HARRISBURG – Doug “The Hammer" Esh of Lancaster hammered his way through the field Friday to pick up his first sprint car win of the season at Williams Grove Speedway, chiseling his way past Aaron Ott with eight laps to go in the 25-lap main for 410 sprint cars.
In the 20-lap 358 sprint feature, Logan Schuchart of Hanover claimed his second checkered flag of the season after starting 10th in the field.
The 410 sprint feature got underway with second starter Ott of East Berlin taking the lead before a volley of cautions on laps five, six and seven found Justin Henderson in second with Esh up to sixth after taking the green from the eighth position.
Aboard the Leach No. 30, Esh motored into second with nine laps to go and was all over Ott for the lead when another caution flag with eight to go turned red for refueling. The restart saw Esh drop to Ott’s inside as the pair entered the first corner and easily drive into control down the backstretch.
After starting 11th, Brian Montieth came on strong late in the race to move into second on the final circuit but still finish a half straightaway behind at the checkers.
Esh claimed a $500 bonus for winning from row four and combined with lap monies, took home some $4,180 for his 19th career win at the oval. “It’s all a team effort,” Esh said, according to Shawn Brouse of Williams Grove Speedway. “I felt good from the get go. I felt good in warm ups and usually that sets your tone for the night.”
Schuchart watched as leader Tim Berkheimer spun with seven laps completed, handing control to Rodney Westhafer in the 358 sprint main while he held down the fourth spot. Westhafer was still in control with nine laps to go when a restart found Schuchart on his bumper for the return to action.
The green flag was all Schuchart needed to see following the caution period as he quickly took the lead from Westhafer before pulling away to what ended up a straightaway lead at the finish. Westhafer held on to second followed by Rich Eichelberger, Pat Cannon and Kevin Nouse.
Dallastown’s Cory Haas capped off a wild night of racing Saturday by scoring his biggest career win in the PA Speedweek opener at Lincoln Speedway.
And he did it in grand style, passing both Brian Leppo and Fred Rahmer at the same time to go from third to first with a low move in turns three and four following an 11th-lap restart. "Brian and Fred were goin’ at it, and I kinda’ just ran into there as hard as I could and the thing stuck, and I drove by both of them," said Haas upon exiting his Embee & Son/York PB Truss/Tailgaters #11c in victory lane, according to the track's official website. "I kinda’ surprised myself actually,"
After that, Haas remained in control over the final 20 laps to claim the $7,000 Gobrecht Memorial top prize.
Ten-time track champ Fred Rahmer set fast time and started on the pole following the redraw. He led until Haas caught him. One lap earlier, Lance Dewease and Alan Krimes got together in turns three and four while battling for third. That advanced Haas from fifth to third. Haas disposed of both leaders on the restart.
"At the beginning of the race there, Mike (Barshinger) said ‘get up top there,'" recalled Haas. "I was running up top, but I wasn’t real comfortable, it was piled up pretty good up there, so I kinda’ moved around, and when Alan and Lance got together, I got into the wall pretty good and thought I might bent something, so I didn’t want to run the top, I moved down and the thing stuck pretty good. There was about a one-foot strip down there on the bottom, and Mike had the car so good that I could right on that. I didn’t think anybody could get us once we got in front."
They didn’t.
As Haas took control, Rahmer and Leppo staged a torrid battle for the runner-up spot for the next 12 laps, with both cars making contact on the front stretch with six laps to go. Both cars spun, with Rahmer tipping onto his side against the guardrail on the inside of turn one, bringing out the red flag. Both cars were able to return to the track for the restart, but Leppo spun in turn two three laps later, and went to the pits, ending his night.
The Rahmer-Leppo crash put eighth-starting Daryn Pittman and 14th starting Brian Montieth into second and third for the restart, but neither driver was able to mount a serious challenge, with Haas crossing .91 seconds ahead of Pittman. Montieth settled for third, with Tyler Walker and Steve Buckwalter completing the top five. Rounding out the top ten were Doug Esh, 24th-starting Justin Henderson, 17th-starting Jim Siegel, 15th-starting Mark Smith, and Sam Hafertepe, Jr. (in the Pancho Lawler #93).
Scott Gobrecht ended a storybook night by claiming his first career Lincoln win in the 15-lap Central PA Legends feature. Gobrecht, who called the win the biggest of his career, started third and took the lead from polesitter Scott Wilkerson on lap two. He ran unchallenged the rest of the way, with a nine-car race for second in behind.
Nate Snyder of Halifax made a late-race pass by Blane Heimbach of Selinsgrove and stormed to his first win of the season in Saturday night’s 25-lap 358 sprint car feature at Selinsgrove Speedway.
Snyder became the sixth different winner in the sprint car division this season at the wheel of the Lisi Shell/Latshaw’s Landscaping No. 56. The victory marked the 17th of his career at the speedway on PEPSI night.
Dylan Yoder of Selinsgrove set fast time (19.460) at the start of the night then scored a convincing victory in the Jeff’s Auto Body & Recycling Center 30-lap late model championship. Yoder’s first win of the season at the track was worth $2,000 and also made him the division’s sixth different winner.
Jason Smith of Williamsport returned to Victory Lane with his third win of the season in the 15-lap pro stock feature.
Scott Dunham Jr. of Selinsgrove and Bob Bussey of Northumberland won the twin 12-lap roadrunner features.
Information provided by Williams Grove Speedway, Lincoln Speedway and Selinsgrove Speedway was used in this report, respectively. Video used in this report is courtesy of www.SportsPlusVideo.com and Lynn Schaeffer Productions.
