Hilltop crowns track champions

  • By Mike Swanger for The Holmes County Journal
  • December 4, 2009
  • 652
                        
The regular season points racing at Hilltop Speedway came to a close Friday night with more top notch action. Dash winner Lance Elson led the pack of S&S Construction Late Models on the opening circuit of their feature but Doug Dodd would overtake him the on the second lap. Dodd would lead for the next three laps, but going down the back stretch, he broke and slowed as fourth-running Spud Myers could not slow up fast enough and made contact with Dodd. He went to the pits as Myers was able to continue with an ill-handling car that would only last four more laps. Ashland’s Ryan Markham inherited the lead on the Dodd caution flag with Elson in pursuit as quick-timer George Lee, Jason Flory and Justin Chance staged a ferocious battle for third. That became a two-way race when Flory went pitside on lap 20. Markham and his Stu’s Place No. 5m would win his fifth feature of the season by five car lengths over Elson, as Chance edged out Lee for third at the finish line with DJ Miller claiming fifth. Flory and Tom Baker won the heats. Just by starting the feature, George Lee locked up the season championship crown. It was a rough night for the Tri State Modifieds, as only seven cars were left running at the checkered flag out of the 18 that started. It was a good night for Warsaw’s Norm Aronhalt as he won the dash and started on the pole of the feature then went on to lead all the way to post his first win of the season aboard the Wyler Enterprise’s No. 309. Darrick Hubbard took over second with five laps to go when Larry Kugel dropped with mechanical problems and Hubbard had the heat on high for Aronhalt but came up short on a last-lap charge. Matt Samples, Nick Smith and Bruce Miller rounded out the top five. Gary Clark and Hilton Eppley posted heat wins as Kugel claimed the track championship for 2009. Clark, Rory Reed and George Lee had severely damaged cars in two separate accidents. Kevin Potts was the fast qualifier. First heat winner Kevin Shairer set the pace for the opening two laps of the Snyder Brothers Pure Stock feature, but from then on it was Lodi’s Troy Anderson out front in the Tons of Parts No. 41. Track Champion Brandon Gardner was in hot pursuit of second heat winner Anderson. On the last lap, Anderson got mixed up with a lapped car to bring out the caution. Inadvertently told to go to the pits, Anderson was awarded his place back and kept Gardner at bay on the last lap to win his second feature of the season. Jimmy Smith came from his 10th starting place to take third as Shairer took fourth and Roger Drouhard filled out the top five. The main event for the Circle Track Mini Trucks had pole sitter Scott Gray out front on the first lap but Jerry Gardner took control for the next eight trips around. At that point, Jesse Combs of Lakeville powered past for the lead and the Loudonville Tire No. 34 then held off a hard-charging John Large to secure his second win of the year. Rolly Heyder ran a strong third with Gray and Gardner rounding out the top five. Gardner’s fifth-place finish was enough to claim the track championship. Heyder and Gardner won the heat races. Zach Foss won the first lap of the Holmes Tire Mini Stock feature but Millersburg’s Ernest Fortune, the heat winner, won the rest of the laps to post his sixth win of the season and collect the track championship driving the Advance Auto Parts No. 79. Foss took second with Blain and Kevin Markey in third and fourth and JR Carpenter in fifth.


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