Steve Buckwalter Slides to First ARDC Win at Port Royal
Steve Buckwalter had been winless in 2012 coming into Saturday night's race at the Port Royal Speedway but that all changed when the checkered flag waved on the field at the end of twenty thrilling laps of racing.
Buckwalter of Royersford, PA divides his time between 410 Sprint Car racing and the ARDC Midgets. The hard charging 2010 ARDC Champion has not had a lot of laps go his way this season but came home with a runner-up finish just a week ago at the Williams Grove Speedway with a last lap pass for the position. This week, Buckwalter was able to improve that finish by one and take his first win of the 2012 season, becoming the third winner in three races in ARDC competition.
"It doesn't matter if it's warm-ups, a heat or a feature," Buckwalter stated after his win. "When I'm on the track, I'm going as fast as I can!"
Manheim, PA driver, Dusty Heistand led the field to the start and quickly took command from Carey Becker of Reading, PA. Brett Arndt quickly moved in to take over second and set chase on the leader.
Steven Drevicki drew a caution when he slowed on the backstretch on lap three. PJ Gargiulo and Parker Evans both headed to the pits with mechanical issues while the race was under yellow flag conditions.
The younger Heistand brother maintained his lead over Arndt on the single file restart but Drew Heistand, the 2011 ARDC Champion had already moved past Becker to take over third as S. Buckwalter completed the top five in running order at this point in the race.
Drew Heistand took over the runner-up spot from Arndt on lap six and quickly closed in on his brother, the leader. One lap later, Drew shot to the inside of Dusty as the pair entered turn three but a caution flag negated the pass for the lead as Mark Gilmore ran into difficulties between turns three and four.
Returning to green flag conditions, Dusty Heistand maintained his lead but Drew came with a head of steam down the backstretch and completed the pass for the lead as the two brothers entered turn three. There was a new leader on lap seven.
S. Buckwalter had made his way past Arndt and pursued Dusty Hiestand for second, taking over the spot on lap nine. At the half way point, Drew Heistand had pulled away to a lead of several car lengths as S. Buckwalter ran second ahead of Dusty Heistand, Arndt and Bruce Buckwalter, Jr.
With racing conditions staying green, Drew Heistand was able to maintain some breathing room between his #1 and the #0 of S. Buckwalter until the yellow flag waved as the field neared the five to go mark. Rookie, Brett Wanner required assistance in turns three and four and again the field aligned nose to tail with Heistand's advantage erased.
The battle was on between the two past champions as the lead swapped hands between Drew Heistand and Steve Buckwalter time after time. S. Buckwalter would slide to the lead only to have Drew Heistand slide right back by him in the next set of turns.
This time a red flag would interrupt the race for the lead as rookie, Brian Gilmore laid his #13 over in the turns. Gilmore was uninjured. During the break in the action, a flat tire was reported on the #52 of Tim Buckwalter who had raced into the top ten after starting the race in thirteenth. Track officials allowed for a quick tire change as T. Buckwalter returned to the rear of the field with just three green laps of racing remaining.
Drew Heistand restarted the race as the leader but Steve Buckwalter slid into the lead one last time, using an evasive maneuver that prevented Heistand from sliding back by and into the lead. It was the final lead exchange of the race as Steve Buckwalter went on to take the checkered flag just ahead of Drew Heistand. Arndt captured his first top five of the season as Nick Wean lived up to his name and "Slick Nick" edged Bruce Buckwalter, Jr. for fourth at the finish.
Two qualifying heats were run with wins going to Arndt and B. Buckwalter, Jr.
Race Notes: Brett Arndt picked up his third consecutive heat win on his way to his first top five finish of the young season. Arndt has been strong in every ARDC outing this season but was plagued with an ill running motor during his last two feature outings. A podium finish was just what the Topton, PA driver needed to jump start his season. Jimmy Glenn, one of three ARDC rookies, came from the 21st starting spot to finish tenth at the checkered, advancing the most positions of any driver. Tim Buckwalter also passed a lot of cars. After advancing up to 8th, T. Buckwalter returned to the rear of the field to pick up 6th at the checkered after his tire change with just six laps remaining.
