Last lap pass hands Ricci Jr. Accord victory
by Brett Deyo
ACCORD, NY (Sept. 15, 2000) — Rich Ricci Jr. of New Paltz, NY inherited the Len and Jo's Pizza Restaurant 25-lap 358 Modified feature Friday night at Accord Speedway.
Ricci, after working patiently through traffic, took over the lead on the final lap when leader Doug Tyler Jr. slid a little too high in turn two and raced to the line for his third consecutive victory.
Joe Winne raced into the lead on the first lap with the No. 6, as Tyler quickly made the move into second spot, right on Winne's rear bumper. The lead duo, running the extreme high side of the track, began to distance themselves from the third place battle, opening up a full straightaway edge by the fifth circuit.
On the eighth lap, Winne and Tyler encountered lapped traffic, but safely negotiated the slower machines by the tenth lap, when Scott Kurtzner and Burt Irwin Jr. spun in the first corner. Unfortunately, Winne was unable to slow down in time for the melee, and plowed into the back of Irwin's car under the caution flag, severely damaging both cars, and handing Tyler the lead. During the caution period, Ricci ducked into the infield to change a flat tire, and returned without losing a lap.
Tyler moved back into the lead when the race restarted, while the second place battle began to heat up between Henry Sherman and Jeremy Markle. Each lap, Markle would look to the inside of Sherman through the turns on the inside groove, but Sherman maintained the advantage on the outside. Markle pulled up even with Sherman, but the yellow flag waved for a spinning Don Goodrich on the 14th lap.
Again it was Tyler pulling away on the restart, while the second place battle became a three car race, with Sherman, Markle and Chris Moore dicing for the spot. With every passing lap, Sherman moved his No. 5 higher on the track, giving Markle and Moore the room to get inside, but neither could muster up the power to make the pass.
On the nineteenth circuit, Mark Pullen was assisted into the frontstretch wall, necessitating another caution flag, and once again bringing the field to Tyler's rear bumper. Tyler, though, pulled out in front again, while Rich Ricci Jr. slipped past Markle into third, then set his sights on Sherman.
With two laps to go, the caution flag flew for Chris Moore in turn one, setting up a green, white, checker sprint. Tyler got a good jump on the restart, while Sherman got into the first turn way too high, allowing Ricci to sneak into second, while Markle attempted to follow Ricci through on the inside groove. However, Sherman re-entered the racing groove and turned Markle's No. 79 hard into the backstretch wall, setting up yet another restart and ending the 20-year old Markle's fine run.
Tyler now led Ricci to the green flag, and Ricci immediately looked low, but Tyler maintained the lead as the two cars raced under the white flag. Then, heading into turn one, Tyler slid way out against the wall into the loose stuff, and Ricci made his move, powering to the inside and racing back to the checkered flag for his fifth win of the season. The win also allowed him to clinch the 2000 Accord Speedway 358 Modified Championship.
"I just stayed inside and saw the No. 97T (Tyler) going higher and higher. Then, on the last lap, he just went too high and I just shot through the inside for the win," commented Ricci, who was also the 2000 Lebanon Valley Modified Champion. "After I went in for the tire change when I got the flat in the middle of the race (lap 10), the car ran good."
Tyler finished a disappointing second in the No. 97T, while Orange County Fair Speedway regular Jeremy Matthies of Germantown, NY, aboard his No. 99, finished a strong third. Sherman and Bob Geetanello rounded out the top five.
Jimmy Winchell of Stone Ridge, NY won the 20-lap DIRT Sportsman feature in dominating fashion for his third checkered of the season. The win allowed Winchell to pick up the 2000 Accord Speedway DIRT Sportsman Championship, the first career championship for the personable driver.
Jim Fugel led the charge early on from his front row starting position, but a lap one pile up that collected the other championship contender, Jimmy Johnson, slowed the action. Fugel held on up front for two more laps before the eighth starting Winchell powered by into the top spot in the fourth turn.
