By Jason Bonsignore —
It was a tough evening emotionally for the East Coast Speedway Family on July 13, as just two days earlier news surfaced that former NY State Champion Mikey Buman had passed away unexpectedly, and just a couple of weeks past his 33rd birthday.
It was also a difficult day for the track staff as there was a ton of work to do to save the racetrack in the blistering heat from the severe storms that blasted through a day earlier, and had filled the infield and much of the track with water. After hours and hours of pumping water and working the surface, which caused a bit of a late start, the track actually came out as one of the nicer ones this season!
Current track Champion Casey “Dominator” Donholt was close friends with Mikey Buman and was anxious to win for his friend. Donholt started off strongly, winning his three heats with 9 points.
At the podium, from left, are Caleb Stewart, Casey Donholt, and Len McBride. Photo credit: Kelly Klees.
Former track champion Spencer Portararo was back for his first event since Memorial Day weekend when he suffered a broken leg and quickly got back to form, scoring 8 points in the heat rounds.
Five-time Track Champion Len McBride, who has been very solid lately, was third in points, along with Jonny Oakden on 7.
Donholt won semifinal number 1 with another 5-time Track Champion, Adam “The Missile” Mittl, taking second and Caleb Stewart third, with Oakden fourth.
Portararo would win the other semi with McBride second, Mike Cortese third, and Levi “The Hornet” Harris fourth.
Stewart would have to go around the outside of Cortese in spectacular fashion to win the last chance and take the final position in the evening’s big money race, The Speedway Joe Hodak Main Event!
Joe was a great fan from Johnson City who missed only three or four events from 1975 until he passed nearly 40 years later, and would go through great lengths and take whatever means necessary of travel to make it to the tracks!
In the final, McBride, on his Justice Brothers Car Care Products / ODI Grips / TANKS AUTO SALES / Joe V’s Auto Repair powered GM and Donholt, on his MATRAFAILO RACING sponsored GM, would gate just about evenly and meet at the middle of the first corners, and with Donholt having the better dirt line mid track to power into first.
Donholt would ride meticulously the remaining race to capture the checkered flag, while McBride held second until the last corner when he was dive-bombed hard and pinched into the wall by Stewart. McBride collided with the wall, but stayed on the bike and crossed the line on his rear wheel to recover for third place.
Portararo and Mittl were fourth and fifth.
In the Division Two wars, female sensation Chloe Schnurr, from Rochester, had won three weeks in a row and had become the rider to beat heading into the night.
In the main event, colorful veteran D-1 rider Alex “The Hazard” Heath of Owego, who is riding D-2 while coming back from a serious injury last season, made the gate from the inside and Schnurr had to come off an outside gate in what ensued as one of the best 4 lap side by side battles seen all season!
The crowd was on their feet as the legendary pint sized Heath tried so hard he got sideways a couple times in the middle of the straights! Schnurr won by inches at the line and took her fourth in a row on her WILD BILL / Brian Hollenbeck / Tom Robinson sponsored GM.
Riders will be gearing up for the July 27 event at Champion, the Omar Lightner Cup Championship, which the Lightner Family has put extra money up for and is always a prestigious one to go for.
The JR scene at Champion has been awesome racing as well, with the program now boasting 12 youngsters in the Powersports X / Robinson Bros JR divisions. Flat-track motorcycles have also been added to the back track schedule on speedway nights and nearly 30 bikes attended the first time.
Results
Speedway Joe Cup: Casey Donholt, Caleb Stewart, Len McBride, Spencer Portararo, Adam Mittl
D-2; Chloe Schnurr, Alex Hazard Heath, Adam Mittl Jr, Austin Carlsson, Hunter Wagner, Red Rooster Brian McManamon
D-3: Cody Pierce, Hugh Rection, Chris Hulbert, Luke Helton, Kayden Vargo
JR D-1: Joel Farwell, Lilly Cornell, Kabriel Howard, Cody Pierce
JR D-2: Dakota Pierce, Gracie Bailey, Jaden Slate, Mikki Card
Dirt Bikes: Ashtin Palmer, Kabriel Howard, Macoley Saunders
Trikes: Chase Archibald, Don Archibald, Jeff Parkhurst
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