Gibbs, Hart And Klinger Pick Up Fourth Wins At Afton

Afton, NY - Mitch Gibbs of North

Norwich returned to victory lane last

Friday night to capture his fourth 358

Modified win of the season at the 3/8

mile DIRT oval.

Hubbardsvilles Aaron Excell took

the lead at the start of the 30 lap

Modified feature from his outside pole

starting position. Pole sitter Brad Jones,

of Morris, and Harpursvilles Gary Smith

diced it out for second and third until

Smith ran into mechanical problem,

bringing out the races first caution on

lap six. Smith was unable to return to

racing action.

Excell held on to the lead as the green

came out as Jones faltered and fell back

to seventh. Otego native J.R. Hurlburt

moved into second, with North

Norwichs Mitch Gibbs taking on third.

Hurlburt took over the lead from

Excell on lap seven, and Gibbs moved

past Excell into second the next lap.

Hurlburt had built up a small lead, but a

caution on lap nine for John Siedlecky

and current Modified points leader Tony

Pepicelli would tighten the pack back up.

Hurlburt had the edge as the green

came out, but Gibbs charged hard,

keeping the pressure on. Jeff Rudalavage

of Olyphant, PA moved his Parts Plus

machine into third, as Excell ran in

fourth. Gibbs made the move on lap

eleven and took over the lead, as

Rudalavage and Excell see-sawed back

and forth for third.

Gibbs went on to pick up the win, his

fourth of the season, followed by

Hurlburt, Rudalavage, Excell and Trout

Creeks Dana Wagner.

Unadillas Mike Walters grabbed the

lead of the 20 lap Sportsman feature from

his second place starting spot. Don Hart,

jr. of Harpursville took over the second

spot from pole sitter Dave Crandall, of

Greene, on the second lap and set his

sights on Walters.

The top two remained the same as

Michael Trautschold brought out the first

caution of the race on lap number eight.

Third place runner Chad Cook, of

Deposit, ran into mechanical problems

during the caution that would sideline his

2J machine to the pits for the night.

Jordansvilles Steve Davis inherited

third, with Steve Anderson, of West

Edmeston, in fourth. As the green flag

came out, Walters and Hart battled it out

side by side, until Hart was able to take

over the lead for good on lap eleven.

Anderson, who had made it by Davis

on lap ten, took over the second spot

from Walters as the caution fell on lap

twelve for Rockdales Tim French.

Hart went on to pick up his fourth

vicotry of the season in the Sportsman

division, with Anderson, Ladd Yeomans

of Swan Lake, Bill Deckleman of

Tremont Center and Walters completing

the top five.

Oneontas Erik Knudson had the pole

position for the 20 lap Pro Stock feature

event, with Jason Schlafer of Walton on

the outside.

Schlafer took over the lead at the

start, as Unadilla natives Winnie

Winchester and Jason Youngs moved

past Knudson to take over second and

third. Harpursville native James Cornell

took over the third spot from Youngs as

the caution came out on lap six for

Davenports Bob Zimmerman, jr.

Winchester got the charge at the start

as the outside row shuffled Schlafer back

to fourth as the caution fell again on lap

seven, this time for Knudson and Pat

Nolan. Two more caution periods on

laps eight and nine would shuffle the

running order around.

At the restart, Winchester held on to

thelead with twelfth place starter and

current points leader Butch Klinger, of

Walton, in second. Norwichs Harold

Humphrey ran third, with Youngs in

fourth.

Klinger and Humphrey took over

spots one and two on lap twelve, leaving

Winchester and Youngs to duke it out for

the third and fourth positions.

At the line it was Klinger, bringing

home his fourth win of the season, with

Humphrey second, Youngs third,

Winchester fourth and Guilfords Todd

Hurlburt in fifth.

Rob Loucks, of Bainbridge, took over

the lead from outside pole sitter Dennis

Valentine on lap two of the 15 lap Pure

Stock feature.

