Hilltop Speedway
June 25, 2011
________________________________________

CLARK COLLECTS 1st MODIFIED WIN; ARONHALT, DAUGHERTY, ADKINS, POTTS, & DICKERSON HOIST HILLTOP CHECKER FLAGS

by Mike Swanger
MILLERSURG, Ohio (June 25) - It was a highly competitive night at Hilltop Speedway for the 124 cars signed into the Hilltop Speedway pits on a beautiful night for racing. Dash winner Jason Flory took the lead of the Holmes Tire Late Model main with Wayne Maffet Jr. in his tire tracks with fast qualifier Charlie Duncan, Spud Myers and Thomas Baker in pursuit. As the early laps ticked by, Maffett Jr and Flory would go side by side as Warsaw’s Norm Aronhalt used his liking of the high groove to blow past Duncan, Myers and Baker for third and closed in on the two front runners. Coming out of turn four to start lap 11, Flory and Maffett Jr. made contact that would damage Flory’s ride and cause him to spin out, ending his night. Using the middle to low groove, Maffett Jr. held on the the lead but the Doan Ford, Lynn Excavating, Helms Home Improvement #5 of Aronhalt was flying in the extreme high groove. A lap 16 caution for a Dave Hornikel flat that also saw Duncan drop out put Baker, Myers, and J R Gentry into the top five but two laps later Myers and Gentry squeezed together on the front stretch to put them in the pits. On the restart, Aronhalt drove by Maffett Jr. for the lead and the last seven laps of the feature pull away for his second win of the year. Maffett Jr finished second as Hornikel came back and passed seven cars in the last seven laps to claim third as Baker ran fourth and for the second week in a row, Blaine Aber took fifth. Gentry and Mark Gardiner topped the heats.

Larry Kugel led the first lap of the Tri State Modified feature with Gary Clark taking over on lap two as they would go side by side, back and forth for the next seven laps before Clark would secure the lead for good on lap eight. The Nashport driver and his Morehouse Logging, Sam’s Used Cars and Diamond Race Cars #16 would build up a sizable lead as Kevin Morehouse moved into second on lap 12 but could not catch Clark, who scored his first ever win. Sam Lovejoy moved into third on lap 14 as dash winner Kugel was fading with Bruce Miller edging past him on the last lap for fourth. Matt Samples, Kyle Brown and Rory Reed gathered the heat wins with Robin Duston winning the last chance race. Morehouse and Lovejoy tied for quick time.

The top three of Bob Daugherty, Ed Leasure, and Brandon Craver were bunched together at the start of the Street Stock main with Daugherty using the low groove to secure the lead on lap five from Leasure as Craver was trying to use the high line to get past both but never could. The Mansfield based, Met’s Machine Shop, Adco Truck & Trailer Refinishing, and Char’s Cars #21d crossed the finish line with a six car length advantage. It was a four car battle for fourth and fifth as Tory Gibbs, Steve White, John Wilson and Jeff Votaw wheeled and dealed all race long before finishing in that order. Leasure, Daugherty, and Bob Chilcote paced the heats as Kenny Daughriety Jr. won the last chance race.

There looks like no way of stopping Killbuck’s Terry Adkins in the Guerne Heights Drive Inn Mini Stocks as he goes flag to flag for his fifth win of the season and giving him his 14th career win at Hilltop Speedway to put him on the top of the list for all time Mini Stock wins. Steve Miller stayed within two car lengths of Adkins but never could make a serious run for the win. Jerry Adkins, Brad Hensel, Gary Hensel Jr., and Jason St. John spent the whole race changing positions before crossing the finish line that way. Brad and Gary Hensel Jr. and Terry Adkins scored the heat wins with Chris Priebe taking the last chance checkered flag.

The two heat winners, Bryan Lillibridge and David Potts of Sunbury, dueled at the start of the Atom’s Pest Control Truck feature and when the two bumped on lap three, Lillibridge suffered a flat tire. Jack Large would challenge David Potts for the next lap but mechanical woes stopped his challenge for the win. That would put David’s dad, Kevin into second with Rolly Heyder on their rear bumpers. The Proscape Landscaping, JWC Electrical Services, Tickets Galore #26 of David Potts would hold off all runs by Kevin Potts and Heyder for his first win of the season. Ben Brannon and Scott Gray filled out the top five.

Mansfield’s Donovan Dickerson and his Imperial Truck Refinishing and Hooch Inc. #44 chalked up his first Mini Wedge win by leading all ten laps as Hannah Rose, Taylor Huggins and Evan Large followed.

Saturday night, July 2nd will be the next action at Hilltop Speedway with the Street Stocks in the spotlight as $800 will be waiting the winner. Gates open at 4 p.m with racing at 7:30 p.m.

