|
Flag-To-Flag First For Planck In Advance Series Shootout At Drummond
*Rick Young Photo Attachment
Drummondville, QUE – July 12, 2008 – By Tom Skibinski, Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series PR Director
Staging his most dominant performance of the 2008 Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series, Dale Planck led flag-to-flag and staved off a late race challenge by tour points leader Billy Decker to capture the ‘31st Annual Hyundai 100’ at Autodrome Drummond on Saturday.
The third extra-distance Big-Block Modified tour victory for Planck was worth $6,000 and kept the Cortland , New York chauffeur positioned third in the overall Hoosier Tire Mr. DIRTcar Championship points chase after nine races.
“I was lucky there at the end, I didn’t know who was coming on the outside and I just kept getting slower and slower on the bottom,” said Planck, 38, who had two tour triumphs going into this season and has already more than matched his career total not even halfway through 2008. “I was lucky to hang on with the same tires we used for 100 laps last night at Granby , so we definitely got our moneys worth out of these rear tires.”
Tire selection was almost the difference for runner-up Decker as he crept up to Planck’s rear bumper on the final circuit with hard compounds bolted on, finishing well ahead of Steve Paine, Gary Tomkins and Brett Hearn, who won Friday night in Advance Series action at nearby Autodrome Granby. Paine also earned preferred starter status in the prestigious Rite Aid 200 Championship race on Oct. 12 of Super DIRT Week XXXVII at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse .
“I have to thank Carey (Terrance, owner) tonight. He was leading the feature at Mohawk (Int’l Raceway) and got a flat tire with just two laps to go. So at least I brought it home for the team,” Planck added.
Planck set the tone early, blasting from third to first on the opening circuit before the 31-car starting field had even reached the back straightaway. The ‘Natural’ made it look easy, diving low out of turn two steering the RezX Racing no. 77x Grow It Hydroseeding/TEO entry under front row starters Yan Bussiere and Sebastien Gougeon to establish the early pace.
Sitting sixth on the original starting grid, Paine sped into the top-three on lap six and rolled into second-place by lap 15. When Gougeon slowed out of turn four to bring out the first caution period on lap 31, Decker had taken over third followed by Frankie Caprara and Brett Hearn.
Decker took advantage of a second restart on lap 36 to bolt past Paine as the passing lane began to narrow with the low side favored by Planck for the duration. By the halfway point, Planck, Decker and Paine were able to pull away from the field at will as Frankie Caprara, Hearn and Frenchman David Hebert followed in the front-five. The biggest tangle of the night occurred in turn two on lap 54 and it took 10 times around to clear the wreckage that included the bent up mounts of locals Steve Bernard and Eric Landry, who both needed to be towed off.
Securing the 18th starting assignment to begin the 100-lap main, Tomkins cracked the front-five by lap 70 yet needed all but the final laps to finally slip past Caprara for fifth on the final scoresheet. With positions holding solid throughout the race, the last five laps were some of the most breathtaking as Decker actually pulled alongside Planck down the back chute with starter Danny Mulligan clinging to the checkered flag. With less than 10 laps to go Hearn slipped as far back as eight yet remained persistent to vault from seventh to fifth on lap 99.
“The more the laps wound down the more it seemed like I screwed up,” figured Planck, who this season had scored Advance Series victories at DIRTcar NorthEast charter member tracks Cayuga County Fair Speedway and Rolling Wheels Raceway Park, following one tour win each of the past seasons at Cornwall Motor Speedway (2006) and Brewerton Speedway ((2007).
“The car was a little bit tight in the center of the corners so with my corner speed I could hit it right a couple of times but not consistently. I was waiting for somebody, just didn’t feel I was carrying enough momentum through the corner. But Billy’s a great guy to race with, he always gives you lots of room and always comes hard in these 100-lappers,” added Planck, who opened the ‘Great Canadian Tour’ on Thursday with a fourth-place finish at Brockville Ontario Speedway before settling for third at Granby on Friday.
Decker from Unadilla , New York has been just as consistent while holding down the points lead, posting a decisive win at Brockville before crossing the line fourth at Granby . A solid second-placing showing at Drummond wheeling the LJL Racing no. 91 Gypsum Wholesalers-Stadium Int'l-Quality Hardwoods/Bicknell machine stretched his lead to 96 points over Hearn and 120 past Planck heading back to Ontario for the annual stop at Cornwall Motor Speedway.
