Lernerville Speedway report

SARVER, PA - Chad Kemenah passed Brian Ellenberger with only three laps remaining to win the 14th annual Earl and David Bauman Memorial All Star sprint race Friday night at Lernerville Speedway. The 35-lap run was worth $6,000 to Kemenah, with the added $1,000 to the winner’s share courtesy of Commercial Truck & Trailer. In victory lane, Jack Lewis added another $200 to Kemenah's winnings because Kemenah was a good friend of the late Spanky Lewis, former sprint car driver. "I really love this place," Kemenah exclaimed after his second Lernerville All Star win of the season. "Sometimes it's better to be running second," he added, explaining his moves to pass in lapped traffic. "I've got to thank Tommy Sanders and Gambler, UUI, the Harble family, Kear's Speed Shop, Kistler Engines, Pro-shocks and most of all my brother and brother-in-law and Brady." "We got caught up in lapped traffic," a dejected Ellenberger said afterward, complaining of a loose race car. "I couldn't run anywhere else, we had to stay up top. We got behind those guys and lost our momentum and he just came underneath me. He surprised me." Ellenberger was on the ButlerBuilt Hot Seat pole position with Phil Gressman outside the front row for the start. Ellenberger jumped out to a strong lead, with Gressman second and third starter Kemenah holding third. Jamie Smith spun out of sixth spot for the first caution on lap four, with Gressman losing power and stopping on lap seven for another yellow. Gressman was through for the night. Ellenberger pulled away from Kemenah on the restart, with Byron Reed and Kenny Jacobs battling for third. As Ellenberger pulled out to a half-straightaway lead over Kemenah, Jacobs dove low off turn four every lap to challenge Reed, but Reed kept control of the third spot. In traffic, Kemenah closed back in on Ellenberger, while Jacobs finally snared third spot on lap 13. Kemenah pulled up on Ellenberger's back bumper by lap 15, and tried a low slide job off turn four a lap later, but to no avail. Ellenberger was still in the lead on lap 17 when a red stopped the action as Jimmy Hawley flipped hard down the front straightaway after hitting the wall. Hawley had the wind knocked out of him and was dazed, but apparently uninjured, and was transported to the hospital for a checkup as a precaution. With the restart lineup Ellenberger, Kemenah, Jacobs and Reed, Ellenberger used his Chevrolet power to move out to a nice lead over Kemenah and Jacobs. The leaders ran that way and re-entered lapped traffic on lap 23. Ellenberger had trouble lapping Barry Ruble, allowing Kemenah to close, and on lap 25 Ellenberger got a bit sideways entering turn one as his machine got looser and looser. Kemenah moved in. On lap 31, Kemenah was right on the leader's bumper and the next circuit Kemenah dove low in turn three as Ellenberger remained in the high groove. Kemenah pulled ahead in turn four and it was a drag race down the front stretch with Kemenah on top and Ellenberger now second. Reed was right on the back bumper of Jacobs, and coming down for the checkered flag Reed went high around the All Star points leader to snare third at the end. "I got lucky," said Reed of his last lap pass for third In the Reebar Die Casting machine. Jacobs was fourth in a new Maxim with Ed Lynch Jr. a steady fifth and Greg Wilson sixth. Rodney Duncan finished seventh, earning the Team Simpson Racing Lucky Seven award, ahead of Danny Smith, Jerrod Hull and Kelly Kinser. The leader of lap 18, Ellenberger, earned a $500 bonus from Jack Lewis, in memory of his late son Spanky. The heats went to Travis Rilat, Gary Kreiss, Brian Gobrecht and Kemenah while Reed won the Georgia Marketing & Promotions B Main. Greg Wilson captured the Commercial Truck & Trailer Dash.