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Decker Explodes In Advance Series Blow Out At Ransomville

Decker_Winner_WEB

Ransomville, NYJuly 3, 2008 – By Tom Skibinski, Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series PR Director
 *Alex Bruce Photo

The Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series had been off for the past month, the same amount of time between wins for Billy Decker as he scored his second straight tour triumph Thursday night at Ransomville Speedway in the ‘Firecracker 100′
presented by CWM Chemical Services and Pete Cosco Haulage Ltd.

Click to listen to first place Billy Decker, second place Robbie Krull, and third place finisher Alan Johnson

The Unadilla, New York Big-Block Modified driver authored a rare ‘Triple Decker’ as he posted his first Integra Shocks Fast Time of the season and copped his second qualifying heat race win en route to a third Advance Series victory to break an early-season dead-lock in the standings through six races.

“(Car) was just awesome tonight, I can’t thank LJL Racing and Gypsum Wholesalers enough,” recited Decker, 43, after more than mirroring his masterful performance given on June 7 at Fulton Speedway where he led the entire main event that was pushed to 101 laps due to a late race caution. It took the ‘Franklin Flyer’ a dozen circuits to overtake front row partner Robbie Krull and cruise home for his 42nd career Advance Auto Parts Series win. More impressive was his third victory at Ransomville in the past five tour attempts on the ridge, with runner-up and third-place finishes filling the gaps.

“We were sore when this race was taken off the Series schedule (2005) because we really enjoy coming here and I hope the fans enjoy having us just as much. This is Scott’s (Jeffery, crew chief) hometown and we have a lot of fun coming back here to Ransomville. The last couple years things have been going good, all the guys work really hard. I’m lucky to be a part of this program and to have this opportunity, we’re got great stuff and we should win,” stated a confident Decker, who extended his stronghold as DIRTcar Racing NorthEast’s winningest Big-Block Modified driver this season with 13 feature victories.

Decker collected the $6,000 top prize 15 car-lengths ahead of Ransomville regular Krull, six-time Ransomville Series race winner Alan Johnson, third-generation Canadian standout Stewart Friesen and current track 358-Modified points leader Todd Burley. Krull’s runner-up tally also earned him preferred 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.

Already logging an all-time Advance Series second-best total of 32 Integra Shocks time trial awards, Decker covered the 50 year-old 3/8-miler in a time of 16.351 sec. (82.564 mph), shattering the former track tour mark of 16.469 seconds set by Tim McCreadie on July 6, 2004. Decker was the ninth car to turn the clocks in the field of 42 open-wheel entries before selecting number one in the customary pre-race draw to join outside pole-sitter Krull on the front row to start the 100-lap main event.

With outside the preferred lane early on, Krull drove around Decker as soon as the initial green flag flew, leaving Brett Hearn and Friesen in their shadows as the 30-car starting field strung out. In pursuit of a successful defense in the CWM Chemicals-Cosco Haulage headliner, Danny Johnson attracted just as much attention as the leaders, manhandling his way from 21st into a top-10 slot with just 10 laps complete.

Thirteen was lucky for Decker as he pulled a pick-and-roll around Big-Block rookie racer Anthony Steiner that same lap, leaving Krull sandwiched behind in lapped car traffic as the lead pair exited turn three. The first yellow flag unfurled three laps later when opening round Advance Series race winner Matt Sheppard looped his Brownell Racing no. 9s Advanced Lubrication Specialtiess/Bicknell mount high in turn one to send the nearest trailers scattering. At the quarter mark, Decker had established a commanding straightaway advantage over Krull with Friesen, Hearn and Dale Planck riding in the front five as Danny Johnson continued his charge into sixth position aboard the potent JIR Motorsports no. 27J A&D Structures/Troyer entry.

Advance Series mainstay Kevin Bates suffered a flat left-rear tire on lap 30 to incur a second slowdown and on the ensuing restart Krull and rookie traveler Larry Wight made contact between turns three and four to require another yellow. Planck’s RezX Racing no. 77x Grow It Hydroseeding/TEO machine suddenly came to rest in turn three and was towed pitside for the remainder to relinquish his share of the tour points lead with Decker for the time being.

