HEARN WINS STATE FAIR RUN
SYRACUSE, NY...Sussex, NJ’s Brett Hearn won the NYS Fair Labor Day Classic last Monday. Hearn, who had taken the checkers in 2000, was disqualified for a weight infraction. Not so this year! Hearn easily passed tech taking home the $7,500 first place money.
Billy Decker took the lead at the drop of the green followed by Hearn, pole sitter Chuck Bower and Jimmy Horton. This was the running order for most of the first half of the race. On lap 21, Horton passed Bower for third and then tried to close the gap on Hearn.
The first yellow flew on lap 31 when Chuck Hebing hit the first turn wall and burst into flames. Emergency crews were right on the spot to extinguish the flames.
The restart saw Decker pull away at a torrid pace making tire wear an issue. On lap 36, Matt Quinn saw a right rear go flat. One lap later Jimmy Horton, dropped out of third and came to a stop on the back stretch with a flat rear tire. This time the yellow flew.
The restart saw yet another yellow as Vic Coffey had a flat tire and slowed between the third and fourth turns. Tire wear was being looked at vary carefully by the teams in the pits. With just two laps to go Decker saw his great run "go flat" as he exited the fourth turn he had a right rear blow out sending him sliding wildly towards the pit entrance. This gave Hearn the lead with a green-white-checker scenario.
Hearn held off Tim Fuller over those last two laps to earn the Labor Day victory. Chuck Bower came home in third followed by Danny Johnson and former winner Eddie Marshall.
The race took 40 minutes and 32 seconds to complete for an average speed of only 74.023 mph.
In Mid-State Vintage stock car racing action it was Dr. Phil Claussen winning the 50's-60's feature by ten car lengths over Tom Toomey. Dick Ackerman was the first 50's cars across the finish line, earning top honors in that division.
The 70's feature boiled down to a penalty on the number 21 of Joel Grimaldi for passing early on a restart, giving the victory to Randy McGlynn.
Qualifying heats were won by Jeff Trombley, Jimmy Horton and Vic Coffey. The JE Pistons Fast Timer was Ron Smoker. Smoker came back and won the Exiss Dash. In the driver redraw Chuck Bower drew the pole.
The next race at Syracuse will be the running of the 30th annual Super DIRT Week, October 2-7, 2001. Tickets for that event are available through DIRT Headquarters. For more information or tickets call 315-834-6606 during the work week.
NEW YORK STATE FAIR LABOR DAY CHAMPIONSHIP SUMMARY
MID-STATE VINTAGE
50'S-60'S HEAT: D, Ackerman, P. Claussen, J. Hillimire, L. Litzenberger, P. Sonnenberg.
70'S HEAT: C. Brougham, J. MacNamee, R. McGlynn, F. Kelly, A. Amell.
50'S-60'S FEATURE (8-laps): PHIL CLAUSSEN, Tom Toomey, Gordie Wood, Dennis Bouthillier, Leon Litzenberger, DICK ACKERMAN, Tom Trainor, Joey Edgbert, Jeff Ackerman, Brad Litzenberger, Norm Richardson, Pat Sonnenberg, John Mason, Terry Fergeson, Doc Smith.
70'S FEATURE (8-laps): RANDY McGLYNN, Joel Grimaldi, Chris Broughman, John McNamee, Fran Kelly, Clay McNamee, Bob Williams Sr., A.J. Doerr, Ally Amell, Scot Gates.
DIRT MODIFIED
TIME TRIALS: Ron Smoker 31.073 (115.856 mph), Steve Paine 31.227, Tim Fuller 31.266, Brett Hearn 31.350, Billy Decker 31.454, Danny Johnson 31.567, Jeff Trombley 31.604, Jimmy Horton 31.615, Chuck Hebing 31.630,Richie Toby Tobias 31.699, Vic Coffey 31.740, Chuck Bower 31.779, Mike Perrotte 31.797, Frank Cozze 31.804, Doug Hoffman 31.830, Pat Ward 31.837, Matt Sheppard 31.843, Gary Tomkins 31.851, Tim McCreadie 31.876, Jerry Higbie 31.884, Matt Quinn 31.909, Kenny Tremont Jr. 31.922, Eddie Marshall 31.971, Steve Poirier 32.037, Alan Johnson 32.043, Jack Johnson 32.069, Bud Christmann 32.146, Maynard Forrette 32.146, Alton Palmer 32.154, Butch Tittle 32.188, Jimmy Chester 32.250, AJ Romano 32.272, Chris Moore 32.507, Gil Tegg Jr. 32.515, Jim Weller 32.791, Scott Wood 33.090, Scott Davis 33.786, Ken Hanson 33.887, Joe Puzzella 34.503, Oscar Boria 36.958, Bobby Varin NT, Darryl Ruggles NT, Bentley Meade NT, Chris Shultz DQ.
HEAT 1: J. Trombley, C. Bower, D. Hoffman, B. Christmann, G. Tomkins. HEAT 2: J. Horton, R. Tobias Jr., M. Perrotte, P. Ward, K. Tremont Jr.
HEAT 3: V. Coffey, C. Hebing, F. Cozze, E. Marshall, J. Higbie.
EXISS DASH: R. Smoker, B. Hearn, S. Paine, T. Fuller, D. Johnson, B. Decker.
CONSI 1: S. Poirier, J. Johnson, M. Sheppard, B. Varin, B. Tittle.
CONSI 2: A. Johnson, T. McCreadie, M. Quinn, A.J. Romano, M. Forrette.
FEATURE (50-laps): BRETT HEARN, Tim Fuller, Chuck Bower, Danny Johnson, Eddie Marshal, Kenny Tremont Jr., Jimmy Horton, Steve Poirier, Alan Johnson, Doug Hoffman, Vic Coffey, Steve Paine, Billy Decker, Ron Smoker, Jack Johnson, Jeff Trombley, Jerry Higbie, Maynard Forrette, Richie Toby Tobias, Matt Quinn, Frank Cozze, Chuck Hebing, Pat Ward, Gary Tomkins, Mike Perrotte, Bud Christmann, AJ Romano, Matt Sheppard, Butch Tittle, Bobby Varin, Tim McCreadie