FIRECRACKER MADNESS WEEKEND CHAMPIONS CROWNED

BETHEL, NY – During the second day of Bethel Motor Speedway’s “Firecracker Madness” weekend, Victory Lane was once again a busy place as each division ran their final feature of the three-race mini-series and overall weekend champions were crowned.

In the Alcaro & Alcaro Plating Sportsman division, Jerry Curry made his second feature win visit to the winners’ circle for the weekend. Curry started the event fourth, and he waited for his opportunity to get out front as Rich Coons and Dan Conklin battled for the top spot. Just prior to the halfway point of the race, Curry took second from Conklin and then set his sights on Coons. Curry got out front with six laps remaining in the race, and he held on for the win ahead of Coons and Conklin. Greg Morgan and Mike Houghtaling rounded out the top five.

As a result of his two wins and his runner-up finish to Conklin in the second race of the miniseries, Curry returned to Victory Lane later in the night to collect his hardware as the “Firecracker Madness” champion. Conklin was second in the final weekend rundown, followed by Coons.

In the final Sam’s Towing Pro Stock feature of the weekend, John Hager found his way to Victory Lane for the first time in 2010. Hager started on the pole, and there was a very intense battle for the lead between Hager and Ken Atkins, who has scored two wins this season. The two swapped the lead by inches around the track on several occasions, with Atkins grabbing the lead for several laps as the race neared the halfway point. Hager was able to grab the top spot back and drive on to victory over Norm Barnes and Mike Skelly.

In spite of not winning any of the segment races, Skelly captured the weekend championship on the basis of consistent finishes, as he was in the top five in each of the features that comprised the miniseries. Barnes was second in the final weekend rundown, and second segment winner Jim Helt was third.

As the Legends division headed into the final segment of the weekend miniseries, Long Islander Kevin Nowak made the most of his first 2010 appearance at Bethel for the weekend, capturing the win in the third segment. Nowak started the race from third, but had grabbed the lead by the second lap. Raven Schrantz ran third, with Andrew Stotler right on her bumper. Nowak was able to pull away from the field as Stotler searched unsuccessfully for a line to get around Schrantz. Even two late-race cautions that closed up the field couldn’t stop Nowak’s momentum as he crossed the line ahead of Schrantz and Stotler.

Nowak, who didn’t finish outside of the top three in any of the segments, was the winner of the weekend title. Todd McCollum captured second place honors, while Raven Schrantz finished third for the weekend overall.

Jordan Lamothe continued his domination of  Victory Lane in the JTR Enterprises Bandolero class, in spite of spinning out of the lead on lap four and having to restart at the rear of the field. Max Evans grabbed the lead briefly following Lamothe’s spin, but he was overtaken by Joseph Graf Jr. It didn’t take long for Lamothe to work his way back to the front, and he and Graf Jr. then wrestled for the lead, with Lamothe taking the position back for good with five laps remaining. Lamothe drive on to victory, followed by Graf Jr. and Evans.

Having won all three segment races, Lamothe was crowned the “Firecracker Madness” champion in the division. Mikey Policastro finished second overall, and Graf Jr. was third.

The Shakelton Auto & Truck Centers Street Stock class saw its third different winner in three features as Kevin Skelly found his way to Victory Lane in the final race of the miniseries. Skelly started on the outside pole and led every lap on his way to the win. Polesitter Rich Wheeler ran in the second spot during the early laps, but Charlie Houghtaling made his way from the fifth starting spot to grab the position from Wheeler five laps into the event. Rookie Gary VanOrden Jr. tagged on to Houghtaling’s bumper and made his way to third, and the three then duked it out at the front of the field. When the checkered flag flew, Skelly was awarded the win, with Houghtaling second and VanOrden Jr. third.

VanOrden Jr., who captured the first segment win and kept himself in the top three for the remaining segments, earned himself the weekend title. Houghtaling was credited with second for the weekend, while Skelly was third.

