Elbridge, NY — September 27, 2008 – By Tom Skibinski, Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series PR Director
*Bill Moore Photo
All-time DIRTcar Racing NorthEast Big-Block Modified feature winner Alan Johnson continued his torrid post-season pace on Saturday, picking up his third win in five tries steering the no. 1J Spra-King Racing/Bicknell entry to a convincing victory in the rain-shortened Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series BPG National 200 at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park.
Johnson needed only 128 of the scheduled 200 laps around Rolling Wheels’ ultra-tacky 5/8-miler to register his 50th career Advance Series triumph as for the second straight day showers once again inundated the Elbridge oval forcing DIRTcar officials to call the 22nd Annual World Series Race Weekend presented by Taylor Rental complete at 1:30 a.m.
“When I first started seeing (rain drops) on my shield I thought, geez, I hope I’m not overheating or something like that,” admitted Johnson, 50, after dominating the action to score his 36th career Big-Block feature win at the DIRTcar NorthEast founding member facility, his first since 2006. The second-generation standout from Middlesex, New York copped his first RWR National 200 in 1982 and repeated the feat the next two years. “Thought maybe it was from my own motor then I saw it getting worse and the track was getting pretty bad too. I was never so glad to see rain.”
While Johnson sewed up the first-place check of $10,000 for car owner Jake Spraker, his nearest chasers split another $10G as Waterloo warriors Matt Sheppard and Steve Paine followed across the stripe under caution. Jimmy Phelps and Gary Tomkins filled out the front-five ahead of current overall Hoosier Tire Mr. DIRTcar Championship Series points leader Billy Decker the straight second time the National 200 was rain-shortened. Brett Hearn copped the 155-lapper in 2006 while Triple 50s were run off last September.
“The car couldn’t have been any better,” boasted Johnson, as rain showers continued to inundate the already saturated speedplant in the early morning hours. “The guys had it perfect, they worked hard on it all week and it paid off. The car was just as good as it could’ve been.”
Carey Terrance made his first career Advance Series stop in Big-Block a memorable one, leading the opening 49 circuits before ‘A.J. Slideways’ forged the final exchange after starting sixth in the 30-car field. A mandatory pit stop at the halfway point did little to change the final outcome as Johnson remained out front when rain drops forced an early conclusion to round 24 of the 2008 Advance Series.
With the infield pit lane already laced with water puddles and deemed unsafe by track and series official come feature time, the original race format including “live” pit stops was quickly scrapped due to the unsafe conditions leaving teams to set up camp in the traditional pit area on the turn one side behind the main grandstand.
When the first green flag finally fell just after midnight, Terrance jumped out front in the back-up RezX Racing no. 77 Grow It Hydroseeding/TEO entry normally saved for his first-string pilot Dale Planck. A regular on the Mr. DIRTcar Small-Block circuit, the car owner turned Big-Block driver held nothing back as widened his lead over early chaser Steve Paine before the first yellow flag waved for frontstretch debris on lap nine.
After starting outside row alongside defending race winner Hearn, Johnson had already grabbed a top-five position before the first slowdown. When contact between Gary Tomkins and Justin Haers sent Haers spinning out of turn two on lap 12, A.J. Slideways advanced one more spot with only Terrance and Paine standing in his way.
Two more caution periods for the slowing cars of Frenchman Pierre Dagenais (lap 26) and Ryan Phelps (lap 30) for a right-front flat kept the field in check and with the 35 laps in the books Johnson was holding down second sandwiched by leader Terrance and third-place runner Sheppard. Fifth-place starter Hearn faded in the early stages yet was back in fourth on lap 39 just as the leaders were moving in on traffic for the first time.
Making just his fifth Advance Series start of the season, Tom Sears Jr. parked the Mullen Industrial no. 62s Commercial Roofing & Sheetmetal/Bicknell machine at the end of the back chute on lap 43 to once again tighten up the pack. Johnson took advantage of the situation, pulling up to Terrance and making what resulted in the winning move on lap 50. Just two laps later the sixth yellow flag dropped as Hearn parked the Madsen Motorsports no. 20 Wentworth Custom Homes/TEO ride high off the track in turn three as rear-end gear failure sidelined him in the pits for the next 42 laps.
