Story By: JEFFREY AHLUM / GRANDVIEW SPEEDWAY – BECHTELSVILLE, PA – The Memorial Day holiday weekend will see two days of racing action at Grandview Speedway, including the kickoff to the 2023 Thunder on the Hill Racing Series.
Grandview Speedway will be presenting another NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series program this Saturday night featuring the T.P. Trailer NASCAR Modifieds and T.P. Truck Equipment NASCAR Sportsman, plus the Outlaw Racing Series Vintage cars.
The show on Saturday, May 27 will include qualifying events leading into a 30-lap T.P. Trailer Modified feature and a 25-lap feature for the T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman, while the Vintage cars will run a feature event only.
Pit gates will open at 4 pm. with grandstand gates opening at 5:30 pm. warm-ups starting at 6:15 pm. and the first race of the evening getting the green flag at 7:30 pm.
Adult grandstand admission is $20, students 10-15 with ID are $10, while children ages 9 and under are admitted free of charge. Pit admission is $35 for NASCAR members and $45 for non-members.
The T.P. Trailer Modified and T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman show once again is run under the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series, where the drivers in both classes will be racing not only for the Grandview point championships, but the National, Regional, State, and Track championships under the NASCAR Weekly Series umbrella.
The first Thunder on the Hill Racing Series event of the season will be held on Sunday, May 28. This holiday program features the 358 Modifieds in a special 50-lap feature race titled the ‘Balls to the Wall 50’. There is a bit of a different twist to this event, as the feature will be slowed at lap 20 and lap 35, with the top ten drivers in the running order receiving a bonus payoff, and the top four drivers being inverted for the restart.
The winner of the 50-lap feature will grab a $5000 payoff, and the leader at laps 20 and 35 will pocket $1500. So, it becomes a race of strategy to chase the bonus or go for the win. Should the same driver lead laps 20, 35 and then grab the final checker to win, Pioneer Pole Buildings will post a $4000 extra bonus, allowing the 50-lap feature winner to grab a possible total of $12,000 for the victory!
The 602 crate Sportsman will also join the show, racing for a top prize of $1200 to win their 25-lap main event. The race program, which starts at 7:30 pm. on May 28, makes for a big holiday weekend of racing action.
The month of June is just around the corner, and it will begin with A.D. Moyer Lumber Night featuring a triple-header program with the Wingless Super Sportsman joining the T.P. Trailer Modifieds and T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman on Saturday, June 3 at 7:30 pm.
June will also see two more Thunder on the Hill race programs with the USAC National Sprint Series Jesse Hockett Classic Eastern Storm on Tuesday, June 13, and the annual Pennsylvania 410 Sprint Car Speedweek Series event on Tuesday, June 27, with both programs including the 358 Modifieds at 7:30 pm.
Following another exciting night of action last Saturday night, Jeff Strunk remains on top of the T.P. Trailer Modified point standings. Strunk had a strong outing finishing the feature in third position while in contention to win. Jared Umbenhauer had another good night with a fifth place feature finish to remain second in points followed by third place point man Brett Kressley who finished the night in fourth. Craig Von Dohren finished the night in sixth to remain fourth in points, while Eddie Strada made a bad night a good one, fighting mechanical issues, but rallying from a last place starting spot to finish ninth and hold down fifth in points.
The top ten in T.P. Trailer Modified points are 1. Jeff Strunk – 1090, 2. Jared Umbenhauer- 1067, 3. Brett Kressley – 1045, 4. Craig Von Dohren – 1039, 5. Eddie Strada – 922, 6. Tim Buckwalter – 894, 7. Doug Manmiller – 843, 8. Bobby Trapper Jr. – 794, 9. Ryan Watt – 744, 10. Jesse Leiby – 698.
In the T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman division Logan Watt remains on top after another strong feature run to finish second. Brian Hirthler sits second in points after rallying from the back to get a tenth place finish, Kyle Smith has moved into third in points after also charging from a last row starting spot to finish ninth. Cody Manmiller did not make the top ten in the feature but still sits fourth in points followed by Brett Gilmore, who like Hirthler, charged from the rear of the feature after an early race tussle and finished in third spot, to hold down fifth spot in points.
The T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman top ten in points are 1. Logan Watt – 1135, 2. Brian Hirthler – 959, 3. Kyle Smith – 908, 4. Cody Manmiller – 888, 5. Brett Gilmore – 824, 6. Jesse Hirthler – 742, 7. Adrianna Delliponti – 728, 8. Addison Meitzler – 674, 9. Ryan Graver – 658, 10. Parker Guldin – 633.