News Director 
Story By: FIVE MILE POINT SPEEDWAY – KIRKWOOD, NY – Justin Holland backed up his September 30th Modified win with the victory in the Southern Tier 40 on Saturday at Five Mile Point Speedway.
The victory was worth $4,000 and was part of the National Quarter Mile Dirt Track Championship Saturday at the speedway. Tim Guild captured his first ever Crate Sportsman victory at the speedway with a last lap pass of Gary Smith. That victory was worth $1,250.
One more race will be held this Saturday with the annual “Great Crate Race for Sportsman” paying $2,555 to the winner.
The Modified 40 lap feature was a rough and tumble affair. The race was slowed by fourteen caution flag periods and a red flag when Joey Colsten flipped in turn one on lap 39. Nick Nye and Tommy Collins were on the front row by virtue of the re-draw. Collins raced out to the lead at the drop of the green but the caution would fly after only one lap. Cautions would be the theme for this one. When racing resumed Collins again maintained the ace lead as 2021 and 2022 Modified Track Champion Brett Tonkin charged into second place. Dan Creeden quickly joined the battle up front moving to third with Justin Holland hustling from tenth to fourth in the early going.
Collins continued to lead the race until lap 13. At this point Tonkin was able to work past and into the race lead. Creeden moved in to second at the same time and now Holland was applying the pressure on Collins for third. Holland moved up to third place on lap 16 and was now part of the battle for the race lead. Tonkin continued to set the pace as the race hit the halfway mark of the race. The top three was unchanged at this point but now Will Shields had moved up to fourth and Brian Malcolm had advanced from seventeenth to fifth.
Creeden continued to apply the pressure to Tonkin out front despite a motor that began to smoke early in the feature. On lap 27 Creeden worked past Tonkin for the race lead. A caution on lap 38 reset the field. The red flag was thrown on the very next lap when Joey Colsten flipped on the homestretch entering turn 1. Colsten was uninjured in the violent flip but sore. The car sustained heavy damage. Jim LaRock was also involved in the crash that saw him exit turn 1 and off the track.
When the yellow flag was put back out Creeden immediately headed to the pits with a terminal engine problem. Holland was up to second at this point and was now the race leader with Tonkin on his tail. The yellow flag fever continued on the same lap as a multi car tangle took place in turn 3 ending the night for several drivers including Seth Zacharias who ran solidly in the top ten throughout the race. A total of four more drivers were eliminated from this yellow. When the green flew Holland was able to keep Tonkin in check as Shields, Malcolm and Collins made up the top five. On lap 43 Malcolm spun with both Shields and Collins now heading to the pits. Shields was done for the evening with Collins coming back out.
The final seven laps went caution free as Holland was able to hold off Tonkin for the victory. Pat Ward ran a steady race to take third at the stripe. Malcolm came back to claim fourth with Collins finishing in fifth. Chris Curtis made his first ever start at the speedway, was involved in several cautions but rallied for sixth. Marshall Hurd ran the extreme outside of the quarter mile the entire event. He was up to as far as fourth on lap 43 and was able to claim the sixth spot. Chris Ostrowsky finished seventh. Only seven of the original twenty-five starters finished the 40 lap event.
The 25 lap Sportsman feature event had more significance than normal. It was race two of three of the Fall Series but the top three finishers were to be locked in to the “re-draw” for the upcoming “Great Crate Race”. Gary Smith and Tim Guild started on the front row and sent a torrid pace throughout. Multiple cautions slowed the action in the first half of the race but things did settle down for what would be the race of the night. Guild used the wildly fast outside of the track to take the initial lead. Smith took over on lap 4 and led the majority of the race. A caution on lap 19 reset the field and the last double file restart led to an epic finish. Smith utilized the outside line on the restart and was running all the way to the wall in the turns. Guild utilized the bottom of the quarter mile as the duo ran side by side the last four laps. Smith led every lap but on lap 24 Guild got the better run off of turn 4 coming to the checkers. Guild edged Smith out by a bumper to take the lead and the victory. Smith finished second with Brad Weaver, Dale Welty and Skylar Sheriff completing the top five. Kevin Olenick raced from his eighteenth starting slot to sixth. Ray Leonard, Mike Loney, Mike Doty and Jared Green completed the top ten.
