Hamlin, PA - Sensational Hamlin Speedway Racing Finds Familiar Faces In Victory Lane
By: Steve Pados, GA Motorsports Media

Hamlin Speedway and the Smith Family kept on track Saturday evening with a spectacular racing show that saw seven tremendous feature events presented as the speedway ends the month of May on the highest of notes. A few of the features went to the wire with the outcome decided in the final moments of the heated racing action. Promoter Randy Smith presented a meticulously groomed race track in place for the more than the one hundred entries that would do battle during the evening. After all was said and done, the seven feature race card was completed at 10:20 PM in the evening and the great crowd on hand enjoyed another monumental night of short-track racing excitement, Hamlin style! S&S Speedways was the sponsor for the evening of speed.

"The Nickel Man" Joel Smith scored a wire to wire triumph in the Hampton RV & Trailer Sales Stage One Modified feature, his first win this season. Nine year old "TVD" Tanner VanDoren found himself in the winners circle with his first win of his career in the hard fought All Star Slingshot main event over a stellar roster of driving talent. The high flying "Bad" Chad Sandt captured his win of the season in the exciting 600 Sprint finale. "Deuce" Glenn Macomber jumped into the lead and put his hot rod on cruise control to capture the twenty lap spectacular for the Wingless 270 Sprints. "Lil Miss" Shelby McLaughlin outlasted a fine group of young chargers to nail down her third victory in the Junior Slingshot finale. "The High Side Hustler" Justin Mills was magical in grabbing up his first win of the season and in the division in the Rookie 600 Sprint main event. "The Oxford Express" Dale Kober was on point as he captured the Super Slinger headliner for his third feature win in the division.

The Hampton RV and Trailer Sales Stage One Modified feature saw Joel Smith take the lead at the drop of the green flag. His Wentz Auto Body Auto Care sponsored hot rod was fast and opened up quite a bit of distance on the field early in the event. Taylor Mills, driving a Stage One Modified for the first time, got comfortable with the car quickly and moved into the runner-up slot after the midway point of the race. Smith had the hot ticket in this evening as he drove to his first win this season. Mills had a spectacular drive for runner-up honors. John Comandini was aboard the Smith Fabrication Rental machine for the evening and in his first ride in over a year came away with a third place finish. John Mirabelli and Mike Samony completed the top five with Janell Geary, Cody Motto, Anthony Recchio and Evan Civick following.

The All Star Slingshot main found Tanner VanDoren grabbing the lead at the drop of the green flag. Van Doren found Nick Vinciguerra a tough customer as the pair battled for a few laps before Vinciguerra found Cody Kline alongside of him and the pair duked it out with Kline now in the number two slot. VanDoren had a four car lead at this point and Kline began to reel off some better lap times than VanDoren to cut into the margin. VanDoren kept his cool and was very poised to be racing with some of the best in the business. Kline would get close but VanDoren would score his first All Star Slingshot win. Kline enjoyed a great run in second with Vinciguerra third, Dale Kober fourth and Chris Kurtz fifth. Mike McLaughlin headed up the second five with Austin Silfee, Jared Silfee, Taylor Mills and Samantha Muller completing the top ten.

Danny Buccafusca grabbed the lead in the Wingless 600 Sprint feature attraction and led for one lap as Chad Sandt found the line he was seeking and drove by Buccafusca for the lead. Once in front, Sandt was able to breakaway for a few laps and the event moved quickly with all of the drivers in the twelve second bracket time wise. Sandt got slowed up in slower traffic and Buccafusca was able to close but it would be Sandt earning his first win of the season. Buccafusca was second in a great run with Brandon Azzalina third, Colin White fourth and Geordan Marrero completing the top five. The second five found Joseph Smith, Zac Azzalina, Pat Bealer, Mick D'Agostino and Justin Mills trailing.

The Rookie 600 Sprint event found Carmen Leggio leading the first three laps before giving way Justin Mills, who found a line at the top of the raceway that suited him just fine. Once in front Mills stayed glued at the top. As the race wore on, Paul Richards Jr began to make a statement as the tenth place starter moved into second place late in the race. He got close to Mills but Mills would capture the feature win with Richards second, Dakota Bartlet third, Mikey Smith fourth and Ryan Lacoe fifth. The second five were Joe Nemeth, Tyler Kehs, Cody Powell, Carmen Leggio and Jake Roberts.

