Grandview Modified Pit Notes 8/13/22 – Brett Kressley Claims Forrest Rogers Memorial $10,000 Win

Brett Kressley took the lead of the Forrest Rogers Memorial on lap 20 and held off Craig Von Dohren & Jeff Strunk on a lap 39 restart to cruise into victory lane with a 1 second margin of victory over Jeff Strunk to win the Forrest Rogers Memorial.

Ryan Lilick led the 50 lap feature to green until Ron Haring powered into the lead on lap 7.  On lap 12 Brett Kressley moved into 2^nd from his 14^th starting position and by lap 20 he was in the lead and checking out to an 8 second lead.  A fourth and final caution erased Kressley’s lead over Von Dohren and Strunk but in the end, it didn’t matter as Kressley once again showed dominance and pulled away from the field to drive into victory lane for his second Forrest Rogers Memorial win.

In the first 10 laps there were three cautions/red flags for major tangles which ended the night  for 8 cars and damaged several cars that returned to the race.     

Heat winners for the 38 car modified field were Brett Kressley, Ron Haring, John Willman and Carroll Hine III.   The last chance consolations were won by Ray Swinehart and Brett Gilmore

MODIFIED 30 LAP FEATURE FINISH (50 Laps):

1.BRETT KRESSLEY, 2. Jeff Strunk, 3. Craig Von Dohren, 4. Doug Manmiller, 5. Duane Howard, 6. Ryan Lilick, 7. Brad Grim, 8. Ron Haring Jr., 9. Ron Kline, 10. Ryan Grim, 11. Tim Buckwalter, 12. Bobby Gunther-Walsh, 13. Kevin Graver Jr., 14. Eric Biehn, 15. Carroll Hine III, 16. John Willman, 17. Mark Kratz, 18. Justin Grim, 19. Cory Merkel, 20. Ryan Beltz, 21. Craig Whitmoyer, 22. Darrin Schuler, 23. Jared Umbenhauer, 24. Joe Funk, 25. Jesse Leiby, 26. Ray Swinehart, 27 Brett Gilmore, 28. Mike Lisowski

DID NOT QUALIFY: Michael Storms, Dylan Swinehart, Brad Arnold, Steve Swinehart, Mike Tyson, Kevin Hirthler, Dan Waisempacher, Nate Brinker, WB James, Bobby Trapper Sr.

GRANDVIEW MODIFIED PIT NOTES – 8/13/22

Brett Kressley won his second Forrest Rogers Memorial from his 14^th starting position.  Brett was quick to move forward all night long as he went from 9^th to 4^th in 2 laps during his heat race which he won going away.  In the feature he picked right up were he left off in the heat and by lap 5 he was already in 8^th from his 14^th starting position.

In victory lane Brett noted “We showed speed from the beginning in the heat race tonight.  We have been subpar lately, so we went over the car this week and found a couple of things that paid off for us tonight.  When we are in the front, I’m less worried about tire heat cycle then if we are mid-pack.  Late in the race the track narrowed up and then and getting around lapped cars can put you a vulnerable spot.”  

Postrace Brett reflected “The car was really strong right from the start of the heat tonight and we didn’t really stray far away from our usual set up and only made a few small tweaks. The track was very technical  in the heats and feature tonight.  You had to get by cars quickly and  then find your groove.  We had a fast car which allowed me to drive it the way I wanted to drive.  The red flag delays didn’t concern me too much, we have a good program on preventing sealing up in those conditions.”

Jeff Strunk finished 2^nd from his 19^th starting position to post his fifth 2^nd place finish at Grandview in point race competition this season.  He has seen his consistent top 5 finishes return and without a doubt Jeff had a very strong car tonight as he was able to pass Von Dohren for 2^nd on lap 42 which is unheard of on most nights.

Jeff commented “We barely qualified in the heat race.  I got by Gilmore in the last turn and beat him by a bumper at the line in the heat race. In the feature, the 19k started in front of the rest of the top 5 in points and that is usually a sign of things to come.  All of the top five in points finished top five at the Forrest Roger’s Memorial.  The feature was probably one of the wildest Forest Rogers Memorials that I can ever remember.  Racing through traffic like we did tonight,  I can honestly say I don’t know how Brett, Craig, Duane, Doug and myself managed to miss the three big crashes.  We have a great car when it’s slippery and if the track doesn’t rubber up in the corners like it did tonight.  I think our car was as good as Brett’s if not better.  We are right there week in week out.  I sure would like for some of the 2^nd place finishes to turn into first place finishes; like last year’s 76er, Bruce Rogers Money Maker opener this year and now the Forrest Rogers. But that kind of consistency and being in the hunt for a win from 19^th starting position made a good night for us . Thanks to the fans for their support as Grandview had a good crowd again and this year’s Forrest Rogers Memorial had to be entertaining to watch .”

Craig Von Dohren finished 3^rd from his 15^th starting position.  Craig got some minor damage from the second tangle on lap 7 which may have lead to him being a step behind Kressley and Strunk by the end of the feature

Doug Manmiller just keeps rolling with another 4^th place finish from a 20^th starting position to continue his 13 of 13 top 10 finish run which has landed him a solid 3^rd in the season point championship.

