2007 Press Release

September 1st, 2007
Tony Hanbury Wins Another Exciting Battle With TJ Potrzebowski, Takes #9 In Chemung SST Modifieds

by Carol Houssock

(Chemung, NY) Two drivers have made most of the headlines this year in Chemung Speedrome’s Nascar SST Modified division. Responsible for 14 of the 17 point race wins leading up to Saturday night’s regular show, Tony Hanbury and TJ Potrzebowski fought for another win and, each hopes, the track’s 2007 championship. Hanbury prevailed, while others celebrating in victory lane included Mike Nichols (Super Stocks), Gene Purvis (4 Cylinders), Patrick Albor (INEX Legends), Zack Curren (Speedrome Juniors), and Eric Bostwick (Bandoleros). The championship excitement continues this Saturday on Fan Appreciation/Pack The Track Night. Adult general admission is just $6 for a full regular program. If time permits, mechanics in the 4 Cylinder and Super Stock division will also battle it out in Mechanics’ races.

When a driver can boast of 9 feature wins in a track’s top division you pretty much run out of adjectives to describe the entire team effort. It’s Tony Hanbury’s reality this year, and he’s poised to claim his first Nascar SST Modified championship at Chemung. But you can’t rule out TJ Potrzebowski, the defending champion, just yet. The pair won their respective heats and entered the 40-lap feature with Hanbury up by 25 points. He increased the margin slightly with his win, but Potrzebowski finished in 2nd in an exciting race. Trouble came early for JR Kent, who experienced contact on the opening lap and pitted with a trail of sparks coming from his #16. Charlie Sharpsteen led the way for the first 5 laps but Potrzebowski seemed to come from nowhere and he took over on lap 6. A multi-car tangle a lap later included Josh Philpott, Dean Rypkema, Sharpsteen, Kent, Bobby Wilson and Bobby Osgood. With Hanbury in 3rd, it was just a matter of time before he passed Tim Gullo and reeled in Potrzebowski. The dynamic duo went side-by-side, lap after lap. On one lap Hanbury did take the lead but Potrzebowski reclaimed it on the outside before the lap was scored. The final caution flag came out when Patti Pruitt and Curtis Cowles got together on the backstretch, setting up a 12-lap run to the finish. Potrzebowski held off Hanbury until he bobbled and gave Hanbury the room inside he had sought. Once in front he pulled away and cruised to his 9th point race win. Potrzebowski, John Wilber, Chuck Lohmeyer (season-best) and Sharpsteen.

One man’s misfortune is another man’s fortune, and that scenario played itself out in the 25-lap Super Stock feature. Heat winners Tom Cundy and Jeff Goodwin started in the front row and Goodwin powered around on the outside for the lead. When the first caution came out on lap 8 he lost his huge lead and Cundy headed to the pits. His crew worked like fat cats and got him back in the race. With Mike Nichols alongside for the restart, Goodwin prevailed and left him to battle with Chris Daugherty for 2nd. The race was slowed for 3 more caution periods, but following each of them Goodwin resumed what appeared to be a winning run. That changed when a tire went down with 2 laps to go. He lost the lead to Nichols, and several other positions as he faded. Nichols held on for his division-leading 8th win over Daugherty, Henry Brown, Cundy and Bob Ziegler. Nichols chopped a few points off Daugherty’s point lead with his sweep. The top 4 in points (Daugherty, Nichols, Goodwin and Lee Sharpsteen) remain the only drivers to win features this year.

In 4 Cylinder action AJ Lane and Phil Haner won the 2 heats, and Lane had the pole for their 15-lap feature. When Gene Purvis spun going 3-wide on the opening lap some might have felt his night were over. Not Gene Purvis. The early lead belonged to Ricky Peters until A Jay Potrzebowski got around him. The two AJ’s, Lane and Potrzebowski, went at it for the lead but, at the halfway point, Potrzebowski’s contact resulted in both of them spinning. That put Purvis, who had worked back up to 3rd, on the point for the restart. Point leader Jody Buckley became his challenger over the remaining laps and for 3 restarts after cautions. The final lap was a crowd-pleaser, when Buckley went for it in turn 4 and got into the loose stuff. He lost the grip, and several positions, while Purvis sailed across the start/finish line first. Purvis then ran into the grandstand and presented his trophy to a special fan, to the delight of the crowd. Peters had a season-best 2nd, finishing ahead of Potrzebowski, Buckley and Curren.

