FINALLY! GREEN BREAKS INTO ACCORD VICTORY LANE
By BRETT DEYO
ACCORD, NY - After an abysmal 2003 campaign, Robbie Green was even beginning to doubt himself.
The 20 year veteran has struggled with poor luck since the April lid-lifter. Accidents, missed set ups and general misfortune have kept Green from victory lane - until Friday night.
Off the strength of a strong late race charge, Green collected his first win of the season at Accord Speedway, nipping Tom Hindley in the 30-lap Van Kleek's Tire DIRT 358 Modified feature.
The $1,500 score was a much needed boost for Green and his team.
"Finally," he exclaimed. "I have to thank my crew, and especially my wife and kids. I've been pretty grumpy since we haven't won in six months. We needed this one - I was beginning to think I didn't have it anymore."
Starting from eighth position, Green spent the early laps mired in traffic. It wasn't until lap 20 that the Wallkill, N.Y. talent broke into the top three. Once he could see the leader, Green was on a mission.
"I was just trying to finish early in the race," he reflected. "The year has gotten off to such a terrible start I would have been happy just to get a top five. Once I got into third, I thought I had a chance to win it."
With nine laps left, Green used the high line to power his Precision-powered Teo-Pro No. 69 around Jeremy Markle for the runner up spot. Then set his sights on race leader Tom Hindley.
In search of his first Accord win since 1999, Hindley had dominated the race from his front row starting spot. The determined Fair Oaks, N.Y. hotshoe was no match for Green in the late stages of the event, however.
By lap 25, the near straightaway gap between the leaders was erased. Green made a run to the inside on lap 26, but Hindley closed the door entering turn three. Finally, with two laps remaining, Hindley slipped high in turn one, opening the door for Green, who took over the lead with a textbook inside move.
"I could see him (Hindley) start to slide," Green said. "It was getting pretty slippery out there at the end, but my car was sticking to the bottom. My brother Dave made a lot of changes before the feature because we were a little off in the heat. The car was really good."
For Hindley, the second place finish was his best of the season.
"I couldn't keep it tight getting in," Hindley said. "It was pretty much the same for the whole race - Robbie was just fast. He got under me once and I kind of chopped him in three. The next time I saw him under me I gave him the room."
Still, the longtime Accord/Orange County regular was content with second.
"It was a good run. What's the sense of wrecking? He had a better car - I'll take the thousand bucks for second."
Rich Ricci, Jr. authored an impressive charge in the final laps for third, extending his point lead. Jeremy Markle of Port Jervis, N.Y. capped off a solid night with a fourth place effort, just ahead of Jimmy Johnson in another consistent run.
30 358 Modifieds signed into the pit area - a regular season Friday night record since the track's reopening on July 4, 1992.
Bill Papula, a second grade teacher at Florida, N.Y.'s Golden Hill Elementary, took the DIRT Sportsman division to school, leading wire to wire in the 25-lap main.
Papula started from the pole with his Peerless Boilers No. 1, but the victory was far from easy. In his best performance of the season, Harry Baldwin pressured Papula for the entire distance, while a slew of caution flags - including one final yellow on lap 23 - kept the field within striking distance.
"I kept telling myself to slow down," Papula, of Matamoras, Pa. quipped. "There was a good groove on the bottom that had a lot of bite. If you got out of that, you'd be out to lunch. I had to keep myself calm and stay down, because I heard Harry there the whole time."
Papula, who picked up his second career Accord victory, gave credit to Baldwin.
"Harry raced me clean and hard. I thank him for that - that's how it should be."
Baldwin, of Willow, N.Y. finished a season high second, just ahead of defending champion Jeff Hulseapple, David Towns and Keith Still.
It didn't take long for Big Al Cheney to adapt to the tight confines of Accord Speedway. In just his fifth start at the quarter mile oval, the New Egypt (N.J.) Speedway regular from Cranbury, N.J. raced to a dominant win in the 20-lap Pro Stock main.
Cheney raced by early leader Butch Winnie, then powered away for the win.
Dickie Colesanti was second, followed by Butch Winnie, a returning Bill Liese and Steve Murray.
After exploding an engine at Utica-Rome (N.Y.) Speedway on July 20, Jeremy Quick returned to his home track with a "bone stock" 1200cc powerplant and drove to his second win of the year in the 20-lap Mini Sprint feature.
Quick and Peter Sindt engaged in a crowd pleasing battle for the lead during the race's mid stages before Quick took command for good on lap 15.
Sindt held on for second, ahead of Duane Koskey, Rob Scaccio and teenager Marshall Gogg.
In a competitive 15-lap Pure Stock main, Mike Deyo of New Windsor, N.Y. edged Joe Narok for his first victory of the season. Deyo and Narok engaged in a fierce side by side battle for ten laps before Narok slid wide on the final lap, allowing Deyo to regain sole possession of the top spot in the bottom groove.
