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Chemung
Speedrome 2010 Press Releases
January 31st,
2010
Chemung
Speedrome Banquet Honors Top Drivers, Teams
by
Carol Houssock
(Chemung, NY) Race teams and fans of Chemung
Speedrome partied Saturday night at The
Crystal House in Horseheads, NY and honored
the top competitors from the 2009 racing
season. While mother nature claimed her
share of the races, the Speedrome did have a
good season that was recapped at the
uplifting banquet. Following a cocktail hour
and buffet dinner, drivers in attendance
claimed some handsome hardware and offered
up some light-hearted moments. Attendees
then enjoyed music for dancing. Track
announcer Carol Houssock emceed the event.
The track’s headline division, the NASCAR
Weekly Modifieds, ran 17 point races
consisting of 642 feature laps. JR Kent won
the most races (8), led the most laps,
earned the most points from heat races
during his championship run, and was
presented with a special Determination
Award. His father, George “the Duke”
Kent was named Mechanic of the Year.
JR Kent spoke of the importance of family,
both through blood and the sport itself. He
thanked his crew and others who helped the
team last year. “So many people helped us
this year, especially with tires,” he told
the crowd. “We really couldn’t have done
it without them.” Kent’s family suffered
the loss of his Uncle Ron during the season,
but he dedicated it all in his memory. Kent
looks forward to running the ROC tour next
year.
Charlie Sharpsteen ended the season 2nd in
points, while Tim Gullo was 3rd. Gullo left
with some additional hardware for being
named a Hard Charger and for winning the
track’s coveted Sportsmanship Award. Jody
Buckley, 4th in points, was named Top Rookie
in the class, and Larry Jaynes (5th) won for
Most Improved.
Jeff Goodwin secured his 2nd straight Super
Stock title. “I’m competitive in
everything I do,” he said, “and I have a
lot of people who helped me, especially when
I had motor troubles.” Goodwin provided
many of the comedic moments during the
banquet. Terry Potrzebowski finished 2nd in
points, ahead of Chuck Nichols, Mike
Nichols, Brittany Jack and Headache Award
winner, Ken Evans.
An emotional Jeremy Potrzebowski capped off
a great season in 4 Cylinder action when he
claimed the title on the final night. He
recognized some personal challenges
affecting the family the past couple years,
including the loss of his son following a
lengthy illness. “As everyone knows, a lot
has gone on the past couple years, but it
was a strong family that got us all through
it,” he stated. “I couldn’t have done
any of this without my father, Jim, and a
whole lot of other people.” The track
presented him with a Determination Award for
that very reason. Former multi-time champion
Gene Purvis finished the year 2nd, with Top
Rookie Joe Lane, Bob Curren and Archie Haner
among the top five.
Matt Priscott successfully defended his INEX
Legends title, this time edging out his
father, Art, for the title. Both had 2 wins
and incredibly close statistics, but Matt
clarified some of it during his humorous
speech. “The nights my father won I was
either in an ambulance or behind a tow
truck,” he laughed. “We’ll be back
this year and I’ve made arrangements to
have Friday nights off.” Hard Charger
Award winner Richie Vanderpool finished 3rd
in points, with Most Improved Drivers Van
and Brandon Michael in 4th and 5th. The
latter father/son team finished just one
point apart.
Zach Curren, who last year won the Speedrome
Junior title, moved up to the Mod Lites and
won that title in dominating fashion.
“This year I’ll be in a Modified so I
know I have another long learning curve and
might not be up here again,” he said. He
also thanked his parents and Frank Morich
for their help and financial support.
Dayton Cote and Fred “Bubba” Peters were
both named champions in the Speedrome
Juniors division and, like the others,
thanked a number of people for their
support. Cote plans to travel around this
year and will experiment in a couple
different cars. Andrew Bickford defended his
Bandolero title and has plans to move up.
“I’ll be in an INEX Legend car this year
and I’m looking forward to the good advice
some of the drivers can give me,” he said.
Jody Buckley, who sponsored the banquet, is
set to go as the track’s new promoter. He
outlined some important information,
including the strict rules enforcement
everyone wants, and the fact that he’ll be
in the pits during the races to answer any
questions as they come up. “When everyone
leaves here at the end of the night,
everything will be official and we’ll move
on to the next week,” he stated.
Buckley mentioned that the business
community has come on board with sponsorship
dollars, but the biggest change is the race
night itself. “We’ve switched to Friday
nights, so we’re hoping everyone can make
that adjustment and bring Chemung back to a
place that’s packed with race cars and
packed with fans.”
Race teams and fans should log on to the
track’s website, currently being updated,
for the latest news:
www.chemungspeedrome.net.
NASCAR Weekly Modifieds: JR KENT, Charlie
Sharpsteen, Tim Gullo, Jody Buckley, Tony
Hanbury, Larry Jaynes, Lee Sharpsteen, Daren
Scherer, Zach Truesdail, Bobby Osgood.
Rookie: Jody Buckley
Most Improved: Larry Jaynes
Hard Charger: Tim Gullo
Determination: JR Kent
Sportsmanship: Tim Gullo
Super Stocks: JEFF GOODWIN, Terry
Potrzebowski, Chuck Nichols, Mike Nichols,
Brittany Jack, Ken Evans, Chris Daugherty,
Hank Buchanan, Jesse Johns, Tim Gullo.
Most Improved: Chuck Nichols
Headache Award: Ken Evans
4 Cylinders: JEREMY POTRZEBOWSKI, Gene
Purvis, Joe Lane, Bob Curren, Archie Haner,
Phil Haner, Jason Gleason, Ryan Purvis, A
Jay Potrzebowski, Frank Morich.
Rookie: Joe Lane
Determination: Jeremy Potrzebowski
Legends: MATT PRISCOTT, Art Priscott, Richie
Vanderpool, Van Michael, Brandon Michael,
Daren Scherer, John Shephard, Matt Evans.
Rookie: Matt Evans
Most Improved (tie): Van Michael, Brandon
Michael
Headache: John Lotti
Hard Charger: Richie Vanderpool
Mod Lites: ZACH CURREN, Joe Lane
Speedrome Juniors (tie): DAYTON, COTE, FRED
PETERS
Bandoleros: ANDREW BICKFORD
Mechanic of the Year: George Kent
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