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GARY GRIFFIN WINS MODIFIED 50 LAP SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP ON SATURDAY. JIM CRAWN – 2007 TRACK CHAMPION. GARY DENCE IMCA MODIFIED FEATURE WINNER – 2007 TRACK CHAMPION GARY ROBERTS.
KIRKWOOD, NY…On Saturday night two final point races were on tap at Five Mile Point Speedway including the 50 lap Modified Season Championship event. It was a night of “ Gary ’s” as Gary Griffin won the 50 lap Modified feature event with Jim Crawn earning the Track Point Title. Gary Dence won the IMCA Modified feature with Gary Roberts being crowned the point Champion.
If teams had the choice to give up their inside front row starting spots each week at the Point they would. Again on Saturday night Gary Griffin took advantage of the outside front row starting spot to jump out to the lead in the 50 lap feature event. Bobby Puckett quickly settled in to second position with Brian Malcolm and Tom McGurrin in tow. James Cornell was the “early mover” of the race as he made his way up from his tenth starting spot to the top five in the first seven laps. The first caution of the event flew on lap 15 as Brent Wilcox exploded the motor in the 27w.
By the midway point of the race Griffin and Puckett continued to show the way as James Cornell had now advanced up to third place. At this point Jim Crawn was just outside the top five as he hoped to lock up another track championship. Out front the Griffin was dialed in as he opened up his lead over Puckett. Cornell was trying all routes around Puckett but did not have enough. The caution would fly again on lap 29 as the top five would now change. Team mates McGurrin and Malcolm made contact with each other leaving Malcolm in the wall an ending his strong run. When racing resumed Crawn now began to make a late race charge to the front as he worked around Eric Palmer for fifth place and set his sites on McGurrin and Cornell. On lap 38 Cornell made his way in to second place as Puckett had a tire going down and began to fade. With ten laps to go Crawn was now up to third place and worked all lines around Cornell but could not make the pass. This allowed Griffin to pull away from the field. At the finish Griffin won handily for his first victory of the season. Cornell, Crawn, McGurrin and Palmer completed the top five. Mike Colsten, J.R. Hurlburt, Carl Nagel, Glenn Knapp and Jesse Kline rounded out the top ten. Crawn was introduced as the 2007 Track Champion. The strong “Rookie of the Year” battle fittingly ended up in a tie between Eric Palmer and Jesse Kline. The two wound up in an impressive tie for fourth place in the final point race.
The IMCA Modified feature event was also the final point race of the season on tap Saturday night. Jeremy Shaw looked to try and make it two in a row as he darted out front in the early going. Gary Dence worked his way past Shaw on lap 7 after starting in the fourth slot. Dence would go on to the lead the remainder of the event for his third victory of the season. Joe Cole wound up finishing in second place. Mike Stolarcyk, III ran in third place until spinning on the final turn and losing several spots. Gary Roberts wound up finishing third which was good enough for his first ever Track Championship at Five Mile Point Speedway. Shaw and Mike Stoddard completed the top five.
Jack Admundsen started on the pole in the 20 lap Sportsman feature event. Admundsen took the initial lead at the start but Eric Stephens, Jr. took command on the second circuit. Brad Grim didn’t take long to make his way up from the sixth spot to take the point on lap 4. Grim continued to lead until the midway point of the race when Brian Puckett made his way around and into the lead. Impressively Puckett had started sixteenth and it only took him half the race to charge to the front. Puckett would go on to lead the remainder of the way with Grim, Les Gillette, Joey Colsten and Mike Loney completing the top five. This Saturday will see championship points awarded in the Season Championship 30 for the class. The race will pay $600 to win.
The 20 lap Pure Stock event saw Scott Smith take the lead from Harry Marvin, III with only three laps remaining to notch his first ever Five Mile Point Speedway victory. Marvin chased him across the line with Doug Stack, Charlie Gilbert and Tom Garren completing the top five. Gilbert broke his car in qualifying and drove the Shane Wolf mount for the feature event. This Saturday will see the final point race for the division.
The Trackside Products Pro Stock Tour 20 lapper saw Jason Rhodes lead lap 1 only to lose it to Chris Piasecki on lap 2. Rhodes made his way back on front on lap 7 and led the distance. Neal Palladino, Chris Strohl, Fred Christ and Frank Payne rounded out the top five.
