bwa39
07-28-2008, 12:45 AM
Brickerville, PA - Shaking off a season's worth of frustration, Mike Freed stormed to victory in Saturday night's 600cc event at Lanco's Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway.
Freed's first triumph of 2008 came in a very special race, the 35-lap Clyde Martin Memorial, sponsored by Gold Rush Trailer Sales & Auto Service and Doc Hoff.
Joining Freed on Saturday's winner's list were: Richie Hartman, who annexed the 270cc and 250cc Four-Stroke mains; Derek Eckenrode in the 125cc headliner; and Sportsman victor Kenny Miller.
The 600cc Micro-Sprints stacked up four-wide on the initial start, with Freed blasting from his outside second-row starting spot to the lead as the field raced out of turn two.
"We've been struggling with the car, but it was so good tonight," exclaimed the happy winner afterward. "I had to tell myself to sit back and relax, because the car was so good."
As Freed cruised out front, the action behind him was hot and heavy. Chris Snyder, who started sixth, worked his way into the runner-up spot with a nifty outside move on an early restart.
Shane Lewis charged through the pack from his tenth-starting spot to run third, with Heath Hehnly following in the Honeybrook Hustler's tire tracks.
Brenden Bright, who rolled off the starting grid in 14th, maneuvered his way into the top five by the halfway point.
Hehnly grabbed the third position from Lewis, then began to pressure Snyder for second. Snyder, meanwhile, tried to sneak under Freed on a late-race restart, but was unsuccessful.
As Freed, the Highsider from Denver, Pa., pulled away once again, Snyder was left to defend the runner-up slot against Hehnly's attacks. As the laps wound down in the extra-distance race, Bright stole fourth from Lewis, but the teenager from Collegeville, Pa., ran out of time before he could muster a challenge to Hehnly and Snyder.
Freed drove his Stitches 'R' Us/ Predator No. 24 under the checkered by a margin of almost 1.5 second over Snyder, who held off Hehnly for second. Bright and Lewis made up the top five.
The final two laps of the 270cc Clyde Martin Memorial were definitely highlight-reel material, especially for fans of Richie Hartman.
Running fifth, Hartman tried for several laps to overtake fourth-place Dave Falini. The Shoemakersville, Pa. leadfoot finally wrestled the spot away from Falini, then set his sights on Heath Hehnly, who was mounting an assault on runner-up Greg Miller. All of this terrific racing was taking place right behind race-long leader Greg Fitzpatrick.
Hehnly ducked under Miller to snatch the second position as the event entered its final stages. Hartman and Falini hung Miller out to dry on the high side in three and four, but Miller made slight contact with Falini's right-rear, causing his No. 77 to launch into the tire-wall that protects the cars from the pit gate in turn four.
As Hehnly tried in vain to unseat Fitzpatrick from the top spot, Hartman waited patiently in third. Heading for the white flag, Hartman rocketed down the inside lane on the backstretch, slipping past Hehnly for second, then sneaked by Fitzpatrick as they accelerated off the fourth corner.
Hartman was unchallenged on the final circuit, recording his third victory of the season in the 270cc division. Even Richie was surprised by the sudden turn of events. "I never expected this...they kind of came back to me...I really didn't catch them."
Fitzpatrick acknowleged that his car got loose near the end. "I bobbled off turn four; that's how Richie got by me," said the Reading, Pa. resident, who still managed to smile after his best effort of the '08 season.
Hehnly blamed himself, stating that "the car was better than the driver tonight. I should have been more aggressive."
Hartman led Fitzpatrick, Hehnly, Falini, and Mike Rutherford across the stripe. His triumph in the double-point event increased his 270cc point lead over Rutherford.
Earlier in the evening, Hartman began his winning ways by copping his sixth of the year in the Gold Rush Trailer Sales/ Doc Hoff/ Clyde Martin Memorial for the 250cc Four-Stroke class.
