first responders and law enforcement officials who worked so hard and didn’t give up on me. They extricated me from under the barn and gave me a second chance at life. If it weren’t for them risking their own lives to save mine, I probably would not be here today. I am dedicating this race car to them as my way of saying ‘thank you.’ It seemed fitting to name the car “2nd Chances.” I also want to thank MBM Motorsports and Timmy Hill for allowing me to partner with them to make this happen. I am grateful for the opportunity and grateful to be alive.” – Craig Partee – Owner, Fleur-De-Lis Motorsports

The 66 “2nd Chances” Camaro carries Mercy Flight Central tail number N911SM -- the helicopter that carried Craig to the hospital from the accident scene.

The public is invited to view the car Friday, August 6 from 4 PM to 7 PM at Fleur De Lis Brew Works in Seneca Falls. Schedule subject to change.

MBM PR

Shell Oil Company (Shell) has launched “The Giving Pump” at stations across the U.S. as part of its Force For Good initiative to drive positive change in local communities by giving back. Starting today and running through Sept. 30, a portion of the purchases made by consumers who use the designated pump at select Shell stations will support local children’s charities.

“The Giving Pump” at participating stations will be specially marked with colorful signage to inspire consumers to fuel up and support a range of children’s focused nonprofits, including schools, literacy programs, hospitals, youth food pantries and more. More than 2,900 Shell stations across the U.S. are participating in this two-month initiative. Those looking to find a participating station can visit shell.us/givingpump.

“Shell is excited to help local communities all over the U.S. with this initiative and we encourage our customers to choose ‘The Giving Pump’ on their next fill up to help us fuel the future of your local community,” said Shannon Bryan, Manager of Brand and Communications for Shell Retail US.

Since launching Force For Good, Shell has highlighted the impact Shell wholesalers have in the communities in which they operate in, going beyond fuel quality and loyalty. Shell wholesalers have continued to be a Force For Good in local communities through initiatives like raising $1.1 million for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, raising $4.3 million for Boys and Girls Club of Kennewick and more.

Visit shell.us/givingpump to find additional program details, participating sites and content on local charity partners, and follow @ShellStationsUS to keep up with the latest news.

Shell PR

Shawn Arriaga of Antioch became the latest to visit Western Midget Racing presented by Masters Design and Construction victory lane, scoring Saturday’s race at Petaluma Speedway. The 2007 Petaluma Speedway champion fended off early challenges from Brentwood’s Blake Bower then charged ahead for the win.

Bower and Arriaga split the heat races and made up the front row starters for the 20-lap contest. Arriaga from the outside pole took the lead into turn one on lap one. 16-time series winner David Prickett of Fresno showed Bower a nose for second on lap two into turn one, but Bower held onto second. Bower closed in on Arriaga on lap seven with several looks to the inside on both ends of the race track.

Bower then had a strong run up the inside of Arriaga on lap 11 but Arriaga held the lead. Bower then slowed on the following lap to require a caution. Bower was unable to continue, giving Arriaga a clear opportunity to win.

Prickett battled for second with the Kevin Felkins’ owned entries of Sage Bordenave of French Camp and Brody Petrie of Upperlake before a red flag for Cameron Beard of Atwater turning over on the front stretch after contact with Petrie. Beard was able to refire and continue, however.

Arriaga faced a challenge from Prickett on the backstretch on the restart, driving ahead for the exciting win. Bordenave passed Prickett around the outside for second before his teammate Petrie took over third as well. Arriaga went on to later win the USAC West Coast 360 feature as well at Petaluma Speedway.

Western Midget Racing competes next at the 61^st Johnny Key Classic, August 21^st at Watsonville’s Ocean Speedway. Tickets available online or at the gate. Coverage will also be available on www.FloRacing.com

For more information on Western Midget Racing, visit them at www.WesternMidgetRacing.com or follow them on Facebook!

Western Midget Racing is presented by: Masters Design and Construction, Rockwell Security, Rams Racing, Hoosier Racing Tire, Extreme Mufflers, and FTK.

WMR PR

The drivers in the Q104.1 Stadium Stock Series only get one chance to be the featured race in any given season at Bowman Gray Stadium.

That night was Saturday, in the Thunder Road Grill 50, and it didn't disappoint.

Brandon Brendle and A.J. Sanders raced side-by-side on the final lap, and as both drivers wobbled at the finish, Brendle surged ahead for the win. It was
Brendle's second win of the season, and his third straight win in the 50-lap race.

