By kyohnson 
DELEVAN, NY – The second annual King of the Hill night at Freedom Motorsports Park was a thrilling spectacle on Friday, September 2, as the Race of Champions Sportsman Tour made its highly anticipated final appearance of the year. This race, marked by three leaders and four lead changes, witnessed the first-time visitor, Chad Chevalier, claiming the substantial $1000 victory over the competitive Tidds Towing Sportsman field. Other notable winners on this exciting night were Jeremy Wonderling in the $1000 to win Wilson Crane Service Late Models, Al Brewer in the Pioneer Ford Street Stocks, and Bill Weller Jr in the Danny Heineman & Sons Mini Stocks.
The Race of Champions Sportsman Tour kicked off the evening with group time trials, and it was Adam Leslie who set an impressive fast time of 16.237. One of the pre-race favorites, Cody McPherson, unfortunately, encountered driveline problems and was forced to call it a night. Bad luck also struck Leslie as he broke a transmission in his heat and was unable to start the main event. In the redraw, Rouse and Matt Steffenhagen lucked out and picked the highly sought-after front row starting positions.
When the green flag dropped in the Race of Champions/Tidds Towing Sportsman 40-lap feature, Rouse seized the lead, followed closely by Steffenhagen, Kyle Inman, Ray Bliss, and Tim Schram. On lap 2, Chevalier expertly maneuvered his way around Schram to secure the fifth position.
As Rouse led the pack, a fierce battle for second place erupted between Steffenhagen and Inman, with Inman emerging victorious with an inside pass on lap 5. Inman then set his sights on the leader, Rouse. The first caution flag flew on lap 8 as Steffenhagen slowed down in turns one and two.
On the restart, Inman was relentless in his pursuit of Rouse, while Chevalier smoothly drove around Bliss, Schram, and Tony Pangrazio to claim third place. The second caution flag waved on lap 10 when Alan Bratek and Ray Bliss Jr collided in turn two.
When the green flag flew again, Inman showed his strength and drove around Rouse to take the lead, as Pangrazio snatched third place from Chevalier. As Inman and Rouse fiercely contested for the top spot, Bliss joined Pangrazio and Chevalier in a tight battle for third. Schram managed to edge past Chevalier on lap 16, dropping Chevalier to fifth. Two laps later, Chevalier regained fourth place just before the caution flag was displayed on lap 19 for a Jeramie Josephite spin in turn two.
Inman chose the outside on the restart, and it was Rouse who executed a brilliant move off of turn two to dive underneath and reclaim the lead, as Chevalier moved up to third place, overtaking Pangrazio. Schram completed the top five at the halfway mark.
It was now Chevalier’s turn to shine as he made his way to the upper part of the track and powered his way around Inman for second place on lap 23. Chevalier continued his aggressive driving and bolted past Rouse to take the lead on lap 24.
Over the remaining laps, Rouse fought valiantly, but Chevalier from St. Catherines, Ontario proved to be up to the challenge and claimed the prestigious Race of Champions/Tidds Towing Sportsman prize in his maiden visit to Freedom. Rouse held on for second place as Schram achieved his best finish of the year in third. Fourth and fifth places went to Bliss and Pangrazio. Rouse enters the final race night with a thirty-five-point lead over Bliss.
In the 35-lap Wilson Crane Service Late Model main event, two-time winner Jeremy Wonderling made a spectacular start and jumped to the lead, with Brad Mesler, Andy Michael, Joe Chamberlain, and Bill Holmes following closely in positions two through five.
Wonderling managed to create some distance between himself and the runner-up, Mesler. However, the battle for third place was intense, as Michael, Chamberlain, Holmes, and Jim Johnson were engaged in a close and fierce competition.
A couple of caution flags provided Mesler with multiple opportunities to challenge Wonderling, but Wonderling skillfully pulled away after a few laps. The battle for third place persisted as Michael, Holmes, and Johnson continuously swapped positions. Holmes took third place from Michael on lap 17, but as the halfway flags waved, Michael reclaimed third place and Johnson seized fourth place from Holmes.
