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…By Gary Lileck
Forestville, PA-June 22, 2007-Rick Laubach continued his phenomenal 2007 season as he emerged victorious in Friday’s 25-lap 358 Modified main event at Big Diamond Raceway. The Quakertown PA based racer scored his third win of the season behind the wheel of Dick Biever’s #14 Teo Pro Car.
A fantastic crowd watched on as T102/House Doctors presented “Back to the 80s Night”. Adult general admission was just eight dollars. Other divisional winners included: Billy Moyer Jr. (Sportsman), Tom Hablett (Roadrunner), Travis Halabura and Mike Keppler (Xcel 600 Modifieds).
Twenty-four mighty 358 Modifieds soared to the opening green flag of their feature event. Caution flag fever was the early order of business as five yellows took place during the opening pair of circuits. Once the field returned to racing on lap three, everything settled down as laps three through twenty were completed without a caution.
Dale Hartz jumped into the early lead. Jimmy Reppert maneuvered into the runner-up spot on lap two and pressured the leader. Reppert found strength on the inside and raced closely with Hartz for several circuits. The pair raced side-by-side on lap eight, and Reppert secured the lead as they crossed the starter’s stand.
Laubach originally started from the thirteenth position. He passed Hartz in turn three of lap nine for the second spot. Laubach immediately caught the leader and raced past Reppert via the inside lane of lap ten. Laubach built a sizeable advantage and strategically worked through lapped traffic. After a nice string of green laps, the caution waved with twenty circuits complete. Laubach had been enjoying a full straightaway advantage over his competition.
With five to go, Laubach literally pulled away from the field. In just a few laps, he held a measurable advantage and stretched it back to a full straightway on the event’s final lap. Laubach throttled his Van Horn powered mount to a fifth career BDR win. Laubach currently holds the most ’07 wins in 358 Modified competition.
Reppert (Hamburg) matched his season high finish of second (from April 27). Former track champion, Jeff Strunk (Mohnton) pitted on the first lap after an accident. He restarted from the rear and surged into the top five on lap twenty. Strunk moved into third on the twenty-fourth lap. Craig Von Dohren (Oley) followed suit into the fourth position on the event’s final lap. Ryan Watt (Boyertown) rounded out the front finishing five.
Terry Meitzler (Kutztown) finished sixth and he was followed by Jeff Sechrist (Wernersville), Billy Pauch Jr. (Frenchtown NJ), Doug Manmiller (Wyomissing), and Gary Wagner Jr. (Womelsdorf).
Heat wins for the twenty-seven cars in attendance went to Meitzler, Watt, and Bobby Gunther-Walsh. Mike Nicholas won the B-main.
Billy Moyer Jr. (Pine Grove) started third in the 20-lap Sportsman A-main. He wasted no time in grabbing the early lead from chief starter Ray Kemp. Positions changed constantly throughout the top ten, however, one position remained in tact. Moyer led all twenty laps during the entire context of the race, and captured his first win of the season. It was Moyer’s sixth career BDR Sportsman victory.
Second generation racer Brad Brightbill (Sinking Springs) started fourteenth and powered into the runner-up spot on lap eleven after a thrilling side-by-side four car battle. A caution with only five laps remaining regrouped the field, however, Brightbill settled for second. Young Jordan Umbenhauer raced from eleventh to third in the final rundown.
David Van Horn Jr. (Phillipsburg NJ) filled in for Josh Biever who was on vacation for the weekend. Van Horn started from back in the sixteenth position and raced into fourth on lap thirteen. It was Van Horn’s first BDR start of the season. Mike Mammana (Nazareth) raced up front throughout the duration and finished fifth.
Thirty-six Sportsman were on hand with heat wins going to Mammana, Shawn Hiestand, Steven Hughes, and Kevin Beach. Jarrad Miller won the B-main.
Brian Johnson started inside pole and led the opening five circuits of the 15-lap Roadrunner feature. Jeremy Becker tossed his machine to the outside of Johnson on lap six for the lead. Tom Hablett started from fourteenth. For this event, Hablett sat behind the wheel of the Tory Jenkins #00, as Hablett’s machine was heavily damaged in an accident the week prior. Hablett advanced into second on the seventh lap.
