Tim Guild now 1-for-1 at The Hill Speedway
Media Contact: Steven Ovens - turnfivemedia@gmail.com
For Immediate Release – May 26th, 2018 – Turn 5 Media photo -
(MONROETON, PA) – It was a hot, sticky day in the Twin Tiers or New York and Pennsylvania which set up a hot night of racing on the tricky quarter-mile up on the hill at The Hill Speedway. Tim Guild, Keith Jack Lamphere, Kevin Garland, Stan Matthews, Scott Bump and Adam DelGrosso all picked up victories on RC Welding night at the race.
Tim Guild had never seen The Hill Speedway until Friday night- but he left The Hill batting a thousand. Dalton Maynard and Chris Clemens led the field to the green flag in the 20-lap A-Main for the new division added for 2018. Clemens led the opening lap, but newcomer to The Hill Speedway, Ray Dann, put the BA Racing Supply No. 104 on top of the heap on lap two.
Rich Talada had a great run going in second place, but a spin in turn two on lap thirteen would see his night end on the hook. Guild had already taken the lead by lap five, but cautions on laps thirteen and fifteen gave Ajay Potrzebowski and Ray Smith an opportunity to close up to the back bumper for restarts.
But Guild in the Ohio Logistics, Howard Hanna Real Estate, Guild Auto Repair No. 06 was not to be denied to get his first Hill Speedway victory. Potrzebowski, Smith, Dann and Clemens rounded out the top five. Heats were won by Potrzebowski and Dann by mere inches on an ultra-competitive surface with three lanes of racing all night long.
“I went with a Woodhull setup and just made a few adjustments and a little more gear,” said Guild in Victory Lane. “I’ve always loved tracks like this and Redline, it’s just a lot of fun.”
The second feature of the night was the Rear Wheel Drive four cylinders and Scott Bump proved that he is going to be a force to reckon with in 2018. Bump dominated his heat race in the Bump’s Bait and Tackle Shack No. 29B and continued to pour it on during the feature event.
Mike Koser tried his best to make it interesting, staying within a few car lengths in the closing laps. Bump, however, was just too strong through the middle and outside lane and rode that momentum to the victory. Alan Blackwell, Larry Colton and Mike Navone filled out the top five in the running order. Heats were won by Bump and Koser.
“I have to thank my main sponsor Don Falsey’s Garage, if it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t be here tonight,” said Bump in Victory Lane.
The Street Stocks and Pure Stocks ran a combined feature event, with separate payouts for each. Kevin Garland and Stan Matthews would win the war for supremacy in their respective divisions.
Garland had a quick car all night long, winning his heat race in convincing fashion and drawing position number three for the feature event. When an opening lap ordeal saw Bobby Maynard and Tommy Savercool head pit side, it opened the door for Garland to take the rest of the field to the woodshed for 19 more laps.
Garland never looked back in scoring his second straight win in the Street Stocks. Bobby Hall had a nice run in the No. 94 machine to bring home a solid second place effort. Cody Kershner in only his second start in the Street Stocks finished third, with Savercool and Maynard completing the top five.
“I’d like to thank Eddie Sites for helping us all night with the front end geometry on this car,” said Garland in Victory Lane. “I also want to thank my dad because other wise we wouldn’t be standing here.”
Stan Matthews made it a clean sweep for the night, winning his heat race and the division victory for the Pure Stocks. Matthews had some overheating issues post-race and said he planned on buying a new radiator with his winnings for next week.
One of the more impressive runs of the night came in the IMCA-Style Modified feature race. Keith Jack Lamphere cooked up some magic on the outside lane and swept around early race leaders Brad Sites and Gary Lamphere.
The top two made contact on the backstretch on a lap four restart and that was all the opportunity Keith Jack needed to make what turned out to be the race-winning move. Entering turn three on lap five, Sites worked the low lane while Lamphere stood on the gas all the way around the outside cushion of the track and took the lead for good as they completed lap six.
The crowd in the viewing area and the pits all went crazy with the pass for the lead and it would be smooth sailing for the last fourteen laps for the young pilot out of Monroeton. Lamphere would secure the win over Sites, Victory McNeal who clawed his way up to third after starting sixth. Gary Lamphere and young driver Craig Smith in only his second start completed the top five. Heats were won by Gary Lamphere and Brad Sites.