“We took a gamble with tires right before the feature started,” divulged Decker, 43, the Northeast’s leading Big-Block Modified feature winner who captured his only overall Mr. DIRTcar title in 1998. “The crew chief made that call and it was the right one by Scott (Jeffery), we just weren’t quite as good as the 77x car tonight. We were coming there at the end, I think the bottom was giving up just a little bit to give us some hope on the outside. I hope the fans enjoyed it because I had a good time and always enjoy coming here to Drummondville . They put on a real show every year that were proud to be a part of.”
Paine settled for third to match his finish at Brockville on Thursday, although for the second straight night the Waterloo , New York driver kicked off the Advance Series show by winning the Integra Shocks Fast Time Award. He led one lap Friday at Granby in the Paine Motorsports no. 7x Tallmadge Tire-Swarthout Recycling-Instant Heat Wood Pellets/Troyer ride before mechanical failure dropped him from third with less than 10 laps remaining in the century grind.
“Billy was trying to run Dale pretty hard at the end, he had a pair of hard (tires) and was getting better I think or staying the same and Dale and I were fading a bit,” figured Paine, 47, a two-time Advance Series winner at Drummond in 1995 and 2000, finishing second to Hearn last July. “But we had a good car and had a good time putting on a show for all the fans. Its nice to race in front of a bunch of people and put on a good show.”
“We haven’t had a fast time in trials for a while, but got one last night and we were really good and even better in the feature until something broke with just a few laps to go. We’re good here again tonight and this time we ran all the laps and had another good finish. This track is a lot shorter than it was when we ran here every week, but ever since they shortened it I think I’ve been in the top-three almost every race, just haven’t won yet. We’d really like to win another one but a top-three is still good. So its off to Cornwall tomorrow, we’ll see what happens there,” added Paine, who earned three straight Big-Block Modified season point championships at Drummond from 1995-97 and registered consecutive top-three tour finishes in 2003-05.
The curtain comes down on four straight nights of Big-Block Modified racing action as the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series rolls off the line Sunday, July 13 with the14th Annual Akwesasne Mohawk Casino International 100 closing out the ‘Great Canadian Tour’ in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec.
Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series Race #9 – Autodrome Drummond, July 12, 2008 ‘31st Annual Hyundai 100’ Big-Block Modified Event Summary
FIN STR CAR# DRIVER
1 3 77x Dale Planck/Cortland,NY($6,000)
2 8 91 Billy Decker/ Unadilla , NY
3 6 7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY
4 18 84 Gary Tomkins/ Clifton Springs , NY
5 5 20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ
6 9 fx1 Frankie Caprara/Watertown,NY
7 10 98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY
8 11 9s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY
9 17 3 Justin Haers/ Phelps , NY
10 14 46 Kayle Robidoux/St-Constant,QUE
11 15 99 Ryan Phelps /Fulton,NY
12 7 22 Mario Clair/St-Edmond,QUE
13 26 23 Dany Bilodeau/Victoriaville,QUE
14 23 49 Billy Dunn/Watertown,NY
15 24 66x Alan Johnson/Middlesex,NY
16 29 97 Michel Chicoine/Ste-Cecile de Milton,QUE
17 16 27j Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY
18 13 95 Alex Boisvert/ Drummondville ,QUE
19 20 74 Frederic Gamache/ Granby ,QUE
20 12 1 David Hebert/St. Damase,QUE
21 1 21 Yan Bussiere/ Drummondville ,QUE
22 21 3b Claude Brouillard/Tracy,QUE
23 19 54 Steve Bernard/St Paul Abbotsford,QUE
24 28 81 Eric Landry/Trois-Rivieres,QUE
25 31 24L Carl Labonte/ Drummondville ,QUE
26 30 99L Larry Wight/Phoenix,NY®
27 22 66w Wallace Stacey/Kahnawake,QUE
28 2 44 Sebastien Gougeon/ Drummondville ,QUE
29 *4 6g Martin Gagne/Granby,QUE
30 27 39a Alan Therrien/Victoriaville,QUE
31 32 2 Michel Dusseault/ Victoriaville ,QUE
DNS 25 63 Dominic Dufault/Ste-Victoire,QUE
*Started last after failing to fire at line.
