Post by meg on May 16, 2011 13:01:29 GMT -5
Hamlin, PA - Hamlin Speedway Turns Back Mother Nature To Ignite A Great Evening of Racing Excitement
By: Steve Pados, GA Motorsports Media
With Mother Nature trying her best to deflate the hearts of those of us who live for the excitement that the world of motorsports brings to them, the Smith Family refused to yield and overcame a quick hitting shower during the first hot lap session at the speedway to produce another quality seven division racing program that had the fans on their way home at 10:35 PM. The immediate area surrounding the Hamlin Speedway, located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, were totally awash to the south of the speedway but the Smith Family and staff forged on and after the storm subsided the call for racers to assist in running in the track was met without hesitation and with just a short delay the racing kicked-off quickly and through the total co-operation of everyone involved the exciting racing action gave everyone in attendance another exceptional night of entertainment. Buoyed by a field of 130 plus racers that was fueled by cancellations elsewhere, the seven feature program and the dual heat format for the Mid Atlantic Gold Tour Slingshots, the racing was signed, sealed and delivered with seven more winners gracing victory lane and Simon Egan earning the $500.00 prize for his winning efforts after a heated dual with 2009 National Slingshot Champion Cody Kline who finished as the runner-up.
The Mid Atlantic Gold Tour event for the Slingshots was the last event on the schedule but the headline attraction for the great evening of racing entertainment. Keystone Stater Cody Kline and New Jersey invader Matt Dealaman brought the 24-car starting field down for the green flag and it was Kline flexing his muscles early on with a drive into turn one to grab the lead with Dealaman following. Egan, who captured a win earlier in the week at Kutztown, was on the move early from his 10th place start as was speedway newcomer Robbie Hocker and within a few laps Hocker was able to slip by Dealaman and set sail for Kline who was on a roll himself in his Weaver Home Improvements sponsored racing chariot. Kline was able to drive away from the field at each restart but Egan's advances were from from over as he slipped by Hocker and began to give chase the Kline. In clean air it was Kline adding to his lead until a caution flag brought the field together on lap-21. When racing resumed, it was Egan on the attack and the two driving stars waged a war for the gold on all corners. Egan went for broke with a high side drive into turn one and kept up the momentum up and then bolted to the inside of turn two to pull even with Kline as they raced down the backstretch. In turn three Egan completed the pass but Kline was back at the left door of Egan coming out of turn four. The pair left it all on the racetrack as Egan assumed complete control of the event in turn one. Egan led the remaining laps to claim the win in his S&S Speedway car with Kline in for the runner-up role. Robbie Hocker was third in a great drive and Bill Clark from 13th and Matt Dealaman completed the top five. JR Fulper, Mack Brink, Jeff Cosgrove, Kyle Rutledge and Charlie Lawrence completed the top ten. 32 Slingshot racers signed in to do battle and lending further credence to the fact the Hamlin Speedway is the number one Slingshot speedway in the country today.
Billy Clark and Brett Arndt made up the front row for the Wingless 600 Micro feature attraction. Clark grabbed the lead at the start and was getting some great drives off of the corners as behind him Arndt and Jonathan Hull were locked up in their own dual. Hull broke away from Arndt with a nifty pass and set sail for Clark. The battle behind the leaders was intense as racing could get for as many as six drivers were all making their own kind of magic with their great drives to the front. Kyle Lick became a player from the top of the raceway and seventh place starting Ryan Smith would do likewise as the multi-grooved facility stood up well to the onslaught of the three wide racing activities. Meanwhile as the race was close to midway, "The Incredible" Hull found the needed room to go topside, quickly change lanes and drove underneath Clark to grab the lead in what would be the winning move for the event. Hull was the winner with Kyle Lick in the runner-up role in a tremendous drive and Clark in third. Smith used a borrowed ride to snag fourth place and Jay Hartman used some great moves from tenth starting place to compete the top five. Brett Arndt, Brett Michalski, Grant Hilfiger, Joseph J Smith and Shannon Smith completed the top ten.
The Rookie 600 event found pole sitter Justin Brewster grabbing the lead at the start of the event and leading all of the way in a caution marred event that saw only eight of the twenty laps completed before the time limit ran out on the event. Austin Burke was the runner-up with Jeffrey Anderson, James "Philip" Morris and the "Storm Trooper" Carl Mease finishing up the top five.