One final caution on the fourth lap bunched the field, but it was all Winchell from that moment on, as he drove his No. 17 away from the field, taking the checkered with a full straightaway advantage on the field. "I really wanted this," quipped Winchell. "The points have been so close all year, and it came down to Jimmy Johnson having bad luck tonight."
Jeff Hulseapple put forth a strong late race charge in his S & J Towing No. 14, but ran out of time and settled for second spot, ahead of Scott Ferrier, Harry Baldwin, and Glenn Daley.
In Street Stock action, Bill Liese of Port Ewen, NY won a very exciting 20-lap feature. Liese inherited the lead in the final corner when a lapped car took Elwood Hewitt, who had led from the outset, out to the wall, allowing Liese to dive to the inside. He crossed the line sideways for the win, his second of the year, which propelled him to the Street Stock Championship after a season long fight with Rich Dymond.
After the race, Liese made a surprising announcement in victory lane. "This is the last race I'm going to run," he said. "As of right now, I'm retiring. I've always wanted to go out on top and now is the time."
Hewitt ended up second after losing the race on the final corner, followed by Noel Osborne, and George Christiana. Rich Dymond, who entered the night only 4 points behind Liese, had his championship hopes pretty much extinguished when he was involved in a first lap pile up before rebounding to a fifth place finish.
George Miles of Lakeville, CT won the heldover 25-lap, $150-to-win Strictly Stock championship race, passing George Decker with two laps to go for the win. Decker was second, followed by Bobby Brown, Scott Hornbeck, and Scott Kilmer.
In the regular 10-lap Strictly Stock feature, Jason Smalley of Poughquage, NY picked up his first ever victory, leading from green to checker. George Decker was second, ahead of Bobby Brown, Buck Dunning, and George Miles.
Scott Kilmer of Millerton, NY was declared 2000 Accord Speedway Strictly Stock champion after a consistent year. It was Kilmer's first ever Accord Speedway points title.
Dan and Karen Markle from Len and Jo's Pizza Restaurant sponsored a special 358 Modified/DIRT Sportsman Dash For Cash, with Jeff Hulseapple picking up the $100 victory in a Sportsman over Doug Tyler Jr., Joe Winne, and Jim Fugel. Also, all four feature winners were given an extra $50 courtesy of Len and Jo's.
RESULTS
358 MODIFIED
Feature - Rich Ricci Jr., Doug Tyler Jr., Jeremy Matthies, Henry Sherman, Bob Geetanello, Chris Moore, Jeremy Markle, Don Goodrich, Mark Pullen, Scott Kurtzner, Burt Irwin Jr., Joe Winne.
DIRT SPORTSMAN
Feature - Jim Winchell, Jeff Hulseapple, Scott Ferrier, Harry Baldwin, Glenn Daley, Don Johnson, Randy Banks Jr., Rich Hansen, Frank Christiano, Chuck Thomaschek, Brian Cobb, Frank Doty, Jimmy Johnson, Jim Fugel.
STREET STOCK
Feature - Bill Liese, Elwood Hewitt, Noel Osborne, George Christiana, Rich Dymond, Ray See Jr., Ron Jablonka, Mike Tiani, Gene Temple, Howie Murphy, Rob Hoar, John Rood, Larry Temple, Steve Williams, Kenny Moulton, Wayne Walker.
STRICTLY STOCK
Heldover Feature - George Miles, George Decker, Bob Brown, Scott Hornbeck, Scott Kilmer, Ken Hulse, Doug Chase, Charlie Rose Jr., Bill Rion, Jason Smalley.
Feature - Jason Smalley, George Decker, Bob Brown, Buck Dunning, George Miles, Roger Buley, Scott Hornbeck, Donnie Mitchell, Kenny Hopper, Sharon Byrne, Lars Petri, Kim Markle, Scott Kilmer, Bill Rion, Jim Hopper, Charlie Rose, Ken Hulse.