Story By: DAWN MAYNARD / AFTON MOTORSPORTS PARK – AFTON, NY – The Crate Sportsmans were the top division at the track, due to the Afton Fair. Twenty-four cars were on hand with the hopes of taking home the top prize.
Five newcomers came to race as Dalton Maynard, Kinser Hill, Pat Mann, Matt Richardson and Joey Mennite all qualified for the feature event. Craig Pope and Scot Torbitt brought the field to the green. Pope grabbed the early lead, until a caution came out on the first lap. On the restart Pope once again took command. Coming right along behind him were the Torbitt and Todd Titus machines.
A second caution for the Joe Buchanan machine. On the restart the front row found Craig and Todd looking for the first position. Unfortunately the restart was called back as Todd jumped the start. The next time around the track the start was good with Craig Pope grabbing the lead. Trying to see if the outside groove was working, Dustin Harris had control. He continued to race on the outside hoping to make up spots.
On lap ten, Todd Titus made the inside move to grab the lead. Scot Torbit was looking to catch the number nine T of Titus. A couple more cautions found Titus restarting and having to defend the top spot. Scot was now in second, but could not make the pass on Todd.
Meanwhile, Matt Brewer was now working over the Torbitt machine for second. In the closing laps contact was made between the two race cars. This caused the Torbitt machine to spin bringing out the final caution with four laps remaining. On the restart Todd took command over Travis Green.
Green had been fighting for the third position, but when Brewer was sent to the rear for contact, Travis got the spot. Todd went on to score his second feature win of the season. Following him across the line were Travis Green, Dustin Harris, newcomer Dalton Maynard and Gary Smith.
The Limited Sportsman made their way onto the track. It would be a first time winner gracing the victory lane. The front row consisted of Jason Shedd and Buck Brown. It was a slight rocky start as two cars got hooked together bringing out the caution. Unfortunately it was the second caution on the same lap, so the next restart would be single file. The restart Jason and Derrick Shaffer battled for the lead. Coming into the racing picture was Johnny Williams. Johnny took over second, hoping to grab the lead. Jason tried the outside groove and went too high giving Johnny the lead. Once out front Johnny opened up a huge lead over the second place car. That was short lived as Tom Davey’s tire went flat bringing out another caution. The large lead that Williams had acquired was now lost. Johnny maintained the lead on the restart, but the battle behind him was heating up. Derrick Smith and Jason Shedd were working over each other. They made contact with Jason spinning on lap ten, but were able to continue. That moved Matthew Backus into second position for the remaining few laps. Backus was hoping to steal away the top honor from Williams. When the checkered flag fell it was Johnny Williams recording his very first victory. It was an emotional victory lane as Johnny is a one man race team. He does it all by himself, with some help from his wife and son. He dedicated the win to his uncle who recently passed away and his sister who is battling breast cancer. He stated “That dreams do come true”., and invited all the kids to come down to victory lane.
Next division up for their feature was FWD 4-Cylinder. Tim Vandermark and Andy Bolles made up the front row. When the green was given Tim took command of the lead. Many time feature winner Collin Mills attempted to make a three wide move in turn two. He did move into third and was now working on second. Collin did get into second and was looking to overtake Tim for the lead. These two battled side by side. They worked the inside and outside of each. It was Tim Vandermark who was able to lead the entire feature. The fifteen lap race went green to checkered. As the race came down to the last lap Collin gave it more chance. The checkers flew with Tim Vandermark grabbing the win. Finishing in second was Collin Mills, third was Bryant Beach, Andy Bolles was fourth and Jesse Milliron finished in fifth.
The IMCA modifieds came to the track with Rodney Morgan and Tyler Belcher on the front row. Rodney took control of the twenty lap feature event. There were only two cautions during the event, which gave Morgan the advantage. Making their moves from the eighth and ninth positions were the Sites brothers. Both Eddie and Brad were working to the front. Running in the second position was Gary Roberts piloting the Stoddard owned U23. Brad Sites was now in third hoping to obtain the second place spot. As the laps wound down, Brad’s brother Eddie was now also working on the Roberts machine. Gary held off Brad as long as he could, but the 115 was now in second. Eddie was trying all he could to get into the third position. Brad had also gotten within the area to challenge Rodney. Unfortunately for both brothers they were not able to complete their passes. Rodney Morgan driving an Alpha Chassis built by Jared Spalding picked up the victory. Rounding out the top fiver were Brad Sites, Gary Robers, Eddie Sites and Jacob McConnell.
