Kolby Schroder Savors Emotional Win At Lebanon Valley; Tremont Gets #130 Of Career
Column By: BOBBY CHALMERS / RPW – WEST LEBANON, NY – With the threat of rain in the air, every single Modified driver in the regularly-scheduled feature at Lebanon Valley Saturday were set on kill.
From front row starters Paul Gilardi and Kolby Schroder to top point men Brett Hearn and Keith Flach, everyone knew rain was coming and they better get as many spots as they can. For Schroder, it worked out perfectly as he was able to hold of Hearn and pick up his third career Modified win.
“This is just an awesome night,” Schroder said after the win. “All the hard work’s finally paying off. This is an emotional win for sure. I’m just glad to be here.”
Schroder took advantage of a lap 14 double file restart to make a pass on leader Paul Gilardi in turn two and held off the late race advances of the “Jersey Jet” to score the popular win.
“Man, it’s been a while since we made it to victory lane,” he said. “Hours and hours of work. A lot of money spent to try and do this and to get here for a third time in my career is pretty emotional and exciting.”
The best part of the night, for many in attendance, was the fact that Schroder was able to hold off the defending champion Hearn for several laps to grab the win. Very few at the Valley this season have been able to do that.
“He’s a great racer and I’m glad I was able to beat him,” he said. “He’s a true legend and a great sportsman so to beat him is a great feeling. All I could think was ‘don’t mess up. Hold it to the floor and hope I can hold him off’ and Bedell power got me ahead of him. I’m just truly grateful to everyone who works on this car and my sponsors who have stuck with me through all of our struggles. This is for them.”
With several good finishes as of late, second place finisher Brett Hearn has been coming from deep in the starting field due to the handicapping. Again on Saturday, Hearn fired from 13th and made a late race charge to get to the runner-up spot, but that was all he had.
“It’s just so hard to come from the back here,” Hearn said. “Everything gets so hot. Kolby did a great job tonight. I tried to shake him down but he never waivered.”
No matter that he didn’t win, Hearn has his eyes on the big prize.
“We had a great car and it was a big night for points for us,” he said. “These double feature nights can really turn things around either for or against you and getting a third and second tonight is big towards the championship.”
Eddie Marshall brought his #98 home in the third position followed by Gilardi and Kenny Tremont. For Gilardi, a fourth place finish was a BIG lift after the troubles the team has had over the last few weeks.
“We’re gaining on it,” Gilardi said. “We made some changes to the car from the beginning of the night and it was a major improvement. This was big, not only for myself but everyone on the team.”
In the first Modified feature, it looked like John Ruchel was going to be the man to beat. That was until lap 14 when the King of the Valley, Kenny Tremont worked his way by and was never challenged again as he went on to grab career Modified win #130.
“I just can’t say enough about this Big Block crew,” Tremont said. “They really worked hard on this car and it’s nice to get them another win.”
Tremont had to start in ninth position but picked cars off one-by-one until he was able to grab the lead. He held off Wayne Jelley and point leader Brett Hearn to grab the win, but was very caution as he went to the front.
“With double features you have to play things by ear,” he said. “We still have another heat race and feature to run so you have to be careful and trying to figure out track conditions for later in the night is also key.”
For Jelley, second place was a great boost to his season which, to this point, has been decent. However, second is just what the doctor ordered.
“This car was very good,” he said. “The Enders engine was phenomenal and I’ve got to do a little better job racing in the turns. That’s where Kenny got me as I was trying to get by the 7 (Ruchel) and kind of left the door open.”
Jelley was quick to thank his team for their efforts.
“I got to thank my crew for their hard work, especially my tire guy,” he said. “He says he gets no credit but the credit for this run goes to him for a great job on the tires.”
Brett Hearn finished third followed by Matt Pupello in fourth and Keith Flach in fifth.
In 358-Modified action, Demetrios Drellos was able to bring home his second win of the 2017 season and inch closer to the top of the point standings with just a handful of races remaining.
Drellos took the lead early and drove away from Brett Haas and Kenny Tremont for the win.
“Tonight’s car was pretty good,” he said after the victory. “We’ve had some struggles this year in the middle of the season when the track changed on us, but we’re starting to catch back up to it.”
Once Drellos was out front, nobody was catching him.
“I just ran hard every lap because you never know who’s coming,” he said. “You know Kenny’s coming and Brett’s (Haas) always there. I saw Brett got into second real quick and he can be fast and wants a win too but I just kept going every lap.”
Haas brought his Mildred Elley #55 home in the runner-up spot and didn’t mince words when asked about his run.
“Congratulations to Demetrios and that entire team,” he said. “They’re good people, but I’ll tell you the most frustrating part. It’s been three years since we’ve won here. The way the class is, I don’t think we’re going to get a win here. I think we’re going to do something different next year.”
When pressed to delve deeper into what he meant by that, Haas was very candid.
“We went from being a dominant car to one that I don’t believe can win,” he said. “I can’t thank my marketing partners and my dedicated crew enough. They’ve been with me through thick and thin and I think we may have found something for the rest of the year, but going forward, we’re going to mix things up a bit.”
