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STEVE PAINE REPEATS WITH SDS WIN AT LAND OF LEGENDS, SHEPPARD IS



TWO-FOR-TWO IN UFPO COMPETITION

CANANDAIGUA, NY... Waterloo, NY's Steve Paine is proving to be a potent force at the famed half mile clay track, Canandaigua Speedway. Paine took his second straight $6,000 victory in front of a live television audience on "Rush Hour", also having won last year's Super DIRT Series race. He also bettered his 1999 time of 18.587 by nearly .4 seconds to set a new track record with a lap time of 18.054 seconds.

Young Matt Sheppard also earned an important victory, by winning the $1,000 to win UFPO "Dig Safely" DIRT Sportsman Tour 30-lap race. It was Sheppard's second straight win on the series this year.

Based on the driver redraw for feature starting positions, Billy Decker and Brett Hearn brought the field down for Benny Vitale's green flag for the start of the Little Trees 100.

Decker, a weekly runner at Canandaigua, used his knowledge and skills to take the lead with Hearn in tow. The first of only four cautions came on lap four, when Ron Smoker looped his Mullen Industrial Handling Bicknell in the first turn. Decker maintained his advantage on the restart over Hearn. On lap 11, Hearn used a low move through the fourth turn to inch out a lead over Decker at the line. By the second turn Hearn was securely in front. Danny Johnson in his Sweetner's Plus Troyer, running third, also passed Decker one lap later and took out after Hearn. By now lapped traffic was becoming a factor due to the fast pace of the leaders.

On lap 21, Johnson used the lapped car of Rick Laubach as a pick, trapping Hearn enough to take the lead. Johnson then proceeded to pull out a three car lead over the rest of the field. Gary Tomkins, aboard his Honeoye Auto Parts/Pennzoil Bicknell took third from Decker, but could not close the gap to Hearn in second. The driver on the move was Steve Paine, the current Canandaigua Track points leader. Paine, who started seventh, was now moving up fast. He passed Decker for fourth on lap 28. On lap 34 he took third from Tomkins and then four laps later passed Hearn for second.

The yellow flew on lap 39, when a car slowed in the third turn. This allowed Paine to close in on the tail end of Johnson. The restart, on lap 42, saw Johnson able to hold off Paine. These two proceeded to pull away in a battle of their own for position. At the halfway marker it was still Johnson, Paine, Tomkins, Alan Johnson and Tim McCreadie.

On lap 62, Vic Coffey and Butch Tittle came together in the first turn, causing the third yellow caution period of the race. Both drivers quickly responded and only lost one lap to the leaders in returning to the race.

Johnson, using the high grove, and Paine down low, battle back and forth to the delight of the crowd. On lap 75, Paine punched the nose of his Wynn's Lubricants/Junell Corporation TEO into the front position. Paine then began the same practice Johnson had earlier used by pulling away from the rest of the field.

Danny Johnson found himself now occupied with a battle for second between himself and his older brother Alan Johnson, driving the Pillsbury Doughboy Bicknell. Alan passed Danny for second with just three laps remaining in the Little Trees 100. Paine took the victory followed by Alan Johnson, Danny Johnson, Tomkins and Tim McCreadie.

In the UFPO "Dig Safely" Sportsman portion of the program saw a heads up start based on heat finishing positions. Karl Comfort and Kevin Wills brought the field of 32 starters down for the green. Comfort quickly took command of the race, with the third place starter Steve Gray in second. Returning to the speedway, Lance Dusett, who earlier had finished second to Comfort in the first heat race, moved into third.

On lap seven the first of just three cautions saw John Plumb, who was running fifth at the time, loop his number 31B in the first turn, along with Jim Rufiange. Both cars returned to the race.

On lap 14 the second yellow flew when James Spano slowed to a stop in the first turn with a flat tire. Spano lost two laps, but returned to the race.

On lap 16, Matt Sheppard blasted past the front runners to grab the lead from Comfort. A final yellow on lap 29, set up a one lap dash for the checkers. Sheppard took the victory followed by Gray, Comfort, Dusett and Randy Chrysler.

In post race inspection, the Sheppard team passed both a check of their heads, along with valves and their crankshaft following a protest posted by another team. Sheppard picked up $1,000 for his victory.

The DIRT Modified Super DIRT Series now travels to the New York State Fairgrounds for their Monday, July 1 program. The DIRT Sportsman teams have a race on Friday, June 30 at Ransomville, before traveling to the mile in Syracuse on Monday.

