By: Steven Curry – Race Reporter
Reynoldsville- Fans and drivers were welcomed back to Hummingbird Speedway on Saturday night for the fourth night of racing action in 2020. It was a special night both on and off the track as the Economods and Young Guns Jr Sprints joined our regular 5-division program and we celebrated our track owner Louie Caltagarone’s 92nd birthday. It was also Fan Appreciation Night at the track with all of the kids getting bags of treats. It was the Economods first-ever trip to the Bird and the Young Guns Jr Sprints second visit. The night also saw Jake Valasek make his racing debut in the Pure Stock division. Jake was born with cerebral palsy and his racecar was custom made so he can run it exclusively with his hands. Feature winners on the night included: Sam Darby in the Young Guns Jr Sprints – Open Class, Garrett Davenport in the Young Guns Jr Sprints – Stock Class, Jeremy Double in the Close Racing Supply Economods, Doug Eck in the BWP Bats Super Late Models, Bill Mumau in the Sunny 106.5 FM Pure Stocks, Blake Joiner in the Lockwood Processing Four-Cylinders, Nick Erskine in the Swanson Heavy Duty Truck Repair Semi Late Models, and Zack Gustafson in the Cypress Clock and Gift Shop Street Stocks. Mumau’s win was the first of his career.
Colten McAndrew and Evan Darby led the Young Guns Jr Sprints – Open Class to the track to kick off the feature racing action with their 12-lap feature event. Evan Darby jumped out to the lead on the initial start and brought his brother Sam Darby with him as they moved into first and second in front of McAndrew. In turns 3 and 4 of the opening lap, Sam Darby went to the high side of his brother and completed the pass for the lead. Sam Darby turned the jets on after getting the lead as he broke his own track record several times and, at one point, ran laps that were faster than our Four-Cylinder division. Sam continued to extend his lead over his brother and Colten McAndrew as the race reached its halfway point. The lead grew to about a straightaway with just a few laps to go as Sam continued to click off those blistering fast laps. Sam Darby held on in the remaining few laps on his way to picking up his first win at Hummingbird in 2020. Darby was followed by: 2) Evan Darby 3) Colten McAndrew. DNS: Kalen Jackson. Sam Darby won the heat race.
The Young Guns Jr Sprints – Stock Class were next to the track with Garrett Davenport and Logen Lockhart leading the field to the opening green flag of their 10-lap feature race. Davenport jumped out to the advantage on the start as Mason McAndrew challenged Lockhart for the second spot. Davenport led the opening lap with Lockhart and McAndrew in second and third respectively. The top three remained unchanged as the race reached its halfway mark. Davenport began to extend his lead just a bit over Lockhart and McAndrew as the laps continued to click away. Davenport went unchallenged the rest of the way enroute to also capturing his first checkered flag at Hummingbird this year. Davenport was followed by: 2) Logen Lockhart 3) Mason McAndrew 4) Brayden Beatty 5) Adam Presnar 6) Logan Jackson 7) Grady Rinehart. DNS: David Coley. Davenport won the heat race.
Dustin Demattia and Jeremy Double led the Close Racing Supply Economods trackside for their first-ever, 20-lap feature event at Hummingbird. Demattia jumped out to the lead on the opening green flag but was passed by Double in turns 3 and 4 of the opening lap. One lap was completed before a caution for a wreck in turns 1 and 2 setup the first restart of the race. On the restart, Double jumped out to the advantage over Demattia and Mitchell Wright. On lap 4, Nate Young worked his way around Wright to move into the third position behind Double and Demattia. The race stayed green for another couple of laps until a caution for a spin in turn 4 brought about another restart. On the ensuing restart, Double pulled out to the lead once again over Demattia and Young. On lap 9, Young worked past Demattia to take the second spot. Double led the field to the halfway point just before another caution flag came out, this time for a spin in turn 1. After another quick caution flag, the race saw its final restart. On the final restart of the race, it was Double leading the way followed by Young and Wright, who just took the third spot on the restart. Double would be challenged by Young for the lead several times in the closing laps but it was not enough as Double held on to pick up the win in our inaugural Economod race at the Bird. Double was followed by: 2) Nate Young 3) Mitchell Wright 4) Andy Buckley 5) Dustin Demattia 6) Jarett Young 7) Adam Peterson 8) Dan McEwen 9) Gary Sullivan 10) Brian Toto. Demattia and Double won the heat races.
