Mechanicsburg, PA
	Greetings fellow Sprint Car fans.  Friday evening found the Express Line All
Stars invading Williams Grove.  This was a special evening for my son and I
since my parents had come down from upstate New York and accompanied us to the
track.  Also meeting us at the track was Dave Reininger who also posts on MNI. 
       
	There were 45 of the 410 Sprint cars signed into the pits.  Time trials were
held with the fastest time trialers being handicapped into their heat races. 
Four cars from each heat race qualify through the heats which gave them back
their time back for the feature.  There were five heat races with one B main
and then the 30 lap A Main.  Remember that highlights from the open wheel
ranks, including Williams Grove, are shown on Wednesday evening on ESPN 2 on
the nightly show RPM 2 night.

DRIVER CHANGES
	Okay here we go again.  Yes, Fred Rahmer still is in the Hamilton #77.  
Yes, Keith Kauffman is still in the #12.  No, Dave Calaman was not in the #59. 
However, Bill Brian Jr. was in the #59 which was quite a surprise.  
	And for those folks that have followed the Weikert Livestock #29 over the
years Tim Dietz was not driving this past weekend.  The chauffeur for the #29
this weekend was Dave Calaman.  

TIME TRIALS - Top Ten			Lap 1	Lap 2	Fast Lap
1.	# 1Z	Billy Pauch		17.783	17.828	17.783
2.	#1J	Steve Siegel		18.189	17.892	17.892
3.	#92x	Kevin Gobrecht		18.063	17.903	17.903
4.	#3	Daniel Coggeshell	18.050	18.770	18.050
5.	 #3B	Van Gurley Jr.		18.299	18.093	18.093
6.	#17e	Cris Eash		18.181	18.119	18.119
7.	#11	Greg Hodnett		18.154	18.178	18.154
8.	#55	Tim Shaffer		18.313	18.174	18.174
9.	#77	Fred Rahmer		18.201	18.227	18.201
10.	#69K	Don Kreitz Jr.		18.235	18.282	18.235			

HEAT ONE
The line up for heat one was as follows:  
Row 1: #00 Danny Smith, #5K Mark Richard  
Row 2: #5 Craig Eshenaur, #12 Keith Kauffman  
Row 3: #17e Cris Eash, #1Z Billy Pauch
Row 4: #2D Craig Dollansky, #121 Judi Bates 
Row 5: #117 Mike Erdley 
	The green waved and the #5K of Richard grabbed the lead heading into turn one.
 The #12 of Kauffman passed the #17e on the back stretch for second while the
#1Z of Pauch was running fourth.  By lap three the #17e of Eash passed the #1Z
of Pauch to take third.  The #12 of Kauffman pressured the #5K of Richard but
was not able to complete the pass.         
HEAT ONE QUALIFIERS
#5K, #12, #17e, #1Z.  The heat timed in 3 minutes and 6.48 seconds.

HEAT TWO
The line up for heat two was as follows:  
Row 1: #92 Kenny Jacobs, #1W Jeff Shepard  
Row 2: #U2 Kevin Huntley, #88 Todd Shaffer  
Row 3: #11 Greg Hodnett, #1J Steve Siegel  
Row 4: #13 Scott Jones, #45 Jeff Rohrbaugh  
Row 5: #10 Len Thompson
	The green flag waved over the field and the #92 of Jacobs took the lead
heading into turn one while the #1J of Siegel passed the #88 of Shaffer to take
third.  On lap two the #88 was pressuring the #1J however, on the back stretch
the #1J of Siegel passed the #1W of Shepard to take second place.  By lap six
the #88 of Shaffer was pressuring the #1W of Shepard for the third position but
was unable to get past.   	
HEAT TWO QUALIFIERS
#92, #1J, #1W, #88.  The heat timed in 3 minutes and 8.50 seconds.

