Gibbs And Slade Take Top Honors At Afton

Afton, NY- Mitch Gibbs of North

Norwich picked up his second win of the

season in the DIRT 358 Modified

division on Kevin's Great American

night at Afton Speedway.

Billy Walters, Jr. of Unadilla and

Brian Malcolm of Lake Ariel, PA.

Started on the front row for the 30 lap

Modified event. At the start it was

Middletown's Steve Walsh grabbing the

top spot from his third starting position,

with Malcolm and Harpursville’s Gary

Smith in tow.

Smith took over second from

Malcolm on lap three, as points leader

Tony Pepicelli, of Duanesburg, made his

way into the top five behind Walters. A

caution for Trout Creek’s Dana Wagner

on lap five would tighten the pack back

up.

Wlash held on to the lead as the green

flag fell, with Smith giving chase.

Walters took over third from Malcolm,

but it was short lived as Pepicelli moved

past him on the following lap. Mitch

Gibbs moved into the top five on lap

eight, edging Walters back to sixth.

The caution fell again on lap nine for

Mike Gillette and Steve Eldred. At the

restart, Wlash kept his lead alive, as

Pepicelli took over second from Smith.

Gibbs, who seemed to have the hot set up

got around Smith for third on lap eleven,

and took over second from Pepicelli the

next lap.

Gibbs tried high and low to grab the

top spot, but Wlash held him off until the

24th lap of the event. Gibbs was able to

get under the 213 machine of Walsh, and

went on for his second win of the season

at Afton. Walsh finished second, with

Jeff Rudalavage, Tony Pepicelli and

Mike Clapperton completing the top 5.

Dave Crandall, of Greene, took the

lead at the start of the 20 lap Sportsman

feature. Guilford native Arnie Slade,

who started fifth, made the move from

fourth to first on lap two, getting by Mike

Walters and Crandall.

Points leader Don Hart, Jr., of

Harpursville, moved into third from his

eighth place starting spot on lap two, and

overtook Walters for the second position

on lap three.

Slade held the lead with Hart in

second until a caution on lap 17 tightened

the pack back up. Jim Crawn, of

LeRaysville and Grand Gorge’s Wink

Hinkley got around Hart on the restart, as

Slade held on to the lead.

As the checkers flew, it was Slade

picking up his first win of the season,

followed by Crawn, Hinkley, Tim French

and Hart.

Fred Christ, of Deposit, and Jason

Youngs, of Unadilla, set the stage for the

20 lap Pro Stock feature event.

Walton’s Butch Klinger came from

his sixth starting spot to grab the lead as

the pack crossed for lap number one.

West Edmeston native Bret Belden

moved into second by lap three, followed

by Denny Smith of Trout Creek.

Belden put the pressure on Klinger to

try and take away the top spot, but it was

Klinger who would lead wire to wire and

come in for the win. Belden finished

second, with Smith, Harold Humphrey,

and rookie James Cornell, of

Harpursville, completing the top five.

The Four Cyliner Modifieds were on

hand for the first time this season at

Afton. Binghamton’s George Howe

started on the pole for their 15 lap feature

event, with Spencer’s Cliff Pierce on the

outside.

Howe took the lead on the start, with

Alan Bush of Harpursville grabbing

second and =E2=80=98Grandpa Dirt’ Bruce Detro

in third. A fast moving Mike Payne, of

Waterloo, moved by Detro for third on

lap three, and took over second from

Bush the next lap.

Payne gave chase to Howe for the top

spot as the leaders headed into lapped

traffic by lap nine. Payne’s chance for a

win would end in a tangle with a lapped

car on the last lap of the event. Howe

went on for the win, followed by Detro,

Cliff Pierce, Scott Allen and Buzz Bartin.

Ed Leslie, of Fly Creek, was the early

leader in the 15 lap Four Cylinder Stock

feature, as he and Norwich’s Scott

Johnson got by pole sitter Ralph Cuozzo,

Sr. on the start.

Johnson, Harold Humphrey and

Ralph Jennings, jr. would shuffle Leslie

back to fourth on a lap three restart. The

yellow flag came out again on lap five for

a multi-car incident.

