Hearn Notches 101st Super DIRTcar Series Win At Ransomville

Ransomville, NY — July 3, 2009 – By Tom Skibinski, Super DIRTcar Series PR Director
*Alex Bruce Photo

It was 17 years since Brett Hearn last scored a Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modified victory at Ransomville Speedway. Despite drawing the pole-position Friday night on the ridge, the ‘Corporate Jet’ still needed a dramatic three-wide maneuver in traffic to seal the deal en route to his first tour triumph of the young season in the headline Waste Management/Gater Racing Photo News 100 to kick off the Independence holiday.

Canadian chauffeur Stewart Friesen out-dragged front row partner Hearn at the start before the Sussex, New Jersey speedster authored a daring dash down the front straightaway to forge the final lead change and cruise on home for the $6,000 victory.

“It feels great, the team really needed this,” beamed Hearn, 50, who opened the ’09 Series with three consecutive third-place finishes before finding his way to victory lane at Ransomville for the first time since August of 1992; aside from a trio of 358-Modified wins taken in the sister Small-Block Series. His all-time tour best 101st career victory marks the 15th straight season he has registered a series win dating back to 1995. “The car was just so, so good tonight.”

“We’ve been in the hunt a lot of times but just struggled more here in the past. To come out tonight and have the car stay consistently good the whole race … I’m thrilled,” noted Hearn, with last year’s 17th-place finish still clear in his mind after beginning third on the starting grid.

Chasing Hearn and Friesen across the stripe in the 2009 edition were reigning overall Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar points king Billy Decker and second-generation pilots Dale Planck and Matt Sheppard.

While Hearn finished off the night with a flawless run, track record-holder Decker opened it on a high note logging his third Integra Shocks Fast Time among 42 entries. Matching Hearn’s tour standard of 10 triumphs last season, the ‘Franklin Flyer’ was in prime position to nail down his fourth series win in the past six seasons at Ransomville’s smooth 3/8-miler.

Yet once the 100-lap Modified main went green, it was Friesen and Hearn pacing the field followed closest by Danny Johnson with Decker’s Gypsum Express teammates Larry Wight and Ryan Phelps joining in the mix.

The first of eight yellow flags unfurled on lap 12 when Rich Vinson looped his mount in turn two. Wight took advantage on the restart and sped past Johnson, offering an early sign of things to come as the pair traded paint over the next 30 circuits.

While Friesen maintained a seemingly comfortable margin, lapped traffic played precisely into Hearn’s favor as he used fellow New Jersey driver Rich Scagliotta as a pick and rolled past the third-generation driver from north of the border on lap 24 and tried to hide from the field. More early setbacks kept the pack tight with track regular Chad Brachmann slowing in turn three to incur a second caution on lap 29 while Tommy Flannigan broke exiting the first corner and Jeff Brownell retreated with front-end damage to force on the yellow lights five laps later.

Constant jockeying for position under green and yellow came to a head on lap 42 when contact between Johnson and Wight sent the Wight machine sailing into the turn one outside retaining wall to require a red flag situation. No injuries were reported in the incident that also sidelined Phil Vigneri and rising star Erick Rudolph, who was making his first-ever start in a Super DIRTcar Series event.

Friesen suddenly slid up the track in turn two to allow Johnson by for the runner-up slot on lap 44, and at the halfway point it was rivals Brett and Danny out front with Friesen, Decker, Planck and Phelps engaged in a front-five battle further back. The remaining 20-car field was brought to a halt for a second time when Scott Kerwin and Brachmann locked up on the backstretch requiring a five-minute delay to untangle the twosome. Contact between Kerwin and Bobby Davidson exiting the second corner with 52 laps in the books turned Kerwin sideways leaving Brachmann no room to escape in what amounted to his final lap of the night that ended under red.

