Hamlin, PA - Cole Stangle Scores Big With Two Victories In Exciting Hamlin Speedway Racing Action
By: Steve Pados, GA Motorsports Media

The beautiful warm summer weather of the Pocono Mountains was the perfect backdrop for an evening of speed presented by Hamlin Speedway Promoters Randy and Denise Smith. Getting back on track after suffering the fourth rainout of the season a week ago, the speedway was primed and in impeccable condition for the stars of the speedway to ignite the standing room only crowd. The evening ran off in machine gun like fashion and the last feature was completed by 10:30. More than one hundred talented race car drivers came to Hamlin on Saturday to ply their trade and when the final curtain came down it would be some newcomers plus some familiar names at the speedway rising to the top of the heap in the coveted Victory Circle.

One of the up and coming young stars in motorsports, Cole Stangle earned two wins on Saturday night as he captured the Hampton RV And Trailer Sales Stage One Modified win and then backed that up with a win in the Junior Slingshot division. "The Oxford Express" Dale Kober scored his first win of the season in the Super Slinger finale topping Wes Hearn who came into the event with eight straight victories in the division. "Kid Wicked" Tyler Pirone enjoyed a solid win in the All Star Slingshot main event narrowly defeating Chris Kurtz. "Bad" Chad Sandt made it two consecutive wins in the 600 Sprint main with a close win over Joel Smith. Paul Richards Jr added his fifth win of the season in the 270 Sprint main. "The Young Rustler" Jacob Balliet earned his second win of the season in one of the Rookie 600 Sprint mains and Allentown's Tim Bauer was spot on in winning his first Rookie 600 Sprint feature event.

The parade of eight feature runs for the evening began with the Stage One Modifieds. Cole Stangle grabbed the lead at the drop of the green flag and that move proved to be the hot ticket as he led all twenty laps to capture his first Stage One Modified feature win. Damon Paul put tons of pressure on early in the event and then faced a stiff challenge from Joel Smith but managed to hold off Smith for runner-up honors while Smith settled for third. Bill Dianella was fourth and Chloe Andreas rounded out the top five. Will Casazza, Caitlin Henneforth, Charlie Bodine, Janell Geary and Michael Samony completed the field.

Dale Kober left nothing to chance as he jumped out front at the start of the Super Slinger feature, held off a stiff challenge from Wes Hearn early on and then cruised away to his first win of the season. Hearn was runner-up with the returning Greg Zellman finishing third, Steve Pirone fourth and John Mirabelli completing the top five. Ryan Lacoe, Mike Jablonka, Jim Conroy and Jeff Haduck completed the field.

The winged warriors of the 270 Sprint division moved onto the speedway for their feature attraction. Paul Richards Jr has owned the division in 2016 and he took off at the drop of the green flag and would lead all of the way in claiming his fifth win of the season. Glenn Macomber enjoyed a solid run to earn runner-up honors with Kyle Ferrucci third and newcomers Randy Gombert and Steve Weirich completing the field.

The "stars of tomorrow" in the Junior Slingshot division continued to put on another great show as "TVD" Tanner Van Doren led the first two laps before yielding to "The Hurricane" Hunter Lapp who would lead for two more. Cole Stangle made his first bid count as he seized command of the lead on lap five and would go on to win his third Junior Slingshot feature of the season. Lapp finished second with Jared Silfee third, the returning Reese Nowotarski fourth and VanDoren completing the top five. Shelby McLaughlin headed up the second five with Ty Kelly, JJ Rice, Emily Fleming and Jake Mason following.

The first Rookie 600 Sprint main event found Tim Bauer blasting into the lead at the start of the event and he showed his tailpipes to everyone as he cruised the speedway with consistent 12.3 second laps to claim his first ever main event at Hamlin. Jakson Ring kept pace but settled for second place. Kyle Exley made a great charge to finish third with Scott Slater fourth and Jesse James Bartleson completing the top five. "The Highside Hustler" Justin Mills shook down his new ride and finished sixth in the recently completed hot rod. Justin Hartz, Savannah Leggio and Ron Bosga completed the field.

The second Rookie 600 Sprint feature found Jacob Balliet in command from the start. Geordan Marrero kept the pressure on Balliet and took over the lead on lap thirteen but just as quickly came into contact with the slower car of newcomer Cody Powell and Powell went upside down in the incident with the officials placing Marrero to the rear of the field on the restart. Powell was uninjured in the incident. On the restart Balliet took off and raced to his second win of the season. Brett Altemose was second with Joe Howey racing from the rear to grab up third place. Tony Parlanti was fourth and Marrero fought back to complete the top five. Garden State Modified talent Clay Butler made a rare appearance and was sixth in his brother's hot rod. Carmen Leggio Sr was seventh.

The headliner for the All Star Slingshots found the best Slingshot drivers in the country duking it out on the Hamlin Speedway real estate in the MA Gold Tour event. The early going found Tyler Pirone blasting out of the starting blocks to lead the event but knocking on his door came "The Midge" Chris Kurtz as he found a racing channel he liked to pull behind Pirone and the chase was on. The two driving stars dominated the event as they hit slower traffic and Pirone lost the lead momentarily but a caution flag and a revert back to the previous lap put Pirone back up front. Pirone made no more errors as he executed a perfect game plan to remain in front as he scored his first Hamlin win of the season. Kurtz had a great drive for second with the returning Alex Yankowski in third, Dale Kober fourth and Tyler Peet fifth. Mike McLaughlin headed up the second five with Wes Hearn, Matt Henneforth, Austin Silfee and Russell Benke completing the top ten. Brett Bieber, Alan Selemba, Nick Vinciguerra, Josh Marcus and Henry Anderson completed the top fifteen and 19-cars finished all 30-laps of the main event.

