Reynoldsville, Pa — The heat was on Saturday night at the Hummingbird Speedway as Mother Nature served up hot and humid conditions for another exciting five division show on the 1/3 mile bullring. With only three point races remaining in the regular season, the action on the bullring heated up as well, as the drivers are making their final charges at the season point championships. The Scott Hollopeter family presented trophies in memory Fred Hollopeter on a night that saw Chris Farrell of Clearfield (Limited Late Model), Jim Bloom of Curwensville (Street Stock), and Jerry Walls of DuBois (Pure Stock) pick up their first feature wins of the season, while Adam Nixon of Grampian (RWD 4 Cylinders) and Bryan Warren of Curwensville (FWD 4 Cylinders) added to their feature win totals.
The Rear Wheel Drive 4 Cylinders started off the night of action packed feature races as Tim Bailey and newcomer Sonny Williamson led the field to the green flag with Bailey jumping out to the early lead. As Bailey led the early portion of the event he found himself fending off the challenges of Alan Barnett, while sixth place starter Adam Nixon quickly worked his way into third and began to run down the leaders. Nixon found a line that he liked and got past Barnett for second, while Aaron Henry and current point leader Mike Anderson made their way into the top five. Nixon continued to apply pressure to Bailey, and made the pass for the lead as the field entered turn three. A quick caution allowed the field to re-align behind Nixon, but on the restart the caution waved again as Henry got into the back of Bailey causing Bailey to loose the handle on the backstretch. Henry was sent to the rear of the field on the ensuing restart. As the green flag waved, Nixon jumped out to the lead with Anderson working to find a line around the leader for the remainder of the event. As the checkered flag waved, it was Nixon picking up his fourth feature win of the year, with Anderson adding to his point lead with a strong second place finish. Rounding out the top five after a hard fought battle for third were Barnett, Mark Hummel, and John Gilbert. Heat races for the RWD’s were won by Adam Nixon and Aaron Henry.
The Street Stocks made their way to the track for their twenty lap feature event with Neil Wilson Jr. and “The Animal” Jim Bloom leading the way. At the start, Wilson took off into the lead, but before he could complete the first circuit the yellow flag waved as third place starter Bob Rosman spun in front of the field in turns three and four causing the rest of the field to scatter in attempt to miss him, with Gary Little and Orin Taylor getting tangled up in the melee. Little and Taylor would be relegated to the rear of the field for the restart, while Rosman, who never stopped during the scrum was given his spot back for the restart. With the field re-aligned, the green flag waved on a complete restart with Bloom gaining the advantage on the start, while Steve Cook and Jamie Price settled in to second and third respectively. Cook applied heavy pressure to Bloom throughout the entire event, pulling even with the leader on several occasions, all the while fending off the challenges of Price behind him. Eight place starter Brandon Connor worked his way into the top four and began to challenge for the top spots as Bloom continued to pace the field. All eyes were on the #2 of Little as he had worked his way around the outside of the track to the top five with five laps to go. Out front, Bloom continued to run a flawless race with Cook all over him challenging for the lead. A caution with four laps to go would add to the drama, as third and fourth place running Price and Little both encountered mechanical problems and had to leave the speedway. On the final restart, Bloom would again hold down the lead as Cook threw everything he had the leader over the final laps, but was unable to gain the advantage. At the checkered flag the crowd was on their feet as Bloom held off one final charge from Cook to pick up his first ever feature win! Rounding out the top five at the stripe were Brandon Connor, current point leader Bobby Connor, and Rosman. Heat races were won by Brandon Connor, Gary Little, and Orin Taylor.
