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Chad Smelser, Dave Lowe, Tyler Haniszewski post Hangover 150 wins
by Tana Robinson
Ransomville Speedway
A total of 118 cars entered the 12th annual Hangover 150. Presented by Investor's Services, this year's event went off some six weeks after the first scheduled date of Jan. 1 thanks to a lack of winter weather. That was not the case on Saturday, as winter arrived with a vengeance - and 3 inches of fresh snow blanketed the grounds prior to the first green flag.
The first "50" to hit the track was the six-cylinder event. Chad Smelser grabbed the lead at the drop of the green and held it 49 laps of the scheduled 50. Smelser lost the lead early on to Glen Hils but regained it and held it the remaining distance. Hailing from Dunnville, Ontario, Smelser has made the Hangover race an annual event on his calendar.
Eric Cook of Grand Island came home in second, followed by Chris Kowalcyk, Hils, and John Harper. Forty-three of the 44 scheduled took the initial green, while a total of 10 finished the main.
Dave Lowe of Eldred, Pa., made it back-to-back wins in the Hangover event with his victory in the 50-lap, four-cylinder main. Fresh off his win of a year ago, Lowe took the lead on a lap 40 scramble, which involved the top three of himself, Andy Jankowiak and Eric Brown. Lowe emerged with the lead and held it the remaining distance on the way to the win. Brown came home in second, followed by Erick Rudolph. Rudolph was fresh off triple victories in Atlantic City, N.J., and was also the "Hard Charger" having come from deep in the pack (last).
Tyler Haniszewski of Lancaster took top honors in the 50-lap, eight-cylinder main event. He topped a field of 25 on the way to his first win at Ransomville Speedway. Roy Susice, Pat O'Keefe, and Mike Greenawalt rounded out the top four.
Susice and O'Keefe have entered multiple Hangover events and had placed amongst the top runners in most. Look for the pair to be a part of the weekly racing scene as O'Keefe pilots a Fireball entry for 2012 and Susice heads up his son Ryan's racing effort.