Bob McCreadie Finally Gets Modified Brewerton Win; Bower Wins First Modified Title
Brewerton, NY…Bob McCreadie won his first Brewerton DIRT Modified feature of the 2000 season Friday on Team Services night. Other winners included Bob Bradt, Tony Buffa, rookie Roy French, and Harvey Calkins, Jr.
Five track champions were crowned on Friday night, with Chuck Bower winning his first ever DIRT Modified track title, Ryan Baye winning the 358-Modified points, Bob Bradt with his first IMCA championship, Tony Buffa scoring the Dwarf Car crown, and Roger West taking home the track championship in the 4-Cylinder class.
Jimmy Phelps put his Fleet Pride 99j out front early in the Modified main, as he edged out Jeremy Corcoran on the start. Corcoran ran his Syracuse Nationals 3c in the top five for several laps, until being caught up in a jingle on lap 9 that also involved the 94 of Tim McCreadie and the 1 of Alan Johnson. All cars were able to restart.
At the time of that yellow, the order read Jimmy Phelps, Ronnie Johnson, Billy Decker, Bob McCreadie, and Scott Prentice. Chuck Bower, needing to finish 13th or better to lock out Alan Johnson and win the track championship, was running in 9th.
Decker shuffled Johnson back a spot on the restart, and set sail after Phelps. Also on the move was Scott Prentice, and the Benwood Auto Parts 47 used the low groove to go by Johnson and take over fourth.
Steve Babicek stopped in turn one to bring out the race’s second yellow on lap 12. Decker used the restart to snatch the lead from Phelps, but Phelps took it right back in the next corner. Bob McCreadie was itching to lead the race, and on lap 15 he put his Kinney Drugs 9 between the two lead cars in an attempt to take them both. He got only Decker as Phelps continued to hang on.
Phelps became the NGK Spark Plugs Halfway Leader on lap 18, as McCreadie, Decker, Tim Fuller, and Prentice followed. Pat Ward, Chuck Bower, and Alan Johnson were the next three in line as Bower continued to choose his tactics carefully so as to protect the top ten finish and the track title.
McCreadie worked the bottom groove repeatedly, trying to find the bite he needed to overtake Phelps. On lap 22, he dove underneath him in turn three and moved himself to the head of the class. One lap later, Ryan Baye slowed in turn two and the caution was out again. Baye captured the Brewerton DIRT 358-Modified Track Championship despite his bad luck, as his lead over Mike Hulsizer was significant going into the night.
McCreadie led Decker, Fuller, Phelps, and Ward back down to the green. Prentice, Bower, Johnson, Jim Gabriel, and Tim McCreadie rounded out the top ten with 12 laps left in the 35-lap feature event.
Moving quickly on the track after the restart was the M1 of Fuller. He took third on lap 24, and then passed Decker for second on lap 26. He tried closing on McCreadie, who was beginning to have to deal with slower traffic, but McCreadie drove skillfully and held on for his first win of the 2000 season at Brewerton.
It was a popular win indeed as McCreadie beat out Fuller, Ward, Decker, and Bower to claim top honors. Bower went on to win his first ever DIRT Modified track championship.
The rained out 4-Cylinder feature from August 18th ran with just one yellow, and the race belonged totally to rookie driver Roy French. French started on the front row and led all 15 laps to picked up his first ever feature win.
The point battle in the 4-Cylinder division featured Roger West leading Jim LaLone by just three points going into this feature, which was the first race of the evening. French took off out front, and West sped quickly through the top five to be second after two laps.
LaLone was never a factor in the top five, as he and teammate Mike Lewis battled it out in and around the seventh position the entire event. French became the NGK Spark Plugs Halfway Leader on lap 8, and had West, Harvey Calkins Jr., Joe Briere, and Kevan Cook right behind him.
Cicero, NY teenager Dave Myrto had his 17d running strong again this week, as he started deep in the field and charged into the top five by lap 11 without the benefit of a yellow. The race’s only yellow flag was waved on lap 13 when John West in the 4 suffered a flat tire and came to a rest in the infield.
French could not have wanted to see this yellow as he now had Roger West right on his back bumper. The rookie handled the pressure well though, and held West off for the final two laps to win his first ever feature. At the finish it was French followed by West, Calkins, Myrto, and Briere.
Tony Finch led his first laps of the 2000 season in the IMCA division, as he got the jump at the drop of the opening green. A caution came out right away as Ron O’Neill’s slim track title hopes turned to none as he had something break on his 70x in turn three and he came to a stop on the track.
Rookie driver Johnny Hill and Finch battled for the lead following the restart, with Sean Lias right behind. On lap five, Finch suddenly slowed with a right rear flat tire, and Lias had passed Hill and put himself in a position to inherit the lead when Finch dropped out.
Points leader and 7-time feature winner Bob Bradt was moving up through the top five, and took over second from Hill on lap 6. This set the stage for a shootout between the two most frequent visitors to IMCA victory lane at Brewerton in 2000. When lap 10 went up on the board, Lias became the NGK Spark Plugs Halfway Leader, and was followed by Bradt, Hill, Mike Adderley, and Dane Keller.
The top five remained the same throughout the middle stages of the race, as Bradt fought to close in on Lias. John Hickman’s spin on lap 18 made Bradt’s job easy, as he now would line up on Lias’ bumper with two laps left to try and pass him.
