MIKE RICCI AND RICH RICCI, JR. TOP BUSY ACCORD PROGRAM
by Brett Deyo
ACCORD, NY-Last Saturday afternoon, the Ricci brothers turned the Accord Speedway into their personal playground.
Mike Ricci of Rosendale, N.Y. topped the day's regularly scheduled 30-lap 358 Modified main, while younger sibling Rich Ricci, Jr. picked up a victory in the Oct. 25 held over main.
The rain postponed event took the green with 8 laps in the books and former track champ Rick Mill on the point. It took only two laps, however, for Rich Ricci, Jr. to bring his Fall Fittings Olsen mount into contention for the lead.
On the 11th lap, Ricci pulled off a brilliant high-low move in the fourth turn to pull even with Mill at the start-finish line. By the time the battle reached the first turn, he claimed sole possession of the top spot.
Mill momentarily got loose in the exchange, allowing Mike Ricci to slide into the runner up spot.
Several late race cautions bunched the field, but the elder of the brothers was not able to make a serious run for the lead and finished three car lengths back at the checkered.
The $1,500 victory for Rich Ricci, Jr. didn't come easily, however. His 2001 Olsen, equipped with sail panels and a sprint car wing, let off an abundance of steam while in victory lane.
"All the gauges were pegged," Ricci, of New Paltz, N.Y., commented. "We ran a lot of pace laps before the race to run in the track, which didn't help. It just kept getting hotter."
Did the overheating condition hamper Ricci's run for the victory?
"No I don't think so," he stated matter-of-factly. "The motor was laying down a little, but it actually helped me a little bit because the track slicked over."
Mike Ricci settled for second while Mill came out on top of a wild battle for third over Lebanon Valley (N.Y.) regular Sparky Lowe. Nicky Lapp filled out the front five.
The nightcap Brice Discount Beverage event saw Jeremy Markle jump out to the lead on the start, but his time at the front of the field was short lived. He only lasted until turn four when he lost control and spun in front of the field, collecting Alan Shiffler and Keith Shoemaker.
That handed the top spot over to Phil Recchio, who led one lap before Rick Mill powered his CV Machine Troyer to the front of the field.
Mike Ricci and J.R. Heffner were moving forward rapidly, however, and both slipped by Mill on the seventh go-round to take over the top two positions.
Heffner was engaged in a wild battle for second until, on lap 15 he got turned sideways in turn one, collecting Frank Cozze, Rich Ricci, Jr. and Robbie Green.
Somehow, the Averill Park, N.Y. chauffeur maintained forward motion and continued on in the runner up position, while the other competitors fell in at the rear of the field.
Heffner was able to run down Ricci with ten laps remaining, but lapped traffic severely hindered his run for the lead.
As a result, Ricci picked up his sixth Accord triumph of the season, worth $1,500.
"The car was fast in this one," Ricci, 38, said. "We made some changes in the first race that just didn't work like I had hoped, so we went back to something more basic for the second one."
Still, lapped traffic posed a challenge for Ricci's Gen-Plus Teo-Pro car in the race's final laps.
"Lapped traffic is always tough," he noted. "When you come up on a lot of these guys, they are racing for position, too, so they're pretty tough to get by."
Returning after a week off to compete at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway in the annual Octoberfest, Heffner continued his late season hot streak with a second place finish.
Frank Cozze of Wind Gap, Pa. rallied for third in Craig "Hollywood" Mitchell's PMC No. 93X despite a pair of early race incidents.
Rick Mill was fourth and Robbie Green completed the front five.
25 cars entered the program, with heat race victories going to J.R. Heffner, Mike Ricci and Phil Recchio. Tony Kawalchuk topped the consolation.
In a wild 25-lap DIRT Sportsman feature, veteran Rich Coons of Montgomery, N.Y. visited victory lane in his first Accord start of the season.
Coons, an Orange County (N.Y.) Fair Speedway regular, inherited the lead just four laps from the finish after a bizarre sequence of events took the leaders from contention.
Newcomer David Towns was on the move early, charging from deep in the pack to the lead by the fifth lap. Towns appeared to have the race in his grasp, pulling away with ease on each of the event's numerous restarts. However, on lap 21, he lost the handle on his No. 6 in the first turn, handing the lead to multi time winner Jim Winchell.
His time in front when the race went green only lasted until the turn one when second-running Chris Grispin and Winchell made contact and both spun.
That put Coons' Bob's Gun Exchange No. 27 at the front of the field. He then pulled away for the $600 triumph.
Chuck Thomaschek ended up second, ahead of Joe Worner in a career best third place run. Towns rebounded for fourth and Ted Layton rounded out the top five.
Jim Langenback made an infrequent appearance at the speedway and it paid off with a win in the 20-lap Pro Stock feature. Langenback took advantage of a bobble by Tom Kuck on a 13th lap restart, then fought off a late race charge by the Mahopac, N.Y. driver for the win.
Kuck was forced to settle for a solid second, with George Christiana, Norbert Bracklow and Rob Johnson in tow.
For the first time in his career, Go Kart graduate Jeremy Quick triumphed in the 15-lap 1200cc Mini Sprint feature. Quick, of Kerhonkson, N.Y., pulled off a stunning last lap pass of Steven Lapine for the hard earned triumph, breaking a long streak of runner up finishes for the enthusiastic young driver.
Lapine was a disappointing second, ahead of Rich Sennett, John Moore and Geoff Quackenbush.
Joe Narok took over the lead on the final circuit to win the 15-lap Pure Stock feature. Mike Tholin, in his first start at the speedway, came home second. Greg Meola, Shawn "Bam Bam" Maher and Pat Zimmer completed the front five.
