Caprara wins feature. Wilcox and Plooy track championships
It was F. X. Caprara Car Companies night at the Can Am Motorsports Park on Saturday night. It was also the final night of DIRT points for the 358’s and Sportsman classes. It was Frankie “Flatfoot” Caprara winning the 358 feature in his new Teo Pro Car, while Billy Wilcox of Watertown won his first 358-track title at Can Am. Brockville, Ontario driver Bill Plooy also won his first ever Can Am crown in the Sportsman.
After the 12 qualifying heats were completed, it was time to go feature racing with the track titles on the line. The Sportsman were first out. Scott MacCue was 25 points behind Plooy, so he knew what he had to do. Plooy, as well, knew what he had to do, stay far enough ahead of MacCue to shut him out. Twenty-two Sportsman took Starter Steve Rickett’s green flag, but it took a couple yellows to get things calmed down as there was an accident on the original start and then on the restart young Kyle Wilson creamed the homestretch wall in the fourth turn. Kyle was okay. Once racing resumed, it was another youngster, Ryan Phelps, in his Gypsum Express car out in front of the field with Lance Willix, Punkin Zemken, Ray Zemken and Plooy the top five. Phelps looked to have the race in command when on the 9th lap he suddenly slowed down the homestretch with motor woes putting the 99 in the pits and another tough break for the young driver. The green waved again and at the halfway point the leader board consisted of Plooy, Ray Zemken, Punkin Zemken, Andy Howard and B. J. Vock with Scott MacCue up to 6th. MacCue worked himself up to fourth spot by the 16th go round and all he could do was hope Plooy would break. It didn’t happen. Plooy went on for not only the win but also the track title followed by Howard, Vock, MacCue and Anthony Fiorentino.
It was then time for the 358 modifieds to run their 30-lapper. Twenty-four cars came out for the feature, and like the Sportsman, it was the 99 Gypsum Express out front early on as Roger Phelps took the early lead and had a great battle going with Lans Petzoldt in the early going. In fact, Petzoldt took the lead from Phelps on the 6th lap and the front-runners behind him were Racin Jason Barney, who’s been up front every week, Lee Gill, Frankie Caprara and Phelps who dropped back. Two laps later, it was Jason Barney’s turn to take the lead on the fast, smooth racetrack that had more bite in it this night and in turn provided some excellent racing in all classes. Young Caprara, with his new Teo, was the fastest car on the track and had closed to second spot by the 10th lap. At the halfway point, it was Caprara in the lead followed by Barney, Lee Gill, Bill Gill, Petzoldt, Danny O’Brien, and Bill Wilcox. The fierce racing for position continued for the next 15 laps as Flatfoot Caprara went on to record his second win of the season, and first since all the way back in May, followed by Jason Barney, Lee Gill, Bill Gill and Bill Wilcox. So Caprara gets the win on Caprara night and Bill Wilcox gets the track title he has been fighting to get for ten years. Congratulations to the Wilcox Motorsports Team.
In victory lane, Wilcox said, “That was the longest Sportsman race I ever saw,” referring to wanting to get it over with and the track title in his corner.
The excitement wasn’t done just yet. Eighteen IMCA mods came out for their turn to play in the dirt. Andy Harpell from the Race of Champions to be held in Oswego next month earlier in the week announced that the IMCA winner would get a guaranteed spot in their IMCA race and was on hand to watch the racing action. The IMCA guys wouldn’t disappoint him, as it was a great race that once again was not determined until the final corner of the last lap. Veteran Neil Edgar had held the early lead in the race with Kevin Battelle, Mike Adderley, Bill Dunn, Rob Keller and Larry Bezner all looking for racing position. Dunn had taken the white flag and was trying to hold off Edgar and Bezner when he went a little high in four and the veteran Larry Bezner got by to claim the win and get a guaranteed spot in Oswego followed by Dunn, Edgar, Battelle and Keller.
Harpell was so impressed with the racing he had seen in the Pure Stock heats that he also added a guaranteed spot for the ROC for the Pure Stocks as well. Another full field of 24 cars answered the call, and racing had to be red flagged on the original start when Darius Gamel and another car got together on the backstretch and Gamel’s car went over. He was okay, but he was done for the night. Once racing resumed, Eiss seized control of the race and the battle in the rest of the pack was heating up. Bob Thurston, Jr. was closing fast in the 37 car and had worked his way to fourth by the sixth lap. His night came to an end on the 13th lap when he slowed and pulled off the backstretch. Eiss then went on to record his first win of the season followed by steady and consistent Scott Castor, Kevin Duffany, Ricky Paige and Mark Webb.
The Caprara Car Companies gave some lucky fans the chance to win the P.T. Cruiser pace car by throwing a Frisbee though the car windows from a distance. The eight people who tried didn’t succeed. They shortened the distance for a prize of $500 cash. Nobody was able to do it, although a couple were close. Being the great sponsors they are and have been, they announced whoever held the Frisbee with the winning 358 driver’s name on it would win the $500 cash, and a lucky fan that had the FX1 on theirs did exactly that.
Notes: Car counts were 26 358 mods, 22 Sportsman, 19 IMCAs and 24 Pure Stocks… Racing was done by 10:30 under a full moon… Some new cars in the pits from other tracks up testing the track for the upcoming Battle at the Border. The schedule for that show should be announced this week… Grandparents Night this Saturday night at the track. Show your AARP card and get in the grandstands for half price.
It will be A. J. Missert Night this week. All four classes will be in competition along with the Midstate Vintage Antique Car Club. Racing begins promptly at seven p.m.
358 Modified: FRANKIE CAPRARA, Jason Barney, Lee Gill, Bill Gill, Bill Wilcox, Danny O’Brien, Pierre Dagenais, Gus Schmidt, Lans Petzoldt, Bobby Varin, Ben Tucker, Roger Phelps, Ryan Bartlett, Wayne Reutimann, Jr., Steve Roberts, Scott Parliament, Dale Eggleston, Chico Dingwall, Mike Prentice, Steve Bilow, Joel Thomas, Paul Kinney, Pat Sullivan, Todd Thomas.
Sportsman: BILL PLOOY, Andy Howard, Jim Vock, Scott MacCue, Anthony Fiorentino, Dave Surace, Lance Willix, Jessica Zemken, Scott Webb, Kyle Dingwall, Matt Butler, Mike Amell, Jody Spooner, Jason Potter, Lee Miller, George Sanford, Adam Moore, Ryan Phelps, Rob Galloway, Kyle Wilson, Ray Zemken, Jordan Bennett.
IMCA: LARRY BEZNER, Billy Dunn, Neil Edgar, Kevin Battelle, Rob Keller, Erv Miller, Bill Eisele, Mike Adderley, Joe Williams, Ken Klinkowsky, John Mason, Rick Dusckas, Chris Taylor, Bill Anderson, Paul Calhoun, Jake Rabetoy, Bentley Aiken, Brandon Burchill. DNS: Brian Copp
Pure Stock: JOHN EISS, Scott Castor, Kevin Duffany, Rick Paige, Mark Webb, Phil Desormeau, Dave Mannise, Jeff Shannon, Mike Cousins, Steve Gilmore, Mark Barker, Jason Gilmore, Carl Robbins, Chris Warner, Shane Ray, Kim Mallette, Bob Thurston, Jr., Eric Farrell, Les Sanford, Jim Stuckey, Charles Duffany, Darius Gamel. DNS: Brian Holder and Joe Combs