Alan Johnson Wins Fulton Super DIRTcar Series Showdown

Fulton, NY — July 4, 2009 – By Tom Skibinski, Super DIRTcar Series PR Director
*Mike Johnson Photo

Alan Johnson first fought to fend off Brett Hearn then staved off a late race rally by Jimmy Phelps to capture his first Super DIRTcar Series victory of the season in dramatic fashion Saturday night at Fulton Speedway.

Johnson’s 51st career series triumph was just his first top-five tour finish of 2009 after engine woes have curtailed every effort previous put forth by DIRTcar Northeast’s winningest Big-Block Modified driver.

“I gotta thank Jimmy D, he’s right here from Syracuse and came to see his motor run, he did a helluva job with it,” beamed Johnson, 51, who is the only driver to score at least one feature win every year since DIRTcar was established in 1976. ‘A.J. Slideways’ has now taken 361 checkered flags since 1976, with 61 trophies earned at Fulton. “Getting the car right, the motor right, that’s the hard part. The driving part ain’t so tough.”

With the final 65 laps of the Summit Auto Group 100 run straight through under green, Johnson put on a driving clinic, gliding high and diving low as he maneuvered through traffic lap after lap. Grabbing the lead from Hearn on a lap 35 restart, the Middlesex, New York veteran still had to protect his position when Phelps wrestled away the runner-spot with three to go before coming up two car-lengths short of reaching Johnson in the 43-minute main. Tim Fuller and Stewart Friesen rounded out the top-five at the Oswego County oval.

“Traffic was tough, there wasn’t a lot of room out there,” Johnson remarked. “The track wasn’t really any better in one place or the other so you just had to pick and choose your spots carefully. Fortunately, it all worked out. The car was good enough where I could try and take my time and stay out of trouble.”

With new track owners John and Laura Wight hosting their first Super DIRTcar Series event at Fulton, it was quite fitting that their son, Larry Wight, earned his first career Integra Shocks Fast Time award. The 16 year-old standout from Phoenix, New York circled the 3/8-mile clay oval in a record time of 16.408 sec. for an average speed of 82.277 mph to set the new track standard.

But when it came time to start the feature, Wight was mired back in the 10th starting position after the pre-race draw leaving front row partners Phelps and Johnson to duke it out for the point. Johnson out-dragged Phelps on the initial circuit and third-place starter Hearn needed seven laps to drop Phelps to third as Matt Sheppard, Billy Decker and Fuller tried to challenge from their top-five surroundings.

Tim Sears spun to the infield alone in turn three to initiate the first yellow flag on lap four, yet a second caution period on lap 18 was far more significant as contact with Phelps knocked out defending race winner Decker in a frontstretch jingle that had fingers pointing everywhere.

Hearn forged the first lead change on lap 19 just before Dave Rauscher and Mike Bowman tangled in turn one to force a third slowdown. Front-runners Hearn and Johnson swapped the lead twice more on laps 23 and 24, and with 34 in the book Alan made what amounted to the winning move as two of DIRTcar NE’s premier drivers jockeyed both high and low.

Phelps remained solidly in the show position with 40 laps still to go, yet as the scoreboard continued to click down the Baldwinsville, New York pilot crept closer to the leaders. Hearn had also begun to cut the deficit just past the halfway point and finally disposed of the last lap car to separate himself from leader Johnson on lap 73.

Twenty-five of the original 30-car starting field remained trackside in the closing stages, allowing little room for error as the laps dwindled. Hearn moved to within six car-lengths of Johnson on lap 77 and seemingly out of nowhere, Phelps caught the top two with less than 10 laps to go to set up the closest finish of the young series.

Chipping away at the lead even faster in the waning moments, Phelps ducked under Hearn for second on lap 97, yet a final bid to snatch away certain victory from ‘A.J. Slideways fell two car-lengths shy as the final checkered flag unfurled.

“I had really had no idea (Brett & Jimmy) were coming,” admitted Johnson, after collecting the $6,000 top prize for his second career series triumph at Fulton. “Didn’t see any flashbulbs go off so I thought I had a pretty good lead.”

“The car was good in just our second time out with this motor, but trying to pick out the right gear was a little tricky. We were close but not right where we had to be tonight. Its nice to come out with a win knowing there’s still some room left to get a little better,” Johnson added.