HEAT THREE
The line up for heat three was as follows:  
Row 1: #77t Jess Thomas, #U5 Trevor Utt  
Row 2: #59 Bill Brian Jr., #23s Frankie Kerr
Row 3: #55 Tim Shaffer, #92x Kevin Gobrecht
Row 4: #25 Todd Gracey, #68 Mike Lutz
Row 5:  #22 Brian Kaltreider
	The green waved but was quickly followed by a yellow for a false start.  On
the restart the #U5 of Utt grabbed the lead with the #23s in second.  On lap
two the #59 of Brian was pressuring the #77t of Thomas for third but the #55 of
Shaffer passed both cars in turn two to take third.  The #59 slows and goes
into the pits with while the top four were: #U5, #23s, #55 and the #77t.  
	Pressuring the #77t for the final qualifying spot was the #92x of Gobrecht. 
Gobrecht tried going high and he tried going low but could not pass the #77t. 
As the white flag dropped the #92x of Gobrecht closed for one final attempt. 
As the leader took the checked flag Gobrecht tried getting by the #77t of
Thomas in turn four.  It appeared there was contact made and the #92x of
Gobrecht flipped and went out over the guard rail and knocked down the 10 foot
tall metal retaining wall.  Luckily Gobrecht climbed from the car unharmed. 
The wrecker took the #92 car from the accident scene through the section of
retaining wall knocked down.  The car was brought to the pits and immediately
the crew started working on it.   
HEAT THREE QUALIFIERS
#U5, #23s, #55, #77t.  The heat timed in 3 minutes and 5.88 seconds.   

HEAT FOUR
The line up for heat four was as follows:  
Row 1: #13 Jeremy Minton, #55x  Mike Wagner  
Row 2: #94 Dale Blaney, #1F Dean Jacobs
Row 3: #77 Fred Rahmer, #3 Daniel Coggeshell
Row 4: #39 Phil Walter, #49 Bob Howard
Row 5:  #10N Jeff Thompson
	The #55x took the lead as the green waved.  The #1F of Jacobs and the #13 of
Minton were running extremely tight going down the backstretch on lap one.  By
lap two the #1F of Jacobs had pulled away allowing for a three car race for the
third position between the #13 of Minton, #77 of Rahmer and the #94 of Blaney. 
On lap four the #94 of Blaney managed to get by the #13 of Minton in turn four
to take the third position.  On lap five the #77 of Rahmer was all over the #13
of Minton and Rahmer managed to get by in turn four to take the final
qualifying spot.  
HEAT FOUR QUALIFIERS
#55x, #1F, #94, #77.  The heat timed in 3 minutes and 10.55 seconds.   

HEAT FIVE
The line up for heat five was as follows:
Row 1: #3x Bob Bennett, #29 Dave Calaman  
Row 2: #461 Lance Dewease, #2W Jesse Wentz
Row 3: #69K Don Kreitz Jr., ##3B Van Gurley Jr.
Row 4: #2L Ed Lynch Jr., #18 Brian Carlson
Row 5:  #11A Tim Kuhn
	The green waved and the field took it cleanly.  The #29 of Calaman took the
point with the #461 of Dewease, #3x of Bennett and the #2W of Wentz in the top
four positions.  The top four broke off into pairs and the #461 of Dewease was
pressuring the #29 of Callaman for the lead while further back the #69K of
Kreitz was pressuring the #2W for fourth.  On lap three the #3x of Bennett hit
the wall in turn three brining out the red flag.  The top four were now: #29,
#461, #2W and the #69K.  
	As the green waved the #69K of Kreitz passed the 32W of Wentz on the restart. 
Meanwhile the action up front was intense.  The #461 was pressuring the #29 for
the lead.  On lap six they were wing to wing and on lap seven the #29 was in
the lead, slightly.  On lap eight the #461 finally managed to get by between
turn one and two for the lead.
HEAT FIVE QUALIFIERS
#461, #29, #69K, #2W

