Aug
07

HAMLIN SPEEDWAY NEWS

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Hamlin, PA - Hamlin Speedway Keeps On Rocking In Silence With Tremendous Racing Action In all Divisions
By: Steve Pados, GA Motorsports Media

Hamlin Speedway Promoters Randy and Denise Smith have been tortured by the whims of Mother Nature all season long but on Saturday evening had the good fortune to withstand an afternoon shower and be able to host another excellent night of racing action for the large crowd on hand. Randy Smith and crew had the Hamlin Speedway in tip-top racing form as the stars and cars of the speedway rocked the house with their special brand of racing excitement and theatrics. More than one hundred racers were on hand for the nine feature event racing card and was wrapped up by 10:30 PM. The only drawback to an excellent evening of racing was the fact the PA System was struck by lightning on Friday and rendered it inoperable for the evening. When the good lord says silence, He means it! The evening of speed was sponsored by S&S Speedways Indoor Go Karts located in Snydersville, Pennsylvania

Heading up the list of winners on Saturday evening included "Bad" Chad Sandt as he raced his Ron Sandt Motorsports sponsored racer to his third win of the season in a fierce drive to the front spectacular in the Wingless 600 Sprint competition. Additional winners included Justin Hartz and Geordan Marrero as they each captured wins in the Rookie 600 Sprints. "The Ambassador" Wes Hearn continued on with his "Summer of Wes Tour" as the veteran star captured a double, winning both the All Star Slingshot feature and also adding his tenth Super Slinger win for the season and it is the second time this season Hearn has been able to accomplish the feat. Cole Stangle scored his fifth Hamlin Speedway win in the Junior Slingshot finale. "The Icon" Pat Bealer returned to action with brand new race car and quickly wired the field in his first event back in the 270 Sprint headliner. Damon Paul was throttle quick and led all of the way to score his third victory in the exciting Hampton RV and Trailer Sales Stage One Modified main. Olivia Mease stepped away from her duties in the tower to climb back into a race car and dominate the action to score the Powder Puff victory

The evening of feature attractions found Wes Hearn rocketing out front at the start of the Super Slinger finale. Hearn reeled off some quick times to gain some advantage but Dale Kober and Donny Hockman had their own battle going and the three drivers stepped away from the rest of the field. Hearn would earn his tenth win of the season with Kober and Hockman following. Jim Conroy and the returning Greg Zellman completed the top five. Steve Pirone, Ryan Lacoe, Ron Jablonka and the returning Carl Bittenbender completed the field.

The Junior Slingshot twenty lap headliner found Cole Stangle and Hunter Lapp battling it out at the start with Stangle winning the point to lead the way. "TVD" Tanner Van Doren entered the battle quickly and behind him came Jared Silfee. The budding stars provided some great racing action throughout the twenty lap run as the racing was fast and tight and the action was superb. Cole Stangle would lead all of the way to gain the victory with Lapp close behind, Silfee gaining third late in the race and Van Doren was fourth and showing no fear to find the fastest outside line of the speedway. Ty Kelly completed the top five. Shelby McLaughlin headed up the rest of the field with Emily Fleming, JJ Rice, James Hendricks, Austin Homan and James Costlow following.

The 20-lap headliner for the All Star Slingshot racers proved to be a barn burner right from the start with equal cars and stars making up the first three rows of competition. Wes Hearn seized the lead at the start of the event, was able to handle the hot-heat placed on him by Brett Bieber, Taylor Mills, Russell Benke, Alan Selemba and Tyler Peet. The intense racing behind that six-some was something to behold as well as each driver had his own visions of how the final outcome would play out. Hearn zipped off some 13.6 second laps to keep everyone aware of the fact he was in the lead and he would cross the finish line just ahead of Bieber, Benke, Taylor Mills, and Peet. Alan Selemba was sixth followed by Tyler Pirone, Dale Kober, Matt Henneforth, and Justin Mills. Even with another Tour event going on at another facility, the roster of talent at Hamlin proved to be second to none when it come to putting on a great show.

"The Wild Child" Geordan Marrero jumped into the lead in the first Rookie 600 Sprint event. Marrero was quick and lead all laps to gain his third win of the season. Brett Altemose kept pace throughout the event but settled for second with newcomer Scott Myers, Paul Richards Jr and Noah Zielinski completing the top five and Mack Brink, Tony Parlanti and Savannah Leggio following.

