Results-2023

October 8 2023

Wight Victorious Again at Weedsport in Cavalcade Cup Make-Up

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History > Tour Archive > 2023 > 2023 Tour Schedule > Results > Weedsport 10/3/23

Wight Victorious Again at Weedsport in Cavalcade Cup Make-Up

By Curtis Berleue (Fulton, NY) | For the second time in two years, Larry Wight sat atop the podium Tuesday night at Weedsport Speedway with the Empire Super Sprints.

As it was the continuation of the rain-shortened ‘Cavalcade Cup’ program from September 9, only hot laps and the A-Main were on the card for the 360 sprints in this Tuesday spectacular.

Before the rains came back in September, Trevor Years had drawn the Pinnacle Pole Award and as such brought the field to the green flag alongside Larry Wight. Working the high side for the majority of the event, Wight was able to pick up his first ESS victory of 2023 over Jason Barney and Chuck Hebing.

“The car felt good on the top,” said Wight. “It was kind of one of those deals where if it feels good and you’re not seeing a nose, you just stay up there.”

“A guy like Jason Barney, he can roll that bottom so good, so when I saw him coming up through, I knew it was definitely there, but I just had to stick to my guns and keep rolling the cushion.”

Jordan Poirier came home fourth and locked up his second consecutive championship by a final margin of 95 points over runner-up Shawn Donath. Rounding out the top five was Danny Varin.

The final on track event for the Empire Super Sprints in their 40^th Anniversary season is Friday, October 20^th at the Outlaw Speedway in Dundee, NY. The Hoag Memorial, named in honor of the late Dutch and Dean Hoag, will pay $3,500 to win to cap off the 2023 campaign.

For the latest news, information, and schedule updates regarding the Empire Super Sprints be sure to check the series website (www.EmpireSuperSprints.com) and follow along on Facebook (Empire Super Sprints), Twitter (@ESSprints) and Instagram (@empiresupersprints).

The Empire Super Sprints would like to thank the following series sponsors for their continued support: Rifenburg Contracting Corp, PJC Spray Foam, Hoosier Racing Tire, Cobra Coaches, E&V Energy, Fondations 4 Saisons, Pinnacle Investments, LLC, Lacaillade Masonry, Inc., FX Caprara, ASI Racewear, Lanes Yamaha, Ashley Lynn Winery, Bicknell Racing Products, DirtTrackDigest.com and LC Design.

The ESS Road Ahead:

Friday, October 20 – Outlaw Speedway – Dundee, NY ($3,500 to win Hoag Memorial)

Saturday, November 11 – ESS Rules Meeting & Awards Banquet – Vernon Downs Hotel & Casino

Full Results (Qualifying Completed 9/9, A-Main on 10/3):

A-Main (25 Laps): 1. #99L-Larry Wight[2]; 2. #87-Jason Barney[6]; 3. #45-Chuck Hebing[5]; 4. 28-Jordan Poirier[4]; 5. #01-Danny Varin[8]; 6. #5H-Chris Hile[10]; 7. #36-Logan Crisafulli[9]; 8. #5D-Jacob Dykstra[3]; 9. #24-Bobby Hackel IV[16]; 10. #4P-Chase Moran[12]; 11. #98-Joe Trenca[11]; 12. #90-Matt Tanner[13]; 13. #10-Jeff Cook[14]; 14. #53-Shawn Donath[7]; 15. #13T-Trevor Years[1]; 16. #23-Tyler Cartier[20]; 17. 96X-Chad Phelps[17]; 18. #67-Steve Glover[15]; 19. #33-Lacey Hanson[19]; 20. #7C-Dylan Swiernik[21]; 21. 80-Bobby Parrow[18]; 22. #13-Keith Granholm[22]

Monroe Mechanical Services Dash (4 Laps): 1. #4P-Chase Moran; 2. #90-Matt Tanner; 3. #10-Jeff Cook; 4. #67-Steve Glover; 5. #41-Dalton Rombough; 6. #24-Bobby Hackel

E&V Energy Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. 28-Jordan Poirier[1]; 2. #98-Joe Trenca[2]; 3. #01-Danny Varin[4]; 4. #79-Jordan Thomas[3]; 5. #90-Matt Tanner[5]; 6. #67-Steve Glover[6]; 7. 96X-Chad Phelps[7]; 8. #23-Tyler Cartier[9]; 9. #66-Jordan Hutton[8]

E&V Energy Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. #5H-Chris Hile[2]; 2. #87-Jason Barney[1]; 3. #5D-Jacob Dykstra[5]; 4. #13T-Trevor Years[3]; 5. #4P-Chase Moran[6]; 6. #41-Dalton Rombough[9]; 7. 80-Bobby Parrow[8]; 8. #13-Keith Granholm[7]; 9. #7C-Dylan Swiernik[4]

E&V Energy Heat 3 (10 Laps): 1. #53-Shawn Donath[3]; 2. #36-Logan Crisafulli[1]; 3. #45-Chuck Hebing[2]; 4. #99L-Larry Wight[5]; 5. #10-Jeff Cook[4]; 6. #24-Bobby Hackel IV[6]; 7. #33-Lacey Hanson[8]; 8. #21B-Blake Warner[7]

Awards & Contingencies:

Rifenburg Contracting Fast Time ($25 each): #98-Joe Trenca; #5H-Chris Hile; #45-Chuck Hebing

E&V Energy Heat Winners ($25 each): #28-Jordan Poirier; #5H-Chris Hile; #53-Shawn Donath

Cobra Coaches / Monroe Mechanical Services, Inc. Dash Winner ($100): #4P-Chase Moran

Pinnacle Pole Draw Award ($25): #13T-Trevor Years

PJC Spray Foam Hard Charger Award ($50): #24-Bobby Hackel IV (+7)

PJC Spray Foam Reverse Hard Charger Award ($50): #13T-Trevor Years (-14)

Pinnacle Investments Last Car Running ($35): #33-Lacey Hanson

Pinnacle Investments 11th Place (5 gallons fuel): #98-Joe Trenca

Ashley Lynn Winery Podium Finish (bottle of wine): #99L-Larry Wight; #87-Jason Barney; #45-Chuck Hebing

October 6 2023

Barney Perfect for Third Time in 2023 at Fulton

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By Curtis Berleue (Fulton, NY) | For the third time this season, Jason Barney found himself in Empire Super Sprints victory lane at the Fulton Speedway on Friday night. From the first time he hit the track with timed hot laps, through his heat race and culminating in the A-Main, Barney could not be beat.

His performance through the night, capped off with the $2,000 winners check in the kickoff of the annual Outlaw 200 weekend further solidified his stronghold on Fulton, as it was Barney’s 10^th ESS win at the track. He now trails just Gordy Button, who has 12 victories, on the all-time ESS win list at Fulton.

Pinnacle Pole Award winner Chuck Hebing and Jonathan Preston led the field to the initial green flag, with Hebing jumping out to an early advantage. Preston would assume second, and 7^th starting Barney made quick work of 4 cars in front of him crossing the line on the end of lap 1 in third.

Barney’s march forward didn’t stop there, as one lap later he got by Preston for second, and immediately set his sights on the leader Hebing. As the lap counter hit ‘6’, Barney moved by Hebing and set sail from there, never looking back.

Hebing would ultimately hold on to cross the line second, and Danny Varin rounded out the Ashley Lynn Winery podium in third.

“We had a really good car again tonight,” said Barney of his victory. “We’ve had sort of an up and down season, but every time we have come home to Fulton we have been fast.”

“I wouldn’t be able to do this without my crew, I can’t thank everyone involved with our program enough to keep us running up front.”