Chris Lee jumped into the lead from his outside pole starting spot, but all eyes were on the "terrific trio" of Hartman (started 11th), Craig DeSantis (started seventh), and point leader Chad Rhoads (started 12th). While DeSantis, a five-time winner this year, passed a couple of cars in the opening laps, Hartman propelled his Geib Trucking/ RTS No. 88 by several cars, hurtling himself past DeSantis and into third position with two tours complete. Rhoads was mired in traffic and having difficulty in moving forward.
DeSantis had to take evasive action as a car got sideways directly in front of his No. 39. Craig managed to continue, but fell all the way to the back of the 19-car field.
On the fifth trip around the high-banked oval, Hartman zipped under Lee to take command in turns one and two. Rhoads finally worked free of the heavy traffic surrounding him, slicing his way into the runner-up slot on the eighth circuit. By then, however, Hartman had checked out.
Even a couple of late-race restarts could not deter the high-flying Hartman; he roared across the finish line at the end of the 35-lapper with a lead of more than six seconds over Rhoads. Mohnton, Pa.'s Eddie Nocera capped a great run by finishing third, with Jason Johnson cashing in for fourth-place money. DeSantis rebounded to fifth.
Manheim's Derek Eckenrode picked a great night to score his first career win at the Clyde. Eckenrode battled pole-sitter Sheena Schaefer for the first pair of revolutions on the eighth-mile of clay, before he secured the top spot for good in the Memorial for the 125cc division.
Kevin Garman, who registered his first career win on May 17 of this year, pulled into second place on lap six. At the same time, Dave Grube motored into third.
The first 17 tours ran caution-free, until Scott Gantert brought out the yellow by laying his No. 04 on its side in turn two.
Grube's efforts to take second away from Garman finally paid off on lap 21. The Penn State University student then made several valiant attempts to wrestle the lead from Eckenrode, who thwarted each assault.
Impressively maintaining his composure, Eckenrode gassed his No. 34 to the upset victory, with Grube settling for runner-up honors. Current point leader and defending 125cc champion Jesse Maurer passed Garman for third on the final circuit. Bret Habecker wound up fifth.
Birdsboro, Pa.'s Kenny Miller has been unstoppable in the Sportsman class, winning his third consecutive main event on Saturday evening. Miller has also triumphed in four of the past five Sportsman features. The only race that alluded him over the past month was on June 28 - when he was at Trail-Way competing in the PA 600cc Speedweek event.
In Saturday's Clyde Martin Memorial for the Sportsman, Donna Geib raced out to the early lead. With 11 laps down, and in heavy lapped traffic, Steve Drevicki nosed in front of Mark Ludwig to grab the runner-up position, bringing Dwayne Mathias with him. But Miller, who started 11th, was coming.
Kenny charged into the top five on the 12th trip around the smooth and tacky oval. Eleven circuits later, he was third. Miller darted under Drevicki to claim second with eight laps remaining.
With five to go, Miller had reeled in the leader, then passed Geib in one and two to take command. Once in front, Miller sprinted away from his pursuers, winning by 1.7 seconds over Geib. The female racer from Manheim produced her best finish of the season, and at the same time, reversed her fortunes after a disastrous outing filled with mechanical issues one week prior.
Drevicki, the sophomore sensation from Reading, hung on for third with Mathias coming home in fourth. Billy Logeman rounded out the top five.
The Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway will be dark this Saturday, August 2nd. On August 9th, the track swings back into action, hosting Viper Chassis Night, along with a full menu of micro-sprint activity. The first green flag will wave at 6 p.m., with qualifying heats, consolations, and 25-lap features for the 600cc, Sportsman, 125cc, 250cc Four-Stroke, and 270cc micros. The five classes will run in the order mentioned above on August 9th. The 600's are also tentatively scheduled for a wingless feature on Saturday, August 9. That event is slated to be run, tentatively, at the end of the evening.
Gates open at 3:30, with warm-ups at 5:00. General Admission is just $8.00, with discounts for Senior Citizens and students. Kids between the ages of 6 and 12 are admitted for just $2.00, and children under the age of 6 are free.
