MILLERSBURG, Ohio -- Fans flocked into Hilltop Speedway for Fan Appreciation night and Kid's Bike Giveaway night on top of the usual exciting racing program that saw some close racing. The Tri State Modifieds set the tone for the night as Hanover's Kevin Morehouse started the night off by setting a new track record in qualifying with a time of 15.337 seconds. Finishing second to Robin Dustin in the dash, the Morehouse Logging #28 would start the feature on the outside front row and at the drop of the green, jumped into the lead and never looked back for his sixth win of the year. Dustin held second until Larry Kugel and Brandon Morrow powered past on lap 9 with Mark Gardiner dropping Dustin another spot on the 12th circuit as Norm Aronhalt, who won his heat and started 8th, took fifth on the next lap. Those four would slice and dice for positioning that allowed Morehouse some breathing room on the way to the checkered flag as Kugel, B. Morrow, Gardiner, and Aronhalt followed. Jess Hartman won the other heat and finished 6th in the feature.

Corey Conley won the dash for the S & S Constuction Super Late Models and started on the pole of the main but it was Lance Elson grabbing the point on the start with 4th starting George Lee on his tail. Lee would take over on lap six with Elson hanging tough. As the leaders were bearing down on lapped traffic, the caution came out for Tom Baker at the ten lap mark. Trying to avoid the slower car, Lee and Elson got together, bending up both cars somewhat but not enough to slow them down when the green reappeared. After a lap 16 caution for Ron Dailey, the crowd got their money's worth as Conley, Dave Hornikel, and Justin Chance wheeled and dealed for third as Elson kept the pressure on Lee but couldn't stop the Loudonville native and the Cowen Trucking #21 from his second win of the year. On the wild last lap, Chance moved past Conley and Hornikel for third as Hornikel edged Conley at the line for 4th. Baker and Brian Casey topped the heat with Lee being the quick timer.

Perrysville's Brandon Gardner is close to being unbeatable in the Snyder Brothers Pure Stocks as he won his heat and started on the pole with the other heat winner, Jimmy Smith beside him and Roger Drouhard behind the L & L Motors #27g. Gardner opened up a comfortable lead until a lap 11 caution for Tim Fabain bunched the field back together. That didn't matter as Gardner left Smith and Drouhard to battle for second as he parked in victory lane for the ninth time out of the 11th feature events. Kevin Sharier and Bob Chilcote filled outh the top five.

It's never over until it's over can be said about the Circle Track Mini Trucks and that was the case last night. Jesse Combs controlled the pace of the opening 5 laps from his pole position but following a caution for Gordon Zimmer, the heat winners, Brandon Craver and Jerry Gardner, overtook Combs on the restart. Kyle Cline, Scott Gray, and Dale Mong were in a tight battle for top five positioning and action was wild on the last lap. Craver, who had lead from lap six, began having issues with his truck coming through the last turn, which allowed Sunbury's Gardner to squeek by for his third win this season by inches over Combs and Cline. Craver took 4th with Gray grabbing fifth.

Since he got his first win, there has been no stopping Millersburg's Ernest Fortune as he pocketed his third Holmes Tire Mini Stock in a row aboard the Advance Auto Parts #79. Heat winner Jeremy Hudson, Bill Scott, Blaine Markey and JR Carpenter followed.

A full racing program is set for next Friday, July 31st with all Senior citizens 62 and older getting in for $5. Gates open at five for general admission and race action starts at 8 p.m.

RESULTS

Hilltop Speedway Summary
Friday, July 24, 2009
Tri State Modifieds (17)
Fast Qualifier Kevin Morehouse 15.337 (ntr)
Dash Robin Dustin, Morehouse, Larry Kugel, Gary Clark, Brandon Morrow, Mark Gardiner
Heat 1 Jess Hartman, Hilton Eppley, Josh Morrow, Matt Samples, Jeff Davenbarger
Heat 2 Norm Aronhalt, Kevin Potts, Todd McElwain, Rory Reed, Ted Campbell
Feature Morehouse, Kugel, B. Morrow, Gardiner, Aronhalt, Hartman, Clark, Eppley, Potts, Reed, Samples, McElwain, Davenbarger, J. Morrow, Dustin, Campbell, Nathan Loney

S & S Constuction Super Late Models (22)
Fast Qualifier George Lee 14.574
Dash Corey Conley, Lance Elson, Dave Hornikel, Lee, Justin Chance, Ryan Eddleblute
Heat 1 Tom Baker, Eric Myers, Ty Myers, Rick Bond
Heat 2 Brian Casey, Keith Tish, Ron Dailey, Tom King
'B' Main Robin Dustin, Chester Elliott, Mark Gardiner, Steve Prince, Robert Flanagan, Ted Johnson Jr., Carry Mason, TJ Watson
Feature Lee, Elson, Chance, Hornikel, Conley, Eddleblute, E. Myers, T. Myers, Dustin, Bond, Casey, Prince, Dailey, Elliott, Gardiner, Baker, King, Tish

Snyder Brothers Pure Stocks (16)
Heat 1 Brandon Gardner, Roger Drouhard, Matt Shroyer, Gary McGregor, Joe Spearman
Heat 2 Jimmy Smith, Bob Chilcote, Kevin Sharier, Danny Gotschall, Denny Shear
Feature Gardner, Smith, Drouhard, Sharier, Chilcote, Tim Glassburn, McGregor, Spearman, Shear, Brian Giaugue, Jeremy Lynch, Kyle Dalton, Tim Fabian, Shroyer, Gotschall, Dave Giaugue

Circle Track Mini Trucks (15)
Heat 1 Jerry Gardner, Kyle Cline, Dave Giaugue, Scott Gray, Gail Wallace
Heat 2 Brandon Craver, Jesse Combs, Gordon Zimmer, Tom Garlick, Dale Mong
Feature Gardner, Combs, Cline, Craver, Gray, Giaugue, Mong, Mitch Caskey, Garlick, Zimmer, Ben Brannon, Wallace, Jim Morey, Ken Duncan (dns), Mike Lindell (dns)

Holmes Tire Mini Stocks (5)
Heat 1 Jeremy Hudson, Ernest Fortune, JR Carpenter, Bill Scott, Blaine Markey
Feature Fortune, Hudson, Scott, Markey, Carpenter