Ken Hotaling bested both the heldover and regularly scheduled 12-lap Four Cylinder Mini Stock features while Jeff Richardson did the same in the twin 12-lap Vintage Modified mains.
November Notes: The first November event in recent memory was certainly a success, with 25 358 Modifieds, 17 DIRT Sportsman, 22 Pro Stocks, 17 Mini Sprints, 23 Pure Stocks, 9 Four Cylinders and 10 Vintage Modifieds in attendance. A sizable crowd occupied the grandstand on a warm, sunny afternoon....
It was a profitable day for Mike Ricci, who earned $2,300 for his first and second place runs in the two 358 Modified mains...
David Towns' first trip to the Big A in seventeen years nearly resulted in a victory. His Troyer Four Link Coil combination performed well on the tight bullring. The Rotterdam, N.Y. resident, who competes regularly at the Fonda (N.Y.) Speedway, took the blame for the spin that cost him a Sportsman victory "I just caught a rut in the turn wrong and spun...It's disappointing, but I did it myself." Towns indicated that he may be a regular in '03...
The partnership between Frank Cozze and Craig Mitchell got off to a good start with a third place run. Cozze competed in Mitchell's PMC car that he campaigned in the big-block Modified division at OCFS equipped with an RGP small-block power plant. Mitchell said the car owner role was a little difficult to watch. "I was pretty nervous," he joked. "It's a lot different to watch." Cozze will be back for the remaining two events...
16-year old Geoff Quackenbush made his first start in the Mini Sprint division and finished up fifth. The young driver from Vernon, N.J. competed in '02 at the Lake Moc-A-Tek Speedway in the 250cc Micro Sprint division, and the experience paid off in his first run in father Darrell's 1200cc car...
Jim Fugel competed at Accord for the first time since June and finished seventh in the Sportsman feature...
Upstart Greentown, Pa. competitor Alan Shiffler has made a solid improvement in since his first start at the oval on Sept 13 in a Kneisel 358 Mod. Shiffler ended up a solid eighth in the first event, but was collected in a first lap melee in the nightcap feature...
The track crew did a masterful job, producing a dust-free, multi-grooved surface in the warm daytime conditions...
Racing at the Number One Action Track resumes on Saturday, November 16 with a full program of 358 Modifieds, Sportsman, Pro Stocks, Pure Stocks, Mini Sprints and Four Cylinders.
Gates open at 10:30 a.m. with hot laps at 12:30 p.m. and racing at 2 p.m.
The season comes to a conclusion on Saturday, November 30. It will be a full program headed up by the first annual Turkey Chase 100 for the 358 Modifieds paying $3,000 to the winner.
The event will be divided up into four 25-lap segments with the overall finishing order set by a point system. All other divisions will be in competition with increased winner's shares.
For more information, contact the track office at (845) 626-3478 or check out the official website at www.accordspeedway.com.
Heldover 358 Modified Feature Finish: Rich Ricci, Jr., Mike Ricci, Rick Mill, Sparky Lowe, Nicky Lapp, Barry Davis, Dom Roselli, Alan Shiffler, Jeremy Markle, Bruce Leote, Phil Recchio, Keith Shoemaker, Robbie Green, Bert Poland, Chic Chandler, C.V. Elms, Paul Kinney, Adam Pierson, Larry Hendershot.
358 Modified Feature Finish: Mike Ricci, J.R. Heffner, Frank Cozze, Rick Mill, Robbie Green, Dom Roselli, Phil Recchio, Scott Ferrier, Sparly Lowe, Barry Davis, Tom Perrego, Nicky Lapp, John Lutes, Jr., Dan Vauter, Scott Frack, Rich Ricci, Jr., Tony Kawalchuk, Jeremy Markle, Keith Shoemaker, Alan Shiffler. Did Not Qualify: Chic Chandler, Burt Irwin, Jr., Mark Pullen, Bruce Leote, Mark Johnson.
DIRT Sportsman Feature Finish: Rich Coons, Chuck Thomaschek, Joe Worner, David Towns, Ted Layton, Kevin Duryea, Jimmy Fugel, Jim Winchell, Mike Houghtaling, Don Johnson, Chris Grispin, Jimmy Lord, Jamie Yannone, Bill Van Inwegen, T.J. Fontana, Glenn Daley, Paul Minton, Jr.
Pro Stock Feature Finish: Jim Langenback, Tommy Kuck, George Christiana, Norbert Bracklow, Rob Johnson, Ken Hartshorn, Chris Feola, Jim Hewitt, Erik Yager, Josh Henke, Terry O'Brien, Tom Collins, Ray See, Jr., Butch Winnie, Rich Suitter, Chris Adams, Tommy Lainhart, John Roese, John Rood. Did Not Start: Mike O'Hara, Brad Curry, Ron Jablonka.
Mini Sprint Feature Finish: Jeremy Quick, Steven Lapine, Rich Sennett, John Moore, Darrell Quackenbush, Todd Lapp, Duby Woodruff, Gary Reyer, Ed Vickery, Shea Montgomery, Bobby Lynt, Hank Katz, Jim Johnston, Mark Rogers, Kevin Kondelka.
Pure Stock Feature Finish: Joe Narok, Mike Tholin, Greg Meola, Shawn Maher, Pat Zimmer, William Landrum, Peter Warren, Jay Smalley, Morgan Bernas, Chris Meola, Bert Long, Paul Jordan, Paul Harding, Jim DeFayo, Mike Vigiletti, Kevin Schlossareck, George Miles, Chris Budka, John Hughes, Sharon Byrne, Jimmy Cronk, Lee Gallant.
Four Cylinder Feature Finish: Ken Hotaling, Mike Houghtaling, Ray Houghtaling, Jim Duncan, Eric Andresen, John Clarke, George Van Aiken, Gary O'Donnell.