BECHTELSVILLE, Pa. — Taking the lead with six laps remaining in the 30-lap T.P. Trailer NASCAR Modified feature event, Tim Buckwalter raced to his first win of the season and third career victory Saturday night at Grandview Speedway.
Buckwalter was in a multi-lap duel with Ron Haring Jr. when he pulled a slider on Haring Jr. entering turn one on lap 24 to secure the lead, then worked through lapped traffic in the closing laps to become the season’s tenth different T.P. Trailer Modified feature winner, and also ended his own personal win drought at the track, which last saw Buckwalter score a Modified victory on August 26, 2017.
The 30-lap T.P. Trailer Modified feature got off to a slow start with five caution flags slowing the action during the first nine laps before the drivers settled into a rhythm and got down to some serious racing.
Haring took the lead from the opening green flag and set the pace through the early restarts being challenged by Eric Kormann for the top spot while Kevin Graver Jr. and Buckwalter who started ninth, were already up front battling for third position.
While these drivers were up front, more close racing for position was going on right behind them between Jared Umbenhauer, Doug Manmiller, Mike Gular, Ryan Beltz, Brett Kressley and Ryan Grim.Â
Buckwalter, Gular and Kressley were all using the outside lane to advance positions toward the front and by lap 12 Buckwalter was challenging Haring for the lead, while Umbenhauer, Kressley and Gular were in a great battle with Kormann for third position.
Haring continued to lead with Buckwalter trying to track him down as the race would run caution free the remainder of the event. Umbenhauer and Kressley would move past Kormann into third and fourth and slowly close on the lead duo while still battling each other along the way.
Haring would reach lapped traffic by lap 18 and started moving through quite well, however Buckwalter would get close at times, and Umbenhauer and Kressley really closed in as things really got wild up front for the leaders.
After being close a couple of times, and making a mild challenge for the lead, Buckwalter got the chance he needed on lap 24 entering turn one when he threw a slider at Haring, with the two rubbing wheels briefly, with Buckwalter becoming the new race leader.
With Buckwalter out front working heavy lapped traffic in the closing laps, the action was still fast and furious behind him with positions constantly changing, Haring running second, Umbenhauer third and Kressley fourth.
Point leader Kressley knew that every spot is important in the championship chase, and after taking the white flag, made a breath-taking low groove pass of both Umbenhauer and Haring in one move entering turn one, to grab position two in the final rundown.
Brian Hirthler ended a bit of a personal dry spell as well, as the speedway’s all-time T.P. Truck Equipment NASCAR Sportsman feature wins leader scored his second win of the season and first since opening night on April 8, in the evening’s 25-lap T.P. Truck Equipment Sportsman feature race.
Feature Finish (30 Laps)
TIM BUCKWALTER, Brett Kressley, Ron Haring Jr., Mike Gular, Jared Umbenhauer, Craig Von Dohren, Ryan Grim, Kevin Graver Jr., Jeff Strunk, Kevin Hirthler, Doug Manmiller, Eric Kormann, Justin Grim, Mike Lisowski, Ryan Beltz, Jimmy Leiby, Ryan Watt, Eric Biehn, Carroll Hine III, Darrin Schuler, Mark Kratz, Bobby Trapper Jr., Eddie Strada, John Willman, Bobby Gunther-Walsh, Lex Shive, Ray Swinehart, Chris Esposito