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Matt Hirschman Digs Deep For Evergreen Father’s Day
Victory
By:
Gene
Ostrowski
June
15, 2008
After being rained out on Saturday and rescheduled for Sunday, tens of
past champions and competitors from Evergreen Raceway took part in
Mountain Speedway’s first annual Evergreen Raceway Reunion. In typical
short track racing style, fender rubbing and flying tempers showcased
the afternoon. When it was all said and done, Matt Hirschman was
victorious in the modified feature, as was Paul Koehler, Jr. in the late
model ranks. Chip Wanamaker found victory lane in the street stocks and
Scott Adams barely won the thriller main event.
Berwick’s Chris Whitenight started from the pole in the 75-lap PA
Asphalt Modified Championship Series feature event and paced the field
for the first circuit until Billy “The Kid” Pauch took the top spot.
Only three laps into the race, Steven Reed worked his way into second
with Whitenight, Brian DeFebo and Johnny Bush rounding out the top five.
Being winners in the series earlier this season, Matt Hirschman and
Rusty Smith started deep in the field and began to patiently work their
way toward the top five. Only eighteen laps in, Hirschman, who started
eleventh, blasted by Bush to take fifth.
The first of six caution flags flew when Barry Buchman spun on the
backstretch on lap twenty-four. Hirschman moved by DeFebo to take
fourth on the restart and set his sights on Whitenight. That was until
the caution flew a lap later when Barry Callavini received a flat right
front tire.
It was believed that Whitenight was leaking fluid onto the speedway
during that period and track officials asked the driver to bring his car
pit side for a quick inspection. Due to working on the car in the pit
area, Whitenight was forced to restart at the tail end of the field
after a stellar top five performance.
Hirschman lined up third for the restart and pulled a daring three-wide
maneuver by Reed and Pauch for the lead off of turn two. DeFebo moved
to second within the next ten laps. Pauch still held third, with Reed
and Busch in the top five.
Problems struck Reed on forty-four laps in when he brought out the
caution for a turn three spin. After a great run in the top five, Reed
was forced to rejoin the tail end of the pack.
Green flag racing resumed and Smith was on a charge. The NY native
began to blister off his fastest laps of the event and eventually caught
and passed DeFebo for the second spot on lap sixty-five. Not long
before, Bush slipped back a spot and Kyle Ebersole entered the top five.
Despite the late race charge by Smith, the Northampton, PA native
grabbed his second $2500 win of the season in the series. Smith, who
started thirteenth, settled for second. DeFebo, Pauch and Ebersole
completed the top five.
“It’s great to win one this way, on Father’s Day” said Hirschman in
victory lane. “My dad (Tony Hirschman) and car owners are here today”.
Hirschman explained his three-wide pass for the lead earlier in the
event and said “The track officials told us in the driver’s meeting
today that since we won in the series, we would have to start deep,
behind the qualified cars”. It was a setback for the talented driver,
but as Hirschman said, “I just had to be a little more aggressive
earlier on”.
Pauch, who was the leader on the third lap, received a $100 bonus from
Wheels Bar & Grill.
Kyle Ebersole, Brian DeFebo and Johnny Bush were heat race winners.
Dave Luff sat on the pole position in the 30-lap late model contest and
was quickly overtaken by Paul Koehler, Jr. shortly after the drop of the
green flag.
With five laps complete, Joe Hoffman worked his way into the second
spot, followed by Brian DeFebo, Tony Volpe and Jim Lamoreaux.
The worst of two cautions came on lap twelve when Mike Sweeney, Volpe,
Lamoreaux, Travis Fisher, Mike Radocha, Jr. and Earl Paules collected on
the front stretch. The accident was unfortunate for Sweeney, who led
the point standings coming into the event.
Lamoreaux hit the pits for service and made his way back to the speedway
for the restart. First, he shot by Fisher for fifth. Then on lap
twenty-eight he got around DeFebo for third and set sail for Hoffman.
Koehler held off Hoffman to notch his second late model win of the
season. DeFebo and Paules battled it out for fourth and coming off of
turn four, DeFebo got spun around.
