Georgetown, DE — July 17, 2008 – By Tom Skibinski, Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series PR Director
*Derak Covey Photo
Team work was evident from day one and when the checkered flag flew to end the inaugural Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series event Thursday night at Georgetown Speedway, it was a pair of home track heroes taking center stage to carry the concept full circle in one of the most successful tour events of the season.
Just one month earlier, track promoter Jay James and DIRTcar Racing NorthEast Director of Competition & Track Sanctioning Cory Reed ironed out a plan to put Georgetown back on the map with a grand re-opening featuring a full card of Big-Block Modified racing. The much anticipated Advance Series event came to a dramatic conclusion with H.J. Bunting III pulling into victory lane for the first time ever in tour competition steering the car owned by runner-up Jamie Mills.
“I thought it was a bigger money maker if I let him win and hang on for second,” joked Mills, 37, who steered the Colbourne Farms no. 55 Mills Market-Covey’s Car Care/Bicknell entry to a second-place finish behind his own no. 30 I.G.Burton Car Dealership-ReMax Realtor-L&W Ins./Bicknell machine. A 15-time winner on the DIRTcar NorthEast Big-Block Modified circuit, victory in the ‘Super Southern 75’ was his first in the Advance Series be it as a car owner. “Tonight we had the best man in the car to get the job done, he’s one heck of a driver.”
A capacity crowd cheered on their local favorites from Milford, Delaware at the rejuvenated Georgetown oval, with third-place runner Jimmy Phelps finishing best from the all-star group of Advance Auto Parts Series regulars making their maiden tour stop at the track which first opened in 1949. New York invader Dale Planck and Pennsylvanian Rick Laubach filled out the front-five with Advance Series points leader Billy Decker crossing the line ninth in the 75-lap finale.
Decker opened the show by touring the fast half-miler in a time of 20.290 sec. (88.714 mph), which is automatically the new standard for the Advance Auto Parts Series in its first ever appearance at Georgetown. Bunting stopped the clocks second quickest while Mills was fifth best in their quest for the Integra Shocks Fast Time Award.
Mills proceeded to win his heat with Bunting second in his own 10-lap qualifier, and when it came time to draw for feature race starting positions, Mills grabbed the pole while Bunting settled for the number three slot.
Mills wasted little moving ahead of the scheduled 31-car starting field with Bunting, Brett Hearn, Laubach and Jimmy Phelps settling in line further back. It took the high-flying leaders just nine laps to catch the back of the back and Bunting needed only two more circuits to sweep around Mills as they battled side-by-side exiting turn three.
New Jersey pilot Wade Hendrickson drew the first of four yellow flags on lap 18 as he got caught down low in turn four and sheered off the left-front wheel before his J&M Roofing & Building no. 85 Art Collins Trucking-Marine Stables/TEO mount came to a rest. Less than 10 laps later the second caution period arrived when Steve Downs looped by himself as the field scattered around his car that rested inside turn three.
With a quarter of the race in the books, Phelps had methodically worked his way into third position ahead of Laubach and Hearn while Planck, Matt Sheppard, ’07 Georgetown points champion Ryan Godown, Billy Pauch and Larry Wight setted into the top-10.
Back under green, Bunting stretched his advantage to a half-dozen car-lengths with the order of his nearest chasers staying intact further back. Tour regular Billy Dunn slipped off the track high in turns one/two to abruptly end his night with 47 laps scored, while 16 cars remained on the lead lap as still a third of the race needed to be completed.
Teenage sensation Larry Wight end up spinning sideways down the front chute to incur the final slowdown on lap 51, and when action resumed Planck dove under Laubach to grab fourth and Godown followed through the same hole to establish a new top-five. Only 14 cars remained on the lead lap through 70 circuits and when the checkered flag finally flew five laps later Bunting had disposed of late arrival Ryan Watt to put an exclamation point on the most defining performance of the day.
“This has been a great week, just about as good as it gets,” beamed Bunting, 38, on the heels of his third straight feature win in just over a week. He captured the annual Camp Barnes race at nearby Delaware Int’l Speedway on July 9 and won a regular show at DIS the following Saturday before posting his first-ever Big-Block win on Georgetown soil. He earned a Small-Block win there in 1993.
