Press Release: Bachetti Crown, along with Watson at Valley of Speed
Bachetti Puts the Final Touches on First Big Block Crown, Including 358’s. Watson Captures Sportsman Title Saturday September 2, 2006 – By: Rodney Rescott West Lebanon, NY: All across the state of New York, and western New England, all outdoor activity came to a screeching halt due to hurricane, or what was left of him, Ernesto, but not at the Valley of Speed. With the speedway nestled among the surrounding Berkshire Mountains, the only weather that affected the speedway was the wind. As the Valley faithful got a full night of racing action that included double features for the Modifieds, and final points night for the Mods, as well as the 358’s, and Sportsman. As the crowd settled in to the seats, then grab something to hold on to, as the action picked up just as quickly as the winds did. The first Modified 30 lap feature event was presented by Waste Management took only one lap to completely rearrange the point’s championship battle. Ron Dwyer and John Alberti brought the field to the green. As the field got to turn 3, that’s where the trouble began as the 45H of Don Mattison was struggling with handling problems causing the field to get bunched up coming off turn 4. As the faster cars caught the bunches pack, they went 3 and 4 wide down the front stretch, and that was not going to work to get into turn one, as the field began to pile up. When all was said and done, the red flag flew due to the track being completely blocks with 12 cars involved, including points leader Bachetti. Also involved in the turn one incident was point contenders J.R. Heffner, Kenny Tremont, Wayne Jelley, Eddie Marshall, in addition to Hector Stratton, Steve Hough, Russ Reckner, Guy Sheldon, Paul Gilardi, Donnie Ackner, Brian Berger, Wayne Figler and John Ruchel. Jelley was unable to continue along with Figler, and Marshall. Everyone else returned to the race, but suffering some damage was the #4 Albreada Waste of Bachetti, going several laps down to the field. Once the race restarted, Ron Dwyer charged to the front of the field, and that’s where he would remain for about 20 laps. That’s when point contender Donnie Corellis came a-calling; he wanted the top spot to put pressure on Bachetti for the point title. On lap 22, is when it all unfolded, as Corellis got a good run on the #88d, and was on his way by when the #88d leaned on the #21 of Corellis trying to protect the lead. That in turn caused hard contact between the two, sending Dwyer hard in the inside jersey barrier. Corellis was then penalized for rough driving, and was relegated to the rear of the field. That handed the reigns over to the #1A of Tim Dwyer. And that is all he needed, as the cruise control was set, and finally getting to the checkers. Dwyer took his 1st of 2006; following Dwyer was Lorne Browe, Tremont, Mike King, and John Hewitt. The Modifieds then return later on in the night for the CARQUEST $3,000.00 to win presented by Gable Auto Stores and Pepsi-Cola. Luckily the filed made in through without any major incidents, but there was certainly no lack of drama. Keith Flach and Ronnie Dwyer, driving Matt Quinn’s #20, brought the field to the green. Back through the field, the battered cars of those suffering damage in the first event looked like round two of a demo derby. Bachetti’s car was so damaged, like Dwyer’s; he too had to go to a backup of his own. Corellis , too, suffered damage to his primary car in the heat races after making hard contact with the outside wall in turn 3 after jumping the wheel of John Alberti’s #473. Corellis entered the 2nd feature driving his 358 #21. After several cautions for spinning cars, debris, and the occasional wall contact, the field seemed pretty well intake, except for the drama that unfolded around lap 26. The #4 backup of Andy Bachetti suddenly lost power, and headed pit side handing an opportunity for the rest of the contenders to take the point title. But it was just not the cards, as the checkers flew, Hector Stratton powered to his first victory of ’06, followed by the hard charging J.R. Heffner. 