FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FROM WILLIAMS GROVE SPEEDWAY
JUNE 15, 2018
CHRIS WINDOM WINS USAC EASTERN STORM STOP AT WILLIAMS GROVE AND
LUCAS WOLFE WINS SPRINT CAR FEATURE
MECHANICSBURG, PA – Chris Windom took the lead from Brady Bacon
with five laps to go and went on to win the USAC Sprint Car feature as part
of the Eastern Storm Series Friday night at Williams Grove Speedway.
In the regular 25-lap sprint car feature, Lucas Wolfe scored his second win
of the season.
Robert Ballou started second and grabbed the race lead at the start of the
30-lap Eastern Storm main event. Bacon passed C.J. Leary for second on the
first lap. Windom started fifth and moved into fourth with a pass of Tim
Buckwalter. Fast timer Kevin Thomas Jr. was also moving forward and into the
top five.
Bacon caught Ballou, but couldn’t make a pass for the lead on a fast racing
surface.
The leaders had a close call with a slower car on the front stretch while
Windom raced by Leary and into third.
The first caution of the race flew with 13 laps completed.
Windom, the defending USAC sprint car champion, challenged Bacon for second
following the restart as the top three raced under a blanket. Bacon took the
lead from Ballou off turn two on lap 21.
Windom took second one lap later.
Windom closed on Bacon and took the lead on lap 26 off turn two.
A caution flag slowed the pace with two laps to go.
Windom, of Canton, Ill., controlled the final laps scoring the $6,000 win.
“This win means a lot,” Windom said. “It was so cool to get the first Silver
Crown win here (last year). It’s an historical place to win at. This car was
awesome.”
Bacon, Ballou, Thomas Jr. and Pennsylvania’s Buckwalter completed the top
five. Dave Darland, Chase Stockon, Tyler Courtney, Justin Grant and Leary
rounded out the top 10.
Thomas Jr. set fast time and a new track record during qualifying with a lap
of 19.509. The top eight drivers all broke the previous record of 20.035.
Zach Daum, Jerry Coons Jr. and Tony DiMattia won the heat races.
Matt Boland, Frankie Herr and Jordan Givler won the sprint car heats and
started at the front of the 25-lap main event.
Boland led the opening five laps before Herr got by with defending track
champion Freddie Rahmer in third.
Sixth starting Lucas Wolfe moved into third as Rahmer took the lead from
Herr on lap 12. Wolfe nearly took the lead with one move, but instead only
took second from Herr.
Wolfe, of Mechanicsburg, got another good run off the bottom of turn four
and got next to Rahmer nipping him at the line for the lead by .030. Wolfe
jumped the cushion in turn two giving the lead back to Rahmer, but the
caution flag flew and Wolfe reassumed the lead for the restart with six laps
to go.
Wolfe controlled the restart and dominated the final laps winning by 3.377
seconds over Rahmer. He earned $3,800 and a free tire.
“I was able to move around a little bit and I found the bottom was a little
bit better than what Freddie was doing,” said Wolfe. “It wasn’t enough to
get him, but he had a little wrinkle once in traffic and I thought I was
going to split both of them, but that didn’t quite happen. I was able to get
beside him and I was lucky to beat him back to the line.”
T.J. Stutts and Brian Montieth passed Herr finishing third and fourth. Herr
finished fifth. Brock Zearfoss, Givler, Steve Buckwalter, Antony Macri and
Cory Haas rounded out the top 10.
Eastern Storm continues Saturday night at Port Royal Speedway.
USAC Eastern Storm Sprint Car Feature (30 laps): 1. Chris Windom; 2. Brady
Bacon; 3. Robert Ballou; 4. Kevin Thomas Jr.; 5. Timmy Buckwalter; 6. Dave
Darland; 7. Chase Stockon; 8. Tyler Courtney; 9. Justin Grant; 10. C.J.
Leary; 11. Thomas Meseraull; 12. Jerry Coons Jr.; 13. Isaac Chapple; 14.
Chad Boespflug; 15. Kyle Moody; 16. Joey Biasi; 17. Matt Westfall; 18.
Jarett Andretti; 19. Trevor Kobylarz; 20. Carmen Perigo Jr.; 21 Zach Daum;
22. Tony DiMattia; 23. Robert Bell.
Sprint Car Feature (25 laps): 1. Lucas Wolfe. 2. Freddie Rahmer. 3. T.J.
Stutts. 4. Brian Montieth. 5. Frankie Herr. 6. Brock Zearfoss. 7. Jordan
Givler. 8. Steve Buckwalter. 9. Anthony Macri. 10. Cory Haas. 11. Kyle
Reinhardt. 12. Rick Lafferty. 13. Greg Hodnett. 14. Jessie Attard. 15. Jim
Shuster. 16. Troy Fraker 17. Matt Boland. 18. Rodney Westhafer. 19. Jay
Galloway. 20. TJ DeHaven. 21. Mallie Shuster.