Kyle Larson Pockets $10,000 & Hodnett Cup In Thunder On The Hill PA Sprint Speedweek Win

Story By: BOB MILLER / THUNDER ON THE HILL – BECHTELSVILLE, PA – The NAPA Auto Parts Thunder on the Hill Racing Series packed the Grandview Speedway, but the 410 Sprint Cars delivered a show on Tuesday Night for PA Sprint Car Speedweek presented by Red Robin, with NASCAR driver Kyle Larson picking up the Sprint Car win.

Larson kept the fans on the edge of their seat. Aboard the #57 Silva Motorsports Sprint Car, the Elk Grove, CA-native led the final stretch of the event collecting the $10,000 prize and getting his name etched on the Greg Hodnett Cup Perpetual Trophy. This marks Larson’s fourth Grandview win in the past five PA Speedweek appearances.

“It’s always cool coming to Grandview, and I love running Pennsylvania Speedweek,” Larson exclaimed in Victory Lane.

While Larson picked up the win, it was no easy task, with Brent Marks and Danny Dietrich right on his tail.

“Brent got into some water on the bottom of the track and slipped up,” Larson explained. “That gave me the chance to get by him. I could hear and feel them coming up on the top.”

Marks finished in second and started in second driving by Anthony Macri to secure the top spot on Lap 1 and never looked back. “The Myerstown Missile” sliced and diced his way through the back markers as laps quickly ticked away on the 1/3-mile oval.

A close call for the leaders halted the action on lap 7 when Jeff Halligan spun, barely clipping third-place-runner Christopher Bell and collecting the #13 of Justin Peck – the winner of the night prior.

Marks continued his reign on the restart with Anthony Macri close behind, while Christopher Bell and Larson – who usually race in NASCAR-style race cars – battled in their open-wheel machines.

The action halted on lap 10 for a multi-car incident that ended with Michael “Buddy” Kofoid upside down in turn three while running mid-pack. The accident also involved fan favorites Ryan Smith and Freddie Rahmer.

The top four runners stayed the same when the green flag flew, with Larson moving into the runner-up spot at the mid-way point, and Danny Dietrich moving into fourth and then taking third just two circuits later.

The field tightened as lapped traffic proved tricky before a lap 26 caution for Paul McMahan.

Larson made a move on Marks at the restart taking the top spot and racing on for the victory. Marks settled for second, Danny Dietrich came home in third, Anthony Macri in fourth and Kyle Moody completing the top-five finishers.

Brent Marks set quick time with a lap of 11.888, collecting a $100 bonus dedicated to the Memory of Steve Smith Sr., who passed away in early June. Smith was the winner of the inaugural Thunder on the Hill Racing Series event in 1990.

410 Sprint Car Heat races were won by Anthony Macri, Rico Abreu, and Kyle Larson – who picked up ZEMCO Header Gift Certificates. Sprint Car B-Main was won by Ryan Taylor.

(410 Sprint 27 cars)

Time Trials – 1. Brent Marks – 11.888, 2. Christopher Bell – 11.951, 3. Paul McMahan – 11.973, 4. Anthony Macri – 12.018, 5. Rico Abreu – 12.038, 6. Kyle Larson – 12.040, 7. Freddie Rahmer – 12.049, 8. TJ Stutts – 12.078, 9. Buddy Kofoid – 12.091, 10. Ryan Smith – 12.116, 11. Justin Peck – 12.132, 12. Danny Dietrich – 12.157, 13. Same Hafterpe Jr. – 12.168, 14. Kyle Moody – 12.196, 15. Devon Borden – 12.197, 16. Tony Fiore – 12.226, 17. Tyler Reeser – 12.233 , 18. Lance Dewease – 12.239, 19. Lynton Jeffrey – 12.248, 20. Austin Bishop – 12.27, 21. Bradley Howard – 12.297, 22 Jeff Halligan – 12.385, 23. Lucas Wolfe – 12.489, 24. Justin Whitall – 12.491, 25. Ryan Taylor – 12.556, 26. Aaron Bollinger – 12.621, 27. Sam Schlosberg – 12.865

Heat 1 – 1. Anthony Macri 2. Freddie Rahmer 3. Brent Marks 4. Ryan Smith 5. Sam Hafterpe 6. Lynton Jeffrey
Heat 2 – 1. Rico Abreu 2. Justin Peck 3. Kyle Moody 4. Christopher Bell 5. TJ Stutts 6. Austin Bishop
Heat 3 – 1. Kyle Larson 2. Buddy Kofoid 3. Paul McMahan 4. Danny Dietrich 5. Devon Borden 6. Bradley Howard

B-Main – 1. Ryan Taylor 2. Tyler Reeser 3. Lucas Wolfe 4. Justin Whittall 5. Jeff Halligan 6. Sam Schlosberg

Feature – 1. Kyle Larson 2. Brent Marks 3. Danny Dietrich 4. Anthony Macri 5. Kyle Moody 6. Rico Abreu 7. Christopher Bell 8. Lynton Jeffrey 9. Ryan Taylor 10. Justin Peck 11. Lucas Wolfe 12. TJ Stutts 13. Bradley Howard 14. Justin Whitall 15. Paul McMahan 16. Tyler Reeser 17. Sam Schlosberg 18. Austin Bishop 19. Freddie Rahmer 20. Ryan Smith 21. Buddy Kofoid 22. Devon Borden 23. Jeff Halligan