Reimert & Perrego capture NASCAR Modified Twin 25 wins at Grandview; Jesse Landis takes Sportsman win
COLUMN BY: Jeff Ahlum – GRANDVIEW SPEEDWAY – BECHTELSVILLE, PA – It was another night of wild and exciting action Saturday night at Grandview Speedway, and when the checkered flag fell on the night’s action, three different drivers stood in victory lane.
The T.P. Trailers & Truck Equipment Modifieds competed in Twin 25-lap feature events, with Louden Reimert of Oley, Pa. scoring his second win of the season in the first feature of the night, while Anthony Perrego of Montgomery, N.Y. raced home to his first career Grandview Speedway win in the second main event, with both drivers having to fight for their wins with Brian Hirthler of Green Lane, Pa. who was in contention to win both races, only to have mechanical issues sideline his chances of victory.
Jesse Landis of Gilbertsville, Pa. rode the outside groove of the speedway to the front of the field by lap six, survived two late race restarts, and then raced home to the win in the 25-lap T.P. Trailers & Truck Equipment Sportsman feature race, becoming the fifth different winner in the division this season.
The winners received bonus money (Modified $300, Sportsman $200) from T.P. Trailers and Truck Equipment of Limerick, Pa., sponsors of the two divisions at Grandview Speedway in a race program run under the NASCAR Local Racing Series Powered by O’Reilly Auto Parts banner.
The first 25-lap T.P. Trailers & Truck Equipment Modified feature saw Mark Gaugler of Boyertown, Pa. take the early lead, continuing to lead following a multi-car back stretch mishap on lap three that shuffled the running order behind him.
Hirthler would move in to challenge Gaugler for the top spot, and took the lead with a high line pass off of turn four to score lap six, while Louden Reimert and Logan Watt would gain a bunch of positions following the restart, using the outside lane to advance.
By lap nine, eleventh starting Reimert and fifteenth starting Watt had advanced to second and third, while thirteenth starting Mike Gular of Harleysville, Pa., fourteenth starting Brett Kressley of Orefield, Pa. and twenty-fifth starting Eddie Strada of Lake Ariel, Pa. had already advanced to fourth, fifth, and sixth spots, and were putting on a great battle for positions.
Hirthler led but could not pull away from the field, and by lap sixteen, Reimert, Logan Watt, Kressley, Gular, and Strada were right on his bumper, producing an incredible six car battle for the lead.
Lapped traffic came into play by lap eighteen, with the action and position swapping among the top spots very intense, until lap nineteen when Watt and Kressley tangled, with Kressley bouncing off the wall and stopping for a caution.
This caution and following restart changed the complexion of the race, as Hirthler’s car stumbled with a fuel pickup issue, sending Reimert around him and into the lead, with everyone else scrambling for positions.
The final laps would see Reimert lead with Watt advancing to second and giving chase, while Gular, Strada, Hirthler and a late charging Jeff Strunk of Bechtelsville, Pa. battling for the top spots to the checkered.
At the finish, it was Reimert taking his fifth career Grandview Speedway NASCAR Local Racing Series Powered by O’Reilly Auto Parts feature win, followed by Logan Watt, Gular, Hirthler, Strunk, Strada, Perrego, Craig Von Dohren of Oley, Pa., Rick Laubach of Quakertown, Pa., and Duane Howard of Oley, Pa.
The second 25-lap T.P. Trailers & Truck Equipment Modified feature was lined up after a re-handicapping of the top sixteen drivers from the first feature, with Brian Hirthler grabbing the top spot at the wave of the green to start the main event.
Hirthler would lead, with Matt Yoder of Benton, Pa. holding down second, followed by a great battle between Howard and Perrego, with Bobby Trapper Sr. of Scranton, Pa., Ryan Watt of Boyertown, Pa. and Tim Buckwalter of Douglassville, Pa. fighting for positions right behind them.
Perrego would win the battle with Howard grabbing third on lap six, and eventually won the battle with Yoder, taking second spot on lap nine, quickly setting sail for leader Hirthler.
A lap eleven restart tightened up the field, and allowed Perrego to turn up the pressure on HIrthler, making a pass low off turn two on lap twelve to become the new leader only to have another caution quickly follow for Hirthler, who slowed with mechanical issues, ending his night way too early.