The second Rookie 600 Sprint event was a challenging affair as Mikey Smith led the first eight laps until he and a slower car made contact. The bump allowed Joe Howey to slip past Smith for the lead and Howey would lead until lap 15 when he made contact with a slower car and disabled his racer. Justin Hartz became the new leader and led the remainder of the event to claim his second win of the season. Jakson Ring, Jacob Balliet, Tim Bauer and Jr Williams completed the top five with Joe Nemeth, newcomers David Trego and Jared Lilly following.

"The Rockaway Rocket" Danny Buccafusca led the first two laps of laps the Wingless 600 Sprint main but would yield the top spot to the high flying "Quack Attack" Ryan Quackenbush on lap three. Quackenbush was hammer down as he led the way but working the cushion to perfection was "Bad" Chad Sandt and he began to reel in Quackenbush with some 12.249 second laps. Sandt made a successful bid for the lead on lap seven took control of the point. The race was far from over as Buccafusca was back on the attack from the baseline and pulled event with Sandt on occasion only to have Sandt execute the use of the cushion to perfection to maintain his advantage. Sandt would race to his third win of the season with Buccafusca in the runner-up scenario. "The Travelin Man" Mick D'Agostino came back from a first lap spin to nail down third place in an excellent drive for the New Englander. "Thrillin" Dylan Martin finally had his new Mark Gray Automotive sponsored mount working to perfection and drove from 18th starting place to finish fourth. JD Casazza started in 15th place and enjoyed a fine drive to complete the top five. The second five found the returning Nick Corazzi (from 16th), Johnny Smith (from 19th), Ryan Neil, Brandon Azzalina and Joel Smith.

Pat Bealer grabbed the lead out of the starting blocks and raced his recently completed Neff's Construction sponsored mount to his second win of the season. Paul Richards Jr kept pace as the runner-up with Kyle Ferrucci, Stephen Weirich and Glenn Macomber following.

Damon Paul controlled the Hampton RV and Trailer Sales Stage One Modified encounter from the first lap on with "The Nickel Man" Joel Smith mirroring his every move for the entire 20-lap distance. Paul had enough steam to win in a close margin over Smith, "The Sunshine Gypsy" Charlie Bodine, Will Casazza, and Bill Dianella. Cole Stangle, Caitlin Henneforth, Evan Civick and Chloe Andreas completed the field.

Wendy Guest led the first lap of the fifteen lap Powder Puff encounter. After that it was all Olivia Mease as the former Quarter Midget star took over the lead on the second lap and reeled off some impressive times under the 14 second barrier to go on and capture the win. Guest was the runner-up and Lori Carper was third. Karen Mirabelli and Donna Jablonka both encountered problems before the green flag and were forced from competition.

PEARL JAMS:

Randy Smith kept pace with the speedway all night long as the track remained super smooth all evening long. A couple of short intermission sessions were all that was needed to manicure the speedway surface for the competitors. Short track racing is close competition at its finest and the drivers were negotiating the tight quarters of the Hamlin Speedway in two, three, four and occasional five wide fashion for most of the evening.

A series of time trials were held for two of the racing divisions and quick time for the All Star Slingshots was Justin Mills at 14.271 seconds as he narrowly defeated Tess Horvath at 14.298 and Tyler Peet at 14.196. Rookie 600 Sprint times found Geordan Marrero tops at 12.216 over Brett Altemose who timed at 12.455 seconds.

Heat racing action in the Stage One Modifieds found Damon Paul claiming the win. 600 Sprint heat wins went to Sam Kravitsky and Chad Sandt. Dale Kober was the quick man in claiming the heat race win for the Super Slingers. The 270 Sprint heat went to Pat Bealer. Junior Slingshot heats were claimed by "The Hurricane" Hunter Lapp and Cole Stangle.

Mike Jablonka escaped injury in his heat event when he got upside down on the backstretch in a scramble of a few cars.

Donny Hockman gave the Tess Horvath ride a great drive with a third place finish in the Super Slingers and it was great to see him back in the seat. Austin Homan returned to action in the Junior Slingshots. Justin Mills was back with his 600 Sprint with the new graphics and the car looked great but unfortunately was the first out in one of the Rookie 600 Sprint mains. Matt Massone was back in action as he borrowed the Ryan Lacoe mount for the evening. Louie Horvath borrowed Tony Parlanti's Brew House sponsored mount for the evening.

Newcomers to the Hamlin scene included Scott Myers who looked strong in one of the Rookie features with a third place finish. David Trego was a new addition to the Rookie 600 Sprint ranks as he purchased the former AJ Hobbs race car. Jared Lilly made his first appearance at the speedway in the Rookie 600 Sprints. Jason Van Doren returned to action in the Ray Merli owned hot rod. Mike and Alex Van Pelt also returned to the Hamlin scene. Evan Civick returned to action in the Stage One Modifieds.