Mesler put up a brave effort, but it was Wonderling from Scio who dominated the field, leading every lap and claiming the substantial King of the Hill $1000 payday, marking his third win of the year. Mesler settled for second place, while Holmes, Michael, and Johnson rounded out the top five. With his third-place finish, Holmes secured the 2016 track championship.
Randy Taylor appeared set to capture his second win of the year from his pole position start in the Pioneer Ford Street Stocks 20-lap race and took the lead as soon as the green flag dropped. Al Brewer, unfortunately, was relegated to the last starting spot when he experienced a fuel pump failure in his heat.
As Taylor led the way, followed by Steve Sklar and Ted Mascho, Brewer was making an impressive charge through the field and worked his way up to fifth place on lap 8 and fourth place as the halfway flags flew. On lap 12, Brewer spun in turn three and had to go to the back of the field.
On the restart, leader Taylor suffered a flat tire, handing the lead to Sklar. Brewer once again made his way towards the front and reached the second position on lap 15. As the checkered flag approached, Brewer from Belfast made a bold move to the outside and utilized the cushion in turns three and four to spectacularly overtake Sklar and secure his sixth win of the season and the 2016 track championship.
Cody Egner led the Danny Heineman & Sons Mini Stock main event for the first eight laps before being overtaken by Holden Heineman. Heineman seemed on course for his second victory of the year until contact with a lapped car brought him to a halt in turn two. Bill Weller Jr of Rochester inherited the lead and emerged victorious over Deanna Shepard, Kurt Babcock, Duane Powers, and Brian Grant. Brad Shepard holds the lead in points going into the last night, with only a four-point advantage over Deanna Shepard. Heineman and Billy Dubois still have a mathematical chance at the championship.
Freedom Motorsports Park will be back in action on both Friday and Saturday, September 9 and 10. On Friday, it will be Marcos Pizza Championship Night presented by Sunoco, featuring the Wilson Crane Service RUSH Late Models, Tidds Towing Sportsman, Pioneer Ford Street Stocks, and Danny Heineman & Sons Mini Stocks in action. Grandstands open at 6 pm, and the show starts at 7:30 pm. On Saturday, the Sprint to the Cure Breast Cancer Research charity event for the 600 Micro Stocks will take place. Heats start at 5:00 pm.
Freedom Motorsports Park – Second Annual King of the Hill Feature Events September 2
RACE OF CHAMPIONS TOUR/TIDDS TOWING SPORTSMAN (40 Laps) – Chad Chevalier, Brad Rouse, Tim Schram, Ray Bliss, Tony Pangrazio, John Sekoll, Jeramie Josephite, Kyle Inman, Alan Bratek, Brian Bellinger, Sarah Johnson, Ray Bliss Jr, Matt Steffenhagen, Carl Inman. DNS – Adam Leslie, Cody McPherson. Heats – Pangrazio, Rouse, Bliss. Fast Qualifier – Adam Leslie – 16.237.
WILSON CRANE SERVICE RUSH LATE MODELS (35 Laps) – Jeremy Wonderling, Brad Mesler, Bill Holmes, Andy Michael, Jim Johnson, Joe Chamberlain, Mike Wonderling, Zach Weich, Nick Snayczuk, Sherman Gage, Randy Ralyea. Heats – J Wonderling, Mesler.
PIONEER FORD STREET STOCKS (20 Laps) – Al Brewer, Steve Sklar, Dennis Cummings, Ted Mascho, Randy Taylor, Patrick Nash, Steve Ely, Dennis Hathaway, Ryan Allen, Jim Claypool, James Thompson, Roy Amedick. Heats – Cummings, Mascho.
DANNY HEINEMAN & SONS MINI STOCKS (20 Laps) – Bill Weller Jr, Deanna Shepard, Kurt Babcock, Duane Powers, Brian Grant, Richard Kline, Cody Egner, Dave Lowe, Holden Heineman, Brad Shepard, Jake Masco, Mike Provose, Dylan Strade, Tom Childs, Billy Debois, Jessie Tarr, Matt Mowery, Scott Williams. Heats – B Shepard, D Shepard.