DID NOT QUALIFY(6)
09-Alex Fortier/Princeville,QUE
17-Eric Bessette/ Beloeil ,QUE
19p-Michel Pelletier/Ste-Anne de Sorel,QUE
29-Gilles Bessette/ Drummondville ,QUE
93-Ryan Bartlett/ Adams , NY
95c-Gino Clair/St-Edmond,QUE
EVENT SUMMARY:
LAP LEADER: Planck (1-100).
CAUTIONS: 6 for 20 laps.
HEAT WINNERS: Paine, Sheppard, Planck, J.Phelps.
DIG SAFELY NEW YORK LAST CHANCE RACE WINNERS: Brouillard, Stacey.
BICKNELL RACING PRODUCTS WINNER AWARD: Dale Planck.
CRANE CAMS WINNER AWARD: Dale Planck.
RISLONE OIL STABILIZER & TREATMENT WINNER AWARD: Dale Planck.
BARS LEAKS RUNNER-UP AWARD: Billy Decker.
CRANE CAMS RUNNER-UP AWARD: Billy Decker.
SYRACUSE RITE AID 200 QUALIFIER: Steve Paine (P).
HALFWAY LEADER: Dale Planck.
BERT/KSE RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER AWARD: Gary Tomkins.
HOLLEY HARD LUCK AWARD: David Hebert.
PENSKE POWER POSITION AWARD (9th): Justin Haers.
INTEGRA SHOCKS FAST TIME AWARD: Steve Paine (17.234sec/83.556mph).
TOTAL PURSE: $27,875.
CARS ENTERED: 38.
NEXT EVENT: Cornwall Motor Speedway "Akwesasne Mohawk Int'l 100" - July 13, 2008.
QUALIFYING
FAST AVE
TIME MPH CAR# DRIVER
1 17.234 83.556 7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY
*$100 Integra Shocks Fast Qualifier Award
2 17.429 82.621 91 Billy Decker/ Unadilla , NY
3 17.543 82.084 1 David Hebert/St. Damase,QUE
4 17.558 82.014 54x Alex Fortier/Princeville,QUE
5 17.582 81.902 44 Sebastien Gougeon/ Drummondville ,QUE
6 17.595 81.841 fx1 Frankie Caprara/Watertown,NY
7 17.638 81.642 77x Dale Planck/Cortland,NY
8 17.638 81.642 98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY
9 17.657 81.554 20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ
10 17.735 81.195 9s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY
11 17.746 81.145 99 Ryan Phelps /Fulton,NY
12 17.759 81.086 21 Yan Bussiere/ Drummondville ,QUE
13 17.831 80.758 95 Alex Boisvert/ Drummondville ,QUE
14 17.858 80.636 46 Kayle Robidoux/St-Constant,QUE
15 17.960 80.178 22 Mario Clair/St-Edmond,QUE
16 17.980 80.089 74 Frederic Gamache/ Granby ,QUE
17 17.989 80.049 24L Carl Labonte/ Drummondville ,QUE
18 17.996 80.018 97 Michel Chicoine/Ste-Cecile de Milton,QUE
19 18.011 79.951 54 Steve Bernard/St Paul Abbotsford,QUE
20 18.025 79.889 99L Larry Wight/Phoenix,NY®
21 18.096 79.576 3 Justin Haers/ Phelps , NY
22 18.101 79.554 84 Gary Tomkins/ Clifton Springs , NY
23 18.108 79.523 23 Dany Bilodeau/Victoriaville,QUE
24 18.137 79.396 27j Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY
25 18.152 79.330 39a Alan Therrien/Victoriaville,QUE
26 18.196 79.138 63 Dominic Dufault/Ste-Victoire,QUE
27 18.239 78.952 95c Gino Clair/St-edmond,QUE
28 18.260 78.861 6g Martin Gagne/Granby,QUE
29 18.317 78.615 3b Claude Brouillard/Tracy,QUE
30 18.386 78.320 49 Billy Dunn/Watertown,NY
31 18.579 77.507 81 Eric Landry/Trois-Rivieres,QUE
32 18.686 77.063 66w Wallace Stacey/Kahnawake,QUE
33 18.711 76.960 19p Michel Pelletier/Ste-Anne de Sorel,QUE
34 19.049 75.595 17 Eric Bessette/ Beloeil ,QUE
35 - NT- ----- 2 Michel Dusseault/ Victoriaville ,QUE
36 - NT- ----- 29 Gilles Bessette/ Drummondville ,QUE
37 - NT- ----- 66x Alan Johnson/Middlesex,NY
38 - NT- ----- 93 Ryan Bartlett/Adams,NY
Heat Races (10 laps, top 5 finishers transferred to feature, top 3 went to re-draw)
#1: Paine, Hearn, Gougeon, Boisvert, Haers, Therrien, Brouillard, Labonte, Pelletier, G.Bessette.
