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Hagerstown Speedway
HAGERSTOWN, Md. (April 5) - The question was not if, but when it would happen. Five time Hagerstown Speedway late model champion Roy Deese Jr. stood proudly in victory lane Saturday night after winning his first Cindy Rowe Auto Glass feature in nearly three seasons. His last triumph was May 7, 2005. What a way to make a bid towards a sixth title but to win the season opening points event.
The Laurel, Md. veteran started outside pole in the four car inverted start and beat pole setter Gary Stuhler into turn one. Stuhler hung close but never enough to mount a serious challenge as Deese took the win by .47 seconds.
"By golly, it feels good to be back…it's been a long time since I've won a race here," Deese said. "The fans have been great, the track has been great. We've had a great surface to race on every night this year. We got way behind on technology after I got a little sick and we're finally starting to catch up. Gary is a good racer and he raced me clean. We've been having some problems with the brake system and the pedals on the floor. Thank goodness this one is over."
Another winner starting off atop the Hoosier Tire Mid Atlantic points standings was St. Thomas, Pa.'s Richard Walls who began from the pole in the six car inversion and battled the entire distance with 16-year-old Dylan Yoder, whose dad, Jim Yoder, had claimed his first Hagerstown win the previous week. Walls eventually beat Yoder by one length for his career 25th victory while celebrating his 25th Anniversary season.
"He could get up beside me, but I could pull him down the straightaway," Walls said. "That's the cleanest race that people like to see. Any time you can run a clean race like that…if I'd finished second, I'd just been as happy. I knew he was there, I gave him all the space he wanted and we just got lucky."
Dale Hollidge also starts out with the Ernie's Salvage Yard pure stock points lead with a .25 second victory over previous weeks winner, Hans Stamberg. Hollidge led all the way from the outside in a three car inversion.
"The car started to get a little tight up there the last three or four laps and picking up a little push," said Hollidge of Mechanicsville, Md. "I saw him sneaking to the inside but it was enough to hold him back."
Deese grabbed the lead over Stuhler as the two veterans took off with Billy Wampler closing in and joining them with a comfortable distance back to J.T. Spence.
Lap ten spelled disaster for a number of drivers when tenth running Greg Fetters and a few others getting together coming off turn two with Fetters ending sideway nearing turn three as cars scattered. Brent Smith ended up side down with Steve Axtell Jr. atop him while eight others were involved.
The race resumed with Deese, Stuhler and Wampler still showing the way with just over three seconds back to Spence by lap 18 when Deese caught rear cars. Keith Jackson spun on lap 21 as Spence blasted around Wampler on the restart and 12th starting Jim Yoder following along but they came to the line in that order while Scott LeBarron held the fifth spot.
"I have to thank Russell Baker Racing Engines," Deese said. "I'll tell you, when I come off the corners, I better have a plan as this thing is going down the straightaway in a hurry."
Wampler ended sixth with Darryl Hills, Ray Kable Jr, Kirk Ryan from 24th to pick up the Ernie's Salvage hard charger award and Paul Crowl coming from 18th to finish tenth.
Heats for the 38 entries were Wampler, Kable Jr., Deese Jr. and Stuhler while Brent Smith was the consy winner.
It took a third attempt to get the Hoosier Tire Mid Atlantic late model sportsman feature underway, the second attempt resulting in nine cars involved in a turn two incident with several returning.
Walls took over but soon had fifth starting Yoder close in by lap two. After a fourth lap restart, Yoder began giving Walls a workout as he led the fifth lap but Walls again pulled ahead to hold a slight advantage. Yoder repeatedly tried to make the low side work and pulled alongside every lap until the finish as he ended one length back. Pete Weaver had a front view the entire race while Nick Pappas and Cody Lear, from 16th completed the top five. Jerry Bard came from the initial start incident to finish sixth with Scott Palmer, Rick Stouffer (18th), defending two time champion and previous weeks winner, Andy Fries who returned from a first lap incident which broke his steering to finish ninth. Kyle Lear came from 23rd to end tenth and pick up the Checkered Flag Lube./St. Thomas Towing hard charger award aboard the Chuck Cox racer. Fries, Yoder and Tyler Armstrong were heat winners.
