Grandview Modified Pit Notes 6/25/22 – Decker Swinehart Claims Sportsman Win

Polesitter Nate Mohr took the early lead until a lap 7 restart when Decker Swinehart moved into the leader position.  Decker led the final 18 laps of the 7 caution feature to take his first trip to victory lane this season by a margin of victory of 1.5 seconds.  Jesse Hirthler finished a career best 2^nd best and Uncle Brian Hirthler was in 3^rd to round out the podium.  

The 31 car field saw heats won by Chris Esposito, Nathan Mohr, and Hunter Iatalese.  The last chance consolation was won by Cody Manmiller.   

SPORTSMAN FEATURE FINISH (25 laps):

1.DECKER SWINEHART, 2. Jesse Hirthler, 3. Brian Hirthler, 4. Kyle Smith, 5. Ryan Graver, 6. Mike Stofflet, 7. Dylan Hoch, 8. Dakota Kohler, 9. Jimmy Leiby, 10. Colton Perry, 11. Parker Guldin, 12. Jesse Landis, 13. Mike Schneck Jr., 14. Logan Bauman, 15. Hunter Iatalese, 16. Adrianna Delliponti, 17. Lex Shive, 18. Nathan Mohr, 19. Cody Manmiller, 20. Josh Adams, 21. Wayne Rotenberger, 22. Mark Kemmerer, 23. Joey Vaccaro, 24. Chris Esposito

DID NOT QUALIFY: B.J. Joly, Nathan Horn, Mark Gaugler, Kenny Bock, Blake Reber, Kyle Hartzell, Tyler James

Grandview Modified Pit Notes 6/25/22

Decker Swinehart scored his first win of the season from the 6^th starting position.  After a 3^rd place finish last week, Decker had a strong car again right out of the box and moved into 2^nd place by lap 6.   On the 3^rd restart Decker shot into the lead from outside line to take the lead on lap 7 from polesitter Nat Mohr.  4 additional restarts did not present any difficulties or challengers to Decker as he took a comfortable 1.5 second margin into victory lane.

 Decker’s season started off with a violent wreck and hard contact with the backstretch wall that totally destroyed the 2011 Bicknell.  Decker & car owner Dylan put the next two rainout weeks to good use and were back on track at the next race three weeks later without missing any races.  Decker returned with a 2020 Bicknell and after about a month of adjusting to the newer Bicknell and finding the set-up,he has stepped up in a big way in recent weeks with a 3^rd place finish and the win this week.

In victory lane Decker stated “Car has been ripping last couple of weeks and we 3^rd last week and really wanted that win but we got it this week.  I could pass up top today but knew it would go away but I like the bottom better anyway.  The track was really good and wish it was like this more often.  I didn’t want to see the yellows stack the field, but they did give me a breather.  This makes it all worth it.”

Back at the trailer Decker noted “In the heat I started 3rd and the car was fast and we ended up with a 3^rd place finish which put us 6th in the feature.  I ran the top after an early yellow and picked up 4 spots moving into 2^nd place for then next caution.  I was on the top for the 3^rd restart and able to take the lead from Nat on lap 7 off of the restart.  The 7^th and final yellow was one I didn’t want to see with only 5 to go but at least it was a single file restart.  I pulled away on the start and was able to get the win.  We been working on the car because it’s been tight ever since we got this new frame and after we finally got it all figured out last week the car has been a rocket ship.”

15 year old Jesse Hirthler posted a career best 2^nd place finish from his 3^rd starting position.  Jesse has started his first full season off by qualifying for all 8 races he attended so far this season.  Not an easy task even for experienced veteran drivers let alone a 15 year old sportsman rookie driver.  His career best 2^nd place finish didn’t come easy as he had to deal with 7 cautions and restarts but in the end, he came across the finish line in 2^nd with Uncle Brian moving into 3^rd from his 20^th starting position.

Jesse noted “I’ve been recently getting better in the heats, filing to the bottom to hold my position, and making the right moves at the right times.  I was struggling early in the season with decisions but I’m getting the hang of it just like everything else!  In the heat race I knew I needed to get to the bottom right on the start.  I quickly went to the bottom in turn one and then held 2nd position to qualify us for the feature.  I knew I had a good shot at winning the feature but that was not my number one goal for the race.  I had some weeks where I struggled or didn’t finish so my goal for myself today was to be consistent and smooth and run in the front of the field for the entire race!  In the main event I was patient early on and noticed that the car was driving a little different than I expected.  I was trying to find a line or a way to enter the corner so the car would work better but it seemed that nothing was really working the way I wanted it to.  I was still able to be successful  and achieve my goal of finishing in the top 3 which was a career best feature finish! Cautions usually hurt me because I need to get into a rhyme and a bunch of cautions can throw off that rhyme.  I was able to roll the bottom pretty much all night because that was where the car felt the best and I’m always most comfortable there.  A big part on why I was able to get a top 3 finish Saturday was my dad.  I thank him for all he does for me and my racing career.  I know it’s a common thing to say, but I am very thankful to have him in my life to teach me and show me how to work hard. If you want to do good at that track you need to earn it every night in the shop!”

