SELINSGROVE, Pa. - June 11, 2006 - Local driver Mike Erdley of Elizabethville drove away from 20-time national champion Steve Kinser of Bloomington, Ind., to win the biggest race of his career Sunday in the 30-lap National Sprint Tour eastern swing finale at Selinsgrove Speedway. Erdley started his sprint car racing career at Selinsgrove Speedway and collected $10,000 for his second career win at the historic half-mile oval driving the Lisi Shell No. 11E. Jason Solwold of Burlington, Wash., was the fast qualifier with a lap time of 16.631. The National Sprint Tour will return to Selinsgrove Speedway on Sat., August 5.
Erdley selected the inside front row following his win in the first of two six-lap dash events that determined the starting order for the first 12 positions in the 24-car field. Danny Lasoski of Dover, Mo., won the second dash and started the main event outside front row. At the start of the main event, polesitter Erdley powered into the lead. The caution flag unfurled before the completion of the first lap, however, when Todd Hestor of Middleburg and Lucas Wolfe of Mechanicsburg made contact with the third turn wall. Wolfe was able to rejoin the race, while Hestor was sidelined for the night. When the race resumed, Erdley took the lead again with Lasoski chasing him. Fred Rahmer of Salfordville started eighth and was racing a solid fourth behind Steve Kinser of Bloomington, Indiana when he struck the second turn guardrail on lap six.
The lap seven restart saw sixth-place starter Kinser pass Lasoski for second on the backstretch. By the halfway point of the race, Erdley began to encounter slower traffic and Kinser started to reel in the leader.
On the 17th circuit, Shane Stewart of Bixby, Okla., crashed hard in turn one when his sprint car blew a tire while racing in the ninth position. Erdley continued to set the pace when the race restarted with Kinser, Lasoski and seventh-place starter Lance Dewease of Fayetteville in pursuit.
Dewease passed Lasoski for third on the 18th lap and closed in on Kinser for second. The event's final caution flag waved on lap 22 when Justin Collett of Townsend, Del., stopped on the frontstretch.
The remaining laps saw Erdley stretch his lead margin while Dewease continued to challenge Kinser for second. At the finish Erdley was victorious by 3.8 seconds over Kinser; Dewease; 18th-place starter Tim Kaeding of San Jose, Calif.; and Lasoski.
SELINSGROVE SPEEDWAY SUMMARY - 11 June 2006
NST 410 Sprint Cars - 29 Entries
30-Lap A-Main: 1) 11E Mike Erdley $10,000 2) 11 Steve Kinser 3) 25 Lance Dewease 4) 11K Tim Kaeding 5) 83 Danny Lasoski 6) 7S Jason Sides 7) 18 Ryan Bohlke 8) 20 Paul McMahan 9) 14 Jason Meyers 10) 12 Blane Heimbach 11) 5W Todd Shaffer 12) R19 Jason Solwold 13) 88 TJ Stutts 14) 6 Tim Shaffer 15) 77 Greg Hodnett 16) 35 Alan Cole 17) 1 Mark Smith 18) 69 Justin Collett 19) 7 Keith Kauffman 20) 26 Shane Stewart 21) 28 Brian Paulus 22) 22 Fred Rahmer 23) 11H Lucas Wolfe 24) 4 Todd Hestor
