"HOW SWEET IT IS!"; AS TIM McCREADIE WINS FOR THE FIRST TIME ON THE SWEETENERS PLUS TEAM
WEEDSPORT, NY...Watertown, New York's Tim McCreadie joined the Sweeteners Plus team over the winter months. Last Sunday, on opening day, McCreadie drove his new Sweeteners Plus TEO to a 50- lap feature win, worth $3,000, and into victory lane at the Cayuga County Fair Speedway. Also winning on the day were James Henry in the Pro-stock division and Tim Sears in the DIRT Sportsman.
The 50-lapper started off with Steve Hulsizer, the winner of the first heat race, taking the lead over Danny Johnson, McCreadie, Bobby Varin and Matt Sheppard. Hulsizer was able to eke out a three car advantage over Johnson when the yellow flag flew for the first time as Pat Ward slowed in the second turn with a right front wheel locked up. He quickly pitted and his crew solved the problem.
On the restart Matt Sheppard began to use the outside grove driving into third by lap six. Sheppard then ducked low on the backstretch to pass Johnson for second. On lap eight, Sheppard used a high line through the fourth turn to grab the lead from Hulsizer.
Sheppard then began to build a substantial lead over Johnson and McCreadie, as Hulsizer dropped back to fourth. By the time Sheppard had reached lapped traffic, lap 17, he held a 2.3 second lead over Johnson. Johnson sharply cut into that advantage as Sheppard was slowed by lapped cars. But as the field was completing the 20th lap the yellow flew again for Ward, as he slowed on the backstretch. This time Ward pulled pit side and out of the race.
The restart placed Johnson on Sheppard's rear bumper. It was now, third place, McCreadie's turn to make his move. First he drove to the high side of Johnson. He repeated this move lap after lap as the duo entered the third turn. Finally on lap 29 he drove low through the fourth turn to pass Johnson for second. By now Sheppard had again built a substantial lead. One lap later Rich Swarthout looped in between the third and fourth turns and made contact with the outside Jersey barrier.
The restart saw McCreadie dog Sheppard, not letting him get away and build a lead. The two pulled out to a seven car lead over Johnson in third. Varin and Tim Fuller rounded out the top five with just ten laps remaining.
McCreadie, on lap 42, now drove low off the second turn to pull along side of Sheppard's number 29. He backed off as the duo entered the third turn. Two laps later he repeated the same move, however this time McCreadie held the lead going into the third turn. McCreadie then proceed to pull away from Sheppard, winning by .658 seconds at the line. Sheppard held on for second followed by Johnson, Varin and Billy Decker.
For McCreadie it was his first win at Cayuga County Fair Speedway on opening day and his first win in a Sweeteners Plus machine. "This is one of my favorite tracks during the week. I can hardly wait to return." (referring to the week off for Easter and the next week for Rolling Wheels).
In the 20-lap Sportsman feature Tim Sears lead all the way. A first lap caution flew when Rob Relfe looped in the third turn. Sears held onto the lead on the restart over Eric Richardson, Greg Doust, Ryan Richardson and Eldon Payne Jr.. Payne Jr. seemed to be able to advance through the field. By lap five he passed Doust for third. It would be a second yellow, on lap 15, that would allow Payne Jr. the opportunity to pass Eric Richardson for second. This final yellow of the race was again for Relfe, who spun high in the fourth turn.
During the final five laps Payne Jr. first tried high and then low in a effort to pass Sears for the lead. Sears held on for his second straight sportsman season opener at Cayuga County. Payne Jr. came home in second followed by Eric Richardson, Doust and Jamie Christian.
In the Pro-stocks some one forgot to tell the division that they were on the opening race card as only six cars showed up. It was James Herny's day as he won both his heat race and the 12-lap feature.
"After Charlotte's (Lowes Dirt Track) rough surface, my team feels much better about the smooth surface we had to race on today," stated Henry. "I feel we have made a complete turn around in just one week."
OPENING DAY NOTES: 45 Modifieds made for a full pit area. Joining these modified teams were 21 sportsman teams and, as mentioned before, six Pro-stock teams...sunny cloudless skies greeted the fans as a steady breeze keep the racing on the cool side for the fans.
Cayuga County will remain silent for two weeks to make way for Easter (April 20) and the Rolling Wheels Raceway DIRT Challenge Cup races (April 27). The track then reopens (May 4) with a regular 35-lap Modified/358-Modified feature offering a Syracuse 358-modified spot to the winner of the race. Sportsman, Pro-Stocks and 4-cylinder Enduros join the racing action starting at 2 p.m. that Sunday.
CAYUGA COUNTY FAIR SPEEDWAY SEASON OPENER PRO-STOCK
HEAT: J. Henry, F. Dennis, F. Guererri Jr., J. Clark.
FEATURE (12-laps): JAMES HENRY, Fred Dennis, Frank Guererri Jr., Jeremy Clark, Bill Hallett, Ricky Breed.
SPORTSMAN
HEAT 1: T. Sears, G. Doust, R. Richardson, E. Payne Jr., R. Hefti.
HEAT 2: E. Richardson, W. Czymmek, Ja. Christian, C. Phelps, J. Zemken.
FEATURE (20-laps): TIM SEARS, Eldon Payne Jr., Eric Richardson, Greg Doust, Jamie Christian, Ryan Richardson, Wade Czymmek, Chad Phelps, John Pfeffer, Russ Hefti, Jessica Zemken, Shane Donath, John Scarborough, Bob Henry Jr., Mike Conrow, Donnie Wetmore Jr., Scott Binns, Rob Relfe, Frank Burnell, Scott Mitchell, Tom Jansch.
MODIFIED
HEAT 1: S. Hulsizer, M. Sheppard, J. Barney, P. Ward.
HEAT 2: D. Johnson, D. Ruggles, B. McCreadie, B. Tittle.
HEAT 3: B. Varin, J. Haers, A. Shiffler, J. LaRock.
HEAT 4: T. McCreadie, B. Decker, R. Chrysler, M. Colsten.
HEAT 5: T. Fuller, V. Coffey, T. Sears Jr., P. Vigneri.
CONSI 1: A. Johnson, V. Vitale, R. Swarthout, S. Prentice. CONSI 2: G. Tomkins, C. Bower, J. Phelps, F. Caprara Jr.
FEATURE (50-laps): TIM McCREADIE, Matt Sheppard, Danny Johnson, Bobby Varin, Billy Decker, Tim Fuller, Vic Coffey, Justin Haers, Steve Hulsizer, Gary Tomkins, Alan Johnson, Butch Tittle, Darryl Ruggles, Ron Sears Jr., Jason Barney, Mike Colsten, Vince Vitale, Randy Chrysler, Jimmy Phelps, Chuck Bower, Rich Swarthout, Scott Prentice, Phil Vigneri, Jim LaRock, Alan Shiffler, Bob McCreadie, Frank Caprara Jr., Pat Ward.