The green lights were back out for the lap 58 restart and the field enjoyed the biggest stretch of green flag laps over the next 24 circuits. No one liked the non-stop oval track action more than Johnson as he enjoyed nearly a straightaway margin until lapped cars allowed nearest challengers only a glimpse. With Terrance dropping to fourth by lap 60, Sheppard needed 18 more times around to catch Paine for second in heavy traffic while Jimmy Phelps hung in the front-five
Dagenais required another yellow flag as he limped through turn one on lap 82 and it was Haers caught up in a turn 3-4 melee that incurred the final caution period before the remaining field was forced to stop at the midway mark. The situation called for a yellow flag to be thrown after 100 laps were scored and when the clock struck 1 a.m. 21 cars came to a halt in turn one for a brief chalk talk and refueling period with their crew.
Following Johnson across the line before the brief intermission were front-five chauffeurs Sheppard, Terrance, Paine and Phelps while Decker, Tomkins, Tim Fuller, Frankie Caprara and Planck rounded out the top-10. Local hotshoe Vince Vitale, Ryan Phelps, Billy Dunn, Jeff Brownell Jr. and Pat O’Brien were the last to be shown on the lead lap as 102 flashed on the scoreboard with 98 still to go.
But those 98 were reduced within a matter of 15 minutes as an early morning mist strengthened into a mild shower upon completion of 120 laps. During that time frame the running order remained solidly intact except for Fuller, who suffered a flat right-rear tire to bring out caution number 10 on lap 110.
With sprinkles in the air and Johnson opening up a commanding 3.0-second advantage, Terrance suddenly slid over the berm between turns three and four and faded from third to seventh after what turned out to be a monumental miscue on lap 123. Brownell stopped high in turns one and two to bring out the final yellow two laps later, and with the rain falling down harder by the minute, chief starter Matt Burdick displayed the red flag for a second time to give Johnson the eighth Big-Block win of the year and extend his DIRTcar-high total to 358 since taking his first win in 1976.
“Its been great since (car) was put together,” said Johnson, after being joined by veteran crew chief Eric Kingsley in the Wheels winner’s circle. “Its been real quick, hasn’t let us down and its finished every race. I’m looking forward to running it some more, however much Jake will let me.”
While Johnson continued his streak of three Advance Series wins in his last five tour tries, runner-up Sheppard settled for his best finish since capturing the ’08 tour opener on May 1 at Virginia Motor Speedway. Only seven top-five tallies have come since.
“Probably only could’ve caught Alan tonight if something broke,” figured Sheppard, 26, who stands sixth in the Advance Series steering the JB Motorsports no. 9s BPG/Chad Sinon Motorsports/Bicknell ride with just two races left. This second-generation driver finished seventh on the final points chart last season with his lone triumph coming at New Egypt (NJ) Speedway where he was crowned points king in 2007. “But second-place is still a good night.”
“I had a good car tonight, was actually pretty lousy after the restarts but it seemed like on real long greens I was pretty good. Unfortunately, the track was fast and tacky tonight and when there’s a big cushion like that, you don’t get a lot of long greens. There’s usually a lot of cautions.”
“The car was pretty good but after a couple cautions at the end of the first 100 the car didn’t feel that good. It seemed like the more laps I ran the better it got. We had that one long green stretch in the first half there and I was really able to make up some ground. But it just seemed like a lot of cautions (fell) after that,” added Sheppard, the 2003 DIRTcar Big-Block rookie of the year after earning top first-year honors in both the 358-Modified (2001) and Sportsman Modified (1999) divisions — the only driver ever to pull off the hat trick in DIRTcar NorthEast’s three open-wheel classes.
Canandaigua Speedway record-setter Paine settled for the show position, his first top-five finish since mid-August when he crossed the line fifth aboard the Tallmadge Tire no. 7x Swarthout Recycling-Instant Heat Wood Pellets/Troyer entry in the Advance Series 100-lap at Can-Am Motorsports Park.
“We were pretty good tonight, really the last few times we’ve been (RWR) we’ve been pretty good, had some top-fives,” remarked Paine, 47, who finished 11th and 2nd in the tour twin-bill at Rolling Wheels in May and placed 13th at the ‘Fast Track’ in the traditional Labor Day special. “The car was just as good as we could make it.”
“Full of fuel it was a little better again in the second half but who knows if it would’ve gone the distance or how it would’ve been at the end. Alan’s been good, he’s struggled all year and probably all last year with the cars he had and now he’s got a good car, good motor and a good crew and things are going his way … he’s running good.”