Chad Sandt seized command at the start of the 600 Sprint main headliner and zipped off some 12.3 second laps to lead the way but a persistent and hard charging "Nickel Man" Joel Smith kept pace to make it a close fought contest. Sandt would score his second consecutive win with Smith close behind in second. Ryan Quackenbush was smooth as silk to run third with "The Rockaway Rocket" Danny Buccafusca fourth and "The Travelin Man" Mick D'Agostino completing the top five. "The Conductor" Bobby Butler rim rode the speedway for sixth place while JD Casazza, Colin White, Joseph Smith and Ryan Neil completed the top ten.

PEARL JAMS:

Randy Smith had the speedway in great shape and the kept pace with the speedway surface throughout the evening and his hard work made all of the feature events classic stuff in racing channels. A short rain shower halted the racing action for a few minutes and the staff hustled the Junior Slingshots off of the speedway to wait it out. Once the rain ceased about five minutes later the 270 Sprints ran their feature before bringing the youngsters back out to complete their event.

Dale Kober knows the short way around the Hamlin facility and posted the top time in the Super Slingshots with a 14.081 second lap just nipping Roger Collins who went 14.131 seconds. Joel Smith was the quick timer in the Stage One Modifieds with a 12.956 second time.

Two rounds of heat races were needed for the Tour event for the All Star Slingshots and winners of the heats included, Tyler Pirone, Alex Yankowski and Russell Benke in the first round and Tyler Peet, Wes Hearn and Austin Silfee earning victories in the second round. Jacob Balliet, Tim Bauer and Justin Hartz were victorious in the Rookie 600 Sprint heats. The 600 Sprints ran two heats with Joel Smith and Chad Sandt claiming victories. Paul Richards Jr emerged victorious in the 270 Sprint heat event. Junior Slingshot heats were won by Reese Nowotarski and Jared Silfee.

Roger Collins escaped injury when he was pinched into the outside Jersey barrier and executed a series of barrel rolls down the backstretch. Collins was shaken but climbed out of his wounded race car with a wave to the fans.

Some new names were added to the Hamlin roster list last evening with Randy Gombert and Steve Weirich in the 270 Sprints, Clayton Davey, Tom Arntz, Alan Kober, Alex Yankowski and Joe Toth in the All Star Slingshots. Slingers. The Butler Boys, Bobby and Clay, made rare appearances with both performing extremely well. Bobby is a former track champion at Hamlin and it is always great to see him return. Happy birthday wishes go out to Clay Butler as he turns 30 this week. Clay was accompanied to the speedway by his girlfriend former Miss Accord Speedway Loralyn Brinster. The crewchief for Clay Butler is former Lake Mocatek Speedway modified racer Bernie Kelly. Jake Fox was a new addition to the 600 ranks and the veteran Don Colaluce and "The Big Dogg" Steve Reynolds was back in action but Reynolds was slowed by a balky race car.

Matriarch Evelyn Smith was on hand to enjoy the racing action.

RESULTS:

All Star Slingshots: (MA Gold Tour) Tyler Pirone, Chris Kurtz, Alex Yankowski, Dale Kober, Tyler Peet, Mike McLaughlin, Wes Hearn, Matt Henneforth, Austin Silfee, Russell Benke III, Brett Bieber, Alan Selemba, Nick Vinciguerra, Josh Marcus, Henry Anderson, Taylor Mills, Tommy Arntz, Tess Horvath, Joe Toth, Ashley Kober, Amanda Buchel, Steve Pirone, Anthony Recchio, Justin Mills, Alan Kober, Clayton Davey, Roger Collins (DNS), Ryan Neiger (DNS)

270cc Sprints: Paul Richards Jr, Glenn Macomber, Kyle Ferrucci, Randy Gombert, Stephen Weirich, Don Schmidt

600cc Wingless Sprints: Chad Sandt, Joel Smith, Ryan Quackenbush, Danny Buccafusca, Mick D'Agostino, Bobby Butler, JD Casazza, Colin White, Joseph Smith, Ryan Neil, Carmen Leggio Jr, Rick Calvert, Mike Van Pelt, Don Colaluce, Brandon Azzalina, Dylan Martin, Sam Kravitsky, Stephen Reynolds, Jake Fox, Paul Richards Sr

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

Junior Slingshots: Cole Stangle, Hunter Lapp, Jared Silfee, Reese Nowotarski, Tanner Van Doren, Shelby McLaughlin, Ty Kelly, JJ Rice, Emily Fleming, Jake Mason, Tommy Stillo, Colton Geary, James Costlow, James Hendricks

Super Slingshots: Dale Kober, Wes Hearn, Greg Zellman, Steve Pirone, John Mirabelli, Ryan Lacoe, Mike Jablonka, Jim Conroy, Jeff Haduck

Rookie 600cc Wingless Sprints: (2) Jacob Balliet, Brett Altemose, Joe Howey, Tony Parlanti, Geordan Marrero, Clay Butler, Carmen Leggio Sr, JR Williams, Joe Nemeth, Cody Powell

Rookie 600cc Wingless Sprints: (1) Tim Bauer, Jakson Ring, Kyle Exley, Scott Slater, Jesse James Bartleson, Justin Mills, Justin Hartz, Savannah Leggio, Ron Bosga, Kevin Weiand

Racing every Saturday evening from April through September. The next event on the Hamlin Speedway schedule is set for July 23rd when all Divisions will be in action plus the Mini Series for the 270 Sprints going Wingless 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

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

Hamlin, PA - Justin Mills Simply Magnificent In Dominating Win In VetStock Firecracker 100 At Hamlin Speedway
By: Steve Pados, GA Motorsports Media

The Fourth of July weekend found the Hamlin Speedway swinging back into racing action after being dark and silent for a week of rest and relaxation. The hard working promotional team of Denise and Randy Smith was ready for the onslaught of 118 race cars and the standing room only crowd that arrived at the speedway. The management and staff at the Hamlin Speedway put forth a superlative effort and produced another great evening of racing in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. The eight feature card was sponsored by Hollywood Towing from Middletown, New York and the S&S Speedways located in Snydersville, Pennsylvania. The results were spectacular and the fans and drivers put forth a great effort to raise money for the VetStock Veterans Group in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

