Four New Winners Crowned At The Bird
For Immediate Release
Saturday, June 3rd, 2023
By: Steven Curry - Race Reporter
Reynoldsville- The warmest weather of the season thus far welcomed fans and race teams back to Hummingbird Speedway on Saturday night for the fourth night of racing in 2023. Four drivers visited Carns Powersports Victory Lane for the first time this season. Among those drivers were: the #76 of Mike Anderson in the Brian Savino Motorsports Pure Stocks, the #37A of Jim Bloom in the Cypress Clock & Gift Shop Pro Stocks, the #3H of Shawn Hadden in the Brooks Services LLC. Four-Cylinders, and the #50 of Bob McMillen in the Andy Man's Car Care Economods. Anderson's win was in just his second start of the year in a new car. He also broke the Pure Stock track record in the feature with a time of 16.638 seconds at 72.123 MPH. Two drivers collected their second wins of the year including the #5X of Nick Erskine in the Semi Late Models and the #36 of Paul Kot in the Srock Contracting Super Late Models.
The Semi Late Models were first to the track for their 20-lap feature event. Dan Smeal and Kyle Shannon led the field to green. Smeal and Shannon swapped the lead back and forth throughout the opening lap with Shannon edging ahead at the line to lead lap one over Smeal and Nick Loffredo. On lap 4, last week's feature winner, Nick Erskine, looked to the inside of Loffredo and made the pass to move into the third position. A couple of laps later, on lap 6, Erskine spun in turns 1 and 2, bringing out the first caution of the race. The spin put Erskine to the back and moved Loffredo back into third for the restart. It was Shannon out to the lead on the restart over Smeal and Loffredo. On lap 7, Loffredo made the pass on Smeal for the runner-up position. Smeal gave it all he had on the inside trying to get back around Loffredo as the race neared halfway. At the halfway point on lap 10, it was Shannon still leading the way over Loffredo and Smeal. Another caution flag came out for a spin in turns 1 and 2 later that lap. On the restart, it was Shannon still leading the way over Loffredo and Smeal. On lap 11, recovering from his earlier spin, Erskine made the pass to the inside of Smeal for the third position. The very next lap Erskine made his way past Loffredo for second, now setting his sights on Shannon for the lead. Two laps later, on lap 14, Erskine looked to the inside of Shannon for the race lead and completed the pass to move into the top spot. One final caution flag was displayed on lap 18 for a spin in turns 3 and 4. On the final restart, Erskine pulled out to the lead over Shannon and Loffredo. Smeal was able to regain the third spot from Loffredo as the field came to get the white flag. Nobody had anything for Erskine though once he got into the lead as he held on to capture his second checkered flag in as many races at the Bird. Shannon, Smeal, Loffredo, and Steven Scaife rounded out the top 5. Loffredo and Shannon won the heat races.
Jenna Pfaff and Mike Anderson led the Brian Savino Motorsports Pure Stocks trackside for their 15-lap feature race. Anderson jumped out to the lead on the initial start and led lap 1 over Pfaff and Dustin Challingsworth. On lap 2, Challingsworth attempted and successfully completed a slide job on Pfaff to move into the second position behind Anderson. The race remained under green flag conditions until lap 5 or so when a caution for a wreck in turn 4 set up the first restart of the race. On the restart, it was Anderson out to the lead over Challingsworth and Pfaff. At the halfway mark on lap 8, it was Anderson continuing to lead the way over Challingsworth as Andy Frey made his way past Pfaff for the third position. The caution flag came out later that lap for a spin in turn 4. Anderson led the way on the restart over Challingsworth and Frey. The race stayed green all the way to the two-to-go signal on lap 13 when a caution for a spin in turn 4 brought about the final restart. Anderson jumped out to the lead on the final restart over Challingsworth and Frey. Anderson got the lead and never looked back enroute to his first win of the season in just his second start returning to the Pure Stock division. Pfaff completed a last-lap pass on Frey to regain the third spot. The top 5 was completed by: Challingsworth, Pfaff, Frey, and Ashley Kilhoffer. Challingsworth and Anderson won the heat races.
