Weedsport, NY — August 31, 2008 – By Tom Skibinski, Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series PR Director
*Bill Moore Photo
For the second straight year it was open-wheel veterans Alan Johnson and Billy Decker sharing the spotlight in victory lane over Labor Day Weekend at Cayuga County Fair Speedway, with each scoring $3,000 wins this year in the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modified Budweiser Twin 54s presented by Taylor Rental on Sunday night.
Johnson’s first Advance Series win of ’08 in the opener earned him a guaranteed starting berth status in the prestigious Rite Aid 200 Championship race on Oct. 12 of Super DIRT Week XXXVII at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse while Frankie Caprara’s sixth-place run in the nightcap rewarded him with a preferred spot in DIRTcar NorthEast’s biggest event.
‘A.J. Slideways’ started fifth in the lid-lifter, methodically worked his way forward in the Spra-King Racing no. 1J Jake Spraker Used Cars & Trucks/Bicknell mount, and took advantage of the only caution on lap 38 to overtake race-long leader Frankie Caprara en route to a decisive two-second victory. Caprara settled for runner-up honors followed by Dale Planck, Gary Tomkins and Jimmy Phelps.
“I was concerned early on when the guys out front were kinda gone, I didn’t figure we’d ever catch ‘em,” admitted Johnson, following his second win of the season at Cayuga County, which was easily the biggest as it marked his sixth Advance Series win at the home DIRTcar Racing NorthEast. “The car just kept getting better as (race) went on.”
Caprara out-dragged pole-sitter Tomkins for the early lead in the 54-lap opener and the two were able to open up a comfortable margin over the rest of the 28-car starting field. With 10 laps in the books the lead pair had built up a three-quarters of a straightaway lead over Justin Haers and track point leaders Phelps and Johnson.
The leaders caught the back end of traffic on lap 14 and the 25 laps Johnson put his experience around the racy 3/8-miler to work as he was able to reel in the leaders one by one as the green lights remained on. A.J. ducked under fourth-place Phelps on lap 18, dove under Justin Haers for third a handful of laps later, then grabbed the second slot from Tomkins on lap 34.
DIRTcar Big-Block rookie Tony Steiner slid high into the turn one/two wall to force out the only yellow flag on lap 38 and give Johnson his first view of Caprara. And that was all the veteran from Middlesex, New York needed as maneuvered inside of Caprara between turns one & two on lap 39 and the race for second was all that remained.
“Have to thank Jake Spraker and Eric Kingsley for putting this deal together, it’s a heck of a ride,” beamed Johnson, who even climbed atop the roof of the winning machine to posed after scoring his 48th career Advance Series victory, the first for both car owners in Big-Block tour competition. “We’ll do a few more races together. I don’t know how many of them, as many as I can get Jake to do we’ll do.”
Johnson re-drew ‘9’ to invert the first five rows of the grid yet as soon as the green flag flew to begin round two, a mid-pack tangle forced the an early slowdown. Steve Paine, Danny Johnson, Dan Vauter, Mike Mahaney, A.J. Romano and Steiner were all caught up in the turn four mishap with Mahaney and Romano —whose mount sat wedged under Vauter’s machine— forced to pit for the duration without a single lap complete.
Back under green flag conditions, Justin Haers out-dragged front row partner Matt Sheppard to take an early lead in the 54-lap nightcap and was able to hold off ‘Super Matt’ until the Waterloo, New York native was finally able to find make a clean pass low to complete lap 12. Ryan Bartlett grazed the turn one/two wall up high to incur a second slowdown just one lap later and erase a growing lead for Sheppard.
While Johnson waited patiently to move forward in the opening race, Decker was far more forceful as he blasted high aboard the LJL Racing no. 91 Gypsum Wholesalers-Stadium Int’l-Quality Hardwoods/Bicknell machine to move from fourth to second on the ensuing lap 13 restart, disposing of Sheppard on lap 15 with Tomkins following in pursuit just two laps later. Tomkins completed his mission to the front on the 21st circuit and for a dozen laps the top-two jockeyed for position both high and low in and out of traffic.
Decker forged the final lead change high across the line to complete lap 32 with Tomkins, Planck, Sheppard and Alan Johnson moving into their final positions with 15 laps still to go. The leaders hit heavy traffic on lap 51 yet by then it was too late for Tomkins although he still managed to creep up to a single car-length at the wire, with Planck, Sheppard and Alan Johnson rounding out the front-five at the stripe.
