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ALLSTAR Sprints: Sharon Nationals 9/6/9

8 September 1998

HARTFORD, OH - It was all Greg Hodnett in the $65,050 18th Annual Sharon Nationals All Star sprint 40-lap feature Sunday night. The Tennessee driver pocketed a cool $10 grand for the win on the Sharon Speedway half-mile, plus $975 for leading 39 of the 40 circuits. Jeff Shepard, who led lap 34, was second, three seconds behind with Joey Saldana turning in an amazing drive from 17th starting spot to third at the end. "When Jeff showed me the bottom in three and four I knew I had to go down there," Hodnett recalled, explaining his change from the top groove of the speedway to the bottom. "The top was just so far around so we had to do something different." Hodnett drove Bob Stewarts Apple Chevrolet sponsored, Stauffer-Chevrolet powered Maxim to his second All Star win in the past seven days. "We were fortunate they drew a four to invert the feature and it just so happened we were fourth quick," the winner concluded.

Hodnett started on the ButlerBuilt Hot Seat pole position with Jim Nier outside, followed by Charlie Fisher and Butch Schroeder. Hodnett pushed out to an impressive lead in the high groove, followed by Nier, who lost second to fifth starter D. Jacobs on lap two. Eight starter Jeff Shepard grabbed third and began applying pressure to Jacobs. Hodnett entered lapped traffic on lap six, with Jacobs still holding off Shepard, Nier, Todd Shaffer and Fisher.

The first caution flew on lap ten when fifth place runner Nier spun out in turn three after losing fourth to Shaffer. This set the order as Hodnett, Jacobs, Shepard, Shaffer, Fisher and Kevin Huntley. Hodnett pulled away again on the restart, with Shepard trying several moves in the turns to get by Jacobs. Meanwhile, the battle for fifth was heating up between Fisher, Huntley, Frankie Kerr, Saldana and Donnie Kreitz, Jr.

On lap 16, Hodnett had trouble lapping Schroeder, allowing Jacobs and Shepard to close in on him. This also allowed Shepard to move right on Jacobs tail, and he passed him coming down the frontstretch to take second on lap 20 as the red came out for the mandatory halfway point fuel stop.

The restart order was Hodnett, Shepard, Jacobs, Saldana and Shaffer. Hodnett pulled out to another big lead with Shepard and Jacobs chasing. On lap 29 another yellow flew, this time for a Danny Smith flat. At this point Sarah Fisher dropped out, as did Fred Rahmer, who was up to fifth after starting 19th. Rahmer had a broken steering arm.

Hodnett pulled to a half straightaway lead, and on lap 31 Saldana finally got past Jacobs for third. Lap 33 saw another caution, and Shepard got a great restart and was able to duck under Hodnett to lead lap 34 at the flagstand as the duo crossed side by side, but Hodnett was able to regain command in the high groove exiting turn two. A Donnie Kreitz stop and his exit on lap 36 set up the final four lap dash to the checkered, with Hodnett remaining easily on top. Shepards Les and Lynda Stewart Maxim crossed second, with Saldana third in the Mox Motorsports Stealth.

"Our motor wasnt running real good after the heat race," Shepard said. "We had time to change it so we did. We got alongside Greg one time and I showed him where the bottom was. He was better than I was on the bottom and he won the race."

Saldana felt lucky to finish third with a bad engine. "We had a good car, were just lacking a little motor right now. On restarts my motor wouldnt take off. We put a little more gear in on that 20 lap stop and it helped a little bit."

Jacobs held on for fourth, with last starter Keith Kauffman finishing fourth in the United Expressline Doemelt. Frankie Kerr was sixth, with Huntley seventh, Kenny Jacobs eighth, Kevin Gobrecht ninth and Charlie Fisher tenth.

The United Expressline heat fell to K. Jacobs, the Southwest Expressline heat to Chad Kemenah, the Southwest Glass heat was won by Fred Rahmer and the United Specialties heat went to Greg Hodnett who also won the Commercial Truck & Trailer Dash. Kevin Huntley was the United Expressline B Main winner and Bobby Allen won the KSE Racing Products C Main.

