By Neal Wilt
YORK HAVEN, PA – For the third time in 2023 and the first at BAPS Motor Speedway, Troy Wagaman Jr. put the Mike Heffner-owned No. 27 in victory lane on Saturday night. Wagaman, Hanover, PA, took advantage of his pole starting position to lead wire to wire and claim the $5,000 top prize in the penultimate race for the 2023 season for both Central PA and the BAPS Motor Speedway at the York Haven, PA, red clay oval.
“Sometimes you need to take a step back and things come around; I’m blessed,” said Wagaman of his 2023 season and the opportunity that he has to drive the Heffner No. 27.
Although Wagaman led wire to wire, the race was not without its moments. Plenty of racing back through the pack brought contenders to the back bumper of Wagaman, but no one could complete the pass.
Wagaman’s first challenge came on lap eight as the top cars approached the back of the field. Wagaman had to contend with fourth starter Kyle Reinhardt and outside front-row starter Dylan Norris. Just as they were to mix it up, a yellow on lap twelve for Freddie Rahmer, who stopped on the front stretch with a left front flat, bunched the field.
On the ensuing restart, the 26-year-old Wagaman once again controlled the race pace. Lapped traffic would again play a role as the leaders ran up on the back of the field on lap 20. Wagaman led, with Reinhardt in second and eighth starting Devin Borden challenging. Just as they were once again about to mix it up in traffic, good fortune came Wagaman’s way, with a yellow for a slowing Tyler Ross on lap 26.
For the restart it was Wagaman, Reinhardt, Borden. Racing into turn one, Borden, who is turning 21 years old on Sunday, ran to the inside of Reinhardt’s 91. With contact made, both cars spun, and the field behind them scattered. Multiple cars bounced around in the melee; Borden and Kyle Moody stopped on the track, but many cars showed the effect of the incident. Reinhardt, who spun and was able to keep going, had significant damage to his top wing, as did 19th starter Chase Dietz.
On the restart, ninth-starting and fourth-place running Anthony Macri drove to the outside of third-place running Norris going into turn one, then dispatched Reinhardt around the outside of turn two and beat Wagaman to the third turn to grab the lead, only to have the red light flash on for a flip by Nash Ely. Ely was uninjured in the accident.
On a cool night and with a couple of cautions, it was decided to have an open red at this time. For the leader, Wagaman, he knew what he needed to do.
“I wasn’t good up against the fence in one and two, but was good on the curb in three and four. I knew I had to hit my marks on the bottom, get up to the fence on exit, make him try to run on the bottom, and then I would have a fighting chance,” said Wagaman of his restart strategy.”
When the green came out on the restart, Wagaman took off, and Macri drove to the inside of Reinhardt, actually passing him at the front stretch cone. Reinhardt and Macri battled a bit, and that allowed Wagaman to run off to his first career BAPS Motor Speedway win.
“I never heard him. We were able to hang on,” said Wagaman of the race finish.
Finishing behind Wagaman was 16th, starting Danny Deitrich, and Chase Deitz with a damaged wing was third. Macri, who crossed the line in second, was penalized two spots for passing before the cone claimed fourth, and Reinhardt was fifth.
Sixth went to seventh-starting Billy Dietrich, with Norris finishing in seventh. Reese Nowotarski, driving the 10X that is campaigned by Ryan Smith, was eighth, Lucas Wolfe was ninth, and twenty-fourth starting Derek Locke rounded out the top ten.
37 cars checked in on a blustery autumn day. A quick shower at 2:00 p.m. delayed the start by about an hour. Four sets of timed warm-ups were run to set the starting heat race lineups. Drivers timed against those in their heat race, with an inversion of the top four times. Cameron Smith, in his return to the Trone 39, set the fastest time of all time trialers. Heats were claimed by Norris, Borden, Nowotarski, and Ross. The 12-lap B-Main was claimed by Rick Lafferty. In the third heat, Tea SD’s Justin Henderson, in his return to the Kreitz Racing No. 69K, tangled with Billy Dietrich racing down the frontstretch on the second lap, racing for the third position. Henderson hit the wall, causing significant damage to the car, and they were scratched for the remainder of the evening. Also in the third heat, Dallas Schott flipped in the second turn.
30 Lap Feature: Troy Wagaman Jr, Danny Deitrich, Chase Dietz, Anthony Macri, Kyle Reinhardt, Billy Dietrich, Dylan Norris, Reese Nowotarski, Lucas Wolfe, Derek Locke, Cameron Smith, Lance Dewease, Domenic Melair, Zane Rudisill, Freddie Rahmer, Chris Arnold, Rick Lafferty, Robbie Kendall, Kyle Moody, JJ Loss, Nash Ely, Devon Borden, Tyler Ross, Michael Millard. DNQ Chris Frank, Dwight Leppo, Chad Criswell, Gordon Senft III, Justin Whittall, Kenny Edkin, Tyler Esh, Glenndon Forsythe, Brie Hershey, Justin Henderson, Dylan Orwig, Dallas Schott.
