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Hirschman on top after PA Asphalt Mod Champ Series victory
By: Gene Ostrowski
April
20, 2008
Race
fans from across the Northeast flocked to Mountain Speedway for the
official opening day on Sunday. It was the first of six races for the
PA Asphalt Modified Champ Series, plus all other divisions took the
green flag for the features based on pole day time trials. It was a
brutal fight to the finish for some, but not for Matt Hirschman, as he
cruised to victory in the modified feature. Earl Paules visited victory
lane in the late models, as did Chip Wanamaker in the street stocks.
Scott Adams was victorious in thriller competition and Nikki Wachs
notched the 4 cyl. FWD verdict.
Twenty-one modifieds ran heat races to determine the starting grid
for the 75-lap feature event. Matt Hirschman, Rusty Smith and Brian
DeFebo were victorious in the heat races and began the main event in the
top three starting positions.
Northampton’s Matt Hirschman brought the field down to the green flag
for the start of the feature and moved into the early lead, until the
caution flew with six laps in the books, due to a Geary Rinehimer spin
in turn two.
Again, Hirschman, with a great restart remain atop the field.
Another caution flag waived when Justin Gumley went around in turn
number three. Until that point, Gumley’s car looked strong and it
didn’t take long for him to retake positions after the restart.
With a third of the race complete, Hirschman remained out front,
ahead of DeFebo, Earl Paules, Rusty Smith and Chris Whitenight.
Meanwhile, Kyle Ebersole began to pick off cars after starting eighth.
Pete Brittian got around Whitenight for fifth on lap twenty-six, but
steam fluming from his machine forced him pit side thirteen laps later.
Paules overtook DeFebo for second with fifty-three laps complete.
Deeper back in the field, Ebersole battled with Whitenight for fifth,
but the two tangled off of turn two on lap fifty-five. The end result
was Whitenight’s car coming to a rest on the back stretch wall, and he
retired from the event.
With Hirschman out front, Smith appeared to be the only driver who
could give the leader a run to the checkers. With sixty-one laps
recorded, Smith disposed of Paules for second. Brian DeFebo slipped to
fourth and Andy Walko moved into the fifth spot after starting sixth on
the grid.
During the remaining restarts, Smith attempted to reel in the leader,
but was unsuccessful during the closing circuits. Smith was the
runner-up, followed by Paules and Walko. Gumley rallied to finish fifth
after restarting from the rear of the field early in the event. Rising
star, Billy Pauch, Jr, ended up sixth after taking the initial green
from the fifteenth starting spot.
Hirschman, a driver on the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour commented on
his win at the 1/3-mile oval. “It’s always good to be back here at
Mountain. “This is where I started and I went on to race at a lot of
cool places, but it’s great to come back.
The modified standout admitted that his accomplishments at the
speedway are stellar. “I’ve got a really impressive record here, but
the last few times that I’ve been here it’s been spread out over a
couple of years”.
Hirschman had one start at the speedway in 2007 and won the feature
event on that day also. The driver said that he plans to run a few more
of the PA Asphalt Modified Champ Series events this season.
The late model, street stock, thriller and 4 cyl. FWD divisions
redrew for starting spots, based on a number that the “pole day” fast
timers pulled from a bag. That put Kyle Harvell on the pole position
for the 30-lap late model feature.
Slow getting up to speed on the initial start, Harvell headed
backwards and Joe Brown grabbed the lead. During the same period, Joe
Hoffman moved from ninth to fourth.
Earl Paules began the race in fifth, but once a lap clicked off, the
veteran racer found himself making a bid for the lead, which he got by
lap two.
The second caution flag of the race flew on lap three, when Todd
Geist and Brian DeFebo tangled in turn one. DeFebo was able to
continue, but Geist headed to the pits on a tow truck after sustaining
heavy damage from the wall.
By lap fifteen, Mike Sweeney moved into second, with Hoffman, Jim
Lamoreaux and Brown in tow.
The final half of the event remained the same for the top five racers
as Paules cruised to victory.
“That 75-lap modified race really helped me”, said Paules, a resident
of Palmerton, PA. “I knew where to run on the racetrack and that was a
big event there, but this car was awesome”.
