Canadians Sweep the Eastern States. ( 31st October 2024 BLOG)
One of my favorite annual events on the dirt racing calendar is the Eastern States Weekend held every October at the Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown , New York.
I first got to hear about this event over 45 years ago when I was still living in the UK. In those days there was no such thing as internet or social media , and we got our racing information by reading magazines, and in my case, via ‘pen friends’ that had the same interests. One of my racing ‘pen friends’ lived in Montgomery NY and had the OCFS as his nearest track so he’d mail me pictures and racing artifacts . One of the hot shots back then was a teenager called Brett Hearn. Since then, I’ve seen him win many times at the O.C.F.S and now he’s the promoter.
So I was well aware of the place before I moved to Combermere, Ontario Canada in 1994.
By the end of 1995 , I’d seen my first dirt modified race at the Can Am Speedway (Lafargeville NY). When I relocated to Maxville , Ontario in 1996 I then had four dirt modified tracks close to home, Cornwall, Frogtown, Brockville and Edelweiss.
I soon got hooked, and the OCFS became a bucket list destination.
It took me a few years to get settled into life in North America , so for the next few years my racing was restricted to the local tracks.
I attended my first Eastern States weekend in 2001.
I was yet to get involved in racing media, so like every other race fan, I watched from the grandstand with my cheap throw away camera . Danny Johnson was the Big Block winner that day , and Brett Hearn took the 358 race.
I slept in my car as I couldn’t afford a hotel.
It was a great experience and I was back there regularly over the the following years.
Bobby Varin was the winner in 2003.
For various reasons , I’ve not been able to make it every year, but I haven’t missed too many.
In recent times the future of this old fairgounds track has been in doubt, and you never really know how long it has left to run. With this in mind , I made a point of being there this year ‘just in case’ .
The 2024 edition of the Eastern States was proceeded with a Brett Deyo Short Track Super Series event on the Thursday, making it four day weekend.
I couldn’t make it for all four days, and hotel prices go sky high when this show is on. I’m getting too old to sleep in the car , but still would if I was desperate.
In my absence, Canadian Stewart Friesen , formerly of Niagara on the Lake , Ontario but now a resident of the USA , won the Short Track Super Series show.
It’s a six hour drive from my place in Cornwall, Ontario , so my plan was to get up early at ‘silly o’clock’ on Saturday and drive straight down.
I left home at 3-15am and was in the Middletown Dunkin Donuts at 9-30 am drinking a much needed coffee
I’d booked just one night at the Super 8 in Montgomery (20 mins from the track) but was unable to check in until after 3-00pm.
Race cars were due on track at around 1-30, so my intention was to shoot some pictures in the afternoon , then skip out for an hour to check in, and return at 5-00 for the start of the features.
At the ‘sign in’ , I had a quick chat with the guys that were running the show, Doug Dalgarian and the aforementioned Brett Hearn
I had plenty of time to kill, so after a snooze in the car , I had a little wander.
I had to get a picture of the 31st Lap , a place where I’d done a lot of partying over the years.
The Saturday program consisted of the the 358 Modifieds for the Eastern States 100 lapper, and the Wingless Sprint cars. The Big Block Modifieds which were scheduled for their big event on Sunday , contested their qualifying heats on Friday , so were only there doing hot laps .
At the drivers meeting I bumped into Ken Marshall the flag man at my local Airborne Park Speedway. He would be doing the honors this weekend
Before the cars came out on the track Brett was there checking the condition 0f the surface.
I took some Pics of the 358 Mod and Sprint Car heats before taking the time out I’d planned
Once checked in to the Super 8 , I was back at the track , taking up position in my usual spot on turn three.
The first race was the Wingless Sprint Car feature.
I’m sure everyone who knows me well, will be aware that I’m not a fan of race cars that have wings.
These sprint cars looked similar to USAC’s , that I quite like, so were quite acceptable to me. They even had self starters on the crate engines they use, so there was no wasted time . Maybe I was just lucky , but none of them fell over like the winged variety have a habit of doing. I think I could get to like them
The winner was Eric Jennings seen here in Victory Lane with Doug Dalgarian.
The big race was up next, the 100 lap Eastern States race for the 358 Modifieds.
One car of interest in the field, I must mention, was the black #84 , the spare Alex Yankowski car, driven by Jessica Friesen.
Early leader was Dan Creeden , who stayed up front until a lap 40 caution.
On the restart, Alex Yankowski and Mat Williamson charged ahead with Peter Britten and Mat Sheppard not far behind.
Once Williamson got passed Yankowski he built up a good lead.
Sheppard managed to get passed Yankowski, and gained a bit on Williamson, but never looked like catching him.
So at the checkers , it was another big win for ‘Money Mat‘ of Port Colborne , Ontario , Canada.
The first three over the line were, Williamson, Sheppard and Yankowski.
After the post race inspection, Yankowski was DQ’d due to a gearing infringement.
The show was over well before 9-00 pm, just what I needed.
In previous years I would of been heading to the 31st Lap, for the ‘New Years Eve Party’ but not this year,
Over the years this was one of the highlights of my weekend and it was always a lot of fun .
But now at the age of 70 , I think my partying days are over. After a long day this old guy just wanted to get back to the hotel and sleep.
Here’s a few pictures from back in the day, when I liked to ‘party’ and before old age krept in, and couldn’t handle it any more LOL .