It was a tough week for the Smith Family as the water retention pond was breached with the heavy torrential rains that fell in the area. To make matters worse was the faulty PA system. A promoter's work is never done. Kudos to staff members who tried in vain to restore the system to sound.

Retired racer Tex Snyder was a spectator last evening and told of his long journey to Alaska recently, roughly 9,600 miles. Retired racer Dale Reed and his wife Heather took in the show last night and it was great to see them back at the speedway.

Good luck from the Hamlin Speedway management and staff to all of the racers who are in competing in Speed Weeks. For the 12th consecutive season Ed and Steve Pados and their Gasoline Alley Group will be supporting the Reading Fairgrounds Racing Historical Society with some great support from many of their good friends in racing.

Thanks to all of the great Hamlin fans for understanding the matter at hand.

RESULTS:

All Star Slingshots: Wes Hearn, Brett Bieber, Russell Benke III, Taylor Mills, Tyler Peet, Alan Selemba, Tyler Pirone, Dale Kober, Matt Henneforth, Justin Mills, Anthony Recchio, Samantha Muller, Josh Marcus, Alex Van Pelt, Greg Zellman, Matt Massone, Steve Pirone, Tess Horvath, Amanda Conroy, Ryan Davey, John Mirabelli

270cc Sprints: Pat Bealer, Paul Richards Jr, Kyle Ferrucci, Stephen Weirich, Glenn Macomber

600cc Wingless Sprints: Chad Sandt, Danny Buccafusca, Mick D'Agostino, Dylan Martin, JD Casazza, Nick Corazzi, Johnny Smith, Ryan Neil, Brandon Azzalina, Joel Smith, Tim Bauer, Sam Kravitsky, Jason Van Doren, Carmen Leggio Jr, Joseph Smith, Ryan Quackenbush, Zac Azzalina, Louie Horvath, Jared Lilly, Mike Van Pelt

Hampton RV And Trailer Stage One Modifieds: Damon Paul, Joel Smith, Charlie Bodine, Will Casazza, Bill Dianella, Cole Stangle, Caitlin Henneforth, Evan Civick, Chloe Andreas

Junior Slingshots: Cole Stangle, Hunter Lapp, Jared Silfee, Tanner Van Doren, Ty Kelly, Shelby McLaughlin, Emily Fleming, JJ Rice, James Hendricks, Austin Homan, James Costlow, John Velde, Gavin McClure

Super Slingshots: Wes Hearn, Dale Kober, Donny Hockman, Jim Conroy, Greg Zellman, Steve Pirone, Ryan Lacoe, Ron Jablonka, Carl Bittenbender, Mike Jablonka

Rookie 600cc Wingless Sprints: (1) Geordan Marrero, Brett Altemose, Scott Myers, Paul Richards Jr, Noah Zielinski, Mack Brink, Tony Parlanti, Savannah Leggio, Tyler Galatro, Justin Mills

Rookie 600cc Wingless Sprints: (2) Justin Hartz, Jakson Ring, Jacob Balliet, Tim Bauer, JR Williams, Joe Nemeth, David Trego, Jared Lilly, Joe Howey, Mikey Smith

Powder Puff Girls: Olivia Mease, Wendy Guest, Lori Carper, Donna Jablonka, Karen Mirabelli

Racing every Saturday evening from April through September. The next event on the Hamlin Speedway schedule is set for August 13th when all Divisions will be in action on the 1/5th mile clay cushioned oval and the final event for the Briggs and Stratton Mid Atlantic All Star Slingshot Tour will headline the evening of events. Make sure to check the Hamlin Speedway website for additional information. Pit Gates open at the speedway at 3 PM; Drivers Meeting at 5:45; Hot Laps are at 6:00 and the racing begins at 7 PM sharp. Admission Prices for regular shows are: Adults $10.00; Senior Citizens $5.00 Children under 6 are Free

Please support the many great sponsors who assist in working and sponsoring the season long events at the speedway. Tilcon, Yankowski Enterprises, Triple Cities Mack, Dickie Keiper Speed Supplies, Ron Brown Hauling, Classic Cycles, Kim's Kreations, RockAuto.com, Howe's Comfort Inn and Santarelli And Sons Oil Company are all part of the advertising family at the speedway and we graciously thank them for their support.

For further updates and information regarding all of the news and additions to the Hamlin Speedway, logon to their well documented website at: http://www.hamlinspeed.com or call the speedway hotline at: 570 420 5500.

For One Week, The Hamlin Speedway Was The Silent "Pearl" In The Poconos

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