GODOWN CAPTURES FIRST BIG DIAMOND VICTORY OF THE YEAR ON FINAL LAP
(Track Press Release by Gary Lileck) Forestville, PA – August 20, 2010 – On a last lap restart, Ryan Godown moved into the race lead and captured his first 358 Modified feature victory of the season Friday night at Big Diamond Raceway. The Ringoes NJ based racer passed young 15-year old competitor Michael Weinert, who came so close to winning a first career Modified feature.
August 20, 2010 Video Highlights
Order the complete race night DVD at the GSP Shop or get it at the track!
358 Modifieds Feature Highlights
Sportsman Feature Highlights
Roadrunners Feature Highlights
Chicken Run Challenge Roadrunner 1-on-1 Highlights
Craig Whitmoyer of Hamburg took the lead on lap 6 of the Sportsman feature and cruised to a dominant victory, his second of the season. Kevin Olenick of Forestville was victorious in the Roadrunner feature, despite losing power steering just past the event’s half-way point. Tom Hablett of Schuylkill Haven was the overall winner of the Roadrunner Kauffman’s BBQ Chicken Run Challenge Match Races.
Only two Friday night shows remain this season at the speedway. Friday August 27 is Big Diamond Fan Page Awards Night and the final points race for 358 Modifieds, Sportsman, and Wooden Keg Tavern Roadrunners. The following Friday, September 3, is the Sportsman Coalcracker 50 presented by Pioneer Pole Buildings along with a 358 Modified non-winner’s race and Roadrunner 20. The 30th presentation of the famed Coalcracker 100 for 358 Modifieds (also presented by PPB) is slated for Sunday September 5.
Just three caution flags slowed the 25-lap 358 Modified feature, and Dan Hineline set a blistering pace in the early going. Weinert looked to the inside lane on numerous occasions, but Hineline remained up front during the event’s opening 16-laps. As the pair cruised into turns one and two of lap 17, Weinert made the pass and took control of the race lead. Godown, who started tenth, quickly followed into the runner-up spot.
Weinert continued to lead Godown, who was starting to experience issues with a right rear tire that was going away during the event’s closing moments. Weinert remained in control until the caution flag waved with just one circuit remaining. On the ensuing single file restart, Godown gave it one last attempt on the inside lane and pulled into the race lead through turns one and two.
Godown, driving Norm Hansell’s #357, grabbed his third career BDR feature win and first since his huge victory in the 2009 Coalcracker 100 (Sept. 6). Godown, who is competing in his third full season of BDR competition after racing weekly for many years in his home state of New Jersey, became the 12th different 358 Modified feature winner of 2010.
Weinert (Tamaqua) moved into the Modified division back in May and has been strong since that time. His second place effort was the best of his young Diamond career. Veteran racer Ray Swinehart (Perkiomonville) actually took part in a brilliant battle with Godown earlier in the event, and settled for third at the finish. Making a second straight BDR start, Billy Pauch (Frenchtown NJ) raced from 17thto fourth and new points leader Doug Manmiller (Shoemakersville) advanced from 22nd to fifth.
Outside front-row starter Colt Harris (Pitman) finished sixth ahead of John Willman (Birdsboro), Ryan Watt (Boyertown), Sean Merkel (Bechtelsville) and Kevin Albert (Lebanon). Craig Von Dohren, who had been leading the points during most of the season, was involved in a wild crash on the opening lap, where his machine received enough damage to retire, and he was scored in the 25thposition.
In the 20-lap Sportsman main event, Corey Renninger led the early moments. A huge lap two crash took place in turns one and two and it involved all but ten cars. Mike Loney powered to the inside of Renninger on lap 4 and three-time track champion Whitmoyer quickly followed into the runner-up position. Whitmoyer placed his machine to the outside of Loney in turn two of lap six and powered into the race lead as they battled down the backstretch. In just five laps, Whitmoyer enjoyed a full-straightaway lead over Loney.
