GIBBS, COOK, CORNELL, HUMPHREY AND HOTALING ARE 5-STAR WINNERS AT AFTON SPEEDWAY
AFTON - Mitch Gibbs is hoping his luck is changing with his Five Star Equipment Night 358 Modified feature win Friday as a mixture of familiar and new faces headed to victory lane. The Norwich veteran driver recorded his second straight top-five finish and fourth win of the season.
Chad Cook from Deposit logged win number seven the Sportsman ranks and Harpursville’s James Cornell won his fourth straight Pro Stock main event while Ralph Jennings of Nineveh won his first Pure Stock feature and Ken Hotaling from Hartwick made his first appearance in the 4-Cylinder Stock winners’ circle.
Pat Dabiere brought the 358 Modified field to the green flag at the start of the 30-lap main event, but Steve Walsh grabbed the lead was his outside pole position and held the point for the first seven circuits until the caution flag flew.
On the lap eight restart, Adam Smith jumped to the point with Gibbs, who started tenth, charging into the runner-spot. Walsh, Jeremy Smith and J.R. Hurlburt rounded out the top five. Two laps later, Gibbs powered past Smith for the lead while Jeremy Smith climbed into third. Jeremy overtook Adam for second on lap 12 with Hurlburt and points leader Jeff Rudalavage in fifth as the caution flag flew on lap 15.
On this restart, Gibbs, Jeremy Smith and Hurlburt got away clean as Arnie Slade slipped into fourth and Rudalavage held on to fifth. The top three positions remained the same through lap 23, but Rudalavage got by Slade for fourth on lap 21. Rudalavage continued to move forward as he overtook Hurlburt on lap 24.
As the race remained caution free for the remaining six laps, Gibbs kept his focus for the win as Jeremy Smith, Rudalavage, Hurlburt and Slade followed the winner under the checkered flag.
Outside polesitter Rodney Hart took the early lead in the 20-lap Sportsman feature, but Cook charged from his fourth starting position into the runner-up spot on the opening lap. Two laps later, Cook blasted into the lead and never surrendered the spot as the main event was only slowed twice by cautions.
Tim French flew into the second spot on lap four and he held this position until the checkered flag flew.
Steve Anderson, Hart and Butch Klinger held down the third through fifth positions on lap six, but Klinger and Brain Decker pushed Hart out of the top five as the caution flew on lap nine.
On the restart, the top four positions remained the same as Hart moved back into the fifth spot. By lap 13, Decker slid back around Hart for the top five spot.
A caution on lap 19 set up a two-lap dash to the finish, but Cook had the field covered as French, Klinger, Anderson and Decker completed the top five.
Neil Palladino held the lead from his pole position for the first six laps of the Pro Stock feature with Pat Nolan in the second spot for the first two laps before surrendering that position to Denny Decker on lap three. By lap five, Wade Decker had moved into third place with James Cornell fourth and Nolan fifth.
The caution flag flew on lap seven and Denny Decker was at the back of the pack on the lap seven restart. Wade Decker charged into the lead with Palladino, Cornell, Nolan and Randy Metcalf now rounded out the top five.
The caution flew again on lap 11 when Palladino had problems which moved Cornell into second place with Nolan, Todd Hurlburt and Metcalf in pursuit.
The restart saw Wade Decker and Cornell pull away with Nolan in third for one lap before Metcalf took the position. Hurlburt moved around Nolan on lap 13 and the order never changed until the final lap. Cornell made his move on the final lap and got around Decker for his fourth straight win and 21st of the season. Metcalf and Hurlburt placed third and fourth as Palladino fought back for a fifth place finish.
Wade Decker actually used the M2 mount of Mike Decker to make this strong run.
In the 15-lap Pure Stock feature, Paul Harrington grabbed the lead from his pole position and led until a lap four restart allowed Jennings to seize the top spot. After starting third, Jennings never surrendered the to spot for the remainder of the main event, which did see two more caution periods.
Butch Green challenged Jennings from laps five through 12 before he tangled with Shaun Walker and Craig Decker.
In the final restart, Jennings held off Harrington for the final three circuits for that elusive first win of 2002 with Walker third and Robert Krascovic fourth. Buck Mills came home fifth.
It was another slow start in the 15-lap 4-Cylinder Stock feature as there were three leaders in the first three laps. George Grippen led after the third first lap restart, Scott Johnson led after a lap two restart and Hotaling took the point on a lap three restart and set a strong pace as the remainder of the feature was caution free. It was Hotaling’s first win in 2002 after several near misses.
Jamie Banta took runner-up honors with Johnson, Ralph Cuozzo, Jr., and Skip Pickwick rounding out the top five. Points leader Shawn Mills posted a sixth place run.
This Friday, Pine Line Auto, the proud sponsor of Jeff Rudalavage’s #112 Modified, will sponsor all the racing action as the 358 Modifieds, Sportsman, Pro Stocks, Pure Stocks and 4-Cylinder Stocks battle it out starting at 7:15 p.m.
There will also be a Poster Contest from all young fans between the ages on one and 12 years old. Pine Valley Auto is just one of the sponsors as the young fans will bring drawings of their favorites cars and drivers to the speedway.
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.
FIVE STAR EQUIPMENT 358 MODIFIED FEATURE RESULTS (30 laps): MITCH GIBBS, Jeremy Smith, Jeff Rudalavage, J.R. Hurlburt, Arnie Slade, Joel Thomas, Adam Smith, Steve Walsh, Duane Hilliard, Jim Introne, Don Hart, Jr., Todd Thomas, Pat Dabiere, Skip French, Pete Lyons.
FIVE STAR EQUIPMENT SPORTSMAN FEATURE RESULTS (20 laps): CHAD COOK, Tim French, Butch Klinger, Steve Anderson, Brian Decker, Rodney Hart, Olin Renwick, James Christ, Steve Simmons. DNS-Craig Pope.
FIVE STAR EQUIPMENT PRO STOCK FEATURE RESULTS (20 laps): JAMES CORNELL, Wade Decker, Randy Metcalf, Todd Hurlburt, Neil Palladino, Jason Youngs, Ken Winn, Ralph Finnegan, Chad Hyzer, Jason Schlafer, Harold Humphrey, Denny Decker, Fred Christ.
FIVE STAR EQUIPMENT PURE STOCK FEATURE RESULTS (15 laps): RALPH JENNINGS, Paul Harrington, Shaun Walker, Robert Krascovic, Buck Mills, Butch Green, Craig Decker, Charlie Holcomb, Bob Mills, Dennis Valentine.
FIVE STAR EQUIPMENT 4-CYLINDER STOCK FEATURE RESULTS (15 laps): KEN HOTALING, Jamie Banta, Scott Johnson, Ralph Cuozzo, Jr., Skip Pickwick, Shawn Mills, Jim Money, George Crippen, Ron Cummings, Ken Carson, Craig Ruston, Jack Hill, Dave Jaindl, Brandon Clapperton, Ron McMullen.