The standing room only crowd witnessed an eight feature event card with the VetStock Firecracker 100 lap feature for the All Star Slingshots being the showcased event of the evening. Bloomingburg, New York resident "The High Side Hustler" Justin Mills was at the top of his game as he dominated the Hollywood Towing & Auto and S&S Speedways sponsored VetStock Firecracker 100 event by leading every lap to capture the more than $1,200.00 in prize money plus contingencies. "Bad" Chad Sandt was flawless in performance as he worked the speedway cushion to perfection in recording his first win of the 2016 season in the Wingless 600 Sprint finale. Jared Silfee made a profound statement as he drove through the field to capture his third win of the season in the Junior Slingshot feature attraction. Former track champion Nunzi Allegrucci returned to Hamlin for the first time in 2016 was all business as he wired the field and roared away to his first win of the season. "The Ambassador" Wes Hearn was in top form as he wired the field on his way to his eighth consecutive win in the Super Slinger feature. "The Wild Child" Geordan Marrero became the first driver in the Rookie 600 Sprints to capture his second win of the season and the second Rookie 600 Sprint feature was captured by first time competitor Lavar Scott as the Carney Point, New Jersey racer led all of the way to claim his first ever Hamlin triumph. "The Nickel Man" Joel Smith was on rails in the last portion of the Hampton RV and Trailer Sales Stage One Modified feature attraction as he overcame the lead of the "Sunshine Gypsy" Charlie Bodine to score his first win of the season. When the racing action was completed, the highs and lows of victory and defeat came to light but for all of the competitors, each and everyone of them should be applauded for their fine efforts on an evening where giving back meant as much as the thrill of victory. The VetStock event headed up by S&S Speedways, Hollywood Towing & Auto, Hamlin Speedway and the Rode Racing, put forth a solid effort that saw a good sum of dollars raised for the locally based charitable organization

Fast timers Justin Mills and Tyler Peet brought the 33-car starting field down for the start of the VetStock Firecracker 100 event. Mills had the hot ticket and was quick and showed it early on by racing out front with a gaggle of hot rodders chasing him down for real estate. Early skirmishes slowed the pace a bit but once the racers found their grooves the results were more than worth the price of an admission ticket as the racing throughout the field was incredible. Mills led through the first fifty laps when a break was taken for the racers to recharge and replenish their race cars. At the end of the first fifty laps it was Mills, Wes Hearn, Brett Bieber, Dale Kober and Chris Kurtz being shown as the top five.

As the race restarted for the second fifty, it was Mills again racing out front with Hearn faltering a bit and Brett Bieber making his bid to win the event. Samantha Muller, who was running ninth, had some problems under the hood of her racer ending her fine efforts for the evening. The jockeying for position behind Mills was incredible but each time a burst of speedway from Mills allowed him to remain at the top of the heap. Mills got very close to a track record as he clicked off a 13.076 lap to challenge closely the one lap mark of 13.024 set two years ago by Trevor LaBagh. Mills was in the zone as he was consistent with his strong lap times that ranged from his fast time of 13.076 to the 13.250 mark. Bieber and Kober also turned up the wick as they were turning laps in the 13.2 to 13.4 range.

There was no stopping Mills in this great run for the roses as he raced to a sweet and rewarding win over Brett Bieber, Dale Kober, Tyler Pirone and Mike McLaughlin. Sixth through tenth were Wes Hearn, Russell Benke, Chris Kurtz, Kyle Herve and Josh Marcus. David Burns, Nick Vinciguerra, Tyler Peet, Ryan Neiger and Roger Collins completed the top fifteen.
Seventeen drivers completed all 100 laps of the event.

In 270 Sprint action, the returning Nunzi Allegrucci grabbed the lead at the opening bell and led all of the way to capture his first victory at Hamlin in quite some time.through the first seven laps. Brittany Erlsten found a fast seam on the raceway to record her own great run for runner-up honors. Paul Richards Jr, Glenn Macomber, Kyle Ferrucci, Tyler Galatro and the returning Don Schmidt completed the field.

Chad Sandt powered into the lead at the start of the 600 Sprint main just as quickly had Joel Smith and Louie Horvath breathing down his tailpipes. The trio raced away from the field for a few laps but attrition would bring the field back together for restarts. Sandt was spectacular racing to the top of the cushion while Smith and Horvath were glued to the baseline of the speedway. A restart on lap-18 for the spinning Chad VanHorn brought the field together for one last restart. Sandt raced to the top of the raceway while Smith pulled even in turn one but got into the turn a bit hot and spun out. The restart found Sandt racing the final two laps while holding off a determined Sam Kravitsky to capture his first win of the season at Hamlin. Kravitsky was second in the Thornton owned race car followed by Danny Buccafusca, Joseph Smith and JD Casazza. The second five found the returning Steven Gully, newcomer Wayne Scott Jr, newcomer Taylor Troxel, Joel Smith and Carmen Leggio Jr completing the top ten.

JJ Rice won a drag race over Hunter Lapp at the start of the Junior Slingshot finale to hustle into the lead. Rice was quick as he led through the first half of the feature. From sixth starting place, Jared Silfee was on the move as he one by one slipped past his competition into the runner-up slot. Silfee used an inside move to pull even and then drive by Rice who seemingly had slowed a bit off of the pace. Silfee was in command the remainder of the way to pick up his third win of the season. Cole Stangle used a late charge to wind up as the runner-up with Hunter Lapp third, Rice fourth and Shelby McLaughlin doing a great job for fifth. Tanner VanDoren, Tyler Banks, Ty Kelly, Adam Buchel and Jake Mason completed the top ten.

