FLAG-TO-FLAG TRIUMPH FOR HEARN IN FLORIDA TOUR OPENER AT PUTNAM
SATSUMA, FL...New year, new track, same result.
Feb 8th winner Brett HearnDIRT Motorsports kicked off its 27th consecutive season of oval track competition at Putnam County Speedway on Friday and it was reigning Florida Tour points king Brett Hearn leading all 30 laps to score a decisive victory in the 2002 series opener.
The five-time and defending Hoosier Tire-Sunoco Race Fuels Mr. DIRT champion pocketed $2,000 after extending his Florida Tour-high win total to 11 while improving his DIRT big-block Modified mark to 266 (4th all-time).
"I wasn't really sure how good we were but found out fast that the car was good enough to win," said Hearn, 43, following his third opening round victory in the Sunshine State. Along with capturing lead-off events in 1993 (invitational), '98 and 2001, the 'Jet' also captured the final three races at Volusia Speedway Park in 2000 en route to claiming the second of his three Florida Tour point titles.
"This car hasn't been run in four months but it was like putting on an old shoe. Actually, the team hasn't stopped working since our final race last fall. And we've probably got the best chassis on the entire circuit for another year," Hearn added.
Sussex, N.J. star Hearn started inside row two after winning the third and final qualifying heat race that sorted out the 24 DIRT Modifieds making the field. The heads-up feature format put initial heat winners Ray Swinehart from Bechtelsville, Pa. alongside Spencerport, N.Y. hotshoe Todd Burley on the front row.
Before the green flag even dropped a front stretch mishap put a sudden halt to the pace lap activity and forced a 15-minute delay. In an effort to notify track officials of a metal pipe sitting in the turn one groove, fourth-place starter Tim Fuller checked up and his action stacked up those cars occupying the outside lane in the next six rows. Out for the night were Tour rookie Justin Haers and Delaware veteran Craig Mullins, with each car sustaining heavy front end damage without a single lap complete.
Hearn wasted little time moving to the point when the green lights finally came on. In a bold three-wide maneuver he ducked low aboard his no. 3 Budweiser Racing/TEO machine exiting turn four on the smooth, banked three-eighths miler and despite six yellow flags, retained a comfortable lead the rest of the way.
Three caution periods during the first three laps each involved turn one incidents. A five-car tangle on lap two forced the initial yellow followed by a spin by Danny Johnson and a slowdown by A.J. Romano that collected Jason Barney and Tim Dwyer further back in the resulting chain-reaction.
After five laps were scored the front four positions were already secured with Hearn leading Fuller, Burley and Romano.
Minor mishaps on lap 15 for Barney (turn 1-2 spin) and Ryan Bartlett, who lost a wheel in turn four on the ensuing restart, incurred two more brief caution periods before Johnson broke a rear axle to require the final yellow flag on lap 24.
Under the checkers, Hearn posted a six car-length victory over Fuller while J.R. Heffner replaced Steve Paine among the final top-five. Second-generation standout Tim McCreadie charged from last-place to finish sixth ahead of Paine, Pat Ward, Butch Tittle and Swinehart.
The DIRT Modifieds close out the weekend at Putnam County on Saturday when they battle for qualifying spots in the 50-lap championship event.
FLORIDA TOUR 2002 PIT NOTES
Fri. Feb. 8
A number of DIRT Modified team haulers and motor homes gathered outside the Putnam County Speedway pit gates on Thursday following cancellation of the special practice session scheduled that same evening. The rain that began just after midnight on Wednesday continued through the noon hour on Thursday to force track officials to curtail the opening day activity. Entries recognized among the big-block contingent from the Northeast were those steered by Tim Fuller, Brett Hearn, Steve Paine, Danny Johnson, Jim Rasey, Tim McCreadie and Ryan Bartlett.
