Hodnett Wins Bob Weikert Memorial at Port Royal Speedway

PORT ROYAL, PA (4-30-11) By Brian Liskai  – Sprint car driver
Greg Hodnett and car owner John Trone have dispelled the myth that it takes
time to build team chemistry. The Thomasville, Pennsylvania transplant
drove to the O’Reilly Auto Parts All Star Circuit of Champions victory in
Saturday night’s Weikert’s Livestock Bob Weikert Memorial at Port Royal
Speedway.

It was Hodnett’s first win of 2011 and his 14th victory with the All Stars.
Including lap monies and $200 for fast time earlier in the evening, Hodnett
took home $9,000 for his 30 laps of work in the feature. It was his second
win in the prestigious event, having also taken the 2007 version.

It was polesitter and 2009 Weikert Memorial champion Stevie Smith who took
the lead at the start of the feature followed closely by outside front row
starter Fred Rahmer. Smith was able to garner $100 for leading the first
lap before Rahmer muscled past. Rahmer began to pull away while racking up
laps at $100 each. He caught the back of the field with nine laps in the
books while Smith ran second with Chad Layton and Hodnett battling for
third.

Smith’s run would end on lap 12 with a flat tire, bringing out the caution
and putting Hodnett right on Rahmer’s tail. On the restart Hodnett dove
under Rahmer entering the first corner and slid in front. Rahmer’s run at
the point netted him $1,100 in lap monies.

And then it was Rahmer’s turn for a flat tire with 14 laps to go. Eighth
starting Dale Blaney – a three-time All Star champion – now entered the
picture, restarting the race on Hodnett’s tail. Blaney was pressuring the
leader when the red waved with eight laps to go for a wild flip by “The Mad
Man” Kerry Madsen on the backstretch. Madsen’s racer vaulted outside the
track’s backstretch but the Australian native escaped uninjured.

Blaney drove under Hodnett on the restart, but the leader slammed the door
and pulled away for the victory. Blaney would finish second while former
All Star follower Mike Wagner came home third followed by Justin Henderson
and Lance Dewease.

In victory lane, Todd Weikert, the son of race honoree Bob Weikert,
announced he and his family decided earlier in the evening that the 2012
memorial for patriarch Bob Weikert will pay a hefty $10,000 to win to go
along with all the contingency monies.

Heats worth $100 each courtesy of Hoseheads.com, Sports Plus Video and
Middleswarth Chips went to Tyler Walker, Dewease, Mark Smith and Esh.

Port Royal Speedway - 4/30/2011

All Star Circuit of Champions

Qualifying - Kistler Engines
1. 39-Greg Hodnett, 16.708; 2. 83-Tim Shaffer, 16.807; 3. 51-Fred Rahmer,
16.820; 4. 35-Justin Henderson, 16.921; 5. 11E-Mike Erdley, 16.921; 6.
55-Mike Wagner, 16.988; 7. 93-Sam Hafertepe Jr., 16.989; 8. 20-Ryan Taylor,
16.990; 9. 1-Stevie Smith, 17.004; 10. 7-Chad Layton, 17.030; 11. 92-Kerry
Madsen, 17.043; 12. 2-Dale Blaney, 17.099; 13. 17B-Steve Buckwalter,
17.123; 14. 1Z-Jessica Zemken, 17.141; 15. 8H-Keith Kauffman, 17.163; 16.
89G-David Gravel, 17.253; 17. 29-Tyler Walker, 17.286; 18. 30C-Lance
Dewease, 17.286; 19. 7M-Mark Smith, 17.306; 20. O4-Cap Henry, 17.333; 21.
77-Aaron Ott, 17.368; 22. 747-Davey Sammons, 17.389; 23. 3-Pete Miller III,
17.440; 24. 30-Doug Esh, 17.493; 25. 27-Daryn Pittman, 17.203; 26.
75-Nicole Bower, 17.517; 27. 4-John Brennfleck, 17.547; 28. O7-Mark
Coldren, 17.604; 29. 16-Cliff Brian, 17.713; 30. 33-Brian Ehrenzeller,
17.768; 31. 49-Bob Howard, 18.114; 32. 3J-Jack Thornton, 18.704

Heat 1 - Kear's Speed Shop (8 Laps - Top 5 Transfer)
1. 29-Tyler Walker; 2. 77-Aaron Ott; 3. 17B-Steve Buckwalter; 4. 1-Stevie
Smith; 5. 39-Greg Hodnett; 6. 11E-Mike Erdley; 7. 27-Daryn Pittman; 8.
16-Cliff Brian

Heat 2 - All Pro Heads (8 Laps - Top 5 Transfer)
1. 30C-Lance Dewease; 2. 7-Chad Layton; 3. 55-Mike Wagner; 4. 747-Davey
Sammons; 5. 1Z-Jessica Zemken; 6. 83-Tim Shaffer; 7. 75-Nicole Bower; 8.
33-Brian Ehrenzeller

Heat 3 - MSD Ignition (8 Laps - Top 5 Transfer)
1. 7M-Mark Smith; 2. 92-Kerry Madsen; 3. 8H-Keith Kauffman; 4. 51-Fred
Rahmer; 5. 3-Pete Miller III; 6. 93-Sam Hafertepe Jr.; 7. 4-John
Brennfleck; 8. 49-Bob Howard

Heat 4 - Kinsler Fuel Injection (8 Laps - Top 5 Transfer)
1. 30-Doug Esh; 2. 20-Ryan Taylor; 3. 2-Dale Blaney; 4. 89G-David Gravel;
5. 3J-Jack Thornton; 6. 35-Justin Henderson; 7. O4-Cap Henry; 8. O7-Mark
Coldren

Dash - Outerwear's Performance Products (6 Laps - Top - Transfer)
1. 1-Stevie Smith; 2. 51-Fred Rahmer; 3. 7-Chad Layton; 4. 39-Greg Hodnett;
5. 20-Ryan Taylor; 6. 55-Mike Wagner

B-Main - University of Northwestern Ohio (12 Laps - Top 4 Transfer)
1. 83-Tim Shaffer; 2. 35-Justin Henderson; 3. 27-Daryn Pittman; 4. 11E-Mike
Erdley; 5. 93-Sam Hafertepe Jr.; 6. 16-Cliff Brian; 7. 75-Nicole Bower; 8.
O4-Cap Henry; 9. O7-Mark Coldren; 10. 33-Brian Ehrenzeller; 11. 49-Bob
Howard; 12. 4-John Brennfleck

A-Main - O’Reilly Auto Parts (30 Laps) [#]-Starting Position
1. 39-Greg Hodnett[4]; 2. 2-Dale Blaney[8]; 3. 55-Mike Wagner[6]; 4.
35-Justin Henderson[12]; 5. 30C-Lance Dewease[17]; 6. 17B-Steve
Buckwalter[9]; 7. 20-Ryan Taylor[5]; 8. 7M-Mark Smith[18]; 9. 1-Stevie
Smith[1]; 10. 30-Doug Esh[22]; 11. 27-Daryn Pittman[23]; 12. 29-Tyler
Walker[16]; 13. 83-Tim Shaffer[11]; 14. 8H-Keith Kauffman[14]; 15. 77-Aaron
Ott[19]; 16. 51-Fred Rahmer[2]; 17. 89G-David Gravel[15]; 18. 747-Davey
Sammons[20]; 19. 3-Pete Miller III[21]; 20. 11E-Mike Erdley[13]; 21.
1Z-Jessica Zemken[10]; 22. 92-Kerry Madsen[7]; 23. 7-Chad Layton[3]; 24.
3J-Jack Thornton[24]