Weedsport, NY — May 7, 2009 – By Tom Skibinski, DIRTcar Racing Northeast PR Director
*Brent Smith Photo
The biggest motorsports event ever staged at Cayuga County Fair Speedway is still over two months away. Yet when the richest racing weekend in Weedsport history arrives July 17-19, Billy Pauch Jr. plans to be in the field as the second-generation standout from Frenchville, New Jersey has already registered to become the first ‘official’ Big-Block Modified entry for DIRTcar All-Star Weekend.
“This kind of event really promotes dirt modified racing, its something I feel should be supported by all the teams,” said Pauch, 21, who is geared up to make his first trip to Cayuga County steering owner Bob Greene’s Pioneer Pole Buildings no. 8 Schaeffer’s Harley Davidson-Seltzer Insurance Company/Bicknell ride. “The guys at DIRT are really sticking their neck out with so much (money) on the line and we definitely want to be there to see it work.”
“A big event like this is good for the future, it’s a positive step forward for our modifieds. Young guys like Matt Sheppard, Ryan Phelps and myself, we’re depending on this kind of show to be successful. A lot of the veterans will certainly be at this one but we want to be around after they’re gone to keep this sport moving ahead,” remarked Pauch, fresh off his sixth-place finish at Big Diamond Raceway in the 2009 Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series opener.
With a posted purse in the neighborhood of $100,000, the inauguration at this charter member track will make DIRTcar All-Star Weekend a destination event like no other for both fans and racers. Complete with camping, cookouts and concert entertainment, plus plenty of food and fun at the fairgrounds, Cayuga County’s three-day summer spectacular includes Sportsman Modifieds, Street Stocks and Pro Late Models, with $20,000 waiting the winner of the Advance Auto Parts Series ‘DIRTcar All-Star 100’ for Big-Blocks on Sunday, July 19.
The son of dirt track legend Billy Pauch, junior has divided his time on both dirt and asphalt among several different types of cars, including 358-Modifieds, ARDC midgets, NASCAR modifieds and ARCA stock cars. He made his 2001 debut in the Slingshot division and up until this year ran part-time at Big Diamond in Pennsylvania where he earned ’03 small-block rookie of the year honors at age 16. Scoring his first Big-Block Modified victory at Bridgeport (NJ) Speedway in 2005, Pauch is also slated to make frequent Saturday night visits to Grandview Speedway in the Keystone State.
“It was Bob’s (Greene, owner) idea to get into Big-Block racing this year, he thought it was a shame we couldn’t run more events,” noted Pauch, who anticipated additional Advance Series stops as his weekly schedule allowed. “He makes all the calls and I know he’s interested in doing some traveling this season.”
“I like traveling and visiting different tracks but I know driving for one team on Fridays and Saturdays will take priority. Still, if there’s a chance to take in a mid-week tour show its something we’ll consider. We’ve got two Big-Blocks and a team good enough to get the job done and run competitive,” said Pauch, who closes the book on his junior year this month at Rider University, where he majors in accounting.
Cayuga County will surely be one of the biggest tests for Pauch, considering he has never even seen a race at the banked 3/8-miler while his father last circled ‘The Port’ during the late 1970s. Pauch Sr. still harbors hopes of joining his son in the All-Star show piloting the Gold Rush Custom Trailers no. 126 car for owner Glenn Hyneman.
“I’ve only run a couple races nearby at Rolling Wheels and pretty much been to the tracks my father raced at so this will be an all new experience,” added Pauch, who finished 28th in his lone Advance Series show entered last season at RWR. “We’ll obviously be lacking any home track knowledge for this one.”
“We’re still confident we can do well after running with the same guys at Big Diamond and I think my car was even better than what it showed. Hey, with $1,000 to start, everybody will be giving it their best just to qualify. It would certainly be huge to pull of a win at Cayuga County, a place my dad has never even won. But I know it will be tough to beat these guys at their own game. Hopefully, we’ll put on a show, which will be a sign of good times ahead for both Cayuga County and PPB Racing,” Pauch figured.
In his maiden voyage to the heart of DIRTcar land, Pauch will face the stiffest competition from reigning overall Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar points king Decker, all-time Advance Series winner Brett Hearn and DIRTcar Northeast career Big-Block win leader Alan Johnson, also the defending Cayuga County champion. Pauch will also have to fend off Empire State stars Danny Johnson, Jimmy Phelps, Dale Planck, Gary Tomkins, Steve Paine, Matt Sheppard, Frankie Caprara, Ryan Phelps, Justin Haers, Billy Dunn, Jeff Brownell Jr. and ’08 Rookie of the Year Larry Wight, plus Canadian veteran Pat O’Brien and another New Jersey upstart, Michael Storms, from Wantage.
DIRTcar All-Star Weekend kicks off Friday, July 17 with Big-Block Modified practice and title events for DIRTcar Street Stocks and CRSA (Capital Region Sprint Agency) 305 Sprints. The Saturday program is highlighted by a $3,000-to-win, 50-lap Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series preliminary event, while Sunday culminates with the first-ever Advance Series ‘DIRTcar All-Star 100’ boasting $20,000 on top and $1,000 to take the green.
For additional information about DIRTcar All-Star Weekend, contact the Cayuga County Fair Speedway office (315/834-6606) or Series Director Cory Reed (315/224-9009) during normal business hours. Surf the Web at www.cayugacountyfairspeedway.com and www.superdirtcarseries.com anytime to find out more about the ’09 race season, while more news and notes about Billy Pauch Jr. can be found by logging into www.ppbpauch.com.
Headquartered in Roanoke, Va., Advance Auto Parts, a leading automotive aftermarket retailer of parts, accessories, batteries, and maintenance items in the United States, serves both the do-it-yourself and professional installer markets As of April 19, 2008, the Company operated 3,291 stores in 40 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Additional information about the Company, employment opportunities, customer services, and on-line shopping for parts and accessories can be found on the Company’s web site at www.advanceautoparts.com.
The Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series for Big-Block Modifieds is brought to fans across the Northeast by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Advance Auto Parts, Hoosier Racing Tire www.hoosiertire.com and VP Racing Fuels www.vpracingfuels.com. Promotional partners include Rite Aid Corporation www.riteaid.com, Dig Safely New York www.digsafelynewyork.com and the University of Northwestern Ohio www.unoh.com and the contingency sponsors are Bars Leaks www.barsproducts.com, Bert Transmission www.berttransmission.com, Bicknell Racing Products www.bicknellracingproducts.com, Bilstein Shocks www.bilstein.com, Brodix Cylinder Heads www.brodix.com, Ferris Industries www.ferrisindustries.com, Integra Shocks www.integrashocksandsprings.com, Intercomp www.intercomp-racing.com, KSE Racing Products www.kse-racing.com, Motorsports Safety Systems www.motorsportssafetysystems.com, Penske Shocks, www.penskeshocks.com, Racing Electronics www.racingelectronics.com, Rislone Oil Stabilizer www.barsproducts.com and Wrisco Industries www.wrisco.com.