Lacaillade Masonry B-Main winner Larry Wight arguably stole the show, making his own charge through the field. Starting 19^th, he quickly made his way into the top 10 by lap 8. By lap 20, he was up to 6^th, and on the last lap got by Joe Trenca for a top 5 finish, one spot behind current point leader Jordan Poirier.

28 cars signed into the pits on Friday night. In the 3 timed hot lap groups, Joe Trenca, Jason Barney and Shawn Donath each earned the Rifenburg Contracting fast time award. E&V Energy heat wins went to Logan Crisafulli, Jason Barney, and Jonathan Preston, while Jacob Dykstra won the Cobra Coaches Dash presented by The Hayloft Restaurant.

The next scheduled event for the Empire Super Sprints is tomorrow, Tuesday October 3^rd at the Weedsport Speedway in Weedsport, NY. The event is the continuation of the rain-shortened show from September 9^th, with just the A-Main left to be run. Gate times and pricing information can be found on the Weedsport Speedway website and social media pages.

The ESS Road Ahead:

Tuesday, October 3 – Weedsport Speedway – Weedsport, NY ($2,000 to Win A-Main from 9/9)

Friday, October 20 – Outlaw Speedway – Dundee, NY ($3,500 to win Hoag Memorial)

Saturday, November 11 – ESS Rules Meeting & Awards Banquet – Vernon Downs Hotel & Casino

Full Results:

A-Main: 1. #87-Jason Barney[7]; 2. #45-Chuck Hebing[1]; 3. #01-Danny Varin[10]; 4. 28-Jordan Poirier[6]; 5. #99L-Larry Wight[19]; 6. #98-Joe Trenca[8]; 7. #5H-Chris Hile[3]; 8. #36-Logan Crisafulli[12]; 9. #10C-Paulie Colagiovanni[5]; 10. #90-Matt Tanner[4]; 11. #79-Jordan Thomas[11]; 12. #53-Shawn Donath[18]; 13. #7C-Dylan Swiernik[25]; 14. 10BH-Bryan Howland[9]; 15. #22-Jonathan Preston[2]; 16. #23-Tyler Cartier[15]; 17. 96X-Chad Phelps[14]; 18. #5D-Jacob Dykstra[13]; 19. #10-Jeff Cook[20]; 20. #33-Lacey Hanson[24]; 21. #13-Keith Granholm[23]; 22. #X-Dan Bennett[17]; 23. (DNF) #67-Steve Glover[22]; 24. (DNF) #13T-Trevor Years[21]; 25. (DQ) #4P-Chase Moran[16]

Lacaillade Masonry B-Main: 1. #99L-Larry Wight[8]; 2. #10-Jeff Cook[6]; 3. #13T-Trevor Years[3]; 4. #67-Steve Glover[5]; 5. #13-Keith Granholm[10]; 6. #33-Lacey Hanson[4]; 7. #25G-Tyler Graves[9]; 8. #6K-Kyle Dutcher[7]; 9. #7C-Dylan Swiernik[1]; 10. #66-Jordan Hutton[2]

The Hayloft Dash: 1. #5D-Jacob Dykstra[1]; 2. 96X-Chad Phelps[2]; 3. #23-Tyler Cartier[5]; 4. #4P-Chase Moran[6]; 5. #X-Dan Bennett[4]; 6. #53-Shawn Donath[3]

E & V Energy Heat 1: 1. #36-Logan Crisafulli[1]; 2. 10BH-Bryan Howland[4]; 3. #79-Jordan Thomas[3]; 4. #98-Joe Trenca[6]; 5. #5D-Jacob Dykstra[5]; 6. #X-Dan Bennett[2]; 7. #7C-Dylan Swiernik[7]; 8. #33-Lacey Hanson[8]; 9. #6K-Kyle Dutcher[9]

E & V Energy Heat 2: 1. #87-Jason Barney[6]; 2. #45-Chuck Hebing[2]; 3. 28-Jordan Poirier[4]; 4. #90-Matt Tanner[1]; 5. 96X-Chad Phelps[8]; 6. #23-Tyler Cartier[9]; 7. #66-Jordan Hutton[7]; 8. #67-Steve Glover[3]; 9. (DNF) #99L-Larry Wight[5]

E & V Energy Heat 3: 1. #22-Jonathan Preston[1]; 2. #5H-Chris Hile[4]; 3. #01-Danny Varin[5]; 4. #10C-Paulie Colagiovanni[2]; 5. #53-Shawn Donath[6]; 6. #4P-Chase Moran[3]; 7. #13T-Trevor Years[7]; 8. #10-Jeff Cook[8]; 9. #25G-Tyler Graves[10]; 10. #13-Keith Granholm[9]

Awards & Contingencies:

Rifenburg Contracting Fast Time ($25 each): #98-Joe Trenca; #87-Jason Barney; #53-Shawn Donath

E&V Energy Heat Winners ($25 each): #36-Logan Crisafulli; #87-Jason Barney; #22-Jonathan Preston

Cobra Coaches / The Hayloft Restaurant Dash Winner ($100): #5D-Jacob Dykstra

Lacaillade Masonry B Main Winner ($50): #99L-Larry Wight

PJC Spray Foam First Non-Qualifier ($50): #25G-Tyler Graves

Pinnacle Pole Draw Award ($25): #45-Chuck Hebing

PJC Spray Foam Hard Charger Award ($50): #99L-Larry Wight (+14)

PJC Spray Foam Reverse Hard Charger Award ($50): #22-Jonathan Preston (-13)

Pinnacle Investments Last Car Running ($35): #67-Steve Glover

Pinnacle Investments 11th Place (5 gallons fuel): #79-Jordan Thomas

Ashley Lynn Winery Podium Finish (bottle of wine): #87-Jason Barney; #45-Chuck Hebing; #01-Danny Varin

September 26 2023

Jordan Thomas Leads Wire to Wire for First ESS Win at Outlaw

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By Curtis Berleue (Dundee, NY) | For the first time in his career, Jordan Thomas is an Empire Super Sprints winner. Starting on the pole, Thomas led every lap en-route to the $4,220.20 payday in the Cal Lane Memorial Fall Nationals at Outlaw Speedway.

It was Thomas and outside pole sitter Jeff Cook who brought the field to the green flag, with Thomas taking the lead as the field exited turn two. After just two trips around the speedway, however, the only caution of the night flew for Kyle Drum who slowed coming off turn four.

On the ensuing restart, it was again Thomas who jumped out to the lead. By lap 5, Thomas had built up nearly a straightaway advantage over Dylan Swiernik, Cook and fourth-starting Jared Zimbardi.

Thomas caught the rear of the field on lap 8 and began working lap traffic on the high side. Luckily for him, the lap traffic would not slow his pace.

As the laps wound down, the running order would remain largely unchanged at the front of the field, and Thomas soared to a near 3 second victory.

“You have to be quick every time you’re on the track, and have a little bit of luck with the redraw too,” said Thomas. “We’ve been struggling pretty bad this year, and now we’ve picked it up at the end of the year here.”

“I was actually worried there for a little bit. I got behind (Matt) Tanner and (Logan) Crisafulli and had to go to the bottom a couple of times. I was worried that someone was going to go by me on the top, but I guess we were good enough to hold on.”

Dylan Swiernik advanced one spot from his third starting position to come home in second place on the night.

“Unfortunately, I don’t think we made the changes we needed to on the shocks, and it kinda bit us a little bit coming off of the corners,” said Swiernik. “We were still pretty good, and after the month we have had, to come away with a second-place finish – I’ll be happy with that.”

Rounding out the Ashley Lynn Winery podium was Jared Zimbardi.

