HEARN CHARGES TO 2ND FLORIDA TOUR VICTORY AT VOLUSIA
BARBERVILLE,FL...The St. Valentine's Day special was a heartbreaker for runner-up Tim McCreadie while winner Brett Hearn emerged as a sweetheart in front of the capacity crowd that watched him manipulate traffic and rally to score a thrilling 30-lap victory in DIRT Motorsports' return to Volusia Speedway Park.
Hearn's second win of Speed Week 2002 on Thursday was his ninth in Volusia County with the Sussex, New Jersey standout now posting at least one triumph at Dick Murphy's Barberville oval in each of the past five Februarys.
"This must've been a good race for the fans because I wasn't too sure of the outcome until the end," said Hearn, 43, following his 267th DIRT big-block triumph. The three-time and defending Florida Tour points champion pocketed $2,000 after improving his all-time leading Winter Tour total to 12 wins in the Sunshine State.
"The car was pushing all night so I just tried to find a groove to stay with that might work. When the lapped cars came up at the end it gave me another chance to make a move and fortunately things fell our way when it counted," Hearn added.
Hearn took his first lead on lap 12 but Winston Cup star Tony Stewart looped the no. 20 TEO entry immediately after to force a side-by-side restart with McCreadie. Hearn slid across the track in turn four on the ensuing restart to relinquish the point yet it was that miscue that set up the most dramatic finish so far during the 2002 Tour.
Nearly as many early caution periods as lead changes turned the 15-mile main from a yawner into a yeller when constant stops and starts kept the entire grandstand throng on edge until the final circuit.
Pole-sitter McCreadie had to endure two complete restarts before he could finally take credit for leading lap one. Once underway, fourth-place starter Stewart wasted little time blasting past 'Tenderfoot' on lap two yet Tom Sears,Jr. and Jeremy Markle tangled exiting turn four to incur another yellow flag one lap later.
Danny Johnson took advantage on the next restart, slipping under from third to first out of turn four when Stewart drifted high and blocked any way around for McCreadie. But before the caution lights flashed again on lap five, McCreadie swept by to regain the top spot with Johnson dropping to third and Stewart fading even faster into fifth behind 12th-place starter Hearn. Stewart finally turned pitside with the green flag still out before eventually returning to the track two laps down.
Securing the driver's seat in the no. 32c Sweeteners Plus/TEO machine regularly steered by New Yorker Vic Coffey, reigning UDTRA Late Model National Champion Rick Eckert from York, Pa. was in the hunt early until contact with Johnson on lap 10 sent the Doctor high into the wall between turns three and four, putting the no. 27 J&J Shop/Troyer car down one lap in the process.
Another slowdown by Eckerd brought out the sixth yellow flag on lap 12 and it was on the restart that five-time Hoosier Tire-Sunoco Race Fuels Mr. DIRT champion Hearn jumped out to his first lead of the night. That only lasted one circuit when Stewart turned Bryan Goewey's GE Sealants & Adhesive mount sideways for the final time.
Back under green flag conditions, McCreadie held a narrow advantage that grew even more uncomfortable as Hearn chased the no. 56 Finch's Trucking-Syracuse Frame Service Special into traffic. The lapped car of Ryan Bartlett nearly pinned McCreadie up against the outside wall on lap 23 but that may have been a blessing in disguise as the second-generation pilot found the high lane to his liking the rest of the way.
Hearn, however, found his own preference on the low side to pull alongside McCreadie as the lead duo began lap 26. He then shoved his red no. 3 Budweiser machine between backmarkers Rick Laubach and Eckert in a stunning three-wide maneuver on the backstretch and left McCreadie in his dust six car-lengths behind when the checkered flag flew three laps later.
Delaware invader Jamie Mills crossed the line third ahead of Tuesday night's winner Tim Fuller with J.R. Heffner registering his third top-five tally in as many events. Tim Dwyer, Dave Blaney, Doug Hoffman, Pat Ward and Ray Swinehart filled in behind while heat four winner Stewart completed 27 laps to finish 21st behind Danny Johnson.
Through three of five races run, Fuller(166) tops the current Florida Tour standings followed by Hearn(162), Heffner(148), Steve Paine(128), and Ward(126).
Open-wheel action continues Friday at Volusia with a 30-lap DIRT Modified main headlining the 31st Winter Nationals program.