Glenn Macomber seized the lead at the start of the Wingless 270 Sprint main and would go on to run a flawless event to capture his second win of the season. Mike Kalman was second with Kyle Ferrucci third, the returning Robbie Watson fourth, Randy Gombert fifth, Steven Weirich sixth and Alex Reinsmith seventh.

Mike Taylor grabbed the lead at the start of the Super Slinger feature and fended off the early challenges of Jeff Haduck early on in the event and then Dale Kober. Kober came on strong and grabbed the lead from Taylor on lap ten. Kober would go on and take his third win of the season with Taylor in second, Haduck third, Alan Kober fourth, John Gilroy fifth and Jim Conroy sixth.

The Junior Slingshot event took center stage as Speedway Announcer Steve Pados went trackside to introduce the "stars of tomorrow" to the standing room only crowd on hand for the event. After a resounding send-off, James Costlow led for the first nine laps lap but went wide out of turn four and gave way to the high flying Shelby McLaughlin. McLaughlin would go on to capture the win with Jake Mason, James Costlow, Austin Homan and John Kendall. The second five found Tanner VanDoren, Tyler banks, Brian Smith, Abby Yates and Kyle Swart following.

PEARL JAMS:

Despite all of the rain that has been hitting the area of late, the speedway was in excellent condition for the evening of speed and Randy Smith gave the great roster of driving talent a superb track to compete on.

The time trialed sessions found Troy Langendoerfer lay down the fast time for the All Star Slingshots at 13.941 seconds just nipping Dale Kober who clocked a 14.114 time. Time trials for the Wingless 270 Sprints found Kyle Ferrucci with the top time of 12.547 seconds.

Dale Kober nailed down a heat win the Super Slingers. Chad Sandt, Pat Bealer and Geordan Marrero claimed heat wins in the Wingless 600 Sprints. Junior Slingshot heats were claimed by Tanner VanDoren and Shelby McLaughlin. Rookie 600 heats went to Jake Roberts and Joe Nemeth. The Stage One Modified heat went to Joel Smith.

With this being the fourth entry into the record books for the 2017 season, many of the speedway newcomers are becoming familiar with finding the fast way around the speedway. Impressive showings from the veteran talent had them finding at least three grooves to work their magic from.

Making their first starts of the season on Saturday night included Taylor Mills and John Comandini in the Stage One Modifieds. RJ Smykla, Amanda Conroy and Tanner Jones made starts in the All Star Slingshots. Nathan Smith and Louie Horvath in the 600 Sprints were new entries. It was good to see Robbie Watson return in the 270 Sprints along with Steven Weirich. John Gilroy was back in action in the Super Slingers. Brian Smith, Kyle Swart and Aiden Donaldson were new Junior Slingshot drivers.

The Hamlin Hundred scheduled for July 1st will be raising money for Vet Stock for the next few weeks and the group is headed up by Tom Ryan. VetStock coordinates and promotes fundraising efforts for Veteran organizations in Pike and Monroe Counties in the Northeast region of the state. All race teams, fans and sponsors are encouraged to assist in this fund raising annual event. Allesson Rode will be spearheading the collections at the speedway.

JJ Rice missed the Saturday night racing as he suffered a broken wrist while playing Lacrosse. Veteran campaigner Everett Haubrich was spotted taking in the races. Emily Fleming also missed the event as she is having some motors troubles with her racer.

RESULTS:

All Star Slingshots: Tanner VanDoren, Cody Kline, Nick Vinciguerra, Dale Kober, Chris Kurtz, Mike McLaughlin, Austin Silfee, Jared Silfee, Taylor Mills, Samantha Muller, Amanda Buchel, Mike Taylor, Troy Langendoerfer, Tyler Peet, RJ Smykla, Tanner Jones, Ashley Kober, Tess Horvath, Clayton Davey, Josh Marcus, Nick Delcampo. Amanda Conroy

Wingless 270cc Sprints: Glenn Macomber, Mike Kalman, Kyle Ferrucci, Robbie Watson, Randy Gombert, Steven Weirich, Alex Reinsmith

Wingless 600cc Sprints: Chad Sandt, Danny Buccafusca, Brandon Azzalina, Colin White, Geordan Marrero, Joseph Smith, Zac Azzalina, Pat Bealer, Mick D'Agostino, Justin Mills, Joel Smith, Damon Paul, Cody Smith, JD Casazza, Ryan Neil, Jacob Balliet, Adam Huff, Taylor Troxel, Sam Kravitsky, Tyler Galatro, Mack Brink, Louie Horvath, Duane White, Jared Lilly, Nathan Smith