Valentine, of Morris, lost the second

spot to Windsor's Denny Decker as Jerry

Whorral brought out the caution on lap

three. Loucks held on to the lead at the

re-start, with Decker putting on the

pressure in second and Unadillas Bob

Stilson running third.

Loucks held off Decker until lap ten

when Decker made the move to take over

the lead. Guilfords Neil Palladino had

moved by Stilson into third, and took

over the second spot from Loucks with

just two laps to go.

At the line it was Decker picking up

his sixth win of the year at the Action

Attraction, followed by Palladino,

Loucks, Stilson and Whorral.

In the Four Cylinder Stock division,

Dennis Vroman of North Blenheim took

home his third win of the season.

Vroman, who started fourth in the

fifteen lap feature took over the lead from

outside pole sitter Ed Leslie, of Fly

Creek, on the third lap.

Unadillas Ralph Cuozzo, jr. and

Aftons Ralph Jennings, jr. moved by

Leslie to take over second and third on

the fifth lap. With just two laps to go,

Norwichs Harold Humphrey took over

third from Jennings, but he was unable to

make a run at the top two spots.

Vroman took the win, followed by

Cuozzo jr, Humphrey, Jennings jr, and

Jamie Banta of Unadilla.

Duane Knapp, of Sherburne was the

early leader in the twelve lap Dwarf Car

feature. Knapp, who started outside pole,

grabbed the lead at the start and held on

until Chic Chandler, who started eighth

in the field, took over the spot on the

seventh lap.

Chandler, of Charleton, MA, picked

up the win, with Knapp, Ken Titus of

Kirkwood, Scott Boyle of Conklin, and

Steve Tourje of Uniondale, PA

completing the top five.

This Friday will be a regular show at

the Afton Action Attraction, as the Pure

Stock fan appreciation night has been

pushed back a week to August 11th. As

always, gates open at 5pm, with racing

set to start at 7:30pm.

358 MODIFIED RESULTS: Mitch Gibbs,

J.R. Hurlburt, Jeff Rudalavage, Aaron Excell,

Dana Wagner, Pat Jordan, Mike Clapperton,

Tony Pepicelli, Barry Davis, Brian Malcolm,

Steve Walsh, Skip French, Earl Walrath, Brad

Jones, Bill Cook, George Lewis, John

Siedlecky, Justin Holland, Gary Smith.

SPORTSMAN RESULTS: Don Hart jr,

Steve Anderson, Ladd Yeomans, Bill

Deckelman, Mike Walters, Arnie Slade, Dave

Crandall, Wink Hinkley, Don Newell, Pete

Lyon, Steve Davis, Michael Trautschold, Tim

French, Chad Cook.

PRO STOCK RESULTS: Butch Klinger,

Harold Humphrey, Jason Youngs, Winnie

Winchester, Todd Hurlburt, P.J. Goodwin,

Jason Schlafer, James Cornell, Erik Knudson,

Denny Smith, Pat Nolan, Aaron Hacker,

Rodney Hart, Bob Zimmerman jr, Randy

Ryan.

PURE STOCK RESULTS: Denny Decker,

Neil Palladino, Rob Loucks, Bob Stilson, Jerry

Whorral, Dennis Valentine, Todd Curtin, Mike

Gorr, Tony Napolitano, Todd Smith.

FOUR CYLINDER STOCK : Dennis

Vroman, Ralph Cuozzo jr, Harold Humphrey,

Ralph Jennings jr, Jamie Banta, Ralph Cuozzo

sr, Ed Leslie, Ron Cummings, Skip Pickwick,

Scott Johnson, Bob Dedrick, Cyrus Budine.

DWARF CARS: Chic Chandler, Duane

Knapp, Ken Titus, Scott Boyle, Steve Tourje,

Jerry Roys, Gordie Isham, Hal Merrick, Ray

Vosburgh, Dennis Copp, Alan Barker.