Hearn Out ‘Smarts’ Granby Field, Scores 99th Career Advance Series Victory

Granby, QUE — July 11, 2008 – By Tom Skibinski, Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series PR Director
*Sylvain Buisson Photo

Reigning Mr. DIRTcar points king Brett King found his way back to the throne Friday night after registering the 99th Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series triumph of his career in the headline Budweiser 100 at Autodrome Granby.

Click to listen to first place Brett Hearn, second place Jimmy Phelps, and third place finisher Dale Planck

Hearn’s narrow Advance Series victory on foreign soil was his seventh at Granby, where no other driver has reached the winner’s circle more than the perennial champion since the ‘Great Canadian Tour’ began to spread its roots in 1990.

“Quebec has been very good to me … the people have been very good and the tracks have been very good, so it feels even better to finally pick up our first win here,” said Hearn, 49, who held off a race-long rally by Central New York standout Jimmy Phelps to move within one win of the milestone mark of 100 on DIRTcar Racing NorthEast’s premier traveling tour for Big-Block Modifieds. “I have a lot of friends here, even though we haven’t been here with the Big-Block for a few years, it still feels just as good.”

Despite settling for his second straight runner-up finish, Phelps was nearly as content after charging from 22nd while two-time 2008 tour race winner Dale Planck, current Advance Series points leader Billy Decker and ’04 Mr. DIRTcar Champion Gary Tomkins filled out the front-five positions under the checkers. Hearn’s win also earned him guaranteed starter 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.

“We’ve had some decent finishes but sometimes you do a little too much with the car when you’re trying to improve from a top-five to first-place in this series, the top guys are all that close. Tonight we just went back to some basic notes and used a standard set-up we had for this track. It wasn’t the best car but finally getting a win means it was still pretty good against these guys,” said Hearn, who didn’t score his first advance Series winlast year until July 3 at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park en route to his record-tying sixth overall Mr. DIRTcar Modified title.

With 39 cars signed in for the first trip back to Granby for Big-Block teams since the start of the new millennium, it felt just like old times for two-time track champion Steve Paine as he established a new single lap record around the spacious half-miler turning in a time of 18.410 sec. (97.773 mph) to collect his first Integra Shocks Fast Time Award of the season. Paine also scored a big 200-lap victory the last time the Advance Series all-stars competed at Autodrome Granby on Sept. 17, 2000, with Chuck Bower holding the track speed record during the eight-year layoff.

Yet after selecting ninth in the pre-race draw, Paine still had to wait 77 laps to take his first lead and that only lasted one circuit as Hearn grabbed it right back and held on for the remaining distance. Late race contact among the leaders resulted in a broken spindle on the Paine Motorsports no. 7x Tallmadge Tire-Swarthout Recycling-Instant Heat Wood Pellets/Troyer entry, with the ‘Hurricane’ dropping to 21st on the final scoresheet.

The 20th tour stop at Granby opened with second-year Advance Series follower Billy Dunn weaving his way from fourth to first in just two turns, with the talented 24 year-old from Watertown, New York setting a blistering pace steering the family owned no. 49 Number One Speed-Fast Lube of Watertown/Bicknell machine. Fellow tour traveler Matt Sheppard suffered a flat left-rear tire on lap five to force out the first yellow flag and the French-Canadian contingent of Kayle Robidoux, Dominic Dufault and Yan Bussiere quickly filed in behind ‘Big Gun’ Dunn for the ensuing restart.

Positions continued to swap among the front half of the pack as top point chasers jockeyed for room both high and low, making three-wide maneuvers in the turns as common as bumper-to-bumper drags down the long straightaways. While Dunn enjoyed a commanding lead in the early stages, Paine cracked the top-five by lap 10 and set his sights on fourth running Hearn with Dufault and Frankie Caprara closest to the leader.

Paine dug low in a dramatic three-wide maneuver on lap 17 although Dunn held steady to retain the point. Running 10th at the same time, Tomkins suddenly entered the fray as he put Doug Dulen’s Honeoye Auto Parts-Red Parker & Son Excavating/Bicknell ride past Hearn with 24 complete. A quarter of the way through, Dunn and Paine set the torrid pace followed by Dufault, Tomkins, Hearn and Decker, with Phelps already reaching 10th and hungry for more as he carved his way through the field.

The night came to an abrupt end for four-time Granby tour winner Danny Johnson when the front end came apart on lap 35 and sent the JIR Motorsports no. 27J Modified careening into the turn one wall. With caution laps counting, Hearn authored the move of the night on the lap 40 restart, drop-kicking Dunn from contention with one swift blow. Taking the green in fourth, the ‘Jet’ first sailed around Tomkins in turn one, mirrored the move past Dunn —who had fallen victim to Paine exiting turn two— then ducked under Paine rounding turn four to take his first lead of the night.

