FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 18, 2012
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DICKSON’S FIRST EVER CHAMPIONSHIP COMES AT HAGERSTOWN, WALLS JR., CATLETT AND THOMAS ALSO REAP REWARDS

by Bob Vores
HAGERSTOWN, MD -- The 65th season at Hagerstown Speedway has concluded with drivers in three of the four divisions posting their first ever championships and taking top honors during the 2012 season.

Wrapping up his first championship ever, Nick Dickson made the decision to stick with the schedule and he came away victorious in his quest for the Buchanan Auto Stores late model title by 20 points over eight time and defending champion, Roy Deese Jr.  With his first ever Hagerstown victory the second week of competition, Dickson went atop the standings and remained there the entire season. 

“I started off knowing it was really good weekly paying races, “ said the 30 year old from Lewistown, PA. “We got three fourths of the way through the year and I was still leading so I thought it’d be neat to win the points.  I’d never won anything like that before so we stuck with it. I just wanted to see my name on a championship, so what better place to do it than Hagerstown.”

In the past, Dickson, son of veteran driver and car owner Ken Dickson, has been a competitor during the sanctioned money races, but this season, he easily blended in with the usual tough weekly competition. While running the entire Hagerstown schedule, Dickson also found time to compete elsewhere on some of the off nights and overall, posted four wins at four different tracks.

“We had a good year,” Dickson said. ”We won some money with the four wins and overall.” 

Just like this season, Dickson currently has no plans set in stone for 2013 or further.

“I don’t know how long dad plans on being a car owner yet,” he said.” We’re keeping the same car as there aren’t any issues with it. We’ve stripped it down and are putting it back together. We’ll stick with the money races in the area. I don’t know if I’ll run for the points again. We didn’t start off this year planning on anything.”

Dickson posted his career first track win in the second point event and went on to have three top five efforts and five top tens.

In the past five seasons, Deese’s name has been there every time and with the late model title not decided until the final race. In this case, the McBee/Hays Championship was a victim of Hurricane Isaac and a suitable make-up date rain date was not available. Again, Deese’s name was there at the end.

His season was almost identical to Dickson’s as his win came with only one race remaining in the points events and happened to be his first in two years. He ended with three top fives and seven top tens overall.

Alan Sagi and Jerry Bard were also in the mix at the end with only two points separating the two and Sagi trailing Deese by 29 points. Sagi had four top tens while Bard scored a single win and seven top tens. Frankie Plessinger, the 2010 champion, was fifth with three top tens.

Gary Stuhler, the 1990 and 2003 champion was sixth and had one win. He was followed by Brian Booze, Rusty Sites (one win), Kenny Moreland (one win) and Marvin Winters. . 

Weather was a factor on the scheduled opening day of March 24 and again for the Lucas Oil Schetrompf Memorial event and not again until the Labor Day Hays/McBee event. With ten different winners, Jamie Lathroum was the only two time winner, taking back to back triumphs in the Hagerstown/Winchester Shootout and then in the Appalachian Mountain Speedweek show. 

First time winners were Gregg Satterlee, who scored in the opening April event, Dickson the following week, Kenny Moreland in the second Hagerstown/Winchester Shootout, and Don O’Neal in the Lucas Oil Conococheague event. Gary Stuhler claimed victory for the sixth time in the Roberts Memorial while Jerry Bard won the Ernie’s Topless Durham/Bowers event. Rusty Sites and Deese were also winners.

The Nininger Tire and Auto Hard Charger awards went to Sagi, Bard, Deese, Dickson and Stuhler while Lathroum, Tim Murphy, Colby Frye, Booze and Paul Crowl were recipients of the Nininger Hard Luck awards.

Placing eighth in 2011, Wayne Walls Jr. went 26 ahead of 2006 to 2008 champion Andy Fries on the fourth week and remained on top until the final week when he topped Fries by 15 in the Hoosier Tire Mid Atlantic late model sportsman. It was the eighth overall title for the St. Thomas, PA veteran, having previous won the 1988 to 1990 titles and then came back in 1996 to win successively until 1999. 

In his quest for the title, Walls posted two wins including the 31-lap Bill Bowman Special and had six top fives and nine top tens while Fries was held winless but had eight top fives and 11 top tens. Terry Flaherty placed third with five top fives and nine top tens while Pete Weaver, the 2011 and defending champion, posted two wins and four top tens with a pair of runner up finishes ending fourth. Fifth went to Scott Palmer who had one win, three top fives and six top tens. Cory Houck, Justin Weaver (one win), Paul Cursey, Courtney Shreiner and Tyler Horst completed the top ten.

