[singlepic id=73 w=320 h=240 float=right]Matt Sponaugle added his name to the list of Late Model feature winners Friday night Bedford Speedway. With the win Sponaugle became the 125th different Late Model winner in the long history at the track. In a Limited event which featured a big crash for the second week in a row, Craig Perigo romped to his first win of the season .
Bob Jay, who last won on opening day, took the Semi Late win while Terry Norris took his first of 2012 in the Pure Stock 25 lapper. Randy Doty scored in the All American event as that group visited Bedford , before Dave Lambert survived a wild last lap to win the 4 Cylinder finale.
Matt Sponaugle has been so close so many times but finally sealed the deal with a dominating Late Model performance. Lincoln Ritchey was the pole sitter and broke off to the initial lead, but Sponaugle busted out from fourth to lead the first lap. DJ Troutman got by Ritchey on lap three and the event’s only caution, for a Chris Harr spin on lap 7, closed him on Sponaugles bumper.
Sponaugle led with Troutman in hot pursuit and the pai drew away from the third place battle which grew hotter by the lap. Steve Campbell got by Ritchey on lap 11 for that spot with Jack Pencil and Jeff Rine closing from deep in the pack.
Troutman, who had fallen back in the mid part of the race , closed on the leader in lapped traffic by about lap 15, but shockingly pulled off with car trouble on lap 20. That move left Sponaugle all alone with a huge lead on the field and he sealed the deal, winning by almost a half lap over Campbell. Campbell himself had to survive a clalenge and hold off Pencil at the end to score his best ever Bedford finish.
Rine and Greg Fetters completed the top five. Gene Knaub led the second five as Ritchey, Andy Fries, Matt Parks and Matt Howsare completed the top ten. Knaub and Troutman won the heats.
For the second week in a row, the Limited event was marred by a wild melee which affected the outcome.Craig Perigo, who was at the epicenter of last week’s pileup, found himself in the right place at the right time this week to score the win. Brian Lessley jumped to the early lead from his front row start, and appeared enroute to the win, by in the closing stages his ca r noticeable weakened. Perigo closed over the closing laps to challenge him and brought Dave Leidy, Rance Garlock and Tim Smith with him.
With the front of the field tightly bunched, Perigo slipped past Lessley for the lead as the gang went up the backstretch on the last lap. But just as Perigo got by, Lessley’s motor exploded. Leidy and Garlock piled into Lessley’s slowing car and the resulting melee collected the entire field except for Mike Altobelli who somehow got through.
After a lengthy cleanup, Perigo ran off the final lap to score the win over Altobelli, who also was nursing a sick motor. Travis Stickley was third, followed by Smith. Travis Calhoun and Josh Berrier. Lessley and Robbie Black won the heats.
Perennial big Bedford winner Bob Jay scored his first Semi Late win since opening day. He started near the front and led the first lap. After that he held off George Beckett to the finish to score the win. Beckett was second at the line, ahead of Greg Hainsey, Zane Weicht and Chris Chamberlain.Jay and Chamberlain won the heats.
Adam Daniels was the early Pure Stock leader as that class ran their 25 lap extra distance event. Travis Group got by for the lead on lap 3, But Terry Norris was on the march. He was all over Group one lap later and took over on lap 9. From that point on, Group was in pursuit and holding off Chad Gambol and David Riley.
The battle for second allowed Norris to slide away at the finish. Group held on for second, ahead of Gambol, Riley and Ed Vogel.Gambol and Mike Ott won the heats.
Brook Coleman led the early part of the All American event. Randy Doty came from the pack and too over on lap 5 The pair ran together at the front before Doty scored the win. Coleman ran second ahead of Justin Cullum, Scott Jorda and Fred Cullum.Scott Jorda and Coleman won the heats.
In the wildest finish of the night, Dave Lambert led the last few feet to score in the 4 Cylinder finale. Cale Martin led at the start and held off both Mike Lauffer and fast closing Lamber for the duration. When Lauffer pitted on lap 8, Lambert battled alone. On the last lap in turn four the pair tangled. Lambert backed off and let Martin correct but as they came off turn four Martins car darted across the track and the pair collided again. Lambert stayed on the gas as the cars rubbed and was just inches ahead at the finish line. Steve Frederick, Lauffer and Matt Diehl completed the top five Michael Jack and Lauffer won the heats.
LATE MODEL 25 LAP 1 Matt Sponaugle, 2 Steve Campbell, 3 Jack Pencil, 4 Jeff Rine, 5 Greg Fetters, 6 Gene Knaub, 7 Lincoln Ritchey, 8 Andy Fries, 9 Matt Parks, 10 Matt Howsare, 11 Cory Weaver, 12 Wayne Johnson, 13 DJ Troutman, 14 Barry Miller, 15 Eric Zembower, 16 Scott Haus, 17 Chris Harr, 18 Brian Hack,
LIMITED 20 LAP 1 Craig Perigo, 2 Mike Altobelli Jr, 3 Travis Stickley, 4 Tim Smith, 5 Travis Calhoun, 6 Josh Berrier, 7 Brian Lessley, 8 Dave Leidy, 9 Rance Garlock, 10 Robby Black, 11 Donnie Farlling, 12 Ron Bottenfield, 13 Chris Wilson, 14 Brian Buckler
SEMI LATE 15 LAP 1 Bob Jay, 2 George Beckett, 3 Greg Hainsey, 4 Zane Weicht, 5 Chris Chamberlain, 6 Don Wyles, 7 Cody Butterbaugh, 8 Taylor Farlling, 9 Darryl Whetstone, 10 Vigi Zucollotto, 11 Ryan Beckett, DNS
Kerry Molovich
PURE STOCK 25 LAP 1 Terry Norris, 2 Travis Group, 3 Chad Gambol, 4 Dave Riley, 5 Ed Vogel, 6 Tim Brown, 7 Brad Feight, 8 Adam Daniels, 9 Brandie Mills 10 Rob Varner, 11 Bill Kennell, 12 Mike Seigele, 13 Mike Ott, DNS Bill Replogle,
4CYLINDER 12 LAPS 1 Dave Lambert, 2 Cale Martin, 3 Steve Frederick, 4 Mike Lauffer, 5 Matt Diehl, 8 Ron Valentine, Michael Jack, 8 E J Johnson, 9 Phil Best, 18 Kyle Beckett, 11 Pat Breahm. 12 John Diehl, 13 Ernie Bowser, DNS
ALL AMERICAN 15 LAP 1 Randy Doty, 2 Brooke Coleman, 3 Justin Cullum, 4 Scott Jorda, 5 Fred Cullum, 6 Tom Crummitt, 7 Darryl Winkler, 8 Al Daniels, 9 Dylan Krim, 10 Todd Payne, 11 Carnie Fryfogle, 12 Brittany Coleman, 13 Williams, 14 Tony Jorda, 15 Braf Alexander, DNS Nester