The action up front remained just as heavy at the midway point with Phelps filing into fifth as Hearn, Paine, Dunn and Tomkins were all that remained in his way. Phelps disposed of Tomkins on lap 54 and needed a dozen more circuits before finally wrestling third away from Dunn. Talented teenager Larry Wight incurred the seventh caution period when he slowed on lap 73, putting the leaders nose to tail as the last quarter was about to unfold.

Paine wasted little time heating up his tires and edged past Hearn across the line to complete lap 77. But Hearn stayed just as hot aboard the Madsen Motorsports no. 20 Wentworth Custom Homes/TEO entry, sticking low in the corners and regaining command for good as the DIRTcar duo sped down the back chute the very next circuit. Just as fast as Paine was back in line, Phelps stole second just before Frenchman Mario Clair stalled in turn two to force another slowdown.

In search of his first Advance Series win of the season, Phelps saved little for the end as he manhandled the potent H&H Motorsports no. 98H Mohawk Northeast-New England Race Fuels-Joe Gibbs Racing Oil/Troyer mount in every direction as the laps dwindled. Paine also had his sights set on a first trip to victory lane and regained second from Phelps on lap 87 before the two Troyer cars made contact in turn one. The Paine machine lasted only a handful more laps before coming to a halt high against the turn four wall to bring out yellow lights for the final time on lap 92.

The stage was set for the final five lap shootout, although it was Planck the only difference-maker as his back-up RezX Racing no. 77x Grow It Hydroseeding/TEO entry moved into third on lap 97 with Hearn cruising home to a six car-length victory over Phelps at the line. A traditional ride over the scales in post-race inspection resulted in Phelps being 11 pounds light and Planck seven pounds under the required 2500 lbs. standard, with both losing half their points and earnings in the aftermath.

“Last night we struggled so bad at Brockville and just tried anything to get a decent run out of it,” said Hearn, who scored the first of his eight DIRTcar Big-Block wins at Granby in 1988 and added his lone 358-Modified victory there in 2003. His 16th career Advance Series trophy on the Canadian circuit was worth $6,000 and vaulted him from fourth to second on the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series points chart, standing behind only four-time tour race winner Decker through eight races.

“We came here and made some changes that got us closer but I still had to drive my butt off because we really didn’t have a really good handling car tonight. We just had a car that was good in certain spots and I needed everything I could muster out of that thing to stay up front. When I made that (winning) move up high I figured it was going to be either really good or I’d mess up really bad and fortunately I nailed it just right. After that I could try and run some other lines up front but nothing was ever a sure thing out there tonight. The banking is different than when we raced the Big-Block in 2000 and if you weren’t careful you could think you’re in the middle of the track then suddenly find yourself over the edge and out of the race,” Hearn added.

As much as Hearn’s ride to victory was uncertain until the final checkered flag, the status of runner-up Phelps was even more in doubt right up until race time. The ‘B’Ville Blizzard’ was the last to arrive at the track, with his hauler stationed outside the track during the first qualifying round.

“We had a rough time with the hauler breaking down on our way here so we had to come from the back all night,” said Phelps, 33, who ranks fourth in the current Advance Series standings, the same place he finished his run in the 2007 overall Hoosier Tire Mr. DIRTcar Modified Championship. “We missed out on time trials but the guys made it here before the heats. We had some problems in our heat although the car came around really good in time for the consi and fortunately it was awesome in the feature.”

“We had a shot, got on the outside of Brett there but just couldn’t make it happen. He was running real good and we were happy to be in a fight for (first). It was a really good race, he ran me clean and I tried to do the same. All in all, to start so far back and still get second out of it just shows how good this team really is and I just can’t thank them enough for hanging in,” added Phelps, who settled for second behind Decker at Brockville Ontario Speedway on Thursday after using the same outside lane to nearly slip by for his first series win of 2008.

Already a two-time tour race winner in ’08, Planck enjoyed a late-race surge at Granby to place third, the same position he holds in Advance Series points heading into Drummondville on Saturday. The driveshaft broke in his primary RezX Racing ride owned by Carey Terrance in time trials forcing the ‘Natural’ to pick up at the back of his heat, yet the second-generation driver from Cortland, New York charged back to finish second behind Hearn.

