Fresh From the Dirt

Premier Racing Ready to Kick Off the 2012 Season

2012-02-23T09:33:00.000-08:00

New Oxford, PA – February 23, 2012 - As the weekend approaches, so does the start of the 2012 sprint car racing season in Central Pennsylvania, but it hasn't really stopped for this race team since the final checkered flag of 2011 fell back in October.

Scott Zellers, crew chief for the Premier Auto Works Race Team, said, “We have been at it all winter long. We treat the off-season like we do the regular season. It’s definitely a team effort. All of the guys on this team work just as hard in the winter by getting everything together for the upcoming season as they do all season long. That’s why we are usually pretty strong on opening day.”

With the upcoming season only days away, what does the Premier Auto Works Race Team have in store for the 2012 season? “We don’t really have a set schedule for this year,” Zellers said. “We are going to play it by ear and see what our options are for the next weekend. It’s a challenge we face every season. Brian [Montieth] has his own business and all of us on the team have full-time jobs, so it’s hard for us to say we are doing this, this and this, when we don’t know if we really are. I think we would like to try and travel a lot more with the Outlaws when they come around and venture to some different tracks, but we’ll see what happens.”

One thing they can say for sure is that you’re almost certain to see them every Friday night at Williams Grove Speedway. “We finished second in points there for the last two seasons,” said car owner Jerry Parrish. “It’s our time now!”

Opening day at Williams Grove Speedway isn’t until the end of March, but the team will have plenty of time to de-thaw after the winter as they are looking to have at least five races under their belt before The Grove’s opening day on March 23rd. The Premier Race Team will hit the track for the first time in 2012 this Saturday, February 25th at Lincoln Speedway! Be sure to check out all the new merchandise on-hand opening day at the track.

For instant updates throughout the season and on race nights, be sure to follow the Premier Racing Team on Facebook and Twitter!

The 2011 Season Comes to End

2011-11-30T14:42:00.000-08:00

Brian and the entire Premier Racing Team would like to thank all the fans and sponsors for another great season they had in 2011. Not only did they claim another fourth straight track championship at Lincoln Speedway, but also finished second in the Williams Grove point series for the second straight year. Crew Chief, Scott Zellers also picked up his fourth straight Mechanic of the Year Award.

The 2011 season was definitely one of the most challenging and successful seasons for Brian, as he competed in 66 races and picked up 7 wins, 24 top 5s and 42 top 10s.

Brain and the Premier Racing Team would like to thank Premier Auto Works, Auto Locator, Brickers French Fries, Beer Hill Gang, Hanover Toyota, Penske Racing Shocks, Pancho’s Racing Products, Triple X Race Co, Keizer Aluminum Wheels and GCS for their support in 2011.

As for the 2012 season, the team will be back together again for the 10^th straight year. As a full schedule as not been released, the team does plan on venturing out and racing at some tracks they have never been at. Check back closer to the 2012 season opener for a full released schedule.

Montieth Wins Second in a Row at Lincoln

2011-10-12T18:53:00.001-07:00

Brian Montieth can certainly add another win to his career books, as he picked up his 7^th win this season on Saturday night. Not only did this win come from a track where he recently claimed his 4^th straight track championship, but also walked away from winning two weeks prior at Lincoln Speedway’s 3/8 mile dirt track.

“We were just lucky to draw a good pill,” said crew chief Scott Zellers after Saturday night’s win. “We usually draw awful for time trials and luckily, going out early tonight really helped in our favor.”

Montieth timed second quick in the Jerry Parrish owned car #21 for time trials, starting him on the outside of row two for his heat. He went on finish second and claimed the third spot in the dash.

Brian started third in Saturday's 23rd Annual Hank Gentzler Manufacturers Appreciation Race and wasted no time in passing for the runner up spot by the end of the first lap. He spent the next 18 laps fighting off cautions and tracking down pole sitter and race leader Danny Dietrich in car #48. By the end of the 19^th lap, Montieth was able to pull a slider and run off with the lead and the win. This marked win number 36 for Montieth’s 410 career.

The Premier Auto Works Race Team will be back in action racing Friday night at Williams Grove. This will be the final point’s race at Williams Grove and Montieth currently resides second in the 410 sprints. They will then return to Lincoln Speedway on Saturday.

Be sure to follow Brian and the Premier Racing team on Twitter racing updates!

MONTIETH SCORES 6TH WIN OF THE SEASON

2011-09-28T15:32:00.000-07:00

Brian Montieth sure showed off Saturday night why he is a four-time defending track champion as he went and picked up his sixth win of the season in the 40-lap Kenny Weld/Hilly Rife Memorial at Lincoln Speedway.

