I-88 Speedway Recap from August 26, 2016
Story By: STEPHAN CLAPPERTON / I-88 SPEEDWAY MEDIA
Photos By: OTTO GRAHAM / RACERSGUIDE.COM
Afton NY.- August 29, 2016- Andy Bachetti took home his eighth Greg Page Construction Modified Feature Winner’s trophy on Neighbors Insurance Night at I-88 Speedway. Bachetti, of Sheffield MA, started 12th in the 20 car field and worked his way to the front taking the lead when Afton’s Kurt Decker’s engine expired while leading on lap 15.
“Just glad this car’s back to the way it was. It was a pretty hard hit, we put a clip on the nose of it and we weren’t sure if it was going to be as good as it was. Right now it’s pretty good,” said Bachetti in victory lane.
Kurt Decker and Chris Bushnell, of Cortland ran side by side at the start of the race with Decker leading lap one by a wheel with Binghamton’s Ken Titus third.
Lap three it was Decker by one car length over Titus while Bachetti was working the outside running in sixth place.
By lap five Decker had opened a three car length lead over Bushnell with Titus running third, Tonkin fourth and Bachetti up to fifth.
Decker pulls out to a half straightaway lead over Bushnell as Bachetti switches to the bottom and moves into fourth place.
On the tenth lap Bachetti worked under Titus to take over third as Decker opens over a half straightaway lead over Bushnell with Bachetti on Bushnell’s back bumper in third. Four laps later Bachetti passed Bushnell coming off turn four to take over second.
On lap fifteen the caution came out as Decker breaks while leading putting Bachetti in the lead.
At the halfway point for the restart, Bachetti led with Bushnell second, Titus third, King Ferry’s Mike Mahaney fourth and Tonkin fifth.
When the race went back to green Bachetti pulled away from the field as Bushnell, Titus and Mahaney battled for second through fourth.
With ten laps remaining Bachetti opens a full straightaway lead over second place Titus who was holding off inside pressure from Mahaney.
Bachetti began to maneuver through lapped traffic with six laps remaining.
The caution came out with five laps remaining as Edmeston’s Paul Jensen came to a stop in turn four.
With Bachetti leading for the restart, Titus would start in second with Mahaney third, Norwich’s Mitch Gibbs fourth and Rusty Smith, of Oxford fifth.
On the restart Bachetti pulled out to a five car length lead while Titus and Mahaney went high allowing Gibbs to challenge for the position.
With two to go Bachetti continued to pull away and went on to take the win with Titus scoring a season best second place finish. Mahaney crossed the line third, with Smith fourth and Gibbs fifth.
Bethel’s Charlie Hendrickson Jr., captured his fifth Chambers and O’Hara Sportsmen feature of the season and in doing so extended his lead to 47 points over Claude Hutchings Jr. in the race for the track championship.
The feature started with a caution when Edmeston’s Tom Tophoven spun coming off turn two. Jim Gould, of Edmeston took the lead when the race started before the caution came out when Tophoven and Denny Greenier, of Bainbridge, tangled in turn three resulting in another original restart.
Gould again took the lead when the green flag came out with Edmeston’s Dwayne Jackson taking over second and Aaron Shelton, of Walton third. Hendrickson moved into fourth on lap three and began to challenge Shelton for third before taking over the positon on lap four coming off turn four.
Hendrickson moved to the outside line and got a run on second running Jackson off turn two to take over second on lap six.
On lap ten Hendrickson caught the leader and took the lead in the inside coming off turn two.
At the halfway point Hendrickson led with Gould second, Shelton third, Jackson fourth and Steve Andersen, of Bainbridge fifth.
On lap fifteen Walton’s Butch Klinger worked the high side past Andersen to take over fifth. One lap later Klinger passed Jackson for fourth.
Hendrickson went on to take the win by a full straightaway with Gould second, Shelton third, Klinger fourth and Jackson fifth.
New Milford PA’s Matt Brewer outdueled Harold Humphrey to take his second Williams Tire and Auto Crate Sportsmen feature win. Brewer took the lead at the start of the race as Fultonville’s A.J. Miller went high in turn two allowing Humphrey of Norwich, to move into second. The caution came out when Willy Decker Jr. came to a stop in turn two on lap one.
A two car tangle on the backstretch brought out the caution on the restart.
Brewer returned to the lead and was challenged by Humphrey on the inside but was able to maintain the lead. Humphrey continued to run second with Nineveh’s Matt Roberts third, Cody Clark, of Dolgeville, fourth and Miller fifth.
With 8 laps remaining Brewer led with Humphrey second, Roberts third, Clark fourth and Miller fifth.
On the restart Humphrey slid under Brewer in turn one to take the lead. Brewer switched to the inside line and pulled alongside the leader while Clark began to challenge Roberts for third on the outside.
Brewer switched to the outside trying to get a run on Humphrey while Clark worked his way past Roberts to take over second.