Despite the early racing incident with Decker being just that, Phelps was overly apologetic in his post-race review which marred an otherwise stellar performance steering the potent Mohawk N.E.-New England Race Fuels-Joe Gibbs Racing Oil/Troyer machine.

“First off, I have to apologize to Billy, definitely did not know he was there or I wouldn’t have gone to the top,” stated Phelps, 34, who also vaulted into second-place on the points chart through five series races using his second top-five finish of the year. “It really screwed up his night.”

“We had a good car tonight, it was good in the heat and might’ve tighten it up a little too much because it took half the race to really be able to roll the corner. We’re still working at it, hopefully this (2nd) is a sign of what’s to come. At least we were in the ballpark, and if anything, we got better when it counted. Really just ran out of time, so that’s a good thing,” figured Phelps, who ironically finished runner-up to Decker in the final overall Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar points championship last year.

Continuing to pad his points advantage with his fourth third-place finish —along with his win the night before at Ransomville Speedway— in the opening five series shows aboard the familiar Madsen Motorsports no. 20 Wentworth Custom Homes-Kruger-WLR-BPG/TEO mount, Hearn once again came close to capturing his first win at the Route 57 raceway.

“Alan is so consistent here, when I started to catch him there at the end I think I got too excited and left the door open for the 98 car,” admitted Hearn, 50, who is looking for an unprecedented seventh Mr. DIRTcar crown in Big-Block Modified competition, with his most recent worn in 2007. The ‘Corporate Jet’ already owns the career tour mark with 101 victories registered since 1981.

“At one point I thought, man, I’ve finally got something for him at the end of this race. I tried to step it up a little bit but this is the kind of track the faster you try to go the slower you go and that’s exactly what happened at the end of the race.”

Added Hearn, “This is a stretch where you gotta be consistent, if it could be in the top-three that would be awesome, especially at Ransomville and Fulton, two of the tracks that I’m not notoriously good at. To come in and get a first then third the last two nights is phenomenal.”

“My team is really stepping up, they love this part of the season. Last week we left (Fulton) saying we aren’t even close to being good enough here (finished 9th) so we went back and did some homework this week and I think it really paid off tonight,” Hearn said.

Its off to Canada now for a four-day road trip to Brockville Ontario Speedway and Cornwall Motor Speedway, with Autodromes Grandy and Drummond hosting the popular DIRTcar doubleheader in the province of Quebec in between. Valuable points are at stake on every front towards the overall Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar Championship along with guaranteed starting berths in the prestigious Rite Aid 200 on October 11 of Super DIRT Week XXXVIII at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse and All-Star Weekend Exemption Dash at Cayuga County Fair Speedway on July 18.