LITTLE TREES/PHELPS CEMENT PRODUCTS/TURNER AUTOMOTIVE presents
THE ADVANCE AUTO PARTS SUPER DIRT SERIES AND UFPO "Dig Safely"
TOUR 2000 SUMMARY

UFPO "Dig Safely" SPORTSMAN

HEAT 1: K. Comfort, L. Dusett, R. Swarthout, J. McKenny, D. Park Jr.
HEAT 2: K. Wills, J. Spano, D. Allen, P. Guererri, B. Rouse.
HEAT 3: S. Gray, R. Chrysler, C. Brachmann, C. Shultz, J. Beyea.
HEAT 4: J. Plumb, W. Decker, K. Duryea, S. Friesen, J. Rufiange.

CONSI 1: M. Sheppard, J. Pfeffer, D. VanHorn, T. Ross, S. Jablonka.
CONSI 2: S. Hall, D. Just, G. Moreash, E. Payne, C. Brewer. ADDED: T. Collins Jr., J. Hears.

FEATURE 30-laps): MATT SHEPPARD, Steve Gray, Karl Comfort, Randy Chrysler, Chris Shultz, Lance Dusett, Rich Swarthout, Paul Guererri, Willy Decker, Stewart Freisen, Kevin Duryea, Steve Hall, Chad Brachmann, Clayton Brewer, Justin Haers, Tony Ross, David VanHorn, John McKenny, Dave Just, Dick Park Jr., John Plumb, Stan Jablonka, Brad Rouse, Kevin Wills, Garry Moreash, Jim Rufiange, John Pfeffer, David Allen, James Spano, Tom Collins Jr., Joe Beyea, Eldon Payne.

ADVANCE AUTO PARTS SUPER DIRT SERIES MODIFIED

TIME TRIALS: Steve Paine 18.054(new record), Tim McCreadie
18.384, Pat Ward 18.446, Jack Johnson 18.493, Gary Tomkins
18.498, Vic Coffey 18.646, Brett Hearn 18.669, Chuck Bower
18.688, Kenny Tremont 18.744, Tim Fuller 18.781, Doug Hoffman
18.786, Chuck Hebing 18.792, Bob McCreadie 18.883, Danny Johnson
18.924, Billy Decker 18.935, Ray Bliss Jr. 18.939, Ron Smoker
18.999, Jeremy Corcoran 19.028, Bobby Varin 19.046, Alan Johnson
19.121, Charlie Donk 19.164, Vince Vitale 19.189, Jim Gabriel Jr.
19.202, Jeff Brownell 19.215, Darryl Ruggles 19.469, Todd Milton
19.552, Andy Bachetti 19.596, Josh Skarzenski 19.709, Rick
Laubach 19.715, Butch Tittle 19.791, Scott Ridley 19.947, Alex
Hoag 20.267, Ron Cartwright 20.788.

HEAT 1: T. Fuller, B. Hearn, B. McCreadie, R. Bliss Jr., D. Ruggles.
HEAT 2: C. Bower, D. Johnson, A. Johnson, D. Hoffman, J. Gabriel Jr.
HEAT 3: K. Tremont, B. Decker, C. Donk, C. Hebing, J. Corcoran.

EXISS DASH: STEVE PAINE, T. McCreadie, G. Tomkins, P. Ward, V. Coffey, J. Johnson.

CONSI: V. Vitale, A. Bachetti, R. Smoker, R. Laubach, A. Hoag, S. Ridley, J. Skarzenski, B. Tittle, J. Brownell. ADDED: T. Milton

LITTLE TREES FEATURE (100-laps): STEVE PAINE, Alan Johnson, Danny Johnson, Gary Tomkins, Tim McCreadie, Darryl Ruggles, Tim Fuller, Charlie Donk, Brett Hearn, Chuck Bower, Pat Ward, Vic Coffey, Ray Bliss Jr., Ron Smoker, Vince Vitale, Jim Gabriel Jr., Chuck Hebing, Kenny Tremont, Bobby Varin, Andy Bachetti, Alex Hoag, Rich Laubach, Butch Tittle, Scott Ridley, Josh Skarzenski, Jack Johnson, Billy Decker, Jeff Brownell, Bob McCreadie, Jeremy Corcoran, Doug Hoffman, Todd Milton.