Column By: TOM WENNER / RPW – BECHTELSVILLE, PA – Brian Hirthler has owned Grandview Speedway Sportsman victory lane since the division started.
He is a 3X Champion, he is the all-time Sportsman division career feature win leader with 19 and sits 2nd points with a ’23 win to start the year.
On Sunday in the Balls To The Wall 50, Brian showed the world that he can race and win with anyone at Grandview Speedway.
Brian makes a few selected starts each Thunder On The Hill Racing Series season in a Whitetail Disposal, Green Lane Wm. Penn, Pioneer Pole Building 2015 Bicknell Spec 358 Modified that is family owned piece maintained by Brian and Kevin Hirthler.
On Sunday night, the stars aligned for Brian and drove the race of his life fighting with some the best in Spec 358 Modified racing. Hirthler started 4th on the night, Finished 4th in the first segment after lap 20 which put him on the pole for the next segment.
In the lap 35 segment Brian snuck by Jeff Strunk in the Keystone Racing 126 on the 34th lap to finish 4th once again. This put him in place for the final 15 laps for $5000 to win. Mike Gular won segment 2 and was inverted to 4th. The final 15 laps were a complete Dogfight among the best in the business. Brian, Duane Howard, Brett Kressley and Mike Gular. Jeff Strunk and Craig Von Dohren were just outside the Top 4.
The final 15 laps of the event were worth the price of admission all night. Brian Hirther, Duane Howard, Brett Kressley and would wage a war for the $5000 pay check. With 2 to go, Mike Gular had driven past Kressley and Howard and was on the bumper of Hirthler.
Mike had made several attempts from the top and bottom side of the speedway and even tried squeezing inside and nudging the 4* ride in the side, but Brian Hirthler held on to score an amazing career first Thunder On The Hill victory worth $5250.
Billy Pauch Jr. and Duane Howard led the 24 car Thunder On The Hill Racing Series field to the green flag.
Pauch Jr. and Howard would go side by side for laps before Pauch Jr would edge ahead for the race lead. Howard, Brian Hirthler, John Willman and Brett Kressley would follow.
On Lap 1 Bobby Trapper Jr. pulled to the infield.
With 3 clicks on the scoreboard Billy Pauch Jr. was pulling away from the front of the pack. Howard, Doug Manmiller, Brian Hirthler, and John Willman were the early Top 5.
At the 5 down mark BPJ was building a nice lead out front, with Howard, Manmiller, Hirthler, and Willman the Top 5.
On Lap 6 Brett Kressley moved into the Top 5.
On Lap 7 Duane Howard and Doug Manmiller started fighting for 2nd with Pauch Jr. sailing ahead. Hirthler, Kressley followed.
At Lap 10 Pauch Jr. was sailing away with the lead and the race behind him was heated as Howard and Manmiller continued to race hard for 2nd. Brett Kressley moved past Brian Hirthler for 3rd, Jack Butler was 5th and Mike Gular was 6th from his P11 starting spot.
On lap 12 with all green flag racing, Pauch Jr. was about to enter lap traffic. Duane Howard, Doug Manmiller and Brett Kressley ran down BPJ and were about to make this a 4 car race. Brian Hirthler, Mike Gular and Jack Butler were following.
On Lap 13 it was battle royale up front as Pauch Jr. and Howard were side by side and Doug Manmiller and Brett Kressley were side by side. Brian Hirthler was running down all 4 and closing in.
At the lap 15 mark it became a 6 car race for the lead in lapped traffic. Pauch Jr, Howard, Kressley, Manmiller, Hirthler and now Mike Gular has joined the fun at the front. On lap 16 we saw a 3 wide race for 3rd – Manmiller, Kressley, Hirthler and Gular. Brett Kressley would come out on top securing 3rd.
On lap 17, 3 laps away from the segment one it began to get crazy as everyone was chasing the bonus money being offered. Pauch Jr. remained the race leader, Duane Howard was 2nd, Brett Kressley 3rd, Doug Manmiller 4th, Brian Hirthler 5th, Mike Gular 6th, Jeff Strunk 7th, and Jack Butler 8th.
Billy Pauch Jr. would win segment one worth $1500, with bonus money being paid to the Top 10. Duane Howard 2nd, Brett Kressley 3rd, Brian Hirthler 4th, Mike Gular 5th, Doug Manmiller 6th, Jeff Strunk 7th, Jack Butler 8th, Alex Yankowski 9th and Louden Reimert 10th. Brian Hirthler would invert to the pole, Brett Kressley 2nd, Duane Howard 3rd, and Billy Pauch Jr. 4th for the restart.