Super DIRTcar Series Race #5 – Fulton Speedway, July 4, 2009 Summit Cars ‘Firecracker 100’ Big-Block Modified Event Summary
FIN STR CAR# DRIVER
1 2 14j Alan Johnson/Middlesex,NY ($6,000)
2 1 98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY
3 3 20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ
4 4 74 Tim Fuller/Edwards,NY
5 14 1 Stewart Friesen/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT
6 16 fx1 Frankie Caprara/Watertown,NY
7 15 42p Pat Ward/Genoa,NY
8 9 09 Willy Decker/Vernon,NY
9 19 84 Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY
10 20 99 Ryan Phelps/Fulton,NY
11 7 77x Dale Planck/Cortland,NY
12 29 3 Justin Haers/Phelps,NY
13 5 9s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY
14 8 4s Michael Storms/Wantage,NJ
15 10 99L Larry Wight/Phoenix,NY
16 17 49 Billy Dunn/Watertown,NY
17 22 02 Roy Bresnahan/Palermo,NY
18 13 24 Jim Witko Jr./Clarks Summit,PA
19 27 16 Mike Bowman/Baldwinsville,NY
20 23 17 Sean Beardsley/Central Square,NY
21 24 33 Mike Mahaney/King Ferry,NY
22 18 99b Chuck Bower/Lansing,NY
23 21 8r Rob Bellinger/Dexter,NY
24 25 44 Shannon Whaley/Pavilion,NY
25 11 48too Dave Rauscher/Waterloo,NY
26 26 1h David Hebert/St. Damase,QUE
27 12 66 Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY
28 6 91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY
29 28 83x Tim Sears/Central Square,NY
30 30 29 Jeff Brownell Jr./Waterloo,NY
GATER RACING NEWS LAP LEADERS: A.Johnson (1-18), Hearn (19-22), A.Johnson (23), Hearn (24-33), A.Johnson (34-100).
CAUTIONS: 4 for 4 laps.
HEAT WINNERS: Sheppard, B.Decker, J.Phelps, A.Johnson.
DIG SAFELY NEW YORK LAST CHANCE RACE WINNERS: Bellinger, Bresnahan.
BICKNELL RACING PRODUCTS WINNER AWARD: Alan Johnson.
RISLONE OIL STABILIZER & TREATMENT WINNER AWARD: Alan Johnson.
BARS LEAKS RUNNER-UP AWARD: Jimmy Phelps.
SYRACUSE RITE AID 200 QUALIFIER: Alan Johnson.
ALL-STAR WEEKEND EXEMPTION DASH QUALIFIER: Jimmy Phelps.
HALFWAY LEADER: Alan Johnson.
BERT/KSE RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER AWARD: Justin Haers.
XTREME LUBRICANTS SLICK MOVE OF THE RACE AWARD: Billy Decker.
PENSKE POWER POSITION AWARD (15th): Larry Wight.
INTEGRA SHOCKS FAST TIME AWARD: Larry Wight (16.408sec/82.277mph) *NEW TRACK RECORD.
TOTAL PURSE: $27,750.
CARS ENTERED: 44.
NEXT EVENT: Brockville Ontario Speedway “Coca-Cola/BOB FM 100” – July 9, 2009.
DID NOT QUALIFY(14)
X-Chad Phelps/Mexico,NY
6-Pete Taylor/Marcellus,NY
6p-Pat O’Brien/Kingston,ONT
8-Rich Scagliotta/Bound Brook,NJ
13-Tony Steiner/Jamesville,NY
15-Matt Fink/Baldwinsville,NY