Hampton RV And Trailer Stage One Modifieds: Joel Smith, Taylor Mills, John Comandini, John Mirabelli, Michael Samony, Janell Geary, Cody Motto, Anthony Recchio, Evan Civick

Junior Slingshots: Shelby McLaughlin, Jake Mason, James Costlow, Austin Homan, John Kendall, Tanner VanDoren, Tyler Banks, Brian Smith, Abby Yates, Kyle Swart, Joey Kalafut, Adam Buchel, Rachel Dickinson, Aiden Donaldson, Colton Geary, James Benz, James Hendricks

Super Slingshots: Dale Kober, Mike Taylor, Jeff Haduck, Alan Kober, John Gilroy, Jim Conroy

JPA Masonry Rookie 600cc Wingless Sprints: Justin Mills, Paul Richards Jr, Dakota Bartlet, Mikey Smith, Ryan Lacoe, Joe Nemeth, Tyler Kehs, Cody Powell, Carmen Leggio Sr, Jake Roberts, Tony Parlanti, Macy Litchauer, JR Williams, Brett Altemose, Richard Rickle, Noah Zielinski, Mark Berkenstock, Joey Amantea

Racing every Saturday evening from April through September. The next event on the Hamlin Speedway schedule is set for June 3rd when all Divisions will be in action on the 1/5th mile clay cushioned oval as the second special event of the season for the Wingless 600 Sprints with the winner earning $750.00 based on a thirty car entry field and dual heat format.

Hamlin Speedway has many special events scheduled throughout the season and the date of June 10th will bring in the first of two scheduled NASCAR Crew Challenges. The following week on June 16th and 17th will be the tenth edition of the two day "Spring Into Summer Sizzler" at the speedway that will feature the National Tour event for the Junior Slingshot drivers on the Friday evening portion of the event.

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

Hamlin, PA - Eight Great Features Highlight The Action Packed Racing At Hamlin Speedway
By: Steve Pados, GA Motorsports Media

The 2017 racing season at the Hamlin Speedway continues to rock on into the new season even though the weather has been less than perfect for most of the early season events. Coming back after a scheduled week off and a rain out on the prior Saturday, the Smith Family offered a fabulous racing show in the Poconos Mountains as they welcomed in 128 entries for an exciting night of racing activity. Promoter Randy Smith had the 1/5th mile clay cushioned facility in impeccable condition and all divisions put on a great show for the great crowd on hand to witness the exciting side by side and nose to tail racing action. The sizzling racing action went of without a hitch and was completed at 11 PM. The evening of speed was sponsored by S&S Speedways indoor go karts located in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.

When the eight feature events with heart stopping racing action was completed, it would be "The Jersey Force" Anthony Recchio holding his competition at bay to capture the exciting victory in the Hampton RV & Trailer Stage One Modified Tour event as he captured the 20-lap finale. "TVD" Tanner VanDoren raced to victory with a dominating performance in the Junior Slingshots feature attraction. "The Tornado" Tyler Peet wired the field to win the All Star Slingshot feature event. Zac Azzalina never looked better as he drove to a solid victory in the Wingless 600 Sprint headliner. Jenna Schostkewitz raced to victory in the Wingless 270 Sprint main event. "The Oxford Express" Dale Kober had the hot hand as he captured the Super Slingers headliner. Damon Paul captured the first of two Hamlin features in the JPA Masonry Rookie Wingless 600 Sprint headliner. In the nightcap, "The Big Show" Joey Amantea raced his JPA Masonry hot rod to victory for his first ever Hamlin win in the shortened event that was halted after one competitor dropped a bunch of oil down on the race track. The Smith Family continues to provide an unparalleled promotion for small car division racing and the 2017 racing season has been chock filled with over the top racing excitement.

The Junior Slingshots rolled out onto the raceway for their scheduled 20-lap feature excursion with Tanner Van Doren making an excellent charge at the start from his third starting position to take the lead. Van Doren clicked off some steady 14.3 second laps to drive away from the field. JJ Rice was holding down the runner-up position with lots of pressure coming from Jake Mason. Mason worked his way around Rice and set off for VanDoren. This was the night for VanDoren as he captured the win with Mason is second, two-time winner Shelby McLaughlin was third with John Kendall hustling to fourth and Adam Buchel driving hard to claim a top five finish. The second five found JJ Rice, Tyler Banks, Austin Homan, Abby Yates finishing in line.