HILLTOP SPEEDWAY SUMMARY
Saturday, June 25, 2011

HOLMES TIRE LATE MODELS (19)
Fast Qualifier Charlie Duncan 14.696
Dash Jason Flory, Eric Myers, Wayne Maffett Jr., Thomas Baker, Duncan, Norm Aronhalt
Heat 1 JR Gentry, DJ Cline, Steve Prince, Kristin Flory, Kevin Wright, Brian Giaugue, Bryan Casey
Heat 2 Mark Gardiner, Ty Myers, Blaine Aber, Dave Hornikel, Keith Tish, Larry Bellman
Feature Aronhalt, Maffett Jr., Hornikel, Baker, Aber, K. Flory, Cline, Prince, Wright, Bellman, Casey, Tish, E. Myers, Gentry, Duncan, J. Flory, T. Myers, Gardiner, Giaugue

TRI STATE MODIFIEDS (33)
Fast Qualifier Sam Lovejoy & Kevin Morehouse 15.475
Dash Larry Kugel, Gary Clark, Morehouse, Lovejoy, Jimmy Smith, Rick Mardis
Heat 1 Matt Samples, Jeff Votaw, Ty Samples, Ryan West, Gary McGregor, Scott Smith, Ted Campbell, Sid Danals, Joe Spearman
Heat 2 Kyle Brown, Vic Hottinger, Denny Benjamin, Jeff Dovenbarger, Chad Hamilton, Josh Pyers, Robin Lashley, Josh Cairati, Aaron Phillis
Heat 3 Rory Reed, Beau Bradley, Bruce Miller, Eddie Wilson, Eric Singhaus, Robin Duston, Mike Lonas, Verne Mardis, Virgil Eaches
L. C. #1 Duston, West, Singhaus, Phillis, Pyers, Lashley, Campbell, Smith, Danals, Wilson, V. Mardis, Hamilton, McGregor, Dovenbarger, Lonas, Eaches, Spearman (dns), Cairati (dns)
Feature Clark, Morehouse, Lovejoy, Miller, Kugel, Smith, Votaw, Hottinger, R. Mardis, West, Benjamin, T. Samples, M. Samples, Reed, Bradley, Brown, Duston, Singhaus

STREET STOCKS (29)
Heat 1 Ed Leasure, Brandon Craver, Jeremy Lynch, Glen Underwood, Todd Swim, Randy Ryan, Nathan Harris, Chase Fry, Dave Haven Jr., Kenny Daughriety Jr.
Heat 2 Bob Daugherty, Tory Gibbs, Bob Fry, Gary McGregor, John Wilson, Denny Shear, Mike Amstutz, Kodie Daughriety, Cody Gibbs, Aaron Harris
Heat 3 Bob Chilcote, Jeff Votaw, Steve White, Joey Spearman, Dave Giaugue, Chris Gibbs, Tim Arnold, Jason Sharier, Robert Smith
L. C. #1 Daughriety Jr., Shear, Ch. Gibbs, K. Daughriety, Amstutz, Ryan, Sharier, N. Harris, Smith, Arnold (dns), C. Fry (dns), Haven Jr. (dns), Co. Gibbs (dns), A. Harris (dns)
Feature Daugherty, Leasure, Craver, T. Gibbs, White, Wilson, Votaw, Lynch, McGregor, Spearman, Shear, Ch. Gibbs, Giaugue, Fry, Daughriety Jr., Swim, Underwood, Chilcote (dns)

GUERNE HEIGHTS DRIVE INN MINI STOCKS (23)
Heat 1 Brad Hensel, Steve Miller, Mike Rose, Jason St. John, Dustin Daugherty, Jesse Starner, James Priebe, Josh Gentry
Heat 2 Terry Adkins, Blain Markey, Tyler Evans, Josh Garrett, Mitch Ling, Matt Kemp, Kenny Long, Cody Smith
Heat 3 Gary Hensel Jr., Jerry Adkins, Chase Alexander, Ernest Fortune, Tyler Wiles, Desi McHenry, Chris Priebe
L. C. #1 C. Priebe, J. Priebe, Gentry, Kemp, McHenry, Long, Smith, Starner
Feature T. Adkins, Miller, J. Adkins, B. Hensel, Hensel Jr., St. John, Daugherty, Alexander, C. Priebe, Wiles, J. Priebe, Gentry, Evans, Rose, Markey, Garrett, Ling, Fortune

ATOM’S PEST CONTROL TRUCKS (16)
Heat 1 David Potts, Scott Gray, Ben Brannon, Mitch Ling, Rolly Heyder, Logan Brannon, Tony Wengerd, Jerry Gardner
Heat 2 Bryan Lillibridge, Jack Large, Kevin Potts, Chaz O’Dell, Steve Large, Brad Phillips, John Large, Gordon Zimmer
Feature D. Potts, K. Potts, Heyder, B. Brannon, Gray, L. Brannon, S. Large, Wengerd, Phillips, Jo. Large, Ja. Large, Ling, Gardner, Lillibridge, O’Dell, Zimmer

MINI WEDGES (4)
Feature Donovan Dickerson, Hannah Rose, Taylor Huggins, Evan Large