37c-Eric Fisher/Bluff Point,NY
42b-Kevin Bates/Lake Ariel,PA
47-Simon Perreault/Longeuil,QUE
56-Vince Vitale/Phoenix,NY
62sTom Sears Jr./Clay,NY
82s-Roy Shields/King Ferry,NY
96-Dave Axton/Port Byron,NY
160-Johnny Hill/Hastings,NY

QUALIFYING
FAST AVE
TIME MPH CAR# DRIVER
*1 16.408 82.277 99L Larry Wight/Phoenix,NY
*NEW TRACK RECORD *$100 Integra Shocks Fast Qualifier Award
2 16.764 80.530 91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY
3 16.782 80.443 74 Tim Fuller/Edwards,NY
4 16.784 80.434 20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ
5 16.835 80.190 9s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY
6 16.888 79.938 48too Dave Rauscher/Waterloo,NY
7 16.954 79.627 49 Billy Dunn/Watertown,NY
8 16.989 79.463 29 Jeff Brownell Jr./Waterloo,NY
9 16.999 79.416 6 Pete Taylor/Marcellus,NY
10 17.012 79.356 09 Willy Decker/Vernon,NY
11 17.031 79.267 3 Justin Haers/Phelps,NY
12 17.064 79.114 24 Jim Witko Jr./Clarks Summit,PA
13 17.095 78.970 42p Pat Ward/Genoa,NY
14 17.124 78.837 77x Dale Planck/Cortland,NY
15 17.124 78.837 98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY
16 17.143 78.749 1 Stewart Friesen/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT
17 17.250 78.261 56 Vince Vitale/Phoenix,NY
18 17.279 78.130 99 Ryan Phelps/Fulton,NY
19 17.282 78.116 17 Sean Beardsley/Central Square,NY
20 17.288 78.089 66 Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY
21 17.290 78.080 84 Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY
22 17.292 78.071 44 Shannon Whaley/Pavilion,NY
23 17.312 77.981 8 Rich Scagliotta/Bound Brook,NJ
24 17.333 77.886 X Chad Phelps/Mexico,NY
25 17.336 77.873 160 Johnny Hill/Hastings,NY
26 17.340 77.855 14j Alan Johnson/Middlesex,NY
27 17.343 77.841 4s Michael Storms/Wantage,NJ
28 17.361 77.760 99b Chuck Bower/Lansing,NY
29 17.383 77.662 fx1 Frankie Caprara/Watertown,NY
30 17.385 77.653 02 Roy Bresnahan/Palermo,NY
31 17.403 77.573 1h David Hebert/St. Damase,QUE
32 17.406 77.559 33 Mike Mahaney/King Ferry,NY
33 17.430 77.453 16 Mike Bowman/Baldwinsville,NY
34 17.431 77.448 8r Rob Bellinger/Dexter,NY
35 17.439 77.413 62s Tom Sears Jr./Clay,NY
36 17.460 77.320 6p Pat O’Brien/Kingston,ONT
37 17.550 76.923 83x Tim Sears/Central Square,NY
38 17.742 76.091 13 Tony Steiner/Jamesville,NY
39 17.892 75.453 96 Dave Axton/Port Byron,NY
40 18.021 74.913 37c Eric Fisher/Bluff Point,NY
41 18.144 74.405 15 Matt Fink/Baldwinsville,NY
42 18.409 73.334 82s Roy Shields/King Ferry,NY
43 18.745 72.019 47 Simon Perreault/Longeuil,QUE
44 -NT- —– 42b Kevin Bates/Lake Ariel,PA

