WARD BEGINS DEFENSE OF HIS RoC TITLE WITH FRIDAY NIGHT ICEBREAKER WEEKEND VICTORY.
BY JR KENNERUP
Selinsgrove, Pa… For the second consecutive year at the Insinger Performance Products RoC Icebreaker Weekend at the Selinsgrove Speedway. Defending Race of Champions Dart Dirt Modified Tour champion Pat Ward of Genoa, New York won the Friday night 25 lap 358 Modified feature. Ward ended up winning a total of $3,750 in cash, contingencies, and prizes for his evening of work.
Ward who started second took the lead for good on a lap five restart from Ray Swinehart and then held off the relentless challenges of Duane Howard between laps six and 20. Howards’ night ended on a lap 20 restart with a flat right rear tire.
With Ward in front a wild melee occurred on lap 21 when third place runner at the time Craig Von Dohren got into the turn four inside guardrail and spun out, ending his night. Jeff Strunk who was sixth at the time was also involved ending his evening of racing.
The final four laps were run off without incident with Ward claiming the win over Doug Manmiller, Ronnie Johnson, Danny Johnson, and Ryan Godown.
“It’s a nice way to start the season off,” said the smiling race winner. “We’ve been in a rut since the 200 at Utica – Rome last September when I had the flat tire. Every fall race I ran I had bad luck and this year in Florida I had bad luck in every race. So this is a good feeling as I know we have fast race cars, great owners, and an outstanding pit crew. Hopefully this will turn it back around to where I’m getting racing luck going for me, instead of against me. “
Ward led the first lap of the feature until Ray Swinehart got around him on a lap one restart. Pat was asked if this pass for the lead surprised him. “No it didn’t because I knew a bunch of those guys were on alcohol ( racing methanol ) and I was on gas ( racing gasoline ) with kind of a dirt legal motor,” answered Pat. “I wasn’t surprised that he beat me down the straights, but I was quicker than him through the turns and when the track started to slick up I was able to get the tires to slide through the turns and get them spinning and the car was perfect after that. Once I got the lead back I was more worried about Duane Howard and some other guys because they go down the straights here like no one else does.”
One lap after Ward took the lead Howard moved into second and the race for the win was on. Howard applied heavy pressure on Ward several times closing in especially as the leading duo exited the turns.
With 10 laps to go Howard actually got underneath Ward in turn four but Ward was able to hold off Howard for the lead. After the challenge Ward picked up the pace and opened his lead up as he entered lap traffic.
“I was trying not to drive the car into the corners too hard ,” explained Pat on how Howard got under him. “ The race track had so much bite that if you got into the corner and didn’t get the car turned you would lose the front end and have to lift. When the track blacked up a little bit I didn’t have to lift anymore and I knew then if anyone was going to pass me they were going to have to have a very good racecar to get by me.”
Former National Go – Kart champion Doug Manmiller ended up second after starting sixth. “We had a good car tonight and we didn’t have to come from the rear as we had a good draw and were right in the thick of things all evening long,” said Doug. “I can’t thank Josh and Dick Biever for putting the car together for me and it was the first time for me in this car and it was a nice strong run.”
First time Selinsgrove Speedway visitor Ronnie Johnson ended up third after starting on the pole. “Starting on the pole we didn’t want to finish third as we would have liked to win, but being our first time here I’m happy with the finish,” said the second generation racer. “We dropped back there in the beginning and I needed to track to slicken up and slow down which it did and that got us going toward the front as this place is one fast race track.”
The Zemco Speed Equipment / Shiley Fabrication sponsored heat races for the 56 cars on hand were won by Billy Decker, Howard, Swinehart, Michael Storms, Strunk, and Ward.
The SMI Racing sponsored consi’s were captured by David Van Horn, Jr., Troy Wink, and Richie Pratt, Jr.
