Smith, Hart And Cornell Take Home Afton Wins

Afton, NY - Jeremy Smith, of

Triangle, wanted to showcase his talent

Friday as he picked up a ride in the

Finchs 358 DIRT Modified for the night.

He did just that by picking up the win in

the 30 lap feature event.

Windsors John Siedlecky took the

lead at the start of the Modified feature

from his outside pole starting spot, with

pole starter Mike Gillette, of Earlville,

dropping into second. Gillette took over

the top spot on lap four as the yellow flag

came out for Otego native J.R. Hurlburt.

As the pack returned to green flag

racing, Gillette held on to the lead, with

Dave Rosa, of Delhi, moving up to the

second position, followed by Berkshires

Pat Jordan for third.

A lap nine-caution period bunched

the pack back up, and it was Jordan

taking off into the lead this time.

Jordans reign was cut to just one lap as a

hard charging Aaron Excell took over the

top spot by lap eleven.

Excell, of Hubbardsville, worked up a

good lead as Jordan and Gillette battled

behind him for second. Jeremy Smith

was the man on the mission as he made

his way into the top five from his

thirteenth starting spot on lap sixteen.

Smith moved up through the field

picking off spots one by one, eventually

getting by Gillette for the second spot on

lap twenty-three. By that time Excell had

a large lead built up, and Smith would

have his work cut out for him.

Smith closed up the gap a little each

lap as they ran the last seven laps without

a caution, and found himself on Excells

bumper when they got the white flag. As the

leaders caught up with lapped traffic,

Smith made the move and snatched the

victory away from Excell.

Smith picked up his third win of the=20

season after leading just one lap. Excell

finished with a great run in second,

followed by Gillette, Jordan and Rosa.

With DIRT points ending on Labor

Day, Tony Pepicelli, of Duanesburg, was

crowned the Afton DIRT 358 Modified

champion, finishing the year with 1005

points, just 6 ahead of Otegos J.R.

Hurlburt.

Rookie Pro Stock driver James

Cornell, of Harpursville, has been close

to victory lane several times this year,

always coming up just shy of that illusive

first win.

Cornell broke that streak Friday night

after a commanding performance in the

20 lap Feature landed him in victory lane.

Guilfords Todd Hurlburt was the

early leader, grabbing the lead from his

outside pole starting position, as fourth

place starter Cornell moved up into

second. Hurlburt and Cornell ran door

handle to door handle until lap five, when

Cornell took over the top spot.

From then on it was all Cornell, as he

dominated the 20-car field. Hurlburt, a

Pure Stock competitor last season, and

rookie in the Pro Stocks this season had

his best run of the year going as well.

Hurlburt held on to the second spot until

Norwichs Harold Humphrey took over

the spot with just two laps to go.

Cornell went on for his win, followed

by Humphrey, Hurlburt, Winnie

Winchester, and Bret Belden. There was

plenty of excitement in victory lane as

Cornell celebrated his first win ever.

Waltons Butch Klinger took home

the points championship in the Pro

Stocks. Klinger, after losing the points

battle on the last night last season left no

room to chance this year as he earned

1124 points, 106 over second place P.J.

Goodwin.

Don Hart, jr., of Harpursville returned

to victory lane picking up the win in the

20 lap Sportsman feature event.

Hart started third in the field, and=20

wound up in the top spot on lap two after

a pair of yellow flag session. Hart held

on to the lead as the green came out, as

Rockdale=E2=80=99s Tim French and Deposit

native Chad Cook battled for the runner

up spot.

French took over the spot for good on

lap six, as Steve Anderson moved by

Cook for third. French set his sights on

Hart, but could not mount a challenge for

the lead.

Hart came home with the victory, his=20

fifth of the year. French finished second

with Anderson, Cook and Tim Mayne

completing the top five.

French won the points battle for the=20

DIRT Sportsman with 1057 points, just 5

points ahead of Guilford=E2=80=99s Arnie Slade.

Unadilla=E2=80=99s Ralph Cuozzo, jr. grabbed

the lead at the start of the Four Cylinder

Stock feature from his outside pole

starting position. Bainbridge native Skip

Pickwick gave chase, but could not

mount a serious challenge as Cuozzo, jr.

led from flag to flag to capture the win.

