Mike Ricci's PMC Chassis Passes Test, Wins Accord "King of the Catskills" Open Comp Modified Main
By BRETT DEYO
ACCORD, NY - Mike Ricci and team owner Jim Winchell wanted to test a PMC chassis on the short-tracks.
The new set of wheels passed with flying colors.
Ricci scored a convincing victory Saturday night at Accord Speedway, driving to a $3,000 payday in the 50-lap Rhinebeck Ford "King of the Catskills" open competition Modified main.
It was Ricci's first start with the car at the Ulster County quarter-mile oval.
"Perfect!" Ricci exclaimed after climbing from the white No. 17. "I don't think I've ever had a car this good here.
"We thought about bringing the other car (the team's Teo-Pro mount) here, but we said we wanted to test the PMC on the short-tracks. I'd say it passed."
Two weeks removed from a $5,900 victory in a 100-lap Race of Champions Dirt Modified Tour 100-lapper at Five Mile Point (N.Y.) Speedway, Ricci picked fifth in the redraw and marched to the front quickly.
Outside polesitter Larry Hendershot motored into the lead. By lap three, Ricci was second and began his pursuit of Hendershot.
It didn't take long.
Setting a blistering pace, the 40-year-old made a high-low crossover pass of Hendershot on lap seven to take command in turn four with the Enders small-block-powered ride.
From that point on, the race was for second.
With the first 23 laps clicking off under green-flag conditions, Ricci encountered lapped traffic by lap 12, while sixth-starter Robbie Green moved up to challenge Hendershot for second.
Contact sent Barry Davis around on lap 23 directly in Ricci's path, bringing out the caution and setting up a critical moment in the event's outcome.
"I knew the car was fast, I could feel it," Ricci said. "But you always like to have distance between you and the second-place car when you're leading. The lapped traffic helped there."
When the race went green, Hendershot's car broke loose and made an abrupt right on the frontstretch, collecting Green, Marc Johnson, John McGill, Tom Mayberry and several other competitors.
A red-flag scenario ensued as the top-five order was completely shuffled.
Ricci now led over 12th-starter Jackie Brown Jr. and younger brother Rich Ricci Jr., both of whom snaked through the melee.
The lapped car of Scott Ferrier separated Ricci from the second-place battle, as Brown and Rich Ricci Jr. ran nose-to-tail lap after lap.
The younger Ricci tried high and low, but the steady Brown held his ground, maintaining the middle groove and the runner-up spot at the finish, nearly a full straightaway behind the leader.
For Mike Ricci, his second trip to Big A Victory Lane of 2005 (he won the Joe Winne Memorial on Aug. 5) came after making hasty repairs to the car from a Friday-night incident.
"Last night, we bent the front-end up at Afton (N.Y.) in a 50-lap race there," Ricci said. "We went home last night and straightened the parts (shock, axle, radius rods) and today we put it back together."
Jackie Brown Jr.'s stellar '05 season continued with a runner-up effort. The Hurley, N.Y., native thanked the Tyler family for a fresh Precision-built, un-ported 358 engine that rejuvenated his performance.
"The motor made the difference tonight," said Brown, 33, adding, "That was an awesome run for us.
"Everything was the same tonight - the car, the tires, the set-up. But the difference was power. With the track tacky, you need that extra horsepower here."
One day after winning at Afton, Ricci, of New Paltz, N.Y., finished third despite battling a "flat" engine in his Precision-powered Dirt Wheels No. 55.
"I had a winning car," Ricci said. "We went with the same gear as Afton last night, but it just flattened out, right from the first lap. I don't know if something got caught in the carburetor, but it had no power.
"The thing handled beautiful, but you've got to have power when there's bite out there like there was tonight."
Craig "Hollywood" Mitchell of Wappingers Falls, N.Y., placed fourth in his PMC No. 93X, equipped with an RGP-built 427 cubic inch engine.
Thirteenth-starter Jason Hamilton of Erwinna, Pa., finished fifth with a Lombardo 9-to-1 powerplant between the frame rails of his Teo-Pro No. 15.
Thirty-eight Modifieds entered the program. Heat winners were Rich Ricci Jr., Robbie Green, Larry Hendershot and Jackie Brown Jr. Mile Tholin and Scott Ferrier split the consolations.
A dream season for Jamie Yannone gained one more highlight in the Sportsman division's 50-lap feature.
Yannone, the '05 track champion and winner of the Race of Champions Dirt Sportsman Tour event on Sept. 30, literally dominated the extra-distance main for his seventh win of the season.
