BACHETTI SPRINGS TO RACE OF KINGS CROWN

September 7, 2002, WEST LEBANON, NY- Andy Bachetti took home the top prize in the 358-modified Race of Kings Saturday night at Lebanon Valley. The Sheffield Massachusetts native led all 100-laps of the feature and pocketed $4,000 for his efforts. Roy Bridge won the 30-lap sportsman feature; it was his first win of the 2002 campaign and the race paid $1,000 to the victor. The rookie pro stock feature was won by Henry Warner while Ron Tritschler, Randy Myers, Jim DeFiglio and Jim Fachini all picked up pure stock feature wins. Thanks to CARQUEST Auto Parts and DeCresente Distributors for sponsoring this night of racing.

Thirty-four 358-modifieds took to the speedway Saturday night for the 100-lap Race of Kings. Attrition certainly played a factor in this event as only sixteen cars were still running at the end of the race. The Saratoga Spring Water #4 of Andy Bachetti took the lead at the start of the race and was setting a torrid pace on the lead. He caught the back of the field by lap ten and had also opened up a full straightaway advantage over the second place car of Jeff Heotzler. The first of only three caution flags came out on lap 23 for a multi-car incident on the backstretch. Donnie Corellis, Matt Quinn, Danny Johnson and Ryan Baye would all be eliminated from the event as a result of this incident. The current Turning Stone Casinos 358-modified tour point leader, Steve Paine went to the pits under this caution flag. He did return but was well off the pace and finished two laps down.

The next caution flag flew just two laps after green flag racing resumed for a several car wreck in turn four. Alan Johnson and Kenny Tremont got by Jerry Higbie on lap 34 moving both drivers into the top five. Jeff Heotzler second place run came to a halt on lap 36 as something in the motor compartment let go. Lapped traffic came into play again by lap 44. Brett Hearn moved pass Rich Ricci Jr for sixth on lap 48. The top ten at the halfway point were: Bachetti, J.R. Heffner, Alan Johnson, Tremont, Higbie, Hearn, Ricci, Pat Ward, Matt Sheppard and Justin Haers. Tony Paes dropped fluid on the track brining out the final caution flag of the event on lap 61. Hearn was able to get by Higbie on the restart and moved into the top five. Hearn’s time in the top five was short-lived as he broke a motor on lap 74. Tremont’s fourth place run ended on lap 94 as he slowed and went to the pits.

Andy Bachetti was clearly the class of the field as he captured his first Race of Kings victory. Heffner finished in second, Alan Johnson third, Higbie fourth and Ricci rounded out the top five. The guaranteed starting positions for the Sunoco 75 at Super Dirt Week went to Bachetti, Heffner and John Ferrier.

Caution-infested would be the best way to describe the 30-lap sportsman feature Saturday afternoon. Thirty-two cars took the green flag with Roy Bridge holding the early advantage. Bobby Knipe moved into second after a lap seven restart. 2002 sportsman track champion, Art Collins, moved into the top five on lap ten. The field was forced to restart single file two laps before the halfway point.

In the final fifteen laps the top three cars were looking to settle this amongst themselves as they pulled away from the rest of the field. Knipe raced Bridge hard for the win in the final five laps. But Bridge held off every challenge in route to his first victory of 2002. Willie Galm finished fourth and Mike Keeler rounded out the top five.

CARQUEST 358 MODIFIED RACE OF KINGS RESULTS (100 LAPS) - 1) Andy Bachetti, 2) J.R. Heffner, 3) Alan Johnson, 4) Jerry Higbie, 5) Rich Ricci Jr, 6) Pete Bicknell, 7) Matt Shepard, 8) Justin Haers, 9) K C Goewey, 10) Pat Ward, 11) John Ferrier, 12) Tom Meier, 13) Steve Paine, 14) Jason Herrington, 15) Dan Douville, 16) Kenny Tremont Jr, 17) John Lutes Jr, 18) Brett Hearn, 19) Randy Sherlock, 20) Tony Paes, 21) Denny Young Jr, 22) Lorne Browe, 23) Vic Coffey, 24) Danny Watson, 25) Maynard Forrette, 26) Alex Hoag, 27) Jeff Heotzler, 28) Ron Dwyer, 29) Bud Christmann, 30) Matt Quinn, 31) Donnie Corellis, 32) Danny Johnson, 33) Ryan Baye, 34) Frankie Caprara

