An early afternoon shower and the threat of rain throughout the evening could not halt the exciting racing action at Shellhammer Dirt Track.
On Wednesday, April 14, a strong field of 98 entries for the 6 division show, went off with no issues and when the final checkered was thrown at 9:37,race fans and race teams saw an extremely well run racing program.
The Dave Cordier,Jr. prepared speedway was in top form as no track packing was needed as it produced many 2 and 3 wide battles during qualifying and the feature events.
The younger drivers in the Junior Slingshot class,started the A Main festivities off with a non-stop 20 lap feature that saw the young drivers complete their tours around the speedway in 3:40.Taking the win was Alex Lagun,being joined on the podium by Dylan Hahn and opening night winner Ryan Rochelle.
Next up and continuing on with some great racing was the 125 micros,who also put on a show with a non-yellow flag race as Cliff Brian,Jr. won his 2nd straight main event tripping the clock at 3:21.Strong challenges from James Roselli and Marty Brian were definite crowd pleasers.Coming from 10th to 4th with no restart help was Chase Layser.
Yellow fever struck the 600 micro main,as the high speed racers just could not find the timing in the early going and this helped some of the talented drivers work their way through the field for some good finishes. Taking the win was a determined Jasper Ziegenfuse warding off all advances from the field as Tyler Lindsay passed Jasper heading into turns 1 and 2 only to have Jasper retake the lead in turns 3 and 4. Lindsay held on for 2nd with Hunter Metzger getting a well deserved 3rd place payout.
Being the leader in the Stage One Modified race was quite unlucky on Wednesday night as early race leader JT Bierman got tapped causing his # 76 race car to spin in turn 3.JT went to the rear and Mark Mohr became the race leader,but before a lap could be completed Mohr pulled into the infield with mechanical problems.Inheriting the lead and heading for the win was 10th place starter Anthony Chrobak who had just enough power to get to the line ahead of Matt Mertz.Mike Glass took the S1 house car to a 3rd place finish.
Position swapping was the norm for the 270 micros as a thrilling 4 wide battle ensued for the midpack runners gave the fans their money’s worth in this race alone.Louden Reimert found the inside line to his liking taking the win in the 88E.After falling back a few positions in the early going,Alex Reinsmith rebounded for a 2nd place payoff.A strong showing by Patrick Kirn had the 16P firmly in 3rd at the checker.The 4 wide racers all finished in the next 4 spots with Dan Lane,Jr.,Ben Layser,Dakota Barlet and Jarrett Imler racing clean and green for 4th through 7th.
The final event of the evening was the All Star Slingshots and veteran driver Dave Carraghan utilized his pole starting spot to perfection leading all 20 laps,being challenged on a few restarts by teammate Tyler Hoch.The battle for 3rd was quite spirited as Brett Bieber and Lindsay Garl ran side by side for many laps with Bieber finally getting the advantage with 3 laps to go to claim the 3rd spot with Garl getting 4th.Newcomer Ryan Raidline looks to be a strong contender in the upcoming weeks with a solid 5th place showing.
Shellhammer Dirt Track will be adding some lights around the speedway as they are awaiting installation poles and the Race Track by the River continues to make updates and improvements on the Leesport,Pa area speedway.
You Might Also Like
Baseballtown Dream League Seeking Volunteers
2017 Reading Fightin Phils Roster
La Noche De Los Reales
