Wilcox, Willix, Calhoun and Mannise all win at Can Am
LaFargeville, NY: It was another small town Saturday at the Can Am Motorsports Park. Defending track champions Billy Wilcox and Dave Mannise in the 358 and Pure Stock divisions won their respective features, while Lance Willix III won the Sportsman main with Paul Calhoun winning his second IMCA modified feature of the year on Renzi Brothers and Wratten Trailer Sales night.
The Sportsman class has seen a marked increased in cars so far this young season. A couple of young teen-aged drivers sat on the poles as Kyle Dingwall from Ontario and Jordan Bennett of Clay led the 27-car field to Steve Rickett’s green. It started sprinkling just before the start of the feature and a brief shower held up the start a few minutes, but in the process also helped make the track wide and fast. Dingwall held down the early lead, but it was another second generation driver, Lance Willix III, from nearby Theresa who assumed the lead just before the halfway point and held on the remained laps to nail down his first win of the 2002 season with Matt Butler finishing a strong second with Jason Potter in one of his best runs ever third, Jim Vock fourth and Bennett fifth.
It was then drama time for the 358 mods. Last week’s winner, the Pocket Rocker, Danny O’Brien, had 5800 reasons to try to win back to back features and take home $5800 in the process. Danny would start 14th in the 25-car field. One of the young guns, Ryan Bartlett, would experience the agony of defeat after looking to feel the thrill of victory. The Belleville Bullet started on the pole and held the lead for the first 20 laps when, unbelievably, he lost a wheel in turn two bringing his night to a heart-breaking end. With the track in excellent racing condition, there was plenty of three-wide racing going on as the cars jockeyed for positions. Frankie “Flatfoot” Caprara was coming in his Mopar powered Teo with Billy Wilcox, Bill Gill, Scott Parliament and Boomer McIntyre all comprising the lead pack. When Bartlett fell out, it was Caprara inheriting the lead over Wilcox with Jason Barney now in third spot and looking to go higher. Lap 27 saw Caprara and Wilcox side by side for the lead when a caution came out. On the restart, it was bitter disappointment for young Caprara as the transmission went bad and he had to go to the outside of the field in turn four. He had to manually hold the shifter to get going again, but it was too late and it was now a battle with Wilcox and Barney in a two-lap shootout for the checkers. Wilcox won the drag race down the chute and won by two-tenths of a second over Barney with Dealmaker sponsored Bill Gill in third, Pat Ward fourth and Scott Parliament in a strong run rounding out the top five.
The Pure Stock feature saw 22 cars take the green flag for the start of their always wild and wooly 15 laps. Last week’s winner, Mark Webb, sped out to the early lead over Justin Mason and Mark Barker. Webb managed to hold the lead past the halfway mark until lap 11 when track champ Dave Mannise got the lead that he never relinquished. Following Mannise across the line was Webb, Scott Castor once again with a top five, another strong run for Barker and Ed Rogers with a top five finish.
Last out came the IMCA mods. Several new or returning cars increased the field this week to 21 cars. First night winner Paul Calhoun took the lead on lap 4 and held it until the 7th go round when track champ Larry Bezner took the lead from Calhoun. At the halfway point, it was Bezner, Rob Keller, Calhoun, Billy Dunn, Rick Duskas, Jeff Bannister, John Mason and invader George Catanzano the lead group. Calhoun went on to wrestle the lead back from Bezner and score the win with Keller second, Bezner, Dunn and newcomer Richard Townsend fifth.
Racing action continues this Saturday night on Dealmaker Auto Group and Pennzoil-Quaker State night. All four divisions will be in action on a night when all kids 12 and under will get in free. There will also be one on one spectator racing at intermission. So, don’t say anything to your insurance agent, bring your family car out onto the half-mile oval and take a lap trying to beat your competitors. Gates open at five with racing at seven p.m. sharp. There is always plenty of free parking. For further information, call the track phone at 315-658-4431, or log onto the track website at www.can-amspeedway.com for all the latest results, point standings, weather and more.
358 Mods: BILLY WILCOX, Jason Barney, Bill Gill, Pat Ward, Scott Parliament, Gus Schmidt, Steve Hulsizer, George McIntyre, Mike Prentice, Danny O’Brien, Roger Phelps, Pierre Dagenais, John Ramsey, Steve Roberts, Larry Welling, Todd Stewart, Mike Ward, Frankie Caprara, Lee Gill, Mike Adderley, Bob Bennett, Willy Decker, Ryan Bartlett, Aaron Jacobs, Jeff Kotary. DNQ: Dave Surace
Sportsman: LANCE WILLIX, Matt Butler, Jason Potter, Jim Vock, Jordan Bennett, Kyle Dingwall, Ryan Phelps, Bill Plooy, Rob Galloway, Mike Amell, Tim VanBrocklin, Steve Rookey, Mike Teachout, Craig Collier, Andy Howard, Scott MacCue, Jeff Hunter, Adam Moore, Richard Paige, Scott Webb, Fran Briant, Clayton Brewer, Anthony Fiorentino, Kyle Wilson, Doug Matthews, Jack Meeks. DNQ: Rick McCready and Bill Eisele.
IMCA Mods: PAUL CALHOUN, Rob Keller, Larry Bezner, Billy Dunn, Richard Townsend, Chris Taylor, Brian Copp, John Mason, Jeff Bannister, Rick Duskas, Hunter Grimes, George Catanzano, Bill Anderson, Dan Hilts, Bob Ridgeway, Skip Pabis, Lance LaLonde, Carl Burdick, Ken Klinkowsky, Erv Miller. DNS: Dan Krajewski and Jake Rabetoy.
Pure Stocks: DAVE MANNISE, Mark Webb, Scott Castor, Mark Barker, Ed Rogers, Darius Gamel, Dave Pope, Rick Trexler, Steve Gilmore, Don Scales, Kevin Duffany, Jason Gilmore, Rob Simmons, Justin Mason, George Sanford, Jeff Shannon, Charles Duffany, Ken Hamm, Mike Cousins, Pete Cross, Dana Akins. DNS: Shane Ray and Kim Mallette