It only took one lap for Bradt to do his best “limbo” impression, going down as low as he could on the racetrack out of turn four and taking control as the white flag flew. Lias tried to fight back, but Bradt was determined to put the exclamation point on his track championship by winning his 8th feature of the season.
Bradt was the winner, with Lias, Hill, Keller, and Adderley rounding out the top five. Hill and Adderley are rookies and both had strong finishes for the second week in a row.
All season long at Brewerton, Tony Buffa and Troy Van Allen have been the story in the ESDCA Dwarf Cars. Friday was no different, as Van Allen took the early lead, and within three laps it was Buffa knocking on his back door.
The “pair of deuces” ran first and second for the balance of the race, with Van Allen still leading on the NGK Spark Plugs Halfway Lap. Bill Teliska spun on lap 10, causing a caution, and the field bunched up with the 2x of Van Allen leading the 2 of Buffa and the 22x of Ken Gamlen.
The race went green for a lap before Brenda Rice stopped on the front straightaway and caution flew again. On the restart, Buffa led for a moment, but Van Allen came roaring right back as the two raced side by side to the crowd’s liking.
It wasn’t until lap 14 that Buffa would finally make the pass, and he held on the last six laps to take the win and the track championship for the 2000 season. Under the checkered flag came Buffa, Van Allen, Gamlen, Scott Nash, and Steve Miller in that order.
It was time for the 4-Cylinder division to run their second feature event of the night, and it started with a bang as several cars wound up in a turn two mishap that eliminated Mike Humphrey and Darrick Van Epps. Harvey Calkins led the field as lap two went in the books, and he was off and running in an attempt to put his new car in victory lane for the first time.
The race for the track championship had Roger West expanding his lead to 15 points over Jim LaLone following the first feature event. Calkins put some distance between himself and second place Todd Williamson, but all eyes were on Chuck Powelczyk in the Chuck’s Towing 17. Powelczyk moved into fifth on lap five, took fourth one lap later, and by lap 7 was in third and closing on Williamson.
It seemed as though Calkins may have begun to slow late in the 15-lap feature, as both Williamson and Powelczyk caught him. Powelczyk passed Williamson with one lap left and closed to within a car length of Calkins, but came up just short as Calkins went on for the victory. West held on for the track title, as LaLone dropped out of contention early, dashing his hopes for the crown.
Powelczyk, Williamson, Dave Myrto, and Chris Bargabos followed Calkins across the finish line. The NGK Spark Plugs Halfway Leader was Calkins.
The next race at Brewerton is Friday, September 8, 2000…F.X. Caprara Car Companies presents the “No Cars Barred” open competition Modified race, plus ESDCA Dwarf Cars and 4-Cylinders. The IMCA Modifieds will have the week off. Gates open at 5:30 and race time is 7:30. For more information, contact the speedway office at (315) 668-6906 or see them online at www.brewertonspeedway.com.
4-CYLINDERS (from Aug 18th): ROY FRENCH (first ever win), Roger West, Harvey Calkins Jr., Dave Myrto, Joe Briere, Kevan Cook, Jim LaLone, Todd Williamson, Nicholas Barr, Chris Bargabos, Jason Amidon, Steve Coit, Mike Humphrey, John West, Mike Lewis, and Tim Koch.
MODIFIEDS: BOB McCreadie (first win of the season), Tim Fuller, Pat Ward, Billy Decker, Chuck Bower, Alan Johnson, Scott Prentice, Tim McCreadie, Jim Gabriel Jr., Jimmy Phelps, Chuck Hebing, Ronnie Johnson, Jeremie Corcoran, Lance Petzoldt, Mike Hulsizer, Jim Burke, Joel Thomas, Steve Hulsizer, Ryan Baye, and Steve Babicek.
IMCA MODIFIEDS: BOB BRADT (8th win of the season), Sean Lias, Johnny Hill, Dane Keller, Mike Adderley, Bill Anderson, Mike Chilson, John Matyjasik, Dick Weiland, Bill Anderson Jr., John Conway, Don Ellis, Jim House, Colleen Finch, Jeff Cardinale, Ken Rogers, Scott Ziprich, Jon Amidon, Les Hubbard, John Hickman, Ken Klinkowsky, Dan Ellis, Tony Finch, Carmen Vona, and Ron O’Neill.
ESDCA DWARF: TONY BUFFA (9th win of the season), Troy Van Allen, Ken Gamlen, Scott Nash, Steve Miller, Barry Virts, Darren Forbes, Rob Garafolo, Oly Johnson, Matt Magner, Bill Teliska, Lee Babcock, Dave Reales, Kelly Skinner, Bob McCarthy, Kreig Heroth, Pat Pontello, Wayne Younglove, Brenda Rice, Nate Phelps, and Ed Lawton.
4-CYLINDER (tonight’s feature): HARVEY CALKINS Jr. (first win of the season), Chuck Powelczyk, Todd Williamson, Dave Myrto, Chris Bargabos, Rob Whipple, Mark Warner, Kevan Cook, Roy French, Joe Briere, Roger West, John West, Ken Pittsley, Steve Coit, Jim LaLone, Jason Amidon, Mike Lewis, Nicholas Barr, Mike Humphrey, and Darrick Van Epps.