Josh Oswald is a rookie this season in the street stock division and
led the field to the drop of the green flag for the start of the 25-lap
feature.
With only a lap scored, Richie DiMarco took control of the race and
by lap eight, Chip Wanamaker held second after starting fifth. At this
point in the race Scott Meckes worked his way into third, with Danny
Cascioli fourth and Brad Kline fifth.
Two circuits later, Wanamaker worked his way around DiMarco and the
two swapped the top spot over the next few laps. Eventually DiMarco
slipped back and both, Meckes and Kline moved up a position.
Wanamaker went on to claim the checkers over Meckes, Kline, DiMarco
and Cascioli.
Starting from the outside of row one, Bill Price, Jr. overtook pole
sitter, Kyle Heckman before a lap was scored in the 20-lap thriller
feature.
Trouble struck Nick Ross, the fast timer from pole day on lap three.
Apparently a right front hub broke on his machine and he lost the
wheel. Unfortunately, his day was finished.
Price held the lead and with five laps completed he had to contend
with Scott Adams, Nick Shaw and Mike Moyer, Jr.
The leader slipped up the race track on lap nine, which allowed Adams
to grab the lead and Shaw followed through as well.
Adams held off Shaw over the remaining laps to seal the deal with his
second career victory. Shaw, Price, Moyer and Heckman completed the top
five.
Ken Kleppinger started from the pole in the 20-lap 4 cyl. FWD main
event. He led the first two circuits before Nikki Wachs grabbed the
lead.
It didn’t take long for Bill Verwys, Sr. to net the second spot and
also for Jeff Biegley to move into third. Verwys appeared to have a
fast race car, but he began to experience engine problems after the
halfway mark.
By the races end, it was Wachs, who held off Biegley, Kleppinger,
Verwys and Jake Oswald to notch her first victory of the season.
The Garden State Vintage Stock Car Club had nearly twenty vehicles on
display for the race fans, plus U.S. Army representatives were on hand
with a rock-climbing wall for race-goers. Fans also had the opportunity
to register for a 2009 Daytona 500 give away package, which was courtesy
of Sundance Vacations of Wilkes-Barre, PA.
For up-to-date weekly results, news and point standings, please visit
www.mountainspeedway.com.
PA Asphalt Modified
Champ Series (75-Laps)
Matt Hirschman
2. Rusty Smith 3. Earl Paules 4. Andy Walko 5. Justin Gumley 6. Billy
Pauch Jr 7. Brian Defebo 8. Barry Callavini 9. Todd Baer 10. Johnny Bush
11. John Markovic 12. Kyle Ebersole 13. Steve Tooker 14. Matt Clemens
15. Eddie Brunnhoelzl III 16. Lewis Hallock 17.Mike Andrews 18. Chris
Whitenight 19. Pete Brittian 20. Geary Rinehimer 21. Tommy Wanick
Late Models
(30-Laps) Earl Paules 2. Mike Sweeney 3. Jim Lamoreaux 4. Joe Hoffman 5. Joe Brown
6. Rodger Heffelfinger Jr. 7. Brian Defebo 8. Paul Koehler 9. Tony Volpe
10. Ricky Ross Jr 11. Elliott Wohl 12. Rob Koller 13. Dave Luff 14.
Augie Hahn 15. Kyle Harvell 16. Todd Geist
Street Stocks
(25-Laps) Chip Wanamaker 2. Scott Meckes 3. Brad Kline 4. Rich Dimarco 5. Dan
Cascioli 6. Steve Shultz 7. Rodney Gruber 8. Brian Wozniak 9. Elliott
Wohl 10. Josh Oswald 11. Keith St Clair 12. Jarred Aigeldinger 13. Paul
Frantz DNS: Mark Brown Jr
Thrillers (20-Laps)
Scott Adams 2. Nick Shaw 3. Bill Price Jr 4. Mike Moyer Jr 5. Kyle
Heckman 6. Kermit Jacoby 7. Bob Wink 8. Nick Ross
4 Cyl FWDs (20-Laps)
Nikki Wachs 2. Jeff Biegley 3. Ken Kleppinger 4. Bill Verwys Sr 5. Jake
Oswald 6. Eric Banashefski
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