RPW Exclusive: Wild Finish To Grandview’s Sportsman Main Nets Colton Perry First Career Win

Column By: TOM WENNER / RPW – BECHTELSVILLE, PA – The Grandview Speedway 602 Sportsman class is blessed with an amazing car count.
Almost 45 cars on Saturday, 4 jam packed heat races and for the 3rd week in a row – A new winner.
Logan Watt, Gavyn Krupp, and now Colton Perry.
The 602 Sportsman division is jam packed with young guns and balanced with veteran talent that put on incredible racing week after week. The sportsman class always hits the track 1st every week and the heat race qualifying is always a treat with a 42- 602 Sportsman cars looking for 26 spots each week.
On Saturday Night, The storyline had an epic finish to an exciting race. Colton Perry started on the pole and had put together a great night of racing. Colton won 602 Sportsman Heat Race #1. He started P1 in the feature and led until halfway when another young gun who was looking for his 1st career win, Jesse Hirthler squirted past Perry for the lead.
There was contact between the 2 drivers in turns 3 and 4 under green that resulted in Perry falling back to 3rd and Jesse taking the lead. On lap 21, a caution was displayed for Ryan Graver who left the racing surface with a flare up under his engine bay.
TJ Mayberry was running at the time 2nd with a LF Flat Tire, had to visit the pits, race officials then made the decision to move Jesse Hirthler back 2 spots for the race contact on lap 15 with Colton Perry. Colton Perry would assume the race lead once again with Steve Young on his bumper and Jesse Hirthler back in 3rd.
This set up an incredible 4 lap dash to the checkered flag, in which Perry would race uncontested for the victory.
Heat Races for 42 602 Sportsman were won by Colton Perry, Mike Stofflet, Logan Watt, and Mark Gaugler
Colton Perry and Kenny Bock led the 26 car 602 Sportsman field to the green flag.
Colton Perry would take the early command of the race lead. Kenny Bock, Steve Young, Mike Stofflet, and Michael Toth were the early Top-5.
With 3 laps down Perry was showing some great speed early. Bock, Young, Stofflet, and Toth were chasing. Logan Watt has driving through the field into the Top-10 by lap 3 and from 15th.
On lap 5 the caution was displayed for Tyler James and Nathan Horn who were spun after contact. The 602 Sportsman field was reset with Colton Perry the race leader, Kenny Bock, Steve Young, Mike Stofflet, TJ Mayberry, Mike Toth, Jesse Hirthler, Kaitlyn Bailey, Brett Gilmore, and Logan Watt.
On the restart the caution was flying again Michael Toth spun and hit the turn 1 boiler plate. Gavyn Krupp, Adrianna Delliponti, and Mark Gaugler were collected with the track blocked. The track rules state 2 caution on the same lap dictate going single file on the restart.
On the green Colton Perry darted in the race lead with Bock, Young, Stofflet, and Hirthler following. Mayberry, Grim, Bailey, Watt, and Guldin followed.
Lap 6 is scored before the caution is displayed again for Mike Stofflet who spins. Stofflet and Jesse Hirthler who were battling for 4th and 5th locked bumpers and Stofflet spun out of contention from the incident. Krupp and Delliponti returned to the track 1 lap down.
The field was reset for the restart with Perry, Bock, Young, Hirthler and Mayberry now the Top-5.
We are back racing and the field is tight together with battles among the race leaders. Logan Watt is challenging Brett Gilmore for 6th and 7th. Colton Perry remains the race leader.
Lap 10 is clicked off for Colton Perry, as Bock, Jesse Hirthler has now moved into 3rd, TJ Mayberry is 4th, Steve Young 5th.
Lap 11 and Jesse Hirthler gets past Kenny Bock for 2nd and is closing on Colton Perry.
Lap 13 is clicked off and Colton Perry still leads, but Jesse Hirthler is coming fast with what is ultimately the fasted car on the speedway. TJ Mayberry is chasing in 3rd, Young is 4th, and Bock is 5th. Watt, Guldin are close behind.
Lap 14 Kenny Bock and Dakota Kohler retire to the infield and from the event.
On Lap 15, Jesse Hirthler sees and opening and takes it, slight contact with the Colton Perry sees the 36 go up the track and out of the race lead. Hirthler races into the lead as Perry falls back to 3rd after getting control of the car. TJ Mayberry darted past for 2nd.
It is now Jesse Hirthler your race leader, with TJ Mayberry in 2nd, Colton Perry 3rd, Steve Young 4th, Brett Gilmore 5th, Logan Watt 6th, Parker Guldin 7th, Kaitlyn Bailey 8th, Cody Manmiller 9th, and Dylan Swinehart 10th.
Lap 20 and 5 to go mark is clicked off as Jesse Hirthler has 1 fast race car out front. TJ Mayberry is 2nd and we just saw he has a left front flat tire. Mayberry is maintaining position with the flat. Perry is 3rd, Young 4th, and Gilmore 5th.
Lap 22 Ryan Graver heads to the infield with fire flare up under the hood of the family owned 101, The caution is quickly displayed for Graver. Under caution Grandview officials point TJ Mayberry to the pits to fix the flat tire. It is a track rule that you can maintain position on the track under green, when the caution is displayed, you must head to the pits to have it changed for safety reasons.
TJ Mayberry for the 2nd week in a row is running 2nd late in the race and struck with bad luck. While the field is under caution, officials also direct Jesse Hirthler back 2 spots for contact made when he passed Colton Perry for the race lead.
These 2 changes completely shuffle the top five. Colton Perry now moves from 3rd back to the race lead with Steve Young sliding from 4th to 2nd. Jesse Hirthler is 3rd, Brett Gilmore 4th, Logan Watt 5th, Parker Guldin 6th, Kaitlyn Bailey 7th, Ronnie Soloman 8th, Cody Manmiller 9th, and Dylan Swinehart 10th. Tyler James would retire to the infield.
We go back to green flag racing with Colton Perry back in front. Young, Hirthler, Gilmore, and Watt are all nose to tail waiting for a mistake or a lane to open up.
Colton Perry would go on to win his 1st career Grandview Speedway 602 Sportsman Modified feature win. Steve Young would come home 2nd, Jesse Hirthler 3rd, Brett Gilmore 4th, Logan Watt 5th, Parker Guldin 6th, Kaitlyn Bailer 7th, Cody Manmiller 8th, Dylan Swinehart 9th, and Logan Bauman 10th.
T.P. TRUCK EQUIPMENT NASCAR SPORTSMAN FEATURE FINISH (25 laps): COLTON PERRY, Steve Young, Jesse Hirthler, Brett Gilmore, Logan Watt, Parker Guldin, Kaitlyn Bailey, Cody Manmiller, Dylan Swinehart, Logan Bauman, Ronnie Solomon, Nathan Mohr, Mike Stofflet, Decker Swinehart, Nicholas Hamm, Adrianna Delliponti, Tyler James, TJ Mayberry, Ryan Graver, Dom Roselli, Dakota Kohler, Kenny Bock, Gavyn Krupp, Michael Toth, Mark Gaugler, Nathan Horn