JASON BARNEY WINS CAYUGA COUNTY SPECIAL, HAERS EARNS SYRACUSE SPOT; PATRIOT SPRINT RACE TO WILSON
WEEDSPORT, NY...Sunday, June 29, was a day of specials at the Cayuga County Fair Speedway. The Modifieds/358-Modifieds ran a special 358 qualifier for the Turning Stone Casino Resorts 150 mile race in Syracuse during Super DIRT Week. Jason Barney took the win, with Justin Haers the first small block across the finish line to earn the Syracuse spot.
On hand were the Patriot Sprint cars for their first ever appearance at Cayuga County. Veteran driver Rick Wilson picked up the 20-lap A-Main feature.
In the DIRT Sportsman earned his first CCFS win of the year. Bill Hallett made it two in a row, winning the 20-lap Pro-Stock feature. The 4-Cylinder Enduro race went, for the second week in a row, to Don Alford.
The 35-lap DIRT Modified/358-Modified main saw pole sitter Jason Barney out drag outside sitter Bob McCreadie to lead the first lap. Steve Hulsizer, Rich Swarthout and Justin Haers raced consistently in third back.
On lap 12 the yellow flew when Mike Bliss came to a stop high in the fourth turn. The restart saw McCreadie edge Barney for the lead.
Before any more laps could be completed the yellow flew when Joe Beyea looped his car out in the second turn. An attempt at a restart saw Randy Chrysler get tapped from behind and then drift to the inside of the backstretch where he was collected by Roy Shields. Shields lost a left front wheel off his number 82s.
Barney, racing side-by-side, regained the front spot. Barney drew along side of McCreadie and passed for the lead on lap 17. One additional yellow flew, on lap 22 when Rich Swarthout, running in fourth, was spun in the second turn. Swarthout returned, but was black flagged after an on track altercation with the offending car.
Barney came home the winner, with McCreadie a full straight away back in second. Jim Phelps finished third followed by Haers in fourth and Scott Prentice in fifth.
The DIRT Sportsman main event saw Ryan Richardson lead all 20-laps. An intense battle for second was taking place behind Richardson between Shawn Donath and fresh from the DIRT Modified ranks, Tom Juhl. Donath seemed to hold the upper hand until lap nine when Juhl passed for the position. On lap 14 the yellow flew when Donath slowed to a stop in the fourth turn with motor problems.
Richardson easily claimed the win with Juhl in second. Mike Conrow, Tom Perrego and Greg Doust rounded out the top five finishers.
The 20-lap Pro-Stock feature also nearly went green-to-checkers. One short yellow, on lap six, for debris in the first turn spoiled that record.
Bill Hallett passed Ricky Breed for the lead on lap five and never looked back. A late race challenge by Roger Chrysler fell short. James Henry, who placed three, performed miracles to ready his car following a nasty accident during the heat race which nearly destroyed the rear sheet metal on his car. Frank Guererri Jr. and Breed rounded out the top five finishers. For Hallett it was his third win at Cayuga County in 2003 and his second in a row.
The 20-lap Patriot Sprint show started off with a four wide presentation to the fans. Rick Wilson snagged the lead at the drop of the green. Wilson set such a pace he was lapping cars by lap three. Gordy Button ran a solid second the entire race. Only in the latter stages of the race was he ever challenged.
Following some back-and-forth action for the third spot, Mike Lauterborn bettered Billy Krull. Chris Mulheisen rounded out the top five finishers.
The Patriot Group put on an excellent show going green-to-checkers in and completing their race in under seven minutes.
Crews Automotive, sponsor on the night, bettered each feature winners pay check by $100.
This Sunday sees the start of the new televised Empire Series presented by Kinney Drug Stores. On tap will be a complete program of Modifieds/358-Modifieds, Sportsman, Pro-Stocks and Enduros, with live television coverage of the 35-lap Modified/358-Modified main event. Race time begins at 7 p.m. sharp.
CREWS AUTOMOTIVE NIGHT SUMMARY
4-CYLINDER ENDURO (Top 3): DON ALFORD, Jamie Walters, Sam Carista.
PRO-STOCK
HEAT: W. Ellison, R. Breed, B. Hallett, J. Terrell, R. Chrysler, F. Guererri.
FEATURE (20-laps): BILL HALLETT, Roger Chrysler, James Henry, Frank Guererri, Ricky Breed, Jack Terrell, Jesse Updike, Guinn Sutherland
SPORTSMAN
HEAT 1: R. Richardson, Sw. Donath, T. Perrego, W. Chyrywaty, Sn. Donath.
HEAT 2: T. Juhl, M. Conrow, R. Loveless, J. Pitcher, D. Burke.
FEATURE (20-laps): RYAN RICHARDSON, Tom Juhl, Mike Conrow, Tom Perrego, Greg Doust, Walt Chyrywaty, Ron Loveless, Jeremy Pitcher, John Juhl, Eric Richardson, Rob Relfe, Henry Desormeau, Amanda Garno, Don Burke, Shawn Donath, Shane Donath
MODIFIED
HEAT 1: J. Barney, J. Haers, F. Caprara, R. Chrysler, T. Kinsella.
HEAT 2: B. McCreadie, S. Hulsizer, R. Bliss, J. Phelps, A. Shiffler.
HEAT 3: R. Swarthout, S. Prentice, A.J. Romano, R. Phelps, R. Shields.
FEATURE (35-laps): JASON BARNEY, Bob McCreadie, Jimmy Phelps, Justin Haers, Scott Prentice, Tom Kinsella, Joe Beyea, Frankie Caprara Jr., Steve Hulsizer, Ryan Phelps, Alan Shiffler, Vince Vitale, Jim Burke, Ray Bliss, Allen Willoughby, Rich Swarthout, Jim LaRock, Randy Chrysler, Roy Shields, A.J. Romano, Mike Bliss, Brian Michaels, Fran Hilton
PATRIOT SPRINTS
HEAT 1: B. Krull, G. Button, M. Lauterborn, R. Preston, A. Warren, G. Troutman.
HEAT 2: C. Mulheisen, J. Zimbardi, C. Shuttleworth, D. Witcham, D. Bellen, B. Dumigan.
HEAT 3: T. Barnard, R. Wilson, T. Zimbardi, M. Gerber, D. Deming Jr., K. Drum.
B-MAIN: H. Singer, D. Adamczyk, J. Barnard, B. Knab, B. Wolf, M. Walker, J. Cook, K. Dumigan, D. Bragman.
A-MAIN (20-laps): RICK WILSON, Gordy Button, Mike Lauterborn, Billy Krull, Chris Mulheisen, Matt Gerber, Kyle Drum, Ray Preston, Brian Dumigan, Jared Zimbardi, Tim Zimbardi, Howard Singer, Tim Barnard, Darrell Bragman, Curt Shuttleworth, Bill Wolf, Gary Troutman, Dave Wickham, Don Bellen, Don Adamczyk, Jeff Cook, Mike Walker, Brad Knab, Jeremy Barnard, Dan Deming Jr.