McLaughlin & Decker Split Double Features At Brewerton Friday Night

Story By: DAVE MEDLER / BREWERTON SPEEDWAY – It was a wild Friday night at the Brewerton Speedway that saw a heavy rain shower hit the speedway before hot laps where no rain fell at all less than 5 minutes away. On-track racing witnessed one of the biggest wrecks in years in the Modifieds plus a first-time winner and another trying to take firm control of the championship point standings with just two races to go to decide the 2017 track champion.

The big winners on NAPA Auto Parts Night were Max McLaughlin and Billy Decker (Tracey Road Equipment Big Block Modifieds) Stephen Denton (SUNY Canton Sportsman) Casey Sykes (Firehouse Subs Mod Lites) Chris Bonoffski (JB Logging & Firewood 4-Cylinders).

In the first Tracey Road Equipment Big Block Modified feature it was the old Wide World of Sports open, “The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.”

On lap-10, exiting turn four, something appeared to happen to Chris Hile’s car as he spun the tires that set off a chain reaction that collected a lot of top running cars that included Larry Wight who had the point lead by a single marker coming into the night. The best report from the accident scene was all drivers were okay.

Once the race went back to green all eyes were on Max McLaughlin who had come so close to victory lane at the “D-Shaped Dirt Demon” only to come up short. On this night McLaughlin’s name is now in the record books as a Brewerton Speedway Big Block Modified feature winner.

McLaughlin took the lead on lap 22 in a three-wide move on the bottom of the speedway. Once out front it was like his car was on a slot car track as he stayed on the bottom of the speedway and was never seriously challenged the rest of the distance. Tim Sears Jr. in Larry Wight’s backup car, Jimmy Phelps, Billy Decker and early leader Jeremy Smith finished second through fifth.

With huge credit going out to the pit crews all but two cars from the first feature crash were able to line up for the second 35-lap Big Block Modified feature.

The race came down to a shootout over the last 10-laps between Larry Wight, Billy Decker and Max McLaughlin. Wight and Decker would swap the lead back and forth all over the speedway with McLaughlin within inches of the top-two ready to capitalize on any mistake. When the checkers waved it was Decker by a slim 0.180 over Wight with McLaughlin 0.656 of a second back, finishing third. Pat Ward and Timmy Sears Jr. finished fourth and fifth.

Thirty SUNY Canton Sportsman signed into the pit area that took three heats and a B-Main to set the 24-car starting field for the 25-lap feature.

The feature had two and three wide racing throughout the field that would see Stephen Denton make a late race pass getting by Zach Sobotka for his second win of 2017. Chasing Denton and Sobotka across the line for third through fifth was Mike Stanton Jr., Dylan Zacharias and Kyle Fink.

Casey Sykes took the big win in the 20-lap Firehouse Subs Mod Lite feature. Once Sykes took the lead he was never seriously challenged the rest of the way for his fifth win. Zack Babcock, Mike Mullen, Brian Meyers and Jeff Sykes finished second through fifth.

In the 15-lap JB Logging & Firewood 4-Cylinder feature Chris Bonoffski dominated the main once he took the lead from Chuck Powelczyk. Quinn Wallis, Chuck Powelczyk, Donnie Rider and Evan Wright finished second through fifth.

This Friday, August 25 Mirabito presents a night of fast, family affordable racing featuring the 800 horsepower Tracey Road Equipment Big Block Modifieds, SUNY Canton Sportsman, Firehouse Subs Mod Lites and it will be Championship night for the JB Logging & Firewood 4-Cylinders.

Adult grandstand admission is $12 with everyone 18 years old and younger FREE. Pit admission is $27 participant, $30 nonparticipant. Grandstands open at 5:30 with racing at 7:30.

Any questions you might have and for marketing opportunities please contact Cory Reed (315) 668-6906 or cory@brewertonspeedway.com. For all the latest news go to www.brewertonspeedway.com . Like the track Facebook page www.facebook.com/BrewertonSpeedway.

NAPA Auto Parts Night August 18 Results

(Tracey Road Equipment Modifieds August 4 Holdover 35 Laps) – MAX McLAUGHLIN, Tim Sears Jr., Jimmy Phelps, Billy Decker, Jeremy Smith, Pat Ward, Matt Hulsizer, Gary Tomkins, Andrew Ferguson, Roy Bresnahan, Lee Gill, Mike Mahaney, Ryan Bartlett, Jeff Blackburn, Robbie Bellinger, Larry Wight, Jim Witko Jr., Chris Hile, Tim Kerr, Chad Phelps, Mike Bowman, Tom Sears Jr., DNS-Adam Roberts.

(Tracey Road Equipment Modifieds August 18 – 35 Laps) – BILLY DECKER, Larry Wight, Max McLaughlin, Pat Ward, Tim Sears Jr., Jimmy Phelps, Chad Phelps, Andrew Ferguson, Rich Scagliotta, Matt Hulsizer, Jeremy Smith, Roy Bresnahan, Tim Kerr, Ryan Bartlett, Jeff Blackburn, Gary Tomkins, Lee Gill, Mike Mahaney, Adam Roberts, Jim Witko Jr., Chris Hile, DNS- Rob Bellinger, Mike Bowman, Tom Sears Jr.

(SUNY Canton Sportsman 25 Laps) – STEPHEN DENTON, Zach Sobotka, Mike Stanton Jr., Dylan Zacharias, Kyle Fink, Alan Fink, Glenn Forward, Chris Cunningham, Rich Townsend, Earl Rudy, Rocco Leone, Mike Button, Ron Davis III, Tyler Trump, Jackson Gill, Brent Joy, Nick Krause, Todd Root, Ricky Yelle, Brian Calabrese, Joe Sobotka, Pat LaPage, Jeff Taylor, Jake Petit.

(SUNY Canton Sportsman B-Main 15 Laps – 6 Qualified) – Rich Townsend, Ricky Yelle, Tyler Trump, Jeff Taylor, Pat LaPage, Jake Petit, Jake Davis, Rich Riggs, George Sanford, DNS- Amy Holland, Chris Hulsizer, Bailey Groves.

(Firehouse Subs Mod Lites 20 Laps) – CASEY SYKES, Zack Babcock, Mike Mullen, Brian Meyers, Jeff Sykes, Lowell Zehr, Tucker Halliday, Justin Williams, Tom Mackey, Nick Graziano, Sam Usborne, Dave Brown, Joe Garafolo, DNS-Kelly Skinner.

(JB Logging & Firewood 4-Cylinders) – CHRIS BONOFFSKI, Quinn Wallis, Chuck Powelczyk, Donnie Rider, Evan Wright, David Denova, Michael Perry Jr., Stephen Randall, Lorraine Powelczyk, Dylan Curcie, Sam Curcie, Tim Staring, Sabrina Jeffries, DNS- Jacobe Palmiter.