Heat Races (10 laps, top 5 finishers transferred to feature; top 3 redrew)
#1: Sheppard, Rauscher, Wight, Witko, Dunn, Haers, Taylor, Whaley, Hill, Vitale, Scagliotta.
#2: B.Decker, Hearn, Fuller, Friesen, Bower, Bellinger, Beardsley, To.Sears, Perreault, Brownell, Bowman.
#3: J.Phelps, W.Decker, D.Johnson, Ward, Tomkins, Mahaney, C.Phelps, Fisher, Bates, Fink, Steiner.
#4: A.Johnson, Planck, Storms, Caprara, R.Phelps, Bresnahan, Hebert, Ti.Sears, O’Brien, Axton, Shields (DNS).
Dig Safely New York Last Chance Races: (10 laps, top 4 finishers transferred to feature)
#1: Bellinger, Beardsley, Whaley, Bowman, Hill, Haers, Taylor, Vitale, Scagliotta, Perreaullt, To.Sears, Brownell (DNS).
#2: Bresnahan, Mahaney, Hebert, Ti.Sears, Bates, Fink, C.Phelps, O’Brien, Steiner, Axton, Fisher, Shields (DNS).
Guaranteed: Haers, Brownell.

Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modified Point Standings (Through July 4, 2009)
Rank No. Driver Total Series Diff Wins Top-5 Top-10 Starts
1 20 Brett Hearn 475 475 0 1 5 5 5
2 98H Jimmy Phelps 377 377 -98 0 2 4 5
3 91 Billy Decker 351 351 -124 1 2 2 5
4 77x Dale Planck 349 349 -126 0 1 3 5
5 9s Matt Sheppard 340 340 -135 1 2 2 5
6 14J Alan Johnson 320 320 -155 1 1 3 5
7 84 Gary Tomkins 304 304 -171 0 0 3 5
8 99 Ryan Phelps 303 303 -172 0 1 3 5
9 66 Danny Johnson 303 303 -172 0 1 2 5
10 3 Justin Haers 302 302 -173 0 0 2 5
11 4s Mike Storms 276 276 -199 0 0 1 5
12 29 Jeff Brownell Jr. 271 271 -204 0 1 1 5
13 1F Stewart Friesen 255 255 -220 0 2 3 3
14 49 Billy Dunn 246 246 -229 0 0 0 5
15 99L Larry Wight 241 241 -234 0 0 0 5
16 74 Tim Fuller 198 198 -277 0 1 1 3
17 FX1 Frankie Caprara 138 138 -337 0 0 2 2
18 42p Pat Ward 131 131 -344 0 0 1 2
19 43 Keith Flach 111 111 -364 0 0 0 2
20 34b Andy Bachetti 110 110 -365 0 1 1 1
21 60 Brian Berger 86 86 -389 0 1 1 1
22 8 Rich Scagliotta 82 82 -393 0 0 0 1
23 33.3 Tommy Meier 81 81 -394 0 1 1 1
24 77F Mark Flach Jr. 81 81 -394 0 1 1 1
25 57 Donnie Corellis 77 77 -398 0 0 1 1
26 42 Pete Bicknell 76 76 -399 0 0 1 1
27 42 Guy Sheldon 71 71 -404 0 0 1 1
28 62 Tom Sears Jr. 68 68 -407 0 0 0 1
29 98 Eddie Marshall 66 66 -409 0 0 0 1
30 123 Robbie Krull 60 60 -415 0 0 0 1
31 64 Donnie Ackner 59 59 -416 0 0 0 1
32 26 Ryan Godown 57 57 -418 0 0 0 1
33 76 Travis Braun 56 56 -419 0 0 0 1
34 14 Jimmy Horton 53 53 -422 0 0 0 1
35 88 Krey Sandstedt 52 52 -423 0 0 0 1
36 115 Kenny Tremont Jr. 51 51 -424 0 0 0 1
37 44 Shannon Whaley 50 50 -425 0 0 0 1
38 1H Tim Hindley 50 50 -425 0 0 0 1
39 02 Roy Bresnahan 48 48 -427 0 0 0 1
40 16 Mike Bowman 45 45 -430 0 0 0 1
41 88k Randy Chrysler 45 45 -430 0 0 0 1
42 17 Sean Beardsley 44 44 -431 0 0 0 1
43 26 Rick Richner 44 44 -431 0 0 0 1
44 48T Dave Rauscher 43 43 -432 0 0 0 1
45 99B Chuck Bower 42 42 -433 0 0 0 1
46 3b Chad Brachmann 42 42 -433 0 0 0 1
47 8R Rob Bellinger 41 41 -434 0 0 0 1
48 20 Jeff McGinnis 41 41 -434 0 0 0 1
49 89b Todd Burley 41 41 -434 0 0 0 1
50 83x Tim Sears 40 40 -435 0 0 0 1
51 198h Erick Rudolph 40 40 -435 0 0 0 1
52 44v Phil Vigneri Jr. 40 40 -435 0 0 0 1
53 93 Richie Vinson 40 40 -435 0 0 0 1
54 72 Tommy Flannigan 40 40 -435 0 0 0 1
55 24v Bobby Varin 40 40 -435 0 0 0 1
56 12a Jack Johnson 40 40 -435 0 0 0 1
57 33 Ray Swinehart 40 40 -435 0 0 0 1
58 39 Ryan Larkin 40 40 -435 0 0 0 1
59 126 Billy Pauch 40 40 -435 0 0 0 1
60 6 Pat O’Brien 20 20 -455 0 0 0 0
61 82S Roy Shields 10 10 -465 0 0 0 0
62 65 Boyd MacTavish 10 10 -465 0 0 0 0
63 18 Rick Hoctor 10 10 -465 0 0 0 0
64 52 James M. Friesen 10 10 -465 0 0 0 0
65 54J Dave Just 10 10 -465 0 0 0 0
66 28p Eldon Payne Jr. 10 10 -465 0 0 0 0
67 xXx Todd Gordon 10 10 -465 0 0 0 0
68 9 Jon Miller 10 10 -465 0 0 0 0
69 6m Mat Wiliamson 10 10 -465 0 0 0 0
70 11 Bob Broomfield 10 10 -465 0 0 0 0
71 71 David VanHorn Jr. 10 10 -465 0 0 0 0
72 2RJ Ronnie Johnson 10 10 -465 0 0 0 0
73 1 Darwin Greene 10 10 -465 0 0 0 0
74 79 Jeremy Markle 10 10 -465 0 0 0 0
75 25 Mike Kolka 10 10 -465 0 0 0 0
76 87J Wayne Jelley 10 10 -465 0 0 0 0
77 347 Skip Fox 10 10 -465 0 0 0 0
78 24s Rich Salisbury 10 10 -465 0 0 0 0
79 518 Kyle Sheldon 10 10 -465 0 0 0 0
80 7 John Ruchel Jr. 10 10 -465 0 0 0 0

