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Stan Wanner Wins Williams Grove Super Sportsman Feature
Stan Wanner presented his mother with the perfect Mother’s Day gift. His mother missed his two previous Super Sportsman feature wins. Saturday night she was in the grandstands at Williams Grove Speedway as Wanner won the 20-lap Sutliff Auto Group Super Sportsman main.
Stan Wanner, from Hummelstown, started beside Dave Berkheimer in the front row of the 24-car Super Sportsman field. Wanner and Berkheimer raced into the first turn on the opening lap with Wanner capturing the lead. The duo of Wanner and Berkheimer pulled away from the field.
Following a seventh lap restart Wanner opened up a four-length lead over Berkheimer. By the tenth lap the gap between first and second was ten lengths.
The complexion of the race made a big change when the caution came out on lap 13. Frankie Herr, the leader of the Super Sportsman points, was lurking in fifth place as the field went back to racing. By the time the field exited turn two Herr swept into third place behind Wanner and Berkheimer.
The final caution of the event came out with three laps left in the race. Following the restart Herr passed Berkheimer for second. Stan Wanner had a six-length lead and maintained the edge to the finish line. It was Wanner, Herr, Berkheimer, Duaine Smith and Jason Fry completing the top five.
“This feels great. This is one of the highlights of my career,” said a jubilant Stan Wanner. “These guys give 150 percent each week at the garage.”
Super Sportsman driver Steve Wilbur was transported to Hershey Medical Center after being injured in a heat race incident. His cars burst into flames as he entered turn one. Wilbur received second-degree burns to his legs and was taken to Hershey Medical Center to be treated. He was then sent to the Lehigh Valley Hospital for further treatment.
Rookie 358 Late Model driver Craig Wagaman won the 20-lap AJ’s Truck and Trailer Center feature. With a stellar field of 30 competitors in the Late Model pits, Wagaman dominated the race.
Craig Wagaman began the race in sixth place and moved into second behind leader Nat Tuckey. Tuckey opened a 20-length lead until the caution came out on lap 4.
Wagaman’s big break came on lap seven when the race was slowed for a spin out. When the green flag came out Wagaman went to the high line in turns one and two. He powered his way by Tuckey off of the second turn.
Craig Wagaman was never challenged the remainder of he feature. As the checkered flag came out Wagaman had a six-length gap between himself and second place finisher Bobby Beard. Tuckey, Rick Singleton and Mike Goodwin followed Wagaman and Beard.
“This is unbelievable,” said the Craig Wagaman. “I think once I figure out how to drive this I’ll be good. These take a lot of finesse. I am just going to try and learn to drive.”
The Pa. 305 Sprint Cars made their only appearance of 2008 at Williams Grove Speedway. Second generation driver Mike Wagner II from Harrisonville, was the winner of the 20-lap feature. It is the second Williams Grove win of his career.
The ageless wonder Jim Kenney started on the pole and jumped into the lead in the first turn. As Kennedy set the pace Mike Wagner II was on the move from his fifth starting position. Wagner was third when the caution came out on lap seven.
Mike Wagner dove to the inside of Jim Kennedy as the green flag came out. The leaders were side-by-side down the backstretch. Kennedy went to the high groove in turns three and four to reclaim the lead.
Kennedy’s No. 7 slid wide in turn two on lap nine and Wagner went charging into the lead. Wagner appeared to have the race won until the race was slowed for a caution on lap 14.
The restart found Kennedy diving under Wagner in the first turn. Kennedy was back in front as the field exited the second turn. Wagner went to the outside line in turns three and four and powered his way back in front.
Wagner held the lead the final laps and won over Kennedy, Rod Ort, Michael Heckman and Brent Comp.
Kory Sites of Mechanicsburg won the 15-lap L.B. Smith Ford Street Stock feature, sponsored by Heritage Acres. Sites jumped into the lead on the first lap and was challenged by Rodney Clouser. On the seventh lap Smoke Christine passed Clouser for second.
The only caution of the event came out on lap 10. Following the restart Christine stayed within two lengths of Sites. On the final lap Christine tried a low pass in turns one and two. Sites held the advantage off the turn and maintained the edge to the finish line. He won by one length over Christine, Clouser, Jim Salisbury and Kevin Wirt.
‘I could hear the 35 (Christine) on us,” said Sites. “They said in the heat he was fast. It was a hard track to pass on, I am glad we started up front.”
LeRoy Martin, Dave Berkheimer, Bobby Hockenberry, Stan Wanner won the Super Sportsman qualifying events. Jason Fry and Scott Dellinger won the two consolation races. Thirty-eight Super Sportsman were signed in.
