Hartlaub Continues Steady Top Performances in October

Kody Hartlaub has had one of the most consistent seasons a driver and team could ask for during the 2022 season in the 358 sprint car division in Central Pennsylvania.

That doesn’t mean anything came easy.  There have been plenty of nights that were an uphill climb.  The East Berlin, PA driver and his team never quit though, no matter the situation.  They battled to the end each night, passed a ton of cars over the course of the season, and as a result put together an impressive season statistically.

When the final races of the season were in the books, Hartlaub had logged 23 starts and had never finished outside the top 15.  Of those, 19 were top 10’s and 11 were top 5’s.  Stats like that are not easy to achieve racing weekly at Lincoln Speedway where the average field is 30 cars.

October 8:  Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA

     [37 cars, Heat 1st (1), A-main 4th (7)]

The Brewer Home Improvements / Moose Blocks / Smith Titanium / SRR Engines / Siegel Racing / T and N Solutions / Jason Emlet Iron Valley Real Estate / Bigham Appraisals / Pretzel Boy / HAAS Shocks / C.H. Folk & Son Feeds / Chop Designs / Herr Electric, Hartlaub Racing No.2 was part of a deep, 37-car field that signed in for action at Lincoln Speedway on October 8th.

The large field set up five 8-lap heat races for the 358 sprint cars, with lineups set by pill draw.  The top four finishers would transfer to the A-main, with the top two making the handicap.  To qualify for the handicap, drivers need to have established a points average by participating in at least one previous race at the track this season.

Hartlaub had a favorable pill draw, something that had not happened much this season.  He started from the pole of the fifth and final heat race and never looked back, taking the win by nearly 3.5 seconds.

The handicap format put Hartlaub 7th on the starting grid for the 20-lap A-main.  The first half of the feature event did not go according to plan, as he dropped back into the thick of a battle for 8th and 9th.  

Once again, Hartlaub found his rhythm and began to march forward in the second half of the race.  He surged into 6th with just three laps remaining and climbed to 4th by the time the checkered flag fell on the event.

October 15:  Lincoln Speedway / Abbottstown, PA

     [30 cars, Heat 4th (1), A-main 6th (13)]

The season finale for the 358 sprint cars at Lincoln Speedway drew yet another 30-car field, setting up four 8-lap heat races.  The top five finishers from each would transfer directly to the A-main, with the top two handicapped to set the first four rows of the feature event.

Hartlaub’s pill draw luck continued, this time landing him on the pole of the first heat.  Things didn’t go as well as the week before though.  The start was a little ragged, leaving Hartlaub off the throttle just long enough to cost him a couple spots.  Combine that with a car that was a bit too tight, and you get a 4th place finish.

Having missed his opportunity to start inside first four rows via the handicap, Hartlaub had his work cut out for him from the 13th starting spot in the 20-lap A-main.

Hartlaub wasted no time from the drop of the green, picking off competitors lap by lap and charging to 6th by lap sixteen.  He was on the verge of advancing into the top five when a caution appeared with three laps remaining.  

Restarts are typically a good opportunity for good cars to make up track position and make moves.  It didn’t work out that way for Hartlaub on this night.  When the race resumed, his tires didn’t seem to ‘fire’ and he was simply holding his ground, which he did, crossing the line 6th to wrap up the season.

“After putting myself behind the 8-ball early, I was glad to go forward in the A-Main and seal off 2nd in the championship.“, Hartlaub commented.

“Proud of my entire team, family, and sponsors for everything we have accomplished this year. Week in and week out we were one of the most consistent finishers.  Bummed I couldn’t pick up a win for my guys this year, but that just makes us push and drive harder over the off season for next year.”

Achievements

As Hartlaub alluded to, Saturday night’s finish solidified a 2nd place finish in Lincoln Speedway’s Championship Point standings for the 2022 season, a significant accomplishment for the young driver.  In 2018 Hartlaub logged what was almost a full season, but then sat on the sidelines in 2019 and raced a very sparse schedule in 2020.  Finally, in 2021, everything fell into place for the Littlestown, PA native to run a full season.  

Hartlaub soaked up a lot of knowledge in 2021 and he put it to use in 2022.  He adds the 2nd place at Lincoln Speedway to a list of achievements for the season.  He also earned the Williams Grove Speedway 358 sprint car Rookie of the Year award, finished 2nd in the 358 Summer Series points, and finished 5th in the season championship point standings at Williams Grove Speedway.

Up Next

2023 preparations are already in full swing for Kody Hartlaub Racing.  Efforts are ongoing to build depth in the program to position Kody to compete for wins and championships.  Be sure to follow Addicted2DirtPR on social media, as well as Kody Hartlaub Racing, for a look ahead at next season’s plans.  More details will be released this winter.

Season Stats

 23 races, 0 wins, 11 top 5’s, 19 top 10’s, 23 top 15’s