Hilltop Speedway
May 12, 2012
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LEE, ARONHALT & GARDNER WIN HILLTOP THRILLERS; T. ADKINS, K. POTTS & McLOUGHLIN RETURN TO VICTORY LANE

by Mike Swanger
MILLERSBURG, OH  (May 12) - The racing fans that filled the grandstands at Hilltop Speedway got a good workout as they were up and down in their seats for most of the night. In the Holmes Tire Late Model action, George Lee set fast time of 14.347 seconds and then finished second to Brad Malcuit in the dash putting them on the front row of the feature. Driving the LSI, Cowen Truck Line, Bert Transmissions #61, Lee took the high groove and quickly opened up a big lead over the rest of the field. Malcuit and Ryan Markham ran second and third as heat winners Devin Moran, JR Gentry and Norm Aronhalt started to work their way into the top five after starting 7th, 8th and 9th as would tenth starting Charlie Duncan. Using the low way to get around, Moran would power past Markham on lap nine for third as Bryan Casey was hanging on to fifth. As the laps clicked off at a rapid pace, Lee was putting cars a lap down and had a straightaway bulge when Moran edged past Malcuit for second on lap 13. The only caution flag flew on lap 22 as Gentry spun in turn four and with the rules of putting lapped cars to the back came into play, this would put Moran, Markham, Malcuit, Duncan, and Aronhalt in line behind Lee. As the green flag reappeared, Lee would jump to the highside as Moran took the low groove and through the corners, Moran could get alongside Lee who would out power Moran down the straightaways and as they came down to the checker flag, Loudonville’s Lee was a car length in front for his second win of the season. Markham finished third as Duncan and Aronhalt took over fourth and fifth with two to go to claim top five’s. Matt Aber scored the last chance win.

The Tri State Modifieds was as action packed as you can get as Larry Kugel and Norm Aronhalt would start on the front row followed by Beau Bradley and Kevin Morehouse in row two as those four topped the heat races. Aronhalt bolted into the lead with Morehouse taking second on lap two as Jesse Wisecarver slipped into fourth on lap four. With Aronhalt leading, Morehouse used the chrome horn to get Aronhalt out of shape on lap six to take the lead,but Aronhalt would return the favor on the next lap to regain to point as the crowd was on their feet. Wisecarver took third from Kugel just past the halfway mark. On the restart following a lap 13 caution, Wiscarver squeezed past both Aronhalt and Morehouse for the lead and for the next five circuits, Aronhalt tried to get the lead back during that time. Another caution with two to go and the powerplant exploded for Wisecarver just as they hammered down for the restart, ending his run. Warsaw’s Aronhalt held off Morehouse in the last two circuits to pick up his first Hilltop Speedway win of the year and also became the first driver to pick up the bonus money as he won the night before at Wayne County Speedway with the Ports Petroleum #309 machine. Kugel, Bradley and Vic Hottinger filled out the top five as Matt Samples secured the last chance win.

Miamisburg’s Brandon Gardner went flag to flag for his first Street Stock win of the season but he was hounded all race long by Kyle Dickinson who tried different lines all race long to try to pass the Schaeffer Oil, Innovative Graphics, GLR #27g. As the white flag waved, Dickinson tried the extreme low side of turn one to try to slip under the low groove hugging Gardner to no avail. It was a race long battle for a top five finish as six drivers were changing positions every lap to get one of those places and at the end it was Colt Maxwell, Matt Schroyer and Ryan Wisecarver filling out the top five over Kenny Daughriety Jr., Timmy Glassburn and Bob Chilcote.

Brad Hensel set the pace for the first two laps of the Mini Stock feature but after that it was all Killbuck’s Terry Adkins who had to hold off a late run by Jerry Adkins to post his second win of the year. Brad Hensel kept Brett Adkins at bay for third as defending track champion Gary Hensel Jr took fifth. The red flag came out on lap 8 when Tyler Evans’ car slowed and Blain Markey hit the back end of Evans’ car lifting the back end up in the air to the 12 o’clock position and when it came back down hit Elliot Robinson’s car and he was transported and checked out. Heat winners were Terry Adkins and both Hensels.

The Bug-R-Gone Trucks was once again the Potts vs. Large’s in a caution filled feature as the first half of the race would see a complete lap and then a caution. The action picked up in the last half of the race with a steady dose of green flag as Sunbury’s Kevin Potts would lead for the first six laps but John Large edged into the top spot on laps seven and eight before Potts and his Tickets Galore, Eagle Insurance and Welders on Wheels #8k out powered Large in turn four to regain the lead and park in victory circle for the third straight time. David Potts outdueled Jerry Gardner for third as Jack Large passed Mitch Caskey on the last lap for fifth. Kevion Potts and John Large won the heats.

Zanesville’s Tanner  McLoughlin picked up a heat win and then went wire to wire in the Mini Wedge main to collect his second win in a row. Hannah Rose was closing fast on McLoughlin to finish second as Cody Stillion took third followed by Triston Lillibridge and first heat winner Taylor Huggins.

Next Saturday night will be Driver Autograph night as the pits will be opened up after hot laps and qualifying for the fans to get autographs and pictures of the drivers before the races start. Grandstand gates open at 4 p.m with hot laps at 5 pm and racing at 7 pm.
 
