Submitted by Randy Albert
Long time Hummingbird friend Mick Orsich was remembered Saturday night at the 6th Annual Mick Orsich Memorial Race. The highlight of the night was the 35-lap Late Model race and the many fund raising activities for the Hahne Regional Cancer Center. Drivers honoring Mick with wins on the night included; Dwayne Brooks in the Late Model class, Matt Heindl in the Pure Stock division, Brian Rhed in the Street Stocks, and Josh Frantz in the front Wheel Drive Four-Cylinder Class. For the fans it was hats, hoods, and hand warmers on a cool night that kept the track in good shape and only the racing action to keep them warm.
After the heat races and Late Model consolation races were completed the fans were treated to a special King of the Hill Late Model race sponsored by Kutsel’s 322 Auto Sales. The top 16 from the heat races were paired for 5-lap “head to head” races with the winner moving onto the next bracket and the looser heading for the pits. Some close racing action took place with a couple races going side by side for nearly the entire 5 laps. The final race found John Chesnalavich Jr. in the 812 car from Reynoldsville competing against the 47 car of Matt Gaston out of Rochester Mills. While Chesnalavich made every effort to catch Gaston, Gaston held him off and took the checkered flag taking home the honor of “King of the Hill”.
In another slight change to the typical qualifying activities a “Dash for Cash” race was held to determine the top six starting positions for the Late Model feature race. The dash participants were determined from the heat races. Community First Bank sponsored the 8-lap race and the finishing order included; Dwayne Brooks from Falls Creek, Rich Gardner from Waterford, Jason Witherite from Luthersburg, John Chesnalavich Jr. and Rick Maxim both from Reynoldsville, and Bob McMillen from St. Marys.
The opening event of the evening was the Pure Stock feature race. On the pole for the race was Matt Heindl in the 471 car out of St. Marys. Heindl is no stranger to the front of the field and knows what to do when he starts there. Applying pressure early in the 93 was Zack Gustafson from Weedville who looked to the low side and while it looked like he had a brief advantage a caution stopped his advance and reset the field on the restart. Heindl took to the lead learning not to give Gustafson an opening and moved to open up a small 5-car lead. On the move was Mike Calhoun driving the 25 car from Brockway but his march forward was cut short by a caution. Gustafson continued to push Heindl while the 21 car of Nathan Yeaney from Brookville, the 88 car driven by Dustin Fields out of Brockport and the 35 car of John Barley from DuBois were running head to tail in third through fifth positions. Fields eventually worked his way into the third position. Having a good run moving up into fourth was Dave Kohler from Rockton in the 42 car as well as Ray Billote from Mineral Springs in the 78 car. Heindl was just too strong for Gustafson who tried for the lead throughout the race. Heindl held on for the win.
Heindl, Gustafson, and Kohler won the pure Stock heat races.