Lamoreaux, Fisher and Ricky Ross, Jr. rounded out the top five.
Heat race wins went to Paul Koehler, Jr. and Jim Lamoreaux.
Rookie of the year contender, Steve Shultz, led the street stock field
to the drop of the green flag in the 25-lap feature event. Shultz took
command with Richie DiMarco in second and Chip Wanamaker third.
Wanamaker began to pressure DiMarco for second and with five laps
complete DiMarco found himself out of shape and into a turn three spin.
He restarted from the tail end of the field for the lap five restart.
Just before halfway, Shultz continued to lead over Wanamaker, Ron
Babula, Scott Meckes and Bill Vanderveen.
After a short caution on lap nineteen, Wanamaker made a surge by Shultz
and into the lead. Sones broke into the top five on the following lap,
but trouble struck him and he lost a wheel in turn one. After suffering
heavy damage to his race car, Sones retired from the event.
Despite a number of late races charges by DiMarco, Wanamaker took the
checkers for his second win of the season. Babula, Brian Wozniak and
Vanderveen completed the top five.
Scott Meckes and Richie DiMarco were heat race winners.
Mike Moyer, Sr. took part in the Evergreen Raceway reunion and led the
thriller field to the drop of the green flag in the 20-lap feature. It
didn’t take long for his son, Mike, Jr. to grab second and attempt to
chase down his dad.
Wayne low slowly began to work on the Moyers and Lowe took command of
the race on lap seven after a three-wide move. His lead was short
lived, as Moyer, Sr. powered back by and into the lead on the following
circuit.
Lowe slipped to fourth by halfway, but Moyer, Sr. remained out front
ahead of Nick Shaw and Scott Adams. Shortly after Adams grabbed second
from Shaw and began to apply pressure to Moyer.
The top two ran side by side in the closing laps with Adams having the
inside lane advantage. As the two crossed the finish line side-by-side,
it was Adams who won the event by a mere 0.03 seconds over Moyer, Sr.
Shaw ended up finishing third. Lowe held on for fourth with Moyer, Jr
fifth.
Many EMMR vintage stock cars were on hand for the afternoon, as was
Sundance Vacations of Wilkes-Barre, PA. Sundance gave fans the chance
to fill out a form with a chance to win free gasoline for an entire
year, or six tickets to the 2009 Daytona 500.
Results
Modified (75-laps)
1. MATT
HIRSCHMAN 2. Rusty Smith 3. Brian Defebo 4. Billy Pauch Jr 5. Kyle
Ebersole 6. Johnny Bush 7. Andy Walko 8. Chris Whitenight 9. Lewis
Hallock 10. Steve Tooker 11. Steven Reed 12. Tommy Flanagan 13. Chris
Ammon 14. Eric Kocher 15. Barry Callavini 16. Barry Buchman DNS: Earl
Paules, Nevin George, Todd Baer, Don Holland
Late Models (30-laps) 1. PAUL KOEHLER, JR 2. Joe Hoffman 3. Jim
Lamoreaux 4. Travis Fisher 5. Ricky Ross Jr 6. Tony Volpe 7. Mike
Radocha Jr 8. Dave Luff 9. Joseph Burns 10. Frank Hughes 11. Brian
Defebo 12. Earl Paules 13. Frank Katona 14. Mike Sweeney 15. Geno
Steigerwalt 16. Augie Hahn DNS:.Dan Berlitz
Street Stocks (25-laps) 1. CHIP WANAMAKER 2. Rich Dimarco 3. Ron Babula
4. Brian Wozniak 5. Bill Vanderveen 6. Scott Meckes 7. CJ Lehmann 8.
Keith St Clair 9. Steve Shultz 10. Brian Sones 11. Josh Oswald 12.
Michelle Mooremam
Thrillers (20-laps)
1. SCOTT ADAMS
2. Mike Moyer Sr 3. Nick Shaw 4. Wayne Lowe 5. Mike Moyer Jr 6. Paul
Morgan Jr. 7. Nick Ross
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