“The track was in good shape, the top was dominant so you had to get up there,” said Zimbardi. “It was pretty good early on, a little bit tackier through the night. I thought the bottom would stay, but you had to get right up against the wall, that’s what makes it fun.”

20 cars entered the nights action at Outlaw Speedway. The field was divided into three timed hot lap groups, with Robbie Stillwaggon, Jordan Poirier and Jordan Thomas earning Rifenburg Contracting fast time awards. E&V Energy heat wins went to Stillwaggon, Matt Farnham, and Shawn Donath, while the Cobra Coaches Dash presented by Fratto Curbing was won by Matt Tanner.

The next scheduled event for the Empire Super Sprints is this coming Friday September 29^th at the Fulton Speedway in Fulton, NY. For the latest news, information, and schedule updates regarding the Empire Super Sprints be sure to check the series website (www.EmpireSuperSprints.com) and follow along on Facebook (Empire Super Sprints), Twitter (@ESSprints) and Instagram (@empiresupersprints).

The ESS Road Ahead:

Friday, September 29 – Fulton Speedway – Fulton, NY ($2,000 to Win Outlaw 200 Weekend)

Tuesday, October 3 – Weedsport Speedway – Weedsport, NY (Continuation of 9/9 event)

Friday, October 20 – Outlaw Speedway – Dundee, NY ($3,500 to Win Dutch Hoag Memorial)

Full Results:

A-Main: 1. #79-Jordan Thomas[1]; 2. #7C-Dylan Swiernik[3]; 3. #35-Jared Zimbardi[4]; 4. #53-Shawn Donath[5]; 5. #22-Jonathan Preston[10]; 6. #98-Joe Trenca[7]; 7. 28-Jordan Poirier[12]; 8. #10-Jeff Cook[2]; 9. #7NY-Matt Farnham[9]; 10. #89-Robbie Stillwaggon[6]; 11. #5D-Jacob Dykstra[11]; 12. #36-Logan Crisafulli[14]; 13. #90-Matt Tanner[13]; 14. #4P-Chase Moran[15]; 15. 11J-Chris Jones[16]; 16. #41-Dalton Rombough[17]; 17. #25G-Tyler Graves[18]; 18. #13T-Trevor Years[19]; 19. (DNF) #24-Bobby Hackel IV[20]; 20. (DNF) #47-Kyle Drum[8]

Fratto Curbing Dash: 1. #90-Matt Tanner[2]; 2. #36-Logan Crisafulli[5]; 3. #4P-Chase Moran[1]; 4. 11J-Chris Jones[3]; 5. #41-Dalton Rombough[6]; 6. #25G-Tyler Graves[4]

E&V Energy Heat 1: 1. #89-Robbie Stillwaggon[2]; 2. #98-Joe Trenca[1]; 3. #35-Jared Zimbardi[3]; 4. #5D-Jacob Dykstra[4]; 5. #4P-Chase Moran[6]; 6. (DNF) #25G-Tyler Graves[7]; 7. (DNS) #24-Bobby Hackel IV

E&V Energy Heat 2: 1. #7NY-Matt Farnham[1]; 2. #22-Jonathan Preston[3]; 3. 28-Jordan Poirier[2]; 4. #10-Jeff Cook[4]; 5. #90-Matt Tanner[5]; 6. #36-Logan Crisafulli[6]; 7. #13T-Trevor Years[7]

E&V Energy #53-Shawn Donath[1]; 2. #79-Jordan Thomas[2]; 3. #7C-Dylan Swiernik[3]; 4. #47-Kyle Drum[5]; 5. 11J-Chris Jones[4]; 6. #41-Dalton Rombough[6]

Awards & Contingencies:

Rifenburg Contracting Fast Time ($25 each): #89-Robbie Stillwaggon; #28-Jordan Poirier; #79-Jordan Thomas

E&V Energy Heat Winners ($25 each): #89-Robbie Stillwaggon; #7NY-Matt Farnham; #53-Shawn Donath

Cobra Coaches / Fratto Curbing Dash Winner ($100): #90-Matt Tanner

Pinnacle Pole Draw Award ($25): #79-Jordan Thomas

PJC Spray Foam Hard Charger Award ($50): #22-Jonathan Preston; #28-Jordan Poirier (+5)

PJC Spray Foam Reverse Hard Charger Award ($50): #10-Jeff Cook (-6)

Pinnacle Investments Last Car Running ($35): #13T-Trevor Years

Pinnacle Investments 11th Place (5 gallons fuel): #5D-Jacob Dykstra

Ashley Lynn Winery Podium Finish (bottle of wine): #79-Jordan Thomas; #7C-Dylan Swiernik; #35-Jared Zimbardi

September 9 2023

Farnham 14^th Different ESS Winner at Utica-Rome Speedway

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By Curtis Berleue (Vernon, NY) | For the 14^th time this season, a different winner was sitting in Empire Super Sprints victory lane at the end of the night on Friday. This time, it was Matt Farnham picking up his first win of the season in the make-up event from August 4 at the Utica-Rome Speedway.

With all qualifying aside from the B-Main complete coming into the night, it was Sammy Reakes IV and Danny Varin who brought the field to the green flag.

Varin shot out to the initial lead off turn two, with Jordan Thomas in tow from his 4^th starting spot. As the lead duo pulled away from the pack, a pair of 10’s in Jeff Cook and Paulie Colagiovanni were waging war for the third spot.

On lap 5, Colagiovanni was able to squeeze by Cook on the extreme high side of turn two and secure the third spot.

A lap 6 restart would allow Colagiovanni to continue his march from the 10^th starting spot as he slipped past Jordan Thomas for the number two spot. Through multiple restarts, the running order remained unchanged as it seemed to take Colagiovanni a handful of laps to get going each time.

Then, on a restart with 12 to go, Colagiovanni was able to keep his momentum up around the high side and slip past Varin to take the lead.

The lead was short lived, however, as on another restart tight racing between Varin and Colagiovanni led to Colagiovanni going over the bank in turn 2, and then after he got back on the track, exiting again over the bank between turns 3 and 4 into the woods and ending his night.

Through each restart, Matt Farnham had quietly worked his way into the top 3, and with 7 laps to go, he took the second spot from Jordan Thomas and set his sights on Varin for the lead. With 3 to go, Farnham began slowly closing the gap, and as the duo took the white flag, Varin appeared to run out of fuel, handing the lead and the win to Matt Farnham.

“The car was great all night long,” said Farnham. “In the feature we were alright, lost a couple spots early on but the car kept getting better as the race went on.”

Jordan Thomas was in the mix all night, and ended up coming home second as the checkered flew.

“We’ve been really good as of late,” said Thomas. “The cautions were really killing me, the car wasn’t taking off great and Varin was getting good starts, Paulie was and I was just getting eaten up.”

Rounding out the Ashley Lynn Winery podium was Shawn Donath, who at one point had gone over the bank and re-joined the field at the rear.

“I hooked something over there, and thought I was flipping over, the car was on two wheels,” said Donath. “After that, it was dig, dig, dig. Just can’t quit and keep digging.

Qualifying for the night had been completed on August 4^th before the rain came, and 20 cars returned to complete the night’s action at Utica Rome.

The next scheduled event for the Empire Super Sprints is tonight, Saturday September 9^th at the Weedsport Speedway in Weedsport, NY. For the latest news, information, and schedule updates regarding the Empire Super Sprints be sure to check the series website (www.EmpireSuperSprints.com) and follow along on Facebook (Empire Super Sprints), Twitter (@ESSprints) and Instagram (@empiresupersprints).