A full-field of DIRT Modifieds ---four teams with two cars--- returned on Friday in anticipation of the first-ever trackside appearance, with Putnam County joining Volusia Speedway Park, East Bay Raceway, St. Augustine Speedway and the Tampa Fairgrounds on the list of tracks hosting Modified events since the Florida Tour was created in 1978.
*Overcast skies and cool temperatures in the 60s greeted travelers arriving for the first official night of competition. Twenty-six drivers from five states formed the early entry list with every team awarded plenty of practice time on the smooth high-banked three-eighths mile clay oval. Joined on Speed Week '02 opening night by Putnam's regular hobby stock division, heat races began promptly at 7 o'clock and the entire program was checker flagged before 9:30pm. In the only driver change, Bartlett experienced a vibration in the motor of his own no. 93 D.P. Bartlett & Sons Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning/TEO during warm-ups, forcing the Adams, N.Y. pilot to find a ride in the back-up no. 42 Gypsum Express, Ltd. car owned by John Wight and normally saved for Pat Ward.
While Brett Hearn gained an advantage over the field last year as he arrived days early for practice at East Bay, he made his Putnam debut at the same time as everyone else this February and the result mirrored the dominating performance the five-time Syracuse Eckerd 200 champion presented in 2001. "This is a beautiful facility and I can see there's been a lot of attention paid to detail," Hearn said after recording his 569th career open-wheel victory at a 43rd different rack. His latest win gives him 266 big-block DIRT Modified triumphs in 22 straight years with at least one victory. "It's tough to pass in the corners but once out front the car found a fast way around. We'll make some more adjustments for the 50-lapper and maybe find an even better combination for this kind of surface."
In theory Ray Bliss, Jr. may have held the upper hand on the competition entering the Putnam event. The Warsaw, N.Y. pilot traveled to the track in the early 1990s prior to DIRT Motorsports return to the Sunshine State. "I think Bob Miller was the promoter around (1991) and he split up the purse and paid us all when the last race got snowed out," recalled Bliss, a three-time (1991-93) DIRT Sportsman champion at Genesee Speedway, who now drives the familiar yellow no. 27z Home & Garden Center-Bliss Logging & Firewood/Troyer machine in the Modified division. "There were only about a dozen small-block cars that showed up then but I remember finishing third ..... I think Dave Camara was the winner. There were also a couple races we ran in Jacksonville (Jax Speedway). We came back in '93, the same time DIRT had an invitational at Volusia when the paved track returned to dirt. Pete Bicknell won a lot with Gardner Stone's car and I think we had another top-five at Putnam." In his 2002 return to Putnam, Bliss qualified between Danny Johnson and Bob McCreadie in his heat but was involved in the pre-race frontstretch log-jam and then the five-car turn one tangle to knock him out with just one lap scored in the feature.
Last year the Sweeteners Plus Team was featured in Florida with Danny Johnson and Vic Coffey assuming the driving chores. Steve Paine #7x and Justin Haers #3 piloted a pair of yellow/red TEO mounts during the Putnam opener while Coffey, also entered in Late Model competition down south, and his #32c machine are expected to be in attendance only for the upcoming DIRT events at Volusia. Once back up north, Haers, 21, plans to run the entire 358-Modified Super DIRT Series with his own car (motor supplied by Sweeteners Plus), compete weekly at Cayuga County Fair Speedway and Fulton Speedway, as well as enter a half-dozen Advance Auto Parts Modified Super DIRT Series races. Johnson, 41, now teamed with car owner Jay James, will follow the entire Advance Auto big-block series and selected 358 SDS events with a no. 27 Planned Poultry Renovations/Troyer small-block ride recognized weekly at Ransomville Speedway where Danny is the defending points champion. James' Saturday night track has not yet been determined.
