Sharon Speedway
Montgomery tops Blair for Sharon victory
HARTFORD, Ohio (Aug. 17) — Ryan Montgomery of Fairmont, W.Va., swept Saturday’s Gary Knollinger Memorial at Sharon Speedway, setting fast time, winning a heat, the dash and 30-lap main event on the Sweeney Chevrolet-Buick-GMC RUSH Series for Crate Late Models.
After leading the first eight laps, Max Blair of Centerville, Pa., took command for 14 laps before the 16-year-old Montgomery regained the point on lap 23 and led the rest of the way, helped by a late caution.
"The lapped car was a bit of a problem. My right rear tire was going away. (Blair) had a hard tire on so he could run through the black,” said Montgomery, who earned $2,125. “The caution really helped me. It cooled our tires off and let my tire fire faster than his. I was getting me sideways in the last couple laps so I was trying to run down in the corner as hard as I could to get it to coast around so it all worked around.”
Blair settled for second with Will Thomas III of Sharpsville, Pa., in third. Mike Pegher Jr. of Wexford, Pa., and Matt Latta of Conneaut Lake, Pa., rounded out the top five.
Next up for RUSH Crate touring racers is a $1,500-to-win event Aug. 31 at Pittsburgh's Pennsylvania Motor Speedway and a $2,000-to-win event at Roaring Knob Motorsports Complex in Markleysburg, Pa., on Sept. 2.
Gary Knollinger Memorial: (1) Ryan Montgomery, (2) Max Blair, (3) Will Thomas III, (4) Mike Pegher Jr., (5) Matt Latta, (6) Josh Double, (7) Russ King, (8) Dennis Lunger Jr., (9) Jason Rider, (10) Rocky Kugel, (11) Butch Lambert, (12) W.L. Stile, (13) Eric Wilson, (14) Joe Martin, (15) Cody Dawson, (16) Rick Singleton, (17) Lon Emerick, (18) Jamie Wrightsman, (19) Joel Prosser, (20) Russell Byler (21) Andrew Wylie, (22) Tim Cole, (23) Bobby Whitling. Heat race winners (among 23 cars): Montgomery, Latta, Thomas. Dash winner: Montgomery.
