KIRKWOOD, NY.....Same result, one year later.

Stealing the show in the 50-lap Southern Tier Open Sunday afternoon at Five Mile Point Speedway, the Ricci brothers scored their second consecutive one-two punch in the 13th running of open competition event.

Rich Ricci Jr. bested older brother Mike Ricci for the $3,000 victory at the Kirkwood track. Both drivers drove '04 DIRT-legal small-blocks with sail panels.

"This car was just awesome today," Ricci, 39, said of his familiar red No. 55. "We (he and Mike) were going back and forth with set-ups earlier, but it started to get colder and I said, 'I'm going with what I ran here last year.'"

The post-qualifying redraw landed Mike Ricci on the pole for the main, and the Rosendale, N.Y., driver blasted into the early lead with his Jim Winchell-owned No. 17.

Meanwhile, Rich Ricci Jr. began his ascent from eighth position. The nine-time Accord (N.Y.) Speedway champion vaulted from fourth to second on a sixth-lap restart. Then he went to work on "little brother."

When the caution lights flickered on with eight laps complete, Mike Ricci chose the inside for a double-file restart. Bad move. Dropping the hammer on his Precision-powered Dirt Wheels No. 55, Rich Ricci Jr. utilized the turn-one banking to sweep into the race lead.

"I found the top and this thing just took off," smiled Ricci, only an occasional visitor to Five Mile Point. "'Little brother' was fast, but there was no stopping us."

Mike Ricci didn't just ride in second, however. He stalked the leader for the next 30 laps, working the track's inner hub. "I didn't know where he was running," the younger Ricci said. "I knew I had to be on the top."

In fact, it was Rich Ricci Jr.'s high-line prowess that enabled him to pull away in the final 10 circuits. He carved through slower traffic with ease. His final advantage was a half-straightaway. "What a way to start the year!" exclaimed Ricci, who will begin his chase for Accord championship number 10 on Fri., April 21.

Mike Ricci placed second in the same Enders-powered PMC chassis that he drove to victory in last year's Southern Tier 100. "Rich was good on the top," he said. "I thought I might've been able to get back by him (in the event's mid stages) but he got away at the end."

Kunkletown, Pa.'s Joey Grammes authored a stirring drive to place third in his RPM-powered Bicknell No. 5J. Grammes, who lost track position in a lap-six tangle, ripped through the field on the outside groove (even scraping the frontstretch wall on lap 17 after a jostle with Dana Wagner).

Grammes took third on a lap-22 restart and remained in that position, scoring his best-ever finish at FMP. "That pileup in (turn) four early on hurt us," noted Grammes, a regular at Penn-Can (Pa.) Speedway.

"I knew when the sun went down and they put some water on the track that the outside would be awesome. "I wish I could've gotten up there (to the front) earlier."

Mitch Gibbs of North Norwich, N.Y., rallied from 27th to fourth in his self-owned No. 2G and Billy Pauch Jr. of Frenchtown, N.J., was fifth in the Dinatale No. 11D.

Forty-two Modifieds signed into the pit area. Heat winners were Dana Wagner, Brian Decker, Ryan Grim, Pauch Jr. and Mike Ricci. James Cornell and George Hildebrant topped the consolations.

A borrowed powerplant did the trick for Willie Osmun in the 40-lap Race of Champions Dirt Sportsman Tour South Region lid-lifter.

Bloomsbury, N.J.'s Osmun lost his primary engine eight days earlier at New Egypt (N.J.) Speedway, his home track. Fellow racer Mike Bent loaned him an engine and Osmun took it to Victory Lane at FMP. He earned $1,000 for the win.

"I've got to thank Mike Bent," a happy Osmun reported. "Without him, we wouldn't have been here today. We lost our motor last week and he came through for us."

Driving his No. 14 Troyer "maxi-flex" chassis, Osmun raced methodically to the front from eighth starting position. He took second on lap 11 and closed on polesitter Alex Konopka, who led from the outset.

Osmun throttled to the outside of Konopka entering turn three on lap 14 and was never headed. The popular Garden State driver reported that he would chase RoC Dirt points this season in the South Region.

Middletown, N.Y.'s Danny Creeden was a RoC-best second, driving his Precision-powered No. 16X Teo-Pro car. Creeden took the position on lap 20, but didn't make up ground on the leader until the final five laps.

"He was fast," noted Creeden, an Accord/Orange County (N.Y.) Fair Speedway regular. "I gained on him at the end, but I couldn't do anything with him. "I'm happy. It was a good day."

Defending RoC Dirt Sportsman champion Jason Hamilton of Erwinna, Pa., placed third after starting sixth. "We were tight," noted Hamilton, 30. "We expected the track to get slick and it didn't. It was shoving the nose. "We were a third-place car."

Konopka, of Gouldsboro, Pa., faded to fourth after leading the first 14 laps and 20th-starter Brad Brightbill was fifth. A bizarre incident on lap four - during a caution-period - saw 10 cars stack up on the frontstretch. No one was injured in the melee, though a 15-minute red flag ensued.

Dave Zona of Montrose, Pa., drove away from the competition in the 20-lap Late Model feature. Last year's Penn-Can champion vaulted into the top spot from the outside pole on lap one and steadily increased his lead. When the checkered dropped, it was a half-track on the second-place battle. Billy Marvin was the runner-up, with R.J. Windhausen, Randall Paxton and Jamie Griffiths in tow.

