Michaels captures first of year at Fulton
FULTON, NY (May 29, 1999) - J.J. Michaels provided the thrills for fans at Fulton Speedway Saturday night as he claimed his first win of the year in DIRT 358 Modified competition at the high banked speedplant. Tim Sears became the first repeat winner of the year in the Sportsman ranks, while T.J. Fitzgibbons netted his first win of the year in the Pro Stocks and Kevin Raymond celebrated his birthday with a Pure Stock win.
Ty Hunt led the opening lap of the 35-lap DIRT 358 Modified feature event, but was passed by Jeff Rudalavage one lap later. As Rudalavage held the lead, Tom Sears moved into the third spot behind Pete Taylor. Meanwhile, at the back of the pack, Mitch Gibbs was trying to move up after qualifying through a consolation race. The first yellow of the feature came on lap 8 when Alan Johnson stopped on the frontstretch, eventually taking his car to the pits.
When green flag racing resumed, Rudalavage held the lead and Sears moved into the second spot. On lap 10, Doug Fuller, who was running in the top ten, slowed on the frontstretch. John Ventura could not avoid the slowing Fuller and tagged him from behind, sending Fuller into the line of traffic. Several cars piled up, with Gus Schmidt and Jeremy Baye making hard contact. This brought out the red flag for cleanup, but fortunately all drivers were OK, though Fuller and Baye's cars were boom cradled off the track.
When racing resumed, Sears took the lead on lap 11 and began a battle with Dave House for the top spot. As the race continued, Sears built up a lead on House while Jason Barney, Tom Kinsella, J.J. Michaels, and John Barker fought intensely for position. Jimmy Phelps also came up into the battle as Sears increased his lead.
With five laps to go, a yellow bunched the pack and set the stage for a shootout. Michaels picked off Kinsella and House and set sail after Sears, closing in on him with three to go. Coming off turn four, Sears bobbled and went over the cushion and Michaels streaked into the lead. Michaels never looked back and took the win, with House in second. Phelps also slipped by Sears in the final lap to score third, with Todd Burley pulling a double pass of Mitch Gibbs and Tom Kinsella on the final lap to finish fifth. Modified heat wins went to Jimmy Phelps, Fuller, and House, with consis going to Roger Phelps and Gus Schmidt.
The 20-lap Sportsman feature began with Russ Hefti leading the first two laps, only to pull into the pits under yellow on lap 2. Bill Shantel took over the lead with Willy Decker right behind him and Timmy Sears closing in quickly. Decker overtook Shantel for the lead on lap 8, with Sears following into second one lap later.
Shantel's race was ended on lap 14 after a crash with Howie Albrecht. On the restart, Sears slipped past Decker and carried it home for the win with Decker a close second. Ron Richardson , Tony Buffa, and Walt McArdell rounded out the top five. Sportsman heats were won by Richardson, Hefti, and Decker.
The 20-lap Pro Stock feature began with John Cooper holding the lead and the rest of the field mixing it up behind him. T.J. Fitzgibbons was able to break from the pack just before halfway and had a great side by side duel with Cooper for several laps. Behind them, Mike Watkins was making a second half charge towards the front, looking for his third win in a row.
Fitzgibbons was able to wrestle the lead away from Cooper on lap 16 and held off Cooper's attempts to retake the lead. Watkins slipped past Cooper on lap 17 and hounded Fitzgibbons but was unable to pass him at Fitzgibbons took the checkers. Watkins, Cooper, Jason Rood, and John Pietrowicz rounded out the top five. Pro Stock heats went to Cooper and Bill Shantel Jr.
The 15-lap Pure Stock feature was a wild affair that began with Joe Buske in the lead. On lap 4, Buske slid high in turn four and Frank Hood grabbed the lead. Two laps later, Dave Mannise took the lead from Hood and the two battled furiously, with some contact being made. The duel ended when Hood crashed into the infield marker in the first turn, knocking him out. Mannise also exited with a flat tire, and was sent back to the pits when he returned to the track.
That left Kevin Raymond in the lead and he was not challenged in the final two laps as he scored the feature win. Ken Wentworth, Lou Levea, Tim Hettis, and John Eiss came across in that order in a tight back battling under the checkers. Pure Stock heats went to Hood and Hettis.
RESULTS
DIRT 358 Modified Feature: 1. J.J. Michaels, 2. Dave House, 3. Jim Phelps, 4. Tom Sears, 5. Todd Burley, 6. Tom Kinsella, 7. Mitch Gibbs, 8. John Barker, 9. Gil Tegg, 10. Jason Barney, 11. Roger Phelps, 12. Jeff Rudalavage, 13. Gus Schmidt, 14. Pete Taylor, 15. Jim Rothwell, 16. John Ventura, 17. Ty Hunt, 18. Ted Lamb, 19. Rick Miller, 20. Doug Fuller, 21. Dale Planck, 22. Steve Hulsizer, 23. Jeremy Baye, 24. Alan Johnson.
Sportsman Feature: 1. Tim Sears, 2. Willy Decker, 3. Ron Richardson, 4. Tony Buffa, 5. Walt McArdell, 6. Dan Vail, 7. Mark Yorker, 8. Jim LaRock, 9. Howie Albrecht, 10. Clayton Brewer, 11. Mike LaVarnway, 12. Tim Mayne, 13. Tim Johnson, 14. Mark Tily, 15. Steve Nasholts, 16. Bill Shantel, 17. Ron Davis, 18. Chad Phelps, 19. Dave Bargabus, 20. Greg Doust, 21. Rich Keller, 22. Jon Cunningham, 23. Russ Hefti, 24. Greg Carner.
Pro Stock Feature: 1. T.J. Fitzgibbons, 2. Mike Watkins, 3. John Cooper, 4. Jason Rood, 5. John Pietrowicz, 6. Ricky Breed, 7. Joe Jackson, 8. Paul Stoneburg, 9. Bruce Hovis, 10. Randy Skiff, 11. Jerry Holmes, 12. Bill Shantel Jr., 13. Dave Moyer, 14. Gerry Newman, 15. Howie Koegel, 16. Pat Hobbs, 17. Ray Maloney, 18. Chuck Thomas.
Pure Stock Feature: 1. Kevin Raymond, 2. Ken Wentworth, 3. Lou Levea, 4. Tim Hettis, 5. John Eiss, 6. Chad Ray, 7. Joe Buske, 8. Ron Hawker, 9. Dan Butterfield, 10. Rob Seavy, 11. Tom Juhl, 12. Brian Skiff, 13. Dave Mannise, 14. Frank Hood, 15. Tom Loving, 16. Rick DeGroff, 17. John Juhl, 18. Darren Kelso, 19. Phil Trimm, 20. Bill Juhl.