SELINSGROVE, Pa. – An April storm cloud delayed the heats at the Selinsgrove Speedway Saturday night with a shower, but all it did was make the fast, smooth track even faster.
When all was said and done, Ryan Kissinger came home as the winner in the United Racing Club 25-lap 360 sprint car feature.
Cody Keller and Kissinger shot past polesitter Kyle Reinhardt, who faltered at the start in the 360 sprint car feature. The pair was followed by Chad Layton, Reinhardt and Adam Carberry.
The red flew on lap three, when rookie Jake Hummel flipped in the third turn. Brian Nornhold, Todd Gracey and Troy Betts were also involved. All drivers were uninjured.
Carberry went around the outside to try an improve his position on the restart, but spun, bringing the yellow out.
Kissinger ducked under Keller, in turn three, on the restart and took over the lead. Two laps later, Layton moved by Keller and into the runner-up position.
As Kissinger sliced through traffic, Reinhardt – who had regained the third position – drew to the rear of Layton’s racer. The pair danced through traffic as Kissinger drove away.
Kissinger, who races a Ford engine, had a decided power advantage and ran the rest of the distance untouched to defeat Layton, Reinhardt, Keller and Josh Weller.
Sprint car heats were won by Weller, Reinhardt and Ed Aiken.
In other racing action, Hayes Mattern won the 25-lap late model feature. Both Kissinger and Mattern earned $2,000 for their wins in the third event of the season at the track.
Pro stock point leader Brandon Moser was the season’s first repeat winner in the division’s 15-lap race, while Will Brunson picked up his first feature win of the year in the 12-lap roadrunner race.
Mattern rocketed to the front of the late model feature and was followed by Donnie Schick, Jim Yoder, Bryan Bernheisel and Coleby Frye.
Through the middle part of the race, veterans Schick and Yoder were battling for second, as the youngster Mattern drove away and hid.
By lap 14, Yoder got the better of Schick and raced to the second position, while Randy Christine took over fourth.
In the final laps, Mattern had problems with lapped traffic and almost spun in turn one.
Mattern’s issues helped Yoder, who in the final laps was glued to Mattern’s rear bumper.
However, Mattern was able to hang on as he took the checkered flag by .84 seconds over Yoder, Schick Christine and Frye.
Late model heats went to Schick and Mattern.
Moser passed Shaun Lawton on the backstretch and went on to take the pro stock feature over Lawton, Kyle Bachman, John Schoch and Ray Rothfuss.
Moser and Rothfuss won the pro stock heats.
Brunson passed last week’s winner Jake Jones on the first lap of the roadrunner feature. They were followed by Terry Kramer, Tom Underwood and Jimmy Kessler.
Brunson, who gave up the lead last week late in the race, drove the distance to the checkered flag over Jones, Kramer, Underwood and Kessler.
Darren Rice was the roadrunner heat winner.