EXCELL EXCELS WITH PARTS PLUS/GENNY LIGHT NIGHT 358-MODIFIED VICTORY
AT THE NEW AFTON SPEEDWAY
AFTON, NY - Aaron Excell was a man on a mission as the East Hamilton driver charged into the lead on lap 10 of the 30-lap DIRT 358-Modified feature and dominated the field for his second win of the 2003 season on Parts Plus/Genny Light Night at The New Afton Speedway. Excell pocketed the $1,300 winner's check as well as a spot in the Victoria 200 All-Star Race October 4th at Fulton Speedway.
Butch Klinger of Walton scored his second win of the season in the DIRT Sportsman feature, Pete Gulick from Binghamton won his fifth Pro Stock main event, Buck Mills of Willet claimed his own $100 bounty with win number 11 in the Pure Stock ranks and Cooperstown's Ken Hotaling drove his to ninth 4-Cylinder Stock feature win. Janet Jordan closed out the night with the checkered flag in the 4-Cylinder Stock Powder Puff race.
Pat Dabiere brought the DIRT 358-Modifieds to the green flag for the 30-lap feature and he led the first circuit around the quick 4/10-mile clay, but he gave way to Jeff Rudalavage one lap later. Rudalavage was in command with Brian Malcolm his early challenger as Excell charged from his 11th starting spot into third place after a pair of lap three restarts. J.R. Hurlburt made a strong early run into fourth place after starting in the 13th position.
On a lap 10 restart, Excell got the jump on Rudalavage and grabbed the lead for good. Rudalavage gave chase, but he retired to the pits on lap 13 with mechanical problems. With a comfortable lead, Excell was on cruise control while Hurlburt had his hands full with J.R. Crouse as these two drivers battled for the runner-up spot.
By lap 15, points leader Jeremy Smith had moved into fourth place after narrowly averting disaster twice. Contact in the opening laps saw Smith check-up to avoid the spinning Colin Jackson in Turn Two and nearly clipping one of the uke tires. A few laps later, something went awry in the Tony Pepicelli machine on the backstretch. Pepicelli made an aburpt left turn in front of Smith and came to a halt. Smith hit the brakes and miraculously drove around Pepicelli's stopped car without making contact.
The final restart came on lap 22 and Excell again put some distance between himself, Hurlburt and Crouse. Excell would take the checkered flag a few car-lengths ahead of Hurlburt as Crouse, Smith and Jim Potts rounded out the top five. For Smith, it was his 13th top-five finish (including two wins) in 14 points races and he has clinched the 2003 DIRT 358-Modified Track Championship while Potts completed his best run of the season.
Klinger started on the pole for the 20-lap DIRT Sportsman main event and was never seriously challenged. Klinger was in the process of lapping seventh-place runner Billy Spoonhower as the checkered flag flew in a feature slowed just once by caution on lap two. In victory lane, Klinger acknowledged some advice given to him by Tim Clemons one week early. "All I can say is I wish I made those changes earlier," Klinger said without divulging what Clemons told him. Whatever it was, Klinger was much faster. He took second to Clemons one week earlier and now has found victory lane for the second time.
Tom Perrego was a distant second with Jessica Zemken, points leader Jamie Christian and Rick Amo rounding out the top five.
With his fourth place run, Christian clinched the 2003 DIRT Sportsman Track Championship at The New Afton Speedway.
Gulick also started on the pole after three weeks of misfortune and he pulled away early as this 20-lap feature was only slowed twice by caution flags. With Gulick nervously clicking off laps, and hoping nothing would go wrong, the battle for second place was the focus of the fans' attention. Bob Mills was running strong in the runner-up spot until his engine blew on lap 10 and he was forced into the pits. That put Pat Nolan in second place, but his stay was short and points leader Kenny Hammond took the spot on the lap 12 restart.
