Oct 26, 2016 02:54 PM EST
Kurt Stebbins Writes History In Second Empire 100 Victory; First Driver To Sweep Empire/Woodhull 100’s
Media Contact: Steven Ovens - pr@outlawspeedwayllc.com or (315) 729-3825
For Immediate Release – October 26th, 2016 – Jay Fish photo -
(Dundee, NY) – Kurt Stebbins has been there and done that- when it comes to winning the Empire 100. In 2014, Stebbins took his Potter chassis to the low lane to make a bold move in passing Gene Balmer for the $2,000 victory.
Now take that same chassis and new skins and you have the car that Stebbins brought to Dutch Hoag Memorial Weekend on Sunday, trying to score his second Empire 100 victory. But what Stebbins was also in quest of, was to write his own page in the record books as the only driver to have both an Empire 100 and Woodhull 100 title in the same season.
Mission accomplished.
Stebbins was unable to qualify through his heat race for the one hundred-lap event and had to rely on his Guaranteed Starter status after winning the Woodhull 100 on September 24th. That put the KB Graphics and Wraps No. 26 in the 25th starting spot for Brandon Clapperton’s initial green flag.
In just twenty-seven laps, the Wellsville, N.Y. pilot had passed eighteen cars to find himself in the running for hard charger in the seventh spot. Jon Carpenter led the opening lap of the race, but Outlaw Fall Nationals winner Glenn Whritenour overtook the lead on lap two.
Whritenour set a fast pace out front and represented Woodhull Raceway well, leading laps two through ten. But Outlaw Speedway dominator, Chuck Winslow, wanted to make his presence known as he grabbed the lead on the eleventh lap. Outlaw Speedway regular LaVerne Knickerbocker also had a great start to the race, advancing into the top ten in seventh early on. Knickerbocker would run as high as third, but bad luck late in the event ruined his effort.
Dylan Cecce, the race’s hard luck award recipient, slowed on lap six to bring out the first caution of the race. He would get his second right rear flat of the night on lap thirty-five, as the field began to position themselves for the lap fifty pit stop.
Drivers had the option of going to the trailer to change tires and go to the back of the field, or stop on the hot pit lane for fuel and adjustments with a tire pressure gauge and flathead screwdriver. Only Whritenour, Stebbins, Brett Marlatt, Keith Lamphere and Matt Jilson decided to stay in the hot pit lane and take the gamble on tires.
That gamble proved to be the race-winning move, as nobody was able to give Whritenour or Stebbins a legitimate challenge in the second half of the race. Jon Carpenter made some moves through the field to get to third at the checkered flag, but was disqualified in post-race tech for having mismatched rockers.
Up front, Whritenour and Stebbins found themselves in the exact same situation they were in on September 24th when they battled for the win in the Woodhull 100. Stebbins was able to make a pass of Whritenour on lap eighty-seven, and did so just in time before a caution flag slowed the field.
Stebbins pulled out in front on the restart, but four more cautions would fall between laps eighty-seven and ninety-eight. That set up a green-white-checkered finish to decide the Empire 100.
Whritenour gave Stebbins everything he had in the Painter’s Meat Processing, Joe Willcox Performance Automatics, Moose’s Enterprises No. 15. But it was not enough, as Stebbins would see the double-checkered flags by about a car length at the line to win his second career Empire 100.
Stebbins now joins Chris Fisher as a two-time winner of the Empire 100 and is the only driver to have swept the hundred lappers in one season between Outlaw Speedway and Woodhull Raceway.
“This has been an awesome year for me,” said Stebbins. “I can’t ask for anything more.”
Stebbins talked about trying to fend off the advances of a season-long foe in Glenn Whritenour.
“I knew Whritenour was going to try up top and I was going to protect the bottom. There’s a fine line up there.”
Stebbins was confident in the choice not to take tires at half way.
“The tires looked pretty good, way better than last year at this time. The track had more moisture in it and I think that played a role in how this one turned out.”
Whritenour was disappointed to not get the victory, but felt that his lack of consistent experience at Outlaw may have put his team a little behind the eight ball.
“I don’t run here enough to really get this place figured out,” said Whritenour. “I wish we could have used some wrenches on the hot pit lane. We could have tuned on this thing a little bit (for the second half of the race).”
But Whritenour said that for next season, he might have a better idea of what to expect.
“I’m probably going to run over here a little more next year.”
After the performance these two drivers put in on Sunday evening, that should be a cause for concern for those in the Street Stock ranks in 2017.
After the post-race tech, the updated top five included Winslow, Marlatt and 2015 Empire 100 winner CJ Guererri.
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Outlaw Speedway is located at 82 Main St in Dundee, NY and holds dirt track racing weekly on Friday nights from mid-April through Labor Day Weekend in September. The speedway also hosts special events on the grounds with special races run during the fall months of September and October. A new era is being ushered in for 2016 as Tyler Siri takes over ownership of the Yates County oval nestled in the heart of the Finger Lakes.
Outlaw Speedway Dutch Hoag Memorial Official Results 10/23/2016:
STREET STOCK EMPIRE 100, 47 cars (100 Laps): KURT STEBBINS, Glenn Whritenour, Chuck Winslow, Brett Marlatt, CJ Guererri, Gene Balmer, Jared Hill, Bob Buono, Teddy Morseman, Rich Green, Dan Mazzarese, Daryl Krebs, Dylan Cecce, Matt Jilson, Buck Mills Sr., Dan Babcock, Jeremy Trank, LaVerne Knickerbocker, Keith Lamphere, Butch Green, Jeremy Potrzebowski, Adam Depuy, Quinn Sutherland, Tom Savercool DQ: Jon Carpenter
DNQ: Gene Sharpsteen, Byron Dewitt, Earl Zimmer, Dennis Cummings, Doug Stack, Kevin Skelly, Mike Wilbur, Eric Boynton, Carl Cleveland, Dan Force, Ryan Allen, John Burritt, Allison Teed, Bob Maynard, Christian Thompson, Jayson Smart, Brandon Morseman, Steve Perry, Cyrus Homer, Mike Jackson, Kenny Begnouche, Shane Wolfe Jr.
Heat Winners: Gene Balmer, Adam Depuy, Rich Green, Bob Buono, Jon Carpenter, Glenn Whritenour
Consi 1: Jared Hill, Dylan Cecce
Consi 2: Jeremy Trank, Teddy Morseman
Consi 3: Dan Mazzarese, Tom Savercool