#2: Sheppard, Decker, Caprara, Robidoux, Tomkins, Dunn, Chicoine, Dufault, E.Bessette, Bartlett (DNS).
#3: Planck, Hebert, M.Clair, R.Phelps, Bernard, A.Johnson, Bilodeau, G.Clair, Landry.
#4: J.Phelps, Bussiere, Gagne, D.Johnson, Gamache, Stacey, Wight, Fortier, Dusseault.
Dig Safely New York Last Chance Races (10 laps, top 5 finishers transferred to feature)
#1: Brouillard, Dunn, Dufault, Therrien, Chicoine, Labonte, E.Bessette, G.Bessette, Pelletier, Bartlett (DNS).
#2: Stacey, A.Johnson, Bilodeau, Landry, Wight, Dusseault, Boisvert (DNS), Fortier (DNS).
Provisionals: Labonte, Dusseault.
Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series Point Standings (Through July 12, 2008)
Rank No. Driver Total SeriesDiff Money Wins Top-5 Top-10 Starts
1 91 Billy Decker 766 766 0 $30,900 4 7 9 9
2 20 Brett Hearn 670 670 -96 $17,800 1 6 8 9
3 77x Dale Planck 646 646 -120 $22,275 3 5 6 9
4 98h Jimmy Phelps 611 611 -155 $15,100 0 3 7 9
5 84 Gary Tomkins 605 605 -161 $10,375 0 3 9 9
6 9s Matt Sheppard 595 595 -171 $16,800 1 2 6 9
7 7x Steve Paine 565 565 -201 $10,975 0 4 4 9
8 27J Danny Johnson 544 544 -222 $12,025 0 3 4 9
9 3 Justin Haers 536 536 -230 $6,650 0 1 6 9
10 14J Alan Johnson 536 536 -230 $7,650 0 1 4 9
11 FX1 Frankie Caprara 525 525 -241 $7,000 0 1 6 9
12 99 Ryan Phelps 485 485 -281 $4,700 0 0 2 9
13 49 Billy Dunn 462 462 -304 $5,175 0 0 2 9
14 99L Larry Wight 381 381 -385 $3,700 0 0 1 9
15 6 Pat O'Brien 299 299 -467 $2,960 0 0 1 7
16 29 Jeff Brownell Jr 248 248 -518 $2,000 0 0 0 6
17 42B Kevin Bates 220 220 -546 $1,950 0 0 0 6
18 21 Yan Bussiere 161 161 -605 $1,600 0 0 1 3
19 22 Mario Clair 152 152 -614 $1,000 0 0 0 3
20 99b Chuck Bower 140 140 -626 $900 0 0 0 4
21 11j Sean Beardsley 139 139 -627 $900 0 0 0 4
22 16 Mike Bowman 135 135 -631 $900 0 0 0 4
23 357 Stewart Friesen 131 131 -635 $2,750 0 1 1 2
24 19 Tim Fuller 130 130 -636 $2,750 0 1 1 2
25 46 Kayle Robidoux 125 125 -641 $1,200 0 0 2 2
26 56 Vince Vitale 125 125 -641 $610 0 0 0 3
27 5 Jason Potter 125 125 -641 $900 0 0 0 4
28 48T Dave Rauscher 119 119 -647 $750 0 0 0 3
29 4 Duane Howard 105 105 -661 $6,000 0 1 1 1
30 79 Mike Storms 102 102 -664 $1,050 0 0 0 3
31 44 Shannon Whaley100 100 -666 $450 0 0 0 3
32 62s Tom Sears Jr. 99 99 -667 $700 0 0 0 3
33 3 Claude Brouillard 98 98 -668 $650 0 0 0 2
34 23 Dany Bilodeau 96 96 -670 $650 0 0 0 2
35 123 Robbie Krull 96 96 -670 $4,000 0 1 1 1
36 2 Michel Dussault 90 90 -676 $600 0 0 0 2
37 85 Dan Vauter 89 89 -677 $600 0 0 0 2
38 1 David Hebert 88 88 -678 $600 0 0 0 2
39 8 Rob Bellinger 86 86 -680 $600 0 0 0 3
40 24L Carl Labonte 84 84 -682 $600 0 0 0 2
41 21 Derrick Podsiadlo 84 84 -682 $600 0 0 0 3
42 54 Steve Bernard 81 81 -685 $600 0 0 0 2
43 6G Martin Gagné 81 81 -685 $600 0 0 0 2
44 84L Eric Landry 80 80 -686 $600 0 0 0 2
45 66w Wallace Stacey 80 80 -686 $300 0 0 0 1
46 89b Todd Burley 80 80 -686 $1,700 0 1 1 1
47 28 Scott Kerwin 76 76 -690 $1,400 0 0 1 1
