Weekly Notebook presented by FK Rod Ends
Notes: Finally, younger Bernheisel records No. 2
By Joshua Joiner
DirtonDirt.com staff writer
Bryan Bernheisel (119B) notched his second Super Late Model victory last week. (pbase.com/cyberslash)
When Bryan Bernheisel won his first Super Late Model feature in 2011, he was confident many more victories would soon follow. But the theory that victories come easier once the first one is out of the way didn’t hold true for the 27-year-old second-generation racer.
More than two years after claiming his first Super victory at Clinton County Raceway in Mill Hall, Pa., Bernheisel of Jonestown, Pa., finally notched his second victory Saturday night at Selinsgrove Speedway, advancing from the eight starting spot in the half-mile oval’s 25-lap weekly racing event.
“When we got the first one I had been trying to win one for a few years,” said Bernheisel, the son of veteran racer and chassis builder Jim Bernheisel. “I was like ‘We finally got the first one out of the way; it should get easier from here.’ But we had a dry spell last year, and that kinda took the wind out of my sails. Now that I’ve got the second one and at a new track, I just hope we can keep things rolling and stay successful.”
Saturday’s victory not only ended Bernheisel’s long quest for his second victory, it also gave him his first-ever victory at Selinsgrove, a track that boasts one of the toughest weekly Late Model fields in the country. After his father claimed his own Selinsgrove breakthrough last season, the entire Bernheisel family was waiting for Bryan to get his own victory at the track.
“My dad got his first win ever at Selinsgrove last year and he’s won twice this year. So it’s kinda been our goal to get me a win there,” the younger Bernheisel said. “I’ve been running good, we just haven’t had things work in our favor. Just little things here and there, and we finally got everything to click.”
Matching his father with a Selinsgrove victory was a satisfying moment for Bernheisel. Racing against each other and working together at Bernheisel Race Cars has created a close father-son relationship between the two, but there’s a bit of a friendly family rivalry as well.
“When I see him on the track near me, I give an extra 10 percent. I just want to beat him so bad,” the younger Bernheisel said. “We definitely have an interesting relationship. Of course we’re father and son, but we race each other and we work together, too. Sometimes we get a little testy with each other, just cause we’re so competitive. But at the same time we’re always trying to help each other.”
Of course the family rivalry was put aside in celebrating Bryan’s victory Saturday night.
“I think he was happier than I was,” Bryan Bernheisel said of his father’s reaction to his victory. “He actually told me that he was watching the scoreboard (during the race), and when he saw that I got the lead there that he was actually making mistakes driving because he was so happy for me.”
With his second victory finally behind him, Bernheisel is eyeing an even bigger accomplishment later this season. While a slow start to the season put him in an early hole in the chase for Selinsgrove’s track title, a string of strong finishes in the weeks leading up to his victory have put Bernheisel in the thick of the track’s championship chase.
“We had some bad luck with motor troubles and a couple crashes early in the year, so we kinda gave up on points,” said Bernheisel, who’s currently third behind Jeff Rine and Dylan Yoder in the points standings. “But the way things have worked out, we’re actually not in bad shape now. I’m up to third, and not too far out. If things go well, we do have a shot at it.
“I usually get rolling toward the end of the year. We’ve been getting a really good rhythm going. I just hope we can keep it going and just keep running good because I feel like we have a really good car.”
Weekly highlights
• During a two-victory weekend, Rich Neiser of Fruitport, Mich., picked up checkered flags Aug. 9 at Winston Speedway in Rothbury, Mich., and Aug. 10 at Merritt (Mich.) Speedway in advance of the World of Outlaws Late Model Series visits to both ovals.
• With his Aug. 9 victory at Carolina Speedway, Jay Sessoms of Stanley, N.C., earned a guaranteed starting spot in the Limited Late Model feature for October’s King of the Carolinas at the Gastonia, N.C., track.
• When a loose fuel line fitting forced Joel Callahan out of the race, Jeff Aikey of Cedar Falls, Iowa, took over Aug. 9 at Farley (Iowa) Speedway for a $2,000 victory.
• At Coos Bay (Ore.) Speedway, Trent Elliot of La Pine, Ore., notched a $1,750 victory in the Late Model Shootout on Aug. 10.
• With his 66th career victory at Winchester (Va.) Speedway, hometown driver Bo Feathers on Aug. 10 became the seventh winner at the track in 2013.
• At Quad City Speedway, Mike Zemo Jr. of Geneseo, Ill., won Aug. 11 to snap Todd Malmstrom’s four-race win streak at the East Moline, Ill., oval.
• Piloting Kirk Hooker’s No. 34, Andrew Reaume of Blenheim, Ontario, won Aug. 10’s Gord DeWael Memorial at South Buxton Raceway in Merlin, Ontario.