Danny Johnson sewed up the Holley Hard Luck award when he lost a left-rear wheel exiting turn two while holding down fifth position and looking to improve with 44 laps in the book. The ‘Doctor’ returned to the track in 20th without losing a lap while Decker, Krull, Alan Johnson, Hearn and Friesen stayed solid in top-five spots after reaching the halfway mark.

With a clear track ahead, Decker made little room for prisoners as he chased down the back of the pack after just five more laps. Remaining as rapid as riled, Danny Johnson regrouped to crack the top-10 with 60 laps scored, and just four laps later nearly caught a break as Decker was corralled in turn one traffic and squeeked through by the chrome of his bumper.

“I was all over him,” affirmed Decker, after contact with the lapped car of Boyd MacTavish sent the back marker spinning and the leader nearly sideways as he fought to keep his machine straight. “Something happened in front of him, then he checked up pretty hard and when he did that I had the right front right on him. At that stage the rest of him going round was all me. I was trying to get off him, on the brake, on the gas, that was a touchy situation. Certainly a situation you don’t want to be in when you’re leading the race.”

Decker once again out-dragged Krull and for all intents the race was only on for second-place as the LJL Racing no. 91 Gypsum Wholesalers-Stadium Int’l-Quality Hardwoods/Bicknell entry had sped out to a half-track lead with still 10 laps to go. While no question was raised about who was number one, the final order of finish needed all 100 circuits to be determined. Fourth-place Hearn experienced a flat tire on lap 97 and seventh-place runner Jimmy Phelps had a left-rear tread go down the next time around while Danny Johnson ended a disappointing night with a tire going soft on the final lap.

“No question about wanting to win here, the fans at Ransomville are great to us and there’s a lot of community that everybody knows,” pointed out Decker, who went from tied with Planck atop the standings to opening up a more comfortable 60-points margin ahead of Danny Johnson (finished 11th), with Hearn (17th) and Planck (27th) a few more back.

“We had a lot of close calls all night. Not on purpose but I ran over the number 26 car (Rick Richner) going into turn three. When the car is as good as I thought we were, the last thing you want to do is tear it up. There was some contact there that I could’ve certainly done without, I’ll tell you that.”

Ranking fourth in Ransomville’s weekly 358-Modified points chase, Krull was more than content with a runner-up tally, the first-ever Advance Auto Parts Super Series top-five feature finish for the second-generation chauffeur from nearby Cambria, New York. He steered the same no. 123 Krully’s General Contracting-Krull’s Heating & Cooling/Bicknell mount to an unassuming 28th–place finish in the Mr. DIRTcar 358-Modified Championship opener at Merrittville (Ont.) Speedway in April.

“The car took about 4-5 laps to come in after those cautions, when I seen that yellow car (Johnson) it was a little nerve-racking,” said Krull, who was a bridesmaid on the track Thursday with plans to be a groom down the aisle on Friday. “Don’t tell (Carrie, wife to be) but I wasn’t really thinking about (wedding) out there with everything going on.”

“You know, I kinda picked (Johnson) to win tonight to be honest. I’ve been racing here a long time, so really, as far as the track goes I might even have an advantage. Maybe not on Alan, he’s been here a long time but I know what the track’s been doing. These (tour) guys are good though, and I’m really happy. I have to thank my crew, they always bust hump to get things done,” Krull added.

Coming into his 29th Advance Series event Thursday at Ransomville, just about the only thing that Alan Johnson has broken has been in the motor department. Already sending the Sherlock Motorsports Teo entries downstate with blown Big-Blocks under the hood, the ’06 track tour winner climbed into his own yellow no. 14J Bully’s Truck Stop-CFF,Inc./Bicknell ride with a Paul Gavenda-prepared powerplant supplied by Wallace Stacey and scored his first top-five finish in the sixth Series race.

“The guys at Gavenda put together a heck of a motor, I also have to thank Tim Johnson (cousin) and Ryan (Baye, son-in-law) for helping out tonight,” said Johnson, 50, who won the first three Series races staged at Ransomville in 1980. “I didn’t have anything for Billy, there wasn’t anybody in this zip code that did tonight. But I had a lot of fun out there, came here with a good car, didn’t have any mishaps and got a good finish out of it.”

