PRESS RELEASE
Written by: Terry R. Clark
Date: July 7, 2002
What a night of racing on Wratten Trailer Sales, Spooner Racing and Jefferson County Fair night at the Can Am Motorsports Park Saturday night as Pat Ward, Matt Butler, Paul Calhoun and Kevin Chant all took home the lion’s share of the purse. The warm weather brought out a large crowd at the battleground of speed in Northern New York.
“This car was on a rail,” exclaimed a victorious Pat Ward after winning the 358 modified feature. Pat won on opening night and racked up win number two in a 26-car field. “John (Wight) put a new engine in and the car would go anywhere.” At the start of the 30-lap feature, it was Dale Eggleston holding down the early lead over Scott Parliament, Larry Welling, Dave Surace and Ryan Bartlett. Jason Barney’s race came to an early end after contact with a track tire causing suspension damage and putting the Stadium International Teo on the hook. Racing resumed and it was side by side racing between Eggleston and Parliament, but the car on the move was the Gypsum Express of Ward who was taking the express route to the front making it up to third by the 10th lap from his 13th starting spot. On lap 12, Ward made his move around Parliament and took over the lead with Frankie “Flatfoot” Caprara moving his Manheim Auto Auctions Teo into second spot. The lead pack at halfway was Ward, Caprara, Parliament, Gus Schmidt, Bill Gill, Eggleston, Welling, Danny O’Brien and Billy Wilcox. The rest of the race went caution free with Ward taking home the $1500 first-place money followed by Caprara, Schmidt, Bill Gill and Danny O’Brien. Last week’s winner, Lee Gill, seeking the bonus money from Dealmaker Auto Group of $700, had to settle for 6th after starting 17th.
Matt Butler of Canton has been on a roll so far this season. The veteran driver has been a consistent top five finisher, but this night he had an added incentive to win. It was his sponsor’s night as Spooner Racing of Ogdensburg was in the pavilion area rooting Matt on. The DIRT Sportsman also started 26 cars in their 20-lap feature with Tim Van Brocklin and Rob Galloway the early leaders. Lap seven was not a good one for some drivers as young rookie Mike Teachout went over the bank in turn one and second place in points Jim Vock took his car to the infield on the homestretch. There was contact on lap ten between Potter and Van Brocklin with Van Brocklin put to the rear and Potter sent to the pits. When the green flew again, Matt Butler took over the lead over Lance Willix with Andy Howard, Clayton Brewer and Scott Webb in hot pursuit. However, it was Matt Butler’s race and he was not going to be denied a win on his sponsor’s night and did go on to record his first win of the season with Howard, Willix, Scott MacCue and Webb making up the top five.
In the IMCA modified feature, nineteen took the green from Starter Steve Rickett. An accident in turn three on lap three took out local favorite Billy Dunn after getting sideways and being hit. It was Bobby Thurston, Jr. holding down the early lead from his pole position with Rob Keller, Neil Edgar, Paul Calhoun and Erv Miller looking to better their positions. Thurston led at the halfway point followed by Calhoun, Larry Bezner, Keller, Miller, Edgar, Chris Taylor and Rick Reed. Calhoun then took the lead from Thurston on the ninth circuit with a three-car race for second between Thurston, Miller and Edgar. Rob Keller’s bad luck continued as he broke on the 10th lap putting him pit side. Calhoun then led the final five laps enroute to his 5th win of the season with Miller second, Edgar third, Thurston fourth and Reed home in fifth.
Last out came the Pure Stocks for their 15-lap romp. Mark Barker saw his night come to a sudden end on the second lap when he got T-boned in turn two by the Kevin Duffany car putting Mark out. Kevin Chant from Clayton was back behind the wheel of the 37 this evening and made his way to the front after starting 15th on the field. A quick caution on the 12th lap bunched the field up for a three-lap shootout, but Chant was not to be denied as he scored his first win of the season with Scott Castor in with yet another second place finish, the veteran Dave Mannise third, George Sanford came home fourth and Mark Webb, after winning at Fulton earlier in the week, was fifth.
This Saturday night will see Agway Energy Products and Standard Auto Parts as sponsors for another exciting night of racing on the fast half-mile oval at Can Am. All four divisions will be in action, as well as Round 2 of the North-South Big Rig Challenge. So make your plans now and we hope to see you when gates open at five with racing at seven p.m. sharp.
358 Mods: PAT WARD, Frankie Caprara, Gus Schmidt, Bill Gill, Danny O’Brien, Lee Gill, Larry Welling, Steve Hulsizer, Billy Wilcox, Scott Parliament, Willy Decker, John Ramsey, Todd Stewart, Ryan Bartlett, Roger Phelps, Wayne Side, Mike Ward, Paul Kinney, Ben Tucker, Dale Eggleston, Steve Roberts, Mike Adderley, Bob Bennett, David Orr, Dave Surace, Jason Barney.
Sportsman: MATT BUTLER, Andy Howard, Lance Willix, Scott MacCue, Scott Webb, Jordan Bennett, Mike Teachout, Mike Amell, Steve Rookey, Jeff Stevenson*, Rick Amo, Rob Galloway, Jack Meeks, Tim Van Brocklin, Bill Eisele, Fran Briant, Clayton Brewer, Anthony Fiorentino, Rick McCready, Steve Roberts, Jason Potter, Ryan Phelps, Jim Vock, Adam Moore. DNS: Rob Winters, Rick Paige. *Stevenson had money and points taken for carburetor infraction in post-race tech.
IMCA Mods: PAUL CALHOUN, Erv Miller, Neal Edgar, Bob Thurston, Jr., Rick Reed, Chris Taylor, Larry Bezner, Bill Anderson, Hunter Grimes, Jeff Shannon, Bob Ridgeway, Dan Hilts, Rob Keller, Ken Klinkowsky, Lance LaLonde, Brian Copp, Rick Dusckas, Jeff Bannister, Billy Dunn.
Pure Stocks: KEVIN CHANT, Scott Castor, Dave Mannise, George Sanford, Mark Webb, Travis Andrews, Brian Holder, Don Scales, Eric Stores, Ken Hamm, Kevin Duffany, Rob Simmons, Justin Mason, Charles Duffany, Kim Mallette, Dave Pope, Phil Desormeau, Dale Snyder, Mark Barker, Pete Cross. DNS: Dana Aikins