In the BMS Modified class, Steve Conklin made his return to racing this past weekend complete with a win in the final segment of the miniseries. Polesitter Dan Wood led the first lap, but Conklin took the spot away on lap two. He was chased by Skip LaPolt and John Cote. LaPolt challenged him for the spot, and put it all on the line on the final lap, but he was unable to get past as Conklin was first under the checkers. LaPolt was second, and Cote finished third.

Cote, who had won the first two segment races, was the winner of the weekend championship. Conklin finished the weekend in second, and LaPolt walked away with third.

Going into “Firecracker Madness” weekend, the only two winners in the Jeff Bank 4 Cylinder Senior class were Paul Curry and Eddie Lindstadt. Tim Curry broke their streak during Saturday’s events, with a segment win, but Paul Curry catapulted himself back into the winners’ circle during the third and final segment. P. Curry started the event from seventh, but he picked his way through the field during the early laps and took the lead from T. Curry with only five laps complete. The cars ran two and three-wide through almost the entire field during the course of the event. When the dust settled, P. Curry grabed the win, followed by Russell Sniffen and Lindstadt.

With a win and two other top five finishes to his credit, T. Curry was named the “Firecracker Madness” champion for the class. P. Curry was second in the final weekend rundown, and Lindstadt was third.

Wild action continued in the Jeff Bank 4 Cylinder Junior division, but Don Kuhn was able to hold on to grab the win in the third segment race, his second win of the weekend. Amber VanOrden started on the pole and led the early laps, but Kyle Welsch grabbed the spot on lap three and led until he was involved in an incident on lap 14 resulting in him having to restart at the rear of the field. This handed the lead to Kuhn, who had been running third at the time. Once out front, Kuhn never looked back and went on to claim the win. Steven Schmitz was second to cross the line, followed by Amber McGibbon.

When all of the finishes for the weekend were tallied, Schmitz emerged as the overall division winner. Kuhn was second overall, and McGibbon wound up in third.

Racing continues at Bethel Motor Speedway this coming Saturday, July 10th, with Middletown Motorsports Night. On the schedule are the Sportsman, Pro Stock, Bandolero, Street Stock, BMS Modified, and 4 Cylinder classes. Gates open at 3:30 pm, with hot laps at 5:30 pm and racing slated to begin at 7 pm. Grandstand admission is just $5. Visit www.bethelmotorspeedway.com for a full schedule, or call (845) 319-7908 for more information.

SPORTSMAN WEEKEND STANDINGS: 1. Jerry Curry, 2. Dan Conklin, 3. Rich Coons, 4. Mike Houghtaling, 5. Greg Morgan, 6. John Cook, 7. Zachary Vavricka, 8. Kyle Redner, 9. Tony Suozzo, 10. Don Smith III.

PRO STOCK WEEKEND STANDINGS: 1. Mike Skelly, 2. Norm Barnes, 3. Jim Helt, 4. John Hager, 5. Bobby Policastro, 6. Ed Butler, 7. Steve Vasey, 8. Ken Atkins, 9. Gene Morton, 10. Gene Palmer, 11. Billy Crumley, 12. Glenn Aumick, 13. Mark Sylvester, 14. Ken Hopkins, 15. Clarence Palmer, 16. Bill VanAiken.

LEGENDS WEEKEND STANDINGS: 1. Kevin Nowak, 2. Todd McCollum, 3. Stephen Hershey, 4. Raven Schrantz, 5. Richie Coy, 6. Jim Byrne, 7. Andrew Bickford, 8. Matt Evans, 9. Barry Schrantz, 10. Joe DeGracia, 11. Bill Johnston, 12. Mike Alcaro, 13. Carl Blandina, 14. Rich Sennett, 15. Matt Price, 16. Joe Graf, 17. Andrew Stotler, 18. Casey Robicheau, 19. Joe Fresco.

BANDOLERO WEEKEND STANDINGS: 1. Jordan Lamothe, 2. Mikey Policastro, 3. Joseph Graf Jr., 4. Max Evans, 5. Alex McCollum, 6. Christina Policastro, 7. Rudy Roth IV, 8. Christian Eckes, 9. Jared Palmer.

