Trombley Crowned CRSA Champion Friday Night At Annual Banquet

Story By: TOBY LAGRANGE / CRSA – VERNON, NY – The 2018 SuperGen Products with Champion Power Equipment CRSA Sprint Car Series concluded their season Friday evening with the annual awards banquet. The banquet, which was held in conjunction with the Patriot Sprint Tour, was once again held at the beautiful Vernon Downs and Casino banquet room in Vernon, New York.

A large crowd gathered as the stars and cars of the CRSA were awarded for their 2018 season accomplishments. In all, over $14,000 was given out to CRSA Sprint Car Series competitors which was more money overall than in 2017. The CRSA portion of the event was emceed by Toby LaGrange.

Following dinner, the 2018 sponsors were each awarded with appreciation plaques. The 2018 sponsors include SuperGen Products/Champion Power Equipment (Paul Cole), Kennedy Towing & Service (Cliff Kraft), Algonquin Motel, Powder Tech Powder Coating (Hard Luck Award), Maguire Family of Dealerships, Magsarus Ignitions (Electrifying Move of the Race), ProFab Enterprises (Mike VanDusen), Star Headlight & Lantern Company and CNY Power Sports (Mike Potter).

Paul Cole and SuperGen Products/Champion Power Equipment donated a generator and power washer that were raffled off to the crowd. Prestige Pool and Spa donated a spa that was raffled off to one lucky driver who finished in the top ten in the overall CRSA point standings. The winner was Justin Mills.

Mills was the first award winner of the night. The teenager from Middletown area of New York was crowned the 2018 CRSA Sprint Car Series Rookie of the Year. After scoring his first top ten in the season opener at the Orange County Fair Speedway and then his first of what would be three top five finishes in the third round of the series at the Woodhull Raceway, Justin Mills showed early on that he is a star of the rise. Mills finished the 2018 season fifth in the overall points, one spot ahead of his main Rookie challenger – Jesse Pruchnik.

Pruchnik brought home a pair of special awards. The 15-year-old from Connecticut earned the CRSA Dedicated Service Award and the CRSA Newcomer of the Year Award. Other Special Award winners included Jeff Trombley (CRSA Sportsmanship Award), Peter Dance (CRSA Tough Luck Award), Warren Alexson (CRSA Mechanic of the Year Award), Johnny Kolosek (CRSA Best Appearing Car Award), Jerry Sehn (CRSA Perseverance Award) and Heidi Mosher and Tom Poole (CRSA Service Awards).

Following the CRSA Special Awards, the CRSA Mini-Series Awards were handed out.

In the Algonkin Motel Mini Series (Afton Motorsports Park/Thunder Mountain Speedway), Tyler Jashembowski picked up the championship over Dalton Herrick, Trombley, Dustin Purdy and Dana Wagner.

The Kennedy’s Towing Northway 90 Challenge Mini-Series (Fonda Speedway/Albany-Saratoga Speedway) title went to Trombley over Thomas Radivoy, Emily VanInwegen, Dana Wagner and Mills.

Radivoy would bring home his second straight Hard Clay Challenge Mini-Series (Orange County Fair Speedway), presented by Mike Emhoff Motorsports. Scott Flammer would finish second with Trombley, Jashembowski and Pruchnik rounding out the top five.

Darryl Ruggles won the SuperGen Products/Champion Power Equipment CRSA/Land of Legends Challenge Series (Land of Legends Raceway) title. His three A-Main wins in five events were enough to hold off the challenges of Brandyn Griffin, Radivoy, Dan Bennett, Trombley, Erik Karlson, Kolosek, VanInwegen, Jashembowski and Mike Jackson.

The final awards to be handed out were for the top 12 in the final overall CRSA Sprint Car Series points. Positions 6-12 were the first to be called off. Claiming those positions were Griffin, Tyler Cartier, Wagner, Ruggles, Kolosek, Sehn and Pruchnik.

After a brief break, an “Open Red”, if you will, the top five drivers were introduced by LaGrange.

Mills would finish the season fifth in the final overall standings. One of the young guns of the CRSA, Justin brought home top five finishes at the Woodhull Raceway on June 9th, Albany-Saratoga Speedway on July 13th and Fonda Speedway on September 15th. In addition, he picked up seven top ten finishes.

Finishing in the fourth position was VanInwegen. The Sparrow Bush, New York driver picked up top five finishes at the Land of Legends Raceway on June 22nd and at the Thunder Mountain Speedway during the season finale event on October 5th. She also brought home ten top ten finishes.

Jashembowski kicked off the podium finishers with his third-place honors. Tyler visited victory lane on June 29th at the Afton Raceway, on his way to the Alogonkin Motel Mini-Series championship. He scored top five finishes at the Woodhull Raceway on June 9th, at Orange County on August 25th and at Thunder Mountain on October 5th. Tyler also brought home 10 top ten finishes.

Thomas Radivoy came in second in the final 2018 overall point standings. Thomas kicked off the 2018 season with a win at the Orange County Fair Speedway on May 5th. From there he picked up another win at the Albany-Saratoga Speedway on September 14th and would score four more top five finishes. He added 12 top 10 finishes to his 2018 resume.

For the second consecutive season, Jeff Trombley was crowned CRSA Sprint Car Series champion.

Winning back to back championships is nothing new for Jeff Trombley. Afterall, the Altamont native won the Fonda Speedway Modified title in back to back seasons – 2001/2002. The 2018 season would see Trombley visit victory lane a total of three times, which is two more times than in 2017.

His three wins came at three very different race tracks. Two of them being on the half-miles of the Land of Legends Raceway on May 26th and the Fonda Speedway on June 30th and one on June 9th at the bullring known as the Woodhull Raceway. He also brought home 10 top five finishes and 14 top ten finishes.

CRSA Series Director Peter Meskill also informed the crowd that the 2018 CRSA Schedule should be between 12-14 races and will include five stops at the Land of Legends Raceway (including a big double header weekend in September), a double header weekend at the Fonda Speedway and Glen Ridge Motorsports Park and an initial appearance at the Weedsport Speedway on Memorial Day – Monday, May 27th.