Afton, NY - J.R. Hurlburt, of Otego, picked up his third 358 Modified win of the year at Afton Speedway, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Victoria 200 guaranteed starting spots were on the line for 358 Modifieds, Sportsman, and Pro Stocks. Hurlburt started on the pole position for the 30 lap main event after grabbing the win from his sixth place starting spot in the second heat. Afton Speedway 2000 track champion Tony Pepicelli, of Duanesburg, started on the outside pole. Trout Creek native Dana Wagner moved into third from his fifth place starting spot at the start. Pepicelli repeatedly challenged Hurlburt for the top spot, but could not make the move. A lap seven caution for Afton’s Pete Christiansen and third place running Wagner would end Wagner’s hopes for the night. As the green came back out, Hurlburt won the battle off the line and retained his lead. Pepicelli kept the pressure on as he battled side by side with Hurlburt, but was not able to get around him. Mike Clapperton followed in third, with Earlville’s Mike Gillette in fourth. Gilette’s night would end in disappointment as a tangle on lap ten with Nick Ryan would take him out of contention. Both Gillette and Ryan were unable to repair their machines. Hurlburt and Pepicelli remained one and two as the field re-started. Harpursville’s Gary Smith took over third from Clapperton. Two afton hot- shoes, Jeremy Smith, of Triangle, and North Norwich’s Mitch Gibbs were making their way up through the pack after starting scratch. Gibbs, driving Jeremy Smith’s regular ride, and Jeremy Smith, driving the Finch’s 56 machine, moved past Clapperton to take over fourth and fifth on the twelfth lap. Hurlburt went on to capture the win, and the guaranteed spot at Fulton, as the Mods ran the last twenty laps caution free. Pepicelli finished second, followed by Gibbs, Jeremy Smith, and Clapperton. Rockdale native Tim French capped off an excellent season as he picked up the win in the 20 lap Sportsman feature. French, who won the track points championship by just five points over Guilford’s Arnie Slade, earned a guaranteed spot at the prestigous Fulton Victoria 200 show as well. Steve Anderson, of West Edmeston, started on the pole, and held off oustside pole sitter Don Hart, Jr. to lead the first lap. After a pair of cautions on lap one, Hart, Jr., of Harpursville, took over the top spot on lap two, as another double- caution period came about. French, who started fourth on the field, was lined up in the third spot on the restart. As the green flag came back out, French went from third to first, as Glenn Knapp, of Johnson City, took over the third spot from Anderson. French went on for the win, his sixth of the season, with Hart, Jr. in second. Knapp, in his first outing at Afton this year, finished third, followed by Anderson and Craig Pritchard. Butch Klinger, of Walton, took the lead at the start of the 20 lap Pro Stock feature, with pole starter Winnie Winchester, of Unadilla, falling back to second. Klinger, the 2000 Afton Pro Stock point champion, seemed to have the race in hand in the early going. A caution on lap four involving multiple cars bunched the pack up. As the green came out, Klinger’s car slowed with what sounded like serious engine trouble. Afton’s Wade Decker inherited the lead, with P.J. Goodwin, of Binghamton, moving up to the second position. Decker held on to the lead at the start. As the pack completed lap five, Unadilla’s Jason Youngs went for a wild ride on the front stretch, landing on top of the guardrail after almost rolling over. Klinger returned to the speedway after a lengthy caution period, but was one lap down to the field. Decker held off Goodwin as they returned to green flag racing, until Goodwin was able to take over the number one spot at the halfway mark of the race. Decker slowed with a cut tire, and had to restart at the back on lap thirteen. By this time, Klinger had made his way through the pack to the second position in the line-up, behind leader Goodwin. Klinger tried to get his lap back, but was unsuccessful, as Goodwin was able to gain some distance from the rest of the field. Goodwin took home the win, his 5th of the year, and earned the guaranteed spot in the Victoria 200. Winchester finished second, with Todd Hurlburt, Decker, and Jason Schlafer completing the top five. In the Four Cylinder Stock class, the points title was on the line. Harold Humphrey, of Norwich, headed into the 15 lap feature event just six points ahead of Afton’s Ralph Jennings, Jr. Jennings started on the pole, but it was outside pole starter Scott Johnson, of Norwich, taking the lead at the start. Skip Pickwick ran third, while Humphrey, who started fifth on the field, battled side by side with Unadilla’s Jamie Banta for fifth. A caution on the fifth lap for North Blenheim’s Dennis Vroman set the stage for a tense battle. As the green came out, Johnson kept the lead, as Ralph Cuozzo, Jr. grabbed second, setting Jennings back to third. Humphrey took over fourth from Bainbridge’s Pickwick. With Humphrey right on Jennings’ bumper, it seemed as if Humphrey would have the points titled well in his grasp. Hard luck hit Humphrey on lap nine, as his motor soured, causing him to fall off the pace. Cuozzo, Jr., lost the handle on his machine with just one lap to go. Jennings inherited the second spot, which would make all the difference. Johnson led from flag to flag to pick up his second Afton victory, with Jennings in for second. Banta, Pickwick, and Humphrey completed the top five. With his second place finish, Jennings gained 8 points on Humphrey, and took the track championship by just two points. Neil Palladino had the points battle in the Pure Stock division wrapped up last week. Palladino entered the night 138 points ahead of Rob Loucks. James Cornell, Jr., of Brooktondale, took the lead at the start of the 12 lap feature, and lead wire to wire to pick up his second win of the year. Denny Decker finished second with Rob Loucks in third. Ken Titus, of Kirkwood, did all he could to move up in the Dwarf Car points battle as he picked up the win in the 12- lap feature event. Sherburne’s Alan Barker just had to take the green flag to lock up the Dwarf points championship. Barker finished second, capping off a great season for the youngster. Titus’s win moved moved him to second in points, 47 behind Barker. For the first time since the start of our season back on April 1st, Afton will be off for a week. Action will return to the Speedway for the 'Design Builder’s' special 358 Modified twin 50’s on September 29th. Gates open at 4pm, with racing set to start at 7:00.