The driver known as “The Edge” timed third quick which gave him a sixth starting spot in his heat. He went on to finish forth in that heat and redraw to start third.

Montieth held down that third starting spot until lap seven when he slid under and passed Rahmer on the restart for second. A caution came out on lap eleven, which allowed Brian to take the lead from pole sitter Stevie Smith on the restart lap.

“I guess I learned my lesson from Fred (Rahmer) being used up all those years,” said Montieth of the restart passes to move into second and then first, “You’ve gotta grab cars on the initial starts, and luckily this thing was good enough to accelerate off the corners.”

Montieth was able to hang on through the heavy lap traffic to win by .56-seconds over Greg Hodnett.

“My hat’s off to Scott (Zellers) and the boys,” said Montieth after the Saturday nights race, “They gave me a car that I could pretty much drive anywhere. It sorta’ sucks running up front, because I knew Greg was back there, and…running in traffic here…it’s better to be second than first. Greg took his shot and I knew he was there, so it was just block for the win.”

Friday’s nights race was cancelled at Williams Grove Speedway due to rain.

This weekend, the PA Posse will be joined by the World of Outlaws at Williams Grove Speedway, where they will host this weekend’s National Open for sprint cars on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Be sure to follow Brian and the team on Twitter for updates throughout the race night. @brianmontieth and @premierracing21

Montieth Holds on to a Top 10 Finish at Selinsgrove

2011-09-21T16:21:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, Brian Montieth and his Premier Auto Works Racing team were busy as Brian competed in races at Williams Grove Speedway and Selinsgrove Speedway.

The 25 - 410 sprinters were joined by the ARDC Midgets Friday at the Grove. Montieth started the night by going out 7th in heat two and finished 5th giving him a 14th starting spot in the 25 –lap sprint car feature. On lap four, the red flag dropped and Brian was up to 11th. A caution flag later fell on lap twelve which had Brian sitting in 7th where he ended up finishing the night. Montieth currently sits 2nd in the point standings at Williams Grove with only five races remaining in the season.

Saturday night the scene shifted to Selinsgrove Speedway, for the Jim Nace Memorial and the 29th Annual National Open.

43 cars signed in for the event that did one lap time trials to determine qualifying positions in the heat races. Montieth, who has never had good luck time trialing at the track, timed in at 16.30.8 putting him 20th quick. With this time and an inversion number of twenty being determined, landed him a pole starting position for heat five. He went on to win the heat and draw for the dash. Montieth started and finished the dash in the third spot, claiming him the same starting spot in the first segment of the 22 lap National Open.

As the race got underway, Montieth was able to make a few moves and land in the second spot before the red flag dropped on lap seven. Over the next few laps, Brian continued to reel in race leader Daryn Pittman and showed his nose at several unsuccessful passing attempts. With only five laps to go, Montieth began to slow on the backstretch for a right, rear, broken wheel. The crew was able to replace the wheel and tire under the caution, but left Montieth to rejoin the rear of the field for the final five laps. He was able to work his way back up to 15^th where he finished the first segment.

For the next 22 laps, Brian was able to hang on and bounce back through the night with a top 10 finish.

This week, the team will head back to Williams Grove Speedway Friday as they prep in the Outlaw Tuneup for the National Open on September 30^th, when the World of Outlaws make their final trip this season.

Saturday they will be at Lincoln Speedway for the 40-lap annual Kenny Weld/Hilly Rife Memorial with time trials beginning at 7pm.

For race team updates throughout the race night, be sure to follow @PremierRacing21 on Twitter.

Montieth Captures First Win of the Season at Williams Grove

2011-09-03T08:20:00.000-07:00

Montieth has finished in the runner up spot 6 times this season at The Grove, and has finally made his way into victory lane on Friday night for the first of three features at Williams Grove during the Jack Gunn Memorial Triple 20s.

Brian timed 3^rd quick in time trials with a time of 16.95.5. The top 12 drivers by time were part of an inversion pill draw of 6 that was drawn by fast timer Aaron Ott. Montieth started the first feature outside of row two. With only four laps down, Brian was up to 2^nd and was chasing down the leader. With several lead exchanges, Montieth was successful at taking the lead with two laps to go to win for the first time this season at Williams Grove. This marked Brian’s 5^th win this season and 9^th career win at Williams Grove!

In the 2^nd feature, Montieth started 8^th. A caution came out on lap 10 and Brian was running 10th, and by lap 14 he was back up to 6^th. He ended up finishing the 2^nd feature 3^rd. He started 6^th for the 3^rd feature and finished 5^th.