“I never turned a lap in this car until I got behind the wheel today, fortunately things worked in our favor all day. It’s a lot easier sometimes when you’re running second, the leader can’t always see what’s behind him. When I got right beside him in traffic I figured I give it a try, either be a hero or zero. Jamie caught me sleeping near the end and caused me to wake up at the end. The track was a little choppy in the corners but you could still race just about anywhere you wanted. We don’t get to do many 75 lappers, so I’m about done with these long races for now,” Bunting added.
Following a gruelling agenda of six Advance Series races scheduled in eight days, top travelers take two weeks off before returning to mid-week action at Orange County Fair Speedway to close out the month on Thursday, July 31.
Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series Race #11 – Georgetown Speedway, July 17, 2008 ‘Super Southern 75’ Big-Block Modified Event Summary
FIN STR CAR# DRIVER
1 3 30 H.J. Bunting III/Milford,DE($6,000)
2 1 55 Jamie Mills/Milford,DE
3 5 98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY
4 6 77x Dale Planck/Cortland,NY
5 4 14 Rick Laubach/Quakertown,PA
6 18 1 Billy Pauch/Frenchtown,NJ
7 7 9s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY
8 2 20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ
9 17 91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY
10 16 84 Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY
11 10 fx1 Frankie Caprara/Watertown,NY
12 13 71 Jimmy Horton/Neshanic Station,NJ
13 15 99 Ryan Phelps/Fulton,NY
14 14 14w Ryan Watt/Boyertown,PA
15 11 26 Ryan Godown/Ringoes,NJ
16 26 69 Ricky Johnson/Delmar,DE
17 19 8 Rich Scagliotta/Bound Brook,NJ
18 *29 27j Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY
19 8 99L Larry Wight/Phoenix,NY®
20 23 49 Billy Dunn/Watertown,NY
21 21 62 Matt Jester/Lincoln,DE
22 22 28 Richie Pratt Jr./Woodbury Hts,NJ
23 25 39w Steve Downs/Georgetown,DE
24 24 56 Tim Milliman/Milton,DE
25 20 15 Billy Pauch Jr./Frenchtown,NJ
26 12 85 Wade Hendrickson/Lawrenceville,NJ
27 30 7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY
28 28 79 Mike Storms/Wantage,NJ®
29 9 19 Kenny Brightbill/Sinking Spring,PA
DNS 27 7a Chic Cossaboone/Petersburg,NJ
DNS 31 29 Jeff Brownell Jr./Waterloo,NY
*Johnson started in rear with #7J team car.
DID NOT QUALIFY(10)
6-Mike McAleer/Tabernacle,NJ
9-Jeff Brown/Parsonsburg,MD
9t-Brad Trice/Parsonsburg,MD
11-Scott Armbruster/Monroeville,NJ
27-Chad James/Laurel,DE
35-Glenn Reed/Milton,DE
43-Jimmy Horton IV/Neshanic Station,NJ
47-Bob Sarkisian/Woolwich,NJ
101-Colby Steele/Georgetown,DE
888-Robert Dutton/Milford,DE
EVENT SUMMARY:
LAP LEADERS: Mills (1-10), Bunting (11-75).
CAUTIONS: 4 (lap 18, lap 25, lap 48, lap 51).
HEAT WINNERS: Mills, Caprara, J.Phelps, Hearn.
DIG SAFELY NEW YORK LAST CHANCE RACE WINNERS: Jester, Pratt.
$500 CASH DASH: Caprara, Hearn, J.Phelps, Mills.
BICKNELL RACING PRODUCTS WINNER AWARD: H.J. Bunting III.
CRANE CAMS WINNER AWARD: H.J. Bunting III.
RISLONE OIL STABILIZER & TREATMENT WINNER AWARD: H.J. Bunting III.
BARS LEAKS RUNNER-UP AWARD: Jamie Mills.
CRANE CAMS RUNNER-UP AWARD: Jamie Mills.
