SMITH TIGHTENS POINTS CHASE WITH BIG 358 MODIFIED WIN AT AFTON
AFTON - If Jeremy Smith wins the DIRT 358 Modified Track Championship at Afton Speedway, he may point to Friday’s night exciting victory over Jeff Rudalavage. The Whitney Point driver bested 21 other competitors to post win number four of the season and trim Rudalavage’s margin to 14 points, 898-884, with two races remaining.
Tim French of Rockdale continues his second half resurgence by scoring win number six in the Sportsman ranks, Harpursville’s James Cornell picked up career win number 39 in the Pro Stocks, Shaun Walker from Masonville won for the fifth time in the Pure Stocks and Shawn Mills of Windsor scored his tenth 4-Cylinder Stock victory of the 2002 season.
Smith and Rudalavage started side-by-side in ninth and tenth place as polesitter Skip French took the lead when the green flag flew for the 30-lap 358 Modified feature. French would lead the first five laps. Don Hart, Jr., Arnie Slade, Adam Smith and Jeremy Smith would follow on lap one and Jeremy would continue to move forward. Smith found an opening on lap six and powered past Hart for second as Tony Pepcicelli and Mitch Gibbs climbed into the fray. One lap later, Smith would move underneath French to grab the top spot for the remainder of the main event.
On a lap eight restart, Smith and French took off as the running order remained the same before another caution flew on lap nine. Smith and French again got the jump as Gibbs and Pepicelli blasted past Hart. Rudalavage had continued to move towards the front and he overtook Hart on lap 10 to move into fifth.
With Smith pulling away, Gibbs got around French and Rudalavage slid past Pepicelli before the caution flag flew on lap 12. On the restart, Smith again held the point with Gibbs second as Rudalavage moved into third place. Rudalavage moved into the runner-up spot on lap 14 but, the top three spots would not change again.
Rudalavage did get close a couple of times, but Smith showed the determination to post a four to five car-length victory. Rudalavage and Gibbs were 2-3 as Pepicelli completed a strong fourth place run and Slade would complete the top five.
Rodney Hart led the Sportsman to the green flag to start the 20-lap main event. Butch Klinger moved to second place after the first two circuits while French, points leader Chad Cook and Hart rounded out the next four positions.
The first of only two flags flew on lap 11 as Hart’s day came to an end with Ray Menard moving into fifth. That caution wiped out a full straightaway lead that Anderson had built.
Anderson kept the advantage on the lap 11 restart, but French moved to the high side and completed his pass on lap 12. With French now in command, Anderson settled for second. Klinger held on to third place with Cook and Meynard posting top five finishes.
Cornell has been strong much of the 2002 season with a total of 23 feature wins, but there was a lot of luck helping the J3 Racing Team in the 20-lap Pro Stock feature this past Friday.
Jason Schlafer led the first two laps with Harold Humphrey second as they used the outside line at the drop of the green to move forward. Humphrey muscled into the top spot and pulled away while Schlafer was doing a masterful job of keeping Denny Decker, Wade Decker and Todd Hurlburt at bay. Hurlburt brought out the first caution with a flat tire as Cornell moved into the top five.
On a lap five restart, Humphrey again pulled out to a slight advantage with Schlafer still running second. Denny Decker finally slipped underneath Schlafer on lap 8 with Wade Decker and Cornell using that inside lane that Denny opened to move up one spot each on lap 9. Pat Nolan got past Schlafer on lap 10 before the leader suffered problems one lap later.
Humphrey cut down a tire on lap 11 and brought out the caution flag as Denny Decker assumed the point. Decker started pulling away on the restart with Wade Decker, Cornell, Nolan and Schlafer waging a great battle. Humphrey returned to the back of the pack and was marching towards the front when the 78H mount broke.
On the lap 17 restart, Decker started in front, but a tire went flat on the 20 machine during the lap which allowed Cornell to pull out and scoot by both Decker cars.
On the final restart, Cornell got some daylight on Wade Decker over the final three circuits for his eighth feature win in points shows at Afton. Nolan, Schlafer and Neil Palladino held their positions to post strong top five efforts.