Doug Manmiller noted “We had a good car, but we did get into an early accident which beat the car up, but the car was still OK afterwards.  I was happy with our 4^th place finish considering we were in a tangle earlier in the night.”

Duane Howard finished 5^th from his 18^th starting position.  On the lap 39 restart,  Duane went from 9^th to 5^th which set him on his way to a solid 4^th place finish.  The 15g team is still just a tick off a winning combination but continues to search for their first win of the 2022 season.  

Ryan Lilick posted a season best 6^th place finish from his pole starting position.  Ryan returned to racing after his family purchased the iconic Rio Brothers R10 and he has qualified at all four of his races since he return to racing.   

Ryan commented  “The couple of cautions early in the race hurt us as we choose a harder 50 tire, and those early long cautions and red flag delays gave us problems getting heat into the tires, so we lost some positions until we got the tires to fire.  We moved down to the bottom after Brett Kressley went by us. Overall, it was a great night for us.  We finished 6^th with only  top five in drivers in front us which is nothing to hang our heads about.  I haven’t been in a Teo since my sportsman days, but this transition has been surprisingly quick and easy.  I’m glad to be back racing.”

Brad Grim finished with a season best 7^th from his 9^th starting position.  Brad recalled “We were mediocre in the beginning of the feature, but you never want to be too good too soon.  I was lucky and just made it through the second tangle by following Brett Kressley.  The track came to our car during the green flag laps, and we got better as the 50 lap race progressed.  I needed to be on the bottom for the last restart, and if so, we may have been a second place car.  I picked the wrong lane and fell from 4^th to 9^th, but I got back into the rubber on the bottom and made it back to a 7^th place finish.  These features are all about protecting your car and equipment.  If you keep it straight you will be good in the end. Besides, I’m not good at driving a bent racecar.  Never have been.”

Ron Haring finished a season best 8^th from his 2^nd starting position.  Ron lead 13 laps before fading back to an 8^th place finish.   Ron updated his chassis three weeks ago to a newer model and he has newfound speed. This is the first week he has been able to finish not to mention a 50 lap race .    

Ronnie Kline posted a season best 9^th place finish from a 16^th starting position in only his third week after returning to Grandview for weekly racing.  Ronnie noted “we are starting in the back of the heat races and behind the big guys.  I figured I got to do something, and it just so happened I was able to use the bottom to pick off spots one by one and made the invert.  I was surprised and happy and this was the best the car has done in a heat race all year. “

Ronnie continued “ In the feature we used old 48 tires from NES, and they made it 50 laps but are bald now.  It seems our 48 held up because it was an older tire, and the track was rubbered up.  We got lucky and stumbled on a perfect tire storm for tonight.  I was very happy to finish 9^th, and this is the best this car has felt since I’ve had it.  I had close calls with all three of the big tangles but managed to get through all of them.  I don’t know whose watching out for me, but I was glad they continued for a few more laps.“

Ryan Grim posted a 10^th place finish from a 26^th starting position.  Ryan stated “We started the night with no brakes in hot laps.  The brakes plagued us all night long, but we made it into the feature from the consolation.  We changed brake lines for the feature and managed to get through all the tangle calamities before lap 10.  I did ride under Whitmoyer’s flipping car as it came back down the track.  It was probably a good thing we had no brakes in the heat since it kept us in the back of the feature and away from the three big tangles.  Our brake problems are nothing new for us as we have struggling with our brakes for years.”

Kevin Graver had a rough day but still finished 13^th from a 25^th starting position thanks to a little help from his friends.

Kevin stated “We were ok in the heat but missed qualifying by one spot.  We started 2nd in the consolation and had no brakes for most of the race but still managed to finish 3^rd and get into the feature.  We fixed our brakes and made some adjustments for the feature.

Kevin continued “ In the feature we got some damage from the first accident.  I came into the pits and had to change a flat right front tire, bent front axle and right rear shock.   We couldn’t do anything about the axle but changed the shock.  With the extralong caution we were able to make it back out.  Just tried to stay out of trouble and log laps but considering the damage we had and the quick fix in the pits the car that actually worked pretty well.  We got a lap down and 13th was the best we could manage to finish.  All in all, it was a decent night for us, and we feel like we’re gaining on things and finding a little more consistency.  Big thank you to Mark Kemmerer, Tyler Hoch, and anyone else who was in our pit helping get us back out after the accident.”

The three major tangles before lap 10 ended the night for eight drivers: Craig Whitmoyer, Darrin Schuler, Jared Umbenhauer, Joe Funk, Jesse Leiby, Ray Swinehart, Brett Gilmore,  Mike Lisowski.  Several other drivers had bent and damaged race cars but were able to continue racing.

The next event on the Grandview Speedway schedule is next Saturday, August 20, featuring the T.P. Trailer NASCAR Modifieds and the T.P. Truck Equipment NASCAR Sportsman in another NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Racing Series double-header starting at 7:30 pm.

Pit gates will open at 4 pm. with grandstand gates opening at 5:30 pm. warm-ups will be starting at 6:30 pm. Adult grandstand admission is $18, while children ages 5 and under are admitted free of charge.