All Star Dash
Only the top six by time trials were eligible for the 5 lap straight up start
race.  This event is only for All Star Members only so the #1Z of Pauch was not
eligible.
1.) #1J Siegel,   2.) #3 Coggeshell   3.) #3B Gurley Jr.   4.) #11 Hodnett  
5.) #55 Shaffer   6.)  #77 Rahmer
	The #1J of Siegel pulled away while the #77 of Rahmer passed two cars.  The
finishing order was:  #1J, #3, #11, #77, #3D, #55

As soon as the Dash was over the #92x of Gobrecht was pushed out to start his
car which was running rough as the B Main order was being given.  Gobrecht
returned to his pits and the crew went to work.  Now remember that this was the
same car he had wrecked with in his heat.  The team deserves a great deal of
credit for getting the car ready for the B Main.   

B MAIN - Twelve Laps - Five To Qualify
Row 1:  #92x Kevin Gobrecht, #3 Daniel Coggeshell
Row 2:  #3B Van Gurley Jr., #11 Greg Hodnett
Row 3:  #5 Craig Eshenaur, #U2 Kevin Huntley
Row 4:  #59 Bill Brian Jr., #00 Danny Smith
Row 5:  #13 Jeremy Minton, #3x Bob Bennett
Row 6:  #2D Craig Dollansky, #13x Scott Jones
Row 7:  #25 Todd Gracey, #39 Phil Walter
Row 8:  #2L Ed Lynch Jr., #121 Judi Bates
Row 9:  #45 Jeff Rohrbaugh, #68 Mike Lutz
Row 10: #49 Bob Howard, # 18 Brian Carlson
Row 11: #117 Mike Erdley, #10 Len Thomas
Row 12: #22 Brian Kaltreider, #10N Jeff Thomas
Row 13: #11A Tim Kuhn
Trevor Utt scratched from the consi due to motor problems.  If the #92x of
Gobrecht and the #3 of Coggeshell qualify they get their time back and would
start the feature on the front row since Billy Pauch had pulled the four pill
to have the top four qualifiers inverted for the feature.
	As the green waved the #3x of Bob Bennett pulled into the pits.  At the
completion of lap one the yellow waved for a brake caliber on the back stretch.
 The running order was: #3 of Coggeshell, #11 of Hodnett, #92x of Gobrecht, #5
of Eshenaur, #59 of Brian and the #3B of Gurley.  The field took the green,
however the yellow quickly waved for the #10 of Thompson who hit the guard rail
in turn four.
	On the restart the #11 of Hodnett got by the #3 of Coggeshell.  The #92 of
Gobrecht started to pressure the #3 and passed him on lap two in turn four.  On
lap three the red flag waved for the #13 who had flipped.
	On the restart the #3 of Coggeshell got lose and almost tagged the outside
guard rail while the #92x of Gobrecht almost lost it between turn one and two
due to a flat rear tire bringing out the yellow.  Unfortunately for him the All
Star rules do not have a two lap rule to allow for a flat tire change in the B
Main, only in the A Main.  What an effort the Gobrecht crew put into their
effort, too bad it came up just a little short!
	When the green waved again the only position really being contested was the
fifth spot between the #3B of Gurley and the #2D  Craig Dollansky.  On lap five
the #2D of Dollansky got by in turn two.
B MAIN QUALIFIERS
 #11, #5, #59, #3, #2D.  First alternate #3B.  

