RPW Exclusive: Troubles For Brett Hearn Leads Keith Flach To First Win Of 2018 At Lebanon Valley

Column By: BOBBY CHALMERS / RPW – WEST LEBANON, NY – Keith Flach was your Modified feature winner Saturday night at Lebanon Valley, although, if you ask him, or anyone in the speedway, it was a surprise because he wasn’t the best car.

Don’t get me wrong. Keith had a very fast #43 race car, and deserved to win, but after a spirited four car battle between he, Brian Berger, leader Steve Hough, and Brett Hearn, the Madsen #20 of Hearn took the lead and seemed to be on his way to another victory on the high banks. Then…kaboom.

Something let loose inside the engine compartment of Hearn’s car and the defending champion was forced to the sidelines. That put Flach, who was in the preverbal cat-bird’s seat, out in front and the Ravena Rocket went on to capture his first victory of the 2018 racing season.

“We definitely had a good car,” Flach said. “You’re never sure starting back that far (Keith started ninth). I feel kind of bad for Brett. He was definitely better than we were and it’s unfortunate for them, but sometimes you have to fall into them. We may have been the second best car but it’s been a long season and we deserve this.”

Flach has been fast all season in his Flach Companies car, but luck hasn’t always been on his side. Saturday, he put it all together. He was fast in his heat, was quick in middle-of-the-night warm-ups, and was fast in the feature.

“It’s been a long season,” he said. “We’ve been trying to get here all year and have come up short a few times, but it’s good to get back to victory lane.”

Flach and the others had a spirited battle up front for a good portion of the main event, as Hough was leading and for several laps was hounded by the 60 of Berger. Lap after lap Berger would work to the inside of the Hough #34 but was never able to make the pass. It appeared as if his Phaze 3 Racing machine got better the longer a run went on.

Then there was a caution, and it bunched up the field, with Flach and Hearn joining the fray. Through a cycle of laps all four were so close you could through a blanket over them, and they began to put on one of the best shows of the season on the high banks.

Hearn picked his way though, high and low, and was able to grab the lead from Hough just passed halfway and looked to be on his way before the engine issues set in. Flach worked his way by Hough and Berger too and was in the right place at the right time when everything went down.

“I have to thank this team,” Flach said. “They’ve been working hard all year and we’ve had a rough couple weeks. We backed off the (Super DIRTcar Series) tour because we’re real busy with work and there’s a lot going on. I feel bad for Brett and his team in that sense, but after the runs we’ve had the last couple weeks, to get back here is definitely a morale booster.”

Besides Hearn’s engine issues, all anyone will be talking about is the four-car battle up front.

“Everyone was going about the same speed there for a while and I wasn’t sure who was going in what lane,” he said. “Brian was going good on the bottom and Steve was holding his own on the top. I knew Brett was lurking back there and he eventually got by. It was a good race and I hope the fans enjoyed it. Hopefully we can get back to victory lane before the season is over.”

For Brian Berger, who clawed his way to a runner-up finish, you could tell he was happy with the finish, but there was definite disappointment in his voice about the one that got away.

“This was a fun race but it would have been a lot more fun if I had been able to clear Steve (Hough) a little earlier,” Berger said. “I just didn’t have enough and I knew Brett and Keith were fast and they were coming. I was doing everything I could to get in front and get away from everyone, but it just didn’t happen.”

Nobody really knows if Berger would have been the one sitting in victory lane when the 20 had his misfortune, but for the Castleton, NY driver, he’d like to think that would have been the case.

“You never know,” he said. “You like to think that if you get clean air out front you’d be able to make your car a little bit wider, but I don’t think I had anything for Brett in any event. Keith was fast too. Once he got by me he left me so we were really a third place car tonight.”

With a string of tough finishes recently, this was a big shot in the arm for the entire #60 team.

“The way we’ve been going lately, we’re happy with the improvements we made,” he said. “I have to thank my guys because they changed everything but the kitchen sink on this car tonight because we set the car up based on how fast the track was last week. That just made us junk in the heat race as the track was very slick. We changed everything before the feature and got better, and even though we still have work to do, we’re heading in the right direction.”

The rest of the top five was Ronnie Johnson, Hough and hard-charging LJ Lombardo.

Now, with Hearn’s misfortune, and RJ’s top five finish, Johnson now assumes the point lead by three markers over Hearn heading into the final event of July.

