WOODALL WINS SPORTSMAN COALCRACKER 50 YETTER WINS MODS AS VONDOHREN TAKES FIRST BIG DIAMOND CHAMPIONSHIP

Final race of the 2012 season - Coalcracker '72 for Station House 358 Modifieds, Sunday, September 2

Gates open at 5 - Racing starts at 8:15

WOODALL WINS SPORTSMAN COALCRACKER 50

YETTER WINS MODS AS VONDOHREN TAKES FIRST BIG DIAMOND CHAMPIONSHIP

Ray Woodall, Jr. saved his best for last as he won his first USS Achey Sportsman feature of 2012 at the Big Diamond Speedway by winning the Coalcracker 50 on Friday night. Ricky Yetter picked up his first win of the season in the Station House 358 Modifieds when he won the held over feature event, originally scheduled on June 22nd as Craig VonDohren's eighth place finish sealed the 2012 Track Championship of the winningest driver in Big Diamond history. Shon Elk returned to Victory Lane in the Wooden Keg Tavern Roadrunners as Rick Miller was a first time winner in the visiting Klascar Legend feature event.

Three drivers led during the Coalcracker 50 for the Sportsman competitors but the rest of the top five positions were contested throughout the fifty lap distance.

Billy Moyer, Jr. of Pine Grove, PA took the lead at the start of the race but was challenged almost immediately by Mike Glass. Moyer and Glass, both with feature wins in 2012, were side by side after a lap six caution with Glass taking the lead from the outside. Woodall moved to third following a lap fifteen restart and then challenged Moyer for second. Glass now had pressure for Woodall for the lead.

Woodall challenged on the inside but Glass was able to roll off the top to exit the corner and maintain his advantage. Glass took the half way sign as Woodall, Brad Brightbill, Jared Umbenhauer and Moyer ran in the top five.

A caution flag on lap twenty-eight realigned the field for a double file restart and Woodall had the lead as he and Glass raced into turn one. Umbenhauer raced in third and then took over second before lap twenty-eight was scored. Glass had Birghtbill and a hard charging Kevin Beach, Jr. to contend with as Beach raced into the top five after starting at the back of the line-up.

With Woodall in command, the last fifteen laps of the race would determine the rest of the top five. When the checkered waved, Woodall raced across the line ahead of Brightbill. Umbenhauer finished in third while Beach won the battle for fourth over Moyer.

Ricky Yetter was not about to let history repeat itself. Once before this season, Yetter had the lead when the caution came out with three laps to go. Meme DeSantis raced to the win on that night and Yetter finished third. Those were Yetter's thoughts when the caution waved on Friday night with three laps to go and DeSantis ran in second.

"I knew I had to get up on the wheel," Yetter stated. "It's easy to read the scoreboard here. Meme has been like my Kryptonite here!"

But history would not repeat itself as Yetter hit his marks and drove on to take the win, his first of the season and his first after taking a year off to run for district magisterial judge a year ago. Many said it couldn't be done. A lot of people told Yetter that he wouldn't return after taking a year off yet when the checkered flag waved, it was Yetter taking the win. DeSantis finished second as Andy Burkhart raced to a season best third place finish ahead of Ray Swinehart. Brian Houseknecht had a career best with his top five performance.

Yetter and his crew shared the limelight of Victory Lane as Craig VonDohren, the winningest driver in the history of the Big Diamond Speedway, captured his first ever Big Diamond Track Championship. VonDohren has won virtually all there is to win during his career but the Big Diamond Track Championship. In 2010, VonDohren held the lead going into the last night of racing but it was Doug Manmiller who would be the Track Champion that year. Now the record books will read, "2012 Track Champion, Craig VonDohren".

VonDohren's championship came just days after losing his grandmother who was one of his biggest fans. She was in the grandstands as recently as a week ago as a top five finish faded from VonDohren's grasp in the closing laps when a rear axle tube broke.

VonDohren credited his championship run to the many people who support his racing efforts. Bob Greene of Pioneer Polebuilding joined VonDohren in Victory Lane.

 

For the second year in a row, VonDohren was the big winner in the Coke Challenge - a series of one-on-one match races against the top ten in the point standings. Colt Harris won the first four rounds before being defeated by Doug Manmiller. Manmiller defeated Gary Hager but then lost to VonDonhren in one of the most exciting rounds of the event. VonDohren then bested Rick Laubach, Meme DeSantis and Jeff Strunk to capture the $1,000 prize.

Shon Elk raced by 2012 Wooden Keg Tavern Roadrunner Champion, Joey Brennan to win his third feature of the season.

Coalcrack 50 results for USS Achey Sportsman (50 laps)

1-Ray Woodall, Jr. 2-Brad Brightbill 3-Jared Umbenhauer 4-Kevin Beach, Jr. 5-Billy Moyer, Jr. 6-Tim Fitzpatrick 7-Doug Hendricks 8-Shawn Fitzpatrick 9-Jim Houseworth 10-Heath Metzger 11-Mike Glass 12-Harry Landis 13-Kyle Borror 14-Wayne Witmer 15-Andy Fayash, Jr. 16-Shawn Light 17-Steve Searock, IV 18-Mike Lisowski 19-JR Fulper 20-Jeremy Hertzog 21-Charles Fayash 22-Charles Webber 23-Josh Hertzog 24-Corey Renninger

Station House 358 Modified Feature-heldover from 6/22/12 (25 laps)

1-Ricky Yeter 2-Meme DeSantis 3-Andy Burkhart 4-Ray Swinehart 5-Brian Houseknecht 6-Jeff Strunk 7-Rick Laubach 8-Craig VonDohren 9-Keith Hoffman 10-Doug Manmiller 11-Dale Hartz 12-Colt Harris 13-Kevin Albert, Jr. 14-Dan Hineline 15-Mike Mammana 16-Jim Bobbit, Jr. 17-Brad Arnold 18-Gary Hager 19-Craig Whitmoyer 20-Blaine Bracelin

Wooden Keg Tavern Roadrunner Feature (20 laps)

1-Shon Elk 2-Kevin Olenick 3-Glenn Rowan 4-Jared Siegfried 5-TJ Fitzpatrick 6-Jeremy Becker 7-Chip Kennedy 8-Christian Donati 9-Joey Brennan 10-Kyle Killian 11-Terry Kramer, Jr. 12-Jesse Krasnitsky 13-Marc Berzowski 14-Jim Kost 15-Tim Fitzpatrick, Jr.