Accord, NY - Jerry Higbie Blazes To Victory In Joe Winne Memorial At Accord Speedway
By Steve Pados, Accord Media

The Accord Speedway gates opened on Friday night to the sounds of some great 50's music being played by DJ Tim Adams. The Winne family again set the stage for another fine tribute to the late Joe Winne with gifts and prizes ranging from bicycles to hula-hoops. The scene was a reminder to the way racing appeared back in the fifties and sixties as the county fair-like approach has been a very successful promotional tool for the Accord management team. The headline sponsor for the event was the B. Millen & Sons Recycling Company and they were well represented with their group of employees.

An unexpected visit from Mother Nature quickly put the speedway in a crossfire for as soon as the hot laps got underway, a fast moving, hard hitting storm
laid a heavy volume of water on the grounds and the playing surface of the speedway. Giving time to have the speedway a chance to settle from the storm, Promoter Gary Palmer went to work on the racing surface and with the help from all racing divisions, the track came in quickly and was soon in tip-top shape to go racing. During the delay, Announcers Steve Pados and Andy Crane kept the fans entertained with an impromptu Hula Hoop contest and the scheduled banner contest that paid-out some big dollars to the many entries involved with the event.

Once the racing got underway, a modified racing schedule was put into place by Race Director Rich Roosa and the large crowd on hand was treated to some excellent side by side racing in all divisions. The headline Joe Winne Memorial event proved to be one of the most exciting races to date at the speedway.

Pole-sitter Rich Eurich jumped out front at the start of the 55-lap event and quickly established himself as the man to beat as he paced the field in the early going. An accident involving track champion Rich Ricci Jr and his brother Mike Ricci slowed the pace for a time but when the racing resumed again it was Eurich charging out to a big advantage. The "Statesman from Slate Hill" Jerry Higbie found a couple of lanes of racing he liked and soon found himself cutting into the big advantage enjoyed by Eurich. With the race inching towards the curfew time, Higbie moved to the topside of the raceway. Getting faster as the race wore on, Higbie found the quick lane off of turn four on lap-30 and challenged Eurich for the lead. Keeping up the revs in his Big Block powered machine, Higbie drove hard into turn one on the topside with Eurich remaining on the bottom side of the raceway. Higbie found the needed bite and the momentum to carry him off of turn two to slip by Eurich halfway down the backstretch and assume command of the lead. Once in front, Higbie put some distance between he and Eurich and a caution brought out the stoppage of the race on lap-33 and with it the end of the event. Higbie earned a cool $2,500.00 for his winning efforts and with it won his first feature event of the 2008 racing season at Accord. Eurich, who ran an excellent race, was second and was followed by the hard driving Andy Bachetti in third. Rick Mill was fourth and Mike Ricci rallied back from his encounter with his brother to complete the top five. Last week's winner John McGill was sixth and Barry Davis, Mark Pullen, newcomer Bobby Trapper, and Donnie Elliott completed the top ten.

The Enzo's Rostorante Pro Stock feature was a classic Ford versus Chevy tale. Bill Deak Sr led the first three laps of the event before yielding to the Ford powered John Roese machine. Roese powere out to an advantage but racing his way through the pack was defending track champion Don Williams from his 10th starting position. Williams moved into the runnerup slot by the midway point and was soon fighting Roese for the lead. The final ten laps became a two-man show with Roese keeping the hard driving Williams at bay and crossing the finish line first to win his second event of the 2008 racing season. Williams finished second with the hard driving Rob Row coming from 13th starting piosition to finish third and Larry Temple Jr and Jon Routhier completing the top ten running order.

The Bryant's Towing Pure Stock feature began with Mike Deyo jumping out front at the start and hanging on to the lead through many cautions despite having a car under him that didn't want to respond in turns one and two. Deyo remained out front until lap eleven when the high flying Joe Judge got by on the outside and led for the final lap until a caution halted the race's time limit. Judge was in for the win with Mike Deyo holding on for the runnerup slot and current point leader 15 year old Tommy "The Gun" Johnson hustling from 12th starting position to finish third. Rich Scott was fourth in his best effort in some time and two-time winner Bill Judge rallied to finish fifth.

The Camper's Barn Sportsman event was shortened to 15-laps due to the fact Brian Krummel tore out more than 100-feet of the race track's billboards when he jumped the boilerplate at the beginning of the event. After a lengthy delay, David Coene took out at the drop of the green and wired the field for the duration of the event. Tom Dakake was a close second with Jerry Craig racing to third with a tremendous series of passing moves that excited the crowd lap after lap. Darrell Ford was fourth and the steady Jesse Marks rounded out the top five.