In 358-Modified competition, Steve Hough started on the front row and ran away and hid from the rest of the field, capturing the victory. That may sound like it was easy, but four 21 of the 24 laps, it was. That was until the yellow flag flew, and bunched up the field.

Hough had to hold off a determined Frank Harper for the victory as both drivers were hungry for checkers, but it was the FunPlex Fun Park #34 that visited victory lane at the end of the night.

“It helps to start up front but that’s no guarantee that you’ll finish there,” Hough said. “I didn’t know who was behind me but they say Frank was right on me. He ran me clean and I have to thank him for that.”

For Hough, it was his first race win of the season, and he almost had the opportunity to double up with the Big Blocks as well, but came up just short.

“I have to thank everyone that helps out on this car,” he said. “All of our sponsors and the crew. They work hard to get these cars prepped and it shows as we usually get one of these a year. I have to thank everyone who supports us.”

Frank Harper came home second but used up the right rear on his #25 machine getting to that position, but he just didn’t have enough left to get by the winner.

“I didn’t expect the tires to wear that much,” Harper said. “Steve ran a hell of a race. Congratulations to him and his guys.”

Harper was another driver who you could tell was disappointed to be so close to a win but come up short.

“God I was so close,” he said. “It’s been a while since we’ve won and I sniffed it and, well, I’m just a little disappointed right now. I’ve got great people around me and we’ll get it.”

Andy Bachetti, Timothy Davis and JR Heffner rounded out the top five.

Point leader Kenny Tremont and Jason Herrington were both running in the top five with one lap to go, only to drop out. Tremont believes it was something in the ignition area and Herrington had run four or five laps with a flat right front and it finally gave way.

The DIRTcar Pro Stock Series invaded the Valley high banks, but the top five was dominated by track regulars, led by winner Rick Duzlak who came from 10th starting spot to collect the 30-lap win.

He was followed by the Canaan, CT contingent as Jason Casey, Jay Casey, Jon Routhier and Rich Crane finished second through fifth.

Duzlak definitely had a fast car and showed it as he went to the head of the class to battle with leader Dan Older for several laps before grabbing the top spot.

He was aided by one lucky caution. The 324 of Casey appeared to get by Duzlak with about nine-to-go. However, officials made the call that the lap wasn’t completed so that put the 29 back out front, where he stayed the rest of the way to take the win.

“This car was fast right from the beginning of the night,” Duzlak said. “I couldn’t ask for anything better. Bobby (Gile) said up another perfect racecar for me and it showed. Started deep and came back up through.”

For Duzlak, who captured his third checkered flag at the speedway in 2018, he feels this was a pretty big accomplishment with the tour invaders in the field along with the best the Valley has to offer.

“This is like one of the biggest races here,” he said. “I’m proud and very proud of my team and all of our sponsors. I couldn’t do it without them. I told you this before. They’ve given me the piece and I’m going to show what I can do.”

Jason Casey came home in second, and he’s another one who was disappointed with the runner-up spot because he thinks he had the lead when that caution came out.

“I thought I had Ricky,” Casey said. “We made a little more contact than I thought we were going to when we did and I apologize to Rick for that. However, I’m pretty sure I had him when that yellow came out but I guess we didn’t complete the lap. They put us back to second and we’ll take it as it is.”

The two Pure Stock races were won by Evan Denue and division point leader Zach Seyerlein who took home his first of the season. Gary Malloy (Single Cam) and Chris White (Dual Cam) took home the 4-Cylinder wins.

News & Notes…
It was tough night for engines at the Valley of Speed.

Not only did Hearn have motor trouble, but so did Rob Pitcher, Paul Gilardi and worse of all, Andy Bachetti.

Pitcher hurt the motor in his #17, which now leave he and his crew scrambling as this was the second engine problem in their stable. The team is unsure as to what their next course of action will be.

Gilardi noticed something was a miss on with his #87 after early night warm-ups, and with the season he’s having, he called it a night early.

For Bachetti, it was tough from the start. In warm-ups to start the night, he detonated the engine in his primary car. The team then took out their back-up machine and as he was coming to the checkers in his heat, he looked down and noticed very little oil pressure, so he shut it off and coasted in.

Rather than take a chance, he parked that car too and took out the Olden Dwyer Big Block in the feature, only completing six laps and finishing 22nd.