The Wingless 270 Sprint main event found Jenna Schostkewitz chasing "The Deuce" Glenn Macomber for the first six laps. Schostkewitz found the line she was seeking on lap seven to slip by Macomber and gain control of the point. Schostkewitz would lead the remaining laps to claim her second win of the young season. Macomber would finish in second with Josh Schaffer third, Mike Kalman fourth and Jason Muldeowney completing the top five.

The first JPA Masonry Rookie Wingless 600 Sprint main saw Tony Parlanti lead the first four laps of the feature. Parlanti gave way to Mikey Smith who led the next two laps. Storming to the front from sixth starting position, Damon Paul would seize the lead on lap-8 and drive away from the field for the win. Joe Nemeth enjoyed a great run in second place with Paul Richards Jr, Mikey Smith and Tony Parlanti completing the top five. Jake Roberts, Dakota Bartlet, Tyler Lindsey, Chloe Andreas and Hunter Metzger completed the top ten.

The second JPA Masonry Rookie Wingless 600 Sprint feature found Joey Amantea getting a great start and blasting into the lead by turn one. Zack Weisenfluh kept pace along with Jacob Balliet. Amantea was enjoying consistent 12.258 lap times and was in command at the halfway point. As the field completed lap eleven, newcomer Richard Rickle's machine dropped a ton of oil down on the speedway and rather than risk the drivers health and curfew approaching, it was decided to checker flag the event. Amantea earned his first career win at Hamlin and the crew was a happy bunch in victory lane. Weisenfluh was second with Balliet in third, newcomer Logan Snyder fourth and Tyler Kehs fifth. Jenna Schostkewitz headed up the second five with Carmen Leggio, Justin Mills, Scott Slater and Ryan Lacoe completing the top ten.

The Super Slinger feature found Dale Kober hustle into the lead at the start, drive out to a comfortable lead and then fight off a strong bid by Wes Hearn late in the event to earn the victory. Wes Hearn was second with Alan Kober third, the returning Mike Taylor fourth, Jim Conroy fifth, Jeff Haduck sixth and the returning John Rooks Sr seventh.

The Wingless 600 Sprint main got off to a rock start as newcomer Billy Koch got up over a wheel and climbed atop the car and came to a peculiar perch in turn three. On the restart it would be Ryan Quackenbush getting hit and the car went into a crazy set of flips while standing on it's tail. Koch nor Quackenbush were injured in the incidents. On the next restart, "The Rockaway Rocket" Danny Buccafusca found the bottom of the raceway much to his liking and he blasted out in front of the highly competitive field. From fifth starting position came "The Travelin Man" Mick D'Agostino and the defending track champion "Bad" Chad Sandt. Buccafusca, who had been having trouble getting his new mount to co-operate early in the season, had the fans buzzing as he zipped around the track in 12.180 second laps. Two cars got together in between turns one and two on lap thirteen and Buccafusca couldn't avoid the mix-up and it would end his night in heart-breaking fashion. On the restart, Zac Azzalina would inherit the lead and that and a big right foot would be all Azzalina would need to lead the remaining laps and claim the victory. D'Agostino would earn his second consecutive runner-up spot with Chad Sandt, Damon Paul and Joel Smith completing the top five. Brandon Azzalina, Pat Bealer, Colin White, Joseph Smith and Ryan Neil would complete the top ten.

The Hampton RV and Trailer Sales Stage One Modified Tour event found Anthony Recchio blasting out front at the start of the feature and the move later proved to be the winning one as he held off a very strong Joel Smith for twenty laps and in doing so picked up his second win of the season. Recchio and Smith were the only drivers to break the 13-second barrier during the feature and Smith settled for second place honors this time around. Michael Samony was a strong third with Cody Motto finishing fourth in his best performance to date and John Mirabelli completing the top five. The second five included Bill Dianella, Jasper Ziegafuse, Janell Geary, newcomers Mark Corna and John Peer.

Twenty eight cars and drivers started the All Star Slingshot main attraction. Tyler Peet had a front row starting spot and used it to his advantage as he blasted out front at the drop of the green flag and soon had 27 other drivers seeking a way around him. This night would prove to be the hot ticket for Peet as he led every lap, never faltered and came away with a great win for his hometown fans. Easton's Tess Horvath matched wits with Peet to the final turn and drove to an excellent runner-up finish. Dale Kober raced from sixth to third, with Wes Hearn fourth and Cody Kline finishing fifth. Russell Benke came from 12th to head up the second five with Jared Silfee, Cole Stangle, Austin Silfee from 17th and Josh Marcus following.

