$10,000 ROBERT N. PETROCCI MEMORIAL WIN GOES TO BOB McCREADIE
ELBRIDGE, NY...Bob McCreadie seems to be returning to his winning ways, picking up a hefty $10,000 pay check last Monday after winning the 100-lap Robert N. Petrocci Memorial. In the accompanying sportsman program, Justin Haers, from Phelps, NY, took a close win over rival Steve Gray.
In preliminary events, Steve Paine turn the fast time of 20.569 seconds to set a new track modified lap record. J.E. Pistons awarded Paine the "Fast Timers Award." The Exiss Dash came down to a battle at the front of the field between Brett Hearn and Paine. Paine picked up the lead on the third lap and cruised home the winner. Hearn redrew the pole, while Gary Tomkins took the outside pole.
The 100-lap saw Brett Hearn's car break a right rear torsion stop during the pace lap. Hearn took off through the infield to get the situation corrected, but failed to return to the race. This saw the inside row advance, so it would be Bob McCreadie and Tomkins bringing the field to green. Tomkins was quick to take the lead, however Jeremie Corcoran's stalled car in the second turn forced the first yellow flag to fly.
On lap 20, with Tomkins still well in the lead, a left front wheel came flying off the number 19, driven by Chuck McKee. One lap later the yellow was in the air again when Vince Vitale slow drastically on the backstretch.
The restart saw McCreadie get a better start then Tomkins, and took off into the lead. At this same time Steve Paine was able to also get by Tomkins for the runner up position.
On lap 27, Alan Johnson drove his Pillsbury Doughboy number 1 off the third turn to cause yet another yellow flag. Johnson quickly rebounded and returned to the back of the field. McCreadie now had his hands full with Paine. On lap 37, just a Paine was staging an all out assault on the led the yellow flew for Pat Ward's slowing Dave Axton machine. The previous evening Ward parted company with his then car owner Finch Logging. Jim Gabriel Jr. was chosen to sit behind the wheel of the Finch number 56 on this night. Paine had been able to pass McCreadie and be recorded as the leader. This also proved to be the final yellow for some 57 laps. During this log green flag period Paine was able to stretch out his lead to nearly 3 seconds over McCreadie. Further back, some five more seconds was Danny Johnson in third. Billy Decker ran a lone fourth with Tim McCreadie in fifth. Tim was passed by A.J. Romano on lap 63.
On lap 97, Paine was in the process of lapping Mike Perrotte, when Perrotte turn low in the third turn to get off the speedway surface and into the infield. He did not know that at just that time Paine had chosen a low line around him. Paine looped his car in the third turn. McCreadie drove past Paine before paine could quickly straight out and return to second as the yellow flew.
This set up a green-white-checker finish. McCreadie seemed to bog down in the turns, but was still able to hold off Paine for the win. Decker came home in third, passing Johnson on the white flag lap. Johnson finished fourth followed by Romano in fifth. Romano earned the guaranteed starting spot to the Eckerd 300 during Super DIRT Week in October.
The 20-lap sportsman feature proved to be a real barn-burner. A three-to-four car battle for the lead the entire distance made the fans stand on their feet. Chris Shultz was recorded as the initial leader, until Justin Haers drove by him on lap three to assume the front position.
Haers would be recorded as the leader each lap, but it was possible each lap that Haers would lose the lead. Shultz began to fade some as Steve Gray passed both Shultz and Chad Brachmann on the same to take second. Gray then reeled in Haers and, joined by Matt Sheppard, raced clean on the closing laps.
Haers took the win followed by Gray, Sheppard, Shultz and Brachmann.
The evening closed out with a 25-lap enduro. Tim Hettis took the victory followed by Greg DeChick. The race had to be red flagged once for a flip on the backstretch. The driver was uninjured and the racing resumed.
The next race at Rolling Wheels takes place on Saturday and Sunday, September 23 through 24 for the 14th annual Wheels World Series of DIRT Track Racing weekend. Saturday, starting a 3 p.m. will be a race card headed by the 358-Modifieds in a 100-lap, $4,000-to-win, Sunoco Fuels Championship Series event.