On the restart Brett Kressley would power past Brian Hirthler and Duane Howard followed as Kressley and Howard would go side by side for the race lead. Hirthler dropped to 3rd, Pauch Jr. 4th and Mike Gular 5th. Kressley and Howard race side by side for 3 laps battling for the top spot. On lap 23, Howard would come away with the lead. Kressley, Gular, Hirthler, Strunk, Manmiller, Butler, Von Dohren would follow. Von Dohren marched from P20 into the Top 10.
At lap 25 Duane Howard was now setting the pace out front. Kressley, Gular, Hirthler, and Strunk were the Top 5.
On Lap 26 Ron Haring Jr. retired from the event.
On Lap 28 Mike Gular drove past Brett Kressley for 2nd. Howard still leads. Gular, Kressley, Strunk, and Hirthler are the Top 5.
Lap 30, all green flag laps without a caution. The track conditions were outstanding as the track widened up allowing 3 grooves to be run. Top, middle and bottom were all racy. Duane Howard maintained the top spot with 5 to go ending segment 2.
On lap 32 Mike Gular was cutting down the Duane Howard lead. Kressley, Strunk and Hirthler were chasing. John Willman retired on lap 32 with smoke coming from the 291.
On the last lap (34) Mike Gular setup Duane Howard heading into turn 3 and powered off turn 4 for the popular segment two win worth $1500. Bonus money went to Duane Howard who was 2nd, Brett Kressley 3rd, Brian Hirthler snuck past Jeff Strunk on the backstretch for 4th, Jeff Strunk 5th, Doug Manmiller 6th, Billy Pauch Jr. 7th, Craig Von Dohren 8th, Jack Butler 9th and Jared Umbenhauer 10th.
The invert involved moving Brian Hirthler to pole, Brett Kressley to 2nd, Duane Howard to 3rd, Mike Gular to 4th.
At the drop of the green for the final 15 laps for $5000 to win Brian Hirthler snuck away with the race lead. Brett Kressley would move to 2nd, Duane Howard 3rd and Mike Gular 4th. On lap 36 Howard and Kressley would go side by side for 2nd and 3rd while Jeff Strunk and Mike Gular are side by side for 4th and 5th.
With 40 down Hirthler has a comfortable lead, Kressley, Howard, Gular and Strunk are chasing. Craig Von Dohren is 6th from 20th.
At lap 43 Mike Gular is now 3rd and beginning to pressure Brett Kressley for 2nd. On lap 44, Gular goes side by side with the 19k of Kressley to steal away 2nd.
At lap 45 Mike Gular has driven to the bumper of Brian Hirthler. Brett Kressley and Duane Howard are now side by side for 3rd and 4th. Lap 46 Duane Howard takes 3rd away from Kressley, Strunk and Von Dohren are 4th and 5th.
Lap 48 with 2 to go. Brian Hirthler has Mike Gular all over his bumper. Gular has tried the top and bottom several times to no avail. On Lap 49 Mike Gular squeezes to the inside guardrail and gives the Hirthler 4* a tap in an attempt to get by and Hirthler holds the line. Hirthler is in defense mode now trying to hold off Gular for $5k. Howard, Kressley, Strunk and Von Dohren are all bumper to bumper down to the wire.
Brian Hirthler would go on to score the impressive victory in the Balls To The Wall 50, Mike Gular settled for 2nd, Duane Howard 3rd, Brett Kressley 4th, Jeff Strunk 5th, Craig Von Dohren 6th, Billy Pauch Jr. 7th, Doug Manmiller 8th, Jack Butler 9th, and Jared Umbenhauer 10th.
Thunder On The Hill Notes:
A great field of cars and fans packed the Grandview Speedway for the Balls to the Wall 50. 63 Modifieds, 33 Spec 358 Mods and 30 602 Crate Sportsman. A few of the non-Grandview regulars entered were Duane Howard, Alex Yankowski, Billy Pauch Jr., Louden Reimert, Jack Butler, Kevin Beach and Rick Laubach. Dylan Swinehart was behind the wheel of the R & K #142 on Sunday, while Jared Umbenhauer was wheeling the family #5. Adrianna Delliponti moved up to Spec 358 modified racing on Sunday in her family owned #22A, while fellow Sportsman drivers Brian Hirthler and Kyle Smith did the same.
Feature (50 Laps) – 1. Brian Hirthler 2. Mike Gular 3. Duane Howard 4. Brett Kressley 5. Jeff Strunk 6. Craig Von Dohren 7. Billy Pauch Jr. 8. Doug Manmiller 9. Jack Butler 10. Jared Umbenhauer 11. Louden Reimert 12. Rick Laubach 13. Mike Lisowski 14. Alex Yankowski 15. Ryan Watt 16. Jimmy Leiby 17. Eddie Strada 18. Kevin Beach 19. Bobby Gunther Walsh 20. Eric Kormann 21. John Willman 22. Ron Haring Jr. 23. Steve Young 24. Bobby Trapper Jr.