PORT ROYAL
 With Greg Hodnett and Lucas Wolfe bringing the field to the green flag in Monday’s 25-lap Labor Day Classic at Port Royal Speedway, it was a good bet that one of the two drivers would cash in on the paycheck at the end of the race.

 Hodnett and Wolfe were also thankful that they sat on the front row after a dustbowl clouded the speedway during the first few laps of the race on the hot and sunny afternoon.

 Hodnett tracked down Wolfe on lap 19 of the event and fended off challenges by the young Mechanicsburg driver to earn the $3,000 payday in front of a big Labor Day crowd.

 The win was the third this season for Hodnett and the Jim and Sandy Kline owned sprint car team and was an area leading 11th overall win for the Grantville based team.

 “It’s really tough out there and hard to pass,” said the Thomasville racer following the win in the J & S Fabrication, Macri Concrete sponsored No. 22. “All of the cars are tough and you have lapped cars running the same speed as the leaders. You just have to position yourself and Lucas got behind one car there and got held up and allowed me to get by. It’s all about track position.”

 Wolfe grabbed the lead on the start as the field gingerly raced through the first and second turns with heavy dust during the first few laps.
 Wolfe caught the rear of the field on lap six but a red flag on lap eight opened the track up.

 Richie Fitz spun in turn one and was hit by Steve Buckwalter, who rolled his car on its side.

 Wolfe continued to set the pace but Hodnett began to eat away around the halfway point of the race.

 With heavy traffic to deal with, Hodnett was able to sneak under Wolfe off the fourth turn to grab the lead on lap 19.

 Wolfe never gave up and chased Hodnett to the checkered, trying the outside line through the final corners of the race, only to lose the runner-up spot to Lance Dewease, who lined up eighth.

 “There is a very competitive field of sprint cars here in Pennsylvania and across the country,” Hodnett reflected following his eighth career Port Royal win. “With the weight rule, pretty much all of the motors are the same, everybody has the same tire, so you’re relying on your team and your driver to get things down and we are fortunate to have had a lot of opportunities to win a few this year. My team has done a good job but we just have to do a little better so we can finish the year strong.”

 Dewease gave the Donny Owens owned car another good run since taking over the driving chores Thursday night with the runner-up finish.
 Wolfe, of Mechanicsburg finished third after his Sunday night win at Williams Grove.

 Lewisberry’s Kevin Nouse brought home a fourth place finish with Mark Smith finishing out the top five.

 Chad Layton, Todd Shaffer, Brian Leppo, Mike Erdley and Cliff Brian were the top 10 finishers.

 Keith Kauffman, the 2007 Port Royal champion suffered a flat tire on lap eight and was credited with 21st spot.

 Heats for the 30 sprint cars were won by Alan Cole, Nouse and Hodnett with Mike Wagner winning the consolation.

 Hodnett is looking forward to this weekend’s Tuscarora 50 events at the Port but feels the draw for starting position will tell most of the story.

 “With the draw, there’s no telling how we will do,” he stated about the 50 lapper that pays $10,000 to win. “Again passing is a premium, it has been all year. There’s not many guys that can run from 12th of 15th that can win so it will depend on how we draw and if we can get through our heat race for a feature redraw. Our chances are as good as anybody’s I guess.”

 Jere Wierman was the 25-lap late model winner over Jim Yoder, Scott Haus, Steve Campbell and Mitch Hack.