New Yorker Todd Burley and Pennsylvanian Keith Hoffman both signed up to drive experimental Troyer cars during the trip down south. Burley finished third in the Putnam opener with chassis designer Billy Colton utilizing a conventional rear leaf spring shock set-up in the orange no. 45 Cobra Motorsports & Trailers-Mohawk Northeast-New England Race Fuels car normally driven by the 'Cobra' himself, Chuck Hebing. The near identical no. 45h machine saved for Hoffman never made it on the track. Burley and Hoffman are scheduled to alternate driving assignments throughout the six-race swing. "Every car is a clone nowadays, we're just looking to try out some different ideas that are simple and will add some more speed," Colton said.
Tim McCreadie was more comfortable inside the cockpit than out as a recent foot injury forced the second-generation wheelman to rely on a pair of crutches to get around the Putnam pit area. His 'Tenderfoot' nickname was never more appropriate as Tim suffered a severely sprained right foot as he participated in a touch football league game near his Watertown, N.Y. home in late January. But once buckled in, he showed no signs of slowing down when the no. 56 Finch's Trucking-Syracuse Frame Service/TEO entry practiced at Volusia on the first Wednesday in February.
Seemingly immune to the politics inherent with modern-day chassis selection, A.J. Romano from Johnstown, N.Y. currently has pieced together a unique three-car package for the 2002 season. The traditional no. 16 Troyer entry is saved for weekly shows at Fonda Speedway, owner Jeff Brownell's no. 29 TEO car has been offered for Rolling Wheels Raceway and Advance Auto SDS specials, while a new no. 16 Bicknell ride has been secured for additional use in big-block competition. "It's our 'co-op' car as everyone has a hand in the operation," said long-time sponsor Skip Seymour. Romano drove the newest Andy's Speed Shop-Skip's Racing-Advance Lubrication Specialties BRP car to a respectable fourth-place finish in the Putnam opener. Tim McCreadie used the no. 29 TEO ride to qualify in the consolation round before his own no. 56 TEO copy was repaired in time for the main event.
Originally indicating his presence during the Florida Tour, 2001 DIRT Rookie of the Year Frankie Caprara elected to stay closer to his Watertown, N.Y. home and concentrate on the '02 Advance Auto Part Modified Super DIRT Series lid-lifter at Hagerstown(Md.) Speedway scheduled for March 30. A leg injury also forced Elizabethtown, N.Y. veteran Mike Perrotte to miss the Putnam program although he hoped to heal in time for Volusia's Winter Nationals. Rumored yet still left unconfirmed was the notion that Alan Johnson may also miss action in Florida aboard the no. 1 Pillsbury Doughboy Racing/Bicknell ride after a possible split from car owner Jim Beachy.
Now legally under the ownership of Florida Racing of Putnam County, Inc., the almost completely renovated speedplant became the 67th track to host a DIRT-sanctioned event on Feb. 8. Promoted by the company's Vice-President, Bob Potter, the track payroll already includes former Orange County Fair Speedway head flagman Kenny Marshall, who relocated to Florida the day after Super DIRT Week XXX ended in October. Prominent officials continuing to head the operation are Lance Ward, General Manager, Race Director and Corporate Treasurer; Georgia Queen, Secretary; Jim Pugh, Groundskeeper in charge of all track maintenance; Shirley Lynch and daughter Kim Hood, chief scorers; and John Harney, public address announcer. DIRT officials in attendance to begin the 10-day stint down south were Race Directors Cory Reed and Gaston Salvas, Pit Steward Chip Burdick, Scorers Rachel Salvas and Sue Burdick. "My brother, Willie, actually owns the place," revealed Bob Potter, who spearheaded the purchase of the property in the Spring of 2000. Originally centered around a quarter-mile track that was built in 1968, Potter has expanded the tract from 18 to 58 acres. "I drove by the place and then four days later bought it. We closed the deal for $228,000 on March 5 and opened for the first time last year on March 16. The whole time I counted 16 rain outs. Right now there's about $2.1 million invested. This is our first Speed Week so I'm a liitle more nervous than usual." With a total seating capacity estimated at 8,000, the modernized 3/8-mile Putnam County oval boasts 650-feet straightaways with tight, high-banked turns that measure 320-feet around. A giant scoreboard perched outside turn number three keeps the fans abreast of laps and leaders in every event staged throughout the show.