Pearl Jams:

Kudos go out to Randy Smith and his staff for preparing an excellent racing surface for the night of racing battles. With all of the rain that fell during the past week it was nothing short of a miracle the racing could take place at all. The show was able to move along swiftly even with Smith and company taking some breaks to constantly manicure the racing surface and give all of the competitors an equal facility to race on.

Dale Kober was fast timer for the Super Slingers with a 13.895 clocking and ahead of the 14.130 second time of Wes Hearn. The Junior Slingshot time trials found Shelby McLaughlin stopping the clocks at 14.374 seconds to lead all drivers while Tanner VanDoren was second with a 14.469 time.

Heat race wins were captured by Alan Selemba, Tanner VanDoren and Tyler Peet in the All Star Slingshots. Four heats were needed for the influx of 600 Sprints and capturing the heat race wins were Chad Sandt, Zac Azzalina, Brandon Azzalina and Damon Paul. A B-Main for the 600 Sprints found Johnny Smith grabbing up the win. Jenna Schostkewitz nailed down a win in the Wingless 270 Sprint heats. any touring event and winning the Stage One Modified heats were Anthony Recchio and Joel Smith in the first round and Anthony Recchio and Cole Stangle in the second round. Geordan Marrero, Tony Parlanti and Jacob Balliet captured heat race wins for the Rookie 600 Sprints.

New faces continue to emerge at Hamlin as new competitors included Rachel Dickinson in the Junior Slingshot racers. Mike Taylor, Alan Kober and John Rooks Sr were new Super Slinger competitors. Dakota Bartlet, Macy Litchauer, Logan Snyder, Mark Sensenig and Richard Rickle were new Rookie 600 Sprint racers. Billy Koch and Johnny Smith were new 600 Sprint entries. Mark Corna, John Peer and Joel Price were new Stage One entries.

Anthony Recchio has four wins in the new season and they have come in bunches with a pair of wins at Accord and Hamlin on opening night at both tracks and then this past weekend when Recchio scored again at both Accord and Hamlin. Jake Mason enjoyed a great run with a second place finish at Hamlin and at Accord, Jake has been the meal ticket winning all three events there thus far. Jake interviewed at Accord with Steve Pados on Friday night and said he hoped to find pay dirt at Hamlin this year.

Mike McLaughlin won the 50/50 at the speedway. Happy Birthday wishes go out to Josh Marcus who turned 15.

Many graduates of racing at Hamlin have ventured into other forms of racing and are having success on dirt or pavement and the Speedway Staff is very proud they began their racing careers at Hamlin. One such driver is the current Modified champion at Accord, Anthony Perrego. Perrego broke through for his first win of the season on Friday night. The list goes on and on and each week this writer will pick another name from past racing at Hamlin and give the readers an update on their racing activities.

The speedway will be busy with many special events taking place in the month of June. The July 1st date of the Hamlin "Firecracker 100" is one of those events with the speedway raising money for VetStock of the Northeast. Any parties wishing to become involved in this promotion should contact Allesson Rode or Steve Pados or contact the speedway offices. There will be much more information shortly regarding the event.

Results:

All Star Slingshots: Tyler Peet, Tess Horvath, Dale Kober, Wes Hearn, Cody Kline, Russell Benke, Jared Silfee, Cole Stangle, Austin Silfee, Josh Marcus, Nick Delcampo, Samantha Muller, Taylor Mills, Troy Langendoerfer, Amanda Buchel, Clayton Davey, Alan Selemba, Emily Fleming, Mike Taylor, John Rooks Jr, CJ Fritz, Ashley Kober, Mike McLaughlin, Matt Miller, Tanner VanDoren, Nick Vinciguerra, Mike Fogler

Wingless 270cc Sprints: Jenna Schostkewitz, Glenn Macomber, Josh Schaffer, Mike Kalman, Jason Muldeowney

Wingless 600cc Sprints: Zac Azzalina, Mick D'Agostino, Chad Sandt, Damon Paul, Joel Smith, Brandon Azzalina, Pat Bealer, Colin White, Joseph Smith, Ryan Neil, Chris Kurtz, JD Casazza, Jacob Balliet, Geordan Marrero, Duane White, Justin Mills, Justin Grosz, Logan Snyder, Tyler Galatro, Joey Amantea, Danny Buccafusca, Johnny Smith, Tyler Ulrich, Scott Slater Jr, Ryan Quackenbush, Billy Koch