Perrego would pull away to a safe lead following the restart, with Ryan Watt, Howard and Logan Watt all having a great tussle for second by lap sixteen, with Jeff Strunk soon joining that group looking for a top five position.
With five to go another battle developed between Yoder, Von Dohren, Buckwalter, Strada and Jared Umbenhauer of Richland, Pa. for positions in the top ten, while the top five battle for positions continued.
Perrego reached lapped traffic with four laps to go, but worked his way through it flawlessly to motor home to his first career Grandview Speedway NASCAR Local Racing Series Powered by O’Reilly Auto Parts feature win, followed by Ryan Watt, Duane Howard, Logan Watt, Jeff Strunk, Von Dohren, Yoder, Strada, Buckwalter, and Umbenhauer.
Qualifying heats for the 43 cars on hand were won by Brian Hirthler, Ryan Grim of Laurys Station, Pa., Chris Esposito of Telford, Pa. and Eric Biehn of Barto, Pa. while Craig Von Dohren and Jeff Strunk won the consolations.
Jason Graber of Boyertown, Pa. was the early leader of the 25-lap T.P. Trailers & Truck Equipment Sportsman feature, followed closely by Brad Force of Sellersville, Pa., Colton Perry of Topton, Pa. and Jesse Landis, who were all battling for the top spot.
Landis would quickly find the outside lane of the speedway to his liking, and quickly picked off several positions, eventually passing Graber for the lead off of turn four to score lap six.
By lap twelve, Landis would have a comfortable lead, with Graber and Perry sitting second and third, while a wild battle for position developed behind them between Force, Lawson Szerencits of Catasauqua, Pa., Nick Van Wickle of Springfield, N.J., Teague Miller of Barto, Pa., Chase Gular of Pennsburg, Pa., Brett Gilmore of Kutztown, Pa. and Addison Meitzler of Kempton, Pa.
By lap eighteen Miller, Force and Van Wickle continued their great race for the top five spots, while twenty-third and twenty-fourth starting Meitzler and Joe Toth of Upper Makefield, Pa. continued their march forward reaching the top ten positions.
Two final cautions on lap nineteen would be no problem for Landis, who would pull out to a safe lead over the final laps, while twenty-first starting Matthew Laubach of Quakertown, Pa. would put on a charge, running the outside groove of the track gaining a bunch of positions in the closing laps.
At the wave of Starter Ray Kemp’s checkered flag, Landis would score his fifth career Grandview Speedway NASCAR Local Racing Series Powered by O’Reilly Auto Parts feature win, followed by Colton Perry for his best run of the year, Van Wickle for his best Grandview finish since becoming a new track regular, Teague Miller, Laubach who made an amazing late run to grab fifth, Toth, Meitzler, Szerencits, Jimmy Leiby of Boyertown, Pa. who started last and made a top ten, and Chase Gular.
Qualifying heats for the 44 cars on hand were won by Shannon Slaughter of Lititz, Pa., Brad Force, Brad Brightbill of Sinking Spring, Pa. and Lawson Szerencits while Matthew Laubach and TJ Mayberry of Sellersville, Pa. won the consolations.
Grandview Speedway will be presenting another NASCAR Local Racing Series Powered by O’Reilly Auto Parts program next week featuring the T.P. Trailers & Truck Equipment NASCAR Modifieds and Sportsman.
The show on Saturday, June 6 will include qualifying events for both classes leading into a 30-lap T.P. Trailers & Truck Equipment Modified feature and a 25-lap feature for the T.P. Trailers & Truck Equipment Sportsman.
Pit gates will open at 4 pm, with grandstand gates opening at 5:30 pm, warm-ups starting at 6:15 pm, and the first race of the evening getting the green flag at 7:30 pm.
Adult grandstand admission is $20, students 10-15 with ID are $10, while children ages 9 and under are admitted free of charge. Pit admission is $35 for NASCAR members and $45 for non-members.
Since the 1960’s, Grandview Speedway has been presenting exciting wheel to wheel NASCAR stock car racing every Saturday Night starting in April and running through October, plus special events. Grandview Speedway is located at 43 Passmore Road, Bechtelsville, Pa. 19505, just off Route 100, ten miles north of Pottstown, Pa.
Information is always available at www.grandviewspeedway.com or on Facebook, or by telephone at 610.754.7688.