Time Trials: 1. Butch Schroeder, Gottschalk 17, 15.951; 2. Charlie Fisher, Fisher 48, 16.127; 3. Jim Nier, Nier 00, 16.276; 4. Greg Hodnett, Stewart 12, 16.334; 5. Dean Jacobs, Holbrook 8, 16.408; 6. Donnie Kreitz, Jr., Kreitz 69, 16.416; 7. Todd Shaffer, Beam 88, 16.440; 8. Jeff Shepard, Double L 4J, 16.444; 9. Kenny Jacobs, Hughes 94, 16.517; 10. Kevin Huntley, Daugherty 7, 16.520; 11. Frankie Kerr, Shoff 23s, 16.595; 12. Lance Dewease, Dyer 461, 16.600; 13. Byron Reed, B&S 5, 16.612; 14. Sean Michael, Harz 88, 16.617 15. Brian Paulus, P&P 28, 16.627; 16. Kevin Gobrecht, Zemaitis 1, 16.636; 17. Joey Saldana, Mox 17, 16.650; 18. Danny Smith, Vielhauer 12x, 16.668; 19. Fred Rahmer, Hamilton 77, 16.739; 20. Mike Wagner, Wagner 55, 16.751; 21. Sarah Fisher, Johnson U22, 16.756; 22. Chad Kemenah, Harble 15, 16.795; 23. Bob Felmlee, Felmlee 6, 16.822; 24. Brian Ellenberger, Ellenberger 20, 16.875; 25. James Fisher, Fisher 48J, 16.881; 26. Brian Gobrecht, Gobrecht 92, 16.897; 27. Keith Kauffman, Johnson U2, 16.913; 28. Tom Burns, Burns 7c, 16.939; 29. Jimmy Hawley, Crawford C3, 16.981; 30. Sean Keen, Keen 53, 16.990; 31. Jamie Smith, Smith 5, 17.029; 32. Arnie Kent, Kent 18, 17.057; 33. Jarod Larson, Clemson 47, 17.075; 34. Ralph Spithaler, Spithaler 56s, 17.107; 35. Ed Lynch, Jr., Lynch 2L, 17.116; 36. Scott Jones, Jones 8J, 17.149; 37. Steve Suever, Suever 36s, 17.200; 38. Todd Bauer, Bauer 45, 17.221; 39. Bobby Allen, Pell 1a, 17.357; 40. Rod George, Thomas 77t, 17.422; 41. Brian Smith, Smith 2+, 17.507; 42. Mark Imler, Imler 40, 17.556; 43. Bob Lime, Lime 91, 17.702; 44. Barry Ruble, Ruble 63, 17.717; 45. Eric Hysong, Hysong 72, 17.855; 46. Bill Moore, Moore 06, 18.473; 47. Todd Kane, J&M 55, NT.

United Expressline Heat (8 laps): 1. K. Jacobs 2. Saldana 3. D. Jacobs 4. S. Fisher 5. Reed 6. Schroeder 7. Larson 8. Hawley 9. J. Fisher 10. Suever 11. Hysong 12. B. Smith.

Southwest Expressline Heat (8 laps): 1. Kemenah 2. Kreitz 3. Michael 4. D. Smith 5. C. Fisher 6. Keen 7. B. Gobrecht 8. Spithaler 9. Moore 10. Imler 11. Bauer 12. Huntley.

Southwest Glass Heat (8 laps): 1. Rahmer 2. Kerr 3. Paulus 4. Shaffer 5. Kauffman 6. Felmlee 7. Lynch 8. J. Smith 9. Nier 10. Lime 11. Allen.

United Specialties Heat (8 laps): 1. Hodnett 2. K. Gobrecht 3. Shepard 4. Wagner 5. Ellenberger 6. Dewease 7. Burns 8. Kent 9. George 10. Ruble 11. Jones.

Commercial Truck & Trailer Dash (4 laps): 1. Hodnett 2. D. Jacobs 3. Kreitz 4. Kerr 5. Shaffer 6. K. Jacobs.

KSE Racing Products C Main (10 laps): 1. Allen 2. Jones 3. Bauer 4. Imler 5. Moore 6. Hysong 7. Lime 8. B. Smith.

United Expressline B Main (12 laps): 1. Huntley 2. Nier 3. Schroeder 4. Dewease 5. Hawley 6. Felmlee 7. Keen 8. Burns 9. Lynch 10. J. Smith 11. J. Fisher 12. Larson 13. George 14. Spithaler 15. Bauer 16. B. Gobrecht 17. Jones 18. Allen 19. Imler 20. Kent.

A Main (40 laps): 1. Hodnett 2. Shepard 3. Saldana 4. D. Jacobs 5. Kauffman 6. Kerr 7. Huntley 8. K. Jacobs 9. K. Gobrecht 10. C. Fisher 11. Shaffer 12. Michael 13. Nier 14. Reed 15. Dewease 16. D. Smith 17. Kemenah 18. Kreitz 19. Rahmer 20. S. Fisher 21. Wagner 22. Schroeder 23. Paulus 24. Ellenberger.

All Star Points: 1. Kenny Jacobs 4624; 2. Joey Saldana 4491; 3. Frankie Kerr 4449; 4. Dean Jacobs 4260; 5. Keith Kauffman 4225; 6. Brian Smith 3192; 7. Scott Jones 3153; 8. Judi Bates 2073; 9. Kevin Huntley 1739; 10. Sarah Fisher 1660.

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