FRANKLIN, Pa. – Bradley Howard closed out Western PA Sprint Speedweek with a victory on Sunday evening at Tri-City Raceway Park.
Howard inherited the lead when track champion and current points leader Jack Sodeman Jr. crashed in turn three while holding a commanding lead in the Shawgo Real Estate LLC 410 Sprint feature.
“This was bad ass, I wasn’t expecting the track to get that big of a lip,” Howard said.
He credited the win to recent improvements in his engine program.
Sodeman had the pole position for the thirty lap Speedweek finale presented by Real Estate LLC 410 Sprint feature. Sye Lynch was on his flank. Matt Farnham and Howard had command of the second row, with Landon Myers and Brandon Spithaler in the third row. Lee Jacobs, the lone Ohio invader, was in the fourth row, with Darin Gallagher beside him. Cody Bova and Michael Bauer were in row five, and Ryan Smith and Carl Bowser, who finished one-two the night before, were in row six.
Lynch took the lead on the initial green, but a caution for Bova on the back chute called that back. This time, Sodeman was better prepared, and he took the lead heading into turn one. Lynch was second, followed by Howard, Spithaler, Farnham and Myers.
A caution five laps into the contest brought Sodeman and Lynch back to the other drivers. They had gotten away and they were waging a private battle for the lead.
On the restart, Spithaler sailed into third and he began to reel in Lynch. Sodeman was alone out front. He was almost collected in an incident in turn four. He managed to avoid major contact, but Lynch and Spithaler were not so fortunate. They tangled and then a slower car could not avoid them. Jeremy Hill went over in the melee but he was not hurt.
Without Lynch or Spithaler to contend with, Sodeman had the car on cruise control. However, on lap eighteen, he flipped hard in turn three. Sodeman reported afterwards that something broke and he could not steer his machine. Perhaps it was damage from the earlier skirmish that eliminated Lynch and Spithaler from contention. Matt Farnhamwas also eliminated in that wreck. Neither driver sustained injury.
That put Howard in command for the restart. He had Darin Gallagher breathing down his neck, with Jacobs, Bowser, and Smith lurking.
Howard withstood multiple restarts that followed. Jacobs and Smith advanced in the interlude and they had an intense battle going for the second position.
At the finish, it was Howard, over Jacobs, Smith, Gallagher, and Myers. Bowser, Brandon Matus, Bob Felmlee, Lynch, and Spithaler rounded out the top ten.
Smith’s third was more than enough to clinch the series point championship.
Also taking checkered flags Sunday were Jeremiah Shingledecker in the Krill Recycling LLC 358 Modifieds, Gale Ruth Jr. in the Gary Glass Automotive and Washington House RUSH Sprints and Dalton Speer in the 4 Your Car Connection Mini Stocks.
The finish:
Bradley Howard, Lee Jacobs, Ryan Smith, Darin Gallagher, Landon Myers, Carl Bowser, Brandon Matus, Bob Felmlee, Sye Lynch, Brandon Spithaler, Michael Bauer, Logan McCandless, Leyton Wagner, Cody Bova, Brent Matus, Ken Rossey, Matt Sherlock, Steve Bright, Chase Metheny, Kyle Colwell, Jack Sodeman, Jr., Matt Farnham, Jeremy Hill, Gale Ruth, Jr., A.J. Flick (DNS), Josh Baughman (DNS).