TOMKINS MAKES LATE RACE CHARGE TO BECOME EIGHTH DIFFERENT CCFS WINNER
WEEDSPORT, NY…Gary Tomkins from Clifton Springs became the eighth different winner in eight events staged at "The Home of DIRT Motorsports", Cayuga County Fair Speedway, in a special 358 Modified Sunoco/Aplus 150 qualifier for Super DIRT Week XXX. Jordan’s Todd Milton crossed the line in the fourth position aboard his 358 mount claiming the coveted qualifying spot for the annual event staged on "The Moody Mile" in Syracuse. Points were not awarded to the Modifieds as Cornwall Speedway staged an Advance Auto Super DIRT Series event and many of the regular teams that compete at Cayuga County Fair Speedway were in attendance.
Sportsman point’s leader, Steve Gray from Penn Yan earned his second victory of the season in their 20 lap finale while Ontario’s Tom Barron found gold in a special 12 lap Pro Stock go around and Don Reeves bested the field in the 40 lap Enduro event.
A field of 22 Modifieds rolled onto the speedway for the 50-lap affair with Scott Prentice and A.J. Romano pacing the field. As the green flag flew, Romano wasted little time blasting to the front of the pack with rookie sensation Matt Sheppard moving up from his outside second row starting position to apply early pressure on Romano. By lap 10, Romano and Sheppard had already found themselves threading their way through lapped traffic with Tomkins who was now on their heels in third in tow.
Scott Prentice and Jimmy Phelps battled for the fourth and fifth position but were not a factor at this point to the three leaders who put some distance on the remainder of the pack.
A caution on lap 23 for Darryl Ruggles on the backstretch would bunch the pack together for an exciting restart. As the green was unfurled, Sheppard, Tomkins and Prentice entered turn one in a three wide battle with contact occurring between Tomkins and Sheppard. Tomkins would take advantage of the contact taking over the second position with Prentice following his lead while Sheppard would be shuffled back to 4th.
Romano continued to set a blistering pace with Tomkins closing as the laps wound down. Prentice, Sheppard and Phelps all joined the front two in a five car break away from the pack until a caution on lap 40 for a slowing Mike Prentice once again grouped the pack nose to tail for a restart. On the restart, Tomkins would suddenly switch to the high groove between turns one & two and then shoot low between three and four and on lap 42 would find just enough bite powering down the back stretch to pull ahead of Romano for the lead.
Meanwhile, Todd Milton cracked the top 5 after passing both Phelps and Sheppard and looked to be growing stronger in the closing laps.
Once Tomkins snagged the lead, he easily put distance between himself and Romano as he held a ten-car length advantage at the checkers. Romano held on for the runner-up position with Prentice, Milton who was the highest finishing 358 at the checkers earning him the Syracuse spot, and Phelps rounding out the top 5.
"I was trying to run the bottom, but A.J. (Romano) kept going low through one & two so I stayed on top and I finally got it to stick. The next thing I know I’m up in front all be myself," Tomkins explained in victory lane after his first victory of the season at the speedway piloting his Honeoye Auto Parts/Red Parker Excavating/RCM #84 Bicknell.
John Juhl and Ryan Richardson would bring 24 Sportsman to the green flag for 20 electrifying laps with Jim LaRock quickly moving his mount into the top spot from his fourth place starting position to lead the initial three circuits. Point’s leader Steve Gray wrestled the point away on lap 4 from his seventh place start on the grid before a caution would fly for Jim Spano and Chris Ostrowsky who would make contact and spin between turns one & two.
Four more caution flags would occur throughout the remaining circuits. On lap 6, Eldon Payne would spin between three & four. On lap 9, Rodney Plantz would have his ride get sideways between one & two collecting Ron Loveless resulting in a broken axle for Loveless. Jim LaRock would spin on lap 12 while running in the top 5 collecting several other cars including the #90 piloted by Justin Haers. The final caution would fly on lap 15 for Eldon Payne once again after spinning in turn one. Throughout each caution period, Gray would continue to out-power the rest of the pack on the restarts. Jim Bowman would try to close on Gray throughout the entire race but would never be able to mount a serious charge.