Randall Paxton of Dalton, Pa., won the heldover BRC Lazer Late Model Series event from Nov. 6, 2005. Paxton took command on the 13th go-round after a six-lap tussle with Jamie Griffiths (who later dropped off the pace with a left-rear flat tire). Zona, Bud Phillips, Windhausen and Allan Kellogg finished second through fifth, respectively.

Doug Stack of Athens, Pa., topped the 20-lap Pure Stock feature. Stack took the lead on lap 16 and survived a one-lap dash following a caution on the penultimate lap to score the win over Frank Chapman, Charlie Gilbert, Mahlon Shoemaker and Rich Talada.

The next race date at Five Mile Point Speedway is Sat., May 6 with the 56th Season Opener featuring a 50-lap feature for the big-block/small-block Modifieds. The extra-distance main will be a qualifier for the Short Track SuperNationals All-Star Cash Dash at Afton (N.Y.) Speedway Fri.-Sat. Oct. 6-7. The Sportsman, IMCA-Modifieds, Street Stocks and Pure Stocks will complete the card.

Practice sessions are scheduled for Sat., April 22 and Sat., April 29. Contact the track office at (607) 775-5555 or visit the website: www.fivemilepointspeedway.net for further information.

COUNTER POINTS:A large Sunday crowd congregated at the to watch 42 Modifieds, 47 RoC Dirt Sportsman, 15 Late Models and 16 Pure Stocks....

Third-place finisher Grammes utilized a 430 cubic inch powerplant in his Bicknell chassis....

New Jersey star Billy Pauch made a rare FMP start in the Grammes team's second car. Pauch headed pitside on lap eight with a proken panhard bar....

Pauch's son, Billy Jr., was a solid fifth in the Dinatale No. 11D, a car that has seen past success at FMP with Meme DeSantis at the wheel....

Notable Modified DNQs included Grandview (Pa.) Speedway star Mike Gular and Big Diamond (Pa.)/Bridgeport (N.J.) talent Rick Laubach....

A tip of the hat to Brian Decker, who drove his father Randy's No. 9R in the Mod event. Decker, 30, of Susquehanna, Pa., rebounded from a lap-six flat tire to finish sixth....

Brad Grim picked up the Sherwood Racing Wheels Sportsman Hard Charger Award. The Coplay, Pa., driver raced from 25th to seventh in the 40-lap feature....

Southern Tier Open Modified Feature Finish:
RICH RICCI JR., Mike Ricci, Joey Grammes, Mitch Gibbs, Billy Pauch Jr., Brian Decker, Ryan Grim, J.R. Crouse, Doug Manmiller, Wade Decker, Brent Wilcox, Rich Keehle Jr., James Cornell, Jeff Kotary, Darin Schuler, Dan Hineline, Brian Weaver, Doug Hendricks, Barry Davis, Butch Getz, Dana Wagner, Jimmy Davis, Jim Crawn, George Hildebrant, Mike Colsten, Billy Pauch, Glenn Knapp, Alan Rudalavage.
Did Not Qualify: Mike Gular, Rick Laubach, J.R. Hurlburt, Brian Malcolm, Darwin Greene, Dave Calaman, Ray Deemer, Chris Ostrowsky, Allan Kellogg, Ken Eckert Jr., Gordie Isham, Ricky Yetter, Joel Batzel, Mike Doty

Race of Champions Dirt Sportsman Tour South Region Race No. 1 Feature Finish:
WILLIE OSMUN, Danny Creeden, Jason Hamilton, Alex Konopka, Brad Brightbill, Butch Klinger, Brad Grim, John McClelland, Mike Lartz, Mike Loney, John Salvatore, Craig Whitmoyer, Michael Storms, Billy Tanner IV, Frank Doty, Josh Biever, Derrick McGrew, Kyle Weiss, Ken Titus, Shaun Walker, Joey Colsten, Rich Green, Pat Votra, Jesse Kline, Eric Palmer, Steve Babicek, Jeff Geiges, Jamie Yankowski, Dave Coene.
Did Not Qualify: Drew Ricco, Clay Butler, Mike Mammana, Ricky Rutt, Justin Holland, Chris Wood, Ryan Olsommer, Danny Yankowski, Eric Stephens, Ted DeGroat, Alex Tonkin, Rick Raisner, Jim Toy, Chris Grbac, Bobby Hentschel, Jim Kleedorfer, Mike Trautschold, Brad Force.

Late Model Feature Finish:
DAVE ZONA, Billy Marvin, R.J. Windhausen, Randall Pazton, Jamie Griffiths, Allan Kellogg, Adam MacGeorge, Bud Phillips, Jim O'Hara, Brian Bernheisel, Tracy Gregory, Chad Hollenbeck, Lary DiLello, Keith Mudge.
Did Not Start: Jim Cummings.

Heldover BRC Lazer Series Late Model Finish From Nov. 6, 2005:
RANDALL PAXTON, Dave Zona, Bud Phillips, R.J. Windausen, Allan Kellogg, Tracy Gregory, Chad Hollenbeck, Jamie Griffiths, Larry DiLello, Keith Mudge, Rich King, Chris Piasecki.

Pure Stock Feature Finish:
DOUG STACK, Frank Chapman, Charlie Gilbert, Mahlon Shoemaker, Rich Talada, Kurt Decker, Jeremy Shaw, Mike Wilbur, Nick Robinson, Bill Cook, Denny Decker, Jamie Batzel, Floyd Peters, Tom Eiklor, Jason Bond, Jim House.