This time it was Humphrey, of

Norwich, taking the top spot, with

Johnson in tow. Humphrey held on to

the lead until suddenly retiring to the pits

during a lap eight caution flag.

Johnson inherited the lead, with

Unadilla’s Jamie Banta in second. Banta

took over the lead on the ten, and held on

for his second win of the season. Johnson

finished second, followed by Alan Smith,

Cuozzo sr, and Ron Cummings.

Walton’s Todd Curtin and Unadilla=E2= =80=99s

Bob Stilson made up the front row for the

15 lap Pure Stock feature. Stilson

grabbed the lead at the start, as Afton’s

Tony Pease and Guilford’s Neil Palladino

battled for second.

Palladino made his way by Stilson to

take the top spot on the fourth lap, but the

two would get together and bring out the

caution on lap five. Decker inherited the

lead after a two spot penalty was assessed

to Stilson. Decker held the lead at the re-

start, as Brooktondale’s James Cornell,

Jr. gave chase.

Decker went on for the win, making it

his fifth trip to vicotry lane. Cornell

finished second, with Palladino third.

Alan Barker, of Sherburne, picked up

his third win of the season in the Dawrf

Car division.

Barker, who started sixth in the 12 lap

event took over the lead from Scott Boyle

on the second lap. Chic Chandler, of

Charleton, Massachusettes finished

second, with Windsor’s Gordie Isham

third.

Next Friday night will be a regular

show for all six classes at the Action

Attraction. As always, gates open at

5:00pm, with racing at 7:30pm.

358 MODIFIED RESULTS: Mitch

Gibbs, Steve Walsh, Jeff Rudalavage, Tony

Pepicelli, Mike Clapperton, J.R. Hurlburt,

Gary Smith, Jeremy Smith, Brian Malcolm,

Dana Wagner, Skip French, Pat Jordan, Billy

Walters jr, Bill Cook, Brad Jones, Aaron

Excell, Chad Cook, John Siedlecky, Steve

Eldred, Mike Gillette, George Lewis, Dan

Morden.

SPORTSMAN RESULTS: Arnie Slade,

Jim Crawn, Wink Hinkley, Tim French, Don

Hart jr, Chad Cook, Billy Harris, Steve Davis,

Mike Walters, Craig Pritchard, Dave Crandall,

Kevin Timinski, Jim Potts.

PRO STOCK RESULTS: Butch Klinger,

Bret Belden, Denny Smith, Harold Humphrey,

James Cornell, Jason Youngs, P.J. Goodwin,

Jason Schlafer, Erik Knudson, Aaron Hacker,

Todd Hurlburt, Pete Christiansen, Fred Christ,

Winnie Winchester, Ken Winn.

FOUR CYLINDER MODIFIED: George

Howe, Bruce Detro, Cliff Pierce, Scott Allen,

Buzz Bartin, Dick Case, Mike Payne, Alan

Bush, Kala Bush, Steven Bump, Curt Pierce,

Ick Pierce, Calvin Pierce, Andy Carr, Greg

Martindale, Chet Carr.

PURE STOCK RESULTS: Denny

Decker, James Cornell jr, Neil Palladino,

Dennis Valentine, Tony Pease, Bob Stilson,

Todd Curtin, Bob Terrell, Rob Loucks, Buck

Mills, Jerry Whorral.

FOUR CYLINDER STOCK : Jamie

Banta, Scott Johnson, Alan Smith, Ralph

Cuozzo sr, Ron Cummings, Cyrus Budine,

Ralph Jennings jr, Dennis Vroman, Bob

Dedrick, Harold Humphrey, Ed Leslie, Skip

Pickwick, Chris Koren, Ralph Cuozzo jr, Jody

Proper.

DWARF CARS: Alan Barker, Chic

Chandler, Gordie Isham, Louie Gordinier, Ken

Titus, Scott Boyle, Duane Knapp, Steve

Tourje, Ed Keller, Dominick Commesso, Ray

Vosburgh, Hal Merrick.