Sponaugle Ends Bedford Frustration
4 min read
After a 2022 season featuring more DNFs than any other driver, Matt Sponaugle snagged Late Model victory at Bedford Friday night. The win was the 8th career Bedford win but his first at the track in almost two years.
In other action, Robby Black dominated the Limited event while Nick Bechtel, Jason Haggerty and Shawn Smith each came from deep in the field to score wins in Semi Late, Pure Stock and 4 Cylinder action.
Because of his rotten season so far, Matt Sponaugle’s point average earned him a front row starting position. He made the best of his luck and grabbed the lead at the start. Tim Smith was all over Sponaugle for the first few laps until Wisconsin visitor Jared Siefert slowed with a flat, bringing out the caution.
Smith took up the challenge on the restart, but he was heavily challenged by Kyle Lee. While Sponaugle pulled out ahead, the pair battled for second. But easing through the field was 2022 point leader Jeff Rine. On lap 12, just as Lee set up Smith for a pass in turn 2, Rine managed to go 3 wide and zip into second.
When Sponaugle encountered a pair of lapped cars going at it, his hesitation allowed Rine to close dramatically. Lee finally got by Smith for third on lap 19 but almost instantly stopped in the track with a flat tire. That caution relieved Sponaugle of the lapped traffic diversion, but placed Rine on his bumper.
But Sponaugle was up to the challenge, repelling Rine’s attack and rushing to the popular win. Rine led Smith, Brian Bernheisel, and Jeff Miller across the line. Smith and Sponaugle won the heats.
The Limited event was much less dramatic. Shawn Shoemaker led the early laps before Robby Black shot by. Once in front, Black made it look easy opening up a gap as the laps wound down. When Black caught Kaiden Bard, around lap 16, he hesitated lapping him, allowing new second place racer Devin Weyandt to close. Black finally got by Bard as the pair completed lap 19, just before Bard heavily impacted the front stretch wall, bringing out the second and final caution.
On the restart, with open field ahead, Black rushed off to the easy win. Weyandt. Matt Parks and Brian Lowery trailed.
Kyle Weyant led the Semi Late event early but he drew a crowd at the front. Jesse Snyder challenged from the start, soon joined by Nick Bechtel who came from 8th starting spot. Brian Weyandt Jr soon arrived and the Weyandts both soon got by Snyder and challenged Bechtel,
Brian Jr finally got by for second and challenged Bechtel; for a few laps but Bechtel eased away for the win. Brian Jr, Kyle and Weyandt trailed. Travis Calhoun came from tenth to chase the Weyandts , John Miller was fifth. Kyle Weyant and Bill Replogle won the heats. Replogle was involved in a wild early race crash when he slowed and was hit by Tony Catlett and retired from the event.
The Pure Stock race was the usual slugfest from the start. Fully 11 cars took off in a mob, going two and three wide until a wild 8 car pile up in turn 4 slowed the action on lap 4 Remarkably all those cars drove away and rejoined the action.
Kyle Beckett was the leader through those laps as the mob battled among themselves. But moving among the crowd almost unnoticed was Jason Haggerty from his 8th starting spot. Haggerty slithered through the heavy traffic, taking second from Barry Clark on lap 6.
After wrestling with Beckett, Haggerty eased into the lead on lap 10 and pulled away from the mob to score the popular win. Beckett, Cody Jarvie and Dalton Weyant trailed. Jarvie and Clark won the heats.
Michael Boring was the early 4 cylinder leader, until Tyler Becket got by on lap 6. Beckett’s lead was short lived as Shawn Smith rushed by a lap later and held on for the win. Darren Howsare came on late to grab second at the line ahead of Beckett, Jay Talley and Todd Price. Talley and Price won the heats.
LATE MODEL 25 LAPS 1 Matt Sponaugle, Jeff Rine, Tim Smith, Bryan Bernheisel, Jeff Miller, Nathan Lasalle, Larry Neiderer, Jim McBee, Kyle Lee, Jared Siefert, DNS Wayne Johnson
LIMITED 20 LAPS 1 Robby Black, Devin Weyandt, Matt Parks, Brian Lowery, John Seiler, Kadden Bard, Shawn Shoemaker, Eddie Cornett
SEMI LATE 15 LAPS 1 Nick Bechtel, Brian Weyandt Jr, Kyle Weyandt, Travis Calhoun, John Miller, Erik Weyandt, Jesse Snyder, Jeremy Fama, Bob Torquato, Bill Pluta, Laura Reilly, Laura Chamberlain, Boll Replogle, Tony Catlett.
PURE STOCK 15 LAP 1 Jason Haggerty, Kyle Beckett, Cody Jarvie, Dalton Weyandt, Dalton Ritchey, Denver Dishong, Bill Shehan, Franklin Foor, Barry Clark, Derek Hinish, Thomas Lews, Kyle Deneen, Anthony Troutman, Charlie Clise
4 CYLINDER 12 LAPS 1 Shawn Smith, Darren Howsare, Tyler Beckett, Jay Talley, Todd Price, Dustin Stine Jeff Marlett, Kershawn Dempsey, Howard Crawford, Roger Fagan, Jason Woods, Matthew Jones, Colin Welsh, George Shore Jr, Jimmy Delozier. Michael Boring, George Shore, George Shore Jr, Tyler Stine, Jacob Miller, DNS Travis Hoover, Austin Bird, Paul Shore, Richard Athey.
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