2007 Press Release

July 7th, 2007
Tony Hanbury Impressive In Chemung SST Modified Tour 100

by Carol Houssock

(Chemung, NY) It was a hot Saturday afternoon at Chemung Speedrome, but no one was hotter than Tony Hanbury on 07/07/07. The Owego, NY driver won the SST Modified Tour 100 in dominating fashion. Chris Daugherty (Super Stocks), Bob Curren (4 Cylinders), Patrick Albor (INEX Legends), Jesse Kent (Speedrome Juniors) and Andrew Bickford (Bandoleros) also celebrated their wins in Chemung’s victory lane. Two lucky kids also left as winners, of bicycles donated by the track officials. The family-friendly excitement continues this Saturday night at 6:30 PM.

A perfect run, in a demonstration of pure domination, was the story of Tony Hanbury in an extra-distance SST Modified race. That was the case last year, and history repeated itself Saturday night. The SST Tour 100 got going when TJ Potrzebowski and Rick Zacharias won the qualifying races. The top 4 finishers from each race drew for the first 8 starting spots. Richard Thomas got the pole and Dan Kurzejewski drew #2. Hanbury, who started 3rd, made a nice inside move off turn 2 on the opening lap and led the field. Just as the 2nd lap started Kirk Rutherford sustained front-end damage in turn 4 and retired for lengthy repairs. When the race resumed Hanbury pulled away from Dan Kurzejewski, who then lost 2nd to Zacharias. As the field worked lap 22 Wayne Lent, who had been losing positions, went up in smoke from a failed valve cover gasket. Two more cautions before the halfway point bunched up the field, but only when traveling slow under the yellow. Hanbury pulled away from Kurzejewski on one restart and Potrzebowski on the other. JR Kent and John Wilber, meanwhile, were steadily advancing toward the front during a 31-lap green flag run.

Three cautions slowed the field in the second half of the race, but it was clear that Wilber might be the only real threat to Hanbury in this one. Wilber’s final shot came on a restart with 33 laps remaining, and he stayed with Hanbury for several of those laps before fading to a 10-car deficit. Hanbury took the win over Wilber, Potrzebowski, Kent and Josh Philpott. “That was fun,” Hanbury said following the win. One year ago, on the same weekend in July, Hanbury claimed Chemung’s SST Modified Tour 100. Fun indeed.

The powerful and highly competitive Super Stock division lived up to that description once again, this time running a caution-free 25-lap feature. Chris Daugherty and Mike Nichols, who are locked in a fierce battle for the track championship, won their heats and started the race with a 3-point advantage for Daugherty. Pole-sitter Lee Sharpsteen led the first 8 laps but when he drifted high in turn 4 Chad McDonald was right there to snag the lead. McDonald, long overdue for a feature win, held the top spot for the next 14 laps but lost the lead the same way he had won it. He went high and both Daugherty and Nichols dove underneath. Daugherty held off Nichols to post his 3rd win of the year, this time over Nichols, McDonald, Jeff Goodwin and Sharpsteen.

With 5 different winners in the nine 4 Cylinder feature races run to date, some predicted a new face would appear in victory lane and they were right. Joe Lane and heat winner Bob Curren started on the front row, with Lane taking the lead. On lap 2 Archie Haner and Ryan Purvis got together on the front stretch. Long broke on the restart and Curren took over. Heat winner Phil Haner, AJ Lane and Jim Chimileski were his toughest challengers following 2 more restarts, but Curren held on for his career-first on-track win. Post-race inspection resulted in a revised top 5, as Chimileski (2nd) and Gene Purvis (5th) were disqualified for rear end infractions. AJ Lane ended up 2nd, followed by point leader Jody Buckley, P. Haner and Brandon Ameigh.

Patrick Albor, Tony Hanbury and Brian Terrell won the qualifying races in the INEX Legends division. Matt Kurzejewski, who started the 20-lap feature 3rd, made a 3-wide move work off turn 2 and he took the lead. A lap into the race David Polenz spun and brought out the caution. During that yellow Kurzejewski gave up the lead and went to the pits, giving the top spot to Hanbury. He led for 3 laps but was pursued by Albor, who waited and made a successful pass for the lead. Over the final dozen laps Hanbury and Terrell stayed within striking distance. Albor almost lost it with 2 to go but he led at the stripe and got the win over Terrell, Hanbury, Matt Priscott and Justin Petcosky.

Fred Peters started the 12-lap Speedrome Juniors feature from the pole and led the pack off turn 2. Behind him Zack Curren, Randy Mathews and James Lorows went 3-wide but it was point leader Jesse Kent who snuck through and took over 2nd. Driving Jody Buckley’s car for the 2nd week in a row, Kent repeated his performance from a week prior and made his race-winning pass on the 3rd lap. Curren stayed with him and had one last opportunity on the final lap, but Kent was flawless and picked up his 5th win. Curren, Peters, Lorows and Randy Mathews rounded out the top 5.

Nine year-old Andrew Bickford won his 2nd 10-lap Bandolero race this season. He started from the pole and survived a 3-wide deal on the opening lap. That turned out to be the race-winning move as he kept a hard-charging Ryan Polenz at bay. Polenz followed Bickford across the stripe for 2nd, with Erick Bostwick 3rd and point leader Matt Evans 4th.

This weekend the SST Modifieds will run their regular points race plus the non-point feature rained out on June 2nd. Pits open at 4 PM, grandstand and practice at 5 PM, and the first race hits the track at 6:30 PM. Admission is $12 for adults, $5 for kids ages 6-14 and free for kids 5 and under. For the latest news log on to the track’s website www.chemungspeedrome.net. Chemung Speedrome and the Nascar Whelen All American Series – Short Track Racing At Its Best!

Results:

SST Modified Tour (100 Laps) TONY HANBURY, John Wilber, T.J. Potrzebowski, JR Kent, Josh Philpott, Dave Osgood, Jimmy Zacharias, Paul Johnson, Rick Zacharias, Richard Thomas, Dan Kurzejewski, Dick Kluth, Matt Kurzejewski, Daryl Lewis, Jr., Wayne Lent, Kirk Rutherford

Super Stocks (25 Laps) CHRIS DAUGHERTY, Mike Nichols, Chad McDonald, Jeff Goodwin, Lee Sharpsteen, Tom Cundy, Henry Brown, Brittany Jack, Chuck Lohmeyer (DNS: Brad Mosher)

4 Cylinders (15 Laps) BOB CURREN, AJ Lane, Jody Buckley, Phil Haner, Brandon Ameigh, Ryan Purvis, A Jay Potrzebowski, Joe Lane, Jimmy Zacharias, Archie Haner (DNS: Mike Nichols); DQ - Jim Chimileski (2nd) and Gene Purvis (5th)

INEX Legends (20 Laps) PATRICK ALBOR, Brian Terrell, Tony Hanbury, Matt Priscott, Justin Petcosky, Tom Mitteer II, Jason Urso, David Polenz, Matt Kurzejewski, George Cushman, Art Priscott, Rob Brierton, Brian Chambers, Chris Bohlman, Greg Richards, Paul Dodorico, Kyle Pierce, Shawn Benzeleski (DNS: Ben Moore)

Speedrome Juniors (12 Laps) JESSE KENT, Zack Curren, Fred Peters, James Lorows, Randy Mathews, TJ Zacharias

Bandoleros (10 Laps) ANDREW BICKFORD, Ryan Polenz, Eric Bostwick, Matt Evans