Feature Finish (20 Laps): 1. Steve Buckwalter #0 2. Drew Heistand #1 3. Brett Arndt #46 4. Nick Wean #78 5. Bruce Buckwalter, Jr. #83 6. Tim Buckwalter #52 7. Dusty Heistand #6 8. Alex Bright #77 9. Brenden Bright #88 10. Jimmy Glenn #07 11. Steve Craig #55 12. Carey Becker #14 13. Eric Heydenreich #11 14. Dave Shirk #16 15. Joe Butera #3 16. Brian Gilmore #13 17. Trevor Kobylarz #49 18. Brett Wanner #44 19. Shawn Jackson #7 20. Mark Gilmore #10 21. Parker Evans #61 22. PJ Gargiulo #5 23. Steven Drevicki #19
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BRENDEN BRIGHT SHINES IN ARDC EVENT AT WILLIAMS GROVE
Brendan Bright, the 2011 ARDC Rookie of the Year, bounced back from a disappointing season opener to win his first of the 2012 season at the prestigious Williams Grove Speedway.
Bright was unable to even take the green flag when ARDC opened their season several weeks ago but he made up for lost time with wins in both his heat and feature at Williams Grove from pole position starts. While the front row starts were certainly an advantage, Bright led every lap he raced, surrounded by some of the biggest names in ARDC racing - Smith, Buckwalter and Arndt.
The last thing that Ted Bright said to his son and driver before the start of the race was, "Don't overdrive the first turn." With Ryan Smith and Steve Buckwalter right on his tail from the drop of the green flag, those words of advice were hard to follow! Both Smith and S. Buckwalter are past winners of ARDC events at Williams Grove.
It took several attempts to get lap one on the books but the remaining nineteen laps produced some great wheel to wheel racing.
Steve Craig and Carey Becker were involved in a turn three incident when Becker lost the brakes on his #14. Alex Bright had a problem in turn one on the next go round and required the services of a wrecker. Dave Ely also exited to the pit area on this caution.
Bright remained on the point on the restart as S. Buckwalter challenged Smith for second and Parker Evans and PJ Gargiulo battled for the fourth spot. Brett Arndt lost positions as he struggled with a malfunctioning engine.
When Jimmy Glenn brought out the caution after the completion of five laps, Steve Craig and 2011 ARDC Champion, Drew Heistand headed to the pits.
On the restart, Smith took a look to the inside of Bright's #88 while Trevor Kobylarz battled Steven Drevicki for fifth. By lap nine, Gargiulo had both Kobylarz and Tim Buckwalter challenging. At the half way mark, Bright held the lead followed by Smith, S. Buckwalter, Evans and T. Buckwalter.
At times, Bright was able to pull away from the field by several car lengths while the second through fifth positions were being hotly contested but his comfort level was short lived as Smith and S. Buckwalter would join be on his tail once again.
Billy Pauch Jr. brought out the caution on lap eleven when he was unable to get his disabled Burke Trucking entry off of the track.
After starting in the fifteenth position, T. Buckwalter joined the charge as he took over fourth from Evans just past the half way mark.
Smith had S. Buckwalter to his outside as the pair not only battled for second but looked for racing room to take the lead. On laps fourteen and fifteen, Smith pulled even with Bright in the corners. The pair raced side by side with Bright showing a slight advantage on the long straigtaways.
As the leaders dueled, T. Buckwalter caught the top three and made it a four way battle to the finish. The top four cars were side by side and nose to tail for the final laps of the race.
Coming to the checkered flag, S. Buckwalter made a move to the outside. Bright took the checkered flag first with S. Buckwalter edging Smith at the finish line for second. Fourth went to opening day winner, T. Buckwalter with Kobylarz finishing fifth.
