June 7

June 7 Results

Conklin Adds Another Win at Bethel Motor Speedway
Alcaro, Fugel, Hilger, VanOrden, Curry and Curry Also Repeat Winners

BETHEL, NY – June 7 – Dan Conklin captured his fifth win of the 2009 season in the Sportsman division at Bethel Motor Speedway this past Saturday, and he did so in convincing fashion.

“It took some work,” Conklin commented, “but we have figured out how to get around the track.” Conklin has adapted well in the transition from dirt to asphalt.

Jeff Hager and Greg Morgan were on the front row for the 25-lap feature event. The duo took the green and entered turn one side by side, but Morgan slid up the track, allowing Hager to grab the lead. Conklin passed underneath to take second, and Morgan settled into third. Hager hit the wall between turns three and four, bringing out the caution on lap two. This handed the lead to Conklin, who restarted the race with Morgan on the outside. Dom Roselli and Jeff Richardson sat in the second row. On the restart, Conklin got out front, with Morgan second and Roselli third. Roselli went to the inside of Morgan to take second on lap three. At lap ten, the leaders approached lapped cars that were running for position. Conklin worked his way through the traffic, and Roselli did the same. When the race reached the halfway point, Conklin had a sizeable lead over Roselli. Further back, Morgan, Richardson , and Tyler Boniface waged a three-way battle for the third spot. With two laps to go in the event, Conklin led Roselli by a full straightway. Conklin cruised to his third consecutive win. Roselli was second, and Morgan finished third..

In the 25-lap Legends feature, Mike Alcaro collected his fourth win in as many attempts, leading every lap en route to his victory. Alcaro started on the pole, with Kevin Nowak on the outside. Alcaro got out front on the start, with Nowak second and JD Abrahams third. Alcaro and Nowak began to pull away from the field, but the caution came out on lap four for an incident involving John Hugate and David DeVault. Alcaro and Nowak again restarted on the front row. The two ran side by side with Alcaro holding a slight advantage on the inside. On lap five, Alcaro moved solidly out front. Casey Robicheau worked her way past Abrahams for third on lap seven. Caution waved again on lap 12 for Hugate, who spun in turn four. Under the caution, Matt Maring’s car fell victim to an oil leak and subsequent fire. Alcaro and Nowak led the field to the restart, and Alcaro jumped out front with Nowak and Robicheau in tow. The yellow flag was displayed on lap 18, as D. DeVault spun in turn two. Alcaro paced the field for the single file restart. With five laps to go, Alcaro began to pull away from Nowak. The field was closed back up by a caution for Raven Schrantz on lap 23. Alcaro remained out front on the restart. Abrahams spun on the frontstretch, but was able to correct the car, not necessitating a caution. Alcaro went on to collect the win. Robicheau was credited with second, and Tyler DeVault was third in the final rundown.

The BMS Modified feature ended in Victory Lane for Jim Fugel for the second consecutive week, as the former track champion won the 15-lap event. Fugel started the race on the pole, with Dan Wood on the outside pole. Fugel grabbed the lead on the start, while Norm Barnes took the second spot. Fugel distanced himself from Barnes, building roughly a ten-carlength advantage by the time the race reached the halfway point. Fugel drove to victory in the caution-free race, followed by Barnes and Wood.

Pro Stock

Jesse Hilger found himself in Victory Lane for the fourth time in 2009 at the conclusion of the 25-lap ECS Auto Stores Pro Stock feature event. Skip LaPolt and Gene Palmer started the race on the front row. LaPolt grabbed the lead coming off of turn two on the initial lap, while Jim Helt came to second. Contact between Charlie Howe Jr. and Helt on lap two caused Helt to spin in an incident that ended up involving several other cars, including Howe Jr., Joe Barnes, and Clarence Palmer. LaPolt had the pole for the restart, with G. Palmer again on his outside. LaPolt shot out front, and Mark Sylvester moved into second on lap three. Bobby Policastro grabbed third. Sylvester pulled alongside LaPolt on the outside on lap five. The two ran side-by-side, swapping the spot before Sylvester was able to put his car out front on lap eight. Behind Sylvester and LaPolt, Jesse Hilger and Policastro ran side-by-side for the third spot for several laps. Policastro took the spot then grabbed second on lap 13. Hilger took third one lap later. Up front, contact between Policastro and Sylvester caused Sylvester to slide through the infield and up on to the track, but he was able to gain control of his car and no caution was thrown. This put Policastro in the lead, with Hilger second. Sylvester was in the third spot. On lap 21, Hilger used an inside pass to take the lead. Barnes moved into third one lap later. Hilger notched the win, while Policastro took second. Barnes was third.

Gary VanOrden continued his winning streak in the Street Stock division, making an exciting pass on the final lap in order to claim victory. Brent Shaddock and Vinny Stanton were on the front row for the start. Stanton edged into the lead, but Shaddock held on to the inside line and took the position. Shaddock spun in front of the field after contact with Stanton , bringing out the caution on lap two. As a result, Tommy Johnson inherited the pole for the restart, with Charlie Houghtaling on the outside. Johnson got the advantage on the restart, and VanOrden took second on lap three. Stanton worked his way back up to third by lap five. As VanOrden searched for a way to get around Johnson, the two began to pull away from the rest of the field. Stanton was able to catch the leaders, and the top three cars were nose-to-tail by lap 12. VanOrden pulled to the outside of Johnson with two laps to go. On the backstretch on the white flag lap, VanOrden shot past Johnson and captured the win. Johnson was second, with Stanton third.

