DANNY JOHNSON TOPS ONTARIO COUNTY FAIR CHAMPIONSHIP

CANANDAIGUA, NY...Danny Johnson, from Phelps, NY, topped a stellar field of DIRT Modifieds, winning the annual Ontario County Fair Championship 35-lap feature event last Saturday. Also picking up a Fair victory were Matt Sheppard in the DIRT Sportsman division, Mike Cooper in the Pro-stock division and Richard Briggs in the Street Stock class.

The 35-lap DIRT Modified feature began with Darryl Ruggles, from nearby Hopewell Center, grabbing the lead driving a small block. Before the second place runner, Gary Tomkins, could make his move the yellow flew for chuck Hebing, who had spun out in the second turn.

Tomkins took the lead on the restart and began to pull away from second place runner Danny Johnson. Ruggles was pushed back to third followed by Charlie Donk and Vince Vitale fifth.

Johnson began to close the gap on the leader, Tomkins, but the real help in closing the gap came in the form of a yellow flag on lap 13 when Bob McCreadie slowed to a halt in the fourth turn.

Johnson now had Tomkins in his sights and quickly grabbed the top spot. Multi-time winner Steve Paine now entered the picture and charged passed Tomkins for second. Paine then tried to close in on Danny. With Paine up high and Johnson down on the low side of the speedway, to the crowd's delight, Paine made his move to take the lead. Lap-after-lap Danny held a slight advantage by mid-straightaway.

Lap 28 saw the three leaders; Johnson, Paine and Tomkins enter lapped traffic. Johnson pinned Paine behind the slow car of Ron White. Johnson then sailed down low, passing two cars, three wide, in one fell swoop.

The only difference this traffic made was Tomkins was able to move back into second over Paine. Johnson took the win by some seven car lengths over Tomkins, Paine, Pat Ward and Tim McCreadie.

The 20-lap DIRT Sportsman feature was plagued with yellow flags. The opening lap saw Eldon Payne recorded as the leader, when the yellow flew for debris on the front stretch. On lap three, Payne blew his right rear tire to bring out the yellow. As he exited to the pits he left David Allen as the leader.

Allen was able to lead the next few laps until rookie Ed Monroe looped into the inside of the second turn on lap eight to bring out the yellow. By this time multi-time winner Matt Sheppard and last year's Sportsman track champion, Karl Comfort, were both on Allen's rear bumper. The restart saw both Sheppard and Comfort blast into first and second respectively. As the front cars completed lap nine Wade Czymmek began loose in the fourth turn and was gathered up by the Payne car, sending Czymmek looping into the front stretch infield. There he was impacted sideways by Bob Richmond. Both Richmond and Czymmek were able to continue the race.

Sheppard stretched out his lead in the closing laps with Comfort doing battle with Steve Gray, aboard the Rich Swarthout number 6 machine for the runner up position. Sheppard took the win followed by Comfort and Gray. Justin Haers made a masterful last ditch effort, having to come from the rear after a penalty, to finish fourth. Paul Guererri rounded out the top five finishers.

Thirty-one Pro-stocks were on hand to attempt to qualify for that division's 20-lap main event. Twenty-six cars took Tom Burton's green flag for the start of the event.

Dave Conant Jr. quickly took the lead with Josh Nichols, Phil Barone, Bobby Lutz and Patrick Hobbs on his heels. The large pack of cars actually divided into two packs of 15 and 11 cars respectively. On lap three, Barone took command of the front pack of cars. His lead was short lived as Mike Cooper passed him on lap five for the lead.

On lap eight the yellow flew when Patrick Hobbs stopped in the fourth turn. As the field was given the green flag the number 22 of Zack Shove slowed on the speedway to again place the field under caution.

The scariest incident of the night came on lap 14 when Scott Fremouw's Monte Carlo ignited into a ball of flames going down the back stretch. Fremouw was quick to extricate himself from the burning car as track safety personnel went to work to put out the fire.

When the race resumed Cooper now had new challengers at the front of the field, Jim McGuigan and divisional points leader Jipp Ortiz. The final yellow of the race came on lap 18, with just two laps remaining. Mike Minutlo looped his car in the third turn. This set up a charge to the finish line.

Cooper inched out the victory over Ortiz. Jon Miller, using an outside move passed McGuigan on the final lap for third. McGuigan finished fourth followed by Lee Burnett in fifth.

