Port Royal – Doug Esh of Lancaster staged a come-from-behind victory in Saturday’s 45th annual AB Auto Glass Tuscarora 50 sanctioned by the All Star Circuit of Champions Sprints at Port Royal Speedway.
Including lap money, Esh took home $11,450 for his second win in the prestigious race after first taking a victory in the event in 2007.
Mike Wagner of Harrisonville earned the pole for the 50-lap main and took the lead when the green flag fell over the field over second-starter Mike Erdley.
During the early going, in a quest for his first-ever T50 win, Wagner pulled away to a comfortable lead with Brent Marks racing in third.
The race pace was slowed with four laps down when 2010 50 victor Brian Montieth slowed to a stop on the backchute.
Daryn Pittman and Dale Blaney lined up fourth and fifth for the restart.
But there was no challenge for Wagner when green reappeared as he continued piling up lap money in the race at a clip of at least $25 per circuit.
But as the action wore on, Myerstown’s Marks began to come on in his No. 19M, taking second from Erdley on lap six before slowly erasing Wagner’s advantage.
The leaders entered lapped traffic with 16 laps completed and Marks was on Wagner’s bumper by the time the backmarkers entered the race.
It took Marks until lap 18 to race by Wagner for the lead, ending his run at the front with a total of $550 in lap money accrued.
Wagner then saw Erdley race by for second on the next lap as the front duo seemed to stabilize while eyes on action shifted further back in the pack during what had been non-stop action since the fourth loop.
It was four-time 50 champ Lance Dewease and Danny Dietrich that was catching attention as they battled forth from their ninth and 15th starting spots respectively.
The pair had advanced rapidly into the top 10 and Dewease seemed to be building up quite a head of steam aboard his No. 30C, passing at will until he and Dietrich locked horns one lap shy of the halfway point.
As Dewease shot off of the fourth corner to complete lap 24, he drew inside of Dietrich for sixth spot as the pair headed for the stripe and the pair touched when Dietrich seemed to move down in and effort to thwart the attack and set his car into the first turn.
Dewease’s car climbed Dietrich’s inside left rear tire and the pair went careening into the outside first turn wall, disabling both men for the night and bringing out the red flag with 24 in the books.
Dietrich was runner-up in the 2011 T50.
The restart for the final 26 laps had Marks leading over Erdley, Wagner, 10th starter David Gravel, fourth starter Dale Blaney and eighth starter Esh.
The next lap was worth $200 for Marks, to be leader at the halfway point, which he pocketed as Esh began his march to triumph with an impressive two-car pass while rim riding around the track to drive into fourth, disposing of both Blaney and Gravel with 22 laps to go.
One more lap and one more car found Esh now up to third, again blasting by competitor Wagner using the ragged, way-up-top outside edge of the track.
However by that time, leaders Marks and Erdley had amassed a healthy advantage and Esh was forced to drive down the distance before making moves for the win.
He finally reached Erdley with 18 laps to go and surpassed for second before using three more loops to run down Marks and cap off his impressive drive to the front on lap 35.
Marks ended his leading run with some $650 in lap money pocketed.
Afterr Esh took the lead aboard his Leach Automotive No. 30, he began parting the waters through lapped traffic and was just one mile from the checkers when a pair of caution flags frustrated his efforts.
The first was for a surging Erdley who drove into second with eighth laps to go and began closing on Esh but fell victim to a flat tire.
Gravel restarted second but separated from Esh by a pair of lapped cars and he hadn’t yet cleared both lapped cars when Marks stopped, also with a flat, setting up a one-lap dash to the finish that Esh handled easily
Gravel crossed the line in second followed by Friday’s Night Before The 50 winner Dale Blaney, Wagner and 18th starter Danny Lasoski.
Sixth through 10th went to Daryn Pittman, Cap Henry, Blane Heimbach, Ryan Smith and Chad Layton.
Layton’s finish garnered him the 2012 Port Royal track title, a career second for the Harrisburg driver and seventh overall for car owner Dave Middleswarth.
Pittman’s run saw him pick up the 2012 All Stars Eastern Region series title, worth $20,000 from All Star Championship Racing Inc.
Heats for the 40 cars in attendance went to Keith Kauffman, Henry, Erdley and Dewease with Heimbach taking the B Main and Wagner scoring the dash.
Pittman set fast time with a lap of 17.343 seconds.
AJ Stroup of Richfield led from the outset of the 20-lap pro stock main from his pole position in a search for his second Port win of the season.
A three-car race for the win between oval powerhouses Stroup, John Heane and Derrick Garman took place throughout the event with Garman working into second with seven to go before taking the lead from Stroup with five remaining.
Garman held on for the victory, his list-leading fifth of the season at the track, over Heane, Stroup, Nate Kerstetter and Harold Ranck Jr.
Sixth through 10th went to Jason Schmidt, Matt Hornberger, Nate Fisher, Lucas Bryner and Nate Stroup.
Heane’s run and finish netted him the 2012 track title, which is the second of his career at the oval.
Port Royal Speedway will return to action on October 6 with the Blue Collar Classic for 305 sprints, that will bring in 305 racers from across the east in a combined regional event. In addition, 358 late models, pro stocks and enduros will also be on the 4 pm program.
The track will drop the final checkers on the year on October 13 with a final show for the 410 sprint cars in the make-up Foss Jewelers Labor Day Classic, rained out on September 3.
The October 13 race will be an open tire event for the sprint cars with more news regarding promotions for the event upcoming. A demolition derby will also be on the card, beginning at 6 pm.
=================================
410 sprints, 50 laps, Tuscarora 50, All Stars: 1. Doug Esh ($11,450) 2. David Gravel, 3. Dale Blaney, 4. Mike Wagner, 5. Danny Lasoski, 6. Daryn Pittman, 7. Cap Henry, 8. Blane Heimbach, 9. Ryan Smith, 10. Chad Layton, 11. Ryan Taylor, 12. Tim Shaffer, 13. Brent Marks, 14. Danny Holtgraver, 15. Jessica Zemken, 16. Keith Kauffman, 17. Stevie Smith, 18. Mike Erdley, 19. Rick Lafferty, 20. Danny Dietrich, 21. Lance Dewease, 22. Curt Stroup, 23. Brian Montieth, 24. Frank Cozze, 25. Paul McMahan
Lap leaders: Mike Wagner 1 – 17, Brent Marks 18 – 34, Esh 35 – 50
DNQ: Fred Rahmer, Logan Schuchart, Davey Sammons, Michael Ruttkamp, Cliff Brian, Mark Zimmerman, Dylan Cisney, Mark Coldren, Trenton Sheaffer, Joey Hershey, Daryl Stimeling, Greg Hodnett, Josh Dressler, Steve Buckwalter, Jordan Frontz
Pro Stocks, 20 laps: 1. Derrick Garman, 2. John Heane, 3. AJ Stroup, 4. Nate Kerstetter, 5. Harold Ranck Jr., 6. Jason Schmidt, 7. Matt Hornberger, 8. Nate Fisher, 9. Lucas Bryner, 10. Nate Stroup, 11. Dustin Kirk, 12. Jason Davis