PISTOL PETE BRITTAIN HITS THE MARK IN CHEMUNG 
SST-MODIFIED ACTION

by Carol Houssock 

(Chemung, NY)     Pete Brittain, runner-up on opening night, picked up a popular SST-Modified tour win Saturday night at Chemung Speedrome.  Other winners included Mike Nichols, who’s now 3-for-3 at the track in the Street Stocks, Daren Scherer in Legends, Cody Marshall in 4-Cylinders, Duane Manzer in Factory Stocks, and Ashley Sharpsteen in Bandits.  Kids in attendance got rides in the race cars during intermission.   Racing resumes this Saturday at 6:30 PM.   

Pete Brittain swept the SST-Modified action, winning both his heat and the 40-lap feature.  Billy Ray Pruitt drew the pole, with George Kent starting alongside.  Pruitt led the field off turn 2 but it was Tony Hanbury who was inching closer to the front while Kent slipped back.  When Phil Slater spun and put the race under caution with 12 laps completed, Pruitt and Hanbury shared the front row while Brittain, up to 3^rd, restarted alongside Kent.  Hanbury got around Pruitt on the 14^th lap and the 2 stayed nose-to-tail over the next half dozen laps.  Tempers flared a bit working lap 20 when Kent and Bowen got together on the back stretch.  Both restarted at the rear and it brought Charlie Sharpsteen and Bill Chander, Jr., up into the top 5. 

Brittain was patient and found the opening he was looking for on lap 23, when he took over the lead and checked out.  With 5 laps remaining Brittain had a comfortable lead over Hanbury.  The final caution came when Tim Gullo spun off turn 4.  That set up a green/white/checkered finale.  Brittain got a good jump on the restart and cruised to the win, over Hanbury, Pruitt, Sharpsteen and Chandler.  Hanbury and Pruitt won the other heats. 

“This is the most fun I’ve had in a long time, racing with George and Tony,” Brittain said from victory lane.  “Everyone raced clean.  I’ve been so lucky racing up here, the people are great and I do feel privileged,” he added.  The win put him atop the SST-Tour point standings in the early going.

In Street Stock action Bob Ziegler and heat winner Lee Sharpsteen made up the front row.  Sharpsteen powered his way around and took command but Ziegler brought out the first of 2 cautions when he spun in turn 2.  That put Chris May in the front row, with Mike Nichols and Paul Johnson in the 2^nd row when racing resumed.  Sharpsteen maintained the lead but Nichols got around May and was searching for an opening to take over the lead.  Johnson’s solid run came to a halt when he spun off turn 4 and hit the pit wall.  Nichols was patient and waited for the opportunity, which came on lap 22.  Sharpsteen drifted high in turn 4 and that was all he needed to dive underneath and make the pass.  When it was over Nichols had won his 3^rd straight race.  Sharpsteen, May, Derrick Tarbox and Jim Frandsen all posted top-5 finishes. 

The competitive Legends ran a caution-free 20-lap feature.  Zach Truesdale and heat winner Matt Priscott brought the field to the green.  Truesdale led the opening lap but it was Rich Petrucco who charged forward and led the 2^nd lap.  Truesdale reclaimed the lead and held it for the next 5 laps, while Daren Scherer worked the traffic and reeled in Truesdale.  Once in front Scherer pulled away and left Priscott to do battle with Rich Petrucco.  As the laps clicked off Scherer put more distance between himself and the 2^nd place car.  Scherer made it a perfect night, sweeping both his heat and the feature.  Priscott, Petrucco, Art Priscott and Tom Mitteer rounded out the top 5. 

Cody Marshall scored his first 4-Cylinder win of the year in their 20-lap feature.  From his 2^nd place starting spot he wheeled his way around pole-sitter Gene Purvis and led the first lap.  Paul Gush made some nice moves to get to 2^nd, and he was running nose-to-tail with Marshall.  Scott Bostwick’s turn 2 spin brought out the only caution flag and Purvis and Natasha Robinson lined up behind the leaders for the restart.  Again Marshall and Gush drove away and put a lot of race track between themselves and the others.  At the halfway point Robinson was 3^rd and Scott Millard was on a charge and in 4^th.  When it was over Marshall took the checkered over Gush, Purvis, Millard and Bernie Duggan.  Purvis won the heat race.

The Factory Stocks put on one heck of a race, proving the parity in the class is the real deal.  John Maynard led the first lap after starting on the pole but Jim Potrzebowski took over the lead on the 2^nd lap.  Duane Manzer wrestled away the lead on lap 5 and held it through the first caution period.  He and Potrzebowski swapped the lead again over the remaining 4 laps.  When it was over even the fans were exhausted from excitement watching Manzer pick up his 2^nd win of the year.  Both Potrzebowski and Shawn Weldy came up light on the sale and were disqualified.  Maynard finished 2^nd, Snell 3^rd.

Jimmy Zacharias started the 12-lap Bandit feature from the pole and led from the start.  Nick Robinson quickly became his closest pursuer and it appeared that one of them would win the feature.  That all changed on the final lap when Robinson turned him around and brought out the only caution.  With both restarting at the rear 3^rd place runner Ashley Sharpsteen inherited the lead.  She held on and picked up the win over Justin Millard, Robinson, Zacharias and Matt Kurzejewski.    

This Saturday race fans are welcome on the track during intermission for a pit party.  Bring the cameras and items suitable for autographs to meet and greet the drivers.  Pits open at 4, with grandstand gates open and practice starting at 5.  Racing begins at 6:30 PM.  General admission is $10 for adults, $7 for kids 9-16 and seniors age 60 and over, and free for kids under age 9.  For more information consult the track’s website at www.chemungspeedrome.com.  Chemung Speedrome, short track racing at its best!

Results:

SST-Modifieds (40 Laps)  PETE BRITTAIN, Tony Hanbury, Billy Pruitt, Charlie Sharpsteen, Bill Chandler, Jr., Brian Bowen, George Kent, Chris Clark, Phil Slater, Gene Sharpsteen, Chet Dillenbeck, Richie Vanderpool, Tony Jilson, Tim Gullo, Richard Proctor, Chuck Frisbee, Shane Courtright (DNS: John Whitmore)       

Street Stocks (25 Laps)  MIKE NICHOLS, Lee Sharpsteen, Chris May, Derrick Tarbox, Jim Frandsen, John Stonier, Bob Ziegler, Paul Johnson, Dave Harbst

4-Cylinders (20 Laps)  CODY MARSHALL, Paul Gush, Gene Purvis, Scott Millard, Bernie Duggan, Scott Bostwick, Natasha Robinson, John Cogswell 

Legends (20 Laps)  DAREN SCHERER, Matt Priscott, Rich Petrucco, Art Priscott, Tom Mitteer, Zach Truesdale, Justin Petcosky, Rob Brierton, Jimmy Kostarelos, George Scherer, Cody Frantz, Beth Urso (DNS: Brian Terrell)

Factory Stocks (15 Laps)  DUANE MANZER, John Maynard, Jake Snell (DQ: Shawn Weldy, Jim Potrzebowski)

Bandits (12 Laps)  ASHLEY SHARPSTEEN, Justin Millard, Nick Robinson, Jimmy Zacharias, Matt Kurzejewski (DNS: Dusty Snell)

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