TOMKINS AND HEARN TOP ADVANCE AUTO PARTS SUPER DIRT SERIES RUNS
ELBRIDGE, NY...Gary Tomkins and Brett Hearn each picked up 40-lap DIRT Modified feature wins last Sunday during the 22nd Annual DIRT Challenge Cup races at Rolling Wheels Raceway. Each feature paid $4,000 to win. John Plumb picked up the victory in the accompanying DIRT Sportsman 20-lapper.
The first 50-lap feature started off with a yellow as the pole sitter, Billy Decker slowed and pulled high off the backstretch with electrical problems. Bob McCreadie was recorded as the leader of the first lap, but on the restart McCreadie fell back as Gary Tomkins powered by for the lead. McCreadie fell out of the race on lap 14 after circling the speedway for two laps at a very slow pace and then coming to a stop on the inside of the first turn, forcing officials to throw the yellow.
The restart Tom Sears Jr. looped on the front stretch forcing the yellow to remain on the track. Tomkins held off Tim Fuller on the restart. Brett Hearn started to close on the leaders in third. He caught Fuller on lap 24 and after repeated attempts to make the pass for second Hearn had to wait until lap 36. A lapped car held up Fuller, allowing Hearn to pull wide and around into second.
In the closing laps Hearn caught Tomkins and looked as if he would challenge. On lap 49, Hearn tried to duck low on the front stretch, putting a wheel on the inside of Tomkins. Tomkins maintained his momentum and kept the lead. As the pair exited the final turn Tomkins hand the upper hand. Tomkins averaged 60.864 mph for the victory. Hearn finished second by a mere .247 seconds, followed by Fuller, Chuck Bower and Jimmy Phelps. In victory lane Tomkins drew the number 6 from a draw bucket, inverting the top six for the start of the second 50-lapper.
Scott Prentice took the lead from his pole starting position in the second 50-lapper. Jimmy Phelps held second followed by Fuller, Hearn and Bower. Both Bob McCreadie and Billy Decker again exited the race early with mechanical woes. Decker again slowed on the speedway to cause the first yellow on lap nine just as Hearn took the lead from Prentice.
Hearn built up a 2.3 second lead on the restart only to have the yellow fly again on lap 12 when Vince Vitale came to a stop in the fourth turn. As the field took the green Steve Paine's car faltered and stopped on the backstretch causing the yellow to remain out. Hearn kept his lead but the yellow flew again on lap 14 when Ryan Baye came to a stop high in the third turn.
Following the restart Hearn proceeded to build a 3.8 second lead over prentice, Fuller, Tomkins, and Phelps. Phelps great ride ended on lap 28, when he slowed to a stop on the front stretch. Hearn again pulled away from Prentice on the restart only to have the field bunched up again following a yellow on lap 39 when Frankie Caprara jr. slowed to a stop in the second turn.
Hearn went on to take the victory with an average speed of 65.730 mph. Hearn beat Prentice to the finish line by 2.023 seconds. Fuller finished third followed by Tomkins and Chuck Bower.
the 20-lap Sportsman feature also got off to a rough start as dust caused an accident as the field took the green flag. The accident eliminated four cars; Tim Sears, Ryan Odasz, Ryan Phelps and Rob Bussey.
When the race resumed, the outside pole sitter John Plumb took command of the race with pole man Mark Potter in second.
The only other yellow of the race came on lap seven following a spin by Loren Lincoln in the second turn. On lap 12, Eldon Payne Jr. pulled along side of Potter and passed for second going into the first turn. Payne Jr. then tried to close on Plumb, but to no avail.
Plumb took the victory with Payne Jr. in second. Potter finished in third. Paul Carey and Phil Vigneri rounded out the top five.
RWR SHORTS: The new Daktronics Scoreboard was in use for the heat races following some early problems. The display added much to the race fans knowledge of what was happening on the track. A second loop has been placed in the track on the backstretch for future use....Fifty modifieds were on hand for round three of the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT Series....Tim Fuller's two third place finishes shot him to the top of the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT Series points with 287 markers. Points leader going into the races, Alan Johnson, fell back to second just 9 points back of Fuller. Vic Coffey 250, Gary Tomkins and Steve Paine at 232 points each round out the top five in points following the DIRT Challenge Cup.
The next event at Rolling Wheels will be the World of Outlaw run on Wednesday, May 29. Joining the World of Outlaws will be a complete program of modified races. Race time will begin at 7 p.m. sharp.
Rolling Wheels will remain quiet again until July 4 for another Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT Series race.
BEACHY'S TORO-AUTO TRADER presents the 22nd DIRT CHALLENGE CUP NIGHT SUMMARY
SPORTSMAN
HEAT 1: M. Potter, P. Carey, D. Wetmore Jr., Shaw. Donath, E. Richardson.
