Hamlin, PA - Seven Drivers Share Victory Circle In Exciting Hamlin Speedway Racing Action
By: Steve Pados, GA Motorsports Media

The "once again rain before it begins" theme has seemingly provided the backdrop for an evening of speed presented by Hamlin Speedway Promoters Randy and Denise Smith on Saturday nights in 2017. Nevertheless, when there is a will, there is a way and the extra work on the facility had the speedway primed and ready for the stars of the speedway to ignite the large crowd on hand. The evening ran off very well until a frightening crash during the 600 Sprint feature slowed the action for more than an hour. More than one hundred and ten talented race car drivers came to Hamlin on Saturday to ply their trade and when the final curtain came down it would be two newcomers plus some familiar names at the speedway rising to the top of the heap in the coveted Victory Circle.

"The Nickel Man" Joel Smith captured his fourth Hampton RV And Trailer Sales Stage One Modified win in 2017. Mike Taylor scored his second win of the season in the Super Slinger finale topping a very strong and returning John Gilroy. "The Sandman" Troy Langendoerfer romped to his second win of the season in the All Star Slingshot main event. JD Casazza scored his first ever Hamlin Speedway win with a baseline run in the 600 Sprint main. "The Fearless One" Kyle Ferrucci scored his second win of the season in the Wingless 270 Sprint main. Paul Richards Jr earned his second win of the season in the JPA Masonry Rookie 600 Sprint main. "Junior Excitement" JJ Rice muscled his way to his first ever Hamlin win in the Junior Slingshot finale.

Trackside driver introductions spotlighted the JPA Masonry Rookie 600 Sprint main event before the start of the event. Local talent Noah Zielinski blasted into the lead at the start of the event and he showed his tailpipes to everyone for the first five laps. Paul Richards Jr stayed close and moved around Zielinski on lap six. Once in front, Richards went on cruise control as he stepped away from the field. Clicking off lap times in the 12.4 second range, Richards raced to his second win of the season with Zielinski a solid second, Tony Parlanti third, Zack Weisenfluh fourth and Dakota Barlet rebounding back to nail down fifth. Heading up the second five were Carmen Leggio Sr, Joe Nemeth, Macy Litchauer, Joey Amantea and Ryan Lacoe.

The Hampton RV & Trailer Sales Stage One Modified feature began with Cody Motto grabbing up the lead at the drop of the green flag. Motto would lead through the first eight laps when Joel Smith found the open seam on the raceway and would drive past Motto to assume command of the event. Cole Stangle would move past Motto into second place and reel off some quick laps to narrow the the gap but this was a night for Joel Smith as he claimed his fourth win of the season. Stangle was second with Motto third in a great run. Anthony Recchio and Michael Samony would complete the top five. The second five was headed up by Pat VanVarick, Joel Price, Jeff Hineline, Bill Dianella and Josh Marcus in the second Motto Motorsports car.

Dale Kober left nothing to chance as he jumped out front at the start of the Super Slinger feature. Kober would hold the field at bay through the first eleven laps until his muffler fell onto the track. Mike Taylor inherited the lead and would drive to his second win of the season despite the very stiff challenge from the returning John Gilroy. Wes Hearn was third followed by the returning Greg Zellman, Jeff Haduck, Dale Kober and Roger Collins.The wingless warriors of the 270 Sprint division moved onto the speedway for their feature attraction. The resurgent Alex Reinsmith took off at the drop of the green flag and would through eight laps. On the restart Reinsmith bobbled and Kyle Ferrucci became the new leader. Glenn Macomber tried to track down Ferrucci but Ferrucci prevailed in punching his ticket for his second win of the season. Glenn Macomber enjoyed a solid run to earn runner-up honors with the returning Prince girls, Sydney and Mallory finishing third and fourth with the returning Paul Richards Sr fifth and Reinsmith sixth.

The "stars of tomorrow" in the Junior Slingshot division continued to put on another great show as New Yorker Tyler Banks would lead through the early laps of the event. John Kendall and Adam Buchel stayed close but the pair got together and both would be forced to restart from the back of the pack. On the restart, Banks would lead but he couldn't shake JJ Rice who was beginning to put some pressure on Banks. Lap thirteen provided the winning pass as Rice utilized a combination of hustle and muscle to pull up alongside of Banks and maneuver his car into the lead. Rice would lead the final laps to claim his first ever win at the speedway. Tanner VanDoren raced hard to claim runner-up honors and Banks finished third. Shelby McLaughlin was fourth and Tommy Stillo rounded out the top five. The second five was headed up by Abby Yates, with Jake Mason, John Kendall, Adam Buchel and Joey Kalafut following.