The Heart Chevrolet Spec Sportsman feature and the held over Bryant's Towing Pure Stock feature will be made up at a time when the schedule permits.

MUDPLUGS:

While many Promoters might have thrown in the towel when the rains came, Gary Palmer was more than up to the task to give the large crowd on hand a great show and accomplished his mission with some hard work and much determination. The track was racy from the top to the bottom and the action was intense throughout all of the divisions.

With the Penn Can Speedway giving their Modified division a night off, invaders Brian "The Dream" Weaver and Bobby Trapper made their initial appearances of the season at Accord. Trapper qualified through his heat and garnered a solid 9th place finish in the feature. Weaver, who has been on a hot streak of late, suffered from problems in both his heat and consolation runs and did not transfer to the feature event. The veteran campaigner Hank Goranson made his first appearance of the season and did not make the transer as well. A new Spec Sportsman entry from Tony Suozzo was on hand and though he did not have the opportunity to race was looking forward to his first competition in his sharp-appearing racer. Emerson Cargain Jr borrowed a car to go racing on Friday night. A total of 28 Modifieds were on hand for the Friday night racing and more than a 120 total entrants were on hand for the racing activity.

Rhinebeck Ford Modified heats were captured by Jerry Higbie, Rick Mill and Andy Bachetti and the Consolation event was won by Kevin Duryea.

A strong supporting group of sponsors made the Banner Night at the speedway a huge success. KB's Racing Photos, Accord Speedway, Accurate Contracting, Dubois Racing and CARQUEST Gasoline Alley TV/Internet Show all went deep into their pockets to post some excellent prizes for the many happy winners. All entrants received prizes for their efforts.

With the rain delay, the Hula Hoop contest became a rousing success for the fans. Bolstered by some great prizes by Dubois Racing and Steve Pados, the three winners received some great cash prizes. Later while waiting for the return of the track ambulance, Accord Speedway and Steve Pados posted prizes for a disco contest that again had the fans buzzing with excitement. More of such contests will be added in the future.

Midweek Madness again comes to the forefront on Wednesday night with Bikes, Quads, Karts, Lawn Mowers and Slingshots going to war on the quarter miler. Gates open at 5 with Hot Laps at 6:15 and the racing beginning close to 7. A very affordable $3.00 admission price is charged for the quick hitting show.

This coming Friday night will feature Van Kleeck's Tire Night at the speedway and will include the return of the Accord Mini Sprints.

Rhinebeck Ford Modifieds: (Joe Winne Memorial) Jerry Higbie, Richie Eurich, Andy Bachetti, Rick Mill, Mike Ricci, John McGill, Barry Davis, Mark Pullen, Bob Trapper, Donnie Elliott, Kevin Duryea, Jackie Brown Jr, Danny Tyler, Danny Creeden, David Bush, Jamie Yannone, Rich Ricci Jr, Mel Schrufer, Tom Hindley, Tom Demarmels, Nick Lapp, John Lutes Jr

Heart Chevrolet Spec Sportsman: Curfewed until next week

Campers Barn Sportsman: David Coene, Tom Dakake, Jerry Craig, Darrell Ford, Jesse Marks, Steve Meilleur, Jeff Hulseapple, John Sundlof, Mike Senecal, Joe Giachinta, Bobby Hentschel, Ken Ferrier, Danny Hedges, Carl Dawes, Ray See Jr, Brad Rothaupt, Howard Jarvis, Steve Krom, Brian Krummel, Randy Banks Jr, Charlie Winne, Mike McKerrell, Greg McCloskey (DNS) Larry Badaracco (DNS)

Enzo's Ristorante and Pizza Pro Stocks: John Roese, Don Williams, Rob Rowe, Larry Temple Jr, Jon Routhier, Emerson Cargain Jr, Bill Deak Jr, Bill Deak Sr, Don J Williams, Lenny Helmich, John Rood, Edgar Hedges, Charlie Rose, Terry O'Brien, Pat Zimmer, Hank Marin

Bryant's Towing Pure Stock: Joe Judge, Mike Deyo, Tommy Johnson, Rich Scott, Bill Judge, Steve Smalley, Kyle Wright, Paul Aragon Jr, Chris Kanuk, Andy Briggs, Mike DuBois, Clarence Smith Jr, John Woinoski, Will Dietz, Ryan Coon, Don Coon, Phil Johnson, Richard Stickle, Robert Ball, Gary Ronk,
Bill Merton, Ray Tarantino

For further updates and information regarding the great racing at the Accord Speedway, logon to the their newly constructed website at: http://www.accordspeedway.com or call the speedway hotline at: 845 626 3478

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