Leppo Scores In Tommy Classic

MECHANICSBURG
The last time Brian Leppo won at Williams Grove Speedway was when he defeated the World of Outlaws last summer.

Leppo sat up in the seat once again Friday night when the big money was on the line and put together his first win of the season at the Grove.

Leppo captured the 30-lap Tommy Classic, a race run in memory of the late Tommy Hinnershitz. The race paid $6,000 to Leppo and his Floyd and Joyce Swope owned sprint car team.

Leppo and the rest of the competitors had to wait out an hour long rain delay during the evening.

Leppo was aboard a brand new JEI chassis Friday night.

“The guys had a long week this week putting this new car together,” said Leppo, of New Oxford. “We had a fresh motor in it and Barry Jackson made some good calls tonight and I think maybe we can start to get things turned around.”

Leppo started on the pole of the event by virtue of time trials but had to follow rookie Pat Cannon during the early stages of the race.

Cannon, who won earlier this season at the Grove set the pace while Leppo applied pressure up until lap 17, when he was able to drive under Cannon for the top spot exiting the fourth turn.

Once in front, Leppo pulled away from Cannon until with about five laps to go, Cannon was able to gain some ground as Leppo tried to work this way through heavy lapped traffic.

Chad Layton’s flat tire brought out the yellow flag on lap 28 and then Brian Montieth stopped on the track out of fuel. The race was red flagged for fuel and Montieth was sent to the rear of the field. He would later protest on the front stretch.

But over the final two laps, Leppo had the field covered in taking his third career checkered flag t the Grove and his second win under the Swope Motorsports banner at the track.

“Floyd and Joyce give us everything we need to run up front and they need a couple of good runs,” Leppo said of his car owners, of East Berlin. “Joyce is sick so we need to get her back on her feet and to the track. Hopefully this will turn things around for the team.”

Cannon finished second in the Highlands Tire Service sprinter with Sean Michael third, Cody Darrah fourth and Jeff Shepard fifth.

Greg Hodnett, Mark Smith, Don Kreitz, last year’s winner Craig Keel and defending track champ Todd Shaffer completed the top 10.

Kreitz set fast time in time trials with a lap of 16.609 seconds.

Heats for the 32-car field were won by Smith, Shaffer, Fred Rahmer and Shepard with Alan Krimes winning the consolation.