Night of Firsts at Hummingbird Speedway; Davis, Anderson, Joiner Win First Features, Taylor Repeats in Street Stock

Reynoldsville, Pa (June 6, 2009) Following a week of heavy rain and thunderstorms that caused many of the area tracks to cancel on Friday night, mother nature provided perfect weather for some short track racing at the Hummingbird Speedway on Bucktail Council Scout Night.  With clear skies and cool temperatures, a large crowd filled the stands in anticipation of the nights racing action.  Feature winners for the night were, Mike Anderson of DuBois, Orin Taylor of Dubois, Bill Davis of DuBois, Josh Fields of Brockport, and Jason Joiner of Brookville.

The Rear Wheel Drive Four Cylinders kicked off the night\’s racing action as current point leader Don Henry and Greg Swartzlander led the field to the green flag, which was waved by the Pinewood Derby winner Matthew Dush of Pack 92 in Ridgeway.  Henry jumped out to an early lead as Swartzlander followed in second, while Mike Anderson and Aaron Henry battled for third.  At the halfway point, the 68 of Henry still held the lead with heavy pressure being applied by the 15 of Swartzlander.  The third position was up for grabs as Anderson, A. Henry, and Adam Nixon who had started at the tail of the field were racing hard for the position.  As the field completed lap 11, there was contact between the leaders as Swartzlander made a bid for the lead entering turn one.  The contact caused Henry to spin to the infield, bringing out the first caution of the race.  Swartzlander’s lead was short lived as he came to rest in turn 3 under caution after losing a wheel and axle on the back stretch.  The 76 of Anderson inherited the lead with hard charger Nixon in the 47 on his rear bumper as the field came to the restart with 4 laps to go. Nixon threw everything he had at Anderson in the final laps but in the end it was Mike Anderson taking the checkered flag for his first feature win of the year.  Following Anderson across the line were Nixon, A. Henry, George Bailey, and Randy Albert to round out the top 5.  Early leader Don Henry came back to finish seventh after restarting at the rear of the field.  Heat race wins went to Mike Anderson and Greg Swartzlander.

The always exciting Street Stock division was next on the track for their 20 lap feature event.  Neil Wilson Jr. and Dan Gill brought the field out of turn 4 with Gill gaining the advantage down the backstretch.  Dan Smeal spun entering turn 3, bringing out the caution before a full lap could be completed.  After a complete restart third and fourth place starters Orin Taylor and newcomer Bill Henney got the advantage through turns one and two to take over the top two positions, with Joe Kot settling into third.  As Taylor and Henney led the field, eighth place starter Bob Rosman and thirteenth place starter Bob Connor were on the move.  Rosman made his way to fourth and began to challenge Kot for third as Connor and Gary Little battled for fifth.  A caution on lap nine for a spin by Mark Clark allowed the drivers and fans to catch their breath as the action for the top positions had heated up.  On the restart, Taylor held the lead with Henney and a very fast Rosman on his tail.  A good battle for fourth was shaping up as Connor, Kot and Little all made their bids for the position.  After his first lap spin, Smeal had worked his way through the pack back to the seventh position and begin to battle Little for the sixth spot.  Up front it was still Taylor holding off the charges of Henney and Rosman.  Another caution with four laps to go slowed the field as Ryan Sager came to a stop in turn one.  One more caution would bunch up the field again for a spin by Wilson in turn one.  This would setup a three lap shootout for the win.  Taylor again held off a charge by Henney on the restart as Rosman looked under Henney each lap for second.  As the white flag flew, Henney made one last charge into turn one, but Taylor held off the charge and pulled away down the backstretch.  Smeal made a bid for fifth as the field entered turn three on the final lap only to fall of the pace in turn four. At the line it was Taylor by a car length over Henney, who had Rosman all over him for second.  Rounding out the top five were Connor and Little.  For Taylor, it was his second win of the season at Hummingbird.  Heat races were won by Dan Smeal, Bob Rosman, and Gary Little. 