The Rookie 270 Micro action found Milford, New Jersey's Makenzie Harper grab the lead at the drop of the green flag and blister the field in a wire to wire triumph. Scott Avery was the runner-up with Connecticut's Grady Johnston in third, and TJ Lilly finishing up fourth for the cars running at the end of the event.
Easton resident Tim Manieri Jr shook off a long lapse from racing to return to the driver's seat after Mark Manieri suffered a broken leg in the spring and led the first eleven laps of the 270 Micro Sprint main before yielding to Darin Bartholomew in one of the Widdos racing entries. Bartholomew jumped the restart and would later be penalized two positions for the infraction. CJ Heinig would assume command of the lead and the race was stopped with 22-laps in due to time restraints. Heinig was the winner with Kurt Bettler in the runner-up role and Bartholomew in third place. Last week's winner, Gene Burd recovered from an early spin to race his way back to fourth place and the high flying Robbie Watson completed the top five.
In Super Slinger action, the "Pride of Pen Argyl" Dale Reed took full advantage of a front row starting spot and quickly established himself as the man to beat as he raced away from the field early on in the event. Mount Cobb gunslinger Henry Anderson moved in to challenge and closely followed Reed as the laps clicked off. On lap eleven as the leader came up on slower traffic, the Herb Finger car was in the middle of the racetrack and leader Reed went to the top and second place man Anderson went to the bottom of the race way. Finger connected with Reed and Anderson casually slipped way with the lead and led the remaining laps to earn his second consecutive win at the speedway. Wes Hearn continued his great early season work to claim second place with Jimmy Johnston in third place and the tough with luck Dale Reed ending up in fourth place. Bob Clark completed the top five.
The Junior Slingshot event was the day of the tornado as the "Little Tornado" Zack Weisenfluh grabbed the lead at the start of the twenty lap excursion around the Hamlin clay and wired the field despite a late charge from Chris Kurtz. who ended up in second place. Dylan Martin used a late rally to claim third place money and Kyle Gruber and Accord regular Tommy Zwart completed the top five.
POCO-NOTES:
The cloudy weather after the rain went away made for a cool evening of witnessing the racing action but another great crowd was on hand to cheer for the great driving stars who converge on Hamlin for some great racing excitement. Thanks to the tidings of Mother Nature, Randy Smith did not have to utilize the moisture machine at the speedway and the track remained extremely racy throughout the course of the evening.
The largest fields of Slingshot race cars in the country continue to make their way into the Pocono Mountains to try their hand at mastering the 1/5 mile playground of the Hamlin facility. With 32 stout competitors vying for 25 positions, the competition was over the top and lends credence to the fact it is tough to defeat the Hamlin regulars on their home turf and just as tough to beat them when they travel out to try other speedways. Good competition makes for better drivers and the talented roster of Hamlin driving stars can be proud of their achievements at home and on the road.
The crazy weather pattern brought some visitors to the speedway as Burgers jack of all trades Announcer/Flagger Bobby Stull made a visit to Hamlin. Bobby enjoyed his evening at the speedway and spent time on the grounds, in the stands and in the tower talking with longtime friend and Hamlin Announcer Steve Pados. Bobby joins the Pados Brothers at many of the off-season functions in doing interviews and assisting in making each event a showcase presentation including his great work in the four year old ARCO sponsored Dirt Track Heroes show held at the Phillipsburg Mall in New Jersey.
John Bockhorn, who captured the Slingshot main event one week ago, joined the Pados Brothers on their highly successful CARQUEST Gasoline Alley TV/Internet Show last Monday evening and did a fabulous interview on the show as throughout the season the show will attract as many as 60 Slingshot drivers to the show to talk about their careers in racing or their latest win on the circuit and then funnel in to the off season shows where the Pados Brothers appear.