“With all that happened I’m very happy with third tonight,” said Planck, who turns 38 next week. “Its nice to have a back-up car capable of a good run so we have to be pleased. It was a good racing surface and we were able to come back from 11th and challenge for a top-five so a podium finish is really good. We’ll be over at Drummond tomorrow and just try to do a couple spots better.”

Stage three of the ‘Great Canadian Tour’ is scheduled for Saturday at Autodrome Drummond just an hour away from Granby, with Cornwall Motor Speedway hosting the final night of competition across the border on July 13.

Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series Race #8 – Autodrome Granby, July 11, 2008 ‘Budweiser 100’ Big-Block Modified Event Summary
FIN STR CAR# DRIVER
1 5 20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ($6,000)
2 22 98h ^Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY
3 11 77x ^Dale Planck/Cortland,NY
4 10 91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY
5 12 84 Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY
6 29 9s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY
7 4 49 Billy Dunn/Watertown,NY
8 2 21 Yan Bussiere/Drummondville,QUE
9 3 fx1 Frankie Caprara/Watertown,NY
10 6 46 Kayle Robidoux/St-Constant,QUE
11 7 3 Justin Haers/Phelps,NY
12 19 73 Alain Boisvert/Pointe-Claire,QUE
13 14 3b Claude Brouillard/Tracy,QUE
14 15 66x Alan Johnson/Middlesex,NY
15 8 99 Ryan Phelps/Fulton,NY
16 28 2 Michel Dusseault/Victoriaville,QUE
17 1 63 Dominic Dufault/Ste-Victoire,QUE
18 23 90 Martin Roy/Napierville,QUE
19 30 85 David Langlois/St.Philippe,QUE
20 27 24L Carl Labonte/Drummondville,QUE
21 9 7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY
22 13 22 Mario Clair/St-Edmond,QUE
23 26 1 David Hebert/St. Damase,QUE
24 21 99L Larry Wight/Phoenix,NY®
25 20 09 Alex Fortier/Princeville,QUE
26 16 27j Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY
27 24 54 Steve Bernard/St Paul Abbotsford,QUE
28 31 84L Eric Landry/Trois-Rivieres,QUE
29 25 6g Martin Gagne/Granby,QUE
30 17 25 Yannick Ledoux/Granby,QUE
31 32 4k Jasmine Leveille/Prevost,QUE
32 *18 23 Dany Bilodeau/Victoriaville,QUE
DID NOT QUALIFY(7)
8s-Christian Salvas/Tracy,QUE
19p-Michel Pelletier/Ste-Anne de Sorel,QUE
46j-Gino Clair/St-Edmond,QUE
66w-Wallace Stacey/Kahnawake,QUE
87-Guy Parenteau/Sorel,QUE
95-Alex Boisvert/Drummondville,QUE
97-Michel Chicoine/Ste-Cecile de Milton,QUE

EVENT SUMMARY:
LAP LEADERS: Dunn (1-39), Hearn (40-76), Paine (77), Hearn (78-100).
CAUTIONS: 9 for 24 laps.
HEAT WINNERS: Decker, Dunn, Hearn, Tomkins.
DIG SAFELY NEW YORK LAST CHANCE RACE WINNERS: Wight, J.Phelps.
BICKNELL RACING PRODUCTS WINNER AWARD: Brett Hearn.
CRANE CAMS WINNER AWARD: Brett Hearn.
RISLONE OIL STABILIZER & TREATMENT WINNER AWARD: Brett Hearn.
BARS LEAKS RUNNER-UP AWARD: Jimmy Phelps.
CRANE CAMS RUNNER-UP AWARD: Jimmy Phelps.
SYRACUSE RITE AID 200 QUALIFIER: Brett Hearn (G).
HALFWAY LEADER: Brett Hearn.
BERT/KSE RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER AWARD: Matt Sheppard.
HOLLEY HARD LUCK AWARD: Steve Paine.
PENSKE POWER POSITION AWARD (9th): Frankie Caprara.
INTEGRA SHOCKS FAST TIME AWARD: Steve Paine (18.410sec/97.773mph) *NEW TRACK RECORD.
TOTAL PURSE: $28,175.
CARS ENTERED: 39.
NEXT EVENT: Autodrome Drummond “Hyundai 100” – July 12, 2008.
 
