HAMLIN SPEEDWAY NEWS
ByHamlin, PA - Damon Paul Doubles In Hamlin Speedway's Outstanding Labor Day Show
By: Steve Pados, GA Motorsports Media
The last days of summer in the Pocono Mountains produced a breezy and warm day as the Smith Family ushered in Labor Day weekend at their 1/5th mile clay cushioned Hamlin Speedway. The warmth of the day was no match for the sizzling racing action that took place out on the speedway channels as the drivers were primed and ready to do battle and came away with another spectacular evening of racing events. The heart-stopping side by side action highlighted a great evening of racing that found the speedway hosting eight feature events and completed by 10:30 PM. The evening of speed was presented by S&S Speedways Indoor Go Karts located in Snydersville, Pennsylvania.
The racing action also produced some familiar names on the Hamlin scene with the cream of the crop rising to the occasion to land in the coveted Victory Circle. "Magic Shoes" Mike McLaughlin had the field covered as he led every lap to record his second win of the season in the All Star Slingshots in a solid wire to wire triumph. Youngster Damon Paul doubled down at the speedway as he wired the field in the Hampton RV and Trailer Stage One Modified thirty lap feature to win the Roy Smith Memorial event. Paul came right back and strapped into the Quackenbush Racing Cool Way Direct sponsored hot rod to claim one of the two Rookie 600 Sprint events. "The Wild Child" Geordan Marrero captured the other Rookie 600 Sprint main. "Bad" Chad Sandt used all of the Hamlin Speedway real estate in a show stopping run for the roses to claim his fifth win of the season in the 600 Sprints. New Jersey's Cole Stangle climbed out of a battered race car in the Stage One Modifieds and proved he was no worse for wear as he raced to his fifth win of the season in the Junior Slingshot main event. Newcomer Mike Taylor had only competed once before at Hamlin but was a quick study and utilized his right foot from the start and wired the field for his first career win in the Super Slinger finale. "The Icon" Pat Bealer found himself alone in the zone as he captured his third win of the season in the 270 Sprint finale.
Mike McLaughlin brought the 25-car All Star Slingshot field down for the start of their twenty lap feature encounter. McLaughlin blasted into the lead with Anthony Recchio falling in behind him with Chris Kurtz and Justin Mills close to the action. The traffic was fast and furious as throughout the field pockets of close knit action kept the field tight. On lap thirteen, Kurtz got underneath McLaughlin for the lead but a spin brought the field back to the previous lap and installed McLaughlin back as the leader. McLaughlin did not make a mistake for the remainder of the event and raced to his second win of the season at Hamlin. Kurtz would finish second with Justin Mills, Russell Benke and Austin Silfee completing the top five. The second five consisted of Anthony Recchio, Tyler Peet, Dale Kober, Matt Henneforth and Alex Van Pelt. Twenty one of the twenty five starters completed the main event.
Pat Bealer was a rocket from the drop of the green flag as he found the Hamlin Speedway surface superb and led every lap of the 270 Sprint main to capture his third win of the season. Paul Richards Jr stayed close but would finish second with Kyle Ferrucci doing great work for third place, Alex Reinsmith fourth and Glenn Macomber rounding out the top five. Newcomers Morgan Rochelle and Daniel Lafrance followed along with Stephen Weirich and Randy Gombert.
Chad Sandt seized the moment at the drop of the green flag and glued himself to the top reaches of the speedway to grab the lead in the 600 Sprint main. Sandt would get pressure from Colin White, Joel Smith, Sam Kravitsky and JD Casazza throughout the run until a spin from Casazza after the midway point slowed the action. On the restart, Sandt tried to leave the field behind but the action would remain tight until the checkered flag with Sandt earning his fifth win of the season. Colin White was a close second with Joel Smith nipping at his heels, Kravitsky fourth and Joseph Smith getting a late surge to finish fifth. The second five were headed up by Ryan Neil with Mike Van Pelt, Zack Bealer, Carmen Leggio Jr and JD Casazza rounding out the top ten.
Cole Stangle brought "the stars of tomorrow" starting field to the line for their 20-lap main headliner. After having been involved in a barrel rolling flip earlier in the evening, Stangle was quick and blasted into the lead followed by "Dr Drift" Ty Kelly. Jared Silfee came knocking and disposed of Kelly by the midway point and went chasing after Stangle. A couple of skirmishes slowed the action and took Tanner Van Doren from third place to the pit area. The times Stangle and Silfee were turning were just about identical and Stangle would capture the win in an exciting evening of action for the Junior Slingers. Silfee was second with Adam Buchel turning in some great work for third place. Shelby McLaughlin raced from 12th position to fourth in a great drive and Emily Fleming rounded out the top five. Jake Mason, Ty Kelly, Tommy Stillo, Colton Geary and JJ Rice completed the top ten.