Alex Curley, a regular last season at the speedway, made his first visit to the speedway and "The Minuteman" encountered some problems but it was great to see him back in action at the speedway. ARC Midget rookie Brendan Bright hopped a ride in one of the Chamber Racing chariots but a mishap in front of him left him no where to go and he was on the business end of the tow truck during the feature. Geordan Farry made her first stop to the speedway and raced to a fourteenth place run in her first Hamlin outing in her new race car. Nicole Quinter, Tony Scerbo and JJ Uliana were among the Borger regulars who gave Hamlin a whirl on Saturday evening. Bobby Flood also made his first Hamlin appearance in his sharp looking All Seasons Fuel hot rod. The "Flash" is a former Rookie champion at the Accord Speedway.
RESULTS:
Regular Slingshots: Simon Egan, Cody Kline, Robby Hocker, Bill Clark, Matt Dealaman, JR Fulper, Mack Brink, Jeff Cosgrove, Kyle Rutledge, Charlie Lawrence, Danny Buccafusca, Kyle Rode, Shannon Smith, Henry Anderson, Russell Benke, Paul Ennes, Eddie Strada, Dale Kober, Jimmy Johnston, Colin White, Gary Dennis, Don Schmidt, Mike Fogler, John Bockhorn, Bill Weaver
270 Micros: CJ Heinig, Kurt Bettler, Darin Bartholomew, Gene Burd, Robbie Watson, Harlee Schaffer, Tim Manieri Jr, Tony Scerbo, Larry Hoagland, Nicole Quinter, JJ Uliana, Nunzi Allegrucci, Matt Mountz, Rich O'Neill, Trevor Dunn, Larry Mekic, Rick Casario
600 Wingless Micros: Jonathan Hull, Kyle Lick, Bill Clark, Ryan Smith, Jay Hartman, Brett Michalski, Grant Hilfiger, Joseph Smith, Shannon Smith, Shelby Harper, Matt Mountz, Bobby Butler, Geordan Farry, Chad Sandt, Brian Gilmore, Rick Calvert, Ryan Wood, Molly Chambers, Brendan Bright, Alex Curley, Rhett Long, Joe Kata
Junior Slingshots: Zack Weisenfluh, Chris Kurtz, Dylan Martin, Kyle Gruber, Tommy Zwart, Collin DuBois, Caitlin Henneforth, Thomas Strupp, Jacob Dunn, Bobby Flood, Tyler Peet, Evan Van Valkenburg
Super Slingshots: Henry Anderson, Wes Hearn, Jimmy Johnston, Dale Reed, Bob Clark, Paul Ennes, Jerry Hughes, Aaron Henneforth, Dale Kober, Duane White, Tom Arntz, Johnny Bush, Herb Finger, Ziggy Thomashunis
270 Rookie Micros: Makenzie Harper, Scott Avery, Grady Johnston, TJ Lilly, Hayden Miller, Craig Fedoryk, John Welp
600 Rookie Wingless Micros: Justin Brewster, Austin Burke, Jeffrey Anderson, Philip Morris, Carl Mease, Riley Moczulski, Stephen Reynolds, Steve Van Valkenburg, Carol Shire, Jamie Czekai, Heidi Hedin, Sheldon Iudicello, Jacob Hendershot, Danielle dickinson, Larry Mekic, Rick Casario
Racing every Saturday evening. May 21st will find all divisions in action with the 600 Wingless Micros going to war in a 30-lap shoot-out headlining the racing activity paying $750.00 to win based on a 24-car starting field. Pit Gates open at the speedway at 1 PM; Drivers Meeting at 4:45; Hot Laps are at 5:00 and the racing begins at 6 PM sharp. Admission Prices are: Adults $8.00; Senior Citizens $4.00 Children under 6 are Free; Pit Pass: $20.00 The "new" General Admission Bonus Pack is available for families: It consists of 4 General Admission Tickets + $20.00 in Food Vouchers for $40.00 (a savings of $12.00)
For further updates and information regarding all of the news and additions to the Hamlin Speedway, logon to their well documented website at: www.hamlinspeedway.com or call the speedway hotline at: 570 420 5500. For video work or questions regarding the purchase of videos from the exciting on-track action at the Hamlin Speedway, contact videographer Barry Boyd at: www.boydracingvideos.com For photos of all of the Great racing action contact Rick Schwindenhammer Racing Photos at: www.ricksracingphotos.zenfolio.com
Visit us often for a great night of racing action as............................................
