HAMLIN SPEEDWAY NEWS
ByHamlin, PA - Cars and Stars In Abundance With For Hamlin Speedway's Exciting Eight Feature Race Card
By: Steve Pados, GA Motorsports Media
Great weather and cars and stars by the numbers brought a standing room only crowd to the Hamlin Speedway as the Smith Family and Staff presented a superb eight feature race card on Saturday evening. Hamlin Speedway Promoter Randy Smith had the 1/5th mile oval as "fit as a fiddle" and the 115 entries who signed in for battle used every inch of the raceway to carve out a wonderful night of entertainment for the appreciative crowd. The Smith Family orchestrated the eight feature event program by 10:33 PM in the evening that found some of the top stars at the speedway strutting their stuff while some new faces also found out it feels very good to be sitting at the top of the racing podium. S&S Speedways Indoor Go Karts sponsored the evening of speed.
The All Star Slingshot feature headliner was captured by "The Little Tornado" Tyler Peet as he showed the 25-car field the quick way around the Hamlin clay to capture his second win of the season and first since opening night. "The Edge" Eddie Strada returned to the speedway for the second time in 2016 and took home his second win with a late charge over James "Phillip" Morris. Paul Richards Jr overcame an early advantage by smooth running Glenn Macomber as he captured his seventh win of the season in 270 Sprint action. "The Oxford Express" Dale Kober had the hot ticket in Super Slinger action as he wired the field for his third win of the season. Jared Silfee claimed his fifth win of the season in the Junior Slingshot finale. "The Nickel Man" Joel Smith was spot on as he drove away from the field to score his third win of the season in the Hampton RV and Trailer Sales Stage One Modifieds. The Rookie 600 Sprint field was split into two feature events and Brett Altemose and Scott Slater Jr each earned a win with great drives.
Tyler Peet grabbed the lead at the start of the 25-car field All Star Slingshot feature event with Dale Kober hustling to make his bid for the lead. Peet was able to step away from the field at times with lots of battles for position happening behind him. The two and three wide racing action at mid-pack was spectacular with driver after driver making his bid for the next position ahead of him. Peet was in the zone and separated himself from the rest of the field while Russell Benke was able to slip past Kober when they hit slower traffic in front of them. Peet would race to his second win with Benke and Kober following. Austin Silfee had a steady ride in fourth and "Magic Shoes" Mike McLaughlin hustled from 12th starting place to nail down fifth. Justin Mills, Nick Vinciguerra, Chris Kurtz, Brett Bieber and Alan Selemba rounded out the top ten.
The Super Slingers main event saw Dale Kober blasting out of the starting gate at the drop of the green flag battling with Wes Hearn for the top spot. Kober was able to open up some distance with some very quick 13.503 second laps to drive away and capture his third win of the season. Hearn was second with Roger Collins third, Ryan Lacoe fourth, Jim Conroy fifth and Steve Pirone and Jeff Haduck completing the finishing order.
Glenn Macomber led in the early laps of the 270 Sprint main but Paul Richards Jr used built up a full head of steam to drive to the inside line of the speedway to pull even and then slip past Macomber for the lead. Once out front Richards walked away from the field to record his eighth win of the season. Macomber put on a whale of a show as he ran hard for runner-up honors. "The A-Team" Brandon Azzalina took the Widdos car to a third place finish while Kyle Ferrucci, newcomer Alex Reinsmith and Randy Gombert completed the field.
The Junior Slingshot feature found Jared Silfee on the pole for the start and that would be just about all he needed to drive away from the field and go on to record his fifth win of the season at Hamlin. "TVD" Tanner Van Doren came on strong to finish second while Cole Stangle would race to third place after starting seventh and "The Hurricane" Hunter Lapp charged from ninth starting place to finish in fourth place. JJ Rice was fifth. The second five included Adam Buchel, Austin Homan, Shelby McLaughlin, Emily Fleming and Jake Mason. Mason was runner-up for a long time before he encountered some late race problems.
The start of the first Rookie 600 Wingless Sprint event found Brett Altemose putting it all together to lead all laps as he top-sided the speedway's outer reaches enroot to his first ever win at the speedway. Mack Brink challenged throughout but would settle for runner-up honors in a great drive. Newcomer Dylan Licklider was third in his first appearance while Tyler Galatro and Noah Zielinski completed the top five. Scott Slater Sr, Carmen Leggio Sr, Jacob Balliet and Ron Bosga completed the field.