“Maybe if I could’ve started in front of Robbie I could’ve stayed there but that was about it. The car was good in both short runs and long ones, the only problem I had was when the track began taking rubber I started to pick up a push but it was alright, still drivable,” figured Johnson, who divulged plans to drive a Wallace Stacey-owned car when the Advance Auto Parts Series reaches Canadian confines next week.

Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series teams kick off the ‘Great Canadian Tour’ at Brockville, Granby, Drummond and Cornwall in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec with four straight days of racing staged from July 10-13.

Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series Race #6 – Ransomville Speedway, July 3, 2008 CWM Chemical Services and Pete Cosco Haulage Ltd. present ‘Firecracker 100′ Big-Block Modified Event Summary
FIN STR CAR# DRIVER
1 1 91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY($6,000)
2 2 123 Robbie Krull/Cambria,NY
3 7 14j Alan Johnson/Middlesex,NY
4 4 1 Stewart Friesen/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT
5 13 89b Todd Burley/Spencerport,NY
6 23 28 Scott Kerwin/Newfane,NY
7 6 99 Ryan Phelps/Fulton,NY
8 18 3 Justin Haers/Phelps,NY
9 29 20m Jeff McGinnis/Ransomville,NY
10 28 84 Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY
11 21 27j Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY
12 25 26 Rick Richner/Niagara Falls,NY
13 20 93 Rich Vinson/Sanborn,NY
14 12 29 Jeff Brownell Jr./Waterloo,NY
15 22 44v Phil Vigneri/Elba,NY
16 27 111 Kevin Wills/Ransomville,NY
17 3 20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ
18 11 98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY
19 17 42b Kevin Bates/Lake Ariel,PA
20 24 41 Boyd MacTavish/Ransomville,NY
21 19 13 Tony Steiner/Jamesville,NY®
22 30 6 Pat O’Brien/Kingston,ONT
23 10 9s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY
24 26 80 Chris Steele/Fenwick,ONT
25 8 fx1 Frankie Caprara/Watertown,NY
26 9 7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY
27 5 77x Dale Planck/Cortland,NY
28 14 42 Pete Bicknell/St.Catharines,ONT
29 15 99L Larry Wight/Phoenix,NY®
30 16 49 Billy Dunn/Watertown,NY
EVENT SUMMARY:
LAP LEADERS: Krull (1-12), Decker (13-100).
CAUTIONS: 6 for 4 laps.
HEAT WINNERS: Decker, Planck, Friesen, A.Johnson.
DIG SAFELY NEW YORK LAST CHANCE RACE WINNERS: D.Johnson, Vigneri.
BICKNELL RACING PRODUCTS WINNER AWARD: Billy Decker.
CRANE CAMS WINNER AWARD: Billy Decker.
RISLONE OIL STABILIZER & TREATMENT WINNER AWARD: Billy Decker.
BARS LEAKS RUNNER-UP AWARD: Robbie Krull.
CRANE CAMS RUNNER-UP AWARD: Robbie Krull.
SYRACUSE RITE AID 200 QUALIFIER: Robbie Krull (P).
HALFWAY LEADER: Billy Decker.
BERT/KSE RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER AWARD: Jeff McGinnis.
HOLLEY HARD LUCK AWARD: Danny Johnson.
PENSKE POWER POSITION AWARD (14th): Jeff Brownell Jr.
INTEGRA SHOCKS FAST TIME AWARD: Billy Decker (16.351sec/82.564mph) *NEW TRACK RECORD.
TOTAL PURSE: $27,575.
CARS ENTERED: 42.
NEXT EVENT: Brockville Ontario Speedway “Coca-Cola/BOB FM 100” – July 10, 2008.
DID NOT QUALIFY(12)
c1-Todd Gordon/St.Catharines,ONT
3b-Chad Brachmann/Sanborn,NY
7-Sam Crogan/Lewiston,NY
7ny-Bill Torrisi/Pendleton,NY
9-Jon Miller/Olcott,NY
11-Bob Broomfield/Youngstown,NY
17c-Bobby Davidson Jr/St.Catharines,ONT
18-Rick Hoctor/Cheektowaga,NY
19-Joe Kubiniec/Lockport,NY
t21-Roger Chrysler/Lewiston,NY
44-Shannon Whaley/Pavilion,NY
72-Tommy Flannigan/St.Catharines,ONT