“This (win) certainly belonged to the crew, Scott and Donnie, they worked really hard between races,” remarked Decker, following his ninth Advance Series win of the season which put him just one victory shy of Brett Hearn’s all-time single-season best mark of 10 registered in 2002. Prior to this year, Decker captured six series checkers and a career-high 18 overall wins en route to his only Mr. DIRTcar Championship in 1998; today he owns 21 first-place trophies which triple last season’s output for the Unadilla, New York chauffeur.
“The first feature we were as far off as we’ve been this year until making some ‘wholesale’ adjustments, and I’m telling you they worked their tails off before we pulled back out on the track. I just wasn’t good enough on the bottom and Gary rolled me and I tried to go down there a few times. I had fun tonight racing with Gary, he was really going good and cut me some slack there off (turn) four. Have to tip your hat to Gary’s program, they’ve really stepped it up a notch. If you look at his last 4 or 5 series races, he’s looking like the guy to beat right now. Him and Dale have really bee trucking along. They’re keeping us on our toes, I can tell you that,” added Decker, after extending his points lead to 164 markers over three-time tour winner Planck.
Riding a two-race win streak coming into Cayuga County, Tomkins was forced to settle for a pair of top-fives on Sunday while remaining fifth in the Advance Series standings through 20 events.
“Lap traffic was tough but it was tough for both of us,” figured Tomkins, who claimed the overall Hoosier Tire Mr. DIRTcar Championship in 2004 and is in search of his first for car owner Doug Dulen and the Honeoye Auto Parts no. 84 Red Parker & Son Excavating/Bicknell team. “Still, when you’re sitting in victory lane between these two cars (91-Decker & 77x-Planck) that have been the class of the field this year, we’ve got a good piece.”
“We’re still learning about it, there are a lot of things that we’ve got to figure out still and this track threw us a loop tonight. We were hoping it was going to be slick from top to bottom and I think we would’ve been good. Hey, we passed Billy twice in this race so I can’t complain about that. I’m happy to get second, we gave them a heckuva run … what are you gonna do?”
“And it’s not just the car, we’ve got a different style motor in there and we’re still learning about that, too. We’re trying some different things and they seem to be working. Usually when you do stuff like this you struggle but this thing has been a rocket ever since we’ve had it out. I’ve been looking forward to Rolling Wheels (tomorrow) and had it circled for awhile. I hate twin 50s, they’re just too hard on the crew, too hard on us. I like one race, let’s get ready for it and go racing. I think we can put on a good show, hopefully the track will be in decent shape and we’ll give ‘em a real good one.”
Third-place finisher Planck has been putting on his own show as of late, scoring 10 straight top-five Advance Series finishes to stand second in the standings behind only Decker.
“We were really good in the first race, probably better in the first than second, and to come home with two thirds I can’t complain at all,” said Planck, who scored his first tour win of the season at Rolling Wheels in May and closed out the month with a big win in the Hall of Fame Classic at Cayuga County. “Billy is good this year, you can’t take that away from him. Everything falls his way, and everything is falling my way, too. For how I’ve been the last couple years compared to how I am this year, I’m real happy. I’m standing here (podium) a lot, there’s nothing better than that.”
“We just kinda threw everything together this last winter … I’m looking forward to this coming winter, to build on this foundation, get a little bit more organized and get our stuff together to make a major assault next year. I’m still not mathematically out of it for this year, we’ve got a lot of 200-lap races coming up. In the past those haven’t been the best for me but neither has Weedsport, so we’re just going to take every race one at a time and see what happens,” Planck added.
The Labor Day holiday closes out for 2008 Advance Auto Part Super DIRTcar Series point chasers with the Budweiser 110 presented by Honeoye Auto Parts at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park on Monday, September 1.
Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series Races #19 & #20 – Cayuga County Fair Speedway, August 31, 2008 ‘Budweiser Twin 54s presented by Taylor Rental’ Big-Block Modified Event Summary
Feature #1
FIN STR CAR# DRIVER
1 5 1j Alan Johnson/Middlesex,NY($3,000)
2 2 fx1 Frankie Caprara/Watertown,NY
3 9 77x Dale Planck/Cortland,NY
4 1 84 Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY
5 8 98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY
6 7 91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY
7 10 29 Jeff Brownell Jr./Waterloo,NY
8 6 3 Justin Haers/Phelps,NY
9 15 9s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY
10 11 20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ
11 4 49 Billy Dunn/Watertown,NY
12 3 99 Ryan Phelps/Fulton,NY
13 19 7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY
14 16 42b Kevin Bates/Lake Ariel,PA
15 17 99b Chuck Bower/Lansing,NY
16 13 44 Shannon Whaley/Pavilion,NY
17 12 j66 Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY
18 22 6 Pat O’Brien/Kingston,ONT
19 20 85 Dan Vauter/Forest City,PA
20 23 93 Ryan Bartlett/Adams,NY
21 21 16j A.J. Romano/Johnstown,NY
22 18 5 Jason Potter/Pulaski,NY
23 28 33 Mike Mahaney/King Ferry,NY®
24 14 91h Chad Homan/Macedon,NY
25 27 13 Tony Steiner/Jamesville,NY®
26 25 16 Mike Bowman/Baldwinsville,NY
27 24 21 Derrick Podsiadlo/Penn Yan,NY
28 26 79 John Pfeffer/Hilton,NY
DNS 29 4 Ed Monroe III/Shortsville,NY
DNS 30 87 Shawn Donath/S. Onondaga,NY®
EVENT SUMMARY:
LAP LEADERS: Caprara (1-38), A.Johnson (39-54).
CAUTIONS: 1 (lap 38).
HEAT WINNERS: Hearn, A.Johnson, Planck.
DIG SAFELY NEW YORK LAST CHANCE RACE WINNER: Paine.
BICKNELL RACING PRODUCTS WINNER AWARD: Alan Johnson.
CRANE CAMS WINNER AWARD: Alan Johnson.
RISLONE OIL STABILIZER & TREATMENT WINNER AWARD: Alan Johnson.
BARS LEAKS RUNNER-UP AWARD: Frankie Caprara.
CRANE CAMS RUNNER-UP AWARD: Frankie Caprara.
SYRACUSE RITE AID 200 QUALIFIER: Alan Johnson (G).
HALFWAY LEADER: Frankie Caprara.
BERT/KSE RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER AWARD: Dale Planck.
HOLLEY HARD LUCK AWARD: Shawn Donath.
PENSKE POWER POSITION AWARD (11th): Billy Dunn.
INTEGRA SHOCKS FAST TIME AWARD: Billy Decker (15.652sec/86.251mph).
TOTAL PURSE: $13,785.
CARS ENTERED: 30.
Feature #2
FIN STR CAR# DRIVER
1 4 91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY($3,000)
2 6 84 Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY
3 7 77x Dale Planck/Cortland,NY
4 1 9s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY
5 9 1j Alan Johnson/Middlesex,NY
6 8 fx1 Frankie Caprara/Watertown,NY
7 10 20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ
8 12 99 Ryan Phelps/Fulton,NY
9 2 3 Justin Haers/Phelps,NY
10 5 98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY
11 3 29 Jeff Brownell Jr./Waterloo,NY
12 18 6 Pat O’Brien/Kingston,ONT
13 26 16 Mike Bowman/Baldwinsville,NY
14 20 93 Ryan Bartlett/Adams,NY
15 14 42b Kevin Bates/Lake Ariel,PA
16 13 7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY
17 24 91h Chad Homan/Macedon,NY
18 16 44 Shannon Whaley/Pavilion,NY
19 19 85 Dan Vauter/Forest City,PA
20 22 5 Jason Potter/Pulaski,NY
21 25 13 Tony Steiner/Jamesville,NY®
22 11 49 Billy Dunn/Watertown,NY
23 17 j66 Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY
24 27 21 Derrick Podsiadlo/Penn Yan,NY
25 15 99b Chuck Bower/Lansing,NY
26 23 33 Mike Mahaney/King Ferry,NY®
27 21 16j A.J. Romano/Johnstown,NY
DNS 28 79 John Pfeffer/Hilton,NY
DNS 29 4 Ed Monroe III/Shortsville,NY
DNS 30 87 Shawn Donath/S. Onondaga,NY®
EVENT SUMMARY:
LAP LEADERS: Haers (1-11), Sheppard (12-14), Decker (15-20), Tomkins (21-31), Decker (32-54).