Besides the wins shown, Joey Leavell owned both Steel Block Bandit triumphs while J. T. Spence was also a two time winner including the Small Car Nationals. Nick Pappas was successful in posting a career first win.

Dave Leidy, Sammy Schaffer, Houck, Tyler Castle, Flaherty, Spence and Fries were Liberty Auto and Tire Hard Chargers. 

In the Ernie D’s pure stocks, it was Tony Catlett of Hedgesville, WV scoring his first ever championship. Catlett won the opening event, but then fell to eighth in the standings by the third week. He slowly worked his way towards the top by the tenth week and continued on to hold a 59 point edge over Steve Lowery who also was seeking a first time title.

Catlett’s title win was one of patience as he continued to do his best every week until climbing to the top of the standings over Brian Miller but then had Lowery move into the second spot, 40 points back. After the opening win, he went on to post nine top fives and 14 top tens.

Lowery ended 59 points back with two wins, seven top fives and 13 top tens with Kevin Boyer third, who also posted two wins and had seven top fives and 13 top tens. Rookie Chris Ebersole, a graduate from the hobby stocks was next with two wins including the Jim Cornett Tribute, seven top fives and 11 top tens while Dave Stouffer Jr ended fifth with a single win, five top fives and ten top tens.  

There were 11 overall winners with those already listed along with Brian Miller and Darrin Younker each with two, while singles went to Kenny Dillon, Rick Stouffer, Keith Koontz, his career first and Mike Franklin, who won the Small Car Nationals.

The Ecton and Son Service and Repair Hard Chargers were Boyer (5 times), Crain Kline (2 times), Younker, Lowery, Catlett, Mike Sanders, Dave Stouffer Jr., and Frank Dibella.

It was a controversial second season for the D & D Auto Recycling hobby stock cruisers but in the end, Greencastle, PA’s Kenny Thomas had clinched the title by 125 points over William Crook after scoring five victories and having 13 top ten efforts.

The hobby stock cruisers competed in 15 overall events while only one was postponed to a later date. After Thomas won the first two events, Gary Proctor claimed the next five consecutive events. Thomas later won three of the final seven. Mark Vegh was a two time winner while Lane Hessong won for the first time. Michael Hyatt took honors in the Small Car Nationals.

Bob Davis Home Improvement Lucky Seven Awards went to Rick Turner, Hessong, Dave Shatto, Thomas, Nathaniel Younker and Gary Cekovich. 

The 410 sprints made two visits with Keith Kauffman taking honors in the Pennsylvania Sprint Speedweek event and Craig Dollansky in the World of Outlaw visit.

Ryan Laye won the four cylinder Small Car Nationals Qualifier but it was Tom Whitt who won the Nationals two weeks later as Laye crossed second.

The Brawl in the Fall season ending event fell victim to Hurricane Sandy with no suitable dates remaining. Line ups are already set for the four division program which is now scheduled Sunday, March 17th with a rain date of Sunday March 24th.

Promoter Plessinger and the speedway staff wish everyone a safe and very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and look forward to everyone being able to rejoin us in 2013. For all the up to date news, the 2013 schedule, driver information and more, check out the speedway’s website at www.hagerstownspeedway.com.

2012 Final Point Standings

Buchanan Auto Stores Late Models: 1Nick Dickson, 1706; 2.Roy Deese Jr.1686; 3.Alan Sagi, 1659; 4.Jerry Bard, 1655, 5.Frankie Plessinger, 1549; 6.Gary Stuhler, 1538; 7.Brian Booze, 1309; 8.Rusty Sites, 1309; 9.Kenny Moreland, 1233; 10.Marvin Winters, 1225

Hoosier Tire Late Model Sportsman: 1.Wayne Walls Jr., 1856; 2.Andy Fries, 1841; 3.Terry Flaherty, 1782; 4.Pete Weaver, 1748; 5.Scott Palmer, 1736; 6.Cory Houck, 1669; 7.Justin Weaver, 1660; 8.Paul Cursey, 1575; 9.Coutney Shreiner, 1491; 10. Tyler Horst, 1487 

Ernie D’s Pure Stocks: 1.Tonly Catlett, 3381; 2.Steve Lowery, 3322; 3.Kevin Boyer, 3299; 4.Chris Ebersole, 3259; 5.Dave Stouffer Jr., 3251

D & D Auto Recycling Hobby Stocks: 1.Kenny Thomas, 2990; 2.William Crook, 2865; 3.Dave Shatto, 2587; 4.Gary Proctor, 2296; 5.Matt Smith, 2277