Two Rookie 600 Sprint features were needed for the growing roster at the speedway. In the first one, Lavar Scott took the early lead for one lap before yielding to Geordan Marrero in lap two. Marrero would hustle away from the field but the close knit action also resulted in a couple of cautions. Marrero was able to hold the field at bay to go on and record his fourth win of the season. Scott ran a great race to finish second with Jacob Balliet third, Scott Slater Jr fourth and Jared Lilly rounding out the top five. Dylan Licklider, newcomer Nathan Smith and Joe Nemeth followed.
In the second Rookie 600 Sprint main event, Damon Paul took the early lead while holding off the challenges of Brett Altemose, Kyle Exley and Mack Brink. Paul was comfortable no matter where he steered the race car and would earn his first ever 600 Sprint win. Mack Brink was the runner-up with Brett Altemose third, Kyle Exley fourth and Tony Parlanti fifth. Jakson Ring headed up the second five with David Trego, Cody Powell, Carmen Leggio Sr, Ron Bosga and Savannah Leggio following.
The Super Slingers finale found newcomer Mike Taylor taking off in the lead from his pole start. Taylor would drive away from the field early on but a skirmish would slow the action. On the restart, Taylor would be in command but would feel the heat from Wes Hearn and Dale Kober. Taylor never waivered as he even though it was a blanket finish it would be Taylor heading for Victory Circle. Wes Hearn was second with Dale Kober third, Jim Conroy fourth and newcomer Kerry Graham fifth. Following were Tom Van Pelt, Jeff Haduck and Steve Pirone.
The Hampton RV and Trailer Sales Stage One Modified shootout with the running of the annual Roy Smith Memorial, found Damon Paul hustling into the lead at the drop of the green flag. Behind him found a heated tussle between Bill Dianella and Joel Smith and the warriors duked it out from lap to lap with it ending on lap 21 when the cars got together with Smith facing traffic and Dianella sliding into the infield. Both cars were out for the evening and on the restart it would be Paul still in command but Caitlin Henneforth turned up the wick on her Henneforth Trucking mount and would become the fastest driver on the track for the remaining laps of the event. Damon Paul would earn his fifth win of the season with Henneforth in the runner-up slot. John Lakatos enjoyed a great run for third while Will Casazza and Michael Samony would complete the top five. Janell Geary, Evan Civick and newcomer Henry Padula would follow in the finishing order.
Pearl Jams:
Even though the weather was warm and breezy, a nice crowd came out to the speedway to witness a great evening of racing activities. The racing surface was impeccable as the track remained racy throughout the evening with side by side, three wide and at times four wide action rocking the house. Promoter Randy Smith and crew worked on the track throughout the evening to give the drivers a great surface with which to ply their trade.
Time trials kicked off the racing activity for two of the divisions while qualifying heats provided the fans with what were like mini-feature events as the talented drivers dug deep into the Hamlin clay to earn their starting spots for the feature events. Tyler Peet was the top timer in the All Star Slingshot division with a 14.027 time just nipping Justin Mills who timed at 14.101 and Chris Kurtz who timed 14.130. Pat Bealer was the quick timer in the 270 Sprints when he stopped the clocks at 11.277 seconds.
Cole Stangle and Ty Kelly claimed Junior Slingshot heat wins. Dale Kober was the heat winner in the Super Slingshots. Wingless 600 Sprint heats were claimed by Sam Kravitsky and Colin White . Brett Altemose, Geordan Marrero and Damon Paul captured the Rookie 600 Sprint heats. Two rounds of heats were utilized for the Stage One Modifieds with Damon Paul and Bill Dianella victorious in the first round while Joel Smith and Bill Dianella claimed the wins in round two.
Many new faces made visits to the speedway and Jevon Ahner was an unfortunate one as he got his 600 Sprint upside down in the hot lap sessions. He was unhurt in the incident. Mark Manieri was behind the wheel of his new creation and the machine shows much promise but scratched out for the feature. Adam Huff and Joe Amoroso were also new additions to the 600 Sprint field. Danny Buccafusca expired a motor early on and sat out the remainder of the evening. Modified Chassis builder Kerry Graham was on hand and raced the Recchio Slingshot entry and came home in fifth place in the Super Slingers. Graham had given Anthony Recchio his first Sportsman ride the night prior at the Accord Speedway. Blaire Schoenly was a new addition to the All Star Slingshots. Morgan Rochelle and Daniel Lafrance made their first appearances in the 270 Sprints. Jeffrey Trautman took his first ride at Hamlin in the Junior Slingshot division. Henry Padula took a ride in the Smith Fabrications Rental car. Nathen Smith was a new entry for the Rookie 600 Sprints.