CAUTIONS: 3 (lap 1, lap 13, lap 26).
BICKNELL RACING PRODUCTS WINNER AWARD: Billy Decker.
CRANE CAMS WINNER AWARD: Billy Decker.
RISLONE OIL STABILIZER & TREATMENT WINNER AWARD: Billy Decker.
BARS LEAKS RUNNER-UP AWARD: Gary Tomkins.
CRANE CAMS RUNNER-UP AWARD: Gary Tomkins.
SYRACUSE RITE AID 200 QUALIFIER: Frankie Caprara (P).
HALFWAY LEADER: Gary Tomkins.
BERT/KSE RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER AWARD: Mike Bowman.
HOLLEY HARD LUCK AWARD: Jimmy Phelps.
PENSKE POWER POSITION AWARD (11th): Jeff Brownell Jr.
TOTAL PURSE: $13,785.
NEXT EVENT: Rolling Wheels Raceway Park – September 1, 2008.
QUALIFYING
FAST AVE
TIME MPH CAR# DRIVER
1 15.652 86.251 91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY
*$100 Integra Shocks Fast Qualifier Award
2 15.672 86.141 98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY
3 15.842 85.217 3 Justin Haers/Phelps,NY
4 15.861 85.114 20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ
5 15.863 85.104 fx1 Frankie Caprara/Watertown,NY
6 15.877 85.029 77x Dale Planck/Cortland,NY
7 15.975 84.507 29 Jeff Brownell Jr./Waterloo,NY
8 15.989 84.433 1j Alan Johnson/Middlesex,NY
9 16.072 83.997 99 Ryan Phelps/Fulton,NY
10 16.073 83.992 44 Shannon Whaley/Pavilion,NY
11 16.075 83.981 91h Chad Homan/Macedon,NY
12 16.107 83.814 j66 Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY
13 16.113 83.783 84 Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY
14 16.143 83.628 6 Pat O’Brien/Kingston,ONT
15 16.176 83.457 5 Jason Potter/Pulaski,NY
16 16.180 83.436 85 Dan Vauter/Forest City,PA
17 16.191 83.380 49 Billy Dunn/Watertown,NY
18 16.207 83.297 21 Derrick Podsiadlo/Penn Yan,NY
19 16.210 83.282 7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY
20 16.223 83.215 16 Mike Bowman/Baldwinsville,NY
21 16.258 83.036 9s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY
22 16.288 82.883 42b Kevin Bates/Lake Ariel,PA
23 16.299 82.827 99b Chuck Bower/Lansing,NY
24 16.405 82.292 79 John Pfeffer/Hilton,NY
25 16.435 82.142 13 Tony Steiner/Jamesville,NY®
26 16.445 82.092 16j A.J. Romano/Johnstown,NY
27 16.447 82.082 93 Ryan Bartlett/Adams,NY
28 16.456 82.037 33 Mike Mahaney/King Ferry,NY®
29 17.699 76.275 4 Ed Monroe III/Shortsville,NY
30 -NT- —– 87 Shawn Donath/S. Onondaga,NY®
Heat Races (10 laps, top 6 finishers transferred to feature, top 4 went to re-draw)
#1: Hearn, Decker, Brownell, Tomkins, Whaley, Bates, Vauter, Paine, Steiner, Mahaney.
#2: A.Johnson, Caprara, J.Phelps, Dunn, Homan, Bower, Romano, O’Brien, Bowman, Monroe.
#3: Planck, R.Phelps, Haers, D.Johnson, Sheppard, Potter, Podsiadlo, Bartlett, Pfeffer, Donath (DNS).
Dig Safely New York Last Chance Races (10 laps)
#1: Paine, Vauter, Romano, O’Brien, Bartlett, Podsiadlo, Bowman, Pfeffer, Steiner, Mahaney, Monroe (DNS), Donath (DNS).
Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series Point Standings (Thru Aug. 31, 2008)
Rank No. Driver Total Series Diff Wins T-5 T-10 Starts
1 91 Billy Decker 1,652 1,652 0 9 16 20 20
2 77x Dale Planck 1,488 1,488 -164 3 16 18 20
3 98h Jimmy Phelps 1,406 1,406 -246 1 11 18 20
4 20 Brett Hearn 1,373 1,373 -279 2 8 17 20
5 84 Gary Tomkins 1,334 1,334 -318 2 8 17 20
6 9s Matt Sheppard 1,300 1,300 -352 1 7 16 20
7 7x Steve Paine 1,149 1,149 -503 0 8 9 20
8 FX1 Frankie Caprara 1,119 1,119 -533 0 2 11 20
9 99 Ryan Phelps 1,046 1,046 -606 0 0 7 20
10 3 Justin Haers 1,034 1,034 -618 0 2 12 19
11 27J Danny Johnson 1,018 1,018 -634 0 4 6 20
12 14J Alan Johnson 949 949 -703 1 3 9 17
13 49 Billy Dunn 939 939 -713 0 0 2 20
14 99L Larry Wight 736 736 -916 0 0 1 18
15 6 Pat O’Brien 617 617 -1,035 0 0 2 15
16 29 Jeff Brownell Jr. 472 472 -1,180 0 0 1 12
17 42B Kevin Bates 389 389 -1,263 0 0 0 11
18 99b Chuck Bower 278 278 -1,374 0 0 0 9
19 357 Stewart Friesen 264 264 -1,388 0 1 2 4
20 14 Rich Laubach 256 256 -1,396 0 2 2 4
21 79 Mike Storms 255 255 -1,397 0 0 1 6
22 16 Mike Bowman 233 233 -1,419 0 0 0 7
23 5 Jason Potter 229 229 -1,423 0 0 0 7
24 21 Yan Bussiere 219 219 -1,433 0 0 1 4
25 4 Duane Howard 198 198 -1,454 0 2 2 2
26 22 Mario Clair 197 197 -1,455 0 0 0 4
27 56 Vince Vitale 188 188 -1,464 0 0 0 5
28 21 Derrick Podsiadlo 184 184 -1,468 0 0 0 7
29 91h Chad Homan 180 180 -1,472 0 0 0 6
30 88 Steve Hulsizer 173 173 -1,479 0 0 0 4
31 13 Tony Steiner 169 169 -1,483 0 0 0 4
32 48T Dave Rauscher 162 162 -1,490 0 0 0 5
33 93 Ryan Bartlett 153 153 -1,499 0 0 0 4
34 44 Shannon Whaley 152 152 -1,500 0 0 0 5
35 1w Billy Pauch 152 152 -1,500 0 0 2 2
36 32c Vic Coffey 145 145 -1,507 0 1 1 3
37 1 David Hebert 142 142 -1,510 0 0 0 3
38 62s Tom Sears Jr. 142 142 -1,510 0 0 0 4
39 11j Sean Beardsley 139 139 -1,513 0 0 0 4
40 85 Dan Vauter 137 137 -1,515 0 0 0 4
41 87 Shawn Donath 135 135 -1,517 0 0 0 3
42 8 Rob Bellinger 132 132 -1,520 0 0 0 4
43 19 Tim Fuller 130 130 -1,522 0 1 1 2
44 6 Pete Taylor 127 127 -1,525 0 0 0 4
45 46 Kayle Robidoux 125 125 -1,527 0 0 2 2
46 HR2 Jimmy Horton 121 121 -1,531 0 0 0 2
47 89b Todd Burley 120 120 -1,532 0 1 1 3
48 96 Kyle Dingwall 119 119 -1,533 0 0 1 2
49 14w Ryan Watt 111 111 -1,541 0 0 0 2
50 19 Kenny Brightbill 111 111 -1,541 0 0 1 2
51 30 Jamie Mills 110 110 -1,542 0 1 1 1
52 71 David VanHorn Jr. 109 109 -1,543 0 0 0 2
53 30 H.J. Bunting III 103 103 -1,549 1 1 1 1
54 15x Billy Pauch Jr. 103 103 -1,549 0 0 0 2
55 85 Wade Hendrickson 103 103 -1,549 0 0 1 2
56 26 Rick Richner 100 100 -1,552 0 0 0 2
57 26 Ryan Godown 98 98 -1,554 0 0 0 2
58 3 Claude Brouillard 98 98 -1,554 0 0 0 2
59 19 Chuck McKee 96 96 -1,556 0 1 1 1
60 126 Jeff Strunk 96 96 -1,556 0 1 1 1
61 23 Dany Bilodeau 96 96 -1,556 0 0 0 2
62 123 Robbie Krull 96 96 -1,556 0 1 1 1
63 09 Alex Fortier 95 95 -1,557 0 0 0 2
64 42 Pete Bicknell 95 95 -1,557 0 0 0 2
65 19h Chris Higgins 93 93 -1,559 0 0 0 3
66 24 Jim Witko Jr. 92 92 -1,560 0 0 0 2
67 80 Chris Steele 92 92 -1,560 0 0 0 2
68 90 Martin Roy 91 91 -1,561 0 0 0 2
69 43 Jimmy Horton IV 90 90 -1,562 0 0 0 2
70 2 Michel Dusseault 90 90 -1,562 0 0 0 2
71 90 Scott Parliament 88 88 -1,564 0 0 0 2
72 115 Stephane LaFrance 86 86 -1,566 0 0 0 2
73 X Chad Phelps 86 86 -1,566 0 0 0 2
