JOHN BARKER AND J.J. MICHAELS SHARE MODIFIED TWIN 20 VICTORIES
VERNON, NY – There were fireworks on the racetrack and in the sky on Sunday July 2 at the New Utica-Rome Speedway during the special holiday Independence Spectacular. Fulton’s John Barker, Jr., and Baldwinsville’s J.J. Michaels made triumphant and emotional returns to victory lane in the DIRT 358 Modified Twin 20 lap feature events. Other winners were West Winfield’s Jamie Christian in the DIRT Sportsman, Hillsdale’s Frank Twing in the DIR T Pro Stocks, Fulton’s Dave Mannise in the Pure Stocks, Mexico’s J.J. Courcy in the Senior Slingshots, and Woodstock’s Weylyn Barrows in the Junior Slingshots.
Bill Shantel, Sr. and Jim Rothwell paced the start of the first DIRT 358 Modified Twin 20-lap feature, and Rothwell took the early lead. John Barker, Jr., who started in third, took second away from Shantel on the second lap, while deep in the pack, Dale Planck made some early race moves to put himself in the top fifteen. Andy Romano was running well, as he took third from Shantel on lap 5. Planck continued his charge to the front, making a four wide move to take over ninth on lap 7.
Just before the halfway point, Barker began putting some serious pressure on Rothwell to take over the lead. Barker kept inching along the inside of Rothwell, but Rothwell was too fast on the high side.
At the halfway point, the leader was Rothwell, followed by Barker, Shantel, Steve Hulsizer,
and Gus Schmidt.
On lap 11, current point leader Ron Holmes detonated the motor on his Modified on the backstretch, causing the first yellow flag of the race. Holmes was pushed pitside and the race continued, with Barker making a bid for the lead on the restart. The battle for the lead raged on, and Barker inched his way out front to take the lead on lap 12.
Meanwhile, Dale Planck kept moving solidly into the top ten, and by lap 14, he was scored in fourth position. A lap later, Steve Hulsizer moved into the second spot, taking it away from Rothwell.
With one to go, J.J. Michaels took over the fifth spot, but Barker was too far ahead for anyone to catch him. At the finish line, it was Barker the winner, followed by Hulsizer, Rothwell, Planck, and Michaels.
Following his first win in nearly two years at Utica-Rome, Barker commented, "I had a good time racing with Rocky (Jim Rothwell). We are good friends and we just had a clean and exciting race. I want to say that I really enjoy racing here at Utica-Rome. I would like to thank the track and the Kingsley family for giving us a place to race and for having such a nice track surface. I’d like to thank my family and my sponsors, which include Leon Shapiro Motor Sales and Sweet Inspirations Drive Inn."
Barker’s win gave him a guaranteed starting spot in the Super DIRT Week Sunoco Race Fuels 358 Modified Championship on the Syracuse Mile.
The lineup for the second 358 Modified feature was to be determined by a draw by the first feature winner. All even numbers from 2-18 were put into a container, and the number drawn would indicate how many cars to invert for the second feature. In victory lane, Barker drew 6, so the top six finishers of the first race were inverted for the start of the second feature.
Gus Schmidt and J.J. Michaels led the second Twin 20 lap Modified feature down to the flags of Starter Chip Burdick, and Michaels took the lead. On the second circuit, Steve Hulsizer pulled into the infield and was done for the night. Gus Schmidt held the second position for several laps, while Planck and Rothwell battled it out for the third spot.
The first yellow of the race came out when Pete Taylor spun on the backstretch. He was done for the night.
On the restart, Mitch Gibbs put his foot to the firewall, and took the second spot away from Schmidt on lap 9. Gibbs seemed very fast, driving the inside lane.
At the halfway point, the leader was Michaels, followed by Gibbs, Schmidt, Rothwell, and Planck.
The second and last yellow of the race came out on lap 14, when Bill Shantel, Sr. spun in turn one. Jeremy Mattheis collected him, and both cars suffered considerable damage, making them done for the night.