Narok was second, with Jay Smalley, Joe Judge and Pat Zimmer in tow.
The popular ACOT group was on hand with both an off track display and on track exhibition, providing a glimpse into auto racing's storied history.
Racing resumes at the Action Track on August 1 with a jam-packed racing program that includes double points for the 358 Modifieds, double Sportsman features and a full show of Pro Stocks, Pure Stocks and Mini Sprints. Gates open at 4:30 p.m. with hot laps at 6:15 p.m. and racing at 7 p.m. For more information, contact the speedway office at (845) 626-3478 or check out the website: www.accordspeedway.com.
Notable: Mike Ricci saw a promising evening come to an end on lap 12 of the 358 Modified main with a broken axle. His crew changed the axle and Ricci returned to the race two laps down before suffering a flat tire on lap 21 and calling it a night. Ricci said the incident probably cost him a shot at the coveted $5,000 point title...
Two of Bill Papula's biggest fans were not in attendance. His wife Michelle was at home with their newborn son Zane, who entered the world on July 10...
The wildest ride of the night was taken by Scott Ferrier. After contact with Ken Baker, Ferrier rode the length of the frontstretch on the inside jersey barrier before his Teo-Pro car landed on its nose in turn one. He packed up and left prior to the consi...
Mike Van Pelt saw a top three finish in the Sportsman feature slip away when the right rear tire lost air late in the going. Van Pelt nursed the car home ninth...
After a hard crash on July 19 at Orange County, Jesse Marks and his crew worked all week to repair the No. J17 Sportsman. Marks made his first start of the year at Accord to shake the car down, taking advantage of a non-point night at the five-eighths mile oval on Saturday to compete at the Ulster County oval just 15 minutes from his Napanoch, N.Y. home...
Nicole Tracy's up and down Sportsman rookie season continued. Tracy, battling a severe push, clipped Mike Van Pelt on lap 1 and made hard contact with the backstretch wall before flipping onto her roof, where she was tagged by Jim Fugel and Kevin Duryea. Tracy's No. 86 sustained mostly sheet metal damage and the Danbury, Conn. teenager walked away uninjured...
358 Modified Feature Finish: Robbie Green, Tom Hindley, Rich Ricci, Jr., Jeremy Markle, Jimmy Johnson, Barry Davis, Kirk Horton, Donnie Elliott, Andy Bachetti, Joe Winne, Jr., Fred Newkirk, Donnie Wilson, Tony Kawalchuk, Jimmy Halpin, Hank Goranson, Mike Ricci, Mark Pullen, Jim Introne, Phil Recchio.
Did Not Qualify: Ryan Stortini, Will Robinson, Bob Gaetenello, John Sanders, Allen Shiffler, Ken Baker, Bob Cancellieri, Ken McGuire, Scott Ferrier, Mike Murphy.
DIRT Sportsman Feature Finish: Bill Papula, Harry Baldwin, Jeff Hulseapple, David Towns, Keith Still, Kevin Duryea, Jay Haviland, Tom Tomasko, Mike Van Pelt, Poover Daley, Dave Coene, Chris Grispin, Jim Fugel, Bill Van Inwegen, Tommy Laner, Larry Badaracco, Henry Sherman, Howard Jarvis, Jesse Marks, Nicole Tracy.
Did Not Qualify: Dan Creeden, L.D. Smith, Ray See, Paul Minton, T.J. Pasko, Chris Garrity.
Pro Stock Feature Finish: Al Cheney, Rich Colesanti, Butch Winnie, Bill Liese, Steve Murray, Noel Osborne, Lenny Brice, Rob Johnson, Chris Bottge, John Roese, Chrissy Rider, Mike Manetta, Tom Kuck, Ron Rion, Jerry Craig, Dave Colwell, Jimmy Langenback, Lenny Helmich, George Christiana.
Did Not Qualify: Terry O'Brien, Ken Hartshorn.
Mini Sprint Feature Finish: Jeremy Quick, Peter Sindt, Duane Koskey, Rob Scaccio, Marshall Gogg, Rich Sennett, Ed Burgess, John Parete, Marc DuPuis, Todd Lapp, John Matrafailo, Kyle Lucas, Kevin Kondelka, Clint Roehrs, Mark Rogers, Gary Reyer, Randy Caruso, Stephen LaPine.
Did Not Start: Bob Lynt.
Pure Stock Feature Finish: Mike Deyo, Joe Narok, Jay Smalley, Joe Judge, Pat Zimmer, William Landrum, Scott Kilmer, Emerson Cargain, Sharon Byrne, Greg Meola, Randy Myers, Kevin Krusewski, Jim Finnegan, Jim Hewitt, James Goetschius, Shannon Cole, Mike DuBois, Joe DiStefano, Chris Meola, Bert Long.
Did Not Start: Charlie Rose, Paul Jordan