As the checkers flew, Gray earned his second win of the season while at the same time padding his point’s advantage at the speedway behind the wheel of his Document Reprocessors/Lozier Analytical #29g TEO. Jim Bowman, John Plumb, Tom Juhl in the borrowed #14 normally driven by Rob Pitcher after blowing his engine the previous evening at Fulton, and Russ Hefti completed the top 5.
In the special 12-lap event for the full-fendered Pro Stocks, Scott Fremouw and Ricky Breed paced a field of nine cars with Breed wrestling the point away as the green flag flew. Patrick Hobbs would soon move around Fremouw for the second slot, but quickly making tracks from his sixth place starting position was Barron aboard his Ontario Offshore Performance/AMP Performance/DeRidder's Garage #28t Camaro. One caution would slow the event as Fremouw would spin between turn one & two putting Barron right on the back bumper of Breed on the restart. As the green flag flew, Barron would dive under Breed as they entered turn one & two and then win the drag race down the backstretch to take over the top spot and continue on for the victory. Breed would hold on for second with Hobbs, 17 year old Zack Shove and Billy Brown rounding out the top 5.
In the Pits Stop Convenience Stores 40 lap Enduro, Don Reeves would best a sixteen car-starting field to earn the victory.
Watertown Ford and Baldwin Communications sponsor the action as Big Block racing at Cayuga County Fair Speedway returns Sunday, July 15. On tap will be the DIRT Modifieds and Sportsman cars, plus a Pit Stop Convenience Stores Enduro. Added to the race card are the popular ESDCA Dwarf cars. Race time at Cayuga County will be at 7 p.m. sharp.
STERLING/WESTERN STAR TRUCKS OF SYRACUSE NIGHT SUMMARY
ENDURO
Top Five (40-Laps): DON REEVES, Nathan Peckham, Joe Reeves, Eric Chapman, Troy Reeves
PRO STOCKS
HEAT: Scott Fremouw, Ricky Breed, Pat Hobbs, Fred Dennis, Billy Brown, Tom Barron, Zack Shove, Matt Smith, Eric Giguere
FEATURE (12-laps): TOM BARRON, Ricky Breed, Pat Hobbs, Zack Shove, Billy Brown, Fred Dennis, Scott Fremouw, Matt Smith, Eric Giguere
SPORTSMAN
HEAT 1: Jim LaRock, Joe Beyea, Eldon Payne Jr., John Juhl, Chris Ostrowsky
HEAT 2: Russ Hefty, John Plumb, Tom Juhl, Ryan Richardson, Ron Loveless
HEAT 3: Jim Bowman, Steve Gray, Greg Doust, Dan Wiesner, Rodney Plantz
CONSI: Bob Haws, Justin Haers, Jim Spano, Walt Chyrywaty, Gary Gallerie Jr., Gary Morrissette
FEATURE (20-laps): STEVE GRAY, Jim Bowman, John Plumb, Tom Juhl, Russ Hefti, John Juhl, Dan Wiesner, Greg Doust, Gary Gallerie Jr., Rodney Plantz, Chris Ostrowsky, Joe Beyea, Ryan Richardson, Jim LaRock, Bob Haws, Walt Chyrywaty, Rob Bussey, Eldon Payne Jr., Gary Morrissette, Scott Binns, Terry Faulter, Justin Haers, Ron Loveless, Jim Spano
MODIFIED
HEAT 1: Scott Prentice, Matt Sheppard, Jimmy Phelps, Mike Ward, Chuck Hebing
HEAT 2: A.J. Romano, Tom Sears Jr., Todd Milton, Dave Axton, Tim Burnett
HEAT 3: Gary Tomkins, Vince Vitale, Jeff Rudalavage, Bobby Varin, Ray Bliss Jr.
CONSI: Darryl Ruggles, Jim Gabriel Jr., Dana Wagner, Mike Prentice, Roy Shields, Ed Monroe III
FEATURE (50-laps): GARY TOMKINS, A.J. Romano, Scott Prentice, Todd Milton, Jimmy Phelps, Matt Sheppard, Darryl Ruggles, Jeff Rudalavage, Jim Gabriel Jr., Dave Axton, Bobby Varin, Roy Shields, Dana Wagner, Ed Monroe III, Mike Prentice, Chuck Hebing, Vince Vitale, Tom Sears Jr., Ray Bliss Jr., Mike Ward, Tyke Morris, Tim Burnett, DNS: Tim Vincent.