‘The car’s all in one piece, we’ll go to Fulton next week and see how we make out there. We did good last year, hopefully it will be another good day. And after that its Super DIRT Week, we’ve haven’t done too well there lately (4th, 2004) so maybe we’re due,” added Paine, currently eighth in points, who earned his lone overall Mr. DIRTcar Big-Block Modified Championship in 2000 and added a pair of Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified crowns in 1999 and 2002.
As Johnson had already earned a guaranteed starting berth in the prestigious Rite Aid 200 Championship race on Oct. 12 of Super DIRT Week XXXVII at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, 10th-place finisher Vitale collected preferred status in DIRTcar Racing NorthEast’s biggest event of the year.
With Decker (2,323) doing his best bid to pull away from his closest challengers, runner-up Planck (2,141) remains the only outside threat in his bid for a second career Mr. DIRTcar heading into Super DIRT Week at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse. The 37th Annual Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series Rite 200 Championship is set for Sunday, October 12 and Decker is already a four-time race winner in the Salt City showdown.
Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series Race #24 – Rolling Wheels Raceway Park, September 27, 2008 ‘BPG National 200’ Big-Block Modified Event Summary
Feature
FIN STR CAR# DRIVER
1 6 1j Alan Johnson/Middlesex,NY($10,000)
2 8 9s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY
3 4 7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY
4 2 98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY
5 7 84 Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY
6 10 91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY
7 1 77 Carey Terrance/Akwesasne,NY
8 16 fx1 Frankie Caprara/Watertown,NY
9 12 77x Dale Planck/Cortland,NY
10 14 56 Vince Vitale/Phoenix,NY
11 13 99 Ryan Phelps/Fulton,NY
12 15 6 Pat O’Brien/Kingston,ONT
13 19 49 Billy Dunn/Watertown,NY
14 20 02 Roy Bresnahan/Palermo,NY
15 18 32c Vic Coffey/Leicester,NY
16 3 3 Justin Haers/Phelps,NY
17 22 29 Jeff Brownell Jr./Waterloo,NY
18 21 19L John Lazore/Hogansburg,NY
19 11 19 Tim Fuller/Edwards, NY
20 29 99L Larry Wight/Phoenix,NY®
21 27 1 Darwin Greene/Susquehanna,PA
22 24 9 Pierre DagenaisGatineau,QUE
23 9 85 Dan Vauter/Forest City,PA
24 28 45m Mike Ward/Genoa,NY
25 5 20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ
26 17 88 Steve Hulsizer/Bridgeport,NY
27 30 27j Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY
28 25 62s Tom Sears Jr./Clay,NY
29 26 83x Tim Sears/Central Square,NY
30 23 fx1x Ryan Bartlett/Adams,NY
DID NOT QUALIFY(5)
22w-Lance Willix II/Theresa,NY
42-Ted Lamb Jr./Clay,NY
42p-Pat Ward/Genoa,NY
96-Todd Milton/Auburn,NY
518-Kyle Sheldon/Schodack,NY
EVENT SUMMARY:
LAP LEADERS: Terrance (1-49), A.Johnson (50-128).
CAUTIONS: 11 for 45 laps; 1 RED FLAG (lap 103).
HEAT WINNERS: Fuller, Paine, Sheppard.
DIG SAFELY NEW YORK LAST CHANCE RACE WINNER: Dunn.
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: Matt Sheppard.
CRANE CAMS RUNNER-UP AWARD: Matt Sheppard.
SYRACUSE RITE AID 200 QUALIFIER: Vince Vitale (P).
HALFWAY LEADER: Alan Johnson.
BERT/KSE RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER AWARD: Larry Wight.
HOLLEY HARD LUCK AWARD: Brett Hearn.
PENSKE POWER POSITION AWARD (11th): Ryan Phelps.
INTEGRA SHOCKS FAST TIME AWARD: Alan Johnson (20.357sec/110.527mph).
TOTAL PURSE: $39,985.
CARS ENTERED: 35.
NEXT EVENT: New York State Fairgrounds “Rite Aid 200” – October 12, 2008.
