Chuck Hebing Dominates Patriot Sprint Opener At Land of Legends Raceway

Story By: PAUL HARKENRIDER / PATRIOT SPRINT TOUR – CANANDAIGUA, NY – There was a bit of uncertainty on whether or not the Patriot Sprint Tour point opener would take place Saturday night at Land of Legends as a misty rain developed in the late afternoon delaying the track being race ready at the scheduled start time.

It was about a 40-minute set back before any race cars hit the track for hot laps, but the show went on, and fans continued to find their seats. The track was fast all night as some drivers were hitting times in the 14 second bracket during the warm up sessions.

With 34 cars signed in, there were four PST qualifying heats and those were won by Thomas Radivoy, Shawn Donath, Paulie Colagiovanni, and Pete Richardson. Jeff Cook won the Bonnell’s Rod Shop Dash for Cash and Josh Pieniazek secured the B-Main win.

By virtue of the top eight in passing points redraw, it was Jordan Poirier and Chuck Hebing starting the 22-car field. As the 2018 PST series champion did all last season, Hebing made it look easy once he was able to get out front of everyone.

“The track was real fast tonight” Hebing commented in a post-race interview. “Once I was able to get by (Jordan) Poirier on the start, the car was really fast on the top and I never really had to lift the entire time except for lap traffic.”

Once a lap was completed, Steve Glover contacted the rear of another sprint car causing him to flip several times frontwards pulling out the red flag. After about a ten-minute stop, cars were pushed off again to complete the final 24 laps.

A singe file restart would leave Hebing out front over Poirier, Paulie Colagiovanni, Jeff Trombley and Joe Trenca.

Hebing would continue to pull away as all the drivers behind him would contest for top position. As several laps clicked away, it was the young drivers of Paulie Colagiovanni and Jordan Poirier battling for the runner up spot.

After a lap 11 restart, Poirier would run the bottom of turns one and two to pull along-side of Colagiovanni to slightly take over second before Colagiovanni would take it back on the outside of turn four on lap 12.

Meanwhile, the battle for fourth would continue between Joe Trenca and sixth place starter Jordan Thomas who started to come on the second half of the race. Thomas was able to get by Trenca on lap 15 for fourth and start to track down the other two podium runners at the time.

The following lap would see Poirier and Colagiovanni try to avoid lap traffic while still battle for spot number two. However, Poirier would have to check up off the race track where he would lose several three spots. This would allow both Thomas and Trenca to get by the Poirier No. 28.

Hebing would continue to sail away from the rest of the field taking home his first win of the season over Colagiovanni, Thomas, Trenca, and Jordan Poirier. Kyle Drum who started 18th ended coming home with a sixth-place finish.

Although making it into the redraw, Shawn Donath elected not to start the A-Main which allowed Matt Tanner to make a start in the A-Main despite being unable to qualify.

Hebing was ecstatic to begin 2019 with a win.

“As you get older and turn 55, you begin to wonder if you still have it and I think still got it, so it feels great to get a win this early in the year” Hebing said.

Returning to race for the first time from an injury that happened in August last year, Paulie Colagiovanni was extremely happy to begin 2019 with a runner up finish.

“It does feel pretty good, we actually have Doug Emery helping us out this year and everything is going great so far” Colagiovanni said. “He has shown us some cool new tricks and it has worked out great so far.”

In only his second career start at Land of Legends, Jordan Thomas who started sixth came on hot in the second half of the race and was able to get by both Jeff Trombley and Joe Trenca for third.

“This car was way too tight at the beginning of the race, I had to make some adjustments during the red flag” Thomas Noted.

“I wish it was a little bit longer of a race and maybe another caution or two, but once they got out front, it was kind of racing on the high way and there was nothing you can do.”

Drivers and team will most likely be making wholesale set up adjustments for next weekends race at Woodhull Raceway as the series travels to the tight 1/3-mile bull ring in Woodhull, New York.