Sanders finished runner-up, Luke Smith was third, and Grayson Keaton was fourth.

"I knew me and A.J. was tit for tat," Brendle said. "I did the corners better. He did the corners better. Our cars are just about dead even. Knock on wood, I
think mine was a little bit better than his was because he's a lot better steering-wheel holder than I am."

Brendle needed that car and his steering wheel at the finish.

"I knew I was going to get a shot up into (turn 4), so I backed the corner up a little bit," he said. "...We had a drag race til the end. That's how racing
should be."

Chuck Wall sat on the pole for the race and led until lap 18 when Sanders bolted past him. Sanders held the lead until lap 45 when Brendle took the lead.

There was a restart following the caution. Brendle sat in first with Sanders just behind. Both Brendle and Sanders were side-by-side for much of the final lap
until Brendle edged him at the finish line.

"I didn't want to be too dirty," Sanders said. "But I had to remember what he did to me in the last 50-lapper. We got on the last lap, last corner. I was going
to rough him up on that last lap. That's all I could do and still be as clean as I could."

Sanders was able to take some solace in finishing runner-up.

"I knew going into it I had nothing to lose," he said. "So, I wanted to win it pretty bad."

Getting that caution inside five laps helped Brendle – it was a single-file restart so Sanders couldn't start on the outside front row.

"I knew we had a really fresh car," he said. "I think we had a good enough car to clear anybody on the outside. So, I felt like if anybody was in front of us,
we had to get up under them and drive."

It all came down to two experienced drivers.

"You've got to know who you're racing with, too," Sanders said. "Chuck Wall is probably one of my best friends as far as racing. I knew we might touch, and we
did. But I knew that doing that, he was going to run me about as hard and as clean as he could.

"It seemed like his car was having troubles, and it worked out. So, we had a good car. We finished second. We'll go on and hopefully get this 50th win."

Sanders was referring to the fact that he has a current tally of 49 wins in the Stadium Stock Series.

"People can make fun of Stadium Stocks all they want to," he said. "This is probably the toughest class at this race track to drive because we don't have the
tires. We don't have all this luxury. So, we have to man-handle these things. I've done this, next year will be 40 years, so I know what it takes to do it.”

Brendle also knows what it takes to win races and perform well within the Stadium Stock Series.

"I said it earlier, I take pride on Googling, studying, researching physics. And I love studying race cars and how they work," he said. "And my goal is work
off all four corners of this race car even and try to make me a long-run car. And it tends to show off."

Since there was no racing last year, Brendle has won the annual 50-lapper three times in a row: in 2018, 2019, and again in 2021.

"I've been coming over here since I was 6 years old, and it's just a passion like no other," he said. "My kids enjoy it. I was ready to hang it up a few years
back, and the older my kids got the more they said, 'Let's get back into it.'

"Here we are."

John Holleman IV may be a rookie in the Brad's Golf Cars Modified Series, but he isn't showing it. Holleman won the first Modified race Saturday night, which
was his third win of the season.

Holleman won his first career Modified pole earlier in the night and used that strong start to propel himself throughout the race. There were three cautions on
laps 1, 13 and 22, but it didn't matter. Holleman fended off Brandon Ward, Burt Myers, Jason Myers, Lee Jeffreys and points leader Tim Brown.

"Three's great," Holleman said. "...But we've got a long way to go in the season.”

Holleman felt better about things after finishing 10th and fourth respectively in the two 25-lap races on July 24.

"We had a winning car last week and got messed up in some things we shouldn't have," he said. "But you look better when you come out and win."

In the second 25-lap race in the Brad's Golf Cars Modified Series, Chris Fleming claimed his first win since June 15, 2019.

Fleming, who was placed on the pole by the “Madhouse Scramble,” took his 11th career victory.

"It's great to celebrate with my grandson," Fleming said. "It's been a hard little time."

In the first 20-lap race for the McDowell Heating & Air Sportsman Series, Amber Lynn picked up her first win of the season and her fourth overall since she
joined the Series.

Lynn started third behind Ronnie Bassett Jr., but Kyle Southern, who was in second, quickly took the lead. Lynn bided her time and slipped past Southern just
across the start line on lap 7.

Lynn took a commanding lead, but there was a caution after a pileup around turns 3 and 4 on lap 18. After the caution, Lynn surged past Sterling Plemmons for
the win.

"It's been a really long year," Lynn said. "We've had a lot of highs and a lot of lows, more lows than highs. But without my team, without my parents, without
all my sponsors, I couldn't do what I do tonight. So, excuse me while I ugly cry."