The ESS Road Ahead:

Saturday, September 9 – Weedsport Speedway – Weedsport, NY ($2,000 to Win)

Saturday, September 16 – Ohsweken Speedway – Ohsweken, ONT ($10,000 to Win Canadian Sprint Car Nationals, no points)

Friday, September 22 – Outlaw Speedway – Dundee, NY ($4,000 to Win Outlaw Fall Nationals)

Full Results:

A-Main: 1. #7NY-Matt Farnham; 2. #79-Jordan Thomas; 3. #53-Shawn Donath; 4. #01-Danny Varin; 5. #10-Jeff Cook; 6. #36-Logan Crisafulli; 7. #56V-Billy VanInwegen; 8. #17-Sammy Reakes IV; 9. #90-Matt Tanner; 10. #24-Bobby Hackel IV; 11. #13T-Trevor Years; 12. #13-Keith Ganholm; 13. #33-Lacey Hanson; 14. #10C-Paulie Colagiovanni; 15. #7C-Dylan Swiernik; 16. #41R-Dalton Rombough; 17. #6K-Kyle Dutcher; 18. #87B-Jason Barney; 19. #28P-Jordan Poirier; 20. #67-Steve Glover; 21. #22-Jonathan Preston (DNS); 22. #1HD-Cory Sparks (DNS)

Awards & Contingencies:

PJC Spray Foam Hard Charger Award ($50): #53-Shawn Donath (+9)

PJC Spray Foam Reverse Hard Charger Award ($50): #17-Sammy Reakes IV (-7)

Pinnacle Investments Last Car Running ($35): #33-Lacey Hanson

Pinnacle Investments 11th Place (5 gallons fuel): #13T-Trevor Years

Ashley Lynn Winery Podium Finish (bottle of wine): #7NY-Matt Farnham; #79-Jordan Thomas; #53-Shawn Donath

September 3 2023

Jason Barney Victorious Again at the Fulton Speedway

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By Curtis Berleue (Fulton, NY) | The last time Jason Barney sat in Empire Super Sprints victory lane was back during the season opener in late April at the Fulton Speedway. That changed Saturday night, as Barney continued with the weekends theme of repeat winners at tracks visited previously in 2023 and scored his second tour victory of the year, again at Fulton Speedway.

Starting alongside Pinnacle Pole Award winner Jacob Dykstra, Barney was able to jump out to an early lead, one which he would never relinquish throughout the 25-lap main event.

“Coming to Fulton is always good for us,” said Barney. “Luckily, we laid down a good enough time, and then got a good invert and had a good heat race.”

“The racetrack wasn’t really what I would typically like. They had the tires in an odd spot, and I knew I wasn’t going to be able to run the bottom in 3&4, so I needed to just give up on that idea and get it out of my mind.”

“We flipped through the notebook and found something that was written down about not being able to run the bottom in 3&4 and kind of went with it, and it was good.”

Second place finisher Danny Varin came all the way from the 10^th position, and by lap 13 had actually got by Barney for a brief period of time. As a customer of Barney’s 87 Speed business, he had helped Varin with his setup before the feature to see if he could make his way from the 10^th starting spot.

“I knew Dan was starting 10^th and had talked with him a little about what to do with his car. When I see in 10 or 12 laps that Dan was 12^th to second, I thought this could be interesting.”

“I saw a little brown patch coming out of 4 and thought if I could maybe stick the middle and get a launch, maybe I could figure it out from there. I was a little nervous going into a different lane, but it was good.”

For Varin, the nights second place was a continuation of a recent streak of podium finishes for the Sharon Springs driver.

“I think Jason was just really aware of where the lines were and where the grip was,” said Varin. “We were almost pretty much identical there; I was right on his tail tank. When we got to lap traffic, I thought we were going to have something for him.”

“I misjudged a couple lap cars and allowed him to gain that gap there right at the end. We aren’t going to hang our head about tonight.”

Rounding out the Ashley Lynn Winery podium was another driver who has been consistent all season, Shawn Donath, and rounding out the top five were Dylan Swiernik and Chuck Hebing.

30 360 sprint cars lined the pits of Fulton Speedway on Saturday night, meaning that the field was split into 3 groups of timed hot laps. Rifenburg Contracting fast time awards went to Danny Varin, Jacob Dykstra and Matt Farnham. E&V Energy heat races were won by Jason Barney, Jeff Cook and Chuck Hebing, while the Northern Welding and Fabrication Dash went to Paulie Colagiovanni. Dalton Rombough won the Lacaillade Masonry B-Main.

The next scheduled event for the Empire Super Sprints is this coming Friday September 8^th at the Utica-Rome Speedway in Vernon, NY. The event will be the completion of the rain shortened evening from August 4^th, with just the B-Main and A-Main left to be run. For the latest news, information, and schedule updates regarding the Empire Super Sprints be sure to check the series website (www.EmpireSuperSprints.com) and follow along on Facebook (Empire Super Sprints), Twitter (@ESSprints) and Instagram (@empiresupersprints).

The ESS Road Ahead:

Friday, September 8 – Utica Rome Speedway – Vernon, NY ($2,000 to Win Make-Up Feature from 8/4)

Saturday, September 9 – Weedsport Speedway – Weedsport, NY ($2,000 to Win)

Saturday, September 16 – Ohsweken Speedway – Ohsweken, ONT ($10,000 to Win Canadian Sprint Car Nationals, no points)

Full Results:

A-Main (25 Laps): 1. #87-Jason Barney[2]; 2. #01-Danny Varin[10]; 3. #53-Shawn Donath[4]; 4. #7C-Dylan Swiernik[5]; 5. #45-Chuck Hebing[12]; 6. #10C-Paulie Colagiovanni[13]; 7. #5D-Jacob Dykstra[1]; 8. #10-Jeff Cook[7]; 9. 28-Jordan Poirier[15]; 10. #7NY-Matt Farnham[8]; 11. #52-Scott Kreutter[9]; 12. #90-Matt Tanner[21]; 13. #79-Jordan Thomas[6]; 14. #56-Billy VanInwegen Jr[14]; 15. #98-Joe Trenca[11]; 16. #10K-Joe Kata[3]; 17. #23-Tyler Cartier[20]; 18. #41-Dalton Rombough[19]; 19. #13T-Trevor Years[23]; 20. #36-Logan Crisafulli[16]; 21. #4P-Chase Moran[24]; 22. #13-Keith Granholm[25]; 23. (DNF) #17-Sammy Reakes IV[18]; 24. (DNF) #24-Bobby Hackel IV[22]; 25. (DNF) #22-Jonathan Preston[17]

Lacaillade Masonry B-Main (10 Laps): 1. #41-Dalton Rombough[2]; 2. #23-Tyler Cartier[1]; 3. #90-Matt Tanner[3]; 4. #24-Bobby Hackel IV[4]; 5. #13T-Trevor Years[6]; 6. #4P-Chase Moran[5]; 7. #13-Keith Granholm[8]; 8. 11T-Mike Thompson[9]; 9. #33-Lacey Hanson[7]; 10. #19EM-Emily VanInwegen[10]; 11. 96X-Chad Phelps[11]; 12. #X-Dan Bennett[12]

Northern Welding & Fabrication Dash (4 Laps): 1. #10C-Paulie Colagiovanni[1]; 2. #56-Billy VanInwegen Jr[2]; 3. 28-Jordan Poirier[5]; 4. #36-Logan Crisafulli[4]; 5. #22-Jonathan Preston[3]; 6. #17-Sammy Reakes IV[6]