Super DIRTcar Series Modified Entries – July 4 (44)
Car# Driver/Hometown Team (Sponsor / Chassis / Engine)
X Chad Phelps/Mexico,NY Haun Welding Supply-Ashley Winery-Midstate Tree Service/Troyer/Morrison
02 Roy Bresnahan/Palermo,NY Gypsum Express-RJ’s Excavating/Bicknell/Enders
09 Willy Decker/Vernon,NY Stadium International-Piluso’s Service/Bicknell/Moshier
1 Stewart Friesen/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT Jeff Daley & Sons Oil Service-Westmoreland Golf Club/TEO/Enders
1h David Hebert/St. Damase,QUE Mecanique Electrique CMPL-Coffrage Levesque/Bicknell/Finger Lakes
fx1 Frankie Caprara/Watertown,NY F.X. Caprara Car Co.-SUNY Canton/Troyer/Dan Bedell
3 Justin Haers/Phelps,NY Phelps Cement Products-SMV Motorsports-Jeff Jolly Masonry/Bicknell/Finger Lakes
4s Michael Storms/Wantage,NJ Keizer Aluminum Wheels-Mike Sparta Trckng-Four Star Transmissions/TEO/Morrison
6 Pete Taylor/Marcellus,NY K2 Motorsports/Troyer/Finger Lakes
6p Pat O’Brien/Kingston,ONT 730 Truck Stop-Gypsum Logistics-Milestone Concrete/Bicknell/Enders
8 Rich Scagliotta/Bound Brook,NJ Central Jersey Trailer & Hitch Depot-Adamsville Maintenance/Troyer/Feil
8r Rob Bellinger/Dexter,NY U-Store of Watertown-Westward Painting-Coffin Excavation/Troyer/Finger Lakes
9s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY Xtreme Lubricants-Seneca Auto Sales/Bicknell/C.C. Performance
13 Tony Steiner/Jamesville,NY NY Tech Supply-Tech Tire Repairs/Troyer/Donath
14j Alan Johnson/Middlesex,NY Bully’s Truck Stop-CFF,Inc.-Raymond’s Car Care/Bicknell/Jimmy D’s Speed
15 Matt Fink/Baldwinsville,NY Benwood Auto Parts/Bicknell/Finger Lakes
16 Mike Bowman/Baldwinsville,NY Klaben Nursery-Fulton Springs/Troyer/Finger Lakes-Bowman
17 Sean Beardsley/Central Square,NY Town Mechanical-Pipe Pros/Troyer/Moshier
20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ Madsen Motorsports-Wentworth Custom Homes-Kruger-WLR-BPG/TEO/Enders
24 Jim Witko Jr./Clarks Summit,PA Brenzel Construction-Bruce’s Speed Shop/Bicknell/Finger Lakes
29 Jeff Brownell Jr./Waterloo,NY Xtreme Lubricants-Seneca Auto Sales/Bicknell/C.C. Performance
33 Mike Mahaney/King Ferry,NY Aloi Materials Handling/Bicknell/Enders
37c Eric Fisher/Bluff Point,NY Bully Hill Vineyards-Fisher Tree Service/Ozcar/Finger Lakes
42b Kevin Bates/Lake Ariel,PA Bates Motorsports/Bicknell/Murray
42p Pat Ward/Genoa,NY Gypsum Express,Ltd./Bicknell/Kevlar
44 Shannon Whaley/Pavilion,NY Davis Trailer World-D&M Precision/Bicknell/Morrison
47 Simon Perreault/Longeuil,QUE Atelier Gilles Perreault/Bicknell/G.Perreault(spec 358)
48too Dave Rauscher/Waterloo,NY Magee Transportation Services-Monadnock Disposal Service/Bicknell/Morrison
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/JanCen
66 Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY Atlas Paving-Behrent’s Performance Warehouse/TEO/JPM
74 Tim Fuller/Edwards,NY Smith Bros. Concrete Foundations-Hudson Valley Concrete Pumping/TEO/Precision
77x Dale Planck/Cortland,NY RezX Racing-Grow It Hydroseeding-Action Race Parts-Teo Fab./TEO/Kevlar
82s Roy Shields/King Ferry,NY Shields Bookkeeping-RLS Auto Repair/Bicknell/Shields
83x Tim Sears/Central Square,NY Total Site Development/Bicknell/Morrison
84 Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY Honeoye Auto Parts-Rochester Americans-National Guard/Bicknell/Mastin
91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY Gypsum Wholesalers-Stadium Int’l-Quality Hardwoods/Bicknell/Kevlar
96 Dave Axton/Port Byron,NY Simplex Auto & Machine-Scott’s Auto/TEO/Simplex
98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY Mohawk N.E.-New England Race Fuels-Joe Gibbs Racing Oil/Troyer/Bruneau
99 Ryan Phelps/Fulton,NY Big Red Towing-Dave Miller Auto Body/Bicknell/Enders
99b Chuck Bower/Lansing,NY Ingles Performance-United Fasteners-Bradco Supply/Bicknell/Finger Lakes
99L Larry Wight/Phoenix,NY Gypsum Express,Ltd./Bicknell/Kevlar
160 Johnny Hill/Hastings,NY Flower City Glass-P.M. Mobile Service/TEO/Kevlar

SKIDMARKS
Hearn Still Haunted At Fulton: A last turn, last lap heat race pass in a three-wide maneuver dropped Hearn to 2nd behind Decker with Fuller on his rear bumper. The daring move by Decker earned him the ‘Xtreme Lubricants Slick Move of the Race’ recognition and sent Hearn back to the pits shaking head.

