TROMBLEY WINS RUN WHAT YA BRUNG AT LEBANON VALLEY
West Lebanon, NY – Altamont, NY native, Jeff Trombley picked up the victory in the 50-lap modified feature Saturday night. This was the second leg of the "Run What Ya Brung" series being run in conjunction with the Champlain Valley Racing Association. It was Trombley’s first career victory on the high banks and he walked away with $5,000 for his efforts. Ryan Larkin won the 20-lap sportsman feature and Ed Bachand was victorious in the 20-lap pro stock main. The winners of the 20-lap pure stock features were Jim Dellea and Wally Engel. The 20-lap four-cylinder feature went to Randy Davis. Al Relyea came form last to first in the cannonball run event. Special thanks to the night’s sponsor’s; Speed’s Garage, Dicks Automotive and DMC Race Products.
Twenty-three cars went to the track for the start of the 50-lap modified feature. Mike Perrotte set fast time in time trials but drew ninth in the redraw. Mike Ricci and Paul Gilardi sat on the front row for the start of the race. Gilardi led the first lap, but was passed by Trombley in turn one on that same lap. Trouble on lap two as Dave Leckonby got turned around in turn four. While under the caution flag Dave Lape went pitside with motor trouble. Lape had won the first leg of this series last Sunday at the Devils Bowl Speedway. On the restart it was Trombley followed by Chris Moore, Rich Ricci Jr, Ron Dwyer and Chris Whitehead.
Trombley was lightning fast and was turning laps in the nineteen-second bracket all race long. That speed allowed Trombley to close in on the back of the field by lap seven. Problems for Whitehead on lap eleven as he got turned around on the frontstretch while running in the top five. He did recover nicely to finish seventh. Perrotte had set fast time on the night but he car did not fire on the starting grid and he was forced to go to the rear. He was moving through the field quickly with his unique racer and was seventh by lap 16.
The storyline through much of the race was lapped traffic. The leaders were so much faster than some of the other cars that problems soon developed. Near disaster for Trombley on lap 18 as he got airborne while trying to get around a slower car. At the halfway point in the race it was Trombley still leading with Moore still second and Jelley third. Problems for the fourth place car of Ricci on the very next lap as he dropped from the race.
Perrotte’s night came to a sudden halt on lap 35 when he made hard contact with the turn three wall. The front-end of his racer was heavily damaged and he was done for the night. Heavy lapped traffic continued to plague the leaders in the final stages of the race. That and caution flags seemed to be the only thing to slow Trombley down. A caution flag with two laps remaining allowed Moore to once again get right on Trombley’s bumper. But it was to no avail as Trombley cruised home easily for the big payday aboard the Jake Spraker #1J. Moore had to settle for second. Wayne Jelley finished third, Dwyer fourth and J.R. Heffner rounded out the top five.
Trombley is now the second driver to be eligible for the $20,000 bonus to the first driver that can win three of these races. Heffner received a $1,000 bonus for being the first DIRT legal car across the line. Heffner made no changes to his car and ran it just like any other Saturday night. Tim Laduc picked up $1000 for the first CVRA 358-modified across the line and Lance Harting was awarded $500 for the second CVRA 358-modified across the finish line.
Ryan Larkin took the lead on the start of the 20-lap sportsman feature and never looked back. The driver of the O’Connell’s #39 had only removed the roof from his racer, but that was enough to get the job done. K.C. Goewey got around Ted Layton for second just before the halfway point of the race. Heavy lapped traffic allowed Goewey to close in on Larkin just past halfway. The caution flag flew only twice in the race on laps 17 and 18 respectively. The lap 18 restart saw Browe get around Goewey for second but he ran out of time to go after Larkin. Goewey finished third, Ted Layton was fourth and Art Collins rounded out the top five.
Robbie Speed led the early laps of the pro stock feature. He ran into trouble on lap four as his right rear tire went flat. The field did a great job of missing his disabled car. He would return to the race only to get taken out in another incident on lap six. Ed Bachand had inherited the lead after Speed’s flat tire and continued on the front. The caution flag would not fly again for the remainder of the race. Bill Lobdell had a great race and was trying to chase Bachand down in the final half of the event. The top two drivers had opened up a full straightaway advantage over the rest of the field by lap 13. When Bachand received the checkered flag he and Lobdell were a full half-track ahead of the pack. 2003 pro stock co-champion Paul LaRochelle finished third, Tom Brandt was fourth and Jay Fitzgerald rounded out the top five.
That will conclude the racing action at Lebanon Valley for the 2003. The only event remaining on the schedule is the 21st annual Swap Meet on November 2nd. For more information check out the Lebanon Valley web page at www.lebanonvalley.com or call the speedway at (518) 794-9606.