Rain Forces Postponement Of Advance Series Show At Cornwall

Cornwall, ONT — July 13, 2008 – By Tom Skibinski, Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series PR Director

It wasn’t a streak that track promoter Ron Morin sought to continue on Sunday, yet for a second straight year heavy rain forced postponement of the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series ‘Akwesasne Mohawk Casino International 100’ at Cornwall Motor Speedway.

DIRTcar Racing NorthEast Director of Competition & Track Sanctioning Cory Reed and Morin reviewed the 2008 Advance Series schedule and quickly settled on Sunday, August 17 as a make-up date for the mid-summer stop at Cornwall.

“We were disappointed to bring the curtain down this way on a truly great Canadian tour yet just as happy to be able to return to Cornwall in another month and take care of some unfinished business,” said Reed, noting the date of August 16 that already occupies the agenda with a big 100-lap Advance Auto Parts Series show slated for Can-Am Motorsports Park. “This will create another exciting doubleheader in the north country and we’re looking forward to coming back with all our top touring teams.”

Early morning rain and continued showers on Sunday afternoon forced Morin to postpone the 14th Annual Akwesasne Mohawk Casino International 100 from its original July 13 slot. The new date of August 17 now features a return appearance by the Advance Series all-stars, with Empire Super Sprints, UMP/DIRTcar Pro Stocks and the Rookie division completing the Sunday evening show.

“Last year we opened the Canadian swing with rain and this time we ended it with rain,” said Morin, who purchased Cornwall Motor Speedway in 1981 and has been a loyal member of the DIRTcar Racing fraternity since 1983. “This is a show we hate to lose so it was nice to find another solid date that fits in well for both fans and racers.”

A tentative rain date of Monday, July 14 was listed on the 2008 Cornwall Motor Speedway, yet with a 60% chance of precipitation in the next day’s forecast and Advance Series Modified teams already lined up for a mid-week doubleheader in Pennsylvania and Delaware, a compromise was reached between track and series officials to come back in August.

Already parked outside the Cornwall pits when the official announcement to postpone the event was made just after 1 p.m. was defending race winner and current Advance Series points leader Billy Decker. Kicking off the ‘Great Canadian Tour’ with a win on Thursday at Brockville Ontario Speedway followed by fourth-place at Autodrome Granby on Friday and a runner-up tally on Saturday at Autodrome Drummond, the ‘Franklin Flyer’ was eyeing a fourth career tour triumph at Cornwall and looking to further extend his lead in the standings over Granby winner Brett Hearn and Drummond victor Dale Planck.

Since first hosting an Advance Auto Parts Series race in 1994, Cornwall has only lost one show due to rain, that coming in 2000. Past winners in 13 tour events held at Cornwall include three-time champions Decker and Hearn, Bob McCreadie with two and son Tim McCreadie, Danny Johnson, Jimmy Horton, Gary Tomkins and Planck with one apiece.
Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series Race Winners
Cornwall Motor Speedway (13 Evts)
7/22/07-Billy Decker-100L; 7/9/06-Dale Planck-100L; 7/10/05-Brett Hearn-100L; 6/27/04-Gary Tomkins-100L; 6/29/03-Billy Decker-100L; 7/7/02-Tim McCreadie-100L; 7/8/01-Brett Hearn-100L; 7/9/00-Rain; 7/11/99-Billy Decker-99L; 6/21/98-Bob McCreadie-98L; 6/22/97-Danny Johnson-97L; 6/23/96-Brett Hearn-96L; 7/9/95-Jimmy Horton-95L; 7/10/94-Bob McCreadie-94L.

UPCOMING EVENTS
The mighty Big-Block Modifieds from the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series get a two-day break to regroup before competing in the ‘Super Southern Swing’ twin-bill at Grandview (Pa.) Speedway on July 16 and Georgetown (Del.) Speedway on July 17.

Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series Point Standings (Through July 13, 2008)
Rank No. Driver Total SeriesDiff Money Wins Top-5 Top-10 Starts
1 91 Billy Decker 766 766 0 $30,900 4 7 9 9
2 20 Brett Hearn 670 670 -96 $17,800 1 6 8 9
3 77x Dale Planck 646 646 -120 $22,275 3 5 6 9
4 98h Jimmy Phelps 611 611 -155 $15,100 0 3 7 9
5 84 Gary Tomkins 605 605 -161 $10,375 0 3 9 9
6 9s Matt Sheppard 595 595 -171 $16,800 1 2 6 9
7 7x Steve Paine 565 565 -201 $10,975 0 4 4 9
8 27J Danny Johnson 544 544 -222 $12,025 0 3 4 9
9 3 Justin Haers 536 536 -230 $6,650 0 1 6 9
10 14J Alan Johnson 536 536 -230 $7,650 0 1 4 9
11 FX1 Frankie Caprara 525 525 -241 $7,000 0 1 6 9
12 99 Ryan Phelps 485 485 -281 $4,700 0 0 2 9
13 49 Billy Dunn 462 462 -304 $5,175 0 0 2 9
14 99L Larry Wight 381 381 -385 $3,700 0 0 1 9
15 6 Pat O’Brien 299 299 -467 $2,960 0 0 1 7
16 29 Jeff Brownell Jr 248 248 -518 $2,000 0 0 0 6
17 42B Kevin Bates 220 220 -546 $1,950 0 0 0 6
18 21 Yan Bussiere 161 161 -605 $1,600 0 0 1 3
19 22 Mario Clair 152 152 -614 $1,000 0 0 0 3
20 99b Chuck Bower 140 140 -626 $900 0 0 0 4
21 11j Sean Beardsley 139 139 -627 $900 0 0 0 4
22 16 Mike Bowman 135 135 -631 $900 0 0 0 4
23 357 Stewart Friesen 131 131 -635 $2,750 0 1 1 2
24 19 Tim Fuller 130 130 -636 $2,750 0 1 1 2
25 46 Kayle Robidoux 125 125 -641 $1,200 0 0 2 2
26 56 Vince Vitale 125 125 -641 $610 0 0 0 3
27 5 Jason Potter 125 125 -641 $900 0 0 0 4
28 48T Dave Rauscher 119 119 -647 $750 0 0 0 3
29 4 Duane Howard 105 105 -661 $6,000 0 1 1 1
30 79 Mike Storms 102 102 -664 $1,050 0 0 0 3
31 44 Shannon Whaley100 100 -666 $450 0 0 0 3
32 62s Tom Sears Jr. 99 99 -667 $700 0 0 0 3
33 3 Claude Brouillard 98 98 -668 $650 0 0 0 2
34 23 Dany Bilodeau 96 96 -670 $650 0 0 0 2
35 123 Robbie Krull 96 96 -670 $4,000 0 1 1 1
36 2 Michel Dussault 90 90 -676 $600 0 0 0 2
37 85 Dan Vauter 89 89 -677 $600 0 0 0 2
38 1 David Hebert 88 88 -678 $600 0 0 0 2
39 8 Rob Bellinger 86 86 -680 $600 0 0 0 3
40 24L Carl Labonte 84 84 -682 $600 0 0 0 2
41 21 Derrick Podsiadlo84 84 -682 $600 0 0 0 3
42 54 Steve Bernard 81 81 -685 $600 0 0 0 2
43 6G Martin Gagné 81 81 -685 $600 0 0 0 2
44 84L Eric Landry 80 80 -686 $600 0 0 0 2
45 66w Wallace Stacey 80 80 -686 $300 0 0 0 1
46 89b Todd Burley 80 80 -686 $1,700 0 1 1 1
47 28 Scott Kerwin 76 76 -690 $1,400 0 0 1 1
48 13 Tony Steiner 73 73 -693 $300 0 0 0 1
49 32c Vic Coffey 70 70 -696 $500 0 0 0 1
50 1w Billy Pauch 66 66 -700 $1,400 0 0 1 1

2008 Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series Schedule
NP=Non-Point event.
*All events subject to change.
DAY-DATE TRACK WINNER/RITE AID 200 QUALIFIER
Wed-Feb 13 Volusia Speedway Park-NP Billy Pauch
Thr-Feb 14 Volusia Speedway Park-NP Brett Hearn
Fri-Feb 15 Volusia Speedway Park-NP Dale Planck
Sat-Feb 16 Volusia Speedway Park-NP Jimmy Horton
Sat-Mar 22 Hagerstown Speedway Weather-Cancelled
Thr-May 1 Virginia Motor Speedway Matt Sheppard(G)
Sun-May 4 Rolling Wheels Raceway Billy Decker(G)
Sun-May 4 Rolling Wheels Raceway Dale Planck(G)
Sun-May 25 Cayuga Co Fair Speedway D.Planck/Danny Johnson(P)
Sat-Jun 7 Fulton Speedway B.Decker/Brett Hearn(P)
Thr-Jul 3 Ransomville Speedway B.Decker/Robbie Krull(P)
Thr-Jul 10 Brockville Ont Speedway B.Decker/Jimmy Phelps(P)
Fri-Jul 11 Autodrome Granby Brett Hearn(G)
Sat-Jul 12 Autodrome Drummond D.Planck/Steve Paine(P)
Wed-Jul 16 Grandview Speedway Bechtelsville,PA
Thr-Jul 17 Georgetown Speedway Georgetown,DE
Thr-Jul 31 Orange Co Fair Speedway Middletown,NY
Mon-Aug 4 Merrittville Speedway Thorold,ONT
Fri-Aug 8 Brewerton Speedway Brewerton,NY
Sat-Aug 9 Canandaigua Speedway Canandaigua,NY
Sat-Aug 16 Can-Am Motorsports Park LaFargeville,NY
Sun-Aug 17 Cornwall Motor Speedway Cornwall,ONT
Sun-Aug 31 Cayuga Co Fair Speedway Weedsport,NY
Mon-Sep 1 Rolling Wheels Raceway Elbridge,NY
Sat-Sep 6 Lebanon Valley Speedway West Lebanon,NY
Fri-Sep 12 Lernerville Speedway Sarver,PA
Sat-Sep 20 Canandaigua Speedway Canandaigua,NY
Sat-Sep 27 Rolling Wheels Raceway Elbridge,NY
Sun-Oct 12 New York State Fairgrounds Syracuse,NY
Sun-Oct 19 Orange Co Fair Speedway Middletown,NY

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 http://www.advanceautoparts.com.

ADVANCE AUTO PARTS MODIFIED SERIES SPONSORS
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 and Hoosier Racing Tire. Rite Aid Corporation is a promotional partner and the contingency sponsors are Bars Leaks, Bert Transmission, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Crane Cams, Dig Safely New York, Holley HP Carburetors, Integra Shocks, Intercomp, KSE Racing Products, Motorsports Safety Systems, Penske Shocks, Rislone Oil Stabilizer and Wrisco Industries.