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Canandaigua, NY – June 23, 2007 – By Gary M. Spaid, Canandaigua Speedway PR
Repeat winners was the name of the game on Saturday at Canandaigua Speedway with Steve Paine streaking to his fourth feature win of the 2007 season in the headline DIRTcar Big-Block Modified division.
“When you have a good handling car that’s half the battle with lap traffic,” stated Paine, who lapped everyone but the top-eight finishers in the 35-lap main event. “We have new cars coming this week. I’m looking forward to setting them up. We’re coming to a stretch of about nine races in 11 nights.”
In the companion open-wheel class, Dan Wiesner picked up his third DIRTcar Sportsman feature victory. “I was getting a great bite exiting the second turn,” stated Wiesner in victory lane. “It was all about tire management tonight. You had to keep it straight exiting the turns and be patient.”
In full-fender action it was Nathan Peckham picking up his second win of the season in the UMP Ferris Mowers Street Stocks. Marc Minutolo took the win in the PureStox 10-lapper. In both cases, the drivers referred to great track conditions that helped them get their wins.
Twenty-two DIRTcar Modifieds answered the call to begin the feature with outside pole-sitter Eldon Payne Jr. taking the lead at the drop of the green flag. Right off, Steve Paine looked like the car to beat, charging from 11th staring position into third in just two laps.
On lap four the yellow flag flew when Ed Monroe exited the speedway between the third and fourth turns. His car was towed to the pits and the race resumed with Payne now holding off Paine.
As the leaders were going into the second turn on lap nine, Payne’s car suddenly slowed, pulling to the high side of the speedway. Paine made slight contact with the Payne car, but managed to duck low and take the lead as the yellow flag flew for the second and final time in the 35-lap race.
Back underway, the show was all Paine’s to lose. The Waterloo warrior drew away from the rest of the pack to establish up to a five second lead over the field. The real race was for second on back. Lap cars became an issue just before the halfway mark as the race ran green from lap 10 through the end of the event.
Behind Paine a battle raged on between Chuck Bower, Ron Smoker, Chad Brachmann and Charlie Donk. As the white flag flew two cars had their motors expire ---Mike Ward and Tom Juhl--- based on the torrid pace of the race. Points leader Paine took the win followed some seven seconds back by Bower, Charlie Donk, Ron Smoker and Chad Brachmann to round out the top five finishers.
In the 25-lap DIRTcar Sportsman race, 23 starters took the initial green flag, with David Allen leading the first lap. Phil LaVare was able to pass Allen and move to the point on lap two, only to see the yellow fly when Dan Wiesner spun around in the first turn.
On the restart Darryl Hilkert discovered the outside line as he blasted from seventh to third in just one lap. LaVare was able to lead for one more circuit before Rob Bussey took command of the front spot. Scott Schrader made heavy contact with the back stretch wall exiting turn two on lap five to bring out the second yellow of the race.
Two laps later the race was under yellow again when Tim Currier looped around in the second turn. The race remained green until lap 16 and it was Bussey able to pull out to a five car-length lead over LaVare Darryl Hilkert and Anthony Rizzardo.
Three more yellows would slow the average race speed to less then 35 mph. Wiesner mirrored Hilkert’s earlier outside slingshot move on a lap 16 restart. He too moved many positions forward and two laps later he was in second and challenging Bussey for the lead.
Following a two lap battle, side-by-side, it was Wiesner who came out on top with the lead. A final yellow on lap 22 set up a two lap dash to the checkers. Wiesner took the victory followed by Paul Guererri, Bussey, Hilkert and Rizzardo, who nipped Loren Lincoln at the wire to take fifth. “I never thought I could come from spinning around and starting at the back of the pack to winning this race,” stated an elated Wiesner.
The UMP Ferris Mowers Street Stock feature was one of the best and most competitive of the season, with the top eight cars running “under a blanket” the entire distance. Most of the time the cars were three-wide around the half-mile oval while swapping positions on each lap.
Leroy Lewis was the early leader of the race when on lap three a spin by Steve Faulkner brought out the yellow. On the attempt to restart the race a major crash took place on the front stretch when Mike Schultz looped around in front of the field and was collected by Mike Dandino along the outside wall. Neither driver was injured in the melee.
Lewis lost the lead to Peckham following some intense racing action up front. Lewis would later lose more after he spun on lap 17 exiting the second turn and was tagged by Phil Marsden, who had no place to go. Marsden was done for the night, but Lewis restarted at the back of the field.