FLORIDA TOUR 2002 PIT NOTES
Thu. Feb. 14
Thursday marked the midway point on the 2002 Florida Winter Tour at Volusia Speedway Park. With rain forcing track officials to cancel the UMP Modified/Late Model doubleheader on Wednesday, a far moister surface was apparent when the DIRT contingent returned the following afternoon. The only car missing from action was the no. 22 Sprint PCS/Troyer car of Speedsville, N.Y. driver Kevin Jordan, who finished 14th in Tuesday's feature. Ontario, New Yorker Chuck Hebing was recognized aboard his own no. 45 Cobra Motorsports/Troyer ride after Todd Burley and Keith Hoffman shared duties in the openers at both Putnam County and Volusia. Burley finished third at Putnam and Hoffman led all but the last three laps on Tuesday at Volusia to place 18th while Hebing settled for 14th on St. Valentine's Day.
Vic Coffey was in attendance on Thursday but he opted to let 2001 United Dirt Track Racing Association (UDTRA) Late Model National Champion Rick Eckert drive his no. 32c Sweeteners Plus-A&C Speedworld/TEO entry throughout the night. "Rick has helped us so much since we started with the late model program and I know he always wanted to try out a modified so I gave him a chance," said Coffey, who remained aboard the an identically colored full-fender ride and time trialed a career-best third (Eckert was 5th-fastest) out of 68 cars registered for the UMP Late Model main. Eckert went out and qualified third in the first big-block heat and finished 15th in the 30-lap feature. "I probably had a chance to drive one of Brett's (Hearn) cars before at Hagerstown but it just never panned out," said Eckert, 36, more familiar on the Georgia-based UDTRA circuit buckled into his own orange no. 24 Rayevest/Rocket car. He also spent a year and a half driving a sprint car closer to his York, Pa. home at tracks like Lincoln, Williams Grove and Port Royal. When the STARS Late Model Series visited the Syracuse Mile during Super Week, Eckert secured runner-up honors in 1995 and placed third in '96 with Donnie Moran capturing both events. Another late model notable, Freddy Smith, took the DIRT Modified driving experience when he jumped into the big-block no. 76 Barker Bus during SDW '88 and ended up 34th in the headline Eckerd 200, back then known as the Miller High Life 300. "Rick has practically opened up his book for us," Coffey added. "So we've been a lot more consistent with the late model. At least now when we don't finish well we know what went wrong."
The most serious accident during the Florida Tour came during heat race qualifying when Watertown, N.Y. veteran Bob McCreadie slammed into the front of an idle Steve Paine and flipped over before being turned around for the second time by an oncoming Deron Rust. The no. 9 Kinney Drug Stores-Syracuse Frame Service car was damaged beyond repair and McCreadie, who suffered a severe bruise in the crash, was scratched for the remainder of the week. Entering the 2002 season, McCreadie is admittedly at a crossroad as DIRT Motorsports' only Most Popular Driver award recipient in the organization's 27-year history has failed to match the standard he has set for the past two decades. "My only real goal is to be competitive and have a good shot at winning any race we're in," said McCreadie, 51, DIRT Motorsports' all-time big-block Modified win leader with 295 career triumphs. Since capturing his first checkered flag in 1975, 'Barefoot' has racked up a grand total of 494 open-wheel victories at 53 tracks spread across the United States' East Coast, Canada and Australia. "I haven't been in the hunt the last two years. This season at least we've got a car that if some changes are made we can see the difference. But if we can't do any better this time around it just might be the last."
In contrast to his father's early departure from the Sunshine State, second-generation standout Tim McCreadie returned to the forefront as he put on a great show in traffic before surrendering a victory lane appearance to three-time Florida Tour points champion Brett Hearn on Thursday. "We're good tonight," exclaimed McCreadie as he continued to dial in the Finger Lakes-powered no. 56 Finch's Trucking machine prior to the St. Valentine's Day main event. A bearing went in the transmission in warm-ups at Putnam County forcing McCreadie to steer the No. 29 Junell car in his heat before repairs were made in his own TEO entry in time to finish 6th in the feature after starting last. An early race accident at Volusia onTuesday tore off the right side of his mount before he rebounded for the stellar performance on Thursday. Both McCreadies will follow a similar course up north, beginning with trips to Brewerton on Friday, Canandaigua stops on Saturday and ending the weekend at Cayuga County Fair Speedway on Sunday. Tim plans to enter every Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT Series race while Bob will once again pick and choose depending on his rate of success and ultimately the level of motivation to travel.