Scott Slater Jr grabbed the lead at the start of the second Rookie 600 Sprint feature and had a pretty easy time of it as he raced out to an advantage early on and would race to his first ever win at the speedway.
Mikey Smith finished second with Paul Richards Jr in third place, Aaron Casterlin fourth and Justin Mills in fifth. The returning Tyler Kehs and newcomer Wendy Guest completed the field.
The Hampton RV and Trailer Sales Stage One Modified event found Joel Smith hustling out front at the drop of the green flag and making each step of the way count as he was flawless in performance as he raced to his third win of the season. Damon Paul was second with Bill Dianella third, Cole Stangle fourth and Chloe Andreas in fifth. Will Casazza headed up the second five with Robert Haun, Matt Henneforth, Michael Samony, Janell Geary and Evan Civick following.
James Morris took the lead at the start of the headline 600 Sprint event. Morris was working the cushion to perfection with Zack Bealer and Eddie Strada matching his every move. Strada was able to slip underneath Bealer at the halfway mark and set sail for Morris. The fast pace of the field brought slower traffic into play and Morris and Strada were darting and diving under and around the slower cars. Strada, a master at the Hamlin facility, closed in on Morris on the backstretch, followed him hard into turn three and dove underneath Morris to pull even and then drive past him on the front stretch to take command of the event with five to go. Strada would go on to capture his second win in as many tries at Hamlin for the season in the Thornton Racing number 36. Morris did an excellent job for runner-up honors with Brandon Azzalina a very close third. Zack Bealer was strong in his new ride for fourth and Joel Smith rounded out the top five. The second five was headed up by Chad Sandt with Sam Kravitsky, Colin White, Ryan Quackenbush and Jacob Severn following. The fast paced event had 23 of the 26 starters completing the event a strong tribute to the drivers and to the crews who maintain the race cars.
PEARL JAMS:
The hotly contested evening of racing entertainment began on time and the staff kept moving the program along swiftly with a couple of breaks taken for track maintenance on the track surface and to keep the race track racy throughout the evening. Once again Smith and Company got the job done without reservation. The large standing room only crowd on hand for the event witnessed a great evening of racing entertainment.
Time trials found the Rookie 600 Sprints taking time with Geordan Marrero just nipping Brett Altemose with a fast time of 12.157 for Marrero and Altemose posting a 12.361 time. Chloe Andreas was top timer for the Stage One Modifieds with a 13.077 time and nipping Joel Smith who timed at 13.108 seconds and Damon Paul at 13.205.
Heat race wins went to Wes Hearn in the Super Slingers while Jared Silfee and "Lil Miss" Shelby McLaughlin were victorious in the Junior Slingshots. Glenn Macomber captured the heat race win for the 270 Sprints. Dale Kober, Tyler Peet and Russell Benke captured the Slingshot heat wins. Two rounds of heat action was needed to set the 600 Sprint field and winners included James Morris, Joel Smith, and Eddie Strada in round one while Chad Sandt, Jacob Severn and Dylan Martin recorded wins in round two.
Newcomers made their way to the speedway last night in droves. Nick Delcampo and Tayllor Schoenly made their first starts in the Slingshots. Alex Reinsmith made his first 270 start at Hamlin in quite some time. CJ Fritz made his initial debut in the Junior Slingshots. Dylan Licklider and Wendy Guest were new faces for the Rookie 600 Sprints while returning to action included Tyler Kehs, Jacob Fox, Scott Slater Sr and Jr and Aaron Casterlin. In the Stage One Modifieds, "The All American Boy" Robert Haun was aboard the Smith Fabrications Rental car and Matt Henneforth was aboard the family Stage One car. Eddie Strada, James Morris, Eric Heydenreich, Johnny Smith, Duane White, Steven Gully and Jason Van Doren were among the outsiders list for the 600 Sprint entries. Eddie Strada also shook down a new MMF car from creator Mark Manieri although the sharp looking creation encountered some bugs in it's debut.
The top twelve drivers in points for the double heat format were brought trackside by speedway announcer Steve Pados and the drivers tossed tennis balls into the kid's crowd (10 and under) for a special prize should their driver win. It was a fun introduction and the fans and drivers enjoyed the professional aspect of the neat promotion.
