Mike Lisowski earns last-lap pass U.S.S. Achey sportsman win; Devin Trexler collects Savage 61 roadrunner victory
Story By: SHAWN WOOD / BIG DIAMOND SPEEDWAY MEDIA
Photos By: GEORGE STEIGERWALT / RACERSGUIDE.COM
MINERSVILLE, PA. -August 14, 2016 – Veteran Quakertown, Pa., modified chauffer Rick Laubach showed the speed that has taken him to victory lane twice already in the 2016 Big Diamond Speedway season as he led all 30 laps to collect his third win of the year and a $4,000 pay day in the Prelude to the Coalcracker on Friday on HuntTheGiant.com night.
Other winners on Friday night were Mike Lisowski (U.S.S. Achey sportsman) and Devin Trexler (Savage 61 roadrunners).
The track returns to action on Friday, Aug. 19, for the CJ’s Tire & Automotive Service Night featuring the Andy Fayash Memorial for the U.S.S. Achey sportsman and a Pink Out to support breast cancer.
The Fayash Memorial, an open-draw event, will see a 30-lap feature for the sportsman paying $1,570 to win and $157 to take the green. There will be 50 show-up points for the sportsman teams. Also on the racing card will be the 358 modifieds, roadrunners and the No Sweat Service Group street stocks.
The gates open at 5:30 on Friday with warm ups at 7:45 and racing getting underway at 8:15. General admission is $20; Seniors, $18 and kids 12-and-under and active military with a valid ID are free.
Laubach took the lead from the start of the 358 modified race from his outside pole position and held the field at bay over the 30-lap distance.
“The outside groove was definitely better up there and it helps with these draw races to have a good starting spot,” Laubach said. “I was pushing a couple of time but the outside was the preferred line tonight.”
Billy Pauch Jr., followed Laubach around the outside of Turn 2 and settled into second on the opening lap of the race while Craig VonDohren and Duane Howard had their own battle going for third.
By lap 5, Laubach started to stretch out his lead but Pauch Jr. remained in striking distance.
At the halfway mark, Laubach still maintained the lead over Pauch while Howard had moved into third and Ryan Godown, who started eighth, was fourth.
Three laps later, Jeff Strunk slowed coming off Turn 4 to bring out the caution.
Laubach maintained his lead on the restart but Pauch Jr. was not letting him get away while Howard, VonDohren and Godown battled for third.
The final caution came out with three laps to go. But as was the case all race, Laubach was able to hold off Pauch Jr., who had keep the leader at bay for most of the night.
“Everybody in these grandstands knows it was a rough weeks for the racing community and I never meet Bryan Clauson, but I want to dedicate my win to him,” Laubach added. “I watched his races online and he seemed like one heck of a guy and its a bad thing when that kind of stuff happens.”
Clauson passed away on Aug. 7 from injuries he sustained in a United States Auto Club midget race at the famed Belleville High Banks race track in Kansas. The track also held a moment of silence in his honor prior to start of the racing activities.
Pauch Jr., held on for second with Duane Howard, Craig VonDohren and Ryan Godown rounding out the top five.
Sixth through 10th were Doug Manmiller, Gary Hager, Shawn Fitzpatrick, Ryan Watt, and Kevin Beach Jr.
Heats for the 358 modifieds were won by VonDohren, Godown and Beach Jr.
It has been a while but modified driver Kevin Beach, Jr., swept all the rounds as the competitors were determined by a vote on the speedway’s Facebook page.
Beach Jr., defeated. in order; Scott Albert; Manmiller; Watt; Strunk; Justin Grim (Dq’d for no start); Ryan Grim; Howard; Brett Kressley and VonDohren.
For 19 and 1/4 laps, 15-year-old T.J. Lilly of Pen Argyl led the 20-lap sportsman feature but he jumped the cushion in Turn 1 on the final lap which allowed Lisowski to driver under him in apex of the turn and go on to complete the pass for the win.
Lisowski made his move on lap 14 after starting ninth, as he began to close in on the race leader.
“T.J. ran a heck of a race and I didn’t have anything for him,” Lisowski said. “He was really good up top and I couldn’t get going on the restarts, he had the preferred line tonight as the top was just really fast. He just made a mistake, that’s all it was. I wasn’t going to get around him. I was just there and was able to capitalize.”
Lilly was able to recover from his bobble to hold on for a runner-up finish while Ray Woodall Sr., finished third. Points leader Brandon Grasso and Daryl Dissinger rounded out the top five.
Sixth through 10th were Chuck Fayash, Wayne Witmer, Ray Woodall Jr., Matt Clay, and Skylar Sheriff. Heats for the sportsman were won by Witmer and Lilly.
Shon Elk had the dominant car in the Savage 61 roadrunner 20-lap feature leading the first 11 laps of the race.
But that all changed when Elk lost a tire in Turn 3 on the same lap, ending his night.
Kris Ney, who had been running second, inherited the lead on the restart. Devin Trexler, who started sixth, would take the lead from Ney in Turn 4 on lap 13 and then held off a hard-charging Andy Fayash III following a late-race restart for the win.
“It was a rough one as I came from pretty far back as I came out a little bit late and I was supposed to start sixth but I ended up starting ninth,” Trexler said. “I got a couple of lucky breaks tonight.”
