Hamlin, PA - Chris Kurtz Tops Stellar All Star Slingshot Field To Capture Tour Gold At Hamlin Speedway
By: Steve Pados, GA Motorsports Media

Hamlin, PA May 7th ... The 2016 racing season at the Hamlin Speedway continues to rock on into the new season even though a less than perfect Saturday evening greeted the racing drivers and fans. The unpredictable Spring weather once again tried to slip a "Mickey" into the scheduled events but the Smith Family persevered and offered a fabulous racing show in the Poconos Mountains. The speedway welcomed in 119 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 was 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 10:50 PM. The evening of speed was sponsored by S&S Speedways indoor go karts located in Snydersville, Pennsylvania.

When the heart stopping racing action was completed, "Midge" Chris Kurtz led only four laps of the Briggs & Stratton Mid-Atlantic Gold Tour event but they were the last four as he captured the 30-lap finale. Garden Stater Cole Stangle raced to his second straight win of the season in the Junior Slingshots feature attraction. "The G-Man" Grady Johnston used all of the race track when he needed it to drive to victory in the Wingless 600 Sprint headliner. Mike Kalman raced to his first ever win at Hamlin in the 270 Winged Sprint main event. "The Beast" Chloe Andreas was just that as she led all laps to capture her first ever win in the Hampton RV and Trailer Sales Stage One Modified feature event. "The Ambassador" Wes Hearn raced to his third consecutive win in the Super Slingers headliner. Unheralded Nate Brinker made his first Hamlin appearance a notable one as he was was on his a-game and captured his first ever Hamlin win in the Rookie Wingless 600 Sprint headliner. The Smith Family continues to provide an unparalleled promotion for small car division racing and the 2016 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 and a mad scramble ensued at the start. On the restart it was Jared Silfee flexing his muscles as blasted out front and would lead until after the midway point. Cole Stangle was applying the pressure hard as sought an inside line to make his move past Silfee. Silfee gave him too much room off of turn two on lap-12 and Stangle pulled even and slipped into the lead on lap-12. Stangle led the remainder of the event to score his second straight win at Hamlin early on. Silfee, who won on opening night, was second in a great run with "The Little Machinist" Nathen Marold turning in an excellent run for third place. "Little Miss" Shelby McLaughlin raced from 15th to nail down fourth place and "Junior Excitement" JJ Rice completed the top five. The second five included Emily Fleming, LJ Walbert, Colton Geary, John Velde and Michael Corbin.

The 270 Sprint main event found "The Deuce" Glenn Macomber setting a torrid pace. Macomber handled lots of pressure from Paul Richards Jr but Richards would spin and go to the rear on lap-16. Macomber appeared headed to victory with two to go when his racer let him down and He was forced from the battle. Mike Kalman inherited the lead and would drive to victory with Richards recovering and finishing in the runner-up role. Tyler Galatro and Kyle Ferrucci would follow the two leaders across the line.

The Rookie Wingless 600 Sprint main saw Scott Slater lead the first three laps of the finale. Storming to the front on lap-4, Nate Brinker drove by Slater and opened up a huge advantage over the field. A twist a turn a wrinkle and a jingle or two slowed the action in the mid stages of the event but Brinker was up to the task in his Torie Tile sponsored hot rod as he kept the field a safe distance behind him. The final four laps saw a strong effort from last week's feature winner Mikey Smith but it would be Nate Brinker hoisting the checkered flag on this evening. Smith was the runner-up with Jakson Ring turning in a strong performance in his Gary Lee Kia hot rod. Scott Slater Jr and Sr completed the top five. Brett Altemose, Joe Howey, Dylan Martin, Tony Parlanti and JR Williams completed the top ten.

The Super Slinger feature found invader Mike Toth grabbing the lead at the start and Toth would lead until lap-6 when Wes Hearn would drive by him. Once in front, Hearn distanced himself from the field while the action behind him was still a three car battle royal between Dale Kober, Mike Toth and Ryan Lacoe. Hearn would race to his third straight win with Kober putting on a killer rally at the finish to land in the runner-up role. Toth was third in a great effort while Steve Svanda rallied at the end to finish fourth with Lacoe in fifth. John Mirabelli, Jim Conroy, Steve Pirone and Jeff Haduck completed the field.