The popular Factory Stock class was up next. Kurtis Stickle and Mahlon Shoemaker brought the field to the green. Stickle grabbed the early advantage. Making his move was the 22M of Rich Green, who grabbed second. On lap three two cars tangled in turn four, they were both able to continue in the event. The double file restart now put Stickle and Green side by side. They raced hard with each other making some contact. Rick ended up not doing so well, as he went off on the hook. The restart now found Tommy Groover looking to steal the win away from Stickle. The battle for third was heating up as were battling. The next caution found Lukas Mills making contact with the yuke tire in turn two. Kurtis would regain the lead on the restart. He checked out as Jordan Towner was now in second trying to make up ground. Jordan obtained the position after a mechanical problem on the Groover number two retired him from the event. Kurtis went on to win his first feature here at Afton. Second went to Jordan Towner, third to Mahlon Shoemaker, fourth to Luke Mills and fifth to Hank Morin. Hank was driving a sharp looking 57 Chevrolet.
The 600cc Modifieds were the final feature event of the evening. Ryan David-Kadaronak and John Hoover brought the field to the green. Ryan grabbed the early lead, with Hoover and Ryan Jordan battling behind him. Only one caution during the event when John and Ryan Jordan made contact. This sent the Hoover sixty-six spinning. The decision was made that Jordan caused the contact thus he was sent to the rear. On the restart Charlie Towner driving the 1 star took the lead away from Ryan. Charlie checked out, opening a half of track lead. The battle behind him was heating up as Dillon Beadle was trying to get around the 566. As the laps wound down Ryan Jordan worked his way back into the top five. When the checkered flag came down on the fifteen lap event it was Charlie Towner recording the win. However, in the post race inspection he was disqualified for weight. That would give Ryan David-Kadaronak his very first win in a 600 Modified. It was another very emotional victory lane for this Rookie driver. Rounding out the top five were Ryan Jordan, Dillon Beadle, Chris Carman and John Hoover.
The Afton Fair night was a huge success, as we got to see an awesome fireworks display. Lots of great racing and special time with family and friends. Lots of great nights of racing left in the 2023 season. Coming up next week the sponsors for the racing event will be Stanton’s Cattle Company and LIL’ Dave’s Excavating. The modifieds will make their return along with the rest of the divisions. The Bi-Weekly division will be the Factory Stocks. The children should remind their parents that it will be “KIDDIE RIDE” night. This means that children of all ages can get to ride around the track with their favorite driver. For more information visit our FACEBOOK pages, Afton Motorsports Park and Afton Motorsports Park Fans. Hope to see everyone back at the “Fast Track.”
Saturday, July 1st, 2023 Quick Results – Afton Fair Night!
Pit Stop Auto Crate Sportsman Feature – TODD TITUS, Travis Green, Dustin Harris, Dalton Maynard, Gary Smith, Matt Richardson, Bill Davey Jr, Pat Mann, Kinser Hill, Craig Pope, Joey Mennite, Eric Winsor, Trey Palmer, Kyle Smith, Matt Brewer, Jared Green, Scot Torbitt, Chuck Culbertson, Joe Buchanan, Dale Welty, Brian Durbin, Travis Smith, Jim Cummings, Nate DeGraw (DQ – Weight)
Heat Race Winners – Dustin Harris, Travis Green, Todd Titus
Big E’s Shed Sleddin’ & Sales Limited Sportsman Feature – JOHNNY WILLIAMS, Matthew Backus, Jason Shedd, Buck Brown, Dylan Nichols, Derrick Shaffer, Devon Green, Stephen Winsor, Dave Stanton, Derek Roe, Dominick Amato, Bucky Buchanan, Tom Davey
Heat Race Winners – Derrick Shaffer, Johnny Williams
Rinker Insurance Agency 600cc Modified Feature – RYAN DAVID-KADARONAK, Ryan Jordan, Dillon Beadle, Chris Carman, John Hoover, Brenton Payne, Phil Burns, Charlie Towner (DQ – Weight)
Heat Race Winner – Ryan David-Kadaronak
Carquest of Unadilla FWD 4 Cylinder Feature – TIM VANDERMARK, Collin Mills, Bryant Beach, Andy Bolles, Jesse Milliron, Rich Wagner, Randy Lane, John Maynard, John Mason
Heat Race Winner – Collin Mills
IMCA Modified Feature – RODNEY MORGAN, Brad Sites, Gary Roberts, Eddie Sites, Jacob McConnell, Tyler Stoddard, Jake Maynard, Owen Clark, Tyler Belcher, Bob Maynard, Shawn Bruce, JT Roe, Dave Stalker, Jenna Conley (DNS)
Heat Race Winners – Rodney Morgan, Eddie Sites
Lil’ Dave Excavating & Stanton Cattle Co Factory Stock Feature – KURTIS STICKLE, Jordan Towner, Mahlon Shoemaker, Luke Mills, Hank Morin, Tommy Groover, Billy Shoemaker, Rich Green, Jim Sykes, Walt Henry
Heat Race Winners – Kurtis Stickle, Rich Green