Kot Makes It Three Straight At The Bird
For Immediate Release
Saturday, July 9th, 2022
By: Steven Curry - Race Reporter
 
Reynoldsville- A beautiful early July evening greeted fans, drivers, and teams from throughout the region back to Hummingbird Speedway on Saturday night for Mid-Season Championship Night. Double points were awarded in all six of our divisions. The #36 of Paul Kot made it three wins in a row and his fifth in six races in the Carns Powersports/Mountain Extreme Super Late Models for his 29th career win in the division at the track. With his third straight victory, one of Paul's sponsors, Srock Contracting, has put up a $250 bounty to anyone that can beat him and end the win streak. It will start at $250, and then $50 will be added each week until he is beat. Two other drivers also added to their 2022 win totals at the speedway. In the Sunny 106 Four-Cylinders, it was the #569 of Blake Joiner taking his second trip to victory lane this season for his 11th career Four-Cylinder win. In the PA Great Outdoors Visitors Bureau Pure Stocks, it was the #88 of Josh Fields capturing his third checkered flag, giving him 24 career Pure Stock wins at the Bird. The win put Josh just two wins away from tying Doug Surra for the most in division history. Three drivers visited victory lane for the first time this season including: the #101 of Bruce Hartzfeld in the Cypress Clock & Gift Shop Pro Stocks, the #5X of Nick Erskine in the Swanson Heavy Truck Repair Semi Late Models, and the #00 of Mitchell Wright in the Andy Man's Car Care Economods. Hartzfeld's win was his 20th career Pro Stock win at Hummingbird. Erskine's victory gave him 21 career Semi Late Model wins at the Bird which moved into sole possession of first place on the Semi Late win list. The win by Wright was his second career at the track, and he became the 6th different winner in as many races to start the 2022 season in the Economod division. The first Lemonhead Graphics Four-Cylinder PowderPuff race of the season was run at the end of the night with the #22L of Brook Grove picking up the win.
 
The Carns Powersports/Mountain Extreme Super Late Models kicked off the feature racing action with their 25-lap feature. Scott Alvetro and Dylan Fenton led the field to the opening green flag. After a quick caution flag on the start, it was Dylan Fenton out to the lead over Alvetro and Dwayne Brooks. Dylan Fenton led lap one over Alvetro and Brooks. On lap 2, Paul Kot used the lowside to his advantage to make the pass on Brooks for third. The race stayed green for another couple of laps before a caution for Alvetro spinning in turns 3 and 4 on lap 4 set up another restart. The spin moved Kot and Brooks into second and third respectively for the restart. On the restart, Dylan Fenton jumped out to the lead with Kot and Brooks following behind. Three more laps were completed before the caution flag was displayed for ultimately the final time for a wreck in turns 1 and 2. Dylan Fenton led Kot, Brooks, and the rest of the field to green on the final restart on lap 7. Dylan Fenton got out to the lead on the restart over Kot and Brooks. At the halfway mark on lap 13, it was Dylan Fenton continuing to lead the way over Kot and Brooks. A couple of laps later, on lap 15, Kyle Knapp worked his way past Brooks for the third position. On lap 18, Dylan Fenton slid up the track in turns 1 and 2 which allowed both Kot and Knapp to get past and move into the front two positions. Knapp was able to get within one car length of Kot in the closing laps as they made their way through lap traffic. That was as close as Knapp got as Kot held on for his third straight win and his fifth in six races so far this season. The win was Kot's 29th career Late Model victory at Hummingbird. Kot was followed by: Knapp, Dylan Fenton, Brooks, Kenny Schaffer, Rich Runyan Jr., Orvis Newcome lll, John Brady, Nathan Brady, Bill Davis, Derek Rodkey, Denny Fenton, Alvetro, Ben Ecelberger, and Joe Loffredo. Alvetro, Dylan Fenton, and Brooks won the heat races.
 
Bruce Hartzfeld and Jim Bloom led the Cypress Clock & Gift Shop Pro Stocks trackside for their 20-lap feature event. Hartzfeld got the lead on the start and led the opening lap over Bloom and Bob Connor. Another lap or two were completed before a caution for a wreck in turn 4 involving Bloom and others, setting up the first restart of the race. The caution moved Connor into second and Zack Gustafson into third for the restart. On the restart, it was Hartzfeld out to the lead over Connor and Gustafson. On lap 5, rebounding from the earlier wreck, Bloom made the pass on Gustafson to reenter the top 3 in the third spot. Then, on lap 7, Bloom made his way around Connor on the inside to take second just before the caution flag was displayed again for a spin in turn 4. On the ensuing restart, it was Hartzfeld still leading the way over Bloom and Connor. At the halfway point on lap 10, it was Hartzfeld out front as Connor made his way around Bloom for second. Bloom had a mechanical issue later that lap which forced him to retire from the race and the caution flag to be displayed for ultimately the final time. The caution moved Brian Fabiano into the third spot for the final restart behind Hartzfeld and Connor. Connor gave it all he had in the second half of the race, but it was to no avail as Hartzfeld cruised to his first victory of the 2022 season at the Bird. Hartzfeld's victory was his 20th career Pro Stock win at the track. Connor, Fabiano, Bloom, Pernell Beimel, Gustafson, Cregen Brady, Joe Stajnrajh, Dale Sheets, and Michael Oakes rounded out the field. Hartzfeld and Bloom won the heat races.
 