3rd across the line was Marshall, Sheldon, and Wayne Jelley. But as a result of Bachetti’s 18th place finish, and the Corellis’ 12th place finish, that handed the crown to the Albreada Waste #4 of Andy Bachetti by just a mere 24 points. With all that excitement, there was still enough time to finish up the point chase in two more divisions. Next up was the Sportsman title chase, where the #22 of Jeff Watson had a skimp lead going into the night’s event. The 20 lap feature came to the green with Wayne Keyes and Earl Thitchener at the helm. For the first few laps, the #92 of Thitchener held the top spot, only to hand in over to a very hard charging #00 of Chris Kokosa, who was vying for his bid to be point champ. Once the Kokosa Fuels #00 was out front, the rest of the filed was racing for 2nd place. Deep in the field, once again the point leader was struggling. Including a trip down pit road, and a restart from the back of the field, the #22 of Watson was just not going to be denied. He drove to a 9th place finish, clinching the point’s crown. Kokosa took the checkers, followed by Don Miller, Chris Tryon, Ryan Larkin and Danny Sanchez. But the spotlight was on the #22 of Watson with a 54 point win over K.C. Goewey. The Benjamin Moore Paints 358 title was also up for grabs, this time, all the contenders made it through the whole race without incident. At the drop of the green, the #30 of Mark Pullen took the helm, but was to be short lived, as the #171 of Tommy Faxon, charged to the top spot by lap 5. But the 24 lap feature was about 10 laps too long for Faxon, as the #4 Four Star TEO of Brett Hearn charged from his 20th starting spot, to take the lead, and check out on the field. At the checkers, Hearn crossed the line first, 2nd was Faxon. Ray Hoard finished 3rd, followed by Matt Quinn and Kenny Tremont. By virtue of his 6th place finish, Bachetti and his Old Forge Powersports #4 captures the 2006 Benjamin Moore Paints 358 Super Series Point Title. Also on tap was the Pro Stocks, as Mike Middleton took advantage of some late race contact between the #96 of Rob Langevin, and the #165 of Ed Bachand, taking his first win of 2006. Following Middleton was Jason Casey, Paul LaRochelle, Chris Crews, and Kevin Arnold rounding out the top five. The Limited Pro Stocks saw George miles return to victory lane followed by Nick Hilt, Brian Keough, John Santolin, and Kevin Winters. The Pure Stocks were also sprinkled in to the schedule of events. And the winners were: PS# 1 Lou Ganczar, PS#2 Larry Ball, PS#3 Pete Wiegand, (his 10th for ’06), and PS#4 Howard Madsen. With the Three major point titles decided, that only means it’s time for the Coor’s 200 Weekend, and the Race of Kings. Lebanon Valley Speedway is set to open it’s gates for this season ending extravaganza beginning Friday September 8th with Sportsman, Pro Stocks, Limited Pro Stocks, Pure Stocks, and 4 cylinders. Then, come Saturday, it’s the 100 lap Race of Kings for the 358’s, then the Coor’s National 200 for the Modifieds. Get your tickets now as they are going fast. Don’t forget the Weekend Pass will be in effect, for just $32! If your planning on camping the entire weekend, get there early to reserve your spot, as some have already begun to get their spots. For more information, or to get tickets, visit our website at www.LebanonValley.com, or contact the Speedway Offices at (518)-794-9606, or (518) 794-9965 during normal business hours. Results: Saturday September 02, 2006 – Waste Management Rained Out Modified Results from 08/19/06 (30 Laps) - 1 Tim Dwyer 2 Lorne Browe, 3 Kenny Tremont, 4 Mike King, 5 John Hewitt, 6 J. R. Heffner, 7 Mark Flach Jr, 8 John Alberti, 9 Kyle Sheldon, 10 Dave McFeeters, 11 John Ruchel, 12 Donnie Corellis, 13 Don Mattison, 14 Skippy Fox, 15 Guy Sheldon, 16 Brian Berger, 17 Andy Bachetti, 18 Ron Dwyer, 19 Hector Stratton, 20 Paul Gilardi, 21 Russ Reckner, 22 Dave Leckonby, 23 Mark Pullen, 24 Steve Hough, 25 Wayne Jelley, 26 Eddie Marshall, 27 Donnie Ackner, 28 Keith Flach, 29 Wayne Figler Gable Auto Stores, Pepsi Cola Present the CARQUEST Auto Parts Modified Special Results (30 Laps) - 1 Hector Stratton, 2 J. R. Heffner, 3 Eddie Marshall, 4 Guy Sheldon, 5 Wayne Jelley, 6 Kenny Tremont, 7 Keith Flach, 8 Dave Leckonby, 9 Lorne Browe, 10 Mark Flach Jr, 11 John Hewitt, 12 Donnie Corellis, 13 John Ruchel, 14 Donnie Ackner, 15 Kyle