Welty Wrangles Woodhull In $1,000 Crate Sportsman Special

Story By: STEVEN OVENS / WOODHULL RACEWAY – WOODHULL, NY – Saturday was a bone-chilling night in the Southern Tier, with temperatures dropping to the low 40s and upper 30s late in the night. Woodhull Raceway held their racing program as scheduled and worked diligently to run a seven-division show in exactly three hours for the hearty fans and race teams in attendance.

Ted White and the track prep crew provided a smooth-as-glass racing surface and the racing on the track was extremely competitive with three lanes of racing in each division. Dale Welty, John Waters, Dylan Cecce, Chris Woodard, Shawn Gleason, Carter Dennis and Cole Youse all came out victorious at ‘New York’s Toughest Bullring.’

Welty started in the third position for the thirty-lap $1,000-to-win event sponsored by Lias Tire and Insinger Performance/Sunoco Race Fuels. The driver out of Montour Falls would follow Woodhull Raceway veteran Dave DuBois in the No. 29 for the first eight laps of the event as DuBois powered the Horseheads Army Recruitment Station machine in the lead.

Welty would take over the lead on lap nine as he and DuBois had to navigate slower traffic in the twenty-five-car starting field. The NAPA Crate Sportsman division has benefited from an influx of rookie talent that all were trying to find racing room on the tight, third-mile track.

Chris Daugherty, who will return to 370 Modified action next weekend in the Modified season opener, drove his way into the second position with his potent Bicknell chassis. Stevie Hartman III had an incredible race as well, riding in the third position for much of the event before suffering mechanical problems and coming to a stop with only six circuits remaining.

With less than ten laps to go, Welty had to survive two late race restarts with Daugherty on his tail looking for two straight years of winning the Crate Sportsman special event. Welty would prove to be up to the task, winning over Daugherty, Tim Guild, Josh Keesey and Bobby Peoples.

John Waters had an ignition problem last week in his return to Woodhull in the SWL Awards & Photos Crate Late Models. After dominating their twenty-lap go on Saturday night by half a track, it’s safe to say all of their ignition problems have been solved.

Waters rolled off the starting grid in the fourth spot but made quick work of reaching the top three in the opening laps of the feature. Last week’s winner Jason “The Jet” Knowles took the early lead from his outside pole starting position.

While Knowles led the opening two laps, there was a big red machine charging behind him. The beautifully painted No. 94 of Bryce Davis was making his return to Woodhull on this night, and took a huge momentum run off turn four to blast by Knowles as lap three clicked off the Border Drive Heating lap counter.

Davis was fast in his qualifying heat and his feature, but Waters was not going to be denied. The driver from Whitesville, NY slipped past David on lap nine, and while Davis tried to keep pace it was Waters who turned on the afterburners aboard the Insinger Performance, Troups Creek Auto Parts No. 11.

At Scott Lyon’s double-checkered flags, Waters had a half track lead on the rest of the field. Davis came home second, Mike Wonderling third, Knowles fourth and Steve LaBarron fifth.

Speaking of drivers who took wins with a massive lead on the second place car, you’ll need to include Woodhull’s Dylan Cecce who picked up the win in the twenty-lap Joe Willcox Performance Automatics Street Stocks feature event.

Cecce had the luck of drawing the outside pole, but with the speed his Cummings Trucking No. 7 had- it may not have mattered where he started. After fighting polesitter Mick Seeley for the lead on the opening lap, it quickly turned into the Dylan Cecce Invitational.

The 2015 Street Stock track champion wheeled his 2017 Potter Chassis smooth and steady on the low lane of the track and quickly pulled out to a healthy lead on Teddy Morseman. Morseman was strong as well in his MRC Chassis No. 44, but just couldn’t match the seven car on this night.

Defending track champion Kurt Stebbins rode the cushion to a third place finish over Tracy Dunn and Jeredd Dennis. Seeley raced in the top five until two laps to go, when the engine got too warm for Seeley’s liking and pulled the Chilson-Wilcox No. 31 into the pits and out of the race.

The Daugherty Auto Sales Mini Stocks saw defending track champion Chris Woodard rebound in a big way from the week prior, to win their first twenty-lap points race of 2017. Woodard took a rare heat race victory and turned it into a win after starting in the fourth position.

Corning, NY pilot Rick Amidon led the opening lap before Woodard claimed the top spot going into turn one on lap two. Amidon would ultimately finish sixth, but had to be happy with finishing there as their team discovered that the cam underneath the hood had gone bad on Saturday morning at 9AM.

Brian Grant Jr. and last week’s winner Ron Dailey Jr. made it a race for second in the second half of the event, as Woodard kept all challengers at arm’s reach. Rookie of the Year contender Dylon Gleason kept pace with the top four cars finishing fourth, with Williamsport, PA’s Karl Born snagging a top five in his No. 06.

The Woodhull Auto Supply Front Wheel Drives would find the same winner in Instant Heat Wood Pellets Victory Lane on Saturday, but this time Shawn Gleason had to make it happen from the second row.

It didn’t take long as Gleason saw the Red Sea part ways on the opening lap coming off turn two, making it three-wide for the lead with Nate Freeland and Adam DelGrosso. DelGrosso chased after Gleason for much of the event, eventually giving up the second spot to a hard-charging Matt Prescott.

However for the second week in a row, nobody could touch the speed exiting the corner that Gleason has enjoyed enroute to his second victory of 2017. DelGrosso finished third, while Nate Freeland and Carl LaBarron rounded out the top five.