Kaye Brigham was the A League of Their Own victor on Saturday night. She ended the three win steak of Sabrina Curtis and collected the $50 bounty that was posted. Curtis finished second at the stripe. The ladies of racing will have double features this Saturday night, only the first race will award points.
Cody Decker raced to his second Lightning Cat career victory on Saturday night at the Point. His victory came over Jeff Hayes, who had is best finish in the class. The Lightning Cats will also run double features this Saturday night with championship points awarded in the first feature.
COUNTER POINTS…The racing was fantastic on Saturday night as part of the 2007 final point races became clearer…The Modified, IMCA Modified and Figure 8 point races are in the books, this leaves the Sportsman, Pure Stocks, Lightning Cats and A League of Their Own to be decided this Saturday night…A very rare occurrence in short track racing took place on Saturday night at the Point…In what may have been a short track racing first…A third generation grandfather and granddaughter raced on the same night…Sixty-seven year old Carl Nagel (who raced to a Modified win earlier this season) finished eighth in the Modified feature event on Saturday night…His granddaughter Kara Frederick finished ninth in her first ever “A League of Their Own” start…
MODIFIED SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP OFFICIAL FEATURE FINISH: GARY GRIFFIN, James Cornell, Jim Crawn, Tom McGurrin, Eric Palmer, Mike Colsten, J.R. Hurlburt, Carl Nagel, Glenn Knapp, Jesse Kline, J.R. Crouse, Barry White, Dan Hineline, Joel Batzel, Chris Ostrowsky, Darrin Schuler, Bobby Puckett, Duane Hiller, Jerry Liford, Dan Morden, Stan Frankenfield, Brian Malcolm, Bernie Griffin, Ken Titus, Brent Wilcox. Track Champion – Jim Crawn, Co-Rookie of the Year: Jesse Kline, Eric Palmer.
MODIFIED TOP TEN FINAL POINT STANDINGS: 1. Jim Crawn, 2. Tom McGurrin, 3. James Cornell, 4. Jesse Kline/Eric Palmer, 6. Brian Malcolm, 7. Ken Titus, 8. Chris Ostrowsky, 9. Glenn Knapp, 10. J.R. Hurlburt.
SPORTSMAN OFFICIAL FEATURE FINISH: BRIAN PUCKETT, Brad Grim, Les Gillette, Joey Colsten, Mike Loney, Butch Klinger, Aaron Shelton, Rich Wallace, Denny Smith, Steve Ramsey, Harry Cook Jr., Jamie Batzel, Jerry Tonti, Eric Stephens Jr., Steve Yankowski Jr., Don Caldwell, Nick Rochinski, Andy Stout, Charlie Hendrickson, Jack Amundsen, Glen Schneck.
IMCA MODIFIED OFFICIAL FEATURE FINISH: GARY DENCE, Joe Cole, Gary Roberts, Jeremy Shaw, Mike Stoddard, Mike Stolarcyk III, Brad Weaver, Tyler Stoddard, Patti Simpson, Don Hickling. Track Champion – Gary Roberts.
PURE STOCK OFFICIAL FEATURE FINISH: SCOTT SMITH, Harry Marvin III, Doug Stack, Charlie Gilbert, Tom Garren, Joe Rafferty Jr., Cory Bond, Rob Loucks, Ed Felker, Gene VanSlstyne, David Conklin, Steve Polhamus, Chuck Culberston, Alan Metzgar, Curtis Sherman, Carl Shimer, Nick Austin. DNS Shane Wolf, Billy Kinner, Shannon Butts.
TRACKSIDE PRODUCTS PRO STOCK TOUR: JASON RHODES, Neal Palladino, Chris Strohl, Fred Christ, Frank Payne, John Glezen, Chris Piaceski, Neal Diblasi Jr., Doug Polhamus, Jim Sykes, Rich Post, Denny Decker, Ken Hiller.
A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN FEATURE: KAYE BRIGHAM, Sabrina Curtis, Shery Gillette, Brandi Gunn, Casey Vaughan, Louise Wilcox, Angela Lewis, Ashley Gabriel, Kara Frederick, Lorrie Shaffer.
LIGHTNING CAT FEATURE OFFICIAL FINISH: CODY DECKER, Jeff Hayes, Gary Kinne, Kevin Coons, Dave Simms, Steve Cole, Andy Brigham, Joe Vaughan, Leo Shew, Carl Heater Jr., David Crossman, Lyle Watson, Travis Hayes, Eric Sigler, James Barber, Phil Clapper.
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