The Limited Late Models were up next as their 25 lap feature lined up trackside. After setting a blistering pace in their respective heat races, Luke Hoffner, Chris Farrell and Cody “The Kid” Schultz looked poised to be in a class of their own on the lightning fast surface. Dwayne Brooks and Derrick Rodkey led the field to the green flag with Brooks getting the early advantage. The battle up front found Brooks, Rodkey, and “Fast” Eddie Connor all vying for the top spot as Farrell, Schultz and “Racin” Jason Witherite all took to the high side of the speedway in their race to the front. Hoffner, “The Turbotville Tornado” found himself mired in traffic as he also worked the top side of the speedway from his thirteenth starting position. There was action all over the track as drivers were running high and low, swapping positions on every lap. Farrell was fastest on top and seemed to be picking up a position a lap, finally gaining the lead from Brooks while exiting turn two. Brooks, Connor, Rodkey and Schultz could have been covered by a blanket as they raced for second through fifth near the mid way point of the event. Farrell appeared to be the class of the field, working the top side of the speedway to perfection as Hoffner and Witherite continued to battle their way to front while running the high side of the speedway around the competition. Hoffner worked his way into second and begin to set his sights on Farrell with Witherite close on his heels. A late caution erased the comfortable lead that Farrell had gained and gave Hoffner and Witherite one final shot at stealing the victory. Farrell was not to be denied victory as he held off the late race challenge from Hoffner and went on to take the checkers for his first victory of the season at the bullring. Rounding out the top five were Hoffner, Witherite, Brooks, and Rodkey. Heat race wins went to Cody Schultz, Chris Farrell, and Luke Hoffner.
The Pure Stock division has seen some of the highest car counts in recent years, and tonight was no exception. The re-emergence of this division has produced some very competitive competition this season, which can be seen in the point standings as only two points separate the top two racers. The feature took the green flag with Justin Kanouff and Jerry Walls on the front row. Kanouff would take the early lead with Walls challenging at both ends of the speedway. Kanouff would begin to slip back as Walls took over the lead, and Jeremy Buck and BJ Hudson would gain the second and third positions one lap later. Walls continued to lead, holding off several challenges by Buck, while Hudson held down third, with Travis Brady holding down the fourth position. As the top three continued to pull away from the field, Bruce Hartzfeld and Matt Heindl began to challenge for a top five spot from their mid pack starting positions. As the laps wound down, Walls began to pull away from the field as Hudson applied pressure to Buck for second. Heindl continued his run to the front taking the fourth position from Brady in the closing laps. At the line it was Walls picking up his first victory of the season, with Buck, Hudson, Heindl, and Brady rounding out the top five. Heat race winners were: Jerry Walls, Matt Heindl, and Jeremy Buck.
The always exciting Front Wheel Drive 4 Cylinders came to the track to close out the show with Walt Fedder and Mike Lucas leading the field to the green flag. As the field exited turn two on the first lap, it was fifth place starter Bryan Warren taking the lead down the backstretch. Warren would lead the entire distance on his way to his third feature win of the year, holding off several chargers by Rusty Garlock. Newcomer to the bullring Charles Stahllman provided some fireworks as he got crossed up exiting turn two, struck an infield barrier and completed a quick snap roll, with the car coming to rest on its wheels. Charles walked away from the accident. The top five at the line were Warren, Garlock, Mitch Kohler, Chuck White and Kenny White. Heat race wins were taken by Rusty Garlock, Kenny White and Chuck White.
Pit Notes: 86 cars signed in for competition including 15 RWD 4 Cylinders, 17 Street Stocks, 17 Limited Late Models, 19 Pure Stocks, and 18 FWD 4 Cylinders. Due to several rained out events, the PA Racing Outreach (PRO) have agreed to hold their trophies for a night during the next racing season. The PRO group was on hand with a special Tune Up Challenge which allowed the children in attendance the chance to “Tune Up” a race engine. The Hummingbird Speedway wants to thank the PRO organization for their continued support of local racing and helping to get the young fans involved. There were a few tired folks in attendance, including track announcer Todd Orsich, as he and wife Brenda along with friends Sherry Glace and Kathy Timchack completed their walk from Clearfield to Sykesville earlier in the day to raise funds in the fight against cancer, in memory of Todd’s father, former track employee Mick Orisch. All proceeds from the walk will benefit the Hahne Cancer Center. Speaking of Mick and fund raising efforts for the Hahne Cancer Center, don’t forget to vote for which track official you want to see get their head shaved. Flagman Bob Sullinger, Program Director Dave Resinger or Track Official Peach Caltagarone are the candidates to have their flowing locks removed at the track in our effort to raise funds to help fight cancer. The Mick Orisch Memorial Late Model Open is scheduled for September 12th with a Chinese Auction scheduled for that night. T-shirts commemorating the Mick Orsich Memorial are on sale now at the speedway. Stay tuned for more information on the Mick Orsich Memorial Late Model Open. Also on the schedule for September 19th is the 10th Annual running of the Chili 100! The Chili 100 features a 100 lap Late Model event for $3000 to win, along with the Street Stocks for $1000 to win and the FWD 4 cylinders for $250 to win. A kids coloring contest is underway for the Chili 100. Kids can pick up an entry sheet at the main entrance of the speedway and return it to the main entrance when it is complete. The winner of the three age groups will be awarded a special prize from Chili Promotions and the overall winner will wave the green flag for the start of the Chili 100! It was also announced that banquet tickets are available for teams to purchase. The date is November 14th. Tickets are available at either concession stand. Next week at the bullring will be the Eric McGarvey Memorial with trophies presented by the McGarvey Family for all five divisions. Join us for another night of exciting racing action on the bullring at the Hummingbird Speedway!
