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David Van Horn Jr. Wins ‘Diamond State 50′ At Delaware International Speedway, Earns More Than $5000

DAVID VAN HORN POCKETS $5215 WITH DIAMOND STATE 50 WIN AT DELAWARE

 

DELMAR, DE - In an absolutely crucial race in the South Region point standings, David Van Horn Jr. dominated the ‘Diamond State 50’ for a massive $5,000-plus payday, and a new lead in the standings. Harmony, N.J.’s Van Horn, after drawing the fourth-starting position, eventually took the lead on lap 29, and cruised to the victory for his first Short Track Super Series (STSS) victory. The ‘Diamond State 50’ was the fourth of the five-race STSS Fueled by Hi-Tek Pioneer Pole Buildings Inc. South Region schedule presented by Scotty’s Speed & Diesel.

 

“This is the biggest win of my career,� Van Horn exclaimed in Victory Lane with his Harmony Sand and Gravel-sponsored No. 71 as fireworks lit up the sky. “This is a great feeling.�

The win marked Van Horn’s third top-10 finish of the South Region, and his second finish inside the top-two. The victory adds Van Horn’s name to the BD Motorsports Media LLC all-time win list, and surges him into the South Region points lead with one race remaining.

Van Horn pocketed $5,215 cash plus other incentives for his triumph in the event co-sponsored by Taylor & Messick and Hurlock Auto & Speed Supply.

At the drop of the green it was Craig Von Dohren who jumped out to the early lead from his third starting spot followed by Ryan Watt and Van Horn before Neal Williams slowed on lap eight to bring out the first caution.

On the ensuing restart, Watt, who entered the night in a tie for the South Region points lead with Rick Laubach, pulled ahead of Von Dohren. While Watt, Von Dohren and Van Horn settled into their respective positions, Jamie Mills, Matt Jester, Anthony Perrego and Ryan Godown were busy taking and losing positions just outside the top-five.

Jamie Mills was a man on a mission from his 21^st starting position. By lap 12, Mills had begun battle with Matt Jester for the fifth spot and on lap 18 he dove underneath Beau Wilkins for fourth.

After a slew of cautions on lap 20, Watt led Van Horn, Mills, Von Dohren and Perrego when championship contender Godown slowed and pulled into the pits.

Van Horn took advantage of that restart snagging the lead after side-by-side action with Watt for four laps.

“I saw Jamie Mills pass us on the top on a restart (that was negated for a caution),� Van Horn noted. “It looked good out there so I thought I might as well go out there and it worked.�

From then on, Van Horn didn’t look back despite a barrage of challenges on a multitude of restarts. One such restart allowed Mills to slide underneath Watt for second. Mills made contact with Watt and ran over his front end sending him spinning. Perrego and Laubach, other championship contenders, were also involved in the incident, and Mills pitted after being sent to the rear of the field for contact by series officials. With that shake up, Jester was the beneficiary of second position.

Another slew of cautions occurred on lap 35, but once the green unfurled, it was for the final time as Van Horn drove to the victory.

Matt Jester, the Milford, Del., native, crossed the line in second on an up-and-down evening. In the first couple of laps, Jester was a hard charger, jumping into the top five after drawing ninth.

“I thought I was going to do something big after the beginning of the race,� Jester announced. “But then the big-blocks with their big motors came through the field. We got better at the end as the track dried out and we could roll the top, but Van Horn really had us beat.�

He dropped a couple of positions but eventually worked his way back to the runner-up spot. Jester went home with $3,150.

Craig Von Dohren finished third in the Dick Biever-owned No. 14s. The Oley, Pa. driver started in third, moved to the lead, and continued to move throughout the top five, but always was in the mix.

“We were okay,� Von Dohren said of the night. “We weren’t a third-place car, but we’ll take it.�

Scoring an under-the-radar fourth was Hurlock, Md.’s Shawn Ward, aboard the No. 7W. Ward started the feature event in fifth, got mixed up in some incidents that pushed him back a couple of spots, but he persevered to finish with his first STSS top-five.

Brad Trice of Parsonsburg, Md., rounded out the top five making three First State mainstays in the first five. Trice was another one who benefitted tremendously from the mid-race tangles. He cashed in on the opportunity, though, by running a consistent and solid race.

Finishing sixth through 10th, respectively, were: Mills, of Milford, Del., who battled for a sixth despite being sent to the rear on two separate occasions; Orefield, Pa.’s Brian Kressley struggled in the early portion of the race but was able to turn a 14^th starting spot to a seventh-place finish; Beau Wilkins of Milford, Del., who battled for eighth after running the first half of the event in the top five before being involved in a lap 35 with Mills; Laurel, Del.’s Scott Van Gorder had his share of exciting moments as well including some contact under the caution with Ryan Godown, but fought for ninth from a 25^th starting spot; Dave Dissinger of Mohrsville, Pa., managed a 10th thanks to a solid heat race which pushed him into one of the nine redraw positions.

 

Bi-Rite Auto Sales of Milford, Del., $50 STSS Modified heat winners were Watt, Van Horn and Jester. Watt also pocked another $100 cash as the quickest of the three heat winners courtesy of Vahlco Wheels. Milford, Del.’s Jordan Watson wired the consolation event with 28 big-block/small-block Modifieds pitside.

Short Track Super Series Fueled By Hi-Tek Modified Feature Finish (50 Laps): DAVID VAN HORN JR., Matt Jester, Craig Von Dohren, Shawn Ward, Brad Trice, Jamie Mills, Brian Kressley, Beau Wilkins, Scott Van Gorder, Dave Dissinger, Ryan Watt, Ron Roberts, Eric Vent, Anthony Perrego, Dale Hawkins, Rick Laubach, H.J. Bunting III, Bobby Watkins, Billy Pauch Jr., Ryan Godown, Matt Hawkins, Eric Kormann, Michael White, Neal Williams, Jordan Watson, Jimmy Horton.

Did Not Qualify: Norman Short, Dana Walker.

[caption id="attachment_3228" align="aligncenter" width="520"] Diamond State 50 winner David Van Horn (center) is joined by 2nd place Matt Jester (right) and 3rd place Craig Von Dohren[/caption]

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