Back under green, the top-five racers proceeded to pull away with Hearn leading the parade ahead of Johnson, Friesen, Decker and Planck. Top-10 runner Gary Tomkins suffered a flat right-rear tire to require a sixth yellow on lap 73 while late arrival Randy Chrysler’s charge to the front ended with a broken rear-end after slamming into the turn one concrete on the 81st circuit. After relinquishing second-place on the track, during the slowdown a broken left-front suspension sent Johnson in the pits for the remainder putting Sheppard among the front-five for the first time.

Despite a final yellow flag dropping for a flat tire by ninth-place driver Billy Dunn with a handful of laps still to go, the final order remained intact as Hearn out-distanced Friesen by eight car-lengths as the checkered flag flew over the winning Madsen Motorsports no. 20 Wentworth Custom Homes-Kruger-WLR-BPG/TEO machine.

“I watched (Friesen) and he started to get a little bit of a push in the center of the corner,” responded Hearn, after acknowledging the early success enjoyed by Friesen on the family owned and operated facility nestled in the far northwest corner of the Empire State. “When the track started to take rubber and tighten up a little bit it made it hard for him to navigate lapped traffic.”

“I think I was a little better when I had to move around the track and my car was just a little better than him in the center of the corners. That’s what made the difference.”

“This is a tough weekend followed by another tough weekend next week,” added Hearn, who opened up a commanding 76-point lead over Decker through the initial four events. “This stretch of races is what separates the men from the boys in the series so (1st) is a good way to start. A lot of pieces are coming together to get this far and we’re looking forward to the trip.”

Fresh off a DIRTcar 358-Modified feature win the previous Friday at Ransomville, Friesen continued to celebrate at his hometrack with a series-best second-place in front of family and friends.

“I’m real pumped, we’ve got a lot of really good people helping us out,” remarked Friesen, 25, after settling for the runner-up spot steering the Jeff Daley & Sons Oil Service-Westmoreland Golf Club/TEO mount among the top-three all night. “I’m just thrilled that we’re running good for all the people that are putting the time and money into this.”

“Wish the track wouldn’t have rubbered down so early, we could’ve dealt with it around lap 60 or 70 and maybe been okay. I think we were better than the guys on the super slick stuff but the rubbers the rubber and that’s what you get. It’s the Big R and its gonna be the same for the next 100 years, too.”

“With Billy behind us and Brett in front …we’re kind of a fly-by-night, hit-and-miss deal so I’m really happy for everybody involved. We’ve got a beautiful car so we’ll see what we can do with it tomorrow night,” Friesen said.

‘Not too bad of a night, I guess,” downplayed a decidedly disappointed Decker after a third-place finish that was far from the outcome experienced last summer when he led all but the opening 12 circuits in dominating fashion. The track rubbered up there and made it tough sledding.”

“We weren’t quite as balanced as good as we needed to be…its just tough. We’re just fortunate to be third tonight. This Gypsum Wholesalers team is really working hard and our stuff is good right now. We had a little fun tonight, hopefully we’ll have a little more tomorrow,” added Decker, referring to Fulton Speedway, where he has already won three of four features run this season and led the entire series race that was even extended to 101 laps last season on his way to claiming the coveted Mr. DIRTcar crown.

Round five of the Super DIRTcar Series highlights the Fourth of July celebration at Fulton tomorrow when the Summit Cars ‘Firecracker 100’ takes center stage on Saturday. Valuable points are at stake towards the overall Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar Championship along with guaranteed starting berths in the prestigious Rite Aid 200 on October 11 of Super DIRT Week XXXVIII at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse and All-Star Weekend Exemption Dash at Cayuga County Fair Speedway on July 18.