Come on out and LIVE the excitement that is Lanco!
[END]
Freed's first triumph of 2008 came in a very special race, the 35-lap Clyde Martin Memorial, sponsored by Gold Rush Trailer Sales & Auto Service and Doc Hoff.
Joining Freed on Saturday's winner's list were: Richie Hartman, who annexed the 270cc and 250cc Four-Stroke mains; Derek Eckenrode in the 125cc headliner; and Sportsman victor Kenny Miller.
The 600cc Micro-Sprints stacked up four-wide on the initial start, with Freed blasting from his outside second-row starting spot to the lead as the field raced out of turn two.
"We've been struggling with the car, but it was so good tonight," exclaimed the happy winner afterward. "I had to tell myself to sit back and relax, because the car was so good."
As Freed cruised out front, the action behind him was hot and heavy. Chris Snyder, who started sixth, worked his way into the runner-up spot with a nifty outside move on an early restart.
Shane Lewis charged through the pack from his tenth-starting spot to run third, with Heath Hehnly following in the Honeybrook Hustler's tire tracks.
Brenden Bright, who rolled off the starting grid in 14th, maneuvered his way into the top five by the halfway point.
Hehnly grabbed the third position from Lewis, then began to pressure Snyder for second. Snyder, meanwhile, tried to sneak under Freed on a late-race restart, but was unsuccessful.
As Freed, the Highsider from Denver, Pa., pulled away once again, Snyder was left to defend the runner-up slot against Hehnly's attacks. As the laps wound down in the extra-distance race, Bright stole fourth from Lewis, but the teenager from Collegeville, Pa., ran out of time before he could muster a challenge to Hehnly and Snyder.
Freed drove his Stitches 'R' Us/ Predator No. 24 under the checkered by a margin of almost 1.5 second over Snyder, who held off Hehnly for second. Bright and Lewis made up the top five.
The final two laps of the 270cc Clyde Martin Memorial were definitely highlight-reel material, especially for fans of Richie Hartman.
Running fifth, Hartman tried for several laps to overtake fourth-place Dave Falini. The Shoemakersville, Pa. leadfoot finally wrestled the spot away from Falini, then set his sights on Heath Hehnly, who was mounting an assault on runner-up Greg Miller. All of this terrific racing was taking place right behind race-long leader Greg Fitzpatrick.
Hehnly ducked under Miller to snatch the second position as the event entered its final stages. Hartman and Falini hung Miller out to dry on the high side in three and four, but Miller made slight contact with Falini's right-rear, causing his No. 77 to launch into the tire-wall that protects the cars from the pit gate in turn four.
As Hehnly tried in vain to unseat Fitzpatrick from the top spot, Hartman waited patiently in third. Heading for the white flag, Hartman rocketed down the inside lane on the backstretch, slipping past Hehnly for second, then sneaked by Fitzpatrick as they accelerated off the fourth corner.
Hartman was unchallenged on the final circuit, recording his third victory of the season in the 270cc division. Even Richie was surprised by the sudden turn of events. "I never expected this...they kind of came back to me...I really didn't catch them."
Fitzpatrick acknowleged that his car got loose near the end. "I bobbled off turn four; that's how Richie got by me," said the Reading, Pa. resident, who still managed to smile after his best effort of the '08 season.
Hehnly blamed himself, stating that "the car was better than the driver tonight. I should have been more aggressive."
Hartman led Fitzpatrick, Hehnly, Falini, and Mike Rutherford across the stripe. His triumph in the double-point event increased his 270cc point lead over Rutherford.
Earlier in the evening, Hartman began his winning ways by copping his sixth of the year in the Gold Rush Trailer Sales/ Doc Hoff/ Clyde Martin Memorial for the 250cc Four-Stroke class.