A solid field of Srock Contracting Super Late Models entered the 1/3 mile bullring, preparing to do battle in their 25-lap main. Joe Loffredo and Dwayne Brooks led the field to the opening green flag. Loffredo got the advantage on the start and led the opening lap over Brooks and Derek Rodkey. Just after the first lap was completed, a scary wreck took place on the frontstretch when Dennis Curry's #75 rolled over onto its roof, collecting a couple of other cars as well. Thankfully, Curry and the other drivers involved, were all okay and able to walk away. On the restart following the wreck, it was Loffredo out to the lead as Rodkey and Dylan Cecce both made their way past Brooks to move into second and third respectively. On lap 3, Cecce made the pass to the inside of Rodkey going down the backstretch to move into second behind Loffredo. Then, on lap 4, last week's winner Paul Kot made the pass on Rodkey for third. Two more laps were completed before a caution for a spin in turn 1 set up what would ultimately be the final restart of the race. On the final restart, it was Loffredo out to the point as Kot moved into second after getting around Cecce. On lap 12, Doug Eck looked to the inside of Cecce and made the pass to move into third behind the leaders. At the cross flags on lap 13, Loffredo maintained a narrow lead over Kot with Eck following behind in third. Kot followed in Loffredo's tire tracks for the next couple of laps before moving to the highside and trying to make the pass for the lead there. On lap 17, Kot was able to complete the pass on Loffredo on the highside to take the race lead. Kot began to extend his lead over the field as the laps continued to click away. With the white flag in the air on lap 24, both Eck and Cecce made the pass on Loffredo to move into second and third. Kot went unchallenged in the 8 laps that he led on his way to capturing his second checkered flag in as many weeks at Hummingbird. Eck, Cecce, Loffredo, and Clay Ruffo rounded out the top 5. Kot and Ruffo won the heat races.
Next up were the Cypress Clock & Gift Shop Pro Stocks for their 15-lap feature. Fuzzy Fields and Jim Challingsworth led the field to the green flag. One lap or so was completed before some sort of mechanical issue plagued Fields' car, causing it to come to a stop just before the pit entry. The issue forced Fields to retire from the event. That brought out the first caution flag of the race, with Jim Bloom leading over Challingsworth. A couple of laps were completed on the restart before a caution for Challingsworth spinning in turns 3 and 4 set up what would ultimately be the final restart. On the final restart, it was Bloom out to the lead over Challingsworth. Challingsworth gave it all he had as the laps continued to click away. At the halfway point on lap 8, it was still Bloom leading the way over Challingsworth. Bloom would begin to extend his lead over Challingsworth as the race neared its final laps. Bloom cruised to his first victory of the 2023 season at the Bird. Challingsworth and Fields completed the 3-car field. Fields won the lone heat race.
Devon Trayer and Justin Finland led the Brooks Services LLC. Four-Cylinders trackside for their 15-lap feature event. Trayer jumped out to the lead on the start and led the opening lap as Mark Wetzel Jr. and Chad Greeley (driving for Greg Kiehl) both made their way around Finland to move into second and third respectively. On lap 2, Shawn Hadden used the low line to his advantage to make the pass on Greeley for the third spot. Then, on lap 3, Hadden made the pass on Wetzel Jr. for the second position behind Trayer. On lap 4, both Hadden and Wetzel Jr. were able to make their way past Trayer to move into first and second respectively. Hadden, followed closely by Wetzel Jr., continued to lead the way as the race neared halfway. On lap 7, Trayer spun to the infield which allowed Camden Frantz to move into the third position behind the leaders. At the halfway mark on lap 8, it was still Hadden out front over Wetzel Jr. and Frantz. Another lap was completed before a caution for debris in turns 1 and 2 brought about the final restart of the race. Wetzel Jr. gave it all he had on the restart, but it was not enough as Hadden held on in the final 6 laps on his way to securing his first trip to Carns Powersports Victory Lane this season. Wetzel Jr., Frantz, Dave Smail, and Ben Lehane rounded out the top 5. Frantz, Hadden, and Wetzel Jr. won the heat races.
