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ADDISON MEITZLER SCORES SECOND NASCAR SPORTSMAN WIN OF SEASON, JR MIKOSZ & SVEN OLSON TAKE VINTAGE WINS AS GRANDVIEW DODGES THE WEATHER ON SATURDAY NIGHT
BECHTELSVILLE, PA. – Moving forward with the speed of a rocket ship from his twelfth starting position and into the lead on lap eleven, Duane Howard of Oley, Pa. was able to put an end to his personal win drought with a stunning drive to victory in the 30-lap T.P. Trailer NASCAR Modified feature Saturday night at Grandview Speedway.
Howard scored his overall 89th career Grandview Speedway 358 Modified win (81st Saturday night NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series win plus 8 Thunder on the Hill Series wins), but had not been to victory lane at Grandview since September of 2021.
Addison Meitzler of Kempton, Pa., who scored his first win of the season last week, came right back and scored his second win, securing the lead on lap seventeen from Brayden Shelton of Hatfield, Pa. and then holding off a late race rally from Colin Cox of Perkasie, Pa. to win the 25-lap T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman feature race.
The Outlaw Racing Series Vintage cars were on hand, with Jr. Mikosz scoring the Modified division win in the 15-lap affair, while Sven Olson was the first Sportsman car across the stripe to pick up his class’ win.
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 Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series banner.
Duane Howard also received an additional bonus of $400 from Sitko Superior Construction who posted the bonus on a night they were having a company picnic at the Speedway.
Following many weeks of losing events to the rainy weather, race teams and fans were treated to an entertaining evening of exciting NASCAR stock car racing as Grandview Speedway was able to dodge a weather front with only a small delay during the running of qualifying heat races, and completed a full racing card on Saturday night.
The 30-lap T.P. Trailer Modified feature saw Bobby Trapper Sr. of Scranton, Pa. jump into the early lead, while Chris Gambler of Trexlertown, Pa., Clay Butler of Bloomsbury, N.J., Eric Kormann of Carneys Point, N.J., Ryan Watt of Boyertown, Pa. and defending Champion Jeff Strunk of Boyertown, Pa. were all locked into a battle for position behind him.
Lap six saw a red flag for a multi-car mishap on the backstretch in which all drivers were okay, but several were knocked out of completion. On the ensuing restart several drivers made big gains, with Kormann, Howard and Strunk advancing to the top five spots soon to be joined by Mike Gular of Harleysville, Pa. and Eddie Strada of Lake Ariel, Pa.
Howard, who had been passing cars every lap using all available lanes, moved past Kormann into second on lap eight and began to reel in leader Trapper Sr. to battle for the top spot.
After working several laps to set up his move, Howard made his pass around the outside of Trapper Sr. and into the lead on lap eleven.
After securing the lead, Howard pulled out to a comfortable lead, while the action was hot and heavy throughout the field for position, with Strunk taking second by lap fifteen, and Gular up to third by lap seventeen.
Trapper Sr. locked into a great battle with Strada and a quickly advancing Brett Kressley of Orefield, Pa. who was on the move from his 23rd starting spot, while Kormann, Tim Buckwalter of Douglasville, Pa. Ryan Watt and Louden Reimert of Oley, Pa. who was advancing from 20th starting spot were still challenging for the top positions.
Howard was setting a blistering pace out front with a safe lead, reaching lapped traffic with five laps to go, but that didn’t phase him at all, as he worked through the lapped cars to perfection, never slowing his pace, and raced home to his first T.P. Trailer Modified win of the season, becoming the year’s sixth different winner in the division.
Following Howard to the checkered flag were Strunk, Gular, Strada, Kressley, Trapper Sr., Reimert, Kormann, Ryan Watt, and Buckwalter.
Qualifying heats for the 38 cars on hand were won by Clay Butler, Bobby Gunther-Walsh of Allentown, Pa., Ryan Watt, and Eric Kormann with Louden Reimert and Rick Laubach of Quakertown, Pa. winning the consolations.
