THE END OF AN ERA: SHAGLA, SURRA, SCHAFFER, ELENSKY, HARTZFELD, FIELDS, AND HADDEN ARE FINAL WINNERS AT HUMMINGBIRD SPEEDWAY AS TRACK CLOSES
For Immediate Release
Saturday, August 24, 2024
By: Dave Resinger
Hummingbird Speedway held their final event Saturday night as the following morning an announcement was made that the track would cease operations and end the 2024 racing season with future plans unknown. Winners were Dave Shagla in the Economods, Doug Surra in the Away From Home Pet Resort Semi Lates, Ken Schaffer in the Srock Contracting Super Late Models, Verlee Elensky in the Day Spa Tan Powderpuffs, Bruce Hartzfeld in the Virgile Iron & Steel Pro Stocks, Josh Fields in the Scaife Automotive & Repair Pure Stocks, and Shawn Hadden in the Brooks Services 4-Cylinders.
It was Fan Appreciation Night and following preliminary qualifying heat races, racecars were parked on the track surface and fans permitted to go see their favorite drivers and “mingle”. It’s always a great time for fans both young and old and this night was no exception.
Then it was time for feature action. The Economod class was first to take to the track. Bob McMillen and Orin Taylor made up the front row to lead the field to flagman Earl Jackson’s green flag. McMillen led the first lap before a caution flew for one of the infield tires having been bumped onto the racing surface. On the restart Dave Shagla was able to take the lead and then began pulling away. Shawn Lindemuth was on the move from his 6th place starting position and by lap 6 he was pressuring McMillen for second. Shagla continued to stretch his lead out. A lap 14 caution bunched the field back up and, on the restart, McMillen got loose and Lindemuth made contact in turn two. Lindemuth was sent to the rear. When the racing resumed, Shagla pulled away again with the next few spots up for grabs. In the end it was Shagla, Steve Simon, Nate Fleck, Lindemuth, and McMillen. Shagla won the lone heat race.
Next up were the Away From Home Pet Resort Semi Lates. Gary Little and Nick Loffredo were on the front row; but at the drop of the green flag Ed Connor charged into the lead. It was short lived, however, as a mechanical failure sent him to the pits on lap 4. Little inherited the lead, followed by Doug Surra, Loffredo, Dan Smeal, and B.J. Hudson. Surra got around Little just before the halfway point of the 20-lap event and never looked back. At the end it was Surra, Little, Smeal, Hudson, and Joe Loffredo. Surra’s win was his sixth on the season and fourth in a row. Heat winners were Connor and Surra.
Ken Schaffer and Paul Kot brought the Srock Contracting Super Late Models trackside for their 25-lap A-main. Prior to the starting of the event, the inside row dropped back and left the pole position open in the “Missing Man” Formation in memory of late model star Scott Bloomquist, who tragically lost his life in a plane accident recently. When the green flag flew, Schaffer took the lead . By lap ten the leaders were in lapped traffic and Tyler Wyant challenged Schaffer for the lead. Schaffer prevailed and with five laps to go it was Schaffer, Wyant, Kot, Dylan Fenton, and Bill Davis. When the checkers flew they stayed in the same order and there were only 4 cars remaining on the lead lap. Wyant and Kot copped the heat race wins.
Now it was time for the Day Spa Tan Powderpuff series with April Bambarger and Carlee Lindemuth on the front row. Lindemuth had the early lead, but only for a few laps before Verlee Elensky took it away. A caution on lap three brought the field back together and sent several competitors to the pits. At the halfway point Elensky continued to lead, followed by Janna Kiehl, Melissa Rock, Brenda Snell, and K.C. Dunkle. In the end it was Elensky taking the win, followed by Snell, Rock, Kiehl, and Dunkle.
Josh Bloom, subbing for his father, popular driver Jim “Animal” Bloom (who was injured recently), started on the pole of the Virgile Iron & Steel Pro Stock feature. To his outside was Allen Lamb. At the drop of the green flag, Bloom took the lead and held it for the first two laps before an accident involving the top three cars – Bloom, Bob Connor, and Bruce Hartzfeld – in turn two. Connor and Bloom pitted, with Hartzfeld now the leader. He was the class of the field for the remainder of the event, as no one else had anything for him. The battle was for second, with Lamb holding off Jim Challingsworth, Fuzzy Fields, and Kyle Corah, who rounded out the top five. Heat wins went to Hartzfeld and Connor.
A 16-car field of Scaife Automotive Pure Stocks took to the track for their feature, led by Wayne Truitt and Cody Cassler. Josh Fields wasted no time in taking the lead early. He was challenged by Tim Steis, and just a few laps in those two, along with Dustin Challingsworth began to pull away from the rest of the field. Steis was forced to pit with a mechanical issue, and several early cautions slowed the pace. At the halfway point it was still Fields showing the way, followed by Challingsworth Lester Hudson, Cassler, and Mitch Stiles. Challingsworth caught Fields near the end but couldn’t get around him and Fields went on to win. Challingsworth Cassler, Stiles, and Caleb Bloom followed him across the line. Heat race winners were Bloom, Challingsworth, and Fields.