SYRACUSE RITE AID 200 QUALIFIER: H.J. Bunting III.
HALFWAY LEADER: H.J. Bunting III.
BERT/KSE RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER AWARD: Billy Pauch.
HOLLEY HARD LUCK AWARD: Steve Paine.
PENSKE POWER POSITION AWARD (17th): Rich Scagliotta.
INTEGRA SHOCKS FAST TIME AWARD: Billy Decker (20.290sec/88.714mph) *NEW TRACK RECORD.
TOTAL PURSE: $27,575.
CARS ENTERED: 41.
NEXT EVENT: Orange County Fair Speedway – July 31, 2008.
QUALIFYING
FAST AVE
TIME MPH CAR# DRIVER
*1 20.290 88.714 91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY
*$100 Integra Shocks Fast Qualifier Award
2 20.472 87.925 30 H.J. Bunting III/Milford,DE
3 20.686 87.015 99 Ryan Phelps/Fulton,NY
4 20.832 86.406 14 Rick Laubach/Quakertown,PA
5 20.851 86.327 55 Jamie Mills/Milford,DE
6 20.869 86.252 fx1 Frankie Caprara/Watertown,NY
7 20.877 86.219 98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY
8 20.897 86.137 20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ
9 20.903 86.112 71 Jimmy Horton/Neshanic Station,NJ
10 20.925 86.022 85 Wade Hendrickson/Lawrenceville,NJ
11 21.007 85.686 7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY
12 21.041 85.547 9s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY
13 21.062 85.462 77x Dale Planck/Cortland,NY
14 21.078 85.397 62 Matt Jester/Lincoln,DE
15 21.096 85.324 26 Ryan Godown/Ringoes,NJ
16 21.111 85.264 84 Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY
17 21.137 85.159 27j Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY
18 21.194 84.930 14w Ryan Watt/Boyertown,PA
19 21.214 84.850 19 Kenny Brightbill/Sinking Spring,PA
20 21.233 84.774 15 Billy Pauch Jr./Frenchtown,NJ
21 21.239 84.750 99L Larry Wight/Phoenix,NY®
22 21.282 84.579 43 Jim Horton IV/Neshanic Station,NJ
23 21.287 84.559 8 Rich Scagliotta/Bound Brook,NJ
24 21.288 84.555 29 Jeff Brownell Jr./Waterloo,NY
25 21.391 84.148 27 Chad James/Laurel,DE
26 21.455 83.897 1 Billy Pauch/Frenchtown,NJ
27 21.456 83.893 9t Brad Trice/Parsonsburg,MD
28 21.495 83.740 79 Mike Storms/Wantage,NJ®
29 21.578 83.418 49 Billy Dunn/Watertown,NY
30 21.744 82.781 7a Chic Cossaboone/Petersburg,NJ
31 21.890 82.229 11 Scott Armbruster/Monroeville,NJ
32 21.894 82.214 56 Tim Milliman/Milton,DE
33 22.082 81.514 6 Mike McAleer/Tabernacle,NJ
34 22.095 81.466 35 Glenn Reed/Milton,DE
35 22.106 81.426 69 Ricky Johnson/Delmar,DE
36 22.134 81.323 28 Richie Pratt Jr./Woodbury Hts,NJ
37 22.177 81.165 101 Colby Steele/Georgetown,DE
38 22.538 79.865 39w Steve Downs/Georgetown,DE
39 22.552 79.816 47 Bob Sarkisian/Woolwich,NJ
40 22.803 78.937 888 Robert Dutton/Milford,DE
41 22.861 78.737 9 Jeff Brown/Parsonsburg,MD
*NEW TRACK RECORD
Heat Races (10 laps, top 5 finishers transferred to feature, top 3 went to re-draw)
#1: Mills, Planck, Wight, Horton, Decker, James, Dunn, D.Johnson, Steele, McAleer, Brown (DNS).
#2: Caprara, Bunting, Hendrickson, Watt, Pauch Sr., Jester, Cossaboone, Downs, Reed, Horton IV.
