ABBOTTSTOWN, Pa. (Sept. 24, 2016)—The Lincoln Speedway pit area was totally full tonight with teams competing for the $20,000-to-win, $1,000-to-start Dirt Classic.
With 48 cars on property, there were enough to fully field two events.
Dave Blaney drove the Motter Equipment Mohawk Northeast Beltline Body Shop 71M to the No. 17 qualifying position with a 13.573-seond lap.
The Buckeye Bullet lined up fourth in the second of five heat races. When the green dropped, he was on the hammer, advancing to second behind leader Lucas Wolfe. Through eight laps the two did not change position.
The format for the Dirt Classic was complex with drivers earning points for qualifying, through two sets of heat races, points for passing, etc.
In the second heat race, Blaney started fifth, but was shuffled back to seventh. On the last lap, he and Aaron Ott made contact. Ott hit the fence and went over hard, his car catching fire. Both drivers were ok. The Motter team changed a flat tire on Blaney’s car and he rejoined the field, finishing ninth.
After all the heats were run and points counted, Blaney lined up 18th on the feature starting grid.
There were three leaders and four lead changes in tonight’s Dirt Classic. Polesitter Lucas Wolfe led the first four laps and then an altercation sent him to the pits. After he retired from competition, Stevie Smith led the pack through lap 29. Danny Dietrich took the lead on lap 30 passing Smith off the top of turn four. He held the lead for four laps before Smith took it back for good, becoming the first repeat Dirt Classic winner and claiming the $20,000 winner’s check.
Dietrich was second and Greg Hodnett was third.
Blaney finished 15th in a very competitive field.
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