So at mid-night when Auld Lang Syne was being sung I was back at the Super 8 snoring in my bed .
After a good nights sleep I was back at the track by about 10-30 am.
These days , the Eastern States isn’t as busy as it used to be, but I still wanted to get there early to get a good parking spot. I found plenty of room to park my Impala in a handy spot to get away quickly.
My plan was to make a quick exit , and head for home once it was over.
In years gone by , the big race , the 200, was usually over by 7-00 pm so figured I could get home soon after 1-00 am .
That wasn’t going to happen this year, the 200 was programmed to start later than on previous occasions ( I think it was so it could take place under the lights)
Even so, I was still prepared to head home through the night, because I’d only booked one nights accommodation.
Well, I had plenty of time on my hands before things started happening on the track .
I took a wander through the pits and chatted with my friends on the Mat Williamson team who were busy working on their # 3 Big Block.
I passed the Danny Johnson pit stall and saw he was already for Halloween that was coming up the following week.
I then continued my walk around, and looked on as Frank Cozze was working on his engine.
He’s a driver I don’t see in action too much these days, as most of his driving is done nearer to his Pennsylvania home.
There was a time, quite a few years back when he was a regular at my local Cornwall Motor Speedway on Sunday nights.
I then spotted Stewart Friesen and his crew working on his car.
In between his Short Track Super Series win on Thursday night, he’d been racing on Friday and Saturday at the NASCAR Truck Series in Homestead , Miami .
He was now back at Middletown with his Big Block Modified for the Eastern States 200.
The qualifying heats had taken place while he was away in Florida, so had to get through via the last chance Qualifiers race that was taking place that afternoon before the big one.
He made easy work of the LCQ and took the checkers.
Joining me on middle by turn three this afternoon , was my media friend Sherilane Avard-Beaudry.
She’d traveled down that morning from Quebec with some of the others on the Les Gars de Courses web site team.
The support division for the Big Block Modifieds that day were the Street Stocks and their Feature was taking place first.
The winner was Bob Sleight
It was now time for the 2024 Eastern States 200
Stewart Friesens LCQ win gave him a rear of the grid starting spot , which in a long haul race , is not such a big handicap. A lot can happen in 200 laps.
The rules state, you must make at least one pit stop , which can be taken at any time or at the mandatory 15 minute break at 100 laps. You can choose to stay on track during the break and retain your race position if you so desire.
Early leader was Matt Sheppard, with the main contenders Peter Britten, Anthony Perego and Mat Williamson in hot pursuit.
Meanwhile Stewart Freisen had worked his way through the field and as the race got closer to the half way point he was catching up with the front runners.
Then sparks appeared from the rear of his car ( which may have been caused from a flat rear tire going down) . He was forced to make a pit stop just before the half way break.
So when most of the field returned to pit lane on lap 100, he stayed out and retained his position. This put the previous leaders behind him. The early pit stop worked to his advantage.
Sheppard and Perego, closed the gap , but never got back to challenge.
Friesen went on to collect a popular win.
Sheppard and Perego completed the podium .
Victory Lane ceremonies were over by 9-00pm and soon after that , I was heading out the gates.
The first part of my drive home went well as I followed a convoy of race car haulers over the hills of Route 17 that span the hills between Middletown and Binghamton.
I got to Binghamton at about 11-00 pm and stopped at one of my usual places , for gas, coffee and a washroom break.
After tending to my needs, my problems began.
When I tried to re start the car, there was no response. The battery was OK (it’s fairly new) so my mechanical knowledge told me it was either ignition or starter motor problems.
I tried , every five minutes or so , to get it turning over, but to no avail. So, I figured it was time to contact the CAA (AAA in the USA) . Binghamton is a large city so I thought I could quickly get help.
I was in the process of talking to the AAA agent when I turned the key again , and to my delight, ‘vroom’ the motor started.
By now it was almost mid night. I was about four hours from home and had a full tank of gas, so decided to make a run for the Canadian border with no intention of turning the engine off.
I crossed the border at 2-30 am with no problems apart from a few snow flurries (the first of the winter) then continued up Hwy 401 towards Cornwall.
When I got to the the Mallorytown Service Area, I parked , and left the motor running while I went in to use the washroom and grab a Tim Hortons to go.
I was only there for about five minutes before continuing on my way , I was now only one hour 15 minutes from home, and at 4-00am, I was pulling into my driveway in Cornwall.
Once home, I turned the motor off , and tried to restart it.
Nothing happened so I knew my problem hadn’t gone away.
I didn’t get much sleep, as construction is taking place on the next street , so by 7-30 I was woken to the banging of machinery and their damn back-up bleepers on the equipment
In the morning I phoned my good friend Corey Wheeler at SEAWAY GM and told him what happened. I then called CAA and before lunchtime, the Impala had been flat-bedded to his shop.
Later that afternoon I learned from SEAWAY GM that my notion was correct , and the starter motor was ‘toast’.
A new one was ordered and it should of been there the next day. It hadn’t arrived by Tuesday night , but was there first thing Wednesday morning .
It was then fitted and I had the car back later that day .
Great Service from SEAWAY GM .
While the Impala was off the road , I took advantage of the sunny weather that‘s been leading up to halloween and took a friend out for a drive in my 1978 Thunderbird.
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