HEARN PUMPS OUT ANOTHER MODIFIED WIN

MILLER, LA ROCHELLE ALSO VISIT VICTORY LANE

August 3, 2002

WEST LEBANON, NY - The Brett Hearn steamroller continued at Lebanon Valley Saturday night. Hearn put his Teo Pro Car into victory lane for the eighth time this season during the 30-lap modified feature. Don Miller captured his second 20-lap sportsman feature of the 2002 season. Paul LaRochelle graced victory lane for the first time in 2002. His victory came in the 20-lap Pro Stock main. Nassau’s Bill Hammell was victorious in the 10-lap Rookie Pro Stock feature. The Pure Stock features were won by Tom Harkins, Chrissy Hilt, Ron Tritschler and Jeremy Pease. The great folks at Emerick Associates brought us all the great racing.

Paul Gilardi used his front row starting spot to grab the lead in the 30-lap modified feature. Some great three and four wide racing action behind him had the fans on the feet. Dave Leckonby suffered problems early on and retired from the event on lap one. Brett Hearn had the Budweiser #1 headed to the front in a hurry. He started 16th on the grid and was up to seventh by lap three. Near disaster on that same lap as Matt Quinn and Sparky Lowe touched wheels going down the backstretch while fighting for fourth. Both drivers were able to hang on with Quinn taking over fourth.

The Coors Light #21 of Andy Bachetti moved into third on lap eight. That same lap Hearn was able to get passed Quinn for fourth. Meanwhile Kenny Tremont Jr was still trying to work his way up through traffic and was up to ninth by lap nine. Bachetti and Hearn took over second and third as the race reached the one-third mark. Bachetti took the lead from Gilardi on lap eleven. Hearn got passed Gilardi and moved into second on the very next lap. Paul Gilardi slowed on the frontstretch ending his top five run on lap 14. That moved Quinn up to third and the Fall Fittings #55 of Rich Ricci Jr. into fourth.

Hearn started to apply the pressure on Bachetti as the event hit the halfway mark. Hearn narrowly avoided disaster on lap 16 as he drifted a little too high in turn one and almost tagged the wall. That allowed Bachetti some breathing space, but only temporarily. Bachetti had to weave his way through some heavy lapped traffic with Hearn right back on his rear bumper. Hearn made a power move on the outside of Bachetti and took the lead on lap 23. The only caution of the event came on lap 25 as Chris Moore got turned around in turn two. Tremont got around Ricci for fourth on the restart, but Ricci muscled back passed him on the same lap.

Heartbreak for Bachetti on lap 27 as he suddenly slowed and pulled into the pits. In a post race interview Bachetti said that the water pump belt had fallen off and he had smoke in the cockpit since lap ten. Tremont and Ricci banged bumpers with two laps to go as Tremont moved into third. But Hearn was way out in front and already working on his victory lane speech. Quinn had a very strong second place run in the Overbaugh #20. Ricci was fourth and Eddie Marshall rounded out the top five. Tremont is still the point leader in the hunt for the modified championship, but only by one point ahead of Hearn.

The 20-lap Sportsman feature took the track first Saturday night. The results were somewhat better than recent weeks as only six caution flags flew and the field made it all the way up to lap six before they had to restart single file. Bob Matthews led the first three laps of the event before Don Miller took the lead on lap four. Problems early on for the current point leader, Art Collins. His St. Lawrence Cement #68 caught the inside berm in turn three and he slid all the way to the back of the pack. K.C. Goewey moved his Sprint PCS #45 into second on a lap five restart and he quickly challenged Miller. But the Cat Country #11 of Miller was strong to the challenge. The top five at the halfway point was Miller, Goewey, Ryan Larkin, Bobby Knipe and Roy Bridge.

Collins bad night continued on lap ten when he and Jeff Carr came together in turn four bringing out the next to last caution of the race. Bridge moved into fourth on lap 12 and then both he and Knipe made their way passed Larkin on lap 13. The final caution of the race came out on lap 18. While the field was pacing around the speedway under the caution lights the #18 of Knipe came to a stop in turn one and he was done for the night. Goewey gave it everything he had in the final two laps, but could not get around Miller and Goewey would have to settle for second. Bridge crossed the line third with Larkin fourth and Willie Galm fifth.

Paul LaRochelle took command of the 20-lap Pro Stock feature on lap one and never looked back leading every lap. Problems for Danny Sanchez and Jim Langenback on lap five. They came together in turn one and wound up on the inside wall. Both drivers were able to continue. At the halfway point it was LaRochelle, Bob Duzlak, Al Blackburn, Rob Yetman and Ed Bachand in the top five.

Langenback’s night went from bad to worse when he was caught up in an incident on lap ten. His car was too damaged to return, which really hurts when you are the point leader going into the race. Jason Dibello made heavy contact with the turn four wall head-on in that same crash but was okay. Yetman moved around Blackburn and into third on lap 11. Frank Twing has returned to the Pro Stock division at Lebanon Valley after a brief retirement he moved into the top five on lap 16.

In the final stages of the race the fans were treated to a great three-way battle for the victory. Duzlak and Yetman tried every which way to get around LaRochelle, but could not make a pass as LaRochelle recorded his first win of the season, Duzlak was a close second, Yetman third, Al Blackburn fourth and Twing fifth.