Peckham held off the challengers to take the win and was followed closely across the finish line by Andy Fisk, Scott Smith, points leader Mike Welch and Blane Smith. “I kept digging hard at the bottom of the track in three and four, where the car worked really well,” commented a subdued Peckham. “We put on a new Left rear and tightened the car up to make it run better.”
In the PureStox finale, Minutolo inherited the lead from Chris Guererri on lap three following contact between Guererri and Ross Lurcock, who was challenging for the top spot. Lurcock looped around on the back stretch and Guererri was put to the rear on the ensuing restart for his actions. This allowed Minutolo to run home completely unchallenged with Eric Chapman, Ryan DePuy, Corey Hunt and Lurcock rounding out the top-five finishers.
LEGEND LEDGER: For the second week in a row, Todd Burley was the substitute driver for the injured Mike Johnson, who once again drove the car on the pace lap and ducked into the pits for the relief driver talents of Burley.
This coming Saturday, June 30, will feature the return of the ASCS Patriot Sprint Cars to Canandaigua Speedway on Coca-Cola Disco Night at the track. Joining the Patriot Sprints will be a full card of DIRTcar Sportsman, Street Stock, and PureStox races. The DIRTcar Modifieds will be at Fulton Speedway for round two of the F.X. Caprara Car Companies-Dig Safely New York ‘Five-Star’ Series. Race time on Saturday is 7 p.m. sharp.
COCA-COLA “FOUR THE FAMILY” NIGHT SUMMARY
PURESTOX
HEAT: C. Guererri, R. Lurcock, E. Chapman, R. DePuy, M. Minutolo , B. Faulkner.
FEATURE (10-laps): MARC MINUTOLO, Eric Chapman , Ryan DePuy, Corey Hunt, Ross Lurcock, Chris Guererri, George LaVare Jr., Tom Shoemaker III, Brian Faulkner.
UMP FERRIS MOWERS STREET STOCK
HEAT 1: A. DePuy, M. Rasbeck, Mike Welch, N. Peckham, A. Fisk, L. Lewis.
HEAT 2: M. Schultz, S. Smith, D. Smith, P. Marsden, C. Fisher, M. Dandino.
FEATURE (20-laps): NATHAN PECKHAM, Andy Fisk, Scott Smith, Mike Welch, Blane Smith, Doug Smith, Steve Faulkner, Nick Dandino, Leroy Lewis, Chris Jacobs, Adam DePuy, Phil Marsden, Mike Rasbeck, Mike Schultz, Chris Fisher, Mike Dandino, Brian Lyon, George LaVare Sr. (DNS).
DIRTcar SPORTSMAN MODIFIED
HEAT 1: M. Chiddy, K. Ridley, S. Schrader, T. Currier, E. VanSkiver.
HEAT 2: R. Bussey, L. Lincoln, A. Rizzardo, D. Wiesner, P. LaVare.
HEAT 3: J. Hull, D. Allen, D. Hilkert, E. Giguere, C. Mangarelli.
FEATURE (25-laps): DAN WIESNER, Paul Guererri, Rob Bussey, Darryl Hilkert, Anthony Rizzardo, Loren Lincoln, Eric Giguere, Phil LaVare, Kevin Ridley, Mark Chiddy, Tim Currier, Jim Hull, Nick Guererri, John Robinson, Jesse Pontello, Damon Walker, Daryl Barrett, John Venuto, Bruce DeWick, David Allen, Scott Schrader, Eric VanSkiver, Chris Mangarelli.
DIRTcar BIG-BLOCK MODIFIED
HEAT 1: S. Paine, E. Payne Jr., C. Bower, C. Brachmann, C. Donk.
HEAT 2: P. Taylor, P. Vigneri, J. Pfeffer, S. Whaley, M. Bowman.
HEAT 3: D. Podsiadlo, R. Hefti, R. Smoker, T. Juhl, M. Ward.
FEATURE (35-laps): STEVE PAINE, Chuck Bower, Charlie Donk, Ron Smoker, Chad Brachmann, John Pfeffer, Derrick Podsiadlo, Russ Hefti, Mike Johnson (Todd Burley), Phil Vigneri, Tom Juhl, Chad Homan, Stu Sheppard, Pete Taylor, Shannon Whaley, Mike Bowman, Mike Ward, Paul Habeck, Eldon Payne Jr., Fran Hilton, Ed Monroe, Don Slover.
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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