After a season of mostly frustration, Kyle Weyant rose to the occasion and grabbed a big Semi Late win on Muss Weyant tribute night at Bedford Friday night. It was Weyant’s first win of the season and was worth over $2000 including bonus money from the Weyant family. Mike Altobelli scored yet another EMod win, Jason Haggerty won the Pure Stock event and Colin Welsh took the 4 Cylinder closer in the exciting program.
After a forgettable 2022 season, Kyle Weyant’s low point average awarded him the pole for the Semi Late 30 lapper. He made the most of his luck and led from lap one. But he was hounded from the start,, first by Jesse Snyder, who actually got by for the lead on lap two before his car broke and he retired.
Bob Jay took up the chase, running second until he retired with an over heating engine on lap 12. That allowed Nick Bechtel, who had joined the fray, to take up the challenge. Bechtel tried high and low, often getting alongside Weyant, but could not effect the pass. Point leader Brian Weyandt Jr joined the pair late after he came from the pack.
The gang got one last shot at the leader as a lap 29 caution set up a one lap shootout, but Weyant hung on for the win over Bechtel, Weyandt Jr and Rick Potter. Bill Replogle came from 21st in the field to complete the top 5. In victory Lane, Weyant remarked at his good luck as he felt a tire going down late in the event, before it was discovered that he had broken a shock which was just hanging loosely. and changing the handling of the car.
John Miller, Bechtel and Kyle Weyant won the heats.
Visitor Mike Pappas led the first few laps of the EMod event as Mike Altobelli and Drake Troutman eased through the field. Altobelli and Troutman both got by Pappas after a lap 5 restart to settle things between themselves. Altobelli held Troutman at bay through a couple more caution events, but when the race went the last 15 laps all green, Altobelli moved out to a 5 second lead at the finish. Troutman took second ahead of Evan Taylor, George Dixon and Pappas, making his best run of the season. The Taylor family split the heats.
The Pure Stock event started off mildly but ended wildly as they went fie extra laps . Kyle Beckett got the jump on Barry Clark to lead the first lap, then held off Clark early. But Clark attracted a gang while running second and that group grew to eight cars. Beckett moved away from that group but fate took charge as Beckett’s car died on lap 17, bringing out the caution. That caution period placed Clark as the leader and changed the complexion of the event totally.
On the restart, every one got serious and the excitement level rose. Clark maintained the lead but he had Dalton Weyant all over him as the lead group went three wide for third and double wide for sixth as they ran in a mob with positions changing every lap. In the wild action. Jason Haggerty found the right holes and emerged in second on lap 21. A lap later he eased by Clark for the lead. escaping the wild racing action behind him.
With tension mounting, the inevitable happened on lap 24 as several of the gang all crashed together on the backstretch, a crash which eliminated Denver Dishong, Kyle Deneen and Anthony Fama. Haggerty then held off Dalton Ritchey on the one lap shootout for the win. Clark survived the mayhem to take third, ahead of Dalton Weyant and Kevin Weyandt. Derek Hinish, a feature early dropout and Kyle Beckett won the heats.
Colin Welsh, out of motors for his own car, borrowed a car and won the 4 Cylinder event. He led lap one but then had time to rest as a wild and rare double flip event occurred in lap two. as a wheel flew off the 52 of Luke Hribar and he started flipping. The wheel,. rolling on the track, attracted Steve Delozier who ran over it and joined Hribar in the air. Amazingly. Delozier fired up the PT Cruiser at the accident scene and rejoined the race, finally finishing 14th.
After that excitement, the race went relatively calm. Welsh held off repeated challenges from Shawn Smith to score the win. Chris Graybill, Todd Price and Dalton Long trailed. Price and Austin Burt won the heats.
SEMI LATE 30 LAPS 1 Kyle Weyandt, Nick Bechtel, Brian Weyandt J, Rick Potter, Bill Replogle, Khi Swanger, Josh Bumberger, Greg Hainsey, John Miller, Erik Weyandt, Jeremy Fama, Bill Pluta, Laura Chamberlain, Bradlee Means, Chris Wolfe, Lewis Hale, Travis Calhoun, Cale Martin, Bob Jay, Jesse Snyder, Mark Patterson, DNS Brandon Grubb.
EMOD 25 LAPS 1 Mike Altobelli, Drake Troutman, Evan Taylor, George Dixon, Mike Pappas, Jonathan Taylor, David Green, Dan Patterson, John Whitfield, Eddie Vogel, Rodney Hartman, Dakota Welsh, Dan Davies, Mike Lorshbaigh, George Beckett, Mike Meck, Austin Holcomb,
PURE STOCKS 25 LAPS 1 Josh Haggerty, Dalton Ritchey, Barry Clark, Dalton Weyant, Kevin Weyandt, Darrian Ritchey, Mason Replogle, Franklin Foor, Kyle Deneen, Denver Dishong, Anthony Fama, Kyle Beckett, Cody Jarvie, Derek Hinish, Harlan Group, Tom Lewis, DNS Cody Riggleman
4 CYLINDERS 20 LAPS 1 Colin Welsh, Shawn Smith, Chris Graybill, Todd Price, Dalton Long, Austin Burt, Derek Long, Jay Talley, Keeshawn Dempsey, Ernie Hewitt, Richard Athey, Harold Crawford, Jimmy Delozier, Steve Delozier, Matthew Jones, Luke Hribar