With two laps to go Brewer gets a run on Humphrey coming off turn four and took the win with Humphrey second, Clark third, Roberts fourth and Edmeston’s A.J. Digsby fifth.
Stamford’s Beau Ballard picked up the win in the Vernooy’s Automotive Excellence IMCA Modified feature that was postponed from August 12 due to rain. Ballard took the early lead in feature as Cobleskill’s Will Ward settled into second with Matt Cole, of Binghamton challenging on the inside on lap two.
Ballard pulled out to a half straightaway lead by lap four when the caution came out for a spinning Jim Cummings, of Coventry, in turn two.
Ballard chose the inside line for the restart putting Ward on the outside. Ballard maintained his lead when the race went back to green. James Cornell, of Harpursville, began to pressure Cole for third using the outside line. The caution came out when Port Crane’s Jesse Velez spun in turn two.
On the ensuing restart Cornell switches to high side off turn two and takes over second place. The caution came out on lap seven for Walton’s Tim Vandemark and Cummings tangling in turn four.
Cornell used the outside coming off turn two tried to get a run on the leader but Ballard was able to hold off the challenge.
At the halfway point Ballard continued to lead using the bottom groove while Cornell held second with Ward third, Cole fourth and Nineveh’s Gary Roberts fifth. Tim Vandemark spun coming off turn four to bring out the caution after lap ten.
When the race returned to green, Ballard continued to lead while Tyler Stoddard, of Katelville, slipped under Roberts to take over fifth.
With Ballard pulling out to a half straightaway lead Cole and Ward battled for third place with Cole holding a two car length advantage.
Vandemark brought out the caution on lap 18 when he stopped in turn two.
Ballard opened a two car length lead at the green and took the win with Cornell second, Cole third, Stoddard, fourth and Ward fifth.
In the regularly scheduled Vernooy’s Automotive Excellence IMCA Modified feature, Matt Cole took his second win of the season and in doing so cut James Cornell’s lead in the race for the championship to just 2 points.
Jim Cummings led lap one of the feature until Mike Stoddard slipped by coming off turn two with Will Ward following into second on lap two.
The first caution came out for Afton’s Bobby Collins sliding into the infield on the front stretch. After three laps Mike Stoddard was the leader with Will Ward second, Cummings third, James Cornell fourth and Beau Ballard fifth.
On the restart Ward challenged for the lead on the inside before the caution waves for Gary Smith, of Harpursville, stopping in turn two on lap five.
Ward maintains the lead on the restart with Cornell working the outside in third, Ballard on the inside in fourth and Matt Cole in fifth.
A three wide between Cornell, Ballard and Cole developed in the race for second fifth, with lapped traffic in front of Ward slowing his progress.
The caution came out on lap nine for Cummings sitting on the inside of turn two.
On the restart Ward continued to lead while a three car battle resulted in contact between Ballard and Stoddard resulted in Stoddard spinning into the inside of turn one bringing out the caution. Ballard was sent to the rear for his involvement in the incident.
When the race resumed at the halfway point Ward was leading with Cole now second, Cornell third, Gary Roberts fourth and Tyler Stoddard fifth.
Cole began to pressure the leader using the inside line around the speedway. Ward continued to maintain the lead as the top two cars pulled away from third running Cornell by six lengths on lap thirteen.
On lap fourteen Cole took the lead coming off turn four on the inside with Ward continuing to pressure the leader as Cornell joined the battle with four laps remaining.
With two laps remaining Cole had opened a three car length lead over Ward with Cornell a car length back in third.
At the checkers it was Cole taking the win with Ward second, Cornell third, Ballard fourth and Tyler Stoddard fifth.
Damon Decker, of Afton, swept the night in the Nu Look Collision Street Stocks taking both the held over feature and the regularly scheduled race.
A three wide race for the lead at the drop of the green started the race with Decker taking the top spot, challenged by Oneonta’s Dustin Harris. By lap four the leaders opened a half straightaway lead over third place Doug Polhamus, of Windsor.
The first caution of the race came on lap 6 when Sidney’s Rich Fife spun out in turn three.
Decker led Harris for the restart with Polhamus third, Windsor’s Matt Bowman fourth and Steve Polhamus, of Windsor fifth after Susquehanna PA’s Shane Wolf Jr. pitted under caution.
Decker returned to the lead on the restart while Polhamus challenges Harris on the inside. With Harris and Polhamus racing for second Decker opened a four car length advantage.
At the halfway point Decker led Harris with Polhamus third, Bowman fourth and Tommy Groover, of Susquehanna PA, in fifth.
With five laps to go and lapped traffic in front of the leaders Decker slips to the outside going three wide off turn four with a lapped car between the leaders but Decker maintained the lead with two laps to go.
The leaders cleared lapped traffic with two laps remaining as Decker wins by one length over Harris. Polhamus finished third, Bowman fourth and Groover fifth.
