KEVIN HIRTHLER WINS AT FIVE MILE POINT SPEEDWAY.

News from the Short Track SuperNationals presented by Dart Machinery

Media Contact: Brett Deyo - 845.728.2781 or Deyo99H@aol.com

For Immediate Release/October 11, 2009

Kevin Hirthler Collects Over $5,000 As Short Track SuperNationals Victor

KIRKWOOD, NY - For Kevin Hirthler, it was meant to be.

The Boyertown, Pa., driver capitalized on a front-row starting spot, a stout race car and some good fortune to win Saturday night's Short Track SuperNationals presented by Dart Machinery at Five Mile Point Speedway.

Hirthler, a Grandview (Pa.) Speedway regular, earned well over $5,000 via the 'Roll the Dice Challenge' sponsored by Pioneer Pole Buildings Inc. It was his first victory at Five Mile Point. He was visiting the racy Kirkwood, N.Y., oval for only the second time in his career.

The 29-year-old experienced good luck at the draw twice during the evening, picking No. 1 for his heat event and the pole again in the top-14 redraw for the feature.

"It's great to be in New York," exclaimed Hirthler, who now has victories in five different states (New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware).

"My Dad (Craig) pulled No. 1 coming through the gate and then my son (Jesse James) did it in the redraw. It was a shame Jeff (Strunk) broke. He had a fast car. I guess it was our night."

Driving his Doug Meyers-powered No. 117 Bicknell, Hirthler outgunned Jeff Strunk at the outset of the 50-lap big-block/small-block Modified event. Strunk pressured Hirthler heavily until completing an outside pass on lap 23 to put his Vince Gagliardo-owned No. 41 into the lead.

Moments after collecting the $500 Halfway Bonus from Dale Smith Photography, Strunk's victory bid ended on lap 27 when his car lost its left-rear wheel, the victim of a busted hub assembly.

Hirthler regained the lead over ninth-starter Billy Pauch Sr.

Pauch, the 52-year-old icon from Frenchtown, N.J., chased Hirthler through lap 47 when he retired to the pits with drive-line failure.

Pauch's misfortune momentarily turned the runner-up spot over to Mike Gular.

However, Mike Ricci had other ideas. The Rosendale, N.Y., driver, who was forced to the rear of the field following an opening-lap incident, romped back to the front driving Jeff Mastracola's No. 76R.

Ricci wheeled around the outside of Gular with the white flag in the air, but ran out of time to challenge Hirthler. Ricci, a regular at Accord (N.Y.) Speedway, won the first Short Track SuperNationals in 2006 at Afton (N.Y.) Speedway.

Gular, of Green Lane, Pa., turned in the best effort of his career at Five Mile Point, finishing third driving Terry Fasnacht's No. 53. He started sixth.

First-time Five Mile Point visitor Sean Merkel of Bechtelsville, Pa., was fourth after starting 14th in his family-owned No. 118 and Joey Grammes of Lehighton, Pa., placed fifth. Grammes ran inside the top five for the entire distance with the No. 5 owned by his older brother, Brad.

Completing the top-10 were 23rd-starter Stewart Friesen of Old Forge, N.Y., in the Mike Dinatale No. 11D; veteran Mike Colsten of Binghamton, N.Y.; Jim Gabriel of Binghamton, N.Y., driving the Randy Decker No. 9R; Billy Pauch Jr. of Frenchtown, N.J., who recovered from a first-lap skirmish in Bob Greene's No. 8; and Mitch Gibbs of North Norwich, N.Y., who was slowed by a mid-race right-rear flat tire with Ken Brewer's No. 77x.   

A quality field of 70 Modifieds jammed the Five Mile Point pit area for the event. Heat winners were Hirthler, Brent Boyer, Grammes, Pauch Sr., Colsten, Strunk and Gular.

Three consolations set the remainder of the 27-car starting field. The winners were Jamie Batzel, Friesen and Jason Hamilton.

Grandview Speedway champion Jeff Strunk of Bechtelsville, Pa., pocketed $600 for winning the Trackside Products All-Star Clash, a unique 6 1/2-lap event featuring track champions from a variety of speedways.

Five Mile Point champ Brian Weaver, Orange County (N.Y.) Fair Speedway champion Chuck McKee, 2006 SuperNationals winner Mike Ricci and Woodhull (N.Y.) Raceway champion Billy Van Pelt trailed.

Harold Humphrey of Windsor, N.Y., took command on lap three and drove to victory in the 25-lap Trackside Products Race of Champions Dart Pure Stock Series headline event.

Butch Green, who led briefly early in the race, was second, followed by Rich Talada, Woodhull Raceway champion Russ Morseman and Butch Green.

Tunkhannock, Pa.'s Kenny Underwood emerged victorious in the 18-lap Four Cylinder Open.

Jeff Richardson of Goshen, N.Y., topped the 15-lap Vintage Modified Open over Northeastern Pennsylvania legend Lynn Highhouse, who drove a beautifully-restored No. 98B in his return to Five Mile Point.

SUPERNATIONALS SIDE NOTES: Modified teams from New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Vermont congregated at Five Mile Point for the Short Track SuperNationals event....

A total of 132 cars jammed both Five Mile Point pit areas to capacity, while the spectator lot was filled to the point of overflow....