Starting from the pole in his Moshier-powered No. 21 Teo-Pro car, Yannone bolted to the early lead.
The 25-year-old was never seriously challenged, though an intense second-place battle raged between Jesse Marks, Whitey Slavin and Derrick McGrew for much of the race's mid-portion.
With three laps remaining, McGrew and Slavin got together at the exit of turn four, igniting a five-car pileup on the frontstretch. A 15-minute red flag was needed to clean up the incident.
When racing resumed, Yannone completed his green-to-checkered run for a $750 payday.
"What a year," Yannone said. "And a great way to end the season."
Jesse Marks crossed the stripe second, but came up light on the scales in post-race tech inspection and was disqualified, moving Danbury, Conn., teenager John Sundlof to second, his career-best finish.
Open-wheel rookie Danny Tyler of Cottekill, N.Y., was third, ahead of McGrew and John Corry.
With good luck on his side, 2005 Mini-Sprint champion John Lieto became the first "Mini King of the Catskills."
The Mt. Kisco, N.Y., driver capitalized on the misfortune of young Bubba Broderick to inherit the $750 payday in the Chain Car Connections-sponsored 40-lap event. It was Lieto's division-high sixth triumph of '05.
Broderick, of Brookfield, Conn., proved to be the man to beat early. The son of asphalt Modified star Jimmy Broderick took his No. 5 to the oval's outside groove and disposed of early leader Rick Hench on lap 11.
Eleventh-starter Lieto took second on a lap-12 restart, but had little for Broderick. However, the kid's car went up in smoke as he raced down the backstretch with two laps remaining, the victim of a blown engine.
The slowing Broderick handed the lead to Lieto, who cruised home the winner over John Guarino, Rich Wood Jr., Hench and Jeremy Quick.
"He (Broderick) had the fastest car," said Lieto, mentioning tire wear as an issue for his car in the waning laps. "We were just riding in second."
Broderick earned the $100 Hard Luck Award and over $250 in lap money for his outstanding performance. He was searching for Accord win number one.
Josh Flach topped the 40-lap Slingshot main event, picking up a $750 payday for his efforts. Flach, a member of the noted Capital District racing family, started the main 12th, but an early tangle forced him deep in the field.
Ryan Smith led the first 25 circuits of the feature, but contact with Brett Smith as the leaders diced through lapped traffic sent him pitside.
With 17th-starter Brett Smith out front, Flach made a determined drive in the final six laps, using a lap-34 restart to claim second.
When the race's final caution flew on lap 36, Flach muscled to the inside of Brett Smith in turn one, making slight contact as he wrestled the lead away. Flach went on to win over Brett Smith, Travis Nolan, Nick Pecko and Joel Smith.
Ryan Wood won the 10-lap Junior Slingshot exhibition on the one-sixth-mile "Inner Oval."
When Rob Rowe didn't make it to the grid in time for the 20-lap Pro Stock feature, officials placed him dead last in the starting order.
That didn't slow the Walden, N.Y., driver. He blasted through the pack, taking the lead from Doug Tyler Jr. with an outside move on lap 13. Rowe cruised to his second '05 triumph over invader Rob Johnson, Chrissy Rider, Don Carlson and Dave Colwell.
For the ninth time in 2005, Mike Sabia of Easton, Conn., won the 15-lap Pure Stock main. Sabia started from the pole via a heat-race victory and dominated the event. Mike DuBois, Joe DiStefano, Bill Rion and Bob Gibson rounded out the top five.
Racing resumes at the Action Track on Sat., Nov. 5 with the 30-lap, $1,500-to-win "Run What You Brung," plus Mini-Sprints, Pro Stocks, Pure Stocks and Four/Eight Cylinder Demo Derbies. Gates open at noon, with hot laps at 2 p.m. and racing at 3 p.m.
For more info, contact the speedway office at (845) 626-3478 or check out the website: www.accordspeedway.com.
BIG A NOTES: On a brisk autumn afternoon, 151 racecars jammed the Accord pit area, including 38 Modifieds, 22 Sportsman, 31 Mini-Sprints, 30 Slingshots, two Junior Slingshots, 12 Pro Stocks and 16 Pure Stocks....
All race winners were fitted with a robe and crown, as "King of the Catskills" in their respective classes....
The longest distance towed honors went to Rich Gilpatrick of Thornton, N.H., who made a 286-mile one-way haul to Accord with his "X" Modified. Gilpatrick runs the Canaan (N.H.)/Bear Ridge (N.Y.) circuit....
