DIRT DIARY: FLORIDA TOUR 2001 - Day #10 (Sat. Feb 17)
JOHNSON WINS, HEARN CLINCHES SECOND STRAIGHT FLORIDA TOUR TITLE
BARBERVILLE,FL...The curtain came down Saturday on the 30th annual Winternationals at Volusia Speedway Park with Danny Johnson winning the 50-lap DIRT Modified feature event. Brett Hearn settled for second-place in the sixth and final leg of the 2001 Florida Tour to capture his second consecutive points title.
Johnson's seventh Tour victory was his first in the 'Sunshine State' since 1995 at St. Augustine Speedway while his last triumph at Volusia was registered in 1989. The Rochester, N.Y. pilot still fell 22 points shy of three-time winner Hearn in the final big-block standings.
"It's great to get back here in victory lane, especially in the biggest race of the week," said Johnson, 40, who pocketed $5,000 for his 262nd (3rd all-time) career big-block DIRT Modified feature win. "The car worked everywhere all night, we didn't even need to make any changes after the heat. I owe this one to the crew for quite an effort. We definitely had a little too much on our plate taking care of the late model this week."
The heads-up start put heat one winner Hearn on the pole and as expected his no. 3 Budweiser Racing/TEO machine easily paced the field when the initial green flag waved.
Johnson finished behind winner Tim Fuller in the second heat to fill in fifth on the 26-car grid yet needed just five laps to charge into second and set his sights on the Bud bumper. Hearn reached traffic on the 10th circuit and when he got trapped down low on the frontstretch behind Jerry Pennock,Jr., Johnson rolled past in the no. 27J Sweeteners Plus/Troyer entry just five laps later to take his first lead of the week.
At the midway mark, Johnson led Hearn, Tim McCreadie, Doug Hoffman and Jimmy Horton. That order remained intact for the duration despite a pair of cautions for a spinning Mike Perrotte (lap 29) and a slowing Brother Fowlkes (lap 47) that momentarily closed the gap between Johnson and his closest challengers.
"It's been a fantastic run, we finished one spot back tonight but we kicked butt all week long," said Hearn, 42, as he reluctantly shared the winner's circle celebration with his biggest rival after clinching a third Florida Tour title in the past four years. The Sussex, N.J. speedster won three races to open the 2001 Tour and became the winningest big-block driver in Winternationals history.
"It's great to start out the year so well. No matter where we began the races we still made it to the front. Hopefully, we can carry the momentum with us back up north," added Hearn, who placed among the top-four in all six main events and mixed in four qualifying heat race victories with a special dash win at East Bay and Volusia.
Top-ten finishers in the final point standings are Hearn(338), Johnson(316), Tim McCreadie(292), Hoffman(260), Horton(247), Pat Ward(240), J.R. Heffner(232), Bob McCreadie and Fuller(230,tie), and Ray Swinehart(222). Johnson and Tim McCreadie were the only other drivers to place among the top-ten in each of the six events.
With Florida Tour 2001 in the recordbook, DIRT teams packed up and headed north to get ready for the start of the season at their favorite hometrack. Some will be participating in DIRT Motorsports first-ever visit to The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. on Monday. Two practice sessions sandwich a 3 p.m. press conference, with DIRT Modifieds scheduled to take their first laps at 2 o'clock.
FLORIDA TOUR 2001 RACE RESULTS @ Volusia Speedway Park - Sat., Feb. 17
DIRT Modified Feature (50L)
FIN
CAR#
DRIVER
TEAM (Sponsor / Chassis / Engine)
1
27j
Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY
Sweeteners Plus-A&C Speedworld-Prudential Sec./Troyer/C.C. Perf.
2
3
Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ
Budweiser Racing-WLR Const-Cavallaro Prod/TEO/Feil-Enders
3
56
Tim McCreadie/Watertown,NY
Finch's Trucking-Gypsum Wholesalers-Syr.Frame/TEO/Finger Lakes
4
27
Doug Hoffman/Allentown,PA
J & J Shop-Planned Poultry Renovations/Troyer/Enders
5
901
Jimmy Horton/Neshanic Station,NJ
Wallace Securities-Miles Concrete/Olsen/Feil
6
33
Ray Swinehart/Bechtelsville,PA
J & L Speed Supplies/Bicknell/Reinford Racing Engines
7
32c
Vic Coffey/Leicester,NY
Sweeteners Plus-A&C Speedworld-Prudential Sec./TEO/C.C. Perf.
8
42p
Pat Ward/Genoa,NY
Gypsum Express,Ltd./TEO/Finger Lakes
9
93
Ryan Bartlett/Adams,NY
D.P. Barlett & Sons Plumbing Heating & AC/Olsen-TEO/Bow-Tie
10
Z
Butch Tittle/Saylorsburg,PA
Tittle & Sons Motorsports/Troyer/Fiehl
11
74
J.R. Heffner/Averill Park,NY
A.Colarusso & Son/TEO/Raspuzzi
12
32
Jim Rasey/Southington,OH
Twin Oaks Services South/Troyer/Rasey
13
8
Rich Scagliotta/Bound Brook,NJ
Central Jersey Trailer & Hitch Depot/Troyer/Enders
14
24
Chris Shultz/Holmes,NY
Liberty Rock Crushing-Bicknell Racing Products/TEO/JPM
15
79
Jeremy Markle/Port Jervis,NY
Len & Jo's Restaurant/Bicknell/Quality Engines
16
396
Deron Rust/Georgetown,DE
Bodie's Dairy Markets-Heck Masonry/TEO/Beston Automotive
17
44f
Brother Fowlkes/Alexandria,LA
Darrell's Auto Service-JR's Performance Fuels/Olsen/Shoulders
18
35
Mike Perrotte/Elizabethtown,NY
Adirondack Auto/Troyer/Enders
19
18
Brian Cobb/Honesdale,PA
Mud-X/Bicknell/Schwab Machine
20
44
Gary Hager/Stewartsville,NJ
Atlantic Towing-Quality Drywall/TEO/Burnett
21
m1
Tim Fuller/Edwards,NY
B&F General Machine-Dixon Steel-Afco/TEO/Enders
22
fx1
Frankie Caprara/Watertown,NY
Manheim Auto Auction-Auto Value-F.X.Caprara Cars/Troyer/Gor-Den
23
11j
Jerry Pennock,Jr./Warrensburg,NY
Millennium Motorsports-Camelot Design & Developmnt/TEO/Enders
24
7jr
Jimmy Reppert/Hamburg,PA
MicroAide Computers-Boyd's BBQ Catering/Olsen/CMS
25
9
Bob McCreadie/Watertown,NY
Kinney Drugs-Syracuse Frame-F.X. Caprara/Troyer/Morrison
26
30+
Mike Frost/Factoryville,PA
Lartz Industries-Serenity Lodge/Troyer/Frost
EVENT SUMMARY:
LAP LEADERS: Hearn (1-14), Johnson (15-50).
