September 4

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Speedway News

MORGAN HEADLINES LONG LIST OF WINNERS IN BUSY NIGHT AT BETHEL
September 5, BETHEL, NY – Lake Ariel, Pennsylvania resident Greg Morgan has spent the 2009 season concentrating on asphalt with his Sportsman car, competing weekly at Bethel Motor Speedway. After flirting with victory several times but coming up shy, Morgan found his way to Victory Lane for the first time this season on Saturday night, taking down the win in the 20-lap Sportsman feature event.

Morgan started on the pole, with Tony Squicciarini on his outside. Morgan shot out front at the drop of the green, while Dom Roselli worked his way to second and Dan Conklin took over third. Contact between Squicciarini and Bryanna Hurban brought out the first caution of the event on lap eight. Morgan remained out front on the restart, with Roselli and Conklin – both feature winners this year at Bethel – in tow. Caution waved for Mike Skelly on lap 14. Morgan once again had a mirror full of Roselli and Conklin on the restart. As the laps wound down, both Roselli and Conklin sat in the wings, waiting for Morgan to make a mistake that would allow one of them to make a repeat trip to the winner’s circle. Morgan, however, would not surrender the top spot, and he slowly worked on building his lead over the closing laps. Morgan drove on to victory, while Roselli and Conklin had to be content with second and third, respectively.

Joe DeGracia wowed the crowd by taking down the win in the 20-lap Legends feature in just his first time competing in a new car. The young driver won his heat race earlier in the day, and then led every lap of the feature en route to victory. DeGracia jumped out in front of polesitter Raven Schrantz on the start. Schrantz settled into second, and Johnny Demarmels came to third. On lap two, caution flew after Bobby Rafferty – making his Legends debut – spun and John Hugate made contact with the car. DeGracia was on Schrantz’s inside for the restart, and wasted no time getting back out front. Demarmels grabbed second on the restart, and DeGracia and Demarmels began to distance themselves from the rest of the field. Joe Graf came to third on lap six, and as Demarmels searched for a way past DeGracia, Graf slowly closed the gap between himself and the pair. Rafferty spun on the backstretch on lap 17, bringing out another caution. DeGracia continued to lead off of the single file restart, while Graf began to apply pressure to Demarmels for second. On the white flag lap, Graf maneuvered his way past Demarmels on the inside. DeGracia collected his second win of the 2009 season, followed by Graf and Demarmels.

Joseph Graf Jr. was the winner in the Bandolero event, as he was able to keep his car in front of both Mikey Policastro and Bandolero newcomer Jared Palmer.

Rookie BMS Modified driver Skip LaPolt notched a win in the division’s 20-lap feature event. LaPolt started on the pole, with John Cote on the outside pole. Cote got a slight advantage on the start, but Cote and LaPolt touched. Both were able to hold their positions, and they continued to run side-by-side until Cote got out front on lap two. LaPolt settled into second, with Johnny Demarmels in third. Dan Wood went around in turn one on lap seven, drawing the caution. Cote and LaPolt restarted on the front row, and Cote grabbed the top spot. Behind LaPolt, Demarmels and Norm Barnes fought door to door for third. Demarmels moved solidly into the position, and Barnes spun, bringing out the caution on lap eight. Cote again got out front on the next restart, and Cote and LaPolt pulled away, leaving Demarmels to contend with challenges from Jim Fugel. With two laps to go, Cote lost the rear in his car, and he slowed coming off of turn two, allowing LaPolt to shoot into the lead. No caution was necessary as Cote was able to maneuver his car safely into the infield, and LaPolt drove to the win. Demarmels finished second, and Fugel was third.

The ECS Auto Stores Pro Stock class had a busy night, as they kicked off the evening with a holdover feature that had to be made up from July and they also competed in the night’s regularly scheduled event.

