MIKE RICCI SURVIVES TO WIN ACCORD TURKEY CHASE 100
By BRETT DEYO
ACCORD, NY - For Mike Ricci, it was a matter of survival.
Nursing a battered racecar, the perennial frontrunner picked up the win in Saturday night's second annual Turkey Chase 100 at Accord Speedway. The Rosendale, N.Y. chauffeur combined two wins and two sixth place finishes in the four segments en route to the $3,000 victory.
The event was broken up into four 25-lap segments with an invert between each race.
Ricci finished the final segment with a broken birdcage on his JPM-powered Teo-Pro car, causing the rear end to shift dramatically. He barely held on for the victory by a two point margin over an impressive Jim Winchell.
"I was nursing it," a relieved Ricci said. "I knew where I had to finish - I just held it to the bottom and drove defensively. I was doing all right in the last segment. I got up to second, then Barry Davis got into me on the backstretch and I was done."
He burned the right rear tire completely off the car in the process.
"The left rear tire was like ice," he said. "It wasn't doing anything. All I could do was ride around and hope for the best."
Up until that point, Ricci had been the dominant factor.
"The car was excellent in the first two segments," Ricci analyzed. "It was good up high where a lot of guys weren't running. In the last two, the track started taking rubber and it was harder to pass. We were still good, the guys kept working on it during the breaks."
Ricci's team worked feverishly between the segments. They changed gears once and bolted on fresh rubber for each event.
"They changed everything but the driver," Ricci laughed. "The crew was working hard down here. We had to keep adjusting for the track - it changed a lot from the first segment to the last. You had to keep up with it. It's like running two fifty lappers. It's a long race."
Ricci's main competition came from an unlikely source.
Former DIRT Sportsman track champion Jim Winchell, who fields a car for Ricci during the season, nearly pulled off the upset. The Stone Ridge, N.Y. driver scored a pair of wins, a fifth and a ninth.
The effort came in Winchell's 358 Modified debut.
"This thing is fast," bottom-lined Winchell, who drove the Precision-powered ‘02
Teo-Pro car that carried Ricci to a win at Five Mile Point (N.Y.) Speedway this summer. "I felt real comfortable in this car. The funny thing is, we didn't even have any good tires. We put some old 44 and 48's (compound) American Racers on that I've had for five years.
"Mike wouldn't give me any of the good stuff."
Winchell sat out most of the 2003 season. He competed three times at Accord, then made one trip to Afton (N.Y.) Speedway.
"We had a motor problem the last time Mike drove," he said. "So I took it back to Precision and put it on the dyno. I wanted to run it today to make sure it was all right. It ran perfect."
Did Winchell think he had a chance at the win?
"Not really," he said with a smile. "But wouldn't that have been something?"
Southern Tier invader Mike Decker rallied to third position in his Chad Sinon-owned No. 4M Bicknell. The Thunder Mountain (N.Y.) Speedway regular used an eighth, a third and two fifths to secure the final podium position.
"We were right there with the car," Decker, of Afton, N.Y. commented. "It was good, but if we had a little more experience here we might've been able to get it even better."
The finish came in Decker's second ever appearance at the tight quarter mile oval.
"I'm happy," he said. "I swapped paint with Mike Ricci, led some laps in the second segment. It was a good night for us. We came out of it with one bent sail panel. For a long race like this, I can't complain."
Decker believed his pitfall was a worn set of tires.
"I should have gotten new tires," he said. "We kept grinding them between the segments to get the feathering off, but I had nothing left for the last 25-laps. I was worried about blowing the thing off the wheel, so I took it easy for a while."
Seven time champion Rich Ricci Jr. finished fourth and Joey Grammes completed the front five in the extra-distance grind.
In the first segment, Ed Strada Jr. paced the first six laps before Mike Ricci made the move to take over the lead. He went on to win over Strada, who fell to fourth before charging back to the runner up spot on the final circuit. Grammes, Phil Recchio and Rich Ricci Jr. trailed.
An eight car invert put Decker on the pole of the second segment, and he used all the track to fend of Rich Ricci Jr. for 16 circuits until the New Paltz, N.Y. veteran executed a cross over move to take the lead away. He only held command for seven laps before Mike Ricci powered to the point on lap 23 and cruised on to win over Ricci, Decker, Joe Winne Jr. and Winchell.
Twelve cars were inverted for the third leg, putting Brian Malcolm on the point. Malcolm paced the first five circuits before Winchell made his move. He slipped to the inside in turn four and motored away for the win. Barry Davis, Jeff Hulseapple, Tim Hindley and Decker rounded out the top five.