The 10-lap Street Stock feature was won by Richard Briggs aboard his Chevrolet Camaro. Briggs took the lead from Fred Srock on the fifth lap. Frank Burnell, who started twelfth, charged through the field to take second, only to lose that position on the last lap as he drifted high in the fourth turn. Srock moved by Burnell to take second place at the finish. Burnell finished third followed by points leader Mike Ferens and Brad Steinruck.

This Saturday, August 5, will find a special "Salute to the Legends" as the Mid-state Vintage Racers join the regular program of DIRT Modified, Sports, Pro-stock and Street Stock action. This will be the first of two appearances for the Mid-state group at Canandaigua in 2000. Their other appearance comes at the D&G Promotions, September 16, during the "Top Gun One Shootout". Expect a number of Canandaigua driving greats to be on hand for the ceremonies. race time will be at 7 p.m. sharp.

ONTARIO COUNTY FAIR/OCALS-MEDIC 60/TAYLOR RENTAL OF CANANDAIGUA

NIGHT SUMMARY

STREET STOCK

HEAT 1: F. Burnell, F. Srock, M. Shaw, N. Peckham, M. Welsh, R. Briggs, M. Ferens.

HEAT 2: J. LaBarge, R. Steinruck, J. Rutkowski, J. Cologgi, J. Henry, E. Giguere, T. Burnell.

FEATURE (10-laps): RICHARD BRIGGS, Fred Srock, Frank Burnell, Mike Ferens, Brad Steinruck, Jared LaBarge, John Rutkowski, Nathan Peckham, Jim Cologgi, Mike Welch, Beetle Peters, Leroy Lewis, Darrin Phippen, Mike Shaw, Vance Vanderwall, Brian Lloyd, Bob Richmond Jr., Trisha Hampton, Shane Yack, Eric Giguere, James Henry, Tim Burnell, Doug Smith.

PRO-STOCK

HEAT 1: P. Hobbs, S. Miller, J. McGuigan, J. Ortiz, D. Conant Jr., Lee Burnett.

HEAT 2: M. Cooper, B. Lutz, C. Homan, J. Miller, B. Brown, J. Nichols.

HEAT 3: T. Barron, S. Fremouw, B. Michels, Ri. Miller, P. Barone, F. Ignizio.

CONSI: D. Weisner, M. Minutlo, T. Hanagan, Z. Shove, D. Chappius, J. Burba, C. Reynolds II, M. Walters.

FEATURE (20-laps): MIKE COOPER, Jipp Ortiz, Jon Miller, Jim McGuigan, Lee Burnett, Steve Miller, Dan Weisner, Phil Barone, Chad Homan, Billy Brown, Frank Ignizio, Todd Hanagan, Doug Chappius, Rick Miller, Carl Reynolds II, Jim Burba, Mike Minutlo, Zack Shove, Dave Conant Jr., Scott Fremouw, Josh Nichols, Mike Walters, Brian Michels, Bobby Lutz, Patrick Hobbs, Tom Barron.

SPORTSMAN

HEAT 1: E. Payne, J. Pfeffer, W. Czymmek, S. Gray, E. Monroe, L. Beardsley, J. Haers.

HEAT 2: J. Beyea, K. Comfort, P. Guererri, B. Henry Jr., D. Allen, J. Plumb, B. Richmond.

FEATURE (20-laps): MATT SHEPPARD, Karl Comfort, Steve Gray, Justin Haers, Paul Guererri, David Allen, John Pfeffer, John Plumb, Dale Darling, Larry Beardsley, Wade Czymmek, Eldon Payne, Clay Parmelee, Bob Richmond, Ed Monroe, Bill Englert, Bob Henry Jr., Joe Beyea.

MODIFIED

HEAT 1: D. Johnson, R. Bliss Jr., P. Ward, B. McCreadie, D. Ruggles, T. Fuller.

HEAT 2: C. Bower, G. Tomkins, V. Coffey, T. McCreadie, D. Axton, V. Vitale.

HEAT 3: S. Paine, C. Donk, C. Hebing, B. Decker, S. Ridley, R. Miller.

FEATURE (35-laps): DANNY JOHNSON, Gary Tomkins, Steve Paine, Pat Ward, Tim McCreadie, Charlie Donk, Tim Fuller, Vic Coffey, Chuck Hebing, Darryl Ruggles, Randy Miller, Jeff Brownell, Dave Axton, Billy Decker, Ray Bliss Jr., Greg Tatich, Chuck Bower, Ron White, Vince Vitale, Bob McCreadie, Scott Ridley, Tim Cornell.