I-88 Speedway Recap from September 9, 2016
Story By: STEPHAN CLAPPERTON / I-88 SPEEDWAY MEDIA
Photos By: OTTO GRAHAM / RACERSGUIDE.COM
Afton NY.- September 12, 2016– Andy Bachetti put a bow on a dominant season at I-88 Speedway on Greg Page Construction and River Road Auto Night but not only winning the feature but capturing the Modified track championship and the Summer Slam championship.
Bachetti, of Sheffield MA, made the Afton oval his Friday night home in 2015 finishing third in the point standings and garnering two feature wins. His second season at the track started with a second place finish followed by two wins which set the stage for the show that was to follow over the remaining months of the season.
Winning 9 of 17 races during the year, Bachetti had the championship well in hand when second place Mike Mahaney, of King Ferry, was unable to compete on championship night due to other racing commitments.
On championship night Bachetti would take the lead from Norwich’s Alan Barker on lap 26 and cruise to the win.
J.R. Hurlburt, of Otego, took the lead at the start of the Modified feature but would surrender the lead to Barker on lap two. Barker would open a full straightaway lead until the caution came out on lap 8 putting Hurlburt second, Cortland’s Nick Nye third, Mike Clapperton, of Masonville, fourth and Norwich’s Mitch Gibbs fifth. At the drop of the green Bachetti moved into the top five.
Bachetti slipped under Nye and Hurlburt to take over second on lap 12. And would take over the lead on lap 26.
At the finish it was Bachetti with the win, Nye crossed the line second while Darwin Greene, of Susquehanna PA crossing the line third after a late race charge. Clapperton finished fourth with Binghamton’s Ken Titus, fifth.
Sauquoit’s Claude Hutchings Jr. did what he had to do, but Charlie Hendrickson Jr. won the 2016 Chambers and O’Hara Sportsmen track championship. Hendrickson came into the night needing a fifth place finish to clinch the championship and Hutchings needed a win to have a chance at the trophy.
Hutchings garnered his fifth win of the year, but Hendrickson drove to a strong third place finish and the track championship.
Denny Greenier, of Bainbridge, took the lead at the start of the race but quickly relinquished the top spot to Edmeston’s Steve Andersen. By lap two, Butch Klinger, of Walton, would move into the lead with Andersen second. By lap six Hutchings had moved into second from his 12th starting spot. The first caution of the race waved on lap 7 when Greenier spun out in turn two.
The race restarted with Klinger leading, Hutchings second, Anderson third and Walton’s Aaron Shelton fourth. Starting on the outside, Klinger would relinquish the lead on the restart but the caution waved for a spinning Jim Gould, of Edmeston, in turn two, before a lap could be completed putting Klinger back in the lead.
Switching to the bottom for the restart Klinger again surrendered the lead to Hutchings while Bethel’s Charlie Hendrickson Jr. moved into fourth on lap 10.
While Hutchings pulled away to a full straightaway lead over Klinger and Shelton battling for second with Shelton taking over the spot on lap 13.
Greenier brought out the caution on lap 15 when he spun in turn two in front of the leaders.
With Hutchings lead gone, Shelton would restart in second with Klinger third and Hendrickson fourth.
As Hutchings pulled away from the pack, Hendrickson passed Klinger on lap 21 to take over third.
Taking the win was Hutchings with Shelton second, Hendrickson third, Klinger fourth, and Delhi’s Dave Rosa fifth.
Cody Clark picked up his first career I-88 Speedway feature win in the Williams Tire and Auto Crate Sportsmen feature on championship night for the first year division. Clark, of Fultonville, took the lead from Delhi’s Matt Priscott on lap 7 and held off a late race challenge from 2016 track champion Harold Humphrey, of Norwich.
Priscott, led the opening lap with Edmeston’s A.J. Digsby holding down second and Allan Hodge, of Sherburne, third. The first caution of the race came out on lap two after a multi car tangle in turn two.
The race restarted with Priscott leading, Digsby second and Hodge third and Clark fourth. By lap five Clark began to pressure Priscott on the inside before taking over the lead on the inside coming off turn four on lap 7.
Hodge then moved into second on lap 9, while Humphrey held on to fourth before the second caution of the race came out on lap ten.
Clark led for the restart with Hodge, of Sherburne second, Priscott third, Humphrey fourth and Digsby fifth.
Opting for the outside line on the restart, Clark maintained his lead despite inside pressure from Hodge with Humphrey third and A.J. Miller of Fultonville, fourth. The third caution came out on lap 15 when Bobby Heintz, of Georgetown, hit the backstretch wall.
Clark retained the lead when the race went back to green while Humphrey moved into second on lap 21 as Hodge pitted with a broken right front shock.
