It Boils Down To One Race: Andy Bachetti Versus Danny Johnson At I-88 Speedway For Inaugural Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP Championship; $53,000-Plus On The Line This Weekend At Afton Fairgrounds Oval; Two Full Days Of Racing Planned Friday-Saturday As ‘Working Man’s Race’ Returns Home
AFTON, NY – Some 260 feature-event laps have been run in the opening five rounds of the Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP. And it all comes down to one race.
The finale of the inaugural six-race series takes place this Friday-Saturday Oct. 10-11 at I-88 Speedway in Afton, N.Y., with the seventh edition of the Alpine Building Supply Short Track SuperNationals presented by Olum’s.
The big-block/small-block Modifieds of the Short Track Super Series culminate their point battle in a 50-lap main event Saturday (Oct. 11) paying a record purse for the ‘Working Man’s Race’ special, with $5,000-plus reserved for the winner, $1,000 for 10th and $600, a new high for BD Motorsports Media LLC, just to take the green flag. A fully paid 17-lap B-Main for non-qualifiers is also on the docket, offering $777 to the winner and $100 to start, meaning no Modified will leave empty handed!
Some $33,202 in base payout plus bonuses is has been posted for Modified racers at the SuperNationals. Additionally, more than $23,000 in point fund money is at stake, meaning more than $53,202 is on the line at the Afton Fairgrounds this weekend.
Entering the point season finale, Andy Bachetti and Danny Johnson are locked into a tie for the championship lead. Yes, dead even, with 350 points each.
Bachetti, of Sheffield, Mass., won the opening round of the series contested in April at Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, N.Y., with the historic ‘Hard Clay Open’ 50-lap event. Bachetti has led the standings throughout the summer, buoyed by top-10 finishes at N.Y.’s Thunder Mountain (eighth) and Accord (10th), plus a stunning drive from the rear to finish second in the ‘Crazy 8s Special’ at I-88 in July following involvement in an early tangle.
Rochester, N.Y.’s Johnson broke into a tie with Bachetti following his victory in the most recent series event run at Pa.’s Penn Can Speedway Sept. 9. Johnson, driving the Chris Gennarelli-owned No. 86, recorded top-five finishes at Orange County (fourth), Thunder Mountain (fifth) and I-88 (fourth).
Should Bachetti annex the series title, he will pocket $10,014 with perfect attendance on the series. A Johnson championship would be worth $6,000 having used the Accord August event as a ‘drop race’ on the schedule.
Increased championship points are on the line at the SuperNationals, with 150 points reserved for the winner, 60 points for last and 25 for drivers unable to qualify.
The top-12 drivers in the Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP will share in point fund money. Any driver outside the top-12 with perfect attendance will earn $250.
Currently, Jeff Heotzler of Wallkill, N.Y., sits third (295 points), followed by Tommy Meier of Waldwick, N.J. (283) and Danny Tyler of Cottekill, N.Y. (281). Rounding out the top dozen are Stewart Friesen of Sprakers, N.Y. (280), Anthony Perrego of Montgomery, N.Y. (275), Danny Creeden of Wurtsboro, N.Y. (263), Ryan Watt of Boyertown, Pa. (262), Matt Jester of Milford, Del. (227), Matt Sheppard of Waterloo, N.Y. (222) and Tyler Dippel of Wallkill, N.Y. (218).
The Sleepy Hollow Golf Rookie of the Year Award, worth $350 cash, will be handed out for the series during the SuperNationals weekend, as well.
Two full days of racing are set for the SuperNationals.
On Saturday (Oct. 11), the Modified division serves as the headliner with the A-& B-Mains. Also competing on Saturday: the Crate 602 Sportsman in a 25-lap main paying $1,000 to the winner and $100 to start; the event will offer points toward the 2014 Dig Safely New York GRIT Series championship. IMCA-Modifieds and Empire Lightning Sprints complete the Saturday card.
Both the IMCA-Modifieds and Empire Lightning Sprints have received pay increases. Thanks to Vernooy’s Automotive Excellence in Downsville, N.Y., the IMCA-Modified winner’s share has been boosted to $600! The Empire Lightning Sprints will race for $500 to win.