Super DIRTcar Series Race #4 – Ransomville Speedway, July 3, 2009, 28th Waste Management-Gater Racing Photo News 100′ Big-Block Modified Event Summary
FIN STR CAR# DRIVER
1 1 20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ ($6,000)
2 2 1 Stewart Friesen/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT
3 5 91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY
4 11 77x Dale Planck/Cortland,NY
5 9 9s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY
6 22 42 Pete Bicknell/St.Catharines,ONT
7 6 99 Ryan Phelps/Fulton,NY
8 10 3 Justin Haers/Phelps,NY
9 14 98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY
10 15 14j Alan Johnson/Middlesex,NY
11 16 123 Robbie Krull/Cambria,NY
12 13 4s Michael Storms/Wantage,NJ
13 25 76 Travis Braun/Jordan Station,ONT
14 7 84 Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY
15 29 8 Rich Scagliotta/Bound Brook,NJ
16 24 49 Billy Dunn/Watertown,NY
17 18 17c Bobby Davidson Jr/St.Catharines,ONT
18 3 66 Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY
19 26 88k Randy Chrysler/Lewiston,NY
20 21 26 Rick Richner/Niagara Falls,NY
21 23 28 Scott Kerwin/Newfane,NY
22 19 3b Chad Brachmann/Sanborn,NY
23 20 20m Jeff McGinnis/Ransomville,NY
24 4 99L Larry Wight/Phoenix,NY
25 30 44v Phil Vigneri/Elba,NY
26 17 198h Erick Rudolph/Ransomville,NY
27 28 72 Tommy Flannigan/St.Catharines,ONT
28 12 29 Jeff Brownell Jr./Waterloo,NY
29 27 93 Rich Vinson/Sanborn,NY
30 8 89b Todd Burley/Spencerport,NY
GATER RACING NEWS LAP LEADERS: Friesen (1-23), Hearn (24-100).
CAUTIONS: 8 for 30 laps; 2 RED FLAGS (lap 42, lap 57).
HEAT WINNERS: Brownell, Decker, Planck, S.Friesen.
DIG SAFELY NEW YORK LAST CHANCE RACE WINNERS: Richner, Bicknell.
BICKNELL RACING PRODUCTS WINNER AWARD: Brett Hearn.
RISLONE OIL STABILIZER & TREATMENT WINNER AWARD: Brett Hearn.
BARS LEAKS RUNNER-UP AWARD: Stewart Friesen.
SYRACUSE RITE AID 200 QUALIFIER: Brett Hearn.
ALL-STAR WEEKEND EXEMPTION DASH QUALIFIER: Brett Hearn.
HALFWAY LEADER: Brett Hearn.
BERT/KSE RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER AWARD: Pete Bicknell.
XTREME LUBRICANTS SLICK MOVE OF THE RACE AWARD: Brett Hearn.
PENSKE POWER POSITION AWARD (19th): Randy Chrysler.
INTEGRA SHOCKS FAST TIME AWARD: Billy Decker (16.677sec/80.950mph).
TOTAL PURSE: $27,750.
CARS ENTERED: 42.
NEXT EVENT: Fulton Speedway “Firecracker 100” – July 4, 2009.
DID NOT QUALIFY(12)
xXx-Todd Gordon/St.Catharines,ONT
6m-Mat Williamson/St.Catharines,ONT
8s-Justin Sharp/St.Catharines,ONT
9-Jon Miller/Olcott,NY
11-Bob Broomfield/Youngstown,NY
18-Rick Hoctor/Cheektowaga,NY
27j-Dan Johnson Jr./Phelps,NY
28p-Eldon Payne,Jr./Hopewell,NY
44-Shannon Whaley/Pavilion,NY
52-James Friesen/St.Catharines,ONT
54j-David Just/Ransomville,NY
65-Boyd MacTavish/Ransomville,NY

