Sowle and Horning Also Victorious Friday Night at ‘The Ridge’
Story By: TOM COUGHLIN / GLEN RIDGE MOTORSPORTS PARK Photos By: JEFF KARABIN / GLEN RIDGE MOTORSPORTS PARK PHOTOS
FULTONVILLE, NY- May 24, 2016- After six weeks of cancelations to begin the 2016 racing season Glen Ridge Motorsports Park was finally able to open and complete an entire night of fast paced circle track action. On this warm spring night in upstate New York the winning drivers would be Josh Hohenforst (modifieds), JaMike Sowle (A-Verdi Storage Container 602 sportsman), Luke Horning (prostock), Pete Vila (cruiser), and Frank Malec (powri midgets).
When flagger Joe Kriss, took the microphone to sing the national anthem the crowd on hand knew ‘The Fastest 1/4 mile on Dirt’ would soon jump to life for the new season, so with the majestic Mohawk Valley in the back ground, the racers took to the track.
The mighty modifieds were led to the green flag by Jim Becker’s INOC 9B and the 20C of Johnstown’s Craig Hanson, with Cobleskill’s Shaun Pangman and Josh Hohenforst of Johnstown in row two.Hanson in his Sampson Motorcar TEO wasted no time in trying to grab the lead as he and Becker ran side by side on lap one , but when the two passed the flaggers stand for lap two Hanson was your leader with Becker, Pangman, Hohenforst, and fifth place starter Willy Decker giving chase.
Decker in the Bloomfiels Florist 85 would move into the fourth position on lap five, with 51M Dominnick Buffalino and Jeremy Wilder just outside the top five. Hohenforst was closing in on Becker when the first caution of the night would come out for the 47n of Brian Nelson who had come to a stop in turn two.
Hanson had almost reached the tail end of the field at this point, but the yellow allowed for everyone to be saved from going down a lap. With the Delaware style restart at ‘The Ridge’ third place runner Hohenforst was able to go high in his JPM powered big block, HigFab chassis and take the lead away from Hanson, who was running in the low grove, as Decker, Becker, and others were three wide going through turn two. Hohenforst’s lead would be short lived as the caution was out for John Lutes Jr.who had slowed between turns three and four.
Unfortunately on the ensuing restart Lutes, Buffalino, and Nelson would get together in turn four bringing the races to a halt, with a red flag as the track safety crew worked to clear the entangled cars in turn four. Nelson with major damage to the right side and Lutes would retire for the night with their damaged racers, but Buffalino was able to continue with just body some damage to the left rear quarter panel.
Another restart would see Becker, Alton Palmer who is one of a number of sponsor’s for the Dare Ya Challenge point fund between Fonda Speedway and Glen Ridge , make his initial feature event in the Palmer’s Service Center 76, and the 23P of Rich Price make contact in turn four, with Becker receiving front end damage that would cause him to retire to the pits behind the safety truck. At this point three time defending modified track champion Bobby Varin had moved the Dover Brake 00 into the top five.
Decker would take second from Hanson on the restart as Varin moved into fourth, with Wilder working the inside of Pangman. Traffic would slow the leaders down on lap 23 as Hohenforst was closing on Price and Al McCoy at the back of the field in turns three and four, but the yellow was out one lap later for the 34 Hoyenga Motorsports Troyer of Pangman, who grenaded his small block in front of the grandstand, putting an end to his strong run.
With ten laps to go Hohenforst and his Sowle Trailer Repair 6H were leading Decker, Hanson, Varin, Wilder, Jeff Rockefeller’s 816, and Buffalino who was charging back from an earlier mishap.Varin would take it three wide on the restart and take over the second position, while Decker would get shuffled back to sixth and Rockefeller would now throw all he could to get by Decker.With five to go Bob Vedder tried to get inside of Jeff Kelley in turn four, but contact was made causing another caution.
Another jingle on the restart between Wilder, Rockefeller, and Kelley would force Race director Joe Achzet to abandon the Delaware start and have the field line up single file. Hohenforst would finish with a comfortable lead over Varin, Hanson, Decker, and Buffalino. “This race was a marathon tonight” said Hohenforst in victory lane.
Besides thanking his sponsors, he also said “I have to thank Craig Hanson for letting borrow a set of rear end gears about ten minutes before the feature”. Buffalino would be d.q.ed for the final finish due to a technical infraction.
Heat race winners were Jim Becker and Craig Hanson.
