Grandview Sportsman Pit Notes 9/14/24 – Dakota Kohler Wins Sportsman Finale and Logan Watt Sportsman Championship for 2nd year in a Row

Dakota Kohler dropped to the bottom to hold off a late closing Logan Watt to post his first win in the past four years.

Colton Perry took the early lead and the only caution of the night on lap 3 shuffled the field between who got through and who did not.  Dakota Kohler squeezed through going from 11^th to 4^th on the lap 4 restart.  Dakota charged to the lead on lap 9 and proceeded to pull away from the field by a straight away with a 4 second advantage until Logan Watt moved into 2^nd on lap 15 and closed up the gap to less than a car length by lap 22.   Dakota Kohler dropped to the bottom and battled side by side with Watt in the final three laps to take his first win since 2020.

Logan Watt finished 2^nd and won his second Grandview points championship by 54 points over Dylan Swinehart in second and Mikey Schneck in 3^rd.

Heat races for the 46-car sportsman field were won by Brett Grim, Brayden Shelton, Colton Perry and Lawson Szerencits.

Consolation races were won by Jesse Hirthler and Colin Cox.

Logan may have finished 2^nd in the feature but it was all he needed to capture his second Grandview Sportsman Points Championship in a row. 

T.P. TRUCK EQUIPMENT NASCAR SPORTSMAN FEATURE FINISH (25 laps):  1. DAKOTA KOHLER (11), 2. Logan Watt (14), 3. Brett Grim (12), 4. Mike Schneck Jr. (14), 5. Jordan Henn (15) , 6. Nathan Mohr (17), 7. Jesse Hirthler (21), 8. Colton Perry(3), 9. Dylan Swinehart (24), 10. Ryan Graver (16), 11. Brayden Shelton (9), 12. Jesse Landis (23), 13. Lawson Szerencits (4), 14. Adrianna Delliponti (26), 15. Brett Gilmore (19), 16. Addison Meitzler (27p), 17. Kenny Bock (17), 18. Kyle Hartzell (18), 19. Colin Cox (22) , 20. Tyler James (5), 21. Logan Bauman (20), 22. Brian Hirthler (25), 23. BJ Joly III (1), 24. Joey Vaccaro (18), 25. Steve Young (6), 26. Mark Mohr (10), 27. Kaitlyn Bailey (2)

DID NOT QUALIFY: Nathan Horn, Brad Arnold, Matt Martino, TJ Mayberry, Nicholas Hamm, Shannon Slaughter, Nicholas Arment, Zach Steffey, Teague Miller, Mark Gaugler, Parker Guldin, Jared LaBagh, Gavyn Krupp, Bryce Bashore, Chase Gular, Xavier Sprague, Jay Garris, Nick Faust, Decker Swinehart

HARD CHARGER: Dylan Swinehart +15

SPORTSMAN 2024 TRACK CHAMPION: Logan Watt (2^nd career title)

9/14/24 Race # 17 – SPORTSMAN PIT NOTES

Dakota Kohler took the win from his 11^th starting position for his first win since 2020.

In victory lane Dakota reflected “We haven’t won in four years.  I would never be here without my car owner Mel and my parents.”

“I restarted on the top and tried the bottom but went right back to the top and drove into the lead.  I saw Logan coming hard and quickly decided I had to drop to the bottom to have a chance.  Fortunately, I was able to hold him off for three laps and get the win.”

Back at the trailer Dakota noted “I was a little on the loose side in hot laps and found that the tires actually changed from sitting after the car was set up making it have more stagger than I wanted.  So, we changed that for the heat race.  Started 3rd in the heat race fell back to 4th on the start from the front row getting bunched up but was able to get back to 3rd for the last handicap spot this week with five heats.  The car felt ok with but with the heat the track was pretty much one lane and if you got out of that lane it was very crummy and you would lose all traction and fall back.”

