Rahmer Steps It Up At Lincoln

ABBOTTSTOWN, PA

Fred Rahmer came to Lincoln Speedway on a mission Saturday night.
And when the checkered flag fell on the 25-lap Cindy Rowe Auto Glass 410 Sprint car feature, the 10-time defending track champion was in victory lane for the fourth time this season.
“We got screwed last week here and I should have won that race but that’s the way it goes,” Rahmer stated about being put fourth on a restart after he and Brian Montieth made contact during the feature event. Rahmer was placed fourth via computerized scoring, which was put into effect this season at the track.
Rahmer had to outrun Cody Darrah before taking his 158th career Lincoln win. Darrah hounded the Salfordville driver over the final half of the race and fell just .344 seconds short at the checkered flag.
“Cody is a really good driver and he’s forcing me to run harder,” stated Rahmer, after the $3,000 paycheck, his eighth overall in 2008 competition aboard the Chad and Jen Clemens owned, Miller Brothers Chevrolet, Materials Handling Systems, Don Ott Racing Engines No. 51. “When you look at the lineup for the feature, you know you are driving towards a crash. Some of the guys starting up front are out of control. You try and pick your way through but Cody’s jamming it up through there and he’s still young and dumb. It just makes me step it up a little bit but he’s doing a really good job and we just gotta keep trying harder.”
Adam Lawrence led the first three laps before Alan Krimes stopped in turn four.
On the restart, Jeff Busby spun coming down for the green flag resulting in TJ Stutts rolling his sprinter on the front stretch.
Lawrence stayed out front until Doug Dodson took control on lap seventh with a move off the second corner.
Darrah moved by Lawrence for second spot on lap eight as Rahmer followed into third spot a lap later.
Rahmer passed Darrah in turn four on lap 12 and then inherited the lead on lap 14 when Dodson slammed into the first turn wall while leading.
Darrah applied pressure to Rahmer and despite a lap 19 caution for Krimes and Craig Keel, he was unable to make a pass and settled for the runner-up spot, a week before he graduates from Red Lion High School.
“Chad and Jen give me a great car and we’ve got a lot of good sponsors,” said Rahmer. “Without them, we wouldn’t be able to do this. You have to put a whole package together and we’ve been fortunate to be with the same people for a long time and that’s what makes us successful But all I‘m worried about is winning the next race. If everybody else would come with that attitude, it would be one heck of an event.”
Josh Wells crossed in the third spot with 14th starting Brian Montieth fourth and Chad Layton fifth. Layton started 23rd after his car wouldn’t start on the initial push off for the feature.
Completing the top 10 finishers were Niki Young, Brian Leppo, Cory Haas, Lawrence and Jim Siegel
Heats for the 23 “410” sprints were won by Carber, Busby and Dodson.
Danny Dietrich started 11th in the regular 20-lap 358 Sprint car feature and took the lead on the final lap and held on for his second career Lincoln win.
Dietrich, who recently turned 20 years of age blasted through the field and caught Jeff Rohrbaugh on lap 19 and made the race winning pass coming off turn four to lead the lap.
Dietrich’s older brother Bill slowed on the final lap to bring out the caution but his brother was up to the challenge and held on for the win over Rohrbaugh.
Third went to Matt Boland over Nate Hammaker, Nicole Bower, Todd Rittenhouse, Jr., Ricky Stonebraker, Dale Hammaker, Adam Wilt and Scott Geesey.
Rohrbaugh, Nate Hammaker, Ricky Stonebraker and Matt Boland were heat winners for the 38 “358” Sprints. Double consolations were won by Chad Criswell and Bill Dietrich.
Sixteen-year-old Aaron Ott ran away from the field and captured his first career 20-lap 358 Sprint car feature in the Pigeon Hills. The race was a makeup from May 3.
Ott, of East Berlin held the point from the green flag and was never challenged in the win over Adam Wilt, Dale Hammaker, Ricky Stonebraker and Glenndon Forsythe.
Rounding out the top 10 were Bill Dietrich, Gerard McIntyre, Jr., Todd Rittenhouse, Jr., Bob Anderson and Eric Tomecek.