Tommy Neal was third and Wesley Thompson was fourth.

In the second 20-lap race in the McDowell Heating & Air Sportsman Series, Spencer Martin won for his third career win.

Martin led with five laps remaining, and had to withstand a caution on lap 18, but cruised to the win ahead of Kirk Sheets, Tommy Neal, and Southern.

"I told everybody we were going to go next week and we were going to start winning races," Martin said. "And here we are."

What a night it was for the Gregg family in the 20-lap race in the Law Offices of John Barrow Street Stock Series,

Nate Gregg survived six cautions and defeated his father, Billy Gregg, for the win. It was also the night before Nate's 18th birthday.

Nate took the lead on lap 5 after he passed leader Taylor Robbins, and Nate never relinquished the lead. Nate even eased to the win past his father. While the
two Greggs were well out front at the finish, Bryan Sykes was third, and Jeremy Warren was fourth.

This Saturday’s racing features the FOX8 WGHP 100, a 100-lap Modified race, the final 100-lap Modified race of the season. That Brad's Golf Cars Modified race
is also the last Fans' Challenge of the season, where a driver or drivers could win as much as $6,000. In addition to the 100-lap Modified race, there will be
twin 20-lap races in the McDowell Heating & Air Sportsman Series, twin 15-lap Q104.1 Stadium Stock races and a 20-lap Street Stock race in the Law Offices of
John Barrow Street Stock Series. There will also be a demolition derby.

BGS Racing PR

Matt Hirschman proved yet again his role as one of the premier Northeast pavement Modified stars as he collected his 14^th win of the year, this latest one taking place Saturday evening in the fourth installment of the 2021 John Blewett Inc., Mahoning Valley Speedway Hall of Fame Series Lorin Arthofer Sr. Tribute 71 lapper.

            Hirschman redrew ninth in the 24 car field. Inside of 11 laps he was in the top five and within eight tours of that was running down the front pair of Cody Kohler and Nick Baer. It only took him another four circuits, a restart on lap 24, in gaining the top spot from Baer and afterwards made it a race for second as he sailed on to his fifth Mahoning win in six starts and 27^th at the ¼-mile oval.

            “It was a really good race for us starting from ninth and then to advance and go with all good clean passes all the way to the lead and just hold everyone off from there. It’s was a good night and it’s been a good year for us here at Mahoning,” said Hirschman. 

            “It’s so nice to honor some of these guys with the Hall of Fame Series while there still with us and they’re able to enjoy it and see the recognition they deserve. Those guys were some real wheelmen back in the day.”

            Veteran Don Wagner and rookie Kohler shared the front row and at the waving of the race commencing green by honorary starter Lorin Arthofer Sr., Wagner would get the jump and take the early lead but by the second go-around Kohler unseated him.         

Kohler, who was leading a Modified feature for the first time, then set out on a steady pace while holding off both Wagner and Baer as they raced side-by-side directly behind him. Making haste as well was Austin Kochenash who joined in the lead trio by lap nine and two laps later Hirschman added his No. 60 to the fight.

By lap 18 Baer was finally able to pull ahead of Wagner and once he did continued on towards Kohler’s outside. Hirschman likewise advanced to third, partly from a restarts and lane choice with the fact of this being a cone race.                               

As the leaders then completed lap 21 Baer had his nose out front but unfortunately it would be short lived as Hirschman utilized a restart to move to the front two laps later.

Afterwards he would have to contend with numerous challengers such as Kochenash, Brian DeFebo and eventual runner-up Zane Zeiner, the majority of those encounters taking place on restarts but each time he was quick to go and would leave no doubt of his unquestionable prowess. 

“Restarts is how I got spun out on the last one (June 26) here so I wanted to make sure I got as best start as I could. I felt I got good ones the last time here but I guess there was a little to much room for a nose to get in there so this time I tried to close that off and just try and get away,” explained Hirschman.

“You never know here with no radios and no mirrors. You can always sense if you have pressure or not and feel if their tight on you. So we just needed to execute a few laps and then I felt like we were safe.”

While Hirschman had control of the lead DeFebo and Zeiner would lock horns in a great battle for second spot as they traded the position back and forth all the way to the finish.

“It was a strong run and I may have used my stuff up a little too much but it was hard racing with Brian (DeFebo). Randall Richard’s gives us a great car and I a big thanks to the Arthofer family for all they did to out this race on,” said Zeiner.