It was clearly a night to remember for the second year driver from Collegeville, PA. Bright talked about the race from his perspective. "I ran the middle of the track in the beginning," Bright explained. "Toward the end, I was just about standing up in the car to slow it down. Smith got underneath me a couple of times. After that I tried the bottom and it worked for me to run down there."
Rick Wean finished sixth followed by Eric Heydenreich, Evans and Gargiulo.
Another young ARDC driver had a good outing at Williams Grove. Starting scratch on the feature field, rookie Brett Wanner came home with a tenth place finish in his second outing with ARDC.
The three qualifying heats were won by B. Bright, Arndt and S. Buckwalter.
RACE NOTES
Rookie Brian Gilmore, the younger brother of second year ARDC driver, Mark Gilmore, made his ARDC debut after celebrating his sixteenth birthday. Also making their first starts of the 2012 season were Bear, DE driver, Shawn Jackson and Billy Pauch Jr. On what was a cold and windy night for racing, Bruce Buckwalter Jr. had more heat than he wanted or needed when the engine in the #83 left go during warm-ups. A fire broke out but extinguished itself quickly as Buckwalter tried to exit the car.
Feature Finish (20 laps) 1. Brenden Bright 2. Steve Buckwalter 3. Ryan Smith 4. Tim Buckwalter 5. Trevor Kobylarz 6. NIck Wean 7. Eric Heydenreich 8. Parker Evans 9. PJ Gargiulo 10. Brett Wanner 11. Brett Arndt 12. Dave Shirk 13. Mark Gilmore 14. Randy Reid 15. Brian Gilmore 16. Steven Drevicki 17. Billy Pauch Jr. 18. Steve Craig 19. Drew Heistand 20. Jimmy Glenn 21. Dusty Heistand 22. Dave Ely 23. Alex Bright 24. Carey Becker 25. Ryan Greth DNS - Shawn Jackson
Points
1. Tim Buckwalter 253
2. Nick Wean 239
3. Trevor Kobylarz 231
4. Parker Evans 199
5. Mark Gilmore 197
6. Steve Buckwalter 191
7. P.J. Gargiulo 186
8. Eric Heydenreich 179
9. Ryan Smith 176
10. Dave Ely 168
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TIM BUCKWALTER WINS 2012 ARDC OPENER
Side-by-side Dual Has Race Decided on Final Lap
The drivers of the American Racing Driver's Club (ARDC) left nothing on the table in their 2012 season opener at the Big Diamond Speedway! With multiple lead changes in the final laps, this one definitely wasn't over until the waving of the checkered flag!
Twenty-six cars participated in the 73rd ARDC season opener.
Dave Shirk and Dave Ely led the field to the green flag. Ely slid wide in turns one and two as second year competitor, Mark Gilmore of Hackettstown, NJ took command to lead lap one.
Gilmore was able to move away from the field about several car lengths as the race continued for the runner-up spot. After a caution flag for Joe Butera, Steven Drevicki moved into second ahead of Shirk as Steve Buckwalter moved into contention after starting twelfth on the grid.
Drevicki and S. Buckwalter battled for second. S. Buckwalter completed the pass and set his sights on the the leader, Gilmore.
When Dusty Heistand's #6 came to a stop, the caution flew again, erasing any advantage that Gilmore held over S. Buckwalter. The anticipated challenge for the lead did not materialize as the Zero car slowed on the restart and once again the field was under caution.
Gilmore maintained the lead on the restart but there was plenty of company gathering as the race returned to green. 2011 ARDC Champion, Drew Heistand moved in to challenge T. Buckwalter first and then he moved in on Drevicki for second.
As the race approached the half way mark, Gilmore was feeling the pressure from Heistand as T. Buckwalter, Drevicki and Parker Evans completed the top five.
Heistand moved into the lead as the field took the five to go sign as Buckwalter moved past Gilmore for second.
Heistand had his hands full of T. Buckwalter as the pair battled side-by-side. The advantage changed between the two drivers at different points on the 3/8 mile speedway. Heistand and T. Buckwalter gave the fans what they have come to expect from ARDC racing - this wheel to wheel competition.