The Super Slingers racing action found Wes Hearn hustling out to a comfortable lead early in the event with early pressure coming from Dale Kober. After the midway point of the event, Hearn stretched his lead with 13.384 second laps and drove away to his eighth consecutive win in the division. Dale Kober was second with Roger Collins, Steve Pirone and Ryan Lacoe following.

Geordan Marrero took the lead on the first lap of the first of two Rookie Wingless 600 Sprint main events and led all of the way but had to hold off a determined effort by Mack Brink to become the first rookie driver to secure his second win of the season. Brink was second with Kyle Exley doing great work in third place, the returning Tim Bauer Fourth, and newcomer Brevan Rothermal rounding out the top five. Rothermal was a first time competitor at the speedway who got upside down in hot laps and made repairs to come back for a good finish in an extremely up and down night for the teenager from Blandon, Pennsylvania. Carmen Leggio Sr was sixth with Ron Bosga, and newcomer Savannah Leggio following.

Lavar Scott, who is a regular at Airport Speedway, gave the Hamlin Speedway a try and the results were fantastic as he grabbed the lead at the drop of the green flag and reeled off some 12.262 second laps to distance himself form the field and go on to capture his first ever win at Hamlin. Local star Noah Zielinski kept pace for runner-up honors with Mikey Smith, Jacob Balliet and Kevin Weiand completing the top five. Jakson Ring, JR Williams, Cody Powell and the returning Mark Berkenstock complete the field.

Charlie Bodine returned to Hamlin from his Florida residence and picked up a ride in the Smith Fabrication rental machine for the night of racing. Bodine showed he had not skipped a beat as he raced out to an early lead. Joel Smith broke free into the runner-up role and began trying to figure out a way around the high flying Bodine. On lap seventeen, Smith made his bid off of the baseline to pull even with Bodine and eventually slip past him and go on for his first win of the 2016 racing season. Bodine was the solid runner-up with Bill Dianella, Chloe Andreas and Damon Paul completing the top five. Cole Stangle, Will Casazza, Troy Langendoerfer, Janell Geary, Caitlin Henneforth, the returning John Lakatos and Evan Civick completed the list of finishers.

Pearl Jams:

Randy Smith had the speedway in impeccable condition as the multi-channeled facility was very racy throughout the evening and the Smith Crew can be proud of their efforts in keeping the speedway in top form and producing a great show for the fans.

The time trials for the 33 All Star Slingshots on hand found Justin Mills stopping the clocks at 14.115 seconds to lead all racers in the All Star Slingshots as he nipped Tyler Peet who timed at 14.183 seconds and Wes Hearn who timed at 14.192 seconds. Paul Richards Jr was top timer for the 270 Sprints with a 11.567 second time.

The heat racing action produced some great side by side battles with heat winners being Joel Smith, Chad Sandt and Louie Horvath in the 600 Sprints, Wes Hearn in the Super Slingers, Damon Paul and Joel Smith in the Stage One Modifieds. Cole Stangle, Shelby McLaughlin and Hunter Lapp recorded wins in the Junior Slingshots. Rookie Wingless 600 Sprint heat wins were claimed by Lavar Scott, Mack Brink and Jakson Ring.

Newcomers and returning drivers to the speedway included the racing Scott Family, Wayne Sr and Jr and Lavar, Mark Berkenstock, Nathan Smith, Brevan Rothermal, Taylor Troxel, Will Butler, Chad VanHorn, Steven Gully, and Tim Bauer in the 600 Sprints. Charlie Bodine and John Lakatos were new additions to the Stage One Modifieds. Nunzi Allegrucci and Don Schmidt were new additions to the 270 Sprints. The All Star Slingshot ranks swelled with big money on the line and the event brought back former regulars Corey Cormier, John Bockhorn, Daniel Morgiewicz, David Burns and Kyle Herve to the roster. Sarah Bohlin made her first ever appearance at the speedway and Marty Kelly rolled in from Vermont to do battle.

Once again the generous support from the racers and fans created the wonderful family atmosphere that exists at the Hamlin Speedway and this event proved to be another solid promotional effort for the VetStock Organization. A tip of the fedora goes out to Hollywood Towing & Auto, Hamlin Speedway, S&S Speedways, Allesson Rode and GA Motorsports Media in unison to market this great event and the racers and fan support was overwhelming and a huge thank you to everyone for their gracious support of the event including all of the sponsors who put up some hard earned dollars to sponsor every lap of the century long run.

Clock Drawing Raffle winners included Old Mill Pub ($100.00), Mary Lyn Williams ($100.00), Jessica Benke ($200.00), Olivia Mease ($100.00), Tim Krysiuk ($300.00), Pina Bennicoff ($100.00), Allison Stettler ($400.00), Glenn Spahr ($100.00), Kelsey Horvath ($500.00), Doreingos Oliveilla ($100.00), and Erin Burd ($1,000.00)

Some great prizes were offered up in the Chinese Auction and many happy fans walked home with some great gifts. A 50/50 auction from VetStock found John Madsen walking out of the speedway with $405.00.

The hard-charger award went to the returning "Big D" Daniel Morgiewicz as he made his first start of the season and passed thirteen cars on his way to 16th position after starting 29th. The $50.00 prize was sponsored by Vogel Designs. The hard-luck award went to Samantha Muller as she was sitting in a solid ninth place when her racer encountered some mechanical gremlins after the halfway mark that forced her to the sidelines. The award was sponsored by Ryan Smith Racing.

Ruth Hadley sang a stirring rendition of the National Anthem after a flag donated by the Rode Family was raised in the memory of Lester Marsh by members of the VetStock contingent headed up by Tommy Ryan.

The great evening of racing was brought to a bombastic conclusion with some rocking fireworks for the packed crowd on hand. The well-noted concession stand was kept extremely busy throughout the evening.

