7/22/2024
Birch Run Speedway
Hayden, Hodgeson, Damon and Miller on FastLane Auto Exchange night!
Race number four of the season for the track and NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly points battle saw no threats of rain and the Fastlane Auto Exchange folks on hand to hand out trophies and Top Speed Motorsports handing out custom checkered flags to the feature winners!
Current point leader Brian Bero and Dalton Worthy shared the front row for starting the Limited Late Model 25-lap feature. Worthy and Bero raced hard for the lead with Joe Hodgeson Jr and Ed Muckenthaler jockeying for position behind. Bero got by Worthy the next lap and Hodgeson followed with a pass on Worthy as well. The duo would run nose-to-tail for four laps before Hodgeson got to the inside of Bero off turn four and completed the pass entering turn three the next lap. Defending Champion Hodgeson stretched his lead out and went on to win his second of the season in his Conquest Scents/Tony Brabb's Racing Engines #84 ahead of Bero, Muckenthaler, Josh Hahn, and Shawn Edmonds.
Andrew Burton grabbed the lead at the start of the Finish Line Seamless Gutters Pure Stocks feature. Hunter Doutre tried to hang tough on the outside of Burton after an early caution, but Jim Miller Jr made his way inside of Doutre for second. Burton held off Miller for three laps but drifted just high enough off of turn four that Miller was able to get to the inside and complete the pass down the backstretch. A caution bunched the field up, but Miller was up to the task as he took command and never looked back in his Performance Auto/Top Speed Motorsports number nine for his third win of 2024. Burton finished second ahead of Brent Voris, Doutre, and Chris Wilber.
The Showcase Auto Sales Street Stocks made their return and John Leonard grabbed the lead after battling on the outside of Chris Munson on the opening lap. Kyle Callahan also used the outside of Munson to move into the second spot. Behind them, Munson was fending off the challenge of Duane Damon, Kevin Harder, and Johnny Hayden. Callahan moved to the inside of Leonard four laps later and raced door-to-door for a lap before taking the lead.
The lone caution came out one lap past halfway when Leonard broke loose off of turn four while running second. Damon had gotten past Munson and was now on the outside of Callahan for the restart. Damon got past Callahan on the restart and held him off over the closing laps to take home the victory; The first Street Stock win at Birch Run Speedway for the driver of the Finish Line Seamless Gutters/Stearn's M15 Garage number two! Johnny Hayden, Chris Munson, and Leonard completed the top five.
Trevor Berry came into the night with a two-race win streak and Kyle Hayden was the point leader for the Modifieds. The 40-lap Wheeler Trucking Modifieds feature had Matt Mueller and Dawson Knaul pace the field to green. Knaul took the early advantage for the first two laps. Mueller took back the lead out of four the next lap as Nick Clemens and Kyle Hayden got to the inside of Nick Lechota and Knaul in turn one. Mueller's lead was short-lived as he got loose of four and Clemens capitalized by diving to the inside and taking the lead.
Hayden worked for two laps to get around Knaul and then a lap later got by Mueller to try to reel in Clemens. The caution flew for a spin by Mueller off of turn two, and that put Hayden to the outside of Clemens for the restart. Clemens got to the gas first off four, but a slight bobble on the front stretch allowed Hayden to carry his speed around Clemens to take the lead. Behind them, Lechota moved solidly into third, while Knaul, Justin Noffsinger, Trevor Berry, and Scottie Lamp all battled.
Hayden would never falter over the rest of the race and put his Rick Wiecorek Racing/Jacobsen's Mountain Inn number 22 in victory lane and add to his point lead. Clemens wound up second ahead of Trevor Berry, Nick Lechota, and Scottie Lamp.
Preliminary action had Josh Hahn set fast time in the Limited Late Models and Brian Bero grabbed the heat race win. Duane Damon was fast qualifier in the Showcase Auto Sales Street Stocks and heat wins went to Michael Allemon and John Leonard. Jim Miller Jr set fast time and won the fast heat in the Finish Line Seamless Gutters Pure Stocks, with Mark Martinez picking up the other heat win. Nick Clemens was the fastest in Wheeler Trucking Modified qualifying. Glenn Kern picked up another win in the Top Speed Motorsports Spectator Drags.
This Friday is a 1/3 mile Invitational for the Showcase Auto Sales Street Stocks and the returning Front Wheel Drives. The Street Stocks feature is for $ 2,000 to win and $200 to start and the Front Wheel Drives will be battling for $1,000 to win and $150 to start! Any drivers interested in racing can bring their home track rules to be eligible (no three-link cars). The Finish Line Seamless Gutters Pure Stocks, the Nelson Hydraulics American Trucks, the Top Speed Motorsports Spectator Drags, and the Figure 8s will all be in action!
All photos courtesy of Race Photos by Mike on Facebook
Article Credit: Chuck Darling
Submitted By: Charles Darling
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