Middletown, New York Racer Keeps Win But will be Fined

Even though the Official 2022 Season Opener at the Orange County Fair Speedway (OCFS) in Middletown, New York isn't until this Saturday (April 8, 2022), there has still been a lot of excitement this past week at "The House of Power". OCFS has been continuously operated as a race track since 1919 which gives it the honor of being the nation's oldest.

OCFS is located at 100 Carpenter Avenue in Middletown, New York. It is a 5/8 mile hard clay track with a large grandstand area for race fans, plus they boost a drive-in watch area as well as a live stream for those who wish to watch from the couch. Racing at OCFS runs weekly on Saturday nights from April through September. They also host Eastern States Weekend in October.

Orange County Fair Speedway Middletown, NY Race Results

This past weekend (April 2, 2022), OCFS hosted the Halmar International "Elite" Series for the Bob Hilbert Sportswear Short Track Super Series (STSS) fueled by Sunco. The night was full of racing excitement for race fans in attendance. Matt Shepard drove away with the feature race win awarding him the $25,000 plus purse. But it seems that his win isn't the one that everyone is still talking about today.

OCFS via Facebook from STSS weekend April 2 2022

That night, the OCFS Crate 602 Sportsman also ran with a $1000 prize attached. That win went to the number 38 car driven by Jared LaBagh. Even though it wasn't the big purse race that night, it is still the race people are talking about today. The OCFS released a statement on their Facebook page today (April 5, 2022) that addresses a concern that there was a rule infraction during that race.

Orange County Fair Speedway Explains Sportsman Rule Infraction April 2, 2022

The Facebook post explains why a piece of equipment found on the 38 car during a post-race inspection has not disqualified the car but has caused it to be fined $250.

After reviewing the rulebook, it was determined that the spacer plate was not an illegal or banned component as described in the rule book. The rule states that you may have a spacer plate with an “unaltered single hole carb spacer”. The spacer plate on the 38 car did not violate this rule.The intent of the rule was to have the “square” hole with even lines around the outside edges however, this is not spelled out in the rules definitively. Therefore, it could not be determined to be an unallowed or illegal component. While it’s highly unlikely the plate on the 38 car gave the team any performance advantage, the spacer was confiscated and the team was fined $250 because the officials felt it was not what was intended when writing the rulebook. Moving forward, the OCFS Officials will update the language in the rule book to more clearly identify the intent of the rule. (Via Facebook Orange County Fair Speedway)

Scary Wreck at OCFS Middletown, NY in 2021

Brandon Walters' Crash at OCFS

Brandon Walters was lucky to not be seriously hurt Saturday night when his race car wreck at the Orange County Fair Speedway. It was a rare sight to see a car tumble three times and then end up outside the track after going over and through a fence while getting tangled up in the telephone and electric wires but fortunately everyone including Brandon walked away.

Orange County Fair Speedway indoor Arena in Middletown, New York

Inside Arena Concert Venue at Orange County Fairgrounds

Most of us are used to seeing concerts at the Orange County Fair Grounds outside on the track but did you know they have a great indoor space as well? I was just there for Scotty McCreery's Same Truck Tour so I thought I would snap a few pictures so you can check the place out.