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Chris Coyle of Wilmington, DE and Wade Hendrickson of Lawrenceville, NJ won their respective features on Friday night at the Georgetown Speedway after race leaders fell out due to an accident due to lapped traffic or flat tires.
Coyle took home top honors in the 25 lap 360 Sprint Car main while Hendrickson scored his second 25 lap Big Block Modified victory in as many attempts.
In other action, Chris Hitchens of Milton , DE won his first career Crate Modified feature while Joe Callaway, also from Delaware , finally reached the Crate Late Model winners circle. Pat McNeal put the Flyin Elvin Double Zero on top of the final run down for the Little Lincoln Vintage Cars.
Trevor Lewis of Upper Black Eddy, PA and Middletown , DE s Justin Collett led the eight rows of 360 sprints to the initial green flag to begin the 25 lap main. Lewis quickly jumped on top and put some distance between himself and Collett, who was busy fighting off Kurt Michael.
Michael would give way to Chris Coyle for third after eleven circuits while Collett closed in on Lewis. The two leaders worked slower traffic to perfection but would run into trouble when they closed in on Jeff Busby and Michael Higgenbottom. The two back markers were racing for position and almost made contact in turn one of the seventeenth lap. The two leaders had to back off and spun to avoid making contact. Lewis was able to rejoin the field at tail but Collett ended up breaking the left front suspension.
This handled the lead to Coyle, who only had to contend with a few challenges from Davey Sammons to claim the victory.
Man this place was fast and everything went our way tonight, claimed Coyle as he climbed from his Millmar Racing number 83. He went on to add, People thought I was crazy for going back to my own team this year but we have got two (wins) already this year.
Sammons tried valiantly on several occasions over the final seven laps but came up short in the end by six car lengths. Michael settled for a distant third while Scott Pursell raced to a fourth place showing. Brook Weibley advanced three spots from her starting position to take fifth.
Early race leader Trevor Lewis eventually dropped out with some additional mechanical problems with two laps remaining and settled for eighth. Heat races went to Lewis and Collett.
Ryan Godown of Ringoes , NJ led the nineteen car Big Block Modified field to the green flag with Chuck Tucker, Jamie Mills, Judd Mills, and Billy Pauch in tow. Pauch was already to second by the end of lap one and began to work on Godown. That battle would be short lived though as Godown slowed on the speedway with mechanical issues while working the fifth lap to bring out the yellow.
Pauch took over the top spot and was busy holding off the challenges of Jamie Mills and Mark Byram while Wade Hendrickson worked up from his tenth starting position. A second caution would slow the field on lap eleven that saw third place contestant Byram head to the pits with a flat.
The field went back to green but Robert Dutton spun off turn two after making contact with Dale Hawkins just one lap later. The third caution would prove costly for race leader Pauch as Hendrickson pulled alongside the New Jersey native to alert him of a flat left rear.
Pauch hit the pits and Hendrickson became the race leader with Jamie Mills, Kenny Brightbill, Chad James, and Judd Mills trailing. Two more cautions would slow the field through the end of the 25 lap feature but in the end it would be all Hendrickson as he put the Art Collins Trucking Teo machine back in victory lane.
My hats off to Lou Johnson tonight because this track was so fast and smooth, you would never know that his mind and all of our prayers are with his wife right now, said Hendrickson as he spoke of the surface in the post race interview.
Jamie Mills held off a hard charging Richie Pratt for second while the twelfth starting Pratt took third. Pauch battled back from the flat and involvement in one caution to steal fourth from Brightbill. Brightbill took fifth place honors. James, Byram, Mills, Hawkins, and Rick y Johnson completed the top ten. Heats were won by James and Jamie Mills.
Tim Trimble of Easton , Maryland looked as if he would have enough to win the 20 lap Crate Modified feature event. But in the end it would be Chris Hitchens bringing home his first career victory. Hitchens, driving the H&H Maintenance/Copps Seafood Troyer, slid by Trimble on the ninth lap and walked away to the impressive victory. Trimble held off Tom Curtis to take second while John Wynn posted his best finish if the year with a fourth place showing. Jordan Watson worked up from his tenth starting position to round out the top five. Hitchens and Jordan Watson won the two qualifying heats.
Two time feature winner Ross Robinson started the 20 lap Crate Late Model race in sixth but would be the leader by the end of the first lap. Robinson appeared to be well on his way to number three when something broke in the rear end and sent the leader spinning after seven laps. This gave the lead to Herb Tunis with Bobby Watkins and Jon Calloway in pursuit.
Only one caution flag slowed the Crate Late Model feature over the final ten laps and the racing between Tunis , Watkins, and Calloway kept fans on their feet. Tunis kept his car on the bottom but slipped up just a bit in turn four in an effort to keep Watkins at bay while working the eighteenth lap. That opening was just enough as Calloway squeezed by to take the lead with just two circuits left. Tunis was helpless as he watched Calloway race away to the victory. Tunis managed to keep Watkins behind him as the two finished second and third respectively. Ryan Walls and Mike Wilson worked from the back of the pack to round out the top five. Heat wins were collected by Walls and Robinson.
The Georgetown Speedway is back in action on Friday, May 18 with Super Late Models headlining the program. Crate Late Models and Crate Modifieds will also be on the three feature program that gets underway with qualifying heats at 7:35 pm. For more information about the Georgetown Speedway visit the website at www.georgetownspeedway.com or call (302) 856-7415.
Georgetown Speedway, a 5/8ths mile dirt oval track, is located on U.S. Route 113, just 35 miles south of Dover , DE . The speedway is just a short 45 minute drive from Ocean City and just a bit longer from Washington DC , Baltimore , and Philadelphia .
OFFICIAL FINISH: Sprint Cars (25 laps 15 cars): 1. Chris Coyle 2. Davey Sammons, 3. Kurt Michael, 4. Scott Pursell, 5. Brook Weibley, 6. Jeff Busby, 7. Dave Betts, 8. Trevor Lewis, 9. Mike Higgenbottom, 10. Justin Collett, 11. Mike Kostic, 12. Brian Brittingham, 13. Kevin Durling, 14. Jack Height DNS: Greg Coverdale (flip/heat)
OFFICIAL FINISH: Big Block Modifieds (25 laps 19 cars): Hendrickson, Ja Mills, Pratt, Pauch, Brightbill, James, Byram, Ju Mills, Hawkins, Johnson, #20, Tucker, Rust, Dutton, Reed, Burkhardt, Godown, Hollowell. DNS: Short (motor/heat) |
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