74 66x Carey Terrance 85 85 -1,567 0 1 1 1
75 47 Jerry Higbie 85 85 -1,567 0 1 1 1
76 41 Boyd MacTavish 84 84 -1,568 0 0 0 2
77 24L Carl Labonte 84 84 -1,568 0 0 0 2
78 39w Steven Downs 83 83 -1,569 0 0 0 2
79 54 Steve Bernard 81 81 -1,571 0 0 0 2
80 6G Martin Gagné 81 81 -1,571 0 0 0 2
81 84L Eric Landry 80 80 -1,572 0 0 0 2
82 66w Wallace Stacey 80 80 -1,572 0 0 0 1
83 3b Chad Brachmann 78 78 -1,574 0 0 1 1
84 28 Scott Kerwin 76 76 -1,576 0 0 1 1
85 1x Willy Decker 68 68 -1,584 0 0 1 1
86 1c Craig VonDohren 68 68 -1,584 0 0 1 1
87 53e Ric Hill 65 65 -1,587 0 0 1 1
88 20m Jeff McGinnis 65 65 -1,587 0 0 1 1
89 17d Danny O’Brien 65 65 -1,587 0 0 1 1
90 M96 Jessica Zemken 64 64 -1,588 0 0 0 1
Advance Auto Parts DIRTcar Modified Entries – August 31 (30)
CAR# DRIVER / HOMETOWN TEAM (Sponsor / Chassis / Engine)
1j Alan Johnson/Middlesex,NY Jake Spraker Used Cars & Trucks-Spra-King Racing/Bicknell/JPM
fx1 Frankie Caprara/Watertown,NY F.X. Caprara Car Co.-Auto Value-JK Contracting/Troyer/Dan Bedell
3 Justin Haers/Phelps,NY Phelps Cement Products-SMV Motorsports-Jeff Jolly Masonry/Bicknell/Finger Lakes
4 Ed Monroe III/Shortsville,NY Monroe Sand, Gravel & Topsoil-Beck’s Recycling/TEO/Mastin
5 Jason Potter/Pulaski,NY Dick’s Auto Specialties-Fat Nancy’s Tackle Shop/Bicknell/Feil
6 Pat O’Brien/Kingston,ONT 730 Truck Stop-Gypsum Logistics-Newells Garage/Bicknell/Enders
7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY Tallmadge Tire-Swarthout Recycling-Instant Heat Wood Pellets/Troyer/Finger Lakes
9s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY JB Motor Sports-BPG/Chad Sinon Motorsports/Bicknell/Finger Lakes
13 Tony Steiner/Jamesville,NY® NY Tech Supply-Antonio’s Restaurant/Troyer/Finger Lakes
16 Mike Bowman/Baldwinsville,NY Klaben Nursery-Fulton Springs/Troyer/Finger Lakes-Bowman
16aj A.J. Romano/Johnstown,NY Bill Lake Modular Homes-North Norwich Motors/Troyer/Grant
20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ Madsen Motorsports-Wentworth Custom Homes-Kruger-WLR/TEO/Enders
21 Derrick Podsiadlo/Penn Yan,NY Penn Yan Mini Storage/Bicknell/Finger Lakes
29 Jeff Brownell Jr./Waterloo,NY JB Motor Sports-Seneca Auto Sales/Bicknell/Finger Lakes
33 Mike Mahaney/King Ferry,NY® Aloi Materials Handling-Binns Excavation/Bicknell/Enders
42b Kevin Bates/Lake Ariel,PA Blaise & Son Racing-Locklin’s Bottled Gas/Bicknell/Murray
44 Shannon Whaley/Pavilion,NY Davis Trailer World-D&M Precision/Bicknell/Morrison
49 Billy Dunn/Watertown,NY Number One Speed-American Traditions-Fast Lube Watertown/Bicknell/Finger Lakes
j66 Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY Atlas Paving-Behrent’s Performance Warehouse/TEO/JPM
77x Dale Planck/Cortland,NY RezX Racing-Grow It Hydroseeding-Action Race Parts-Teo Fab./TEO/Kevlar
79 John Pfeffer/Hilton,NY Gil Tegg Mobil Mart-Pfeffer Racing/Troyer/Bob Bruneau
84 Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY Honeoye Auto Parts-Red Parker & Son Excavating/Bicknell/Mastin
85 Dan Vauter/Forest City,PA Community Bank & Trust-www.Sportsburg.com/Troyer/Enders
87 Shawn Donath/S. Onondaga,NY® Red Line Synthetic Oil-Behron Auto Glass/Troyer/Bill Daniels
91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY Gypsum Wholesalers-Stadium Int’l-Quality Hardwoods/Bicknell/Enders