The BWP Bats Super Late Models were next to the track with Doug Eck and Gale Huey leading the field to the green flag of their 25-lap feature event. Eck jumped out to the lead on the start over Paul Kot and Huey. A number of caution flags plagued the early stages of the race and kept the top 3 unchanged. After all of the caution flags, on lap 6, Mike Wonderling worked his way around Huey for the third spot behind the two leaders. Another couple of caution flags came out before the race saw its first extended green flag run. Eck jumped out to the advantage over Kot and Wonderling on the restart entering the extended green flag run. Eck was challenged by Kot a few times on the high side as the race neared its halfway mark. On lap 10, Jeremy Wonderling got past Mike Wonderling to move into third behind the leaders. Eck received a few more challenges from Kot before extending his lead over the field. Lap traffic allowed Kot to begin to close back in on Eck with just a handful of laps remaining. He was not able to get close enough though as Eck held on to capture his second checkered flag of the year. Eck was followed by: 2) Paul Kot 3) Jeremy Wonderling 4) Mike Wonderling 5) Kenny Schaffer 6) Jeremy Ohl 7) Larry Hollenbaugh 8) Orvis Newcome lll 9) Tom Jobe 10) Jerry Redden 11) Gale Huey 12) Ryan Claycomb 13) Brian Molnar 14) Garrett Mott 15) Dan Smeal. DNS: Jason Dobson, Steven Scaife. Kot, Huey, and Eck won the heat races.
Bill Mumau and Tim Powell led the Sunny 106.5 FM Pure Stocks trackside for their 15-lap feature race. Mumau jumped out to the lead on the initial start with Josh Fields second and Powell third. Mumau began to extend his lead over Fields and the rest of the field. On lap 7, Tim Steis worked his way around Powell to move into the third spot. The race then reached its halfway point one lap later with Mumau, Fields, and Steis the top 3. Mumau continued to pace the field until a caution for a spin in turn 2 with just three laps to go setup the one and only restart of the race. On the restart, Mumau jumped out to the advantage as Steis challenged Fields for second. On lap 13, Steis completed the pass around Fields to move into the second spot behind Mumau. Steis closed in on Mumau in the final couple of laps but Mumau held on to notch his first win of his career. Mumau was followed by: 2) Tim Steis 3) Josh Fields 4) Dennis Harrison Jr. 5) Tim Powell 6) Casey Wolfe 7) Justin Watt 8) Makinna Pearce 9) Jake Valasek 10) Wayne Garvey 11) Matt Kennelly 12) Ben Ecelberger 13) Shawn Hadden. DNS: Jenna Pfaff. Harrison Jr. and Steis won the heat races.
The Lockwood Processing Four-Cylinders were next to the track with Joe Anthony and Wayne Truitt leading the field to the green flag of their 15-lap feature event. Anthony led the opening lap with Truitt second and Dave Smail third. Truitt snagged the lead from his teammate on lap 2 just before a caution flag came out for a stopped car on the backstretch. On the restart, both Smail and Blake Joiner worked their way around Anthony to move into second and third respectively. On lap 4, a mechanical failure on Truitt’s car moved Smail to the lead followed by Joiner and Anthony. On the ensuing restart, it was Smail over Joiner and Anthony. On lap 6, Ben Lehane got past Anthony to move into the third position. Then, on lap 7, Joiner used the low line to his advantage to pass Smail and move into the top spot. On lap 10, Cody Cassler worked his way by Lehane to move into third. A caution on lap 11 would setup one final restart in the race. On the final restart, Joiner jumped out to the lead with Smail and Cassler following behind. On lap 12, Anthony worked his way back around Cassler to move into the third spot. Joiner went unchallenged in the remaining three laps enroute to his second win in as many weeks at the Bird. Joiner was followed by: 2) Dave Smail 3) Joe Anthony 4) Cody Cassler 5) Ricky Nelson 6) Ben Lehane 7) Ryan McCanna 8) Jim Boyer 9) Travis Timko 10) Ashton Daughenbaugh 11) Wayne Truitt 12) Justin Finland 13) Shawn Hadden. DNS: Garrett McKinney. Truitt and Anthony won the heat races.