It was still anyone's race to win as the field entered the final turn on the last lap. Giving it his all, Hiestand lost the handle in turn four. The caution flew to set-up another one lap shootout for the win.
Now it was Nick Wean who would challenge T. Buckwalter for the win. Wean took over the lead as the pair raced through the first and second corners but Tim Buckwalter was not to be denied. After being plagued on many race nights in 2011 with mechanical issues, the young racer from Douglassville, PA raced back to take the lead and the checkered flag.
Mark Gilmore followed Buckwalter and Wean across the line for his best ARDC finish to date. Ely raced his way back to finish fourth with second generation driver, Trevor Kobylarz completing the top five at the flag.
Heat wins went to Bruce Buckwalter Jr., Brett Arndt and Steve Buckwalter.
20 Lap Feature
1. Tim Buckwalter #52 2. Rick Wean #78 3. Mark Gilmore #10 4. Dave Ely #56 5. Trevor Kobylarz #49 6. Bruce Buckwalter Jr. #83 7. Steven Drevicki #19 8. Parker Evans #61 9. Andrew Hannula #9 10. PJ Gargiulo #5 11. Alex Bright #77 12. Eric Heydenreich #11 13. Ryan Greth #26 14. Randy Reid #53 15. Carey Becker #14 16. Drew Heistand #1 17. Steve Craig #55 18. Joe Butera #3 19. Dave Shirk #16 20. Ryan Smith #33 21. Steve Buckwalter #0 22. Jimmy Glenn #07 23. Brett Wanner #44 24. Dusty Heistand #6
Season Opener notes - After a win in the second qualifying race, Brett Arndt was forced to scratch from the feature with motor problems. Steven Drevicki had his hands full when a radius rod broke on the Degre Engineering #19 on the final lap. Joe Butera made the five hour driver to compete in the season opener from his Wampum, PA home. Micro sprint driver, Ryan Greth, made his first ARDC appearance behind the Buckwalter rental. 2011 ARDC Champion, Drew Heistand will use the #1 this season. The car #1 is reserved for the prior season's champion.
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ANDREW HANNULA IS READY FOR THE 2012 SEASON
Hannula Prepares for ARDC Competition
It would be hard to imagine anyone more anxious for the start of the 2012 racing season than Andrew Hannula.
Hannula returns to wingless competition this season, driving his family owned equipment in ARDC events. Hannula will forego his signature #89 in favor of a single digit car number this season. The black, silver and fluorescent red #9 will bear Hannula's name for the 2012 season.
Hannula has been racing as long as any 22 year old could. Starting with quarter midgets in 1994 at Wall, NJ, Hannula won over 200 events as he and his family traveled to various tracks to compete. Looking for a new challenge, Hannula “graduated” to Slingshots and then 270 Micro competition in 2002 at Borger’s Speedway. In 2005, Hannula moved up to 600cc Micro competition. Hannula collected many Micro Sprint feature wins while competing on tracks throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
Hannula moved into the sprint car ranks with URC in 2007 and won Rookie of the Year honors from the club that season. A strong performance found the rookie driver in the top five in URC points but a flip at the New Egypt Speedway sidelined the team for several weeks, dropping Hannula from points contention.
Hannula moved to the Indianapolis area following the 2008 season to pursue his interest in wingless competition.
Hannula is a fortunate young man. "My parents have poured every penny and every hour they have into making my dreams a reality," Hannula explains of his family's support. Now he also has the full support of his of his financee', Kayla Hulcher and her family. "Kayla's entire family is a racing family and they support me as well. Kayla loves it just as much as me," Hannula explains. "Just having our own team back together is quite an accomplishment!" The young couple has plans for a wedding before the end of 2012.
Hannula's ARDC entry is a "little unique." The car was originally built by Stealth and was former ARDC Champion, Andy Martin's back-up car. It was also Steve Buckwalter's ride in his first A Main at the Chili Bowl. The #9 will be powered by a Gaerte Ford prepared by J & D Performance, a connection that Hannula made while living in the Indianapolis area.
