Hilltop Speedway
July 9, 2011
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GARDNER GRABS HILLTOP’S STREET STOCK INVITE; OWENS ROCK SOLID IN LATE MODEL WIN

by Mike Swanger
MILLERSBURG, Ohio (July 9) - Despite having 30 all time wins at Hilltop Speedway, Troy’s Brandon Gardner had not found victory lane so far this season, but that changed Saturday night in the Street Stock Invitational as he led all 20 laps to claim his first win of the year on Village Motors night. Dash winner and two time feature winner Ed Leasure kept the pressure on the Rowtac Inc, Innovative Graphics, and Team GLR #27g of Gardner early on but as the race wore on, fast qualifier Gardner would expand his lead lap after lap to win by a half straightaway over Leasure. Justin Patterson and Bob Chilcote battled for third from lap seven until the last lap when Chilcote’s machine slowed, allowing Patterson to secure third while defending track champ, Todd Swim took fourth as Kyle Dickinson recovered from causing a lap seven caution to fill out the top five. Last chance winner Bob Daugherty finished sixth as Timmy Glassburn, Chilcote, and Glen Underwood scored the heat wins.

Mansfielder’s Rocky Owens and Wayne Maffett Jr. won their heat races to start in the front row of the Holmes Tire Late Model feature with Owen’s taking the point at the drop of the green and held off Maffett Jr. all 25 laps. Maffett Jr.’s best chance came after three different restarts for cautions but the Oak Stone, Cates Auto Sales, and B- Dry #29 of Owens kept the door closed to park in Hilltop’s victory lane for the first time. Defending track champ, Charlie Duncan finished third as 13th starting George Lee worked his way up to fourth as a pair of #5’s battled for fifth with Norm Aronhalt out racing Ryan Markham for the spot.

There were two cautions before the first lap of the Tri State Modified feature could be put in the books and on the third attempt the action got going with Larry Kugel taking charge with Hanover’s Kevin Morehouse in his tire tracks for the first five laps before wrestling the lead away from Kugel and then breezing to his fifth win of the season aboard the Morehouse Logging, Diamond Race Cars, and Bruce Lingo #28. Seventh starting Josh Morrow worked his way through the field and took second from Kugel with seven circuits to go as Norm Aronhalt, who started 12th, and Gary Clark would power past Kugel for third and fourth with six laps to go and finish in that order. Kugel, Darrick Hubbard, Morehouse, and Clark won the heats as Ryan West and Matt Samples topped the two last chance races.

Terry Adkins of Killbuck went flag to flag for his fifth win of the year in the Guerne Heights Drive Inn Mini Stock main. Steve Miller ran side by side the #49 machine of Adkins for the first three laps of the race and had passed Adkins for the lead but the caution flag came out before they got back to the line, giving the top spot back to Adkins and from that point on, Adkins pulled away. Chris Priebe challenged Miller late in the race but settled for third as points leader Gary Hensel Jr. moved past Dustin Daugherty on the last lap for fourth. Adkins and Miller were the heat winners.

Millersburg’s John Large popped into the lead at the drop of the green of the Atom’s Pest Control Truck feature and held off a couple of runs by Rolly Heyder to put the L & L Motors and Advance Auto Parts #17 in the winners circle for the first time in 2011. as Heyder finished a season best second. Gordon Zimmer held off the two points leaders, Kevin Potts and David Potts, for third as father and son finished fourth and fifth. Steve and John Large chalked up the heat wins.

It was a sweep for Donovan Dickerson as the Mansfield youngster won his heat race and then lead all the way in the Mini Wedge main to put the Imperial Truck Refinishing and Hooch Inc. #44 into victory lane for the second time. Blake Morris was closing fast but settled for second as Tristen Lillibridge, Taylor Huggins and Hannah Rose rounded out the top five.

Next Saturday, July 16th, will see the Atom’s Pest Control Trucks in the Hilltop Speedway spotlight as the winner will put $500 in their truck bed. All five other class’ will be in action beginning at 7: 30 pm