E & V Energy Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. #87-Jason Barney[2]; 2. #98-Joe Trenca[1]; 3. #01-Danny Varin[4]; 4. #52-Scott Kreutter[3]; 5. #10C-Paulie Colagiovanni[5]; 6. #36-Logan Crisafulli[6]; 7. #23-Tyler Cartier[7]; 8. #24-Bobby Hackel IV[10]; 9. #33-Lacey Hanson[8]; 10. #19EM-Emily VanInwegen[9]

E & V Energy Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. #10-Jeff Cook[2]; 2. #53-Shawn Donath[1]; 3. #7C-Dylan Swiernik[3]; 4. #5D-Jacob Dykstra[4]; 5. #56-Billy VanInwegen Jr[8]; 6. 28-Jordan Poirier[6]; 7. #41-Dalton Rombough[5]; 8. #4P-Chase Moran[7]; 9. #13-Keith Granholm[9]; 10. 96X-Chad Phelps[10]

E & V Energy Heat 3 (10 Laps): 1. #45-Chuck Hebing[3]; 2. #79-Jordan Thomas[2]; 3. #10K-Joe Kata[1]; 4. #7NY-Matt Farnham[4]; 5. #22-Jonathan Preston[5]; 6. #17-Sammy Reakes IV[7]; 7. #90-Matt Tanner[8]; 8. #13T-Trevor Years[6]; 9. 11T-Mike Thompson[9]; 10. #X-Dan Bennett[10]

Awards & Contingencies:

Rifenburg Contracting Fast Time ($25 each): #01-Danny Varin; #5D-Jacob Dykstra; #7NY-Matt Farnham

E&V Energy Heat Winners ($25 each): #87-Jason Barney; #10-Jeff Cook; #45-Chuck Hebing

Cobra Coaches / Northern Welding & Fabrication Dash Winner ($100): #10C-Paulie Colagiovanni

Lacaillade Masonry B Main Winner ($50): #41-Dalton Rombough

PJC Spray Foam First Non-Qualifier ($50): #11T-Mike Thompson

Pinnacle Pole Draw Award ($25): #5D-Jacob Dykstra

PJC Spray Foam Hard Charger Award ($50): #90-Matt Tanner (+9)

PJC Spray Foam Reverse Hard Charger Award ($50): #10K-Joe Kata (-13)

Pinnacle Investments Last Car Running ($35): #13-Keith Granholm

Pinnacle Investments 11th Place (5 gallons fuel): #52-Scott Kreutter

Ashley Lynn Winery Podium Finish (bottle of wine): #87-Jason Barney; #01-Danny Varin; #53-Shawn Donath

September 3 2023

Colagiovanni Repeats at Brewerton with Empire Super Sprints

ESS SprintsResults-2023

By Curtis Berleue (Brewerton, NY) | For the second time this season, Paulie Colagiovanni was victorious at the Brewerton Speedway with the Empire Super Sprints on Friday night.

Coming all the way from the 12^th starting spot, Colagiovanni made quick work of the cars in front of him, moving into the top 3 by the halfway point, and then taking the lead and not looking back on lap 20 of the 25-lap event en-route to victory lane and the $2,000 winner’s share.

“We started 12^th so we knew we were going to have to put some work in,” said Colagiovanni. “I knew there was going to be bite on the bottom, so I said I’m just going to go to the top and see what happens. Halfway through the race the track got worked through a little bit and the top went away and the bottom came in.”

By virtue of draw, Jordan Poirier and Danny Varin brought the 24-car starting field to the green flag. Varin jumped out to the initial lead, but on lap 11 relinquished it to Jordan Thomas. Thomas proceeded to lead until lap 20 when Colagiovanni got by him, but managed to hang on for a second place finish.

“Knowing where to go there at the end was key,” said Thomas. “I was just more or less protecting the bottom. We caught lap cars right when Paulie got by me, I don’t know if that made a difference or not. I would have loved to see another restart; I don’t know if it was tires or what but restarts I was really good.”

Danny Varin continued his streak of podiums by finishing third and rounded out the Ashley Lynn Winery podium on the night.

With 29 cars in the pits, three timed hot lap groups took to the track with Shawn Donath, Jacob Dykstra and Danny Varin earning Rifenburg Contracting fast time awards for their respective groups. In E&V Energy heat race action, Lacey Hanson won her first ever ESS heat race along with Joe Trenca and Jordan Thomas. The Dylan Terry Photography dash went to Dylan Swiernik, and the Lacaillade Masonry B-Main was won by Matt Tanner.

The next scheduled event for the Empire Super Sprints is tonight, Saturday September 2^nd at the Fulton Speedway in Fulton, NY. For the latest news, information, and schedule updates regarding the Empire Super Sprints be sure to check the series website (www.EmpireSuperSprints.com) and follow along on Facebook (Empire Super Sprints), Twitter (@ESSprints) and Instagram (@empiresupersprints).

The ESS Road Ahead:

Saturday, September 2 – Fulton Speedway – Fulton, NY ($2,000 to Win)

Friday, September 8 – Utica Rome Speedway – Vernon, NY ($2,000 to Win Make-Up Feature from 8/4)

Saturday, September 9 – Weedsport Speedway – Weedsport, NY ($2,000 to Win)

Full Results:

A-Main (25 Laps): 1. #10C-Paulie Colagiovanni[12]; 2. #79-Jordan Thomas[4]; 3. #01-Danny Varin[2]; 4. #87-Jason Barney[7]; 5. #99L-Larry Wight[20]; 6. 28-Jordan Poirier[1]; 7. #45-Chuck Hebing[5]; 8. #22-Jonathan Preston[3]; 9. #17-Sammy Reakes IV[8]; 10. #5H-Chris Hile[14]; 11. #98-Joe Trenca[9]; 12. #10-Jeff Cook[11]; 13. #90-Matt Tanner[19]; 14. #56-Billy VanInwegen Jr[15]; 15. #23-Tyler Cartier[18]; 16. 96X-Chad Phelps[23]; 17. #41-Dalton Rombough[24]; 18. #4P-Chase Moran[22]; 19. #13T-Trevor Years[21]; 20. #33-Lacey Hanson[6]; 21. #5D-Jacob Dykstra[17]; 22. #7C-Dylan Swiernik[13]; 23. #53-Shawn Donath[10]; 24. #36-Logan Crisafulli[16]

Lacaillade Masonry B-Main (10 Laps): 1. #90-Matt Tanner[3]; 2. #99L-Larry Wight[9]; 3. #13T-Trevor Years[2]; 4. #4P-Chase Moran[8]; 5. 96X-Chad Phelps[1]; 6. #41-Dalton Rombough[7]; 7. 52-Scott Kreutter[4]; 8. #X-Dan Bennett[10]; 9. 11T-Mike Thompson[5]; 10. #6K-Kyle Dutcher[11]; 11. #13-Keith Granholm[6]

DT Photography Dash (4 Laps): 1. #7C-Dylan Swiernik[2]; 2. #5H-Chris Hile[1]; 3. #56-Billy VanInwegen Jr[6]; 4. #36-Logan Crisafulli[3]; 5. #5D-Jacob Dykstra[5]; 6. #23-Tyler Cartier[4]

E & V Energy Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. #33-Lacey Hanson[1]; 2. #53-Shawn Donath[6]; 3. #87-Jason Barney[4]; 4. #17-Sammy Reakes IV[2]; 5. #5H-Chris Hile[5]; 6. #23-Tyler Cartier[3]; 7. 96X-Chad Phelps[8]; 8. 52-Scott Kreutter[10]; 9. #41-Dalton Rombough[9]; 10. #X-Dan Bennett[7]