A MAIN - 30 Laps
The #29 of Calaman scratched from the event.
Row 1:  #3B Van Gurley Jr., #3 Daniel Coggeshell
Row 2:  #1J Steve Siegel, #1Z Billy Pauch
Row 3:  #17e Cris Eash, #11 Greg Hodnett
Row 4:  #55 Tim Shaffer, #77 Fred Rahmer
Row 5:  #69K Don Kreitz Jr., #12 Keith Kauffman
Row 6:  #88 Todd Shaffer, #23s Frankie Kerr
Row 7:  #1F Dean Jacobs, #2W Jesse Wentz
Row 8:  #5 Craig Eshenaur, #59 Bill Brian
Row 9:  #94 Dale Blaney, #461 Lance Dewease
Row 10: #5K Mark Richard, # 1W Jeff Shepard
Row 11: #55x Mike Wagner, #92 Kenny Jacobs
Row 12: #77t Jess Thomas, #2D Craig Dollansky
	The #1J of Siegel took the point as the cars roared off into turn one.  On the
first lap Billy Pauch got jammed twice and slid back two positions.  There was
a great deal of jockeying for position and many positions changed from lap to
lap.  On lap six the #23s of Kerr lost a motor and he pulled into the pits. 
Then on lap eight the #94 of Blaney stopped on the back stretch bring out the
yellow.  Dale Blaney just can not catch a break at the Grove.  The amazing
thing during this was the #11 of Hodnett who was running third.  His top wing
had collapsed severely limiting his vision to a couple of inches at the best. 
The cars aligned for the green with the #1J leading the way being followed by
#3B, #11, #77, #17e, #1Z, #3.
	On lap nine the #77 of Rahmer gets by the #11 of Hodnett on the back stretch
for third.  On lap eleven the #1Z of Pauch got past the #11 on the back
stretch.  The running order at this point was: #1J, #77, #1Z, #11, #17e, #88,
#3D, #3 and the #12.  The first three got strung out a little at this point of
the race.  On lap seventeen the #17e of Eash got by the #11 of Hodnett who's
wing was even lower than before.
	On lap twenty-one the #77 of Rahmer was closing on the #1J of Siegel with the
#1Z of Pauch running third.  On lap twenty-three the #1J of Siegel hits the
outside wall while going down the backstretch allowing the #77 to get by.  Then
in turn four the #77 gets above the cushion and almost hits the outside guard
rail allowing the #1J of Siegel to get back by #77 of Rahmer.  An intense
battle between the #1J of Siegel and the #1Z of Pauch waged on the track.  On
lap twenty-seven the yellow waved for the #88 of Todd Shaffer who had stopped
on the back stretch.  
	As the green waved for the few remaining laps the #1Z of Pauch tried every
trick to get by the #1J of Siegel.  
TOP TEN FINISHERS - A MAIN
#1J, #1Z, #77, #17e, #461, #12, #11, #1F, #55, #59

A MAIN NOTES
The top wing of the #11 of Hodnett was down so far that there probably was not
more than four inches of clearance between it and the engine cowl.  However,
taking into consideration the fact that the driver was sitting higher than this
and had to look down through that space it was amazing that he could drive the
car.

Fred Rahmer was still wearing his Apple Chevrolet drivers suit even though they
had new #77 tee shirts on sale already.

The owner of the #1J driven by Steve Siege, Jimmy Walker, said that he paced
the top of the trailer at least three times in the finishing laps.    

TRIVIA QUESTION
Correction time.  Last week my answer to the trivia question contained a
mistake.  The right numbers but the wrong order.  In what year did the sprint
cars become a regular weekly attraction at Williams Grove?  Sprint cars become
a regular weekly attraction at Williams Grove in 1967, not 1976.

Last Weeks Trivia Answer:  The last time that Keith Kauffman visited victory
lane at Williams Grove was in July of 1993 driving the Weikert Livestock #29. 
His last win prior to the Grove win of two weeks ago was September 9, 1995
while driving the Gil Sonner #47 at Santa Maria Speedway, California during a
World of Outlaw show.  

This weeks trivia question is supplied by Dave Reininger:
Who drove the first lap that was ever driven on Williams Grove Speedway? 


Next Friday night the 410 Sprints and Williams Grove 358 Sprints are on the
schedule.  As always I welcome any news, comments, suggestions or questions. 
You can reach me at:  rgould@oehs.upenn.edu