Finally, the fourth segment took the green with four cars inverted. Jeff Hulseapple and Tim Hindley battled early on for the lead before Winchell disposed of both of them on lap 7. Hindley, of Monticello, N.Y. made a valiant run in the final laps, but came up just shy and Winchell took the victory. Hindley, Grammes, Barry Davis and Decker trailed.
Thirty-three cars signed into the pit area for the unsanctioned event.
Rich Coons finally snapped his string of hard luck, topping a competitive 25-lap DIRT Sportsman feature. Coons, of Montgomery, N.Y., fought off a fierce charge by David Towns for the $600 victory. It came in only the fifth start of the season for the 50-year-old veteran, who calls Orange County (N.Y.) Fair Speedway his weekly home.
Coons endured one close call. On lap 16, he became momentarily trapped behind a slower car on the backstretch. The bobble opened the door for Towns, but Coons made an evasive move to the inside and blocked his advance.
"I tried to stay smooth running high," Coons remarked. "I saw him (Towns) under me several times, but I was able to keep momentum a little better on the outside."
Running a car borrowed from Jim Winchell, Towns raced to a runner up effort, ahead of Thunder Mountain champion Chad Cook, who battled from deep in the field for third in his first appearance at the speedway. Dave Coene and Kevin Duryea rounded out the top five.
Ray See Jr. hopped behind the wheel of Scott Mill's car and drove it straight to victory lane in the 20-lap Pro Stock feature. See, of Patterson, N.Y. slipped by George Christiana on lap 15 and raced on for the win. Christiana held on for second over John Roese, Jimmy Langenback and Steve Murray.
Trail-Ways (Pa.) Speedway regular Aaron Eckert made his first Accord appearance worthwhile. He raced to the victory in the 20-lap 250cc Micro Sprint feature. Eckert advanced methodically from tenth starting position to the front, making the winning move by Michael Storms on lap 13. Mike Cassario finished second, ahead of Ralph Utter Jr., Frank Venezia and Storms.
John Lieto of Mount Kisco, N.Y. picked up the win in the 20-lap Mini Sprint feature. He took advantage of misfortune for leader Geoff Quackenbush on lap 8 to inherit the lead, then marched on for the win. Rob Scaccio, John Matrafailo, Jeremy Quick and Rich Sennett rounded out the top five.
Greg Kurzman of Norwalk, Conn. earned his first win in the 15-lap Pure Stock main. Kurzman took the lead on lap 7 and survived the wild antics of several lapped cars in the final circuits to win over Mike Deyo, Emerson Cargain, Jr., Will Landrum and Don Carlson.
The evening marked the conclusion of the track's Fall Series. Clinching division championships were Mike Ricci (358 Modified), David Towns (Sportsman), Norbert Bracklow (Pro Stock), Ralph Utter Jr. (250cc Micro Sprint), Stephen LaPine (Mini Sprint) and Mike Deyo (Pure Stock).
Notable: No Danny Johnson wasn't in attendance, but his sheet metal was. In his constant effort to revitalize Troyer, Inc., Billy Colton put 15-year-old rookie standout Tony Kawalchuk in a Troyer house car for the 100-lapper. The car carried the familiar orange No. 27J paint scheme synonymous with Johnson.
Kawalchuk, who uses a Troyer SLR car on a regular basis, said frequent conversations with Colton led to the agreement. The team picked up the car on Thursday, installed their engine and readied it for Saturday's special.
Kawalchuk had little luck in the extra distance affair, but he was able to provide short track feedback to Colton, who they remained in phone contact with throughout the night...
Winchell credited his strong run to Teo Pro-Valve shocks, which he had on his car for the first time. "They were great," he said. "They worked perfectly for me."...
Just how did Ed Strada Jr. feel about his car's performance? "It sucked," he bottom-lined. "We threw everything at it. I just couldn't get any drive." Strada even tried a change of tire compounds for the final segment, but said it only hurt his efforts. "I can't complain about seventh the way we were running tonight."...
The ride from Shoreham, Vt. didn't pay off for Jimmy Ryan. The Bear Ridge (Vt.) Speedway champion, who also won the point title at Canaan (N.H.) Speedway, failed to hit the set up and missed qualifying in his first Accord run...
A Friday afternoon crash during last weekend's Eastern States festivities at Orange County left Scott Ferrier without a ride. "It's junk," Ferrier said of his own Teo-Pro car. "I need to start over with a new frame." Ferrier borrowed brother Kenny's Sportsman car for the 100 but struggled with an electrical problem and missed qualifying by one position...