The Hamlin Speedway Is The Gateway To The Poconos
By: Steve Pados, GA Motorsports Media
With Mother Nature trying her best to deflate the hearts of those of us who live for the excitement that the world of motorsports brings to them, the Smith Family refused to yield and overcame a quick hitting shower during the first hot lap session at the speedway to produce another quality seven division racing program that had the fans on their way home at 10:35 PM. The immediate area surrounding the Hamlin Speedway, located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, were totally awash to the south of the speedway but the Smith Family and staff forged on and after the storm subsided the call for racers to assist in running in the track was met without hesitation and with just a short delay the racing kicked-off quickly and through the total co-operation of everyone involved the exciting racing action gave everyone in attendance another exceptional night of entertainment. Buoyed by a field of 130 plus racers that was fueled by cancellations elsewhere, the seven feature program and the dual heat format for the Mid Atlantic Gold Tour Slingshots, the racing was signed, sealed and delivered with seven more winners gracing victory lane and Simon Egan earning the $500.00 prize for his winning efforts after a heated dual with 2009 National Slingshot Champion Cody Kline who finished as the runner-up.
The Mid Atlantic Gold Tour event for the Slingshots was the last event on the schedule but the headline attraction for the great evening of racing entertainment. Keystone Stater Cody Kline and New Jersey invader Matt Dealaman brought the 24-car starting field down for the green flag and it was Kline flexing his muscles early on with a drive into turn one to grab the lead with Dealaman following. Egan, who captured a win earlier in the week at Kutztown, was on the move early from his 10th place start as was speedway newcomer Robbie Hocker and within a few laps Hocker was able to slip by Dealaman and set sail for Kline who was on a roll himself in his Weaver Home Improvements sponsored racing chariot. Kline was able to drive away from the field at each restart but Egan's advances were from from over as he slipped by Hocker and began to give chase the Kline. In clean air it was Kline adding to his lead until a caution flag brought the field together on lap-21. When racing resumed, it was Egan on the attack and the two driving stars waged a war for the gold on all corners. Egan went for broke with a high side drive into turn one and kept up the momentum up and then bolted to the inside of turn two to pull even with Kline as they raced down the backstretch. In turn three Egan completed the pass but Kline was back at the left door of Egan coming out of turn four. The pair left it all on the racetrack as Egan assumed complete control of the event in turn one. Egan led the remaining laps to claim the win in his S&S Speedway car with Kline in for the runner-up role. Robbie Hocker was third in a great drive and Bill Clark from 13th and Matt Dealaman completed the top five. JR Fulper, Mack Brink, Jeff Cosgrove, Kyle Rutledge and Charlie Lawrence completed the top ten. 32 Slingshot racers signed in to do battle and lending further credence to the fact the Hamlin Speedway is the number one Slingshot speedway in the country today.
Billy Clark and Brett Arndt made up the front row for the Wingless 600 Micro feature attraction. Clark grabbed the lead at the start and was getting some great drives off of the corners as behind him Arndt and Jonathan Hull were locked up in their own dual. Hull broke away from Arndt with a nifty pass and set sail for Clark. The battle behind the leaders was intense as racing could get for as many as six drivers were all making their own kind of magic with their great drives to the front. Kyle Lick became a player from the top of the raceway and seventh place starting Ryan Smith would do likewise as the multi-grooved facility stood up well to the onslaught of the three wide racing activities. Meanwhile as the race was close to midway, "The Incredible" Hull found the needed room to go topside, quickly change lanes and drove underneath Clark to grab the lead in what would be the winning move for the event. Hull was the winner with Kyle Lick in the runner-up role in a tremendous drive and Clark in third. Smith used a borrowed ride to snag fourth place and Jay Hartman used some great moves from tenth starting place to compete the top five. Brett Arndt, Brett Michalski, Grant Hilfiger, Joseph J Smith and Shannon Smith completed the top ten.
The Rookie 600 event found pole sitter Justin Brewster grabbing the lead at the start of the event and leading all of the way in a caution marred event that saw only eight of the twenty laps completed before the time limit ran out on the event. Austin Burke was the runner-up with Jeffrey Anderson, James "Philip" Morris and the "Storm Trooper" Carl Mease finishing up the top five.
