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Williams Grove Opener 98-03-01

Mechanicsburg, PA (March 1, 1998) - Fred Rahmer kicked off the 1998 racing season at Williams Grove Speedway by winning the opening day twenty five lap feature race. Rahmer started on the outside of the third row but quickly moved into third place ...

Edited: May 8, 2001, 12:19 PM

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Mechanicsburg, PA (March 1, 1998) - Fred Rahmer kicked off the 1998 racing season at Williams Grove Speedway by winning the opening day twenty five lap feature race. Rahmer started on the outside of the third row but quickly moved into third place behind front row starters, Jeff Shepard and Sean Michael.

Jeff Shepard took the lead at the drop of the green with Sean Michael in tow. The pair raced side by side for the first lap with Shepard keeping the advantage.

The race settled into a fast pace with the the front runners all enjoying comfortable margins. Shepard continued to lead, followed by Sean Michael, and Rahmer. Ed Lynch was a long way back in fourth with a good cushion over the battle between Billy Pauch and Mike Wagner. Wagner drove a solid race, starting fourth and finishing sixth.

With eleven laps complete, Sean Michael's No. 88 rolled to a stop in turn four, causing the only caution period in the race. Michael, a sure contender for the win, had been running solidly in second place.

On the restart, the top five were, Shepard, Rahmer, Lynch, Pauch and Johnny Mackison Jr.. Three lapped cars separated Rahmer and Lynch.

Rahmer pulled the front wheels off the ground on the restart giving Shepard a slight advantage through turns three and four. Shepard took the high line into turn one, slipping over the cushion, allowing Rahmer to pull alongside. The pair raced side by side down the backstretch with Rahmer taking the lead through turns three and four. "I did a flyer on him and I was able to make it stick" Rahmer said from victory lane.

Rahmer and Shepard battled for the lead as they sliced through heavy traffic. Further back, the battle for second between Ed Lynch and Billy Pauch was no less exciting. Don Kreitz Jr. and Todd Shaffer also contested a fierce battle for position in the top ten. Lance Dewease, who qualified through the B-main, and started 21st, tagged on to the rear of the Kreitz and Shaffer battle by the time the checkered flag fell. Dewease finished ninth.

Williams Grove Speedway has made some major improvements over the winter. The track has always been a top notch facility but the new improvements continue to enhance fan enjoyment and driver safety. A new, high rise grandstand has been erected in turn three. The sightlines should be excellent as the grandstand sits atop the hill outside turn three. New guardrail has been installed around much of the track. Work continues on the guardrail, with the front stretch expected to be finished sometime in May. And new clay has been added in turns three in four, making the surface smoother than it's ever been.

Heat Race One Results (10 laps/6 qualify/4 draw)

1. 12 Tim Shaffer 2. 1 Billy Pauch 3. 53 Shawn Keen 4. 2L Ed Lynch Jr. 5. 25 Todd Gracey 6. 33 Todd Hesstor 7. 20 Brian Ellenberger 8. 13k Rick Kaylor 9. 46 Chris Strait 10. 55s Bill Sims (DNF) 11. 07 Dave Haight (DNF)

Heat Race Two Results

1. 4j Jeff Shepard 2. 77 Fred Rahmer 3. 88x Sean Michael 4. 88 Todd Shaffer 5. 75 Randy Wolfe 6. 10n Jeff Thompson 7. X Bobby Weaver 8. 92a Jon Armstrong 9. 3 Bob Bennett (DNF) 10. 461 Lance Dewease (DNF) 11. 10 Len Thompson (DNF)

Heat Race Three Results

1. 69 Don Kreitz Jr. 2. 65 Johnny Mackison Jr. 3. 55 Mike Wagner 4. 28 Brian Paulus 5. 17e Cris Eash 6. 77t Jess Thomas 7. 87 George Suprick 8. 32 Randy Glover 9. 3x Tom Howe (DNF) 10. 92 Kevin Gobrecht (DNF) 11. 17 Alan Cole (DNS)

Consi Results (10 laps/6 qualify)

1. Brian Ellenberger 2. Kevin Gobrecht 3. Lance Dewease 4. Bobby Weaver 5. George Suprick 6. Bill Sims 7. Bob Bennett 8. Len Thompson 9. Dave Haight 10. Jon Armstrong 11. Rick Kaylor 12. Chris Strait 13. Randy Glover 14. Tom Howe

Feature Results (25 laps)

1. Fred Rahmer ($3,000) 2. Jeff Shepard 3. Ed Lynch Jr. 4. Billy Pauch 5. Johnny Mackison Jr. 6. Mike Wagner 7. Don Kreitz Jr. 8. Todd Shaffer 9. Lance Dewease 10. Kevin Gobrecht 11. Shawn Keen 12. Tim Shaffer 13. Todd Gracey 14. Randy Wolfe 15. Brian Paulus 16. Bobby Weaver 17. Jess Thomas 18. Jeff Thompson 19. Brian Ellenberger 20. Bill Sims 21. Sean Michael 22. George Suprick 23. Todd Hesstor 24. Cris Eash

David Reininger - Motorsport News International

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