Logan Wagner Drag Races Hodnett To Win At Port Royal; Claims First For Zemco

Story By: SHAWN BROUSE / PORT ROYAL SPEEDWAY – PORT ROYAL, PA – Logan Wagner scored his first win anywhere for the Zemco No. 1 racing team at Port Royal Speedway on Saturday night by upending Greg Hodnett in thrilling and dramatic fashion for the $3,600 payday after drag racing him down the frontstretch to the finish line on the final lap.

In the 22-lap super late model main, Dover’s Coleby Frye took his first win of the year, holding off a charge by Andy Haus to pick up the win.

The 22-lap econo late model championship race was won by Derick Garman while Bill Powell won his third oval race of they year in the xtreme stock division.

Polesitter Jared Esh zoomed into the lead at the start of the 25-lap 410 sprint car main, circling the high side of the track ahead of Blane Heimbach.

With Heimbach in second, Esh entered lapped traffic on the eighth circuit while Wagner was racing third with Hodnett running fourth.

The first caution flag of the race appeared with 10 laps down when Cale Conley came up with a flat front tire, wiping out Esh’s lead of nearly two seconds.

Hodnett got under Wagner for third on the restart but another yellow bunched the field a lap later.

And on the restart, Wagner returned the favor and reclaimed third from Hodnett while Heimbach took his shots at the leader by throwing his machine deep into the third corner.

Esh was circling the track higher and higher each time and the line finally caught up with him with 11 laps to go when he took a bite into the outside first turn fence, taking himself out of the race.

This gave Heimbach the lead with Wagner and Hodnett following.

Heimbach held sway over the field for the next six laps until Wagner mustered enough speed to bolt by with five laps to go.

And then as Heimbach tried to come back on Wagner, Hodnett also got by for second.

Running the inside line, Hodnett tracked down Wagner with two laps to go and drove underneath for control and that seemed to put Wagner’s elbows up even higher, along with his car’s line on the track and the race was on to the finish.

Refusing to give up, Wagner thrust his No. 1 boldly around the ragged outside lip and just after the white flag, he was able to circle the outside lane and get back into a narrow lead as the pair shot down the backchute.

Hodnett then dove low into the third corner and as soon as he passed Wagner, Wagner abruptly lifted and turned the car dramatically off of the cushion before the pair hit the middle of the turns.

And then as Hodnett slid sideways up across the track to catch the cushion and try to run to the win, Wagner sped along side of him as they raced onto the frontchute through the middle of the fourth corner.

It was anybody’s race during the final few seconds as the pair drag raced down the straightaway with Hodnett outside and Wagner inside and at the line, Wagner nipped Hodnett by a scant .212-second advantage.

Heimbach rode home third followed by 11th starter Dylan Cisney and Mike Wagner.

Sixth through 10th went to Ryan Taylor, Cale Conley, Coleman Gulick, Kody Lehman and Joey Hershey.

Heats went to Conley and Steve Buckwalter.

Coleby Frye started second in the super late model main and ended up wiring the field for the victory that was the 11th of his career at Port Royal, tying him with Dale Kerstetter and Tim Wilson on the all-time win list.

Only one caution flag bunched the field, on the sixth lap, finding Nick Dickson in second and Andy Haus in third.

And while under the caution, Dickson slowed and withdrew from the event.

This put a challenging Haus in second for the restart and the Hamburg driver kept close to Frye for several laps before Frye started slipping away for the win.

Three cars raced for third for the second half of the race with Dylan Yoder, Mike Lupfer and Jeff Rine in the contest.

Yoder and Lupfer exchanged the spot several times before Yoder finally secured it for the finish.

Frye’s margin of victory was 1.727 seconds.

Rine rode home fourth followed by Lupfer, Dan Stone, Tim Wilson, Trent Brenneman, Scott Flickinger and Tim Smith Jr.

Heats went to Frye, Lufper and Ralph Morgan Jr. with Chad Myers taking the consolation event.

Derick Garman ended up wiring the field for the win in the econo late model main.

Eric Irvin gave chase until stopping on the sixth tour.

This placed Andrew Yoder in second however Yoder failed to challenge for the victory.

Tim Krape rode home third followed by Devin Hart and Craig Wagaman.

Heats went to Jeremy Ohl, Hart and Garman.

Bill Powell took the lead from Kevin Imes on lap 12 of the 15-lap xtreme stock main to pick up the win over Imes, Walt Peters, Corey Kepner and Josh Bender.

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Feature Finishes
7/14/18

410 sprints, 25 laps: 1. Logan Wagner, 2. Greg Hodnett, 3. Blane Heimbach, 4. Dylan Cisney, 5. Mike Wagner, 6. Ryan Taylor, 7. Cale Conley, 8. Coleman Gulick, 9. Kody Lehman, 10. Joey Hershey, 11. Steve Buckwalter, 12. Trenton Sheaffer, 13. Tyler Reeser, 14. Mike Walter II., 15. Austin Burke, 16. Vince Snyder, 17. Jared Esh, 18. AJ Flick

Late models, 22 laps: 1. Coleby Frye, 2. Andy Haus, 3. Dylan Yoder, 4. Jeff Rine, 5. Mike Lupfer, 6. Dan Stone, 7. Tim Wilson, 8. Trent Brenneman, 9. Scott Flickinger, 10. Tim Smith Jr., 11. Steve Axtell Jr., 12. Dave Brouse Jr., 13. Chad Myers, 14. Ralph Morgan Jr., 15. Austin Berry, 16. Reese Masiello, 17. Jeff Miller, 18. Jerry Bard, 19. Larry Baer, 20. Kyle Knapp, 21. Matt Nailor, 22. Chuck Haydt Jr., 23. Nick Dickson, 24. Billy Wampler

DNQ: Kody Lyter, Jeff Johnson, Vern Zerby

Econo late models, 22 laps: 1. Derick Garman, 2. Andrew Yoder, 3. Tim Kraper, 4. Devin Hart, 5. Craig Wagaman, 6. Kenny Yoder, 7. Todd Snook, 8. Tim Fedder, 9. Ryan Sager, 10. Jeremy Ohl, 11. Rhan Walls, 12. Jason Davis, 13. Derrick Gahagan, 14. Scott Landis, 15. Ethan Beasom, 16. Chase Bowsman, 17. Jared Fulkroad, 18. JR Toner, 19. Dan Berry, 20. Eric Irvin, 21. Curt Dunn

DNS: Eric Hohol

Xtreme stocks, 15 laps: 1. Bill Powell, 2. Kevin Imes, 3. Walt Peters, 4. Corey Kepner, 5. Josh Bender, 6. Alex Updegraff, 7. Herm Renninger, 8. Ben Leister, 9. Dustin Hoffman, 10. Charlie Bryner, 11. Hunter Shelly, 12. Pete Leister, 13. Ken Wright