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KYLE HARDY SCORES WESTERN MARYLAND CHALLENGE AND PREPS FOR RODNEY FRANKLIN “CHAMPION SALUTE”

HAGERSTOWN, MD (April 11) – Kyle Hardy had no problem in leading the Late Model field all the way Saturday evening and winning the $2,500 Western Maryland Challenge between Hagerstown Speedway/Dirt Capitol and Cumberland Raceway. The triumph was also a good tune up for the upcoming prestigious Dirt Capitol event, the Rodney Franklin “Salute to a Champion.”

Hardy won the season opener on a day surface and now his second at night and also needs one more to tie last year’s total which included his Dirt Capitol first. Hardy held a commanding lead over Roy Deese Jr. the entire race with only one caution to slow his pace. Deese ended up settling for his third consecutive runner up finish 1.85 seconds back.

“The car was good from the get go as soon as we pulled in here; it usually is,” Hardy said. “There are a lot of good guys here. It feels good to get a win before these big shows come up. The car was hooked up. I could get in the corners pretty hard. If you can get in there pretty hard and get off pretty good, you know you have a good unit.”

Other divisions ran Small Car National Qualifiers for the 9th Annual event coming up in September as Justin Weaver won the Malloy Ford Late Model Sportsman feature following a tenth lap restart. Craig Parrill raced hard with three time winner Mike Corbin and posted his second victory in the K-Lynn Management Pure Stocks with a final turn pass. Fresh off a Potomac win in last week’s opener, Ed Pope passed previous week’s Dirt Capitol winner Gary Proctor with two to go and won my five lengths for his Dirt Capitol first in the Mason Dixon Auto Auction Hobby Stocks.

Hardy began from the outside pole in the two car invert as Roy Deese Jr. sat on the pole, but Hardy over powered him off the second turn and was pulling away with each lap to arrive at the rear of the field by the ninth lap. By the 13th circuit, Hardy had three cars between himself and Deese with a 16th lap caution displayed which reset the field.

Hardy again set the pace over Deese and Andy Anderson while Jerry Bard took fourth place from Devin Friese with six to go. Hardy charged on and was to the finish 1.85 seconds before Deese with Anderson, Bard and Friese next. Matt Cosner was sixth followed by Jim Yoder (from 14th), Glenn Elliott (11th), Brad Omps (12th) and Brad Ritter completing the top ten.

Chaz Walls took off from the pole in the Late Model Sportsman four car invert with pole sitter Kyle Lee settling into the second spot and Justin Weaver next. Scott Palmer began pressuring Weaver until taking the position after a fifth lap restart and getting past Lee for second.

Weaver was lined up fourth in a tenth lap double file restart and quickly was up on the wheel to come out ahead while Travis Stickley advanced into the runner up spot. Weaver maintained control over the final half of the race and with back to back cautions on laps 15 and 16, was able to stretch his lead to just over two seconds for the win over Palmer who passed Stickley on the final circuit. Walls and Robbie Black completed the top five.

“I didn’t know midway there if we were going to get there or not but that restart is what made it happen,” Weaver said. “I told myself I was going to have to get up on the wheel if I wanted to win a race and that’s what happened. This one goes to my dad. He says I never can make it happen on the top, but we did tonight.”

Three time winner Mike Corbin took off from the outside pole in a two car inversion and beating pole sitter Craig Parrill off the second turn. Corbin held a slight advantage until a sixth lap caution and subsequent restart when third runner Jamie Zentmyer spun when he and Chuck Bowie got together. Corbin took off again but couldn’t shake Parrill who pulled alongside with two to go. Corbin and Parrill headed into lapped traffic with a lap to go as the two touched in the final turn as Parrill got to the line first for his season second win and the guaranteed starting spot in the Nationals. Sean Dawson, Brian Miller and Chris Ebersole were next.

With five inverted in the Hobby Stock feature, Gary Proctor was off and running as Ed Pope quickly was on his bumper after starting fourth. By the fourth lap, Pope was putting the pressure on Proctor as the two ran bumper to bumper and side by side lap after lap while Jonathan Raley watched from a distance. Pope finally got his best run and led at the white flag and continued his momentum to stretch his lead to five lengths over Proctor with Raley finishing third with Shawn Shoemaker and Tom Caravello next to the checkered.

The latest news, results, photos, schedule or rule changes will also be found on the speedway’s website: www.hagerstownspeedway.com. Also check the website for any changes in weather conditions that may delay or cancel the program or contact the speedway office at 301-582-0640.

HAGERSTOWN SPEEDWAY/DIRT CAPITOL LLC RESULTS

Western Maryland Challenge: Hoosier Tire Mid Atlantic Late Models: 25 Laps, 24 Entries, 1.Kyle Hardy, 2.Roy Deese Jr., 3.Andy Anderson, 4.Jerry Bard, 5.Devin Friese, 6.Matt Cosner, 7.Jim Yoder, 8.Glenn Elliott, 9.Brad Omps, 10.Brad Ritter, 11.Trever Feathers, 12.Justin Kann, 13.Nick Dickson, 14.Matt Sponaugle, 15.Bryan Bernheisel, 16.Marvin Winters, 17.Allen Brannon, 18.Barry Miller, 19.Chuck Clise, 20.Billy Farmer, 21.D.J. Troutman, 22.Ronnie De Haven Jr., 23.Frankie Plessinger, DNS-Wayne Johnson

Small Car Nationals Qualifier: Malloy Ford Late Model Sportsman: 20 Laps, 22 Entries: 1.Justin Weaver, 2.Scott Palmer, 3.Travis Stickley, 4.Chaz Walls, 5.Robbie Black, 6.Chad Myers, 7.Paul Cursey, 8.Kyle Lee, 9.Cody Lear, 10.Rodney Walls, 11.Cody Kershner, 12.Josh Barrier, 13.Garrett Walls, 14.James Sparks, 15.Elwood Sord, 16.Braden Anderson, 17.Ryan Walls, 18.Joe Westerman Jr., 19.Bobby Beard, 20.Brad Kling, DNS -.James Lichliter, Tyler Emory

Small Car Nationals Qualifier: K-Lynn Management Pure Stocks: 15 Laps, 18 Entries: 1.Craig Parrill, 2.Mike Corbin, 3.Sean Dawson, 4.Brian Miller, 5.Chris Ebersole, 6.Jamie Zentmyer, 7.Kenny Dillon, 8.Keith Koontz, 9.Wayne Hawbaker, 10.Chuck Bowie, 11.Dickie Tharp, 12.Nick Dibella, 13.Jeremy Mills, 14.Bob Egley, 15.Kevin Koontz, DNS -.Frank Dibella, Bill Ecton, Darrin Younker

Small Car Nationals Qualifier: Mason Dixon Auto Auction Hobby Stocks: 15 Laps, 21 Entries: 1.Ed Pope, 2.Gary Proctor, 3.Jonathan Raley, 4.Shawn Shoemaker, 5.Tom Caravello, 6.Marshall McMullen, 7.Jeff Dillon, 8.William Crook, 9.Brad Feight, 10.Kenny Thomas, 11.Terry Norris, 12.Ed Vogel, 13.Dwaykne Snyder, 14.James Jones, 15.Charles Shearer III, 16.Brykan Neff, DNS - Owen Baughman, Ralph Hansberger, Jamie Mills, Bobby Meixsell, Gary Cekovich

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