In the regularly scheduled Street Stock feature Decker survived three early race cautions before cruising to his second win of the night by a full straightaway over Steve Polhamus, Downsville’s Dave Cronk, Groover and Rich Fife.
In the regularly scheduled Street Stock feature Decker survived three early race cautions before cruising to his second win of the night by a full straightaway over Steve Polhamus, Downsville’s Dave Cronk, Groover and Rich Fife.
In the Butler Auto Sales EST Truck held over feature, Afton’s Rob Loucks picked up his fifth feature win of the season over Brandon Clapperton, of Deposit, Unadilla’s Bob Crandall, Ralph Cuozzo, of Unadilla and Oneonta’s Steve Judd.
Ralph Cuozzo grabbed his fourth feature of the year in the regular event for the trucks with Bob Crandall finishing second, Rob Loucks third, Steve Judd fourth and Norwich’s Jerry Lanfair fifth.
Mike Robinson, of Windsor, picked up the win in the postponed Front Wheel Drive 4 Cylinder feature over Chenango Forks’s Rich Gardiner with Windsor’s Nick Kennedy third, Frankie Kennedy, also of Windsor fourth and Chris Andrew fifth.
Gardiner took home the win in the regular event for the class after Robinson lost the right rear wheel during the race. Walton’s Tim Vandemark crossed the line second with Andrew third, Phil Burns, of Cortland, fourth and Chris Nichols fifth.
In the American Racer/ VP Fuels Xcel Modified feature Oneonta’s Will Eastman pulled away from the field and took the win with A.J. Miller second, Aaron Bowes, Michael Burrows and John Josko rounding out the top five.
I-88 Speedway Results from Neighbors Insurance Night, August 26, 2016
Greg Page Construction Modifieds (30 Laps) Andy Bachetti, Ken Titus, Mike Mahaney, Rusty Smith, Mitch Gibbs, Mike Clapperton, Chris Bushnell, Brett Tonkin, Nick Nye, Jeff Sheely, Darwin Greene, Mike Decker, J.R. Hurlburt, Brandon Walters, Kenny Sparks, Steve Babicek, Paul Jensen, Alan Barker, Kurt Decker, Duane Hiller
Chambers and O’Hara Open Sportsmen (20 Laps) Charlie Hendrickson Jr., Jim Gould, Aaron Shelton, Butch Klinger, Dwayne Jackson, Steve Andersen, Craig Pope, Lisa Williams, Tom Tophoven, Denny Greenier, Duane Knapp, Claude Hutchings DNS Skip Pickwick
Williams Tire and Auto Crate Sportsmen (20 Laps) Matt Brewer, Harold Humphrey, Cody Clark, Matt Roberts, A.J. Digsby, A.J. Miller, Brandon Kuhn, Allan Hodge, Olin Renwick, Jamie Batzel, Willy Decker Jr., Aaron Jacobs, Tom Princiotta, Art Priscott, Mike Decker, Matt Priscott
Vernooy’s Automotive Excellence IMCA Modifieds make up from August 12 (20 Laps) Beau Ballard, James Cornell, Matt Cole, Tyler Stoddard, Will Ward, Gary Roberts, Mike Stoddard, Gary Smith, Aaron Jacobs, Jesse Velez, Jim Cummings, Chris Shultis, Tim Vandemark DNS Logan Terry
Vernooy’s Automotive Excellence IMCA Modifieds (20 Laps) Matt Cole, Will Ward, James Cornell, Beau Ballard, Tyler Stoddard, Mike Stoddard, Aaron Jacobs, Jim Cummings, Gary Roberts, Chris Shultis, Gary Smith, Jesse Velez, Eric Stumpf, Bobby Collins DNS Tim Vandemark
Nu Look Collision Street Stocks make up from August 12 (20 Laps) Damon Decker, Dustin Harris, Doug Polhamus, Matt Bowman, Tommy Groover, Dave Cronk, Steve Polhamus, Jake Fowlston, Rich Fife, Matt Thies, Jason Neyra, Shane Wolf, Ralph Cuozzo
Nu Look Collision Street Stocks (20 Laps) Damon Decker, Doug Polhamus, Dave Cronk, Tommy Groover, Rich Fife, Jake Fowlston, Jason Neyra, Ralph Cuozzo, Matt Thies, Steve Polhamus, Matt Bowman, Dustin Harris DNS Shane Wolf Jr.
Butler Auto Sales EST Trucks Make up from August 12 (15 Laps) Rob Loucks, Brandon Clapperton, Bob Crandall, Ralph Cuozzo, Steve Judd, Jim Fowlston, Dylan Decker, Bray Kawalski, Dustin Wilber, Jerry Lanfair, DNS Pete Van Noordt
Butler Auto Sales EST Trucks (15 Laps) Ralph Cuozzo, Bob Crandall, Rob Loucks, Steve Judd, Jerry Lanfair, James Fowlston, Dustin Wilber, Bill Cooper, Brandon Clapperton, Rob Northrup, DNS Bray Kawalski