E & V Energy Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. #98-Joe Trenca[2]; 2. #22-Jonathan Preston[1]; 3. 28-Jordan Poirier[4]; 4. #10-Jeff Cook[3]; 5. #7C-Dylan Swiernik[5]; 6. #5D-Jacob Dykstra[6]; 7. #13T-Trevor Years[8]; 8. 11T-Mike Thompson[10]; 9. #4P-Chase Moran[7]; 10. #6K-Kyle Dutcher[9]

E & V Energy Heat 3 (10 Laps): 1. #79-Jordan Thomas[2]; 2. #10C-Paulie Colagiovanni[3]; 3. #45-Chuck Hebing[5]; 4. #01-Danny Varin[6]; 5. #36-Logan Crisafulli[1]; 6. #56-Billy VanInwegen Jr[7]; 7. #90-Matt Tanner[4]; 8. #13-Keith Granholm[8]; 9. #99L-Larry Wight[9]

Awards & Contingencies:

Rifenburg Contracting Fast Time ($25 each): #53-Shawn Donath; #5d-Jacob Dykstra; #01-Danny Varin

E&V Energy Heat Winners ($25 each): #33-Lacey Hanson; #98-Joe Trenca; #79-Jordan Thomas

Cobra Coaches / Dylan Terry Photography Dash Winner ($100): #7c-Dylan Swiernik

Lacaillade Masonry B Main Winner ($50): #90-Matt Tanner

PJC Spray Foam First Non-Qualifier ($50): #52-Scott Kreutter

Pinnacle Pole Draw Award ($25): #28-Jordan Poirier

PJC Spray Foam Hard Charger Award ($50): #99l-Larry Wight

PJC Spray Foam Reverse Hard Charger Award ($50): #33-Lacey Hanson

Pinnacle Investments Last Car Running ($35): #5D-Jacob Dykstra

Pinnacle Investments 11th Place (5 gallons fuel): #98-Joe Trenca

Ashley Lynn Winery Podium Finish (bottle of wine): #10c-Paulie Colagiovanni; #79-Jordan Thomas; #01-Danny Varin

August 29 2023

Tanner Wins in ESS Return to Drummond, Picks up Canadian Tour Championship

ESS SprintsResults-2023

By Curtis Berleue (Drummondville, QC) | For the second time in 2023, Matt Tanner found himself in Empire Super Sprints victory lane on Saturday night, this time at the Autodrome Drummond in Drummondville, QC.

Starting alongside Pinnacle Pole Award winner Bryan Cloutier, Tanner was able to take the lead on lap 2 from Cloutier. For the next handful of laps, Tanner would extend his lead and remain unchallenged.

Meanwhile, local favorite and current tour point leader Jordan Poirier was rapidly making his way forward from his 10^th starting position. By lap three he cracked the top 5, and then moved into the runner-up position on lap 8 and immediately set his sights on Tanner.

As the field clicked off lap 15, Poirier briefly slipped by Tanner, before Tanner reclaimed the lead from him just two laps later. With one lap remaining, Poirier made a last-ditch effort to take the lead from Tanner, but ultimately fell all the way to 6^th. As such, 7^th starting Danny Varin inherited the second spot as the field crossed the finish line, and Shawn Donath would move up one spot into third as well to round out the podium.

“We weren’t very good in hot laps, honestly,” said Tanner. “We changed quite a bit of stuff for the heat race and were able to get the heat win.”

“I didn’t really think that Jordan (Poirier) was going to come from tenth to pass me, but when he went by me, he kinda showed me what to do honestly. To get this win is pretty cool, it’s the first time in probably 6 or 7 years that I have won two ESS races in the same year.”

“The fans up here bring so much excitement. It’s like a big party compared to down in the states. It’s like the 4^th of July with the fireworks, you come out of the flames for driver intros. When I got out of the car in victory lane, it’s like you’re at a concert with the crowd cheering and music going – it’s a pretty cool deal.”

Danny Varin ultimately came home in second.

“The car was really good, it was pretty late when the car got going there,” said Varin. “It’s a great experience being up here in Canada – to walk away with a third last night and second tonight, the team is super happy.”

Shawn Donath rounded out the Ashley Lynn Winery podium.

“I just ended up picking the wrong lanes at the wrong time tonight,” said Donath. “I should have been on the bottom earlier, and should have gotten to the top sooner than I got back to it. All in all, it was a good night and a good solid finish.

By virtue of his win, Matt Tanner is also the 2023 Coffrage 4 Saisons Canadian Tour champion by just one point over Jordan Poirier. Jeff Cook, Dylan Swiernik and Jason Barney rounded out the top 5.

With 19 cars signed in for the nights action, the field was split into 3 timed hot lap groups. Jeff Cook, Jason Barney and Jordan Poirier picked up Rifenburg Contracting fast time awards in the respective groups. E&V Energy heat wins went to Matt Tanner, Dalton Rombough and Jordan Poirier.

The next scheduled event for the Empire Super Sprints is this coming Friday, September 1 at the Brewerton Speedway in Brewerton, NY. For the latest news, information, and schedule updates regarding the Empire Super Sprints be sure to check the series website (www.EmpireSuperSprints.com) and follow along on Facebook (Empire Super Sprints), Twitter (@ESSprints) and Instagram (@empiresupersprints).

The ESS Road Ahead:

Friday, September 1 – Brewerton Speedway – Brewerton, NY ($2,000 to Win)

Saturday, September 2 – Fulton Speedway – Fulton, NY ($2,000 to Win)

Friday, September 8 – Utica Rome Speedway – Vernon, NY ($2,000 to Win Make-Up Feature from 8/4)

Full Results:

A-Main: 1. #90-Matt Tanner[4]; 2. #01-Danny Varin[10]; 3. #53-Shawn Donath[3]; 4. #7C-Dylan Swiernik[8]; 5. 28-Jordan Poirier[9]; 6. #41-Dalton Rombough[5]; 7. #10-Jeff Cook[7]; 8. #36-Logan Crisafulli[13]; 9. #87-Jason Barney[12]; 10. #3G-Dale Gosselin[6]; 11. 19-Mathieu Bardier[11]; 12. #13T-Trevor Years[16]; 13. 22T-Tomy Moreau[18]; 14. #33-Lacey Hanson[15]; 15. 98R-Evan Reynolds[2]; 16. 19D-Allan Downey[19]; 17. #13-Keith Granholm[17]; 18. 93-Guy Gosselin[14]; 19. (DQ) 55-Bryan Cloutier[1]

E&V Energy Heat 1: 1. #90-Matt Tanner[1]; 2. #10-Jeff Cook[4]; 3. #01-Danny Varin[3]; 4. #53-Shawn Donath[2]; 5. #36-Logan Crisafulli[5]; 6. #13T-Trevor Years[6]; 7. 19D-Allan Downey[7]

E&V Energy Heat 2: 1. #41-Dalton Rombough[3]; 2. 55-Bryan Cloutier[2]; 3. #87-Jason Barney[4]; 4. 98R-Evan Reynolds[5]; 5. 93-Guy Gosselin[6]; 6. #13-Keith Granholm[1]

E&V Energy Heat 3: 1. 28-Jordan Poirier[4]; 2. 19-Mathieu Bardier[1]; 3. #3G-Dale Gosselin[2]; 4. #7C-Dylan Swiernik[6]; 5. #33-Lacey Hanson[5]; 6. 22T-Tomy Moreau[3]

Awards & Contingencies:

Rifenburg Contracting Fast Time ($25 each): #10-Jeff Cook; #87-Jason Barney; #28-Jordan Poirier

E&V Energy Heat Winners ($25 each): #90-Matt Tanner; #41-Dalton Rombough; #28-Jordan Poirier

Pinnacle Pole Draw Award ($25): #55-Bryan Cloutier

PJC Spray Foam Hard Charger Award ($50): #01-Danny Varin (+8)

PJC Spray Foam Reverse Hard Charger Award ($50): #98R-Evan Reynolds (-13)

Pinnacle Investments Last Car Running ($35): #93-Guy Gosselin

Pinnacle Investments 11th Place (5 gallons fuel): #19-Mathieu Bardier

Ashley Lynn Winery Podium Finish (bottle of wine): #90-Matt Tanner; #01-Danny Varin; #53-Shawn Donath

August 26 2023

Jeff Cook Wires ESS Field at Autodrome Granby

ESS SprintsResults-2023

By Curtis Berleue (Granby, QC) | In what will be his final trip to the Autodrome Granby, it was Jeff Cook who led flag to flag Friday night en-route to a $3,000 victory. With weather playing a major role in the day’s activities, the nights format was altered to include just untimed hot laps and the 25 lap A-Main for the Empire Super Sprints. The top 6 in current points redrew for the top 6 starting positions, and the remainder of the field was set according to points.

