GIBBS, HART, SCHLAFER, WALKER AND DOOLITTLE
TAKE SPRING CHAMPIONSHIP CHECKERED FLAGS AT AFTON SPEEDWAY
Spring Championship Night brought several new faces into victory lane at Afton Speedway Friday night as double points meant it was time to make a move in the points standings. Veteran driver Mitch Gibbs (Norwich) grabbed the 358-Modified feature; Rodney Hart of Afton won the Sportsman main event; Walton’s Jason Schlafer won the Pro Stock feature; Shawn Walker (Watson) took the checkered flag in the Pure Stocks and Bob Doolittle of Newfield was the 4-cylinder Stock top gun. All the winners, except for Gibbs, visiting Afton Speedway’ s victory lane for the first time in 2002.
Gibbs started sixth in the 30-lap main event for the modifieds and quickly worked his way towards the front as polesitter Steve Walsh took the green flag and set the early pace with Don Hart.
Gibbs quickly moved through the top five and, by lap 4, he had worked his way past Hart and moved into the top spot and covered the field while the best action proved to be for the second spot.
Hart stayed close behind Gibbs for several laps, but pressure was coming from Mike Clapperton and the hard-charging Aaron Excell. Hart began sliding to the high side of the track which allowed Clapperton to move in the runner-spot with Excell, Jeremy Smith and last week’s feature winner Jeff Rudalavage coming on strong.
Clapperton got close to Gibbs thanks to a couple of caution periods, but Gibbs always pulled away on the restart. Excell kept the pressure on Clapperton, but he was caught by Smith in the waning laps .
As Gibbs took the checkered flag, Clapperton had secured second place and Smith finished third. Excell and Rudalavage rounded out the top five as Hart wound up sixth.
Rodney Hart started on the pole and led all 20 laps of the Sportsman main event as the Afton hot-shoe had the set-up on target. The stiffest challenges came from Steve Anderson and Butch Klinger. Anderson rode the back bumper of Hart from lap four through 11 before sliding back to fourth place at the checkered flag. Klinger charged into second place on lap 12 and tried his best to track down the leader over the final eight circuits.
At the checkered flag, it was Hart, Klinger, Chad Cook, Anderson and Steve Davis. Cook worked his way from the back a couple of times after getting caught up in a couple of on-track incidents. Tim French and Chad O’Hara also looked strong, but both were not in the favor of the racing gods and finished farther back.
Schlafer worked hard to get that first feature win as he grabbed the point from his outside pole position. Even though he led all 20 laps in the Pro Stock feature, Schlafer was constantly under attack.
Denny Decker was celebrating his 24th birthday with thought of a feature win as he started sixth. By the time four laps were in the books, Decker is in second place. He got his front tires inside Schlafer in the turns, but the leader never gave him enough of an opening to complete the pass.
While Schlafer and Decker finished 1-2, Steve Cummings grabbed third place while last week’s feature winner Harold Humphrey and the red hot James Cornell rounded out the top five.
The best race of the night was in the Pure Stock ranks as Walker and three-time feature winner Buck Mills waged a great battle for the win in the 15-lap main event. Bob Mills was on the pole, but his car was damaged in an early accident and he finished 12th.
Walker shot his from sixth starting position into the lead on lap two. He kept working the low side of the track while Buck Mills worked the outer cushion. The two diverse lines made the fans cling to the edge of their seats. Mills appeared slip back as the two entered the turns, but he would continue to try the outside pass. Mills finally got around Walker on lap 8 with that outside momentum, but Walker kept digging on the low side.
On lap 13, Mills wiggled in the middle of turns three and four while Walker found some extra traction near the center of the track and shot back in front. Walker held on the final two laps and took the checkered flag with Mills second. Butch Green, Dennis Valentine and Andy Graves rounded out the top five.
The 15-lap 4-Cylinder Stock feature showed that it doesn’t matter how many laps you lead as Doolittle passed Dave Jaindl on the final lap and took the checkered flag after starting 12th.
Jack Hill started on the pole, but a couple of caution flags flew before one lap ever got marked in the books and Ken Hotaling enjoyed shortlived two-lap stay on top. By lap three, Scott Johnson moved to the point, but he could only hold on four circuits.
Jaindl worked through the traffic and powered past Johnson on lap seven with Doolittle, George Crippen, Shawn Mills, Jim Money and Ralph Couzzo, Jr. all in the mix at some point.
Jaindl and Doolittle finally pulled away by a dozen car lengths to settle the win between themselves. Doolittle remained in pursuit over the final five laps until he made his last lap move. He did get out of shape and bumped Jaindl to the wide side of the track, but Jaindl kept control and followed Doolittle under the checkered flag. Doolittle found Jaindl and offered an apology for the contact before heading to victory lane. Both drivers knew it was a great race and they may battle several times this season is over.
This Friday night, kick off your Memorial Day weekend at Afton Speedway with a full slate of 358 Modified, Sportsman, Pro Stock, Pure Stock and 4-Cylinder Stock racing action. It will be Fan Apprecation Night for the Modifieds as fans will have a chance to meet their favorite drivers during the evening’s activities. Racing will get underway at 7:30 p.m. Afton Speedway is located on the Afton Fairgrounds off of Interstate 88, Exit 7, on Route 41.
SPRING CHAMPIONSHIP 358 MODIFIED RESULTS (30 laps): MITCH GIBBS, Mike Clapperton, Jeremy Smith, Aaron Excell, Jeff Rudalavage, Don Hart Jr., Mike Schane, George Suprick, J.R. Hurlburt, Steve Walsh, John Lutes, Adam Smith, Jim Potts, Arnie Slade, George Hoffmier Jr,, Skip French, Daniel Fassett, Tony Ross, Chic Chandler. Heat winners: Slade, French, Hart
SPRING CHAMPIONSHIP SPORTSMAN RESULTS (20 laps): RODNEY HART, Butch Klinger, Chad Cook, Steve Anderson, Steve Davis, Ed Bennett, Tim French, Rob Carey, Craig Pope, Chad O’Hara. Heat winners: Hart, Klinger
SPRING CHAMPIONSHIP PRO STOCK RESULTS (20 laps): JASON SCHLAFER, Denny Decker, Steve Cummings, Harold Humphrey, James Cornell, Wade Decker, Neil Palladino, Todd Hurlburt, Mike Decker, Aaron Hacker, Chad Hyzer, Pat Nolan, Jason Youngs, Ralph Finnegan. Heat winners: Hurlburt, Schlafer
SPRING CHAMPIONSHIP PURE STOCK RESULTS (15 laps): SHAWN WALKER, Buck Mills, Butch Green, Dennis Valentine, Andy Graves, Kurt Decker, Scott Chapman, Owen Beavers, Dan Janus, Joline Daniels, John Cooper Jr., Bob Mills, Paul Harrington, Corey Bond (DQ in tech inspection). Heat winners: Bob Mills, Green
SPRING CHAMPIONSHIP 4-CYL. STOCK RESULTS (15 laps): BOB DOOLITTLE, Dave Jaindl, George Crippen, Shawn Mills, Jim Money, Scott Johnson, Ed Leslie, Ralph Cuozzo Jr., Tim Clapper, Ken Hotaling, Joe Bunt, Skip Pickwick, Ron Cummings, Jack Hill, Jamie Banta, Ken Carson. DNS-Leonard Miller. Heat winners: Doolittle, Cuozzo Jr., Pickwick