Bill Dianella from Hampton RV and Trailer Sales utilized the intermission period to throw out some T-Shirts to the grandstand fans.
Close to $500.00 was raised in a couple of days for lap sponsorship of the Roy Smith Memorial event. The Hamlin Speedway and Staff and Smith Fabrications would like to thank Amy Renee Hanna, MRS Racing, Lynne and Skip, Don Andreas, Mary and Russ Furry, Snydersville Raceway, Mike Reynolds, Cody Motto, Will Casazza, Randy Gombert, Ed Stangle Landscaping, Hampton RV and Trailer Sales and GA Motorsports Media for their great support of this annual event. Damon Paul earned the most lap money while Cole Stangle was awarded the Hard Luck driver and Caitlin Henneforth the Hard Charger for the event.
Birthday wishes go out to Hamlin fan Mike Reynolds.
If you have not yet experienced an evening of racing at Hamlin, next week would be the ticket to come out and witness the best small car division racing in the country. With only two shows left in 2016, the drivers will have to be at their best should they have aspirations for a track title.
RESULTS:
All Star Slingshots: Mike McLaughlin, Chris Kurtz, Justin Mills, Russell Benke, Austin Silfee, Anthony Recchio, Tyler Peet, Dale Kober, Matt Henneforth, Alex Van Pelt, Tyler Pirone, Tess Horvath, Ashley Kober, Blaire Schoenly, Wes Hearn, Amanda Buchel, Brett Bieber, Steve Pirone, Samantha Muller, Mike Taylor, Sarah Bohlin, Nick Vinciguerra, Taylor Mills, Josh Marcus, Clayton Davey
270cc Sprints: Pat Bealer, Paul Richards Jr, Kyle Ferrucci, Alex Reinsmith, Glenn Macomber, Morgan Rochelle, Daniel Lafrance, Stephen Weirich, Randy Gombert
600cc Wingless Sprints: Chad Sandt, Colin White, Joel Smith, Sam Kravitsky, Joseph Smith, Ryan Neil, Mike Van Pelt, Zack Bealer, Carmen Leggio Jr, JD Casazza, Ryan Quackenbush, Tim Bauer, Mike Linderman, Rick Calvert, Dylan Licklider, Adam Huff (DNS), Mark Manieri (DNS), Joe Amoroso (DNS), Danny Buccafusca (DNS)
Hampton RV And Trailer Stage One Modifieds: (Roy Smith Memorial) Damon Paul, Caitlin Henneforth, John Lakatos, Will Casazza, Michael Samony, Janell Geary, Evan Civick, Henry Padula, Joel Smith, Bill Dianella, Chloe Andreas, Cole Stangle (DNS)
Junior Slingshots: Cole Stangle, Jared Silfee, Adam Buchel, Shelby McLaughlin, Emily Fleming, Jake Mason, Ty Kelly, Tommy Stillo, Colton Geary, JJ Rice, CJ Fritz, Cooper Schoenly, James Costlow, Tanner Van Doren, Jeffrey Trautman
Super Slingshots: Mike Taylor, Wes Hearn, Dale Kober, Jim Conroy, Kerry Graham, Tom Van Pelt, Jeff Haduck, Steve Pirone, Ryan Lacoe (DNS)
Rookie 600cc Wingless Sprints: (1) Geordan Marrero, Lavar Scott, Jacob Balliet, Scott Slater Jr, Jared Lilly, Dylan Licklider, Nathen Smith, Joe Nemeth, Paul Richards Jr, Joe Amoroso, Tyler Galatro, Mikey Smith
Rookie 600cc Wingless Sprints: (2) Damon Paul, Mack Brink, Brett Altemose, Kyle Exley, Tony Parlanti, Jakson Ring, David Trego, Cody Powell, Carmen Leggio Sr, Ron Bosga, Savannah Leggio, Noah Zielinski (DNS)
Racing every Saturday evening from April through September. The next event on the Hamlin Speedway schedule is set for September 10th when all Divisions will be in action on the 1/5th mile clay cushioned oval. 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. All divisions will be in action and the evening will kick-off with the postponed August 13th feature for the Speedweeks All Star Slingshots to 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