After the draw was completed, Pinnacle Pole Award winner Jeff Cook lined up alongside current point leader Jordan Poirier for the 25-lap main event. Jumping out to an early lead was Cook over Poirier and Barney.

By lap 5, 8^th-starting Paulie Colagiovanni had worked his way into the top 5 and charged to the inside of Barney for the third spot on lap 7. As Cook reached lap traffic on lap 12, both Poirier and Colagiovanni had begun to close the gap between them.

The first caution of the event would come out just one lap later as 5^th-running Shawn Donath slowed on the front stretch. On the ensuing restart, Cook again jumped out to the lead and began to rebuild the gap between himself and Poirier.

Misfortune would then strike the #10c of Colagiovanni on lap 20, as his engine expired at the same time as the caution was waving for a spinning Keith Granholm.

Poirier was able to make one final charge to the outside of Cook on the restart, but was ultimately unsuccessful, as Cook completed his wire-to-wire performance and crossed under the checkered flag with nearly a two-second lead.

“That last caution we had there, the car got to 280 (degrees),” said Cook. “We just kept pushing through, it was either going to go or blow.”

“This is my last race here; I can’t believe the crowd. This place has always been awesome, it’s treated me well and this is a hell of a way to end it.”

Jordan Poirier started in second and ran there through the entirety of the race. Rounding out the Ashley Lynn Winery podium was Danny Varin, who came from his 7^th starting spot to finish third.

The next scheduled event for the Empire Super Sprints is tonight, Saturday August 26^th at the Autodrome Drummond in Drummondville, QC. For the latest news, information, and schedule updates regarding the Empire Super Sprints be sure to check the series website (www.EmpireSuperSprints.com) and follow along on Facebook (Empire Super Sprints), Twitter (@ESSprints) and Instagram (@empiresupersprints).

The ESS Road Ahead:

Saturday, August 26 – Autodrome Drummond – Drummondville, QC ($3,000 to Win)

Friday, September 1 – Brewerton Speedway – Brewerton, NY ($2,000 to Win)

Saturday, September 2 – Fulton Speedway – Fulton, NY ($2,000 to Win)

Full Results:

A-Main: 1. #10-Jeff Cook[1]; 2. 28-Jordan Poirier[2]; 3. #01-Danny Varin[7]; 4. #87-Jason Barney[3]; 5. #90-Matt Tanner[6]; 6. #13T-Trevor Years[10]; 7. #36-Logan Crisafulli[9]; 8. #7C-Dylan Swiernik[4]; 9. #3G-Dale Gosselin[14]; 10. 19D-Allan Downey[17]; 11. #13-Keith Granholm[12]; 12. 98R-Evan Reynolds[15]; 13. (DNF) #10C-Paulie Colagiovanni[8]; 14. (DNF) #41-Dalton Rombough[11]; 15. (DNF) #53-Shawn Donath[5]; 16. (DNF) 19-Mathieu Bardier[16]; 17. (DNF) 55-Bryan Cloutier[18]; 18. (DNF) #33-Lacey Hanson[13]

Awards & Contingencies:

Pinnacle Pole Draw Award ($25): #10-Jeff Cook

PJC Spray Foam Hard Charger Award ($50): #19D-Allan Downey (+7)

PJC Spray Foam Reverse Hard Charger Award ($50): Dylan Swiernik (-4)

Pinnacle Investments Last Car Running ($35): #98r-Evan Reynolds

Pinnacle Investments 11th Place (5 gallons fuel): #13-Keith Granholm

Ashley Lynn Winery Podium Finish (bottle of wine): #10-Jeff Cook; #28-Jordan Poirier; #01-Danny Varin

August 8 2023

Varin Wins Earl Halaquist Memorial at Fonda Speedway

ESS SprintsResults-2023

By Curtis Berleue (Fonda, NY) | For the fourth time in his career, Danny Varin is again a winner in the Earl Halaquist Memorial. With Saturday night’s win, the Sharon Springs driver has further etched his name into the record books at ‘The Track of Champions’ as it was his 7^th triumph overall, extending his lead as the winningest driver in ESS competition there.

It was Bobby Hackel who drew the Pinnacle Pole Award and led the field to the green flag alongside current point leader Jordan Poirier for the 25-lap main event. Having just won the modified portion of the night’s events, Hackel would lead lap 1 over Poirier and Jason Barney.

As Hackel and Poirier came around to complete lap 5, Poirier was able to slip underneath the #24 of Hackel and take the lead.

Meanwhile, 6^th starting Danny Varin was marching his way towards the front. After having passed two cars on lap 1, he had worked his way into second by lap 8 and was then able to set his sights on Poirier. As the duo neared lap traffic on lap 12, Varin was able to use a lap car as a pick and slide by Poirier on the high side coming off turn 4.

With Varin well in command of the field, the battle for third was starting to heat up. Barney had momentarily taken the third position from Hackel, but Jordan Thomas kicked it into high gear and got around them both on the extreme high side of the speedway.

With a 4.2 second lead, it was Danny Varin who crossed the line first in a green-to-checkers effort just under 8 minutes after the initial green waved.

“We weren’t the greatest there in the beginning,” said Varin. “The air was playing big games tonight. We just hit our marks, pulled the wing back and got good there at the end.”

Jordan Poirier held on for a second-place finish and was able to extend his points lead ever so slightly.

“I guess second is the way it goes for us,” said Poirier. “I feel our car was close at the beginning, I felt really good but then I got super loose. When I saw Danny pass me, I knew the outside was getting better but I just couldn’t go anywhere with as fast as he was.”

Harding, PA’s Jordan Thomas rounded out the Ashley Lynn Winery podium finishing in the third position.

“This place is really tricky, you have to have a lot of laps around here to really get good,” said Thomas. “I know our lap times were a little bit quicker there at the end there. Starting up front would have helped us, but all in all it was a good night.”

As 22 cars filled the pit area Saturday night, the field split into three groups for timed hot laps, with Jordan Poirier, Danny Varin and Jason Barney earning Rifenburg Contracting fast time awards in their respective groups. E&V Energy heat wins went to Jordan Thomas, Danny Varin and Jason Barney, while Shawn Donath won the Cobra Coaches dash presented by Herrington Farms.

The next scheduled event for the Empire Super Sprints is Friday August 25^th at Autodrome Granby in Granby, Quebec. For the latest news, information, and schedule updates regarding the Empire Super Sprints be sure to check the series website (www.EmpireSuperSprints.com) and follow along on Facebook (Empire Super Sprints), Twitter (@ESSprints) and Instagram (@empiresupersprints).

