Story By: TODD STANTON / AFTON MOTORSPORTS PARK – AFTON, NY – It was a great night for racing here at Afton Motorsports Park. Fan Appreciation Night for the 600cc Modifieds and the Front Wheel Drive 4 Cylinders. New feature winners graced victory in the Modified, Crate Sportsman, Limited Sportsman and the Slingshots.
The first feature event was the Slingshots. Their twelve lap feature went off without a hitch. Alex Boughton and his father Bob Boughton brought the field to the green. Alex grabbed the lead with Paul Holic taking it away. Holic went on to lead the entire feature to grab his first win of the 2023 season. Following Paul across the line was Corbyn White, Alex Boughton and Bob Boughton. Lucas Werlau was not able to start the feature event.
The Crate Sportsman were up next with Craig Pope and Bill Davey Jr. making up the front row.The feature had a slow start with a few cautions. Dale Welty assumed the lead on the restart. Scott Torbitt and Ryan Stortini were battling for second. Both drivers were hoping to be able to challenge Welty for the lead. Action back in the pack was heating up with Travis Smith who started in position twelve was working the high side. Gary Smith who is known as “Mr. High Side” came from the tenth spot. Both drivers hoped to challenge Welty for the top honor. As the laps drew to a close lap traffic came into play. Dale worked his way through it to record his first win at Afton for the season. It just goes to show that dedication to your race team pays off. Finishing in second was Ryan Stortini, third was Travis Smith, fourth was Gary Smith and in fifth was rookie Jared Green.
The Limited Sportsman made their way onto the track. Buck Brown and Avery Decker brought the field of thirteen to the green. Decker took the lead, but the caution came out for the Johnny Williams machine. The Williams machine was able to continue joining the rear of the field. On the restart Avery regained the lead. On lap seven Dylan Nichols stole it away with an inside move. Avery maintained second until Johnny Williams got around him. Newcomer to the class Garrett Zacharias was piloting the seventeen. Garrett decided he needed a break from asphalt racing. His Uncle Chris offered him the ride and he accepted. As the lap wound down little did Garrett know what was coming next. In the closing laps, Garrett was battling with Johnny for the top spot. The Williams machine going into the second turn spun. This brought out the final caution on the white flag lap. Now the first time racer in a dirt car Garrett was in the lead. All he had to do was hold off the Devon Green machine to win. The fans were on their feet watching the final lap. Garrett held on to be a first time winner. Victory lane was exciting as he kept stating, “I’m an asphalt guy, this was not supposed to happen!” Rounding out the top five were Jared Green, Avery Decker, Buck Brown and Derrick Roe.
The Mighty Modifieds were on the track next. Darwin Greene and Chris Ostrowsky paced the field. When the green dropped Greene grabbed the lead. A first lap caution involving three cars came out. All three were able to continue joining the rear of the field. Double file restart with Greene and Ostrowsky in front. When the green was given another caution came out. On the next restart the field was made to go single file. Darwin once again took the lead. Dennis Clapperton and Brandon Loucks trying to make it to the front. Shaun Walker and Brett Tonkin both were using the high side of the track. Darwin never looked back leading all thirty laps. Coming in second was Justin Holland, third to Dennis Clapperton, fourth Brandon Loucks and fifth to Shaun Walker.
The final event of the evening was the Four Cylinders. Promoter Ron Ford challenged the drivers to go green to checker. John Maynard and Randy Lane brought the field to the green. Maynard grabbed the early lead. Andy Bolles and two time feature winner Collin Mills were battling for second. Mills made his way around the Bolles machine. He now set his sights on the Maynard sixty-nine. He made an inside move on John and grabbed the lead. Scott Beach and Andy Bolles were battling for the third spot. Mills opened up a huge lead over second place Maynard and went on to collect his third feature. Finishing third was Scott Beach, in fourth was the winner”s dad Shawn Mills and fifth went to Andy Bolles. Next week there will be a bounty of $50 on Collin Mills. The race did go from green to checkered allowing all the drivers in attendance being able to sign in for free at next week’s event. Drivers must bring their cars with them and compete to take advantage of this free sign in.
The Curtis Lumber sponsored night was a great success. Coming up next week the race sponsor will be the Afton Fair Board. At intermission Fan Appreciation will be held for the 602 Crate Sportsman, Limited Sportsman and IMCA Modifieds. Make sure to mark your calendar for this event.