Baer had a solid run all race long and took fourth while Earl Paules came on strong late into the race a garnered a respectable fifth.   

In the Street Stock main Cody Geist was finally able to shake off the gremlins and pick up his first win of the season.

Since getting behind the wheel of his brother-owned Shayne’s No. 4, Geist has shown his trademark swiftness but the end results where eluding him. This time, however, with advantage of starting from the pole Geist was not about to let Lady Luck or anyone else for that matter spoil his night.

When the action got underway he wasted no time in darting to the lead. Afterwards it would become a fast paced affair as the race went nonstop through the first 21 laps. All the while Geist was holding his line while close behind the opposition was very tough on him.

Teammates Mark Martini, Randy Ahner Jr., and TJ Gursky all had him in their sites but each lap by there would be no wavering from Geist.

In the closing laps Jillian Snyder was coming on in a hurry and with three laps to go not only was she up to second but began a charge towards Geist. On the final lap she tried to squeeze to the inside of Geist but time ran out as they reached the finish line. Geist held on for a slim and thrilling victory, his first since 2018. Gursky, Todd Ahner and Jon Moser rounded out the top five.

The Hobby Stock feature came down to a race of inches as Corey Edelman eked out a narrow verdict over Justin Merkel.

Merkel had been out front for the first 24 laps while ninth starting Edelman had to meticulously pick his way frontward as the race was going rapidly thanks to no cautions taking place.

That was until three laps to go when the only yellow of the event waved. On that restart Merkel was still ahead with James Tout and Edelman in line. When the action resumed Edelman made an outside power move over Tout and then closed in on Merkel. Then on the final lap slower traffic came into play and as the top two reached that car they split with Merkel went low and Edelman staying on the top.

At the checkers it would be very tight and a closer review deemed Edelman the winner, which was his class leading 19th.

In the Futures/Rookie Hobby Stocks Body George and Greyson Ahner put on a crowd please duel that also came down to the wire.

Ahner had been leading but with the laps running out and making use of a restart with there laps to go George was able to put the pressure on. The talented upstarts then went into the final lap trading paint in an exciting double-wide race to the finish. As they wheeled off turn four George was inside of Ahner and would cross the line by bumper for his ninth Futures win of the season.

Ahner’s runner-up, although tough to absorb, wasn’t a complete loss as he gained his seventh victory for the Rookie class.   

Modified feature finish (71-laps) 1. Matt Hirschman, 2. Zane Zeiner, 2. Brian DeFebo, 4. Nick Baer, 5. Earl Paules, 6. Terry Markovic, 7. Carl Altemose, 7. Sean Verwys, 9. Kyle Strohl, 10. Tommy Flanagan, 11. Cody Kohler, 12. Wes Gilbert, 13. John Markovic, 14. Lou Strohl, 15. Don Wagner, 16. Rod Snyder Jr, 17. Avery Arthofer, 18. Austin Kochenash, 19. Nevin George, 20. Lorin Arthofer, 21. Peyton Arthofer, 22. Stephanie Moyer, 23. Bobby Jones, 24. Rich Cooper

Street Stock feature finish (30-laps) 1.Cody Geist, 2. Jill Snyder, 3. TJ Gursky, 4. Todd Ahner, 5. Jon Moser, 6. Mark Martini, 7. Mark Deysher, 8. Randy Ahner Jr., 9. Matt VanSyckle, 10. Rick Reichenbach, 11. Tucker Muffley, 12. Brandon Christman, 13. Jeremy Scheckler, 14. Jamie Smith, 15. Lonnie Behler Jr., 16. Toby Behler, 17. Thomas Flanagan, 18. Dennis Buss

Hobby Stock feature finish (25-laps) 1. Corey Edelman, 2. Justin Merkel, 3. James Tout, 4. Ryan Berger, 5. Jake Oswald, 5. BJ Wambold, 7. Trisha Connolly, 8. Travis Solomon, 9. Tad Snyder, 10. Nick Schaeffer, 11. Jacob Boehm, 12. Nicholas Kerstetter, 13. Shayne Geist, 14. Mallory Kutz, 15. Ralph Boger, 16. Terry Peters, 17. Cody Boehm

Futures/Rookie Hobby Stock feature finish (12-laps) 1. Brody George, 2. Greyson Ahner, 3. Reid Levengood, 4. Jared Green, 5. Maggie Yeakel, 6. Adam Steigerwalt, 7. Gabi Steigerwalt, 8. Hallie Muffley, 9. Deegan Underwood, 10. Zoey Moyer, 11. Makayla Kohler, 12. Dave Kerr, 13. Ryan Kresge, 14. Lexus Kutz, 15. Zoe Kuchera

MVS PR

Kevin Graver Jr. took a few weeks off from racing at the 1/3mile high banks of Grandview Speedway to regroup after struggling with various car issues.