“The top side was there, it was choppy in some spots but the car loved it,” noted Lamphere. “We came out of turn two and I saw (the leaders) connect. I said well this is going to either go good or bad. We went to the outside and it stuck, it all worked out in our favor.”
The most exciting finish of the night was saved for the last feature of the night in the Front Wheel Drives. Mike Ely led from his outside pole starting position right off the drop of the green flag. While Ely led the first nineteen laps of the event, he had to work his tail off to try and keep a hard-charging Adam DelGrosso at bay.
The duo worked lap traffic all race long and even went three-wide in traffic on lap 18 down the back straightaway. As they took the white flag, Ely and DelGrosso came up on two lap machines entering turn one. Ely guessed that the high lane would be the way to go, but unfortunately that was where the lap car chose to go as well.
DelGrosso filled the gap on the inside lane, used the lap car as a pick and came out of turn two as the race leader with only half a lap remaining. It would be two victories in two attempts for DelGrosso at The Hill Speedway.
Though DelGrosso and Ely battled hard for the lead, there was also a great battle that raged on for the third position between Matt McKernan, Nick Wesneski and Bob Schultz. That is how they finished to complete the top five. Heat wins went to DelGrosso and Matt Browning.
“Man I love this track, this is a fun track and we just might make this our Friday night home this season,” said DelGrosso. “He (Ely) ran a really good race and that was the second straight race Mike has run me clean and raced us well. He got out far enough that I didn’t think I was going to catch him. Track is nice, payout is good and we just love what Eddie is doing up here at The Hill.”
HILL NOTES: A solid field of cars filled the pit area on Friday night, including the BA Racing Supply cars of Ray Dann and Zach Ziegenhagen. Dann had a solid run to win a heat by inches and score a top five. Ziegenhagen had an eventful night, ending up on his lid in his heat race over in turn two. He was ok and returned the car out onto the track for the feature.
Special thanks to RC Welding for sponsoring the night’s racing as well as a girls and boys bicycle giveaway. Also thanks to HPR Motorsports’ Ajay and Heidi Potrzebowski as well as Moe’s Southwest Grill in Horseheads for donating several t-shirts, frisbees and Moe’s Bucks gift certificates. That made for a fun intermission with the multitude of kids in attendance. Chasing the frisbies through the crowd on the hill.
RC Welding Night Official Results May 25th, 2018
CRATE SPORTSMAN, 9 cars (20 laps): TIM GUILD (1), Ajay Potrzebowski, Ray Smith, Ray Dann, Chris Clemens, Zach Ziegenhagen, Dalton Maynard, Rich Talada, Stacey Jackson
Heat Winners: Ajay Potrzebowski, Ray Dann
REAR WHEEL DRIVES, 9 cars (20 laps): SCOTT BUMP (1), Mike Koser, Alan Blackwell, Larry Colton, Mike Navone, Andrew Collins, Tim Bush, Ben Hulslander DNS: Logan Bump
Heat Winners: Scott Bump, Mike Koser
STREET STOCKS, 7 cars (20 laps): KEVIN GARLAND (2), Bobby Hall, Cody Kershner, Tom Savercool, Bobby Maynard, Justin Hall DNS: Dan Force
Heat Winners: Kevin Garland
PURE STOCKS, 3 cars (20 laps): STAN MATTHEWS, Howard Bailey, Ricky Hinckley
Heat Winner: Stan Matthews
IMCA-STYLE MODIFIEDS, 10 cars (20 laps): KEITH JACK LAMPHERE (1), Brad Sites, Victor McNeal, Gary Lamphere, Craig Smith, Harry Ely, JW Lamphere, Keith Lamphere, Bobby Maynard DNS: Al Silvernail
Heat Winners: Gary Lamphere, Brad Sites
FRONT WHEEL DRIVES, 12 cars (20 laps): ADAM DELGROSSO (2), Mike Ely, Matt McKernan, Nick Wesneski, Bob Schultz, Cory Lewis, Matt Browning, Greg McKernan, Grant Marrott, Tim Johnson, Karlie McKernan DNS: Dyon Hinckley
Heat Winners: Matt Browning, Adam DelGrosso