It was also New York State Stock Car Association night at Lebanon Valley Saturday night. NYSSCA is an organization, which runs a benefit fund so if one of their members get injured at the track they could be eligible for some money. They also promote safety at the tracks and helping to make racing as safe as it can be. Saturday night the first member driver in every division to cross the finish line received a cash award. For more information check out their web site at www.nyscca.com

Lebanon Valley Speedway is back in action Thursday night as Budweiser presents Mr. Dirt Track USA (A title race) for the DIRT modifieds. This is one of the stops on the Advance Auto Parts Super Dirt Series tour for the DIRT mods. The winner of the 100-lap modified feature will walk away with $17,500! The 358-modifieds will also be on hand. Visit www.lebanonvalley.com or call the speedway at (518) 794-9606. Lebanon Valley Speedway is located 20 minutes east of Albany NY on US RT. 20 in West Lebanon, New York.

8-03 EMERICK ASSOCIATES MODIFIED RESULTS (30 LAPS) - 1) Brett Hearn, 2) Matt Quinn, 3) Kenny Tremont Jr, 4) Rich Ricci Jr, 5) Eddie Marshall, 6) Rob Pitcher, 7) John Hewitt, 8) Steve Devine, 9) Russ Reckner, 10) Stanley Wetmore, 11) Denny Soltis, 12) Guy Sheldon, 13) Ernie Palmer Jr, 14) Hector Stratton, 15) J.R. Heffner, 16) Mike King, 17) Mel Schruffer, 18) Lucas Baker, 19) Chris Moore, 20) Charlie Humes, 21) Donnie Corellis, 22) Lee Gagliardi, 23) Hollis Morrissey, 24) John Lutes Jr, 25) Dave McFeeters, 26) Andy Bachetti, 27) Hawley Smith, 28) Sparky Lowe, 29) Paul Gilardi, 30) Ron Blake, 31) Maynard Forrette, 32) John Royals, 33) Dave Leckonby

SPORTSMAN RESULTS (20 LAPS) - 1) Don Miller, 2) K.C. Goewey, 3) Roy Bridge, 4) Ryan Larkin, 5) Mike Keeler, 6) Will Galm, 7) Ed Harkin, 8) Frank Harper, 9) Lorne Browe, 10) Jeff Watson, 11) Art Collins, 12) Bob Matthews, 13) Earl Thitchener, 14) Stan Lemiesz, 15) Whitey Slavin, 16) Jeff Carr, 17) Mike Molloy, 18) Ted Layton, 19) Dave Dillworth, 20) Jay Haviland, 21) Bobby Knipe, 22) Dan Humes, 23) Mike Mason, 24) John Hotchkiss, 25) Joe Bennett

PRO STOCK RESULTS (20 LAPS) - 1) Paul LaRochelle, 2) Bob Duzlak Jr, 3) Rob Yetman, 4) Al Blackburn, 5) Frank Twing, 6) Chris Crews, 7) Danny Sanchez, 8) Victor Hopkins, 9) Tom Brandt, 10) Rick Fosby, 11) Ed Bachand, 12) Bill Key, 13) Brian Keough, 14) Don Ely, 15) Dan Blackburn, 16) Donnie Denue, 17) Jim Langenback, 18) Jason DiBello, 19) Jeff Kelmel, 20) Adam Haas

ROOKIE RESULTS (10 LAPS) - 1) Bill Hammell, 2) Henry Warner, 3) Jay Corbin, 4) Jim Cronk, 5) Ray Hall Jr, 6) Ralph Hotchkiss, 7) Jim Hankle, 8) Charlie Woodard, 9) Mike Fachini, 10) Kim LaVoy, 11) Joe Mabb Jr, 12) Jery Helms, 13) Mark Forrest, 14) Chris Claus, 15) Bill Lobdell, 16) John Santolin

PURE STOCK #1 RESULTS (8 LAPS) - 1) Tom Harkins, 2) Randy Myers, 3) Jim Hankey, 4) Earl Soulier Jr, 5) Jason Casey, 6) Chris Stalker, 7) Steve Hatch, 8) Rich Douglass, 9) John Betz, 10) Dave Houser, 11) William Fuchs, 12) Mike Williams, 13) John Fachini, 14) Alan Hill

PURE STOCK #2 RESULTS (8 LAPS) - 1) Chrissy Hilt, 2) Eric Sbrega, 3) Michael Davis, 4) Ryan Coon, 5) Dave Shepard, 6) Shannon McDermott, 7) John Chapman, 8) Robert Gibson, 9) Jim Fachini, 10) Ronny Jacobsen, 11) Bob Chenette, 12) Jim O'Neil, 13) Mike Grehl Jr, 14) Paul Harding

PURE STOCK #3 RESULTS (8 LAPS) - 1) Ron Tritschler, 2) Peter Wiegand, 3) Nick Hilt Jr, 4) D.T. Pickard, 5) Keith Barlow, 6) George Miles Jr, 7) Jay Martin, 8) Bob Palmer, 9) Brian Sandstedt, 10) Pete DeFiglio, 11) Larry Ball, 12) Kevin Dolan, 13) Michael Dianda, 14) Jeff Douglass, 15) Bob Burl

PURE STOCK #4 RESULTS (8 LAPS) - 1) Jeremy Pease, 2) Marcus Tifft, 3) Kory Sandstadt, 4) Don Coon, 5) Chris Streeter, 6) Chris Hutnik, 7) Ronald Johnson, 8) Mike Eichstedt, 9) Ron Hapeman, 10) Pete Everett, 11) Dan Crosby, 12) Bob Copeland, 13) John Rivers Jr