RICKY YETTER CAPTURES FIRST CAREER BIG DIAMOND RACEWAY FEATURE VICTORY

(Track Press Release by Gary Lileck) Forestville, PA – June 11, 2010 – Ricky Yetter of Easton PA powered to his first career Big Diamond Raceway 25-lap feature victory Friday evening at the Big Diamond Raceway. Yetter passed six-time track champion Jeff Strunk on a lap 12 restart and remained in control throughout the final laps of the 358 Modified main event.

June 11, 2010 Video Highlights

Order the complete race night DVD at the GSP Shop or get it at the track!

358 Modifieds Feature Highlights

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anvrMyqFUwU

Sportsman Feature Highlights

Roadrunners Feature Highlights

Tom Brennan of Pottsville PA turned around his hard luck filled season with a victory in the 20-lap Sportsman feature while Elvin Brennan of Forestville PA grabbed his second straight 20-lap Wooden Keg Roadrunner feature win.

Jim Bobbitt Jr., a new competitor to the speedway this season, led the 358 Modified feature’s opening lap. Yetter, who started second, cruised into the top spot on the second circuit. Strunk began from 11th and abruptly advanced into second behind Yetter on the event’s fourth lap. On a lap seven restart, Strunk tossed his machine to the outside and wrestled the front spot away from Yetter as they powered through turns one and two.

The caution flag was unfurled for Rick Laubach’s machine, which suffered a flat right rear tire while running in third. On the ensuing lap 12 restart, Strunk chose the inside lane for his starting position. At Big Diamond Raceway, the leader has the choice of beginning from inside or outside. When the green flag fell, Yetter made an impressive pass on Strunk to reclaim the top spot.

With five laps to go, Yetter’s #5 machine started to experience a vibration, however, he remained in complete control of the contest. Yetter remained a few lengths ahead of Strunk as the laps clicked away. The racing attorney became the seventh different 358 Modified feature winner of the season.

After a enthusiastic victory celebration atop his car Yetter thanked fellow competitor Kyle Follweiler for the use of one of the teams carburetors. It seems only fitting as years ago when the young Follweiller was cutting his teeth in quarter midgets, Yetters dad was the engine builder on the machines that Kyle Follweiler captured several hundred wins with at various tracks over severall years.

Strunk and Ryan Godown (Ringoes NJ) raced closely at times with the Mohnton PA based racer finishing in the runner-up spot over Godown. Doug Manmiller (Shoemakersville) made some strong maneuvers early in the contest and raced from 14th to fourth. Meme DeSantis (Temple), a feature winner ealier in the season, drove from 12th to fifth.

Third year racer Kevin Albert Jr. (Lebanon) continued his strong season with a sixth place finish while points leader Craig Von Dohren (Boyertown) ended up in seventh. Gary Hager (Stewartsville NJ) rebounded from an earlier accident to claim eighth while recent returner to the speedway Ryan Watt (Boyertown) finished ninth. Third generation talent Billy Pauch Jr. (Frenchtown NJ) rounded out the top ten.

Despite four caution flags in the early going, the Sportsman feature continued with mostly green flag laps. Tom Brennan started outside pole and led the contest from wire-to-wire. Brennan reported after the event that his car lost a cylinder during the closing circuits, but had enough strength to endure the entire race.

Brennan and Ryan Moyer separated themselves from the field during the opening half of the event. Greg Weiland challenged Moyer and passed him on the inside lane of lap 13, but Brennan continued to show the way. Brennan, a former track champion, captured his sixteenth career Sportsman feature win.

Weiland (Port Carbon) settled for second while R. Moyer (Schuylkill Haven) finished a season’s best of third. 2008 track champion Brad Brightbill (Sinking Springs) ended up in fourth while Mike Loney (Taylor) charged from 12th to fifth.

Second year Roadrunner driver Christian Donati led the opening 6-laps of their main event until eighth starter Elvin Brennan took advantage of Donati’s car pushing up the racetrack in turn four of lap seven. Brennan scampered into the race lead and built a solid advantage over his competition. Brennan scored his twelfth career BDR victory behind the wheel of his #555 Nova bodied car.

