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(Chemung, NY) Chemung’s Promoter rolled the dice, against the odds, by trying a Sunday rain date for just their third show of the ’25 season. Ray Hodge won, but with just two minutes to spare when the sky opened up. Other winners included Kevin Youngs (Buckley’s Automotive Modifieds), Tim Gullo (Blauvelt Funeral Home Super Stocks), Anthony Gullo (Marion Decker Agency Hobby Stocks), Greg Moldt (Gene’s Automotive 4 Cylinders), and Brody Zacharias (JRC Cleaning Bandoleros). While Sunday was a fun day, competitive action now moves to Friday the 13th later this week.
Kevin Youngs swept the action in the Buckley’s Automotive modified division. He and Lee Sharpsteen, who won the other heat race, made up the front row for the start of the 35-lap feature with Zack Curren and TJ Potrzebowski right behind. An early caution sent Morich to the rear for contact. The restart brought Potrzebowski up alongside leader Curren with Youngs third. By the eighth lap the leaders had caught the tail end of the field. Youngs had a brief battle with Jesse Kent, whose car later began to fade. On lap 18 Potrzebowski was running side-by-side with Curren for the lead. Coming down the front stretch Curren made contact that sent TJ backwards down the turn one exit road where he landed in a gravel ditch. He was ok and the car sustained less damage than it could have had. That moved Youngs and Lee Sharpsteen up two spots, to the front row. Over the second half of the race Youngs prevailed and scored his first win of the year. Sharpsteen finished second, with Morich third, Curren fourth and Kent fifth. “We were fast all night, but right before the feature we ran into a brake problem. We were iffy at the beginning but good at the end,” Youngs said after his win.
A light car turnout guarantees nothing, especially in the Blauvelt Funeral Home Super Stock division, as the 25-lap feature ended with high-speed drama. Tim Gullo’s heat win would lead to a sweep as the action unfolded. Gullo and Joe Lane ran side-by-side on the opening lap while Zacharias overtook Lane for second on lap two. Jason Duke, Sr. was also in the mix and got up to third. With three laps remaining, Zacharias tapped Gullo and took the lead, but officials assessed a one-position penalty at that time for that move. The penalty would be given if caution came out or at the end of the race. The race was caution-free, so even though the Zacharias crossed the stripe first, the penalty moved him back a spot. Gullo got the win, followed by Zacharias, Lane, Duke, and Aaron Cornell.
The car count remains strong in the Marion Decker Agency Hobby Stock division. The 21 cars ran in four heats, won by Cullen Sharpsteen, Brian DeMark, Ethan Roberts and Devin Gullo. Front row starters for the 20-lap feature, Ajay Potrzebowski and DeMark, took off with Potrzebowski leading the way. An early pair of cautions set up restarts with Potrzebowski and Gullo both leading at times. Near the halfway point defending champion Anthony Gullo was up to second but sustaining pressure from behind. Devin took the lead on lap 11 but three laps later his car overheated. He retired while under caution. The restart brought A. Gullo and Potrzebowski up to row one for the restart. One late caution failed to alter the top two and Anthony Gullo took the win. Potrzebowski, Sharpsteen, Tom Shaffer and DeMark rounded out the top five.
Defending Gene’s Automotive 4 Cylinder champion Greg Moldt did what champions do. Matt Jenkins led the first two laps, but Moldt closed in and took away that lead. Heat winner Monica Robinson also worked the traffic and was running second, with Purvis in third. On the 17th lap, of 20, Purvis took over second. With just three laps remaining, and with Moldt comfortably out front, Gene went no further. Moldt parked his #51 in victory lane after his first win of the year. Purvis was second, with Robinson, Jenkins and Ryan Purvis making up the top five.
Brody Zacharias and his family made the haul from North Carolina worthwhile, earning a sweep in the JRC Cleaning Bandolero division. Zacharias easily won the heat and, while the field was inverted for the 8-lap feature, he moved from row two to the lead on the second lap. From there the 11-year-old stayed in command and built up a sizable lead over runner-up Easton Houghtaling, Leevi Sharpsteen and Dallas Harbst. “It was pretty fun going through the whole field and I want to thank all my sponsors,” he said from victory lane. Four generations of the family (Jim, Bill, Brian and Brody) celebrated Brody’s victory.
Friday night action resumes in a few short days, June 13th. Pits open at 5 PM, grandstand and practice at 6, and racing starts at 7 PM sharp. Adult admission is $15, $13 for seniors, $5 for kids ages 5-12 and free for kids under age 5. With all that Mother Nature has taken from us, this will now be our first Friday night program in 2025.
For information, log on to the track’s website: chemung-speedrome.com, ‘like’ us on Facebook: Chemung Speedrome – Racing at the Drome, or call Ray Hodge, Promoter, at 607-483-3468.
Of note:
The unclaimed 50/50 from April 26th, along with the night’s sales, resulted in a prize of $726. The gentleman who won had also won the 50/50 the night before at Brewerton. His double win added a total of $1,451 to his wallet.
Results:
Buckley’s Automotive Modifieds (35 Laps): KEVIN YOUNGS, Lee Sharpsteen, Nick Morich, Zack Curren, Jesse Kent, DJ Shaw, Charlie Sharpsteen, Dakota Anderson, Lucas Bartlett, TJ Potrzebowski, Tommy Rought, Tyler Herbst
Heats: Youngs, L. Sharpsteen
Blauvelt Funeral Home Super Stocks (25 Laps): TIM GULLO, Garrett Zacharias, Joe Lane, Jason Duke, Sr., Aaron Cornell, Paul House
Heat: Gullo
Marion Decker Agency Hobby Stocks (20 Laps): ANTHONY GULLO, Ajay Potrzebowski, Cullen Sharpsteen, Tom Shaffer, Brian DeMark, Josh Parker, Doug DeKay, Mark Taylor, Dennis Beardsley, Ethan Roberts, Bruce Kinner, Mike Bailey, Dave Decker, George Nichols, Ben Perry, Paul Bailey, Mike Kintner, John Widrig, Devin Gullo, Michael Bast, Josh Ames, Ryan Osgood, Kamden Wheeler
Heats: Sharpsteen, DeMark, Roberts, D. Gullo
Gene’s Automotive 4 Cylinders (20 Laps): GREG MOLDT, Gene Purvis, Monica Robinson, Matt Jenkins, Ryan Purvis, Augustine Worden, Brandon Measheaw, Adriana Purvis, Ron Manwaring, Troy Hodge, 93
Heats: G. Purvis, Robinson
JRC Cleaning Bandoleros (8 Laps): BRODY ZACHARIAS, Easton Houghtaling, Leevi Sharpsteen, Dallas Harbst
Heat: Zacharias
Photos by Matt Lewis