QUALIFYING
FAST AVE
TIME MPH CAR# DRIVER
*1 18.410 97.773 7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY
*$100 Integra Shocks Fast Qualifier Award
2 18.504 97.276 21 Yan Bussiere/Drummondville,QUE
3 18.512 97.234 20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ
4 18.547 97.051 9s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY
5 18.755 95.974 22 Mario Clair/St-Edmond,QUE
6 18.802 95.734 63 Dominic Dufault/Ste-Victoire,QUE
7 18.815 95.668 77x Dale Planck/Cortland,NY
8 18.872 95.379 84 Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY
9 18.897 95.253 91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY
10 18.905 95.213 49 Billy Dunn/Watertown,NY
11 18.906 95.208 66x Alan Johnson/Middlesex,NY
12 18.911 95.183 fx1 Frankie Caprara/Watertown,NY
13 18.912 95.178 90 Martin Roy/Napierville,QUE
14 18.924 95.117 99L Larry Wight/Phoenix,NY®
15 18.928 95.097 3 Justin Haers/Phelps,NY
16 18.964 94.917 46 Kayle Robidoux/St-Constant,QUE
17 18.982 94.827 99 Ryan Phelps/Fulton,NY
18 19.008 94.697 23 Dany Bilodeau/Victoriaville,QUE
19 19.068 94.399 73 Alain Boisvert/Pointe-Claire,QUE
20 19.119 94.147 27j Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY
21 19.188 93.809 6g Martin Gagne/Granby,QUE
22 19.244 93.536 3b Claude Brouillard/Tracy,QUE
23 19.266 93.429 2 Michel Dusseault/Victoriaville,QUE
24 19.411 92.731 95 Alex Boisvert/Drummondville,QUE
25 19.424 92.669 97 Michel Chicoine/Ste-Cecile de Milton,QUE
26 19.466 92.469 24L Carl Labonte/Drummondville,QUE
27 19.522 92.204 1 David Hebert/St. Damase,QUE
28 19.565 92.001 09 Alex Fortier/Princeville,QUE
29 19.626 91.715 87 Guy Parenteau/Sorel,QUE
30 19.655 91.580 4k Jasmine Leveille/Prevost,QUE
31 19.741 91.181 66w Wallace Stacey/Kahnawake,QUE
32 19.743 91.172 54 Steve Bernard/St Paul Abbotsford,QUE
33 19.805 90.886 85 David Langlois/St.Philippe,QUE
34 19.823 90.804 8s Christian Salvas/Tracy,QUE
35 19.930 90.316 19p Michel Pelletier/Ste-Anne de Sorel,QUE
36 -NT- —– 25 Yannick Ledoux/Granby,QUE
37 -NT- —– 98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY
38 -NT- —– 46j Gino Clair/St-Edmond,QUE
39 -NT- —– 84L Eric Landry/Trois-Rivieres,QUE
*NEW TRACK RECORD.
Heat Races (10 laps, top 5 finishers transferred to feature, top 3 went to re-draw)
#1: Decker, Paine, R.Phelps, M.Clair, Ledoux, Roy, Gagne, Parenteau, Chicoine, Langlois.
#2: Dunn, Bussiere, Dufault, Brouillard, Bilodeau, Wight, Leveille, Labonte, Salvas, G.Clair.
#3: Hearn, Planck, Haers, A.Johnson, Aln.Boisvert, Hebert, Dusseault, Pelletier, Stacey.
#4:Tomkins, Caprara, Robidoux, D.Johnson, Fortier, Bernard, Alx.Boisvert, Landry, J.Phelps, Sheppard.
Dig Safely New York Last Chance Races (10 laps, top 4 finishers transferred to feature)
#1: Wight, Roy, Gagne, Labonte, Langlois, Leveille, Salvas, Chicoine, Parenteau, G.Clair (DNS)
#2: J.Phelps, Bernard, Hebert, Dusseault, Landry, Pelletier, Stacey, Alx.Boisvert, Sheppard.
Guaranteed: Sheppard.
Provisionals: Langlois, Landry.
Promoter’s Choice: Leveille.

Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series Point Standings (Through July 11, 2008)
Rank No. Driver Total SeriesDiff Money Wins Top-5 Top-10 Starts
1 91 Billy Decker 668 668 0 $26,900 4 6 8 8
2 20 Brett Hearn 587 587 -81 $16,100 1 5 7 8
3 77x Dale Planck 541 541 -127 $16,275 2 4 5 8
4 98h Jimmy Phelps 534 534 -134 $13,900 0 3 6 8
5 9s Matt Sheppard 522 522 -146 $15,800 1 2 5 8
6 84 Gary Tomkins 520 520 -148 $8,375 0 2 8 8
7 27J Danny Johnson496 496 -172 $11,725 0 3 4 8
8 14J Alan Johnson 484 484 -184 $7,350 0 1 4 8
9 3 Justin Haers 471 471 -197 $5,850 0 1 5 8
10 7x Steve Paine 465 465 -203 $8,475 0 3 3 8
11 FX1 Frankie Caprara 448 448 -220 $5,600 0 1 5 8
12 99 Ryan Phelps 425 425 -243 $4,200 0 0 2 8
13 49 Billy Dunn 408 408 -260 $4,850 0 0 2 8
14 99L Larry Wight 341 341 -327 $3,400 0 0 1 8
15 6 Pat O’Brien 299 299 -369 $2,960 0 0 1 7
16 29 Jeff Brownell Jr.248 248 -420 $2,000 0 0 0 6
17 42B Kevin Bates 220 220 -448 $1,950 0 0 0 6
18 99b Chuck Bower 140 140 -528 $900 0 0 0 4
19 11j Sean Beardsley139 139 -529 $900 0 0 0 4
20 16 Mike Bowman 135 135 -533 $900 0 0 0 4
21 357 Stewart Friesen 131 131 -537 $2,750 0 1 1 2
22 19 Tim Fuller 130 130 -538 $2,750 0 1 1 2
23 5 Jason Potter 125 125 -543 $900 0 0 0 4
24 56 Vince Vitale 125 125 -543 $610 0 0 0 3
25 48T Dave Rauscher 119 119 -549 $750 0 0 0 3
26 21 Yan Bussiere 115 115 -553 $1,300 0 0 1 2
27 4 Duane Howard 105 105 -563 $6,000 0 1 1 1
28 79 Mike Storms 102 102 -566 $1,050 0 0 0 3
29 44 Shannon Whaley100 100 -568 $450 0 0 0 3
30 62s Tom Sears Jr. 99 99 -569 $700 0 0 0 3
31 123 Robbie Krull 96 96 -572 $4,000 0 1 1 1
32 22 Mario Clair 93 93 -575 $600 0 0 0 2
33 85 Dan Vauter 89 89 -579 $600 0 0 0 2
34 8 Rob Bellinger 86 86 -582 $600 0 0 0 3
35 21 Derrick Podsiadlo84 84 -584 $600 0 0 0 3
36 89b Todd Burley 80 80 -588 $1,700 0 1 1 1
37 28 Scott Kerwin 76 76 -592 $1,400 0 0 1 1
38 13 Tony Steiner 73 73 -595 $300 0 0 0 1
39 32c Vic Coffey 70 70 -598 $500 0 0 0 1
40 1w Billy Pauch 66 66 -602 $1,400 0 0 1 1
41 17d Danny O’Brien 65 65 -603 $800 0 0 1 1
42 20m Jeff McGinnis 65 65 -603 $800 0 0 1 1
43 88 Steve Hulsizer 65 65 -603 $450 0 0 0 2
44 46 Kayle Robidoux 63 63 -605 $600 0 0 1 1
45 15x Billy Pauch Jr. 63 63 -605 $1,040 0 0 0 1
46 85 Wade Hendrickson62 62 -606 $1,200 0 0 1 1
47 71 David VanHorn Jr 59 59 -609 $1,020 0 0 0 1
48 73 Alain Boisvert 58 58 -610 $400 0 0 0 1
49 26 Rick Richner 58 58 -610 $400 0 0 0 1
50 3 Claude Brouillard 56 56 -612 $350 0 0 0 1
51 93 Rich Vinson 56 56 -612 $350 0 0 0 1
52 M96 Jessica Zemken54 54 -614 $325 0 0 0 1
53 14 Rick Laubach 54 54 -614 $1,000 0 0 0 1
54 91h Chad Homan 53 53 -615 $300 0 0 0 1
55 99 Mike Adderley 52 52 -616 $300 0 0 0 1
56 44v Phil Vigneri 52 52 -616 $300 0 0 0 1
57 2 Michel Dusseault 50 50 -618 $300 0 0 0 1
58 111 Kevin Wills 50 50 -618 $300 0 0 0 1
59 63 Dominic Dufaut 49 49 -619 $300 0 0 0 1
60 90 Scott Parliament48 48 -620 $300 0 0 0 1
61 20R Josh Richards 48 48 -620 $750 0 0 0 1
62 90 Martin Roy 46 46 -622 $300 0 0 0 1
63 115 Stephane LaFrance 46 46 -622 $300 0 0 0 1
64 85 David Langlois 45 45 -623 $300 0 0 0 1
65 24L Carl Labonte 44 44 -624 $300 0 0 0 1
66 19 John Lazore 44 44 -624 $300 0 0 0 1
67 41 Boyd MacTavish44 44 -624 $300 0 0 0 1
68 43 Keith Flach 43 43 -625 $300 0 0 0 2
69 X Chad Phelps 42 42 -626 $300 0 0 0 1
70 39w Steven Downs 42 42 -626 $750 0 0 0 1
71 1 David Hebert 41 41 -627 $300 0 0 0 1
72 35 Adam Moore 41 41 -627 $300 0 0 0 1
73 9 Alex Fortier 40 40 -628 $300 0 0 0 1
74 54 Steve Bernard 40 40 -628 $300 0 0 0 1
75 6G Martin Gagné 40 40 -628 $300 0 0 0 1
76 25 Yannick Ledoux40 40 -628 $300 0 0 0 1
77 4k Jasmine Léveillé 40 40 -628 $300 0 0 0 1
78 23 Dany Bilodeau 40 40 -628 $300 0 0 0 1
79 84L Eric Landry 40 40 -628 $300 0 0 0 1
80 66w Wallace Stacey 40 40 -628 $0 0 0 0 0
81 12c Clayton Benedict40 40 -628 $300 0 0 0 1
82 00 Ryan Poole 40 40 -628 $300 0 0 0 1
83 61 Bryan Rogers 40 40 -628 $300 0 0 0 1
84 96 Kyle Dingwall 40 40 -628 $300 0 0 0 1
85 72 Todd Stewart 40 40 -628 $300 0 0 0 1
86 42 Pete Bicknell 40 40 -628 $300 0 0 0 1
87 80 Chris Steele 40 40 -628 $300 0 0 0 1
88 83 Tim Sears 40 40 -628 $300 0 0 0 1
89 87 Shawn Donath 40 40 -628 $300 0 0 0 1
90 6 Pete Taylor 40 40 -628 $300 0 0 0 1
91 24 Jim Witko Jr. 40 40 -628 $300 0 0 0 1
92 93 Ryan Bartlett 40 40 -628 $300 0 0 0 1
93 43 Jim Horton IV 40 40 -628 $750 0 0 0 1
94 777 Kevin Bolland 40 40 -628 $750 0 0 0 1

