April 25, 2009
Holland Leads the List of Winners at Bethel Motor Speedway
Bethel, New York - In just his first visit to Bethel Motor Speedway for the 2009 season, Justin Holland put on a flawless performance, taking down wins in both his heat race and the 20-lap Dirt Sportsman feature. For Holland, the win was a special one, as he was able to capture it in front of a hometown crowd.
In Victory Lane, Holland said, “We’re close to home. We only live a mile down the road so my whole family is here and a lot of friends, and we did good. It’s hard not to come (here).”
By virtue of his heat race win, Holland started the feature from the pole, which he stated played a role in his win. “It’s hard to pass here,” he explained, “so starting on the front row is huge.”
Holland was joined on the front row for the start by last week’s feature winner, Dan Conklin. While the two battled up front for the lead, Mike McKerrell utilized an inside pass to take third from Greg Morgan. Morgan, however, quickly grabbed the position back.
The first caution of the event came on lap four, after Jeff Hager slowed on the frontstretch.
Holland and Conklin restarted on the front row and led the field while a three-way battle for third went on between Charlie Hendrickson Jr., McKerrell, and Morgan. McKerrell spun into the infield between turns one and two, bringing out the caution.
Holland and Conklin resumed the race on the front row, with Morgan and Hendrickson Jr. behind them. Holland again got out front, with Conklin second and Morgan in third. On lap seven, however, Hendrickson Jr. went to the inside of Morgan to take the third spot.
Meanwhile, McKerrell was making his way back through the field, as he grabbed fourth on lap 12 and then set his sights on Hendrickson Jr. and the third spot. Coming off of turn four on lap 15, McKerrell and Hendrickson Jr. got hooked, sending both cars spinning and bringing out the caution.
Holland continued to pace the field on the restart, but the caution came out again on lap 17 when McKerrell spun in turn four.
On the restart, Holland kept his car out front, and he went on to claim the victory. Conklin finished second, and Morgan was third.
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The 30-lap Legends feature again drew some of the top competition in the Northeast, but Mike Alcaro was able to best the field for the second week in a row to take home the $500 payday. Alcaro started the race on the outside of Kevin Nowak, and Nowak grabbed the lead on the start. The caution flag waved on the initial lap, as Mark Tischler went around coming off of turn two. On the restart, Nowak again got out front. On lap four, Alcaro went to the inside of Nowak, and wrestled away the lead. The leaders began to encounter lapped traffic, and Alcaro was slowly increasing his lead over the rest of the field. On lap 18, Steve Gaul spun at the start/finish line, bringing out the caution, and eliminating Alcaro’s lead. As soon as the race resumed, Matt Maring spun, and the caution had to be displayed again. This moved Roger Coss into the third spot. On the restart, Alcaro remained out front. Coss grabbed second from Nowak coming off of turn two on lap 20. Coss, Nowak, and Matt Priscott ran bumper-to-bumper behind Alcaro, who was again building up a lead. Nowak looked to the inside of Coss for second on lap 28, but was unable to make the pass. On the white flag lap, Nowak and Coss made contact that resulted in Coss spinning and collecting Priscott. Alcaro cruised to victory, followed by Nowak and Tischler. Alcaro commented after the race, “I saw the #17 (Coss) coming up behind me when we got into lapped traffic and I thought he was going to have something for us. He’s quick and he’s got a good car. Fortunately (for us), the #8 was fast again.”
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The Bandolero race was won by 11-year-old Andrew Bickford, who suffered misfortune while leading the previous week’s event. “I want to thank my mom and dad for helping me fix the car and making it so I could race today and giving me a chance to win,” he stated in Victory Lane. Bickford led early, but both competitors in the event spun between turns one and two, bringing out the caution. On the restart, AJ Hamilton looked to make a move on Bickford for the lead, but she suffered mechanical woes and was forced to retire from the event, allowing Bickford to grab the win.
*****
In the BMS Modified feature, veteran driver John Cote once again found his way to Victory Lane after starting on the pole and leading every lap of the caution-free 20-lap event. On the start, Cote had to do battle with “Stormin’” Norman Barnes on the outside. Cote took the lead as Barnes slid in turn two and Charlie Howe Sr. looked to the inside for second but was unable to make the pass. Barnes held on to second with Howe Sr. in third. By the halfway point of the race, Cote was comfortably out front while Barnes, Howe Sr., and Jim Fugel ran nose-to-tail. In the closing laps of the race, Howe Sr. looked to both the inside and the outside of Barnes for second, with the two making contact several times but both drivers maintaining their positions on the track. When the checkered flag flew, Cote was the winner of the event, with Barnes second and Howe Sr. third. Cote attributed his second consecutive win in part to his familiarity with his car. He stated, “It’s old, but it like an old pair of work boots. It fits me.”
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Joe Barnes took down an emotional win in the combined ECS Auto Stores Pro Stock/Street Stock event, in which the field of cars pulled off on the white flag lap as the car of the late “Cowboy” Bill Halstead was pulled on to the track to take the ceremonious memorial checkered flag. Halstead, who passed away last Saturday, was remembered by his fellow competitors, who also started the event with two pace laps in the “missing man” formation. “I normally don’t run that hard, especially with Jesse (Hilger), but somebody’s helping me and I miss him a lot,” Barnes commented.
