Van Pelt Nabs Third Of Year On Wet & Wild Night At Woodhull

Story By: STEVEN OVENS / WOODHULL RACEWAY – WOODHULL, NY – Mother Nature did her best to play a hand in B&W Towing, Repairs and Parts Night at Woodhull Raceway. Rains fell twice early in the night after the track had been watered and packed in, but that would not deter racers or fans at “New York’s Toughest Bullring.”

After winning his heat race, Russell Morseman and Art Goodier would lead the field to Scott Lyon’s green flag for the twenty-five-lap Insinger Performance 370 Modified feature. Goodier used the high side to take the lead as they clicked off lap one.

Not far behind though, eighteen-time track champion Billy Van Pelt started third and was making quick work of getting to the point. Van Pelt lost the point lead after Dillon Groover’s win last week in what has been a close point battle.

Van Pelt tried to make a move on an early race restart, but had to really take his time as the track had a lot of moisture in it making the track tight and narrow. Goodier would continue to lead on the restart, trying to lock down his first win of 2017. But Van Pelt would find his way by in the Instant Heat Wood Pellets, Mullen Carpet No. 2.

Not even a lap sixteen caution for Bob Silvernail, who came to a stop, would deter Van Pelt from streaking away to his third win of the year. Brady Fultz was lightning quick for the second week in a row, but Goodier was strong and kept Fultz behind him in third. Groover battled tooth and nail with Lawson for the fourth spot and was able to take that spot with just three laps to go, with Lawson finishing in fifth.

In the NAPA Crate Sportsman action, it was the rookie Ajay Potrzebowski Jr. and Bobby Peoples leading the field to the green for their twenty-five-lap feature. Peoples would use his veteran experience to grab the lead off the drop of the green, with AJ Costley quickly moving into the runner up position after starting fourth.

An early restart saw Costley take a peek down to the bottom lane to try and get by Peoples, to no avail. Second-high point man Dale Welty also found something in the preferred bottom lane and was trying to make up points on point leader Stevie Hartman III.

Hartman would not have the best nights, but managed to bring it home in the ninth spot. Welty would close the gap in the championship race, as he finished second. The official points update will come early this week.

Brandon Butler also made it an intense battle for the third spot, which is where he would eventually finish. But nobody had anything for Bobby Peoples on this night, Peoples would get his first win of the season just one short week after nearly becoming the first Sportsman driver to win multiple King of the Ring events.

Welty advanced from eighth to finish in the runner up spot. Butler finished third ahead of Josh Keesey and Costley.

Kurt Stebbins set out to make it two weeks in a row with a win in SWL Awards & Photos Crate Late Model action. The driver out of Wellsville would do just that, after starting in the fourth position by virtue of his past three weeks handicap.

But the battle prior to Stebbins leading was great between Steve LeBarron and the heat race winner Darin Horton. Horton and LeBarron were battling for the lead with John Waters and Stebbins closely in tow.

LeBarron had a problem with his Troups Creek Auto Parts No. 29, and at the same time, it appeared that the handling had started to go away on the No. 66. Even so, Horton had a great run with an experimental setup looking for more speed.

Waters and Stebbins looked pretty even while out front and Stebbins would get the better of the former 360 Late Model track champion. Waters led Horton across the line, while LeBarron and Randy Ralyea filled out the five-car field.

The battle in the Joe Willcox Performance Automatics Street Stocks was one that everyone watched closely. Dylan Cecce came into the night with a five-point lead in the point race, but would leave without it at night’s end.

Cecce would make heavy contact with James Weatherley’s No. 25, after Weatherley spun in turn two while running in the top five. Cecce had nowhere to go, and did heavy front end damage, including damaging the radiator. He would end his feature event on the hook, while his division rival Teddy Morseman logged another solid and steady top five finish.

While some were tuned into the point battle, they were missing a great show out front with two guys racing for the lead who badly needed wins. Branden Morseman suffered significant damage in an accident on the backstretch last week in the heats, but was out for redemption on Saturday night.

Morseman started from the pole position and would end his race in the number one position. Mick Seeley did everything he could, including throwing multiple kitchen sinks at Morseman, but just couldn’t find his way back by in his Cambra’s Trucking, Chilson-Wilcox No. 31.

Morseman got a badly needed win before the season comes to a close, Seeley finished second. Tracy Dunn gained three positions from starting sixth to finish third, ahead of the new point leader Teddy Morseman and Brett Marlatt who keeps pace with Morseman and Cecce.

Due to the rain delay, the Street Stock King of the Ring was rescheduled to next Saturday, August 26. The Street Stock Clash for Cash race number four will also be pushed back to a later date.

In what they called the most fun race they’ve been a part of, Chris Woodard and Ray Hyer put on a show in the Daugherty’s Auto Sales & Service Mini Stock feature. Woodard and Hyer started tenth and eleventh respectively, and worked their way through traffic together to rise to the top of the heap.

Woodard, who has for all intents and purposes locked up the 2017 Mini Stock track championship, would go on to get win number seven on the year. Hyer had to settle for a second place finish, though he later said that this night was more fun than the other wins he has on the year in the No. 4D6.

Dylon Gleason backed up his first career win last week with a podium finish. Rick Amidon got a much-needed fourth place finish, after having some tough luck under the hood of late. Jason Ketrow extended his streak of top five finishes to three by rounding out the top five.

Ryan Austin finally slayed the dragon in the Woodhull Auto Supply Front Wheel Drives Saturday night. One week after running over debris under caution, flattening his tire and surrendering the lead of the race, Austin started tenth and got the job done. No debris was going to slow him down on this night.