Advance Auto Parts DIRTcar Modified Entries – July 11 (39)
CAR# DRIVER / HOMETOWN TEAM (Sponsor / Chassis / Engine)
09 Alex Fortier/Princeville,QUE Holy Tek Canada-Plomberie Parre/Bicknell/Fortier
1 David Hebert/St. Damase,QUE Mazda Drummond-Freightliner Drummond/Bicknell/Finger Lakes
fx1 Frankie Caprara/Watertown,NY F.X. Caprara Car Co.-Auto Value-JK Contracting/Troyer/Dan Bedell
2 Michel Dusseault/Victoriaville,QUE Fondations J.P.-Castrol-NAPA Auto Parts/Troyer/JCE
3 Justin Haers/Phelps,NY Phelps Cement Products-SMV Motorsports-Jeff Jolly Masonry/Bicknell/Finger Lakes
3b Claude Brouillard/Tracy,QUE R.Brouillette Transport-G.A.D. Brouillard/Bicknell/RL Racing Engines
4k Jasmine Leveille/Prevost,QUE Nord Sud Honda-Auto Transit 2-20/Troyer/Ovide Doiron
6g Martin Gagne/Granby,QUE Charland Chevrolet Cadillac-Transport Demers-P&G/Bicknell/Boomer’s Racing
7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY Tallmadge Tire-Swarthout Recycling-Instant Heat Wood Pellets/Troyer/Finger Lakes
8s Christian Salvas/Tracy,QUE Garage Salvas-Petro T-Maxi Sport/Bicknell/Salvas
9s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY Advanced Lubrication Specialties-BPG/Chad Sinon Motorsports/Bicknell/Finger Lakes
19p Michel Pelletier/Ste-Anne de Sorel,QUE Service Routier L.S./Bicknell/RL Racing Engines
20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ Madsen Motorsports-Wentworth Custom Homes-Kruger-WLR/TEO/Enders
21 Yan Bussiere/Drummondville,QUE Bud Light/TEO/RL Racing Engines
22 Mario Clair/St-Edmond,QUE Batiments JDL-Motel Drummond-Freightliner/Bicknell/Morrison
23 Dany Bilodeau/Victoriaville,QUE Entrepot Victo-Stephane Jackson Automobiles/Troyer/RL Racing Engines
24L Carl Labonte/Drummondville,QUE ACN Canada-Dash Racewear/TEO/RL Racing Engines
25 Yannick Ledoux/Granby,QUE Ostiguy & Fils-Freightliner Granby/Bicknell/Clements
27j Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY JIR Motorsports-A&D Structures/Troyer/Morrison
46 Kayle Robidoux/St-Constant,QUE Bert Transmission-Genesis Racing Shocks-Rube Restaurant/Bicknell/Clements
46j Gino Clair/St-Edmond,QUE Bert Transmission-Genesis Racing Shocks-Rube Restaurant/Bicknell/Clements
49 Billy Dunn/Watertown,NY Number One Speed-American Traditions-Fast Lube Watertown/Bicknell/Finger Lakes
54 Steve Bernard/St Paul Abbotsford,QUE Robert Bernard Tire Service-Robert Transport-Burrowes Insurance/Bicknell/AMB
63 Dominic Dufault/Ste-Victoire,QUE Transport Pierco-BL-Les Macineries Tenco/TEO/AMB Performance
66w Wallace Stacey/Kahnawake,QUE Bully’s Truck Stop-CFF,Inc./Bicknell/RL Performance
66x Alan Johnson/Middlesex,NY Bully’s Truck Stop-CFF,Inc./Bicknell/Paul Gavenda
73 Alain Boisvert/Pointe-Claire,QUE ESP St-Pierre Autos Auction-Elegance Autos/Bicknell/AMB Performance
77x Dale Planck/Cortland,NY RezX Racing-Grow It Hydroseeding-Action Race Parts-Teo Fab./TEO/Kevlar
84 Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY Honeoye Auto Parts-Red Parker & Son Excavating/Bicknell/Mastin
84L Eric Landry/Trois-Rivieres,QUE MMS Racing/Bicknell/Pierre Berthiaume
85 David Langlois/St.Philippe,QUE R.Langlois Construction-Como Pizzeria-Soudines LPB/Bicknell/Clements
87 Guy Parenteau/Sorel,QUE Sorel-tracy Ciment-Maxi Sport/Troyer/RL Racing Engines
90 Martin Roy/Napierville,QUE J.E. Fortin Racing-Thermo King-Centre du Camion Gamache/PMC/Clements
91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY Gypsum Wholesalers-Stadium Int’l-Quality Hardwoods/Bicknell/Enders
95 Alex Boisvert/Drummondville,QUE Ferme Des Saules-Boulay & Fils/Troyer/Morrison
97 Michel Chicoine/Ste-Cecile de Milton,QUE GMCI Express-E.Beaudry Enterprises/Bicknell/Enders
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