QUALIFYING
FAST AVE
TIME MPH CAR# DRIVER
1 16.677 80.950 91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY
*$100 Integra Shocks Fast Qualifier Award
2 16.713 80.775 9s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY
3 16.789 80.410 98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY
4 16.803 80.343 77x Dale Planck/Cortland,NY
5 16.843 80.152 20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ
6 16.908 79.844 29 Jeff Brownell Jr./Waterloo,NY
7 16.934 79.721 3 Justin Haers/Phelps,NY
8 16.990 79.459 84 Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY
9 17.100 78.947 4s Michael Storms/Wantage,NJ
10 17.135 78.786 99 Ryan Phelps/Fulton,NY
11 17.144 78.745 1 Stewart Friesen/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT
12 17.211 78.438 99L Larry Wight/Phoenix,NY
13 17.252 78.252 66 Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY
14 17.253 78.247 89b Todd Burley/Spencerport,NY
15 17.265 78.193 49 Billy Dunn/Watertown,NY
16 17.272 78.161 14j Alan Johnson/Middlesex,NY
17 17.350 77.810 42 Pete Bicknell/St.Catharines,ONT
18 17.355 77.787 44 Shannon Whaley/Pavilion,NY
19 17.356 77.783 3b Chad Brachmann/Sanborn,NY
20 17.402 77.577 28p Eldon Payne,Jr./Hopewell,NY
21 17.421 77.493 8 Rich Scagliotta/Bound Brook,NJ
22 17.561 76.875 198h Erick Rudolph/Ransomville,NY
23 17.589 76.753 17c Bobby Davidson Jr/St.Catharines,ONT
24 17.625 76.596 20m Jeff McGinnis/Ransomville,NY
25 17.650 76.487 72 Tommy Flannigan/St.Catharines,ONT
26 17.670 76.401 28 Scott Kerwin/Newfane,NY
27 17.672 76.392 76 Travis Braun/Jordan Station,ONT
28 17.680 76.357 123 Robbie Krull/Cambria,NY
29 17.694 76.297 52 James Friesen/St.Catharines,ONT
30 17.739 76.104 xXx Todd Gordon/St.Catharines,ONT
31 17.740 76.099 26 Rick Richner/Niagara Falls,NY
32 17.746 76.073 9 Jon Miller/Olcott,NY
33 17.760 76.014 93 Rich Vinson/Sanborn,NY
34 17.863 75.575 6m Mat Williamson/St.Catharines,ONT
35 17.963 75.154 44v Phil Vigneri/Elba,NY
36 18.007 74.971 54j David Just/Ransomville,NY
37 18.010 74.958 11 Bob Broomfield/Youngstown,NY
38 18.076 74.685 8s Justin Sharp/St.Catharines,ONT®
39 18.475 73.072 65 Boyd MacTavish/Ransomville,NY
40 19.158 70.467 18 Rick Hoctor/Cheektowaga,NY
41 19.620 68.807 27j Dan Johnson Jr./Phelps,NY
42 -NT- —– 88k Randy Chrysler/Lewiston,NY

Heat Races (10 laps, top 5 finishers transferred to feature; top 3 redrew)
#1: Brownell, Tomkins, Haers, Storms, Rudolph, Braun, Kerwin, Whaley, MacTavish, D.Johnson Jr., Hoctor.
#2: Decker, Sheppard, Hearn, J.Phelps, Davidson, Scagliotta, Richner, Gordon, Vinson, Payne.
#3: Planck, R.Phelps, Wight, A.Johnson, Brachmann, Bicknell, Dunn, Vigneri, Just, J.Friesen.
#4: S.Friesen, D.Johnson, Burley, Krull, McGinnis, Flannigan, Williamson, Chrysler, Miller, Sharp, Broomfield.
Dig Safely New York Last Chance Races: (10 laps, top 5 finishers transferred to feature)
#1: Richner, Kerwin, Braun, Vinson, Scagliotta, Gordon, Payne, MacTavish, Hoctor, Whaley (DNS), D.Johnson Jr. (DNS).
#2: Bicknell, Dunn, Chrysler, Flannigan, Vigneri, Sharp, Miller, Williamson, J.Friesen, Just, Broomfield (DNS).

