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JOEY VACCARO TOPS THREE CAR BATTLE TO SCORE HIS CAREER FIRST WIN IN 55th ANNUAL NASCAR SPORTSMAN FIRECRACKER 40 WORTH $3200
BECHTELSVILLE, PA. – The old saying goes that there is a first time for everything, and it happened twice on Saturday night at Grandview Speedway.
Logan Watt of Boyertown, Pa., who is the two-time defending T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman Track Champion at the Speedway, outdueled Ray Swinehart of Perkiomenville, Pa., taking the lead with just nine laps to go, to score his first career T.P. Trailer Modified division victory on Saturday night, in a racing program sponsored by Macmillan Oil Company of Allentown.
Joey Vaccaro of Reading, Pa., who has tried for several years to reach victory lane at Grandview, did so in a big way topping a multi-car battle for the win involving himself, Ryan Graver of Lehighton, Pa. and Colin Cox of Perkasie, Pa., to score the win in the 55th annual running of the Firecracker 40 for the T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman division, taking home a smooth $3200 paycheck in the process.
Vaccaro led the entire distance of the 40-lap Championship and picked up the $2000 win plus many bonuses that were posted for the race including $400 from track photographer Steve Sabo and SDS Photography, $100 from Jill & Mike Horn, $200 from T.P. Truck Equipment, $25 from Kevin Beck in memory of Tim Fritz, $250 from the Gagliardo Family in memory of Vince Gagliardo Sr. for leading at half-way, the Dan’s Deli gift certificate for leading at half-way, $50 from Stringer’s Collision for winning his heat, $50 from the Iatalese Family in memory of Hunter Iatalese for winning his heat, $50 from Stringer’s Collision for leading lap 23, and a $75 Penske Racing Shock Certificate for winning.
The winners both 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.
The T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman were in the spotlight on Saturday, running their longest race of the season in the Firecracker 40, with Joey Vaccaro taking the lead at the drop of the green flag, trailed by Tom Miller Sr. of Gilbertsville, Pa., Mark Gaugler of Boyertown, Pa., Zach Steffey of Sinking Spring, Pa. and Ebby Ridge of Upper Black Eddy, Pa. all racing for spots in the top five.
Several cautions occurred in the first nine laps until things settled down and the drivers got down to some intense and exciting racing action, with Graver reaching second by lap ten, and Cox made it to third spot from sixteenth by lap thirteen.
While these drivers were moving forward some good action was going on for position between Steffey, Chase Gular of Pennsburg, Pa., Gaugler, Teague Miller of Barto, Pa. and a fast moving Addison Meitzler of Kempton, Pa. who was now joining the action up front for the top positions.
Cox would catch Graver and leader Vaccaro on lap 17, and the race for the lead really heated up, with Vaccaro in the middle lane, Graver in the top lane, and Cox in the bottom lane racing practically under a blanket lap after lap for the lead that lasted for twelve laps.
By the half-way mark which paid a $250 bonus from the Gagliardo Family in memory of Vince Gagliardo Sr. to leader Vaccaro, Chase Gular and Addison Meitzler would catch the other three, making for an unbelievable five car race for the lead up front.
The twenty lap run of green flag action would slow with back to back cautions on laps 29 and 30, with the action up front never stopping, with Meitzler rolling the top lane and gaining fourth on lap 30, then third on lap 32 and began pressuring Graver for second.
A final caution with five to go reset the field for one last run to the end, with Vaccaro running a smooth race, withstanding pressure from Graver, while Meitzler, Cox, Gular and a still charging Brett Gilmore of Kutztown, Pa. would battle it out in the closing laps for the top five spots.
At the checkered flag, Vaccaro would score a popular win, and a great comeback after flipping his car several weeks earlier, with Graver settling for a well earned second place after trying everything he could to get the win, Cox would get third, Meitzler ended in fourth and Gular scored his second straight top five in fifth.
Rounding out the top ten were Brett Gilmore, Kenny Gilmore of Fleetwood, Pa., TJ Mayberry of Sellersville, Pa. who was the race’s Hard Charger and earned a $250 bonus from the Gagliardo Family in memory of Glenn Strunk, Teague Miller, Mike Schneck Jr. of Lebanon, Pa.
Qualifying heats for the 41 cars on hand each paid $50 to win from Mike & Tina Stringer of Stringer’s Collision, and also paid $50 to win from the Iatalese Family in memory of Hunter Iatalese. The heat winners were Kaitlyn Bailey of Alburtis, Pa., Joey Vaccaro, Lawson Szerencits of Catasauqua, Pa., and Addison Meitzler while Klye Hartzell of Bethlehem, Pa. and Dakota Kohler of Kutztown, Pa. each earned $50 from the Iatalese Family in memory of Hunter Iatalese for winning the consolations.