First things first
First-time occurrences at the dirt track:
• In his first visit to Hummingbird Speedway in Reynoldsville, Pa., Scott Stein of Cherry Tree, Pa., captured the Limited Late Model feature, grabbing the lead when Derek Rodkey’s right-rear tire gave up late in the Aug. 10 race.
• At Tularosa (N.M.) Speedway, Mercedes Abercrombie of Deming, N.M., became the first female to win a Championship Dirt Motorsports event on Aug. 10.
• Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill., won his first feature at Fairbury (Ill.) American Legion Speedway, going past Jason Feger and Daren Friedman in the closing laps of the Aug. 14 fair race.
• In the fourth and final IMCA Late Model race of the season at Stuart (Iowa) Speedway, Curt Schroeder of Ames, Iowa, won Aug. 11 for his first victory at the track.
Weekly points chases
UMP DIRTcar (Super Late Models): Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin, Ill., has padded his points lead slightly with an advantage of 216 points over Bobby Pierce (2,143) of Oakwood, Ill., and a 253 points over Shannon Babb (2,085) of Moweaqua, Ill., through Aug. 4 events.
UMP DIRTcar (Crate Late Models): With three wins in four events, Nick Lyons of Centralia, Ill., has closed to within two points of leader Aaron Heck of Mount Vernon, Ill., with Jeff Walston of Paducah, Ky., another 29 points back in third.
IMCA: Todd Cooney of Des Moines, Iowa, has 791 points through Aug. 4, while Justin Kay of Wheatland, Iowa, has moved up to second at 776 points. Tyler Bruening of Decorah, Iowa, is third with 769 points.
WISSOTA: Chad Becker of Aberdeen, S.D., leads by 10 points over Dustin Strand of Grand Forks, N.D., through Aug. 4 events, while Steven Grabow of Milbank, S.D., is 30 points out of the lead in third.
WDLMA: Tim Buhler has edged ahead of Justin Hirt to lead by three points as of Aug. 10. Russ Scheffler is 14 points behind in third.
AMRA: Ronnie Mayle of Chesterhill, Ohio, continues to lead, while reigning champion Chris Garnes has jumped to second, 30 points back. Andy Bond is just three points behind Garnes in third.
ULMA: Scoring his eight victory of the season at Randolph County Raceway over the weekend, Vance Wilson of Quincy, Ill., closed to 71 points behind reigning series champion Jason Russell of Henley, Mo.
NeSmith Chevrolet Series: Points leaders Noah Daspit (693) of Kiln, Miss., and Shannon Lee (677) of Lumberton, Miss., both failed to net any points over the past weekend, allowing Montana Dudley of Phenix City, Ala., and Mike Palasini Jr. of Leland, Miss., (tied at 676 points) to close the gap.
RUSH: Max Blair of Centerville, Pa., has closed to 12 points behind Mike Pegher Jr. of Wexford, Pa., at the top of the first-year Crate Late Model organization’s weekly points chase while Rick Singleton is third, 43 points behind the leader.
SECA: Just eight points separate the top three drivers with six weeks remaining in the first-year Crate Late Model tour’s championship chase. Trent Ivey of Union, S.C., leads the way with Joey Phillips and Nick Dietz tied for second.
Upcoming weekly specials
Among non-touring and independent special events at dirt tracks around the country for the upcoming weekend:
I-94 Speedway, Fergus Falls, Minn. (Aug. 15): The opener of the two-night King of Dirt includes a $1,500-to-win Late Model feature.
Moler Raceway Park, Williamsburg, Ohio (Aug. 16): The Ike Moler Memorial pays $5,000-to-win for Super Late Models at the oval just east of Cincinnati.
Volunteer Speedway, Bulls Gap, Tenn. (Aug. 16): The Vic Hill-promoted Steel Head Late Model Championship pays $5,000-to-win and $250-to-start for the 40-lapper. Bonuses are available to the highest-finishing cars using crate engines.
Lucky 7 Speedway, Colson, Ky. (Aug. 16): The fourth annual Coal Miners Classic 50 pays $5,000-to-win and $350-to-start for Super Late Models.
Fiesta City Speedway, Montevideo, Minn. (Aug. 16): The track’s WISSOTA-sanctioned Late Models battle for a $2,000 payday.
Portsmouth (Ohio) Raceway Park (Aug. 17): The 19th annual Fred Dillow Memorial pays $5,000-to-win with $1,077 going to the fast qualifier along with bonuses for dash winners, hard charger and halfway leader, among others.
Modoc (S.C.) Raceway (Aug. 17): The Chuck Field Memorial pays $4,600-to-win.
Lake Cumberland Speedway, Burnside, Ky. (Aug. 17): The Harold Hardgrove Memorial pays $3,000-to-win for Super Late Models with regular divisions also in action.
Friendship Motor Speedway, Elkin, N.C. (Aug. 17): Fastrak-sanctioned Twin 20s are scheduled for the Crate Late Model division paying $800-to-win apiece.