48 13 Tony Steiner 73 73 -693 $300 0 0 0 1
49 32c Vic Coffey 70 70 -696 $500 0 0 0 1
50 1w Billy Pauch 66 66 -700 $1,400 0 0 1 1
51 88 Steve Hulsizer 65 65 -701 $450 0 0 0 2
52 20m Jeff McGinnis 65 65 -701 $800 0 0 1 1
53 17d Danny O'Brien 65 65 -701 $800 0 0 1 1
54 15x Billy Pauch Jr. 63 63 -703 $1,040 0 0 0 1
55 85 W.Hendrickson 62 62 -704 $1,200 0 0 1 1
56 97 Michel Chicoine 60 60 -706 $300 0 0 0 1
57 63 Dominic Dufaut 59 59 -707 $300 0 0 0 1
58 71 David VanHorn Jr 59 59 -707 $1,020 0 0 0 1
59 26 Rick Richner 58 58 -708 $400 0 0 0 1
60 73 Alain Boisvert 58 58 -708 $400 0 0 0 1
61 95 Alex Boisvert 56 56 -710 $300 0 0 0 1
62 93 Richie Vinson 56 56 -710 $350 0 0 0 1
63 14 Rich Laubach 54 54 -712 $1,000 0 0 0 1
64 M96 Jessica Zemken 54 54 -712 $325 0 0 0 1
65 91h Chad Homan 53 53 -713 $300 0 0 0 1
66 44v Phil Vigneri 52 52 -714 $300 0 0 0 1
67 99 Mike Adderley 52 52 -714 $300 0 0 0 1
68 9 Alex Fortier 50 50 -716 $300 0 0 0 1
69 93 Ryan Bartlett 50 50 -716 $300 0 0 0 1
70 111 Kevin Wills 50 50 -716 $300 0 0 0 1
Advance Auto Parts DIRTcar Modified Entries – July 12 (38)
CAR# DRIVER / HOMETOWN TEAM (Sponsor / Chassis / Engine)
09 Alex Fortier/Princeville,QUE Holy Tek Canada-Plomberie Parre/Bicknell/Fortier
1 David Hebert/St. Damase,QUE Mazda Drummond-Freightliner Drummond/Bicknell/Finger Lakes
fx1 Frankie Caprara/Watertown,NY F.X. Caprara Car Co.-Auto Value-JK Contracting/Troyer/Dan Bedell
2 Michel Dusseault/Victoriaville,QUE Fondations J.P.-Castrol-NAPA Auto Parts/Troyer/JCE
3 Justin Haers/Phelps,NY Phelps Cement Products-SMV Motorsports-Jeff Jolly Masonry/Bicknell/Finger Lakes
3b Claude Brouillard/Tracy,QUE R.Brouillette Transport-G.A.D. Brouillard/Bicknell/RL Racing Engines
6g Martin Gagne/Granby,QUE Charland Chevrolet Cadillac-Transport Demers-P&G/Bicknell/Boomer's Racing
7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY Tallmadge Tire-Swarthout Recycling-Instant Heat Wood Pellets/Troyer/Finger Lakes
9s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY Advanced Lubrication Specialties-BPG/Chad Sinon Motorsports/Bicknell/Finger Lakes
17 Eric Bessette/Beloeil,QUE Montmorency Ford-Rainville & Bros. Concrete/TEO/Bessette
19p Michel Pelletier/Ste-Anne de Sorel,QUE Service Routier L.S./Bicknell/RL Racing Engines
20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ Madsen Motorsports-Wentworth Custom Homes-Kruger-WLR/TEO/Enders
21 Yan Bussiere/Drummondville,QUE Bud Light/TEO/RL Racing Engines
22 Mario Clair/St-Edmond,QUE Batiments JDL-Motel Drummond-Freightliner/Bicknell/Morrison
23 Dany Bilodeau/Victoriaville,QUE Entrepot Victo-Stephane Jackson Automobiles/Troyer/RL Racing Engines
24L Carl Labonte/ Drummondville ,QUE ACN Canada-Dash Racewear/TEO/RL Racing Engines
27j Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY JIR Motorsports-A&D Structures/Troyer/Morrison
29 Gilles Bessette/Drummondville,QUE Bourque Refrigeration-Granutech/Bicknell/LaFrance Performance