The final event of the evening was the Brooks Service 4-Cylinder feature, with 21 cars making the call. Shawn Hadden and Greg Snell made up the front row and Hadden took the early lead. Camden Frantz took over second but couldn’t catch Hadden. He soon had to worry about holding onto second while being chased by his father, Josh Frantz. Josh passed his son and set his sights on the leader (Hadden). He was reeling him in until he went high in turn three on lap 12 and took a violent flip bringing out the red flag. Josh was unhurt and, upon Camden moving back into second right behind Hadden, tried again to take the win away. But Hadden was too strong and hung on for the victory. Camden Frantz was second, then Allen Robison, Snell, and Cory Price. Heat race wins went to Hadden, Snell, and Camden Frantz.
News broke the following day that the remainder of the racing season was suspended. Plans are being made for the annual outdoor awards banquet at the track on October 20th. Watch the track’s website, www.hummingbirdspeedway.com, or Facebook page for more details.
RESULTS
ECONOMODS
1. #6 – Dave Shagla
2. #1S – Steve Simon
3. #71 – Nate Fleck
4. #54 – Shawn Lindemuth
5. #50 – Bob McMillen
6. #1C – Chris Myers
7. #29L – Johnny Lindenpitz
8. #21T – Orin Taylor
AWAY ROM HOME PET RESORT SEMI LATES
1. #3xAA – Doug Surra
2. #69 – Gary Little
3. #44 – Dan Smeal
4. #23 – B. J. Hudson
5. #9J – Joe Loffredo
6. #9N – Nick Loffredo
7. #3H – Shawn Hadden
8. #60 – Jeremy Lippert
9. #47 – Adam Nixon
10. #17 – Deegan Watt
11. #27C – Ed Connor
12. #X47 – Nathan Brady
SROCK CONTRACTING SUPER LATE MODELS
1. #13X – Ken Schaffer
2. #24 – Tyler Wyant
3. #36 – Paul Kot
4. #56 – Dylan Fenton
5. #3D – Bill Davis
6. #42 – Daryl Charlier
7. #27T – Tony White
8. #75 – Dennis Curry
9. #96 – John Brady
10. #25 – Andrew Gordon
DAY SPA TAN POWDERPUFFS
1. #5 – Verlee Elensky
2. #15S – Brenda Snell
3. #4T1 – Melissa Rock
4. #73 – Janna Kiehl
5. #29L – K. C. Dunkle
6. #4T – April Bambarger
7. #414 – Carlee Lindemuth
8. #1 – Olivia Lehane
9. (DNS) #13H – Tessa Hadden
VIRGILE IRON & STEEL PRO STOCKS
1. #101 – Bruce Hartzfeld
2. #104 – Allen Lamb
3. #44 – Jim Challingsworth
4. #28 – Fuzzy Fields
5. #152 – Kyle Corah
6. #60 – Sheddy Graham
7. #19 – Devin Dickey
8. #43 – Pernell Beimel
9. #37A – Josh Bloom
10. #818 – Bob Connor
SCAIFE’S AUTOMOTIVE & REPAIT PURE STOCKS
1. #88 – Josh Fields
2. #46 – Dustin Challingsworth
3. #14C – Cody Cassler
4. #54S – Mitch Stiles
5. #37B – Caleb Bloom
6. #50 – Ashley Kilhoffer
7. #211 – Casey Wolfe
8. #55X – Andrew Frey
9. #56K – Renae Myer
10. #24 – Lester Hudson
11. #4N – Kimberl Nelson
12. #97W – Cody Wolfe
13. #33 – Jenna Pfaff
14. #34 – Tim Steis
15. #54 – Wayne Truitt
16. #299 – Shane Smith
17. (DNS) - #14 – Paul Metz Jr.
18. (DNS) #6 – Greg Kiehl
19. (DNS) #150 – Kurt Corah
BROOKS SERVICES 4-CYLINDERS
1. #3H – Shawn Hadden
2. #158 – Camden Frantz
3. #4T – Allen Robison
4. #15S – Greg Snell
5. #88 – Cory Price
6. #916 – Samuel Regitz
7. #4T1 – Scott Robison
8. #64E – Isaac Exley
9. #850A – Bryun Hackenberg
10. #57 – Jason Elensky
11. #29L – Josh Lindemuth
12. #22A – Austin Beamer
13. #73 – Greg Kiehl
14. #44B – Bruce Long
15. #96B – Hunter Flook
16. #6L – Eric Luzier
17. #21B – Nevaeh Helsel
18. #113 – josh Frantz
19. #910 – Travis Timko
20. #79 – Devon Trayer
21. #8F – Sam Fye
22. (DNS) #1 – Ben Lehane