On the brink of opening up for his second full season as owner of Can-Am Motorsports Park, Ltd., John Wight has fielded a two-car team in Florida featuring veteran Pat Ward (#42p) and upstart Jason Barney (#87) behind the wheel of the Gypsum Express/TEO machines. Ward is expected to follow the two Modified and 358-Modified Super DIRT Series' while work obligations will determine the extent of Barney's tour schedule; both will run Brewerton, Can-Am and Cayuga County weekly throughout the summer. While following in the tire marks of his trackside teammates, Gypum president Wight will also spend time heading the operation at his LaFargeville, N.Y. layout. "The biggest thing I learned about running the track is not to deviate from the basics," said Wight, who also served as the major financial backer for small-block veteran Roger Phelps for the past half-dozen seasons. "No matter what special attraction I added, the (ticket) numbers came out the same. My biggest goal this year is to run faster shows, something that both the fans and race teams will appreciate the most. As a car owner I love the competition, as a track owner I enjoy the preparation and driver association. When it comes to the fans, those who pay to see our show, I want to give them a night of entertainment that will encourage them to come back," Wight added. In 2001, the fan-friendly facility boasted a clean look that centered around the addition of new restrooms and several coats of new paint. The track was even shortened to 4/10-mile prior to last season but has since been restored back to its customary 1/2-mile size in preparation for the 2002 opener on May 11. Wight said he plans to upgrade the track lighting system and blacktop the concession area this year in an effort to further enhance the professional image of the top dirt track in the north country.
2001 Winston Cup points runner-up Tony Stewart and WC regular Dave Blaney competed in their second DIRT Modified main at Volusia on Thursday, with Blaney finishing a respectable seventh aboard the no. 74 Joe Knoth-Steve Hastings-owned entry while Stewart placed 21st after losing three laps in the no. 20 Goewey machine. With both participating in the second 125-mile qualifier Thursday afternoon at Daytona's superspeedway, Stewart (led laps 4-6) was the show stopper as he charged from 10th to second while a lap nine accident knocked Blaney from contention and put him last (26th) on the final scoresheet. Stewart and Blaney are both expected to participate in the DIRT program at Volusia on Friday although Stewart is certain to skip Saturday's show in preparation for the 44th Daytona 500 on Sunday afternoon.
Joining Bob McCreadie on the premature trip home to New York was Eric Kingsley, owner of the Tom Sears,Jr.-driven no. 3t Tracey Road Equipment-Freightliner SelecTrucks-Sterling Trucks of Syracuse/TEO mount and still the man in charge of Utica-Rome Speedway in Vernon, N.Y. But once back up north, Kingsley plans to solidify a purchase agreement with Tom Cole from Gates-Cole Insurance. Cole's father, Gene, was a long-time sponsor of Central New York small-block title contender Paul Jensen. Both Kingsley and Cole are eager to close the deal which has taken up more than a year of time in deliberations. Anticipating more free time on his hands, Kingsley hopes to attend numerous big-block DIRT Modified specials as well as have Sears compete every weekend at Fulton and Cayuga County speedways.
After finishing fourth in the Florida Tour opener at Putnam, a bad motor vibration and an oil leak during Monday practice at Volusia forced A.J. Romano to jump from the potent no. 16 Andy's Speed Shop-Skip's Racing/Bicknell car to the no. 29 Advanced Lubrication Specialties/TEO mount in Barberville. The result was a DNQ on Tuesday before Romano rebounded for a 12th-place tally on Thursday.
