Dagenais, Plooy, Dunn and Mannise win Can Am features
On another questionable weather-wise night, the action on the track was as hot as the past week’s temperatures. Cloudy skies and brief showers during the afternoon gave way to clearing skies and the sun actually coming out after the heats on Minfelt, Creekside Furniture and Cingular Cellular and Neighborhood Market nights at the Can Am Motorsports Park.
Bill Plooy, from Brockville, Ontario, won his second race of the season by besting a strong field of 22 DIRT Sportsman racers. Young George Sanford, improving each and every week, grabbed the early lead, but it was short lived as he broke on the second lap bringing out a caution. On the restart, Mike Amell made his move to capture the lead on the restart. Young Amell continued to hold the lead at the halfway point, with the lead pack comprised of Amell, Lance Willix, Jody Spooner, Donnie Wetmore, Jr., Plooy, Steve Rookey, Kyle Wilson and Scott MacCue. On lap 17, contenders Willix and Wetmore got together in turn four for another caution and a three lap dash for the victory. Plooy charged to the lead on the 19 lap as Willy Decker was trying to reel in the Plooy Bicknell chassis, but Decker fell just short as Plooy went on for the win with Decker second, Amell third, Spooner and Scott MacCue fifth. Sixth place finisher Kyle Wilson was penalized two spots for jumping the restart.
Plooy also picked up an additional $200 in a Dash for Cash put up by the Border radio station 106.7 as three American cars of Steve Rookey, Jody Spooner and Andy Howard battled three Canadian cars of Plooy, Adam Moore and Kyle Wilson.
The rains earlier in the day had made the track fast and tacky, and it was time for the 358 modifieds to take their turn playing in the dirt. The winner of the 30-lap feature would become the second guaranteed starter in the season ending Battle at the Border 100 lapper paying $10,000 to win. The poles were held by Bob Bennett and Pierre Dagenais, Dagenais had won the opener back in April, but was struggling in recent weeks. With Steve Rickett waving the green flag, the race leader became Bennett who was trying to fend off Dagenais, but Dagenais took the lead on the 6th lap. The caution came out on the 7th lap when Bennett made contact with Lee Gill that also saw Jason Barney get collected. Only three laps later, Billy Wilcox, who was running second at the time, suffered a broken pan nard bar putting him in the pits. At this point, Dagenais was blistering the track with his fastest time being an 18.963 lap. The Hometown Hammer, Lee Gill, was having a good run, along with Frankie “Flatfoot” Caprara in the FX1. Gill and Caprara were only a couple of ticks behind with times of 19.0 and 19.1 respectively. The halfway point leaders were Dagenais, Gill, Caprara, Barney, Roger Phelps, Lans Petzoldt, Danny O’Brien and Scott Parliament. During the caution for Wilcox, the fat lady could be heard practicing in the field behind the backstretch. The final caution was for teenager Ryan Bartlett who saw his Teo go up in smoke on the 24th lap. Dagenais then raced home the winner with Gill, Caprara, Barney and Phelps rounding out the top five.
The Dealmaker Auto Group Back To Back Challenge now goes to $1700 for next Saturday’s show. The Pabst Shootout this Thursday night will not count towards the Challenge bonus.
The third feature of the night brought out the IMCA Modifieds, and once again a strong field of 18 cars were called to the line. For two Watertown youngsters, it was the old adage from ABC’s Wide World of Sports, that being the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. The agony belonged to Mike Adderly as his driveline broke on the fourth lap. Also eligible for that category was Rick Dusckas, who also broke, but he was leading at the time. On the 7th lap, young rookie Billy Dunn, up from years of go-kart competition, took the lead and held off the veteran Doug Carlyle to experience for the first time in a racecar the thrill of victory. It was a popular win for the youngster. Carlyle, hanging around the front all year and still looking for his first IMCA win, was second with Brian Copp, Jake Rabetoy and Bill Anderson rounding out the top five.
Last out came the Pure Stocks, and this was to be a marathon. Twenty-three of them came out to do battle, and battle they did. Many early cautions from multi-car accidents made the first three laps drag. A third lap accident in turn four involved half a dozen cars, including the 8 of Dave Mannise, looking to win his six feature in a row, and Jason Gilmore. The two cars were locked together tightly and it took a considerable period of time to untangle them. Mannise was able to drive his car away after becoming disengaged from the Gilmore car. When racing resumed, Kevin Duffany was holding the lead. The late race developed into a five-car race between Duffany, Mannise, Ricky Paige, Mark Barker and Henry Chant. Mannise took the lead on the 11th lap, but Chant lost a wheel on the 13th lap putting him out of competition. Mannise then fought off a charging Ricky Paige for the win with Mark Barker third, Jeff Shannon fourth and Duffany fifth.
This Saturday night, June 23rd, will be Coors Race Night as A. J. Missert, Inc. of Watertown and Ogdensburg sponsor the race along with Pennzoil-Quaker State. The Sportsman feature will be a qualifier for the Fairgrounds Kevin Fleming Memorial race in July. The DIRT 358 and Sportsman, along with the IMCA Modifieds and Pure Stocks will all see action when the green flat drops at seven p.m.