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Paine Gains Advantage on Sheppard Late for Second Canandaigua Speedway Victory
Weedsport, NY – July, 20 2008 – By Dan Kapuscinski, Canandaigua Speedway PR and Promotions Coordinator
Steve Paine took a tumble at the Georgetown Speedway Thursday evening, but bounced back for his second win of the season Saturday night at Canandaigua Speedway. Paine snagged the lead from race leader Matt Sheppard on lap-27 and sailed to the $1,500 victory on Honeoye Auto Parts Night at the Races.
Paine was pleased in victory lane in front of the Canandaigua crowd.
“We won last night at Black Rock, and the win here tonight is really good after the flip,” said Paine. “When Matt and I were running clear we were about the same, but then we got in a little traffic and that left me catch up. He hooked the cushion once in turn one, and then really hard in turn three. That gave me the opening.”
Sheppard held on for second with Derrick Podsiadlo, Justin Haers, and Chuck Bower rounding out the top five finishers.
Tim Currier took the Integrity Tool 25-lap Sportsman main, while Andy Fisk and Marc Minutolo took the Street Stock and PureStox features.
Paul Habeck and Derrick Podsiadlo started the Honeoye Auto Parts 35-lap main event from row number one. The Penn Yan Mini Storage no. 21 took the top spot at the drop of the green flag with Ron Cartwright and Haers filing in behind him.
Podsiadlo built a comfortable lead on the field, as Sheppard began to pick his way through the pack. By lap-4 Sheppard ran to the top five, and on lap-9 he made the low side move on Haers for the runner-up position. Sheppard was certainly on a tear, as on the next circuit the no. 9s dove low on Podsialdo. Unfortunately for Sheppard, the no. 84 of Gary Tomkins lost the handle in turn two while running in the top five.
On the restart Podsiadlo led Sheppard, Haers , Chad Homan, and Gil Tegg Jr. Podsialdo took the low side on the restart which gave Sheppard all the room he needed to power into the lead off turn four. Sheppard then immediately began to pull away from the field.
With Sheppard out front Paine began his charge in the no. 7x. By lap-18 Paine made his way passed Podsialdo for the runner-up position and looked to reel in the no. 9s.
As the cushion continued to build between the corners, it was evident that some cars were having issues. As Sheppard closed in on lapped cars, Paine caught the leader and began to apply pressure.
On the 26th circuit Sheppard found the cushion in turn three and climbed over it. The no. 9s got way out of shape leaving Paine the entire low side of the Speedway to take over the lead. Sheppard rebounded from the mistake quickly, and stayed on the back bumper of the no. 7x for the next several laps.
Eventually though, Paine checked out in the lead and steamed under Dave Farney’s checkered flags for his second win of the 2008 season. Sheppard once again ran a great race to finish second with Podsiadlo, Haers, Bower, Todd Burley, Homan, Charlie Donk, Tomkins, and Vinnie Vitale in the front ten.
Tim Currier has had less than stellar luck this season in the DIRTcar Sportsman Modified division. For two weeks in a row Currier has led his heat race only to have a flat tire put him out of the running. Saturday night, a flat tire finally worked in Currier’s favor.
Joe Cook Jr. and Currier started the 25-lap Integrity Tool 25-lap main event from the front row, and it was Currier gaining the advantage. Currier led the first 13-laps with ease in the Currier Plastics no. 10 before Nick Guererri brought out a caution flag in the fourth turn.
Currier restarted at the point with hard charging Todd Henderson, Kevin Ridley, Rob Bussey, and Anthony Rizzardo in tow. Henderson looked to be the fastest car on the Speedway , and in turned out that way on the restart as the no. 18h blasted to the point off turn four.
Henderson stretched his lead after lap-14 and looked to be well on his way to his third win of 2008. However, after a caution for the spinning Eric Giguere in turn two, it became clear that Henderson’s right rear tire was going soft with just 4-laps to go.
Henderson tried to keep his momentum going on the restart, but the no. 18h slid high right away handing the lead over to Currier once again. Henderson fell through the field rapidly, eventually pulling off the Speedway in turn one.
With Henderson out of the event, Currier powered to the lead for the second time and pulled away from both Ridley and Steve Gray for his first win of 2008. The victory was Currier’s third career triumph at the ‘ Land of Legends .’
“We lost brakes at about lap-15 after I hooked the cushion,” said Currier. “I wanted to keep running the top, but I had to let the car roll more without brakes and keep it on the bottom. I didn’t notice Todd had the flat until he pulled out of the way, but finally we had something go our way this season.”
Ridley, Gray, Dan Wiesner, and Rob Bussey filled out the top five runners in the 25-lapper.
The 20-lap DIRTcar Street Stock finale saw ‘The Lone Racer’ Leroy Lewis steam to the point and lead the first 11-laps. Lewis ran a tremendous racing line in the no. 07, but made one slight mistake in turn two which was costly.
2007 Rookie of the Year Andy Fisk was able to take the top spot in turn number two to lead lap-12 out front. Fisk, who finished in the runner-up spot the last two weeks to Mike Welch, would not be denied Saturday night racing to victory in the no. 33.