On Saturday, gates open at 1 p.m. Hot laps for Crate 602 Sportsman, IMCA-Modifieds and Empire Lightning Sprints begin at 4 p.m. with heat races for the aforementioned divisions underway at 4:45 p.m. Modified hot laps hit the track at 6 p.m. and heat races begin at 6:30 p.m.
Saturday grandstand admission is $20 (Adults), $18 (Seniors ages 65 and up), $12 (Students ages 9-17) and Kids 8 and under are FREE. Pit admission is $35, with no license required.
On Friday night (Oct. 10), the Open vs. Crate 602 Sportsman division are featured in a 35-lap special paying $1,500 to the winner and $125 to start. Hefty Crate 602 Sportsman bonuses will be paid as follows to the top-six across the line: $300, $200, $100, $75, $50 and a free pit pass for Saturday. Also on the Friday card are Street Stocks (home track rules), Four Cylinders (generally accepted Southern Tier rules) and Empire Sport Trucks (home track rules).
Trackside Products of Endicott, N.Y., has signed on to sponsor the Street Stock division, which has been boosted to $500 to win.
Modifieds and other Saturday divisions will be permitted to practice throughout the night on Friday in preparation for the next day.
For Modified racers, a 10-lap Dash will be held on Friday night involving the top-five fastest cars in practice, as timed by the speedway’s transponder system. The winner of the Dash earns a redraw position for Saturday, while all other participants take home $50 courtesy of Manmiller Electric.
Friday activities kick off at 3 p.m. when the gates open. Hot laps begin at 6:20 p.m., with racing at 7 p.m.
Friday grandstand admission is $12 (Adults), $10 (Seniors 65 and up), $8 (Students 9-17) and Kids 8 and under are FREE. Pit admission is $30, with no license required.
Post-race parties are planned to cap Friday and Saturday evening’s activities.
All Short Track SuperNationals information – pay structures, entry forms, prices, rules and times – have been posted on the BD Motorsports Media website: www.bdmotorsportsmedia.com under Events and SuperNationals.
To learn more about the Short Track Super Series Fueled By VP, visit www.bdmotorsportsmedia.com, e-mail Brett Deyo at bdmotorsportsmedia@gmail.com or call 845.728.2781. BD Motorsports Media is on Facebook and on Twitter: @BrettDeyo.
I-88 Speedway is located conveniently off I-88 Exit 7 (Afton), approximately 25 miles north and east of Binghamton, at 46 East Main Street Afton, N.Y. 13730. There is plentiful space for parking and camping. To learn more about I-88 Speedway, visit www.i-88speedway.com.
The Short Track SuperNationals is presented by Alpine Building Supply, Olum’s, Pioneer Pole Buildings Inc., Algonkin Motel, AIM Fitness, Trackside Products, Crunchco Snacks, MidNite Auto, Keith Sweigart Electric, Dale and Sue Smith, Vernooy’s Automotive Excellence, Elmo’s Auto Body, and many other fine marketing partners
The Short Track Super Series is presented by VP Racing Fuels, Pioneer Pole Buildings Inc., East Coast Speed/ECS Auto, Rochinski Contracting Services, Allstar Performance, American Racer/Lias Tire, Art’s Radiator, ATL Fuel Cells, Behrent’s Performance Warehouse, BFP Specialty, Bicknell Racing Products, Bob Hilbert Sportswear, COMP Performance Group, Dirt Track Digest, DMI/Bulldog Rear Ends, DRACO Springs, Driven Racing Oil, ERK Steering, Finish Line Web Design, FOX Shox, H.B. Steele & Son, Henry’s Stainless Steel Exhaust, Hig Fab Chassis, Hoosier Racing Tire, Jack’s Used Race Car Parts & More, Kirkey Racing Products, PM3 Digital Imaging, Quarter Master, Race Pro Weekly, Schaeffer Racing Oil, Shiley Fabrication, Sleepy Hollow Golf, Teo-Pro Car, Troyer Race Cars & Vahlco Wheels.
Sources: BD Motorsports Media