Hampton RV And Trailer Stage One Modifieds: (Tour Event)Anthony Recchio, Joel Smith, Michael Samony, Cody Motto, John Mirabelli, Bill Dianella, Jasper Zeigafuse, Janell Geary, Mark Corna, John Peer, Joel Price, Cole Stangle

Junior Slingshots: Tanner VanDoren, Jake Mason, Shelby McLaughlin, John Kendall, Adam Buchel, JJ Rice, Tyler Banks, Austin Homan, Abby Yates, James Benz, Tommy Stillo, James Costlow, Joey Kalafut, Colton Geary, Rachel Dickinson, Matthew Backus

Super Slingshots: Dale Kober, Wes Hearn, Alan Kober, Mike Taylor, Jim Conroy, Jeff Haduck, John Rooks Sr, Greg Zellman

JPA Masonry Rookie 600cc Wingless Sprints: (1) Damon Paul, Joe Nemeth, Paul Richards Jr, Mikey Smith, Tony Parlanti, Jake Roberts, Dakota Bartlet, Tyler Lindsey, Chloe Andreas, Hunter Metzger, Macy Litchauer

JPA Masonry Rookie 600cc Wingless Sprints: (2) Joey Amantea, Zack Weisenfluh, Jacob Balliet, Logan Snyder, Tyler Kehs, Jenna Schostkewitz, Carmen Leggio Sr, Justin Mills, Scott Slater, Ryan Lacoe, Noah Zielinski, Mark Sensenig, Richard Rickle, Geordan Marrero, Cody Powell

Racing every Saturday evening from April through September. The next event on the Hamlin Speedway schedule is set for May 27th when all Divisions will be in action on the 1/5th mile clay cushioned oval as well as Driver Introductions for the "Stars of Tomorrow" Junior Slingshot Division.

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

Hamlin, PA - McLaughlin Family Sweep; Joel Smith Dazzling In 600 Sprints Highlights Action At Hamlin Speedway

By: Steve Pados, GA Motorsports Media

The successful Hamlin Speedway promotional team of Randy and Denise Smith presented another spectacular and entertaining racing card for their great fans with seven divisions of racing talent that filled the Hamlin Speedway speed arena last evening. The second week of exciting racing action produced another great crowd for the new season and 116 entries came out to do battle in the Pocono Mountains and the racers gave it everything they had as they maneuvered their hot rods around the tricky-quick and perfectly manicured 1/5 mile clay cushioned arena. When all was said and done, the S&S Speedways sponsored event saw many familiar faces smiling in the winners circle and their pockets full of jingle from their solid racing experiences. The sizzling on track action was completed at 10:22 PM.

The eight features evening of speed produced many great battles and the Wingless 600 Sprint division feature found "The Nickel Man" Joel Smith edging "The Traveling Man" Mick D'Agostino in a wing ding battle with the fireworks coming in the closing laps. The All Star Slingshot feature found "Magic Shoes" Mike McLaughlin wiring the field as he had the hot ticket to victory. Not to be outdone, Mike's daughter "Lil Miss" Shelby McLaughlin earned her second consecutive win in the Junior Slingshot finale in a great night for the McLaughlin Family. "The Ambassador" Wes Hearn captured the win in the Super Slingers feature event. "Deuce" Glenn Macomber won his first Wingless 270 Sprint feature at Hamlin in a great run for him. Bill Dianella shook off his misfortune from a week ago to win the feature in the Hampton RV and Trailer Stage One Modified run in a close battle with Cole Stangle. Tyler Ulrich hustled his way around the Hamlin Speedway to capture the first of two JPA Masonry sponsored Rookie 600 Sprint features and Damon Paul was all business as he captured the nightcap for the rookie stars.

The Junior Slingshots toured the Hamlin oval quickly in their 20-lap feature excursion. The "Stars of Tomorrow" rarely disappoint and Shelby McLaughlin grabbed the lead at the start and held off attacks from JJ Rice and Tanner Van Doren as the race wore on. Rice and VanDoren got together towards the end of the feature and both went to the rear of the field. McLaughlin drove away to the win, her second in a row, with John Kendall grabbing runner-up honors and Jake Mason third, Tyler Banks fourth and James Benz completing the top five. JJ Rice raced back to sixth place with Tommy Stillo, Adam Buchel, Tanner VanDoren and Austin Homan completing the top ten.