The 20-lap holdover event was won by Bobby Policastro, who came from the third starting spot to grab the checkers. Jim Helt and Gene Palmer made up the front row for the start. Helt got out front when the green flag waved, and Policastro came to second on the initial lap, while Mark Sylvester took over third. Policastro searched for a line past Helt, and was able to pull alongside of the leader on lap five. The two made contact that resulted in Helt spinning, and the caution waved, with Sylvester and Jesse Hilger also involved. Policastro and Joe Barnes restarted at the front of the field, and Policastro wasted no time putting his car back out front. Barnes sat in second, and Clarence Palmer utilized an outside pass to grab third on lap eight. Barnes made several attempts to pass Policastro on the outside, and the two were able to get wheel to wheel, but Policastro managed to put his car solely back out front. Helt spun coming off of turn four on lap 15, and the caution waved again. Policastro paced the field for the single file restart with Barnes and Palmer behind him. Barnes again got next to Policastro, as Hilger had worked his way back to the third spot and the three waged a battle amongst them for the lead. Policastro emerged on the point and drove on to the win. Hilger was second, followed by Barnes.

In the evening’s regular, scheduled 25-lap affair, Mark Sylvester topped the field to make a repeat trip to Victory Lane. Sylvester started on the front row, to the outside of Kip Lowitz. Sylvester immediately took the lead, with Lowitz second and Bobby Policastro third. Sylvester was able to pull away as Policastro tried to work his way past Lowitz for second. Policastro finally got himself inside of Lowitz and the two made light contact. Policastro grabbed second on lap 12. The only caution of the race came on lap 15, as Jim Helt suffered a flat tire and slowed on the backstretch. Sylvester led Policastro and Lowitz on the restart, but Jesse Hilger was able to wrestle his way into third on lap 18. Hilger then looked to the inside of Policastro. Policastro got sideways, opening the door for Hilger to take second. Sylvester cruised to the win, followed by Hilger and Policastro.

When the checkered flag waved on the 20-lap Street Stock event, Gary VanOrden was once again in Victory Lane. Rich Wheeler and Brent Shaddock made up the front row for the start. Shaddock nosed out front, but cars were two- and three-wide as the battle for the lead grew to include VanOrden and Chris Chirico. Wheeler emerged in the lead, with VanOrden on his bumper. VanOrden took over the lead two laps later. Charlie Houghtaling worked his way into third on lap eight. When the race reached the halfway point, VanOrden encountered lapped traffic as Wheeler ran by himself on the track and the rest of the field was stacked up behind Houghtaling and Kevin Skelly. Skelly took third on lap 14. Caution then waved as Shawn Maloney spun to the infield. VanOrden continued to pace the field on the restart, as behind him Skelly, Wheeler, and Tommy Johnson fought for second. Contact between Skelly and Wheeler brought out the caution on lap 19, setting the stage for a single-lap dash for the win. VanOrden was the victor, with Houghtaling second and Johnson third.

Like the Pro Stocks, the 4 Cylinder Senior class also ran double features, and Paul Curry proved it was his night to shine, as he won both the holdover and the regular event. In the holdover feature, Curry started on the pole, inside of Woody McGibbon. Curry was able to get out front, with McGibbon second and Patty Falkena and Russell Sniffen fighting for third. Falkena took sole possession of the spot on lap two, but her stay in the spot was short-lived, as Larry O’Donnell took the spot one lap later. On lap five, Falkena, O’Donnell, and Sniffen all made contact, and Eddie Lindstadt used it to his advantage as he took over third. Suddenly, Lindstadt dropped off the pace and the caution waved as the car came to a rest on the backstretch. Curry led McGibbon and Falkena on the single-file restart, and he went on to take down the win. McGibbon was second, with Falkena third.

Curry also started the regular feature from the pole, and he shot in front of Woody McGibbon for the lead. Patty Falkena moved into third. Larry O’Donnell looked to the inside of Falkena, and the two ran side-by-side as Ed Lindstadt joined the fray to battle for the position. O’Donnell grabbed third on lap six. Lindstadt then pulled alongside O’Donnell and the two ran side-by-side for several laps, swapping the position by a matter of inches as the laps wore down. On the white flag lap, Diane Hughson added herself to the mix. Several position changes took place on the white flag lap, as contact was made between a number of cars running in tight quarters. When the dust settled, Curry had the win, with McGibbon second. Gary O’Donnell took third in his debut in the class.