SKIDMARKS
New Granby Group: Opening under the name Rebel Speedway when owner Marcel Guillemette presented the first car races in 1959, Granby has been promoted by Northeast Modified Hall of Fame driver Bob Gatien since his original business partners became landlords in the summer of 1985. A change in ownership in the recent off-season puts Francois Hoole, Patrice Hoole and Donald Fontaine at the head of the group with recognized figurehead Gatien still listed as track promoter. Erick Baker serves as Race Director and Josee Poisson is the Public Relations Director working the mouse with Webaster and track photographer Sylvain Buisson. On race day, Bruno Lacroix is the head flagger, Yuan Lacroix and Alain Piuin head the inspection team, Johanne Therrien, Marie-Andre Hubert and Jonathan Hoole anchor the seasoned squad of scorers, and Jean-Luc Therrien runs the AMB Timing & Scoring System. Granby ran its first Advance Series show in 1989, two years after gaining DIRTcar membership, and the ’08 edition marked the 20th Big-Block tour event. Fans have enjoyed full seasons of car racing since ’86 with Gatien responsible for making Granby one of the first speedways to have a tunnel under the track, use an authentic “Modified” as a pace car and a construct an ultra-modern all-in-one scoreboard on the back stretch.

Talented Trio Making Tracks: For decades the DIRTcar NorthEast circuit has showcased the exploits of Big-Block Modified veterans like Brett Hearn and Billy Decker and the brothers Johnson, Alan and Danny. Currently making their way towards the front of the pack are open-wheel upstarts Billy Dunn, Frankie Caprara and Ryan Phelps — three of the young guns quickly rising to the top in the Advance Auto Parts Series during 2008. “We finally got our motor back and hopefully that will make a big difference,” said Dunn, 24, who finished sixth at Brockville on Thursday and followed up with seventh-place at Granby after leading the first 39 laps. “Up until now we’ve had a lot of little things go wrong almost every time out. This trip is tough for guys that don’t bring two cars along but we still have one waiting home as a back-up. We’ll decide later depending on which motor is running better at the time.” Caprara posted his first top-five finish of the season at Brockville and settled for ninth Friday at Granby. “We ran really good and things finally seemed to click at Brockville, just like I always knew they would,” said Caprara, 22, who climbed as high as third at Granby before holding on for a top-10 tally in the Quebec lid-lifter. “Our confidence is definitely growing, if we can just keep turning in more good runs we’ll be okay. I think we’re getting closer to a win, its just a matter of everything coming together at the same time. We certainly have the equipment to get the job done and everybody has a great attitude going from race to race.” Phelps had his third top-10 tour finish locked up at Brockville until mistakenly moving over when the passing flag was displayed for the lapped car of Larry Wight with just two laps to go. “I’m big on keeping track of all the stats and not getting into the top-10 really upset me at BOS,” admitted Phelps, 24, who also completed all 100 laps at Granby to finish 15th in the final rundown. “We had a lot of success and were very competitive at the end of last season so this year we want to step up the program and maybe make a name for ourselves. Getting our feet wet last year was good as now we can follow it up with a full year under our belts. Our ultimate goal is to win a series race but that’s not really any kind of expectation at this point. Maybe get some top-fives and be around the top-10 in points would be nice but again being competitive is what we’re after when you run against this caliber of driver.”