SPORTSMAN RESULTS (30 LAPS) - 1) Roy Bridge, 2) Bobby Knipe, 3) Art Collins, 4) Will Galm, 5) Mike Keeler, 6) Ed Harkin, 7) Jeff Carr, 8) Frank Harper, 9) Joe Bennett, 10) Ryan Larkin, 11) Carmon Carnibucci, 12) Jeff Watson, 13) Whitey Slavin, 14) Mike Mason, 15) Walt McKay, 16) Ted Layton, 17) Phil Arnold, 18) Kory Gurney, 19) K. C. McCoy, 20) Dan Humes, 21) Kent Clark, 22) John Hotchkiss, 23) Lorne Browe, 24) Earl Thitchener, 25) Rusty Granacker, 26) Skip Travis, 27) Scott McCoy, 28) Wayne Keyes, 29) Dave Tanguay, 30) Kevin Heath, 31) Ryan Hotchkiss,

ROOKIE RESULTS (12 LAPS) - 1) Henry Warner, 2) Mike Fachini, 3) Mark Forrest, 4) Bill Lobdell, 5) Kim LaVoy, 6) Jim Cronk, 7) Ben Britch, 8) Bill Hammell, 9) Ralph Hotchkiss, 10) Jery Helms, 11) Jim Keough, 12) Larry Megan, 13) John Santolin, 14) E. J. Legeyt, 15) Joe Mabb Jr, 16) Fran Marchand, 17) Bob Ely, 18) Jay Corbin, 19) Jim Hankle

PURE STOCK #1 RESULTS (12 LAPS) - 1) Ron Tritschler, 2) Eric Sbrega, 3) Mike Eichstedt, 4) Dave Striebel, 5) Robert Gibson, 6) Brian Sandstedt, 7) John Fachini, 8) Shannon McDermott, 9) Ronny Jacobsen, 10) Chris Streeter, 11) Dave Atwater, 12) Ron Hapeman, 13) Dave Houser, 14) Chip Martin, 15) Joe Landry, 16) Chris McMurray, 17) Phil Moffit, 18) Guy Hughes, 19) Mark Stevens

PURE STOCK #2 RESULTS (12 LAPS) - 1) Randy Myers, 2) Michael Middleton, 3) Bob Burl, 4) Rich Douglass, 5) Chris Hutnik, 6) Paul Harding, 7) Steve Hatch, 8) John Denue, 9) Nick Hilt Jr, 10) John Connor Jr, 11) Mike Grehl Jr, 12) Marcus Tifft, 13) Alan Hill, 14) Ronald Johnson, 15) Mike Blanchard, 16) Louie Giordano, 17) Jim O'Neil, 18) Henry Dickinson

PURE STOCK #3 RESULTS (12 LAPS) - 1) Pete DeFiglio, 2) Peter Wiegand, 3) Jay Martin, 4) Jim Hankey, 5) Jason Casey, 6) George Miles Jr, 7) Jeremy Pease, 8) D.T. Pickard, 9) Bob Palmer, 10) Keith Barlow, 11) Don Coon, 12) Mark Huston, 13) Kory Sandstadt, 14) John Hubbard, 15) Kevin Dolan, 16) Pete Everett, 17) Michael Davis, 18) Poncho Hankey

PURE STOCK #4 RESULTS (12 LAPS) - 1) Jim Fachini, 2) Bruce Moffit, 3) John Betz, 4) Jeff Douglass, 5) Dan Crosby, 6) Larry Ball, 7) Chrissy Hilt, 8) Ryan Coon, 9) Kevin Hilt, 10) Paul Handlowich, 11) David Stickles, 12) Mike Witherell, 13) Michael Dianda, 14) Jeff Wilbur, 15) Earl Soulier Jr, 16) Chris Stalker, 17) John Chapman, 18) John Rivers Jr

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