Rick Laubach Tops Deron Rust Memorial At Georgetown Speedway
Story By: CHRIS MOORE / GEORGETOWN SPEEDWAY – GEORGETOWN, DE – On-track action returned for the first time in over three months to the historic Georgetown Speedway Saturday night. The racing did not disappoint.
The L&J Sheet Metal Modifieds led the way with a thrilling 33-lap main event to headline the Deron Rust Memorial in front a large crowd on hand for racing’s return to the First State track. A pit-bulging 148 race cars took part in the program.
It was also the debut of the new clay put down by speedway management. The clay was hauled in immediately following the Melvin L. Joseph Memorial, before COVID-19 put a halt to racing in the Northeast.
Hellertown, Pa.’s, Rick Laubach, a good friend of the late Deron Rust, winning the affair and picking up the $3,960 payday at the end of the night in his Ryan Kerr-owned No. 1K entry.
Mike Gular and Ryan Watt, both from Boyertown, Pa., brought the field to green and the mighty Modifieds back to life at the banked, Sussex County half-mile. From the drop of the green Watt and Gular set a roaring pace, catching slower traffic on the sixth trip around the speedway.
Laubach had gotten by Frenchtown, N.J.’s, Billy Pauch Sr. to get to third and join the lead pair. The top-three began to slice and dice through lap traffic, going three-wide with lap cars on multiple occasions.
The ‘Kid’s Kid’ Billy Pauch Jr. was on the gas while the top-three battled in traffic. After starting in eighth, he had advanced to fourth and caught the top-three, making it a four-car war at the front of the field.
A yellow on lap 13 allowed everyone to take a breath after watching the top-four trade positions several times in the midst of lap traffic.
After a couple of short runs, on a lap-15 restart, Watt made the mistake Laubach was looking for. Watt entered turns one and two on the bottom and slid all the way up the racetrack, allowing the ‘Quaker Shaker’ to drive underneath Watt and take the lead for good.
“It was just fun racing, I’m not gonna lie, that was honestly a lot of fun,” a jubilant Laubach said in Victory Lane.
Gular moved to the bottom and followed Laubach around the speedway, using it to get by Watt and come home second in the Terry Fasnacht-owned No. 2A.
Watt, in his first race behind the wheel of his new Teo-Pro Car, was happy to grab a top-three in his Ron Roberts Racing No. 14W entry.
Pipersville, Pa.’s Danny Bouc ran around the top-five for much of the night, and capped it off with a fourth place run in the Craig and Leslie Pondish No. 6.
Billy Pauch Sr. climbed back to fifth after the car appeared to shut off on lap 10, before re-firing and joining the field.
Billy Pauch Jr. rebounded after bringing out the lap-15 yellow for sixth in his Kid Racing No. 15. Boyertown, Pa.’s Jeff Strunk brought the Glenn Hyneman-owned No. 126 car home with a quiet seventh-place finish. Neal Williams grabbed eighth, in a rare appearance from Pittsgrove, N.J., in the Sal DeBruno-owned No. 0. Ringoes, N.J.’s David Van Horn Jr. and Milford, Del.’s Jordan Watson rounded out the top-10. Watson also picked up the $150 Ad-Art Sign Company Hard Charger award after starting 28th. Watson was driving the Brent Hall No. 18 after a flip with his own car in heat-race competition.
The Chesapeake Paving/J.W. Brown Trucking Crate 602 Sportsman went wire-to-wire after a couple of false starts initially, the 20-lap race went unimpeded. Belle Mead, N.J.’s Justin Grosso started on the pole and the led the entire race to grab his first Georgetown Speedway win.
Newport, Del.’s Brad Roberts came from fifth to grab the runner-up spot. Cream Ridge, N.J.’s Ryan Simmons made his first appearance in the first state of 2020, and grabbed a third-place finish. Joe Toth of Newtown, Pa., grabbed fourth and the $100 Ad-Art Sign Company Hard Charger Award. Adam White of Laurel, Del., rounded out the top five.
Crowd favorite Amanda Robinson of Millsboro, Del., won her first race of 2020 in the RUSH Late Model division. After an epic duel with Matt Hill, Robinson made the move as Hill went over the berm in turns one and two. Hill rebounded for a second place run in the non-stop affair. Trevor Collins won an intense battle for third over Billy Thompson and Matt Glanden who rounded out the top five.
Kerry King Sr. won his first Southern Delaware Vintage Stock Car Feature for the modifieds. King battled through lap traffic and never surrendered the lead in the 12-lap race.
Todd Miller finished sixth overall and won the Sportsman portion of the Delaware Vintage Stock Car Feature.
Joe Tracy won his first Little Lincoln Feature of 2020, after a great battle with Matt Smith, Tracy grabbed the lead and the win on lap-9 restart. White, Jordan Herbert, Sean Smith, and Ryan Watson were the top five.