Complete Results:
RWD 4 Cylinders:
- Adam Nixon (Grampian)
- Mike Anderson (DuBois)
- Alan Barnett (Philipsburg)
- Mark Hummel (Osceola Mills)
- John Gilbert (Falls Creek)
- Aaron Henry (Brockport)
- Sonny Williamson (Mapleton Depot)
- Don Henry (Brockway)
- Tim Bailey (Morrisdale)
- Devin Lewis (Weedville)
- Randy Albert (Morrisdale)
- Mike Maines (Clearfield)
- George Bailey (Clearfield)
DNS: Matt Williamson (Hill Valley)
DNS: Scott McCartney (Grampian)
Street Stocks:
- Jim Bloom (Curwensville)
- Steve Cook (Sykesville)
- Brandon Connor (DuBois)
- Bobby Connor (DuBois)
- Bob Rosman (Sykesville)
- Danny Gill (Clearfield)
- Joe Kot (DuBois)
- Orin Taylor (DuBois)
- Scott Hollopeter (Reynoldsville)
- Mark Clark (Lanse)
- Pernell Beimel (St. Marys)
- Robert Reinhart (Morrisdale)
- Jamie Price (Hyde)
- Gary Little (Clearfield)
- Paul Blake (Weedville)
- Neil Wilson Jr. (Clearfield)
DNS Jeff Mease (Clearfield)
Limited Late Models:
- Chris Farrell (Clearfield)
- Luke Hoffner (Turbotville)
- Jason Witherite (Luthersburg)
- Dwayne Brooks (Falls Creek)
- Derrick Rodkey (Osceola Mills)
- Eddie Connor (DuBois)
- Cody Schultz (Hyde)
- Bobby McMillen (St. Marys)
- Paul Kot (Brockway)
- Rich Womeldorf (Apollo)
- Bill Krause (Fernwood)
- Donnie Connor (Reynoldsville)
- Josh Young (Berwick)
- Loren Sallek (Johnsonburg)
- Brian Molnar (Falls Creek)
- Kyle Biemel (St. Marys)
DNS: John Brady (Clearfield)
Pure Stocks:
- Jerry Walls (DuBois)
- Jeremy Buck (Woodland)
- BJ Hudson (Clearfield)
- Matt Heindl (St. Marys)
- Travis Brady (Clearfield)
- Bruce Hartzfeld (Stump Creek)
- Todd English (Clearfield)
- Bob Alcorn (St. Petersburg)
- Dustin Challinsworth (St. Marys)
- Josh Fields (Brockport)
- Zach Gustafson (Weedville)
- Justin Kanouff (Clearfield)
- Roswell Babcock (Curwensville)
- Brian Boboige (Falls Creek)
- John Hummel (Philipsburg)
- Kevin Clark (Allport)
- Jack Hepler Jr. (Kersey)
- Ryan Jones (Reynoldsville)
DNS Jeff Krach (Falls Creek)
FWD 4 Cylinders:
- Bryan Warren (Curwensville)
- Rusty Garlock ( Mapleton Depot)
- Mitch Kohler (Rockton)
- Chuck White (DuBois)
- Kenny White (DuBois)
- Shawn Fedder (Clearfield)
- Mike Lucas (Centre Hall)
- Aaron Luzier (Clearfield)
- Chuck Erskine (Clearfield)
- Mark McMillen (Brockway)
- Chad Desmett (Curwensville)
- Stephanie Lucas (Centre Hall)
- Walt Fedder (Clearfield)
- John Miller
- Josh Frantz (Punxsutawney)
- Charles Stahllman (Hill Valley)
DNS: Jacob Kline (DuBois)
DNS: Chris Anderson (Rock Hill)
Robb Thomas
Race Reporter
Hummingbird Speedway