Super DIRTcar Series Big-Block Modified Point Standings (Through July 3, 2009)
Rank No. Driver Total Series Diff Wins Top-5 Top-10 Starts
1 20 Brett Hearn 382 382 0 1 4 4 4
2 91 Billy Decker 306 306 -76 1 2 2 4
3 77x Dale Planck 286 286 -96 0 1 3 4
4 9S Matt Sheppard 279 279 -103 1 2 2 4
5 98H Jimmy Phelps 277 277 -105 0 1 3 4
6 66 Danny Johnson 262 262 -120 0 1 2 4
7 3 Justin Haers 244 244 -138 0 0 2 4
8 99 Ryan Phelps 241 241 -141 0 1 2 4
9 84 Gary Tomkins 239 239 -143 0 0 2 4
10 29 Jeff Brownell Jr. 231 231 -151 0 1 1 4
11 4 Mike Storms 221 221 -161 0 0 1 4
12 14J Alan Johnson 215 215 -167 0 0 2 4
13 49 Billy Dunn 196 196 -186 0 0 0 4
14 99L Larry Wight 183 183 -199 0 0 0 4
15 1F Stewart Friesen 175 175 -207 0 1 2 2
16 74 Tim Fuller 112 112 -270 0 0 0 2
17 43 Keith Flach 111 111 -271 0 0 0 2
18 34B Andy Bachetti 110 110 -272 0 1 1 1
19 60 Brian Berger 86 86 -296 0 1 1 1
20 8 Rich Scagliotta 82 82 -300 0 0 0 1
21 33.3 Tommy Meier 81 81 -301 0 1 1 1
22 77F Mark Flach Jr. 81 81 -301 0 1 1 1
23 57 Donnie Corellis 77 77 -305 0 0 1 1
24 42 Pete Bicknell 76 76 -306 0 0 1 1
25 42 Guy Sheldon 71 71 -311 0 0 1 1
26 98 Eddie Marshall 66 66 -316 0 0 0 1
27 FX1 Frankie Caprara 62 62 -320 0 0 1 1
28 123 Robbie Krull 60 60 -322 0 0 0 1
29 42P Pat Ward 59 59 -323 0 0 0 1
30 64 Donnie Ackner 59 59 -323 0 0 0 1
31 62 Tom Sears Jr. 58 58 -324 0 0 0 1
32 26 Ryan Godown 57 57 -325 0 0 0 1
33 76 Travis Braun 56 56 -326 0 0 0 1
34 14 Jimmy Horton 53 53 -329 0 0 0 1
35 88 Krey Sandstedt 52 52 -330 0 0 0 1
36 115 Kenny Tremont Jr. 51 51 -331 0 0 0 1
37 1H Tim Hindley 50 50 -332 0 0 0 1
38 17c Bobby Davidson 48 48 -334 0 0 0 1