RESULTS:

All Star Slingshots: (VetStock Firecracker 100) Justin Mills, Brett Bieber, Dale Kober, Tyler Pirone, Mike McLaughlin, Wes Hearn, Russell Benke III, Chris Kurtz, Kyle Herve, Joshua Marcus, David Burns, Nick Vinciguerra, Tyler Peet, Ryan Neiger, Roger Collins, Daniel Morgiewicz, John Bockhorn, Sarah Bohlin, Samantha Muller, Vern McLaughlin, Steve Pirone, Austin Silfee, Tess Horvath, Anthony Recchio, Charlie Lawrence, Ashley Kober, Marty Kelly, Amanda Buchel, Corey Cormier, Alan Selemba, Taylor Mills, Alex Van Pelt, Ryan Davey

270cc Sprints: Nunzi Allegrucci, Brittany Erlsten, Paul Richards Jr, Glenn Macomber, Kyle Ferrucci, Tyler Galatro, Don Schmidt

600cc Wingless Sprints: Chad Sandt, Sam Kravitsky, Danny Buccafusca, Joseph Smith, JD Casazza, Steven Gully, Wayne Scott Jr, Taylor Troxel, Joel Smith, Carmen Leggio Jr, Dylan Martin, Colin White, Will Butler, Louie Horvath, Mick D'Agostino, Paul Richards Sr, Chad Van Horn, Chris Kurtz, Wayne Scott, Rick Calvert, Ryan Quackenbush

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

Junior Slingshots: Jared Silfee, Cole Stangle, Hunter Lapp, JJ Rice, Shelby McLaughlin, Tanner VanDoren, Tyler Banks, Ty Kelly, Adam Buchel, Jake Mason, Emily Fleming, Jack Clancy, Tommy Stillo, James Costlow, John Velde, James Hendricks, Nathen Marold

Super Slingshots: Wes Hearn, Dale Kober, Roger Collins, Stevve Pirone, Ryan Lacoe

Rookie 600cc Wingless Sprints: (1) Geordan Marrero, Mack Brink, Kyle Exley, Tim Bauer, Brevan Rothermel, Carmen Leggio Sr, Ron Bosga, Savannah Leggio, Aaron Casterlin, Joe Howey, Tyler Galatro

Rookie 600cc Wingless Sprints: (2) Lavar Scott, Noah Zielinski, Mikey Smith, Jacob Balliet, Kevin Weiand, Jakson Ring, JR Williams, Cody Powell, Mark Berkenstock, Tony Parlanti, Nathen Smith

Racing every Saturday evening from April through September. The next event on the Hamlin Speedway schedule is set for July 9th 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

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

Hamlin, PA - Hamlin Speedway's Sensational Two Day Sizzler Showcases New Winners and New Records
By: Steve Pados, GA Motorsports Media

The "Pearl in the Poconos" Hamlin Speedway ushered in their annual two-day "Spring Into Summer Sizzler" spectacular over the weekend and beautiful warm summer weather benchmarked the Tenth Annual two day affair. Both days of competition were filled with exceptional runs by the talented roster of individuals and the standing room only crowds on both days thoroughly enjoyed the close wheel to wheel driving exploits from a great roster of driving talent that ranges from the ages of 7 to 69. The Hamlin Speedway was in top form under the watchful eye of the Smith Family as the two day spectacular produced the great racing memories that will be talked about for some time to come. 222 entries took part in the two day event sponsored by S&S Speedways Indoor Go Karts located in Snydersville, Pennsylvania,

The Friday night action saw some new winners take center stage and a special event for the "Stars of Tomorrow" as the National Tour was part of the evening's festivities and found outside invader Kyle Smith from Kutztown, Pennsylvania upsetting a stellar field of young driving talent. The win was Smith's first career win at Hamlin. Austin Silfee captured his second win of the season in overcoming a strong run by Dale Kober to notch the victory in the All Star Slingshots. "The A-Team" Brandon Azzalina captured the Wingless 600 sprint win after a torrid battle with Joel Smith, Eddie Strada, Danny Buccafusca and Robbie Hocker. "The Sandman" Troy Langendoerfer returned to action with the borrowed car of Mike Marold and had the hot hand as he raced to the feature win in the Hampton RV And Trailer Stage One Modified excursion. "The Ambassador" Wes Hearn is on a roll at the speedway and added another win in the Super Slinger finale. "The Wild Child" Geordan Marrero captured his first win in the Rookie Wingless 600 Sprint main event. "The Aviator" Robbie Watson returned to action and captured his first win in the 270 Sprint main.

Geordan Marrero put all of the pieces together and his Friday win had him at the top of his game as won the Rookie Wingless 600 Sprint main event. Scott Slater Jr, Brett Altemose, Mikey Smith and Mack Brink completed the top five. Noah Zielinski from nearby Mount Cobb headed up the second five the returning JR Segar, Scott Slater Sr, Joe Howey and Jakson Ring completing the top ten.

It was business as usual for Troy Langendoerfer as he jumped back into a race car after sitting on the sidelines for some time while attending college. Langendoerfer drove the Mike Marold Stage One Modified to a win and it was far from easy as he had Joel Smith nipping away at him throughout the event. Smith was second with Damon Paul third, Stephen Darling fourth and Chloe Andreas rounding out the top five. Caitlin Henneforth, Bill Dianella, Michael Samony, Tyler Peet and Cole Stangle completed the top ten.

Super Slinger action had Wes Hearn rocketing into the lead at the start of the event and he would lead all twenty laps to capture his sixth win of the season. Dale Kober kept the pressure on and would finish in the runner-up slot. John Mirabelli had his best finish of the season with a third place run with Jeff Haduck, Ryan Lacoe, Steve Pirone and Tom Van Pelt completing the field.