Nick Erskine and Nathan Smith led the Swanson Heavy Duty Truck Repair Semi Late Models trackside for their 20-lap feature race. Smith pulled out to the lead on the initial start over Erskine and Eddie Connor. Only one lap was completed before a caution for a spin on the frontstretch setup the first restart of the race. On the restart, Doug Surra was able to use the low line to his advantage and get past Connor for the third position. The race stayed green for the next handful of laps until a caution for a spin in turns 1 and 2 on lap 6 or 7 brought about another restart. After a couple more quick caution flags in which only one lap was completed, the race saw another extended green flag run. On the following restart, Erskine began to challenge Smith for the lead on the inside as the race reached its halfway mark. On lap 11, Erskine made the low line work and pulled a half-car length ahead of Smith to lead his first lap of the race. Erskine completed the pass for the lead a couple of laps later. On lap 14, a caution for a spin in turn 2 setup another restart. Erskine jumped out to the lead on the ensuing restart with Smith and Surra following behind. Erskine maintained the lead over the field until a caution for a spin in turn 2 brought about one final restart. On the green-white-checker restart, Erskine jumped out to the point over Smith and Surra. Erskine went untouched in the final couple of laps on his way to capturing his second checkered flag of the season. Erskine was followed by: 2) Nathan Smith 3) Doug Surra 4) Eddie Connor 5) Bob McMillen 6) Nick Fulmer 7) Jack Sarnovsky 8) Vern Ward 9) Kevin Geist 10) Joe Loffredo 11) Paul Ivory 12) Rick Strong 13) Gabe Shaffer 14) Austin Getch 15) Jim Challingsworth 16) Jim Decker. DNS: Nick Loffredo. Ivory, Connor, and Surra won the heat races.
The Cypress Clock & Gift Shop Street Stocks capped off the feature racing action with Bruce Hartzfeld and Zack Gustafson leading the field to the green flag of their 20-lap main. Gustafson jumped out to the lead on the initial start over Hartzfeld and Brandon Connor. A caution for a stopped car in turn 3 on lap 4 setup the first restart of the race. Gustafson maintained the top spot on the restart over Hartzfeld and Connor. The race stayed green for a few more laps until a caution for a spin in turns 3 and 4 brought about another restart. A couple more quick caution flags kept the field close as only one lap was completed through them. On the restart following the cautions, Gustafson jumped out to the point once again as Connor challenged Hartzfeld for the second position. Gustafson led the way as the race reached its halfway point. On lap 12, Connor was able to work his way past Hartzfeld to move into second. That happened just before another caution flag came out for a stopped car in turn 1. A couple more caution flags came out the rest of the way but none of them phased Gustafson as he held on to pickup his first win of the season. Gustafson was followed by: 2) Brandon Connor 3) Bruce Hartzfeld 4) Fuzzy Fields 5) Matt Sampson 6) Jim Bloom 7) Pernell Beimel 8) Brian Fabiano 9) Trevor McCann 10) Jamie Colwell 11) Dustin Challingsworth 12) Cory Wolfe. Gustafson and Hartzfeld won the heat races.
Speedway Notes: 98 cars packed the pits for Night #4 of the 2020 season. Next Saturday will feature a Regular 5-Division Program with Super Lates, Street/Pro Stocks, Semi Lates, Pure Stocks, and Four Cylinders on the card. It will be “Topless Night” at the track with all classes EXCEPT the Four-Cylinders permitted to run “Topless”. Gates open at 4:00 with racing beginning at 7:00. 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 and Twitter.
