by JR Kennerup, OWR Staff

Our racing this week started out on Tuesday at the Five Mile Point Speedway for the 58^th Anniversary Special featuring a RoC Dart twin bill of Modifieds and Sportsman. On a brutally warm and humid day and decent sized crowd came out to see a pretty good racing show in my opinion.

Hours past the finish of this good racing show some of the racing internet message board wizards were criticizing this show for lack of passing. Well I for one don’t know what race they were at as this entire racing program had non - stop passing from start to finish.

How about Billy Decker and Brett Hearn, both had to qualify through the tough consolations. Both drivers literally had to race for their lives in each consi as they were racing hard for the lead, while in second. But each also had another racer right on their back bumper challenging them for the last qualifying spot.

One of the best races this entire season I have seen was the second Modified consi when Kenny Titus, Brett Hearn, and Kevin Bates put on an epic battle for the win and who was going to end up second. Bates was leading and had Titus who is having a terrible season race his way around him and then Hearn decided to go up the middle of both of them. If anyone couldn’t get excited about watching that kind of racing I’d say you better find a new sport or check your pulse.

The Sportsman didn’t disappoint either as they put on a pretty darn good 40 lap feature in their own right. Many thought that when Justin Holland grabbed the lead it was all over. Someone forgot to tell Mike Loney that as he did the impossible, he passed Holland for the lead.

Then the final stages of the Sportsman feature were controlled by two drivers who didn’t win. Earl Paules seeing Five Mile Point for the first time in his driving career fell in love with the historic quarter mile. Earl who is a natural driving talent started running the old Stan Ploski Five Mile Point groove. It almost worked as Earl ended up third but only a car length from the win and probably would have been in the lead if the race was two laps longer.

If Earl wasn’t catching your attention then Brian Puckett should have. Brian started 24^th, spun out on the first lap and restarted in 28^th. Well Brian was the fastest car in the final five laps of the feature as he finished fourth. I think most observers agreed that if the race was 50 laps Puckett would have been right there for the win.

Plus in the Sportsman just think that if a flat tire didn’t cause Shaun Walker to pit and Butch Klinger’s altercation after the yellow came out cost him while he was in fourth. You would have had at least seven good drivers in seven good cars going for the win.

Over in the Modifieds how couldn’t you get excited watching Brett Hearn pick his way up through the field. Brett was using every available groove on the wide Five Mile Point surface. Twice during the feature that I saw and there could have been more, but Brett made a four wide move work and gained four spots each time. Tell me that is not exciting or there was no passing in the race.

In the later stages of the Modified feature there was a titanic battle between JR Hurlburt, Mitch Gibbs, Tommy McGurrin, and Mike Colsten. These four veteran drivers were letting it all hang out and were exchanging positions every lap.

What that I’ve been getting to with these examples is this. Yes race winner Brian Weaver started on the pole and led every lap. But there were more than one car on the track for the 75 lap feature, there were 26 other cars. Unless you were a Weaver watcher or an owner of the car you’re not watching that particular car every lap of the race. In back of Brian there was racing action all over the place and this show was very well worth the price of admission.

One final thought about the internet bashing of this show. The bashing is started by one particular local so called race fan. It’s too bad that this bashers’ uncle was the best driver ever to race in the 58 year history of Five Mile Point. Maybe uncle should take his nephew out behind the barn and knock some sense into his thick skull. Because like I said before if you couldn’t enjoy the kind of racing you saw on Tuesday night at Five Mile Point. You better find a different sport or go have your pulse checked.

Tuesday night was a huge coming out party at Five Mile Point for the most famous radiator repairman that lives in Monroeton, Pa. Yes folks I’m talking about the infamous Mr. Leak, otherwise known as Dave Calaman. Dave who has taken his fair share of busting from me and everyone else through the years really impressed me on Tuesday night. First off he was early! Usually Dave is the last car to arrive but on Tuesday he was one of the first to arrive. Secondly Dave drew a good number and qualified easily through his heat race and the good drawing continued with an outside pole starting spot in the feature. Thirdly in the feature Dave didn’t become a hazard or he didn’t drop like a boat anchor to the rear. Dave stayed right up or near the front and was racing hard for 75 laps and he ended up with a very solid sixth place finish.

