It's All Esh In Lincoln Finale

ABBOTTSTOWN
Doug Esh is going through some rough times right now.

And there was no better way to put his troubles aside than to win the final sprint car feature of the season at Lincoln Speedway.

Esh turned in an impressive heat race performance and used the new experimental passing points handicapping system to his advantage to start on the front row of the feature. Drivers were awarded points for passing cars during the heat race. Esh then drew the zero inversion for the feature event.

Esh was never seriously challenged as he rode off with his 17th career win at Lincoln Speedway Saturday night.

While he was happy with the win, Esh is more concerned about his future as a full time sprint car driver.

In an announcement made earlier this week via his website, Esh was to have sealed the deal to merge his current team owned by Dick and Leslie Leach with Duane (Pancho) and Deb Lawler for the 2008 season.

But that new deal is far from being finalized as of Saturday night.

“I came in here a little grouchy tonight,” Esh said following the $3,000 win. “I’ve been trying to work this deal out and it’s not going as smooth as I’d like it to go. So there’s no better way to try and seal a deal than to come out and win the race. I came here tonight wanting to chew up some blood, spit it and do nothing but win. I’ve never had such a tough road to put a team together. I am just hoping all of our sponsors will come on board so we can have a strong team.”

With his off track battles in the background for the night, Esh put on a clinic on the speedway, whipping in and out of lapped traffic during most of the feature event and keeping Brian Montieth behind the entire distance.

“Starting position meant a lot tonight,” the Lancaster driver stated after his fifth overall win on the year. “We got lucky in the heat race and were able to jam it up through there and I told the guys before the race, it wasn’t going to be easy just because we were starting on the pole. I just wanted to get out front and get a rhythm going.”

Esh admitted he and car owner Dick Leach kept their distance during the night.

“Dennis (Kohler) had the car right and Dick had the motor right,” he added. “Me and Dick didn’t talk too much tonight. It was kinda you do your deal and I’ll do my deal. I just had one goal tonight and that was to come out and win the race. But one thing for sure, without Dick and his family, there wouldn’t be a Doug Esh.”

The race was slowed four times during the first 12 laps including a lap 12 red flag for Greg Hodnett, who got into the inside wall, suffered a flat tire, spun and then rolled the Jim and Sandy Kline sprinter on its side.

Montieth, of Phoenixville closed during the late laps but Esh was able to bring home the win.

Hanover’s Cris Eash finished third ahead of 2007 track champion Fred Rahmer of Salfordville and Denver’s Alan Krimes.

Lucas Wolfe, Chad Layton, Lance Dewease, Cody Darrah and Jim Siegel were the top 10 finishers.

Heats for the 25 sprint cars were won by Eash, Darrah and Montieth. Darrah set a new 10-lap track record with a time of 2:14.82.

Duane Watson won for the seventh time in thundercar action and also clinched his first ever track championship.

Jimmy Combs, Mike Slaybaugh, Bob Stough and Ronnie Thomas were the top five finishers.

Lincoln Speedway returns to action on Saturday afternoon, February 23, 2008.