The thunder and lightning of the Limited Late Models was next up on the speedway as the excitement built among the fans.  John Chesnalavich and Bill Davis brought the field to green flag with Davis gaining the early advantage through turns one and two.  Davis’s advantage was erased as Tim Sties spun in turn one with Donnie Connor spinning to avoid him.  On the restart, Davis again pulled into the lead with Chesnalavich running second while Richard Maxim, Bobby McMillen and Denny Fenton battled for the third, fourth and fifth positions.  Chesnalavich was reeling in the leader when he lost the handle in turns one and two and went off the track into the infield, he would re-enter the speedway but would loose a lot of ground as well as the second position to Maxim and McMillen.  While the battle up front was heating up, Derrick Rodkey, and Jim Parson Jr. were picking their way through the field from their mid pack starting spots.  Paul Kot brought out the caution when he came to a stop in turn 3 with mechanical problems.  The restart would have Davis in the lead with Maxim, McMillen, Chesnalavich, and eighth place starter Rodkey in the top five.  Davis pulled away from the field on the restart as McMillen applied pressure to Maxim for second.  The second position turned out to be a curse in the early going as Maxim would loose the handle in turns three and four and spin.  The ensuing restart would find Davis to the lead again with McMillen in second and Rodkey getting by Chesnalavich for third, while Fenton, Luke Hoffner and Parson Jr. mixed it up for the fifth position with contact being made between Hoffner and Fenton in turns one and two.  The contact resulted in Fenton spinning to the infield.  On the restart it was Davis showing his strength once again by jumping to the lead with McMillen holding off the charges of the Rodkey for second at the halfway point.  Parsons run to front ended with a spin in turn four with Chesnalavich.  The second place curse took its toll again as McMillen took his car pit side under the caution.  Rodkey would inherit the second spot and he too would go to the pits under the caution with problems.  While the battle for the top positions had been holding the crowds attention, leading feature winner Cody Schultz and Dwayne Brooks had been quietly working their way to the front after starting thirteenth and twentieth respectively.  Davis again pulled away on the restart with new second place runner Hoffner in tow.  Schultz and Brookes battled for third while Tommy Kronenwetter was having a great run in the fourth position with Doug Updyke rounding out the top five.  As Hoffner looked under Davis for the lead, Brooks made his move to the outside around Schultz for third.  Brooks looked to be the fastest car on the track as he began to run down the leaders before clipping an infield tire in turns one and two.  The tire bounced on to the racing surface, bringing out the caution, and ended Brook’s exciting run to the front as he was charged with the caution and sent to the rear of the field.  Hoffner tried everything as he worked Davis over the final laps, but Davis was not to be denied his first victory of the season.  Davis held off one final charge by Hoffner coming to the white flag and went on to claim the win with Hoffner second, Schultz third, Kronenwetter fourth, and Parson Jr. making his way back to fifth after his earlier spin.  Heats were won by Jim Parson Jr., Jake Shady, and Derrick Rodkey.

Josh Fields and Nathan Yeaney brought the field of twenty two Pure Stocks to the green flag.  The caution waved before the field could complete a lap as Vaughn Kougher and Jody Frantz spun in turn one.  Fields took the lead on the restart with Matt Heindl applying pressure, while Yeaney and Todd English heated things up for third.  A caution on lap three slowed the field as heavy contact occurred in turn three involving Brian Boboige and Mike Calhoun.  Both drivers were ok after the crash, but both were done for the evening.  Fields pulled into the lead on the restart as Heindl gave chase before spinning in turn four while challenging for the lead.  Fields continued to lead as English looked high and low for an opening to gain the lead.  Third position was highly contested as Yeaney, Bob Alcorn, and Jeremy Buck were putting on a show as they raced hard for the position.  At the halfway point, Fields continued to lead under heavy pressure from English, as he got a nose under leader several times but was unable to make the pass.  Bruce Hartzfeld had worked his way through the field to battle Buck, Alcorn, and Yeaney for a spot in the top five.  As the leaders approached slower traffic, Ryan Jones and John Barley got together in turn two.  Fields checked up allowing English to make a move to take the lead.  The lead change was short lived as the caution flew for an infield marker tire on the track.  Scoring reverted to last completed lap and Fields regained his top spot.  English would again look high and low around Fields during the final laps but the young driver would hold off the challenges as he took the checkered flag for his first win in the Pure Stock division.  English was a close second at the line with Buck, Alcorn and Hartzfeld rounding out the top five.  Heat race winners were, Bob Alcorn, Nathan Yeaney, and Josh Fields.  The heat race winners were invited to run a three lap Dash for Cash courtesy of Seneca Transport.  Bob Alcorn held off Fields and Yeaney during the three lap dash to take the win and the $50 prize.

Closing out the show were the always exciting Front Wheel Drive Four Cylinders with Bryan Warren and Jason Joiner starting on the front row.  Warren would jump out to the early lead with Joiner on his rear bumper.  One caution would slow the event as the battle up front was intense with Warren and Joiner running side by side and nose to tail for several laps before Joiner was able to wrestle the lead away exiting turn two. As the field began to spread out, Joiner continued to lead under heavy pressure from Warren.  K. White and C. White continued their battle for third while Joe Nelson, Mike Lucas, and Shawn Fedder battled for a top five position.  At the finish it was Joiner claiming his first win of the season after a hard fought battle with Warren.  Rounding out the top 5 were K. White, C. White, and Nelson.  Heats were won by, Kenny White, Jason Joiner, Brian Warren and Bud McMillen.