The Premier Auto Works Race Team will be racing at Lincoln Speedway on Saturday night and return to the Grove on Sunday for the Billy Kimmel Memorial Race. Be sure to follow Brian and the Premier Auto Works Race Team on Twitter for updates on race night!

Montieth Determined to Stay Focused As the Knoxville Nationals Approach

2011-07-25T10:05:00.000-07:00

With the weeks winding down until the 51st Annual Goodyear Knoxville Nationals in Iowa, Brian Montieth is determined to stay focus and show off his hard charging skills for the Granddaddy of them all.

Although the team recently hit a rough patch at their local tracks in Central PA, they are looking to bounce back as they prepare for the biggest race of Montieth’s career. This will be the first trip the Premier Auto Works Race Team makes to Knoxville as they prepare to take on the best in the country.

The man that the fans refer to as “The Edge”, definitely showed there is hope and more to come as he finished 3^rd Sunday evening at Lincoln Speedway. This breaking into of a top 5 was Montieth’s best finish in the last four weeks.

For the qualifying events, Brian charged his way through the field to win his heat coming off the back row. With handicapping, this heat win qualified him for a feature starting spot of 11^th. By mid race of the feature, Montieth was half way through the front of the field and sitting in 6^th when a caution came out on lap 14. For the reminder 11 laps, Brian wheeled his Triple X Chassis around the top and was able to pass three more cars to finish with a strong 3rd.

The World of Outlaws also returned this weekend at Williams Grove Speedway for their 2^nd of three appearances this season at the track.

On Friday night, Brian started 8^th in his heat and finished 5^th qualifying him for the feature. He started 24^th and was up to 9^th when a red flag came out on the restart on lap 16. Multiple cars, including Montieth’s, were involved. He was able to rejoin the field at the rear and settled for finishing 16^th.

Saturday evening, Brian struggled in time trials after going out 44th out of the 45 cars. He started 9^th in his heat and finished 6^th not qualifying him and having to run the consolation event starting 11^th and finishing 9th. The team decided to take a provisional and start at the rear of the field for the feature and finished 27th.

Brian and the team will be back in action Friday night at Williams Grove Speedway and Saturday night at Lincoln Speedway. To see Brian's full list of upcoming race events, visit his website at www.brianmontieth.com.

For highlights and updates during race events, be sure to follow Brian on Twitter @BrianMontieth and the Premier Race Team @PremierRacing21.

Montieth Looking to Bounce Back

2011-07-21T18:19:00.000-07:00

After a couple disappointing weeks, Montieth and crew are looking to bounce back from this unfortunate streak of bad luck. With no better time to do so then for this weekend for when the World of Outlaws roll through Mechanicsburg, PA for the Summer Nationals that take place at Williams Grove Speedway. Qualifying is scheduled to begin at 7:30pm each night.

Be sure to stay tuned after Friday night’s 25 lap feature, for the running of a bonus race, as the Pennsylvania Posse take on the World of Outlaws for the Morgan Cup. Brian will be among the five PA Posse Members representing Williams Grove Speedway in this race.

Then on Sunday, Brian will head to Lincoln Speedway for Premier Auto Works/Auto Locator Night. Gates are set to open at 5:30pm with racing beginning at 7:30pm.

Montieth Settles for Second After Two Hard Charging Nights

2011-06-22T18:00:00.000-07:00

On Friday night, the Premier Auto Works Race Team went racing at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, PA. There were 26 cars on hand and Brian started 6^th in the 3rd heat. He finished 3^rd in that heat which started him 10^th for the A-Main. On lap 17 of the feature, Montieth was sitting in 6th. In three laps, Brian was able to pass four cars and be in 2^ndwith 5 laps to go. He ended up not being able to pass the leader and settled for 2^nd place for the night.

Saturday evening, Brian traveled to Lincoln Speedway for the annual Gohn Memorial. He started 7^th in his heat and finished 5^th. He started the feature in 15^th and made his way through the field to finished 2^nd. He crossed the finished line two-thirds of a second behind the leader. Currently Brian holds the points lead at Lincoln Speedway.

This weekend, Brian will be racing at Williams Grove Speedway on Friday, Lincoln Speedway on Saturday for the 12th Annual Kevin Gobrecht Memorial and opening night for the Pennsylvania Speedweek. He will also be on hand on Sunday at Bedford Speedway for the second night of the PA Speedweek.

Be sure to follow Brian on twitter for updates throughout the racing evenings.

