Rich Ricci Jr. Spoils Hendershot's Accord Glory
By BRETT DEYO
ACCORD, NY - After 90 minutes of thrashing and non-stop work in the pit area, it came down to one late-race break in lapped traffic for Rich Ricci Jr.
A consolation incident sent Ricci pitside with significant front suspension damage, forcing him to rely on his status as the point leader for a guaranteed starting spot in the feature.
Starting from 21st position, the New Paltz, N.Y., driver shot down the hopes of unheralded Larry Hendershot two laps from the finish of Friday night's Van Kleek's Tire 30-lap 358-Modified feature at Accord Speedway, picking up his fifth win of the season and a $1,500 payday.
"I don't even know what to say," quipped Ricci, who pounded the turn one inside wall during the consi, before he was hit hard by Scott Ferrier.
"I've gotta hand it to all these guys in the pits. We had to replace radius rods, heim joints, steering arm, basically all the moving parts. The axle was still bent back in the feature.
"These guys were on their backs in the dirt, they've got skinned up elbows, knees. It was all them tonight."
Upset-minded Hendershot darted into the lead from his pole starting position and set a torrid early place, but several multi-car tangles in the early laps worked to the advantage of Ricci.
By lap four, Ricci was inside the top five with his Precision-powered Dirt Wheels No. 55. Two laps later, the second-generation driver took third.
"Boy, the first few laps were good to me," noted Ricci, in search of his ninth track championship. "I was watching these guys spin out and get together. I went to the top and missed all the wrecks."
When second-running Andy Bachetti took the Downes Racing No. 40 to the outside in an attempt to work by Hendershot on a ninth-lap restart, Ricci pounced.
Shooting to the inside, he emerged with the runner-up spot on lap 11 after two circuits of side-by-side action.
Ricci closed in on the back bumper of Hendershot at the halfway point, but he couldn't make a move.
Hendershot, a longtime low-budget driver from Wantage, N.J., repelled all of Ricci's attempts in his '99 Troyer four-coil car, equipped with a homebuilt engine.
"The 29 (Hendershot) was fast," Ricci said. "Usually, guys will drop off as the race goes on. He stayed the same, and even looked like he was getting better."
Hendershot's bid for his first victory since Sept. 2001 at Lake Moc-A-Tek (Pa.) Speedway came unglued on lap 27.
Entering turn three, the leaders encountered the lapped car of Jeremy Markle. Hendershot committed to the inside, while Ricci darted to the outside to set up a pass.
Markle spun directly in Hendershot's path exiting turn four, allowing Ricci to roll around the high side gain the top spot at the line, where lap 28 was scored and the caution flag was displayed.
"I thought he (Hendershot) would go in behind Markle," Ricci said. "I set him up going into (turn) three and Markle went right around in front of him. That broke his momentum and I was there."
Hendershot, 40, was dejected after finishing second, but found encouragement at the thought of his car's surge in performance.
"I told my guys in the pits, we took a car that couldn't qualify last week and almost won the feature with it," Hendershot said, forcing his words. "I called (Troyer's) Billy Colton after last week and he sent down a set-up that was awesome.
"Markle was quick enough where if I tried to go high around him, Ricci would've gotten underneath me," he analyzed. "I was between a rock and a hard place. Finishing second would be easier to take if Markle hadn't spun and Ricci passed me under green."
Sheffield, Mass.'s Bachetti righted his recent struggles, finishing third. Dom Roselli of Middletown, N.Y., was fourth and Ryan Stortini rounded out the top five.
Heat races for the 27 358-Modifieds went to Hendershot, Mark Pullen and Jackie Brown Jr. John Sanders won the consolation.
The long haul finally paid off for Jeff Geiges.
Geiges, who makes the near three-hour tow from Lawrenceville, N.J., to compete at Accord every Friday night, scored his first-ever victory at the Ulster County track, fending off Jamie Yannone in the 25-lap Sportsman feature.
It was the first win for Geiges since April 9 when he topped the Season Opener at New Egypt (N.J.) Speedway. He is a regular at Accord, New Egypt and the Race of Champions Dirt Sportsman Tour.
The 26-year-old driver put his Vengeance-powered No. 77J into the lead on a lap-four restart, but felt heavy pressure from four-time winner Jamie Yannone in the final 10 laps. Looking high and low through lapped traffic, Yannone couldn't unseat Geiges, who was ecstatic following the $600 payday.
"This is awesome," Geiges said. "I didn't know if I could hold him off!"
Yannone, Chris Grispin, John Lieto and Jesse Marks finished second through fifth, respectively.
For the seventh time this year, Jeff Richardson took the checkered first in Spec Sportsman action. The Goshen, N.Y., driver led the entire distance in his No. 50 Bicknell. Conn.'s D.J. Brooks finished second, nosing out Robbie Fairweather, Mike Senecal and Mike Van Tassel.
Skip Travis can't help but relish his decision-making skills.
During the off-season, Travis jumped into the Mini-Sprint division after years in the Sportsman and 358-Modified ranks. The Peekskill, N.Y., driver added one more notch to his successful 2005 with victory number three in the 20-lap event.
Travis raced from ninth to take the lead from Clint Roehrs on the second lap. Teenage driving sensation John Guarino moved into the runner-up spot on lap four but couldn't unseat Travis, settling for his fourth runner-up effort of the season. Roehrs, Ralph Utter Jr. and Hank Katz rounded out the top five.
