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Hurlburt Happy with Win in CRSA Debut |
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| posted by Admin
on 05/18/09 |
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KIRKWOOD, N.Y. – J.R. Hurlburt usually spends his weekends wheeling a Troyer Modified around the tight confines of the Five Mile Point Speedway.
On Sunday night, Hurlburt got the opportunity to make his first ever Capital Region Sprint Agency start driving for close friend Mike VanDusen. Hurlburt took full advantage of the chance given to him as he went and won the 25-lap feature event.
“I had a lot of fun driving this car tonight,” said Hurlburt after the win. “Mike (VanDusen) gave me the opportunity to go out and run the car. It ended up working out pretty well.”
Hurlburt started the event alongside former CRSA champion Chuck Alessi. At the green flag he bolted from outside of the front row to the lead as they raced into the first turn.
“I went to the top like I normally do at Five Mile Point (Speedway),” stated the Otego, N.Y., native. “He (Alessi) went to the bottom and I had the momentum to shoot by him off the corner.”
Hurlburt bolted out in front and was the leader when the caution came out on lap 11 for Edward Kelly as he spun.
On the restart Hulburt held the lead but Bruce Evans Jr. was able to stay right with him. The pair battled for several laps with Evans nearly taking the lead numerous times.
The two were racing for the lead in slower traffic when a scary moment occurred on lap 18. Hurlburt was battling with traffic in turns one and two when he bobbled.
Evans slipped by on the inside and had the lead for a brief moment before he found himself getting together with Chad King as he tried to put him a lap down. The contact caused Evans to roll the car end over end in turn three. He was uninjured in the accident. This gave the lead back to Hurlburt.
“I got together with a lapped car and that bogged down the car a little bit,” stated Hurlburt. “He (Evans) got by me on the backstretch, but then he got into a lapped car getting into turn three. He went flipping and I avoided him by going around the outside.”
One final caution slowed the field with three laps remaining bunching everyone up behind Hurlburt. On the restart, Hurlburt went to the top in turn one while Jeremy Quick looked to the bottom in an attempt to take the lead.
Hurlburt didn’t allow the pass to be made and he went on to record his first ever Sprint Car victory.
“He got a nose under me in one and two,” said Hulburt of Quick. “I knew once I got off of two that I was going to be alright. I was able to pull away from there.”
Quick, the defending series champion, challenged Hurlburt in the final three laps but he was unable to make the move to earn his second straight win. The Kerhonkson, N.Y., driver settled for second and the Magsarus Hard Charger award after he gained ten spots in the feature.
Veteran Sprint Car chauffer, Warren Alexson of Altamont, N.Y., finished in third. Billy VanInwegen, of Port Jervis, N.Y., finished fourth while rookie driver, Brent Jaycox, completed the top five.
The next event for the winged warriors of the CRSA will take place on Saturday June 6. Racing is slated to get underway at 6:45pm. For more information be sure to visit the series website at www.crsasprintcars.com.
The Capital Region Sprint Agency would like to thank our 2009 series sponsors: Pancho’s Racing Products, Triple X Racecars, Peak Racing Equipment, D&D Auto Supply and Checkers Out Speedway.
FIVE MILE POINT SPEEDWAY RESULTS 5/17/09 (25-laps): J.R. Hurlburt, Jeremy Quick, Warren Alexson, Billy VanInwegen, Brent Jaycox, Phil Peworchik Jr., Jeff VanSteenburg, John Matrafailo, John Cunningham, Mason Olmstead, Matt Tanner, Billy Jaycox Jr., Craig Rochelle, Tyler Rice, Edward Kelly, Ben Rizzo, John Leombruno, Bruce Evans Jr., Chad King, Dan Hennessy, Chuck Alessi, Mark Zemcik. DNS – Dylan Swiernik
HEAT WINNERS (8-laps): VanInwegen, Cunningham, Peworchik
MAGSARUS HARD CHARGER: Quick (+10)
Todd Rittenhouse Bonus ($25): VanInwegen, Matrafailo, Jaycox Jr., Rizzo
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