RAHMER WINS RECORD TENTH TRACK TITLE
ABBOTTSTOWN, PA, 9/1/07 – Denver’s Alan Krimes put together his last motor just hours before race time, and it worked to perfection as he drove from his eighth starting spot to track down Johnny Mackison Jr. and wrestle the lead from the York driver on lap 19 to pick-up his second win of 2007 in the regularly scheduled 25-lap feature for the 410 Sprints Saturday night at Lincoln Speedway.
“The track looked like it was really rubbering down in the B Main, and I wasn’t sure I would be able to get up through there,” said Krimes in victory lane, “They went out and watered it a little bit before the feature, and that brought the top groove in for the first four or five laps. That really helped me out at the beginning.”
“I really have to thank Uncle Butch,” added Krimes, “We only had one motor last night and we blew it up at Williams Grove. This motor here was two hours from being ready and he left the track last night and worked all night putting it together. The blown motor knocked the rear out, too. So we had to wake up early and put this motor in and put a new rear in. But it looks like the hard work really paid off.”
Polesitter Pat Cooper ran the best race of his career and led the first 11 laps of the feature before fourth-starting Mackison slipped by on the backstretch of the 12th lap for the lead.
Meanwhile Krimes, who has turned into a slick track specialist, was working his magic on the hard-raced 3/8th-mile high-banked oval and methodically made his way to the front. Krimes, who was running fourth behind Cooper, AJ Michael and Mackison after one lap, passed Michael into third on the third lap, and eventually passed Cooper to move into second on the 18th lap as Mackison tried to work through lapped traffic as the non-stop laps clicked-off.
Krimes dove low under Mackison in the third and fourth turns of the 19th lap to take the lead. Then the race’s only caution waved on the 21st lap for Steve Buckwalter, who had come to a stop in turns one and two.
Krimes had Mackison, Doug Esh, Cooper and Chris Knopp on his bumper for the restart. But before the race resumed, both third-running Esh and Cris Eash had right rear tires go flat and were forced to go to the pits for a tire change.
Krimes easily pulled away on the 21st lap restart and drove away to a 2.30-second win over Mackison to register his fourth career win at Lincoln Speedway.
Cooper held onto third place for his best career finish and was followed by Chris Knopp and Lance Dewease, who finished fourth and fifth respectively.
Completing the top-10 were Fred Rahmer, Niki Young, Greg Hodnett, Nick Schlauch Jr. and Michael.
Heats for the 28 “410” sprints on hand were won by AJ Michael, Pat Cooper and Ryan Taylor, with Bobby Weaver winning the consolation.
Rahmer’s sixth-place finish locked up his record-breaking 10th Lincoln Speedway track title. This came on the heels of his record-breaking 151st career win earlier in the season to become Lincoln Speedway’s all-time sprint feature winner. And last week he scored his 153rd career win to become the all-time leading feature winner in all divisions combined of the storied history of the Abbottstown oval.
Earlier in the evening, Harrisburg’s Chad Layton waited a week to finish the job he just started as the driver of the Pete Postupak No.25 sprinter. Layton, who started on the pole originally, had taken the lead from outside frontrow starter Jim Siegel on the third lap and was leading when the rains came last Saturday night in the second 20-lap 410 sprint feature on Central Maryland Pools Night. Layton led the remaining 15-laps to pick up his first win of 2007 by .66-seconds over defending track champ Doug Esh and became the 11th different winner in 22 events in 2007 at the Pigeon Hills oval.
Layton restarted the leader this week with Siegel, Cris Eash, Doug Esh, Jeff Busby, Brian Leppo, Fred Rahmer, Brian Montieth, Steve Buckwalter and Alan Krimes in tow.
A Montieth spin on the restart collected Alan Krimes to bring out the caution. The caution waved once again on the 10th lap for a Josh Wells and Pat Cooper spin in the first and second turns.
Defending track champion Doug Esh moved into second behind Layton on the 10th lap restart with Siegel, Rahmer and Cris Eash trailing when the caution waved again on the 14th lap when both Cooper and Mike Bittinger stopped on the track.
Rahmer shot around Siegel to move into third on the restart as Layton pulled away to a 1.51-second lead over Esh by the 16th lap.
The final stoppage of action occurred on the 18th lap when Cris Eash flipped in turn two and John Rudisill stopped on the subsequent restart.
But Layton was strong over the final laps and pulled away to register his sixth career Lincoln 410 sprint win.
Esh, Rahmer, Siegel and Niki Young finished second through fifth respectively. Completing the top-10 were Brian Leppo, Jeff Busby, Steve Buckwalter, Alan Krimes and Ryan Taylor
Langhorne’s Eric Eckert, a rookie in the super sportsman division, looked anything but a rookie as he grabbed the lead from his pole starting position and led all 25-laps en route to his first career win.
Eckert first held-off second-starting Jake Raudabaugh for 17 laps and then raced wheel-to-wheel with eighth-starting Duaine Smith. Smith actually took the lead from Eckert on the 19th lap, but tagged Eckert’s front bumper when trying to make the pass, sending the bumper onto the track and bringing out the caution for debris. That put Eckert back out in front for the restart. And he didn’t look back from there. Eckert held off Smith on the restart and pulled away over the final laps to take the checkered 1.07-seconds ahead of Raudabaugh (who got by Smith on the final lap for second) to become the third different winner in four super sportsman events at Lincoln Speedway in 2007.