The STR Trailer Repair Series, for the A-Verdi Storage Container 602 sportsman was also kicked off on this beautiful night as drivers look to combine their finishes at both Demitraszek Enterprise promoted tracks and collect the year end bounty. With a heads up start being used Ray Zemken of Sprakers in his plain white 1z and Dave Constantino in the West End Towing 7, would lead the field with JaMike Sowle’s 711 and Rocky Warner’s Jake Spraker Used Cars 1J right behind them.
Zemken was the early leader with Sowle and Brian Pessalano giving chase. Sowle would be on the rear bumper of Zemken from the start, as the 35 of Chris Curtis was running side by side with Constantino.with the front three close enough o be covered by a blanket, Sowle would dive under the leader Zemken in turn three on lap six, with Pessalano also getting past the veteran Zemken. Zemken seemed to fade as the laps ticked away. Sowle would lead Pessalano, Constantino, and Curtis on lap nine, with Zemken clipping a yuke tire in turn one ending his night early on the 11th. circuit.
Warner was running fifth at this time and on the ensuing restart he would make the pass good to move ahead of Constanttino, while “The Onion” Tony Farone was in sixth. The 49 of Ivan Joslin would go pit side on lap seventeen and up front Pessalano was putting pressure on Sowle at all points of the track. Sowle and Pessalano would pull out a sizable lead over the rest of the field at the end as they were followed by Curtis, Warner, and Farone.
Heat race winners were Ray Zemken and Dave Constantino
The prostocks also have an incentive for those that race every week at Glen Ridge and for their first night they had a decent field of competitors who are looking to grab the year end bonus. John Rose and ‘Cousin’ Luke Horning set the pace to the green to begin their 20 lap feature.
Horning would shoot to the front with Rose in hot pursuit, but after a restart caused by the 44A of Adam Warner riding the front stretch wall Justin Knight would move into second. Knight would try to pass Horning on the inside of turn four, as the 2H of Horning and the 81 of Knight fought nose to tail and side by side throughout event.
Knight would try to pass Horning by going both high and low on lap seventeen, but Horning held on to claim the victory. Horning was quick to thank his sponsor RCT Roofing and follow driver Nick Stone for their help.
The cruiser division had a strong field lead by Chris Andrew, Pete Vila, Cole Lawton, and Shawn Morrison. Keith Tesiero Sr. and Dan Haslun made contact in turn three bringing out an early caution, but when racing resumed Andrew was the leader with Vila hot on his tail. Vila would be the leader on lap five, but Andrew was not giving up as he along with Lawton kept the pressure on Vila. The front three ran hard against each other until Vila crossed the finish line. followed by Andrew, Lawton, Keith Tesiero Jr., and Haslun.
The POWRi midgets were light in numbers this week due to events being held else where and a few drivers having to rebuild machines from damage they suffered at another race last weekend. The midgets never fail to thrill the crowd at Glen Ridge no matter the size of the field as these racers seem to fit the fast oval like a glove. Nate Furman started on the pole, but it only took a few laps before Frank Malec took over and went on to the win over Tyler Rivord and Furman.
This week is Military Appreciation Night with all active military or veterans admitted to the grandstand free with I.D. or DD214
For more information about Glen Ridge Motorsports Park, please check their website at www.glenridgemotorsportspark.net
Modified feature-35 laps-JOSH HOHENFORST, Bobby Varin, Craig Hanson, Willy Decker, Chuck Allen, Bob Vedder, Jeff Rockefeller, Jeremy Wilder, Rich Price, Al McCoy, Jeff Kelley, Shaun Pangman, Jim Becker, Alton Palmer, Brian Nelson, John Lutes, d.q. Dominick Buffalino.
A-Verdi Storage Container 602 sportsman feature-25 laps-JAMIKE SOWLE, Brian Pessalano, Chris Curtis, Rocky Warner, Tony Farone, Dave Constantino, Billy Gray, Kurtis Hohensheldt, Ricky Quick, Greg Pessalano, Harry Shaffer II, Justin Auspelmyer, Ivan Joslin, Ray Zemken.
Pro-Stock feature-laps-LUKE HORNING, Justin Knight, John Rose, Todd Hoffman, Wayne Lawyer, Jason Morrison TRK, Adam Warner.
Cruiser feature- lap-PETE VILA, Chris Andrew, Cole Lawton, Keith Tesiero Jr., Daniel Haslun, Keith Tesiero Sr., Jerry Lawton TRK, Pat McSpirit, Dale VanAllen, Rich Nichols, Jason Celebucki, Shawn Morrison, d.n.s. Zack McSpirit, Josh Kane TRK, T.J. Marlitt.
POWRi midget feature-laps-FRANK MALEC, Tyler Rivord, Nate Furman, d.n.s. Bobby Varin.