One driver who was in the pit area at the beginning of the night but made a hasty exit out of the track was Elmo Reckner.

There was an issue with officials over his parking spot in the pits and Reckner and his team decided enough was enough. They sped through the pits, heading out the pit gate and made their way to the Fonda Speedway.

Brett Haas had a solid run going in the 358-Modified feature only to have the transmission break with just four laps remaining. The shaft in the transmission snapped and took the #55 out of a top 10 position, relegating Haas to 16th at the finish.

With the Pro Stock tour being in for the night, it was only show-up points for the regular track campaigners. That was okay for Dave Stickles who had a hurt engine in his #55 after last week’s racing action. Word from the Stickles team is that they will have an all-new powerplant in their car for next week’s action.

Saturday JULY 21, 2018 – West Lebanon, NY – Modified Results (30 Laps) – 1) Keith Flach, 2) Brian Berger, 3) Ronnie Johnson, 4) Steve Hough, 5) L.J Lombardo, 6) Kenny Tremont Jr, 7) Kyle Armstrong, 8) Kyle Sheldon, 9) Chad Jeseo, 10) Wayne Jelley, 11) J.R. Heffner, 12) Mike King, 13) Mike Keeler, 14) Eddie Marshall, 15) John Ruchel, 16) Brett Hearn, 17) Denny Soltis, 18) Josh Marcus, 19) Olden Dwyer, 20) Kolby Schroder, 21) Dave McFeeters, 22) Andy Bachetti, 23) Rob Pitcher, 24) Paul Gilardi, 25) Elmo Reckner,

Small Block Modified Results (24 Laps) – 1) Steve Hough, 2) Frank Harper, 3) Andy Bachetti, 4) Timothy Davis, 5) J.R. Heffner, 6) Frank Hoard III, 7) Dillon Steuer, 8) Brandon Pitcher, 9) Brian Sandstedt, 10) Lorne Browe, 11) Ricky Davis, 12) Ryan Charland, 13) Jason Herrington, 14) Ken Tremont Jr, 15) Kim LaVoy, 16) Brett Haas, 17) Alan Houghtaling, 18) Olden Dwyer, 19) Chad Pierce, 20) Bryan McGuire,

Dirt Car Pro Stock Series Results (20 Laps) – 1) Rick Duzlak, 2) Jason Casey, 3) Jay Casey, 4) Jon Routhier, 5) Rich Crane, 6) Dan Older, 7) Nick Arnold, 8) Jocelyn Roy, 9) Bruno Cyr, 10) Ed Bishop, 11) Chuck Towslee, 12) Rob Yetman, 13) Jocelyn Chicoine, 14) Tom Dean, 15) Scott Kilmer, 16) Marc Lalonde, 17) Brian Keough, 18) C.D. Beauchamp, 19) Doug Olds, 20) Joe LaFlamme, 21) Jason Meltz, 22) Frank Twing, 23) Steven LaRochelle, 24) Jay Corbin, 25) Rock Aubin, 26) Guy Veins, 27) Pascal Payeur,

Pure Stock #1 Results (12Laps) – 1) Evan Denue, 2) Kerri Vandenburg, 3) Chris Murphy, 4) Scott Morris, 5) Jesse Murphy, 6) Don Kennedy, 7) Greg DeCamp, 8) Rocco Procopio, 9) Rob Partridge, 10) Karen Verhagen, 11) Shawn Perez, 12) Jordan Miller, 13) Jake Gomm, 14) Wuggie Burdick,

Pure Stock #3 Results (12 Laps) -1) Zach Seyerlein, 2) Ed Hatch, 3) Jeff Meltz, 4) John Devine, 5) Chad Arsenault, 6) Al Relyea, 7) Jeff Kreutzinger, 8) Zach Sorrentino, 9) Brian Walsh, 10) Ray Hall Sr., 11) Dom Denue,

4 Cylinders single cam (15 Laps)-1) Gary Malloy, 2) Devin Besze, 3) Jim Williams, 4) James Street, 5) Victor Duncan Jr., 6) Don Finney,

4 Cylinder Dual Cam (15 Laps)-1) Chris White, 2) Kenny Stager, 3) Jim Guertin, 4) Connor Hill, 5) John Wright, 6) Mike Duncan, 7) Christian Scribner, 8) Shawny Hazel,