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LEBANON VALLEY SPEEDWAY HONORS ITS BEST


JANUARY 28, 2003
WEST LEBANON, NY- The dates are set for the annual Lebanon Valley Speedway 
awards banquets honoring the 2002 champions in five divisions competing on 
the ½ mile oval. Friday March 14th the Pro Stock, Rookie Pro Stock and Pure 
Stock divisions will be on hand to crown their 50th Anniversary champions and 
recognize the achievements of the top point finishers.
       Paul LaRochelle of Dalton, MA is the 2002 Pro Stock champion. A torrid 
point battle took place all season long between the top three final point men 
with LaRochelle coming out on top at the last race of the season.
       Rob Yetman took home runner-up honors just two points behind the first 
place spot. Jim Langenback, Danny Sanchez and Al Blackburn rounded out the 
top five Pro Stocks with Bob Duzlak Jr., Ed Bachand, Adam Haas, Robbie Speed 
and rookie Jason DiBello in sixth through tenth.
       The Rookie Pro Stock point race also was determined on the final night 
of racing with Averill Park, NY's Bill Lobdell Jr. picking up the 
championship. 
       Jay Corbin was a close second just six points behind Lobdell. Henry 
Warner, Bill Hammell and Kim LaVoy took second through fifth place and 
finishing sixth through tenth place were Ralph Hotchkiss, Mark Forrest, Joe 
Mabb Jr., Jery Helms and John Santolin.
       Pete Wiegand of Cross River, NY dominated the Pure Stock division by 
capturing six wins, seventeen top fives and nineteen top tens on his way to 
the championship.
       George Miles Jr. was second in the championship run. Taking third 
through fifth spots were Pete DeFiglio, Bob Palmer and D. T. Pickard. Bob 
Burl, Jim Hankey, Brian Sandstedt, Keith Barlow and Jay Martin were sixth 
through tenth.
       Fellow Pure Stock racer Don Coon donated the trophies so the eleventh 
through fifteenth place Pure Stock drivers could be honored at the banquet 
also. Those drivers are Ronny Jacobsen, Kory Sandstedt, Ron Tritschler, 
Chrissy Hilt and Ryan Coon.
Saturday March 15th sets the stage for the Modified and Sportsman division to 
collect their hardware. The top fifteen Modified and top ten sportsman 
drivers will be recognized.
       Brett Hearn of Sussex, NJ made a triumphant return to the "High Banks" 
teaming up with the Gable Motorsports group making Lebanon Valley his 
Saturday night home. Hearn wasted no time as he won the first three features 
right out of the box on his way to a total of ten Modified victories. As the 
season progressed the big races also fell victim to the potent Budweiser #1 
garnering wins at the Budweiser Mr. Dirt Track USA event and the CARQUEST 
National 200.
       Lebanon Valley Speedway's winningest driver and twelve-time track 
champion Kenny Tremont Jr. did not make Hearn's championship run an easy one. 
Going into the final night of points Tremont held a twenty three point lead 
on Hearn but an uncharacteristic engine problem in the feature sidelined the 
Emerick Associates #115 early in the event handing the championship to Hearn.
       Tremont captured five feature events in 2002 including his 
unprecedented 100th victory at Lebanon Valley. Eddie Marshall, Matt Quinn and 
Andy Bachetti had strong seasons and finished in the third through fifth 
positions. Bachetti made the move to The Valley last year after a successful 
couple of years at Orange County.
       Rob Pitcher, J.R. Heffner, Rich Ricci Jr., Chris Moore and Hector 
Stratton captured sixth through tenth positions in the lucrative Modified 
points chase. Nearly $80,000 will be awarded to the top points finishers in 
the Modified, Sportsman and Pro Stock divisions for their efforts in 2002.
       Eleventh through fifteenth place in the Modified points were John 
Hewitt, Donnie Corellis, Denny Soltis, Dave Leckonby and Steve Devine. These 
drivers will receive $500 each in point money.
       Art Collins of Valatie, NY took home the championship in the very 
competitive Lebanon Valley Sportsman division. Driving the St. Lawrence 
Cement #68 car "Alligator Art" managed three feature victories in a division 
where there were ten different winners in 17 races.
       K.C. Goewey won four races on his way to the runner-up position 
including the $1,000 to win finale in September. Roy Bridge (who saw an 
almost lifelong dream come true with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers win in the 
Super Bowl) was third in points with Lorne Browe and Bobby Knipe rounding out 
the top five.
       Finishing sixth through tenth in Sportsman points were Ed Harkin, Mike 
Keeler, Frank Harper, Jeff Carr and rookie Ryan Larkin. Ryan is the son of 
Lebanon Valley Speedway Hall of Fame member Dickie Larkin and moved up into 
the Sportsman after one year in Pure Stock. The younger Larkin showed the 
apple doesn't fall far from the tree by capturing his first Sportsman feature 
on August 17th.
       There will be many special awards presented at each night's 
festivities including Hall of Fame induction, the Walt Schutt Award presented 
to the driver who emulates what Walt stood for, Rookie of the Year honors in 
the Modified and Sportsman divisions and other special awards. 
       Nationally known comedic entertainer Steve Van Zandt will be on hand 
each night to provide a the crowd with his unique brand of side-splitting 
humor and impressions. Saturday's keynote speaker will be nationally known 
sports commentator Jack Arute. Jack's family also owns and operates Stafford 
Motor Speedway in CT. Music will also be provided after the awards for your 
listening and dancing pleasure.
       A family style roast beef dinner will be the selection for this year's 
banquets. The food is always great and there is always plenty. The 
festivities each night will start with a cocktail hour at 6:30. Dinner will 
be served promptly at 7:30.
       We expect a full house each night and seating will be limited. It is 
highly suggested that you get your ticket order in early if you plan on 
attending either of the banquets. Tickets are only $18.00 per person and you 
can order tickets by sending a check or money order to Lebanon Valley 
Speedway, Box 9, West Lebanon, NY 12195. 
       You can also charge the tickets with your Visa, MasterCard or Discover 
car by calling the speedway office at (518) 794-9606 or (518) 794-9965. The 
office hours are Monday through Friday from 9am till 5pm.