The Rookie 270 Micro action found Milford, New Jersey's Makenzie Harper grab the lead at the drop of the green flag and blister the field in a wire to wire triumph. Scott Avery was the runner-up with Connecticut's Grady Johnston in third, and TJ Lilly finishing up fourth for the cars running at the end of the event.
Easton resident Tim Manieri Jr shook off a long lapse from racing to return to the driver's seat after Mark Manieri suffered a broken leg in the spring and led the first eleven laps of the 270 Micro Sprint main before yielding to Darin Bartholomew in one of the Widdos racing entries. Bartholomew jumped the restart and would later be penalized two positions for the infraction. CJ Heinig would assume command of the lead and the race was stopped with 22-laps in due to time restraints. Heinig was the winner with Kurt Bettler in the runner-up role and Bartholomew in third place. Last week's winner, Gene Burd recovered from an early spin to race his way back to fourth place and the high flying Robbie Watson completed the top five.
In Super Slinger action, the "Pride of Pen Argyl" Dale Reed took full advantage of a front row starting spot and quickly established himself as the man to beat as he raced away from the field early on in the event. Mount Cobb gunslinger Henry Anderson moved in to challenge and closely followed Reed as the laps clicked off. On lap eleven as the leader came up on slower traffic, the Herb Finger car was in the middle of the racetrack and leader Reed went to the top and second place man Anderson went to the bottom of the race way. Finger connected with Reed and Anderson casually slipped way with the lead and led the remaining laps to earn his second consecutive win at the speedway. Wes Hearn continued his great early season work to claim second place with Jimmy Johnston in third place and the tough with luck Dale Reed ending up in fourth place. Bob Clark completed the top five.
The Junior Slingshot event was the day of the tornado as the "Little Tornado" Zack Weisenfluh grabbed the lead at the start of the twenty lap excursion around the Hamlin clay and wired the field despite a late charge from Chris Kurtz. who ended up in second place. Dylan Martin used a late rally to claim third place money and Kyle Gruber and Accord regular Tommy Zwart completed the top five.
POCO-NOTES:
The cloudy weather after the rain went away made for a cool evening of witnessing the racing action but another great crowd was on hand to cheer for the great driving stars who converge on Hamlin for some great racing excitement. Thanks to the tidings of Mother Nature, Randy Smith did not have to utilize the moisture machine at the speedway and the track remained extremely racy throughout the course of the evening.
The largest fields of Slingshot race cars in the country continue to make their way into the Pocono Mountains to try their hand at mastering the 1/5 mile playground of the Hamlin facility. With 32 stout competitors vying for 25 positions, the competition was over the top and lends credence to the fact it is tough to defeat the Hamlin regulars on their home turf and just as tough to beat them when they travel out to try other speedways. Good competition makes for better drivers and the talented roster of Hamlin driving stars can be proud of their achievements at home and on the road.
The crazy weather pattern brought some visitors to the speedway as Burgers jack of all trades Announcer/Flagger Bobby Stull made a visit to Hamlin. Bobby enjoyed his evening at the speedway and spent time on the grounds, in the stands and in the tower talking with longtime friend and Hamlin Announcer Steve Pados. Bobby joins the Pados Brothers at many of the off-season functions in doing interviews and assisting in making each event a showcase presentation including his great work in the four year old ARCO sponsored Dirt Track Heroes show held at the Phillipsburg Mall in New Jersey.
John Bockhorn, who captured the Slingshot main event one week ago, joined the Pados Brothers on their highly successful CARQUEST Gasoline Alley TV/Internet Show last Monday evening and did a fabulous interview on the show as throughout the season the show will attract as many as 60 Slingshot drivers to the show to talk about their careers in racing or their latest win on the circuit and then funnel in to the off season shows where the Pados Brothers appear.
