Oct. 5, 2024 (Spring Run, PA)-Two-time Series champion, Jeremy Ott, became a three-time Summer Slam Champion at Path Valley Speedway, Saturday. Ott, driving the GSD No. 10, claimed the $1,400 payday in the eighth-annual Summer Slam East Coast Series event sponsored by Dr. Zach Crouse, DVM.

     While Ott was enroute to Victory, Colton Friese recovered from an early-race spin to finish 10th to claim the 2024 East Coast Legend Series Championship. Additionally, Friese claimed the 2024 Path Valley Legends Track championship sponsored by Fairfield Auto Service and NAPA Auto Parts (Taneytown). The Summer Slam event culminated the 2024 East Coast Legend season.

     Ott won his heat race, earlier in the evening, and started third in the event behind pole-sitter, Logan Carbaugh, and outside pole-sitter, Scott Houdeshell, who also won their respective heats.

     At the drop of the green, Houdeshell grabbed the early lead over Carbaugh. The two broke away from the field. Houdeshell and Carbaugh ran nose-to-tail and gapped Ott in third. Scott Musselman ran fourth and Friese was fifth. These five drivers ran in this order until Friese spun in turn 4 on lap five to bring out the caution.

    When the race restarted, Logan Jones moved into the top-five before grabbing fourth from Musselman on lap eight.  Likewise, Devin Friese moved into contention eventually grabbing the fourth spot from Jones. This moved Musselman back to sixth. At the front of the field, however, Ott reeled in the top-two and moved around Carbaugh on lap 11. Ott then set his sights on Houdeshell. Using the top line, Ott moved around Houdeshell on the outside with six laps remaining to take the lead. Ott then fended off Houdeshell and Carbaugh as the trio caught heavy lapped traffic. At the checkers, Ott held the way to claim the Victory. 

     Houdeshell held on for second and Carbaugh crossed the stripe third. Devin Friese, 2023 Series champion, finished fourth. Musselman rounded out the top-five. Jones’s strong fifth-place run was “all for naught” as he was involved in an altercation in turn four on the last lap. He finished 16th and was awarded the Hard Luck Award sponsored by Dr. Zach Crouse.

     Seth Kearchner rallied from the 15th starting position to finish sixth and claimed the Dr. Zach Crouse Hard Charger Award. Ryan Walls had a solid effort to take seventh. Two-time Series champion Bill Diehl picked off six competitors to claim eighth. Kelby Friese finished ninth, and Colton Friese rallied from the early-race mishap to take 10th and the Series and track championships.

     The Series thanks David H. Martin Excavating LLC for the Series title sponsorship for 2024. David H. Martin will return as Series title sponsor in  2025.

    Many Series drivers, now with the East Coast Season over, set their sights on the INEX Dirt Nationals this weekend at BAPS Motor Speedway.

 

Full field Summer Slam finish: 1. Jeremy Ott, 2. Scott Houdeshell, 3. Logan Carbaugh, 4. Devin Friese, 5. Scott Musselman, 6. Seth Kearchner, 7. Ryan Walls, 8. Bill Diehl, 9. Kelby Friese, 10. Colton Friese, 11. Tyler Kaylor, 12. Donald Stoudt, 13. Kirk Martin, 14. Tim Hahn, 15. Lincoln Kearchner, 16. Logan Jones, 17. Hunter McElroy, 18. Tracy Linn, 19. Dave Benner, 20. Dustin Burnisky, 21. Andrew Mowen, 22. Dalton Friese, 23. Jacob Burdette, 24. Moses Goetz    DNQ: Ben Morrow, Eric Hurst, Jimmy Eicher, Ben Burnisky, Ryan Walls, Jr.