TOMKINS TOPS 50-LAP FEATURE, SYRACUSE SPOTS GO TO CAPRARA AND MILTON

WEEDSPORT, NY...Gary Tomkins bounded this week with a new car and topped the weekend with a victory in the 50-lap Modified/358-Modified feature at the Cayuga County Fairgrounds. Matt Sheppard made it "two-on-the-night" for his father, and crew chief for the Tomkins-Sheppard team effort, picking up the victory in the 20-lap DIRT Sportsman main. Tim Hettis picked up the victory in the Pit Stop Convenience Stores 40-lap Enduro and Jackie Botindari earned her first Cayuga County Fair Speedway victory behind the wheel of a Tobias Sling-shot.

"We want to thank our loyal fans," commented promoter Glenn Donnelly. "For two straight weeks of horrible looking weather conditions they have put their faith in us and turned out to see great races. We want to thank them for their efforts and hope we can get a break on Sundays with the weatherman."

Thanks to a the promotional team at Tri-City Speedway, who earlier had canceled their Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT Series race due to extremely poor weather reports, a number of the teams were able to remain home and make the Weedsport show.

Tim McCreadie and his father Bob McCreadie brought the starting field of 28 cars down for the green flag. Tim immediately jumped into the lead followed by Tomkins and his father. On lap three, Bob pulled to the infield and out of the race. Tim was charging trying to hold back Tomkins, Alan Johnson, Tim Fuller and small block runner Frank Caprara.

On lap 19 the first yellow flag filled the air when Scott Prentice slowed in the third turn with mud built up in his tires. The thick track conditions would force a number of racers to turn pitside to clean heavy mud build up out of their tires. The second driver to suffer this fate was fourth place runner Tim Fuller, who slowed on lap 21 for the second yellow.

Tim McCreadie was still able to hold off the challenges of Tomkins. The third yellow, also for mud in the tires, came on lap 25 when Darryl Ruggles slowed on the track. Two laps later, lap 27, Steve Roberts and Brent Wilcox looped their machines in the third turn. Both were able to return to the back of the pack.

As McCreadie was starting his 30th circuit, Alan Johnson lost a rear tire off his Mitsubishi Generators number 1. To the fans surprise McCreadie also came to a stop on the back chute, yet another victim of the mud build up in the tires. This left Tomkins as the leader followed now by Chuck Bower, Pat Ward, Caprara and Billy Decker.

Tomkins began by building a seven car lead over Bower. He was then able to stretch this lead in lapped traffic. Two first turn spins, lap 41 by Ruggles and lap 44 by Jim Gabriel Jr. did bunch the pack together again, however Tomkins held a number of lapped cars between himself and Bower.

Tomkins took the victory followed by Bower. Ward, Decker and Scott Prentice rounded out the top five. Capara, finishing sixth and Todd Milton, who finished eighth, were the first two non-guaranteed Syracuse Sunoco Race Fuels 150 starters in the finish. Both picked up those guaranteed starting spots for the October race.

The 20-lap DIRT Sportsman main event saw Bob Haws recorded as the early leader, as Matt Sheppard, who started fifteenth was on the charge. On lap four the yellow flew when simultaneously Kevin Crave spun out on the front straight and Joe Beyea looped his machine in the first turn.

Haws lost the lead on the restart to James Spano. As the pack raced off the second turn on lap six and number of cars at the front of the field became bogged down causing a multi-car tangle. When the smoke had cleared three cars; Lance Dusett, John Plumb and Justin Haers all sat disabled on the back stretch.

This time on the restart Sheppard blasted by Spano for the lead. One more short yellow, lap eight, when Crave spun again in the second turn, slowed the event.

Sheppard proceeded to build up nearly a half straight away lead on Spano, Steve Gray and Greg Doust. Gray passed Spano with two laps to go for second. Spano, running with a right rear flat, dropped back to fourth as Doust passed him for third at the finish. Finishing fifth was John Pfeffer for his best finish at Weedsport this year.

Tim Hettis topped a close 40-lap Enduro, while Jackie Botindari won the Sling-shot 6-lap feature. Chad Wetherbee won the Sling-shot heat race.

Only three weeks of racing remain at the Cayuga County Fair Speedway in 2000. This Sunday will feature a regular program highlighted by the DIRT Modified/358-Modified combined division, the DIRT Sportsman and enduro cars. The Dwarf cars return to action also on Sunday. Race time will be at 7 p.m. sharp.

HARRY'S TIRE SUPPLY OF AUBURN/STERLING TRUCK SALES NIGHT SUMMARY

ENDURO

FEATURE (40-laps): TIM HETTIS, Joe Relon, John Gilmore Jr., Troy Reeves, Nathan Peckham (top 5).

SLING SHOTS

HEAT: C. Wetherbee, J. Botindari, B. Thomas, J.J. Courey, Pete Neff.

FEATURE (6-laps): JACKIE BOTINDARI, J.J. Courey, Brian Thomas, Dan Tilison, Dave Waterman, Chad Wetherbee, Ryan Phelps.

SPORTSMAN

HEAT 1: M. Sheppard, G. Doust, J. Plumb, J. Haers, M. Camuso.

HEAT 2: S. Gray, B. Haws, J. Spano, J. Beyea, T. Mettler.

HEAT 3: L. Dusett, G. Carner, M. Lavarnway, J. Pfeffer, R. Plantz.

CONSI: Se. Donath, K. Crave, T. Juhl, D. Hagen, Sn. Donath, B. Henry Jr., R. Richardson, H. Desourmeau, G. Morrissette.

FEATURE (20-laps): MATT SHEPPARD, Steve Gray, Greg Doust, Jim Spano, John Pfeffer, Kevin Crave, Bob Henry Jr., Rodney Plantz, Mark Camuso, Ryan Richardson, Darryl Hagen, Bob Haws, Gary Morrissette, Shawn Donath, Henry Desourmeau, Geoff Carner, Mike Lavarnway, Shane Donath, Joe Beyea, Tom Juhl, Tom Mettler, Justin Haers, Lance Dusett, John Plumb.

MODIFIED/358 MODIFIED

HEAT 1: T. McCreadie, F. Caprara, T. Sears Jr., S. Ridley, B. Varin.

HEAT 2: B. McCreadie, T. Fuller, J. Gabriel Jr., D. Axton, P. Ward.

HEAT 3: A. Johnson, V. Vitale, T. Milton, R. Bliss Jr., B. Decker.

HEAT 4: G. Tomkins, D. Ruggles, C. Bower, S. Prentice, St. Roberts.

CONSI: T. Burley, J. Phelps, K. Hoffman, J. Smith, J. Corcoran, T. Murphy Jr.

ADDED: M. Ward, B. Wilcox.

FEATURE (50-laps): GARY TOMKINS, Chuck Bower, Pat Ward, Billy Decker, Scott Prentice, Frank Caprara, Bobby Varin, Todd Milton, Jimmy Phelps, Tim McCreadie, Tom Sears Jr., Vince Vitale, Scott Ridley, Mike Ward, Tim Murphy Jr., Jeremy Smith, Brent Wilcox, Jim Gabriel Jr., Darryl Ruggles, Alan Johnson, Steve Roberts, Ray Bliss Jr., Tim Fuller, Dave Axton, Keith Hoffman, Todd Burley, Bob McCreadie, Jermeie Corcoran.