FALL SERIES MODIFIED OFFICIAL FEATURE FINISH (40 LAPS): JUSTIN HOLLAND ($4,000), Brett Tonkin, Pat Ward, Brian Malcolm, Tommy Collins, Chris Curtis, Marshall Hurd, Chris Ostrowsky, Will Shields, Dan Creeden, Seth Zacharias, John Michael Phillips, Scott Ferrier, Kenny Ferrier, Joey Colsten, Jim LaRock, Mike Ricci, Stacy Jackson, Todd Titus, Charlie Hendrickson, Daniel Morgiewicz, Nick Nye, Geoff Quackenbush, Dany Tyler, T.J. Frost. DNQ – Brad Schaffer, Steve Young. Shawn’s Racing Updates Hard Charger $50 Bonus – Brian Malcom.
CRATE SPORTSMAN OFFICIAL FEATURE FINISH (25 LAPS): TIM GUILD ($1,250), Gary Smith, Brad Weaver, Dale Welty, Skylar Sheriff, Kevin Olenick, Ray Leonard, Mike Loney, Mike Doty, Jared Green, Blaine Klinger, Tim Falter, Chip Constantino, Brett Wooster, Clayton Brewer, Ryan Barrett, Ned Fitch, Nate DeGraw, Darell Quackenbush, Kyle Smith, Jordan Millard, Tighe Sherlock, Seth Martin, Alan Komar. DNQ – J.T. McCracken, David Hackett, Billy Fiske, Trey Palmer, Bill Davey Jr., Tom Davey, Joe Buchanan.
FACTORY STOCK OFFICIAL FEATURE FINISH (20 LAPS): JERRY LOBDELL JR., Tommy Groover, Charlie Towner, Billy Shoemaker, Eric Beach, Brandon Conklin, Todd Koegel, Evan Denue, Mahlon Shoemaker, Justin Slezak, Nate Arnold, Buck Mills, Mike Morse, Rich Glover, Rich Sharpsteen, Buck Mills III.
STREET STOCK OFFICIAL FEATURE FINISH (20 LAPS): JERRY LOBDELL, JR., Doug Stack Sr., Doug Stack Jr., Eddie Sites, Chris Woodard, Damon Decker, Steve Hartman, Gene Sharpsteen, Don Reeves, Don Russell Jr., Gene Balmer, Junior Kobbe, Charlie Fulton, Willy Easling.
600 MODIFIED OFFICIAL FEATURE FINISH (20 LAPS): RYAN DAVID-KADARONAK, Aiden Miller, Gaege Higley, Samuel Hubbard, Ali Scutt, Dillon Beadle, Nick Johnson Larry Furman, Jake Higley, A.J. Tuttle, Brenton Payne, Trevor Dawe, Jake Waibel.
FRONT WHEEL DRIVE FOUR CYLINDER EXPERT OFFICIAL FEATURE FINISH (20 LAPS): TIM VANDEMARK, Dave Simms, Brian Mettler, Jeremy Warren, Drayton Smith, Brian Salmini, Ralph Cuozzo, Anthony St. Mary, Eric Rowley, Kenny Underwood. DNS – Nick Brown.
FUTURE SPORTSMAN OFFICIAL FEATURE FINISH (20 LAPS): LANCE HILL, Avery Decker, Steven Winsor, Mike Zuk, Buck Brown, Josh Fedo, Philip Loosen, Matt Jordan, Matt Jones, Phil Arnold. DQ Tyler Bobar (not reporting to post-race tech). DNS – Terry Falter.
FRONT WHEEL DRIVE FOUR CYLINDER NOVICE OFFICIAL FEATURE FINISH (15 LAPS): TANNER MILLIRON, Landon Dixon, Mike Girjatowicz, Nick Milliron, Nash Ford, Cory Schmeck.
