GIBBS, CHRISTIAN, HAMMOND, MILLS AND HOTALING GRAB OPENING NIGHT AFTON WINS
AFTON - In front of the biggest crowd at The New Afton Speedway in many years, a combination of new and old faces appeared in victory lane at the end of a big opening night racing program. Mitch Gibbs from North Norwich took the checkered flag in the DIRT 358 Modifieds, defending track champion Buck Mills of Willet was the Pure Stock winner and Afton regular Ken Hotaling from Cooperstown found himself in 4-Cylinder Stock victory lane. The new faces were West Winfield's Jamie Christian, who won the DIRT Sportsman main event and first-time Pro Stock feature winner Kenny Hammond of Speedsville.
In the 30-lap 358 Modified feature, polesitter Kevin Jordan and Tony Ross brought the 26-car field to head flagger Dick Sweet's green flag while Gibbs started back in the seventh spot. All feature line-ups were heads-up from the heat race results.
Jordan grabbed the early advantage with Ross, defending track champion Jeff Rudalavage, J.R. Hurlburt and Russell Hendrickson, Jr. rounding out the top five, but Gibbs at worked his way into the fourth by the time the first caution flag waved on lap 6. On the restart, Gibbs moved past Rudalavage for third as Jordan and Ross still set the pace.
On a lap 11 restart, Jordan stayed at the point, but Gibbs and Rudalavage both slid past Ross while Aaron Excell moved into a challenging fifth place position. Steve Davis brought out the caution flag on lap 14 when he spun in turn four and that was the break Gibbs was looking for. On the final double-wide restart, Gibbs used the outside groove to powered around Jordan for the lead with Rudalavage, Excell and Ross in tow.
As Gibbs began to pull away, some of his challengers began to experience problems. Ross experienced mechanical problems on lap 17 and would retire for the night, he finished 16th. Rudalavage had a tire go down on lap 18 and would go into the pits under caution. He would return to the action and worked his way into sixth place finish at the checkered flag. Two laps later, Jordan suffered a flat tire as well while Hendrickson went to the pits. They would finish 11th and 12th respectively.
Back at the front of the pack, Gibbs had a new challenger in Excell, but the Nice-N-Easy 2G machine would continue to pull away over the final 10 laps to secure the victory. Excell posted a solid second place finish while Jeremy Smith quietly worked his way from a 10th starting spot into third place spot at the checkered flag. Bob Hamm. Jr. picked his way into fourth place and Hurlburt remained consistent to take fifth place.
The 20-lap DIRT Sportsman Modified feature was one of the best races of the night as Christian had his hands full with 17-year-old Jessica Zemken the entire race. Christian got the advantage when the green flag flew and beat polesitter Zemken through turns one and two to lead the event from flag-to-flag with Paul Carey, Tim French and Tom Perrego completing the top five after one lap.
Zemken tapped Christian rear bumper a couple of times so he knew she was right there, but she could never find a route high or low to complete a pass and settled for second place after a successful return to The New Afton Speedway. Carey and French had a nice battle for the third spot with French unable to move around Carey to gain the position.
Meanwhile, the action was hot and heavy for fifth as Rick Amo took the position form Perrego on lap four as Afton regulars Arnie Slade, Butch Klinger and Steve Anderson were all joining the fray. Anderson saw his run end with mechanical problems on lap 12. Slade moved into the fifth spot on the lap 12 restart, but both Perrego and Klinger would get by the 22B on lap 17.
At the checkered flag, it was Christian, Zemken, Carey, French and Perrego.
Hammond started on the outside pole and quickly grabbed the lead from Wade Decker in the 20-lap Pro Stock main event and have the advantage as Pete Gulick moved into the runner-up spot at the completion of lap one. Wade Decker, Chad Hyzer and Denny Smith moved into the top five.
Gulick took the point on a lap two restart with Hammond and Decker in tow, while Smith moved into fourth place and Hyzer slipped to fifth. Two laps later, Pat Noaln moved around Hyzer and into the top five.
Hammond retook the lead for good on a lap six with Gulick, Smith Decker and Nolan close behind. The final restart came three laps later after Aaron Hacker got into the back of Todd Hurlburt's car and spun him around in turn two. Hacker was sent to the rear by Dick Sweet while Hurlburt worked his way from the back to finish sixth while Hacker took ninth at the checkered flag.
Hammond maintained his line the final 11 circuits for his first feature win with Gulick took second after being unable to find a passing lane. Wade Decker and Mike Decker both moved around Smith on the lap nine restart and those three would hold their third, fourth and fifth spots at the checkered flag.