Brayden Shelton took the lead at the start of the 25-lap T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman main event, with Kaitlyn Bailey of Alburtis, Pa. second, Kenny Bock of Oley, Pa. in third, followed by Decker Swinehart of Fleetwood, Pa., Addison Meitzler, Brad Brightbill of Sinking Spring, Pa. and Mark Gaugler of Boyertown, Pa. all locked into a battle for position right behind him.
Shelton continued to lead as positions continued to change behind him, with Meitzler grabbing second on lap eight, and Colin Cox, who started 14th advanced into third on lap ten, leaving Bock, Brightbill, Swinehart, Kyle Hartzell of Bethlehem, Pa., Nate Horn of Slatedale, Pa., Teague Miller of Barto, Pa., Kenny Gilmore of Fleetwood, Pa. and Mike Stofflet of Mertztown, Pa. all fighting for the remaining top ten spots.
A caution on lap sixteen set up a restart, with Meitzler using the top lane to motor around the outside of the strong running Shelton and into the lead down the back straight and into turn three, while Cox moved into second the following lap followed by Brightbill into third and Decker Swinehart into fourth.
With five laps to go, Cox began to close the gap on leader Meitzler to set up a challenge for the lead, but a caution on lap 22 gave Cox the chance he was looking for.
Meitzler was not to be denied on this night, maintaining the lead in the final three laps with Cox keeping it close, but not throwing a serious threat in the final laps, allowing Meitzler to race home to his second win of the season and his fourth career T.P. Truck Equipment NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Grandview Sportsman win.
Following Meitzler to the finish were Cox, Brightbill, Decker Swinehart, Hartzell, Shelton, Jesse Landis of Gilbertsville, Pa., Kenny Gilmore, Kenny Bock, and Dylan Swinehart of Fleetwood, Pa.
Qualifying heats for the 36 cars on hand were won by Brad Brightbill, Brayden Shelton, Kaitlyn Bailey, and Kenny Bock while Mike Scheck Jr. of Lebanon, Pa. and Jimmy Leiby of Gilbertsville, Pa. won the consolations.
The Outlaw Racing Series Vintage cars ran a 15-lap main event, with Jr. Mikosz grabbing the lead on the green and never looking back. Scott Schaffer put some pressure on the leader in the closing stages but could not grab the lead.
At the finish Mikosz was the winner followed by Schaffer, BJ Joly, Rich Baker, and Gage Phillips. Sven Olson was the first Sportsman car across the line in sixth to score his division’s win.
Grandview Speedway returns to action with a Thunder on the Hill Racing Series event on Tuesday, July 1 with a visit by the powerful 410 Sprint Cars of the Pennsylvania Posse in the 35th running of PA Sprint Car Speed Week. The Speed Week event at Grandview is titled the Hodnett Cup and salutes the late driver Greg Hodnett who is one of the all-time winningest 410 Sprint drivers in Grandview history. The program will be sponsored by Alpine Building Supply and pay the winner of the 35-lap 410 Sprint Car main event a healthy $10,000!
The Tuesday night show will also include the 358 Modifieds in a NASCAR point event which includes qualifying races and a 30-lap $3000 to win main event. Alpine Building Supply has once again posted a first time Thunder Series winner’s bonus of $2000, making for a possible $5000 payday for the 358 Modified feature event!
Advance ticket holders will be able to enter the grandstands starting at 4:30 pm, with general admission tickets going on sale and grandstand gates opening at 5 pm, with race time set for 7:30 pm.
Adult grandstand admission will be $30, children 6-11 are $10, while kids 5 and under will be admitted free of charge. Pit admission is $45 and a license is not required.
Grandview Speedway will then be presenting another NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series program next Saturday featuring the T.P. Trailer NASCAR Modifieds and the T.P. Truck Equipment NASCAR Sportsman.
The show on Saturday, July 5 sponsored by T.P. Trailers & Truck Equipment will include qualifying events for both classes leading into a 30-lap T.P. Trailer Modified feature and a 25-lap feature for the T.P. 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.