The 15-lap 4 Cylinder Junior feature ended with Gerry Kingeter in Victory Lane for the first time in 2009. Jamie Elliott started on the pole, with Gary VanOrden Jr. on the outside. Elliott jumped out front, and Kingeter immediately began to pressure VanOrden Jr. for second. Kingeter took the spot on lap two, as Vinny Stanton Jr. came to third. Caution waved on lap three, and Elliott restarted on the front row with Kingeter. This time, Elliott was shuffled back as Kingeter got out front. Contact between Elliott and Stanton Jr. led to a caution just one lap later. Kingeter then restarted on the inside of VanOrden Jr. Kingeter again put his car out front, with VanOrden Jr. second and Amber VanOrden third. Jonathan McGibbon had worked his way up through the field to take third on lap ten, and he immediately went to work on getting second. McGibbon went to the outside of VanOrden Jr. and the two ran the remainder of the race wheel to wheel. The checkered flag flew for Kingeter, and McGibbon took second by a matter of mere inches over VanOrden Jr.

This coming Saturday, the racing action at Bethel is sure to continue heating up as the season begins to wind down. On the schedule for September 12 are the Sportsman, BMS Modified, ECS Auto Stores Pro Stock, Street Stock, and 4 Cylinder divisions, along with the INEX-sanctioned Legends and Bandoleros. 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. More information and a complete schedule can be obtained at www.bethelmotorspeedway.com.

Sportsman Feature Finish (20 laps): 1. Greg Morgan, 2. Dom Roselli, 3. Dan Conklin, 4. Tyler Boniface, 5. Kenneth Boniface, 6. Eddie Redner, 7. Tony Suozzo, 8. Tony Squicciarini, 9. Bryanna Hurban, 10. Mike Skelly.

Legends Feature Finish (20 laps): 1. Joe DeGracia, 2. Joe Graf, 3. Johnny Demarmels, 4. Joe Fresco, 5. Raven Schrantz, 6. Rich Sennett, 7. Bobby Rafferty, 8. Barry Schrantz, 9. John Hugate.

Bandolero Feature Finish: 1. Joseph Graf Jr., 2. Mikey Policastro, 3. Jared Palmer.

BMS Modified Feature Finish (20 laps): 1. Skip LaPolt, 2. Johnny Demarmels, 3. Jim Fugel, 4. Dan Wood, 5. Ken Moulton Jr., 6. John Cote, 7. Norm Barnes. DNS – Ron Pickerell.

Holdover ECS Auto Stores Pro Stock Feature Finish (20 laps): 1. Bobby Policastro, 2. Jesse Hilger, 3. Joe Barnes, 4. Clarence Palmer, 5. Kip Lowitz, 6. John Hager, 7. Gene Palmer, 8. Charlie Howe Jr., 9. Jim Helt, 10. Mark Sylvester.

ECS Auto Stores Pro Stock Feature Finish (25 laps): 1. Mark Sylvester, 2. Jesse Hilger, 3. Bobby Policastro, 4. Glenn Aumick, 5. Kip Lowitz, 6. Joe Barnes, 7. John Hager, 8. Norbert Bracklow, 9. Rick Bradley, 10. Gene Morton, 11. Don Palmateer Sr., 12. Jim Helt, 13. Gene Palmer, 14. Charlie Howe Jr. DNS – Clarence Palmer, Norman Barnes.

Street Stock Feature Finish (20 laps): 1. Gary VanOrden, 2. Charlie Houghtaling, 3. Tommy Johnson, 4. Vinny Stanton Sr., 5. Brent Shaddock, 6. Kevin Skelly, 7. Chris Chirico, 8. Rich Wheeler, 9. Shawn Maloney. DNS – John Woinoski.

Holdover 4 Cylinder Senior Feature Finish (12 laps): 1. Paul Curry, 2. Woody McGibbon, 3. Russell Sniffen, 4. Patty Falkena, 5. Ed Lindstadt, 6. Larry O’Donnell.

4 Cylinder Senior Feature Finish (15 laps): 1. Paul Curry, 2. Woody McGibbon, 3. Gary O’Donnell, 4. Russell Sniffen, 5. Patty Falkena, 6. Ed Lindstadt, 7. Larry O’Donnell, 8. Diane Hughson. DNS – Tim Curry.

4 Cylinder Junior Feature Finish (15 laps): 1. Gerry Kingeter, 2. Jonathan McGibbon, 3. Gary VanOrden Jr., 4. Steven Schmitz, 5. Billy Curry, 6. Amber VanOrden, 7. Donald Kuhn, 8. Joe Smith, 9. Chuck Clark, 10. Amber McGibbon, 11. Vinny Stanton Jr., 12. Jamie Elliott.