Hammond could not keep pace with Gulick either and settled for a second place finish. Nolan, Jason Schlafer and Ray Taylor rounded out the top five as the checkered flag flew.
Mills grabbed the lead from polesitter Paul Harrington on the opening lap of the 15-lap Pure Stock main event, but he could not pull away from the determined bounty hunter. Harrington did lose some ground as he had his hands full with Dick Stark. At the end of lap 12, the only caution flag flew after Harrington spun coming out of Turn Four. Stark momentarily got sideways as well, but he kept moving forward to take the runner-up spot. The lap counter went to 13 as Mills had already crossed the start-finish line.
On the restart, Mills tried to shake Stark, but the Lansing driver stayed close. At the checkered flag, Mills posted a one car-length win with Stark finishing second for the third time this season by a car-length or less. Charlie Holcomb, Gene Brianard and Harrington completed the top five.
In the 15-lap 4-Cylinder Stock main, polesitter Jack Hill led the first lap. Hotaling powered his way to the front on a lap two restart and pulled away for his ninth win.
Skip Pickwick took second place after a spirited battled with Ron Nolan. Ironically, Nolan had problems with his car and found a ride in Pickwick's back-up car for the feature. Nolan posted a season-best third-place run as Jim Hotaling bested Hill for fourth.
This Friday, Simmons MHR will sponsor the Championship Sizzler program at The New Afton Speedway. The DIRT 358-Modifieds and DIRT Sportsman will battle in their final points race of the 2003 season with the track champions crowned at the end of their respective features. There will also be exciting Pro Stocks, Pure Stocks and 4-Cylinder Stocks action on tap as these drivers jockey for position one final time before their championship night September 5th. There will be a number of prizes giving away during the night, including a Grandstand Season Pass for the 2004 season at The New Afton Speedway. Gates will open at 5 p.m. with all the racing action getting underway at 7:15 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 AUGUST 22, 2003
DIRT 358 MODIFIEDS (30 laps): 1. AARON EXCELL; 2. J.R. Hurlburt; 3. J.R. Crouse; 4. Jeremy Smith; 5. Jim Potts; 6. Pat Dabiere; 7. Dave Barrows; 8. Ed Harris; 9. Ben Bushaw; 10. Rich Price; 11. Dustin Purdy; 12. Steve Walsh; 13. Jeff Rudalavage; 14. Colin Jackson; 15. Tony Pepicelli; 16. Brian Malcolm; 17. Bob Hamm, Jr.; 18. Dan Vauter.
Heat winners: Rudalavage; Smith, Excell.
DIRT SPORTSMAN (20 laps): 1. BUTCH KLINGER; 2. Tom Perrego; 3. Jessica Zemken; 4. Jamie Christian; 5. Rick Amo; 6. Tim French; 7. Billy Spoonhower; 8. Craig Pope; 9. Steve Furlin; 10. Mark Majewski; 11. Olin Renwick; 12. Josh Pieniazek; 13. Jeremy Shaw.
Heat winners: Perrego, Zemken.
PRO STOCKS (20 laps): 1. PETE GULICK; 2. Kenny Hammond; 3. Pat Nolan; 4. Jason Schlafer; 5. Ray Taylor; 6. Chad Hyzer; 7. Randy Newell; 8. Bob Mills; 9. Todd Hurlburt.
Heat winner: Gulick.
PURE STOCKS (15 laps): 1. BUCK MILLS; 2. Dick Stark; 3. Charlie Holcomb; 4, Gene Brainard; 5. Paul Harrington; 6. Jon Dale Howey; 7. Erik Knudson. DNS-Brandon Clapperton.
Heat winner: Harrington.
4-CYLINDER STOCKS (15 laps): 1. KEN HOTALING; 2. Skip Pickwick; 3. Ron Nolan; 4. Jim Hotaling; 5. Jack Hill; 6. Jeff Leslie; 7. Josh Taylor; 8. Ken Carson III. Heat winners: K. Hotaling.