|
DUNDEE, NY_ There were some who might've thought that DIRTcar racing phenom Larry Wight should've been able to pull off that all inclusive first time victory sometime during his 2007 rookie season in the DIRTcar Sportsman division. Then again, there are many who haven't pulled off that first win and they've been racing fifteen years. For those who thought that Wight was overdue for his first taste of victory...they were right.
At fifteen years old and sitting in the ninth grade, Larry isn't even old enough to get his New York State Driver's License and with the Central New York racing figure set to run in a modified this weekend, his days in a DIRTcar Sportsman are now over. Last Saturday night at Black Rock (NY) Speedway, Larry drove his last DIRTcar Sportsman Tour event with resounding results. He won his first career Sportsman event and it was a big one...a $5000 to win 50 lap showing of the best in the division as 56 cars attempted to qualify for the tour's richest payday of the 2008 season.
Wight took the lead with just a couple of laps remaining after then leader Todd Henderson had to duck in the pit area to change a right rear flat. Wight crossed the finish line ahead of Woodhull Raceway/T3/RoC competitor Billy Van Pelt and the wait was finally over.
"I saw his right rear (Henderson) going down and I knew going to have to change it," said the youthful Wight as he waited post race tech. "This was the best way of going out in this division."
Ironically, just one week earlier, Wight flipped his modified at Big Diamond (PA) Speedway. It was actually the same car that placed the Phoenix, NY pilot in victory lane last Saturday night.
"This is what a father and son thing is all about," said a proud papa John, who also owns the modified rides of Billy Decker and Pat Ward. "To go out and win this race, it's quite the accomplishment.
Wight has already had a busy winter...running four times in Florida at Volusia Speedway Park during Daytona Speedweeks where he had a eighth place best on opening night. Wight was eighth in 2007 DIRTcar series points in a magnificant rookie season. His modified start at Brewerton and Fonda this week will start off a new career for Wight, who looks forward to the challenge. Right now, Larry is considered one of DIRTcar's newest and brighest young stars.
Not too bad for someone barely out of junior high school.
Todd Henderson was taking his misfortune with a smile on his face following the event.
"It would've been nice to have the win and the points tonight. I'll just go to the next track (Rolling Wheels/May 26) and hope that it doesn't happen like that again.
Henderson was sent to the pits by track officials but wanted to give it a try and pleaded his case before changing the shoe. Officials would've allowed him to stay on the track but he would've had to start from the back of the pack. Henderson also said that he lost his brakes at the lap 30 mark. Henderson spent much of the first half of the race following Merrittville Speedway racing star Mark D'llario. However, when the brakes went, he felt severely challenged.
"When I started to get into lapped traffic, I had to let off the gas. It was difficult to move through them with no brakes."
Second place finisher Billy Van Pelt, who was one of a half dozen modified competitors in the field, was doing a friend a favor when he decided to drive at Black Rock last Saturday night.
"Wes Campbell, who drives this car at Woodhull, asked me to drive it tonight. It was unusual because I usually don't drive this division. It was a good car. We may have just ran out of time."
Van Pelt will run Woodhull along with the T3 358 Modified Series along with the Race of Champions Tour. His eighth place finish in the RoC Series opener at Selinsgrove a couple weeks ago was outstanding considering he started 30th.
Several Merrittville Speedway regulars took to the 2008 DIRTcar Sportsman tour opener along with Ransomville Speedway star Jipp Ortiz and 2007 Ransomville Speedway Street Stock champion Ryan Susice, Ortiz started 18th and was involved in a accident and finished 27th.
D'llario was strong in the early stages in the lead. Henderson had moved up into the lead by D'llario, who then hit a tractor wheel just inside turn two resulting in heavy damage to the left fron of the car.
"I got squeezed down by lapped traffic," admits D'llario, who finished fourth in overall 2007 DIRTcar Sportsman points. "I felt that I had a second place car before that happened. This is what happened to me in the series opener last year and we still did well. We'll be back."
The best finishing local was Greg Panunte of Port Colborne, Ontario in sixth. Boyd MacTavish was ninth. Seventeen year old Mat Williamson was as far back as 24th after the halfway point. He ended up 11th at the finish.
"The track was too rough on top," said Williamson. "That's where I wanted to be. A lot of drivers stayed on the bottom of the race track. I was congested down there."
James Michael Friesen 12th; Rob Knapp 14th; Chad Chevalier 16th; Mark D'llario 18th; Mike Bowman 25th; Jipp Ortiz 27th and Tyler MacPherson 29th rounded out the field for the locals. Tom Flanigan, Luke Carleton, Ryan Susice and Rick Bellante did not qualify.
BLACK ROCK NOTES: The DIRTcar Sportsman Series event was coupled by a 50 lap/$5000 to win Street Stock event won by Nate Peckham...A total of 56 Sportsman and 35 Street Stocks made up the program that started at 4pm and ended some four hours later...Is the DIRTcar Sportsman class wide open this season or what. Defending champion Joe Williams along with 2007 top runners Chris Higgins, Shawn Donath, Wight and Chris Hile are all moving up to the modified class in 2008. Last Saturday's event was also a history maker with it being the first to run with the lesser expensive but mandatory 602ci crate motor. Again, it's series champion could be one of several competitors...Nice to see Paul Smazl at Black Rock. The popular announcer will be at Fonda (NY) Speedway behind the mike in 2008...A pretty good showing for the first DIRTcar Sportsman event of the campaign...Both on the track and with the numbers in the pit area.
That's it for this week. Send all news and notes to DRobe72459@aol.com.
Until next time, keep on racing. |
|
