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Chuck Hebing Collects over $2,000 for First Ever Dave McLeod Memorial Trophy at the Genesee Speedway.
BATAVIA, N.Y. – It started out as the first ever Western New York 360 Sprint Car Shootout Saturday night at the Genesee Speedway. But, more importantly in turned into a celebratory tribute to sprint car friend Dave McLeod and taking the victory in grand fashion was Ontario, N.Y.’s sprint star Chuck Hebing. In the first appearance of the winged sprint cars at the 1/3rd mile oval in over 11 years, the Dave McLeod Memorial drew a stout field of drivers from the ASCS Patriot Region, the Empire Super Sprints (ESS) and Southern Ontario Sprints (SOS).
Taking the lead on lap 10 from Jared Zimbardi, the current ASCS Patriot point leader and defending champion outdistance himself from a solid field of 24 starters to collect over $2,000 in the 32 lap A-Main. Hebing has collected victories in all three sanctions during his sprint car career, but the McLeod Memorial trophy will find a special spot.
“This is a big win, anytime you have the best from ESS, ASCS, SOS, it makes you feel good. We just hit on a set up for the slick track and it was just a fun ride.” noted Hebing who has become a slick track specialist. “We went with a hard tire and set the shocks up for the slick surface Once I got heat in the tires the car just got better. That’s what you need to do when it’s slick. I mean, I never spun a tire all race, just turned 7000 r.p.m. and that is the key. When everyone is spinning coming off the corners and your not it is so much of an advantage.”
By virtue of points earned through time trials and heats, the top six redrew. Zimbardi and Bryan Howland started the event from the front row. When the green lights were on, it was Zimbardi looking for another big win as he is chasing Hebing for the Patriot region championship. By lap two, third place starting ESS star Mike Stelter was in second and on lap four, Hebing also got by Howland to pick up the chase on lap four.
Just three tours later it was Hebing by Stelter for the runner-up slot making for a familiar Hebing/Zimbardi duel. That battle would last as the field was coming down to score lap 10 when Hebing blasted around the outside of Zimbardi and into the position that would be his for the remaining 22 laps.
As Hebing was showcasing the lead spot, fifth place starting Jeff VanDusen found a lane up top and started to pick off cars in hopes of challenging the leader. Up to fourth on lap 17, third on lap 18, by Stelter for second on lap 19 but then the great charge turned into an all out war among the three drivers.
The next few laps saw positions swapping at a rapid rate which caught the attention of the good sized crowd. It all came to a peek on lap 22 when VanDusen and Zimbardi made contact which saw Zimbardi’s mount spin around in turn four. “I did hit him just a bit. It was my fault, I just had such a good run on him on the outside. When he got a bit sideways in the corner that just slowed him up enough for me to tap him.” said the young driver who sits second in ESS points. “I just got tired of following cars down low so I took it to the top and found something that worked. If I didn’t do that I was probably a fifth place car.”
The final ten laps, which included two cautions, had Stelter and VanDusen restarting right behind but each time it was Hebing taking charge for the convincing win. “I tried to get him (Hebing) but he is so good on these slick tracks. Anytime you finish second to him you can’t be to disappointed.” summed up Stelter on his effort.
At the waving of John Veach’s checkered flag it was Hebing comfortably in front. Stelter took home $1,200 for his runner-up finish with VanDusen collecting $1,000 for third. Howland was fourth with ASCS Patriot regular Ray Preston rounding out the top five. The next five were Tim Kelly, Bobby Breen, Don Adamczyk, Bubby Kerrick and two-time ESS champ Lance Yonge.
Only four cautions slowed the pace and they were all minor in nature: Chris Muhleisen brought out the yellow on lap three, on lap 16 Muhleisen’s brakes locked up causing him to stop. The lap 22 caution was for Zimbardi with the final yellow on lap 25 when Geoff Quackenbush slowed.
The Empire Super Sprints fast timer was Kyle Moffit who took home $100 with the Buffalo Bills Digest second fast time award going to Zimbardi. Taking the Canadian Sprint Car Nationals heat events were Howland, Yonge, Adamczyk and Kerrick with the Bobcat of Buffalo B-Main won by Moffit.
The special Pro-Syn Oil scrambles saw a complete sweep by Jeff VanDusen as he won all five rounds which was worth $250.
WESTERN NEW YORK 360 SHOOTOUT NOTES: A fine field saw 29 sprint in the pits which included the top ten in points from ESS and the top nine from the ASCS Patriots…Genesee promoter Mike Lauterborn was behind the wheel of his sprinter but just missed the A-Main cut by on lap and one position during the 12 lap B-Main. Mike did call the event very successful and stayed well into the night talking to many friends from the past…All cars went home as they came, the tow trucks were not called into service once during the night…A big thank you to Glenn Styres and his Ohsweken Speedway who provided the transponders for the night…Bud Link Sr. gave out an $100 hard luck award which went to Zimbardi…Dave McLeod must have been looking over the event was the threat of rain was in the Batavia are all night and while many tracks in New York State did cancel on this Saturday, the return of sprint cars at Genesee was not to be stopped…Thank you Dave!
Western New York 360 Sprint Car Shoot-Out Results
Time Trials
77 Kyle Moffit 18.051
35 Jared Zimbardi 18.129
45 Chuck Hebing 18.152
52 Scott Kreutter 18.284
56d Jeff Van Dusen 18.290
6 Mike Stelter 18.296
25x Michael Parent 18.319
41 Mike Lauterborn 18.320
10m Chris Muhleisen 18.325
22 Ray Preston 18.348
32 Justin Barger 18.358
25 Geoff Quackenbush 18.428
9 Bobby Breen 18.461
28fm Steve Poirier 18.482
12 Tim Kelly 18.659
51h Bryan Howland 18.683
4u Bubby Kerrick 18.704
21 Don Adamczyk 18.765
17j Lance Yonge 18.796
8b Alain Bergeron 18.836
33 Doug Emery 18.856
8 Blake Breen 18.930
f73 Jim Porter 18.966
10 Jeff Cook 19.125
75 Tommy Wickham 19.130
5 Keith Dempster 19.160
9jr Tim Zack 19.186
f37 Jamie Collard 19.503
81 Derek Jonathan 19.950
Heat 1 - Bryan Howland, Alain Bergeron, Geoff Quackenbush, Doug Emery, Tommy Wickham
Heat 2 - Lance Yonge, Tim Kelly, Chuck Hebing, Justin Barger, Michael Parent
Heat 3 - Don Adamczyk, Mike Stelter, Ray Preston, Jared Zimbardi, Steve Poirier
Heat 4 - Bubby Kerrick, Bobby Breen, Jeff VanDusen, Chris Muhleisen, Jeff Cook
B-Main - Kyle Moffit, Scott Kreutter, Blake Breen, Keith Dempster
Did Not Qualify - Mike Lauterborn, Jim Porter, Tim Zack, Jamie Collard, Derek Jonathan
A-MAIN - CHUCK HEBING, Mike Stelter, Jeff VanDusen, Bryan Howland, Ray Preston, Tim Kelly, Bobby Breen, Don Adamczyk, Bubby Kerrick, Lance Yonge, Justin Barger, Steve Poirier, Michael Parent, Doug Emery, Tommy Wickham, Blake Breen, Jeff Cook, Jared Zimbardi, Scott Kreutter, Kyle Moffit, Geoff Quackenbush, Alain Bergeron, Keith Dempster, Chris Muhleisen.
Lap Leaders - Jared Zimbardi 1-9, Chuck Hebing 10-32.
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