“Started 11^th in the feature and the car felt pretty good.  I was very fortunate to miss the early wreck because when I went to turn to avoid it my arm restraints were wrapped up on the steering box.  Before that yellow, I ran the top maybe once or twice and it felt really good so starting 4th on the restart was great for me.  I knew the 12 and the 36 were not going to come off the bottom after the start, and BJ was going to take off at the start which made me wish he was starting on the top.”

After getting lead on lap 10 I was just clicking off laps and didn’t think I was slowing down a ton, but I did feel the car getting looser and looser as the race went on. We put a new RR on for the feature and I believe that it grew as the race went on and then burned off the LR in the process from sliding more so I knew Logan was coming.  I think it was around 5 or 6 to go that I saw he was 2nd on the board and figured he had to be coming fast especially with how fast the top was.  I just didn’t know how far I was out front and then lap traffic was all on the top as well so 2 to go I made decision that he had to either beat me into the corner or go between me and the lap car in the slick which was basically gone.  I saw him under me going into 1 at the white and pinched him down enough to kill his momentum and get a better run into 3 and then used the lapped cars on the top to block him in.  It was an intense final two laps to get the win.  Logan brings out your best.”  

This might have been the 10th time maybe in this car and from the first night when we had the make-up feature and a regular show the car has been decent.  I’ve been fighting a problem in the steering where it feels like the right front wants to snap back and forth almost in center of the corner.  We ran this car in Delaware and the handling started going in the wrong direction and the car was terrible for the STSS race at Georgetown which is why I ran it at Big Diamond for the Coal Cracker where we set it back to what we started first time out which was great.  We used that same setup on Saturday and the car just worked great again.”

Logan Watt finished 2^nd from his 14^th starting position which was good enough to win the Grandview points championship for the second year in a row.  Logan came into the final race 25 points behind Dylan Swinehart, but his 2^nd place finish gave him enough points to win the championship by 54 points.

 Early in the season Logan was on autopilot with over a 200-point lead in the championship chase but then August came along.  It started with a late race crash into the interwall while going for the lead in the final laps and he literally ended up checkers to wreckers (17^th).  When it was not raining out in August the wrecks continued to find Logan with the final one taking him straight into the turn 3 wall during a heat race when his steering box broke.  This one was scary, and Logan ended up with an ambulance ride and visit to the hospital.  Logan fell to second in the points for the first time this season behind Dylan Swinehart by 25 points with one race to go.  The car was destroyed, and another frame was found turned into the “Grandview car”.  The 4m team headed to Georgetown to shake down the car less than one week after Logan’s hard wreck.  Instead, Logan proceeded to shake down Georgetown and posted another win, his 4^th straight wins at the Delaware track.” 

Logan reflected “This was a new to us frame after we destroyed our Grandview car. It was run by Billy Pauch I think 4 times and Richie Pratt 1 once.  We were able to just take some parts off the wrecked car and threw them on this new Grandview car.”

 “This car was a rocket from the get-go. We took this car to Georgetown to test it, and we ended up winning.  We wanted to make sure everything was 100% going into last Saturday but it ended up raining out which made everything more intense going into this past Saturday behind in the points by 25.”

“In the heat I started 7th and was able to jump right into 3rd which was the final handicap spot. From there I just rode it out and didn’t want to take any risks.  I was able to sneak under Kenny Bock in the last corner to finish 2nd in the heat.”

“Come feature time I knew what adjustments I had to make to the car since my dad and I practiced Friday night, and the track was very similar. Right off the start I knew I had a car to win but had to be patient because I didn’t want to take myself out.  I just kind of rode in the beginning of the feature and let everyone spread out. Then I was able to get going and started  passing cars.  I got into 2nd by lap 13 and Dakota was a straight away ahead of me.  I was running the car to its max trying to catch him and tracked him down with 2 laps to go.  I made a move to try to go under him in 1&2 and was able to get along side of him, but he ended up beating me into 3 for the win and I ended up 2nd.  Congratulations to Dakota and the whole team.”

“All I got to say is thank you to all my sponsors and crew and fans. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.  I got to thank the crew for the countless hours in the shop. A wise man once told me “Races and championships are won in the shop” and that quote always stuck with me about my team.  We never give up whether we have a bad or good week, we always give 100%.  All and all, I’m really excited, going into the 38er knowing that I got a good car I just got to do my part.”

