DANNY JOHNSON HANGS ON FOR FIRST FAY'S 300 SUPER DIRT WEEK WIN (Sun. Oct. 12, 1997)
SYRACUSE,NY...Rochester, New Yorker Danny Johnson has been winning races all season. The streak continued Sunday afternoon as he won the biggest event of his career, the Fay's 300, to close out the 26th annual Super DIRT Week at the New York State Fairgrounds.
Johnson's first victory in the country's richest DIRT Modified event was worth $90,825 as he also claimed his second Skoal Bandit Racing Super DIRT Series title.
Pole-sitter Brett Hearn from Sussex, N.J. paced the 48-car field the first third of the race. The five-time Syracuse winner led until stopping in the pits for fuel on lap 65 and relinquishing the point to 14th-place starter Johnson. That lead only lasted six laps as D.J. exited the track for a splash of fuel after his brother Alan Johnson crashed to bring out a caution period.
Unadilla, N.Y.'s Billy Decker inherited the lead on lap 71 and held on to pocket an extra $10,000 for leading at the century mark. A prior yellow flag with 99 laps scored gave Johnson ample time to make his final pit stop, also allowing second-generation standout Tim McCreadie to move ahead as Decker refueled on lap 104.
When the leaders exited the track for fuel under caution just three laps later, Hearn again emerged as the leader with Johnson nestled in his shadow. But the anticipated battle between two of DIRT's biggest rivals never materialized as D.J. swept past along the back chute on lap 112 to record the final lead change.
Wallkill, N.Y.'s Jeff Heotzler chased down Hearn with just 13 laps to go and quickly set his sights on the no. 6 Freightliner Trucks of Newburgh Troyer entry. When Johnson's Precision powerplant began puffing smoke with three laps still remaining, even more life came to Heotzler as well as the capacity crowd that stood cheering over the final circuits.
Heotzler managed to cut the deficit to a half-dozen car-lengths with one to go, yet when the checkered flag finally unfurled it was Johnson claiming victory by 1.1 seconds in the closest finish of the decade.
Hearn crossed the line third ahead of defending Fay's 300 champion Doug Hoffman from Allentown, Pa. and Saturday's Prolong Super Lubricants 358-Modified Championship winner Kenny Tremont of West Sand Lake, N.Y.
Two-time race winner Jimmy Horton from Whitehouse Station, N.J. rallied from a lap down to secure sixth at the stripe with Waterloo, N.Y.'s Steve Paine finishing seventh, top rookie Todd Stone of Middlebury, Vt. placing eighth, supermodified star Pat Abold from Pennellville, N.Y. ending up ninth and Newfield, N.J.'s Jimmy Chester rounding out the top-ten.
With double points on the line towards the Skoal Bandit Racing Championship, Johnson ultimately edged Hearn, 1456-1443, followed by Horton (1412), Jack Johnson (36th, 1324) and Bob McCreadie (29th, 1323).
Sunday activity actually began at noon with the 20-lap Universal Joint Sales Non-Qualifiers race. Twenty-seven cars took the green flag with only eight spots open to advance into the Fay's 300 later on.
Lebanon Valley(N.Y.) Speedway regulars Eddie Marshall, John Hewitt and Dick Larkin finished 1-2-3 to pace all last-chance qualifiers.
Central New York DIRT circuit mainstay Vic Coffey placed fourth ahead of Pennsylvanian Steve Bottcher, who charged from 23rd starting position. Duane Howard overtook four cars during the final two laps to grab sixth followed by weekend warriors Ray Bliss, Jr. and Butch Tittle.
Marshall earned $1,000 for his flag-to-flag victory, yet could only muster a 42nd-place tally in the Super DIRT Week '97 finale as ignition problems forced him pitside with 47 laps scored.