 Brian Hirthler posted a 3^rd place finish from his 20^th starting position for his 6^th top five finish out of 8 starts with two wins on the season. Brian sits 2^nd in the early season point standings only 38 points behind points leader Dylan Hoch.

Brian commented “track was dirty in the heats, no traction up top to make up ground, and with everyone around the bottom passing was quite limited in the 3rd sportsman heat.  It also showed in the first modified heat with CVD having to run the consolation as well that the modifieds were also a victim of circumstance.  In the consolation the track improved and was much racier, so we were able to go from 6^th to 2^nd.  In the feature we were coming from the back, so my plan was to finish and keep the car straight and not make a bad night worse. Basically, fell to last after 2 early cautions, and was waiting out the destruction best I could.  Around lap 7 or so, I found myself in position on the one restart to get a few cars.  After that the track got wide and we started coming through traffic finding my way into the top 5 at about lap 15 or so.  I noticed the top was getting cooked, so my options were becoming limited.  After a late race restart, I was able to advance from 4th to 3rd but that is all the racing surface would permit for the night. Onto the 40 lapper next week.”

Kyle Smith posted a 4^th place finish from his 17^th starting position.  Kyle noted “ Car was fast once again going from 17^th to 4^th place finish.  We had a car that could win until the track took rubber.  We got stuck on the bottom on the restarts which didn’t help.  By time I got back up to the top it was too thin, and the bottom already took rubber.  I was up to 3^rd, but Brian Hirthler got me on a late restart and pushed me back to 4^th.’

Ryan Graver finished 5^th from his 8^th starting position moving forward to pickup his first top five of the season and adding to two previous top ten finishes in his first season at Grandview.  Ryan reflected “Our biggest focus has been the heat race and just trying to make the handicap.  We just wanted to run the heat safe and stay in top 5 to make the handicap from the heat.  We made some changes to our setup for the feature which really helped us. My increased seat time in the past few weeks also helped me tonight.  The start was rough after getting into a wreck in turn 1 at the start but we kept battling.  We did what wr could with a beat up car and managed a 5^th place finish which was my best finish of the season.”

Mike Stofflet finished 6^th from his 10^th starting position while teammate Colton Perry finished 8^th placing both team cars in the top 10 on the same night for the first time at Grandview.

Mike noted “We had an all-around good day since we got in through the heat which seems to be the biggest step for us this season as we are starting deeper in the heats in the last few weeks. We basically came with the same set up as last week just with a slight spring change which definitely improved our feature set up. The team has really been working on our coil program and I think last night was an  excellent sign of things to come.  I think we have been close on the set up this year but especially in the last few weeks.  This season we just seem to be in the wrong place at the wrong time or I have made some driver errors but last night I think it all came together.  I felt we were definitely better on the top early which seemed to help us move forward.  As the race went on, I think the top started to go away and we had to get back to the bottom which seemed pretty good.  When most of the field is on the bottom, you got to be more aggressive with passes and hit your marks perfectly to get by the guy in front of you which just took us longer than I wanted tonight.  I personally think this was one of the best surfaces we had all year in the sportsman feature with two working lanes available for at least 80% of the race. This was the first time since we started at Grandview that we put both team cars into the top ten on the same night hopefully we can build on this momentum moving forward and get that all elusive win soon.”

Dylan Hoch finished 7^th from a 15^th starting position and did this one the hard way running through the field twice.  After lap 5 Dylan was already in 7^th but then a tangle resulted in Dylan getting sent back to the rear from were he proceeded to go through the field a second time to a 7^th place finish.  Yep, a 7^th place finish is the points leader’s worst finish of the season.

Dylan is the points leader with a 69 point lead over second place Brian Hirthler.  Dylan has a win, four 4^th place finishes, and three 7^th place finishes so far this season.

Dylan commented “We were Lucky to salvage a decent finish after getting tangled up and sent to the back. Track stayed good for a while and tire wear wasn’t too bad.  It was unfortunate that we got tangled up with Mohr.  It was a racing deal with both of us fighting for the bottom lane.  I felt I had a good enough run for the spot, and he was protecting the bottom and we both just ran out of room.  It probably wouldn’t have been a big deal, but we ended up getting hooked together and when I finally separated from him my RR climbed his car.  So that didn’t “look” good, and track sent me to the tail of the field which I didn’t agree with. It’s unfortunate that a racing incident broke the 17m and I truly hate to see that happen to anyone as we all work too hard and spend too much money on these cars to be tearing them up every week.  Yes, accidents do happen, but I feel bad how that one unfolded for both of us.”

Dakota Kohler had a strong high side run take him up to 3^rd place but then the car seemed to get loose, and he slide up toward the wall several times as the top started to go away, and he finished 8^th from his 12^th starting position.