The team returned on Saturday night and made their presence known. Graver Jr. overtook the lead following a multi car homestretch accident with five laps in the books and went on to score his first career victory at the track in the 358 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series 30-lap T.P. Trailers Modified feature. Graver Jr., who mainly ran asphalt, adjusted to the change and couldn’t believe he was in victory lane, but he just did his thing and ran his line as the race progressed.

Just to prove last week’s T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman feature win shortened by rain at the half-way point wasn’t a fluke, Kyle Smith ran the entire 25-laps to chalk up his second Sportsman feature.

Dylan Swinehart inherited the lead when leader Dylan Hoch was hindered by a flat tire bringing out the yellow on lap six. Swinehart held off runner-up Jimmy Leiby’s challenges to win his first 25-lap 602 Sportsman Crate feature to become the third different winner in the series.

Carroll Hine III led the first two laps of the Modified feature before Justin Grim and Ron Kline tangled in the second turn causing the yellow. On the restart Jordan Henn charged to the front of the pack to become the new pacesetter.

On the fifth lap Bobby Gunther Walsh and Ryan Lilick got hooked together which caused the cars behind them to scatter and set up a huge multi-car accident along the homestretch that caused Jared Umbenhauer to do a slow roll with cars facing in numerous directions. He was able to get out of the car under his own power. Also eliminated were Craig Von Dohren, Kevin Hirthler, Duane Howard and Darrin Schuler. Several others were also involved but after pits tops returned to action.

After the accident was cleared and action resumed Graver Jr. passed Henn on the outside and was now in the number one position trailed by Henn, Mike Lisowski, Jesse Leiby and Brad Grim. Joining the mix trying to get into the top five was Doug Manmiller and he succeeded by the Dan’s Deli ½ way hoagie mark

Manmiller wasted no time getting to the front and by the 24th lap he advanced to second in pursuit of Graver Jr.

Graver Jr. never surrendered the lead and chalked up the win followed by Manmiller, who despite receiving damage in the homestretch accident, managed to garner second; and Henn. Leiby, who ran a solid fourth since the 19th lap never made it to the finish line. He cut a tire and hit the fourth turn wall. Lisowski was then fourth and Timmy Buckwalter fifth. Sixth through tenth were Brad Arnold, Danny Bouc, Jeff Strunk, Brad Grim and Ryan Grim.

Henn, Grim and Buckwalter were the heat winners. Brett Kressley, who was involved in the main stretch feature incident and later dropped out of the event, won the consi.

Sportsman action saw Wayne Rotenberger lead four laps before the yellow came out when B.J. Joly found himself facing the wrong direction. Steve Young was the new leader on the restart followed by Nathan Mohr, Kenny Gilmore, Kyle Lilick and Smith.

Gilmore took over the runner-up spot on the ninth circuit and set his sights on Young.

A multi-car third turn accident brought out the next yellow on the 12th lap On the restart while attempting to pass Young, Gilmore found himself taken up to the boilerplate costing him several positions and Lilick was now second. Lilick met the same fate as Gilmore did when he tried to pass Young and now Smith ran second.

First, second and third changed on lap 14 since Smith, Gilmore and Lilick held those positions with Young fourth and Brian Hirthler fifth.

With five laps to go Gilmore’s car broke and he had to pull into the infield.

Smith was determined to lead until the drop of the checkered and he did just that to score back-to-back wins. Following him across were Lilick, Hirthler, Hoch and Mark Kemmerer. Rounding out the top ten were Nathan Mohr, Young, Tyler James, Jimmy Leiby and Dakota Kohler.

Heats were won by Rotenberger, Young and Adrianna Delliponti. Kohler was the consi winner.

Hoch led four laps of the 602 Crate Sportsman feature until a flat tire brought him to a stop in turn one an Dylan Swinehart inherited the lead.

Behind Swinehart jockeying for positions were Jimmy Leiby, Ryan Grim, Smith and Decker Swinehart.

The top five remained the same as the laps dwindled down. Lap traffic allowed Leiby to briefly close in on Swinehart.