Montieth Comes Up Strong after a Tough Break

2011-06-07T18:04:00.000-07:00

Brian Montieth has certainly become so stranger to victory lane. In fact, he returned there again this past weekend at Lincoln Speedway for the 8^th Annual Weldon Sterner Memorial to top off his 4^th win of the season.

It was not an easy road for The Edge to get to, as he fought off aches, pain and bruises from a hard crash he took earlier in the week when USAC visited Lincoln Speedway. None of that suffering compared to his biggest challenge that he had to deal with that night, Mother Nature, as fans and teams sat through multiple rain delays on Saturday evening before the checkered flag finally dropped at 1:13am.

Brian timed 4^th quick in time trials with a time of 13.887. He went out 5^th in his heat and finished 2^nd starting him on the outside of row two for the feature. With seven laps down, rain decided to fall and cause a 90 minute delay as Brian was running in 5^th. Drivers were later called back out to help run in the track. Just as they were ready to take the green, rain came back once again and caused another delay. Lincoln was eager to get this program in as they called the drivers back out to the track. On the restart, Montieth wasted very little time making his way up through the field as he was sitting in the runner-up spot by lap 18.

He ended up catching and passing the leader with two laps to go before the caution flag came out. The previous leader who lead the beginning 28 laps, and who was now sitting in 2^nd, got caught up in the caution after the yellow flag came out. The pass counted, but the lap did not and Brian now was in the lead. With two laps two go, Brian lead the field and scored his 4^th win of the season for the Premier Auto Works Race Team.

Brain will return to racing action this Friday when the All Stars come back to Williams Grove on June 10^thand Lincoln Speedway on the 11th. Qualifying is set to begin Friday at 7:30pm. Be sure to follow Brian on twitter to get his latest racing action and results throughout the racing evenings.

Montieth Edges His Way Closer and Closer Back to Victory Lane

2011-05-24T19:38:00.000-07:00

After an upsetting previous weekend with the World of Outlaws, Montieth knew he had to bounce his Triple X Chassis back from that 23^rd finishing spot, after running out of fuel on the final lap. Brian was up to 6^th position when the white flag dropped, but ran out of fuel and was unable to cross the finish line. “Costly,” was the word car own Jerry Parrish used to described the night.

Mother Nature won again this season, after Williams Grove and Lincoln Speedway were forced to cancel another time this season due to rain last Saturday and Sunday. Brian was to be one of the contenders who were to be competing for the Morgan Cup that was to be held after Saturday’s race. This has been rescheduled and will take place during the Summer Nationals when the Outlaws return again in July.

On Friday night, the rain held off in Mechanicsburg, PA and what a fine nice of racing it turned out to be. Brian, who started 6^th in his heat and finished 4^th, qualified for a 10^th starting spot in the feature. Montieth held his ground and slowly worked his way up through the field. With 5 laps to go, Brian took over the 3^rd position and quickly tracked down 2^nd on the 24^th lap. He came up short of less than a second of the leader when the checkered flag dropped.

Saturday night, the Premier Auto Works Race Team raced at Lincoln Speedway. Montieth finished 6^th in his heat after starting 7^th qualifying for the A-Main. He started 15^th in the feature, but couldn’t avoid hitting an accident in turn 1 on the start. He was able to rejoin the field and start 22^nd. He ended up fighting his was back into the top ten to finish in 8^th.

The Pennsylvania Keystone Cup is set to start on Wednesday, May 25 where Brian plans on running at Grandview Speedway. Be sure to follow Brian on Twitter for the latest updates during the racing night.

Montieth Earns Runner-Up Spot in Outlaw Tune-Up

2011-05-11T15:51:00.000-07:00

On Friday night, Brian and the Premier Auto Works racing team traveled to Williams Grove Speedway as they geared for a pre-game outlaw tune-up show.

Brian timed eleventh quick in time trials, this landing him a pole starting spot in his heat race. He went on to hold his line and win his heat and land a spot in the dash. An inversion pill of eight was drawn which started Brian in 9^th place for the 6-lap dash. He ended up finishing 8^th to start the 30-lap feature event.

During the feature, Montieth stuck to his line around the top and by lap 5 he was already up to 3^rd. He took the lead on lap eleven and ran nonstop until lap 28 when a caution came out for debris of a tire on the back straight away.

On the restart, Montieth again railed his Triple X chassis around the top, but was unsuccessful at keeping the lead and went on to finish 2^nd for the night.