39 88K Randy Chrysler 45 45 -337 0 0 0 1
40 55 Mike King 45 45 -337 0 0 0 1
41 26 Rick Richner 44 44 -338 0 0 0 1
42 87 Hector Stratton 44 44 -338 0 0 0 1
43 28 Scott Kerwin 43 43 -339 0 0 0 1
44 3B Chad Brachmann 42 42 -340 0 0 0 1
45 21m Bob McGannon 42 42 -340 0 0 0 1
46 20 Jeff McGinnis 41 41 -341 0 0 0 1
47 89B Todd Burley 41 41 -341 0 0 0 1
48 24S Chris Shultz 41 41 -341 0 0 0 1
49 198H Erick Rudolph 40 40 -342 0 0 0 1
50 44v Phil Vigneri Jr. 40 40 -342 0 0 0 1
51 93 Richie Vinson 40 40 -342 0 0 0 1
52 72 Tommy Flannigan 40 40 -342 0 0 0 1
53 24V Bobby Varin 40 40 -342 0 0 0 1
54 12A Jack Johnson 40 40 -342 0 0 0 1
55 33 Ray Swinehart 40 40 -342 0 0 0 1
56 39 Ryan Larkin 40 40 -342 0 0 0 1
57 87x Paul Gilardi 40 40 -342 0 0 0 1
58 07 Tim Kerr 20 20 -362 0 0 0 0
59 44 Shannon Whaley 10 10 -372 0 0 0 0
60 65 Boyd MacTavish 10 10 -372 0 0 0 0
61 18 Rick Hoctor 10 10 -372 0 0 0 0
62 52 James M. Friesen 10 10 -372 0 0 0 0
63 54J Dave Just 10 10 -372 0 0 0 0
64 28P Eldon Payne Jr. 10 10 -372 0 0 0 0
65 xXx Todd Gordon 10 10 -372 0 0 0 0
66 9 Jon Miller 10 10 -372 0 0 0 0
67 6m Mat Wiliamson 10 10 -372 0 0 0 0
68 11 Bob Broomfield 10 10 -372 0 0 0 0
69 8s Justin Sharp 10 10 -372 0 0 0 0
70 71 David Van Horn Jr. 10 10 -372 0 0 0 0
71 2RJ Ronnie Johnson 10 10 -372 0 0 0 0
72 6 Pat O’Brien 10 10 -372 0 0 0 0
73 1 Darwin Greene 10 10 -372 0 0 0 0
74 79 Jeremy Markle 10 10 -372 0 0 0 0
75 25 Mike Kolka 10 10 -372 0 0 0 0
76 87J Wayne Jelley 10 10 -372 0 0 0 0
77 347 Skip Fox 10 10 -372 0 0 0 0
78 24s Rich Salisbury 10 10 -372 0 0 0 0
79 518 Kyle Sheldon 10 10 -372 0 0 0 0
80 7 John Ruchel Jr. 10 10 -372 0 0 0 0
81 77J J.C. Flach 10 10 -372 0 0 0 0