Dale Kober took command of the Super Slinger feature through the first six laps. After spinning out on the initial lap, Wes Hearn came hustling back and slipped past Kober for the lead just after the midway point, only to see Kober regain the lead on the next corner. This back and forth action remained throughout the duration of the event with Hearn snaring his first win of the season. Kober was second with Jimmy Conroy third in a stout run. Greg Zellman and Jeff Haduck rounded out the field.

The Wingless 600 Sprint feature was hell's bells from the start of the event. Mick D'Agostino out-hustled Pat Bealer into turn one and began it started a catch me if you can run around the Hamlin Speedway. Joel Smith quickly moved into the runner-up slot by lap five and little by little closed the gap between he and D'Agostino. By the midway point the front six were running under a blanket as now rookie sensation Damon Paul became a player. With the laps clicking down and slower traffic in front of the leaders, D'Agostino went to the top while Smith darted to the bottom. Smith had more momentum and captured a narrow win over D'Agostino with Damon Paul third. Pat Bealer was fourth while Colin White raced hard to nail down fifth place. Zac Azzalina headed up the second five with Justin Mill, Mark Manieri, Sam Kravitsky and Brandon Azzalina.

Tyler Ulrich had the hot hand and a very fast racer as he grabbed the lead at the start of the first JPA Masonry sponsored Rookie 600 Sprint main and though he withstood a few restarts he dominated the event to capture his first win Hamlin. Chloe Andreas raced hard to finish in second with Mikey Smith, Kyle Exley and Joey Amantea completing the top five. Jr Williams, Tyler Lindsey and Carmen Leggio Sr were next in line.

The second JPA Masonry Rookie 600 Sprint main found Damon Paul at the head of the class as he led all of the way with Justin Mills glued to his rear bumper through the twenty laps. Both racers were basically turning equal times and Paul won with Mills in second. Jacob Balliet was third with Noah Zielinski fourth and Geordan Marrero settling for fifth. Joe Nemeth and Jake Roberts followed in sixth and seventh.

Bill Dianella was a firecracker at the start of the Hampton RV and Trailer sponsored Stage One Modified finale as he took control of the lead from his outside pole start and quickly ran to daylight. By the midway point, all eyes were on Cole Stangle as he began to get faster with each passing lap. Stangle tried but couldn't muster the needed run to slip past Dianella although he was turning faster times. Dianella won the feature with Stangle in second. AJ Hobbs was third with Jasper Ziegafuse fourth and early contender John Mirabelli fifth. Michael Samony, Cody Motto and Janell Geary completed the field.

Mike McLaughlin took the lead at the start of the headliner for the All Star Slingshot race cars and maintained a small advantage early on despite constant pressure from Taylor Mills and Josh Marcus. Mills and Marcus fought it out for a few laps allowing McLaughlin to build up a lead. Opening night winner Russ Benke was making headway and would get to fourth place. With few cautions and McLaughlin clicking off steady 13.6 second lap times, he would drive into victory circle on this night. Mills was second with Marcus third in what may be his best finish to date at Hamlin. Benke was fourth and Dale Kober rounded out the top five. Heading up the second five were Nick Vinciguerra, Jared Silfee, Austin Silfee, Mike Fogler and Cole Stangle.

Jenna Schostkewitz jumped into the lead at the start of the headliner for the Wingless 270 Sprints and led the first two laps before encountering difficulties that would take her out of the event. Glenn Macomber inherited the lead and although Mike Kalman would pressure him throughout the entire distance it would be Macomber scoring his first win in Wingless competition. Kalman would be second with Alex Reinsmith third, Don Schmidt fourth and Kyle Ferrucci completing the top five.

Pearl Jams:

Promoter Randy Smith dodged a bullet through hard work and determination as he put fresh clay down at the facility on Friday only to have a massive thunderstorm come through the area in the AM hours of Saturday morning. Smith worked up to race time to prepare the track and the strong effort paid off as the speedway was in excellent condition and the lap times were fast throughout the evening as Smith worked his magic to have the track racy from the very outer reaches to the basement of the facility. The effort produced some excellent side by side and more wide racing action and the great field of race cars that converge in the Poconos has spelled a great formula for success. Smith kept the race-ready track groomed to perfection and constantly manicured throughout an evening of racing to insure all competitors of a fast, smooth surface that is seemingly faster with each week of racing action. The hot lap sessions and heat races alone were without a doubt worth the price of an admission ticket

Time trials and heat races were the preliminary attractions and the Wingless 600 Sprints really dug their right rear tires into the new clay. Brandon Azzalina was top timer with a 12.077 second lap followed closely by Joel Smith at 12.123. The Stage One Modifieds found Joel Smith with a fast hot rod as he clocked in at 13.210 second to claim the top time over Cole Stangle.

