Hurlburt wins Tim Olenski Memorial Race!
AFTON, NY (August 18, 2000) — Otego, NY native J.R. Hurlburt picked up his second 358 DIRT Modified win of the season Friday night at the action packed Afton Speedway.
Gary Smith, of Harpursville, and Brad Jones, of Morris, combined for the front row in the Frito-Lay ‘Tim Olenski Memorial’ 30 lap Modified feature event. Smith led the first five laps of the race, as four caution periods slowed the pace.
Jones took the lead on the lap five restart, with Smith falling in for second, Windsor’s John Siedlecky third and Earlville’s Mike Gillette running fourth. J.R. Hurlburt moved into fourth place on lap seven as Siedlecky fell off the pace.
Smith re-took the lead from Jones on the next lap, as Hurlburt moved by Gillette into the third position. Hurlburt, who started ninth in the field, grabbed the second spot from Jones on lap nine.
Dave Rosa, of Delhi, had the hot set up as he moved up from his eleventh sarting spot to challenge Gillette for fourth on the tenth lap. Rosa won the battle, and took over the third spot from Jones on lap eleven.
Smith held on to the lead as Hurlburt put on the pressure, until Hurlburt saw his opening on lap fifteen and made the move to take over the top spot. Meanwhile, modified hot-shoe Dale Planck, of Homer, had made his way from his fifteenth starting spot into the top five, edging out Gillette.
Planck moved by Rosa for third on lap twenty-four as the lead pack entered lapped traffic. A pair of cautions on laps twenty-five and twenty-six tightened the pack up. Planck grabbed second from Smith as the green flag came back out, and set his sights on Hurlburt.
Hurlburt held off the hard charging Planck, to pick up his second victory of the season, the first coming back on June 23rd. Planck finished second, followed by Smith, Rosa, and Aaron Excell.
Ladd Yeomans, of Swan Lake, NY made his first trip to Afton Speedway’s victory lane, making him the seventh different winner in the Sportsman division this season.
Yeomans, who started fourth in the 20 lap Sportsman Main event, moved past fron row starters Dave Crandall, of Greene, and Mike Walters, of Unadilla, to lead lap number one.
Rockdale’s Tim French passed Walters for second, as the caution came out on lap two for Bill Deckelman and Crankin’ Craig Pritchard. As the pack returned to green flag racing, Yeomans held the lead, with French running second, and Guilford’s Arnie Slade moving into third.
A lengthy caution on lap four for a multi-car pile up involing Walters, Billy Harris, Crandall, Wink Hinkley, and points leader Don Hart, jr. slowed the pace of the race.
Yeomans went on to lead all twenty laps and pick up his first win ever at Afton. French, Slade, Steve Anderson and Chad Cook completed the top five.
In the twenty lap Pro Stock feature, fan favorite Denny Smith, of Trout Creek, returned to victory lane for the third time this season.
Walton’s Jason Schlafer had the pole, but it was outside pole sitter Winnie Winchester, of Unadilla, coming across as the leader on lap one, as the caution flag came out shortly after for Binghamton’s P.J. Goodwin.
Smith, who started third, took over the lead from Winchester on the restart, as a hard charging Bret Belden, of West Edmeston, moved into second after starting in the ninth position.
Current points leader Butch Klinger, of Walton, made his way into the third spot behind Belden as the caution flag fell on lap six for a spinning Erik Knudson, of Oneonta.
Belden pitted with a flat tire during thecaution, giving up the second spot to Klinger. As the green came back out, Klinger pressured race leader Smith, as Wade Decker, of Afton, ran in the third position.
Klinger’s night came to an end as he retired to the pits with mechanical problems during a lap 12 caution. Decker, who had started twelfth in the field, moved into the runner-up spot.
Smith went on to pick up the win, followed by Decker, Goodwin, Winchester and Deposit’s Pat Nolan.
Dickie Scutt, of Cortland, was declared the winner of the 15 lap Four Cylinder Stock feature after a controversial finish.
Jamie Banta, of Unadilla, took the lead at the start from his third starting spot, but outside pole starter Ed Leslie, of Fly Creek, battled back to take the lead on lap two.
North Blenheim’s Dennis Vroman, who started 8th, took over the top spot from Leslie the next lap. Scott Johnson of Norwich, took over second, as he battled back and forth with Harold Humphrey until a lap eight incident ended Humphrey’s night early.
Tenth place starter Dickie Scutt took over the second spot from Johnson on a lap ten restart, and set his sights on leader Vroman. The two ran side by side on the final lap, as they both made heavy contact with one another. Scutt hit the finish line first, stopping dead on it.
After all was said and done, Scutt picked up the win, his first of the season at Afton. Vroman was later disqualified after post-race inspection, giving second to Johnson.
Neil Palladino, of Guilford, increased his points lead in the Pure Stock division after picking up the win in the 15 lap Feature event.
Palladino, who started fifth, took over the lead from Windsor’s Denny Decker on the sixth lap en route to his fifth victory of the season. Decker, who crossed the line in second, was later disqualified after post-race tech inspection, giving second place to Rob Loucks, of Bainbridge.
Youngster Alan Barker, of Sherburne, notched another win in his belt as he took home top honors in the 12 lap Dwarf Car feature event.
Barker, who started fourth in the field, took over the lead from veteran driver Gordie Isham, of Windsor, on lap number five.
Barker went on for his sixth win of the season, followed by Isham, Chic Chandler, Ken Titus and Steve Tourje.
Racing resumes at 7:30pm next Friday night with a regular program of all six classes on the card.
358 MODIFIED RESULTS:
J.R. Hurlburt, Dale Planck, Gary Smith, Dave Rosa, Aaron Excell, Jeff Rudalavage, Jeremy Smith, Mitch Gibbs, Tony Pepicelli, Mike Gillette, Brad Jones, Barry Davis, Steve Walsh, Skip French, John Siedlecky, Carl Bittenbender, Dana Wagner, Brian Malcolm, Mike Clapperton, Earl Walrath, Bill Cook, Dan Janus, Pat Jordan, Pete Christiansen.
SPORTSMAN RESULTS:
Ladd Yeomans, Tim French, Arnie Slade, Steve Anderson, Chad Cook, Craig Pritchard, Don Hart jr, Wink Hinkley, Mike Walters, Steve Davis, Bill Deckelman, Rodney Hart, Dave Crandall.
PRO STOCK RESULTS:
Denny Smith, Wade Decker, P.J. Goodwin, Winnie Winchester, Pat Nolan, James Cornell, Bret Belden, Jason Youngs, Jason Schlafer, Todd Hurlburt, Bob Zimmerman jr, Randy Ryan, Erik Knudson, Butch Klinger, Charles Holcomb.
PURE STOCK RESULTS:
Neil Palladino, Rob Loucks, Bob Stilson, Dennis Valentine, Todd Curtin, Todd Smith, Bob Terrell, Jerry Whorral.
FOUR CYLINDER STOCK:
Dickie Scutt, Scott Johnson, Ralph Jennings jr, Ralph Cuozzo sr, Ralph Cuozzo jr, Bob Dedrick, Ron Cummings, Skip Pickwick, Cyrus Budine, Jamie Banta, Harold Humphrey, Ed Leslie, Rick Lashway.
DWARF CARS:
Alan Barker, Gordie Isham, Chic Chandler, Ken Titus, Steve Tourje, Louie Gordinier, Jerry Roys, Ray Vosburgh.