There was great action in the 15-lap Pure Stock feature, as Jones took the lead from polesitter Mills at the drop of the green flag. The rookie pure stock driver kept the defensing track chamion at bay for the first five circuits with Charlie Holcomb, Paul Harrington, Brother Bob Stilson and John Cooper, Jr. exchanging top five positions.
Mills took over the top spot on a lap six restart and held the point for two circuits over Jones, Harrington, Cooper and Stilson as Holcomb fell back and brought out the caution on lap eight with a flat tire.
On the restart, it was Jones going back in front of Mills while Copper got past Harrington for third.
The final pass came under green as Mills blasted past Jones on lap 14 and opened his title defense successfully. Jones came across the line in second place as Cooper, Harrington and Brother Bob rounded out the top five.
Hotaling proved that persistence and a little luck can go a long way in a topsy-turvy 15-lap 4-Cylinder Stock feature.
Polesitter Harold Humphrey was the dominant car as he led the the first 14 laps with George Crippen a solid second. Hotaling moved into third place on lap three with Rick Angle and Ken Carson, Jr. rounding out the top five.
The only caution-free feature of the night saw Humphrey pulling away and Crippen comfortably in the runner-up spot as the white flag flew. Crippen's car began smoking, so slowed slightly and Humphrey suddenly came to a halt on the backstretch. Hotaling moved around both sputtering cars and found himself easily grabbing the checkered flag.
Crippen had enough left to win the dash for second place with Carson, Angle and Ron Cumming rounding out the top five.
This Friday night will be another great five-star racing program with the DIRT 358 Modifieds, DIRT Sportsman, Pro Stocks, Pure Stocks and 4-Cylinder Stocks. The gates will open at 5 p.m. with the first green flag to fly at 7:30 p.m.
If you have any questions, you may call the speedway office at 607-657-8018; the track at 607-639-1966 or you may log on to The New Afton Speedway website at www.thenewaftonspeedway.com. The New Afton Speedway is located on the Afton Fairgrounds off of Interstate 88, Exit 7, on Route 41.
FEATURE RESULTS FROM APRIL 25, 2003
DIRT 358 MODIFIEDS (30 laps): 1. MITCH GIBBS; 2. Aaron Excell; 3. Jeremy Smith; 4. Bob Hamm, Jr.; 5. J.R. Hurlburt; 6. Jeff Rudalavage; 7. Brian Malcolm; 8. Ray Zemken; 9. Steve Davis; 10. Chris Van Buren; 11. Kevin Jordan; 12. Russell Hendrickson, Jr.; 13. Eric Mack; 14. Steve Walsh; 15. Willy Decker; 16. Tony Ross; 17. Rich Price; 18. Jim Introne; 19. Colin Jackson; 20. Dustin Purdy; 21. Darrin Schuler; 22. Dan Vauter; 23. Don Hart, Jr.; 24. Andy Smith; 25. John Lutes. DNS - Ben Bushaw. Heat winners: Jordan, Ross, Hurlburt.
DIRT SPORTSMAN (20 laps): 1. JAMIE CHRISTIAN; 2. Jessica Zemken; 3. Paul Carey; 4. Tim French; 5. Tom Perrego; 6. Butch Klinger; 7. Arnie Slade; 8. Darren Keyser; 9. Craig Pope; 10. Shaun Walker; 11. Rick Amo; 12. Jeremy Shaw; 13. Steve Anderson; 14. Jeremy Vunk. DNS - Rodney Hart, Michael Trautschold, car # 0. Heat winners: Zemken, Christian.
PRO STOCKS (20 laps): 1. KENNY HAMMOND; 2. Pete Gulick; 3. Wade Decker; 4. Mike Decker; 5. Denny Smith; 6. Todd Hurlburt; 7. Pat Nolan; 8. Chad Hyzer; 9. Aaron Hacker; 10. Randy Newell; 11. A.J. Bigsby; 12. Harold Humphrey; 13. Bob Zimmerman, Jr.; 14. Bob Mills; 15. John Satterly; 16. Kurt Decker. Heat winners: Wade Decker, Hammond.
PURE STOCKS (15 laps): 1. BUCK MILLS; 2. Howard Jones; 3. John Cooper, Jr.; 4. Paul Harrington; 5. Brother Bob Stilson; 6. Robert Krascovic; 7.Jodie Proper; 8. Charlie Holcomb; 9. Brandon Clapperton. Heat winner: Mills
4-CYLINDER STOCKS (15 laps): 1. KEN HOTALING; 2. George Crippen; 3. Ken Carson, Jr.; 4. Rick Angle; 5. Jack Hill; 6. Ron Cummings; 7. Jeff Leslie; 8. Harold Humphrey 9. Terry Onyan; 10. Ron Nolan; 11. Kevin Davenport; 12. Skip Pickwick. Heat winners: Humphrey, Crippen