Friesen Claims Pole for Syracuse 200

Stewart Friesen Powers to Pole for NAPA Super DIRT Week Syracuse 200

Ronnie Johnson claims top spot for Saturday’s 358-Modified Salute to Troops 150

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Oct. 10, 2013 – The 42nd NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week came to life on Thursday afternoon at the New York State Fairgrounds “Moody Mile” as 68 Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modifieds and 54 DIRTcar 358-Modifieds began their quests to win this weekend’s premier events.

Two-time Syracuse 200 champion Stewart Friesen made one spectacular lap of the one-mile oval to put himself at the top of the qualifying list for the Syracuse 200 on Sunday. Then he topped that with an even faster second circuit, securing his first-ever pole position starting spot for the Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modified classic.

CLICK FOR PICTURES FROM THURSDAY’S QUALIFYING DAY

As one of the last drivers to hit the track during time trials, Friesen, of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, blazed around the mile in 30.237 seconds to put a resounding exclamation point on his qualifying effort. His clocking was over seventh-tenths of a second quicker than defending Syracuse 200 winner Brett Hearn of Sussex, N.J., who will start Sunday’s $50,000-to-win event from the outside pole after turning a lap of 30.963 seconds.

Did Friesen, 30, think he could lay down a lap that was so much better than his rivals?

“Not really,” said Friesen, who won the Syracuse 200 in 2010 and ’11 but dropped out of last year’s event in his bid for a threepeat. “After we hot-lapped and had a good lap it definitely felt like a car that was capable of it, but you never know. You try to do as well as you can and see what shakes out.”

Friesen steered a brand-new Jeff Dailey & Sons-backed Teo-Pro car to his fast-time honor, worth $1,000 from Pole Position Raceway.

“We made a couple adjustments after practice and (motor builder) Chuck Cici did some tuning on the engine and it worked great,” Friesen said. “It’s just a good combination and we made good adjustments. Matt (Hearn) and myself work really good together, and with Loren and the Rochinski boys … we got a good group of close friends who just are working for the same goals.

“It’s real cool to be on the pole. We’ll make a big deal of it all the way from now until Sunday. The boys work hard, so it’s something to celebrate about.”

Hearn, 55, had his Madsen Motorsports Teo-Pro car’s No. 20 at the top of the scoreboard until being knocked off by Friesen. He fell short of his first Syracuse 200 fast-time since 2002, but beginning his bid for a record seventh victory in the event from the front row left him extremely satisfied.

“The car feels very stable, it’s rolling the corner real good and it’s getting down the straightaway real good,” said Hearn, who receives $1,000 for his outside-pole performance from Page Trucking. “I think we’re gonna have a way different track on Sunday than we have right now though … so we’re gonna have to keep an eye on the conditions and adjust to them.”

Hearn was a bit awestruck by Friesen’s sizzling circuit, however.

“That’s pretty amazing,” said Hearn, shaking his head. “I could see (the pole winner being) a couple tenths faster, but seven-tenths – that’s pretty big. That’s traction.”

Jimmy Phelps of Baldwinsville, N.Y., earned the third starting spot for the Syracuse 200 with a lap of 31.055 seconds in the HBR Racing Troyer car.

The surprise of qualifying was Jeff Rockefeller of Scotia, N.Y., whose lap of 31.101 seconds early in time trials with his Bicknell car held up to place him fourth-fastest in the final rundown. He became the rare driver to make a career-first start in the Syracuse 200 from a position in the top six.

Former Syracuse 200 winner Matt Sheppard of Waterloo, N.Y., guided Jeff Brownell Sr.’s Bicknell machine to the fifth starting spot with a lap of 31.164 seconds while Carey Terrance of Hogansburg, N.Y., locked into the headliner in sixth place with a circuit of 31.187 seconds. Terrance was the lone driver to qualify in the top six for both the Syracuse 200 and DIRTcar 358-Modified Salute to the Troops 150.

In DIRTcar 358-Modified time trials, second-generation racer Ronnie Johnson of Duanesburg, N.Y., led the way with a lap of 31.754 seconds to earn the pole position in Saturday afternoon’s headliner.

The son of two-time Syracuse 200 winner Jack Johnson, Ronnie steered Alton and Carole Palmer’s Teo-Pro No. 76a to his first fast-time honor in the DIRTcar 358-Modified ranks at NAPA Auto Parts Super DIRT Week. He will make his sixth career start in the 150 hoping to better his personal-best finish of fourth, which he achieved in 2010 and ’12.

Johnson, who will celebrate his 40th birthday on Nov. 2, has a string of three consecutive top-five finishes in the 358-Modified 150 – all earned behind the wheel of equipment owned by the Palmers. He was proud to put the personable husband-and-wife team on the point for Saturday’s headliner.

“I’ve been with the Palmers probably since 2005,” Johnson said. “We got to know each other from racing at Fonda (Speedway) and we just kind of hit it off. We became good friends and our relationship has grown ever since. I’m very fortunate to be able to race for them.

Johnson knows that Alton – a successful veteran Modified racer in his own right – and Carole Palmer always provide him a competitive car to run at the Mile. Nevertheless, besting the small-block field in today’s time trials still surprised him.

“Carol and Alton put this car away to save it just for coming here,” said Johnson, whose pair of fourth-place finishes in the DIRTcar 358-Modified 150 sandwiched a fifth-place run in 2011. “We just run it here and we usually unload a top-10 car, but I never dreamed we’d be on the pole with it.

“I didn’t know how good we were because you’re out there by yourself. I’ve run a lot of time-trial laps and felt like that was the fastest one and I come in and I’m 10th or 12th, so you never know. But when I took the white flag lap I saw the (number) 76 up on the board so I knew we must have been pretty good.”

Rising young star Chris Raabe of Napanee, Ont., timed a career-best second at 32.236 seconds, earning the outside pole starting spot for Saturday’s 150. The two-time overall DIRTcar Sportsman champion will make his second career start in the event; he finished 29th in 2010.

Terrance was third-fastest at 32.289 seconds to earn his seventh career start in the 150 (top finish: ninth in 2012). Marc Johnson of Guilderland, N.Y., was fourth-fastest at 32.328 seconds for his fourth career start in the event (top finish: sixth in ’10); Larry Wight of Phoenix, N.Y., was fifth-fastest at 32.349 seconds (sixth career start with a top finish of fourth in ’09); and Willy Decker was the final driver to lock in to the 150 with a sixth-fastest lap of 32.464 seconds (sixth career start with a best finish of eighth in ’06).

Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modified Syracuse 200 Qualifying Time Trials; NY State Fairgrounds; Oct. 10, 2013

DIRTcar 358-Modified Series Salute to the Troops 150 Qualifying Time Trials; NY State Fairgrounds; Oct. 10, 2013

The Super DIRTcar Series and DIRTcar Racing in the Northeast Region is brought to fans by several sponsors and partners including Hoosier Racing Tire, VP Racing Fuels, Chevy Performance Parts, NAPA Auto Parts, and Safety-Kleen. Contingency sponsors are ASI, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Brodix, ButlerBuilt, Cometic Gasket, Comp Cams, Edelbrock, Integra Shocks, Intercomp, JE Pistons, JRI Shocks, Klotz Synthetic Lubricants, KSE Racing Products, Motorsports Safety Systems, MSD Performance, Penske Shocks, Racing Electronics, Superflow and Wrisco Industries. Super DIRT Week sponsors include: Beyea Headers, Draco Springs, Fast Shafts, Fluidampr, FK Rod Ends, Fox Shocks, Pro Fabrication and Turbostart. Lighting for Super DIRT Week is brought to you by Musco Lighting.