Chris Lee jumped into the lead from his outside pole starting spot, but all eyes were on the "terrific trio" of Hartman (started 11th), Craig DeSantis (started seventh), and point leader Chad Rhoads (started 12th). While DeSantis, a five-time winner this year, passed a couple of cars in the opening laps, Hartman propelled his Geib Trucking/ RTS No. 88 by several cars, hurtling himself past DeSantis and into third position with two tours complete. Rhoads was mired in traffic and having difficulty in moving forward.
DeSantis had to take evasive action as a car got sideways directly in front of his No. 39. Craig managed to continue, but fell all the way to the back of the 19-car field.
On the fifth trip around the high-banked oval, Hartman zipped under Lee to take command in turns one and two. Rhoads finally worked free of the heavy traffic surrounding him, slicing his way into the runner-up slot on the eighth circuit. By then, however, Hartman had checked out.
Even a couple of late-race restarts could not deter the high-flying Hartman; he roared across the finish line at the end of the 35-lapper with a lead of more than six seconds over Rhoads. Mohnton, Pa.'s Eddie Nocera capped a great run by finishing third, with Jason Johnson cashing in for fourth-place money. DeSantis rebounded to fifth.
Manheim's Derek Eckenrode picked a great night to score his first career win at the Clyde. Eckenrode battled pole-sitter Sheena Schaefer for the first pair of revolutions on the eighth-mile of clay, before he secured the top spot for good in the Memorial for the 125cc division.
Kevin Garman, who registered his first career win on May 17 of this year, pulled into second place on lap six. At the same time, Dave Grube motored into third.
The first 17 tours ran caution-free, until Scott Gantert brought out the yellow by laying his No. 04 on its side in turn two.
Grube's efforts to take second away from Garman finally paid off on lap 21. The Penn State University student then made several valiant attempts to wrestle the lead from Eckenrode, who thwarted each assault.
Impressively maintaining his composure, Eckenrode gassed his No. 34 to the upset victory, with Grube settling for runner-up honors. Current point leader and defending 125cc champion Jesse Maurer passed Garman for third on the final circuit. Bret Habecker wound up fifth.
Birdsboro, Pa.'s Kenny Miller has been unstoppable in the Sportsman class, winning his third consecutive main event on Saturday evening. Miller has also triumphed in four of the past five Sportsman features. The only race that alluded him over the past month was on June 28 - when he was at Trail-Way competing in the PA 600cc Speedweek event.
In Saturday's Clyde Martin Memorial for the Sportsman, Donna Geib raced out to the early lead. With 11 laps down, and in heavy lapped traffic, Steve Drevicki nosed in front of Mark Ludwig to grab the runner-up position, bringing Dwayne Mathias with him. But Miller, who started 11th, was coming.
Kenny charged into the top five on the 12th trip around the smooth and tacky oval. Eleven circuits later, he was third. Miller darted under Drevicki to claim second with eight laps remaining.
With five to go, Miller had reeled in the leader, then passed Geib in one and two to take command. Once in front, Miller sprinted away from his pursuers, winning by 1.7 seconds over Geib. The female racer from Manheim produced her best finish of the season, and at the same time, reversed her fortunes after a disastrous outing filled with mechanical issues one week prior.
Drevicki, the sophomore sensation from Reading, hung on for third with Mathias coming home in fourth. Billy Logeman rounded out the top five.
The Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway will be dark this Saturday, August 2nd. On August 9th, the track swings back into action, hosting Viper Chassis Night, along with a full menu of micro-sprint activity. The first green flag will wave at 6 p.m., with qualifying heats, consolations, and 25-lap features for the 600cc, Sportsman, 125cc, 250cc Four-Stroke, and 270cc micros. The five classes will run in the order mentioned above on August 9th. The 600's are also tentatively scheduled for a wingless feature on Saturday, August 9. That event is slated to be run, tentatively, at the end of the evening.
Gates open at 3:30, with warm-ups at 5:00. General Admission is just $8.00, with discounts for Senior Citizens and students. Kids between the ages of 6 and 12 are admitted for just $2.00, and children under the age of 6 are free.
Come on out and LIVE the excitement that is Lanco!
[END]