MR DIRT TRACK USA LAURELS GO TO HEARN
August 8, 2002, West Lebanon, NY-Brett Hearn took home $17,500 Thursday night by winning the 100-lap Mr. DIRT Track USA event at Lebanon Valley Speedway. A capacity crowd saw Hearn wheel his Gable Motorsports #1 Budweiser Teo into victory lane for the ninth time this season at the Valley. This was the eighteenth stop on the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT Series Trail for big block modifieds. The 358-modifieds were also on hand and Andy Bachetti was the winner of that 24-lap main. An extra special thanks to Budweiser for sponsoring this great night on the high banks.
Thirty-two modifieds took the green flag from Carl Schilling to start the 100-lap Mr. Dirt Track USA feature. Kenny Tremont Jr. used his second starting spot to vault passed Pat Ward and into the lead on the first lap. Hearn started the race ninth, but was battling Rob Pitcher for sixth by lap four. Billy Decker was the JE Pistons Quick Qualifier in time trials Thursday night, but his chance at victory ended quickly on lap six with a right rear flat tire. Decker returned to the race without losing a lap, but had extensive sheet metal damage to the right rear quarter panel. Decker would exit the race for good on lap 48. Danny Johnson used the ensuing restart to move into third.
Rich Ricci Jr looked very strong in the opening laps of the race. He had moved his Fall Fittings #55 up to eighth on lap 15 after starting 15th. He would get up to seventh by lap 17, but suddenly slowed on lap 30. He would go pitside on lap 32 and did not return. Meanwhile Tremont had caught the back of the pack by lap 22 and started working his way through some heavy lapped traffic. Many drivers at the tail end of the field were hesitant to give up the lead lap so early in the event. Hearn made his way into the top five by lap 34 and took fourth from Hector Stratton on lap 39. Steve Devine and Guy Sheldon both retired from the event on lap 42.
Roughly seventeen cars remained on the lead lap at the halfway point. The top five at that point was Tremont, Danny Johnson, Hearn, Ward and Bachetti. Tremont had his Emerick Associates #115 flying and had opened up a full straightaway advantage over second place by lap 56. Danny Johnson and Hearn were racing hard for second, but also had to contend with heavy lapped traffic. Hearn was finally able to wrestle second from Danny Johnson on lap 63. Tim Fuller suffered a right rear flat tire on lap 67 bringing out only the second caution flag period of the race. Also in trouble was Eddie Marshall as he sat sideways in turn four after contact with another car. Marshall was running in the top ten at the time.
When green flag racing resumed Hearn began to stalk Tremont and it was a battle that had the fans on their feet. Hearn would get alongside Tremont almost every lap in turn two, but Tremont was able to hold on each time. Lapped traffic would once again be a factor by lap 86. Tremont appeared to be having a problem on lap 88. His car was definitely not running as good as it had been earlier in the race. Still he was able to hold off a hard charging Hearn.
HEARTBREAK for Tremont on lap 93 as his right rear tire exploded going down the backstretch. Along with the shreds of his right rear went the chance for a huge payday. That gave the lead to Hearn with Danny Johnson knocking on his back door. Hearn would motor away on the restart and Johnson could never mount a serious challenge. It was Hearn’s ninth win at the Valley in 2002 and the 598th victory of his career. Danny Johnson had to settle for second. Bachetti’s third place finish gave him the guaranteed starting spot for the Eckerd 200 at Super Dirt Week. Ward had one of his best runs at the Valley in fourth. Denny Soltis had a super run and brought his racer home in the fifth position. Seven out of the top ten finishers were Lebanon Valley regulars. J.R. Heffner picked up the BERT Hard Charger Award. He started 25th and finished ninth. Tremont was the Holley Performance Halfway bonus recipient.
Dickie Larkin was the early race leader in the 24-lap 358-modified feature. It was a position he would hold until lap nine. Andy Bachetti was able to blast past Larkin on a lap nine restart to take the lead. Brett Hearn moved into second on lap ten. At the halfway point it was Bachetti, Hearn, Tremont, Larkin and Rich Ricci Jr.
Ricci took fourth from Larkin on lap 14 while the top three had pulled away from the rest of the field. Bachetti ran into lapped traffic with four laps remaining in the event, but Hearn could not mount a challenge. The night was not any better for Tremont in the 358’s as he dropped from the race with only two laps left. Bachetti cruised home for his second straight 358-modified victory at Lebanon Valley. Hearn had to settle for second. Ricci was third; Larkin fourth and Lucas Baker rounded out the top five.
8-08 BUDWEISER MR. DIRT TRACK USA MODIFIED RESULTS (100 LAPS) - 1) Brett Hearn, 2) Danny Johnson, 3) Andy Bachetti, 4) Pat Ward, 5) Denny Soltis, 6) Hector Stratton, 7) Matt Quinn, 8) Tim McCreadie, 9) J.R. Heffner, 10) Rob Pitcher, 11) Steve Poirier, 12) Kenny Tremont Jr, 13) Jimmy Horton, 14) Jeff Heotzler, 15) Alan Johnson, 16) Steve Paine, 17) Dave Leckonby, 18) Gary Tompkins, 19) Todd Burley, 20) Tim Fuller, 21) Chuck Bower, 22) Vic Coffey, 23) Eddie Marshall, 24) Chris Schultz, 25) Billy Decker, 26) Guy Sheldon, 27) Steve Devine, 28) Wade Hendrickson, 29) Rich Ricci Jr, 30) Tim Dwyer, 31) John Hewitt, 32) Ernie Palmer Jr
358 MODIFIED RESULTS (24 LAPS) - 1) Andy Bachetti, 2) Brett Hearn, 3) Rich Ricci Jr, 4) Dickie Larkin, 5) Lucas Baker, 6) Kenny Tremont Jr, 7) Eddie Marshall, 8) Lorne Browe, 9) Mike Benson, 10) Jason Herrington, 11) Danny Watson, 12) Ted Teal, 13) John Lutes Jr, 14) Stan Lemiesz, 15) Eric Mack, 16) Carmon Carnibucci, 17) Dave Baranowski, 18) Guy Sheldon, 19) Ed Harkins, 20) Denny Young Jr, 21) Lee Gagliardi, 22) Wes Powell, 23) Jason Tompkins