Paul Quear, a veteran of many racing wars was on hand last evening. Paul is 85 and still has the itch to get behind the wheel of a race car. Troy Langendoerfer was on hand taking in the races and gearing up for a return to regular action in 2017. "The Sandman" is a welcome addition to the great roster at Hamlin.
Special thanks once again to Tex Snyder as he continues to work out the bugs of the new PA System.
The speedway is gearing up for some big events on the horizon with the 2016 racing season hitting the final stages. The annual Roy Smith Memorial for the Stage One Modifieds takes place on September 3rd as the speedway ushers in Labor day. The September 10th event will feature two big events for the All Star Slingshots as the rained out Speedweeks race will be the first event to the post and followed by a complete show that will have the National Slingshot Tour in the house.
RESULTS:
All Star Slingshots: Tyler Peet, Russell Benke, Dale Kober, Austin Silfee, Mike McLaughlin, Justin Mills, Nick Vinciguerra, Chris Kurtz, Brett Bieber, Alan Selemba, Wes Hearn, Tyler Pirone, Nick Delcampo, Steve Pirone, Amanda Buchel, Ryan Davey, Tayllor Schoenly, John Mirabelli, Samantha Muller, Jeff Haduck, Sarah Bohlin, Ashley Kober, Taylor Mills, Alex Van Pelt, Josh Marcus
270cc Sprints: Paul Richards Jr, Glenn Macomber, Brandon Azzalina, Kyle Ferrucci, Alex Reinsmith, Randy Gombert, Don Schmidt, Jenna Schostkewitz
600cc Wingless Sprints: Eddie Strada, James Morris, Brandon Azzalina, Zack Bealer, Joel Smith, Chad Sandt, Sam Kravitsky, Colin White, Ryan Quackenbush, Jacob Severn, Zac Azzalina, Eric Heydenreich, Mick D'Agostino, Jason Van Doren, Joseph Smith, Danny Buccafusca, JD Casazza, Geordan Marrero, Johnny Smith, Dylan Martin, Duane White, Brett Altemose, Steven Gully, Tim Bauer, Mike Van Pelt, Jacob Fox
Hampton RV And Trailer Stage One Modifieds: Joel Smith, Damon Paul, Bill Dianella, Cole Stangle, Chloe Andreas, Will Casazza, Robert Haun, Matt Henneforth, Michael Samony, Janell Geary, Evan Civick
Junior Slingshots: Jared Silfee, Tanner Van Doren, Cole Stangle, Hunter Lapp, JJ Rice, Adam Buchel, Austin Homan, Shelby McLaughlin, Emily Fleming, Jake Mason, CJ Fritz, Colton Geary, Cooper Schoenly, James Costlow
Super Slingshots: Dale Kober, Wes Hearn, Roger Collins, Ryan Lacoe, Jim Conroy, Steve Pirone, Jeff Haduck
Rookie 600cc Wingless Sprints: (1) Brett Altemose, Mack Brink, Dylan Licklider, Tyler Galatro, Noah Zielinski, Scott Slater Sr, Carmen Leggio Sr, Jacob Balliet, Jared Lilly, Ron Bosga, Jakson Ring
Rookie 600cc Wingless Sprints: (2) Scott Slater Jr, Mikey Smith, Paul Richards Jr, Aaron Casterlin, Justin Mills, Geordan Marrero, Tyler Kehs, Wendy Guest, David Trego, Jacob Fox
Racing every Saturday evening from April through September. The next event on the Hamlin Speedway schedule is set for September 3rd when all Divisions will be in action on the 1/5th mile clay cushioned oval and the Hampton RV and Trailer Sales Stage One Modifieds are headlined with the annual Roy Smith Memorial 30 lap feature event. 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
Upcoming events at the speedway include the All Star Slingshot National 50 lap Tour event on September 10th, offering $1,000.00 to win the feature based on 24 entries.
The postponed Speedweeks Slingshot finale will be the first event raced on September 10th, followed by a complete regular show highlighted by the All Star Slingshot National Tour 50-lap Tour event paying $1,000.00 to the winner based on a 24 entry count.
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.
The Hamlin Speedway Is The "Pearl" In The Poconos
