RAHMER ENDS EASH WIN STREAK IN LINCOLN "410" SPRINT MAIN
Written by Bill Meyer/Wayne Harper
Sunday, 22 June 2008 02:54
Ott first '08 repeat winner in "358" sprints; Gallagher pads points lead
with second '08 thundercar win
ABBOTTSTOWN, PA, 6/21/08 - There's been a lot of talk this year
about Lincoln's crop of young drivers and the next generation of sprint car
superstars.But it's the veterans who have dominated victory lane in the
Pigeon Hills for the past six weeks.
And the master took 'em to school in the25-lap Lawrence Chevrolet
Night"410" sprint feature at Lincoln Speedway Saturday night.
Fred Rahmer came from his customary 12th starting spot to track down
and pass race-leading Jim Siegel in the third and fourth turns of the 19th
lap, then raced away to his fifth win of 2008. With his 159th career Lincoln
win, the 10-time track champ ended a resurgent Cris Eash's three-race win streak.
"I'm just too stubborn to let them beat me," said Rahmer upon
exiting his Chad and Jen Clemens-owned C&S Lawn & Landscaping/Miller
Brothers Automotive No.51 sprinter in victory lane, "It was tricky racing
out there, and I just went where they weren't...everybody went to the bottom
like I always do, and that was the wrong move tonight."
"Tonight I wasn't going to let starting position beat me," Rahmer
added with a smile, "Right now, for whatever reason, everybody is just
blocking you running for ninth and the idea is to get to eighth...it makes
it a lot tougher but you do what you've got to do."
Outside frontrow starter Craig Keel grabbed the lead from polesitter
Mike Bittinger at the drop of the green and led the opening laps while
fourth-starting Jimmy Siegel flexed his muscles following his Friday night
win at Williams Grove Speedway and moved into the runner-up spot on lapfive.
Siegel got around Keel for the top spot with a low-side move in the
third and fourth turns of lap 15.
But Rahmer was on the move too, and was in fifth spot when a
spinning Alan Krimes brought out the caution on the 16th lap.Rahmer passed
Nick Schlauch and then Craig Keel for third on the restart, drove around
Brian Leppo for second a lap later, and then his sights on Siegel.He
snatched the race lead one lap before a caution came out for the spinning
cars of Cory Haas and Cody Darrah in the first two turns of lap 20.
From there, as Rahmer would say, it was "church over," with Rahmer driving away to a 2.83-second win.
Leppo got around Siegel for second on lap 21, and Siegel settled for
third.Doug Esh and Nick Schlauch, Jr. completed the top five.Rounding out
the top ten were Niki Young, 19th-starting Brian Montieth, Cris Eash, Chad
Layton, and Aaron Ott.
"Next week is the beginning of PA SpeedWeek, and we really try to be
prepared," said Rahmer, "Don (Ott) has got all our motors fresh.SpeedWeek is
always a goal of mine.I like to win it so somebody else can't, and if we
could win it again I'd be really happy."
Heats for the 27 "410" Sprints were won by Leppo, Bittinger and Ott,
with Montieth winning the consolation.
RACE RESULTS
Saturday - June 21, 2008
LINCOLN SPEEDWAY
Abbottstown, PA
CINDY ROWE AUTO GLASS 410 SPRINTS:
Feature (25 Laps) - 1. 51-Fred Rahmer ($3,000); 2. 71-Brian Leppo; 3.
59-Jimmy Siegel; 4. 30-Doug Esh; 5. 38N-Nick Schlauch Jr.; 6. 10N-Niki
Young; 7. 21-Brian Montieth; 8. 17E-Cris Eash; 9. 25-Chad Layton; 10.
25O-Aaron Ott; 11. 22Z-Michael Carber; 12. 49-Bobby Howard; 13. 6W-Josh
Wells; 14. 9-Craig Keel; 15. 4-John Rudisill; 16. 5-Adam Lawrence; 17. 45-AJ
Michael; 18. 47J-Jeff Busby; 19. 87-Alan Krimes; 20. 12-Mike Bittinger; 21.
89-Cody Darrah; 22. 11C-Cory Haas; 23. 3B-Randy Baughman; 24. 43-Doug
Dodson. No Time
Lap Leaders - Craig Keel (1-14), Jimmy Siegel (15-18), Fred Rahmer (19-25)
1st Heat (10 Laps/6 to qualify) - 1. 71-Brian Leppo; 2. 51-Fred Rahmer; 3.
87-Alan Krimes; 4. 10N-Niki Young; 5. 5-Adam Lawrence; 6. 49-Bobby Howard;
7. 45-AJ Michael; 8. 11C-Cory Haas; 9. 47J-Jeff Busby. No Time
2nd Heat (10 Laps/6 to qualify) - 1. 12-Mike Bittinger; 2. 38N-Nick Schlauch
Jr.; 3. 9-Craig Keel; 4. 17E-Cris Eash; 5. 22Z-Michael Carber; 6. 6W-Josh
Wells; 7. 21-Brian Montieth; 8. 3B-Randy Baughman; 9. 26-Pat Cooper. Time -
2:40.705
3rd Heat (10 Laps/6 to qualify) - 1. 25-Aaron Ott; 2. 59-Jimmy Siegel; 3.
30-Doug Esh; 4. 25-Chad Layton; 5. 89-Cody Darrah; 6. 4-John Rudisill; 7.
69-Shawn "Big Block" Weaver; 8. 43-Doug Dodson; 9. 23-Todd Zinn. No Time
Consolation (10 Laps/6 to qualify) - 1. 21-Brian Montieth; 2. 11C-Cory Haas;
3. 43-Doug Dodson; 4. 3B-Randy Baughman; 5. 47J-Jeff Busby; 6. 45-AJ
Michael; 7. 26-Pat Cooper; 8. 23-Todd Zinn; DNS - 69-Shawn Weaver. Time -
2:42.957