Donati (Schuylkill Haven) remained on top of an exciting second place battle. Tommy Hablett (Schuylkill Haven) passed Joey Brennan (Minersville) on the final lap to claim third. Ryan Olenick (Forestville) split a pair of cars earlier in the event to take fifth and secured the position.

BIG DIAMOND RACEWAY COMPLETE RESULTS – FRIDAY JUNE 11, 2010

358 MODIFIED FEATURE (25-LAPS): 1) 5-Ricky Yetter, 2) 41-Jeff Strunk, 3) 357-Ryan Godown, 4) 14M-Doug Manmiller, 5) 88D-Meme DeSantis, 6) 3A-Kevin Albert Jr., 7) 1c-Craig Von Dohren, 8) 44-Gary Hager, 9) 14W-Ryan Watt, 10) T102-Billy Pauch Jr., 11) 21-Addison Meitzler, 12) CR7-Colt Harris, 13) 18-Michael Weinert, 14) 88DX-AJ DeSantis, 15) 44B-Jim Bobbitt Jr., 16) 42-Kyle Follweiler, 17) R1-Rick Laubach, 18) 27-Troy Wink, 19) J3-Dale Hartz, 20) 24-Scott Miller, 21) 33-Ray Swinehart, 22) 74W-John Willman, 23) 37x-Tommy Scheetz Jr., 24) 78-Neil Huber, 25) 39-Danny Nicholas, 26) 102-Shawn Fitzpatrick. DNQ: 34-Mark Behm, 15x-Dan Hineline. HEAT WINNERS: Scheetz, Yetter, Hager. CONSI WINNER: Wink.

SPORTSMAN FEATURE (20-LAPS): 1) 26-Tom Brennan, 2) M5-Greg Weiland, 3) 93-Ryan Moyer, 4) 19-Brad Brightbill, 5) 17D-Mike Loney, 6) 71-Mike Mammana, 7) 99-Craig Whitmoyer, 8) 8H-Doug Hendricks, 9) 04-Steven Hughes, 10) 17x-Kevin Beach, 11) 14J-Joey Funk III, 12) 17-Billy Moyer Jr., 13) 88D-Nick DeSantis, 14) 7-Kevin Smith, 15) 24H-Justin Andrews, 16) J3-Corey Renninger, 17) 520-Kenny Eckert Jr., 18) 32-Kevin Reese, 19) 00-John Kovatch IV, 20) 29-Sammy Piazza, 21) 15-Mike Lisowski Jr., 22) 45x-Andy Fayash Jr., 23) 8JR-Waren Floyd Jr., 24) T102-Tim Fitzpatrick, 25) 5-Jordan Dreher, 26) 31-Harry Landis. DNS: 72-Ray Woodall Jr. DNQ: 64-Wayne Witmer, 83-Josh Hertzog, M7-Shane Moser, 8-Brad Force, 19U-Jared Umbenhauer. HEAT WINNERS: R. Moyer, Woodall, T. Fitzpatrick. CONSI WINNER: Hughes.

WOODEN KEG TAVERN ROADRUNNER FEATURE (20-LAPS): 1) 555-Elvin Brennan, 2) 61s-Christian Donati, 3) 22-Tommy Hablett, 4) 105-Joey Brennan, 5) 45-Ryan Olenick, 6) 450-Kevin Olenick, 7) 88-Toby Chase, 8) 11x-Joey Hendricks, 9) 98K-Chip Kennedy, 10) 29B-Ricky Bender, 11) 4-Nate Klinger, 12) 23-Ed Kuperavage, 13) 22G-Steve Gromis, 14) 550-Joe Kavanaugh, 15) 95K-Kody Sites, 16) 97-Jeremy Becker, 17) 66K-Marc Berzowski, 18) 6-Dylan Quinn, 19) 17-Tyler Vidal, 20) CR7-Jordan Quinn. DNS: 126-Jim Kost, 16D-Dave Miller. HEAT WINNERS: R. Olenick, Berzowski.