91h Chad Homan/Macedon,NY DigTrack.com-Bytronics,Inc./Bicknell/Campbell
93 Ryan Bartlett/Adams,NY D.P. Bartlett & Sons Plumbing & Heating-Village Peddler Bikes/Troyer/Sonny Barron
98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY Mohawk N.E.-New England Race Fuels-Joe Gibbs Racing Oil/Troyer/Finger Lakes
99 Ryan Phelps/Fulton,NY Big Red Towing-Dave Miller Auto Body/Bicknell/Enders
99b Chuck Bower/Lansing,NY Ingles Performance-Daggett Insurance-Bradco Supply/Bicknell/Finger Lakes
SKIDMARKS
’08 Series Debuts: Despite being the last scheduled Advance Series stop through August, the Budweiser ‘Twin 54s’ at ‘The Port’ still attracted three new drivers along with a new team in their ‘08 tour debut. The three drivers that made the feature race line-up in their initial attempt were second-generation standout A.J. Romano from Eastern New York, John Pfeffer from the west side of the state, and Canandaigua Speedway regular Ed Monroe III from the Finger Lakes Region. Tour mainstay Alan Johnson was no surprise in the pits yet on Sunday night he was behind the wheel of the #1J Spra-King Racing/Bicknell entry co-owned by Jake Spraker and Eric Kingsley. “We’ve been talking about getting together for about a month and since Alan needed a ride we decided to go for it,” said Kingsley, father of Sportsman Modified campaigner A.J. Kingsley. “Right now we’re planning to be at Rolling Wheels, Lernerville and Canandaigua and see how everything else falls in between. We might even put together a small-block deal if we can get enough resources for the big-season-ending events.” Romano was still outlining an autumn agenda on the DIRTcar NorthEast circuit with a return to Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown, New York for Eastern States Weekend already penciled in. Pfeffer was sporting brand new sheet metal on his no 79 Troyer machine, receiving plenty of support from the Gil Tegg Race Team throughout the season and utilizing an engine supplied by H&H Motorsports for his most recent Cayuga County effort.
Return Ride For Danny: While older brother Alan Johnson was rekindling old times with Jake Spraker and Eric Kingsley, Danny Johnson was reuniting with owner Mike Petruska in the no. j66 Atlas Paving-Behrent’s Performance Warehouse/TEO ride at Cayuga County. The ‘Doctor’ first ran the car in the Advance Series stop at Merrittville (Ont.) Speedway, placing second in his best tour finish of the season for DIRTcar NorthEast’s multi-time Driver of the Year. “We had a good run the first time so we’ll just have to see how things go,” said Petruska, who also owns the red no. 66 car that Jeff Heotzler captured the ’07 season points title in at Orange County Fair Speedway as well as last autumn’s Eastern State 200 finale on the Hard Clay. His son Jared Petruska normally drives the car that Johnson could only muster 17th and 23rd-place finishes in on Sunday. “There’s a chance we’ll be at Lebanon Valley, a chance we’ll be at Syracuse, and mostly likely we’ll get Danny back behind the wheel. To follow a series like this you need a top driver, there’s a lot of finances to cover so you have to somebody that can go out and knows how to win. Danny has already helped out Jared with set-ups on the car, everybody is having a lot of fun right now.”