QUALIFYING
FAST AVE
TIME MPH CAR# DRIVER
*1 16.351 82.564 91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY
*$100 Integra Shocks Fast Qualifier Award
2 16.794 80.386 9s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY
3 16.799 80.362 fx1 Frankie Caprara/Watertown,NY
4 16.929 79.745 99 Ryan Phelps/Fulton,NY
5 16.944 79.674 20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ
6 17.034 79.253 77x Dale Planck/Cortland,NY
7 17.047 79.193 84 Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY
8 17.062 79.123 14j Alan Johnson/Middlesex,NY
9 17.084 79.021 29 Jeff Brownell Jr./Waterloo,NY
10 17.144 78.745 3b Chad Brachmann/Sanborn,NY
11 17.160 78.671 1 Stewart Friesen/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT
12 17.187 78.548 44v Phil Vigneri/Elba,NY
13 17.217 78.411 27j Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY
14 17.221 78.393 98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY
15 17.225 78.374 6 Pat O’Brien/Kingston,ONT
16 17.255 78.238 7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY
17 17.263 78.202 42b Kevin Bates/Lake Ariel,PA
18 17.312 77.981 3 Justin Haers/Phelps,NY
19 17.329 77.904 99L Larry Wight/Phoenix,NY®
20 17.365 77.743 49 Billy Dunn/Watertown,NY
21 17.396 77.604 89b Todd Burley/Spencerport,NY
22 17.503 77.130 42 Pete Bicknell/St.Catharines,ONT
23 17.507 77.112 123 Robbie Krull/Cambria,NY
24 17.577 76.805 93 Rich Vinson/Sanborn,NY
25 17.579 76.796 28 Scott Kerwin/Newfane,NY
26 17.645 76.509 26 Rick Richner/Niagara Falls,NY
27 17.676 76.375 c1 Todd Gordon/St.Catharines,ONT
28 17.711 76.224 80 Chris Steele/Fenwick,ONT
29 17.721 76.181 72 Tommy Flannigan/St.Catharines,ONT
30 17.727 76.155 44 Shannon Whaley/Pavilion,NY
31 17.742 76.091 13 Tony Steiner/Jamesville,NY®
32 17.750 76.056 41 Boyd MacTavish/Ransomville,NY
33 17.889 75.465 111 Kevin Wills/Ransomville,NY
34 17.890 75.461 7 Sam Crogan/Lewiston,NY
35 17.910 75.377 9 Jon Miller/Olcott,NY
36 17.990 75.042 t21 Roger Chrysler/Lewiston,NY
37 18.029 74.879 20m Jeff McGinnis/Ransomville,NY
38 18.039 74.838 11 Bob Broomfield/Youngstown,NY
39 18.097 74.598 19 Joe Kubiniec/Lockport,NY
40 18.214 74.119 17c Bobby Davidson Jr/St.Catharines,ONT
41 18.228 74.062 18 Rick Hoctor/Cheektowaga,NY
42 18.418 73.298 7ny Bill Torrisi/Pendleton,NY
*NEW TRACK RECORD
Heat Races (10 laps, top 5 finishers transferred to feature, top 3 went to re-draw)
#1: Decker, Hearn, Brownell, Burley, Bates, D.Johnson, Kerwin, McGinnis, Wills, Flannigan, Hoctor.
#2: Planck, Sheppard, J.Phelps, Bicknell, Haers, Whaley, Brachmann, Richner, Crogan, Torrisi, Broomfield.
#3: Friesen, Caprara, Krull, Wight, Steiner, Gordon, Miller, Kubiniec, O’Brien, Tomkins.
#4: A.Johnson, Paine, R.Phelps, Dunn, Vinson, Vigneri, MacTavish, Davidson, Steele, Chrysler.
Dig Safely New York Last Chance Races (10 laps, top 5 finishers transferred to feature)
#1: D.Johnson, Kerwin, Richner, Wills, McGinnis, Whaley, Crogan, Broomfield, Flannigan, Brachmann, Hoctor.
#2: Vigneri, MacTavish, Steele, Tomkins, O’Brien, Gordon, Miller, Davidson, Kubiniec, Torrisi, Chrysler.

Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series Point Standings (Through July 3, 2008)
Rank No. Driver Total SeriesDiff Money Wins Top-5 Top-10 Starts
1 91 Billy Decker 473 473 0 $18,900 3 4 6 6
2 27J Danny Johnson 413 413 -60 $11,125 0 3 4 6
3 20 Brett Hearn 410 410 -63 $9,500 0 4 5 6
4 77x Dale Planck 408 408 -65 $13,025 2 3 4 6
5 98H Jimmy Phelps 388 388 -85 $7,900 0 2 5 6
6 14J Alan Johnson 370 370 -103 $6,525 0 1 4 6
7 9s Matt Sheppard 369 369 -104 $13,200 1 2 3 6
8 84 Gary Tomkins 367 367 -106 $5,675 0 1 6 6
9 3 Justin Haers 353 353 -120 $5,000 0 1 5 6
10 7x Steve Paine 321 321 -152 $5,675 0 2 2 6
11 99 Ryan Phelps 314 314 -159 $3,500 0 0 2 6
12 FX1 Frankie Caprara 299 299 -174 $3,100 0 0 3 6
13 6 Pat O’Brien 256 256 -217 $2,660 0 0 1 6
99L Larry Wight 256 256 -217 $2,800 0 0 1 6
15 49 Billy Dunn 250 250 -223 $2,250 0 0 0 6
16 29 Jeff Brownell Jr.248 248 -225 $2,000 0 0 0 6
17 42B Kevin Bates 220 220 -253 $1,950 0 0 0 6
18 99b Chuck Bower 140 140 -333 $900 0 0 0 4
19 11j Sean Beardsley139 139 -334 $900 0 0 0 4
20 16 Mike Bowman 135 135 -338 $900 0 0 0 4
21 357 Stewart Friesen 131 131 -342 $2,750 0 1 1 2
22 19 Tim Fuller 130 130 -343 $2,750 0 1 1 2
23 56 Vince Vitale 125 125 -348 $610 0 0 0 3
24 48T Dave Rauscher 119 119 -354 $750 0 0 0 3
25 4 Duane Howard 105 105 -368 $6,000 0 1 1 1
26 79 Mike Storms 102 102 -371 $1,050 0 0 0 3
27 44 Shannon Whaley100 100 -373 $450 0 0 0 3
28 62s Tom Sears Jr. 99 99 -374 $700 0 0 0 3
29 123 Robbie Krull 96 96 -377 $4,000 0 1 1 1
30 85 Dan Vauter 89 89 -384 $600 0 0 0 2
31 8 Rob Bellinger 86 86 -387 $600 0 0 0 3
32 21 Derrick Podsiadlo 84 84 -389 $600 0 0 0 3
