ABBOTTSTOWN, Pa.: Danny Dietrich had to get up on the wheel a little bit during Saturday night’s main event at Lincoln Speedway.
There are few drivers who are Dietrich’s equal at the Abbottstown, Pa., facility. And when he is running up front, he, usually, isn’t pressed too much.
That wasn’t the case in the Lincoln Speedway finale. Dietrich passed Buddy Kofoid and held off the talented USAC Midget driver to capture the 30-Lap 410 Sprint Car feature. The victory was worth $5,000.
“Buddy is a hell of a racecar driver,” Dietrich said. “I mean, I don’t have to tell anybody here who Buddy is, because everybody knows who he is, how good he is, and how talented he is, and he gives 110 percent like I do all of the time.
“We’ve been racing a lot [together]. Last night, I raced with him at Port in the feature, and tonight, he could have clobbered me, and I could have clobbered him. He didn’t do that, and there’s a lot of respect there. That goes a long way when you race with somebody so much.”
Lucas Wolfe started on the pole, but he could only hold the lead for two corners. Kofoid, who started second, pulled off a slider through the third and fourth corner to lead the opening circuit.
Kofoid was setting a pretty good pace. The problem was Dietrich, who started third, was lurking and shot past Wolfe for second in Turns 3 and 4 on Lap 2.
A solid 1.609-second lead for Kofoid was wiped out on Lap 9. Glenndon Forsythe spun in the first corner in front of the leaders to bring out the first caution. Kofoid was able to hold off Dietrich on the restart and held a slim margin when Brandon Rahmer got upside down on the 10th circuit.
One lap after the restart, Aaron Bollinger rode the wall in Turn 2 to bring out another stoppage. This time, Dietrich timed the start just right and slid Kofoid through the first and second corner. The leader ducked back to the bottom of Turn 2 and held a .012-second at the line to complete Lap 11.
But Dietrich had momentum. He used that to his advantage and pulled off the slider for the lead in Turns 1 and 2 on the 12th circuit.
“He was taking off pretty early on the restarts, and finally, once I was able to time it pretty good there … that last was the last one before I got him,” Dietrich said. “This thing was just so much fun to drive.
“I want to thank Titan Wings. We have a wing on the car, and nobody probably knows what it is, but it’s just fun to get this thing in Victory Lane and finish off the year with a win.”
Taking the lead was one thing … keeping it was another. Especially with multiple restarts that gave Kofoid a shot at stealing the win.
Dallas Schott turned over on Lap 15 in Turn 4. Riley Emig also got upside down on the 22nd circuit, and Kofoid attempted a slider through the first and second corner, but Dietrich squeezed around the outside and held the spot.
“Buddy is really good, and you knew he was going to throw those sliders,” Dietrich said. “He’s got that Midget mentality where they like to slide or die, and I kind of had to pony up there on the restart.”
Dietrich still managed to hold the spot. Kofoid closed late, but it wasn’t enough, and the Gettysburg, Pa., driver took the checker by .730 seconds.
It was Dietrich’s sixth win at Lincoln Speedway this season and 61st overall. The victory was also his 14th overall during the 2022 campaign.
“It’s a lot of wins,” Dietrich said. “We want to have more, but we’re just not here enough. It’s a shame, because I like coming here. When the track is like this, it’s pretty dog done good … when it gets nice and wide like this.
“There’s about five or six races left, and we’re just glad to get one here before the season ends. I just can’t thank everybody enough. So much goes into this, and a lot of people keep this thing rotating, and it’s a lot of fun to stand here.”
Kofoid settled for his second-straight runner-up finish. Wolfe held off track champion Freddie Rahmer for third, and Kyle Moody completed the top five.
In the 20-Lap 358 Sprint Car feature, Doug Hammaker stormed from sixth to the lead and captured the main event.
Justin Foster started on the pole and led the first 18 circuits. Hammaker, who took second on Lap 16, zipped into the lead three laps from the finish and earned the win by .942 seconds.
Steve Owings also got by Foster for the runner-up finish. Foster, Jeff Rohrbaugh, and Nash Ely completed the top five.
410 Sprint Car Feature Finish, 30 Laps: 1. Danny Dietrich; 2. Buddy Kofoid; 3. Lucas Wolfe; 4. Freddie Rahmer; 5. Kyle Moody; 6. Matt Campbell; 7. Dylan Norris; 8. Devon Borden; 9. Billy Dietrich; 10. Trey Hivner; 11. Troy Wagaman Jr.; 12. Tyler Ross; 13. Jimmy Siegel; 14. Cameron Smith; 15. Tim Wagaman; 16. Austin Bishop; 17. Glenndon Forysthe; 18. Chad Trout; 19. Tim Glatfelter; 20. Zane Rudisill; 21. Riley Emig; 22. Dallas Schott; 23. Aaron Bollinger; 24. Brandon Rahmer.
358 Sprint Car Feature Finish, 20 Laps: 1. Doug Hammaker; 2. Steve Owings; 3. Justin Foster; 4. Jeff Rohrbaugh; 5. Nash Ely; 6. Kody Hartlaub; 7. Hayden Miller; 8. Cody Fletcher; 9. David Holbrook; 10. Logan Rumsey; 11. Cameron Smith; 12. Travis Scott; 13. Matt Findley; 14. Jayden Wolf; 15. Brett Wanner; 16. Frankie Herr; 17. Scott Fisher; 18. Jake Eldreth; 19. Kyle Rohrbaugh; 20. Ashley Cappetta; 21. Zach Newlin; 22. Steven Kisamore; 23. George Streaker Jr.; 24. Chad Criswell.