PAINE AND SHEPPARD BOTH WIN AGAIN AT CANANDAIGUA

CANANDAIGUA, NY...With hot steam spewing from his radiator, Waterloo, NY's Steve Paine enter the Canandaigua Speedway victory lane for the sixth time this season. Also picking up another win, number three this season, was Matt Sheppard, from Seneca Falls, NY, in the DIRT Sportsman 20-lap feature. In full fender action Jon Miller bested a field of some 31 Pro-stocks to win the 20-lap feature. A huge number of Street Stocks was on hand, allowing heat races to be run for the first time this year. Fred Salzburg powered his Ford Granada to victory, only to be disqualified following a post race inspection of his carburetor. This gave the victory to James Henry for the fifth time this season.

The 35-lap DIRT Modified feature saw Ray Bliss Jr. out power Jim Gabriel Jr. to take the lead at the drop of the green. Chuck Bower, fresh off of setting fast time at the Can Am LAPCO race, pulled his Currier Plastics number 99B into second followed by Gabriel and Darryl Ruggles.

The first yellow flag flew on lap two when rookie driver Vince Vitale looped his car in the fourth turn. Bliss held onto the lead, however Ruggles used a bonsai inside move through three and four to take second. Bower quickly responded and retook the runner up position.

On lap nine, Vitale was again seeming to have problems as he came to a stop on the back stretch to cause the second yellow flag period of the race. Gary Tomkins, aboard the Pennzoil Bicknell, made his presents known at the front of the field, took second from Bower and proceeded to chase down Bliss Jr. for the lead on lap 13. Tomkins then proceeded to pull away to a three car lead over Bliss Jr. and Tim McCreadie. McCreadie made his move around Bliss Jr. on lap 15, but the yellow flew before he could begin to close the gap on Tomkins. This time the yellow flew again for Vitale who stopped along the back stretch wall.

The gap all of a sudden didn't matter as Tomkins pulled into the pits during this yellow leaving McCreadie as the leader. On the restart Bower, who had been pushed back to fourth, power-moved around the high side of the leaders through three and four to take the lead. Bower and McCreadie then formed a race of their own at the front of the field, as Steve Paine took third followed by Bliss Jr. and Pat Ward.

The yellow flew for the fourth time when Darryl Ruggles blew the motor on his "Ruggles World of Autobody" number 48, leaving a wide streak of oil around the speedway. Chuck Hebing also exited the race at this time, stopping in the first turn.

Bower seemed to have his bases covered remaining on the high side of the speedway surface. Steve Paine powered under McCreadie and looked to be best hooked up in the lower grove.

On lap 24 the yellow flew for the final time as Bliss jr. suffered a flat right rear tire on his Bliss Logging machine.

This set up a classic battle for the lead with Bower in the high grove and Paine down low. Side-by-side they raced to the checkers with Paine finishing a car length ahead of Bower. McCreadie took third followed by Tim Fuller and Pat Ward.

The 20-lap Sportsman main event saw Wade Czymmek give up the lead to Paul Guererri on lap three as the caution flew. Guererri then led Steve Gray for nine circuit before Gray could mustard enough to pass for the lead. Charging right past both Gray and Guererri was young Matt Sheppard. Sheppard went on to take the victory followed by Gray, Guererri, Karl Comfort and Clay Parmelee.

Comfort was on the receiving end of some great sportsmanship from Eldon Payne. Payne was involved in an accident to his hand earlier in the day and underwent minor surgery. Payne's car was at the track and was being driven by Terry Mullen. After Comfort was involved in a heat race accident that put his number 10 out of action for the night, Payne's crew turned the number 28 over to Comfort for the feature.

The 20-lap Pro-Stock main saw a side-by-side race at the front of the field for nearly the entire race.

The first yellow flag flew on lap two when front runners Tom Barron, Brian Michels and Zack Shove came together in the third turn. At times the front of the field raced three wide down the straightaways. The lead bounced back and forth between Steve Miller in the Blue Moon Potatoes Monte Carlo and Dan Weisner in his Shuttleworth Asphalt Camaro. On lap nine the yellow flew as Josh Nichols looped his car in the second turn.

Newfane's Jon Miller driving his Calhoon's Pub/Spina Engine Shop Grand Prix took the lead on the restart. Mike Cooper came to stop in the fourth turn to cause a yellow on lap ten. Jon Miller maintained his lead and began to stretch out a nine car advantage.

The final yellow flew on lap 18 when Chad Homan and Dave Conant Jr. looped in the third turn. Miller remained in the lead with a heated battle for second behind him. At the finish line it was Miller taking the win followed by Lee Burnett, Steve Miller, newcomer Pat McCoy and Weisner in fifth.

