From Rich Vleck
ROCHESTER, NY (April 22, 2012)- This Friday’s event Glen Ridge Motorsports Park will be the only time this season where the Patriot Sprint Tour will run a full point event for the first time, but that does not mean that a host of competitors do not have experience at the tiny bullring.
The Fultonville, NY track will become the 32nd speedway to host a Patriot event this weekend as they hold the second race of the PST America Series, a tour which is paying $10,000 to the champion in recognition of this, the 10th year of Patriot racing in the Northeast. This will also be the eastern-most event in New York State this year for the PST.
Local standout Jessica Zemken from just down the road in Sprakers will return to action this Friday. “JZ” was a runner-up finisher in her only other sprint appearance there in 2010 and without a doubt will be a fan favorite. Lance Yonge, of Penn Yan, NY, won that event will look to rebound from his troublesome start two weeks ago at Fulton.
Bobby Varin, of Sharon Springs, NY, picked up his only sprint car win at The Ridge last season and will debut the Demitraszek entry for 2012 this weekend. Varin will likely have more laps at the track than any other competitor in the field, so despite his limited time in a sprint car has to be considered a favorite. Bobby’s son Danny, who has been a standout in the 305 ranks, will also be in the field in a 360.
Among the top names making their first appearance in Fultonville this weekend include Jared Zimbardi, the defending PST Champion, who flipped wildly in the season opener at Fulton and was unable to start the feature. “The Juice” needs to make up ground in a hurry to repeat in 2012 for the big paycheck.
Four-time PST Champion Bryan Howland will also be at Glen Ridge for the first time and is coming off a solid fourth-place showing at Fulton. 2011 PST Runner-Up Tim Kelly, defending Rookie of the Year Steve Collins, Scott Kreutter, Don Adamczyk, Dylan Swiernik, 2004 Champion George Suprick and Clint Ide, will also be making their first appearance. Rookie contenders could include Sammy Reakes IV, Joe Trenca, Paul Kinney, Steve Hutchinson and Mark Tychoniewicz.
Steve Poirier, Tommy Wickham and Chuck Hebing, the top three at Fulton, have all produced decent finishes at Glen Ridge, including a runner-up performance by Hebing last year. Another quality run could either keep or put them in the point lead heading into May.
Just some of the other names prepared for a return to Glen Ridge include Bobby Breen, Kevin Ward Jr., Jason Barney, Justin Barger, Michael Parent, Alain Bergeron, Dave Wickham, Brandan Warner, Paul Habeck, Charlie Donk, Matt Tanner, Josh Pieniazek, Kory Gurney and James Hanson.
Gates will swing open at 5:00 P.M. Friday with racing getting underway at 7:30 P.M. For more information, be sure to visit www.PatriotSprintTour.com.