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Clean
Sweep: Kitzmiller Starts
off 2022 on the Right Foot in Season Opening Twin 60s at Dominion
Thornburg,
Virginia (May 1, 2022) – It
was a favorable beginning to 2022 for a few but a wild and eventful
one for many as the Super Cup Stock Car Series kicked off another
year’s campaign at Dominion Raceway on Saturday night.
The awarding of the
first five bonus points of the season looked to be a replica of the
most recent visit to the multi-purpose facility last October with
Ben Ebeling picking up where he left off by earning the Pole Award
and navigating the 4/10-mile oval in 15.859 seconds.
Only 0.013
seconds behind him though 
was last year’s series Rookie of the
Year, Jason Kitzmiller, who had the six car redraw on his side when
team owner Codie Rohrbaugh’s son Benji drew the number one pill.
The path to victory
was far from decided though for the Maysville, West Virginia driver.
On the initial start as
well as ensuing restarts in the opening 60-lap main event Kitzmiller
had to contend with Ron Langdon, who was making his first SCSCS
start since June 2021. The
Freeport, New York competitor was able to muscle his way by using
the outside line twice, but nearly lost control on a couple
occasions under a lengthy green period which allowed Kitzmiller’s
No. 97 A.L.L. Construction, Inc. / Grant County Mulch / CR7
Motorsports Chevrolet to somewhat comfortably pull away.
Langdon and others
made one last charge over the closing laps, but it was Kitzmiller
coming away with his third career series win and first at Dominion
for both himself and the team.
“They made a good
push there and we were trying to maintain what we had,” last
year’s third place finisher in the standings indicated regarding
his competition. “Didn’t
want to burn the tires up, but those guys were coming and I was
praying that there wasn’t a caution flag because I didn’t want
to have to deal with Ron again on the restart because he was real
tough. We really had to
be careful and make sure we hit our shifts in the right spots and
run a 
good
line. He was tough to
deal with there and you’ve got to tip your hat to him.
He ran me clean and I appreciate that.”
It was also
Kitzmiller’s first victory that his fiancée Tonya was there to
witness in person, since she was out of town when he swept the night
at Motor Mile Speedway last September and had to join on FaceTime
for the celebration that evening.
“It was amazing
and when Benji, Codie’s son, drew number one we walked away down
the pit road and she said ‘look, you’ve only got one job, just
stay up there’ and I was like thanks hun, lot of pressure,”
Kitzmiller laughed.
Langdon managed to
hang on for second with Brent Nelson coming on strong for third in
the No. 80 Precision Auto Collision / Airtek Inc. / Atkinson Welding
/ QH Design / JEBCO Chevrolet. One
incident that brought out an early yellow was between past champions
Kevin Kromer and Ebeling. The
latter apologetically came over post-race to discuss the contact,
although both were able to continue on and find their way toward the
front again with Ebeling fourth and Kromer fighting a tight
condition to end up fifth.
The second race of
the night featured Hayden Brothers drawing the pole after performing
within the top five much of the day and finishing sixth in the first
race despite a broken right front shock bolt.
The night unfortunately turned ugly and unprecedented for
some almost right away when the green flag waved.
Ebeling and team
diagnosed afterward that something likely broke in the transmission
that caused the No. 44 Startown Carpet & Floor Coverings /
Swanny’s Auto Sales / Wrenn's Lawn Service / L & C Truck
Repair / Battery Specialist of Hickory / RE Suspension / Good
Frames, LLC – Hardwood Furniture Frames / Williams Ebeling
Enterprises Ford to suddenly snap around on the backstretch in front
of the field that remained behind him.
West Mifflin, 
Pennsylvania’s
Lauren Butler anticipated the potential problem ahead and checked up
in her No. 53 Edlin Automotive / McGunegill Engine Performance / HG
Creations (Custom Tumblers) / Motive Parts of Homestead / 3C Signs /
Hillsview Landscaping / Low Teams Motorsports Chevrolet; however,
multiple others that followed were not as fortunate to notice
immediately and she was collected in a collision that ensued.
All were able to
pull away except for the No. 31 Hauck Enterprises, Inc. Dodge driven
by Richard Hauck, making his series debut all the way from Howell,
Michigan. Ebeling would
also be done for the night, the first ever SCSCS race in which he
was not running at the finish in a career where he had previously
completed every single circuit but one.
Because
a lap had not been completed, an original start took place among
those that remained in the running with Petersburg, West
Virginia’s Nelson advancing to the front. Fast
once again was Kitzmiller, first
by Langdon for second and then finding a way by for the lead just
prior to halfway. On lap
36, a heim joint issue contributed to Nelson slowing on the
racetrack and resulting in a caution.