Super DIRTcar Series Modified Entries – July 3 (42)
Car# Driver/Hometown Team (Sponsor / Chassis / Engine)
xXx Todd Gordon/St.Catharines,ONT Blue Moon Potatoes-J&B Hardwood Flooring/Bicknell/ERD(Terry Vince)
1 Stewart Friesen/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT Jeff Daley & Sons Oil Service-Westmoreland Golf Club/TEO/Enders
3 Justin Haers/Phelps,NY Phelps Cement Products-SMV Motorsports-Jeff Jolly Masonry/Bicknell/Finger Lakes
3b Chad Brachmann/Sanborn,NY Mighty Taco/Bicknell/Honest Abe’s
4s Michael Storms/Wantage,NJ Keizer Aluminum Wheels-Mike Sparta Trckng-Four Star Transmissions/TEO/Morrison
6m Mat Williamson/St.Catharines,ONT Scott’s Marine Interior-Bermingham Construction/Bicknell/ERD
8 Rich Scagliotta/Bound Brook,NJ Central Jersey Trailer & Hitch Depot-Adamsville Maintenance/Troyer/Feil
8s Justin Sharp/St.Catharines,ONT® Blue Moon Potatoes-Sharp’s Auto Center/Bicknell/Balancing Act
9 Jon Miller/Olcott,NY Granite Engraving-Spina’s Engine Shop/Bicknell/Spina
9s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY Xtreme Lubricants-Seneca Auto Sales/Bicknell/C.C. Performance
11 Bob Broomfield/Youngstown,NY Ridgeway Environmental-Pardee’s Automotive/Bicknell/Zappy Race Engines
14j Alan Johnson/Middlesex,NY Bully’s Truck Stop-CFF,Inc.-Raymond’s Car Care/Bicknell/Jimmy D’s Speed
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
20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ Madsen Motorsports-Wentworth Custom Homes-Kruger-WLR-BPG/TEO/Enders
20m Jeff McGinnis/Ransomville,NY Wendt’s Propane & Oil-Sterling Lubricants/Bicknell/Jeff Sheehan
26 Rick Richner/Niagara Falls,NY National Vacuum Corp.-Lazy Lakes Camping Resort/Bicknell/Gor-Den
27j Dan Johnson Jr./Phelps,NY Johnson Motorsports/Troyer/B&M
28 Scott Kerwin/Newfane,NY Flexcare-Tim Horton’s/Troyer/Enders
28p Eldon Payne,Jr./Hopewell,NY Payne’s Tiltbed Service/TEO/Finger Lakes
29 Jeff Brownell Jr./Waterloo,NY Xtreme Lubricants-Seneca Auto Sales/Bicknell/C.C. Performance
42 Pete Bicknell/St.Catharines,ONT Lucas Oil Products-Merrittville Speedway-Bicknell Race Products/Bicknell/Morrison
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
52 James Friesen/St.Catharines,ONT Blue Moon Potatoes-Vegas Fuel Energy Drink/Bicknell/New Generation(Al Blanchard)
54j David Just/Ransomville,NY Randy’s Smoke Shop-Just Signs/Just/Just
65 Boyd MacTavish/Ransomville,NY Investor Services-Cosgrove Excavating/Bicknell/Ralph Vinson
66 Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY Atlas Paving-Behrent’s Performance Warehouse/TEO/JPM
72 Tommy Flannigan/St.Catharines,ONT Kane’s Vending-CMH Leasing/Bicknell/Enders
76 Travis Braun/Jordan Station,ONT DBN Drywall-Brian’s Tire Repair/Bicknell/DSE1
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-Rochester Americans-National Guard/Bicknell/Mastin
88k Randy Chrysler/Lewiston,NY Signal Cigarettes-Randy’s Smoke Shop-Jacobs Tobacco Co./Bicknell/JanCen
89b Todd Burley/Spencerport,NY Bashore Trucking-BFP Specialty-New York Pizzeria(Hamiliton)/TEO/JanCen
91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY Gypsum Wholesalers-Stadium Int’l-Quality Hardwoods/Bicknell/Kevlar
93 Rich Vinson/Sanborn,NY Mielke’s Auto Center-Sanborn Shipping Service/Bicknell/Ralph Vinson
98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY Mohawk N.E.-New England Race Fuels-Joe Gibbs Racing Oil/Troyer/Bruneau
99 Ryan Phelps/Fulton,NY Big Red Towing-Dave Miller Auto Body/Bicknell/Enders
99L Larry Wight/Phoenix,NY Gypsum Express,Ltd./Bicknell/Kevlar
123 Robbie Krull/Cambria,NY Krully’s General Contracting-Krull’s Heating & Cooling/Bicknell/Bob Krull
198h Erick Rudolph/Ransomville,NY Mohawk N.E.-New England Race Fuels-Joe Gibbs Racing Oil/Troyer/Finger Lakes