The headliner for the All Star Slingshots found a great field of Slingshot drivers duking it out on the Hamlin Speedway real estate. The early going found Troy Langendoerfer blasting out of the starting blocks to lead the event but a few skirmishes along the way would slow the pace a bit. Each restart found Langendoerfer establishing himself at the point with a tremendous dogfight behind him working to break loose. The first to do so was Amanda Buchel who ran her best event since joining the ranks at Hamlin. This night, however belonged to Langendoerfer as his 13.08 times kept him out front and he cruised to his second win of the season. Buchel was the runner-up with Mike Taylor, Mike McLaughlin and Tanner VanDoren completing the top five. The second five found Dale Kober, Jared Silfee, Josh Marcus, Cody Kline and Tyler Peet following.

JD Casazza seized command at the start of the 600 Sprint main headliner and zipped off some 12.396 second laps to lead the way as he baselined his way around the oval. Duane White was following and behind a solid group of drivers were trying to make their mark in the evening. On lap seven all hell broke loose as Justin Mills was hit and a series of high flying flips occurred with Mills then being hit by Jacob Balliet who had no place to go. A long silence prevailed over the speedway as the ERT and Ambulance crews did their job to keep Mills stable. He was taken to the Scranton Hospital and I am very happy to report as I write this Press Release as I have been in contact with the Mills Family and Justin has a broken clavicle and many bumps and bruises from the scary ordeal. Jacob Balliet is suffering from a swollen knee but otherwise will be fine.

On the restart, Casazza resumed his lead and he just kept hitting his marks with ease while Mick D'Agostino drove into the runner-up role. D'Agostino mounted the challenge and while he did pull close, Casazza had enough gas pedal to hold him off and go on for his first ever win at the speedway. D'Agostino enjoyed another excellent run at the speedway in second while Damon Paul, Colin White and Chad Sandt would complete the top five. Brandon Azzalina, Joel Smith, Joseph Smith, Geordan Marrero and Zac Azzalina would complete the top ten.

PEARL JAMS:

Randy Smith and crew worked overtime again to keep the speedway in great shape and the work they do provides for all of the feature events being classic stuff in racing channels. A short rain shower halted the racing action for a few minutes.

Heat race action found Tess Horvath, Mike Taylor and Troy Langendoerfer nailing down wins in the All Star Slingshots. JD Casazza, Damon Paul and Mick D'Agostino were victorious in the 600 Sprint heats. Joel Smith and Anthony Recchio claimed victories in the Stage One Modifieds. The Super Slinger heat was won by Mike Taylor. Alex Reinsmith emerged victorious in the 270 Sprint heat event.

Some new names were added to the Hamlin roster list last evening with the Prince girls, Sydney and Mallory returning to the speedway to do battle in the 270 Sprints. Josh Bewley from Reading, Pennsylvania made his first ever start in the Rookie 600 Sprint ranks while returning to action included Chloe Andreas, Dakota Bartlet, Aidan Borden and Billy Koch. New faces for the Stage One Modifieds included Kevin Truszkowski John Bachetti, Josh Marcus and the returning Evan Civick. Greg Zellman and John Gilroy returned to action in the Super slingers. Dylan Martin and Tim Bauer were back in the 600 Sprints.

When the opportunity arises, it is great to go trackside and introduce the drivers to the fans. Announcer Steve Pados introduced the drivers and the crowd joined in to give the 19 starters a great send off.

Giselle Perrotta won the 50/50 on Saturday.

The hard charger in last week's Firecracker 100 was Mike McLaughlin and he earned the prize posted by Vogel Designs.

The totals for the VetStock event found the speedway raising in excess of $2,700.00. Thanks once again to all of those who participated.

