LONG POND, Pa. – Ryan Hemphill made his return to his home state a triumphant one, winning the 80-lap ARCA Giant 200 on Saturday at Pocono Raceway.

Hemphill, of Apollo, Pa., closer to Pittsburgh than the Poconos, led the last 16 laps and won by 2.449 seconds over Frank Kimmel. Bobby Gerhart was third.

Several of Hemphill’s friends and family made the nearly 300-mile trek to watch and they planned a victory celebration with his crew in the track’s massive parking lot. The extra fans meant added pressure.

“Absolutely, because I wasn’t sure if I could come back and get the win or not,” he said. “It’s like (Indiana native) Tony Stewart trying to get a win at the Brickyard.”

Hemphill needed only one pit stop for his sixth career victory in 11 starts.

“I told my crew I did not want to run out of gas,” he said.

“We knew we were going to be very, very close making it one stop.”

The race went under caution early after a vicious crash that knocked Terry Jones and A.J. Fike out of the race. Fike’s car got loose around the third turn and came to rest in the corner.

Jones’ car sped around the turn and drilled Fike’s No. 11 Chevrolet on the driver’s side at full speed.

After a few tense minutes, both drivers crawled out of the car on their own power.

Fike was treated and released from the infield care center while Jones was transported to a hospital for observation.

Fike’s car was a crumpled mess and the entire left side was destroyed.

The accident had little impact on Hemphill’s start – he led the first 40 laps.

“To conquer my home track is very special,” Hemphill said. “This will always be remembered as one of my greatest races.”

AP-ES-07-31-04 2117EDT