Mark Watkins, Todd Spangler and Craig Laudermilch won the 305 heat races. Twenty-four of the Pa. 305 Sprints were in the pit area.
Heat races for the 358 Late Models went to Jake Lettich, Randy Croop and Tyler Hershey. Bruce Kane was the winner of the consolation race.
The Street Stock heats for the 20 entries went to Rodney Clouser and Kory Sites.
The Saturday Series will return to Williams Grove Speedway on May 31st featuring the Sutliff Auto Group Super Sportsman, the AJ’s Truck and Trailer Center 358 Late Models, the L.B. Smith Ford Street Stocks and the Credit Connection Four Cylinder stock cars.
Also on May 31st will be the first Camera and Autograph Night at Williams Grove Speedway. The Super Sportsman and Four Cylinders will be in the infield area, allowing the fans to meet their favorite drivers. Lobar Inc., of Dillsburg, will be giving out 100 t-shirts to the first 100 ages 16 and under fans. The t-shirts will allow the young fans to collect the autographs of their favorite drivers. John Wentzel’s Body Shop of Myerstown will hand out disposable cameras to the first 100 families that attend the autograph session.
Pit gates will open at 4 p.m. and the infield area will open to race fans at 4:30 p.m. Racing action begins at 7 p.m.
Sutliff Auto Group Super Sportsman results: 1. Stan Wanner: 2. Frankie Herr: 3. Dave Berkheimer: 4. Duaine Smith: 5. Jason Fry: 6. Paul Miller: 7. Rich Eichelberger: 8. Eric Eckert: 9. Lanny Hake: 10. John Stoner: 11. LeRoy Martin: 12. J.R. Fry: 13. Scott Grace: 14. Mike Enders: 15. Scott Dellinger: 16. Jay Fannasy: 17. Scott Ellerman: 18. Aaron Eichelberger: 19. Jake Raudabaugh: 20. Bobby Hockenberry: 21. Gregg Foster: 22. Rocky Magaro: 23. Doug Hendricks: 24. Derek Locke. DNS: Russ Mitten. DNQ: Rick Barr, David Socks III, John Garman, Ryan Rupp, Dylan Cisney, Jared Miller, Lyle Stroman, Glenn Keller, Gary Johnston, Carmen Perigo Jr., Jeremy Ginder, Dave Ort
AJ’s Truck and Trailer Center 358 Late Model results: 1. Craig Wagaman: 2. Bobby Beard: 3. Nat Tuckey: 4. Rick Singleton: 5. Mike Goodwin: 6. Randy Croop: 7. John Ebersole: 8. Jake Lettich: 9. Jared Miller: 10. Tyler Hershey: 11. Gene Knaub: 12. Dave Graber: 13. Pat Beard: 14. Shawn Jones: 15. Ashley Barrett: 16. Derrick Zirkle: 17. Bruce Kane: 18. Dave Sokoloski: 19. Travis Mease: 20. D.J. Mease: 21. Roy Miller: 22. Cory Houck: 23. Dave Shulski: 24. Mike Leonard. DNS: Andy Fries. DNQ: Mike Walls, Chad Myers, Derek Byler, Bob Minnich, Matt Nailor
Pa. 305 Sprints results: 1. Mike Wagner II: 2. Jim Kennedy: 3. Rod Ort: 4. Michael Heckman: 5. Brent Comp: 6. Craig Laudermilch: 7. Andrew Haus: 8. Cliff Conner: 9. Nicole Bittner: 10. George Riden: 11. Nathan Gramley: 12. Jason Brandt: 13. Johnny Hagan: 14. Tim Kline: 15. Tyler Bear: 16. Jonathan Henne: 17. Ben Naugle: 18. Mark Watkins: 19. Jeff Sell: 20. Ron Farrar: 21. Erin Statler: 22. Alan Kumpf: 23. Todd Spangler: 24. Tim Damiani
L.B. Smith Ford Street Stock results: 1. Kory Sites: 2. Smoke Christine: 3. Rodney Clouser: 4. Jim Salisbury: 5. Kevin Wirt: 6. Gary Welsh: 7. Kevin Sigler: 8. Dave Raudabaugh: 9. Jerry Blauch: 10. Randy Fenner: 11. Ben Cornbaker: 12. Willie Godfrey: 13. Lori Croop: 14. Doug Hoffman: 15. George Danner: 16. Jason Armott: 17. Jim Hulse: 18. Tony Daniels: 19. Dave Motter: 20. Bob Gutshall. |
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