CAYUGA COUNTY BEATS THE ODDS AND THE RAINS
WEEDSPORT, NY...It was a weekend full of rain. It rained just miles from the Cayuga County Fair Speedway, but not at the track. This set up an interesting evening of racing which saw two first time winners reach victory lane. Tom Sears Jr. won the 35-lap DIRT Modified feature and Wade Czymmek took top honors in the non-point DIRT Sportsman 20-lap feature. Don Boyce won his first Dwarf car feature and qualified for the Dwarf All-Star Challenge to be run at Cayuga County on August 27. Other feature winners included Eric Giguere in a special Street Stock exhibition and Tim Hettis in the 40-lap Pit Stop Convenience Stores Enduro.
The 35-lap DIRT Modified feature saw Sears Jr. take the lead starting from his outside pole position. As the field was finishing their first lap, Todd Milton hopped a wheel and was sent sideways on the front stretch. He was then slightly impacted by Roy Shields. Both cars were of for the night.
The restart saw Sears maintain his lead over Jimmy Phelps, Jim Burke and rookie Vince Vitale. The last two drivers started to fad back in the field as Tim Fuller quickly advanced and took third by lap three. Sears had by then built up a three car length advantage over Phelps and Phelps held a two car lead on Fuller.
Racing acme to a halt on lap nine when the yellow flew as Vince Vitale looped his car off the second turn and into the infield. This bunched the leaders together for the restart. Again it was Sears able to hold off Phelps, Fuller and Gary Tomkins. Lap 16 saw the yellow fly for the third time. Scott Ridley was slowing on the front stretch, making an attempt to turn into the pits, when Tim McCreadie made contact with Ridley. McCreadie had no where to go except into the back of Ridley's car and the outside wall, as he was boxed into position by another car.
McCreadie was able to slow enough to make for a light impact into Ridley.
Again Sears was able to maintain his lead. But back in the pack Pat Ward, Alan Johnson, Tomkins and Danny Johnson were making themselves known. Ward moved into third, followed by Alan and Danny Johnson.
Lap 29 saw the final yellow flag of the race fall as Ryan Bartlett made head on impact with the fourth turn wall just in front of the lead pack. All of the leaders were able to clear without being involved. Bartlett restarted at the rear of the field.
Sears took the victory followed by Tim Fuller, who was able to pass Phelps on the final yellow restart. Pat Ward finished third followed by Chuck Bower and Phelps.
The 20-lap non-point sportsman race saw Wade Czymmek start on the pole after winning the first heat race. Only 15 cars took the green flag as most of the regular runners were attending the UFPO Sportsman Tour race at Gasport International Speedway in Ontario, Canada.
Czymmek held the lead from start to finish of the feature. Only three yellows slowed the race. The first coming on lap one when Mike Lavarnway and Geoff Carner became hooked together on the back stretch. Lavarnway was able to continue without losing position. The second yellow flag fell on lap eight when Russ Hefti slowed on the track with a flat tire. The final yellow of the race came on lap 12 when Eldon Payne blew the radiator on his number 28 machine entering the third turn.
Following Czymmek across the finish line were Lavarnway, Tom Juhl, Jeremy Pitcher and Carner.
On hand were the mighty little Dwarf machines. At the drop of the green, pole sitter Don Boyce built up a tremendous lead of nearly a full straight away. This proved to be the winning strategy, as Troy VanAllen took second on lap three and began to close the gap Boyce had built. By lap seven it was obvious that VanAllen was pulling Boyce in slowly. Would he have enough time to catch, let alone pass Boyce for the victory?
Boyce and VanAllen made slight contact as Boyce flew across the finish line first. VanAllen finished a very close second, scrapping along the concrete wall. Tony Buffa, Chic Chandler and Eric Crawford rounded out the top five.
This Sunday racing returns to the Cayuga County Fair Speedway starting at 7 p.m. sharp. On the track will be the Modifieds, Sportsman, Enduro cars and the second attempt at the New York Sling Shot Tour.
The Cayuga County Fair Speedway is located just minutes off exit 40 of the New York State Thruway, east of the village of Weedsport.
WATERTOWN FORD-CURRIER PLASTICS-FREEDOM RECREATION NIGHT SUMMARY
ENDURO
FEATURE (40-laps) TOP 5: TIM HETTIS, Bill Juhl, Joe Reeves, Troy Reeves, John Gilmore Jr.
DWARF CARS
HEAT: D. Boyce, T. Buffa, C. Chandler, K. Gamlen, E. Crawford.
FEATURE (12-laps): DON BOYCE, Troy VanAllen, Tony Buffa, Chic Chandler, Eric Crawford, Ken Gamlen, Scott Nash, Barry Virts, Duane Knapp, Brenda Brice, Carl Crawford Jr.
STREET STOCK (exhibition)
FEATURE (6-laps): ERIC GIGUERE, Brad Stienruck, Ken Walsh, Jamie Eldrege, Randy Peters.
SPORTSMAN
HEAT 1: W. Czymmek, R. Plantz, L. Beardsley, J. Juhl, R. Hefti.
HEAT 2: G. Carner, M. Lavarnway, J. Pitcher, T. Juhl, M. Chapman.
FEATURE (20-laps): WADE CZYMMEK, Mike Lavarnway, Tom Juhl, Jeremy Pitcher, Geoff Carner, Larry Beardsley, Rodney Plantz, Jim LaRock, Andy Vargo, Bob Haws, Ryan Richardson, Matt Chapman, Eldon Payne, Russ hefti, John Juhl.
MODIFIED
HEAT 1: J. Gabriel Jr., S. Ridley, C. Bower, D. Johnson, V. Vitale.
HEAT 2: J. Phelps, A. Johnson, T. McCreadie, J. Burke, J. Brownell.
HEAT 3: T. Sears Jr., G. Tomkins, T. Fuller, T. Milton, P. Ward.
CONSI: R. Bartlett, M. Ward, T. Burnett, D. Ruggles, R. Shields, F. Doll Jr., B. Wilcox, B. Metz.
FEATURE (35-laps): TOM SEARS JR., Tim Fuller, Pat Ward, Chuck Bower, Jimmy Phelps, Alan Johnson, Gary Tomkins, Danny Johnson, Mike Ward, Vince Vitale, Jim Burke, Brent Wilcox, Ryan Bartlett, Blue Metz, Jeff Brownell, Frankie Doll Jr., Tim Burnett, Scott Ridley, Tim McCreadie, Jim Gabriel Jr., Todd Milton, Roy Shields, Ray Bliss Jr.