In the action-packed 4 Cylinder Senior event, it appeared that Patty Falkena would take down her first win of 2009, but instead Paul Curry sat in Victory Lane for the second consecutive week when the checkered flag waved. Falkena had the pole for the start, and she was joined on the front row by multi-time feature winner Larry O’Donnell. Falkena edged O’Donnell by inches at the line, and O’Donnell was eventually forced to settle back into second. Ed Lindstadt then began to apply pressure to O’Donnell for that position on lap three. Contact between Lindstadt and O’Donnell caused Lindstadt to slide across the track, and the caution flag waved. Falkena and O’Donnell again restarted on the front row, and Falkena got out front with O’Donnell behind her and Curry in third. O’Donnell pulled alongside Falkena on lap five, and then Curry joined the fray on lap nine, making it a three-wide battle for the lead. Falkena came out on top, and Curry and O’Donnell continued to run side-by-side behind her for the second spot. The caution waved when O’Donnell’s car slid through the infield and came to a rest between turns one and two. Falkena led Curry and Lindstadt on the single-file restart. Curry went to the outside of Falkena on lap 11. Two laps later, Lindstadt again joined the battle and it became a three-wide fight for first once more. Falkena and Curry emerged side-by-side out front. Curry came across the line first on the white-flag lap and Falkena was shuffled back to second. On the final lap, Lindstadt got alongside Falkena, and Lindstadt took second at the line. Curry was the winner, with Lindstadt second and Falkena third.

The Curry family also came out on top in the 4 Cylinder Junior event for the second week in a row, as Billy Curry took down the win in the 15-lap race. Vincent Stanton started on the pole, with Curry on the outside pole. Stanton grabbed the advantage on the start, but Curry continued to run on the outside, grabbing a slight advantage on lap two. The two continued to wrestle for the position until Curry was able to take sole possession of the top spot on lap eight. Curry then began to build a lead over Stanton, McGibbon, and Kyle Elson as they negotiated their way past a lapped car. Curry drove to victory, followed by Stanton and McGibbon.

Next Saturday, June 13, Bethel Motor Speedway will again present an action-filled night of racing. On the schedule are the Sportsman, BMS Modified, ECS Auto Stores Pro Stock, Street Stock, and 4 Cylinder classes. They will be joined by the INEX-sanctioned Legends and Bandoleros. Pit gates open at 3:30 p.m., with hot laps at 5:30 p.m., and racing slated to begin at 7 p.m. Grandstand admission is just $5.

On June 20, Bethel Motor Speedway will host an Open House and Test Drive at 2:30 p.m. for those who are interested in getting involved in racing. The event will feature a seminar, and participants will be introduced to the Legends, Bandolero, and 4 Cylinder divisions. There is no cost to take part, but space is limited. Anyone interested in taking part should email legendstockny@yahoo.com.

Details about Bethel Motor Speedway and a full schedule are available online at www.bethelmotorspeedway.com

Sportsman Feature Finish (25 laps): 1. Dan Conklin, 2. Dom Roselli, 3. Greg Morgan, 4. Jeff Richardson, 5. Tyler Boniface, 6. Jerry Curry, 7. Kenneth Boniface, 8. Ed Redner, 9. Tony Squicciarini, 10. Phil Collins, 11. Scott Matthews, 12. Jeff Hager.

Legends Feature Finish (25 laps): 1. Mike Alcaro, 2. Casey Robicheau, 3. Tyler DeVault, 4. John Hugate, 5. Kenny VanWickle, 6. Joe DeGracia, 7. Joe Fresco, 8. Raven Schrantz, 9. JD Abrahams, 10. David DeVault, 11. Matt Maring. DNS – Kevin Yeatts. DQ – Kevin Nowak (failing to report to tech).

BMS Feature Finish (15 laps): 1. Jim Fugel, 2. Norm Barnes, 3. Dan Wood. DNS – John Cote.

ECS Auto Stores Pro Stock Feature Finish (15 laps): 1. Jesse Hilger, 2. Bobby Policastro, 3. Joe Barnes, 4. Mark Sylvester, 5. Skip LaPolt, 6. Clarence Palmer, 7. Gene Palmer, 8. Jim Helt, 9. Rick Bradley, 10. Bill Vanderveen, 11. Charlie Howe Jr.

Street Stock Feature Finish (15 laps): 1. Gary VanOrden, 2. Tommy Johnson, 3. Vinny Stanton, 4. Charlie Houghtaling, 5. Brent Shaddock.

4 Cylinder Senior Feature Finish (15 laps): 1. Paul Curry, 2. Ed Lindstadt, 3. Patty Falkena, 4. Larry O’Donnell, 5. Deborah Babriecki.

4 Cylinder Junior Feature Finish (15 laps): 1. Billy Curry, 2. Vincent Stanton, 3. Jonathan McGibbon, 4. Kyle Elson, 5. Gary VanOrden Jr., 6. Amber VanOrden, 7. Amber McGibbon, 8. Jamie Elliott.