Driving a Teo-Pro car for Steve and Bobby Zwart, Jeff Hulseapple looked to be on track for a top five finish, but a broken brake line caused him to spin while running second on lap 5 of the fourth segment. Hulseapple said the ride was slated only for Eastern States, but a last minute decision landed him at Accord...
Tom Perrego headed home early with two busted rear ends, curtailing his attempt to run Sportsman and 358 Mod on the same day...
David Towns sold his car to 358 Modified driver Larry Hendershot, leaving him without a ride for the finale. Winchell, knowing the situation, put Towns in the seat of his Sportsman car and the Rotterdam, N.Y. driver piloted it to the Fall Series title. Towns' main competition, Danny Creeden, was sidelined for the night during hot laps with a blown engine...
For the first time since a scoring dispute turned scene on July 11, Rick Mill returned to the speedway. Mill competed in both the 358 Modified and DIRT Sportsman divisions, digging out his twelve-year-old Troyer for the latter. He struggled to get a bite in the 100 and finished deep in the field...
Turkey Chase 100 Order of Finish: Mike Ricci, Jim Winchell, Mike Decker, Rich Ricci Jr., Joey Grammes, Tim Hindley, Ed Strada Jr., Barry Davis, Phil Recchio, Joe Winne Jr., Jeff Hulseapple, Brian Malcolm, Tony Kawalchuk, Jimmy Johnson, Rick Mill, Robbie Green, Bobby Puckett, Mark Johnson, J.R. Heffner, Kenny Baker.
Did Not Qualify: Everett Haubrich, Scott Ferrier, Allen Shiffler, Fred Newkirk, Mark Pullen, Stan Lemiesz, Bob Cancellieri, Jimmy Halpin, Charles Humes, Larry Hendershot, Tom Perrego, Tommy Greiner, Jimmy Ryan, John McGill.
DIRT Sportsman Feature Finish: Rich Coons, David Towns, Chad Cook, Dave Coene, Kevin Duryea, Mike Van Pelt, John Finley, Keith Slavin, Rick Mill, Jim Fugel, Larry Badaracco, Bob Henstchel, Harry Baldwin, Chris Garrity, Don Johnson, Chuck Thomaschek, George Johnson, Howard Jarvis, Nicole Tracy, Ted Layton.
Did Not Qualify: Tom Perrego, Dave Archieri, Dave Harris, Charles Hendrickson, Chris Grispin, Bill Papula.
Pro Stock Feature Finish: Ray See Jr., George Christiana, John Roese, Jim Langenback, Steve Murray, Rob Hoar, Bill Liese, Les Gillette, Ken Hartshorn, Norbert Bracklow, Chuck McSpririt, Chris Feola, Joe Allen, Jim Hewitt, Terry O'Brien, Cory Swartz, Larry Temple, Jr., Mike Manetta, Mark Lathrop, Scott Liese, Jerry Craig.
Did Not Qualify: Lenny Helmich, Steve Plumstead.
250cc Micro Sprint Feature Finish: Eric Eckert, Mike Cassario, Ralph Utter, Jr., Frank Venezia, Mike Storms, Lex Burritt, Geoff Quackenbush, Rick McKay, Michelle Conway, Marc Palome, Doug Wessel, James Tomlinson, Chris Weiss, Ray Gillen, Sam Christie.
Did Not Start: Charlie Redlich, Marc Montalbano.
Mini Sprint Feature Finish: John Lieto, Rob Scaciom John Matrafailo, Jeremy Quick, Rich Sennett, Charlie Castle, Peter Sindt, Bob Lynt, Ed Burgess, Stephen LaPine, Darrell Quackenbush, Tony Montesi, Clint Roehrs, Duby Woodruff, Tom Richard, Kevin Kondelka, James Tomlinson, Geoff Quackenbush, Marshall Gogg, Brint Hockenberry.
Did Not Qualify: Woody Woodruff, P.J. Peworchik.
Pure Stock Feature Finish: Greg Kurzman, Mike Deyo, Emerson Cargain, Jr., Will Landrum, Don Carlson, Joe DiStefano, Jim Finnegan, Joey Giachinta, Ron Predmore, Don Warner, Emerson Cargain, Sr., Chris Meola, Kevin Krusewski, Jay Pepin, Ray Tarantino, Al Relyea, Tony Garaguso, Matt Humes, Phil Wood, Fred Davis.
Did Not Qualify: Tim Southard, Rich Royer, Bill DeGraw, Paul Harding, Jim Baxter, Buck Barrett, Al Tarantino.