Kyle Smith had the hot hand as the best of the best Junior Slingshot driving stars converged at Hamlin for the National Tour event. With an elite 18-car starting field, the action was fast and furious from start to finish as the "Stars of Tomorrow" put on a great show for the fans and can be quite proud of their accomplishments in their budding racing careers. Smith, who is the grandson to racing legend Charley Gilmore, led all of the way to secure the win but tons of pressure came his way as Cole Stangle, Jared Silfee, Hunter Lapp and Michael Corbin were nose to tail for most of the event. Gavin Santee, headed up the second five with Tanner Jones, TY Kelly, JJ Rice and Emily Fleming completing the top ten. Fourteen cars completed the event on the same lap showing just how tough the competition is for the youngsters in racing.

The Wingless 600 Sprint finale was a barnburner from the drop of the green flag. Brandon Azzalina won the race into turn one and it set up a cat and mouse game throughout the entire distance as Eddie Strada, Joel Smith, Danny Buccafusca and Robbie Hocker put on a whale of a show trading slide-jobs and each driver trying to out-power and out-wit his competition. Brandon Azzalina prevailed with his second win of the season while Strada, Smith, Buccafusca and Hocker would complete the top five. Chad Sandt, Colin White, Zac Azzalina, JD Casazza and Joseph Smith finished out the top ten.

Austin Silfee was on rails as he led all of the way to claim second All Star Slingshot win at the speedway in 2016. It wasn't easy by any means as Dale Kober, Wes Hearn Brett Bieber and Mike McLaughlin followed Silfee to the line. Anthony Recchio, Alan Selemba, Taylor Mills, Russell Benke and Tyler Peet completed the top ten.

Robbie Watson led all of the way to claim the win in the 270 Sprint main with Paul Richards Jr, Glenn Macomber and Kyle Ferrucci following Watson to the finish. Watson later asked his girlfriend for her hand in marriage in victory lane, a fitting end for a great night for "The Aviator." By the way, she said YES!

DAY 2:

The Saturday night racing action was fast and furious as Promoters Denise and Randy Smith moved the show along quickly and precisely as the track was in tip-top condition for the racing ahead. With eight features on tap, the evening of speed was checkered flagged with the final event at 10:57 PM.

Stephen Darling captured his first Stage One Modified main event at the speedway and in doing so had to defeat a solid band of marauders who pursued him. from the previous evening. Russell Benke punched his winning ticket for the first time in 2016 as he captured his first win at Hamlin in All Star Slingshot competition. Paul Richards Jr captured the Wingless 270 Sprint main. "The Hurricane" Hunter Lapp took advantage of the prime real estate offered to him and he drove to his second win of the season in the Junior Slingshot main event. "The Ambassador" Wes Hearn is seemingly unstoppable as he notched his seven consecutive win of the season in the Super Slinger headliner and in doing so broke his own one lap track record by stopping the clocks at 13.156 seconds, breaking his old mark of 13.311 seconds he set in 2015. "Radioactive" Robbie Hocker returned to the speedway in recent weeks and drove a flawless race to score his first win at the speedway in some time in the Wingless 600 Sprint main. With an influx of 24 Rookie 600 Sprint entries, the field was split into two features and "The Young Rustler" Jacob Balliet scored his first career win at the speedway with a nifty display of smooth driving. The second Rookie 600 Sprint main was captured by a former All Star Slingshot champion at the speedway, "The Mack Attack" Mack Brink as the Jefferson Township star secured his first career win in his new division.

Paul Richards Jr blasted out front at the start of the Wingless 270 Sprint main and raced out to an early lead while Louden Reimert, a former track regular, came through the field twice to challenge. Richards captured the win with Reimert in second, Jacob Hendershot third, Glenn Macomber fourth and Kyle Ferrucci rounding out the top five.

Wes Hearn started from the pole in the Super Slinger finale but would receive a stiff challenge from Dale Kober throughout the event. Hearn turned up the wick and broke the track record on lap four and in the twenty lap event broke the existing track record at least fifteen times to score his seventh win of the season. Kober was solid in second place with the returning Joe Bodenschatz third, Jeff Cosgrove fourth and Steve Pirone fifth just nipping Ryan Lacoe.

Mike McLaughlin out-gunned Russell Benke at the start of the All Star Slingshot feature and quickly attempted to run to daylight away from the field. The competition would not allow that to happen and Russell Benke in particular as he stayed glued to McLaughlin's bumper for five laps until he baselined his racer off of turn two to pull even and then ahead of McLaughlin in turn three. Benke was able to stay ahead of the crowd vying for his spot and in doing so cranked off some 13.291 second laps to remain at the head of the pack. Benke would go on to win the event with Kober grabbing up runner-up honors. Brett Bieber was third with McLaughlin fourth and Wes Hearn fifth. The entire field remained in close quarters throughout the event and the second five were Alan Selemba, Chris Kurtz, Anthony Recchio, and Justin and Taylor Mills.

Justin Hartz was a rocket at the start of the Rookie 600 Sprint main as grabbed the lead and led the way for the first six laps until recent winner Joe Howey slipped past him. Just as quickly a skirmish occurred and Howey got caught up in it. Jacob Balliet, who had a quick racer all night long, found himself at the head of the pack for the restart and the youngster made the most of it by leading the remaining laps to secure his first ever win at the Hamlin Speedway. JR Segar was second with Joe Howey recovering nicely to race to third, Scott Slater Sr was fourth and Tyler Galatro rounded out the top five. Newcomer Tyler Kehs was sixth and recent addition to the speedway Cody Powell was seventh.

The second Rookie 600 Sprint main found Brett Altemose with the hot hand early on as he led the first 14-laps of the event. Altemose bobbled off of turn two and Mack Brink seized the opportunity to pull event and then take command of the event in turn three. Brink would go on to win his first ever 600 Sprint feature at Hamlin while the hard riding Nate Brinker was the runner-up. Geordan Marrero was third with Altemose recovering for fourth and Aaron Casterlin recovering from an early spin to race back to fifth place. Jesse James Bartleson, Noah Zielinski and Kyle Exley completed the field.