Pot Holes: DIRTcar Big-Block rookie Shawn Donath had a short night, slamming the turn one outside cement retaining wall just after going under the clocks to begin his initial lap in Integra Shocks Time Trials. The #87 Red Line Synthetic Oil-Behron Auto Glass/Troyer was scratched for the night suffering from heavy front-end damage, thus receiving the first Holley Hard Luck Award of the night…..Vying with Alan Johnson for his second consecutive track points title at Cayuga County, Jimmy Phelps picked up the second Holley Hard Luck Award after riding out the final 20 circuits with a flat left front tire in the nightcap to ultimately relinquish the crown to A.J. Slideways. Johnson’s sixth win of 2008 was his 60th career triumph at Cayuga County and helped carry him to his seventh career Big-Block Championship at The Port….Advance Series points leader Billy Decker improved as soon as he won the Integra Shocks Time Trial award for the fourth time this season. Back in May for the Hall of Fame Classic at Cayuga County, Decker was the only car not to register a time after a transponder malfunction sent him to the back of the pack in his heat race qualifier. This time around he toured the CCFS 3/8-miler in a time of 15.652 sec., just a fraction off the track record set by Alan Johnson (15.647 sec.) in this same event run in 2006…..Cayuga County and Cornwall Motor Speedway both staged Super DIRTcar Series events on Sunday with 15 year-old Modified pilot Larry Wight lured over the border to contend in the Mr. DIRTcar 358- Modified ‘Jiffy Auto Services 100’ at Ron Morin’s tight quarter-miler in Ontario, Canada…..With most 2008 DIRTcar NorthEast track point champions crowned over the Labor Day Weekend, Decker (Brewerton), Caprara (Can-Am) and Paine (Canandaigua) were in the field of 30 that signed in for the season-finale in Weedsport….. Cayuga County was also the site of a Fanfest on Sunday as the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series touring stars and numerous drivers from all the Sportsman and Street Stock classes posed alongside their cars lined up LeMans style on the front stretch, meeting and greeting hundreds of race fans immediately following Integra Shocks Time Trials.
Get Out The Word First: RACEceiver is the Official Driver Communicator of DIRTcar Racing. A compact radio receiver that conveniently fits into a driver’s pocket, a RACEceiver allows each driver to hear directions from series officials, which greatly enhances the safety and timeliness of events. A similar version available to fans will allow RACEceiver users to hear what information series officials are relaying to the drivers. For more information about RACEceiver, visit www.raceceiver.com, call 866/301-7223, or look for their sales trailers at various events.
Tracks Know The Score: In the ongoing effort to assist every sanctioned track with presenting the best possible race programs, DIRT has teamed with AMB i.t. which continues to be recognized as the Official Timing System of DIRTcar racing. AMB i.t. is the world’s leader in automatic race timing and scoring systems and the DIRT organization is proud to retain the company as a valued partner in the timing and scoring of all DIRTcar Racing events.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Following the $6,000-to-win Budweiser 110 presented by Honeoye Auto Parts for Big-Blocks on Monday at Rolling Wheels, Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series action moves to New York State’s Capital district for the first 200-lap event of the season at Lebanon Valley Speedway on Saturday, September 6.
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 B.Decker/Jeff Strunk(P)
Thr-Jul 17 Georgetown Speedway H.J. Bunting III(G)
Thr-Jul 31 Orange Co Fair Speedway B.Hearn/Chuck McKee(P)
Mon-Aug 4 Merrittville Speedway Jimmy Phelps(G)
Sat-Aug 9 Canandaigua Speedway B.Decker/Vic Coffey(P)
Sat-Aug 9 Canandaigua Speedway B.Decker/Justin Haers(P)
Fri-Aug 15 Brewerton Speedway B.Decker/Gary Tomkins(P)
Sat-Aug 16 Can-Am Motorsports Park Gary Tomkins(G)
Sun-Aug 17 Cornwall Motor Speedway G.Tomkins/Carey Terrance(P)
Sun-Aug 31 Cayuga Co Fair Speedway Alan Johnson(G)
Sun-Aug 31 Cayuga Co Fair Speedway B.Decker/Frankie Caprara(P)
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.
