LANCASTER, N.Y. — “Big Money” Matt Hirschman won the 34th edition of the US Open at Lancaster Motorplex on Saturday afternoon.
For Hirschman, it was his sixth career triumph in the race and his 12th modified victory at Lancaster.
Eldon King III won the late model feature for his second straight US Open victory. Mark Hoch won the Frank Batista Sr. 37 for the street stocks for his fourth Lancaster win of the season. Dave Milbrand won the Open 4 Cylinder event on the big track.
2021 series champion Austin Beers and this year’s Lancaster Motorplex Sportsman track champion George Skora III brought the Race of Champions Modified Series to the green flag for the 34th running of the US Open.
Beers was in the lead, with Jack Ely, Hirschman, Skora and Daren Scherer racing in the top five early on.
Andy Jankowiak battled with Jake Lutz to take over sixth place on lap eight, just as Hirschman passed Ely to move into second place. “Big Money” would look for the lead and would take it away from Beers on lap 14. Jankowiak would continue to work his way into the top five on lap 16, after passing Scherer.
George Skora III would move back into third place after passing Ely on lap 23, with Jankowiak and Zane Zeiner racing in the top six. Jankowiak would battle with Jack Ely for fourth place on lap 32 and the two would battle for several laps.
At the race’s halfway mark, Hirschman would continue to lead Beers, Skora, Ely, Jankowiak, Zeiner, Patrick Emerling, Tony Hanbury, Mike Leaty and Scherer. Jankowiak would move into fourth, with Zeiner taking over fifth place on lap 45, as Ely got freight trained on the outside of the speedway.
With 25 laps remaining, Hirschman continued to show the way ahead of Beers and Skora.
The lead trio would pull away from Jankowiak, Zeiner, Emerling and Hanbury. Emerling tried to get around Zeiner to enter the top five on lap 59. The leaders would hit lap traffic on lap 61, just as Emerling passed Jankowiak to take over fourth place. Emerling would continue his hard charge to the front, as he passed Skora going into turn three to take over third place on lap 66.
Emerling would then catch Beers for second place with six laps remaining. Andy Jankowiak and Tony Hanbury got together on lap 70 in turn two to bring out the race’s first caution. The late-race restart would see Hirschman take off in the lead as Emerling applied pressure to Beers for second place.
Hirschman would hold off Emerling, Beers, Skora and Zeiner to win his sixth US Open and his first since 2018.
Hoch Scores First Triumph In Street Stocks
The Frank Batista Sr 37 for the street stocks given the green flag with Chris Powers and Dylan Carbone in the lead. Carbone would show the way, while Jacob Gustafson would take second away on lap two.
Carbone would slow down the back straightaway to bring out the caution on lap four. On the restart, Gustafson would take the lead with Mark Hoch racing in second. Hoch would take the lead away on lap eight. Mike Dalfonso Jr. would take over third place from Frank Batista Jr. on lap 10, just as Gustafson reeled in Hoch for the lead.
Dalfonso would take over second on lap 19, as Hoch started to pull away. Tim Welshans would take second away from Dalfonso, just prior to a lap 24 caution for John Carlson who came to a stop in turn three. Hoch and Welshans would battle for the lead following the restart, with Hoch edging into the lead.
Hoch would go on to score the win, his fourth of the season and first US Open triumph.
King Takes Over For Late Model Win
Sam Fullone and Danny Knoll Jr. brought the late models to the green flag with Fullone showing the way.
Nick Ross would take second away, with Jeff Brown moving into third place, ahead of Knoll. Eldon King III worked his way into the top five on lap 10, challenging Brown for third and Ross for second place. Jeff Brown spun in turn two to bring out the caution on lap 16. On the restart, King would continue to drive up through the field and by lap 20, King would take over the lead.
King would go on to score the win — his second straight US Open victory.
And The 4 Cylinder Win Goes To Milbrand
The 4 Cylinders raced on the big track, with Bob Palmer and Chris Deyoe Jr. bringing the field to the green flag.
Palmer would lead the opening circuit ahead of Dave Milbrand, Greg Urban, Deyoe and Nick Galusha. Milbrand would take the lead on lap four, after Urban led on lap number three. Andy Lewis Jr. would take the runner-up position away from Urban on lap seven and would start to go after race leader Milbrand.
Lewis would take the lead away on lap nine. The race’s first caution would come out on lap nine, as Megan Schoeles spun in turn two. On the restart, Lewis and Milbrand would pull away from the balance of the field. Milbrand would take over the lead on lap 17, while encountering lap traffic.
Milbrand would hold off Lewis and Urban to score the win.