The Wingless 600 Sprint main was top-notch from the drop of the green flag as "The Rockaway Rocket" Danny Buccafusca found the bottom of the raceway to his liking and he blasted out in front of the highly competitive field. From sixth starting position came "The G-Man" Grady Johnston as used every inch of the raceway to find the proverbial sweet spot and inch his way through the field. Johnston attacked Buccafusca from all angles and reached to to the top of the cushion on lap-11 to slip past Buccafusca for the lead. Once in front Johnston encountered slower traffic and it became a game of wits to keep his race car in front as the close roster of drivers inched their way closer to the front. It was not to be as Johnston captured the win with Buccafusca a strong second, Johnny Smith third, Colin White fourth and Joel Smith in fifth. The rest of the top ten included Chad Sandt, Brandon Azzalina, Ryan Quackenbush, Sam Kravitsky and James Morris. The event was so competitive the fans were gathered talking about it long after the racing was completed.

The Hampton RV and Trailer Sales Stage One Modified feature found Chloe Andreas at the point for the start of the 20 lap event and she made the most of it as she led all 20-laps for her first win in the Stage One Modifieds but the win was far from easy. Mike Marold put pressure on Andreas from the start and was joined later on by Damon Paul, who seemed to have the fastest car on the racetrack. Paul ripped off some 12.8 second laps to close quickly on the leaders but this night was for the ladies as Andreas scored the win with Marold in second and Paul third. Steve Darling was fourth while Bill Dianella rounded out the top five. Janell Geary, Pat Van Varick, Michael Samony, Will Casazza and Jack Van Varick completed the field.

Thirty one cars attempted to secure a spot in the All Star Slingshot main attraction but only the top 27 made the grade through heats and provisional's to qualify for the 30-lap finale. Henry Anderson jumped into the lead at the drop of Russ Furry's green flag and he had his Mike Griffin State Farm Insurance sponsored chariot at the top of the game. Early challenger Wes Hearn was a in a semi skirmish and slipped back a bit while Tyler Peet, Russell Benke and Chris Kurtz duked it out behind Anderson. Peet used much of the racetrack to find a way past Anderson but Anderson was on a mission in his return to Hamlin Speedway racing.

The racing action was close and it was going to get closer as the laps clicked off. On lap-26 as Anderson and Peet came out of turn four, Peet got into Anderson and turned him around leaving both leaders assigned to the back of the bus for the restart. Chris Kurtz would inherit the lead and would go on to lead the final four laps to secure the victory and the $500.00 that went along with it. Wes Hearn rallied hard to nail down the runner-up slot with Russell Benke in third, Tyler Pirone fourth and Brett Bieber in for fifth. The second five included Justin Mills, Austin Silfee, Mike McLaughlin, Anthony Raisner and Dale Kober.

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 gibe all of the competitors an equal track to race on.

Wes Hearn was fast timer for the Super Slingers with a 14.187 second time. The 600 Sprints had Joel Smith with a hot hand and a 11.853 clocking.

Heat race wins were captured by Hunter Lapp, Jake Mason and Emily Fleming in the Junior Slingshots. Dylan Martin, Brett Altemose and Nate Brinker captured the three Wingless Rookie 600 Sprint heats. Glenn Macomber nailed down a win in the 270 Sprint heats. Janell Geary and Chloe Andreas captured heat wins for the Stage One Modifieds. The dual heat format was part of the norm for the All Star Slingshot Tour events and capturing wins included Henry Anderson, Wes Hearn, Chris Kurtz, Russell Benke III, Brett Bieber, Anthony Raisner and Justin Mills.