On Saturday night, Brian returned to Pigeon Hills for an evening of racing at Lincoln Speedway. He started 8^th in his heat and finished 4^th qualifying him for the feature. Brian was up to 5^th until lap 18 when he hit the outside wall exiting turn two generating him to get a flat tire. After a pit stop was needed to replace the tire, Brian rejoined the back of the field for the final 7 laps. He ended up finishing 13^th.

This upcoming weekend, Brian and the PA Posse will take on the World of Outlaws on Friday and Saturday night in the Spring Shootout. In addition to the Spring Shootout, Brian will be among the ten drivers who compete for the Morgan Cup following the feature on Saturday night. He will also return to Lincoln Speedway on Sunday evening for their Sprint Car Spectacular. To find out more information about this weekend’s programs visit williamsgrove.com and lincolnspeedway.com.

Montieth Becomes the First 410 Repeat Winner In Central PA

2011-04-12T14:34:00.001-07:00

He has been known as “The Edge” for planting his 410 sprint car in places that little dare to go, but more and more fans are referring to him as “The One to Watch” as he showed off his hard charging skills this past weekend at Lincoln and Susquehanna Speedway.

Montieth, who picked up his 2^nd win of the season on Saturday night at Lincoln, revealed to us why he is a 3x defending track champion, as he railed from 15^th starting spot to win the 25 lap feature event. But it wasn’t an easy road to get there as Brian fought through several cautions to land in fourth by lap 16. In no time, he was battling for the lead and captured it on lap 23 to become the first repeat winner in Central PA. This also secured Brian’s 22^nd career win at Lincoln.

On Sunday evening, the Premier Auto Works Racing Team traveled to Susquehanna Speedway Park for the 2^nd annual “King of the Hill”. The night didn’t start out well for Brian as he missed his mark in the heat race and finished eighth. This demoted him to a B Main that was later scratched from the night’s event placing Brian in the 24^th starting spot for the feature.

He quickly worked his way up the field on the 1^st lap, but as cautions developed on each individual restart kept pushing Brian to the rear. After restarting 18th, Montieth gained 10 positions in the first seven laps. He ended the night driving from 24^th to 4^th.

Brian will travel to Williams Grove Speedway on Friday and back to Lincoln Speedway on Saturday. For the latest news and updates, be sure to follow Brian on Twitter.

Montieth Scores a Top 10 Finish on Saturday Night

2011-03-30T15:39:00.000-07:00

Not only were the temperature conditions brutal on Saturday night at the fabulous Lincoln Speedway in New Oxford, PA reaching below freezing, but the passing circumstances on the track made it complicated for Brian to get to where he needed to be…the front.

The Premier Auto Works Racing Team started the night off with their Triple X chassis on Lincoln Speedway's 3/8-mile dirt oval by finishing 4th in his heat after starting 7th. This finish landed him a 11th starting spot for the feature.

After battling wheel to wheel with other drivers throughout the A-main, Montieth finished with a ninth place effort on Saturday making this his first top 10 finish at the track since his opening day win.

Brian will head for another weekend of racing at Williams Grove this Friday night and also return to action Saturday at Lincoln Speedway.

Montieth Cracks the Ice at Lincoln

2011-03-06T09:37:00.000-08:00

No one said starting on the pole of a 30 lap race was going to be easy, but Brian Montieth sure did make it look that way as he led all 30 laps of the Icebreaker at Lincoln Speedway on Saturday afternoon. It was his race to loose and he wasn’t giving this one up.

This was the first race of the season for Montieth and his first race back in the states after competing down under over the holidays. After he struggled to find his edge in Australia, he sure brought his A -game on Saturday to crack the ice for the new season.

Brian started seventh his heat and quickly advanced to the front to lock down a second place finish for the heat. The top three drivers from each heat were able to re-draw for starting spots in the 30 lap feature. Low and behold, Brian drew the number one spot and was able to start on the pole.

After what seemed to be a marathon event, caution after caution, Brian remained calm hitting his marks every lap holding off big contenders like Daryn Pittman and Adam Wilt to scores his 21st career win at Lincoln Speedway.

To read more about Saturday's event visit http://www.lincolnspeedway.com/.

Another Sucessful Season Came to End

2011-02-19T14:36:00.000-08:00

As the 2010 season came to end, the Premier Auto Works Race team had again another successful season. Brian and the team picked up their 3rd straight track championship at Lincoln Speedway and finished 2nd in the points standings at Williams Grove Speedway.

The team looks forward to another great season in 2011. Before the season begins, Brian plans on traveling to the world down under to race in 8 events in Australia in December and January driving for car owner Allan Woods.

Preparations for the 2011 season have already begun. Check back for a complete 2011 schedule and updates. You can also follow Brian on Twitter for the most recent updates.