Grandview (Pa.) Speedway star Tom Mayberry and New Egypt (N.J.) Speedway Darren McCaughey were notable Modified entries....
Robbie Green and Ed Strada Jr. lost solid runs in the 50-lapper when Green launched over the nose of Joey Barbagallo Jr.'s No. 53 on lap 26.
Green headed pitside with the left-front brake line sheered off, while Strada's right-side rubrail jammed into his rear tire....
Kudos to 15-year-old Danny Tyler, the '05 Pro Stock champion, for a third-place effort in the Sportsman feature with his family-owned Teo-Pro car. Tyler has just a handful of open-wheel starts....
Tom Hindley competed in the 150-lap 358-Modified event Orange County (N.Y.) Fair Speedway before bolting to Accord, where his No. 17H was stationed in the pit area.
Hindley made it in time for the second consolation, but failed to qualify....
RHINEBECK FORD "KING OF THE CATSKILLS" RACE SUMMARY
Modified Feature Finish: MIKE RICCI, Jackie Brown Jr., Rich Ricci Jr., Craig Mitchell, Jason Hamilton, Joe Barbagallo Jr., Marc Johnson, Barry Davis, John McGill, Scott Ferrier, Mike Tholin, Stan Lemiesz, Jack Gentile, Robbie Green, Ed Strada Jr., Larry Hendershot, Mark Pullen, Rick Raisner, Tom Mayberry, Darren McCaughey.
Did Not Qualify: Kyle Sheldon, Keith Nonnemacher, Phil Recchio, Richard Gilpatrick, Scott Flammer, Chris Grbac, Chuck Thomaschek, Brett Graham, Steve Kyzer, Jamie Yannone, Lorne Browe, Ryan Stortini, Tony Kawalchuk, David Bush, John Sanders, Mike Van Tassel, Francisco Guerrera, Tom Hindley.
Sportsman Feature Finish: JAMIE YANNONE, John Sundlof, Danny Tyler, Derrick McGrew, John Corry, Al Archieri, Robbie Fairweather, Jamie Yankowski, Lee Maulik, Ted DeGroat, Whitey Slavin, Buddy Hencke, Mike Taylor, Ricky Rutt, Keith Still, Joe Giachinta, Jeff Hager, Jim Kleedorfer, Chuck Thomaschek.
Disqualified: Jesse Marks.
Did Not Qualify: Rich Knell, Greg Hocking.
Mini-Sprint Feature Finish: JOHN LIETO, John Guarino, Rich Wood Jr., Rick Hench, Jeremy Quick, Rob Scaccio, Skip Travis, Brint Hockenberry, Clint Roehrs, Kevin Horton, Bubba Broderick, Bob Lynt, Marc Guerard, Peter Sindt, John Parete, Hank Katz, Cody Flach, John Zych, Todd Lapp, James Tomlinson, Ralph Utter Jr.
Did Not Qualify: Jeff Van Steenburg, Tommy Allen, Jay Haviland, Gary Reyer, Marshall Gogg, Jon Moore, Paul Corazzo Jr., Kevin Kondelka, Brian Pomponio, Brian Oliver.
Slingshot Feature Finish: JOSH FLACH, Brett Smith, Travis Nolan, Nick Pecko, Joel Smith, Bill Van Inwegen Jr., Car No. 21, Roger Collins, Jim Houseworth, Ben Whitaker, Rich Lamont, Kyle Rohner, Dave DePaulo, Tiffany Wambold, Shannon Smith, Joey Decker III, Marc Daniels, Ryan Smith, Randy Smith, Steven Intravata, Bobby Kuiken, James Pollard, Matt Carman, Russ Kisselburg.
Did Not Qualify: Brittany Tresch, Scott Goodrich, Bill Van Inwegen Sr., Bill Weaver, Justin Garcia, Mike Butler.
Slingshot Junior Feature Winner: RYAN WOOD.
Pro Stock Feature Finish: ROB ROWE, Rob Johnson, Chrissy Rider, Don Carlson, Dave Colwell, Tommy Vigh, George Christiana, Jim Sykes, Doug Tyler Jr., Paul Maurer, Pat Zimmer, Mike Dutka.
Pure Stock Feature Finish: MIKE SABIA, Mike DuBois, Joe DiStefano, Bill Rion, Bob Gibson, James DeCicco III, John Woinoski, Randy Myers, Steven Kanuk, Paul Aragon Jr., Bill Judge, Kevin Krusewski, Ed Howey, Ralph Ronk, Robert Cutler Jr.
Did Not Start: Jay Smalley.