Sheldon, 16 Don Mattison, 17 Skippy Fox, 18 Andy Bachetti, 19 Dave McFeeters, 20 Mike King, 21 Brian Berger, 22 Wayne Figler, 23 John Alberti, 24 Ron Dwyer, 25 Russ Reckner, 26 Bobby Varin, 27 Tim Dwyer, 28 Steve Hough, 29 Matt Quinn Benjamin Moore Paints 358 Modified Super Series Results (24 Laps) - 1 Brett Hearn, 2 Tom Faxon, 3 Ray Hoard, 4 Matt Quinn, 5 Kenny Tremont Jr, 6 Andy Bachetti, 7 Alan Houghtaling, 8 Donnie Corellis, 9 J. R. Heffner, 10 Ted Teal, 11 Keith Flach, 12 Kory Gurney, 13 Buddy Henke, 14 Roy Bridge, 15 Alex Sommers, 16 Ryan Stortini, 17 Mark Pullen, 18 Danny Burl, 19 Sean Gallivan, 20 Rich Salisbury Sportsman Results (20 Laps) - 1 Chris Kokosa, 2 Don Miller, 3 Chris Tryon, 4 Ryan Larkin, 5 Danny Sanchez, 6 Kyle Hoffman, 7 Alan Houghtaling, 8 Neil Stratton, 9 Jeff Watson, 10 Brian Sandstedt, 11 KC Goewey, 12 Kevin Lynch, 13 Frank Harper, 14 Wayne Keyes, 15 Bill Singer, 16 Butch Lyons, 17 Chad Pierce, 18 Jason Tompkins, 19 Brian Houghtaling, 20 Gus Kamburelis, 21 Jerry Hunt, 22 Rob Yetman, 23 Carmon Carnibucci, 24 Kory Sandstedt, 25 Ed Harkin, 26 Kim Lavoy, 27 Joe Mabb Jr Pro Stock Results (20 Laps) - 1 Mike Middleton, 2 Jason Casey, 3 Paul LaRochelle, 4 Chris Crews, 5 Kevin Arnold, 6 Jon Routhier, 7 Don Carlson, 8 Jay Corbin, 9 Victor Hopkins, 10 Rob Yetman, 11 Rick Spencer, 12 Don Collins, 13 Ed Bachand, 14 Rob Langevin, 15 Jay Casey, 16 Hugh Page Limited Pro Stock Results (10 Laps) - 1 George Miles Jr, 2 Nick Hilt, 3 Brian Keough, 4 John Santolin, 5 Kevin Winters, 6 Justin Herron, 7 Jim Keough, 8 Dale Kennedy, 9 Jim Fachini, 10 Gary Ashley, 11 Frankie Twing Pure Stock #1 Results (8 Laps) - 1 Lou Ganczar, 2 Joe Walcott, 3 Jay Pappin, 4 Joe Chenail, 5 Doug Olds, 6 Chris Keller, 7 Lynn Wesley, 8 Jay Casey, 9 Jay Kreutziger Jr, 10 Gary VanDenberg Pure Stock #2 Results (8 Laps) - 1 Larry Ball, 2 Jeff Douglass, 3 Paul Engwer, 4 Nick Regis, 5 Scott Kilmer, 6 Dave Houser, 7 Steve Hatch, 8 Karl Castagna, 9 Don Coon, 10 Steve Beckwith, 11 Mike Fachini Pure Stock #3 Results (8 Laps) - 1,Pete Wiegand, 2 Al Relyea, 3 Tom Harkins, 4 Matt Humes, 5 Bob Palmer, 6 John Chapman, 7 Ray Hall Sr, 8 Dave Stickles, 9 Dave Streibel, 10 Mike Eichstedt, 11 Shannon McDermott, 12 Chrissy Hilt Pure Stock #4 Results (8 Laps) - 1,Howard Madsen, 2 Ryan Coon, 3 Steve Kahler Jr, 4 Ed Hatch, 5 Rich Douglass, 6 John Quiqley, 7 Richard Rogers, 8 Dave Fachini Jr, 9 Sean Tomlin, 10 Jerry Helms Jr, 11 Kirk Stanaway, 12 Gil Twing Sr Final Points – September 2, 2006 Modifieds: 1 Andy Bachetti 709, 2 J. R. Heffner 685, 3 Donnie Corellis 684, 4 Kenny Tremont 681, 5 Eddie Marshall 664, 6 Wayne Jelley 636, 7 Guy Sheldon 622, 8 Tim Dwyer 618, 9 Lorne Browe (R) 561, 10 John Hewitt 560, 11 Mark Flach Jr (R) 556, 12 Hector Stratton 552, 13 Brian Berger 538, 14 Keith Flach (R) 528, 15 Mike King 512, 16 Ron Dwyer 503, 17 Russ Reckner 500, 18 Steve Hough 475, 19 Paul Gilardi 443, 20 Denny Soltis 397, 21 Kyle Sheldon 380, 22 Matt Quinn 374, 23 John Alberti 355, 24 Dave Leckonby 354, 25 John Ruchel 298 Benjamin Moore Paints 358 Super Series: 1 Andy Bachetti 492, 2 J. R. Heffner 444, 3 Matt Quinn 442, 4 Donnie Corellis 418, 5 Ray Hoard 377, 6 Roy Bridge 350, 7 Ted Teal 344, 8 Tom Faxon 342, 9 Alan Houghtaling 331, 10 Kenny Tremont Jr 327, 11 Wayne Jelley 319, 12 Keith Flach 313, 13 Rich Salisbury 295, 14 Kory Gurney 288, 15 Mark Pullen 250, 16 Sean Gallivan 236, 17 Denny Young Jr 229, 18 Ryan Larkin 137, 19 Buddy Henke 122, 20 Brett Hearn 116, 21 Jeremy Matthies 93, 22 John Hotchkiss 83, 23 Alex Sommers 76, 24 Danny Burl 75, 25 Marc Johnson 65 Sportsman: 1 Jeff Watson 725, 2 KC Goewey 671, 3 Chris Kokosa 663, 4 Frank Harper 643, 5 Kyle Hoffman 632, 6 Ryan Larkin 631, 7 Alan Houghtaling 627, 8 Ed Harkin 574, 9 Chris Tryon 572, 10 Brian Sandstedt 546, 11 Carmon Carnibucci 541, 12 Kevin Lynch 520, 13 Neil Stratton 510, 14 Kory Sandstedt 509, 15 Danny Sanchez 502, 16 Art Collins 499, 17 Don Miller 477, 18 Chad Pierce 431, 19 Wayne Keyes 317, 20 Joe Mabb Jr 314, 21 Bob Bouchard 310, 22 Danny Burl 238, 23 Earl Thitchener 224, 24 Kim Lavoy 202, 25 Walt McKay 198 _________________________________________________________________ All-in-one security and maintenance for your PC. 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