Dakota recalled “Yeah we changed somethings for the heat, and they worked for the better.  We were quickest in our hot lap group and then ran from 8^th to a 3^rd place finish for our best heat race of the season.  Feature was good and we went with what we were doing the past couple weeks.  It just came down to me getting worn out.  I didn’t pace myself enough, burned myself out, and started making mistakes.”

Jimmy Leiby finished 9^th from a 14^th starting position making it his 5^th week in a row with a top 10 or better finish.  Jimmy’s consistent so far this season has improved from last year with a top ten finish in 7 out of 8 races so far this season.

Jimmy Leiby stated “We had a good heat and made the invert which was huge since we haven’t done it a lot this year.  It just sucked to spin and have to go to the back during the feature, but we were able to come back through with a 9^th place finish.”

Colton Perry made it two top tens in a row with a 10^th place finish from 4^th starting position for his best two outings of the season back to back with an 8^th and then a 10^th.

Colton recalled “ Definitely a good night with a top ten finish. I think that is the first time that both our team cars (36 & 38) had a good night together.  We kept the same setup on from last week. I just want to stay consistent and pushed a little harder to find some speed so I can start going forward instead of backwards.”

Parker Guldin finished 11^th from a 23^rd starting position showing improved consistency and ability to run back to front in the heat and feature.  It was a rough night in the back of the pack, but Parker was still able to get through a couple of close calls and finish a strong 11^th with another consistent run through the field from back to front.

Parker commented “I dealt with some unfortunate situations of all kinds but luckily I was able to learn a lot from them.  Most importantly I learned that I have to stop giving and I have to start taking control.  In order to keep the progression forward and continue to have solid finishes, I can’t continue to make little mistakes as well as give up valuable time and track position that cost me two or three tenths multiple laps in a row.  Lately we have been receiving really good advice and help that I’m very thankful for, and the impact is starting to show because I’m starting to gain more confidence and become more comfortable in the car every week.  I feel like we have a really good car, mindset and overall we are in a really good place. The misfortune of a one lane track throughout the night in several races seems be our Achilles heel.  As always, we will continue to dig and gain speed looking to improve some more next week.”

Logan Bauman finished 14^th from his 24^th starting position in his backup car that he never drove before tonight because his weekly primary car had rear damage last week and was not ready in time for this week.

Logan noted “Yeah this car has a 12:1 steering box and my weekly car has a 9:1 steering box. We got the steering figured out and I got adapted in hot laps and the heat.  We started 4th in the consolation and looped it in 3 because the track was like ice which I definitely wasn’t ready for.  On the restart for some reason guys were struggling to get lined up so I just went and drove like a mad man from last to get the last qualifying spot.  For the feature we made some changes to get the car to hook up better and it did but with a real 602 it’s hard to run through the field.  You can’t start 24th and realistically expect to run through the field.  We ended up 14th which but we’re ready for some finishes that are further front.  It’s hard when you have to start 6-7 in a heat race on a hammer down track which usually puts us behind the 8 ball and was exactly what it did last night.  Hopefully I can get my weekly Grandview car back next week and be back in my element.  We took some notes from this car and will keep them in our back pocket to help us adjust the other car.”

Logan continued “Last week we broke the driveline and also needed to change brakes.  When we took the hubs off, we saw a crack in the right side tube that had a very high chance of being catastrophic and breaking the entire rear, so we just yanked the rear out.  Hopefully we’ll have it back in this week and get the car back on the track this weekend.”

Tough luck of the night goes to Nat Mohr who returned to racing after breaking a motor last week.  He started on the pole and was running in 2^nd when he got into a contact incident that resulted in front-end damage that ended his night.  The backup motor definitely showed potential for next week.

The crates have 5 wins over the sportsman motors who have 3 wins.  The crate winners were Parker Guldin, Cody Manmiller, Dylan Hock, Kenny Bock and Decker Swinehart.  The sportsman winners were Brian Hirthler with two wins and Lex Shive with one win.  This week 18 crates went up against 13 sportsman motors in the 31 car field.

UPCOMING EVENTS AT GRANDVIEW SPEEDWAY:

Tuesday, June 28 – NAPA Auto Parts THUNDER ON THE HILL RACING SERIES – Pennsylvania 410 Sprint Car Speedweek Series Hodnett Cup $10,000 to win, 358 Modifieds – 7:30 pm. 

Saturday, July 2 – T.P. Trailer NASCAR Modifieds, 52^nd annual FIRECRACKER 40 for T.P. Truck Equipment NASCAR Sportsman – 7:30 pm.

Friday, July 8 – Outlaw Racing Series Enduro and Outlaw Racing Series Vintage – 7 pm

Saturday, July 9 – T.P. Trailer NASCAR Modifieds, T.P. Truck Equipment NASCAR Sportsman – 7:30 pm.