French Connection: The annual trek to the province of Quebec always means a host of new teams in competition attempting to qualifier when the big Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series comes to town. On Friday at Granby, half the 39-car field was made up of track regulars with just about all of those signed up for their first tour event this year. Autodrome Drummond Promoter/racer Yan Bussiere was the highest finishing Small-Block pilot, earning a guaranteed starting position in the 358-Modified Championship during Super DIRT Week at Syracuse in autumn on October 11. Kayle Robidoux (10th), Alain Boisvert (12th), Claude Brouillard (13th), Michel Dusseault (16th), Dominic Dufault (17th), Martin Roy (18th) and David Langlois (19th) put in impressive performances, completing the entire century grind to the local fans’ delight.

Super Southern Swing: The inaugural ‘Super Southern Swing’ kicks off at Grandview Speedway in Bechtelsville, Pennsylvania on Wednesday, July 16 and concludes with the first-ever tour appearance at Georgetown Speedway in Delaware on Thursday, July 17, with the DIRTcar doubleheader pre-race roster already swelling to well over 40 race teams. Along with current Advance Series point leader Billy Decker, all-time tour winner Brett Hearn and all-time DIRTcar Big-Block Modified feature winner Alan Johnson, The all-star cast of cars and stars from the Northeastern Modified ranks also includes ’07 Grandview titlist Jeff Strunk and reigning Georgetown points king Ryan Godown plus season-opening Florida DIRTcar Nationals winners Billy Pauch and Jimmy Horton, along with their sons Billy Jr. and Jimmy IV. Top ‘08 tour point-getters Danny Johnson, Dale Planck, Jimmy Phelps, Matt Sheppard, Gary Tomkins, Justin Haers and Steve Paine will all be in competition, battling for bragging rights against such interstate pilots Frank Cozze, Duane Howard, Craig VonDohren, Rick Laubach, Steve Bottcher, Keith Hoffman and Kenny Brightbill from Pennsylvania and Delaware drivers Jamie Mills, Chad James, Steve Downs, Tim Millman and upstarts Jordan and Joseph Watson.

POT HOLES: Dale Planck’s heat race win streak finally ended at six with a second-place finish all he could muster after starting at the back of his qualifier. Billy Decker super string of three straight Series wins was also thwarted although he won his qualifying heat to tack on another five bonus points to maintain a stronghold in the tour standings…..Danny Johnson opened the Canadian Tour at Brockville in the JIR Motorsports no. 27J entry before “unforeseen mechanical issues” forced the Rochester, New York star to climb aboard owner Jeff Isabell’s no. 7 Troyer mount for the feature. Bad luck stayed with him as he came to a stop on the frontstretch midway through suffering stripped rear-end gears. Front end failure sent him slamming into the turn one wall at Granby with just 34 laps on the scoreboard…..1996 & ’97 Granby Big-Block points champion Steve Paine logged his 15th Integra Shocks Fast Time Award but his pre-race heat selection of “3” put him inside row two to start the qualifying round. “Don’t think I’ve ever seen this track so fast. The car feels good so hopefully we can keep the pace and finish up front here.” ….For the second straight night, Alan Johnson drove Wallace Stacey’s no. 66 Bicknell machine while Stacey loaned his own car to local runner Dany Bilodeau to start the main.

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
Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series teams remained in the area preparing for the second leg of the ‘Great Canadian Tour’ to be held the next night an hour away at Autodrome Drummond before concluding the annual swing on Sunday at Cornwall Motor Speedway in Ontario.

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 Drummondville,QUE
Sun-Jul 13 Cornwall Motor Speedway Cornwall,ONT
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 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.