By Dino Oberto
(9-6-26) Louden Reimert of Oley capped off his 2026 358 Modified championship season at Big Diamond Speedway in style by winning the track’s marquee event, the annual Jack Rich Inc. Coalcracker 72.
In front of a packed grandstand, Reimert delivered a standout performance behind the wheel of the Doug and Annie Flurer-owned No. 16. After taking the lead on lap 18 he then withstood relentless pressure from Billy Pauch Jr. during a long stretch of nonstop green-flag racing. The victory marked his fifth win of the season and his second Coalcracker triumph and earned his team $15,000, plus the lion’s share of the lap money.
“This means a lot, especially winning the championship too and it just shows that we were consistent enough all year to win the championship and when it came down to racing and racing hard, we were fast enough to win heads up,” said Reimert.
With a season-high 52 cars signed in qualifying was paramount in attempting to make the 24-car starting grid. There would be five heats and a pair of B-mains run in setting the field for the 72 lap grind. The top 15 from the heats then had a redraw and taking the pole was Jimmy Leiby with Jack Butler second. Reimert drew 10th.
At the drop of Shawn Mulhall’s race commencing green Leiby took quick control over Jeff Strunk, Butler, Mike Gular and Tim Buckwalter.
When the first caution waved on lap nine for Mike Lisowski who stopped in Turn 2, Buckwalter had worked his way to third and on the restart went side-by-side with Strunk, taking over second on lap 11 which also saw another yellow wave when Butler and Duane Howard got together.
That restart would also see an amazing stretch of nonstop racing as the ensuing 61 laps went caution free. Buckwalter restarted on the outside of Leiby and quickly dashed to the lead. Also, in the top five at that point was Pauch and Reimert.
Reimert was hastily on the charge as he went by Pauch, Strunk and Leiby in a matter of three laps. Now running second to Buckwalter, a scene that played out several times this year between them, he strategized his next move by keeping to the inside and in doing so snagged the lead on lap 18.
“I was tired of running the last few races second to Timmy (Buckwalter) and I got under him and I thank him for not shoveling me when we went into (turn) three,” said Reimert on his race winning pass.
Reimert continued to lead, but Buckwalter stayed within striking distance, with Pauch also close behind. The trio ran in tight formation for the next 18 laps before the order changed on lap 36, when Pauch moved into second.
All the while lapped traffic played a factor and several times Reimert had some close calls of negotiating his way by and keeping himself ahead of Pauch at the same time.
“Billy got alongside of me a few times and that reinforced my thought that I have to run the bottom,” explained Reimert.
“And you can’t blame them guys either that we came up on, they got their own race going on but when you get the move over flag your night’s kind of over.”
Although Reimert cleared traffic each time he encountered it, Pauch remained hot on his heels and continued to press for an opening. Reimert, however, refused to give way. As the laps wound down, he stayed focused and composed, hoping nothing would derail his run to the checkered flag.
“I figured whoever was behind me, which was Billy, was pretty close. I thought that no matter what I’m doing, I’m not going to leave the bottom open, just protect, protect, protect because when it comes down to the last lap in a big race like this, you’re going to do what you got to do to win, and I just tried to prevent anything like that from happening,” said Reimert.
Anthony Perrego, who had been in the top five and running fourth since lap 23, had gotten by Buckwalter late in the going and took third at the checkers. Buckwalter settled for fourth with Mike Gular, who was in the lead pack virtually the entire race, rounded out the top five.
Logan Watt, Strunk, Rick Laubach, Danny Bouc and Brett Kressley completed the top 10.
In the 602 Crate Sportsman Bryce Bashore of Bethel finally got himself a win with the class at Big Diamond Speedway, and it was a big one too in the Coalcracker 25.
In six previous races he’s run this year each time Bashore had been in contention to win, three times placing runner-up.
This time however, there would be no denying him. He went from third to second at the start and kept closely behind leader Rick Wegner Jr., who for all intents and purposes was doing a great effort in leading since the start.
But just as he had been in each of his previous starts here, Bashore had speed and plenty of it too and had enough of running second. He had pulled even with Wegner as they completed lap 15 and upon exiting Turn 2 took the lead.
There was no looking back from there as he would win for the first time since running in the Rookie 602 Crate Sportsman three years ago.
Wegner had a career best night finishing second. Mike Schneck Jr., raced to a solid third. Brayden Shelton was very quick throughout the night and came home fourth while Dakota Kohler rounded out the top five.
The Infinite Solutions Keystone Sport Compact Series took part in this year’s Coalcracker and showed the support with a solid 23 cars registered to compete.
And just as they had done in four previous races this year, the action was closely contested from start to finish. But despite the fact that many of the top runners ran closely, it would be Bruce Long of Dalmatia who outshined them all and win for the second time at Big Diamond Speedway.
Long was able to maintain the lead all 20 laps and fend off Chase Hartline at the checkers who was closing in quickly before time ran out.
358 Modified finish (72 laps): 1. Louden Reimert, 2. Billy Pauch Jr., 3. Anthony Perrego, 4. Tim Buckwalter, 5. Mike Gular, 6. Logan Watt, 7. Jeff Strunk, 8. Rick Laubach, 9. Danny Bouc, 10. Brett Kressley, 11. Jax Yohn. 12. Jimmy Leiby, 13. Kyle Smith, 14. Colin Cox, 15. Doug Smith Jr., 16. Kevin Beach Jr., 17. Chris Esposito, 18. Nathan Mohr, 19. Duane Howard, 20. Wayne Witmer, 21. Jack Butler, 22. Ryan Grimm, 23. Mike Lisowski, 24. Kevin Graver Jr.
DNQ: Heath Metzger, Tyler Peet, Ron Haring Jr., Tim Fitzpatrick, Jared Umbenhauer, Alex Tonkin, Kevin Olenick, Ken Eckert Jr., Mike Burrows. Corey Renninger, WB James, Sammy Martz, Alan Rudalavage, Darren Schuler, Dom Buffalino, Adrianna Delloponti, Doug Manmiller, Bobby Gunther Walsh, Zane Roth, McKenzi Smith, Craig Whitmoyer, Tom Princiotta, Jeff Paulson
602 Crate Sportsman finish (25 laps): 1. Bryce Bashore, 2. Rick Wegner Jr., 3. Mike Schneck Jr., 4. Brayden Shelton, 5. Dakota Kohler, 6. Steve Hughes, 7. Teague Miller, 8. Ryan Conrad, 9. Trevor Bixler, 10. Zach Steffey, 11. Matt Martino, 12. Brennan Chapman, 13. Nate Brinker, 14. Reice Widger, 15. Tajae Adams, 16. Logan Starr, 17. Kyle Kania, 18. Nick Hamm, 19. Chris Grabac, 20. Shawn Light, 21. Mike Stofflet, 22. Ryan Graver, 23. Matt Ney 24. Matt Laubach
DNQ: Tyler Chase, Mason Harakel, Taylor Kramer, Scotty Heilman
4-Cylinder finish (20 laps): 1. Bruce Long, 2. Chase Hatline, 3. Ian Whitcomb, 4. Rob Pyle, 5. Larry Eck, 6. Brian Moyer, 7. Nathan Kiem, 8. Joe Garey, 9. Josh Bitner, 10. Shane Flaherty, 11. Rick Jenneings, 12. Kelly Frantz, 13. Vince Wollyung, 14. Adam Kratzer, 15. Mike Allar, 16. Justin Riegel, 17. Rob Storms, 18. Jason Trumbo, 19. Jeff Foster, 20. Gary Grim, 21. Dan Stien Jr. DNS: Delanna Renbien, Andy Keefer