New faces continue to emerge at Hamlin as new competitors included LJ Walbert, John Velde and Matthew Robidoux for the Junior Slingshot racers. Mike Toth, Steve Svanda and Jeff Haduck were new Super Slinger competitors. Nate Brinker and Joe Nemeth were new Rookie 600 Sprint racers. Pat and Jack Van Varick were new Stage One entries. Anthony Raisner, Don Schmidt, Tom Arntz, Joe Toth, Henry Anderson, Natasha Henn and Aiden Svanda were new additions to the All Star Slingshots.

Long distance expert Charlie Lawrence broke early and withdrew for the evening. Jacob Severn had problems with his won race car so hopped aboard the Aaron Casterlin machine for the evening. Gavin McClure and Ty Kelly had mechanical woes all evening in the Juniors and AJ Hobbs scratched from his 600 event as well. Cole Stangle and Aaron Henneforth encountered problems with their Stage One Modifieds.

Shannon Smith and Simon Egan were visiting the speedway for the first time in 2016. The happy couple resides in the "Tarheel" State of North Carolina.

The speedway management and staff send get well wishes to Speedway Videographer Barry Boyd who is under the weather at this time.

Youthful racer Cody Quagliato spent some time in the tower with Announcer Steve Pados. While still competing with his go kart at Snydersville, Cody will be aboard a Tom Arntz racer later in the season in the Junior Slingshot division.

Results:

All Star Slingshots: (Mid Atlantic Gold Tour) Chris Kurtz, Wes Hearn, Russell Benke III, Tyler Pirone, Brett Bieber, Justin Mills, Austin Silfee, Mike McLaughlin, Anthony Raisner, Dale Kober, Alex Yankowski, Anthony Recchio, Don Schmidt, Ashley Kober, Tom Arntz, Alan Selemba, Taylor Mills, Josh Marcus, Joe Toth, Henry Anderson, Tyler Peet, Alan Kober, Nick Vinciguerra, Steven Pirone, Amanda Buchel, Natasha Henn, Hunter Metzger

270cc Sprints: Mike Kalman, Paul Richards Jr, Tyler Galatro, Kyle Ferrucci, Jenna Schostkewitz, Glenn Macomber

600cc Wingless Sprints: Grady Johnston, Danny Buccafusca, Johnny Smith, Colin White, Joel Smith, Chad Sandt, Brandon Azzalina, Ryan Quackenbush, Sam Kravitsky, James Morris, Zac Azzalina, Mick D'Agostino, Jacob Severn, Joseph Smith, Nate Brinker, Louis Horvath, JD Casazza, Dylan Martin, Ryan Neil, Chris Kurtz, Paul Richards Sr, Rick Calvert, Don Colaluce

Hampton RV And Trailer Stage One Modifieds: Chloe Andreas, Mike Marold, Damon Paul, Steve Darling, Bill Dianella, Janell Geary, Pat Van Varick, Michael Samony, Will Casazza, Jack Van Varick, Aaron Henneforth, Cole Stangle

Junior Slingshots: Cole Stangle, Jared Silfee, Nathen Marold, Shelby McLaughlin, JJ Rice, Emily Fleming, LJ Walbert, Colton Geary, John Velde, Michael Corbin, Matthew Robidoux, Adam Buchel, Hunter Lapp, Jake Mason, James Costlow, Ty Kelly, Gavin McClure

Super Slingshots: Wes Hearn, Dale Kober, Mike Toth, Steve Svanda, Ryan Lacoe, John Mirabelli, Jim Conroy, Steven Pirone, Jeff Haduck

Rookie 600cc Wingless Sprints: Nate Brinker, Mikey Smith, Jakson Ring, Scott Slater Sr, Scott Slater Jr, Brett Altemose, Joe Howey, Dylan Martin, Tony Parlanti, JR Williams, Tyler Galatro, Justin Hartz, Chad Connor, Joe Nemeth, Aaron Casterlin, Jacob Balliet, Matt Brown, Scott Rupp, Geordan Marrero, AJ Hobbs

Racing every Saturday evening from April through September. The next event on the Hamlin Speedway schedule is set for May 14th when all Divisions will be in action on the 1/5th mile clay cushioned oval highlighted by the Mini Series of the 270 Sprints going Wingless. 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, logon 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