Barnes and Hilger started the event on the front row, and began the race with a side-by-side battle that saw Hilger just nose out Barnes for the lead coming across the line to complete the first lap. They continued to run next to each other until Hilger, last week’s feature event winner, was finally able to move his car solidly out front on lap four. Bobby Policastro sat in third. The event’s only caution came on lap six, when Rick Bradley spun coming off of turn four. Hilger and Barnes again waged an intense battle for the lead, with Hilger finally making his way out front on lap eight, but Barnes staying close behind. The two made contact on lap ten, with Hilger sliding towards the infield. Hilger regained control of the car, but Barnes had gotten past for the lead. Over the remaining laps, Barnes and Hilger were able to pull away from the rest of the field, but Hilger was unable to get past Barnes. Barnes went on to collect the win. Hilger finished second, and Policastro was third.
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For the second time in as many weeks, Larry O’Donnell scored the win in the 4 Cylinder Senior event. O’Donnell, who is a crew mechanic turned driver, credited help from others for much of his success to date in 2009. In Victory Lane, he said, “I’ve got plenty of help backing me. I’ve got Charlie Houghtaling, my brother, and Mike Houghtaling. I’ve got all of my sponsors. Fortunately, I’ve got driving coaches. They back me 100%. I’ve always turned wrenches, and now I’m driving.”
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Woody McGibbon started the event on the pole, with O’Donnell on the outside. O’Donnell took the lead on the start, with McGibbon second. Patty Falkena grabbed the third spot from Diane Hughson. The caution was displayed for Ed Lindstad, who spun between turns one and two. On the restart, O’Donnell and McGibbon were side-by-side, with O’Donnell inching out front before coming solely to the front in turns three and four. The caution flag waved again on lap four for an incident involving Ricky Bobby and Hughson. O’Donnell and McGibbon again staged a battle for the lead, with McGibbon inching out front coming into turn three. O’Donnell fought back, however, and regained sole possession of the lead on lap six. Behind the leaders, Paul Curry staged a two-lap side-by-side battle for the third spot with Falkena, but Falkena was able to hold the position. By the halfway point of the race, the top two cars had broken away from the rest of the field. They had stretched their lead to nearly a full straightaway with five laps to go. Curry staged a last-lap attempt for third, but was unable to grab the spot as O’Donnell recorded his second win with McGibbon in second. Falkena took home third-place honors.
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In the 20-lap 4 Cylinder Junior event, Jonathan McGibbon scored his first win of the 2009 season. “I’d like to dedicate this win to the Cowboy,” he commented in Victory Lane. “I wish he was still here.” McGibbon started the feature on the pole, with Kyle Elson on the outside. Elson edged out front on the start, but McGibbon grabbed the spot back. The caution waved on lap one for an incident involving Mike Travis, Danny Houghtaling, and Vincent DeGraw. On the restart, Elson again edged out front, but McGibbon again fought back and regained the lead. Billy Curry moved to the inside of Elson on lap three to take second, and then looked to reel in McGibbon. McGibbon and Curry distanced themselves from the rest of the field and ran nose-to-tail over the second half of the event, encountering lapped traffic with five laps to go. McGibbon was able to negotiate his way through the lapped traffic while keeping Curry behind him, and McGibbon grabbed the victory. Curry was second, with Elson third.
Next Saturday, May 2, Bethel Motor Speedway will again play hist to some exciting racing action, slated to begin at 7 p.m. On the schedule for the night are the Dirt Sportsman, BMS Modified, ECS Pro Stock, Street Stock, and 4 Cylinder classes, as well as the INEX Legends and Bandoleros. Grandstand admission is just $5. For full details and a schedule, visit www.bethelmotorspeedway.com.
Dirt Sportsman Feature Finish (20 Laps): (1) Justin Holland, (2) Dan Conklin, (3) Greg Morgan, (4) Jeff Hager, (5) Mike McKerrell, (6) Charlie Hendrickson Jr. DNS – Eddie Walters.
BMS Modified Feature Finish (20 Laps): (1) John Cote, (2) Norman Barnes, (3) Charlie Howe Sr., (4) Jim Fugel, (5) Dan Wood.
ECS Pro Stock/Street Stock Feature Finish (25 Laps): (1) Joe Barnes, (2) Jesse Hilger, (3) Bobby Policastro, (4) Jim Helt, (5) Gene Palmer, (6) Mark Sylvester, (7) Gary VanOrden, (8) Rick Bradley, (9) Ken Hopkins Jr., (10) Bill Halstead (in memory).
4 Cylinder Senior Feature Finish (20 Laps): (1) Larry O’Donnell, (2) Woody McGibbon, (3) Patty Falkena, (4) Paul Curry, (5) George VanAken, (6) Diane Hughson, (7) James Shields, (8) Joe Smith, (9) Ricky Bobby, (10) Russell Sniffen, (11) Ed Lindstad.
4 Cylinder Junior Feature Finish (20 Laps): (1) Jonathan McGibbon, (2) Billy Curry, (3) Kyle Elson, (4) Robert Beech, (5) Danny Houghtaling, (6) Gary VanOrden Jr., (7) Joe Smith, (8) Vincent DeGraw.
Legends Feature Finish (30 laps): (1) Mike Alcaro, (2) Kevin Nowak, (3) Mark Tischler, (4) Matt Maring, (5) John Hugate, (6) Roger Coss, (7) Matt Priscott, (8) John Lotti, (9) Steve Gaul, (10) Joe Fresco.
Bandolero Feature Finish (5 Laps): Andrew Bickford, AJ Hamilton.