Austin started tenth and was the fastest in negotiating traffic to get the lead and stay there. Codie Baker probably would have loved to have those five extra points with a win, but had to settle for second on this night. Nate Freeland finished third for the third week in a row, while point leader Shawn Gleason and Matt Prescott rounded out the top five.

Cole Youse got win number five in the Daugherty’s Auto Sales Warriors division. Youse came into the night as the point leader and extended that lead over Brody Amidon with just two point shows remaining.

Lady racer Brooke McClain got her second-straight second place finish. Trevor Hamilton, last week’s winner Tess Johnson and Amidon rounded out the top five.

Carter Dennis hit a milestone on Saturday in the Hobby Stock division. Dennis picked up his division-leading tenth victory on Saturday night in pretty impressive fashion. Aaron Miller and Billy Joe Birdsall rounded out the podium finishers.

All fans and drivers at Woodhull now turn their attention toward Tuesday’s scheduled running of the Short Track Super Series ‘Hustlin’ The High Banks 53.’ A fifty-three-lap, $5,300-to-win event for the Big Block/Small Block Modifieds. The Modifieds will be joined by the Grit Racing Series and a $500-to-win Mini Stock Showdown. NO points of any kind will be on the line Tuesday night.

This coming Saturday at Woodhull Raceway is Scouting Night as well as Legends of Woodhull Night, sponsored by Swarthout Recycling. A pre-race Legends of Woodhull gathering is being planned for 3:30pm, with former Woodhull racers encouraged to bring a guest for the gathering to enjoy hot dogs, hamburgers and some bench racing about the ‘good ole days’ on the High Banks. Those wishing to participate are asked to email woodhullracewaypr@gmail.com or message the Woodhull Raceway Facebook page to sign up in advance for the cookout.

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 B&W Towing, Repairs & Parts Night Results August 19th, 2017

INSINGER PERFORMANCE MODIFIEDS, 15 cars (25 laps): BILLY VAN PELT (3), Art Goodier, Brady Fultz, Dillon Groover, Donnie Lawson, Jeffery Daugherty, Brian Doolittle, Kenny Peoples Jr., Dayton Brewer, Russell Morseman, Bryce Martin, Bob Silvernail, Brandon Kuhn, Brandon Martin, Stacy Jackson.

H1: Russell Morseman, Dayton Brewer, Art Goodier.
H2: Billy VanPelt, Jeff Daugherty, Kenny Peoples Jr.

NAPA CRATE SPORTSMAN, 19 cars (25 laps): BOBBY PEOPLES (1), Dale Welty, Brandon Butler, Josh Keesey, AJ Costley, Jake Dgien, Tim Guild, Jerry Aldrich, Steve Hartman III, Dustin Jordan, David Mayo, Jordan Bacon, Blake Lawson, Kirk Reynolds, Ajay Potrzebowski II, Adam Taft, Dayton Brewer, Mickey Wilbur, Connor Brown, Clay Wheat.

H1: Jake Dgien, Bobby Peoples, David Mayo
H2: Brandon Butler, AJ Costley, Dayton Brewer
H3: Connor Brown, Dustin Jordan, Dale Welty

JOE WILLCOX PERFORMANCE AUTOMATICS STREET STOCKS, 14 cars (20 laps): BRANDEN MORSEMAN (1), Mickey Seeley, Tracy Dunn, Teddy Morseman, Brett Marlatt, Kurt Stebbins, Jared Hill, Jeredd Dennis, Dan Gardner, Jim Buck, Matt Hamilton, Trevor Tompkins, Dylan Cecce, Jim Weatherley

H1: Dylan Cecce, Jim Buck, Jared Hill
H2: Branden Morseman, Tracy Dunn, Teddy Morseman

SWL AWARDS CRATE LATE MODELS, 5 cars (20 laps): KURT STEBBINS (3), John Waters, Darin Horton, Steve LeBarron, Randy Ralyea

H1: Darin Horton, Kurt Stebbins, Steve LeBarron

DAUGHERTY AUTO SALES MINI STOCKS, 13 cars (20 laps): CHRIS WOODARD(7), Ray Hyer, Dylon Gleason, Rick Amidon, Jason Ketrow, Brian Grant Sr., Karl Born, Derrick Puryear, Scott Lehman, Jason Warner, Bob Hauber, Chris Hand, Alan Crooker, Dillyn Dailey (DNS), Ron Dailey Jr (DQ).

H1: Brian Grant Sr., Dylon Gleason, Ray Hyer
H2: Scott Lehman, Ron Dailey Jr., Derrick Puryear.

WOODHULL AUTO SUPPLY FWD, 13 cars (20 laps): RYAN AUSTIN (1), Codie Baker, Nate Freeland, Shawn Gleason, Matt Prescott, Nick Brown, Scott Lehman Jr., Todd West, Robert Gardner, Brendan Schweigart, Chris Stives, Tim Gardner, Carl LeBarron (DNS)

H1: Shawn Gleason, Codie Baker, Todd West
H2: Nick Brown, Ryan Austin, Nate Freeland

DAUGHERTY AUTO SALES & SERVICE WARRIORS, 11 cars (10 laps): COLE YOUSE (5), Brooke McClain, Trevor Hamilton, Tess Johnson, Brody Amidon, Ashlynn Gardner, Noah Talada, Austin LaBar. DNS: Carter Crooker, Ronnie Dailey, Garrett Wilson.

HOBBY STOCKS, 5 cars (10 laps): CARTER DENNIS (10), Aaron Miller, Joe Birdsall, Dennis French, Brent Williams.