Pit Notes:  96 cars filled the pits including, 20 Limited Late Models, 17 Street Stocks, 22 Pure Stocks, 11 Rear Wheel Drive 4 Cylinders, and 26 Front Wheel Drive 4 Cylinders.  The 4 cylinder divisions continued to be very competitive with the sixth different winner in as many weeks in both divisions.  Next weeks racing will feature a regular show for all five divisions, with special give-a-ways for kids.  Coming up on June 20^th is the 45^th Anniversary Celebration / Racing Pioneers Night.  All former drivers are urged to contact the track office or let us know at the track if you plan to attend the special night in honor of those that provided so much excitement in the past.  Former drivers will be admitted free with their reservation.  Join us next week at Hummingbird Speedway for another night of exciting short track action.  Check us out on the web at www.hummingbirdspeedway.com

Rear Wheel Drive Four Cylinders:

1. Mike Anderson (DuBois)
2. Adam Nixon (Grampian)
3. Aaron Henry (Brockport)
4. George Bailey (Clearfield)
5. Randy Albert (Morrisdale)
6. Devin Lewis (Weedville)
7. Don Henry (Brockway)
8. Frank Wilson (McClure)
9. Greg Swartzlander (Frewsburg)
10. John Bowser (Big Run)
11. Bobby Battaglia (Reynoldsville)

 Street Stock:

1. Orin Taylor (DuBois)
2. Bill Henney (Huntington)
3. Bob Rosman (Sykesville)
4. Bob Connor (Dubois)
5. Gary Little (Clearfield)
6. Joe Kot (DuBois)
7. Dan Gill (Clearfield)
8. Ben Asel (Kane)
9. Scott Hollopeter (Reynoldsville)
10. Pernell Biemel (St. Marys)
11. Neil Wilson Jr. (Clearfield)
12. Dan Smeal (Houtzdale)
13. Mark Clark (Lance)
14. Mike Hummel (Clearfield)
15. Ryan Sager (Huntington)
16. Denny Draisma (Reynoldsville)
17. Mike Bailey DNS (Osceola Mills)

Limited Late Model

1. Bill Davis (DuBois)
2. Luke Hoffner (Turbotville)
3. Cody Schultz (Hyde)
4. Tommy Kronenwetter (St. Marys)
5. Jim Parson Jr. (Bellwood)
6. Doug Updyke (DuBois)
7. Rich Womeldorf (Apollo)
8. Josh Young (Berwick)
9. Richard Maxim (Reynoldsville)
10. Jake Shady (Beech Creek)
11. Donnie Connor (Reynoldsville)
12. Denny Fenton (Clearfield)
13. Tim Steis (St. Marys)
14. Brian Molnar (Falls Creek)
15. Dwayne Brooks (Falls Creek)
16. John Brady (Clearfield)
17. Bobby McMillen (St. Marys)
18. Derrick Rodkey (Osceola Mills)
19. John Chesnalavich Jr. (Reynoldsville)
20. Paul Kot (Brockway)

Pure Stock:

1. Josh Fields (Brockport)
2. Todd English (Clearfield)
3. Jeremy Buck (Woodland)
4. Bob Alcorn (St. Petersburg)
5. Bruce Hartzfeld (Stump Creek)
6. Nathan Yeaney (Brookville)
7. Jeff Krach (Falls Creek)
8. Kyle Lindemuth (Brockport)
9. Travis Brady (Clearfield)
10. Vaughn Kougher (Reynoldsville)
11. Jim Gullace Jr. (Clymer)
12. John Barley (DuBois)
13. Fran Gustafson (Weedville)
14. Ryan Jones (Reynoldsville)
15. Matt Heindl (St. Marys)
16. Zach Gustafson (Weedville)
17. B.J. Hudson (Clearfield)
18. Brian Boboige (Falls Creek)
19. Mike Calhoun (Brockway)
20. Jody Frantz (DuBois)
21. Billy Mamau (Rossiter)
22. Shawn Munoz (Punxsutawney)

Front Wheel Drive 4 Cylinders:

1. Jason Joiner (Brookville)
2. Bryan Warren (Curwensville)
3. Kenny White (DuBois)
4. Chuck White (DuBois)
5. Joe Nelson (DuBois)
6. Mike Lucas (Centre Hall)
7. Shawn Fedder (Clearfield)
8. Aaron Luzier (Clearfield)
9. Randall Bouch (Reynoldsville)
10. Joe Boylan (Mt. Jewet)
11. Jacob Kline (DuBois)
12. Mark McMillen (Brockway)
13. Chuck Erskine (Clearfield)
14. Brian Crawford (Punxsutawney)
15. Stephanie Lucas (Centre Hall)
16. Brittany Bouch (Reynoldsville)
17. Dustin Kemp (Clearfield)
18. Kie Brown (Punxsutawney)
19. Walt Fedder (Curwensville)
20. Steve Arthurs (Falls Creek)
21. Bill Butler (Sykesville)
22. Joe Nelson Sr. (DuBois)
23. Rich Lucas (Wallaceton)
24. Dave Bainey (Osceola Mills)
25. John Miller
26. Michael Brown (Punxsutawney)

Robb Thomas
Race Reporter
Hummingbird Speedway