Lambert Cashes In On $900/Win Pro Stock Special At The Bird
For Immediate Release
Saturday, July 11th, 2026
By: Steven Curry - Race Reporter
 
Reynoldsville- Six weeks after Opening Night was held back on May 30th, Mother Nature finally cooperated for the second race of the 2026 season at Hummingbird Speedway on Saturday night. The Pro Stock division took center stage for the evening with a $900/win special In Memory of Deryk Lunger and in recognition of Men's Mental Health Awareness Month that is observed every June. Trophies on the night were sponsored by the Lindemuth Family & Friends In Memory of long-time Hummingbird employee Dale Lindemuth who we lost late last year. The #22 of Chase Lambert led from green to checkered on his way to picking up the win in the Pro Stock special and collecting the $900 payday. The win was Lambert's first career at the Bird. Other feature winners on the night included: the #23 of B.J. Hudson in the Semi Late Models, the #36 of Paul Kot in the Srock Contracting Super Late Models, the #88 of Josh Fields in the Pure Stocks, the #F6 of Justin Forsythe in the Four-Cylinders, and the #818 of Bob Connor in the Economods. Fields made it two wins in a row to open the season, while Hudson, Kot, and Connor all took their first trips to victory lane. The win for Forsythe was his first career win at Hummingbird. 
 
The feature racing action commenced with the Semi Late Models taking to the track for their 20-lapper. Newcomers Nate Smith and Larry Hollenbaugh led the field to the green flag. Smith jumped out to the lead on the start and led lap 1 as another newcomer, Brad Benton, used the inside line to make the pass on Hollenbaugh for the second spot. On lap 2, B.J. Hudson, last year's Semi Late Model track champion making his first appearance of 2026, worked to the inside of Hollenbaugh and made the pass to move into third. The following lap, Benton was able to get to the inside of Smith and complete the pass to move into the race lead. A couple of laps later, on lap 5, Hudson was able to work his way past Smith for second just before the first caution flag of the race. A couple of laps were completed on the restart with both Hudson and Smith working their way past Benton to move into first and second, respectively, on lap 7. After another caution, it was Hudson leading the way over Smith and Benton. As the field was given the cross flags for halfway by flagman Earl Jackson, Doug Surra was able to move into a podium position by making the pass on Benton for third. Benton was able to retake the third spot from Surra the following lap. A couple of more laps were completed before the final caution of the race on lap 13. On the final restart, it was Hudson still out front over Smith and Benton. Surra had a great restart and was able to pick up a couple of positions on the opening lap after the restart to slot into second behind Hudson. Surra closed the gap between Hudson and himself over the course of the next five laps. On the final lap, Hudson got tight in turns 3 and 4 which allowed Surra to close in on his bumper, but it was too little too late as Hudson held on to take the checkers in his first trip to Hummingbird this season. The win was Hudson's 7th career Semi Late win at the track. Surra, Brad Benton, Bryan Benton, and Smith rounded out the top 5. Bryan Benton and Hudson won the heat races.
 
A pair of newcomers in Jimmy Fosnaught and Chase Lambert led the Pro Stocks into the 1/3-mile bullring for their 20-lap, $900/win special. After a quick caution flag on the initial start, an intense battle for the top spot ensued on the restart among the top 4 cars. At the line to complete the opening lap, it was Lambert getting away with the lead with two more newcomers, Trevor McCann and Brandon Connor, following behind in second and third, respectively. On lap 2, Connor was able to get to the inside of McCann and make the pass to move into second behind Lambert. The race stayed green until the caution flag was displayed again on lap 7 for a spin in turn 3. On the restart, it was still Lambert out front over Connor and McCann. The top 3 remained unchanged at the halfway mark on lap 10. Through a couple of additional caution flags in the second half of the race, Lambert was able to fend off a number of hard charges from Connor to hang on and pick up the win and the $900 payday. The win was Lambert's 1st career win at the Bird. Connor, McCann, Curt Bish, and Dennis Curry Jr. completed the top 5. Connor, McCann, and Lambert won the heat races.
 
The Srock Contracting Super Late Models took to the track next with Kenny Schaffer and Paul Kot leading a stout field of 16 cars to the green flag for their 25-lap feature event. After a quick caution on the initial start, Schaffer was able to edge out to the lead on the restart and lead lap 1 by a nose over Kot and newcomer Jon Lee. On lap 2, Kot was able to work to the inside of Schaffer in turns 1 and 2 and make the pass to take the race lead. Kot began to check out on Schaffer, Lee, and the rest of the field over the next several laps. At the halfway point on lap 13, it remained Kot out front with Schaffer and Lee following behind. A few laps later, on lap 16, Lee was able to close in on and pass Schaffer to move into second. The race stayed under green flag conditions all the way until lap 22 when the lone caution flag of the race was displayed for a spin in turn 4. Lee gave it his all on the restart and throughout the final few laps, but it was not enough as Kot led 24 of the 25 laps on his way to taking his first trip to Dunlap Lawn & Garden Equipment Victory Lane this season. The win was Kot's 40th career win in a Late Model at the Speedway. The top 5 was completed by: Lee, Schaffer, Denny Fenton, and John Weaver. Schaffer, Kot, and Lee won the heat races.
 
