Story By: TOBY LAGRANGE / GLEN RIDGE MOTORSPORTS PARK – FULTONVILLE, NY – The 2023 racing season at the Glen Ridge Motorsports Park kicked off Sunday night much like the 2022 season ended nearly eight months earlier – with Mother Nature taking most of the checkered flags.
The Northeast Paving & Sealcoat Junior Slingshot division was the only division to get their feature event in the record books. Picking up the win was Bodie Marks.
Marks and second-generation Glen Ridge racer Addi Pangman led the field to head starter Brandon Kurtz’s green flag with Marks taking the early lead. Third place starter Braxton Martin settled into second while a four-car battle erupted for the third position. The battle for the final podium spot between Blake Patrick, Pangman, E.J. Hatch and Jayden Wust came to an end when Wust came to a stop on lap three.
On the restart Marks controlled the lead over Martin and Patrick. That is the way they would run over the final nine laps with Marks bringing home the win over Martin, Patrick, Hatch and Pangman. Heat races were won by Marks and Pangman.
The Northeast Paving & Sealcoat All-Star Slingshot feature event would see A.J. Albreada and Brett Putnam lead the field down to the green with Albreada grabbing the early lead. On lap one the first of what would be two caution periods slowed the field when Almanzo Carpenter spun in turn four.
When racing resumed Albreada was the leader with a hot and heavy dogfight behind him for positions two through six. Involved in the battle were Tucker Jones, defending track champion Adam Fusco, Putnam, Sloan Cherko and Justin House.
The battle and subsequently the night of racing ended on lap three when Jones spun and backed his machine hard into the outside wall in turn four. While under the red flag for the incident the skies opened up and track management was left with no choice but to postpone the remainder of the nights feature events. The heat races were won by Albreada and Putnam.
The final ten laps of the NPS All-Star Slingshot feature and the remaining feature events will be made up at a later date.
Before the rains came, taking the heat race wins were Chris Bisson and Lance Willix (Red Chair DIRTcar 358 Modifieds), Zach Buff and Brendan Gibbons (Classic Muscle Parts DIRTcar Sportsman), Johnny Rivers and Steve Cosselman (Yurkewecz Auto Crushers DIRTcar Pro Stocks), Michael Arnold (Limited Sportsman), Joe Wilson and Jason Samrov (Street Stocks), Bruce Liddle and Jack Minery (Leatherstocking Credit Union DIRTcar Single Cam Mini-Stocks) and Chad Hoffman and Gina Voris (Leatherstocking Credit Union DIRTcar Dual Cam Mini-Stocks).
The GR Live Driver of the Week honors went to Marks. Marks is now eligible for the GR Live Driver of the Year Award.
Official Finish
Red Chair DIRTcar 358 Modifieds (35 Laps) – PPD TBA Date
Classic Muscle Parts DIRTcar Sportsman (30 Laps) – PPD TBA Date
Yurkewecz Auto Crushers DIRTcar Pro Stocks (25 Laps) – PPD TBA Date
Limited Sportsman (20 Laps) – PPD TBA Date
Street Stocks (20 Laps) – PPD TBA Date
Leatherstocking Credit Union DIRTcar Mini Stocks (Single Cam) (15 Laps) – PPD TBA Date
Leatherstocking Credit Union DIRTcar Mini Stocks (Dual Cam) (15 Laps) – PPD TBA Date
Northeast Paving & Sealcoat All-Star Slingshots (15 Laps) – PPD (lap 5) TBA Date
Northeast Paving & Sealcoat Junior Slingshots (12 Laps) – Bodie Marks, Braxton Martin, Blake Patrick, E.J. Hatch, Addi Pangman, James Hatch, Jr., Izzy Pangman, Logan Carter, Colton White, Alex Viall, Alexandria Cosselman, Jayden Wust