SKIDMARKS
Friday Night Fanfare: Even before the start of the featured main event presented by Wastes Management and Gater Racing Photo News, Danny Johnson, Matt Sheppard, Ryan Phelps and Billy Decker participated in a special “Meet and Greet” Autograph Session in the novelty stand behind the main grandstands that followed the traditional pre-race feature draw on the frontstretch. The commemorative Super DIRTcar 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.

Ridge Runners Ready: For the second straight year the Big-Block Series stop at Ransomville attracted 42 racers and all but 16 were first-time entries in the 2009 season tour. ‘Hard Charger’ Pete Bicknell (6th) was the highest finisher among newcomers followed by Robbie Krull (11th), who finished second to Billy Decker in the ’08 race. Also making the feature were Travis Braun (13th), Bobby Davidson Jr. (15th), Randy Chrysler (19th), Rick Richner (20th), Scott Kerwin (21st), Chad Brachmann (22nd), Jeff McGinnis (23rd), Phil Vigneri (25th), Erick Rudolph (26th), Tommy Flannigan (27th), Rich Vinson (29th) and Todd Burley (30th), who ran just one lap after a back injury kept him off his feet all week.

All-Star Weekend Super Team Unveiled: Already a solid fixture on the Super DIRTcar Series with front-runners Matt Sheppard and Jeff Brownell Jr., JB Motorsports recently doubled its chances of taking home the $20,000 top prize in the inaugural DIRTcar All-Star 100 at Cayuga County Fair Speedway with the addition of two more veteran drivers. Canadian Hall of Famer Pete Bicknell and second-generation Big-Block graduate Tim McCreadie are now signed up to steer a pair of BRP entries in the nation’s richest short-track event of its kind for owner Jeff Brownell Sr. All four drivers already own Modified feature wins at the Weedsport oval, although none as prestigious as the one closing out ‘Super DIRT Week of the Summer’ on Sunday, July 19.

‘Twitter’ On Trial At Ransomville & Fulton Series Shows: The debut of keeping fans informed during Super DIRTcar Series shows through their ‘Twitter’ connection was made Friday at Ransomville with plans currently in place to follow up Saturday at Fulton. Fans can now keep up-to-date with the Super DIRTcar Series for Big-Blocks on-line and through text messages on cell phones via Twitter — the internet’s fast-growing social-networking and micro-blogging website. Brief bulletins are provided to Twitter ‘followers’ of the SDS throughout each race night, and fans can also expect to receive breaking news and interesting notes between tour stops. To sign-up as a SDS Big-Block ‘follower’ on Twitter and receive updates anywhere at anytime, visit http://www.twitter.com/SuperDIRTcar.

Pot Holes: Billy Decker earned his first Integra Shocks Fast Time award of the year, a good track to do it at being the hometown of crew chief Scott Jeffery. Decker set the all-time track mark (16.351 seconds; 82.564 mph) last summer in Super DIRTcar Series competition, and the 2009 quick clocking was his second in the past three stops at the ‘Big R’ which was the 38th of his career overall… After missing out qualifying for the season-opening Big-Block Series shows at Big Diamond, Lebanon Valley and Orange County, Rich Scagliotta filled in the 29th starting slot en route a 15th-place finish in the century grind. The Bound Brook, New Jersey traveler came the farthest on Friday making the 8-hour haul in his first-ever trip to Ransomville…DIRTcar 358 rookies Justin Sharp and Mat Williamson gave it their best shot debuting in the Big-Block SDS, although failing to make the final 30-car starting grid… Eldon Payne Jr. didn’t make the feature field either yet his arrival at the Western New York oval was a first for the 2010 Teo Pro Chassis…maybe he can be called the ‘Intern’ being the son of the ‘Doctor’ Danny Johnson, as 17 year-old Dan Johnson Jr. signed in for his first career Super DIRTcar Series event. The younger Johnson was recognized aboard a familiar orange no. 27J Troyer ride equipped with a motor built by dad Danny and grandfather Milt Johnson, with Danny helping set the car up for his initial Big-Block appearance. Dan Jr. plans to be at Cayuga County’s All-Star Weekend, July 17-19, although limit his activity to just a half-dozen shows in ’09, allowing him to chase rookie honors next season…A second 17 year-old driver also registered for his first Big-Block Tour show yet the outcome for asphalt ace Erick Rudolph was far different for Erick Rudolph, the son of 1986 Hoosier Tire-VP Racing Fuels Mr. DIRTcar Modified Champion Charlie Rudolph, who was pitside helping his son dial in the renumbered no. 198H Mohawk N.E.-New England Race Fuels-Joe Gibbs Racing Oil/Troyer machine powered by a Finger Lakes engine. Rudolph qualified for the century grind before a chain-reaction accident knocked him out after just 41 laps…Small-Blocker Bob Broomfield made his first visit to Cayuga County this season and hopes to make another when DIRTcar All-Star Weekend arrives in two weeks as entries continue to file in for the richest short-track Modified event in history.

UPCOMING EVENTS
Big-Block Modified teams head east overnight to get an early start towards Fulton Speedway for the ‘Firecracker 100’ to close out the Independence Day holiday. The pace picks up the following week as racers cross the border for the ‘Great Canadian Tour’ — that includes four straight days of feature race action in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec. A return to the states is capped off by the big $20,000-to-win DIRTcar All-Star 100 at Cayuga County Fair Speedway on July 19, preceded by a 50-lap preliminary points event the night before.

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

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