JOHNSON WINS $7,500 LABOR DAY NEW YORK STATE FAIR RACE, CHRYSLER TAKES SPORTSMAN SPECIAL
SYRACUSE, NY...The 53rd annual New York State Fair Labor Day Championship rolled off on Monday afternoon featuring both the modified and sportsman divisions. It was the first time the sportsman class had run a Labor Day race since 1966. Danny Johnson, from Rochester, NY, took the 50-lap DIRT Modified feature and became a two time winner of this event. Johnson won the race in 1988, the first year the distance was upped from 30 to 50 laps. In the sportsman class, Randy Chrysler, from the Lewiston, NY, won the 20-lap main event.
Tim McCreadie set fast time during an open time trial session with a lap of 30.763, bettering last year's mark of 31.073, set by Ron Smoker. On hand for this special event was USAC Silver Crown and Sprint car specialist J.J. Yeley, driving the THUM Special. Yeley timed well and finished well in his heat race to make the driver redraw. He pulled the pole and Danny Johnson the outside pole.
The start of the 50-lapper saw Johnson grab the lead from Yeley and shoot off into the first turn. Tire wear seemed to be a concern due to the extremely hot and humid conditions. It was determined that if any car had to pit during a yellow, they would not lose any laps in the pits. Johnson turned laps in the low 30 second range to maintain his lead. Yeley tried both the low and the high lines to try and pass Johnson for the lead but came up short each time.
The first yellow flew on lap 19 when Billy Decker slowed with a flat tire. Both Dave Murdick and Vic Coffey pitted at this time, but only Decker returned to the race.
Johnson built up a 2.8 second lead over Yeley by lap 30. Doug Hoffman was the car on the move, taking third from Steve Paine, as Paine limped slowly on the track with a flat tire to bring out the second yellow on lap 31. During this yellow Yeley pulled his car into the pits with a souring motor. This moved Hoffman into second with Tim McCreadie third.
Johnson was able to hold off Hoffman, as the front two cars pulled away from McCreadie. Johnson maintained a .2 second lead over Hoffman until the yellow flew on lap 48 when Chris Shultz slowed in the fourth turn. This forced the race to end with a green-white-checker finish. On the final lap, Hoffman slowed down the back stretch as pieces of his rear tire sailed through the air. He had to slow to finish the race, ending up with a 19th place finish.
Johnson took the win for his Baum Team averaging 101.287 miles per hour. McCreadie came home in second followed by Canandaigua Speedway regulars Chuck Hebing and Gary Tomkins. Canadian standout Steve Poirier in fifth.
The 20-lap DIRT Sportsman feature saw Randy Chrysler lead all 20-laps. Starting in third, Chrysler was able to duck under Eldon payne Jr. for the lead on the first lap. Rob Pietz almost caused a caution on lap two as he "white-walled" his tires, touching the second turn concrete wall.
The yellow did fly on lap six when Joe Sarvis and Matt Butler tangled in the second turn, making heavy wall contact.
When racing resumed the show was all Chrysler's. In the late stages of the race John McAuliffe made a gallant challenge at tracking down and cutting into Chrysler's lead. McAuliffe passed Fellow Fonda regular Ryan Odasz going down the backstretch on lap 17 and took off after Chrysler. Dick Park Jr. slowed in the fourth turn following the white flag being shown. Chrysler took the checkers, just avoiding the race being yellow flagged for Park Jr..
Chrysler held off McAuliffe by .32 seconds, averaging 59.051 miles per hour after the long yellow flag period on lap six. David VanHorn Jr., the July Sportsman winner at the mile, finished third. Payne Jr. and Odasz rounded out the top five finishers.
The next event at the mile will be Super DIRT Week XXXI, October 8-13, 2002. New this year will be the tape delayed broadcast of Sunday's Eckerd 200. Tickets for Super DIRT Week are still available through DIRT Headquarters, 315-834-6606.