STREET STOCK WEEKEND STANDINGS: 1. Gary VanOrden Jr., 2. Charlie Houghtaling, 3. Kevin Skelly, 4. Glenn Pallom, 5. Brent Shaddock, 6. Rich Wheeler, 7. Jonathan McGibbon, 8. Robert Halstead, 9. Larry O’Donnell, 10. Vinny Stanton Sr., 11. Dan Curry.

BMS MODIFIED WEEKEND STANDINGS: 1. John Cote, 2. Steve Conklin, 3. Skip LaPolt, 4. Gary VanOrden Sr., 5. Dan Wood.

4 CYLINDER SENIOR WEEKEND STANDINGS: 1. Tim Curry, 2. Paul Curry, 3. Eddie Lindstadt, 4. Russell Sniffen, 5. George Zeininger, 6. George VanAiken, 7. Patty Falkena, 8. Gary O’Donnell, 9. Steve Kevin McGibbon, 10.  Kevin McCombs, 11. Enio Lovric.

4 CYLINDER JUNIOR WEEKEND STANDINGS: 1. Steven Schmitz, 2. Don Kuhn, 3. Amber McGibbon, 4. Josh Mendez, 5. Shawn Maloney, 6. Kyle Welsch, 7. Joe Smith, 8. Gary Magie, 9. Robert Beach, 10. Amber VanOrden, 11. Vinny Lovric, 12. Jamie Elliott, 13. Kayla Curry, 14. Paige LaPolt, 15. Tasha Curry, 16. Daniel VanAiken, 17. Josh Wilbur.

DAY ONE OF "FIRECRACKER MADNESS" WEEKEND IS FULL OF ACTION

BETHEL, NY – The drivers competing in day one of the “Firecracker Madness” weekend at Bethel Motor Speedway provided plenty of action and excitement for the large crowd on hand, with each division running two feature events as part of the three-race miniseries for each class. At the conclusion of Sunday’s events – which will feature a single feature for each division – weekend champions will be crowned in all of the classes.

In the Alcaro & Alcaro Plating Sportsman division, Jerry Curry took his car to Victory Lane for the first time since August of 2009. After missing a few weeks of competition, Curry has come back with a vengeance, and has been working on building a stable of good finishes. Curry started the feature in tenth, and quickly made his way through the field, taking the lead from polesitter Mike Houghtaling. Curry drove on to the win, with Houghtaling second and Greg Morgan third.

In the division’s second feature, Dan Conklin collected a birthday present for himself when he grabbed his third win of 2010. Rookie Zachary Vavricka led early, but Conklin was able to make his way up from his third place starting spot to work past Vavricka for the lead and then never looked back. Curry came from sixth to score the runner-up finish. Rich Coons was third.

The Sam’s Towing Pro Stock division provided some intense action from the drop of the green in both feature events. In the first event, Ed Butler took full advantage of his outside pole starting spot to grab his first feature win of the season. Butler pulled away from the field early in the caution-free event, and none of the competition behind him could get close enough to mount a challenge as the leaders negotiated their way through lapped traffic. Polesitter Mike Skelly finished second, with Steve Vasey third.

In the second Pro Stock feature, Jim Helt made his second 2010 visit to the winner’s circle, making him the third driver to accomplish that feat this season. Helt started the race on the outside of Mark Sylvester, and the two ran side by side in the early laps until something in Sylvester’s motor let go, giving the lead to Helt. Bobby Policastro and Ken Atkins followed Helt across the line.

The INEX Legends took to the track for their first feature with a 17-car field that featured two rookies – Richie Coy and Andrew Bickford – on the front row. It did not take defending track champion Mike Alcaro to make his way from the third spot to the front of the field, but action was halted after Joe Graf went airborne and flipped his car but emerged from the car unhurt after the incident. Stephen Hershey was second across the line. Kevin Nowak, in his first 2010 Bethel appearance, made his way from ninth to third.