Another driver made it two checkered flags in a row Saturday night, as Carter Dennis grabbed the win in the Hobby Stock division. The division doubled in count as Brent Williams debuted his No. 21 machine.

Dennis is getting quite comfortable in his primarily black No. 22, flexing his muscle and getting quicker with every lap turned in this division that is brand new to Woodhull in 2017. More cars are rumored to being close to ready to race in the next several weeks, which will make for a competitive field in the Hobby Stock division.

Cole Youse rebounded in the best way he could in his return to Woodhull on Saturday night, walking away with the Daugherty Auto Sales Warriors ten-lap feature race. Youse broke a crank in one motor and broke the bolts off the flywheel after replacing the motor last weekend in consecutive days at Outlaw Speedway and Woodhull.

After getting the bad luck out of the way, Youse was all business on Saturday night as it was the first point race in the chase for the 2017 championship. Youse had extended the lead to a straightaway over last week’s first-time winner Trevor Hamilton at the checkered flag.

Brody Amidon finished in the third spot, with Braden Buchanan continuing to improve to finish fourth. Ronnie Dailey suffered a flat tire late in the going to finish fifth. Noah Talada suffered a mechanical problem on the No. 7A and was unable to finish the race in sixth.

This Saturday at Woodhull Raceway will be the season opener for the 370 Modifieds, sponsored by Mountain Dew and Pepsi. The Modifieds will be joined by the Crate Sportsman, Crate Late Models, Street Stocks, Mini Stocks, Front Wheel Drives, Woodhull Warriors and Hobby Stocks. Race time is set for 6:30PM.

Race fans are encouraged to sign up for the fastest alerts from Woodhull Raceway’s Rained Out Alert system by sending the text message “WoodhullAlert” to 84483, message and data rates may apply.

For more information race over to www.woodhullraceway.com, Like Woodhull Raceway on Facebook at www.facebook.com/WoodhullRaceway or Follow Woodhull on Twitter @WoodhullPR.

Woodhull Raceway is located in Woodhull, NY, just 30 minutes West of Corning, NY and competes weekly on Saturday nights from mid-April through Labor Day Weekend. The track offers several special events including the Patriot Sprint Tour 360 Sprints and the Short Track Super Series Modifieds in late-August.

Woodhull Raceway Lias Tire/Insinger Performance Night Results April 22nd, 2017

NAPA CRATE SPORTSMAN $1,000, 25 cars (30 Laps): DALE WELTY (1), Chris Daugherty, Tim Guild, Josh Keesey, Bobby Peoples, Dave DuBois, Brandon Butler, AJ Costley, Jeffery Daugherty, Jerry Aldrich, Dayton Brewer, Casey Pavlick, Stacey Jackson, Tim Schram, Mickey Wilbur, Dave Richmond, Adam Taft, Stevie Hartman III, Kirk Reynolds, Donnie Lawson, Mike Jackson, Brandon Clark, Blake Lawson, Bryce Martin DNS: Jake Dgien

H1- Donnie Lawson, Brandon Butler, Bryce Martin
H2- Dale Welty, Jeffery Daugherty, Chris Daugherty
H3- AJ Costley, Josh Keesey, Dave DuBois

SWL AWARDS CRATE LATE MODELS, 11 cars (20 Laps): JOHN WATERS (1), Bryce Davis, Mike Wonderling, Jason Knowles, Steve LaBarron, Brian Knowles, Darin Horton, Kurt Stebbins, Brad Smith, Rich McNeal, Matt Ford

H1- John Waters, Mike Wonderling, Brian Knowles
H2- Bryce Davis, Jason Knowles, Brad Smith

JOE WILLCOX PERFORMANCE AUTOMATICS STREET STOCKS, 14 cars (20 Laps): DYLAN CECCE (1), Teddy Morseman, Kurt Stebbins, Tracy Dunn, Jeredd Dennis, Glenn Whritenour, Brett Marlatt, Kane Stebbins, Dan Gardner, Tom Savercool, Trevor Tompkins, Jim Weatherley, Mick Seeley DNS: Branden Morseman

H1- Brett Marlatt, Glenn Whritenour, Mick Seeley
H2- Dylan Cecce, Dan Gardner, Teddy Morseman

DAUGHERTY’S AUTO SALES & SERVICE MINI STOCKS, 12 cars (20 Laps): CHRIS WOODARD (1), Brian Grant Jr., Ron Dailey Jr., Dylon Gleason, Karl Born, Rick Amidon, Corky Grant, Scott Lehman, John Hand, Alan Crooker, James LaGrange, Derrick Puryear

H1- Chris Woodard, Karl Born, Ron Dailey Jr.
H2- Brian Grant Jr., Rick Amidon, Corky Grant

WOODHULL AUTO SUPPLY FWD, 9 cars (20 Laps): SHAWN GLEASON (2), Matt Prescott, Adam DelGrosso, Nate Freeland, Carl LaBarron, Brendan Schweigart, Roger Taft, Scott Lehman Jr., Codie Baker

H1- Shawn Gleason, Matt Prescott, Nate Freeland
H2- Carl LaBarron, Adam DelGrosso, Scott Lehman Jr.

DAUGHERTY’S AUTO SALES & SERVICE WARRIORS, 6 cars (10 Laps): COLE YOUSE (1), Trevor Hamilton, Brody Amidon, Braden Buchanan, Ronnie Dailey, Noah Talada

HOBBY STOCKS, 2 cars (10 Laps): CARTER DENNIS (2), Brent Williams