CAUTIONS: 4 (lap 18, lap 25, lap 29, lap 47).
HEAT WINNERS: Hearn, Fuller, Swinehart.
TOTAL PURSE: $16,650.
CARS ENTERED: 26.
FLORIDA TOUR 2001 PIT NOTES
Sat. Feb 17 ... The 2001 Florida Tour marked the17th trip south for Northeastern Modified teams since 1978. It was DIRT Motorsports' 11th visit to Volusia since staging its inaugural event in 1982. Including it's most recent 30th edition of the Winternationals exhibition, Volusia has now staged 61 of the 77 Modified feature events run in February. According to the most dated permits, the current half-mile clay oval in Barberville was built in 1968 by former promoter Benny Corbin and funded by owner Herbert Flippo. Corbin, who directs track maintenance operations (runs grader) today, also constructed the asphalt oval in nearby New Smyrna. Current owner Dick Murphy took over after Speedweeks '82, invited back the Northern Modifieds to compete through 1989 when the track was paved. A purchase order was received from Steve Ross in January '92 and two years later a 3/8-mile dirt track was built adjacent to the bigger asphalt oval. Although facing bankruptcy, the smaller track was paved by Ross in '97 and when Murphy regained control of the facility in August of '97 he had the original dirt surface restored in time to start the next race season. After nearly a 10-year absence ---a last-minute 3-race invitational was actually set up by Ross on the small track in 1993--- the DIRT Modifieds returned to the renamed Volusia Speedway Park for Race Weeks '98 and have been a staple ever since.
*While the races at Volusia in February usually generate the most interest from outside the area, track General Manager Al Clement, a partner with Murphy throughout his days, continues to guide the Saturday night program almost year-round. Murphy, who suffered a heart attack on Jan. 21, still directs officials from his office suite situated next door to the track VIP Tower. From mid-January until early November, a five-star show of Late Models, Street Stocks, Hobby Stocks, Pure Stocks and Mini Stocks is the main attraction on the weekly card. "We're finally starting to bring the crowd and car count back up to where they used to be," said Clement, who singled out Bike Week in early March as another big VSP event. AMA Motorcycle races fill that card starting March 3. Volusia's 2001 Coca-Cola Classic season-opener is slated for April 1 and the 4th annual $10,000-to-win Enduro 200 for Street Stocks concludes trackside activity on Nov. 3.
*The final day of DIRT Modified competition at Volusia was the coolest of the entire Florida Tour and 26 teams signed in for the Winternationals finale. Absent from the driver roster were Friday night crash victims Bob Hamm,Jr. and Kevin Jordan; Jason Barney, who blew a motor on Thursday; Winston Cup entry Tony Stewart, who rested up prior to his start in Sunday's Daytona 500; Andy Bachetti, who left the team when his fuel cell ran dry while waiting in line to begin Thursday's consi; Jamie Mills, who was sent home for unsportsman-like conduct after ramming Pat Ward under caution during a Friday night heat and threatening officials in the aftermath; and Dale Planck, who competed early on at East Bay before the sheet metal was stolen from the no. fx1 Caprara small-block entry that he was planning to drive.
*In terms of the DIRT Modified pre-race draws, Watertown, New Yorker Frankie Caprara was the best and Rich Scagliotta from Bound Brook, N.J. fared the worst. Caprara averaged 15.5 and Scagliotta 38.6 out of the 50 numbers making up the draw. While selecting the #49 and #50 spots on two occasions, Tour champion Brett Hearn ranked 19th (25.2) out of the 33 drivers earning points in six events.
*Jim Rasey's only glimmer of good luck during the entire week was being able to purchase a set of heads from the #60 Zoom'N Groom team prior to the start of Friday's show. His no. 32 Twin Oaks Services South/Troyer machine dropped a valve in the motor and was unable to start after qualifying for Thursday's 30-lap main. Rasey settled for 20th on Friday and improved to 12th in the Saturday finale.
*Following 'Media Day' and test sessions at The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway on Monday, Feb. 19, race teams get a month to rest up and regroup their finances in preparation for the 2001 Advance Auto Parts Modified Super DIRT Series opener. The Series kicks off at Hagerstown (Md.) Speedway on March 31 and makes it's highly-anticipated debut at Lowe's dirt track on April 7. Along with DIRT stars like the McCreadies and Johnsons, Hearn, Horton, Hoffman, Tremont, and reigning Mr. DIRT points king Steve Paine, Winston Cuppers Dave Blaney, Jerry Nadeau and Tony Stewart are probable entries in the Saturday showdown that features twin 50s for the headline DIRT Modifieds.