Can Am Motorsports Parceled. results for 4/28/01

LaFargeville, NY: What a way to start out the racing season under new ownership than the racing produced from opening night 2001 at the Can Am Motorsports Park, Ltd. Although the weather was cool, the action on the track was red hot in all four racing divisions.

The night started out with the Sportsman and 358 DIRT Modifieds who installed transponders time trailing. DIRT officials were at the track for teams who either wanted to rent or buy their transponders which become mandatory in a month. Forty-five teams took advantage of the opportunity to put their transponders into action, and both classes were done with time trials in half an hour. The message of track owner John Wight to get them sooner rather than later worked as only a handful of cars did not have transponders.

The fastest Sportsman qualifier was Jim Vock with a time of 20.393 and the fastest 358 qualifier was Pierre Dagenais with a time of 19.471. Nine of the 26 358s bettered the 20 second time giving an indication of a fast track for the night.

The first feature of the new season to take to the track was the DIRT Sportsman, and 20 cars took the green flag from starter Steve Rickett. Pole sitter Jim Vock took command of the race early with heavy pressure from outside pole starter Andrew Howard. Vock, from LaFargeville, held the lead in what was basically a two-car race for the lead, while behind them a real battle was brewing with Bill Plooy, Ronnie Wadsforth, Scott MacCue and Dave Surace all trying to better their positions. With the Sportsman feature being extended to 20 laps this year, there were many battles for positions throughout the entire field. In the end, it was Vock winning the feature for his first Sportsman win ever. Holding on for second was Andrew Howard with Scott MacCue, Ronnie Wadsforth and Dave Surace rounding out the top five.

Next up were the mighty 358 modifieds. Twenty-seven cars were in the starting field with Pierre Dagenais and the Pocket Rocket, Danny O’Brien, comprising the front row. This was a 40-lap race with a guaranteed spot for Super DIRT Week in Syracuse on the line. This was not only a classic down to the wire race to the finish, but also featured some astounding bad luck for some drivers. When was the last time anyone saw a race at Can Am where Lee Gill, Bill Gill and Danny O’Brien all looped their cars in a feature race. It probably never happened before. It was the fourth lap that the first caution came out when Lee Gill looped his number 7 in turn two while running third. Only five laps later, it was cousin Bill Gill’s turn as he looped it on the homestretch bringing out another yellow. Danny O’Brien was in the lead, followed at that point by Dagenais, Frankie “Flatfoot” Caprara who was celebrating his 19th birthday, Roger Phelps in the Gypsum Express 99, Steve Hulsizer in his 88 and Billy Wilcox. Phelps and Hulsizer were really making up ground on the leaders when Bill Gill broke on the homestretch necessitating another yellow. At this point, Flatfoot Caprara had moved into second with Dagenais, Hulsizer, Phelps, Wilcox, Ryan Bartlett and Lans Petzoldt in pursuit. Roger Phelps strong run came to a sudden end on the 20th lap with a flat right rear. Hulsizer, who started 16th with his 2001 Bicknell, had climbed into the top five, as did young Ryan Bartlett having the race of his life at Can Am. Just after the halfway point, Caprara’s car started coming on and the 19 year old was now trying to reel in the 33 year old Danny O’Brien. Frankie did take over the lead on the 29th lap, but his luck was about to take a down turn as the engine went sour on the FX1 putting the young hotshot in the pits for the night. The Pocket Rocket resumed the lead and just when it looked like Danny had the race in hand, he came upon lapped traffic in turn two and found himself looping his 2001 Troyer 4 link in a dramatic change of circumstances. A obviously frustrated O’Brien had to start at the back of the pack. This put Quebec driver Dagenais into the lead, but Ryan Bartlett was looking for his first win ever and was putting the pressure on the Frenchman with Hulsizer, Wilcox and Barney fighting it out behind them. With the white flag out, young Bartlett, the Belleville Bullet, got to the inside of Dagenais in turn two, but Dagenais won the drag race down the backstretch and managed to hang on for a narrow victory over Bartlett with Steve Hulsizer finishing a fine third with Billy the Kid Wilcox fourth and Racin Jason Barney getting a top five finish. Just an excellent race that had the fans on their feet screaming on the last lap, as Dagenais and the youngster were each looking for the win. Dagenais collected the win and the $1500 that went with it as well as a spot in Syracuse representing the Can Am Motorsports Park, Ltd.