The Patriot Sprint Tour recognizes the following marketing partners for the 2018 season: A-Verdi Storage Containers, Hoosier Racing Tires, Prestige Pool & Spa, Ground Control Landscaping, Bonnell’s Auto Group, Bonnell’s Rod Shop, Fine Touch Collision, Mike Emhof Motorsports Inc., Super Gen Products with Champion Power Equipment, Patriot Tank Lines, Danny Willmes Enterprises, Just Signs & Designs, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Sunoco Race Fuels, Insinger Performance, Shuttleworth Asphalt Sealing, ASI Racewear, Curtis Berleue Photography.

A-Verdi Storage Containers Patriot Sprint Tour Quick Results

*A-Main (25 laps): 1. 45-Chuck Hebing ($2,000), 2. 10p-Paulie Colagiovanni, 3. 79-Jordan Thomas, 4. 98-Joe Trenca, 5. 28-Jordan Poirier, 6. 47-Kyle Drum, 7. 3a-Jeff Trombley, 8. 28f-Dave Franek, 9. 22-Jonathan Preston, 10. 1q-Thomas Radivoy, 11. 9-Josh Pieniazek, 12. 10-Jeff Cook, 13. 23-Tyler Cartier, 14. 2-Dave Axton, 15.67r-Pete Richardson, 16. 17z-Josh Azzi, 17. 90-Matt Tanner, 18. 48jr.-Darryl Ruggles, 19. 121-Steve Glover, 20. 15-Dan Nanticoke, 21. 93-Bryan Cloutier, 22. 35-Jared Zimbardi, 23. 8-Bobby Breen 24. 53-Shawn Donath (DNS)

Lap Leaders: 45- Chuck Hebing (25)

Heats (8 laps)

Heat 1: 1Q- Thomas Radivoy 2) 3A- Jeff Trombley 3) 2-Dave Axton 4)79-Jordan Thomas 5) 93- Bryan Cloutier 6) 35- Jared Zimbardi 7) 9- Josh Pieniazek 8) 9- Kevin Karlsen 9) 20k- Ed Kelly

Heat 2: 1) 53- Shawn Donath 2) 8- Bobby Breen 3) 10- Jeff Cook 4) 22- Jonathan Preston 5) 47- Kyle Drum 6) 28fm- Steve Poirier 7) 49k- Scott Kreutter 8) Josh Azzi 9) 99k- Dan Kuhn.

Heat 3: 1) 10- Paulie Colagiovanni 2) 45- Chuck Hebing 3) 98- Joe Trenca 4) 28f- Davie Franek 5) 48j Darryl Ruggles 6) 90- Matt Tanner 7) 10LC- Kelly Hebing 8) 16L- Roger Levesque (DNS)

Heat 4: 1) 67r- Pete Richardson 2) 28- Jordan Poirier 3) 23-Tyler Cartier 4) 121- Steve Glover 5)15- Dan Nanticoke 6) 36- Steve Doell 7) 17- Sammy Reakes 87- Jason Barney (DNS).

B-Main (10 laps): 1) 9- Josh Pieniazek 2) 35- Jared Zimbardi 3) 90 Matt Tanner 4) 28fm- Steve Poirier 5) 49k- Scott Kreutter 6) 36- Steve Doell 7) 17z- Josh Azzi 8) 20k- Ed Kelly 9) 9- Kevin Carlsen 10) 87- Jason Barney(DNS) 11) 17- Sammy Reakes IV 12) 10LC- Kelly Hebing(DNS) 13) 99k- Dan Kuhn(DNS) 14) 16L- Roger Levesque(DNS).

Bonnell’s Rod Shop Four Laps of Fame Dash (4 laps): 1) 10- Jeff Cook 2) 98-Joe Trenca 3) 2-Dave Axton 4) 22- Jonathan Preston 5)23-Tyler Cartier 6) 8-Bobby Breen (DNS)