The Andy Man's Car Care Economods concluded the evening with their 15-lap feature race. Gary Miller Jr. and Nate Fleck led the field to the opening green flag. Miller Jr. jumped out to the lead on the start and led lap 1 as Bob McMillen made the pass on Fleck for second. The top 3 all ran bumper-to-bumper pretty much as the race neared halfway. On lap 7, McMillen nearly spun out in turns 3 and 4, but he saved it only losing the second position to Fleck. Later that lap, the caution flag would be displayed for a pile-up in turns 3 and 4 involving many of the frontrunners. No one sustained major damage, so everyone was able to continue on in the race. Fleck was charged with the caution, so it was Miller Jr. leading the way on the restart with McMillen and Gary Sullivan following behind in second and third. On the restart, it was Miller Jr. out to the lead as Sullivan edged ahead of McMillen on the highside for second. At the cross-flags, it was Miller Jr., Sullivan, and McMillen in the top 3. Miller Jr., Sullivan, and McMillen continued to mix it up in the top 3 positions throughout the entirety of the second-half of the race in probably one of the best races run at the Bird so far this season. In the end, it was McMillen that was victorious, notching his first win of 2023 and becoming the fourth different winner in four races in the division. The top 5 was completed by: Sullivan, Miller Jr., Fleck, and Brad Curran Jr.. Fleck and Miller Jr. won the heat races.
Speedway Notes: 63 cars were on-hand for Night #4 of the 2023 racing season. That breaks down to: 11 Semi Late Models, 12 Pure Stocks, 13 Super Late Models, 3 Pro Stocks, 16 Four-Cylinders, and 8 Economods. We will be back in action this coming Saturday, June 10th, with a regular 6-division program. The Aquaholics PowderPuff Series will make their first of three scheduled visits to the Bird as well. Gates open at 4:00 with racing beginning at 7:00. The Sub Hub Kids Club gets underway every Saturday night at 6pm by the pit gate entrance. It is a great place to take your kids to do some fun kids club activities as well as meet some drivers prior to racing getting started. For more information, call the track office at (814) 653-8400 or visit the tracks’ website at www.hummingbirdspeedway.com. You can also follow the track on Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok.
Results:
Semi Late Models
1st) #5X Nick Erskine
2nd) #11 Kyle Shannon
3rd) #44 Dan Smeal
4th) #9N Nick Loffredo
5th) #7S Steven Scaife
6th) #17 Deegen Watt
7th) #16 Dan Stormer
8th) #3xAA Doug Surra
9th) #2 Cregen Brady
10th) #39B Joe Becker
11th) #47 Adam Nixon
Brian Savino Motorsports Pure Stocks
1st) #76 Mike Anderson
2nd) #46 Dustin Challingsworth
3rd) #33 Jenna Pfaff
4th) #55X Andy Frey
5th) #50 Ashley Kilhoffer
6th) #54 Wayne Truitt
7th) #56K Renae Meyer
8th) #121 Jake Valasek
9th) #6/2P Casey Wolfe
10th) #01D Dominic Marchiori
11th) #54S Mitch Stiles
12th) #37B Josh Bloom
Srock Contracting Super Late Models
1st) #36 Paul Kot
2nd) #20 Doug Eck
3rd) #18* Dylan Cecce
4th) #9J Joe Loffredo
5th) #14 Clay Ruffo
6th) #14R Derek Rodkey
7th) #8* Matt Cochran
8th) #1B Dwayne Brooks
9th) #77 Nathan Brady
10th) #56 Dylan Fenton
11th) #08 Bob Armagost
12th) #5J Jeremy Ohl
13th) #75 Dennis Curry
Cypress Clock & Gift Shop Pro Stocks
1st) #37A Jim Bloom
2nd) #44 Jim Challingsworth
3rd) #28 Fuzzy Fields
Brooks Services LLC. Four-Cylinders
1st) #3H Shawn Hadden
2nd) #32 Mark Wetzel Jr.
3rd) #158 Camden Frantz
4th) #910 Dave Smail
5th) #1 Ben Lehane
6th) #56 Justin Finland
7th) #17X Chad Greeley
8th) #21J Jay Blum
9th) #79 Devon Trayer
10th) #65Y Michael Young
11th) #6 Adam Pluebell
12th) #317 Kevin Piper
13th) #8F Sam Fye
14th) #513 Andrew Jones
15th) #65 Louis Young
16th) #29L Josh Lindemuth
Andy Man's Car Care Economods
1st) #50 Bob McMillen
2nd) #47S Gary Sullivan
3rd) #1M Gary Miller Jr.
4th) #71 Nate Fleck
5th) #C17 Brad Curran Jr.
6th) #569 Blake Joiner
7th) #72 Jim Muma
8th) #0 Dennis Asel