RESULTS:

All Star Slingshots: Troy Langendoerfer, Amanda Buchel, Mike Taylor, Mike McLaughlin, Tanner VanDoren, Dale Kober, Jared Silfee, Josh Marcus, Cody Kline, Tyler Peet, Taylor Mills, Austin Silfee, Wes Hearn, Nick Vinciguerra, Tanner Jones, Samantha Muller, Tess Horvath, Ashley Kober, John Gilroy, Alan Kober, Cole Stangle

Wingless 270cc Sprints: Kyle Ferrucci, Glenn Macomber, Sydney Prince, Mallory Prince, Paul Richards Sr, Alex Reinsmith

Wingless 600cc Sprints: JD Casazza, Mick D'Agostino, Damon Paul, Colin White, Chad Sandt, Brandon Azzalina, Joel Smith, Joseph Smith, Geordan Marrero, Zac Azzalina, Danny Buccafusca, Cody Smith, Ryan Neil, Tyler Galatro, Mack Brink, Dylan Martin, Tim Bauer, Billy Koch, Duane White, Jared Lilly, Justin Grosz, Jacob Balliet, Justin Mills

Hampton RV And Trailer Stage One Modifieds: Joel Smith, Cole Stangle, Cody Motto, Anthony Recchio, Michael Samony, Pat VanVarick, Joel Price, Jeff Hineline, Bill Dianella, Josh Marcus, Evan Civick, Kevin Truszkowski, John Bachetti, Janell Geary, Mark Corna

Junior Slingshots: JJ Rice, Tanner VanDoren, Tyler Banks, Shelby McLaughlin, Tommy Stillo Abby Yates, Jake Mason, John Kendall, Adam Buchel, Joey Kalafut, James Costlow, Colton Geary, Rachel Dickinson, Brian Smith, James Benz, Mikey Johannes, James Hendricks

Super Slingshots: Mike Taylor, John Gilroy, Wes Hearn, Greg Zellman, Jeff Haduck, Dale Kober, Roger Collins

JPA Masonry Rookie 600cc Wingless Sprints: Paul Richards Jr, Noah Zielinski, Tony Parlanti, Zack Weisenfluh, Dakota Bartlet, Carmen Leggio Sr, Joe Nemeth, Macy Litchauer, Joey Amantea, Ryan Lacoe, Cody Powell, Aidan Borden, Chloe Andreas, Josh Bewley, Hunter Metzgar, Billy Koch, Tyler Lindsey, Jake Roberts, Jakson Ring

Racing every Saturday evening from April through September. The next event on the Hamlin Speedway schedule is set for July 15th when all Divisions will be in action and the return of the Briggs & Stratton MA Gold Tour for the All Star Slingshots.

Make sure to check the Hamlin Speedway website or Facebook page for any 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, Ron Brown Hauling, JPA Masonry, RockAuto.com, S&S Speedways and Yankowski Enterprises are all part of the advertising family at the speedway and we graciously thank them for their support.

Hamlin Speedway is seeking additional marketing sponsors to join the speedway team for the 2017 racing season. For more information, contact Steve Pados at: 484-784-7756 or through email at: steveswp@ptd.net or Denise Smith at S&S Speedways at: 570-420-5500 or at: www.SSSpeedways.com or on facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/SSSpeedways/ or www.HamlinSpeed.com or facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/HamlinSpeed

Visit us often for a great night of racing action as.........................

The Hamlin Speedway Is The "Pearl" Of The Poconos

Official Statement regarding Incident on 7/8/17: Wingless 600 Sprint Accident:

The incident occurred in the Wingless 600 Sprint division when Justin Mills flipped his wingless 600 and was hit by another competitor while in the air with nowhere to go. Justin has been checked out at hospital and has a broken collar bone, concussion, and a lot of bruising but will recover 100%. This incident-caused injuries were minimized due to the Halo Bar installed in Justin’s car. If he did not have this safety bar in place - his head would have been hit directly. And because of this incident and what we have learned – Hamlin Speedway will now REQUIRE all wingless cars to have a “Halo Bar” installed to compete at Hamlin Speedway. This could have been a severe life changing accident for Justin. But it isn’t and he will recover, thank goodness ❤.

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY – FOR JULY 15 EVENT:

Mandatory Safety IMPROVEMENT for all WINGLESS cars effective immediately. You must have in place for 7/15/17 event to race!

All WINGLESS cars are now REQUIRED TO HAVE A “HALO BAR” INSTALLED IN YOUR RACE CAR to compete. Call your car’s manufacturer for information. We continue to pray for Justin’s recovery and have learned a safety feature in Halo Bars.

This safety requirement adds to the already in place requirements of the 600 wingless division:

Safety: All 600 Wingless Sprints must have EITHER:

Head & neck restraint or HANS device OR A full containment seat
** Hamlin recommends that you have both items in place!