T.P. TRAILER NASCAR MODIFIED FEATURE FINISH (30 laps): DUANE HOWARD, Jeff Strunk, Mike Gular, Eddie Strada, Brett Kressley, Bobby Trapper Sr., Louden Reimert, Eric Kormann, Ryan Watt, Tim Buckwalter, Logan Bauman, Ryan Grim, Kyle Smith, Jared Umbenhauer, Craig Whitmoyer, John Willman, Clay Butler, Bobby Gunther-Walsh, Cody Manmiller, Bobby Trapper Jr., Mike Laise, Rick Laubach, Chris Gambler, Craig Von Dohren, Carroll Hine III, Logan Watt, Doug Manmiller, Justin Grim, Darrin Schuler, Eric Biehn
DID NOT QUALIFY: Matt Yoder, Ryan Beltz, Ray Swinehart, Brad Force, Jon Kellner, Brian Hirthler, Chris Esposito, Ron Haring Jr.
T.P. TRAILERS WINNER’S BONUS ($300): Duane Howard
SITKO SUPERIOR CONSTRUCTION WINNER’S BONUS ($400): Duane Howard
VP RACING FUELS HARD CHARGER: Brett Kressley +18
PENSKE RACING SHOCKS CERTIFICATES: Duane Howard ($75), Jeff Strunk ($50), Mike Gular ($25)
DAN’S DELI HALFWAY LEADER GIFT CERTIFICATE: Duane Howard
T.P. TRUCK EQUIPMENT NASCAR SPORTSMAN FEATURE FINISH (25 laps): ADDISON MEITZLER, Colin Cox, Brad Brightbill, Decker Swinehart, Kyle Hartzell, Brayden Shelton, Jesse Landis, Kenny Gilmore, Kenny Bock, Dylan Swinehart, Nate Horn, Mike Schneck Jr., TJ Mayberry, Nathan Mohr, Gavyn Krupp, Dakota Kohler, Jimmy Leiby, Colton Perry, Lawson Szerencits, Troy Bollinger, Mark Gaugler, Mark Mohr, Teague Miller, Brett Gilmore, Kaitlyn Bailey, BJ Joly III, DNS – Brett Grim
DID NOT QUALIFY: Tom Miller Jr., Taylor Kramer, Chase Gular, Jason Graber, Tom Miller Sr., Mark Behm, Adrianna Delliponti, Mike Stofflet, Dennis Graber
T.P. TRUCK EQUIPMENT WINNER’S BONUS ($200): Addison Meitzler
GRANDVIEW $100 HARD CHARGER: Colin Cox +12
PENSKE RACING SHOCKS CERTIFICATES: Addison Meitzler ($75), Colin Cox ($50), Brad Brightbill ($25)
DAN’S DELI HALFWAY LEADER GIFT CERTIFICATE: Brayden Shelton
DRIVEN RACE OIL/JOHN WILLMAN MOTORSPORTS OIL & FILTER KIT 7th PLACE: Jesse Landis
OUTLAW RACING SERIES VINTAGE FEATURE FINISH (15 laps): JR MIKOSZ, Scott Schaffer, BJ Joly III, Rich Baker, Gage Phillips, SVEN OLSON, Curt Neiman, Bill Gerhart, Matt Smith, DNS – Dave Dissinger
UPCOMING EVENTS –
Tuesday, July 1 – THUNDER ON THE HILL RACING SERIES – 35th annual Pennsylvania 410 Sprint Car Speed Week Series – $10,000 to win 410 Sprint Hodnett Cup, 358 Modifieds* – 7:30 pm
Saturday, July 5 – T.P. TRAILER & TRUCK EQUIPMENT NIGHT – T.P. Trailer Modifieds, T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman – 7:30 pm
Friday, July 11 – Outlaw Racing Series Enduro, Outlaw Racing Series Vintage, Pro 4 Racing Series – 7 pm
Saturday, July 12 – MACMILLAN OIL COMPANY NIGHT – T.P. Trailer Modifieds, 55th annual FIRECRACKER 40 – T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman 40 laps – 7:30 pm
Saturday, July 19 – A.D. MOYER LUMBER COMPANY NIGHT – T.P. Trailer Modifieds, T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman, BACK TO THE 90’S NIGHT, $10 admission – 7:30 pm