#3: J.Phelps, Godown, Brightbill, R.Phelps, Scagliotta, R.Johnson, Trice, Paine, Armbruster, Sarkisian.
#4: Hearn, Sheppard, Laubach, Tomkins, Pauch Jr., Brownell, Pratt, Milliman, Storms, Dutton.
Dig Safely New York Last Chance Races (top 4 finishers transferred to feature)
#1 (10 laps): Jester, Dunn, Downs, Cossaboone, James, Steele, D.Johnson, Reed (DNS), McAleer (DNS), Horton IV (DNS), Brown (DNS).
#2 (8 laps): Pratt, Milliman, R.Johnson, Storms, Brownell (DNS), Trice (DNS), Paine (DNS), Armbruster (DNS), Sarkisian (DNS), Dutton (DNS).
Guaranteed: D.Johnson, Paine.
Provisional: Brownell.
Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series Point Standings (Through July 17, 2008)
Rank No. Driver Total SeriesDiff Money Wins Top-5 Top-10 Starts
1 91 Billy Decker 946 946 0 $37,700 5 8 11 11
2 20 Brett Hearn 833 833 -113 $20,800 1 7 10 11
3 77x Dale Planck 809 809 -137 $25,475 3 6 8 11
4 98h Jimmy Phelps 782 782 -164 $19,000 0 4 9 11
5 9s Matt Sheppard 733 733 -213 $18,400 1 2 7 11
6 84 Gary Tomkins 721 721 -225 $11,300 0 3 10 11
7 7x Steve Paine 667 667 -279 $11,875 0 4 5 11
8 FX1 Frankie Caprara650 650 -296 $8,000 0 1 6 11
9 27J Danny Johnson 640 640 -306 $12,625 0 3 4 11
10 3 Justin Haers 590 590 -356 $6,950 0 1 6 10
11 99 Ryan Phelps 589 589 -357 $5,350 0 0 2 11
12 14J Alan Johnson 576 576 -370 $7,950 0 1 4 10
13 49 Billy Dunn 549 549 -397 $5,775 0 0 2 11
14 99L Larry Wight 473 473 -473 $4,300 0 0 1 11
15 6 Pat O’Brien 299 299 -647 $2,960 0 0 1 7
16 29 Jeff Brownell Jr 298 298 -648 $2,000 0 0 0 7
17 42B Kevin Bates 220 220 -726 $1,950 0 0 0 6
18 14 Rich Laubach 216 216 -730 $4,400 0 2 2 3
19 4 Duane Howard 198 198 -748 $8,500 0 2 2 2
20 79 Mike Storms 184 184 -762 $1,650 0 0 0 5
21 21 Yan Bussiere 161 161 -785 $1,600 0 0 1 3
22 1w Billy Pauch 152 152 -794 $2,800 0 0 2 2
23 22 Mario Clair 152 152 -794 $1,000 0 0 0 3
24 99b Chuck Bower 140 140 -806 $900 0 0 0 4
25 11j Sean Beardsley 139 139 -807 $900 0 0 0 4
26 16 Mike Bowman 135 135 -811 $900 0 0 0 4
27 357 Stewart Friesen 131 131 -815 $2,750 0 1 1 2
28 19 Tim Fuller 130 130 -816 $2,750 0 1 1 2
29 46 Kayle Robidoux 125 125 -821 $1,200 0 0 2 2
30 56 Vince Vitale 125 125 -821 $610 0 0 0 3
31 5 Jason Potter 125 125 -821 $900 0 0 0 4
32 48T Dave Rauscher 119 119 -827 $750 0 0 0 3
33 HR2 Jimmy Horton 111 111 -835 $700 0 0 0 2
34 14w Ryan Watt 111 111 -835 $675 0 0 0 2
35 19 Kenny Brightbill 111 111 -835 $1,100 0 0 1 2
36 30 Jamie Mills 110 110 -836 $4,000 0 1 1 1
37 30 H.J. Bunting III 103 103 -843 $6,000 1 1 1 1
38 15x Billy Pauch Jr. 103 103 -843 $1,340 0 0 0 2
39 85 Wade Hendrickson 103 103 -843 $1,500 0 0 1 2
40 44 Shannon Whaley100 100 -846 $450 0 0 0 3
41 62s Tom Sears Jr. 99 99 -847 $700 0 0 0 3
42 26 Ryan Godown 98 98 -848 $600 0 0 0 2
43 3 Claude Brouillard 98 98 -848 $650 0 0 0 2
44 126 Jeff Strunk 96 96 -850 $4,000 0 1 1 1
45 23 Dany Bilodeau 96 96 -850 $650 0 0 0 2
46 123 Robbie Krull 96 96 -850 $4,000 0 1 1 1
47 43 Jimmy Horton IV 90 90 -856 $1,050 0 0 0 2