How competitive was the Modified field? Track champions Bobby Varin (N.Y.'s Fonda Speedway), Chuck McKee (Orange County) and Billy Van Pelt (Woodhull) didn't make the feature lineup. Five Mile Point title winner Brian Weaver was leading a consolation when he experienced engine woes....

Planning is already underway for the 2010 SuperNationals. Look for details in the near future....

SHORT TRACK SUPERNATIONALS PRESENTED BY DART MACHINERY AND PIONEER POLE BUILDINGS INC. RACE SUMMARY - OCTOBER 10, 2009

SHORT TRACK SUPERNATIONALS PRESENTED BY DART MACHINERY MODIFIED FEATURE FINISH: KEVIN HIRTHLER, Mike Ricci, Mike Gular, Sean Merkel, Joey Grammes, Stewart Friesen, Mike Colsten, Jim Gabriel Jr., Billy Pauch Jr., Mitch Gibbs, Brent Wilcox, Rich Ricci Jr., Jesse Hill, Russ Zimmerman, Scott Van Gorder, Billy Pauch Sr., Brent Boyer, Jamie Batzel, Bobby Trapper, Meme DeSantis, Jimmy Chester, Jeff Strunk, Jason Hamilton, Mike Nagel Jr., Ken Titus, Dan Hineline, Keith Hoffman.

Did Not Qualify: Jared Umbenhauer, Billy Van Pelt, Jeff Sechrist, Eric Palmer, Danny Erb, J.R. Hurlburt, Paul Jensen, Steve Transue, Chris Ostrowsky, Eric Stephens Jr., Ray Swinehart, Bob Hamm Jr., Josh Ainey, Joe Eisenhauer, Bruce Evans Jr., Brian Malcolm, Danny Tyler, Gary Griffin, Ben Bushaw, Ryan Godown, Bobby Varin, Jason Memrick, Shaun Walker, Larry Lippincott, Randy Brokaw, Jimmy Howard, Bernie Griffin, Dave Camara, Scott Frack, Chic Cossaboone, Shawn Reimert, Barry White, Brian Weaver, Eric Kocher, Mike Austin, Glenn Knapp, Rich Wallace, Ricky Yetter, Tony Kawalchuk, Wade Decker, Greg Hastie, Chuck McKee, Kerry Kratz.

Pioneer Pole Buildings Inc. Roll the Dice Challenge ($1,500): Kevin Hirthler
Dale Smith Photography Halfway Bonus ($500): Jeff Strunk
Vogel Race Designs/Jim Young Race Photos Hard Charger Award ($200 and custom poster): Stewart Friesen - 23rd to sixth
Grandview Speedway Starter's Stand First Non-Winner Award ($150): Sean Merkel
Penn-Can Oct. 24 King of the Can Guaranteed Spot: Kevin Hirthler
Grant Buck 10th-Place Bonus ($50): Mitch Gibbs
Behrent's Performance Warehouse Perseverance Award ($75 Gift Card): Rich Ricci Jr.
Fabrications By Tauschman Hard Luck Award ($150): Chuck McKee
BFP Specialty Top PA 358 Award ($75 Gift Card): Kevin Hirthler
Lap 20 In Memory of Bob Whitman ($65): Kevin Hirthler
Selinsgrove Speedway Top 358 Award (4 passes to 2010 Icebreaker): Kevin Hirthler
Accord Speedway Heat Winners ($70 each): Kevin Hirthler, Brent Boyer, Joey Grammes, Billy Pauch Sr., Mike Colsten, Jeff Strunk, Mike Gular

TRACKSIDE PRODUCTS ALL-STAR CLASH FINISH: JEFF STRUNK, Brian Weaver, Chuck McKee, Mike Ricci, Billy Van Pelt, Jesse Hill.

TRACKSIDE PRODUCTS RoC PURE STOCK FEATURE FINISH: HAROLD HUMPHREY, Butch Green, Rich Talada, Russ Morseman, Rich Green, Gene Sharpsteen, Tom Garren, Karl Shimer, Earl Zimmer, Louie Gordinier, Charlie Gilbert, Steve Sharpsteen, Dave Metz, Jon Carpenter, Jake Fowlston, Nathan Klinger, Doug Polhamus, Kevin Boynton, Jason Butler, Darl Ellis Jr., Kirby Sites, Hank Decker, Rich Sharpsteen, Shane Wolf.

Did Not Qualify: Ken Winn, Toby Lehr, Mike Codington, Ben Call, Kody Sites, Kevin Beach, Bimmer Gulley, Chuck Culbertson.

FOUR CYLINDER OPEN FEATURE FINISH: KEN UNDERWOOD, Dan Smith, Dave Jenkins, Dan Wood, Gary Kinne, Beezer Wilkie, Dave Simms, Andy Colwell, Dennis Keesler, Nick Greist, Curt McCormick, Shawn Colwell, Dave Bainbridge, Andy Brigham, Dave Desmond, Matt Tripp, Billy Price Jr., Phil Clapper.

VINTAGE MODIFIED OPEN FEATURE FINISH: JEFF RICHARDSON, Lynn Highhouse, Mike Murphy, Howie Murphy, Mike Cole, Bob Campbell, Ricky Rutt, Scott Gates, Ray Preston, Rob Casti.

Did Not Start: Jeff Ackerman, Dick Ackerman.