Dale Elliott won a thrilling Delaware Super Truck Feature, with a last-lap, last-turn pass to round out the night. Elliott edged Matt Smith for the win, with Jerry Hill, Danny Cropper, and Ryan Efford rounded out the top-five.
Chris “Tippy” Martinez won his second Delmarva Charger feature of 2020 at the Georgetown Speedway. Chris Meyers, Greg Nailor, Randy Merritt, and Chris Carroll rounded out the top-five.
Stay tuned to the website and our social media pages for updates on the racing schedule at Georgetown Speedway. The next scheduled race is Friday, July 24th.
Georgetown Speedway, originally constructed by Melvin L. Joseph in 1949, is located at the intersection of Route 113 and Speedway Road in Georgetown, Del., just miles from the Delaware beaches and less than a 40-minute drive from Ocean City, Md.
A website is live for the speedway at www.thegeorgetownspeedway.com. Like Georgetown Speedway on Facebook, follow @thegtownspdwy on Twitter, e-mail georgetownspeedway@gmail.com or contact the speedway hotline at 302.563.GTWN (4896).
DERON RUST MEMORIAL RACE SUMMARY – GEORGETOWN SPEEDWAY JUNE 13, 2020
L&J Sheet Metal Modified Feature Finish (33 laps): RICK LAUBACH, Mike Gular, Ryan Watt, Danny Bouc, Billy Pauch, Billy Pauch Jr., Jeff Strunk, Neal Williams, David Van Horn Jr., Jordan Watson, John Willman, H.J. Bunting, Scott Ambruster, Brett Ballard, Jordn Justice, Ryan Riddle, Mike Franz, Norman Short, Don Cogdill III, Jack Swain, Craig Moore, Billy Lasko, Westley Smith, Joseph Watson, Robert Dutton, Kevin Sockriter, Carson Wright, Brian Hitz.
Did Not Start: Clay Tatman, Brandon Grosso, Richie Pratt Jr.
Chesapeake Paving/J.W. Brown Trucking Crate 602 Sportsman Feature Finish (20 laps): JUSTIN GROSSO, Brad Roberts, Ryan Simmons, Joe Toth, Adam White, James Hill, Ryan Anderson, Michael White, Bob Lineman Jr., Greg Humlhanz, Sean Metz, D.J. Hunt, Howard Huepfel, Tom Moore Jr., Bryan Brobst, Andy Walko, Paul Mancini, Anthony Tramontana, Matt Peck, David Jenkins, Brandon Watkins, John Stevenson, Greg Reed, Joseph Brown, Eric McKinney, Kevin Borden, Samantha Muller.
Did Not Qualify: Justin Eason, Nick Stephan, Duane Rust, Tom Princiotta, Ted Reynolds, Dwayne Crockett, Jordan Long, Robby Dunn, Jeff Marker, Greg Nailor.
RUSH Late Model Feature Finish (20 laps): AMANDA ROBINSON, Matt Hill, Trevor Collins, Billy Thompson, Matt Glanden, Kerry King, Nick Davis, Joe Pete, Dana Walker, Charles Shawver, Joey Warren, Ben Scott, Geoff Carey, David Smith, Derek Magee.
Did Not Start: Zac Weller, Jason Dean, Curtis Reed,Mike Wharton.
Southern Delaware Vintage Stock Car Feature Finish (12 laps): KERRY KING (Modified Winner), Harold Sylvester, Andy Cassel, Roscoe Clough, Dave Parsons, Todd Miller (Sportsman Winner), David Tucker, Art Workman, Jamie Eicholz, Jamie Schirmer, John Burton, Wayne Roth, Terry Chaney, Don Davidson, Thomas Hughes, Robert Blann, Robert Paczkowski, Glenn Lyon, David Schamp, David Tucker II.
Little Lincoln Feature Finish (12 laps): JOE TRACY, Matt White, Jordan Herbert, Sean Smith, Ryan Watson, Wayne Seaton, Scott Calhoun, Bryan Percy, Bunky White, Kirk Lawson, Todd Sammons.
Delaware Super Truck Feature Finish (12 laps): DALE ELLIOTT, Matthew Smith, Jerry Hill, Danny Cropper, Ryan Efford, Kirk Miles Jr., Robert Smith, Shane Clogg, Bill Dean, Trent Marine, J.R. Bergman, Michelle Jackson, Dick Beauchamp, Billy Lockwood, Kirk Miles Sr., Tristen Townsend, Cory Sapp, Zach Phillips, T.J. Hazelwood, James Woods.
Delmarva Charger Feature Finish (12 laps): CHRIS “TIPPY” MARTINEZ, Chris Myers, Greg Nailor, Randy Merritt, Chris Carroll, Paul Gary, John Bailey, Jeremy Long, Joe Waters, Ashley Merritt.
