FULLER, LIAS, BUFFA, AND CALKINS GRAB BREWERTON OPENING NIGHT WINS
BREWERTON, NY.....Tim Fuller opened the 1999 DIRT Modified season with a victory in the Exide Batteries 50 lap Modified Championship Friday night at Brewerton Speedway. Sean Lias opened his title defense in the IMCA Modified ranks with a victory while Tony Buffa scored the Dwarf car win and Harvey Calkins Jr. grabbed the checkers in the 4 Cylinders.
Fuller and Billy Decker staged a tremendous battle for the lead at the start of the 50 lap feature, swapping the lead on the wide, fast racing surface. Alan Johnson and Jimmy Phelps were also in the thick of the battle, with Alan joining the battle in three wide formation. A lap 4 tangle involved several contenders, including "Barefoot" Bob McCreadie and Tim McCreadie and Pat Ward. While Tim and Ward were able to continue, Bob's car sustained damage and the multi-time track champion was out of the running.
As the race approached the halfway point, Johnson began to heavily pressure Fuller for the lead, finally passing him on a lap 21 restart. As Decker fell back slightly, Bill Gill started to move up during an extended set of green flag laps. As the race entered its final stages, Johnson held what seemed to be a commanding lead with Fuller trying to keep him in his sights. But with ten laps to go, the motor in Johnson's Mitsubishi machine began to go sour, and he surrendered the lead on lap 4, pulling his car into the pits.
Fuller inherited the lead, and on the restart, Ray Bliss moved up into the top five while Danny Johnson made contact with another car and lost several spots. Fuller held off the charges of Decker, the defending track champion, and came away with the opening night win. Decker was followed by Bliss, Jim Phelps, and Johnson. Heat wins went to Decker, Danny Johnson, and McCreadie.
The IMCA Modified feature event was a battle between twin ten cars, as Bob Bradt and Randy Hall fought intensely for the lead at the drop of the green. Ron O'Neil was also in the hunt, but so was defending track champion Sean Lias. Coming from deep in the field, Lias moved into the top five by lap 12 and with five laps to go moved to the outside groove looking for some bite. He found it, moving past Hall on lap 15 for second and getting the lead with an outside pass two laps later.
Lias took the checkers over Bradt and Hall with O'Neil and Rob Keller following them. IMCA Modified heat wins went to Bradt and Hall.
The Dwarf car feature event saw Tony Buffa rocket to the front quickly, but some terriffic battles were going on behind him. Eric Crawford marched through the pack to move into second, and stayed close to Buffa as the race progressed. Kevin Doll was also strong, as was Kevin Battelle and Barry Virts. Battelle and Virts spent the second half of the feature event fighting for the third and fourth spots, while Frank Doll charged from the rear to move into the top ten.
A scramble ensued on a restart when Ken Gamlen, running in the top three, spun going into turn one, but all drivers avoided contact with his car. As the checkers fell, Buffa had a comfortable lead and took the win with Crawford solidly in second spot. Battelle, Virts, and Carl Crawford rounded out the top five. Heat wins went to Virts, Buffa, and Eric Crawford.
The 4 Cylinder feature was a three way battle the entire distance between defending track champion Lloyd Hinton, Chuck Powelczyk, and Harvey Calkins Jr. Hinton led early, but Calkins slipped by, with Powelczyk moving into second a couple of laps later. The trio continued to dice for position, even through lapped traffic that provided for more than a few anxious moments. As Hinton and Powelczyk battled for second, Russ Cusson and Tim Koch staged their own fight for position behind them.
Calkins held off a last lap attempt by Powelczyk to get the win, with Hinton a close third. Cusson and Koch moved up to fourth and fifth by race's end. Heat wins went to Calkins and Hinton.
This Friday night, snowmobile grass drags will be an added attraction as Strathmore Paints presents a regular show of DIRT Modifieds, IMCA Modifieds, Dwarf cars, and 4 Cylinders. Gates will open at 5:30pm with racing starting at 7:30pm.
RACE SUMMARY-EXIDE BATTERIES NIGHT BREWERTON SPEEDWAY APRIL 9, 1999
DIRT MODIFIED FEATURE-TIM FULLER, Billy Decker, Ray Bliss, Jimmy Phelps, Danny Johnson, Roger Phelps, Jack Johnson, Dale Planck, Jeremy Baye, Pat Ward, Bill Gill, Jeremie Corcoran, Vic Coffey, Chuck Bower, Tim McCreadie, Jim Gabriel Jr., Alan Johnson, Jim Burke, Chuck Hebing, Scott Prentice, Bob Bennet, Bob McCreadie.
IMCA MODIFIED FEATURE-SEAN LIAS, Bob Bradt, Ron O'Neil, Randy Hall, Rob Keller, John Bell, Bill Klinkowsky, Coleen Finch, Jim Evans, Cory Fachini, Brenda O'Neil, Jeff Cardinale, Doug McKane, George Valenti, Neil Edgar, Tim Murphy, Ed O'Neil, Bill Anderson.
DWARF CAR FEATURE-TONY BUFFA, Eric Crawford, Kevin Battelle, Barry Virts, Carl Crawford, Kevin Doll, Frank Doll, David Orr, Ken Gamlen, Howard Page, Jay Reid, Mike Bozzuto, Clark Weston, Brandon Phelps, Wayne Younglove, Nate Phelps, Brenda Rice, Scott Nash, Bob McCarthy, Dan Boyce, Kelly Skinner, Kevin DonHausen, Shawn Hort.
4 CYLINDER FEATURE-HARVEY CALKINS JR., Chuck Powelczyk, Lloyd Hinton, Russ Cusson, Tim Koch, Brett Hubbard, Jim Olin, Chris Bargabus, John West, Mark Warner, Kevan Cook, Roger Olchewske, Joesph Bribre, Channie Joyner, Ryan Phelps, Mark VanEpps, Jon Amidon, Jim Stott, Jeff Amidon.