FLORIDA TOUR 2002 RACE RESULTS @ Volusia Speedway Park - Thr., Feb. 14
DIRT Modified Feature (30L)
FIN
CAR#
DRIVER
TEAM (Sponsor / Chassis / Engine)
1
3
Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ
Budweiser Racing-WLR Construction-Cavallaro Produce/TEO/Enders
2
56
Tim McCreadie/Watertown,NY
Finch's Trucking-Syracuse Frame Service-F.X. Caprara/TEO/Finger Lakes
3
30
Jamie Mills/Milford,DE
I.G.Burton Car Dealrshp-L&W Ins.-Mills Bros. Markets/Troyer/Myers
4
m1
Tim Fuller/Edwards,NY
B&F General Machine-Dixon Steel-Afco/TEO/Enders
5
74
J.R. Heffner/Averill Park,NY
A.Colarusso & Son/TEO/Raspuzzi
6
60
Tim Dwyer/Gloversville,NY
Zoom'N Groom-B&B Auto Sales/TEO/D.Williams
7
74b
Dave Blaney/Sharon,PA
Smith Bros. Concrete Foundations/TEO/Precision
8
60over
Doug Hoffman/Allentown,PA
C.Harrell Trucking-Lincoln Auto Body/Troyer/Morrison
9
42p
Pat Ward/Genoa,NY
Gypsum Express,Ltd./TEO/Enders
10
33
Ray Swinehart/Bechtelsville,PA
J & L Speed Supplies/Bicknell/Reinford Racing Engines
11
7x
Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY
Sweeteners Plus-A&C Speedworld/TEO/C.C. Performance
12
29
A.J. Romano/Johnstown,NY
Advanced Lubrication Specialties/TEO/Finger Lakes
13
2
Craig Mullins/Bridgeville,DE
Gene's Auto Sales-John Lynch Custom Homes/Speed Palace/Enders
14
45
Chuck Hebing/Ontario,NY
Cobra Trailers-Mohawk Northeast-New Eng. Race Fuels/Troyer/Morrison
15
32c
Rick Eckert/York,PA
Sweeteners Plus-A&C Speedworld/TEO/C.C. Performance
16
93L
Rick Laubach/Quakertown,PA
Auger Manufacturing Specialists/TEO/Dave George
17
93
Ryan Bartlett/Adams,NY
D.P. Bartlett & Sons Plumbing, Heating & AC/TEO/Bow-Tie
18
Z
Butch Tittle/Saylorsburg,PA
Tittle & Sons Motorsports/Troyer/Fiehl
19
79
Jeremy Markle/Port Jervis,NY
Len & Jo's Restaurant/Bicknell/Precision
20
27
Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY
J & J Shop-Planned Poultry Renovations/Troyer/Morrison
21
20
Tony Stewart/Rushville,IN
GE Sealants & Adhesive-Extreme Silicone Technology/TEO/Enders
22
27z
Ray Bliss,Jr./Warsaw,NY
Home & Garden Center-Bliss Logging & Firewood/Troyer/Campbell
23
35
Mike Perrotte/Elizabethtown,NY
Adirondack Auto/Troyer/Enders
24
87
Jason Barney/Constantia,NY
Gypsum Express,Ltd.-Stadium International-Pit Stop/TEO/Enders
25
3t
Tom Sears,Jr./Clay,NY
Tracey Equip-Freightliner SelecTrucks-Sterling Trucks Syr./TEO/Moshier
26
3h
Justin Haers/Phelps,NY
Sweeteners Plus-A&C Speedworld-Phelps Cement/TEO/C.C. Performance
DNQ
32
Jim Rasey/Southington,OH
Twin Oaks Services South-Victory 1 Performance/Troyer/Rasey
DNQ
7jr.
Jimmy Reppert/Hamburg,PA
Harmony Hill Assisted Living/Troyer/CMS
DNQ
4
Mike Hughes/Riegelsville,PA
Art's Radiator-K&D Contractors-B&M Body Supply/Speed Palace/Coffey
DNQ
27m
'Chic' Chandler/Charlton,MA
Diversified Sign-Atlantic Coast Trailer Sales/Bicknell/AC Performance
DNQ
57
Pete Simpson/Hubbard,OH
Bulldog Graffix-Hine Racing Engines/Bicknell/Hine
DNQ
9
Bob McCreadie/Watertown,NY
Kinney Drugs-Syracuse Frame Service-F.X. Caprara Cars/Troyer/Morrison
DNQ
396
Deron Rust/Georgetown,DE
Rust Motorsports-J&S Utility Trailers-B&K Woods/TEO/Beston Automotive
EVENT SUMMARY:
LAP LEADERS: T.McCreadie (1), Stewart (2), Johnson (3), T.McCreadie (4-11),Hearn (12), T.McCreadie (13-25), Hearn (26-30).
CAUTIONS: 7 (lap 1, lap 1, lap 3, lap 5, lap 10, lap 12, lap 13).
HEAT WINNERS: T.McCreadie, Johnson, Ward, Stewart.
CONSI WINNERS: Swinehart, Paine.
TOTAL PURSE: $10,250.
CARS ENTERED: 33.