For the second feature, Alcaro started deeper in the field, Joe DeGracia came from the pole to lead early, but Alcaro slipped past on a restart and brought McCollum with him to second. Nowak was able to work his way past McCollum, who then was challenged by Coy. Alcaro grabbed his second win of the night, followed by Nowak and McCollum.

In the JTR Enterprises Bandoleros, Jordan Lamothe went two-for-two, grabbing both wins and extending his win streak at Bethel to three consecutive features. Joseph Graf Jr. led early in the first feature but was unable to hold off Lamothe as he charged to the front of the pack. Mikey Policastro wound up second in the final rundown, while Max Evans was third.

Lamothe started the second feature from seventh, but he was able to grab the lead before a single lap was recorded, with some help from an early-race tangle that shuffled the order among his fellow competitors that were involved. Once out front, Lamothe built up a big lead, only to have it erased when the caution came out with just a handful of laps remaining. That wasn’t enough o stop Lamothe, however, and M. Policastro and Graf Jr. had to be content with second and third, respectively.

In the Shakelton Auto & Truck Centers Street Stock division, both features had late-race incidents that changed the outcome. Rookie Gary VanOrden Jr. grabbed his second 2010 win after contact between Kevin Skelly and Charlie Houghtaling at the front of the field ultimately resulted in both drivers having to rejoin the field at the rear. Glenn Pallom crossed the line second, ahead of Brent Shaddock.

In the second feature, Skelly and Houghtaling were again fighting for position at the front of the field when Skelly went around after making contact with the rear of Houghtaling’s car. Skelly had to go to the  rear of the field, but Houghtaling was still out front and he celebrated his 31st birthday with a win. VanOrden Jr. finished second, and Skelly recovered to bring it across the line in third.

The BMS Modified division returned after a one-week break, and John Cote sent out the word that he was primed and ready, as he captured both feature event wins in the class. Cote started on the outside pole for the first feature, and led from green to checkered for the victory in the caution-free event. LaPolt was second, with Steve Conklin third.

Dan Wood got to the early lead from the pole in the second feature, but his stay was short-lived. Conklin, in his first 2010 competition at Bethel, was the next to lead as Cote and Skip LaPolt battled it out side by side behind him for the second spot. Cote eventually made his way past Conklin, who crossed the line second. LaPolt was third.

In the Jeff Bank 4 Cylinder Senior class, the wins were split between Eddie Lindstadt and Tim Curry. Lindstadt started the first feature on the pole, and he immediately got out front. Tim Curry was challenging Lindstadt for the lead late I the race when Paul Curry was able to muscle his way into second. Paul Curry and Timmy Curry crossed the line second and third, respectively.

The second race for the class featured plenty of late-race wrestling for the lead, which ultimately resulted in Tim Curry coming from third on the last lap to drive past the two leaders – Lindstadt and Paul Curry – who were tangled in turn four. Russell Sniffen finished second, with George Zeininger third. Tim Curry became the first driver to break the Eddie Lindstadt-Paul Curry early season monopoly on wins in the division.

The Jeff Bank 4 Cylinder Junior division also saw to separate winners in the night’s two features, as Steven Schmitz and Don Kuhn each collected a win. Schmitz started the first feature from eighth, and he worked his way through the field as Amber McGibbon jumped from the outside pole to the lead at the start of the event. A late-race caution set up a one-lap dash for the win, and Schmitz was able to get past McGibbon on the last lap for the win. McGibbon held on for second, and Josh Mendez was third.

The nightcap of the evening saw Amber VanOrden take the early lead, but get passed by Kuhn as quite a bit of shuffling of positions went on behind them. In the top five, multiple battles for position emerged, involving such drivers as Mendez, Jamie Elliott, and Kyle Welsch. When the checkered flag flew, Kuhn was the first to cross the line, with Mendez second and Schmitz third.

“Firecracker Madness” weekend will continue on Sunday, July 4th. Gates open at 3 pm, with hot laps at 5 and racing to follow. All eight divisions will each have a single feature, and the weekend champions will be crowned. Grandstand admission is just $5. For more details, visit www.bethelmotorspeedway.com, or call (845) 319-7908 for more information.