39a Alan Therrien/Victoriaville,QUE Carrosserie St-Calixte Racing-JT Rerrassement/Bicknell/RL Racing Engines
44 Sebastien Gougeon/Drummondville,QUE Gougeon Bros. Service Center-Stelpro Design-Castrol/TEO/Doyon
46 Kayle Robidoux/St-Constant,QUE Bert Transmission-Genesis Racing Shocks-Rube Restaurant/Bicknell/Clements
49 Billy Dunn/Watertown,NY Number One Speed-American Traditions-Fast Lube Watertown/Bicknell/Finger Lakes
54 Steve Bernard/St Paul Abbotsford,QUE Robert Bernard Tire Service-Robert Transport-Burrowes Insurance/Bicknell/AMB
63 Dominic Dufault/Ste-Victoire,QUE Transport Pierco-BL-Les Macineries Tenco/TEO/AMB Performance
66w Wallace Stacey/Kahnawake,QUE Bully's Truck Stop-CFF,Inc./Bicknell/RL Performance
66x Alan Johnson/Middlesex,NY Bully's Truck Stop-CFF,Inc./Bicknell/Paul Gavenda
74 Frederic Gamache/Granby,QUE Performance POP-Excavation Ben-Benny/POP Performance/SMA
77x Dale Planck/Cortland,NY RezX Racing-Grow It Hydroseeding-Action Race Parts-Teo Fab./TEO/Kevlar
81 Eric Landry/Trois-Rivieres,QUE D'Artagnan's Bar-Breyers Ice Cream/Bicknell/Pierre Berthiaume
84 Gary Tomkins/ Clifton Springs , NY Honeoye Auto Parts-Red Parker & Son Excavating/Bicknell/Mastin
91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY Gypsum Wholesalers-Stadium Int'l-Quality Hardwoods/Bicknell/Enders
93 Ryan Bartlett/Adams,NY D.P. Bartlett & Sons Plumbing & Heating-Village Peddler Bikes/Troyer/Sonny Barron
95 Alex Boisvert/Drummondville,QUE Ferme Des Saules-Boulay & Fils/Troyer/Morrison
95c Gino Clair/St-edmond,QUE Ferme Des Saules-Boulay & Fils/Troyer/Morrison
97 Michel Chicoine/Ste-Cecile de Milton,QUE GMCI Express-E.Beaudry Enterprises/Bicknell/Enders
98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY Mohawk N.E.-New England Race Fuels-Joe Gibbs Racing Oil/Troyer/Finger Lakes
99 Ryan Phelps /Fulton,NY Big Red Towing-Dave Miller Auto Body/Bicknell/Enders
99L Larry Wight/Phoenix,NY® Gypsum Express,Ltd./Bicknell/Enders
SKIDMARKS
Back To Ontario: With near perfect racing conditions greeting race teams at both autodromes Drummond and Granby in Quebec , the Advance Series completes the cycle in Canada with the annual appearance at Cornwall Motor Speedway on Sunday. Exactly one year ago at this time, overnight rain and a two-hour deluge on raceday forced track promoter Ron Morin to postpone the 13th Annual Akwesasne Mohawk Casino International 100 to July 22 after originally being slated for July 8. The two-week delay did little to affect Billy Decker, who continues to be one of the fastest out of the blocks in every Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series event. Decker won his fourth Integra Shocks Fast Time Award last summer at Cornwall to once again open the show as a top contender and he stuck around long enough to pass Brett Hearn for the lead with three laps left and go on to capture his first tour win of 2007 in the 100-lap event.
