BOWER BLAST TO VICTORY AT THE "PORT"
WEEDSPORT, NY...As if he were blasted from a cannon, Lansing, NY's Chuck Bower, rocketed to the front of the field to take the 35-lap DIRT Modified feature win last Sunday at the Cayuga County Fair Speedway in Weedsport, NY.
James Spano added to his consecutive years with at least one win each year at Cayuga County in the sportsman division. Joe Reeves picked up the win in the 40-lap Pit Stop Convenience Stores Enduro. The ESDCA Dwarf car win went to Tony Buffa.
Ray Bliss Jr. used his front row starting spot to take the lead at the drop of the green and then proceeded to hold off both a charging Chuck Bower and Billy Decker. On lap 12 Decker ducked to the inside grove as the threesome came to the line. Bower, in the middle gained the advantage and shot into the lead before the yellow flag flew for the first time of the race.
Tim Fuller, who had suffered a flat tire, came to a stop in the third turn to create the yellow. He quickly pitted and for repairs and returned to the race. On the restart a three car tangle along the inside fourth turn wall took place involving Tim Burnett, Ryan Bartlett and Mike Ward. Still another restart and the yellow flew again. This time Vince Vitale and Mike Ward looped their machines in the first turn.
When the race finally restarted Bower jumped convincingly into the lead over Decker. Alan Johnson and Pat Ward would side-by-side for some eight laps before Ward took control of the third spot.
In the closing laps Danny Johnson passed his way into the top five. At the finish it was Bower followed by Decker, Ward, Alan Johnson and Danny Johnson.
The 20-lap Sportsman race saw James Spano lead all 20 laps. The race was slowed by three cautions. On lap three Gary Gallerie looped his mount in the first turn while running second to Spano. Great driving avoided disaster as the entire field missed the stalled racer.
On lap four, Gary Morrisette came to a stop in the first turn following Rodney Plantz brushing the wall in the second turn. Tom Juhl was now running second followed by Justin Haers, Bob Henry Jr. and Karl Comfort.
Justin Haers made his bid at Spano, as Comfort took third by lap 13. Four laps later Haers slowed with a flat tire, bunching the field up and placing Comfort on Spano's back bumper. Comfort attempted a number of challenges at Spano as these two ran a clean side-by-side race at the front of the field.
Spano held on by inches for the win followed by Comfort, Tom Juhl, Jim Bowman and Henry Jr..
The 15-lap ESDCA Dwarf main event saw 16 cars answer the call. earlier in heat action one car cart wheels through the second turn.
Outside pole sitter Shawn Hart took the early lead with Darin Forbes and Ken Gamlin in hot pursuit. On lap four, Forbes passed Hart for the lead, a lead short lived as Tony Buffa blasted by Forbes for the lead. The race was slowed by a yellow when Brenda Rice brushed the second turn wall in an evasive move around the stalled number 47 of Rick Shannan.
Buffa use the long green, laps six to the end, to pill out a thirty car lead over Forbes at the finish line. Virtis finished third followed by Gamlin and Bob Garafola.
This Sunday, June 24, Spano Paving and Auburn Steel will be presenting the Dig Safely New York Sportsman Super DIRT Series. The race will be a 30-lapper paying $1,000 for the win. Joining the sportsman cars will be the mighty DIRT Modifieds in a regular 35-lap feature run. Also on the race card will be the Pit Stop Convenience Stores Enduro and the CNY Mini-Sprints, making for a full night of racing action. Race time begins at 7 p.m. sharp.
RIVER FOREST CAMPGROUNDS-K&S CAR WASH-WACK/WNNR RADIO NIGHT SUMMARY
ENDURO
Top Five (40-Laps): JOE REEVES, Jim Cronin, Dan Reeves, Don Potts, Tom Hitch.
ESDCA DWARF CARS
HEAT 1: B. Virtis, K. Gamlin, S. Hart, D. Boyce, D. Forbes.
HEAT 2: T. Buffa, B. Garafola, W. Younglove, S. Nash, S. Miller.
FEATURE (15-laps): TONY BUFFA, Darin Forbes, Barry Virtis, Ken Gamlin, Bob Garafola, Shawn Hart, Steve Miller, Wayne Younglove,
Scott Nash, Lowell Zehr, Joe Garafola, Kelly Skinner, Rick Shannan, Kim Younglove, Brenda Rice, Dan Boyce.
SPORTSMAN
HEAT 1: K. Comfort, J. Bowman, D. Wiesner, G. Doust, G. Gallerie.
HEAT 2: J. Haers, T. Juhl, B. Henry Jr., E. Payne Jr., R. Plantz.
HEAT 3: J. Spano, J. Beyea, S. Gray, J. LaRock, J. Plumb.
FEATURE (20-laps): JAMES SPANO, Karl Comfort, Tom Juhl, Jim Bowman, Greg Doust, Bob Henry Jr., Steve Gray, Jeremy Pitcher, Jim LaRock, Joe Beyea, Justin Haers, Loren Lincoln, Gary Gallerie, Eldon Payne Jr., Bob Haws, Dan Wiesner, Ron Loveless, Ryan Richardson, Mike Lavarnway, Gary Morrisette, Rodney Plantz, John Plumb.
MODIFIED
HEAT 1: P. Ward, G. Tomkins, R. Bliss Jr., D. Johnson, J. Phelps.
HEAT 2: A. Johnson, T. Sears Jr., C. Bower, B. Tittle, R. Bartlett.
HEAT 3: B. Decker, J. Gabriel Jr., T. McCreadie, T. Fuller, S. Prentice.
FEATURE (35-laps): CHUCK BOWER, Billy Decker, Pat Ward, Alan Johnson, Danny Johnson, Tim McCreadie, Gary Tomkins, Tom Sears Jr., A.J. Romano, Matt Sheppard, Scott Prentice, Tim Fuller, Jim Gabriel Jr., Jimmy Phelps, Butch Tittle, Vince Vitale, Dave Axton, Tim Burnett, Tim Vincent, Tyke Morris, Mike Ward, Bob McCreadie, Ray Bliss Jr., Ryan Bartlett.