7.28.23 Bedford Speedway Results
Making an infrequent appearance at the track, Coleby Frye dominated the Great Bedford Fair Late Model event at the track Friday night. In the event, run in honor of late Bedford car builder and racer Gary Martz, Frye completely dominated, at one point holding almost a half lap lead, in scoring his 7th career Bedford win but his first since August 2017.
In other action in front of the huge Fair week crowd, Nick Bechtel took the Semi Late win, Jason Hafferty survived a last lap scare to win the Pure Stock event and Colin Welsh, back in his own car, took the 4 Cylinder victory.
By the luck of the draw in the pill draw event, Coleby Frye started up front in the 30 lap special Late model event. He took off at the start and never looked back. Chuck Clise gamely chased Frye at the front while heavy hitters Jeff Rine, Bryan Bernheisel and Kyle Lee worked their way forward from the pack.
Those three swapped positions among themselves as they worked their way toward the front as Frye distanced everybody. After a quick early caution, the field ran off 12 consecutive green flag laps during which Frye pulled out to a massive lead over Clise. That caution and another on lap 19 closed the field on Frye but he skittered away on both restarst.
Bernheisel, after a dazzling move in lapped traffic to get by Lee, found himself in third and set out challengingClise while Rine and Lee swapped fouth back and forth. Bernheisel’s persistance paid off as he got by Clise on lap 26 for second, but again Frye was far ahead.
Lee and Rine caught Clise be fell short of taking his spot over the last few laps. At the finish it was Frye followed by Bernheisel, Clise, Lee and Rine. Bryan Bernheisel and Frye won the heats.
The Semi Late 15 lapper turned out to be a cautionfest It took three tries to get underway and five more cautions in the first six laps interrupted the event. Through it all young Bradlee Means held the lead, holding off huge challenges from both Nick Bechtel and Rick Potter. They alternated threatening Means who never wilted under pressure.
But Mears fine run ended as his car sputtered on lap 13. Potter, running too close impacted the wounded zero car, forcing both to retire and handing the lead to Bechtel. Bechtel held on for the last two laps to score the win chased across the line by Kyle We Weyant, Greg Hainsey, Brian Weyandt and Bob Jay, who ran down the lead group from 11th. Bechtel, Means and Dave Brown won the heats.
Jason Haggerty was the early Pure Stock leader but he was in peril from the start as the race featured a five car pack at the front. The next four cars jostled for the position of challenging Haggerty but all fell short. Kyle Beckett was Haggerty’s most persistent challenger and actually drew alongside several times but Haggerty fought off every effort.
With three laps to go, Denver Dishong, who had floated around in that gruop from third to sixth and back, found a second wind and zipped Beckett for second. Over the last two laps he ran Haggerty down, pulling alongside on the last lap. But with the cars side by side coming off turn 4 for the finish, Dishong spun ending the thrilling charge.
Haggerty then held on for the one lap shootout, holding off Beckett, Dalton Weyant, Dalton Ritchey and Derek Hinish. Dishong passed his way back to 7th at the end. Hinish and Weyant won the heats.
The 4 Cylinder finale was its usual wild event, Todd Price was the early leader of the mob, but when his car got sick and slowed, Colin Welsh, back in his own 50 car, took over and held off all threats. Derel Long took second ahead of Shawn Smith, Wayne Brenize and Josh Corbin. Brenize and Long won the heats.
LATE MODEL 30 LAPS Colbt Frye, Bryan Bernheisel, Chuck Clise, Kyle Lee, Jeff Rine, Jim Bernheisel, Devin Weyandt, Bryan Booze, Jeff Miller, Matt Sponaugle, Tim Smith, Larry Neiderer, Joey Hoffer, Danny Snyder, Chubby Childers, Travis Stickley, Wayne Johnson, Nathan Lasalle, RJ Dalape
SEMI LATE 15 LAPS Nick Bechtel, Kyle Weyandt, Greg Hainsey, Brian Weyandt J, Bob Jay, Josh Gustaf, Anthony Fama, Josh Bumberger, Jeremy Fama, Bradlee Means, Laura Reilly, Rick Potter, Andrew Slough, Bob Torquato, Travis Calhoun, Kyle Deneen, Brandon Grubb, Cale Martin, Tony Catlett, Zach Frost, Dillon Isenburg, John Miller, Bill Replogle, DNS Dalton Weyant, Dave Brown, Chuch Renner,
PURE STOCK 15 LAPS Jason Haggerty, Kyle Beckett, Dalton Weyant, Dalton Ritchey, Derek Hinish, Barry Weyandt, Denver Dishong, Chuck Clise, John Reyan, Mark Shore, Madison Miller, Tom Lewis, Alec Browell, Mason Replogle, Franklin Foor, Brad Bookwalter, Jay Talley, Shawn Fessler, Todd Woodward, Barry Clark, David Horing, Cody Jarvie,
4 CYLINDER 12 LAPS Colin Welsh, Derek Long, Shawn Smith, Wayne Brenize, Josh Corbin, Dominic Heeter Tom Brady, Isaac Komarski, Steve Delozier, Brandon Brown, Dwayne Wotring, Jimmy Delozier, Martin Mosgrove, Morgan Price, Rusty Martin, Neveah Helsel, Todd Price, Austin Burt, Mark Kauffman, Jeff Marlett, Brad Marker, Bryan Wright, DNS Joe May, Richard Athey, Darrin Chesney.