On lap eight, Hablett (Schuylkill Haven) grabbed possession of the top spot. He never relinquished the position and powered to his fifth win of the season, thirteenth of his BDR career. Ricky Bender (Joliett) continued his impressive ’07 with a runner-up finish. Teenager Chris Holland (Pine Grove) finished third ahead of veteran driver Dave Miller (Pine Grove) and ’07 feature winner Andy Zvorsky (Orwigsburg).
A pair of heats were contested for the 19 cars pitside. Wins went to Rob Pyle and Elvin Brennan.
The Xcel 600 Modifieds competed in double feature events, the opening 15-lapper was rescheduled from a June 1 rain-out. Travis Halabura (Orwigsburg) won the first feature over Kyle Gardner (Wind Gap), Chris Stockholm, Mike Pychinka (Northampton), and Mike Keppler (Bectelsville). The second main event (20-laps) found Mike Keppler in the winner’s circle and he was followed by Scotty Washburn, Stockholm, Joe Fanelli (Exton), and Halabura. 26 Xcel cars were on hand.
June 29 will be SPCA Night at the speedway. Hillside SPCA will be on hand to collect donations for the terrific job that they do for the pets. Please remember to support the SPCA on June 29 by bringing along a can of pet food or other pet related items. National Earth Services and Troy Wink Motorsports presents a three division card of 358 Modifieds, Sportsman, and Roadrunners. Gates open at 5:00PM with warm-ups at 7:00PM and qualifying taking place at 7:30PM.
Full Race Results – Friday June 22 2007
358 Modified Feature (25-laps): 1) #14-Rick Laubach, 2) #97-Jimmy Reppert, 3) #126-Jeff Strunk, 4) #1c-Craig Von Dohren, 5) #6-Ryan Watt, 6) #81-Terry Meitzler, 7) #318-Jeff Sechrist, 8) #11D-Billy Pauch Jr., 9) #00-Doug Manmiller, 10) #47-Gary Wagner Jr., 11) #19-Tom Umbenhauer, 12) #F15-Dale Hartz, 13) #29-Ken Eckert Jr., 14) #33-Ray Swinehart, 15) #102-Shawn Fitzpatrick, 16) #17-Ryan Grim, 17) #42-Corey Sechirst, 18) #91-John Willman, 19) #3-Mike Nicholas, 20) #27-Troy Wink, 21) #R6-Dale Roth, 22) #10T-Matt James, 23) #27J-Meme DeSantis, 24) #S1-Bobby Gunther-Walsh.
DNQ: Jamie Scwartz, Kurt Spotts, Steve Swinehart.
Sportsman Feature (20-laps): 1) #17-Billy Moyer Jr., 2) #19B-Brad Brightbill, 3) #19-Jordan Umbenhauer, 4) #46-David Van Horn Jr., 5) #71-Mike Mammana, 6) #26-Tom Brennan, 7) #44-Frank Cozze Jr., 8) #2T-Mike Taylor, 9) #3-Luke Wagner, 10) #56-Shawn Hiestand, 11) #6JR-Kevin Beach, 12) 33E-Earl Paules, 13) #72-Ray Woodall Jr., 14) #84-Leroy Long, 15) #14-Louie Mitchalk, 16) #61-Patrick Cozze, 17) #123-Roy Wiest, 18) #23-Kyle Somers, 19) #69-Andy Fayash Jr., 20) #KT3-Corey Renninger, 21) #04-Steven Hughes, 22) #99-Craig Whitmoyer, 23) #917-Jarrad Miller, 24) #64-Andy Miller, 25) #71J-Codie Berk. DQ: #17R-Kevin Nolf.
DNQ: Shane Moser, Ray Gara, Willard Knecht, Kyle Deiter, Harry Landis, Kevin Brady, Jim Somers Jr., James Morris, Chris James Jr., Richard Stankiewicz.
Roadrunner Feature (15-laps): 1) #00-Tom Hablett, 2) #29B-Ricky Bender, 3) #66-Chris Holland, 4) #1-Dave Miller, 5) #z71-Andy Zvorsky, 6) #93-Rob Pyle, 7) #29W-Derek Bender, 8) #97-Jeremy Becker, 9) #555-Elvin Brennan, 10) #8-Davey Nester, 11) #11x-Joe Hendricks, 12) #450-Kevin Olenick, 13) #201-Brian Johnson, 14) #17-Bud Vidal, 15) #37-Eric Pinkerton, 16) #101-Gary Renninger, 17) #711-Bobby Ditzler, 18) #11-Dan Strenkoski, 19) #909-Neil Bressler.
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