Patrick Albor has transitioned this season from INEX Legends competitor to a serious contender each time he’s on the track. His 3rd win in a row and 4th overall in point races demonstrates that strength and confirms that it ain’t over till it’s over. The two title contenders, Justin Petcosky and Albor, won their heats and entered the feature in positions 4 and 5. Petcosky made an outside-to-inside move on the first lap and took the lead. The race was slowed for 5 caution periods, the most serious of which found Ben Moore backed into the inside pit wall off turn 4. While it appeared this one would go to Petcosky, he bobbled in turn 2 on the last lap and opened up the inside lane for Albor. He dove low, got the spot, and took the checkered flag over Petcosky, Matt Priscott, Greg Richards and Tom Mitteer II.

Zack Curren is 2nd to Jesse Kent in Speedrome Junior points and feature wins. His 6th win this year came in a caution-free 12-lap feature. Curren made a nice inside pass in turn 2 on the 3rd lap to take the lead from Randy Mathews. At the halfway point Curren had a big lead over James Lorows, with Mathews and Kent battling it out for 3rd. When it was over Curren parked in victory lane, while Lorows, Mathews, Kent and Dusty Snell chalked up top-5 finishes.

Eric Bostwick’s 4th Bandolero win makes him the top feature winner in the class. Following their first-ever heat races, won by Andrew Bickford and point leader Matt Evans, the division lined up for their 10-lap feature. Bostwick took the lead from Evans on lap 2 and never looked back. Ryan Polenz nipped Evans at the line for 3rd, with Tylor Rypkema and Mikayla Rypkema rounding out the top 5.

This Saturday the Speedrome thanks the fans for their support with another Pack The Track Night, with adult general admission cut to just $6 ($5 for kids ages 6-14 and always free for kids 5 and under). Catch the championship chases in the Nascar SST Modifieds, Super Stocks, 4 Cylinders, INEX Legends, Speedrome Juniors and the Bandoleros. Two Mechanics’ races, for the 4 Cylinder and Super Stock cars, are also planned if time permits. For the latest news and information go to the track’s website www.chemungspeedrome.net. Pits open at 4 PM, grandstand gates open at 5 PM, regular practice gets underway at 5, and racing begins at 6:30 PM. Chemung Speedrome and the Nascar Whelen All American Series – Short Track Racing At Its Best!

Results:

Nascar SST Modifieds (40 Laps) TONY HANBURY, TJ Potrzebowski, John Wilber, Chuck Lohmeyer, Charlie Sharpsteen, Tim Gullo, JR Kent, Jake Snell, Paul Johnson, Fred Taylor, Curtis Cowles, Dean Rypkema, Josh Philpott, Patti Pruitt, Bobby Osgood, Bobby Wilson

Super Stocks (25 Laps) MIKE NICHOLS, Chris Daugherty, Henry Brown, Tom Cundy, Bob Ziegler, Lee Sharpsteen, Brad Mosher, Brittany Jack, Jeff Goodwin, Dylan Terry, Terry Potrzebowski (DNS)

4 Cylinders (15 Laps) GENE PURVIS, Ricky Peters, A Jay Potrzebowski, Jody Buckley, Bob Curren, Joe Lane, Ryan Purvis, Phil Haner, Randy Ameigh, AJ Lane, Joe Snell, Carl Milks, Mike Nichols (DNS)

INEX Legends (20 Laps) PATRICK ALBOR, Justin Petcosky, Matt Priscott, Greg Richards, Tom Mitteer II, George Cushman, Chris Bohlman, Kyle Pierce, Brian Terrell, Ben Moore, Art Priscott

Speedrome Juniors (12 Laps) ZACK CURREN, James Lorows, Randy Mathews, Jesse Kent, Dusty Snell, Fred Peters, Mike Ferris, Troy McDonald (DNS)

Bandoleros (10 Laps) ERIC BOSTWICK, Ryan Polenz, Matt Evans, Tylor Rypkema, Mikayla Rypkema, Joey Shaw, Jr., Andrew Bickford

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