33 5 Jason Potter 83 83 -390 $600 0 0 0 3
34 89b Todd Burley 80 80 -393 $1,700 0 1 1 1
35 28 Scott Kerwin 76 76 -397 $1,400 0 0 1 1
36 13 Tony Steiner 73 73 -400 $300 0 0 0 1
37 32c Vic Coffey 70 70 -403 $500 0 0 0 1
38 1w Billy Pauch 66 66 -407 $1,400 0 0 1 1
39 20m Jeff McGinnis 65 65 -408 $800 0 0 1 1
88 Steve Hulsizer 65 65 -408 $450 0 0 0 2
41 15x Billy Pauch Jr. 63 63 -410 $1,040 0 0 0 1
42 85 Wade Hendrickson 62 62 -411 $1,200 0 0 1 1
43 71 David VanHorn 59 59 -414 $1,020 0 0 0 1
44 26 Rick Richner 58 58 -415 $400 0 0 0 1
45 93 Rich Vinson 56 56 -417 $350 0 0 0 1
46 14 Rick Laubach 54 54 -419 $1,000 0 0 0 1
47 91h Chad Homan 53 53 -420 $300 0 0 0 1
48 44v Phil Vigneri 52 52 -421 $300 0 0 0 1
49 111 Kevin Wills 50 50 -423 $300 0 0 0 1
50 20R Josh Richards 48 48 -425 $750 0 0 0 1
51 41 Boyd MacTavish 44 44 -429 $300 0 0 0 1
52 43 Keith Flach 43 43 -430 $300 0 0 0 2
53 X Chad Phelps 42 42 -431 $300 0 0 0 1
54 39w Steven Downs 42 42 -431 $750 0 0 0 1
55 42 Pete Bicknell 40 40 -433 $300 0 0 0 1
56 80 Chris Steele 40 40 -433 $300 0 0 0 1
57 83 Tim Sears 40 40 -433 $300 0 0 0 1
58 87 Shawn Donath 40 40 -433 $300 0 0 0 1
59 6 Pete Taylor 40 40 -433 $300 0 0 0 1
60 24 Jim Witko Jr. 40 40 -433 $300 0 0 0 1
61 93 Ryan Bartlett 40 40 -433 $300 0 0 0 1
62 43 Jimmy Horton IV 40 40 -433 $750 0 0 0 1
63 777 Kevin Bolland 40 40 -433 $750 0 0 0 1
64 7J Joe Isabell 30 30 -443 $0 0 0 0 0
65 1 Darwin Greene 30 30 -443 $0 0 0 0 0
66 11J Alan Fink 30 30 -443 $0 0 0 0 0
67 66w Wallace Stacey 20 20 -453 $0 0 0 0 0
68 33 Mike Mahaney 20 20 -453 $0 0 0 0 0
69 09 Kyle Lewis 20 20 -453 $0 0 0 0 0
70 7Jr Jeff Isabell Jr. 20 20 -453 $0 0 0 0 0