Hollidge led from the outside pole while Stamberg quickly grabbed second as Darin Younker claimed third. Stamberg drafted Hollidge the entire distance and made several attempts to get to the inside but both cars were so equal and the top side being a little quicker around, Stamberg had to settle for second. Younker retained third with Dave Stouffer and Bobby Taylor completing the front five. Stamberg, Hollidge and Kevin Keefer were the heat winners with Dean Holmes winning the consolation and coming from 19th to finish sixth.
The speedway returns to action Saturday April 12 for a regular three division program to also include the first 30-lap Enduro Dash of the season.
Pit gates open at 4 p.m., grandstands open at 5 p.m and warm ups begin at 7 p.m. Check the speedway website for any changes in weather at: www.hagerstownspeedway.com or contact the speedway office at 301-582-0640.
Hagerstown Speedway Results
Cindy Rowe Auto Glass Late Models, 25 laps, 38 entries, (Lap Leaders - Roy Deese Jr. 1-25) 1.Roy Deese Jr.; 2.Gary Stuhler; 3.J.T. Spence; 4.Jim Yoder; 5.Scott LeBarron; 6.Billy Wampler; 7.Darryl Hills; 8.Ray Kable Jr.; 9.Kirk Ryan (Hard Charger); 10.Paul Crowl; 11.David Williams; 12.Devin Friese; 13.Jamie Lathroum; 14.Keith Jackson; 15.Jason Dupont; 16.Roland Mann; 17.Wayne Johnson; 18.Rusty Sites; 19.Greg Fetters; 20.Les Hare; 21.Alan Sagi; 22.Nathan Durboraw; 23.Brent Smith; 24.Steve Axtell Jr.; 25.D. J. Troutman; 26.Marvin Winters; DNQ: Frankie Plessinger, Larry Baer, Bill Palmer, Scott Richwine, Jeff Johnson, Steve Gibney, Matthew Quade, Larry Baker II, Tyler Hershey, Al Shawver Sr., Mike Lupfer, Doug Stine
Hoosier/Hoosier Tire Mid-Atlantic Late Model Sportsman, 20 Laps, 25 entries (Lap Leaders - Richard Walls 1-4, 6-20, Dylan Yoder, 4): 1.Richard Walls; 2.Dylan Yoder; 3.Pete Weaver; 4.Nick Pappas; 5.Cody Lear; 6.Jerry Bard; 7.Scott Palmer; 8.Rick Stouffer; 9.Andy Fries; 10.Kyle Lear (Hard Charger); 11.Mike Walls; 12.Eugene Conlee; 13.Brian Lessley; 14.Anthony Lupini; 15.Robby Beal; 16.Shawn Jones; 17.Wayne Walls Jr.; 18.James Myers; 19.Ashley Barrett; 20.Terry Flaherty; 21.Cory Houck; 22.Barry Miller; 23.Tyler Armstrong; DNS Derek Byler, Chuck Cox
Ernie's Auto Enterprises Pure Stocks, 15 laps 30 entries (Lap Leaders - Dale Hollidge 1-10, 12-15, Hans Stamberg 11) 1.Dale Hollidge; 2.Hans Stamberg; 3Darrin Younker; 4.Dave Stouffer; 5.Bobby Taylor; 6.Dean Holmes; 7.Jason Murray; 8.Kevin Keefer; 9.Danny Beavers; 10.Lin Sutphin; 11.Kevin Boyer; 12.Mike Sanders; 13.Frank Dibella; 14.Bill Reitober; 15.Justin Snodderly; 16.Tim Monn; 17.Eddie Gatrell; 18.Drew Fitzsimmons; 19.Jeff Callahan; 20.Kevin Dayhoff; 21.Charlie Pensinger; 22.Tony Catlett; 23.Kenny Dillon; 24.Wayne Hawbaker; DNQ- Dave Mikolajski, Brian Swiger, Kenny Day, Billy Ecton Jr., DNS - Steve Lowery
Information about Brodix-made cylinder heads is available by calling
479 394-1075 or at the www.brodix.com web site.
"The decision to go with the Brodix heads in our Late Model division has been very beneficial on many levels," said Kevin Yoder, director of marketing for IMCA and director of the Deery Series. "In addition to a fantastic product, their technical support on the phone and in attendance at the Pepsi USA Nationals has been invaluable to our staff and our racers. We look forward to a long relationship with Brodix."
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