FLORIDA TOUR 2002 RACE RESULTS @ Putnam County Speedway - Fri., Feb. 8
DIRT Modified Feature (30L)
FIN
CAR#
DRIVER
TEAM (Sponsor / Chassis / Engine)
1
3
Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ
Budweiser Racing-WLR Construction-Cavallaro Produce/TEO/Feil-Enders
2
m1
Tim Fuller/Edwards,NY
B&F General Machine-Dixon Steel-Afco/TEO/Enders
3
45
Todd Burley/Spencerport,NY
Cobra Trailers-Mohawk Northeast-New Eng. Race Fuels/Troyer/Morrison
4
16
A.J. Romano/Johnstown,NY
Andy's Speed Shop-Skip's Racing-Advanced Lube/Bicknell/FingerLakes
5
74
J.R. Heffner/Averill Park,NY
A.Colarusso & Son/TEO/Raspuzzi
6
56
Tim McCreadie/Watertown,NY
Finch's Trucking-Syracuse Frame Service-F.X. Caprara/TEO/Finger Lakes
7
7x
Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY
Sweeteners Plus-A&C Speedworld/TEO/C.C. Performance
8
42p
Pat Ward/Genoa,NY
Gypsum Express,Ltd./TEO/Enders
9
Z
Butch Tittle/Saylorsburg,PA
Tittle & Sons Motorsports/Troyer/Fiehl
10
33
Ray Swinehart/Bechtelsville,PA
J & L Speed Supplies/Bicknell/Reinford Racing Engines
11
93
Rick Laubach/Quakertown,PA
Auger Manufacturing Specialists/TEO/Dave George
12
79
Jeremy Markle/Port Jervis,NY
Len & Jo's Restaurant/Bicknell/Precision
13
32
Jim Rasey/Southington,OH
Twin Oaks Services South-Victory 1 Performance/Troyer/Rasey
14
60
Tim Dwyer/Gloversville,NY
Zoom'N Groom-B&B Auto Sales/TEO/D.Williams
15
7jr.
Jimmy Reppert/Hamburg,PA
Harmony Hill Assisted Living/Troyer/CMS
16
27
Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY
J & J Shop-Planned Poultry Renovations/Troyer/Morrison
17
42r
Ryan Bartlett/Adams,NY
Gypsum Express,Ltd./TEO/Enders
18
87
Jason Barney/Constantia,NY
Gypsum Express,Ltd.-Stadium International-Pit Stop/TEO/Enders
19
396
Deron Rust/Georgetown,DE
Rust Motorsports-J&S Utility Trailers-B&K Woods/TEO/Beston Automotive
20
3t
Tom Sears,Jr./Clay,NY
Tracey Equip-Freightliner SelecTrucks-Sterling Trucks Syr./TEO/Moshier
21
9
Bob McCreadie/Watertown,NY
Kinney Drugs-Syracuse Frame Service-F.X. Caprara Cars/Troyer/Morrison
22
27z
Ray Bliss,Jr./Warsaw,NY
Home & Garden Center-Bliss Logging & Firewood/Troyer/Campbell
23
3h
Justin Haers/Phelps,NY
Sweeteners Plus-A&C Speedworld-Phelps Cement/TEO/C.C. Performance
24
2
Craig Mullins/Bridgeville,DE
Gene's Auto Sales-John Lynch Custom Homes-Subway/Palace/Enders
EVENT SUMMARY:
LAP LEADER: Hearn (1-30).
CAUTIONS: 6 (lap 2, lap 2, lap 3, lap 15, lap 15, lap 24).
HEAT WINNERS: Swinehart, Burley, Hearn.
CONSI WINNER: Ward.
TOTAL PURSE: $10,250.
CARS ENTERED: 28.