Yocum Drywall of Oley, Pa. proud sponsors of Brett Gilmore’s car, posted $100 to a Hard Luck driver during the night, which went to Tom Miller Jr. who was involved in a crash in his heat race while in a qualified position.
For Logan Watt, what a difference a week makes as just one week earlier, Watt found himself upside down during the T.P. Trailer Modified feature, after being involved in a multi-car mishap during the feature.
The 30-lap T.P. Trailer Modified feature began with Darrin Schuler of Stroudsburg, Pa. grabbing the lead at the start, with Ryan Beltz of Barto, Pa., Ray Swinehart, Eric Biehn of Barto, Pa. and John Willman of Birdsboro, Pa. all racing for positions behind him.
Swinehart would grab second on lap four, then battle Schuler for the lead, taking the top spot with an outside groove pass off of turn four to score lap eight.
Swinehart would build up a lead over Schuler, while Beltz and Willman would battle for third with a fast approaching Logan Watt, who moved by Clay Butler of Bloomsbury, N.J. on lap nine and into the top five for the first time.
Willman and Watt would advance past Schuler into second and third by lap thirteen, with Watt grabbing second on lap fourteen and begin his pursuit of leader Swinehart.
At the half-way mark Watt caught Swinehart and the battle was on for the lead, with Swinehart using different lanes on each end of the track to preserve his lead, while Watt would show a nose to the bottom on some laps and sometimes the top, while Swinehart held firm in the lead.
While this great race was going on up front, Butler, Craig Whitmoyer of Hamburg, Pa., Ryan Watt of Boyertown, Pa., Logan Bauman of Bechtelsville, Pa., and Duane Howard of Oley, Pa., who started in 25th position, were battling for the remaining spots in the top ten.
Watt never relented in his pressure on the veteran Swinehart, with Swinehart and Watt changing lanes each lap in a spectacular duel for the win, and after showing his nose down low for a couple laps, Watt made a sweeping move to the outside lane in turns three and four to grab the lead exiting the corner to score lap 21, and take over the lead position.
The leaders hit lapped traffic with five to go, with Swinehart staying close, but a final caution on lap 26 cleared the track for the leaders in the final run to the checkers.
The final four laps saw Watt maintain his edge to the finish with some wild racing behind him, as drivers were still advancing positions to the end.
At the checkered, Logan Watt scored his first ever Grandview Speedway T.P Trailer NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series Modified win followed by Ray Swinehart, John Willman, Duane Howard who charged forward 21 positions, Craig Whitmoyer for his first top five of the season, Craig Von Dohren of Oley, Pa. up from 21st position, Ryan Watt, Darrin Schuler, Jared Umbenhauer of Richland, Pa. and Mike Gular of Harleysville, Pa.
Qualifying heats for the 35 cars on hand were won by Ron Haring Jr. of Alburtis, Pa., Ray Swinehart and Ryan Beltz with Brett Kressley of Orefield, Pa. winning the consolation.
Grandview Speedway will be presenting another NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series program next week featuring the T.P. Trailer NASCAR Modifieds and T.P. Truck Equipment NASCAR Sportsman.
The program on Saturday, July 19 will be Back to the 90’s Night sponsored by A.D. Moyer Lumber Company, featuring just $10 grandstand admission for a complete show of T.P. Trailer Modifieds and T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman thatwill 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.
Fans are encouraged to wear their 1990’s era apparel and t-shirts for what should be a fun trip down memory lane that evening.
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.