While Hannula continues to search for a major sponsor, the #9 is supported by several product sponsors. CSI Shocks, J & D Performance, DMI & Dave Ely and the Radical Design Group who have just completed the "look" for Hannula's 2012 ride.
Hannula expects to compete in most of the events on the ARDC schedule this season but knows that his work commitment will prevent him from some of the shows out of the area. Employed as a car salesman by Muller Toyota in Clinton, NJ, Hannula works on Saturdays and will go directly to the track from there. The nine Saturday night shows at Big Diamond Speedway were a welcome addition to this year's schedule for Hannula.
Still looking for that first ARDC victory, Hannula has come close on several occasions. One of the highlights of his racing career has been the first laps that he ran at the Williams Grove Speedway - a track where Hannula continues to perform well. With three ARDC races scheduled at Williams Grove, Hannula looks forward to returning to one of his favorite tracks for multiple events this season. The wrong choice in tires might have cost the 22 year old racer a possible win at the Grove last season.
Hannula hopes to take all that he has learned and put it to use this season with the hopes of finding Victory Lane!
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ARDC FINALIZES ENGINE RULES FOR 2012 SEASON
Pennsylvanis Motor Speedway Date Added to 2012 Schedule
The Board of Governors of ARDC (American Racing Drivers Club) have announced the following guidelines for 2012 competition.
It is the goal of the Board of Governors to preserve the level of competition that ARDC has become known for while simultaneously trying to control costs by prolonging engine life.
In order to achieve these goals, the following RPM limits will be enforced in 2012:
All pushrod engines (166ci): 8500 RPM
All Overhead Cam engines (155ci): 9500 RPM
In addition to the RPM limits, the 2012 season will be the final year in which the Esslinger "TST Head" will be allowed. Beginning with the 2013 racing season, the 155 Esslinger will only be permitted to be run with the "ST Head" - the XT, TXT and TST heads will then be considered illegal. Please note that any Overhead Cam engine - whether iron block or aluminum block - may also not exceed 155ci.
The ARDC Officers will be led by president, Bruce Buckwalter in 2012. Greg Fitzpatrick will serve as Vice-President, Jess Heydenreich - Recording Secretary and Fred Schell-Treasurer. Rick Wean serves as the Owner's Representative while PJ Gargiulo is the Driver's Representative. Scott Arndt serves as Member-at-Large with Keith Mory as Trustee.
ARDC starts their 73rd season of competition when the first midgets are pushed off for their season opener at the Big Diamond Speedway on April 7th. In addition to ten shows at the Schuylkill County 3/8 mile speedway, ARDC will travel to the heart of PA 410 Sprint Car country with three shows each at Williams Grove and Port Royal. There will be two weekends at the Potomac and Winchester Speedways in Maryland and Virginia and a third swing to the south for a weekend at Dixieland and County Line tracks in North Carolina. The 3/8 mile Mercer Raceway Park will be visited on two occasions during the season. ARDC will share the spotlight with the sprint cars of USAC in the first of two Thunder on the Hill programs at the Grandview Speedway. Always a fan pleaser, ARDC visits the New Egypt Speedway for one show in late September with the season finale coming at the Susquehanna Speedway Park for the Annual Candy Bowl event at the end of October.
Just announced for the 2012 schedule is the return of ARDC to The Pittsburgh, PA area with the Pennsylvania Motor Speedway on Saturday, August 4.
With twenty nine confirmed race dates on the schedule, there will be plenty of “three wide and side by side” action throughout the 2012 racing season!