358 MODIFIED RESULTS: J.R. Hurlburt, Tony Pepicelli, Mitch Gibbs, Jeremy Smith, Mike Clapperton, Mark Schoonover, Jim Rothwell, Gary Smith, Steve Walsh, John Siedlecky, Pat Jordan, Mike Gillette, Nick Ryan, Dana Wagner, Pete Christiansen.

SPORTSMAN RESULTS: Tim French, Don Hart Jr, Glenn Knapp, Steve Anderson, Craig Pritchard, Dave Crandall, Mike Walters, Skip French, Tim Sanders, Jim Gould, Frank Greco, John Payne.

PRO STOCK RESULTS: P.J. Goodwin, Winnie Winchester, Todd Hurlburt, Wade Decker, Jason Schlafer, Fred Christ, Mike Lester, Erik Knudson, Butch Klinger, Harold Humphrey, Pat Nolan, Gary Roberts, Mark Davis, James Cornell, Jason Youngs.

PURE STOCK RESULTS: James Cornell Jr, Denny Decker, Rob Loucks, Frank West, Todd Curtin, Marvin Hallstead, Neil Palladino, Brian Steigerwald, Bob Stilson, Jim Levelle, Bob Terrell, Scott Brown, Dennis Valentine.

FOUR CYLINDER STOCK: Scott Johnson, Ralph Jennings Jr, Jamie Banta, Skip Pickwick, Harold Humphrey, Rick Lashway, Ralph Cuozzo Sr, Ralph Cuozzo Jr, Dennis Vroman, Bob Dedrick.

DWARF CARS: Ken Titus, Alan Barker, Steve Tourje, Jerry Roys, Ray Vosburgh, Duane Knapp, Chic Chandler.