Story By: TOBY LAGRANGE / GLEN RIDGE MOTORSPORTS PARK – FULTONVILLE, NY – On a very warm night in the Mohawk Valley, the Glen Ridge Motorsports Park presented a night of racing that started with honoring those who helped shape it and ended honoring one of their own who is no longer with us.
Prior to racing action the 2022 Glen Ridge Motorsports Park Hall of Fame inductees were announced. Track announcer and Glen Ridge Motorsports Park Hall of Fame Committee Member Toby LaGrange announced to the healthy crowd the three individuals and two families who will enter the Hall of Fame on August 28th. The Class of 2022 will consist of Bob Lansing, Danny Ballard, Frank Blanchard, The Constantino Family and The Demitraszek Family.
It was also NYSSCA Night with award winners from 2021 being presented with their awards. Those earning awards were Andrew and Zach Buff, Danny and Beau Ballard and Jamie Warner.
The nightly NYSSCA Award winners were Tony Farone and Tanner Warner (Red Chair DIRTcar Sportsman), Slater Baker and Johnny Rivers (Yurkewecz Auto Crushers DIRTcar Pro Stocks), Lucas Duncan and Butchie Irwin (Cherko Fusco Realty Limited Sportsman), Adam Tranka and Matt Mosher (Street Stock), Jay Ingersol, Justin Pope and Corey Valade (DIRTcar Mini-Stocks), Kolton Weiler and Danny Ballard (Northeast Paving and Sealcoat All-Star Slingshots) and Connor Crane and Braxton Martin (Northeast Paving and Sealcoat Junior Slingshots).
New Deals Used Cars added a large amount of money to the purses throughout the night. This included the Red Chair DIRTcar Sportsman division who were competing for $2,000 to win.
In racing action, Zach Buff has definitely turned up the heat on the Red Chair DIRTcar Sportsman competition. The defending Limited Sportsman Track Champion picked up his fourth win of the season Sunday night and second in a row. Buff took the lead from early race leader Darryl Nutting and pulled away for the win over Tony Farone, Austin Germinio, Tanner Warner and Mike Fowler. The heat races were won by Zach Buff and Germinio with Nutting setting the overall fast time in timed hot laps with a lap of 13.448 seconds.
Slater Baker picked up his first career Yurkewecz Auto Crushers DIRTcar Pro Stock feature event win in the nights 20-lap event. Bakers’ cousin, Luke Horning looked to have the event won however he broke heading down the backstretch on the final lap. This handed the lead to Baker who would power the number 9B home for the win. Johnny Rivers finished second with early race leader Andy Graves third, Jay Fitzgerald fourth and Chuck McSpirit fifth. The heat races were won by Graves and Horning with Steve Cosselman setting the overall fast time in timed hot laps with a lap of 15.141 seconds.
Lucas Duncan continued the theme of young, rising stars picking up wins Sunday night. Duncan picked up his second Cherko Fusco Realty Limited Sportsman feature event in a row. Points leader Butchie Irwin finished a very close second with Mike Hill third, Jerry Cohn fourth and Johnny Young fifth.
The DIRTcar Mini Stock division was competing in the inaugural Daryl Hillman Memorial. The Single Cam and Dual Cam divisions ran separate feature events, each paying $500 to win and boasting a larger purse. In the Single Cam division, Jay Ingersoll picked up the win over Ray Young, T.J. Marlitt, Wayne Russell, Jr. and Blaze Post. In the Dual Cam division second generation driver Justin Pope picked up the win over Corey Valade, Tyler White, Ingersoll and Slappy White. P.J. Bleau did cross the finish line inside the top five however he was disqualified during post-race technical inspection.
Picking up the wins in the Northeast Paving and Sealcoat Slingshot divisions were Tucker Jones (All-Star) and Connor Crane (Junior). Adam Tranka won the Street Stock feature event.
The Glen Ridge Motorsports Park returns to action this Sunday night, August 14th with another DIRTcar Sunday Night program featuring all weekly divisions. Also on the card will be the third Wheels of Fury Enduro Series event of the season. The Pit Gates open at 3PM, Grandstands at 4PM, Hot Laps at 5:30 PM with racing set to start at 6PM.
DIRTcar 602 Sportsman: Zach Buff, Tony Farone, Austin Germinio, Tanner Warner, Mike Fowler, Ricky Quick, Tyler Stevenson, Andrew Buff, Justin Buff, Garrett Poland, Ted Teal, Jeremy Hamilton, Carter Gibbons, Cody Ochs, Bill August, Dan Grignon, Darryl Nutting.
NYSSCA Award Winners: Tony Farone & Tanner Warner.
Laps Leaders: Daryl Nutting (1-11), Zach Buff (12-30).
DIRTcar Pro-Stocks: Slater Baker, Johnny Rivers, Andy Graves, Jay Fitzgerald, Chuck McSpirit, Steve Cosselman, Richard Spencer, Aubrey Theriault, Luke Horning, Shawn Perez Jr., Kenny Allen.
NYSSCA Award Winners: Slater Baker & Johnny Rivers.
Lap Leaders: Andy Graves (1-11), Luke Horning (12-19), Slater Baker (20).
Limited Sportsman: Lucas Duncan, Butchie Irwin, Mike Hill, Jerry Cohn, Johnny Young.
NYSSCA Award Winners: Lucas Duncan, Butchie Irwin.
Lap Leaders: Lucas Duncan (1-20).
Street Stocks: Adam Tranka, Matt Mosher, Harley Shepard, Jason Barrett, Stephen Walters, Dustin Chapman.
NYSSCA Award Winners: Adam Tranka & Matt Mosher
Lap Leaders: Adam Tranka (1-15).
Daryl Hillman Memorial DIRTcar Single Cam Mini Stock: Jay Ingersoll, Ray Young, TJ Marlitt, Wayne Russell Jr, Blaze Post (DNS).
NYSSCA Award Winners: Jay Ingersoll.
Lap Leaders: Jay Ingersoll (1-30).
Daryl Hillman Memorial DIRTcar Dual Cam Mini Stock: Justin Pope, Corey Valade, Tyler White, Jay Ingersoll, Slappy White, Gina Voris, Chad Hoffman, John Napoli, Hayleigh Gates, Jamie Warner, Steve Burbank, Kyle Coley, Brian Blanck, Damien Ward, Jordan Ryder, Billy Hillman, David Peek-Britton, P.J. Bleau (DQ).
NYSSCA Award Winners: Justin Pope & Corey Valade
Lap Leaders: Justin Pope (1-30)
All-Star Slingshots: Tucker Jones, Kolton Weiler, Dan Ballard, Joe Melius, Nathaniel Boesse, A.J. Albreada, Chad Boesse, Courtney Crews, Jim Gaige, Scott Sprague, Jim Pollard, Tavien Blowers, Kirsten Swartz, Adam Fusco, Alexandria Boisvert (DNS).
NYSSCA Award Winners: Kolton Weiler & Dan Ballard.
Lap Leaders: Dan Ballard (1-8), Tucker Jones (9-15).
Junior Slingshots: Conner Crane, Braxton Martin, Bodie Marks, Jayden Wust, Sloan Cherko, Avery Decker, Blake Patrick, Kolton Gamble, E.J. Hatch, James Hatch, Carson Hamlin, Preston Trautschold.
NYSSCA Award Winners: Conner Crane & Braxton Martin.
Lap Leaders: Conner Crane (1-15).