Grandstand admission is just $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): LOGAN WATT, Ray Swinehart, John Willman, Duane Howard, Craig Whitmoyer, Craig Von Dohren, Ryan Watt, Darrin Schuler, Jared Umbenhauer, Mike Gular, Clay Butler, Brett Kressley, Logan Bauman, Louden Reimert, Edie Strada, Brian Hirthler, Cody Manmiller, Eric Kormann, Ryan Grim, Doug Manmiller, Bobby Trapper Sr., Jeff Strunk, Ryan Beltz, Eric Biehn, Bobby Trapper Jr., Ron Haring Jr., Jon Kellner, Rick Laubach
DID NOT QUALIFY: Kyle Smith, Tim Buckwalter, Justin Grim, Carroll Hine III, Bobby Gunther-Walsh, Chris Esposito, Mike Laise
T.P. TRAILERS WINNER’S BONUS ($300): Logan Watt
KEVIN BECK WINNER’S BONUS IN MEMORY OF TIM FRITZ ($25): Logan Watt
VP RACING FUELS HARD CHARGER: Duane Howard + 21
PENSKE RACING SHOCKS CERTIFICATES: Logan Watt ($75), Ray Swinehart ($50), John Willman ($25)
DAN’S DELI HALFWAY LEADER GIFT CERTIFICATE: Ray Swinehart
T.P. TRUCK EQUIPMENT NASCAR SPORTSMAN FIRECRACKER 40 FEATURE FINISH (40 laps): JOEY VACCARO, Ryan Graver, Colin Cox, Addison Meitzler, Chase Gular, Brett Gilmore, Kenny Gilmore, TJ Mayberry, Teague Miller, Mike Schneck Jr., Mark Gaugler, Lawson Szerencits, Dylan Swinehart, Kyle Hartzell, Nathan Mohr, Kenny Bock, Adrianna Delliponti, Kaitlyn Bailey, Tom Miller Sr., Dakota Kohler, Zach Steffey, Colton Perry, Decker Swinehart, Gavyn Krupp, Ebby Ridge, Jesse Landis, Mark Mohr
DID NOT QUALIFY: Parker Guldin, Jason Graber, Nate Horn, Mike Stofflet, Tom Miller Jr., Taylor Kramer, Brad Brightbill, Brett Grim, BJ Joy III, Alex Bartorillo, Brayden Shelton, Shannon Slaughter, Dennis Graber, Mark Behm
T.P. TRUCK EQUIPMENT WINNER’S BONUS ($200): Joey Vaccaro
STEVE SABO/SDS PHOTOGRAPHY WINNER’S BONUS ($400): Joey Vaccaro
JILL & MIKE HORN WINNER’S BONUS ($100): Joey Vaccaro
KEVIN BECK WINNER’S BONUS IN MEMORY OF TIM FRITZ ($25): Joey Vaccaro
GAGLIARDO FAMILY HALFWAY LEADER IN MEMORY OF VINCE GAGLIARDO SR. BONUS ($250): Joey Vaccaro
GAGLIARDO FAMILY HARD CHARGER AWARD IN MEMORY OF GLENN STRUNK BONUS ($250): TJ Mayberry
GRANDVIEW $100 HARD CHARGER: TJ Mayberry + 15
YOCUM DRYWALL OF OLEY, PA. SPONSORS OF BRETT GILMORE HARD LUCK AWARD ($100): Tom Miller Jr.
MIKE & TINA STRINGER/STRINGER’S COLLISION HEAT WINNER’S BONUS ($50 EACH): Kaitlyn Bailey, Joey Vaccaro, Lawson Szerencits, Addison Meitzler
IATALESE FAMILY IN MEMORY OF HUNTER IATALESE HEAT WINNER’S BONUS ($50 EACH): Kaitlyn Bailey, Joey Vaccaro, Lawson Szerencits, Addison Meitzler
IATALESE FAMILY IN MEMORY OF HUNTER IATALESE CONSOLATION WINNER’S BONUS ($50 EACH): Dakota Kohler, Kyle Hartzell
MIKE & TINA STRINGER/STRINGER’S COLLISION LEADER OF LAP 23 BONUS ($50): Joey Vaccaro
MIKE & TINA STRINGER/STRINGER’S COLLISION 23rd PLACE FEATURE FINISHER BONUS ($50): Decker Swinehart
IATALESE FAMILY IN MEMORY OF HUNTER IATALESE 23rd PLACE FEATURE FINISHER BONUS ($100): Decker Swinehart
PENSKE RACING SHOCKS CERTIFICATES: Joey Vaccaro ($75), Ryan Graver ($50), Colin Cox ($25
DAN’S DELI HALFWAY LEADER GIFT CERTIFICATE: Joey Vaccaro
DRIVEN RACE OIL/JOHN WILLMAN MOTORSPORTS OIL & FILTER KIT 7th PLACE: Kenny Gilmore
UPCOMING EVENTS –
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 Grandstand admission – 7:30 pm
Saturday, July 26 – T.P. Trailer Modifieds, T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman, Outlaw Racing Series Vintage – 7:30 pm
Friday, August 1 – Outlaw Racing Series Enduro, Outlaw Racing Series Vintage, Xcel 600 Modifieds – 7 pm
Saturday, August 2 – T.P. Trailer Modifieds, T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman – 7:30 pm
Saturday, August 9 – 55th annual FORREST ROGERS MEMORIAL – T.P. Trailer Modifieds 50-laps, T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman, TRIVIA NIGHT – 7:30 pm – (Rain date 8/16)