The next feature up was a 20-lap race for the IMCA modifieds. Young Mike Adderly from Watertown in only his second year of IMCA competition sat on the pole with Kevin Battelle from Oswego starting outside of him. Adderly held down the lead in the early laps, but the 29 of Battelle was not to be denied as he took over the lead with the veteran L. D. Bezner coming up to contest for the lead, as did Doug the “Ox” Carlyle, a former Mr. DIRT 358 modified, now running an IMCA this season for Rip Hartley also making a race of it. By the 11th lap, Battelle and Bezner were side by side in another exciting feature race, but when the checkered flag was displayed by Starter Steve Rickett, it was Kevin Battelle across the finish line first, followed by Bezner, Carlyle, Adderly and Ken Klinkowski.

The final feature was the Pure Stock class, and 26 cars took the green flag. John Eiss is back in competition at Can Am and held down the early lead, but Mr. Pure Stock of Central New York, Dave Mannise, was right with Eiss locked in a hot battle. Once again, the leader of the race, Eiss, broke and Mannise made contact with him trying to get around him causing some sheet metal damage to the Mannise machine, but being able to continue on. By this time, track champ Mark Webb had worked his way from the back of the pack all the way up to third place. With Eiss out, Mannise took over the lead with Webb behind him. The two made contact in turn two, and Mannise came out on the short end of the stick. Webb was sent to the rear of the pack for his role in the jingle and that put Jeff Shannon into the lead, which he kept for his first ever win at Can Am. Shane Ray came home a strong second, with Billy Gardner, Jr., Joe Coombs and Steve Gilmore rounding out the top five.

This coming Saturday is Tri County Appraisal Service night, along with Real Rock 100.7 and Hiawatha Fasteners as co-sponsors. Come on out to see the DIRT 358 modifieds, DIRT Sportsman, IMCA modifieds and Pure Stocks in action. Grandstand gates open at five with racing at seven p.m. For further information, you may call the track at 315-658-4431, or log onto the track website at www.can-amspeedway.com for all the latest news, weather and information.

Sportsman feature: Jim Vock, Andy Howard, Scott MacCue, Ronnie Wadsforth, Dave Surace, Lance Willix, Matt Butler, Jordon Bennett, Donnie Wetmore, Jr., Jody Spooner, Rick Keller, Rick McCready, Peter Schroy, Steve Rookey, Ryan Phelps, Anthony Fiorentino, Craig Collier, Bill Trexler, Kyle Wilson and Bill Plooy. DNS: Pernie Banks, Scott Schara, George Sanford, Adam Moore and Ed Ferris.

Modified feature: Pierre Dagenais, Ryan Bartlett, Steve Hulsizer, Billy Wilcox, Jason Barney, Steve Roberts, Dave Heaslip, Danny O’Brien, Dale Eggleston, Brian McDonald, Lee Ladouceur, Sandy Roberts, Delbert LeGrow, Steve Bilow, Laurent Ladouceur, Todd Stewart, Frankie Caprara, Lansing Petzoldt, Ben Tucker, Roger Phelps, George McIntyre, Billy Cook, Doug Fuller, Bill Gill, Brent Cross, Lee Gill, Pat Sullivan.

IMCA Modified feature: Kevin Battelle, Larry Bezner, Doug Carlyle, Mike Adderly, Ken Klinkowski, Billy Dunn, Erv Miller, Mark Chzrenowski, Jake Rabetoy, Brian Copp, Rob Keller, Brian House, Neil Edgar, Scott Ziprich, Terry Gardner, Joe Price, Jr.

Pure Stock feature: Jeff Shannon, Shane Ray, Billy Gardner, Jr., Joe Coombs, Steve Gilmore, Billy Gardner, Dave Mannise, Kevin Presley, Kim Mallette, Jason Gilmore.