48 2 Michel Dussault 90 90 -856 $600 0 0 0 2
49 85 Dan Vauter 89 89 -857 $600 0 0 0 2
50 1 David Hebert 88 88 -858 $600 0 0 0 2
51 8 Rob Bellinger 86 86 -860 $600 0 0 0 3
52 24L Carl Labonte 84 84 -862 $600 0 0 0 2
53 21 Derrick Podsiadlo 84 84 -862 $600 0 0 0 3
54 39w Steven Downs 83 83 -863 $1,050 0 0 0 2
55 54 Steve Bernard 81 81 -865 $600 0 0 0 2
56 6G Martin Gagné 81 81 -865 $600 0 0 0 2
57 84L Eric Landry 80 80 -866 $600 0 0 0 2
58 66w Wallace Stacey 80 80 -866 $300 0 0 0 1
59 89b Todd Burley 80 80 -866 $1,700 0 1 1 1
60 28 Scott Kerwin 76 76 -870 $1,400 0 0 1 1
61 13 Tony Steiner 73 73 -873 $300 0 0 0 1
62 32c Vic Coffey 70 70 -876 $500 0 0 0 1
63 1c Craig VonDohren 68 68 -878 $1,000 0 0 1 1
64 88 Steve Hulsizer 65 65 -881 $450 0 0 0 2
65 20m Jeff McGinnis 65 65 -881 $800 0 0 1 1
66 17d Danny O’Brien 65 65 -881 $800 0 0 1 1
67 97 Michel Chicoine 60 60 -886 $300 0 0 0 1
68 63 Dominic Dufaut 59 59 -887 $300 0 0 0 1
69 71 David VanHorn Jr. 59 59 -887 $1,020 0 0 0 1
70 8 Rich Scagliotta 58 58 -888 $300 0 0 0 1
71 26 Rick Richner 58 58 -888 $400 0 0 0 1
72 73 Alain Boisvert 58 58 -888 $400 0 0 0 1
73 95 Alex Boisvert 56 56 -890 $300 0 0 0 1
74 93 Richie Vinson 56 56 -890 $350 0 0 0 1
75 M96 Jessica Zemken 54 54 -892 $325 0 0 0 1
Advance Auto Parts DIRTcar Modified Entries – July 17 (41)
CAR# DRIVER / HOMETOWN TEAM (Sponsor / Chassis / Engine)
1 Billy Pauch/Frenchtown,NJ K&A Excavating Contractors-Pioneer Pole Buildings-Greenfield Dodge/Bicknell/Morrison
fx1 Frankie Caprara/Watertown,NY F.X. Caprara Car Co.-Auto Value-JK Contracting/Troyer/Dan Bedell
6 Mike McAleer/Tabernacle,NJ C&S Equipment-Pondish & Sons Excavating/Dirt Wheels/H&G Associates
7a Chic Cossaboone/Petersburg,NJ Tuckahoe Turf Farms/Bicknell/Enders
7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY Tallmadge Tire-Swarthout Recycling-Instant Heat Wood Pellets/Troyer/Finger Lakes
8 Rich Scagliotta/Bound Brook,NJ Central Jersey Trailer & Hitch Depot-Adamsville Maintenance/Troyer/Feil
9 Jeff Brown/Parsonsburg,MD Chesapeake Paving/Bicknell/Enders
9s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY Advanced Lubrication Specialties-BPG/Chad Sinon Motorsports/Bicknell/Finger Lakes
9t Brad Trice/Parsonsburg,MD Chesapeake Paving/Bicknell/Enders
11 Scott Armbruster/Monroeville,NJ Excel Hydraulics-Night of Terror Haunted Hayride/Troyer/Cunningham Competition
14 Rick Laubach/Quakertown,PA Jerry Simons Builder-Alpha Mills-Reiley & Sterner Auto Sales/TEO/Enders
14w Ryan Watt/Boyertown,PA BPG Racing-Penske Shocks-Mavericks Motorcycle Club-Alex’s Lemonade/TEO/Feil
15 Billy Pauch Jr./Frenchtown,NJ Carefree Bus Tours-Tabloid Graphics/Bicknell/Precision
19 Kenny Brightbill/Sinking Spring,PA BPG Racing-Heavy Business/TEO/HG Associates
20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ Madsen Motorsports-Wentworth Custom Homes-Kruger-WLR/TEO/Enders
26 Ryan Godown/Ringoes,NJ Stanton Hills Landscaping/Bicknell/Feil
27 Chad James/Laurel,DE Gene’s Body-Rita’s Italian Ice-Planned Poultry Renovations/TEO/Morrison