Dennis Valentine started the 15-lap Pure Stock feature on the pole, but the Morris driver watched Bob Mills lead the first lap with Buck Mills and Shaun Walker also moving ahead of him. Gene Brainard held down the fifth position.
On a lap three restart, Buck Mills moved in front with Bob Mills and Walker in tow. Ralph Jennings climbed into fourth place and Brainard held on to fifth for one lap off green flag racing.
Buck Mills held the point on the lap four restart, but Bob Mills retook the top spot on lap five with Walker slipping past for the runner-up spot. Brainard and Paul Harrington rounded out the top five.
On lap seven, Walker muscled past Mills on the low side, but some contact between the two cars cut down a tire on the Mills’ Machine as it went flat on lap eight and forced the caution flag to fly. Mills showed his displeasure at the passing maneuver by ramming the back bumper of Walker’s ride on the backstretch before heading to the pits and parking his car for the night.
Walker had the field covered for the remaining laps with Buck Mills second. Harrington took the checkered flag in third place as Brainard and Valentine rounded out the top five.
Polesitter Jack Hill led the first lap of the 15-lap 4-Cylinder Stock main event before George Crippen took the point for three laps as Mills moved from his tenth starting position into second place. Ralph Cuozzo, Jr., Jamie Banta and Jim Money rounded out the top five.
Mills took command on lap five with Crippen and Banta now in pursuit before the caution flew on lap eight. On the restart, Mills took off as Money used a great run to grab second with Banta, Ken Hotaling and Cuozzo closing fast.
The caution flew again on lap 10 as Money began working underneath Mills for the lead. Mills kept his advantage after some contact with Money ending up against a big tire in the infield.
Mills brought the field back to the line for the restart with Banta in second place until lap 12 when Hotaling took the spot as Banta came to a stop on the backstretch.
Mills would continue to set the pace the final three laps as Cuozzo moved around Hotaling on the final lap for second place. Scott Johnson quietly posted a strong fourth place finish with Dave Jaindl working hard to wind up fifth.
This Friday will see another big five-card show of DIRT 358 Modified, Sportsman, Pro Stock, Pure Stock and 4-Cylinder Stock action taking the green flag at 7:15 p.m. Promoter Pat Jordan also said Afton Speedway will honor Pure Stock driver Harry Uhl, Jr. Uhl tragically lost his life in a boating accident Saturday morning off the shore of Myers Park on Cayuga Lake in the town of Lansing.
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.
DIRT 358 MODIFIED FEATURE RESULTS (30 laps): JEREMY SMITH, Jeff Rudalavage, Mitch Gibbs, Tony Pepicelli, Arnie Slade, Skip French, J.R. Hurlburt, George Suprick, Russell Hendrickson, Jr., Bob Bennett, Joel Thomas, Heath Carney, Rick Amo, Roger Lewis, Jim Introne, Don Hart, Jr., Steve Walsh, Todd Thomas, Adam Smith, Duane Hiller, Rich Price. DNS-Pat Debiere.
SPORTSMAN FEATURE RESULTS (20 laps): TIM FRENCH, Chad Cook, Steve Anderson, Butch Klinger, Ray Menard, Jordan Bennett, Craig Pope, Rodney Hart, Olin Renwick.
PRO STOCK FEATURE RESULTS (20 laps): JAMES CORNELL, Wade Decker, Pat Nolan, Jason Schlafer, Brian Steigerwald, Neil Palladino, Harold Humphrey, Chad Hyzer, Denny Decker, Jason Youngs, Scott Chapman, Todd Hurlburt, Ralph Finnegan.
PURE STOCK FEATURE RESULTS (15 laps): SHAUN WALKER, Buck Mills, Paul Harrington, Gene Brainard, Dennis Valentine, Charlie Holcomb, Rob White, Ralph Jennings, Robert Krascovic, Chris White, Bob Mills.
4-CYLINDER STOCK FEATURE RESULTS (15 laps): SHAWN MILLS, Ralph Cuozzo, Jr., Ken Hotaling, Scott Johnson, Dave Jaindl, Ron Cummings, Jack Hill, George Crippen, Jim Money, Shanna Pickwick, Brandon Clapperton, Jamie Banta, Ken Carson, Skip Pickwick, Ron McMullen.