At the finish it was Clark taking his first win at the speedway. Humphrey clinched the track championship by virtue of his second place finish.
Doug Polhamus, of Windsor, grabbed his third Nu Look Collision Street Stock trophy in the Season Championship event while Oneonta’s Dustin Harris had already clinched the track championship by virtue of starting the heat race earlier in the evening.
Windsor’s, Matt Bowman took the lead at the start of the race with Harris working the inside as the two cars ran side by side for the first four laps before Harris took control of the race coming of turn two on lap five.
By lap ten Polhamus caught the leader but was unable to complete the pass for the lead.
The caution came out on lap 20 when an implement tire was pushed onto the track. Another caution came out when Polhamus spun in turn two before a lap could be completed.
After a third attempt at a restart was yellowed flagged for Bowman spinning on the front stretch, Harris had to relinquish the lead due to a flat right rear tire.
The race restarted with Downsville’s Dave Cronk leading with Polhamus pressuring for the lead on the inside. Cronk held a half car advantage until lap 23 when Polhamus took over the top spot and went on to take the win.
A.J. Miller swept the night’s two races in the MR Graphix Xcel Modified division. Starting from the outside front row starting position in the first race Miller took the lead from Binghamton’s Steven Sherwood on lap 5 and went on to take the win. Kirkwood’s Eric and Bailey Boyd crossed the line second and third with Sherwood fourth and Kamdin Maby, of Susquehanna PA, fifth. Oneonta’s Will Eastman won the track championship for the Xcel Modifieds.
In the second race Miller won over Eric Boyd, Maby, Bailey Boyd and Inlet’s Paul DeRuyter.
Unadilla’s Bob Crandall captured his first Butler Auto Sales EST Truck feature win of the season while Afton’s Rob Loucks won the track championship.
I-88 Speedway Results from Greg Page Construction/River Road Auto Night, September 9, 2016
Greg Page Construction Modifieds Fall Championship (35 Laps) Andy Bachetti, Nick Nye, Darwin Greene, Mike Clapperton, Ken Titus, Rusty Smith, Brian Malcolm, Brett Tonkin, Kurt Decker, Chris Bushnell, Kenny Sparks, Mitch Gibbs, Alan Barker, Nick Rochinski, J.R. Hurlburt, Duane Hiller, Steve Babicek, Paul Jensen, Mike Trautschold (placed last after weighing light)
Greg Page Construction Modified Track Champion: Andy Bachetti
Chambers and O’Hara Sportsmen Fall Championship (25 Laps) Claude Hutchings Jr., Aaron Shelton, Charlie Hendrickson Jr., Butch Klinger, Dave Rosa, Bill Deckelman, Craig Pope, Jeremy Vunk, Jim Gould, Lisa Williams, Denny Greenier, Steve Andersen DNS Dwayne Jackson
Chambers and O’Hara Sportsmen Track Champion: Charlie Hendrickson Jr.
Williams Tire And Auto Crate Sportsmen Fall Championship (25 Laps) Cody Clark, Harold Humphrey, A.J. Miller, A.J. Digsby, Brandon Kuhn, Matt Roberts, Willy Decker Jr., Matt Priscot, Josh Mudge, Duane Knapp, Allan Hodge, Bobby Heintz, Olin Renwick, Jimmy Zacharias, Todd Titus, Matt Brewer, Tim French II, Art Priscott
Williams Tire and Auto Crate Sportsmen Track Champion: Harold Humphrey
Nu Look Collison Street Stock Fall Championship (25 Laps) Doug Polhamus, Dave Cronk, Matt Bowman, Dustin Harris, Tommy Groover, Ernie Staelens, Damon Decker, Matt Spencer, Steve Polhamus, Ralph Cuozzo DNS Matt Thies
Nu Look Collision Street Stock Track Champion: Dustin Harris
MR Graphix Xcel Modifieds (Make up from August 19, 15 Laps) A. J. Miller, Eric Boyd, Bailey Boyd, Steven Sherwood, Kamdin Maby, Dana Davis, Will Eastman, Bob Rowback, John Burnside, Paul DeRuyter DNS C.J. Jochum
MR Graphix Xcel Modified Track Champion: Will Eastman
MR Graphix Xcel Modifieds (20 Laps) A.J. Miller, Eric Boyd, Kamdin Maby, Bailey Boyd, Paul DeRuyter, Will Eastman, Bob Rowback, Steven Sherwood, Dana Davis, John Burnside
Butler Auto Sales EST Trucks (20 Laps) Bob Crandall, Jerry Lanfair, Ralph Cuozzo, Rob Loucks, Dustin Wilber, Steve Judd, James Fowlston, Brandon Clapperton
2016 Butler Auto Sales EST Truck Track Champion: Rob Loucks