HEAT 2: J. Plumb, P. Vigneri, K. Wills, G. Gallerie, R. Odasz.
HEAT 3: R. Chrysler, E. Payne Jr., B. Shantel Jr., R. Richardson, Shan. Donath.
CONSI 1: R. Bussey, t. Jones, R. Loveless, J. Juhl, R. Phelps.
CONSI 2: T. Sears, D. Fallis, L. Lincoln, K. titus, J. Potter.
FEATURE (20-laps): JOHN PLUMB, Eldon Payne Jr., Mark Potter, Paul Carey, Phil Vigneri, Randy Chrysler, Kevin Wills, Bill Shantel Jr., Donnie Wetmore Jr., Ryan Richardson, Shawn Donath, Shane Donath, Drew Fallis, Eric Richardson, Gary Gallerie, Tim Jones, John Juhl, Ron Loveless, Jason Potter, Ken Titus, Loren Lincoln, Tim Sears, Ryan Odasz, Ryan Phelps, Rob Bussey.
ADVANCE AUTO PARTS MODIFIED
TIME TRIALS: Billy Decker 22.303 (94.157 mph), Brett Hearn 22.508, Scott Prentice 22.594, Bob McCreadie 22.639, Pete Bicknell 22.644, Jimmy Phelps 22.673, Tim Fuller 22.676, Vic Coffey 22.743, Chuck Bower 22.765, Steve Poirier 22.821, Kenny Tremont 22.832, AJ Romano 22.839, Ryan Baye 22.844, Tim McCreadie 22.904, Bobby Varin 22.919, Rick Laubach 22.933, Gary Hager 23.067, Gary Tomkins 23.083, Chris Shultz 23.085, Steve Paine 23.088, Danny Johnson 23.093, Pat Ward 23.145, Joe Beyea 23.153, Alan Johnson 23.161, Scott Ridley 23.172, Ron Smoker 23.179, Justin Haers 23.180, Tony Pepicelli 23.196, Wade Hendrickson 23.221, Vince Vitale 23.284, Frank Cozze 23.322, Butch Tittle 23.341, Doug Hoffman 23.353, Todd Burley 23.390, Jerry Higbie 23.391, Mike Fusco 23.411, Tom Sears Jr. 23.477, Jim Burke 23.478, Jason Barney 23.492, Ray Bliss, Jr. 23.536, Chuck Hebing 23.542, Jack Johnson 23.588, Frankie Caprara Jr. 23.693, Tom Juhl 23.727, Mike Colsten 23.755, Scott Ferrier 23.794, Alan Schiffler 23.860, Dave Axton 23.879, Jim Reppert 23.976, John Ferrier NT.
HEAT 1: S. Prentice, T. Fuller, B. Varin, C. Shultz, K. Tremont.
HEAT 2: B. McCreadie, V. Coffey, A. Johnson, S. Paine, R. Bliss Jr.
HEAT 3: C. Bower, P. Bicknell, D. Johnson, D. Hoffman, R. Baye.
HEAT 4: G. Tomkins, J. Phelps, T. McCreadie, P. Ward, S. Poirier.
CONSI 1: F. Cozze, A.J. Romano, T. Pepicelli, J. Higbie.
CONSI 2: t. Sears Jr., R. Smoker, T. Burley, V. Vitale.
ADDED: J. Johnson, F. Caprara Jr., B. Tittle.
FEATURE #1 (50-laps): GARY TOMKINS, Brett Hearn, Tim Fuller, Chuck Bower, Jimmy Phelps, Scott Prentice, Alan Johnson, Vic Coffey, Bobby Varin, Danny Johnson, Tim McCreadie, Pat Ward, Chris Shultz, Steve Paine, Doug Hoffman, Todd Burley, Kenny Tremont, Ryan Baye, Frank Cozze, Frankie Caprara Jr., Vince Vitale, Steve Poirier, Ron Smoker, Butch Tittle, Jerry Higbie, Pete Bicknell, Tom Sears Jr., Bob McCreadie, A.J. Romano, Tony Pepicelli, Ray Bliss Jr., Billy Decker, DNS: Jack Johnson.
FEATURE #2 (50-laps): BRETT HEARN, Scott Prentice, Tim Fuller, Gary tomkins, Chuck Bower, Vic Coffey, Alan Johnson, Danny Johnson, Chris Shultz, Frank Cozze, Tim McCreadie, Pat Ward, Steve Paine, Pete Bicknell, Doug Hoffman, Kenny Tremont, Todd Burley, Ron Smoker, Steve Poirier, Tony Pepicelli, Ray Bliss Jr., Frankie Caprara Jr., Jimmy Phelps, A.J. Romano, Jerry Higbie, Ryan Baye, Tom Sears Jr., Vince Vitale, Billy Decker, Butch Tittle, Bobby Varin, Bob McCreadie, DNS: Jack Johnson.