HILLTOP SPEEDWAY SUMMARY
Saturday, July 9, 2011

STREET STOCKS (33)
Fast Qualifier Brandon Gardner 17.102
Dash Ed Leasure, Gardner, Kyle Dickinson, Justin Patterson, Brandon Craver, John Wilson
Heat 1 Tim Glassburn, Todd Swim, Paul Harringer, Kenny Daughriety Sr., Bob Daugherty, Chris Gibbs, Craig Fry, Dave Giaugue, Robert Smith
Heat 2 Bob Chilcote, Gary McGregor, Danny Gotschall, Shaun Cains, Jason Shairer, Joey Spearman, Cody Daughriety, Jeremy Lynch, Tory Gibbs
Heat 3 Glen Underwood, Josh Miller, Jeff Votaw, Tim Arnold, Aaron Harris, Scott Clantz, Charlie Dawson, Randy Ryan
L. C. #1 Daugherty, Daughriety Sr., Lynch, Cains, Giaugue, Smith, Arnold, Ryan, Shairier, Harris, C. Gibbs, Clantz, Dawson, T. Gibbs (dns), C. Daughriety (dns), Fry (dns), Spearman (dns), Daughriety Jr. (dns)
Feature Gardner, Leasure, Patterson, Swim, Dickinson, Daugherty, Underwood, Miller, Chilcote, Craver, Harringer, Wilson, Glassburn, Votaw, Lynch, Daughriety Sr., McGregor, Gotschall

HOLMES TIRE LATE MODELS (18)
Heat 1 Rocky Owens, Thomas Baker, Charlie Duncan, Ryan Markham, Ty Myers, Cody Smith, George Lee, Brian Giaugue, Steve Prince
Heat 2 Wayne Maffett Jr., Norm Aronhalt, Keith Tish, Dave Hornikel, Jason Hinton, Blaine Aber, Travis Leyda, Richie Taylor, Eric Myers
Feature Owens, Maffett Jr., Duncan, Lee, Aronhalt, Markham, Prince, Aber, Hornikel, Baker, Giaugue, Leyda, E. Myers, Tish, Smith, Hinton, Taylor, T. Myers (dns)

TRI STATE MODIFIEDS (34)
Heat 1 Larry Kugel, Robin Duston, Sam Lovejoy, Aaron Phillis, Bruce Miller, Scott Clantz, Kevin Davis, Dustin Wheeler, Virgil Eaches
Heat 2 Darrick Hubbard, Rory Reed, Kyle Brown, Dave Bodkins, Ryan West, Beau Bradley, Nathen Loney, Ty Samples, Eddie Wilson
Heat 3 Kevin Morehouse, Josh Morrow, Rick Mardis, Matt Samples, Jeff Dovenbarger, Joe Spearman, Verne Mardis, Josh Cairati
Heat 4 Gary Clark, Vic Hottinger, Norm Aronhalt, Denny Benjamin, Ted Campbell, Brad Crose, Melissa Haskins, Jeff Votaw
L.C. #1 West, Bodkins, Miller, Clantz, Wilson, Wheeler, T. Samples, Eaches, Davis, Bradley, Phillis, Loney
L.C. #2 M. Samples, Benjamin, Spearman, Dovenbarger, Campbell, Crose, Cairati, Haskins, V. Mardis, Votaw (dns)
Feature Morehouse, Morrow, Aronhalt, Clark, Kugel, Hubbard, M. Samples, Brown, Reed, Duston, Hottinger, R. Mardis, West, Miller, Bodkins, Benjamin, Spearman, Lovejoy

GUERNE HEIGHTS DRIVE INN MINI STOCKS (17)
Heat 1 Terry Adkins, Gary Hensel Jr., Chris Priebe, Blain Markey, Brett Adkins, Tyler Evans, Mike Workman, Dave Sampsel, Jerry Adkins
Heat 2 Steve Miller, Desi McHenry, Dustin Daugherty, Mitch Ling, Matt Kemp, Tyler Wiles, Tyler Rose, Kevin Markey
Feature T. Adkins, Miller, Priebe, Hensel Jr., Daugherty, J. Adkins, B. Markey, Ling, Wiles, Rose, Workman, Sampsel, B. Adkins, K. Markey, Kemp, Evans, McHenry (dns)

ATOM’S PEST CONTROL TRUCKS (19)
Heat 1 Steve Large, Gordon Zimmer, Rolly Heyder, Kyle Cline, Mitch Caskey, Logan Brannon, Mitch Ling, Ben Brannon, Brad Phillips, Tony Wengerd
Heat 2 John Large, Jack Large, Kevin Potts, David Potts, Jerry Gardner, Ken Duncan, Darrick Hubbard Jr., Scott Gray, Cole Lillibridge
Feature Jo. Large, Heyder, Zimmer, K. Potts, D. Potts, Gardner, Ja. Large, Duncan, Cline, Gray, S. Large, L. Brannon, Ling, Wengerd, B. Brannon, Phillips, Hubbard Jr., Caskey, Lillibridge (dns)

MINI WEDGES (7)
Heat 1 Donovan Dickerson, Josey Lillibridge, Hannah Rose, Tristen Lillibridge, Blake Morris, Taylor Huggins, Evan Large
Feature Dickerson, Morris, T. Lillibridge, Huggins, Rose, Evans, J. Lillibridge (dns)