The remainder of the Saturday program will feature an ARANY Pro-stock championship and a Pure stock 50-lap enduro. On Sunday, the action starts at 1 p.m. with the 200-lap DIRT Modified main event. A UFPO Sportsman 30-lap championship and a bus race will round out the action.
CURRIER PLASTICS-BUDWEISER-OWSACO BEVERAGES presents the ADVANCE
AUTO PARTS SUPER DIRT SERIES NIGHT SUMMARY
ENDURO
FEATURE Top 5 (25-laps): TIM HETTIS, Greg DeChick, Don Potts, Dave Marcucelli, Bill Boisington.
SPORTSMAN
HEAT 1: J. Haers, G. Doust, J. Spano, M. Potter, K. Wilson.
HEAT 2: C. Shultz, J. Plumb, K. Comfort, J. Beyea, C. Phelps.
HEAT 3: S. Gray, C. Brachmann, M. Sheppard, B. Henry Jr., E. Payne.
CONSI: T. Juhl, B. Haws, R. Hefti, R. Richardson, B. Murphy, J. Juhl, D. Wetmore Jr., D. VanArsdale, C. Ostrewski.
FEATURE (20-laps): JUSTIN HAERS, Steve Gray, Matt Sheppard, Chris Shultz, Chad Brachmann, John Plumb, Karl Comfort, Jim Spano, Joe Beyea, Tom Juhl, Greg Doust, Mark Potter, Bob Haws, Chad Phelps, Donnie Wetmore Jr., Dave VanArsdale, John Juhl, Eldon Payne, Russ Hefti, Kyle Wilson, Craig Ostrewski, Brian Murphy, Bob Henry Jr., Ryan Richardson.
MODIFIED
TIME TRIALS: Steve Paine 20.569, Brett Hearn 20.764, Bob McCreadie 20.810, Billy Decker 20.903, Alan Johnson 20.918, Chuck Bower 20.923, Danny Johnson 20.970, Gary Tomkins 21.007, Kenny Tremont 21.030, Tim McCreadie 21.061, A.J. Romano 21.082, Tom Sears Jr. 21.092, Jim Gabriel Jr. 21.134, Bobby Varin 21.143, Jeremie Corcoran 21.183, Andy Bachetti 21.216, Jimmy Phelps 21.273, Ronnie Johnson 21.293, Todd Milton 21.391, Tim Fuller 21.360, Mike Perrotte 21.267, Butch Tittle 21.318, Jeff Brownell 21.416, Ron Smoker 21.485, Ray Bliss Jr. 21.490, Vince Vitale 21.716, Doug Hoffman 21.716, Chuck McKee 21.766, Rich Laubach 21.787, Vic Coffey 21.789, Dave Axton 21.867, Randy Miller 21.895, Maynard Forrette 22.055, Jimmy Horton 22.072, Mike ward 22.215, Frank Caprara NT.
HEAT 1: T. McCreadie, D. Johnson, A. Bachetti, J. Gabriel Jr., B. Tittle.
HEAT 2: A.J. Romano, G. Tomkins, B. Varin, J. Phelps, D. Hoffman.
HEAT 3: T. Sears Jr., K. Tremont, R. Johnson, R. Smoker, J. Corcoran.
EXISS DASH: Steve Paine, Brett Hearn, Billy Decker, Bob McCreadie, Alan Johnson, Chuck Bower.
CONSI: T. Milton, C. McKee, T. Fuller, V. Coffey, J. Horton, R. Bliss Jr., M. Perrotte, V. Vitale, M. Forrette, P. Ward.
FEATURE (100-laps): BOB McCREADIE, Steve Paine, Billy Decker, Danny Johnson, A.J. Romano, Jimmy Phelps, Bobby Varin, Tim Fuller, Tim McCreadie, Alan Johnson, Doug Hoffman, Vic Coffey, Ronnie Johnson, Andy Bachetti, Chuck Bower, Jim Gabriel Jr., Butch Tittle, Kenny Tremont, Mike Perrotte, Ray Bliss Jr., Tom Sears Jr., Maynard Forrette, Gary Tomkins, Pat Ward, Ron Smoker, Vince Vitale, Chuck McKee, Todd Milton, Jimmy Horton, Jeremie Corcoran, DNS: Brett Hearn.