The win was the first of the season for Fisk, and his third career victory.
“I was beginning to wonder if I was ever going to get back here,” said Fisk. “The car was really good tonight, and I hate that we have finished second so may times this season. It makes you want it so much more.”
Blane Smith, Chris Fisher, Mike Welch, and Nate Peckham finished the top five runners.
Marc Minutolo was declared the winner of the 12-lap PureStox event after Vance Vanderwall was declared illegal in post race tech. Minutolo ran a smooth race in the second position on the Speedway , but in the end was able to bring his no. 25b machine to victory lane once again in 2008.
“I don’t know what happened with Vance, it is not really my business. I am just glad to be back in victory lane,” said Minutolo. “The car ran great tonight, and I just have to thank all my crew and my sponsors, especially my dad Mike. This is really a family team.”
Roger Bush, Bryan Faulkner, George LaVare Jr., and Chris Guererri followed Minutolo across the line in the feature order.
Next Saturday night it is the Ontario Fair Week “Sportsman Trifecta 45” featuring three 15-lap main events at Canandaigua Speedway. The Sportsman will be joined by the Street Stocks, PureStox, and the New York Modified Midgets with racing starting at 7pm.
For more call the DIRTcar NE Headquarters at 315/834-6606 or visit www.canandaiguaspeedway.com.
Honeoye Auto Parts Night at the Races Event Summary (7-19-08):
PureStox
Heat: Vanderwall, Minutolo, R. Bush, Chapman, Faulkner, LaVare Jr., F. Bush, Guererri
Feature (12-laps): 1) 25b- MARC MINUTOLO, 2) 9r- Roger Bush, 3) 83- Bryan Faulkner, 4) 6- George LaVare Jr., 5) CJ1- Chris Guererri, 6) 9F- Floyd Bush, 7) 22t- Eric Chapman, 8) 742- Vance Vanderwall (DQ)
DIRTcar Street Stocks
Heat: Lewis, Fisher, Depuy, Peckham, Welch, Smith, Rasbeck, Fisk, Collins
Feature (20-laps): 1) 33- ANDY FISK, 2) 37- Chris Fisher, 3) 00- Mike Welch, 4) 55b- Blane Smith, 5) 90- Nate Peckham, 6) 00r- Mike Rasbeck, 7) 07- Leroy Lewis, 8) 99- Adam Depuy, 9) 70- Kevin Collins, 10) 57b- Bubba Burnell
Home Necessities $25 Wheel of Fortune Bonus: 00- Mike Welch
DIRTcar Sportsman Modifieds
Heat #1: Henderson, Wiesner, P. LaVare, Lewis, Wright, Wheeler, Lerch, Hoteling
Heat #2: Cook Jr., Rizzardo, Ridley, K. Lavare, Maier, Gordon, Dinkins, Giguere
Heat #3: Gray, Bussey, Hilkert, Cool, Currier, Guererri, Newton
Feature (25-laps): 1) 10- TIM CURRIER, 2) 29g- Steve Gray, 3) 20x- Kevin Ridley, 4) 66- Dan Wiesner, 5) 76- Rob Bussey, 6) 4- Daryl Hilkert, 7) 99$- Anthony Rizzardo, 8) 24a- AJ Lewis, 9) 25g- Nick Guererri, 10) 19w- Justin Wright, 11) 88- Kyle LaVare, 12) 11n- Ricky Newton, 13) 8L- Phil LaVare, 14) 67g- Eric Giguere, 15) 44- Gary Hoteling, 16) 22- Greg Cool, 17) 3m- Henry Maier, 18) 8- Joe Cook Jr., 19) 11nz- Peter Gordon, 20) 18h- Todd Henderon, 21) 11- Ben Wheeler, 22) 72- Rob Lerch, 23) 17- Marcus Dinkins
Currier Plastics $50 Wheel of Fortune Bonus: 11n- Ricky Newton
DIRTcar Big-Block Modifieds
Heat #1: Haers, Donk, Paine, Vitale, Habeck, Fisher, Monroe
Heat #2: Tomkins, Homan, Guererri, Whaley, Cartwright Jr., Rauscher, Brownell Jr.
Heat #3: Burley, Podsiadlo, Sheppard, Tegg Jr., Bower, Payne Jr.
Feature (35-laps): 1) 7x- STEVE PAINE, 2) 9s- Matt Sheppard, 3) 21- Derrick Podsialdo, 4) 3- Justin Haers, 5) 99b- Chuck Bower, 6) 89b- Todd Burley, 7) 91- Chad Homan, 8) 99- Charlie Donk, 9) 84- Gary Tomkins, 10) 56- Vinnie Vitale, 11) Gil Tegg Jr., 12) 37c- Eric Fisher, 13) 48T- Dave Rauscher, 14) 28p- Eldon Payne Jr., 15) 25- Paul Habeck, 16) 2b- Ron Cartwright Jr., 17) 25g- Paul Guererri, 18) 4- Ed Monroe, 19) 50- Don Slover, 20) 44- Shannon Whaley, 21) 29- Jeff Brownell Jr.
Gypsum Wholesalers $100 Wheel of Fortune Bonus: 2b- Ron Cartwright Jr.
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