What does Haas have in mind?
“I think we’re going to go on the road a bit and follow the entire King of Dirt Series,” he said. “We may do a little more touring around to places where we have a chance to win, but yea, it’s just so frustrating here that we can’t put one together even starting so far forward. However, it’s not from a lack of effort and preparation.”
Tremont finished third followed by Frank Harper and JR Heffner.
One thing that Rob Maxon has always wanted was a win at his home track, the Lebanon Valley Speedway. Well, on Saturday night, he officially got one.
Maxon ran most of the event in third position. That was until a mid-race restart that saw him make a daring slide move heading into turn three on second place man Chris Lynch. He then made the same move four laps later on leader Chris Curtis, completing the pass on the #35 driver as they went through turns one and two.
From that point on, the Dane’s Auto Parts #96 was untouchable, winning the feature by a full straightaway.
“The car was good right out of the trailer tonight,” Maxon said. “We made some changes during the week. We had to try something different and they seemed to pay off well. This car was amazing.”
Anyone who’s seen Maxon’s #96 knows the car is loaded with sponsors. He was quick to thank them and his team for their dedication.
“I really have to thank my crew for this one,” he said. “My father, my wife, my uncle Randy and Louie, Todd, Nate, Wendy, and probably most of all Milo Campbell. Milo’s someone that worked hard to help put all of this together for us this year, and without him and our great sponsors, this wouldn’t be possible.”
Curtis was able to bring his car home second in a tight six car battle. Alan Houghtaling was third with Chris Lynch fourth, and John Virgilio, who rebounded from early race tire troubles, came home fifth.
Kevin Ward and Robbie Knipe were sixth and seventh at the finish.
If anyone thought Chuck Towslee wasn’t ready for the Saturday night’s double Pro Stock features, you were mistaken.
In the first main event, Towslee got to the top spot by lap two from his eighth starting position and never looked back to score his fourth win of the 2017 racing campaign.
“I have never been able to do get to the front that quickly before,” Towslee said. “The car was on rails. It was as close to perfect as I could have. Even when I made a mistake, the car seemed to correct itself. It was a great run for everyone on the team.”
The real battle was for third on back as Tommy Dean held a podium position for a good portion of the feature event, getting passed by Jon Routhier at the halfway point and after some hard racing with Richie Crane and Rob Yetman, was able to bring the #413 home with a career-best sixth place finish.
Crane had a great run going only to pull his #711 off the speedway with just three laps remaining while running in the fourth position. A power steering line let go his machine which forced him pitside.
“We just put a brand new power steering pump on this thing,” Crane said. “I didn’t want to chance having a problem with it, so we pulled in. I knew the steering was out and I can’t physically drive the car without it.”
Joe LaFlamme got his season headed in the right direction with a solid eighth place run. LaFlamme has been having motor issues all season and after a lot of hard work, the team was flirting with a top five only to cross eighth at the end.
In race number two, which closed out the night’s action, Towslee worked his way to front and was challenging leader Rick Dempsey for the top spot late in the going, grabbing the lead with just three to go and never looked back, completing the sweep on the evening.
“This is just awesome,” Towslee said with a smile. “Absolutely the best night of my career.”
With double the wins on the night, Towslee was quick to thank his crew and his setup man for the car he had underneath him on Saturday.
“Setup is everything here,” he said. “When you’re not spinning your tires, the car is going forward and that makes all the difference in the world. I have to thank Timmy Fisher for the setup, Albert for the fuel, Northern Equipment, my Mom and Dad, my wife, Paul’s Landscaping and everyone that helps out. I just can’t believe this night.”
Richie Crane brought his #711 back from the first feature problems to take home second place with Yetman getting third, Rick Duzlak bring his Snap-On #29 home fourth with Eddie Bishop taking fifth.
Results from the Pure Stock features were not available at press time. Stay tuned to the official track release for those.
News & Notes…
A big congratulations goes to Modified driver Mike Keeler and his wife Mandy who announced at this week that they were expecting. No idea just yet if the newest addition to the Keeler family will be fitted for a dirt or asphalt Modified, but I’m sure it will be a fight as the family has ties to both.
All kidding aside, I would like to wish congratulations to the happy couple. Unfortunately, Keeler had a rough night. He finished 19th in the first Modified feature and didn’t complete the full distance in the second one, bringing his #55 Teo Pro Car home with another 19th place run.
The season struggles for JR Heffner continued on Saturday night. After his team worked diligently to swap their primary Bicknell over to a newly-purchased frame, they also installed a freshened engine they just picked up from Dan Bedell.
However, the car didn’t make the entire distance of the first feature, as motor problems sidelined the machine before the 30 laps were completed.
Heffner took his Small Block Modified out for a couple laps in the second feature and brought it home 24th.
Kyle Armstrong pulled out his backup car for the second feature event. The team has tried several different combinations, switching engines between their two cars, but hasn’t hit on the right combination for Kyle.
“The primary just doesn’t have the power, but it handles good,” he said. “This car handles well but doesn’t have the power we need. We’re working hard and searching for the right deal.”