Josh Fields and newcomer Jack Brenner led the Pure Stocks trackside for their 15-lap feature race. Fields pulled out to the early lead on the start and would lead the opening lap over Brenner and another newcomer Luke Vrana. The first six laps of the race were completed caution-free before two cautions in a row on lap 6. On the restart following the cautions, it was Fields continuing to pace the field with Brenner and Vrana following behind. At halfway on lap 8, Fields was leading the way over Brenner, Vrana, and the rest of the field. The caution flag was displayed once again later that lap for a spin in turn 2. The race went green from lap 9 to lap 13 when another caution flag was thrown for a spin in turn 2. On the restart following that caution, Vrana was caught up in a wreck in turn 2 battling with Challingsworth for the third position which moved Brent Lee, who was also making his first visit to the track this season, into third for the restart. Lap 14 was completed on the restart before another wreck, this time in turns 3 and 4. The race was deemed official with 14 of the 15 laps completed due to the race reaching its time limit. Fields crossed the line taking the yellow and checkered flags together, making it two-in-a-row to open the season at Hummingbird. The win was Fields' division leading 42nd career Pure Stock victory at the track. Fields was followed by: Brenner, Lee, Devin Dickey, and Ashley Kilhoffer. Fields, Brenner, and Vrana won the heat races.
 
The penultimate event of the evening were the Four-Cylinders which took to the track with a full-field of 25 cars to take the green flag for their 15-lap main. Joe Huber and William Kephart, both making their first visits of the season, made up the front row. Huber got out to the lead on the start and led lap 1 over Kephart and another newcomer Matt Knight. The top two swapped the lead back and forth over the course of the first couple laps before a caution for a wreck in turns 3 and 4. On the restart, it was Huber leading the way over Kephart and Knight. On lap 3, Kephart was able to get to the inside of Huber and take the race lead. Then, on lap 4, Knight was able to work his way past both Huber and Kephart on the outside to move into the top spot. A couple of laps later, on lap 6, Shawn Hadden was able to pass Huber for third momentarily before he spun on the backstretch, giving the position back to Huber. On the restart, it was Knight still leading the way over Kephart and Huber. As the field cross-flags on lap 8, Huber and Kephart were both able to work their way past Knight to move into first and second, respectively. Later that lap, Huber and Kephart got together which caused something to break on the right front of Huber's car, forcing him to stop on the track and bring out another yellow flag. That sent Huber to the pit area and ended his evening. The caution moved Kephart into the race lead with Knight in second and Justin Forsythe in third. On the final restart of the race, Kephart led the way as Forsythe challenged Knight for second. On lap 9, Forsythe looked to the inside of Knight and made the pass to move into the runner-up position. One lap later, Forsythe was able to work his way past Kephart on the low lane to take the lead with 5 laps remaining. Knight and Kephart swapped the second spot back and forth for the final handful of laps with Knight eventually securing second and Kephart third. No one had anything for Forsythe in the final handful of laps as he held on to capture his first Hummingbird Speedway checkered flag. Knight, Kephart, Greg Kiehl, and Garrett Watkins rounded out the top 5. Adam Pletcher, Camden Frantz, Kephart, and Huber won the heat races.
 
Newcomer Kevin Burkhart and Bob Connor led the Economods to green for their 15-lapper to conclude the evening. Connor jumped out to the lead on the start and led the opening lap as Burkhart was passed by both Bob McMillen and another newcomer Kyle Reinwald as they moved into second and third. The top 3 stayed as-is throughout the entirety of the first half of the race as Connor began to check out on the field. At halfway on lap 8, it was Connor continuing to lead the way over McMillen and Reinwald. A few more laps were completed before the first caution of the race for a spin in turns 3 and 4. On the restart, McMillen put the pressure on Connor for the race lead. McMillen kept the pressure on Connor for a couple of laps before McMillen got loose in turns 3 and 4 which allowed Connor to open up a considerable lead. Another lap was completed before another caution flag for a wreck on the frontstretch on the final lap. This set up a green-white-checkered finish along with extending the race to 16 laps with Connor, McMillen, and Reinwald the top 3. Connor led the way on the final restart as Reinwald used the momentum on the highside of turns 1 and 2 to close in on McMillen and make the pass on the inside of turns 3 and 4 to move into the second position coming to take the white flag. No one had anything for Connor as he led from green to checkered enroute to notching his first career Economod victory. The win marked the third different division that Connor has won in at the Bird (Late Model, Pro Stock, & Economod). Reinwald, McMillen, Burkhart, and Brad Curran Jr. completed the top 5. Connor and Burkhart won the heat races.
 