Cole Stangle led the first two laps of the Junior Slingshot main but gave way to the slick running Jared Silfee. Silfee would lead until lap nine when Cole Stangle forged ahead but as the racers came upon slower traffic Stangle found himself off course in the mad scramble that occurred. On the restart, Silfee bobbled a bit and Hunter Lapp took command of the event. Lapp would lead the remainder of the event to secure his second win of the season at Hamlin. "Junior Excitement" JJ Rice would hustle in for second place with Silfee third, "TVD" Tanner Van Doren fourth and Ty Kelly rounding out the top five. The second five were headed up Emily Fleming, John Kendall, Tyler Banks, Jack Clancy and Evan Van Valkenburg.

Stephen Darling seized command of the Hampton RV and Trailer Stage One Modified feature at the drop of the green flag and led all of the way to win his first career feature win at Hamlin. It would be no cakewalk for Darling as Joel Smith dogged him every inch of the way and pulled even on occasion but Darling had enough in the tank to go for the win. Smith was second with Damon Paul, Bill Dianella and Cole Stangle completing the top five. Troy Langendoerfer was sixth while Michael Samony, Janell Geary, Will Casazza and newcomer Jim Hartz completed the field of racers.

The Wingless 600 Sprint main found Robbie Hocker with a fast hot rod as he led the field around the race track. Throughout the course of the event, Hocker was able to be the only racer to dip into the 13 second bracket for a lap. Sam Kravitsky put up a formidable challenge in the Thornton owned racer to finish second with Chad Sandt, Joel Smith and Chris Kurtz completing the top five. The second five found Louie Horvath shaking off his early season bad luck to nail down sixth place and JD Casazza, Danny Buccafusca, Ryan Quackenbush and Grady Johnston completing the top ten.

PEARL JAMS:

Promoters Denise and Randy Smith had the grounds in pristine condition for the two-day weekend and many of the crowd stayed over for both days of the fabulous racing action. Randy Smith continues to work his magic on the race track and it was a fast 1/5th raceway all weekend long with lots of passing throughout both nights of competition. Another tip of the hat goes out to the Smith Family for another great weekend of racing.

The traveling band of young racers was in full force on Friday evening with the Junior Slingshot National Tour event. The contingent included Kyle Smith, Nicholas Flammer, Gavin Santee, Tyler Banks and Tanner Jones. New drivers on hand included Vern McLaughlin, Amanda Conroy, Carl Bittenbender, Joe Bodenschatz, Blaire Schoenly and Alex Van Pelt in the All Star Slingshots. Austin Homan was a new Junior Slingshot entry on Saturday night. Jim Hartz was in control of the Smith Fabrications Rental car for the evening. Tyler Kehs, Savannah Leggio and Carmen Leggio Jr were new 600 Sprint entries. Kevin Pritchard returned to action in the 270 Sprints.

Time trials on Saturday evening were for the Junior Slingshot division and Hunter Lapp clocked off the fast time with a 13.925 second lap. Dale Kober was quick timer in the Super Slingers with a 13.741 time.

Heat wins went to Joel Smith, Jacob Severn and Louie Horvath in the 600 Sprints while All Star Slingshot heats were claimed by Dale Kober, Anthony Recchio, Russell Benke III and Mike McLaughlin. Paul Richards Jr was victorious in the 270 Sprint heat while Cole Stangle and Joel Smith win the Stage One Modified heats. Rookie 600 Sprint heats were won by Brett Altemose, Jacob Balliet and Justin Hartz. A B-Main was needed for the All Star Slingshots and Alex Van Pelt captured the 12-lap event

Special thanks to Rick Ryder, the announcer at Bethel Speedway, who filled in for regular announcer Steve Pados, who had another engagement to announce at.

The Matriarch of the Smith Family, Evelyn Smith has been on hand at the races for the past two weeks and still very much enjoys the great racing action Hamlin provides.

Something I forgot to add in last week's Press Release was that Jason Marold was married to his new wife Lexi two Fridays ago and they spent their first day of wedded bliss at the Hamlin Speedway. What troopers they are! They followed up on Sunday by going on their honeymoon in Atlantic City.

Dan Galatro is selling his 2009 RTS 270 Sprint. He is asking $8,000.00 for everything he has for a 270 and that includes two motors and a shopful of related parts. Reach him at: 609-743-3451 by phone or: dgalatro@gmail.com through email.

The Hamlin Speedway will be dark next week to give the racers and their families a much needed vacation break from the rigors of racing and allow everyone to re-charge their batteries for the start of the second half of the Hamlin season that will kick-off with the running of the VetStock Firecracker 100 event that will roll out at the speedway on July 2nd. A whopping $1,500.00 plus contingencies will greet the winner in victory lane should the 35-car entry list be met for the event. Thirty cars will start the main event and will showcase the best Slingshot drivers in the country with the running of this premier event. Lap Sponsorships are still available and needed and speedway management assures all sponsors that all lap sponsors will be announced prior to the running of the grueling century long spectacular.

The VetStock Firecracker 100 (Hamlin Hundred) event on July 2nd is just two weeks away and anyone who would like to get involved with this great promotion for this event should contact the S&S Speedways at: 570 420 5500. Everyone can also check out the VetStock website at: www.VetStockUSA.com

Whether it be a prize or cash donation for this event, all donations are accepted graciously and all will be announced leading up to the event as well as at the speedway and tickets are being distributed for an over the top Raffle which will offer money prizes each half hour of the scheduled show ranging from $100.00 to $1,000.00. The tickets are $10.00 each with a limit of one thousand tickets to be sold.

Lap Sponsorship is also being sold at $10.00 per lap and offers an opportune time to pump up your sponsors for this great cause and all lap sponsors will be announced prior to the running of the 100-lap event.