The Sunny 106 Four-Cylinders were next to the track with Shawn Hadden and Blake Joiner leading the way for their 15-lap feature race. Hadden and Joiner raced side-by-side for the entirety of the first lap of the race with Joiner edging ahead to lead at the line over Hadden and Travis Timko. Joiner completed the pass on Hadden on lap 2. On lap 3, newcomer Bill McKinney made the pass on Timko for third position behind Joiner and Hadden. Then, on lap 5, Dave Smail used the lowside to work his way around McKinney for the third spot. McKinney took third back from Smail on the highside on lap 6. At halfway on lap 8, it was Joiner continuing to lead the way over Hadden and McKinney. Joiner would go unchallenged the rest of the way enroute to capturing his second checkered flag of the season in a caution-free feature. The win was Joiner's 11th career Four-Cylinder win at the speedway. Joiner was followed by: Hadden, McKinney, Smail, Timko, Austin Lowe, Christina Killinger, Heidi Miller, and Joe Beningo. Hadden and Joiner won the heat races.
 
The two winningest Swanson Heavy Truck Repair Semi Late Model drivers, Nick Erskine and Doug Surra, led the field into the 1/3 mile bullring for their 20-lap main. After a quick caution flag on the start, it was Erskine that jumped out to the lead and led lap one over Surra and Dennis Curry. Erskine began to extend his lead over Surra, Curry, and the rest of the field as the laps began to click away. On lap 7, Kyle Shannon used the inside line to his advantage to make the pass on Curry to move into third behind the leaders. One lap later, on lap 8, a caution for Surra spinning in turns 3 and 4 brought about another restart. The caution moved Shannon and Curry into second and third respectively. One additional lap was completed on the restart before the caution flag was displayed again for a spin in turns 3 and 4. On the restart, it was Erskine out front over Shannon and Curry. At the cross flags on lap 10, it was Erskine still leading the way as Curry made the pass on Shannon for second. Then, on lap 11, both Shannon and Surra made their way around Curry to move into second and third behind Erskine. On lap 13, Surra, rebounding from the earlier spin, made the pass on Shannon to return to the second spot. Another caution flag would come out in the final 7 laps, but it did not phase Erskine as he held on for his first win of the season at Hummingbird. The win was Erskine's 21st career Semi Late victory at the track which currently makes him the winningest driver in the division by one win over Surra. Surra, Shannon, B.J. Hudson, Raven Fuller, Andy Vancuren, Curry, Kyle Corah, Deegen Watt, and Nick Loffredo rounded out the field. Erskine and Surra won the heat races.
 
Mike Anderson and Orin Taylor led the Andy Man's Car Care Economods to the track for their 15-lap feature. One lap was completed through two early caution flags with Anderson out in the lead over Taylor and Bob McMillen. On the restart following the cautions, it was Anderson who had jumped out to the lead as McMillen made the pass on Taylor for the second position. Two laps were completed on the restart, to lap 3, before the caution flag was displayed again for McMillen spinning in turns 1 and 2. The spin moved Taylor back into second and Mitchell Wright into third for the restart. On the ensuing restart, Anderson led the way as Wright was able to get to the outside of Taylor and make the pass to move into second. Taylor took the second spot back the following lap, lap 5. At the halfway mark on lap 8, it was Anderson continuing to lead the way over Taylor and Wright. A couple of more laps were completed before a caution for a spin in turns 1 and 2 set up the final restart of the race. On the final restart, Anderson pulled out to the lead as Wright once again used the highline to make the pass on Taylor for second. On lap 12, Wright used the outside to his advantage to edge ahead of Anderson and take the race lead. Wright completed the pass the following lap and never looked back in the final laps enroute to his first win of the season at the Bird. Wright became the 6th different winner in the Economod division in as many races. Wright was followed by: Anderson, Taylor, Brian Toto, Brad Curran Jr., Dennis Asel, and McMillen. Anderson won the heat race.
 