BUDWEISER presents the 53rd ANNUAL NEW YORK STATE FAIR CHAMPIONSHIP SUMMARY
SPORTSMAN
TIME TRIALS: Eldon Payne Jr. 34.024 (105.808 mph), Ryan Odasz 34.170, Paul Carey 34.295, Jessica Zemken 34.334, Dave VanHorn Jr. 34.369, Randy Chrysler 34.440, Phil Vigneri 34.524, Rob Pietz 34.633, John McAuliffe 34.667, Scott George 34.684, Mike Button 34.711, Joe Sarvis 34.715, Dick Park Jr. 34.825, Kevin Wills 34.857, Darryl Hagan 34.991, Alan Sturhann 35.073, Mike Kolka 35.322. Shawn Donath 35.333, Donnie Wetmore Jr. 35.439, Chad Chevalier 35.588, Bob Lineman Jr. 35.637, David Towns 35.650, Matt Butler 35.780, Kory Gurney 35.870, Jeff Jones 35.926, Dan Humes 35.949, Bob Rees 35.959, Rob Galloway 35.966, Mark Cammuso 36.231.
HEAT 1: E. Payne Jr., J. Zemken, S. George, D. Park Jr., Ph. Vigneri, A. Sturhann.
HEAT 2: R. Odasz, R. Pietz, D. VanHorn Jr., M. Button, K. Wills, M. Kolka.
HEAT 3: R. Chrysler, J. McAuliffe, P. Carey, Sw. Donath, D. hagan, B. Shantel Jr.
CONSI: J. Jones, J. Sarvis, T. Perrego, R. galloway, K. Gurney,
D. Towns, M. Cammuso, D. Humes, B. Rees, D. Wetmore Jr.
FEATURE (20-laps): RANDY CHRYSLER, John McAuliffe, Dave VanHorn Jr., Eldon Payne Jr., Ryan Odasz, Mike Button, Rob Pietz, Jessica Zemken, Phil Vigneri, Scott George, Kevin Wills, Jeff Jones, Alan Sturhann, Darryl Hagan, Kory Gurney, Mike Kolka, Mark Cammuso, Rob Galloway, Dick Park Jr., Bill Shantel Jr., Paul Carey, Shawn Donath, Dan Humes, Donnie Wetmore Jr., Bob Rees, Joe Sarvis, Matt Butler, David Towns, Tom Perrego
MODIFIED
TIME TRIALS: Tim McCreadie 30.763 (117.024 MPH), Gary Tomkins 30.951, Steve Paine 31.074, Doug Hoffman 31.111, Steve Poirier 31.144, Danny Johnson 31.194, Brett Hearn 31.258, Billy Decker 31.411, J.J. Yeley 31.477, Chuck Hebing 31.493, Eddie Marshall 31.515, Tim Fuller 31.597, Rich Laubach 31.644, Alan Johnson 31.656, Vic Coffey 31.776, Kenny Tremont Jr. 31.778, Jerry Higbie 31.793, Jimmy Chester 31.802, Richie Toby Tobias Jr. 31.807, David Hebert 31.812, Mike Perrotte 31.856, Ron Smoker 31.925, Chuck Bower 31.977, Dave Murdick 32.021, Chris Shultz 32.110, Tom Sears Jr. 32.119, Ryan Baye 32.185, Todd Burley 32.206, Donny Radd 32.299, Bud Christmann 32.360, Tim Hindley 32.415, Pat Ward 32.420, Mike Iles 32.810, Bill Trexler Jr. 32.828, Scott Flammer 32.952, Bob Lineman 33.074, Erik Gall 33.344, Joe Puzzella 33.885.
HEAT 1: S. Paine, E. Marshall, B. Hearn, R. Tobias Jr., V. Coffey.
HEAT 2: D. Hoffman, B. Decker, T. Fuller, K. Tremont, D. Hebert.
HEAT 3: S. Poirier, J.J. Yeley, R. Laubach, M. Perrotte, J. Higbie.
HEAT 4: C. Hebing, D. Johnson, A. Johnson, R. Smoker, J. Chester.
CONSI: T. Burley, B. Christmann, C. Bower, Ti. Hindley, D.
Murdick, C. Shultz, T. Sears Jr., P. Ward.
FEATURE (50-laps): DANNY JOHNSON, Tim McCreadie, Chuck Hebing, Gary Tomkins, Steve Poirier, Eddie Marshall, Rich Laubach, Tim Fuller, Brett Hearn, Richie Toby Tobias Jr., Alan Johnson, Kenny Tremont Jr., David Hebert, Jerry Higbie, Billy Decker, Bud Christmann, Mike Perrotte, Pat Ward, Doug Hoffman, Todd Burley, Chris Shultz, Jimmy Chester, Ron Smoker, J.J. Yeley, Steve Paine, Dave Murdick, Vic Coffey, Tom Sears Jr., Chuck Bower, Tim Hindley.