QUALIFYING
FAST AVE
TIME MPH CAR# DRIVER
1 20.357 110.527 1j Alan Johnson/Middlesex,NY
*$100 Integra Shocks Fast Qualifier Award
2 20.482 109.853 77x Dale Planck/Cortland,NY
3 20.557 109.452 20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ
4 20.615 109.144 19 Tim Fuller/Edwards, NY
5 20.779 108.282 91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY
6 20.794 108.204 9s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY
7 20.815 108.095 85 Dan Vauter/Forest City,PA
8 20.843 107.950 7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY
9 20.855 107.888 6 Pat O’Brien/Kingston,ONT
10 20.897 107.671 98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY
11 20.905 107.630 49 Billy Dunn/Watertown,NY
12 20.919 107.558 77 Carey Terrance/Akwesasne,NY
13 20.945 107.424 fx1 Frankie Caprara/Watertown,NY
14 20.986 107.214 56 Vince Vitale/Phoenix,NY
15 21.094 106.665 32c Vic Coffey/Leicester,NY
16 21.177 106.247 19L John Lazore/Hogansburg,NY
17 21.180 106.232 3 Justin Haers/Phelps,NY
18 21.222 106.022 84 Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY
19 21.295 105.659 02 Roy Bresnahan/Palermo,NY
20 21.354 105.367 9 Pierre DagenaisGatineau,QUE
21 21.426 105.013 29 Jeff Brownell Jr./Waterloo,NY
22 21.475 104.773 99 Ryan Phelps/Fulton,NY
23 21.521 104.549 88 Steve Hulsizer/Bridgeport,NY
24 21.557 104.374 62s Tom Sears Jr./Clay,NY
25 21.641 103.969 83x Tim Sears/Central Square,NY
26 21.814 103.145 42p Pat Ward/Genoa,NY
27 21.962 102.450 1 Darwin Greene/Susquehanna,PA
28 22.096 101.828 42 Ted Lamb Jr./Clay,NY
29 22.189 101.402 22w Lance Willix II/Theresa,NY
30 22.254 101.105 45m Mike Ward/Genoa,NY
31 22.673 99.237 518 Kyle Sheldon/Schodack,NY
32 22.725 99.010 96 Todd Milton/Auburn,NY
33 -NT- —– fx1x Ryan Bartlett/Adams,NY
34 -NT- —– 27j Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY
35 -NT- —– 99L Larry Wight/Phoenix,NY®
Heat Races (10 laps, top 6 finishers transferred to feature, top 4 went to re-draw)
#1: Fuller, A.Johnson, Vauter, J.Phelps, R.Phelps, Caprara, Bresnahan, Lazore, Ti.Sears, Lamb, Sheldon.
#2: Paine, Planck, Decker, Haers, Vitale, Hulsizer, Dunn, Dagenais, Bartlett, Willix, Milton, P.Ward (DNS).
#3: Sheppard, Hearn, Terrance, Tomkins, O’Brien, Coffey, Brownell, To.Sears, M.Ward, Greene, D.Johnson, Wight (DNS).
Dig Safely New York Last Chance Race (10 laps, top 10 finishers to feature)
#1: Dunn, Bresnahan, Lazore, Brownell, Bartlett, Dagenais, To.Sears, Ti.Sears, Greene, M.Ward, Lamb, Wight, Sheldon, Willix, Milton, D.Johnson, P.Ward (DNS).
Guarantees: Wight, D.Johnson.
Overall Hoosier Tire Mr. DIRTcar Big-Block Modified
Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series Point Standings (Thru Sept. 27, 2008)
Rank No. Driver Total Series Bonus Diff Wins T-5 T-10 Starts
1 91 Billy Decker 2,323 2,023 300 0 10 18 23 24
2 77x Dale Planck 2,141 1,849 292 -182 3 16 21 24
3 98h Jimmy Phelps 2,099 1,825 274 -224 1 13 22 24
4 84 Gary Tomkins 2,019 1,723 296 -304 2 11 20 24
5 20 Brett Hearn 2,009 1,721 288 -314 2 9 20 24
6 9s Matt Sheppard 1,901 1,617 284 -422 1 8 17 24
7 FX1 Frankie Caprara 1,748 1,456 292 -575 0 2 14 24
8 7x Steve Paine 1,718 1,426 292 -605 0 9 11 23
9 99 Ryan Phelps 1,591 1,335 256 -732 0 1 8 24
10 14J Alan Johnson 1,583 1,295 288 -740 3 6 12 20
11 3 Justin Haers 1,556 1,298 258 -767 0 2 13 23
12 49 Billy Dunn 1,429 1,177 252 -894 0 0 2 24
13 27J Danny Johnson 1,376 1,236 140 -947 0 4 6 24
14 99L Larry Wight® 1,121 899 222 -1,202 0 0 1 21
15 6 Pat O’Brien 1,049 765 284 -1,274 0 0 2 17