The win was Cuozzo=E2=80=99s second of the=20

season, the last one coming on back on

April 14th. Pickwick finished an

impressive second, followed by Jamie

Banta, Harold Humphrey and Ralph

Jennings, Jr.

The points battle in the Four

Cylinders remains the tightest as they

head into their last points race this

coming Friday. Humphrey sits on top of

the standings with 1163 points, just 6

ahead of Jennings, Jr.

Denny Decker, of Windsor, returned

his Pure Stock to victory lane after being

plagued by bad luck the past three weeks.

This was Decker=E2=80=99s 8th feature win of the

season.

Decker started fourth in the 15-lap

event, and took the lead from Unadilla=E2=80=99s

Bob Stilson on the fourth lap. Guilford=E2=80=99s

Neil Palladino finished second, with

James Cornell, jr., Jeff Cleveland and

Tony Napolitano completing the top five.

With one points race left, Palladino=20

has the Pure Stock championship locked

up, as he holds a commanding 138 point

lead over Rob Loucks. Second is still on

the line as Loucks will enter the night

with 1155 points, just 11 ahead of

Decker.

Charleton, Mass. Native Chic

Chandler ended Alan Barker=E2=80=99s streak of

wins in the dwarf car division.

Chandler started on the outside pole,

grabbed the lead at the start and never

looked back. Scott Boyle finished

second, followed by Barker, of

Sherburne, Windsor=E2=80=99s Gordie Isham, and

Kirkwood=E2=80=99s Ken Titus.

Barker=E2=80=99s third place finish increased

his points lead as he will enter Friday

with 1201, 35 ahead of Isham, and 56

ahead of Titus.

This Friday will be the final points=20

race for the Four Cylinders, Pure Stocks

and Dwarf Cars. Also on hand will be

the 358 Modifieds, Sportsman and Pro

Stock divisions.

With the points already being decided

in the three DIRT divisions, they will

draw for position in the heats, thus giving

any outside competitors an equal chance.

Also, Afton promoter George

Hoffmier has announced that McCreary

American Racer tires will be allowed for

the three classes for this show. Gates

open at 5pm, with racing set to start at

7:30 sharp.

358 MODIFIED RESULTS: Jeremy

Smith, Aaron Excell, Mike Gillette, Pat

Jordan, Dave Rosa, Barry Davis, Mike

Colstein, Dana Wagner, Tony Pepicelli, Jeff

Rudalavage, Mike Clapperton, Ed Strada, John

Siedlecky, Gary Smith, Alan Rudalavage,

Mark Schoonover, Jim Rothwell, Bill Cook,

Carl Bittenbender, Pete Christiansen, Steve

Walsh, J.R. Hurlburt, Mike Frost, Pat DaBiere.

SPORTSMAN RESULTS: Don Hart jr,

Tim French, Steve Anderson, Chad Cook, Tim

Mayne, Ladd Yeomans, Mike Walters, Tim

Sanders, Dave Crandall, Wink Hinkley, Jim

Gould.

PRO STOCK RESULTS: James Cornell,

Harold Humphrey, Todd Hurlburt, Winnie

Winchester, Bret Belden, Butch Klinger,

Denny Smith, Wade Decker, Jason Schlafer,

Rich Keehle, Tracy Gregory, Jason Youngs,

P.J. Goodwin, Pat Nolan, Mike Lester, Erik

Knudson, Terry Mudge, Bob Zimmerman jr,

Randy Ryan.

PURE STOCK RESULTS: Denny Decker,

Neil Palladino, James Cornell jr, Jeff

Cleveland, Tony Napolitano, Rob Loucks,

Dennis Valentine, Jerry Whitmarsh, Brian

Steigerwald, Todd Curtin, Bobby Newman,

Jim Levelle, Bob Stilson.

FOUR CYLINDER STOCK: Ralph

Cuozzo jr, Skip Pickwick, Jamie Banta,

Harold Humphrey, Ralph Jennings jr, Dennis

Vroman, Scott Johnson, Jim Money, Rick

Lashway, Ron Cummings, Ralph Cuozzo sr,

Cyrus Budine, Jeff Mills, Ed Leslie, Rick

Phillips, Bob Dedrick.

DWARF CARS: Chic Chandler, Scott

Boyle, Alan Barker, Gordie Isham, Ken Titus,

Hal Merrick, Ray Vosburgh, Louie Gordinier,

Duane Knapp, Steve Tourje, Jerry Roys.