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ARDC 2012 schedule
Saturday April 7th Big Diamond
Friday April 27th Williams Grove w/Allstars
Saturday April 28th Big Diamond
Saturday May 5th Port Royal
Saturday May 12th Big Diamond
Friday May 18th Potomac
Saturday May 19th Winchester
Saturday May 26th Big Diamond
Saturday June 2nd Mercer
Tuesday June 5th Grandview w/USAC
Friday June 8th Williams Grove w/All stars
Saturday June 9th Port Royal w/USAC
Friday June 29th Dixieland
Saturday June 30th County Line
Friday July 6th Big Diamond
Saturday July 14th Big Diamond
Saturday July 21st Mercer
Saturday July 28th Big Diamond
August 4th PPMS
August 11th Big Diamond
August 17th Potomac
August 18th Winchester
Saturday August 25th Big Diamond
Saturday September 1st Big Diamond
Monday September 3rd Labor Day Classic Port Royal
Friday September 14th Williams Grove
Saturday September 22nd New Egypt
Saturday October 13th Grandview TOTH 5 25s
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BANQUET CONCLUDES ARDC 72ND SEASON
The American Racing Drivers Club held their annual banquet celebrating their 72nd season Saturday November 26th at The Lobitz Cater Hall in Hazleton, PA.
Drew Heistand of Wrightsville was officially crowned the club champion. Heistand who had wins at Susquehanna, Port Royal and Williams Grove in his DonCin Transport number 12 Midget also had 5 top 5 and 11 top 10 finishes to score 2202 points.
Heistand, whose name is now listed with the likes of “Wild Bill” Schindler, Ed “Dutch” Schaefer and Len Duncan as well as more recent champions like Steve Buckwalter, Frank Polimeda and Andy Martin, remarked, “When I came to my first banquet I had to sit all the way in the back on the dance floor and watch Andy Martin receive his award as champion and I thought to myself, I want to be up there.” “Earlier this week I was looking at the list of past champions and realized that I didn’t know even half of the guys on the list but I knew who they were and to have my name on that list is an incredible honor.”
To complete the sweep of top awards, Heistand’s Crew Chief / Owner / Father, Don Heistand was named as the Ken Hickey Mechanic of the Year. Heistand, who also fields a car for son Dusty Heistand said, ”This award should be cut up in pieces and given to all the guys on the crew and to my wife.” Don Heistand was also given the owners championship plaque.
In all, the top 15 in both driver and owners points where awarded plaques, honoring their accomplishments.
Winning the Rookie of the Year Award was Brenden Bright of Collegeville, PA. Bright, one of five rookies scoring points this season had 7 top 10 finishes, 4 top 5’s including a win at Dixieland Speedway in Elizabeth City, NC. Bright also finished in 10th position in the point standings.
Steve Drevicki of Reading PA was given the Most Improved Driver Award. Drevicki, in his second season of Wingless Midget racing scored 7 top 10’s and 5 top 5’s that included wins at Penn Can and Big Diamond Speedways. Drevicki finished seventh in points.
The Best Appearing Car Award was given to Shawn Jackson of Bear DE. Jackson’s number 2 was lettered by Bruce Bowen and was a combination of vinyl and “Old School Paint”.
The Galen Halteman Memorial Presidents Award was given to Tammy and Tim Sassaman of Milford, NJ. The Sassaman’s joined ARDC this season after formerly traveling with the Focus Midget Series. Tim is one of the infield officials while Tammy serves as a scorer. In addition, the Sassaman’s have provided a trailer that serves as the traveling ARDC office.
Other awards were given to ARDC’s speedway partners including, Susquehanna Speedway Park, Williams Grove Speedway, Port Royal Speedway, Bridgeport Speedway, Penn Can Speedway, Big Diamond Speedway, Pittsburgh PA Motor Speedway, Mercer Raceway Park, Dixieland Speedway, County Line Raceway, Winchester Speedway and New Egypt Speedway.
Contingency sponsors recognized were, Racebumpers.com, Saldana Racing Products, SBI Fuel Systems, DMI, S&S Speedways, Mason Racing Ignitions, Jereco Racing Engines, DeFebo Graphics, Keizer Aluminum Wheels, Petcock Powder Coating, Fastener Specialties and BDB Graphics.
