Larry Wight Takes Opening Night Win at the Brewerton Speedway
BREWERTON, NY – May 12, 2017 — The 2017 racing season finally got underway Friday night at the Brewerton speedway as fans were greeted with a full pit of race cars eager to get on the track for racing action.
In the Tracey Road Equipment big block Modifieds, teammates Pat Ward and Larry Wight put on a thrilling side by side battle before Wight was able to make the winning pass on lap 13. Once out front Wight was able to hold off a hard charging Jimmy Phelps for the popular win.
Other winners on Ehrlich Pest Control night were Alan Fink (Sportsman) Zack Babcock (Mod Lites) and Chuck Powelczyk (4-Cylinders).
Larry Wight and Pat Ward paced the stout field of Modifieds down to starter Dave Farney’s green flag with Ward grabbing the narrow lead in the 35 lap feature.
With 5 laps complete, Ward and Wight were slugging it out side by side for the top spot. Behind the top two, Jimmy Phelps, Mike Bowman, and Bobby Varin were in a tight battle of their own for third through fifth.
At the 10 lap mark, Ward had the biggest lead of the race, but that was only by a couple car lengths as Wight, Phelps, Bowman and Matt Hulsizer were racing for top five spots.
On lap 13 it looked like Wight was shot out of a cannon as he drove by Ward to be scored the new leader.
With 20 laps showing on the scoring tower, Wight opened up a half a straightaway lead. Behind Wight, Ward, Phelps and Billy Decker raced in a close battle for second through fourth with Hulsizer fifth.
With 10 laps to go, Wight lengthened his lead to a full straightaway as he was putting cars a lap down. Phelps at that point had moved into second, with Ward, Decker, and Hulsizer still showing in the top five.
A caution with 8 laps to go would give the field one last shot at Wight for the win. Over the remaining laps, nobody seriously challenged Wight as he was the first under the checkers. Jimmy Phelps, Billy Decker, Matt Hulsizer and Max McLaughlin finished second through fifth.
In the 25 lap SUNY Canton Sportsman feature, defending track champion Ron Davis III would set the early pace at the front of the field.
With 5 laps complete, Davis and Alan Fink were in a two-car breakaway as they battled for the lead. Brent Joy, Dave Marcuccilli, and Billy Clark raced for third through fifth.
On lap 6 Fink found the bite he needed as he drove by Davis into the lead.
At the 10 lap point, Fink held a few car length advantage over Davis as he was putting cars a lap down. Clark, Marcuccilli, and Joy still showed in the top five.
With 10 laps to go Fink was on cruise control as he opened a full straightaway lead over Davis and Clark.
Over the remaining laps and no cautions to tighten the field up, Fink cruised to the popular win. Ron Davis III, Billy Clark Jr., Dave Marcuccilli and Tony Finch II finished second through fifth.
In the 20 lap Firehouse Subs Mod Lite feature, Zack Babcock picked up the popular win over defending track champion Jeff Sykes. Babcock used a power move on lap 15 to drive around Sykes into the lead. Over the final laps, Sykes threw everything he had at Babcock to grab the lead back, but to no avail as Babcock was first under the checkers over Sykes. Mike Mullen, Justin Williams, and Casey Sykes finished third through fifth.
In the 15 lap, JB Logging & Firewood feature defending track champion Ray Bechler would lead the opening 5 laps when the yellow would wave slowing the field. On the restart, Chuck Powelczyk would grab the lead and out run Bechler and Chris Bonoffski to the checkers. Colby Herzog and Sam Curcie would finish fourth and fifth.
Brewerton Speedway May 12 Ehrlich Pest Control Opening Night.
(Tracey Road Equipment DIRTcar Modifieds 35 Laps) – LARRY WIGHT, Jimmy Phelps, Billy Decker, Matt Hulsizer, Max McLaughlin, Pat Ward, Chad Phelps, Rob Bellinger, Tim Kerr, Jeremy Smith, Chris Hile, Gary Tomkins, Mike Mahaney, Andrew Ferguson, Rich Scagliotta, Ryan Watt, Jim Witko, Mike Bowman, Adam Roberts, Joe August Jr., Ryan Bartlett, Tom Sears Jr., Bobby Varin, Tim Sears Jr., Lee Gill.
(SUNY Canton DIRTcar Sportsman 25 Laps) – ALAN FINK, Ron Davis III, Billy Clark Jr., Dave Marcuccilli, Tony Finch II, Todd Root, Glenn Forward, Stephen Denton, Zack Sobotka, Brent Joy, Tyler Trump, Tyler Thompson, Rich Townsend, Will Shields, Rocco Leone, Taylor Caprara, Kevin Root, Jackson Gill, Darren Smith, Nick Krause, Rocky Grosso, Earl Rudy, Mike Stanton Jr., Kyle Fink.
(SUNY Canton Sportsman Consolation Winners) – Will Shields, Kyle Fink
(SUNY Canton Sportsman B-Main 15 Laps) – Ricky Yelle, Joe Sobotka, Chris Cunningham, Patrick LaPage, Torrey Stoughtenger, Thomas Mackey, Jim Spano, Jeff Taylor, DNS Jack Meeks, Bill Megnin.
Ricky Yelle & Joe Sobotka both took the $100 instead of starting in the rear of the feature.
(Firehouse Subs TUSA Mod Lites 20 Laps) – ZACK BABCOCK, Jeff Sykes, Mike Mullen, Justin Williams, Casey Sykes, Lowell Zehr, Ryan Halliday, Josh Kinney, Brian Meyers, Mike LaRose, Tom Perkins, Jim Dunham, Joe Garafolo, Sam Usborne.
(JB Logging & Firewood 4-Cylinders 15 Laps) – CHUCK POWELCZYK, Ray Bechler, Chris Bonoffski, Colby Herzog, Sam Curcie, Donny Rider, Quinn Wallis, Stephanie Seeley, Nate Powers, Michael Perry Jr., Cody Thomas, Dylan Curcie, Evan Wright, Jamie Radley, DNS Shawn Hort.
This Friday, May 19 LaLonde Electric presents American Diabetes Association of Central New York night featuring the Tracey Road Equipment DIRTcar Modifieds, SUNY Canton DIRTcar Sportsman, Firehouse Subs TUSA Mod Lites and JB Logging & Firewood 4-Cylinders.
Adult grandstand admission is $12 with everyone 18 years old and younger FREE. Pit is $27 participant, $30 non-participant. Gates will open at 5:30 with racing at 7:30.
Any questions you might have and for marketing opportunities please contact Cory Reed (315) 668-6906 or cory@brewertonspeedway.com. For all the latest news visit www.brewertonspeedway.com and like the track Facebook page www.facebook.com/BrewertonSpeedway.
Sources: Dave Medler/Brewerton Speedway PR