PERROTTE BEATS RACERS & WEATHERMAN FOR FROGTOWN WIN
HOGANSBURG, NY - Mike Perrotte of Morrisonville, NY made a daring pass for the lead with two laps to go to capture his second win of the season on LaVigne's Auto Sales and Truck Repair night at the Frogtown International Speedway. The race was completed just in time as a downpour drenched the track during the cool-down lap, forcing Frogtown officials to cancel the balance of the night's racing action. In make-up races from a previous rain-out, Al Pitts of Potsdam won the Pro Stocks, Duane Brainard of Massena won his second Semi-Pro feature of the season and Mitch Jock conquered the 4-Cylinder Bandits.
The rain-out has forced schedule changes for the next couple of weeks. Saturday, July 31st is the Coca-Cola Summer Sprint Spectacular with the ELS Super Sprints, Twin 20s for the Modifieds and extra distance events for the Pro Stocks, Semi-Pro & 4-Cyl. Bandits; the Enduro division has the night off. Saturday's rained-out features will be added to the racing program on Saturday, August 7th, joining the 50-lap Pro Stock Summer Championship, the 20-lap Modified First-Time Winners Challenge and the Semi-Pro and Bandit divisions; the Enduro cars have also been added to August 7th's show, with Twin 15-Lap Trophy Dashes. On Saturday, August 28th, the Enduro cars will make up the other rain out with Twin 15-Lap Trophy Dashes on Bombard's Fuel Service/NorthNet night.
The Modified feature started under threatening skies, with Kingston, ONT's Mark Hitchcock, fresh off a win at Cornwall, setting the early pace. Kyle Jacobs of Hogansburg moved into the runner-up spot just three laps into the race and Jacobs hustled around Hitchcock for the lead on lap eight, with Mike Perrotte moving up to third spot as well. Jacobs set a very quick pace until the red flag waved on lap 12 when Cornwall's Brian McDonald flipped off turn two; McDonald was uninjured. When the race got back underway, it was still Jacobs, Hitchcock and Perrotte, with Dave Heaslip of Smith Falls, ONT moving up to fourth spot after former fourth-place runner Pierre Dagenais pitted. As the laps ticked off, lightning crackled off the backstretch while Jacobs sliced through lapped traffic; deeper in the field, Sam Liechty of Morrisonville and Jerry Skebo of Renfrew, ONT moved past a hard-running Greg Monica (Middlebury, VT) for fifth and sixth. Jacobs worked hard to hold off Perrotte, but his luck ran out with two laps to go as Perrotte swept by for the lead, with Hitchcock following suit and moving up to second. Perrotte powered on to the win, with Hitchcock finishing second and Jacobs forced to settle for third. Heaslip and Skebo rounded out the top five.
The night's action kicked off with make-up features from July 3rd and the fans were treated to some thrilling competition. In the Pro Stocks, Mike Allen of Norwood was quick, but the front end broke on lap eight, ending his great run. Eric Gauvreau of Chelsea, QUE inherited the lead, but it was not to last as Al Pitts, coming from 15th starting spot, slipped by for the lead on lap 10. However, the battle was far from over, as Pitts held off Alexandria, ONT's Marc Therrien, Eric Gauvreau and his brother, Denis, in a fantastic battle that saw the leaders racing four wide at times. Pitts had heavy pressure from Eric Gauvreau in the final two laps and Gauvreau looked like he was setting up a pass for the win coming out of turn four, but both Pitts and Gauvreau slipped momentarily and Pitts charged on for the win. Gauvreau, Therrien, Denis Gauvreau and Dave "Bulldog" Bissonnette rounded out the top five.
It was another thriller in the Semi-Pro division, as Bombay's Marty Jock looked like he was the man to beat but Duane Brainard of Massena passed him on the outside with two laps to go. Brainard beat Jock to the finish line by half a car length, while Louie Jackson nearly nipped Jock for the runner-up spot but had to settle for third. Mike Trombley of Fort Covington scored a season best fourth-place, while Jamie Martin of Fort Covington overcame earlier mechanical woes for fifth.
The 4-Cylinder Bandits drew the largest field in the history of the division, with 20 cars signed in, but once again it was Cornwall, ONT rivals Mitch Jock besting Kurtis McPhee in a great duel that saw the leaders weaving through lapped traffic in the final laps. Chris Trombley of Cornwall was third, Beekmantown's Peter Cename got a season-best fourth, while Mario Legault of Gatineau, QUE finished fifth. Eugene Bushey of Ellenburg Depot debuted his new Bandit Truck and, with a sixteenth place finish, was credited the victor in the Bandit Truck division.
Frogtown International Speedway is in Hogansburg, NY, one mile east of the International Bridge to Cornwall, ONT. From Route 37, turn south onto Frogtown Road, next to the Mohawk Bingo Palace. For race day weather info, call 518-358-9017.
MODIFIEDS: MIKE PERROTTE, Mark Hitchcock, Kyle Jacobs, Dave Heaslip, Jerry Skebo, Sam Liechty, Greg Monica, Kevin Fetterly, Leon Gonyo, Gilles Perrault, Tom Jock, Simon Marcoux, Pierre Dagenais, Matt Gonyo, Jim Lazore, Craig Ormsby, Dan Jalbert, Roy Tarbell, Bill Woodward, Bruce Sawyer, Brian McDonald, Mike Reyell, Todd Stewart. DNS: Buck White.
PRO STOCKS: AL PITTS, Eric Gauvreau, Marc Therrien, Denis Gauvreau, Dave Bissonnette, Sid Harmer, Steve Francis, Jody Swamp, Scott Kocher, Mark Denny, Adam Chapman, John Greene, Pete Backus, Dick Planty, Mike Allen, Marty Jock. DNS: Dave Renaud.
SEMI-PRO: DUANE BRAINARD, Marty Jock, Louie Jackson, Mike Trombley, Jamie Martin, Pete Backus, Keith Coughlin, Brian Moulton, Scott Sharp, Roger Phoenix, John Brainard, Tim Allen, Gordon Derouchie, Dana Drown, Charlie Thompson, Greg Snyder, Reggie Castell, Dave Hall. DNS: Jeb Beeson, Steve Johnston, Jody Beckstead.
4-CYLINDER BANDITS: MITCH JOCK, Kurtis McPhee, Chris Trombley, Peter Cename, Mario Legault, Bryan Loeb, Tammy Jalbert, Kevin Fetterly, Jr., Jason Fetterly, Mike McDonald, Ann Pecore, Randy Tremblay, Rosco Garreau, Mike Benedict, Eric Tyo, Eugene Bushey (Truck), Ron Giroux. DNS: Brian Patterson, Casey Swamp (Truck).