Wight Era Upon Us: Beginning with a pre-race ‘steak bake’ for track regulars, traveling teams, sponsors and officals, a large contingent of racers joined speedway hosts John & Laura Wight in the adjacent pavilion to help kick off their series debut at Fulton.

Series Stars Shine On Saturday: At least eight Super DIRTcar Series drivers call Fulton home this season, led by the Gypsum Express teammates Billy Decker, Ryan Phelps and Larry Wight, along with Alan Johnson, Michael Storms, Dale Planck, Jimmy Phelps, Larry Wight and Billy Dunn having perfect attendance.

UPCOMING EVENTS
With back-to-back Big-Block Modified Series show logged away in the Empire State, the pace picks up next week as racers cross the border for the ‘Great Canadian Tour’ — that includes four straight days of feature race action in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. A return to the states is capped off by the big $20,000-to-win DIRTcar All-Star 100 at Cayuga County Fair Speedway on July 19, preceded by a 50-lap preliminary points event the night before.

2009 Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modified Schedule
NP=Non-Point event; SP=Show-Up Point event.
*All events subject to change.
DAY-DATE TRACK WINNER/LOCATION
Wed-Feb 11 Volusia Speedway Park-NP Pat Ward
Thr-Feb 12 Volusia Speedway Park-NP Pat Ward
Fri-Feb 13 Volusia Speedway Park-NP Jamie Mills
Sat-Feb 14 Volusia Speedway Park-NP Brett Hearn
Sat-Mar 28 Hagerstown Speedway rain-cancelled
Sun-Apr 26 Big Diamond Raceway Duane Howard
Sat-Jun 6 Lebanon Valley Speedway Matt Sheppard
Sun-Jun 7 Airborne Speedway rain-cancelled
Wed-Jun 17 Orange Co Fair Speedway Bily Decker
Fri-Jul 3 Ransomville Speedway Brett Hearn
Sat-Jul 4 Fulton Speedway Alan Johnson
Thr-Jul 9 Brockville Ont Speedway Brockville,ONT
Fri-Jul 10 Autodrome Granby Granby,QUE
Sat-Jul 11 Autodrome Drummond Drummondville,QUE
Sun-Jul 12 Cornwall Motor Speedway Cornwall,ONT
Sat-Jul 18 Cayuga Co Fair Speedway Weedsport,NY
Sun-Jul 19 Cayuga Co Fair Speedway Weedsport,NY ($20,000-to-win)
Mon-Aug 3 Merrittville Speedway Thorold,ONT
Fri-Aug 7 Brewerton Speedway Brewerton,NY
Sat-Aug 8 Canandaigua Speedway Canandaigua,NY
Fri-Aug 21 Can-Am Motorsports Park LaFargeville,NY
Thr-Aug 27 Lebanon Valley Speedway West Lebanon,NY ($17,500-to-win)
Sun-Sep 6 Cayuga Co Fair Speedway Weedsport,NY
Mon-Sep 7 Rolling Wheels Raceway Elbridge,NY
Fri-Sep 11 Lernerville Speedway Sarver,PA
Sat-Sep 19 -TBA-
Sat-Sep 26 Rolling Wheels Raceway Elbridge,NY
Sun-Oct 11 New York State Fairgrnds Syracuse,NY ($50,000-to-win)
Sun-Oct 18 -TBA-
Sun-Oct 25 -TBA-

DIRTcar Racing Northeast main office is located in Weedsport, New York on the Cayuga County Fairgrounds www.cayugacountyfairspeedway.com, home of the 2009 DIRTcar All-Star Weekend, July 17-19, featuring Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar Championship Series events for Sportsman and Big-Block Modifieds in the richest short-track show of its kind in the nation — the $20,000-to-win Super DIRTcar Series “DIRTcar All-Star 100” on Sunday, July 19.