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Weedsport, NY – May 20, 2007 – By Gary M. Spaid, Cayuga County Fair Speedway PR
Danny Johnson made his return to the Cayuga County Fair Speedway a memorable one as he claimed the $1,500 first-place money in the Auburn Citizen/Pick-N-Pull 35-lap main event for DIRTcar Modifieds. “It’s a lot of fun to be in victory lane,” stated a joyous Danny Johnson. “This track was real racy tonight. The bottom was really fast, almost better then the top and the top is always great here.”
Shawn Donath picked up his first DIRTcar Sportsman feature win of the season driving his Mayfield Motorsports number 87. In UMP Street Stock action it was Nick Rizzo claiming his first win of the season at Weedsport. The Werner clan still dominates the BattleKarz division with Bill Werner taking his second victory of the season. A special appearance by the ESDCA Mod Lites ended with Doug Williams taking top honors in the 15-lap main event.
The 35-lap DIRTcar Modified feature proved to be one of the most competitive races ever run at the fast three-eighths mile oval although it did not start off as well as it ended. The first lap opened with Rob Bellinger and Mike Ward spinning together in the fourth turn causing the yellow to come out immediately.
Once underway, it was Derrick Podsiadlo out front and pulling away from Sean Beardsley, Butch Tittle and Ryan Bartlett. The long green run that was now underway would last the remainder of the race, yet not having a caution failed to hinder Danny Johnson in his latest charge to the front.
Starting 15th on the grid, Johnson sailed through the field using the top groove around the speedway. By lap 19 he had caught Jimmy Phelps and Ryan Bartlett as they battled for second and third. D.J. then made it three-wide and two laps later he used that same high line to pass Phelps for second. He then took off after Podsiadlo, who held a seven-car advantage at the time. On lap 27 he set Podsiadlo up and went around to the outside to complete his pass for the lead down the backstretch.
The race was far from over as Phelps charged back at Johnson, caught him and even pulled alongside not once, but twice. Each time he had to fall back as Johnson carried the momentum around the topside of the track. Lapped cars almost played the difference, but Johnson moved through them first. At the finish it was Johnson followed closely by Phelps, Podsiadlo, Beardsley and Ryan Bartlett. “There was bite all over this track tonight,” Johnson commented. “It was a lot of fun!”
The 25-lap DIRTcar Sportsman feature would also prove to be a real “barn-burner” as class rookie Steve Planck led most of the distance only to see Shawn Donath make a late race charge. Only one yellow flag slowed the pace of this race as well when on lap 13 rookie Jason Doty slowed on the front chute.
Once underway, the race again boiled down to a two-man duel between Planck and his relentless pursuer Donath. On lap 19 Donath made his move and inched into the lead as he raced side-by-side with Planck.
Planck did not give up and repassed Donath for the lead on lap 21. But this was just momentary as Donath surged back into the number one spot. At the wire it was Donath followed by Planck, Tim Currier, Kevin Ridley and Mike Mahaney, in his best run of the year. “That was a good clean race we ran,” Donath said. “In fact that may have been the cleanest race I ever ran with anyone else up front.”
Racers in the Ferris Mowers UMP Street Stock finale seemed to have all noticed the point standing on the UMP webpage as a number of those drivers present were among the top-15 in New York State UMP Points. In fact, track regular and early season winner Dave Mannise was sitting second in UMP National Street Stock points going into Sunday’s race.
As the race developed it was Nick Rizzo leading the entire distance in what almost was a green-to checkers run. The one blip came on lap seven when Steve Crouse made contact with the fourth turn wall and lost a radiator. Rizzo had no problem holding off Nathan Peckham, Mannise, Dave Marcuccilli and Steve Woodworth to round out the top-five finishers. “I had some help from Mannise’s crew in setting this car up,” Rizzo commented. “It’s a new car and the changes we made really helped out a whole lot.”
The 15-lap Mod Lite feature was slowed by four yellow flags. Up front it was pole-sitter Rocco Leone leading Andrew Schartner and Doug Williams. On lap three the yellow flew when Adam Murphy made contact with the fourth turn inside cement wall. On the aborted restart came the next yellow when Schartner made contact with the leader and was sent head first into the outside front stretch wall.
It would only take Doug Williams just two more circuits before he passed Leone for the lead on lap five. From that point on it was Williams’s race to lose. A yellow flag on lap 13 flew when fifth-place runner Frank Sobotka slowed on the front stretch and coasted to a stop in the first turn. On the ensuing restart the final yellow flew when Justin Crisafulli slowed to a stop in the first turn. This would set up a one-lap dash to the checkers. Williams was able to beat out Dan Williams, Leone, Jeff Baker and Mike Isabell to the finish line.