27j Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY JIR Motorsports-A&D Structures/Troyer/Morrison
28 Richie Pratt Jr./Woodbury Hts,NJ South Jersey Racing Products(SJRP)/Bicknell/Dan Denny(DDE)
29 Jeff Brownell Jr./Waterloo,NY Advanced Lubrication Specialties-Seneca Auto Sales/Bicknell/Finger Lakes
30 H.J. Bunting III/Milford,DE I.G.Burton Car Dealership-ReMax Realtor-L&W Ins./Bicknell/Dan Denny(DDE)
35 Glenn Reed/Milton,DE Boozer’s Excavation/TEO/Morrison
39w Steve Downs/Georgetown,DE Wood’s General Contracting-Christian Bros. Concrete/Bicknell/Precision
43 Jim Horton IV/Neshanic Station,NJ Supreme Manufacturing-Metal Fab Pro Race Shop-Penske Shocks/TEO/Feil
47 Bob Sarkisian/Woolwich,NJ Superior Scaffolding-Larkin’s Automotive/TEO/Larkin
49 Billy Dunn/Watertown,NY Number One Speed-American Traditions-Fast Lube Watertown/Bicknell/Finger Lakes
55 Jamie Mills/Milford,DE Coulbourne Farms-Mills Market-Covey’s Car Care/Bicknell/DDE(Dan Denny)
56 Tim Milliman/Milton,DE J&M Builders-Duke’s Lumber Company/TEO/Medford
62 Matt Jester/Lincoln,DE Clearview Farms-Smith Concrete/TEO/Feil
69 Ricky Johnson/Delmar,DE Johnson’s Exhaust Center/TEO/Morrison
71 Jimmy Horton/Neshanic Station,NJ Chapman Auto Group-Pat’s Steaks of South Philly-Penske/TEO/Wide Open Tech
77x Dale Planck/Cortland,NY RezX Racing-Grow It Hydroseeding-Action Race Parts-Teo Fab./TEO/Kevlar
79 Mike Storms/Wantage,NJ® Mike Sparta Trucking-Skyline Construction-Four Star Transmissions/TEO/Morrison
84 Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY Honeoye Auto Parts-Red Parker & Son Excavating/Bicknell/Mastin
85 Wade Hendrickson/Lawrenceville,NJ J&M Roofing & Building-Art Collins Trucking-Marine Stables/TEO/Finger Lakes
91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY Gypsum Wholesalers-Stadium Int’l-Quality Hardwoods/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
101 Colby Steele/Georgetown,DE Steele Racing/Speed Palace/Steele
888 Robert Dutton/Milford,DE Johnson’s Body Shop/Bicknell/Dutton
SKIDMARKS
Dream Date For Godown: 2007 Georgetown Modified points champion Ryan Godown couldn’t believe it when he found out in June that his former stomping grounds was going to be part of the Advance Series this season in just another month. “It was really a dream come true to have the track re-open with such a big event as I’ve always done good there and could now get another shot at the top drivers,” said Godown, who almost missed the special Thursday show after a wreck the previous night at Grandview Speedway forced crew members to work around the clock replacing a broken left rear tube and front axle. “I’ve had a lot of bad luck so hopefully a solid top-5 finish will help put it all behind. This is a great track to have a show like this, it usually stays the same from the beginning of the feature to the end. Fast and smooth is what this place was all about last season and I can’t wait to get back,” Godown added before the race.