Results:
Young Guns Jr Sprints – Open Class
1st) #8 Sam Darby
2nd) #6 Evan Darby
3rd) #24 Colten McAndrew
4th) #789 Kalen Jackson DNS
Young Guns Jr Sprints – Stock Class
1st) #8G Garrett Davenport
2nd) #58 Logen Lockhart
3rd) #14 Mason McAndrew
4th) #B4 Brayden Beatty
5th) #23 Adam Presnar
6th) #95 Logan Jackson
7th) #5 Grady Rinehart
8th) #4 David Coley DNS
Close Racing Supply Economods
1st) #83 Jeremy Double
2nd) #42 Nate Young
3rd) #M1 Mitchell Wright
4th) #965 Andy Buckley
5th) #77D Dustin Demattia
6th) #21 Jarett Young
7th) #05 Adam Peterson
8th) #44 Dan McEwen
9th) #47S Gary Sullivan
10th) #8B Brian Toto DNF
BWP Bats Super Late Models
1st) #20 Doug Eck
2nd) #36 Paul Kot
3rd) #3J Jeremy Wonderling
4th) #18 Mike Wonderling
5th) #13X Kenny Schaffer
6th) #5J Jeremy Ohl
7th) #1H Larry Hollenbaugh
8th) #66N Orvis Newcome lll
9th) #96 Tom Jobe DNF
10th) #5R Jerry Redden DNF
11th) #11H Gale Huey DNF
12th) #7C Ryan Claycomb DNF
13th) #78 Brian Molnar DNF
14th) #43X Garrett Mott DNF
15th) #44S Dan Smeal DNF
16th) #75 Jason Dobson DNS
17th) #7S Steven Scaife DNS
Sunny 106.5 FM Pure Stocks
1st) #871 Bill Mumau
2nd) #34 Tim Steis
3rd) #88 Josh Fields
4th) #42H Dennis Harrison Jr.
5th) #3 Tim Powell
6th) #6/2P Casey Wolfe
7th) #00 Justin Watt
8th) #01P Makinna Pearce
9th) #121 Jake Valasek DNF
10th) #72G Wayne Garvey DNF
11th) #01 Matt Kennelly DNF
12th) #113 Ben Ecelberger
13th) #3H Shawn Hadden DNF
14th) #33 Jenna Pfaff DNS
Lockwood Processing Four-Cylinders
1st) #569 Blake Joiner
2nd) #81S Dave Smail
3rd) #55 Joe Anthony
4th) #14 Cody Cassler
5th) #4N Ricky Nelson
6th) #1 Ben Lehane DNF
7th) #21R Ryan McCanna
8th) #11 Jim Boyer
9th) #910 Travis Timko DNF
10th) #44D Ashton Daughenbaugh DNF
11th) #54 Wayne Truitt DNF
12th) #56 Justin Finland DNF
13th) #3H Shawn Hadden DNF
14th) #21G Garrett McKinney DNS
Swanson Heavy Duty Truck Repair Semi Late Models
1st) #5X Nick Erskine
2nd) #13 Nathan Smith
3rd) #3xAA Doug Surra
4th) #27C Eddie Connor
5th) #50 Bob McMillen
6th) #2F Nick Fulmer
7th) #16 Jack Sarnovsky
8th) #67 Vern Ward
9th) #135 Kevin Geist
10th) #9J Joe Loffredo
11th) #00 Paul Ivory DNF
12th) #17R Rick Strong DNF
13th) #28S Gabe Shaffer DNF
14th) #71A Austin Getch DNF
15th) #44 Jim Challingsworth DNF
16th) #79D Jim Decker DNF
17th) #9N Nick Loffredo DNS
18th) #11 Kyle Shannon DNS
19th) #10R Raven Fuller DNS
Cypress Clock & Gift Shop Street Stocks
1st) #983 Zack Gustafson
2nd) #55 Brandon Connor
3rd) #101 Bruce Hartzfeld
4th) #28 Fuzzy Fields
5th) #17S Matt Sampson
6th) #37A Jim Bloom
7th) #43 Pernell Beimel
8th) #35 Brian Fabiano
9th) #12M Trevor McCann DNF
10th) #54J Jamie Colwell DNF
11th) #46 Dustin Challingsworth DNF
12th) #147 Cory Wolfe DNF