A caution with four laps remaining set up a nice battle between Loney and Kevin Beach for the runner-up spot, which went to Beach on lap 17. Whitmoyer captured his 25th career Sportsman feature victory, which ranks first on the all-time winner’s list followed by Beach (Llewellyn) and Loney (Taylor). Second generation talent Jared Umbenhauer (Richland) moved into fourth on lap 15 and remained there at the finish. Opening Day winner Tim Fitzpatrick (Branchdale) returned after a week off and finished in fifth.
Shawn Fitzpatrick (Pottsville), a winner on August 6, claimed the sixth position over new points leader and previous race winner Mike Mammana (Nazareth). After struggling with engine issues on the previous Friday, Billy Moyer Jr. (Pine Grove) returned for a strong eighth place finish while 19th place starter Andy Fayash Jr. (Mary D) claimed the ninth spot. Kevin Brady (Millersburg), in only his third start of the season, rounded out the top ten.
Second generation racer Chip Kennedy, led the 20-lap Roadrunner feature field to an opening green flag. Nate Klinger took the lead on lap two, but a resilient Kennedy reclaimed the position on lap four. With six laps completed, a vicious crash took place on the front stretch involving former co-champion Joey Hendricks, Klinger, and young second year racer Dylan Quinn. The red flag was thrown as Quinn’s machine rolled over and sustained heavy damage. Quinn’s car actually competed since the early 90s, and has been active for a long time. Quinn was not injured in the accident.
On the restart, defending track champion K. Olenick tossed his #450 to the outside of Chip Kennedy and took the top spot. For several laps, K. Olenick, Kennedy, and Ed Kuperavage raced closely for the top spot with K. Olenick remaining up front. Kevin grabbed his eighth career Roadrunner victory followed by Kennedy (Donaldson) who was back in the field after a week away. Kuperavage (Donaldson) finished third while Elvin Brennan (Pottsville) made some late race maneuvers to take the fourth position. After making an earlier pit stop Ryan Olenick (Forestville) charged up to the fifth position.
Marc Berzowski (Branchdale) ran in the front five throughout most of the event’s duration and settled for sixth in the end. July 9 winner Steve Gromis (Robesonia) finished seventh and veteran driver/owner Jim Kost (Pottsville) grabbed the eighth spot. In a race where attrition took its toll, the ninth and final driver to finish was Mike Kuperavage (Port Carbon), who was making his first ever BDR start in the Roadrunner class.
FRIDAY AUGUST 20 – COMPLETE RESULTS
358 MODIFIEDS
FEATURE (25-LAPS): 1) 357-Ryan Godown, 2) 18-Michael Weinert, 3) 33-Ray Swinehart, 4) 1-Billy Pauch, 5) 14M-Doug Manmiller, 6) CR7-Colt Harris, 7) 74W-John Willman, 8) 14W-Ryan Watt, 9) 118-Sean Merkel, 10) 3A-Kevin Albert Jr., 11) 15x-Dan Hineline, 12) R1-Rick Laubach, 13) 5-Ricky Yetter, 14) 37-Nate Christman, 15) 44B-Jim Bobbitt Jr., 16) 42-Kyle Follweiler, 17) 14-Jimmy Horton, 18) 87-Andy Burkhart, 19) 88D-Meme DeSantis, 20) 14D-AJ DeSantis, 21) 27-Troy Wink, 22) 44-Gary Hager, 23) T102-Billy Pauch Jr., 24) 41-Jeff Strunk, 25) 1c-Craig Von Dohren, 26) 21-Addison Meitzler.
HEAT WINNERS: Godown, Yetter, Harris
CONSI WINNER: Albert
DNQ: 72-Ray Woodall Jr., 57-Bill Gensler, 78-Neil Huber, 711J-Mark Levy, 24-Scott Miller, J3-Dale Hartz, 34-Mark Behm, 01-Dan Weisempacher, 29-Dwayne Guistwite.