Fayash held on for second with Steve Gromis, third, Ney, fourth, and Kyle Wingle rounded out the top five.
Sixth through 10th were Jim Kost, Shawn Mulhall, Andrew Buchinski, Terry Kramer and Elk. Heats for the roadrunners were won by Elk and Gromis.
Friday’s racing card at Big Diamond will feature the Fayash Memorial 30-lap feature paying $1,570 to win and $157 to take the green for the sportsman. The event will be an open draw with 50 show-up points for the sportsman teams. Also on the racing card on Friday will be the 358 modifieds, roadrunners and the No Sweat Service Group street stocks.
There will also be a ‘Pink Out’ on Friday with 50/50, raffles and shirts for sale. The proceeds will benifit the breast cancer research at the Hershey Medical Center.
For the latest information, be sure to like the Big Diamond Speedway facebook page; www.facebook.com/Bigdiamondspeedway and on Twitter, @BigDSpdwy
Results
Friday, Aug. 12
Big Diamond Speedway
CJ’s Tire & Automotive Services 358 modified feature (30 laps): 1. Rick Laubach, 2. Billy Pauch Jr., 3. Duane Howard, 4. Craig VonDohren, 5. Ryan Godown, 6. Doug Manmiller, 7. Gary Hager, 8. Shawn Fitzpatrick, 9. Ryan Watt, 10. Kevin Beach Jr., 11. Scott Albert, 12. John Willman, 13. Jim Bobbitt, 14. Heath Metzger, 15. Jay Aten. DNF: Brett Kressley, Andy Burkhart, Justin Grim, Ryan Grim, Jeff Strunk, Bobby Gunther Walsh, Ron Haring, Cliff Quinn, Jimmy Reppert, Colt Harris. Heat winners: VonDohren, Godown, Beach Jr.
Modified Match Races
Round 1: Beach Jr. def. Albert; Rd. 2: Beach Jr., def. Manmiller; Rd. 3: Beach Jr., def. Watt; Rd. 4: Beach Jr., def. Strunk; Rd. 5: Beach Jr., def. J. Grim (Dq’d for no start); Rd. 6: Beach Jr., defe. R. Grim; Rd. 7: Beach Jr., def. Howard; Rd. 8 Beach Jr., def. Kressley; Rd. 9 Beach Jr., def. VonDohren.
U.S.S. Achey sportsman feature (20 laps): 1. Mike Lisowski, 2. T.J. Lilly, 3. Ray Woodall Sr., 4. Brandon Grosso, 5. Daryl Dissinger, 6. Chuck Fayash, 7. Wayne Witmer, 8. Ray Woodall Jr., 9. Matt Clay, 10. Skylar Sheriff, 11. Ryan Shupp, 12. Greg Cole, 13. Fred Massey. DNF: Glenn Rowan, Todd Huffman, Billy Moyer Jr., Shawn Light,Tim Fitzpatrick, Matt Stangle.DNS: Ed Mrochko, Eric Hitz. Doug Hendricks. Heat winners: Witmer, Lilly.
Savage 61 roadrunner feature (20 laps): 1. Devin Trexler, 2. Andrew Fayash III, 3. Steve Gromis, 4. Kris Ney, 5. Kyle Wingle, 6. Jim Kost, 7. Shawn Mulhall, 8. Andrew Buchinski, 9. Terry Kramer. DNF: Shon Elk, Nate Hill, Chris Eckert, Tim Spesak, Jesse Wagner. DNS: Fred Everly.
Road Runner heats were won by Shon Elk and Steve Gromis
Points as of 8/12/16
CJ’s Tire & Automotive Services 358 modifieds
1. Ryan Godown 3,124
2. Craig VonDohren 2,940
3. Duane Howard 2,823
4. Jeff Strunk 2,793
5. Rick Laubach 2,792
6. Ryan Watt 2,535
7. Ryan Grim 2,513
8. Kevin Beach Jr. 2,334
9. Brett Kressley 2,166
10. Ray Swinehart 1,936
U.S.S. Achey Sportsman
1. Brandon Grosso 3,374
2. Ray Woodall Jr. 3,250
3. Wayne Witmer 3,094
4. Mike Lisowski 3,081
5. Tim Fitzpatrick 3,008
6. Chuck Fayash 2,767
7. Shawn Light 2,716
8. Doug Hendricks 2,715
9. Ray Woodall Sr. 2,697
10. Skylar Sheriff 2,613
Savage 61 roadrunners
1. Andrew Fayash III 4,699
2. Steve Gromis 4,294
3. Jim Kost 4,200
4. Kris Ney 4,050
5. Terry Kramer 3,573
6. Tim Fitzpatrick Jr. 3,226
7. Tim Spesak 3,108
8. Kody Sites 3,065
9. Kyle Wingle 3,013
10. Nate Hill 2,927
No Sweat Service street stocks
1. Eric Tripp 1,696
2. Rich Bossinger 1,600
3. Chris Derr 1,555
4. Bobby Kupp 1,540
5. Jeremy Becker 1,489
6. Leroy Long 1,459
7. Tyler Stump 1,385
8. Elvin Brennan III 1,370
9. Jasen Geesaman 1,347
10. Mike Radocha 1,146