The evening’s Late Model feature started out with a serious caution that involved a number of cars. Seven cars went to the pits but five of them did manage to make it back out for the restart. Right out of the chute Dwayne Brooks from Falls Creek put the 1B out front. He was followed closely by Rich Gardner from Waterford in the 1G car. Jason Witherite from Luthersburg was driving a new car tonight with the number 66 blazed on the side, he made it a point to be right on Gardner’s back bumper and looking to his inside trying to take the second position a number of times throughout the race. John Chesnalavich, Jr. in the 812 car from Reynoldsville and Bob McMillen from St Marys in the #50 machine were busy mixing it up for fourth and fifth position behind the leaders. As the leaders kept busy the 15E car being driven by Steve Everhart from Canoe Creek was working on McMillen and slid under him into fourth. Lap 12 found the front pack coming up on traffic. While Brooks and Waterford wove through relatively easily Witherite was hung up behind the slower cars. He eventually wedged his way past and continued the pursuit for the lead. Everhart seemed to find some traction and was making some advance through the field. Unfortunately he spun due to contact on a restart and had to retreat to the pits. Everyone was waiting for someone to make a move on the leader Brooks. While Brooks did not hold a convincing lead he held it with smooth driving and a consistent line. Others who began to show some promise were the 03 driven by Doug Ech from Corry, Sammy Stile in the 2S out of Charleroi and Ed Connor in the yellow 15S from Dubois. They were right behind Witherite and Chesnalavich who were in third and fourth position. Toward the end of the race three distinct groups emerged. The lead was clearly held by Brooks with the only serious challenger being Gardner. Gardner held close to Brooks’s bumper and nosed inside numerous times but didn’t have enough steam to make the pass. The second pair was Witherite and Ech. Ech also worked the back bumper trying to pass Witherite for third place. A gaggle of cars were racing for fifth through twelfth place. They traded places racing side by side with some good tight clean racing. Drivers included Chesnalavich, Connor, Stile, Rodney Phillips in the 55T from Punxsutawney, Matt Gaston in the 46 from Rochester Mills, Mike Blose in the 5 from New Bethlehem, Luke Hoffner and Denny Fenton. Hoffner and Fenton both had rough nights with trouble in qualifying and track incidents respectively but worked their way up in the field as the night continued. At the checkered flag Brooks proved why he was track champion at Hummingbird this year. The benefits of hard work and preparation paid off again as he took a solid win with some stiff competition and while it could not have been easy he made it look that way.
Six Late Model heat race winners included; Witherite, Chesnalavich, Gardner, Brooks, Maxim, and McMillen.
Next on the card for the evening was the Street Stock 20-lap feature race with 20 cars making the call to the line up. Cautions marred the first five laps of the race, officials changed the restarts to be single file to give the cars some running room. Up front Fuzzy Fields had the 28 car from Brockport on the pole and jumped out to and early lead. Brian Rhed also from Brockport, put on the early chase in the 69L car trying a number of lines to take the position. Also strong up front were the 101 of Bruce Hartzfeld from Stump Creek and Brandon Connor in the 17C out of DuBois. They were putting on a good side by side show, as was Jamie Price in the 137 car from Clearfield and Gabe Shaffer in the 28S car from Punxsutawney. Rhed finally made the pass for the lead on lap 9 with Fields, Conner, and Shaffer in hot pursuit. Shaffer looked strong taking third position as Ed Connor from DuBois was moving forward in the 85 car followed closely by Kyle Shannon in the 1S ride from Brockway. The handling seemed to be going away on Brandon Connors machine as other worked their way around him. In the end Rhed was to powerful for anyone to make a bid for the lead and took the win by five car lengths.
In the heat races, Fields, Hartzfeld, and Brandon Connor took first place.
The final event of the evening was the Front Wheel Drive Four Cylinders. Aaron Luzier was on the pole flanked by Danny White. Luzier was driving the 5L car from Clearfield and White was in the red #7 machine from DuBois. White and Luzier kept it interesting up front with an exciting battle for the lead. White move to the lead but Luzier didn’t give up the fight looking for an edge on the leader. Mike Lucas in the 81 car out of Philipsburg was having a good run in third followed by Josh Frantz from Falls Creek in the 26F. White continued to lead but Frantz was looking strong and moved into second and then took the lead on lap 8 with an inside pass. Frantz was too strong for the leaders and held on for the win followed by White, Luzier, Shawn Fedder, and Bryan Warren.
Luzier and White won the Front Wheel Drive Four Cylinder heat races.
Notes:
97 cars filled the pits for the 6th Annual Mick Orsich Memorial race. 44 Late Models, 21 Street Stocks, 18 Pure Stocks, and 14 Front Wheel Drive Four Cylinder cars made up the field for each division. This was the final race for the regular Hummingbird Speedway events. The 12th Annual Chili 100 is set to be run at the track on October 1, 2011 with gates opening at noon and racing beginning at 4:30 PM. Rain date: October 8, 2011. See the Hummingbird Speedway web site for details.
www.hummingbirdspeedway.com.