Advance Auto Parts DIRTcar Modified Entries – July 3 (42)
CAR# DRIVER / HOMETOWN TEAM (Sponsor / Chassis / Engine)
1 Stewart Friesen/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT Springfield Tractor & Implements-William Fuller Masonry/TEO/JPM
c1 Todd Gordon/St.Catharines,ONT Blue Moon Potatoes/Bicknell/ERD(Terry Vince)
fx1 Frankie Caprara/Watertown,NY F.X. Caprara Car Co.-Auto Value-JK Contracting/Troyer/Dan Bedell
3 Justin Haers/Phelps,NY Phelps Cement Products-SMV Motorsports-Jeff Jolly Masonry/Bicknell/Finger Lakes
3b Chad Brachmann/Sanborn,NY Original Pizza Logs/Bicknell/Honest Abe’s
6 Pat O’Brien/Kingston,ONT 730 Truck Stop-Gypsum Logistics-Newells Garage/Bicknell/Enders
7 Sam Crogan/Lewiston,NY Smokin’ Joe’s-Jay’s Place/Bicknell/Larry Czinege
7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY Tallmadge Tire-Swarthout Recycling-Instant Heat Wood Pellets/Troyer/Finger Lakes
7ny Bill Torrisi/Pendleton,NY Camair Tire Management/Bicknell/Torrisi
9 Jon Miller/Olcott,NY Granite Engraving-Spina’s Engine Shop/Bicknell/Spina
9s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY Advanced Lubrication Specialties-BPG/Chad Sinon Motorsports/Bicknell/Finger Lakes
11 Bob Broomfield/Youngstown,NY Ridgeway Environmental-Pardee’s Automotive/Bicknell/Zappy Race Engines
13 Tony Steiner/Jamesville,NY® NY Tech Supply-Antonio’s Restaurant/Troyer/Finger Lakes
14j Alan Johnson/Middlesex,NY Bully’s Truck Stop-CFF,Inc./Bicknell/Paul Gavenda
17c Bobby Davidson Jr/St.Catharines,ONT Cosco Haulage-Brian’s Tire Repairs-Humberstone Speedway/Bicknell/Brian&Jeff
18 Rick Hoctor/Cheektowaga,NY Able Agency Insurance-AA-1 Auto Parts/Hoctor/Hoctor
19 Joe Kubiniec/Lockport,NY Adam Zac Brokers Ltd.-Kubiniec Racing/TEO/C.C. Performance
20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ Madsen Motorsports-Wentworth Custom Homes-Kruger-WLR/TEO/Enders
20m Jeff McGinnis/Ransomville,NY No Blanket Smoke Shop-Wendt’s Propane & Oil/Bicknell/Jeff Sheehan
t21 Roger Chrysler/Lewiston,NY Iroquois Water-Randy’s Smoke Shop-Joey’s Sneaks/Bicknell/JanCen
26 Rick Richner/Niagara Falls,NY National Vacuum Corp.-Lazy Lakes Camping Resort/Bicknell/Gor-Den
27j Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY JIR Motorsports-A&D Structures/Troyer/Morrison
28 Scott Kerwin/Newfane,NY Flexcare-National Maintenance-Tim Horton’s/Troyer/Enders
29 Jeff Brownell Jr./Waterloo,NY Advanced Lubrication Specialties-Seneca Auto Sales/Bicknell/Finger Lakes
41 Boyd MacTavish/Ransomville,NY Smith’s Speed & Pro Shop-Pine View Drywall/Bicknell/Motor Clinic
42 Pete Bicknell/St.Catharines,ONT Lucas Oil Products-Merrittville Speedway-Bicknell Race Products/Bicknell/ERD(Vince)
42b Kevin Bates/Lake Ariel,PA Blaise & Son Racing-Locklin’s Bottled Gas/Bicknell/Murray
44 Shannon Whaley/Pavilion,NY Davis Trailer World-D&M Precision/Bicknell/Morrison
44v Phil Vigneri/Elba,NY Oak Orchard Produce & Do-It-Yourself Turf-M&T Onion Sales/Troyer/JanCen
49 Billy Dunn/Watertown,NY Number One Speed-American Traditions-Fast Lube Watertown/Bicknell/Finger Lakes
72 Tommy Flannigan/St.Catharines,ONT Kane’s Vending-CMH Leasing/Bicknell/Enders
77x Dale Planck/Cortland,NY RezX Racing-Grow It Hydroseeding-Action Race Parts-Teo Fab./TEO/Kevlar
80 Chris Steele/Fenwick,ONT Central Collision Serv-Mac Outpost Computers-Niagara Dental/Bicknell/Fioravanti
84 Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY Honeoye Auto Parts-Red Parker & Son Excavating/Bicknell/Mastin
89b Todd Burley/Spencerport,NY Bashore Trucking.-New York Pizzeria(Hamiliton)/Bicknell/JanCen
91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY Gypsum Wholesalers-Stadium Int’l-Quality Hardwoods/Bicknell/Enders
93 Rich Vinson/Sanborn,NY No Blanket Smoke Shop-Sanborn Shipping Service/Bicknell/Ralph Vinson
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
111 Kevin Wills/Ransomville,NY Wills Dairy Farm-Smith’s Speed & Pro/Bicknell/Tom Mahar
123 Robbie Krull/Cambria,NY Krully’s General Contracting-Krull’s Heating & Cooling/Bicknell/Bob Krull