John Ruchel had a strong run going in the first feature only to pull in with water pump issues. Last week, the veteran from Niverville, NY had the same issue.
This past week he changed the pump but it was still seeping water. The crew went to work and sealed up the leak and John made the second feature, but only ran a handful of laps before pulling in.
Rob Pitcher had a great run going in the first feature as well, and was running third when his car went up in a big puff of smoke, ending his evening.
Daniel Sanchez made a rare appearance at Lebanon Valley on Saturday night. The UNOH student drove the Sparky Reilly #441 Pro Stock but was an early retiree from the second feature, bringing the car home with a 19th place finish.
“I was just coming to watch tonight with my dad,” Sanchez said. “I was crossing the track and Sparky yelled ‘hey Sanch, drive my car.’ I said sure. I couldn’t pass it up, but with no heats, I had to start last.”
Saturday August 19 , 2017 – West Lebanon, NY – Heavy Hauler Presents – Modified Results (MAKE-UP FROM 08/12/2017) (30 Laps) -1) Kenny Tremont Jr, 2) Wayne Jelley, 3) Brett Hearn, 4) Matt Pupello, 5) Keith Flach, 6) Eddie Marshall, 7) Chad Jeseo, 8) Brian Berger, 9) L.J Lombardo, 10) Andy Bachetti, 11) Kyle Sheldon, 12) Elmo Reckner, 13) Mike King, 14) Paul Gilardi, 15) Kyle Armstrong, 16) Rob Pitcher, 17) Ken McGuire, 18) John Ruchel, 19) Mike Keeler, 20) Kolby Schroder, 21) J.R. Heffner, 22) Olden Dwyer, 23) Dave Mcfeeters, 24) Denny Soltis,
Modified Results (from 08/19/2017) (30 Laps) -1) Kolby Schroder, 2) Brett Hearn, 3) Eddie Marshall, 4) Paul Gilardi, 5) Kenny Tremont Jr, 6) Andy Bachetti, 7) Chad Jeseo, 8) Wayne Jelley, 9) Keith Flach, 10) Kyle Sheldon, 11) Brian Berger,12) L.J Lombardo, 13) Matt Pupello, 14) Elmo Reckner, 15) Mike King, 16) Kyle Armstrong, 17) Cass Bennett, 18) Denny Soltis, 19) Mike Keeler, 20) Brett Haas, 21) John Ruchel, 22) Ken McGuire, 23) Olden Dwyer, 24) J.R. Heffner, 25) Rob Pitcher, 26) Dave Mcfeeters,
Small Block Modified Results (24 Laps) -1) Demetrios Drellos, 2) Brett Haas, 3) Ken Tremont Jr, 4) Frank Harper, 5) J.R. Heffner, 6) Brandon Pitcher, 7) Ryan Charland, 8) Alan Houghtaling, 9) Brian Peterson, 10) Brian Sandstedt, 11) Jason Herrington, 12) Chad Pierce, 13) Frank Hoard III, 14) Sean Mandel, 15) Michael Sabia, 16) Bryan McGuire, 17) Ricky Davis, 18) Kenny Aanonson, 19) Timothy Davis,
Sportsman Results (20 Laps) – 1) Rob Maxon, 2) Chris Curtis, 3) Alan Houghtaling, 4) Chris Lynch, 5) John Virgilio, 6) Kevin Ward, 7) Robbie Knipe, 8) Whitey Slavin, 9) Michael Sabia, 10) Bobby DeLeon 11) Colin Clowe, 12) Cody Ochs, 13) Harold Robitaille, 14) Nikki Ouellette, 15) Rich Eggers, 16) Angelo Decarlo, 17) Zeb Catlin, 18) Pete Carlotto, 19) Brandon Lane, 20) Frank Hoard Jr, 21) Lem Atkins 22) Mike Gramolini, 23) Mike Block, 24) Bob Hallabeck
Pro Stock Results (MAKE-UP FROM 08/12/2017) (20 Laps) -1) Chuck Towslee, 2) Jason Meltz, 3) Jon Routhier, 4) Rob Yetman, 5) Nick Hilt, 6) Tom Dean, 7) Rick Duzlak, 8) Joe LaFlamme, 9) Steven LaRochelle, 10) Scott Govertsen, 11) Brian Keough, 12) Rick Dempsey, 13) Don Collins, 14) Rich Crane, 15) Jeff Kelmel, 16) Ed Bishop, 17) Rick Spencer,
Pro Stock Results (FROM 08/19/2017) (20 Laps) -1) Chuck Towslee, 2) Rich Crane, 3) Rob Yetman, 4) Rick Duzlak, 5) Ed Bishop, 6) Jason Meltz, 7) Jon Routhier, 8) Steven LaRochelle, 9) Nick Hilt, 10) Rick Dempsey, 11) Tom Dean, 12) Rick Spencer, 13) Nick Arnold, 14) Tom O’Connor, 15) Don Collins, 16) Brian Keough, 17) Micheal Baker, 18) Joe LaFlamme, 19) Daniel Sanchez, 20) Hugh Page, 21) Jeff Kelmel, 22) Scott Govertsen,
