It wasn’t an easy win for Jamie Yannone last Sunday. He was spun out on the first lap, but he worked his way back to the front. Yannone went on to win the run what you brung race at Bethel Motor Speedway in Swan Lake, New York.
“At the start of the feature, I got tagged from behind — from whom I don’t know — and that sent me around,” Yannone, of Newburgh, New York, said. “It was a blessing in disguise. Starting at the rear of the field kept me out of a couple of melees where everyone was banging into each other. I just hung out in the back of the pack to see what happened. It was a 50-lap feature, you have to be patient if you want to get to the front.”
While racers often tweak cars for run what you brung races, Yannone made very few changes to his 2018 Teo modified that runs more often on the dirt of Accord Speedway.
“I had a 30-year-old open sportsman motor built by Tommy Hindley,” said Yannone. “It broke a few times this season, and Tommy was there to fix it with 25-year-old parts.”
As Yannone made his way through the field he found a familiar car up front. His old car he sold to Jerry Curry two years ago.
“It was a really good car, and Curry is a really good driver,” Yannone said. “I honestly didn’t know if I could get by him.”
The two battled for 15 laps, until Yannone finally passed Curry for the win.
“His car was getting a little looser and mine a little better,” said Yannone. “I tried to get around him, under him — lap after lap — and then finally I got by.”
Jamie Yannone made a last-minute decision to compete in the race. It’s a move he doesn’t regret.
“It was my six-year-old daughter Ellie’s birthday — I had felt that I shouldn’t race,” Yannone said. “But Ellie and my wife, Janice, gave me permission to race. I loaded up at the last minute and went to the track.”
The Outside Groove Executive Editor has covered motorsports since 2000. His many awards include the 2019 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Jim Hunter Writer of the Year and the 2013 Russ Catlin Award for Excellence in Motorsports Journalism.
