HAGERSTOWN, Md. – Justin Weaver may have started on the pole, but he didn’t lead every lap and had to battle his way to victory to take the honors in winning the very competitive Late Model Sportsman portion of the Hub City 100.
The three-time Late Model Sportsman track champion from Williamsport, Md., had to battle Andy Anderson early and often as Anderson took the lead at the start and the second lap.
On the third circuit, Weaver drove his familiar No.2j back around Anderson’s Bruce Kane owned No.25 to lead before a caution for the broken driveshaft of Dan Zechman brought the first of two immediate caution flags.
The next caution happened on the restart as a five car pileup brought the field back on the yellow flag.
Once the feature resumed, Anderson passed Weaver to regain the lead coming off the second corner to lead the fourth lap. Anderson held off Weaver until near the halfway point before the pair swapped the lead at laps 15 and 16.
As they approached traffic, they stayed side-by-side for a few more laps before Weaver nosed past Anderson to lead the twentieth lap. Weaver was then able to place a distance of a quarter straightaway over Anderson, and maintained that distance through heavier traffic until the checkered flag flew at lap 35.
The win was worth $2,000 and was Weaver’s 28th Late Model Sportsman career win.
“Yeah, he (Anderson) was pretty good there in the beginning, and I knew we had a good piece. I didn’t know if I had a good enough piece to get back by him, but we kept working that bottom…..It just all worked out. I think Andy wore his stuff out there at the end, and we just had a good piece at the end”, Weaver said in victory lane.
Finishing behind Anderson in third was Dillan Stake, while Spike Moore and Marvin Winters made up the top five.
The 25-lap Pure Stock featured numerous battles for the lead with several lead changes amongst a few drivers. But it began with a quick caution for the spun car of Wayne Hawbaker that setup a complete restart.
That restart came at a cost to eight competitors in a massive pileup coming to the green flag that led to red flag and lengthy delay to clear the wreckage. All those involved were uninjured.
Craig Parrill lead the way for five laps before yielding the position to Jasen Geesaman. Geesaman was strong as Parrill faded back, while Rob Nichols entered the picture. Nichols battled past Parrill on lap nine into second place, then Jeremy Tinsman made his presence known.
Tinsman worked his way around Michael Warrenfeltz and Geesaman into second, and was hounding Nichols for the lead before Parrill stopped on the track in turn four to bring out the caution on lap 17.
On the restart, Nichols passed Geesaman to lead lap 18, and another caution flag waved. Geeseman then lost a few spots as this put Tinsman on the hunt for Nichols.
With just three laps to go, Tinsman passed Nichols, then Nichols returned the favor racing door-to-door to reclaim the lead briefly before breaking with two laps remaining.
This put Jason Stoner on Tinsman the final restart with a side by side battle to the finish with Tinsman taking the win by just a car length in a thrilling finish.
Warrenfeltz held on to third, while Joshua Bloom quietly came from mid-pack to take fourth, and Hawbaker made up for his earlier miscue to finish fifth.
The Hobby Stock nightcap will be best remembered for the finish as two young drivers battled for the same piece of real estate coming to the checkered flag reminiscent of Ricky Craven and Kurt Busch in 2003 at Darlington Raceway.
Last week’s winner Brady Daniels took the lead from Tom Caravello on the fifth lap, and led at the tenth lap when a caution flag setup the last five laps and a wild finish.
Codey Breeden, driving a borrowed car moved into second, and began his chase of Daniels. With a lap to go, Breeden closed in Daniels’ bumper. Coming to the checkered flag, Breeden got underneath Daniels off of turn four, and made contact enough that squeezed Daniels into the outside wall and enough to squeak by to claim his first career win.
Cody Sumption, Sam Caravello, and Kevin Boyer completed the top five.