RESULTS:
June 17th Results:

All Star Slingshots: Austin Silfee, Dale Kober, Wes Hearn, Brett Bieber, Mike McLaughlin, Anthony Recchio, Alan Selemba, Taylor Mills, Russell Benke III, Tyler Peet, Carl Bittenbender, Damon Paul, Justin Mills, Matt Henneforth, Steve Pirone, Ryan Neiger, Ashley Kober, Tyler Pirone, Josh Marcus, Alex Van Pelt, Vern McLaughlin, Chris Kurtz, Tess Horvath

270cc Sprints: Robbie Watson, Paul Richards Jr, Glenn Macomber, Kyle Ferrucci

600cc Wingless Sprints: Brandon Azzalina, Eddie Strada, Joel Smith, Danny Buccafusca, Robbie Hocker, Chad Sandt, Colin White, Zac Azzalina, JD Casazza, Joseph Smith, Chris Kurtz, Sam Kravitsky, Mick D'Agostino, Paul Richards Sr, Johnny Smith, Dylan Martin, Ryan Quackenbush, Rick Calvert, Mike Van Pelt

Hampton RV And Trailer Stage One Modifieds: Troy Langendoerfer, Joel Smith, Damon Paul, Stephen Darling, Chloe Andreas, Caitlin Henneforth, Bill Dianella, Michael Samony, Tyler Peet, Cole Stangle, Janell Geary, Evan Civick

Junior Slingshots: (National Tour) Kyle Smith, Cole Stangle, Jared Silfee, Hunter Lapp, Michael Corbin, Gavin Santee, Tanner Jones, Ty Kelly, JJ Rice, Emily Fleming, Tanner VanDoren, Shelby McLaughlin, Tyler Banks, Evan Van Valkenburg, Adam Buchel, Nathen Marold, Nicholas Flammer, Colton Geary

Super Slingshots: Wes Hearn, Dale Kober, John Mirabelli, Jeff Haduck, Ryan Lacoe, Steve Pirone, Tom Van Pelt

Rookie 600cc Wingless Sprints: Geordan Marrero, Scott Slater Jr, Brett Altemose, Mikey Smith, Mack Brink, Noah Zielinski, Jr Segar, Scott Slater Sr, Joe Howey, Jakson Ring, Justin Hartz, Tyler Galatro, Cody Powell, Jacob Balliet

June 18th Results:

All Star Slingshots: Russell Benke, Dale Kober, Brett Bieber, Mike McLaughlin, Wes Hearn, Alan Selemba, Chris Kurtz, Anthony Recchio, Justin Mills, Taylor Mills, Austin Silfee, Tyler Pirone, Amanda Conroy, Josh Marcus, Ryan Neiger, Tyler Peet, Alex Van Pelt, Damon Paul, Nick Vinciquerra, Vern McLaughlin, Jeff Cosgrove, Blaire Schoenly, Matt Henneforth, Joe Bodenschatz

Wingless 270cc Sprints: Paul Richards Jr, Louden Reimert, Jacob Hendershot, Glenn Macomber, Kyle Ferrucci, Kevin Pritchard

600cc Wingless Sprints: Robbie Hocker, Sam Kravitsky, Chad Sandt, Joel Smith, Chris Kurtz, Louie Horvath, JD Casazza, Danny Buccafusca, Ryan Quackenbush, Grady Johnston, Nate Brinker, Mick D'Agostino, Jesse James Bartleson, Rick Calvert, Jacob Severn, Colin White, Carmen Leggio Jr, Joseph Smith, Paul Richards Sr, Dylan Martin, Ryan Neil

Hampton RV And Trailer Stage One Modifieds: Stephen Darling, Joel Smith, Damon Paul, Bill Dianella, Cole Stangle, Troy Langendoerfer, Michael Samony, Janell Geary, Will Casazza, Jim Hartz, Chloe Andreas, Caitlin Henneforth

Junior Slingshots: Hunter Lapp, JJ Rice, Jared Silfee, Tanner Van Doren, Ty Kelly, Emily Fleming, John Kendall, Tyler Banks, Jack Clancy, Evan Van Valkenburg, Austin Homan, Adam Buchel, Tommy Stillo, Michael Corbin, James Hendricks, Colton Geary, James Costlow, Gavin McClure, Shelby McLaughlin, Cole Stangle, Nathen Marold (DNS)

Super Slingshots: Wes Hearn, Dale Kober, Joe Bodenschatz, Jeff Cosgrove, Steven Pirone, Ryan Lacoe, Jim Conroy, Mike Jablonka, Ryan Neiger

Rookie 600cc Wingless Sprints: (1) Jacob Balliet, JR Segar, Joe Howey, Scott Slater Sr, Tyler Galatro, Tyler Kehs, Cody Powell, Justin Hartz, Steve Van Valkenburg, Jakson Ring, Scott Slater Jr, Carmen Leggio Sr

Rookie Wingless 600 Sprints: (2) Mack Brink, Nate Brinker, Geordan Marrero, Brett Altemose, Aaron Casterlin, Jesse James Bartleson, Noah Zielinski, Kyle Exley, Ron Bosga, Tony Parlanti, Scott Rupp, Savannah Leggio

Racing every Saturday evening from April through September. Hamlin Speedway will be dark on June 25th to allow racing families time off to enjoy some quality summer vacation time. The next event on the Hamlin Speedway schedule is set for July 2nd when all Divisions will be in action on the 1/5th mile clay cushioned oval and the special VetStock Firecracker 100 for the All Star Slingshot division will highlight the racing action. $1,500.00 will greet the winner of the event should 35 or more cars be entered into this premier event. Raffle tickets are being sold to raise money for VetStock, a Not for Profit 501c3 organization. A Chinese Auction and many additional fun things are on tap for this very special evening at the Hamlin Speedway. To learn more about VetStock, go to their website at: www.VetStockUSA.com

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, 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, log on to their well documented website at: http://hamlinspeed.com or call the speedway hotline at: 570 420 5500. Visit us often for a great night of racing action as............................................

The Hamlin Speedway Is The "Pearl" In The Poconos