SKIDMARKS
Thursday Thunder, Not Really
: With thunder and downpours affecting the immediate area encompassing the Buffalo/Niagara Region, early morning showers gave way to clear skies by afternoon, with the Friesen Family facility boasting superb track conditions come feature time in the evening. Integra Shocks Time Trials for the 42 cars entered required just 18 minutes to click off with the first clocking taking place at 7:20 p.m.

Autograph Alley: Even before the start of the featured ‘Firecracker 100’ presented by CWM Chemical Services and Pete Cosco Haulage Ltd., Alan Johnson, Matt Sheppard, Ryan Phelps and new Ransomville record-setter and eventual winner Billy Decker participated in a special “Meet and Greet” Autograph Session behind the main grandstands that followed the traditional pre-race feature draw on the frontstretch. The commemorative ‘800 Horses Without The Mess’ Advance Series Big-Block posters provided by the DIRTcar NorthEast staff were used as collection points for the prized signatures and hundreds of race fans took advantage of this great opportunity to get acquainted with some of their favorite drivers.

Ransomville First-Timers: Exactly half of the Advance Auto Parts Series field of 42 racers were first-time entries in the 2008 season tour. Robbie Krull (2nd) was the highest finisher among newcomers followed by Todd Burley (5th) using a Big-Block, Scott Kerwin (6th) and Jeff McGinnis (9th), who also earned the Bert/KSE Racing Products Hard Charger Award after rallying from 29th to 9th in the century grind. His father, Don McGinnis, is in the Advance Series record book for scoring back-to-back tour wins in 1983 at Merrittville and Canandaigua speedways.

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 and Keith Hoffman from Pennsylvania and Delaware drivers Jamie Mills, Chad James, Steve Downs, Tim Millman and upstarts Jordan and Joseph Watson.

Pot Holes: Going into the Advance Series showdown out west, Dale Planck was the only driver in the top-10 in tour points to earn an Integra Shocks Fast Time award. Billy Decker bucked the trend on Thursday at Ransomville after garnering his first fast time of the season in record-setting fashion, besting 41 other entries in qualifying…..Just minutes before qualifying, a change among Team Humberstone officials was made as track race Director/GM Bobby Davidson replaced behind the wheel track owner Pete Cosco, who was suffering from a bum leg, and called his partner into action…..Planck once again sustained his level of perfection in qualifying, snagging his fifth straight heat race victory on the ridge to pile up an additional five bonus points in the Advance Series standings. Decker still went one better though, notching his first Integra Shocks Fast Time award before copping the opening heat to tack on 10 points even before feature time…..Former DIRTcar Sportsman Modified wheelman Tony Steiner cashed in on his first Advance Auto Parts Series qualifying effort, finishing 21st after just his second-ever visit to the ‘Big R.’ The Big-Block rookie from the Syracuse, New York suburb of Jamesville placed 12th last year in the Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman tour finale…..A whopping 58 years separated the oldest and youngest competitors gracing the Ransomville field on the eve of the Fourth of July. Tour traveler Larry Wight checked in at 15 years-old while Bill Torrisi turns 74 in November. With 2008 marking the ‘Golden Anniversary’ of the current track site that first opened to the public in 1958, the ’08 season is Torrisi’s 57th campaigning a car in rural Western New York…..Hoping to follow most of the remaining Advance Series schedule with the box lacrosse season now officially over, Roger Chrysler debuted a new gold paint scheme on his no. T21 Iroquois Water-Randy’s Smoke Shop-Joey’s Sneaks/Bicknell entry that was taken from Cup star Kurt Busch’s ride that circled Daytona Int’l Speedway in Florida last July. Younger brother Randy Chrysler, the 2002 overall Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman Champion, has officially retired to spend more time with family…..Western New Yorker Phil Vigneri was entered in just his fourth event of the season after blowing his motor in the Canandaigua Speedway lid-lifter…..Plagued by a cancerous neck condition, 49 year-old DIRTcar 358-Modified rookie campaigner Bob Broomfield from Youngstown, New York was attempting to qualify for his first 100-lap Big-Block Modified main. A former national motorcyclist traveling as far away as California to compete, Broomfield launched his open-wheel career on the DIRTcar Sportsman Modified circuit in 2004 and has already logged a pair of fourth-place finishes in seven Small-Block features run this year at the Big R.

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 get back on track after a week layoff, traveling north for a gruelling grind across international lines July 10-13. The ‘Great Canadian Tour’ at Brockville, Granby, Drummond and Cornwall in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec amounts to a four-day, four-race test for both man and machine featuring 400 laps of feature race action.

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 Brockville,ONT
Fri-Jul 11 Autodrome Granby Granby,QUE
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.

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.