UNOFFICIAL POINTS: 1) Manmiller-1844, 2) Von Dohren-1814, 3) Willman-1598, 4) Laubach-1538, 5) Strunk-1478, 6) M. DeSantis-1442, 7) Pauch Jr.-1430, 8) Albert-1421, 9) Hager-1414, 10) Godown-1363, 11) Harris-1218, 12) Follweiler-1189, 13) Yetter-1150, 14) Swinehart-1146, 15) AJ DeSantis-976.SPORTSMAN
FEATURE (20-LAPS): 1) 99-Craig Whitmoyer, 2) 17x-Kevin Beach, 3) 17D-Mike Loney, 4) 19U-Jared Umbenhauer, 5) T102-Tim Fitzpatrick, 6) 102-Shawn Fitzpatrick, 7) 71-Mike Mammana, 8) 17-Billy Moyer Jr., 9) 45x-Andy Fayash Jr., 10) 0-Kevin Brady, 11) 7-Kevin Smith, 12) 5-Jordan Dreher, 13) 8H-Doug Hendricks, 14) 14J-Joey Funk III, 15) 64-Wayne Witmer, 16) 88D-Nick DeSantis, 17) J3-Corey Renninger, 18) 00-John Kovatch IV, 19) 93-Ryan Moyer, 20) 343-Jeremy Hertzog, 21) 8JR-Warren Floyd Jr., 22) 19-Brad Brightbill, 23) 04-Steven Hughes, 24) 32-Kevin Reese, 25) 15-Mike Lisowski Jr., 26) 15H-Chris Hetzog, 27) 520-Kenny Eckert Jr.
HEAT WINNERS: R. Moyer, Whitmoyer, Lisowski.
UNOFFICIAL POINTS: 1) Mammana-1625, 2) Whitmoyer-1622, 3) Brightbill-1593, 4) Beach-1566, 4) Loney-1566, 6) Smith-1484, 7) D. Hendricks-1469, 9) Umbenhauer-1290, 9) T. Fitzpatrick-1232, 10) Hughes-1132, 11) Lisowski-1121, 12) B. Moyer Jr.-1028, 13) Sammy Piazza-1016, 14) Funk III-998, 15) Justin Andrews-965.WOODEN KEG TAVERN ROADRUNNERS
FEATURE (20-LAPS): 1) 450-Kevin Olenick, 2) 98K-Chip Kennedy, 3) 23-Ed Kuperavage, 4) 555-Elvin Brennan, 5) 45-Ryan Olenick, 6) 66K-Marc Berzowski, 7) 22G-Steve Gromis, 8) 126-Jim Kost, 9) 23K-Mike Kuperavage, 10) 29B-Ricky Bender, 11) 550-Joe Kavanaugh, 12) 40-Jon Schlauch, 13) 00-Glenn Rowan, 14) 4-Nate Klinger, 15) 11x-Joey Hendricks, 16) 6-Dylan Quinn, 17) 17-Tyler Vidal, 18) 61s-Christian Donati, 19) 22-Tom Hablett, 20) 101-Jeremy Slifko, 21) CR7-Jordan Quinn.
HEAT WINNERS: Kennedy, Klinger
KAFFMAN’S BBQ CHICKEN RUN CHALLENGE RACE WINNERS: Berzowski (1), Bender (5), Hablett (3). Overall winner: Hablett over Klinger.
UNOFFICIAL POINTS: 1) E. Brennan-1869, 2) R. Olenick-1839, 3) K. Olenick-1801, 4) J. Hendricks-1689, 5) Hablett-1660, 6) E. Kuperavage-1655, 7) Bender-1601, 8) Klinger-1525, 9) Berzowski-1501, 10) Gromis-1483, 11) Toby Chase-1422, 12) Kost-1383, 13) Kavanaugh-1288, 14) Donati-1239, 15) Kennedy-1178.