Tomkins Making Time: A pair of top-five tallies in Quebec have carried Gary Tomkins into the top-five in Advance Series points for the first time this season, although the 2004 overall Mr. DIRTcar Champion says its only the final finishing order that has changed the most since the tour opened in May. “We’ve really been running pretty good all year just about everywhere we’ve raced,” noted Tomkins, 42, who opened the Canadian Tour with an eighth-place finish at Brockville before posting a fifth at Granby and fourth at Drummond. The Honeoye Auto Parts no. 84 Red Parker & Son Excavating/Bicknell machine is yet to lead a feature lap this season although the Clifton Springs, New York pilot has posted a pair of heat race wins. “A lot of cars are really close this year, its just a matter of how things fall and we finally had everything go our way at Granby . We had no carburetor trouble, a good time in trials set up a heat race win and we didn’t get hit by any car in the feature. When everything goes your way you should be able to get a good finish, hopefully we’ll keep the momentum fir the next few races, we’re really due.”
Super Southern Swing: The inaugural ‘Super Southern Swing’ kicks off at Grandview Speedway in Bechtelsville, Pennsylvania on Wednesday, July 16 and concludes with the first-ever tour appearance at Georgetown Speedway in Delaware on Thursday, July 17, with the DIRTcar doubleheader pre-race roster already swelling to well over 40 race teams. Along with current Advance Series point leader Billy Decker, all-time tour winner Brett Hearn and all-time DIRTcar Big-Block Modified feature winner Alan Johnson, The all-star cast of cars and stars from the Northeastern Modified ranks also includes ’07 Grandview titlist Jeff Strunk and reigning Georgetown points king Ryan Godown plus season-opening Florida DIRTcar Nationals winners Billy Pauch and Jimmy Horton, along with their sons Billy Jr. and Jimmy IV. Top ‘08 tour point-getters Danny Johnson, Dale Planck, Jimmy Phelps, Matt Sheppard, Gary Tomkins, Justin Haers and Steve Paine will all be in competition, battling for bragging rights against such interstate pilots Frank Cozze, Duane Howard, Craig VonDohren, Rick Laubach, Steve Bottcher, Keith Hoffman and Kenny Brightbill from Pennsylvania and Delaware drivers Jamie Mills, Chad James, Steve Downs, Tim Millman and upstarts Jordan and Joseph Watson.
POT HOLES: It took eight events before Steve Paine and Jimmy Phelps won their first qualifying heats Friday at Granby to earn five additional bonus points towards the overall Mr. DIRTcar Championship….Paine racked up five more points with his second straight Integra Shocks Fast Time, Saturday night being his first ever at Drummond…..Dale Planck got back on track, not only copping the feature but winning his qualifying heat; something the second-generation driver had done in the first six shows before coming from the rear to place second behind in Granby’s preliminary round….Kayle Robidoux was the highest finishing Small-Block driver at Drummond although 13th-place finisher Dany Bilodeau was rewarded with a guaranteed starting berth in the Super DIRT Week 358-Modified as Robidoux won a special Syracuse Qualifier at Granby in May. Alain Bosivert (12th) picked up an automatic spot in the Syracuse show the night before at Granby …..Second-generation driver Alan Therrien was in the no. 39 Bicknell ride more familiar with his father Clement aboard. While his father was sitting out for disciplinary reasons, 18 year-old Alan qualified for his first-ever Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series main but only completed 28 laps before bowing out. Earlier in the season, Clement copped his first feature win of the season on June 21 and that same night Alan recorded his best-ever finish of third.
Get Out The Word First: RACEceiver is the Official Driver Communicator of DIRTcar Racing. A compact radio receiver that conveniently fits into a driver’s pocket, a RACEceiver allows each driver to hear directions from series officials, which greatly enhances the safety and timeliness of events. A similar version available to fans will allow RACEceiver users to hear what information series officials are relaying to the drivers. For more information about RACEceiver, visit www.raceceiver.com, call 866/301-7223, or look for their sales trailers at various events.