Heats races were claimed by Jeff Haduck in the Super Slingshots and Mike Kalman in the Wingless 270 Sprints. Slingshot heats went to Nick Vinciguerra, Tanner VanDoren and Russ Benke. A B-Main was need to establish the starting field with the win going to Samantha Muller. Rookie 600 Sprint heats were claimed by Geordan Marrero, Tyler Ulrich and Justin Mills. Junior Slingshot heats were won by John Kendall and Tanner VanDoren.

New faces at the speedway for the event included Tommy Stillo, Brian Smith and Gavin McClure in the Junior Slingshots. Randy Lawrence was a first timer for the Super Slingers. Chris Kurtz, Sam Kravitsky, Adam Huff, Tyler Galatro Kyle Exley and Jared Lilly were newcomers to the 600 Sprint ranks. Brett Altemose made his first appearance of the season in the Rookie 600 Sprint ranks. Austin Silfee, Nick Delcampo, Tanner Jones and Clayton Davey were new racers for the All Star Slingshot division.

Racer Kyle Exley made his final appearance at the speedway as the young man is headed off to San Antonio, Texas for basic training in the US Air Force. We thank Kyle for his work at the speedway and wish him well in his new endeavor.

Spotted at the speedway were former racers at Hamlin, Larry Hoagland and Tex Snyder. Bridgeport Speedway director Danny Serrano was on hand for the evening and very complimentary on the well organized format at the speedway.

Results:

All Star Slingshots: Mike McLaughlin, Taylor Mills, Josh Marcus, Russell Benke, Dale Kober, Nick Vinciguerra, Jared Silfee, Austin Silfee, Mike Fogler, Cole Stangle, Wes Hearn, Tanner VanDoren, Troy Langendoerfer, Mick Delcampo, Ashely Kober, Samantha Muller, Amanda Buchel, Greg Zellman, Alan Selemba, Tanner Jones, Tess Horvath, Emily Fleming, Cody Kline, Tyler Peet

Wingless 270cc Sprints: Glenn Macomber, Mike Kalman, Alex Reinsmith, Don Schmidt, Kyle Ferrucci, Jenna Schostkewitz

Wingless 600cc Sprints: Joel Smith, Mick D'Agostino, Damon Paul, Pat Bealer, Colin White, Zac Azzalina, Justin Mills, Mark Manieri, Sam Kravitsky, Brandon Azzalina, Joseph Smith, Mack Brink, JD Casazza, Geordan Marrero, Cody Smith, Chris Kurtz, Ryan Neil, Jacob Balliet, Adam Huff, Danny Buccafusca, Tyler Galatro, Jared Lilly, Nick Corazzi, Chad Sandt, Duane White, Kyle Exley

Hampton RV And Trailer Stage One Modifieds: Bill Dianella, Cole Stangle, AJ Hobbs, Jasper Zeigafuse, John Mirabelli, Michael Samony, Cody Motto, Janelle Geary, Anthony Recchio, Joel Smith

Junior Slingshots: Shelby McLaughlin, John Kendall, Jake Mason, Tyler Banks, James Benz, JJ Rice, Tommy Stillo, Adam Buchel, Tanner VanDoren, Austin Homan, Abby Yates, James Costlow, James Hendricks, Matthew Backus, Joey Kalafut, Brian Smith, Colton Geary, Gavin McClure

Super Slingshots: Wes Hearn, Dale Kober, Jim Conroy, Greg Zellman, Jeff Haduck, Randy Lawrence

JPA Masonry Rookie 600cc Wingless Sprints:(1) Tyler Ulrich, Chloe Andreas, Mikey Smith, Kyle Exley, Joey Amantea, JR Williams, Tyler Lindsey, Carmen Leggio Sr, Tony Parlanti, Zack Weisenfluh, Brett Altemose

JPA Masonry Rookie 600cc Wingless Sprints: (2) Damon Paul, Justin Mills, Jacob Balliet, Noah Zielinski, Geordan Marrero, Joe Nemeth, Jake Roberts, Ryan Lacoe, Jakson Ring, Paul Richards Jr

Racing every Saturday evening from April through September. The next event on the Hamlin Speedway schedule is set for May 6th when all Divisions will be in action on the 1/5th mile clay cushioned oval as well as the 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