Frankie Herr got the H&H Wings Hard-Charger Award by coming form his 15th starting spot to finish fourth, and Gregg Foster finished fifth. Completing the top-10 were Bobby Hockenberry, Rich Eichelberger, Jason Fry, Danny Hager and Chris Reed.
Heats for the 36 Super Sportsman on hand were won by Foster, Eckert, Aaron Eichelberger and Hager. Twin consolations were won by Ryan Rupp and Leroy Martin.
Polesitter Craig Robinson started on the pole and led all 20-laps to become the 11th different winner in 11 previous visits by the 305 Sprints in their regularly scheduled feature.
Robinson held off outside frontrow starter Mike Freet the entire distance to take the checkered 1.82-seconds ahead at the end. Scott Smith, Mark Watkins, and Todd Spangler completed the top five.
Earlier, Watkins, of McConnellsburg, grabbed the lead from Todd Spangler on the ninth lap and then held off Spangler in a one-lap dash to the checkered to pick up the win in the Make-up 20-lap 305 Sprint from April 28th.
Watkin’s took the checkered..75-seconds ahead of Spangler to become the 10th different winner in 10 previous trips for the traveling 305 Sprint division to the Pigeon Hills oval. Brent Comp, Nike Fleet and Scott Ellerman finished third through fifth.
Completing the top-10 were Jim Wentz, Dave Wilson, Dave Youtzy, Andy Haus, and Scott Smith.
Heats for the 31 “305” Sprints on hand were won by Tim Kline, Youtzy and Watkins, with Mike Heckman winning the consolation.
Next Saturday night, September 8th, at 6 PM, the 358 Sprint cars will take billing in the annual 358 Sprint Championship. The traditional final point race of 2007 for the 358 sprinters will determined this season’s track champion by nights’ end. Time trials will be used to determine the evening’s starting line-ups. In addition, the evening will mark the second night of the Trail-Way/Lincoln Speedway Shootout for the 358 Sprints as well with the top-10 from the combined two nights of racing being awarded bonus money for their efforts.
In addition, the 358 Late Models will race in the their final race of the season at the Pigeon Hills oval which will also determine that division’s track champion. This could be the most thrilling race of the night, as less than 100 points separate the top-nine in points and mathematically anyone in the top-14 in points has a shot at the inaugural track title. Jerry Bard clings to a slim five-point lead over both Shaun Jones and Bobby Beard, with the winner of the evening’s feature event quite possibly winning the title.
The thundercars will round out the evening’s racing action as they continue to battle for points towards their track championship.
Racing action will get underway with time trials for the 358 sprints at 6 PM. Gates will open at 4 PM.
To get all the latest news, results, schedule changes and rule changes, visit Lincoln Speedway’s website at http://www.lincolnspeedway.com to stay up-to-date on all the action or pending weather conditions at Central Pennsylvania’s “Premier” Saturday night race track – The Fabulous Lincoln Speedway.
RACE RESULTSSaturday – September 1, 2007
LINCOLN SPEEDWAYAbbottstown, PA
410 SPRINTS:
Make-up 8/25 Feature (20 Laps) – 1. 25-Chad Layton ($2,500); 2. 30-Doug Esh; 3. 51-Fred Rahmer; 4. 59-Jim Siegel; 5. 10N-Niki Young; 6. 71-Brian Leppo; 7. 47J-Jeff Busby; 8. 17B-Steve Buckwalter; 9. 87-Alan Krimes; 10. 20-Ryan Taylor; 11. 45-AJ Michael; 12. 6W-Josh Wells; 13. 65-Johnny Mackison Jr.; 14. X-Bobby Weaver; 15. 12-Mike Bittinger; 16. 38N-Nick Schlauch Jr.; 17. 4R-John Rudisill; 18. .08-Joe Ilg (DNF); 19. 7E-Cris Eash (DNF); 20. 26-Pat Cooper (DNF); 21. 21-Brian Montieth (DNF); 22. 25O-Aaron Ott (DNF); 23. 43-Doug Dodson (DNF); 24. 21M-Danny Murray (DNF). No Time
Lap Leaders – Jim Siegel (1-3), Chad Layton (4-20)
Regularly Scheduled Feature (25 Laps) – 1. 87-Alan Krimes ($3,000); 2. 65-Johnny Mackison Jr.; 3. 26-Pat Cooper; 4. 6K-Chris Knopp; 5. 30C-Lance Dewease; 6. 51-Fred Rahmer; 7. 10N-Niki Young; 8. 22-Greg Hodnett; 9. 38N-Nick Schlauch Jr.; 10. 45-AJ Michael; 11. 25-Chad Layton; 12. 20-Ryan Taylor; 13. 6W-Josh Wells; 14. 71-Brian Leppo; 15. 11C-Cory Haas; 16. 7E-Cris Eash; 17. 21-Brian Montieth; 18. X-Bobby Weaver; 19. 17B-Steve Buckwalter; 20. 47J-Jeff Busby; 21. 23-Todd Zinn; 22. 30-Doug Esh (DNF); 23. .08-Joe Ilg (DNF); 24. 12-Mike Bittinger (DNF). No Time