On the restart, Michaels took off, but Gibbs was right there, powering himself to the inside in turn three. As the laps ticked by, Michaels held his lead, with Gibbs shortly behind. With three to go, Gibbs was on the rear bumper of Michaels, but Michaels was too strong for him. As the checkers flew, it was Michaels the winner in his first win of the season at Utica-Rome, followed by Gibbs in second, Schmidt in third, Planck in fourth, and Billy Wilcox in fifth.
Michaels and his family held an emotional victory celebration, as Michaels lost his father, Johnny "Pops" Michaels during the off-season. "Its really nice to win one down here," said J.J. "Every place on the track was fast – in turns one and two we ran down low, and in three and four we ran the high side. I’d like to dedicate this win to Dad, he really liked this place and I’m glad I could win him one for him here at Utica-Rome."
Modified heat races were won by Jim Rothwell, Steve Hulsizer, and Andy Romano, while the Modified Consi went to Mark Schoonover.
The 20 lap DIRT Sportsman feature event was slowed at the start with no laps completed when Geoff VanRiper spun, collecting Jim Roberts, Daryl Hagen, and Steve Davis. All cars were able to continue.
On the next original restart, all hell broke loose, when several cars at the front of the pack tangled on the start, causing a massive pileup and red flag situation on the frontstretch. In all, 13 cars were involved, with many of them suffering serious damage and most of them done for the night.
When the race finally resumed after a delay to clear the track, Steve Way took the lead. Skip French then took over on lap 2, but moving towards the front was Willy Decker. By the third circuit, Decker was in second, but Jamie Christian, who started eighteenth, was right on his bumper. A lap later, Christian took the runner up spot, with Decker right behind. On lap 5, Christian took the lead from French, who lost second to Decker. Tim Mayne was running well, as he took third on the eleventh lap. Three laps later, a quick yellow occurred when John Kinsella spun coming off of turn four.
On the restart, Decker threw his car in a bonsai slide job going into turn four, but it was not good enough for Christian to lose the lead. Decker tried a variation of this move several times, but Christian was just too powerful coming off the corner on the high side. Christian held on for the win, which was his third of the season at Utica-Rome. Following Christian, it was Decker in second, Kevin Crave in third, Tim Mayne in fourth, and Skip French in fifth.
Sportsman heat wins went to Paul Carey, Kevin Crave, and Tim Mayne.
Brett Haman grabbed the lead on the start of the 15-lap DIRT Pro Stock feature, but Doug Grimaldi overtook him on the second circuit. Action was hot and furious deep in the pack, as top runners Tom Denton and Frank Twing made moves to put them into contention for a win. Jason Rood became the leader on lap 4, as he looked for his first win of the season. On lap 6, the race was slowed by a caution for Dave Moyer, Phil Retter, and John Kiskiel, who came together on the backstretch. On the restart, Twing, Jerry Holmes, and Denton started a frenzied battle for position in the top five. By the tenth circuit, Twing was second and Denton third. Twing set his sights on Rood, and in less than a lap, Twing was the leader. Rood peeked under Twing a couple times as the race went on, but Rood was feeling the pressure of Denton. As the checkered flag flew, Twing was the winner, followed by Denton in inches over Rood, Holmes, and Wayne Archer. The win for Twing was his second of the season at Utica-Rome in only two appearances.
Jerry Holmes, Wayne Archer, and Frank Twing won pro Stock heats.
Rob Seavy took the early lead on the 15 lap Pure Stock feature event, which saw some exciting four and five wide racing on the first lap. Chuck Cushman, sporting a new paint job, took the lead on the third lap. Several cautions slowed the early parts of the event, and Jeff Pastorella took over the top spot on lap 7. But Dave Mannise was on the move, coming from deep in the pack. Mannise took over second from Cushman, and a few laps later, Cushman spun after contact with another car. Pastorella then knocked himself out of a chance to beat Mannise, when he spun in turn two with four to go. Mark Effner moved up a spot when Pastorella spun, putting himself into striking distance of Mannise. However, Mannise led the rest of the way, and he went on to his fourth consecutive victory at the speedway this season. He was followed by Mark Effner, Bobby Newman, Herm Staats, and Mike Kirk.