16 29 Jeff Brownell Jr. 900 670 230 -1,423 0 0 1 15
17 42B Kevin Bates 691 439 252 -1,632 0 0 0 12
18 99b Chuck Bower 610 364 246 -1,713 0 0 0 11
19 56 Vince Vitale 578 336 242 -1,745 0 0 1 7
20 79 Mike Storms® 549 295 254 -1,774 0 0 1 7
21 88 Steve Hulsizer 519 277 242 -1,804 0 0 0 6
22 32c Vic Coffey 509 343 166 -1,814 0 1 2 6
23 91h Chad Homan 498 280 218 -1,825 0 0 0 8
24 93 Ryan Bartlett 493 243 250 -1,830 0 0 0 6
25 5 Jason Potter 489 239 250 -1,834 0 0 0 7
26 16 Mike Bowman 475 243 232 -1,848 0 0 0 7
27 62s Tom Sears Jr. 462 194 268 -1,861 0 0 0 5
28 48T Dave Rauscher 453 227 226 -1,870 0 0 1 6
29 4 Andy Bachetti 441 153 288 -1,882 1 1 1 1
30 44 Shannon Whaley 438 236 202 -1,885 0 0 0 7
31 71 David VanHorn Jr. 431 171 260 -1,892 0 0 0 3
32 19 Tim Fuller 423 373 50 -1,900 0 2 2 5
33 21 Derrick Podsiadlo 420 184 236 -1,903 0 0 0 7
34 74 J.R. Heffner 410 146 264 -1,913 0 1 1 1
35 98 Eddie Marshall 407 145 262 -1,916 0 1 1 1
36 77F Mark Flach Jr. 403 135 268 -1,920 0 1 1 1
37 24 Chris Shultz 402 146 256 -1,921 0 0 0 2
38 1x Willy Decker 402 126 276 -1,921 0 0 1 2
39 8 Rob Bellinger 388 132 256 -1,935 0 0 0 4
40 89b Todd Burley 378 120 258 -1,945 0 1 1 3
41 13 Tony Steiner® 377 219 158 -1,946 0 0 0 5
42 43 Keith Flach 375 123 252 -1,948 0 0 0 3
43 33.3 Tommy Meier 373 125 248 -1,950 0 0 1 1
44 6 Pete Taylor 366 168 198 -1,957 0 0 0 5
45 19 Chuck McKee 366 96 270 -1,957 0 1 1 1
46 99 Charlie Donk 362 110 252 -1,961 0 0 0 3
47 85 Dan Vauter 359 200 159 -1,964 0 0 0 5
48 24 Jim Witko Jr. 354 92 262 -1,969 0 0 0 2
49 53e Ric Hill 353 121 232 -1,970 0 0 1 2
50 47 Jerry Higbie 351 85 266 -1,972 0 1 1 1
Advance Auto Parts DIRTcar Modified Entries – September 27 (35)
CAR# DRIVER / HOMETOWN TEAM (Sponsor / Chassis / Engine)
02 Roy Bresnahan/Palermo,NY Gypsum Express-RJ’s Excavating/Bicknell/Enders
1 Darwin Greene/Susquehanna,PA Greene Quality Bluestone-Big Diamond Tools-TJ’s NAPA/Bicknell/Jensen Tech
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
fx1x Ryan Bartlett/Adams,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
6 Pat O’Brien/Kingston,ONT 730 Truck Stop-Gypsum Logistics-Milestone Concrete/Bicknell/Enders
7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY Tallmadge Tire-Swarthout Recycling-Instant Heat Wood Pellets/Troyer/Finger Lakes
9 Pierre DagenaisGatineau,QUE Carriere Sabliere (Quarry Dagenais)/Bicknell/Ovide Doiron
9s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY JB Motor Sports-BPG/Chad Sinon Motorsports/Bicknell/Finger Lakes
19 Tim Fuller/Edwards, NY Street Wise Fight Wear-JL Motorsports-G&R Auto Parts/TEO/Enders
19L John Lazore/Hogansburg,NY Street Wise Fight Gear-JL Motorsports-G&R Auto Parts/TEO/Enders
20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ Madsen Motorsports-Wentworth Custom Homes-Kruger-WLR/TEO/Enders
22w Lance Willix II/Theresa,NY Nor-Shir Construction-TRC-SUNY Canton/TEO/Morrison
27j Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY Bill Green Excavating-Johnson Racing-Twin G Motorsports/Troyer/Chevrolet
29 Jeff Brownell Jr./Waterloo,NY JB Motor Sports-Seneca Auto Sales/Bicknell/Finger Lakes
32c Vic Coffey/Leicester,NY Sweeteners Plus-Integra Shocks-CME,Inc./Troyer/C.C. Performance
42 Ted Lamb Jr./Clay,NY Murphy Racing/Bicknell/Enders
42p Pat Ward/Genoa,NY Gypsum Express,Ltd./Bicknell/Enders
45m Mike Ward/Genoa,NY Cal-East Collision & Street Rods/Bicknell/Chet Ward
49 Billy Dunn/Watertown,NY Number One Speed-American Traditions-Fast Lube Watertown/Bicknell/Finger Lakes
56 Vince Vitale/Phoenix,NY V & V Racing/Troyer/Enders
