BECHTELSVILLE, Pa. – Kevin Graver Jr. took a few weeks off from racing at Grandview Speedway to regroup after struggling with various car issues.
The team returned on Saturday night and made their presence known. Graver took the lead following a multi-car frontstretch accident with five laps in the books and went on to score his first victory at the track in the 358 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series 30-lap T.P. Trailers Modified feature.
Graver, who mainly ran asphalt, adjusted to the change and couldn’t believe he was in victory lane, but he just did his thing and ran his line as the race progressed.
Just to prove last week’s T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman feature win shortened by rain at the half-way point wasn’t a fluke, Kyle Smith ran the entire 25-laps to chalk up his second Sportsman feature.
Dylan Swinehart inherited the lead when leader Dylan Hoch was hindered by a flat tire bringing out the yellow on lap six. Swinehart held off runner-up Jimmy Leiby’s challenges to win his first 25-lap 602 Sportsman Crate feature to become the third different winner in the series.
Carroll Hine III led the first two laps of the Modified feature before Justin Grim and Ron Kline tangled in the second turn causing the yellow. On the restart Jordan Henn charged to the front of the pack to become the new pacesetter.
On the fifth lap Bobby Gunther Walsh and Ryan Lilick got hooked together which caused the cars behind them to scatter and set up a huge multi-car accident along the homestretch that caused Jared Umbenhauer to do a slow roll with cars facing in numerous directions. He was able to get out of the car under his own power. Also eliminated were Craig Von Dohren, Kevin Hirthler, Duane Howard and Darrin Schuler. Several others were also involved but after pits tops returned to action.
After the accident was cleared and action resumed Graver Jr. passed Henn on the outside and was now in the number one position trailed by Henn, Mike Lisowski, Jesse Leiby and Brad Grim. Joining the mix trying to get into the top five was Doug Manmiller and he succeeded by the Dan’s Deli half-way hoagie mark
Manmiller wasted no time getting to the front and by the 24th lap he advanced to second in pursuit of Graver.
Graver never surrendered the lead and chalked up the win followed by Manmiller, who despite receiving damage in the homestretch accident, managed to garner second; and Henn. Leiby, who ran a solid fourth since the 19th lap never made it to the finish line. He cut a tire and hit the fourth turn wall. Lisowski was then fourth and Timmy Buckwalter fifth. Sixth through tenth were Brad Arnold, Danny Bouc, Jeff Strunk, Brad Grim and Ryan Grim.
Henn, Grim and Buckwalter were the heat winners. Brett Kressley, who was involved in the main stretch feature incident and later dropped out of the event, won the consi.
Sportsman action saw Wayne Rotenberger lead four laps before the yellow came out when B.J. Joly found himself facing the wrong direction. Steve Young was the new leader on the restart followed by Nathan Mohr, Kenny Gilmore, Kyle Lilick and Smith.
Gilmore took over the runner-up spot on the ninth circuit and set his sights on Young.
A multi-car third turn accident brought out the next yellow on the 12th lap On the restart while attempting to pass Young, Gilmore found himself taken up to the boilerplate costing him several positions and Lilick was now second. Lilick met the same fate as Gilmore did when he tried to pass Young and now Smith ran second.
First, second and third changed on lap 14 since Smith, Gilmore and Lilick held those positions with Young fourth and Brian Hirthler fifth.
With five laps to go Gilmore’s car broke and he had to pull into the infield.
Smith was determined to lead until the drop of the checkered and he did just that to score back-to-back wins. Following him across were Lilick, Hirthler, Hoch and Mark Kemmerer. Rounding out the top ten were Nathan Mohr, Young, Tyler James, Jimmy Leiby and Dakota Kohler.
Heats were won by Rotenberger, Young and Adrianna Delliponti. Kohler was the consi winner.
Hoch led four laps of the 602 Crate Sportsman feature until a flat tire brought him to a stop in turn one an Dylan Swinehart inherited the lead.
Behind Swinehart jockeying for positions were Jimmy Leiby, Ryan Grim, Smith and Decker Swinehart.