Swinehart never looked back once he had control and went on to score his first win in the division followed by Jimmy Leiby, R. Grim, Smith and Decker Swinehart. Logan Bauman, Richie Hitzler, Parker Guldin, Tyler Peet and Glenn Strunk completed the top ten.

Hoch, Dylan Swinehart and Smith won the heats.

Coming up Tuesday August 3 is a Thunder on the Hill Racing Series doubleheader will feature the USAC National Midgets Ken Brenn Masters and Modifieds. Racing starts at 7:30 p.m. Modified racer Tim Buckwalter along with a number of USAC teams will take part in the Meet & Greet.

Friday August 6th will feature the Outlaw Racing Series Enduro and Vintage Racing Series. Action gets the green at 7 p.m. Da Rev’s Meet & Greet will feature representatives from each division of racing starting at 5 p.m.

And on Saturday August 7th the T.P.Trailer Modifieds and T.P.Truck Equipment Sportsman will be featured in another action packed show. Meet & Greet will include Modified racers Jordan Henn and Glenn Owens along with Sportsman talents Nick Faust and Mike & Ryan Laise and newly retired racer Tom Miller.

Coming up on Saturday August 14th the Forrest Rogers Memorial, named in honor of the man who planned and built Grandview Speedway with the help of son Bruce, will take place. The 50-lap Modified Classic will reward the winner with $10,000. And the Sportsman will be part of the doubleheader show. Meet & Greet will include Modified racer Kevin Hirthler along with Sportsman racers Brian Hirthler and Adrianna Deliponti along with young Jesse Hirthler. There will also be a Chapel on the Hill service at 4:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. in the first turn pavilion.

RACE RESULTS

T.P. Trailers Modified Feature (30-laps): 1. Kevin Graver Jr., 2. Doug Manmiller, 3. Jordan Henn, 4. Mike Lisowski, 5. Timmy Buckwalter, 6. Brad Arnold, 7. Danny Bouc, 8. Jeff Strunk, 9. Brad Grim, 10. Ryan Grim (provisional), 11. Ron Kline, 12. Kyle Weiss, 13. Carroll Hine III, 14. Nate Brinker, 15. Brett Gilmore, 16. Jesse Leiby, 17. Eric Biehn, 18. Brett Kressley, 19. Justin Grim, 20. Bobby Gunther Walsh, 21. Ryan Lilick, 22. John Willman, 23. Duane Howard, 24. Kevin Hirthler, 25. Craig Von Dohren, 26. Jared Umbenhauer, 27. Darrin Schuler, 28. Kyle Merkel, 29. Craig Whitmoyer (DNS). DNQ: Ron Haring Jr., Jack Butler, Ray Swinehart, Mark Kratz, Dylan Swinehart and Cory Merkel.

T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman Feature (25-laps): 1. Kyle Smith, 2. Kyle Lilick, 3. Brian Hirthler, 4. Dylan Hoch, 5. Mark Kemmerer, 6. Nathan Mohr, 7. Steve Young, 8. Tyler James, 9. Jimmy Leiby, 10. Dakota Kohler, 11. Lex Shive, 12. Matt Clay, 13. Kenny Bock, 14. Parker Guldin, 15. Mark Stofflet, 16. Colton Perry, 17. Chris Esposito, 18. Adrianna Delliponti, 19. Mark Gaugler, 20. Kenny Gilmore, 21. B.J. Joly, 22. Hunter Iatalese, 23. Mike Schneck, 24. Wayne Rotenberger, 25. Logan Bauman, 26. Decker Swinehart, 27. Joey Vaccaro. DNQ: Bryan Rhoads, Kurt Betler, Brian Blankenbiller, Ryan Laise, Richie Hitzler, Cole Stangle, Brad Force, Cody Manmiller.

602 Crate Sportsman Feature (25-laps): 1. Dylan Swinehart, 2. Jimmy Leiby, 3. Ryan Grim, 4. Kyle Smith, 5. Decker Swinehart, 6. Logan Bauman, 7. Richie Hitzler, 8. Parker Guldin, 9. Tyler Peet, 10. Glenn Strunk, 11. Cody Kline, 12. Steve Hicks, 13. Dylan Hoch, 14. Rob Wosyluk, 15. Kris Ney, 16. Brian Blankenbiller, 17. Dakota Kohler, 18. Jason Duppel, 19. B.J. Joly, 20. Joey Vaccaro, 21. Tyler James, 22. Kenny Bock, 23. Cody Manmiller, 24. Ryan Laise.

Grandview Speedway PR