Brett Grim finished 3^rd from his 12^th starting position to quietly post his best finish of the season.

Brett stated “Car was the best it has been all year.  Really comfortable in hot laps and in the heat, we started in 4th and quickly got to second before a caution flew. Coming to 1 to go, the leader got wide coming off of turn 2 and gave me a full lane on the bottom.  Unfortunately, we made contact in 3&4 that was not intentional by any means.  I feel terrible but I also feel I didn’t do anything wrong.  Won the heat race and handicapped to 12th in the feature.

At the drop of the green I felt extremely comfortable, and I could move anywhere I needed to make passes. We got lucky with a tangle ahead of us and got around it clean.  I think I gained 4 or 5 spots from that. After that Watty got by us and he was gone.  I had nothing for the top 2 but very content with a 3rd to finish out my rookie year.  I would like to thank my grandfather and dad for supporting me all year.  And a huge thank you to Ron Seltmann for working with me all year and getting me comfortable in the car.”

Mikey Schneck finished 4^th from his 14^th starting position in conclusion of a career best 3^rd place finish in the Grandview Sportsman points standing.  Mike’s last four finishes have been 4^th, 3^rd, 4^th and 4^th.

Mikey commented “Warmups felt ok seemed like the track was still slimy when I went out in 3rd session.  I seemed a little free but timed fastest in the group.  I never like going out first heat without any ideal what the track’s going to be like.  With 46 cars there it made for 5 heats, and I was starting 7^th of 10 but they were taking only 4 and handicapping 3.  

 Right off the start in the heat two cars pushed up and I came around in 5^th and was able to get settled into 4th, but I knew Hirthler was back there somewhere.  I didn’t want to push the issue with Tyler James but wanted the handicap. Coming for the checkers 1-2 got tangled and lucky I was up high so got around the car in the wall.  Hernley found something a couple races back that he wanted to try and since then we have been good in the heats.

The feature didn’t start the best for us as the inside cars got tangled up and I fell back a couple spots.  Once I had an open track to work with, I was able to move forward.  I was up top-down bottom making passes and the car just seemed to work anywhere.  Once I got to 4th it just seemed to rubber up and I couldn’t gain on the top 3.  I was in the top 10 in points I think all year but maybe one week.  It’s been a lot of cars every week at Grandview and being up in the points you start in the back every week.  I had two races I didn’t qualify for and the double feature night I had two mid pack runs.  Other than those I was up in top 10 and the last 5-6 races I had all top 5s I believe.  As Strunk has shown, being consistent every week can win you a championship. There’s just something with that chassis and our set ups that just started to really click at the end of the year.  I think I could have finished better at some races, but it’s just starting in the back.  Sometimes the feature starts slow with nowhere to go and without cautions, everyone starts to pull away from you.  I mean I had a shot in the dark coming into the last race and I was hoping we would have raced to maybe close some points but that didn’t happen.  To finish 3rd in points is really big for me as I’ve only been racing 6 years and Grandview has a full field of drivers capable of winning on any given night, so it makes it really tough.”

Jorden Henn finished 5^th from his 15^th starting position in his first visit to Grandview this season.

Jordon noted “We got super lucky that when we unloaded the car, we were fast right out of the box.  Made hardly any changes throughout the night.  In the heat we just got lucky, and the holes just opened up for us and we made the handicap.”  

“In the feature I felt we had a car capable of winning on a pretty racy track with a ton of two wide racing which made it tough to pass even though we had a better car.  All in all, we were extremely happy with our first showing at Grandview this year. I honestly didn’t even expect to qualify with starting deep in a heat let alone go out and run top 5.  With the car we had last night. I am extremely excited about the 38er.”

Nathan Mohr 6^th from his 17^th starting position and has finished strong in the last three races.

Nathan stated “Had a fast car all night long from the heat to the feature.  In the feature at the drop of the green flag went up to 10th by lap 2. Overall to finish in the top 6 really gives us some motivation going into the 38er!”