The ESS Road Ahead:

Friday, August 25 – Autodrome Granby – Granby, QC ($3,000 to Win)

Saturday, August 26 – Autodrome Drummond – Drummondville, QC ($3,000 to Win)

Friday, September 1 – Brewerton Speedway – Brewerton, NY ($2,000 to Win)

Full Results:

A-Main: 1. #01-Danny Varin[6]; 2. 28-Jordan Poirier[2]; 3. #79-Jordan Thomas[5]; 4. #10C-Paulie Colagiovanni[9]; 5. #90-Matt Tanner[12]; 6. #53-Shawn Donath[13]; 7. #87-Jason Barney[3]; 8. #7C-Dylan Swiernik[11]; 9. #24-Bobby Hackel IV[1]; 10. #32-Kyle Smith[8]; 11. #10-Jeff Cook[4]; 12. #88C-Chad Miller[14]; 13. #36-Logan Crisafulli[10]; 14. #5D-Jacob Dykstra[7]; 15. #67-Steve Glover[15]; 16. #13T-Trevor Years[17]; 17. 29D-Dylan Menditto[16]; 18. #33-Lacey Hanson[20]; 19. #51-Jeremiah Munson[18]; 20. #6K-Kyle Dutcher[19]; 21. #1HD-Cory Sparks[21]; 22. (DNS) #56-Billy VanInwegen Jr

Herrington Farms Dash: 1. #53-Shawn Donath[1]; 2. #88C-Chad Miller[4]; 3. #67-Steve Glover[3]; 4. 29D-Dylan Menditto[2]; 5. #13T-Trevor Years[6]; 6. #51-Jeremiah Munson[5]

E&V Energy Heat 1: 1. #79-Jordan Thomas[4]; 2. 28-Jordan Poirier[1]; 3. #90-Matt Tanner[2]; 4. #10-Jeff Cook[3]; 5. #53-Shawn Donath[5]; 6. #88C-Chad Miller[6]; 7. #1HD-Cory Sparks[7]; 8. #33-Lacey Hanson[8]

E&V Energy Heat 2: 1. #01-Danny Varin[1]; 2. #10C-Paulie Colagiovanni[3]; 3. #24-Bobby Hackel IV[4]; 4. #32-Kyle Smith[2]; 5. 29D-Dylan Menditto[5]; 6. #51-Jeremiah Munson[6]; 7. #6K-Kyle Dutcher[7]

E&V Energy Heat 3: 1. #87-Jason Barney[1]; 2. #7C-Dylan Swiernik[3]; 3. #5D-Jacob Dykstra[2]; 4. #36-Logan Crisafulli[5]; 5. #67-Steve Glover[6]; 6. #13T-Trevor Years[7]; 7. #56-Billy VanInwegen Jr[4]

Awards & Contingencies:

Rifenburg Contracting Fast Time ($25 each): #28-Jordan Poirier; #01-Danny Varin; #87-Jason Barney

E&V Energy Heat Winners ($25 each): #79-Jordan Thomas; #01-Danny Varin; #87-Jason Barney

Cobra Coaches / Herrington Farms Dash Winner ($100): #53-Shawn Donath

Pinnacle Pole Draw Award ($25): #24-Bobby Hackel IV

PJC Spray Foam Hard Charger Award ($50): #90-Matt Tanner; #53-Shawn Donath (+7)

PJC Spray Foam Reverse Hard Charger Award ($50): #24-Bobby Hackel IV (-8)

Pinnacle Investments Last Car Running ($35): #6K-Kyle Dutcher

Pinnacle Investments 11th Place (5 gallons fuel): #10-Jeff Cook

Ashley Lynn Winery Podium Finish (bottle of wine): #01-Danny Varin; #28-Jordan Poirier; #79-Jordan Thomas

August 6 2023

Rain Postpones Completion of ESS Event at Utica-Rome to September 8

ESS SprintsResults-2023

By Curtis Berleue (Vernon, NY) | After qualifying, heats and the Kinney’s Kar Kare dash were complete on Friday night at the Utica-Rome Speedway, Mother Nature decided she had other plans for the remainder of the evening as the skies opened, ultimately postponing the remainder of the event.

28 cars had signed in for the nights action at the Vernon, NY oval. In timed hot lap action, Jonathan Preston, Danny Varin and Matt Farnham each earned Rifenburg Contracting fast time awards. E&V Energy heat wins went to Billy VanInwegen, Jeff Cook and Jordan Poirier. Matt Tanner picked up the Kinney’s Kar Kare/Cobra Coaches dash.

Just before the Lacaillade Masonry B-Main could hit the track, the skies opened and soaked the grounds to the point where the rest of the night’s events had to be postponed. The remaining events (B-Main and A-Main) are now scheduled for completion on Friday September 8. Only cars that were in attendance on Friday August 4 will be eligible to compete on September 8. Drivers and teams should save their wristbands for entry on September 8.

The Empire Super Sprints are back in action on Saturday August 5^th at the Fonda Speedway in Fonda, NY followed by a trip north of the border to Autodrome Granby and Autodrome Drummond on August 25 and 26.

The ESS Road Ahead:

Saturday, August 5 – Fonda Speedway – Fonda, NY ($2,000 to Win Earl Halaquist Memorial)

Friday, August 25 – Autodrome Granby – Granby, QC ($3,000 to Win)

Saturday, August 26 – Autodrome Drummond – Drummondville, QC ($3,000 to Win)

Full Results:

Kinney’s Kar Kare Dash (4 Laps): 1. #90-Matt Tanner[1]; 2. #7C-Dylan Swiernik[2]; 3. #36-Logan Crisafulli[3]; 4. #22-Jonathan Preston[4]; 5. #67-Steve Glover[5]; 6. (DNS) #1HD-Cory Sparks

E&V Energy Heat 1 (10 Laps): 1. #56-Billy VanInwegen Jr[2]; 2. #53-Shawn Donath[4]; 3. #87-Jason Barney[5]; 4. #17-Sammy Reakes IV[3]; 5. #90-Matt Tanner[7]; 6. #22-Jonathan Preston[6]; 7. #24-Bobby Hackel IV[9]; 8. #23-Tyler Cartier[8]; 9. #X-Dan Bennett[1]; 10. #6K-Kyle Dutcher[10]

E&V Energy Heat 2 (10 Laps): 1. #10-Jeff Cook[1]; 2. #01-Danny Varin[6]; 3. #41-Dalton Rombough[2]; 4. #10C-Paulie Colagiovanni[5]; 5. #7C-Dylan Swiernik[3]; 6. #67-Steve Glover[8]; 7. #8-Nick Fratto[7]; 8. #51-Jeremiah Munson[9]; 9. 11J-Chris Jones[4]

E&V Energy Heat 3 (10 Laps): 1. 28-Jordan Poirier[4]; 2. #7NY-Matt Farnham[6]; 3. #79-Jordan Thomas[5]; 4. #13T-Trevor Years[2]; 5. #36-Logan Crisafulli[3]; 6. #1HD-Cory Sparks[8]; 7. #33-Lacey Hanson[7]; 8. #13-Keith Granholm[1]; 9. #3-Denny Peebles[9]

Awards & Contingencies:

Rifenburg Contracting Fast Time ($25 each): #22-Jonathan Preston; #01-Danny Varin; #7NY-Matt Farnham

E&V Energy Heat Winners ($25 each): #56-Billy VanInwegen; #10-Jeff Cook, #28-Jordan Poirier

Cobra Coaches / Kinney’s Kar Kare Dash Winner ($100): #90-Matt Tanner