Alex Curley, a regular last season at the speedway, made his first visit to the speedway and "The Minuteman" encountered some problems but it was great to see him back in action at the speedway. ARC Midget rookie Brendan Bright hopped a ride in one of the Chamber Racing chariots but a mishap in front of him left him no where to go and he was on the business end of the tow truck during the feature. Geordan Farry made her first stop to the speedway and raced to a fourteenth place run in her first Hamlin outing in her new race car. Nicole Quinter, Tony Scerbo and JJ Uliana were among the Borger regulars who gave Hamlin a whirl on Saturday evening. Bobby Flood also made his first Hamlin appearance in his sharp looking All Seasons Fuel hot rod. The "Flash" is a former Rookie champion at the Accord Speedway.
RESULTS:
Regular Slingshots: Simon Egan, Cody Kline, Robby Hocker, Bill Clark, Matt Dealaman, JR Fulper, Mack Brink, Jeff Cosgrove, Kyle Rutledge, Charlie Lawrence, Danny Buccafusca, Kyle Rode, Shannon Smith, Henry Anderson, Russell Benke, Paul Ennes, Eddie Strada, Dale Kober, Jimmy Johnston, Colin White, Gary Dennis, Don Schmidt, Mike Fogler, John Bockhorn, Bill Weaver
270 Micros: CJ Heinig, Kurt Bettler, Darin Bartholomew, Gene Burd, Robbie Watson, Harlee Schaffer, Tim Manieri Jr, Tony Scerbo, Larry Hoagland, Nicole Quinter, JJ Uliana, Nunzi Allegrucci, Matt Mountz, Rich O'Neill, Trevor Dunn, Larry Mekic, Rick Casario
600 Wingless Micros: Jonathan Hull, Kyle Lick, Bill Clark, Ryan Smith, Jay Hartman, Brett Michalski, Grant Hilfiger, Joseph Smith, Shannon Smith, Shelby Harper, Matt Mountz, Bobby Butler, Geordan Farry, Chad Sandt, Brian Gilmore, Rick Calvert, Ryan Wood, Molly Chambers, Brendan Bright, Alex Curley, Rhett Long, Joe Kata
Junior Slingshots: Zack Weisenfluh, Chris Kurtz, Dylan Martin, Kyle Gruber, Tommy Zwart, Collin DuBois, Caitlin Henneforth, Thomas Strupp, Jacob Dunn, Bobby Flood, Tyler Peet, Evan Van Valkenburg
Super Slingshots: Henry Anderson, Wes Hearn, Jimmy Johnston, Dale Reed, Bob Clark, Paul Ennes, Jerry Hughes, Aaron Henneforth, Dale Kober, Duane White, Tom Arntz, Johnny Bush, Herb Finger, Ziggy Thomashunis
270 Rookie Micros: Makenzie Harper, Scott Avery, Grady Johnston, TJ Lilly, Hayden Miller, Craig Fedoryk, John Welp
600 Rookie Wingless Micros: Justin Brewster, Austin Burke, Jeffrey Anderson, Philip Morris, Carl Mease, Riley Moczulski, Stephen Reynolds, Steve Van Valkenburg, Carol Shire, Jamie Czekai, Heidi Hedin, Sheldon Iudicello, Jacob Hendershot, Danielle dickinson, Larry Mekic, Rick Casario
Racing every Saturday evening. May 21st will find all divisions in action with the 600 Wingless Micros going to war in a 30-lap shoot-out headlining the racing activity paying $750.00 to win based on a 24-car starting field. Pit Gates open at the speedway at 1 PM; Drivers Meeting at 4:45; Hot Laps are at 5:00 and the racing begins at 6 PM sharp. Admission Prices are: Adults $8.00; Senior Citizens $4.00 Children under 6 are Free; Pit Pass: $20.00 The "new" General Admission Bonus Pack is available for families: It consists of 4 General Admission Tickets + $20.00 in Food Vouchers for $40.00 (a savings of $12.00)
For further updates and information regarding all of the news and additions to the Hamlin Speedway, logon to their well documented website at: www.hamlinspeedway.com or call the speedway hotline at: 570 420 5500. For video work or questions regarding the purchase of videos from the exciting on-track action at the Hamlin Speedway, contact videographer Barry Boyd at: www.boydracingvideos.com For photos of all of the Great racing action contact Rick Schwindenhammer Racing Photos at: www.ricksracingphotos.zenfolio.com
Visit us often for a great night of racing action as............................................
The Hamlin Speedway Is The Gateway To The Poconos