Jesse Hirthler finished 7^th from his 21^st starting position and has been battling from the 20^th and back with consistent finishes in the last three weeks of 7^th, 4^th, 7^th.

Jesse commented “The car was actually pretty good in the heat race.  I just am not given a track where it fits my driving style and isn’t a stomp and steer.  We got beat around at the start and I lost a spot but was able to pick a couple off to put us front row in the consolation.”

“In the feature I started about 21st and there was only one yellow and got up to 7th. I am pretty happy knowing I have one of the fastest cars at the track proven in the past 3 weeks with passing 20 cars, 20 cars, and 15 cars in the feature but just couldn’t get up in the top 3.  I am looking forward to racing the 38er knowing full well it’s up to me to put the car in a good position to do good.”

Colton Perry finished 8^th from his 3^rd starting position.  Colton recalled “In practice we tried a new shock that I wasn’t too big of a fan of, so we changed it out for the heat race.  I was surprised I pulled away in the heat because I felt like I was making too many driver mistakes.”

“In the feature the car felt great in the beginning, but halfway through my tire started going away and I was just trying to hold on as much as I could without falling back too much.  It helps that I have such a great family/crew behind me with great sponsors too.  Now time to just focus on having a good night for the 38er.”

Dylan Swinehart finished 9^th from his 24^th starting position and had another of his countless runs from deep back to the top ten.  Dylan finished 2^nd in the Sportsman points less than 6 positions behind points champion Logan Watt.  He changed cars to his brother’s car and proceeded to post two wins and had a 3rd adversely affected by a judgement call.

Dylan reflected “Yea sucks, we had a fast car starting 7th and running to 3rd in the heat, then got turned & hooked down the backstretch, which ultimately ended our chance for the championship right then and there.  But we had a great car coming from 24th to 9th in a one caution feature.  Wish we would have better luck, but it’s the way it goes.”

“I’m so proud of our season. It showcased how strong of a team and cars we have for being a low-budget team. I’m so thankful for everyone who stands behind us and helps make this car go around! Our marketing partners have made this all possible so I can’t thank them enough!”

Ryan Graver finished 10^th from his 16^th starting position.  Ryan battled all year and qualified for every race and came on strong in the last three races with a 9^th, 10^th and 10^th for some of his best finishes of the season.  Ryan earned a hard-fought 8^th in the Grandview season point standings.

Ryan noted “This is definitely the best we have been in a while.  We got lucky with a late race accident in the heat that allowed us to qualify right through the heat.”

At feature time we might have missed setup just a little bit, but we still felt really good. Unfortunately, we missed all the holes and got stuck battling in traffic for a while but eventually pulled out another top 10.  It sucks that we are just now bringing out some consistency but hopefully this is a good sign for the 38er this week.”

On Friday, pit gates open at 3 pm, with grandstand gates opening at 5:30 pm, drivers meeting at 5:30 pm, with the pill draw following the drivers meeting. Warmups are at 6:15 pm, and racing at 7:30 pm. Pit admission on Friday is $40, and no license is required. There is no rain date for the Friday event.

Racers are reminded that the Freedom 38 is open to regular Sportsman division drivers only (track or series), drivers who compete regularly in Modified division competition are not eligible to compete.

On Saturday, September 21, the 54^th annual Freedom 76 will be run for the 358 Modifieds. The program includes qualifying heats, consolations, cash dash and the Minuteman 20 leading up to the 76-lap Championship main event.

Pit gates open at 9 am, for car inspections, fans will be able to enter the Grandstand areas between 9 am, and 12 Noon to reserve seats with blankets, with grandstand ticket windows opening at 3 pm. Pill draw for position is at 4:30 pm, with the drivers meeting at 5 pm, warm-ups are at 6 pm, with racing starting at 7 pm.

Adult Grandstand tickets on Saturday will be $40, students 10-15 with ID are $20, while children ages 9 and under are admitted free of charge. Pit admission will be $45, and no license is required. There will be no advanced tickets sold for this event, and the rain date is Saturday, September 28.