Jim Thomas, Mark Effner, and Chad Ray won the Pure Stock heat races.
J.J. Courcy took the lead at the beginning of the 15 lap Senior Slingshot feature event. He was pressured the entire way by Todd Land, but Courcy was too strong. Courcy was the winner, followed by Land, Todd Thomas, Jackie Botindari, and Ryan Phelps. Weylyn Barrows led the entire 10-lap distance of the Junior Slingshot feature. Barrows was the winner, followed by A.J. Kingsley and Larry Wight.
Courcy, Botindari, and Barrows won the Slingshot heat events.
After the races were over on the evening, spectacular fireworks display was put on by American Fireworks Co. of Utica. It was one of the more memorable displays in recent memory at Utica-Rome, and it had an exciting grand finale.
Coming up this Sunday July 9 at the New Utica-Rome Speedway, Federated Auto Parts will present a regular show of DIRT 358 Modifieds, DIRT Sportsman, DIRT Pro Stocks, Pure Stocks, Slingshots, and a Ladies Powder Puff Pure Stock race. The gates on Sunday July 9 will open at 4pm and Slingshot races will begin at 5:45pm. For more information, contact the speedway office at (315) 829-4557 or visit the offical speedway website at www.newuticaromespeedway.com.
Notes: 31 Modifieds, 29 Sportsman, 24 Pro Stocks, 26 Pure Stocks, and 13 Slingshots were on hand for the special holiday show. Speedway management would like to thank all the drivers and race fans for sticking with the speedway and coming back after the previous three races being rained out. Also, management would like to thank Triple T Signs of Oneida for making a victory lane feature winner board. Gordy "Panic" Button made his return to the speedway after his violent flip on May 28. Button commented, "My knee is getting better, and I’m currently going through a lot of therapy. I’d really like to thank all the fans and everyone who sent me cards during this ordeal. I really appreciate it a lot, thank you." NYSSCA Representative John Keegan was back at the speedway after being on the mend for the past few months. Todd Burley was driving the backup Ron Holmes Troyer Modified in the first feature and the Jake Spraker Bicknell Modified in the second feature. Burley unfortunately had his entire racing operation stolen after the race at Cornwall, ONT this past week.
NEW UTICA-ROME SPEEDWAY RACE SUMMARY
DIRT 358 Modifieds Feature #1 (20 Laps) – 1)JOHN BARKER, JR., 2)Steve Hulsizer, 3)Jim Rothwell, 4)Dale Planck, 5)J.J. Michaels, 6)Gus Schmidt, 7)Bill Shantel, Sr., 8)Mitch Gibbs, 9)Billy Wilcox, 10)Ronnie Johnson, 11)Roger Phelps, 12)Todd Burley, 13)Andy Bachetti, 14)Andy Romano, 15)Tim Clemons, 16)Mike Fusco, 17)Jeremy Smith, 18)Mike Hulsizer, 19)Pete Taylor, 20)Mark Schoonover, 21)Jason Barney, 22)Jerry Pennock, Jr., 23)Ron Holmes, 24)Jeremy Mattheis. DNQ – Maynard Forrette, Tim Murphy, Jr., Ted Lamb, Jr., Joel Thomas, Joe Slawiak, Mike Jacobs, Dave Sargent.
Lap Leaders (2) – Rothwell (1-11), Barker (12-20).