62s Tom Sears Jr./Clay,NY Mullen Industrial-Commercial Roofing & Sheetmetal/Bicknell/Bleskoski
77 Carey Terrance/Akwesasne,NY RezX Racing-Grow It Hydroseeding-Action Race Parts-Teo Fab./TEO/Kevlar
77x Dale Planck/Cortland,NY RezX Racing-Grow It Hydroseeding-Action Race Parts-Teo Fab./TEO/Kevlar
83x Tim Sears/Central Square,NY Total Site Development-Stevens Masonry-Commercial Roofing/Bicknell/Morrison
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
88 Steve Hulsizer/Bridgeport,NY Thompson Road Tavern-Circle S Stables/Troyer/Kevlar
91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY Gypsum Wholesalers-Stadium Int’l-Quality Hardwoods/Bicknell/Enders
96 Todd Milton/Auburn,NY Milton Motorsports/Fox/FingerLakes
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
99L Larry Wight/Phoenix,NY® Gypsum Express,Ltd./Bicknell/Enders
518 Kyle Sheldon/Schodack,NY Rifenburg Construction-Sheldon Oil Services/PMC/Morrison
Pot Holes: With his ‘Grand Slam’ victory safely tucked away at Rolling Wheels, Alan Johnson became the 2nd driver to lock up an automatic starting berth in the headline Rite Aid 200 for Big-Blocks at Super DIRT Week, joining Andy Bachetti who secured the seventh starting spot after winning the Budweiser 200 at Lebanon Valley Speedway earlier in the month ….. While Johnson was fast in the feature, he was even faster in Integra Shocks Time Trials, stopping the clocks at 20.357 seconds to top the 35 cars taking time. A.J. Slideways remains the track record-holder with a time of 20.029 seconds (112.337 mph) posted in the 2004 Labor Day special in Elbridge…..The last event for ‘98 DIRTcar NE Big-Block rookie of the year Todd Milton was at Syracuse when he won the 2005 Dig Safely New York non-qualifiers race, but that all changed when he debuted his brand new self-built ‘Fox Chassis’ at RWR on Saturday. “This is the first time out of the garage and there’s a lot of new ideas so it can go either way, really good or really bad. Its just one big experiment but we live and breathe by the DIRT rule book,” Milton remarked before failing to qualify for the Big-Block finale…..Prior to arriving at the track on Saturday, all-time Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series winner Brett Hearn from Sussex, New Jersey made a special appearance at the Rite Aid Pharmacy on East Genesee Street in nearby Auburn, New York. During that time the reigning Mr. DIRTcar points king met with fans, signed autographs and passed out special autograph cards to the first 90 fans going to Rolling Wheels that same evening.
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
Only two extra-distance events remain on the 2008 Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series schedule. Super DIRT Week XXXVII at the Syracuse Mile concludes with the nationally recognized Rite Aid 200 on Oct. 12 before Eastern States Weekend at Orange County Fair (NY) Speedway brings the curtain down on Oct. 19 with the big 200-lap season finale in Middletown. Both Syracuse and Orange County races are also the final ‘Triple Crown’ events of the season with 150 points on the line for the winner and 50 points awarded to start.
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 B.Decker/Roy Bresnahan(P)
Sat-Sep 7 Lebanon Valley Speedway Andy Bachetti(G)
Fri-Sep 12 Lernerville Speedway Rain-Cancelled
Sat-Sep 20 Canandaigua Speedway A.Johnson/Tim Fuller(P)
Sat-Sep 27 Rolling Wheels Raceway A.Johnson/Vince Vitale(P)
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.