HILLTOP SPEEDWAY SUMMARY
Saturday May 12, 2012
HOLMES TIRE LATE MODELS   (27)
Fast Qualifier  George Lee   14.347
Dash        Brad Malcuit, Lee, Bryan Casey, Ryan Markham, Ty Myers, DJ Cline
Heat   1    Devin Moran, Charlie Duncan, David Liles, Matt Aber, Mike Graber, Hiriam Bachmann, Shane Campbell (dns)
Heat   2    J R Gentry, Steve Prince, Travis Mensching,  J D Fisher, Keith Tish, Brandon Leyda, Mike Lonas (dns)
Heat   3    Norm Aronhalt, Mike Bores, Aaron Phillis, Jim Morey, Travis Leyda, Kyle Moore, Jason Hinton
‘B’ Main   Aber, Tish, Moore, T. Leyda, Graber, B. Leyda, Fisher, Campbell, Hinton, Bachmann, Lonas, Morey (dns)
Feature    Lee, Moran, Markham, Duncan, Aronhalt, Malcuit, Casey, Gentry, Prince, Mensching, Liles, Aber, Moore, Tish, Phillis, Bores, Myers, Cline
 
TRI-STATE MODIFIEDS  (27)
Heat   1    Larry Kugel, Jesse Wisecarver, Nathan Loney, Jason Graham, Eddie Wilson, Robin Duston, Casey Fritz
Heat   2    Norm Aronhalt, Jimmy Smith, Darrick Hubbard, Tom King, Kyle Warner, Matt Samples, Kevin Shairer
Heat   3    Beau Bradley, Vic Hottinger, Eric Singhaus, Verne Mardis, Mike Hutchinson, Dave Sampsel, Virgil Eaches
Heat   4    Kevin Morehouse, Rick Mardis, Ryan West, Hilton Eppley, Desi McHenry, Josh Morrow
‘B’ Main   Samples, Warner, Wilson, Hutchinson, Eaches, Shairer, Sampsel, McHenry, Fritz (dns), Morrow (dns), Duston (dns)
Feature    Aronhalt, Morehouse, Kugel, Bradley, Hottinger, R. Mardis, Loney, West, Samples, Singhaus, Eppley, King, Hubbard, Warner, Smith, Wisecarver, V. Mardis, Graham
 
STREET STOCKS  (18)
Heat   1    Brandon Gardner, Matt Schroyer, Colt Maxwell, Timmy Glassburn, Robert Smith, Joe Spearman, John Wilson, Dave Giaugue, Scott Richardson
Heat   2    Kyle Dickinson, Kenny Daughriety Jr., Ryan Wisecarver, Bob Chilcote, Butch Butcher, Dustin Warner, Bob Daugherty, Jason Shairer, Bob Fry (dns)
Feature    Gardner, Dickinson, Maxwell, Schroyer, Wisecarver, Daughriety Jr., Glassburn, Chilcote, Wilson, Giaugue, Warner, Butcher, Shairer, Spearman, Smith, Richardson, Daugherty (dns), Fry (dns)
 
MINI STOCKS  (22)
Heat   1   Terry Adkins, Jerry Adkins, Dustin Daugherty, Chris Priebe, Blain Markey, Jeff Barker, Ted Archer, Kenny Long
Heat   2   Brad Hensel, Elliot Robinson, Tyler Evans, Randall Whicker, Kevin Markey, Dee Adkins, Tim Dockery (dns)
Heat   3   Gary Hensel Jr., Brett Adkins, Jordan James, J R Carpenter, Jason St. John, Moose Workman, Greg Thompson
Feature   T. Adkins, J. Adkins, B. Hensel, B. Adkins, Hensel Jr., Priebe, James, Carpenter, Whicker, Workman, St. John, Daugherty, D. Adkins, K. Markey, Barker, Archer, Evans, B. Markey, Robinson, Long, Thompson, Dockery (dns)
 
BUGS-R-GONE TRUCKS  (13)
Heat   1   Kevin Potts, David Potts, Jack Large, Steve Large, Logan Brannon, Rolly Heyder, Cole Lillibridge
Heat   2   John Large, Mitch Caskey, Jerry Gardner, Stan Braxton, Darrick Hubbard Jr., Tom Garlick
Feature   K. Potts, Jo. Large, D. Potts, Gardner, Ja. Large, Caskey, Braxton, Heyder, Garlick, Brannon, Hubbard Jr., S. Large, Lillibridge
 
MINI WEDGES  (14)
Heat   1   Taylor Huggins, Kyler Kidd, Tristen Brown, Destiny Bates, Kylar Wolford, Josey Lillibridge, Nick Large
Heat   2   Tanner McLoughlin, Cody Stillion, Tristen Lillibridge, Logan Burnes, Braxton Wilson, Hannah Rose, Brayden Morey (dns)
Feature    McLoughlin, Rose, Stillion, T. Lillibridge, Huggins, Kidd, Brown, Wilson, Burnes, J. Lillibridge, Bates, Wolford (dns), Large (dns), Morey (dns)