A 50/50 raffle was held with the proceeds going to Jack Culbertson a nine year old Quarter Midget racer with the Montgomery County Quarter Midget Club who is suffering from cancer. The winning ticket belonged to Randy Smith of S&S Speedways who donated his portion of the winnings to the young driver.
ARDC President Bruce Buckwalter Sr. said that the final touches are being put on the 2012 season including the schedule and firming up the rules and that information will be released soon.
Drew Heistand concluded his champion’s speech with a statement that best sums up not only the 2011 season but also ARDC when he said, “Great Teams, Great Racing, Great People”.
FINAL POINT STANDINGS
1. Drew Heistand 2202
2. Nick Wean 2033
3. Ryan Smith 2022
4. Bruce Buckwalter Jr. 1892
5. Brett Arndt 1851
6. Dusty Heistand 1841
7. Steven Drevicki 1831
8. Alex Bright 1814
9. Tim Buckwalter 1715
10. Brenden Bright 1677
11. Steven Bull 1558
12. Keith McIntyre Jr. 1264
13. P.J. Gargiulo 1203
14. Steve Buckwalter 1187
15. Steve Craig 1126
16. Andrew Hannula 1114
17. Shawn Jackson 936
18. Dave Shirk 936
19. Parker Evans 933
20. Shane Penny 820
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ALEX BRIGHT WINS THE CANDY BOWL AT SUSQUEHANNA SPEEDWAY PARK AS DREW HEISTAND IS CROWNED CHAMPION IN ARDC’s 72nd SEASON
Coming into the Candy Bowl at Susquehanna Speedway Park, Drew Heistand had not wrapped up the ARDC Midget point championship but all he had to do was start his heat race and he would amass enough point to outdistance Nick Wean. Mission accomplished as Heistand won the first heat race.
After a foot of snow delayed the race by a week and a day Heistand came to the track looking to not only qualify but to win but by the time all the candy wrappers were empty it was Alex Bright picking up his second win of the season.
At the drop off the green flag, Dave Shirk jumped from his pole position into the lead and immediately started a dual with Dusty Heistand and Alex Bright. Going into the third turn, Jimmy Glenn spun and collected Nick Wean who did a slow roleover.
Both cars were restarted but Wean was forced to retire when it was discovered that his battery had come out of the car.
On the restart it was Shirk driving back into the lead with Heistand in tow. Behind the front two was a war on wheels for the third spot between Bright, Steve Drevicki and Steve Bull.
On the following circuit, Heistand and Bright got by Shirk and started to open a lead. On lap 4 Bright was able to get a bite and swept around the outside of Heistand coming off the second turn.
Two laps later, Drevicki was able to get by Shirk and brought Bruce Buckawalter Jr. along as the two moved into third and fourth.
The yellow flag was unfurled on the eighth lap for Jimmy Glenn. Glenn’s racer had a broken axle and had to be towed from the track.
On the restart, Drew Heistand got by Shirk for fifth and immediately started pressuring Buckwalter Jr. for fourth while his brother Dusty was trying to get back around Bright into the lead.
With the final 12 laps of the race running non-stop it allowed Bright to slowly pull away to over a straight away lead over Heistand and Drevicki who were entertaining the crowd with some great side by side action.
At the checkered flag it was Bright with Dusty Heistand holding off Steve Drevicki for second while Drew Heistand made a late race pass of Buckwalter Jr. for fourth.
Finishing sixth through tenth were, Tim Buckwalter, PJ Gargiulo, Brenden Bright, Ryan Smith and Andrew Hannula.