Twenty-eight Street Stocks were on hand for their 10-lap, or fifteen minute, main event. The pack seemed to be using up their time just completing the first lap. as nearly eight minutes passed, along with three attempts to get the race under way.

When the race finally got in motion Fred Salzburg took the lead and held on as his Ford Granada began to smoke heavily on the final lap. Salzburg took the victory over a near photo finish by James Henry and Mike Welch. Ransomville regular Jerry Condren performed extremely well finishing fourth. Rounding out the top finishers were Leroy Lewis and John Rutkowski.

Salzburg's car was found to have too many spacer plates under the carburetor following the race. He was disqualified and Henry moved up to take the win.

This Saturday will be the running of the 157th Ontario County Fair. The Saturday on track events will include OCALS-Medic 60/Taylor Rentals of Canandaigua races including all four weekly divisions; DIRT Modifieds, Sportsman, Pro-Stocks and Street Stocks. Race time will be at 7 p.m. sharp.

CHASE-PITKIN HOME & GARDEN/SWEETENERS PLUS NIGHT SUMMARY

STREET STOCKS

HEAT 1: B. Steinruck, M. Welch, M. Ferens, J. Colloggi, J. Condren, N. Peckham.

HEAT 2: F. Srock, J. Rutkowski, M. Shaw, T. Burnell, L. Lewis, S. Coleman.

HEAT 3: F. Salzburg, E. Gugiere, J. Henry, J. LaBarge, R. Briggs, B. Peters.

FEATURE (10-laps): JAMES HENRY, Mike Welch, Jerry Condren, Leroy Lewis, John Rutkowski, Beetle Peters, Eric Gugiere, Jim Colloggi, Richard Briggs, Glen Peters, Steve Coleman, Don Rappleyea, Brad Steinruck, Nathan Peckham, Mike Ferens, Jared LaBarge, Darrin Phippen, Trisha Hampton, Brian Levyd, Vance Vanderwall, Mike Shaw, Tim Burnell, Butch Moore, Jeremy Martin, Fred Srock, Shane Yack, Doug Smith. Fred Salzburg (Disq.)

PRO-STOCK

HEAT 1: B. Michels, D. Conant Jr., Ri. Miller, J. Miller, P. Hobbs, T. Hanagan, P. Barone.

HEAT 2: M. Cooper, S. Miller, M. Minuotlo, D. Weisner, Z. Shove, L. Burnett, P. McCoy.

HEAT 3: T. Barron, C. Homan, C. Cleveland, J. Burba, M. Walters, J. Ortiz, J. McGuigan.

CONSI: B. Lutz, G. Byerly, S. Fremouw, B. Brown, J. Nichols.

FEATURE (20-laps): JON MILLER, Lee Burnett, Steve Miller, Pat McCoy, Dan Weisner, Jipp Ortiz, Bobby Lutz, Billy Brown, Scott Fremouw, Phil Barone, Jim McGuigan, Carl Cleveland, Patrick Hobbs, Todd Hanagan, Jim Burba, Chad Homan, Josh Nichols, Dave Conant Jr., Mike Walters, Gary Byerly, Mike Minuotlo, Mike Cooper, Zack Shove, Rick Miller, Tommy Barron, Brian Michels.

SPORTSMAN

HEAT 1: J. Beyea, P. Guererri, W. Czymmek, S. Gray, D. Allen, L. Beardsley, K. Stell.

HEAT 2: J. Haers, C. Parmelee, M. Sheppard, D. Darling, J. Pfeffer, J. Plumb, E. Monroe.

FEATURE (20-laps): MATT SHEPPARD, Steve Gray, Paul Guererri, Karl

Comfort, Clay Parmelee, Joe Beyea, Dale Darling, John Pfeffer,

David Allen, Wade Czymmek, Bill Englert, Larry Beardsley Jr.,

Keith Stell, Gregg Walters, John Plumb, Ed Monroe, Justin haers.

MODIFIED

HEAT 1: C. Bower, D. Johnson, R. Bliss jr., T. Fuller, T. McCreadie, P. Ward, D. Ruggles.

HEAT 2: J. Gabriel Jr., G. Tomkins, S. Paine, C. Hebing, C. Donk, V. Coffey, J. Brownell.

FEATURE (35-laps): STEVE PAINE, Chuck Bower, Tim McCreadie, Tim Fuller, Pat Ward, Danny Johnson, Vic Coffey, Charlie Donk, Jim Gabriel Jr., Scott Ridley, Randy Miller, Jeff Brownell, Dave Axton, Greg Tatich, Ron White, Ray Bliss Jr., Darryl Ruggles, Chuck Hebing, Gary Tomkins, Vince Vitale.