Three nights later Dave used his confidence gained from Tuesday night to vault him to a big feature win at Redline. Mr. Leak says he will be making some Saturday night trips to Five Mile Point in the future.

One final thought on Five Mile Point from Tuesday. There was only one car that had any type of tire wear on Tuesday night. Brett Hearn did get into his right rear and you have to realize that Brett was racing hard from 24^th place starting spot. Everyone else had little if any tire wear, which surprised many drivers after they looked at the tires.

Race winner Brian Weaver saw his rear tires look like they were brand new, like they were just purchased. Stewart Friesen ran a pair of tires that already had close to 125 laps a piece on them and they showed no sign of additional wear. Danny Johnson after looking at the tires of his third place car and the two cars in front of him said that this isn’t the old tire wearing Five Mile Point.

Jack Gillespie who does the tires for the Joey Grammes told me afterwards that the entire Sportsman field hardly had any heat in their tires after 40 laps. Jack was amazed that hardly anyone would believe him that tire wear has been non – existent at Five Mile Point this year. But it’s the truth racing folks; tire wear is not a factor currently at Five Mile Point.

Track owner and promoter Andrew Harpell has worked hard at getting a non abrasive track surface. Right now he has a good control over it and he knows his material and how to prepare it properly and when it has to be manicured during the show. Andrew also knows that tire bills are one of the most expensive parts of a racing teams’ budget. If a track can help the racer out by having a non abrasive surface it will help car counts the longer the season goes. That is exactly what is happening at Five Mile Point right now.

Five Mile Point has been experiencing some solid car counts all season long. In a way to say Thank You for the support of the track Five Mile Point management has come up with " A Month of Money. "

It starts this Saturday night with the IMCA Modifieds as they will run a handicapped normal distance feature for $1,000 to win and $500 to start. Normal purse will be paid from third on back for the remainder of the starting field. Weekly IMCA handicap will apply.

On July 26^th it will be the Pure Stocks racing for $1,000 to win and $500 for second and normal purse from third on back. No extra feature laps and the top 16 cars from the heats will be handicapped for the feature.

On August 2^nd the Modifieds will run a $2,000 to win feature with $1,000 for second and normal purse from third on back. No extra distance in the feature and the top 16 cars from the heats will be handicapped for the feature.

The interesting part on this night could be if a bounty is on the line and that could mean that the feature might pay $3,000 to win for only 30 laps of work.

On August 9^th the Sportsman will run their $1,000 to win feature with $500 for second and normal purse from third on back. No extra distance laps in the feature and the top 16 cars will be handicapped after the heat races.

In between the next four Saturday night dates is the special Thursday July 24^th Inner Loop Night where admission is only five bucks. Then on Wednesday August 6^th is the RoC Dart twin bill of Modifieds and Sportsman with a Lightning Cat open feature.

Five Mile Point and Subway at 721 Upper Court Street in Binghamton, about 2 miles from the track. Have joined forces to make the IMCA Modified features a little more exciting starting this Saturday night.

Each feature race in the IMCA Modifieds for the remainder of the season will see a special promotion called the Subway $5 Footlong Fantastic Finish. This promotion will see the driver who starts in the fifth position in the feature being the fan favorite for the feature. Because if the fifth place starting driver wins the feature everyone in attendance will receive a $1 coupon off their next purchase at the Subway located at 721 Upper Court Street in Binghamton. The driver will also win as he will receive the next week a free three foot party sub for his accomplishment.

Just a quick note on the racing show on Saturday night at Five Mile Point. Once again a good racing show was presented with plenty of passing taking place. Because of racing just four days prior coupled with a hot day an added manicuring session had to be done. But like I stated previously these extra watering sessions actually help tire wear and that keeps the racers racing.

Brian Weaver is on a roll as he won again on Saturday night his second win in a row at the track. Brian came from deep in the field to pass Brian Malcolm with less than a lap to go in the feature. Also it was good to see Kenny Titus up front running with the leaders as he ended up fifth. Thirty – one Modifieds signed in for action, which is a great car count at this time of year.

All news, notes, and comments can be directed to; mkennerup@hotmail.com.