Heat races went to Drew Heistand, Steve Bull and Tim Buckwalter
CANDY BOWL NOTES: When Drew Heistand left Susquehanna after the first race of the season he was in next to last place in points. At intermission the drivers pushed their cars onto the front stretch and kids were invited to come out and Trick or Treat. Bruce Buckwalter Jr’s. car was pushed onto the race track by an ATV driven by a big fluffy dog. Alex Bright will compete at the Chili Bowl in January, Dusty Heistand’s second place car has a for sale sign on it. Steve Drevicki made the two hour drive from State College, PA where he is attending classes at Penn State University. PJ Gargiulo had the number 5 on his car instead of his familiar 51. He also had a pumpkin and a scary mouth designed by his daughter on the front. Andrew Hannula recently bought a car and will spend the winter rebuilding it for action next season. Trevor was behind the wheel of teammate Carey Becker’s 20 as his number 49 has been sold. Bridgeport Modified champion, Ryan Watt was back in action for his second consecutive race. Steve Buckwalter was not on hand as he was on his way to Austrailia to race.
SUSQUEHANNA SPEEDWAY PARK
November 6, 2011
ARDC Wingless Midgets (21 Entries)
1) 77 Alex Bright, 2) 6 Dusty Heistand, 3) 19 Steve Drevicki, 4) 12 Drew Heistand, 5) 83 Bruce Buckwalter Jr. 6) 52 Tim Buckwalter, 7) 5 PJ Gargiulo, 8) 88 Brenden Bright, 9) 33 Ryan Smith, 10) 89 Andrew Hannula, 11) 46 Brett Arndt, 12) 20 Trevor Kobylarz, 13) 17 Ryan Watt, 14) 16 Dave Shirk, 15) 01 Steve Bull, 16) 57 Jason Rice, 17) 11 Eric Heydenreich, 18) 53 Randy Reid, 19) 75 Scott Zipp, 20) 07 Jimmy Glenn 21) 78 Nick Wean.
Heats: Drew Heistand, Steve Bull, Tim Buckwalter
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ARDC CHAMPIONSHIP TO BE DECIDED AT SUSQUEHANNA SPEEDWAY PARK CANDY BOWL VI
When the ARDC Wingless Midgets compete in their final race of the season this Saturday October 29th in Candy Bowl VI at Susquehanna Speedway Park, two drivers will be racing for more than a win they will be racing to claim their first ARDC crown and a place in racing history.
Drew Heistand from Wrightsville, PA hopes that the short 25 mile drive up Route 83, will result in a championship in the historic 72 year old club. Heistand brings a 127 point lead into the contest.
Hanging around the top of the point standings through most of the season, Heistand took a nasty series of flips in the middle of August at Winchester, VA speedway.
Drew’s number 12 was bent badly and Heistand was sore but he returned with a new determination winning two of the next three races while finishing third in the other race, to solidify his points lead.
Just as it looked like Drew would go into the final race of the season with an insurmountable lead, “Slick” Nick Wean had other plans with a dominating win at Grandview.
Wean comes into the final race of the season with 1855 points just 47 points ahead of last years runner-up Ryan Smith. Smith, along with Steve Buckwalter are tied as this years club leading feature winner with four.
ARDC awards points in both the heats and features so the drivers will need to be up on the wheel if they want to improve or even hold on to their current point ranking.
A heat race win is worth 15 points with the runner-up getting 12 points and third getting 10 points. After that the points drop by one per position.
A feature win is worth 100 points and drop by five per position back through 15th place. If there are 26 cars in the field there is a differential of 92 points from first to last.
Winning the ARDC Championship means your name will be permanently etched along side of other past great champions like Ray Bull, Len Duncan, Ed “Dutch” Schaefer and “Wild” Bill Schindler.
In addition to the ARDC Midgets, 600cc Micro Sprints, Sportsman Modifieds, Legends Cars, Byers Tires Thundercars Championship, Sidewinder Sprints & Mini Vans will be in action.
Gates open at 1:00pm with racing at 3:00pm.
POINTS STANDING
1. Drew Heistand 1982
2. Nick Wean 1855
3. Ryan Smith 1808
4. Bruce Buckwalter Jr. 1722
5. Dusty Heistand 1664
6. Brett Arndt 1653
7. Steven Drevicki 1619
8. Brenden Bright 1577
9. Alex Bright 1576
10. Tim Buckwalter 1545
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