ICEBREAKER FRIDAY NOTES; the excellent weather produced a hearty gathering of racers and race fans as it took nearly 90 minutes to free up a massive traffic jam that occurred just before the gates opened. For the second year in a row Selinsgrove track promoter Charlie Paige and his track crew had the race track in tacky tip top condition. The extra tacky surface did cause some problems during the evening with some teams blowing their engines while other teams suffered driveline problems. Brett Hearn and Matt Sheppard were two of the drivers who suffered mechanical woes in their heat races ending their night of racing. Thirty – five big block Modifieds were on hand getting ready for the show the following afternoon as they received hot lap sessions throughout the evening. In heat two won by Duane Howard a new eight lap track record was set with a time of 2:43:12 to run the event.
The Insinger Performance Products RoC Icebreaker III Weekend is proudly sponsored by; Insinger Performance Products, Selinsgrove Speedway, Comfort Inn of Selinsgrove, JGK Motorsports, Middleburg IGA, Jim Collier Paving and Excavating, Lenny Krautheim Auto Sales, Dart Machinery, Utica – Rome Speedway, Zemco Speed Equipment, Penske Racing Shocks, Keith Sweigart Electric, Middleswarth Potato Chips, Troyer Race Cars and Parts, Short Track Super Nationals, BFP Specialties, Mike Kelly Motorsports, Shiley Fabrication, Bair Wheel Repair, The Selinsgrove Hotel, Corky’s Tavern, SMI Racing, and Mo’s Gold Automotive Polish and Cleaner.
The Race of Champions Dart Dirt Modified Tour is proudly sponsored by; 2010 American Racer East Coast Modified Cup, Dart Machinery, Sunoco Race Fuels, American Racer Tires, Total Seal Piston Rings, Dura – Bond, Competition Engineering by Moroso, Afco, Melling Performance, CV Products, Erson Cams, Dynatech, Xceldyne Technologies, PBM Performance Products, and LA Sleeve.
RACE REPORT RACE OF CHAMPIONS DART DIRT MODIFIED TOUR RACE #1 INSINGER PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS 25 AT THE SELINSGROVE SPEEDWAY
FINISH; Pat Ward, Doug Manmiller, Ronnie Johnson, Danny Johnson, Ryan Godown, Billy Decker, Ray Swinehart, Tom Umbenhauer, Richie Pratt, Jr., Stewart Friesen, Larry Wight, Danny Creeden, Paul Kinney, Alan Rudalavage, Colt Harris, Troy Wink, Craig Von Dohren, Jeff Strunk, Michael Storms, Kyle Weiss, Duane Howard, David Van Horn, Jr., Sean Merkel, Kevin Bates, Meme DeSantis, Bobby Varin, Rick Laubach.
LAP LEADERS; Ward ( 1 ), Swinehart ( 2 – 4 ), Ward ( 5 – 25 ).
RoC Provisional; Friesen.
5 Mile Point Provisional; Bates.
Penn – Can Provisional; Creeden.
PENSKE RACING SHOCKS AWARDS; Swinehart, Umbenhauer, Harris.
UTICA – ROME SPEEDWAY NEW YORKER 200 SPOT; Ward.
SHORT TRACK SUPER NATIONALS QUALIFIER; Ward.
LENNY KRAUTHEIM AUTO SALES 3RD PLACE BONUS; R. Johnson.
MIKE KELLY MOTORSPORTS JACK BAGLEY MEMORIAL DEDICATION TO RACING AWARD; Pratt.
BFP SPECIALTIES HARD LUCK AWARD; Seltman.
BAIR WHEEL REPAIR AWARD; Ward.
KEITH SWEIGART ELECTRIC LIGHTNING QUICK LAP OF THE NIGHT; Howard 20. 138.
MO’S GOLD AUTOMOTIVE POLISH AND CLEANER BEST APPEARING CAR; Wink.
DNQ’S; Ray Bliss, Jr., Blaine Bracelin, Michael Lartz, Jeremy Markle, Chris Grbac, Ron Seltman, Dale Welty, Brett Hearn, Kirk Horton, Dylan Dewert, Rich Scagliotta, Mike Mammana, Frank Yankowski, Mark Frankhouser, Matt Sheppard, Joey Colsten, Jeff Brown, Ray Dann, Danny Tyler, Dave Gerhart, Neil Huber, Jason Rivers, Ryan Grim, Ron Cartwright, Jr., Kyle Follweiler, David Hinsch, Brad Alger, Neal Williams, Dan Morden.
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