Full Results
Pure Stock
1. 471 Matt Heindl St. Marys
2. 93 Zack Gustafson Weedville
3. 88 Dustin Fields Brockport
4. 42 Dave Kohler Rockton
5. 44 Jim Challingsworth St. Marys
6. 23 Lester Hudson Clearfield
7. 15M Shawn Munoz Punxsutawney
8. 21 Nathan Yeaney Brookville
9. 01 Steve Arthurs Falls Creek
10. 24 Devin Yeaney Brookville
11. 8L Eric Lucas Clearfield
12. 88M Doug Zimmerman Brookville
13. 55 Mike VanZandt Rimersburg
14. 5B Steve Barnes Punxsutawney
15. 72 Robin Welsh Stump Creek
16. 25 Mike Calhoun Brockway
17. 35 John Barley DuBois
18. 1* Colton Joiner DuBois
19. 78 Ray Billote Mineral Springs
Limited Late Model
1. 1B Dwayne Brooks Falls Creek
2. 1G Rich Gardner Waterford
3. 66 Jason Witherite Luthersburg
4. 03 Doug Ech Corry
5. 2S Sammy Stile Charleroi
6. 812 John Chesnalavich, Jr. Reynoldsville
7. 15S Eddie Connor DuBois
8. 47 Matt Gaston Rochester Mills
9. 55T Rodney Phillips Punxsutawney
10. 5 Mike Blose New Bethlehem
11. 15 Luke Hoffner Turbotville
12. 55 Denny Fenton Clearfield
13. 3 Kyle McFarland Rochester Mills
14. 3D Bill Davis Luthersburg
15. 14R Derek Rodkey Osceola Mills
16. 102 Rick Maxim Reynoldsville
17. 12 Cheyenne Reed Punxsutawney
18. 14 Terry Rayko Atwood
19. 50 Bob McMillen St. Marys
20. 18 John Britsky Indiana
21. 1W Bill Stile Muse
22. 15E Steve Everhart Canoe Creek
23. 71 Billy Eash Johnstown
24. 81 Dwayne Taneyhill Bellwood
25. 56 Denton Boyer Punxsutawney
Street Stock
1. 69R Brian Rhed Brockport
2. 28 Fuzzy Fields DuBois
3. 28S Gabe Shaffer Punxsutawney
4. 85 Eddie Connor DuBois
5. 1S Kyle Shannon Brockway
6. 137 Jamie Price Clearfield
7. 17C Brandon Connor DuBois
8. 96E Tim Fannin Ridgway
9. 29L Johnny Lindenpitz Knoxdale
10. 31R Randy Reitz Punxsutawney
11. 38 Todd Mathews Sanbourn
12. 83 Travis Brady
13. 37 Bob Connor DuBois
14. 21Y Dale Yeaney Brookville
15. 101 Bruce Hartzfeld Stump Creek
16. 68 Don Henry Brockway
17. 46 Dustin Challingsworth St. Marys
18. 8R Tom Slack Sabula
19. 78 Paul Blake Weedville
20. 43 Pernell Beimel St. Marys
21. 77R(DNS)Bob Ralston Philipsburg
Front Wheel Drive Four Cylinders
1. 26F Josh Frantz Falls Creek
2. 7 Danny White Dubois
3. 5L Aaron Luzier Clearfield
4. 38A Shawn Fedder Clearfield
5. 5 Bryan Warren Curwensville
6. 81 Mike Lucas Philipsburg
7. 76S Jerry Walls Sykesville
8. 43B Brian Bell Mahaffey
9. 6 Frank Barrett III DuBois
10. 96 Matt Bryant Weedville
11. 5L Jon Lee Mahaffey
12. 91 (DNS) Brent Sholtis Belsano
13. 35K(DNS)Kevin Lannigan Shippenville
14. 30N(DNS)Jacob Kline DuBois