CAYUGA COUNTY CLIPS: The Kids Fun Laps featured a number of Street Stockers, BattleKarz and Ladies Karmageddon vans taking happy kids for rides around the Cayuga County Fair Speedway oval before the start of the evening race card…Thanks go out to all of the fans who stuck it out through the unseasonably cool May temperatures…Two long distance travelers were on hand this past Sunday, Dave VanHorn from down near Middletown and Zeke McKeown from Canada.
The upcoming weekend ends with Hall of Fame Sunday featuring the induction ceremonies in the afternoon followed by the 16th Annual Hall of Fame Classic featuring twin 53-lappers for the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series runners. Also on the race card will be the DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds, UMP Street Stocks and a special Midstate Vintage race. Race time is 7 o’clock with Integra Shocks Time Trials scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. Fans will be given an opportunity to meet their favorite Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series drivers at the races.
Then on the next night, Monday, May 28, the World of Outlaw Sprint Cars will be at the “Fast Track”, Rolling Wheels Raceway Park , just ten minutes down the road in Elbridge, making for a special Memorial Day holiday of racing fun in Central New York . The DIRTcar Sportsman racers will round out the RWR show.
AUBURN CITIZEN/PICK-N-PULL AUTO/STAFFORD MOTOR GROUP KIDS SUNDAY FUNDAY NIGHT SUMMARY
BATTELKARZ
FEATURE (25-laps): BILL WERNER, Nick Werner, Craig Dingy, Tom Cook, Karl Werner, Kyle Wilkins, Barb Amadon, Keith Keuer, Les Baker, Rusty Karz, Andy Burtless, Howard Jones, Adam Keuer, Ken Miner, James Werner (DNS).
ESDCA MOD LITE
HEAT 1: R. Leone, J. Gwilt, T. Felicia, C. DeMott, A. Murphy
HEAT 2: A. Schartner, F. Sobotka, J. Barker, Dg. Williams, M. Brighton
FEATURE (15-laps): DOUG WILLIAMS, Dan Williams, Rocco Leone, Jeff Baker, Mike Isabell, Jimmy King, Adam Murphy, Mike Virginia, Joe Gwilt, Chuck DeMott, Jeff Williams, Jeff Blackburn, Tom Felicia, Lisa Thomas, Frank Sobotka, Justin Crisafulli, Keith Hotchkiss, Tim Schneider, Andrew Schartner, Brenda Rice, Mark Brighton.
FERRIS MOWERS UMP STREET STOCK
HEAT: N. Rizzo, J. Wallace, D. Mannise, N. Peckham, D. Marcuccilli.
FEATURE (15-laps): NICK RIZZO, Nathan Peckham, Dave Mannise, Dave Marcuccilli, Steve Woodworth, Phil Marsden, Chuck Cushman Jr., Jim Wallace, Van Grant, Steve Crouse.
DIRTcar SPORTSMAN MODIFIED
HEAT 1: B. Coleman, S. Donath, S. Planck, M. Entwistle, B. Sweet.
HEAT 2: J. Williams, M. Mahaney, J. Spano, J. Isabell, A. Steiner.
HEAT 3: K. Ridley, J. Juhl II, T. Currier, A. Fink, J. Pitcher.
FEATURE (25-laps): SHAWN DONATH, Steve Planck, Tim Currier, Kevin Ridley, Mike Mahaney, Jeremy Pitcher, John Juhl II, Joe Williams, Brandon Sweet, Jim Spano, Alan Fink, Anthony Steiner, Mike Entwistle, Geoff Carner, John Behron, Jeff Isabell Jr., Dan Sellen, Zeke McKeown, Bill Coleman, Jason Doty, John Juhl.
DIRTcar BIG-BLOCK MODIFIED
HEAT 1: D. Podsiadlo, S. Beardsley, V. Vitale, B. Dunn, C. Homan, D. Johnson, J. Haers, B. Weaver.
HEAT 2: R. Hefti, S. Paine, J. Phelps, B. Tittle, R. Bartlett, T. Juhl, D. VanHorn Jr., K. Stafford.
FEATURE (35-laps): DANNY JOHNSON, Jimmy Phelps, Derrick Podsiadlo, Sean Beardsley, Ryan Bartlett, Steve Paine, Chad Homan, Brian Weaver, Butch Tittle, Dave VanHorn Jr., Russ Hefti, Billy Dunn, Dave Rauscher, Jason Potter, Mike Ward, Vince Vitale, Kenny Stafford , Justin Haers, Rob Bellinger.
The DIRTcar Advance Auto Parts Modified Series is brought to fans across the Northeast by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Advance Auto Parts, Hoosier Racing Tire and Sunoco Race Fuels. Promotional partners include AMB i.t., F.X. Caprara Car Companies and the University of Northwestern Ohio and the contingency sponsors are Bert Transmission, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Integra Shocks, MSD Ignitions, Miller Electric Manufacturing Company and Wrisco Industries.
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