DIRT 358 Modifieds Feature #2 (20 Laps) – 1)J.J. MICHAELS, 2)Mitch Gibbs, 3)Gus Schmidt, 4)Dale Planck, 5)Billy Wilcox, 6)Ronnie Johnson, 7)Andy Bachetti, 8)John Barker, Jr., 9)Mike Fusco, 10)Ron Holmes, 11)Roger Phelps, 12)Todd Burley, 13)Jim Rothwell, 14)Andy Romano, 15)Tim Clemons, 16)Jeremy Smith, 17)Mark Schoonover, 18)Mike Hulsizer, 19)Jerry Pennock, Jr., 20)Bill Shantel, Sr., 21)Jeremy Mattheis, 22)Pete Taylor, 23)Jason Barney, 24)Steve Hulsizer.
Lap Leaders (1) – Michaels (1-20).
DIRT Sportsman Feature (20 Laps) – 1)JAMIE CHRISTIAN, 2)Willy Decker, 3)Kevin Crave, 4)Tim Mayne, 5)Skip French, 6)Ron Richardson, 7)Steve Way, 8)Tim French, 9)Shane Donath, 10)Geoff VanRiper, 11)Steve Kotary, 12)John Kinsella, 13)Craig Pritchard, 14)Steve Davis, 15)Steve Anderson, 16)Jim Roberts, 17)Jim Lavalla, 18)Donnie Wetmore, Jr., 19)John Christian, 20)Dan Yankowski, 21)Paul Carey, 22)Butch Reiter, 23)Dave Bargabos, 24)Brian Murphy, 25)Bill Deckelman, 26)Daryl Hagen, 27)Paul Kinney, 28)Rick McCready. DNS – Bill Shantel, Jr.
Lap Leaders (3) – Way (1), S. French (2-4), Ja. Christian (5-20).
DIRT Pro Stock Feature (15 Laps) – 1)FRANK TWING, 2)Tom Denton, 3)Jason Rood, 4)Jerry Holmes, 5)Wayne Archer, 6)Bill Knapp, 7)Ed Kotary, 8)John Kiskiel, 9)Doug Grimaldi, 10)Dave Moyer, 11)Richard Stevenson, 12)Stan Clark, 13)Gerry Newman, 14)Brett Haman, 15)Bret Belden, 16)Gus Gould, 17)Jason Doxtader, 18)Eric Vanderhoof, 19)John Roese, 20)Dave Meeks, 21)Aaron Jacobs, 22)Phil Retter, 23)Chuck Mathews. DNS – Chuck Jones.
Lap Leaders (4) – Haman (1), Grimaldi, (2-3), Rood (4-10), Twing (11-15).
Pure Stock Feature (15 Laps) – 1)DAVE MANNISE, 2)Mark Effner, 3)Bobby Newman, 4)Herm Staats, 5)Mike Kirk, 6)Chuck Cushman, Jr., 7)Dennis Kelly, 8)Bob Gloska, 9)Dave Arbes, 10)Cali Hall, 11)Chad Ray, 12)Jeremy Bargabos, 13)Art Newman, Jr., 14)Jeff Pastorella, 15)Ray Fancher, 16)Jay Finch, 17)Jim Thomas, 18)Bill Gibson, 19)George Wright, 20)Les Lewis, 21)Rob Seavy, 22)Dave Pope, 23)George Schulze, 24)Matt Spisak, 25)Waylan Wilczek. DNS – Rob Poland, Jr.
Lap Leaders (4) – Seavy (1-3), Cushman (4-6), Pastorella (7-9), Mannise (10-15).
Senior Slingshot Feature (15 Laps) – 1)J.J. COURCY, 2)Todd Land, 3)Todd Thomas, 4)Jackie Botindari, 5)Ryan Phelps, 6)Bob Hoffman, 7)Randy Marsh, 8)Dennis Tilison, 9)David Nimey, 10)Mike Waterman.
Junior Slingshot Feature (10 Laps) – 1)WEYLYN BARROWS, 2)A.J. Kingsley, 3)Larry Wight.
Lap Leaders (1) – Barrows (1-10).