Track Knowledge: Tough enough that Billy Decker and Brett Hearn lead the Advance Series point standings, the formidable duo —along with Danny Johnson and Matt Sheppard— were among the only regular tour travelers to hold previous experience at Georgetown going into the Super Southern showdown in Delaware. Hearn even scored a pair of Modified victories at Georgetown in 1981 and 1988 while two top-five tallies were recorded by Decker in the late model ranks during the 2007 campaign. “The track looks a little narrow for its size but I know its still fast,” said Hearn, as he took his first look at the spacious half-miler prior to post time. Noted Decker upon arrival, “There’s nothing you can really carry over from the late model to Modified out there, I don’t even think the surface was prepared the same for this race. Hopefully, it will stay smooth all night.” Johnson finished 11th in the same 50-lap Fall Championship that Hearn won in November of ’81. “We ran New Egypt last season and there were a lot of rain-outs early on,” Sheppard recalled about his Georgetown debut in ‘07. “It was a last minute thing with Randy (Ross, former car owner) and we got there late, missed the heat and started last. A car flew over me in the feature and we finished fifth but hadn’t been back since.”
James Digs Deep: Since the news was officially released on June 12 stating that Georgetown Speedway would be back in business for a possible two-race deal beginning with an Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series event in just over a month, Jay James has been working non-stop ever since. The nights leading up to the ’08 grand-opening James’ track crew was up burning the midnight oil digging, watering and repacking the Georgetown oval in preparation for Thursday’s big event. “The past couple weeks we’ve been on the grounds every day gearing up for this show,” said James, who also owns Bridgeport (NJ) Speedway which races every Saturday night. “There’s been a lot of interest and a great amount of support from the community so far. I’m thinking about 45-50 cars and I’d be happy with 2,000 people in the stands.” The car count reached 41 and it was SRO boasting more than 3,000 in attendance on the other side of the fence. Round two for James is expected to fall around Labor Day with a return appearance by the mighty Big-Block Modifieds.
Part-Time Public Address: DIRTcar Racing NorthEast public relations officer Danny Kapuscinski was summoned into action during the recent ‘Super Southern Swing’ and filled in for familiar voice of the Advance Auto Parts Series Shane Andrews without missing a beat. “I’m pretty much an asphalt guy but I’ve followed dirt racing just as long,” said Kapuscinski, 23, a recent St. John Fisher College graduate with a major in communications & journalism. His father, Mike Kapuscinski, worked with Howard Conkey at Show Car Engineering in Waterloo, New York, in those days hand-painting the cars driven by DIRTcar veterans Alan Johnson and Pat Ward. The elder Kapuscinski also painted the Hardee’s no 28 Modified that Cup chauffeur Cale Yarborough once drove in specials on the Central New York DIRTcar circuit in the 1980s. Danny K. owns a unique place in the Oswego Speedway record book as he is the only driver to compete in Supermodified, Limited Supermodified and Super Stock divisions at the famous Port City oval. “I knew Joe Marotta from racing at Oswego and I even announced for the first time at the dirt track in Cayuga County. Right now working at the DIRTcar NorthEast office keeps me in tune with everything that’s going on.”
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 EVENT
The mighty Big-Block Modified contingent is homeward bound with the next Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series event scheduled at Orange County Fair Speedway on July 31 to close out the tour’s first full month of short-track competition.
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 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 17 Cornwall Motor Speedway Cornwall,ONT
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.
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.