It was Langdon yet again who fought for the top spot,
clearing the first race winner for a couple laps, but Kitzmiller
found his way back by and eventually on his way to the second win of
the night.
“We were really
hoping to have a strong year and what a way to start,” the driver,
whose streak of consecutive top five finishes has stretched to a
series record 15 and counting, commented.
“(Langdon) was super tough to get around and we followed
him and (Nelson) around the whole time, it felt like 30 or 
40
laps. Brent would slip
up and slip up and I could see him when I was following Ron, I was
able to get to Ron’s back quarter panel and was able to get around
him. Brent’s car kept
on pushing up and we just had real good timing and were able to get
him coming off of turn four.”
The battle behind
Kitzmiller down the stretch was far from over.
Kromer worked his way up to second position in the closing
stages but had Langdon close on his tail.
The slightest amount of contact into the back of Kromer’s
rear bumper cover exiting turn two sent the 2019 SCSCS champion
around, narrowly avoiding the inside wall.
The championship runner-up that year scored his second
runner-up on this night in the No. 17 National Appliance / Oval
Speed Unlimited / Langdon’s Automotive Chevrolet.
A rather calm conversation was had immediately following the
checkered flag and both were in positive spirits shortly afterward.
“I didn’t think
I got into Kevin that time,” Langdon initially believed.
“I thought he got loose and then I tapped him because I was
on him. I was trying to
hope he’d make a mistake, but I was just so glad he didn’t get
the inside wall. We
don’t need to tear racecars up over this.”
As for Langdon’s
outlook on the start to 2022? “Who
knows, we’ll see what the year brings.”
Kromer was able to
rally for third in the No. 77 High Voltage AC/DC Tribute Band /
Mission R.A.C.E.R. / Versalift East LLC / Leindecker Racing Engines
/ Mahoning Valley Speedway Toyota and was satisfied despite the near
disaster.
“Me and Ron had
an altercation at Midvale last year where it was the opposite way,
so I guess we’re even now,” Kromer joked.
The Walnutport,
Pennsylvania veteran racer had some additional individuals to thank
for the pair of top five results.
“Joel Brown has
been a big help here,” Kromer continued.
“He helps me on the suspension and shocks, but I think I
made a little bit too much adjustment for the second one.
We were a little bit loose and I just could not get through
one and two. Three and
four we were good, but you’ve got to make all four corners here to
be fast. When I was in
second I felt we were reeling (Kitzmiller) in, but then we had an
altercation. Then we
came back with third. We’re
good with that.”
Nelson recovered to
fourth despite displaying a shower of sparks the balance of the
event. All in all, a
respectable showing for the Petersburg, West Virginia when the
weekend started with right side damage to be repaired from an
unfortunate incident during Friday’s optional practice session.
Surviving
to round out the top five was Haymarket, Virginia resident Rob Jones
in his first time out with the series since 2009.
He was driving for team owner Bill Ashton in the No. 57 Shoe
Crazy Wine / Seattle Gummy Company / SlapShot Beef Jerky / Jersey
Girl Hot Sauce / Perk2o / Ashton Racing Chevrolet that Warrington,
Pennsylvania’s Mike Senica piloted in the first race.
Perhaps the most
valiant effort of the day was turned in by York, Pennsylvania’s
Landon Brothers. The
twin brother of Hayden Brothers, who had another top five run in the
No. 27 EHB Logistics, LLC / Manchester Barbershop / Mt. Wolf VFW /
Wago Club Chevrolet soured by mechanical problems, Landon overcame
brake issues during practice and damage from the lap one wreck in
race two to finish respectably.
For only the second time in series history and the first
since 2009, the Hard Charger honors were earned by the same driver
twice in one night thanks to the results achieved by the crew’s
efforts and the young man behind the wheel of the No. 29 EHB
Logistics, LLC / Manchester Barbershop / Mt. Wolf VFW / Wago Club
Chevrolet.
The
Super Cup Stock Car Series next goes to Eastern Ohio’s 3/10-mile
oval Midvale Speedway in two weeks for the Quaker Drive Thru Twin
50s presented by Swearingen Bat Company, in which special baseball
bat trophies are being customized for the eventual winners for the
second straight year.
A return to
Thornburg, Virginia’s Dominion Raceway is slated for Saturday,
October 1st in which the big winner on this most recent
night is certainly looking forward to once more.
“This is a top
notch facility,” Kitzmiller mentioned.
“They do an amazing job here.
We brought some folks that A.L.L. Construction works for and
was really awesome that they got to see the A.L.L. Construction car
win the race. It means a
lot.”
More details and
continued updates throughout the season will be available at the
official web site at supercupstockcarseries.com
as well as the Super Cup Stock Car Series Facebook,
Twitter,
and Instagram
pages.
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