Making a rare start at the Big A, Walden, N.Y.'s Rob Rowe scored the win in a shortened 15-lap Pro Stock main. The event was curtailed by five laps when a multi-car incident deposited a large amount of fluid on the backstretch.
Mike Manetta, Scott Mill, Ray See Jr., and Danny Tyler filled out the front five.
Jim O'Neil's birthday present came three days early when leaders Bill Deak Jr. and Kevin Krusewski tangled on a restart with two circuits remaining in the 15-lap Pure Stock feature. Elizaville, N.Y.'s O'Neil, who had been running third, inherited the lead and raced to the victory over Joe DiStefano, Sharon Byrne, Chris Meola and Paul Aragon Jr.
Racing resumes at the Action Track on Fri., Aug. 5 with the fifth running of the Joe Winne Memorial, a 55-lap, $2,000-to-win 358-Modified event honoring the track's 1999 champion. The Sportsman, Spec Sportsman, Mini-Sprints, Pro Stocks and Pure Stocks will fill out the Pine Grove Dude Ranch-sponsored program. Gates open at 4:30 p.m., with hot laps at 6:30 p.m. and racing at 7 p.m.
For further information, contact the track office at (845) 626-3478 or visit the website: www.accordspeedway.com.
BIG A NOTES: On a picture-perfect night, 27 358-Modifieds, 22 Sportsman, eight Spec Sportsman, 17 Mini-Sprints, 15 Pro Stocks and 24 Pure Stocks signed in for competition....
After blowing an engine earlier this season, former Sportsman regular Mike Senecal took advantage of the GM Crate Engine affordability to jump into the Spec Sportsman class. The Accord, N.Y., native was fourth in his Spec Sportsman debut....
Robbie Green headed pitside on lap three when contact in a multi-car tangle pulled off the right-front shock tower on his No. 69. Green made it back out one lap later and used the remainder of the distance to fine-tune his set-up for the upcoming Joe Winne Memorial....
The streak continues: when Jackie Brown Jr. pulled into the pits on lap four, it endangered his record of completing every possible feature lap in 358-Mod action this season. His crew was quick to change a right-front tire, despite studs that were bent and the Hurley, N.Y., driver returned on the lead lap....
The happiest driver in the pit area afterward wasn't one of the six feature winners. It may well have been Dom Roselli, who finished fourth in the 358-Modified feature. Roselli had been eliminated on the first lap in two of his last three starts at the Big A....
A harrowing crash marred the start of the Mini-Sprint feature, when polesitter Dana Carey got tagged, causing a ricochet effect through the pack.
Kevin Horton was the first to get upside down, then an unsuspecting Mark Rogers hopped Carey's wheel and flipped end-over-end five times, landing on the inside wall in turn one. Luckily, Middletown, N.Y.'s Rogers climbed from the wreckage uninjured....
VAN KLEEK'S TIRE RACE SUMMARY
358-Modified Feature Finish: RICH RICCI JR., Larry Hendershot, Andy Bachetti, Dom Roselli, Ryan Stortini, Rick Mill, John Sanders, Bill Papula, Jackie Brown Jr., Mark Pullen, Tom Hindley, John Ferrier, Jeremy Markle, Robbie Green, Phil Recchio, Larry Badaracco, Mark Flach Jr., Rich Salisbury, Mel Schrufer, Jimmy Johnson, Hank Goranson.
Did Not Qualify: Bob Cancellieri, Burt Irwin Jr., Scott Ferrier, Mike Murphy, Barry Davis, Bob Hentschel.
Sportsman Feature Finish: JEFF GEIGES, Jamie Yannone, Chris Grispin, John Lieto, Jesse Marks, Dave Coene, Tom Tomasko, Danny Creeden, Mike Ketcham, Nicole Tracy, Whitey Slavin, Ken Ferrier, Ladd Yeomans, L.D. Smith, Paul Minton, Steve Krom, David Bush, Will Galm, Chad Hadlick, Howard Jarvis, Keith Van Oyan.
Did Not Qualify: John Sundlof.
Spec Sportsman Feature Finish: JEFF RICHARDSON, D.J. Brooks, Robbie Fairweather, Mike Senecal, Mike Van Tassel, Al Archieri, Brett Graham.
Did Not Start: Andy Schlagel.
Mini-Sprint Feature Finish: SKIP TRAVIS, John Guarino, Clint Roehrs, Ralph Utter Jr., Gary Reyer, Hank Katz, John Lodini, Kevin Kondelka, Dana Carey, Bob Lynt, Darrell Quackenbush, Ed Burgess, Kevin Horton, Mark Rogers, John Lieto.
Did Not Start: Jake Schlagel, Jason St. Clair.
Pro Stock Feature Finish: ROB ROWE, Mike Manetta, Scott Mill, Ray See Jr., Danny Tyler, Lenny Brice, Terry O'Brien, John Roese, George Christiana, Jared Hayes, Steve Plumstead, Bill Deak Jr., Jerry Craig, Katie Nugent, Larry Temple Jr.
Pure Stock Feature Finish: JIM O'NEIL, Joe DiStefano, Sharon Byrne, Chris Meola, Paul Aragon Jr., Bill Deak Jr., Bob Gibson, Bill Judge, Tony Polemeni, Sam Dwy, Ralph Ronk, Joe Judge, Chris Kanuk, Mike Deyo, John Woinoski, Kevin Krusewski, Bill Rion, Adam Douglas, Mike Sabia, Scott Ackerley.
Did Not Qualify: James DeCicco III, John Cole Jr., Kyle Wright, Ed Howey.