Speedway Notes: 108 cars packed the pit area for the second night of the 2026 racing season. That breaks down to: 14 Semi Late Models, 18 Pro Stocks, 19 Super Late Models, 18 Pure Stocks, 30 Four-Cylinders, and 9 Economods. We will be back in action this coming Saturday, July 18th, with a regular 6-Division Program on the card. The Ken Schaffer Excavating 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 prior to racing getting started. For more information regarding the July 18th racing action and future events, keep it tuned to the track Facebook page @ Hummingbird Speedway and website @ www.hummingbirdspeedway.com for the latest updates. 
 
 
Results:
 
Semi Late Models
1st) #23 B.J. Hudson
2nd) #3xAA Doug Surra
3rd) #51 Brad Benton
4th) #32X Bryan Benton
5th) #28N Nate Smith
6th) #1H Larry Hollenbaugh
7th) #18 Rich Runyan Jr.
8th) #11 Kyle Shannon
9th) #96R Tyler Rougeux
10th) #17G Brady Gallaher
11th) #C22 Mike Blazer
12th) #88 Cory Price
13th) #13 Brandon Marhefka
14th) #16 Nick Botteicher
 
Pro Stocks
1st) #22 Chase Lambert
2nd) #55C Brandon Connor
3rd) #12M Trevor McCann
4th) #29 Curt Bish
5th) #24C Dennis Curry Jr.
6th) #20J Jimmy Fosnaught
7th) #3 Rich Howell
8th) #10R Raven Fuller
9th) #150 Kyle Corah
10th) #104 Allen Lamb
11th) #96 Garrett Bowser
12th) #44 Jim Challingsworth
13th) #37A Jim Bloom
14th) #983 Zack Gustafson
15th) #152S Bill Swaney
16th) #54S Mitch Stiles
17th) #77 Nathan Brady
18th) #28 Fuzzy Fields
 
Srock Contracting Super Late Models
1st) #36 Paul Kot
2nd) #5L Jon Lee
3rd) #13X Kenny Schaffer
4th) #55 Denny Fenton
5th) #W3 John Weaver
6th) #22B Darrell Bossard
7th) #44 Joe Petyak
8th) #03 Doug Eck
9th) #66N Orvis Newcome lll
10th) #6 Matt Martin
11th) #56 Dylan Fenton
12th) #42C Chad Shearer
13th) #96 John Brady
14th) #67 Cody Lucas
15th) #1 Braeden Dillinger
16th) #24J Jon Rohacevich
17th) #27 Michael Lake
18th) #13 Brett Bingaman
19th) #12 Ryan Newman
 
Pure Stocks
1st) #88 Josh Fields
2nd) #77B Jack Brenner
3rd) #215 Brent Lee
4th) #18 Devin Dickey
5th) #50 Ashley Kilhoffer
6th) #79 Devon Trayer
7th) #28 Kaleb Fields
8th) #46 Dustin Challingsworth
9th) #49 George Bailey
10th) #28V Luke Vrana
11th) #37B Caleb Bloom
12th) #56K Renae Meyer
13th) #30K Austin Hugill
14th) #23M Bo Murray
15th) #14C Cody Cassler
16th) #01D Dominic Marchiori
17th) #11 Dave Galore
18th) #55X Andy Frey
 
Four-Cylinders
1st) #F6 Justin Forsythe
2nd) #71 Matt Knight
3rd) #007 William Kephart
4th) #13X Greg Kiehl
5th) #50 Garrett Watkins
6th) #THE99 Scott Robison
7th) #007J Jimmy Ogden
8th) #11L Chad Lidwell
9th) #64K Mike Phillipson
10th) #37M Zach Lennox
11th) #02W Josh Whetstone
12th) #D10 Kevin Dotten
13th) #64E Isaac Exley
14th) #15S Greg Snell
15th) #87M Matt Mitchell
16th) #8H Joe Huber
17th) #44B Bruce Long
18th) #358 Jace Frantz
19th) #3H Shawn Hadden
20th) #13X Adam Pletcher
21st) #4T1 Allen Robison
22nd) #23 Brett Hanley
23rd) #11H Gerald Hudson
24th) #778 Duane Hinderliter
25th) #29L Josh Lindenmuth
26th) #158 Camden Frantz
 
DNQ: Mike Kelley, David Seibert, Brad Long, and Jim Boyer
 
Economods
1st) #818 Bob Connor
2nd) #46 Kyle Reinwald
3rd) #50 Bob McMillen
4th) #7 Kevin Burkhart
5th) #C17 Brad Curran Jr.
6th) #12B Ed Robley
7th) #X Mark Bell
8th) #777 Justin Lapcevich
9th) #923 Shane Wilson