Tracks Know The Score: In the ongoing effort to assist every sanctioned track with presenting the best possible race programs, DIRT has teamed with AMB i.t. which continues to be recognized as the Official Timing System of DIRTcar racing. AMB i.t. is the world’s leader in automatic race timing and scoring systems and the DIRT organization is proud to retain the company as a valued partner in the timing and scoring of all DIRTcar Racing events.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series teams packed up and traveled west for the final installment of the ‘Great Canadian Tour’ on Sunday, July 13 at Cornwall Motor Speedway in Ontario . The mighty Big-Block Modified continent takes a two-day break to regroup before competing in the ‘Super Southern Swing’ doubleheader at Grandview ( Pa. ) Speedway on July 16 and Georgetown ( Del. ) Speedway on July 17.
2008 Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series Schedule
NP=Non-Point event.
*All events subject to change.
DAY-DATE TRACK WINNER/RITE AID 200 QUALIFIER
Wed-Feb 13 Volusia Speedway Park-NP Billy Pauch
Thr-Feb 14 Volusia Speedway Park-NP Brett Hearn
Fri-Feb 15 Volusia Speedway Park-NP Dale Planck
Sat-Feb 16 Volusia Speedway Park-NP Jimmy Horton
Sat-Mar 22 Hagerstown Speedway Weather-Cancelled
Thr-May 1 Virginia Motor Speedway Matt Sheppard(G)
Sun-May 4 Rolling Wheels Raceway Billy Decker(G)
Sun-May 4 Rolling Wheels Raceway Dale Planck(G)
Sun-May 25 Cayuga Co Fair Speedway D.Planck/Danny Johnson(P)
Sat-Jun 7 Fulton Speedway B.Decker/Brett Hearn(P)
Thr-Jul 3 Ransomville Speedway B.Decker/Robbie Krull(P)
Thr-Jul 10 Brockville Ont Speedway B.Decker/Jimmy Phelps(P)
Fri-Jul 11 Autodrome Granby Brett Hearn(G)
Sat-Jul 12 Autodrome Drummond D.Planck/Steve Paine(P)
Sun-Jul 13 Cornwall Motor Speedway Cornwall ,ONT
Wed-Jul 16 Grandview Speedway Bechtelsville , PA
Thr-Jul 17 Georgetown Speedway Georgetown , DE
Thr-Jul 31 Orange Co Fair Speedway Middletown , NY
Mon-Aug 4 Merrittville Speedway Thorold ,ONT
Fri-Aug 8 Brewerton Speedway Brewerton , NY
Sat-Aug 9 Canandaigua Speedway Canandaigua , NY
Sat-Aug 16 Can-Am Motorsports Park LaFargeville , NY
Sun-Aug 31 Cayuga Co Fair Speedway Weedsport , NY
Mon-Sep 1 Rolling Wheels Raceway Elbridge,NY
Sat-Sep 6 Lebanon Valley Speedway West Lebanon , NY
Fri-Sep 12 Lernerville Speedway Sarver , PA
Sat-Sep 20 Canandaigua Speedway Canandaigua , NY
Sat-Sep 27 Rolling Wheels Raceway Elbridge,NY
Sun-Oct 12 New York State Fairgrounds Syracuse , NY
Sun-Oct 19 Orange Co Fair Speedway Middletown , NY
Headquartered in Roanoke, Va., Advance Auto Parts, a leading automotive aftermarket retailer of parts, accessories, batteries, and maintenance items in the United States, serves both the do-it-yourself and professional installer markets As of April 19, 2008, the Company operated 3,291 stores in 40 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Additional information about the Company, employment opportunities, customer services, and on-line shopping for parts and accessories can be found on the Company's web site at http://www.advanceautoparts.com.
ADVANCE AUTO PARTS MODIFIED SERIES SPONSORS
The Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series for Big-Block Modifieds is brought to fans across the Northeast by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Advance Auto Parts and Hoosier Racing Tire. Rite Aid Corporation is a promotional partner and the contingency sponsors are Bars Leaks, Bert Transmission, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Crane Cams, Dig Safely New York, Holley HP Carburetors, Integra Shocks, Intercomp, KSE Racing Products, Motorsports Safety Systems, Penske Shocks, Rislone Oil Stabilizer and Wrisco Industries.
|
|