The PA Great Outdoors Visitors Bureau Pure Stocks took to the track for their 15-lap feature event to conclude the regular program. David Lowe and Josh Fields led the field to the opening green flag. Lowe got out to the lead on the start, but was overtaken by Fields later on the opening lap as Fields led lap one over Lowe and Jake Foradori. After a caution for a wreck on the frontstretch, the second lap of the race was completed on the restart with Fields leading the way over Lowe and Foradori. Dustin Challingsworth made the pass on both Lowe and Foradori to move into second behind Fields on that lap just before the caution flag was out once again. After another quick caution flag, it was Fields out to the lead over Challingsworth and Lowe. On lap 3, Foradori made his way around Lowe to move into third behind the leaders. Another couple of laps were completed, to lap 5, before a caution for a spin in turn 4. A number of caution flags plagued the rest of the race with Fields and Challingsworth holding on to the top two positions. Andy Frey advanced himself to the third position at the halfway point on lap 8 as Foradori had to retire from the race. The cautions did not phase Fields one bit as he drove to his third win of the 2022 season. Fields' win was his 24th career Pure Stock victory at the track which put him two wins behind Doug Surra for the most in the division. Challingsworth, Frey, Josh Bloom, Bruce Hartzfeld Jr., Casy Wolfe, Lowe, Foradori, Ashley Kilhoffer, Jenna Pfaff, Cody Wolfe, and Devin Dickey rounded out the field. Lowe and Fields won the heat races.
 
Speedway Notes: 63 cars were on hand for Mid-Season Championship Night. That breaks down to: 15 Super Late Models, 10 Pro Stocks, 9 Four-Cylinders, 10 Semi Late Models, 7 Economods, and 12 Pure Stocks. There were 5 of the 9 Four-Cylinders that competed in the first Lemonhead Graphics PowderPuff race of the season. We will be back in action this coming Saturday, July 16th, with the second and final visit of 2022 for the BRP Modified Tour. When the tour made their first visit of the season back on June 4th, it was the #25 of Erick Rudolph picking up the win. The "Ground Pounders" always put on a great show when they visit the Bird, and they are sure to again this Saturday. You will not want to miss the best big block modified drivers in the region competing in a 35-lap, $2,500/win race. Also in action on Saturday night will be the Pure Stocks, Super Late Models, Pro Stocks, Semi Late Models, and Four-Cylinders. The Pro Stocks will be running a non-points event due to the 10k/win race at Sharon Speedway. The Economods will have the evening off. 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:
 
Carns Powersports/Mountain Extreme Super Late Models
1st) #36 Paul Kot
2nd) #33K Kyle Knapp
3rd) #56 Dylan Fenton
4th) #1B Dwayne Brooks
5th) #13X Kenny Schaffer
6th) #18 Rich Runyan Jr.
7th) #66N Orvis Newcome lll
8th) #96 John Brady
9th) #77 Nathan Brady
10th) #3-D Bill Davis
11th) #14R Derek Rodkey
12th) #55 Denny Fenton
13th) #64 Scott Alvetro
14th) #113 Ben Ecelberger
15th) #9J Joe Loffredo
 
Cypress Clock & Gift Shop Pro Stocks
1st) #101 Bruce Hartzfeld
2nd) #V2 Bob Connor
3rd) #35 Brian Fabiano
4th) #37A Jim Bloom
5th) #43 Pernell Beimel
6th) #983 Zack Gustafson
7th) #2 Cregen Brady
8th) #04 Joe Stajnrajh
9th) #29 Dale Sheets
10th) #22JR Michael Oakes
 
Sunny 106 Four-Cylinders
1st) #569 Blake Joiner
2nd) #3H Shawn Hadden
3rd) #10 Bill McKinney
4th) #81S Dave Smail
5th) #54 Travis Timko
6th) #22L Austin Lowe
7th) #8K Christina Killinger
8th) #35K Heidi Miller
9th) #21 Joe Beningo
 
Swanson Heavy Truck Repair Semi Late Models
1st) #5X Nick Erskine
2nd) #3xAA Doug Surra
3rd) #11 Kyle Shannon
4th) #23 B.J. Hudson
5th) #10R Raven Fuller
6th) #15 Andy Vancuren
7th) #75 Dennis Curry
8th) #152 Kyle Corah
9th) #17 Deegen Watt
10th) #9N Nick Loffredo
 
Andy Man's Car Care Economods
1st) #00 Mitchell Wright
2nd) #76 Mike Anderson
3rd) #21T Orin Taylor
4th) #8B Brian Toto
5th) #C17 Brad Curran Jr.
6th) #0 Dennis Asel
7th) #50 Bob McMillen
 
PA Great Outdoors Visitors Bureau Pure Stocks
1st) #88 Josh Fields
2nd) #46 Dustin Challingsworth
3rd) #55X Andy Frey
4th) #37B Josh Bloom
5th) #101JR Bruce Hartzfeld Jr.
6th) #6/2P Casey Wolfe
7th) #21 David Lowe
8th) #14 Jake Foradori
9th) #50 Ashley Kilhoffer
10th) #33 Jenna Pfaff
11th) #97W Cody Wolfe
12th) #18 Devin Dickey
 
Lemonhead Graphics PowderPuff 4-Cylinders
1st) #22L Brook Grove
2nd) #3H Tessa Spearing
3rd) #569 Bracie Joiner
4th) #35K Bri Blauser
5th) #10 Wendy McKinney