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TREICHLER, BOOS, SEAMON SCORE MID-SUMMER VICTORIES;

EVANS STOPS CAYUGA TRENTON QUALIFIER 100 WITH RARE WRECK

(Friday, July 31 to Sunday, August 2, 1970) – Mid-summer 1970 in western New York was humid, or "muggy" as they say in the Queen City.  The heat and humidity can cause strange occurrences at race tracks, and this sticky weekend was not exempt.

The weekend started off with a record-breaker on Friday night at Cayuga Speedway, 60 miles west of the Peace Bridge in Nelles Corners, Ontario.  Chuck Boos of Lewiston, N.Y., led all 100 laps of Cayuga's Trenton Qualifier for Modifieds and set a new track record in the process.  The personable Boos tripped Bob Slack's clocks at 35 min., 47 sec., for an average speed of 105.13 mph on the paved 5/8-mile oval.  In doing so, Boos scratched Gordy Treichler's four-week-old Cayuga 100-lap record of 101.80 mph.

The race was stopped only once, when Richie Evans spun in the third turn and went over the wall.  Evans, unhurt, drove the car back to the pits under its own power, but he was finished for the night.  Earlier that same evening, Thort Haag of Niagara Falls landed on top of the wall in his coupe.  Tragically, these would not be the only Modifieds to scale a wall on this night.

Qualifying heats were won by Boos, Merv Treichler and Cam Gagliardi.  Pete Hayes of Lockport, N.Y., claimed the consolation race.

Action switched to Lancaster Speedway on Saturday night for a 30-lap Modified feature.  A crowd of 4,605 sipped Pepsi and Genesee Beer to keep cool while Gordy Treichler of Sanborn led all 30 laps of the non-stop feature.  Older brother Roger Treichler, in a near-identical coach, finished a distant second.  Evans recovered sufficiently from his Cayuga adventure to finish third, followed by Ransomville's Jim Rudolph, Pete Hayes, cousin Merv Treichler, Ron Martin, Cam Gagliardi and Southern Tier invader Don Diffendorf.

Modified heats were won by Gordy Treichler, Bobby Hudson and Jim Rudolph.  Bill Brainard won the consolation race.

Dave Hafner of Greece, N.Y., won the 20-lap Late Model feature, followed by soon-to-be 1970 Late Model champ Pete Snyder, Phil Edwards, Jim McGraw of Grand Island, Bobby Krull, Jim Howard and Dan Skurski.  Late Model heats were won by McGraw and Hafner.  Mopar driver Don Riffle won the consolation event.

Fred Rounds of Lockport, N.Y., used nothing but his hands to win his 13^th 15-lap Mini-Stock feature of the season.  Rounds, paralyzed from the waist down in an auto accident, installed hand controls in red Toyota and dominated the Mini scene.

On Sunday, racers towed northeast to Fulton, N.Y., for a Modified-Supermodified-Late Model tripleheader.

Sonny Seamon, dubbed the "Mayor of Vernon, N.Y.," scored his first feature victory of the season in his yellow coupe.  Like Boos at Cayuga and Treichler at Lancaster, Seamon led all the laps, from start to finish, to grab the checkered flag.  Maynard Troyer dove under Richie Evans (sporting a beard) on the final lap to claim second place.  Evans and Seamon won qualifying heats.

Deja vu: Jimmy Shampine started the Supermodified feature from the pole and – you guessed it – led every lap to beat rivals John Clapham and Nolan Swift to the finish line.  The trio was no match for the rest of the Supermodified entries as they lapped the entire field.  Clapham and Shampine won Supermodified heats.

Dave Hafner took his second Late Model feature of the weekend.  Gary Mason finished second; Dale Merz was third after starting 11^th.

Tragedy in Williamson, N.Y.

Not all racing on this weekend ended on a cheerful note.  At Spencer Speedway (Williamson, N.Y.) on Friday night, an accident claimed four lives.  On the fourth lap of the Modified feature, Gary Cornelius tangled with another car and became airborne.  His car cleared the third-turn guardrail and landed in the fifth row of the pit grandstands.  Among the four fatalities was Rolling Wheels Speedway owner Bob Petrocci of Elbridge, N.Y.  Ironically, Petrocci was spectating at Spencer Speedway because his own track, which also raced on Friday nights, had rained out.  Eighteen others in the pit grandstand were injured.

Familiar Names

Former Modified driver Bill Rafter of Niagara Falls won his fifth Late Model feature of the year Saturday night at Holland Speedway.  Before leaving the Modified ranks, Rafter drove for mechanic extraordinaire Gil Bruss.  On this weekend, Bruss was on the other side of the state with Indianapolis 500 veteran (and western New Yorker) Jim Hurtubise.  Hurtubise, driving Gil's white No. 0 coupe, won one of Fonda Speedway's Twin 25s.