HARTMAN’S VALLEY: Tim Hartman Jr. Scores DIRTcar Sportsman East Region Victory

Column By: Mike Warren – SUPER DIRTCAR SERIES – WEST LEBANON, NY  – After winning the Sportsman Feature in Lebanon Valley Speedway’s season opener last week, Tim Hartman Jr. didn’t let that momentum go to waste.

The Niskayuna, NY driver took the lead from A.J. Albreada on a Lap 6 restart and never looked back to win Saturday’s DIRTcar Sportsman Series East Region Feature.

Albreada led the field to the green in the 30-lap Feature, but behind him, Hartman didn’t waste any time going forward. “TH2,” who started seventh, went to the top and got to second by the time they completed Lap 1.

“Everybody just kind of fought for the bottom going into (Turn) 1, and I figured, what the hell, I got 30 laps if this is a mistake,” Hartman said. “Just drive it in there and not lift. We came off of (Turn) 2, and I was second, and I almost had the lead in (Turn) 4. I couldn’t have asked for a better first lap.”

Hartman quickly tried to get by Albreada before a caution on Lap 5 slowed the field for the only time in the event.

When the race resumed, it didn’t take long for Hartman to find a way past Albreada. With a swift move in Turns 3 and 4, Hartman slid in front of Albreada’s nose to take the lead.

From there, not even lap traffic would deter Hartman as he held off a late charge from Chris Crane Jr. to win his second career DIRTcar Sportsman Feature event.

Once he got the lead, Hartman said he was just making sure he hit his marks.

“We were back and forth there, and I was just trying to hit my marks,” Hartman said. “They said the 711 was coming, but he was going to have to wreck me because if I saw him, I was going to take his lane like it got taken away from me earlier in the race. But that’s just how you do it in a win in a $2,000-to-win show.”

Crane, who started fourth, got by Owen Lewis for second on Lap 26, but didn’t have enough to get to Hartman. The Canaan, CT, driver said he needed some help in lap traffic to beat the No. 22.

“He’s the best I’ve ever seen do it here in the Sportsman division,” Crane said. “When I was behind [Lewis] for that long stretch, I knew I was catching him, but noticed Tim wasn’t getting too far away. To be able to catch someone as good as he is, we’ve got a good piece here. I told my dad we’ve got to come back because we’re way too good right now.”

Lewis held on to third, Albreada finished fourth, and Craig Wholey rounded out the top five.

UP NEXT: The DIRTcar Sportsman Series East Region returns to action on Thursday, May 14 at Airborne Park Speedway, along with the DIRTcar 358 Modified Series.

For more on the DIRTcar Northeast, follow the DIRTcar Northeast  Facebook page.

DIRTcar Sportsman Feature (30 Laps): 1. 22A-Tim Hartman Jr[7]; 2. 711-Chris Crane Jr[4]; 3. 19L-Owen Lewis[8]; 4. 22-AJ Albreada[1]; 5. 98-Craig Wholey[5]; 6. 07W-Taylor Wason[9]; 7. 11VT-Joey Scarborough[13]; 8. 916-Nick Brundige[2]; 9. 51-Bryan Preville[11]; 10. 12P-Connor Prokop[10]; 11. 27B-Michael Ballestero[6]; 12. 96-Anthony Maxon[18]; 13. 33M-Bodie Marks[12]; 14. 29-Max Dolliver[15]; 15. 03-Joshua Jock[19];  16. 631-Todd Buckwold[14]; 17. 26-Jeremy Huntoon; 18. 307-Karl Barnes[28]; 19. 18S-Ed Dachenhausen[16]; 20. 27-Dylan Holmes[25]; 21. 313-Cam Van Zandt[20]; 22. 12-Katrina Leclaire[21]; 23. 611-John Agor[24]; 24. 11-Cody Cordova[17]; 25. 4NY-Keith Johannessen[23]; 26. (DNF) 208-Andrew Martell[27]; 27. (DNF) 399-Nick Giardini[3]; 28. (DNS) 26-Jeremy Huntoon; 29. (DNS) 19-Tim Deffer