Brunelle Takes Down Second Mills Mod Win at Evans Mills
EVANS MILLS, NY – Plenty of familiar faces graced Victory Lane at Evans Mills Speedway this past Sunday, as many of the previous week’s winners once again took home checkered flags. Randy Brunelle, who took down his second Mills Modified win in as many weeks, topped the list of repeat winners.
With the debut of the Mills Modified crate engine asphalt Modified class, every driver in the field has been faced with the task of learning a new car, a new track, a new surface, or a combination of any or all of the three. For Brunelle, the transition has been a bit easier than it has for some of the other competitors, as Brunelle has racked up plenty of wins at the speedway in other classes. In 2016, he won more Pro Stock races than any other driver that season, while running only a limited schedule.
Brunelle has taken full advantage of this, as he picked up both the heat race win and the feature win this past weekend.
Bobby Newman ran second to Brunelle in the opening laps, and looked to be prepared to mount a challenge for the lead before mechanical difficulties forced him to retire from the event. This moved Mike Hall Jr. to the second spot, but Hall Jr. had Vern LaFave hot on his heels. Brunelle proved to be unstoppable as he was first to the checkered flag, followed by Hall Jr. and LaFave.
It is often said that, after the first win, the rest come easier. Legends driver Anthony Riforgiato showed just that, as he picked up his first career INEX Legends week just one week earlier and backed it up with a second win on Sunday. Riforgiato started on the outside pole, and had to contend with Nate Plantz over the entire race distance. Riforgiato was able to hold the lead, collecting the win over Plantz and Kevin Bertolone, who was making his first start of the season at the 3/8-mile oval.
Josh Duke dominated the Bandolero feature for the second straight week, picking up the win. Tyler Christman and Cole Perry wrestled for the second spot, swapping it several times throughout the course of the event. Duke took home the honors once again, followed by Christman and Perry.
Pro Stock driver Bill Miner swept the second week in a row, capturing both heat and feature event wins. Defending division champion Ray Bancroft wrestled with Miner for the lead in the early laps, but Miner was able to build a sizeable lead over Bancroft by the end of the race. Behind the duo, Jason Duke, Terry Gardner, and Corey Trombley put on an exciting battle for the third spot. When the checkered flag waved, Miner was in Victory Lane once again. Bancroft was second, and Duke crossed the line third.
Defending division champion Richard “Ike” Stone picked up his second win of the season as well, in what truly boiled down to a family affair. Stone had his hands full with David Ayen – his brother – and Zac Stone – his son, as they all had their sights set on the win. R. Stone led every lap on his way to the win, while his brother and son each tried to lay claim to the third position. Z. Stone actually held second for several laps early in the event, but Ayen passed him prior to the halfway point. Ayen, in fact, turned the fastest lap of the event, but he was unable to catch R. Stone and had to be content with second.. Stone was third in the final rundown.
The sole first-time winner of the night came in the 4 Cylinder Truck class, as Joe Bourgeois made his first appearance of the season and brought home the win. Bourgeois started on the front row, alongside Zack Christman. Kyle Simpson wasted little time grabbing the second spot from Christman, while the previous week’s winner – Bob Schroy – was making his way through the field after having to start at the tail end of the field because he had missed his heat race due to mechanical issues. Bourgeois was flawless throughout the event, and crossed the line ahead of Simpson and Schroy.
This coming Sunday, June 4th, Evans Mills Speedway will present “A-Verdi Storage Containers Night at the Races”. The schedule will include the Mills Modified, Legends, Bandolero, Pro Stock, Thunder Stock, and 4 Cylinder Truck classes. Gates open at 2:30 pm, with practice beginning at 3:30 pm, and racing set to go green at 5 pm. Grandstand admission is just $10, and children age 15 and under are admitted to the grandstands free of charge. There is a $2 discount for military with valid ID. VIP booth upgrades are available. Pit entry fee is $25.
More information, including a complete schedule, can be obtained online at www.evansmillsspeedway.com, or by calling (315) 221-9180.
MILLS MODIFIED FEATURE FINISH (30 laps): 1. Randy Brunelle, 2. Mike Hall Jr., 3. Vern LaFave, 4. Bobby Newman, 5. Terry Gardner.
LEGENDS FEATURE FINISH (20 laps): 1. Anthony Riforgiato, 2. Nate Plantz, 3. Kevin Bertolone, 4. Breanne Gilligan, 5. Dalton Rombough, 6. Trevor Halladay, 7. Chris Malbeuf, 8. Bryan Chirico, 9. Jason Christman, 10. James Holland, 11. Mike Riforgiato, 12. Kyle Hafemann.
BANDOLERO FEATURE FINISH (15 laps): 1. Josh Duke, 2. Tyler Christman, 3. Cole Perry.
PRO STOCK FEATURE FINISH (25 laps): 1. Bill Miner, 2. Ray Bancroft, 3. Jason Duke, 4. Terry Gardner, 5. Corey Trombley.
THUNDER STOCK FEATURE FINISH (20 laps): 1. Richard “Ike” Stone, 2. David Ayen, 3. Zac Stone, 4. Jess Bender, 5. Ryan Rarick, 6. Jamie Murphy. DNS – Kory Paro Jr.
4 CYLINDER TRUCK FEATURE FINISH (20 laps): 1. Joe Bourgeois, Kyle Simpson, 3. Bob Schroy, 4. Zak Petrie, 5. Ron White, 6. Zack Christman, 7. Charles Sibley.
PHOTO ATTACHED: Randy Brunelle celebrates his second consecutive Mills Modified win
PHOTO CREDIT: Rob Brierton
Sources: Tracy Chirico/Evans Mills Speedway PR