CHECKERED FLAGS FOR RUDALAVAGE, COOK, CORNELL, WALKER AND MILLS
AT AFTON SPEEDWAY
AFTON - If you were in victory lane Friday night at Afton Speedway, it meant one very important thing. It meant that you were probably the points leader in your division heading into the July 26 Summer Championship Night sponsored by Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse.
Jeff Rudalavage of Olyphant, PA won the DIRT 358 Modified feature, Deposit’s Chad Cook grabbed the Sportsman Modified feature and Shawn Mills captured the 4-Cylinder Stock feature. All three drivers were points leaders coming into the night and they padded their advantages.
James Cornell of Harpursville retook the points lead in the Pro Stock ranks after scoring his 15th overall victory this season in the 20-lap feature. Cornell trailed Harold Humphrey by a mere two points heading into the night.
Shaun Walker was victorious in the Pure Stock main event and he closed the margin to 40 points as Buck Mills continues to lead that division.
Rudalavage started 11th when the green flag flew for the 30-lap 358 Modified feature, but back-to-back caution flags in lap 2 jumbled up the field. On the third lap two restart, Skip French grabbed the lead from George Hoffmier, Jr,. with Rudalavage, J.R. Hurlburt and Jeremy Smith in pursuit. Two laps later, Rudalavage moved into the second spot and Hurlburt bumped Hoffmier to fourth on lap 5.
Rudalavage tried high lines and low lines, but French held off all challenges until lap 12. Rudalavage stuck the nose of his mount underneath the French machine and competed the pass coming out of the turn to take a lead that he would never surrender.
From laps 13-19, Rudalavage continued to pull away with French, Hurlburt and Smith in tow. Smith had taken fourth place from Hoffmier on lap 14 with Donnie Hart, Jr. replacing Hoffmier in the top five on lap 15.
The final restart came on lap 20, but Rudalavage motored away from the rest of the field for his second win of the season. By the checkered flag, Smith moved into the second spot with Smith, Hart and Tony Pepicelli rounding out the top five. It was a great finish for Pepicelli, who came from the back of the pack twice in the early stages of the race to post a top-5 spot. Rudalavage increased his points lead from six to 14 points (670-656) over Smith.
After a couple of bad weeks, Cook found himself on the outside pole for the 20-lap Sportsman feature and he used that advantage to quickly grab the lead. Only a caution flag on lap 14 brought the competition close to Cook. He pulled away again of the restart to complete the flag-to-flag victory. It was his sixth win of the season.
Bill Papula from Matamora, PA had his best run of the season since coming to Afton as he ran second all 20 laps. Rodney Hart made a solid third place showing by holding off Tim French, who as fourth. Steve Anderson rounded out the top five.
Cook now has 706 points with Anderson second at 650.
Outside polesitter Pat Nolan grabbed the early lead in the 20-lap Pro Stock feature and led the first two laps with Steve Cummings in tow. The lap two restart allowed Harold Humphrey to move into third place as Cornell charged into fourth from his tenth starting spot and Denny Decker rounded out the top five.
Cummings got inside Nolan on lap three and took over the point until the caution flag flew on lap 8. On the restart, Nolan used the outside lane momentum to retake the lead as Cummings now had his hands full with Cornell, Humphrey and Wade Decker.
Despite a bad restart, Denny Decker quickly found an opening on the cushion of the Afton Speedway and was back into fourth place on lap nine with Humphrey again fifth.
On lap 10, Cornell found the opening he needed to move into second place as he tried to track down Nolan while Cummings kept up a strong top-three run.
The final caution flag came out on lap 12. The restart still found Nolan in command with Cornell close behind. Denny Decker moved into third on lap 14 as Cummings’ car began to lose some of its handling.
After repeated attempts, Cornell finally used the inside line to grab the lead on lap 18 as Nolan slid high on turn four. Cornell would pull away for his fifth points win of the season at Afton. He now holds an eight-point lead (674-666) over Humphrey.
Denny Decker passed Nolan on the final lap for second place with Humphrey fourth and Cummings still posting in big fifth place finish.
Ralph Jennings was so close to his first victory of the season as the Afton driver took the lead on lap two of the 15-lap Pure Stock feature and held off every challenge from runner-up Shaun Walker until the final lap.
Walker had gotten along side of Jennings several times in the final five laps, but it wasn’t until the white flag that Walker finally completed the pass for his second win of the season.
Jennings held off Buck Mills for second with Butch Green and Kurt Decker rounding out the top five.
Polesitter Ken Hotaling led the first five laps of the 15-lap 4-Cylinder Stock feature before Mills finally blasted by on the inside on lap six after starting sixth in the main event. Mills was never seriously challenged as he notched victory number six of the season.
Dave Jaindl made a strong run to finish second with Skip Pickwick, Jamie Banta and Ralph Cuozzo, Jr. completing the top five.
Mills holds a solid 700-622 lead over Jim Money in the chase for the track championship.
There will be no racing this Friday night as the Afton Fair takes over the grounds through Sunday, but racing will resume July 26. Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse will host Summer Championship action in all five divisions. The Lowe’s Modified will be on hand, though it will not be in competition. The great folks from Lowe’s will be giving a gas grill away to some lucky fan during the evening’s racing card. All the excitement will get underway at 7:15 p.m.
For more information on any upcoming activities at the speedway, call the track office at 607-639-1966 or log on to the official Afton Speedway website at www.aftonspeedway.50megs.com. Afton Speedway is located on the Afton Fairgrounds, Route 41, off of Exit 7 of Interstate 88.
358 MODIFIED FEATURE RESULTS 30 laps: JEFF RUDALAVAGE, J.R. Hurlburt, Jeremy Smith, Don Hart, Jr., Tony Pepicelli, Skip French, Mike Clapperton, Arnie Slade, Adam Smith, Joel Thomas, Pete Lyon, Eric Mack, Pat Dabiere, George Hoffmier, Jr., Mitch Gibbs, Duane Hilliard, Todd Thomas, Steve Walsh. Heat winners: Walsh, Hoffmier, Jr., Slade.
SPORTSMAN FEATURE RESULTS 20 laps: CHAD COOK, Bill Papula, Rodney Hart, Tim French, Steve Anderson, Butch Klinger, Pat O’Hanlon, Craig Pope, Ed Bennett, Olin Renwick. Heat winners: Cook, Hart.
PRO STOCK FEATURE RESULTS 20 laps: JAMES CORNELL, Denny Decker, Pat Nolan, Harold Humphrey, Steve Cummings, Wade Decker, Jason Schlafer, Jason Youngs, Ken Winn, Ralph Finnegan, Chad Hyzer, Todd Hurlburt. DNS-Neil Palladino. Heat winners: Nolan, Cummings.
PURE STOCK FEATURE RESULTS 15 laps: SHAUN WALKER, Ralph Jennings, Buck Mills, Butch Green, Kurt Decker, Charlie Holcomb, John Cooper, Jr., Paul Harrington, Bob Mills, Jerry Whorrall, Rob White, Jeremy Shaw, Robert Krasjovic, Dennis Valentine, Dave Cotten. Heat winners: Bob Mills, Decker, Buck Mills
4-CYLINDER STOCK FEATURE RESULTS 15 laps: SHAWN MILLS, Dave Jaindl, Skip Pickwick, Jamie Banta, Ralph Cuozzo, Jr., George Crippen, Jack Hill, Ken Hotaling, Ken Carson, Brandon Clapperton, Scott Johnson, Jim Money, Ron Cummings, Joe Bunt. Heat winners: Mills, Crippen.