Bower Tops Field At Rolling Wheels Raceway

DEMBECK WINS EVENT NUMBER ONE IN

THE 2001 ARANY PRO-STOCK SUPER DIRT SERIES

ELBRIDGE, NY...Last Sunday Chuck Bower, from Lansing, NY,

claimed the 50-lap DIRT Modified Spring Fling victory at Rolling

Wheels Raceway. Also featured on the race card was Round One of

the Automotive Recyclers Association of New York's Pro-Stock

Super DIRT Series. Andy Dembeck Jr., from Middletown, NY took top

honors. Karl Comfort laid claim to the 20-lap DIRT Sportsman main

event.

The 50-lap DIRT Modified feature saw Bower and Chris Shultz

bring the pack of 28 cars down to take Dave Farney's green flag.

Shultz was recorded as the leader of the first lap, which saw the

yellow fly when the 27 of Doug Hoffman slowed to a stop in the

third turn. Hoffman was able to restart his machine and join the

back of the pack.

Bower gained the lead from Shultz on the restart as Vic

Coffey took over second also from Shultz. One lap later Tim

McCreadie moved by Shultz for fourth. By lap five Bower had

established a five car advantage over Coffey and McCreadie and

was turning in low 22 second laps.

On lap 11, Billy Decker slowed his New England Financial

sponsored mount and dropped from the race as the yellow flew.

Brett Hearn turned his Budweiser sponsored machine pitside and

out of the race with mechanical woes during this yellow.

A long green flag period followed with Bower lapping

numerous cars. Eventually only 15 cars would finish on the lead

lap.

Bower claimed the victory followed by Danny Johnson, who

passed Coffey with just five laps remaining. Coffey finished

third followed by McCreadie and Steve Paine.

In the 20-lap Pro-stock Super DIRT Series race 30 of 31 cars

took the green. Joe Stefanski, a top 15 guaranteed starter was

unable to answer the call. Jipp Ortiz, the pole sitter quickly

jumped into the lead followed by Tommy Barron and Andy Dembeck

Jr..

The yellow flag flew on lap four when three cars tangled in

the fourth turn; Jim McGuigan, Tom Faxon and Bill Pascual. Only

Pascual was able to restart the race. Still Ortiz held his lead.

Mike Cooper's 715 began to smoke heavily. On lap seven he pulled

to a stop at the top of the fourth turn to bring out the second

yellow of the event.

Tommy Barron stepped up and raced side-by-side with Ortiz on

the restart. But as lap nine was going into the record book the

yellow flew as Rich Colesanti looped his car in the fourth turn.

Under yellow the crowd was stunned to see Ortiz lose control of

his machine and spin out in the second turn, handing the lead

over to Barron.

Barron now had his hands full with Dembeck Jr.. On lap 12,

just before the yellow flew when Ortiz looped out again in the

second turn, Dembeck Jr. passed Barron for the lead.

Dembeck began to build a healthy advantage. On lap 16, T.J.

Fitzgibbons and Pete Stefanski came together in the first turn,

with Stefanski almost going straight up into the air. Stefanski

landed and regained control, as both drivers avoided the yellow

and continued with their race.

On lap 18 the yellow flew for the final time when Steve

Devos was sent spinning backwards down the front straight and

into the special victory lane flower garden on the inside of the

front stretch. Devos was able to continue as the field set up for

a two lap dash to the checkers.

At the finish line it was Dembeck Jr. followed by Barron,

Jim Langenback, Mike Halichek, who came all the way from the back

of the starting field from the consi cars. Wayne Ellison finished

in fifth.

The 20-lap DIRT Sportsman feature also saw the yellow fly on

the first lap when Bob Conklin exited off the back stretch. Karl

Comfort, the pole sitter took the lead and would remain the

leader for all 20 laps.

Four more yellows slowed the field. On lap seven, Chris

Ostrowsky looped his number 29 in the fourth turn. On lap nine

the yellow flew when Jason Potter, Ryan Richardson and Ron

Loveless came together in the second turn. Bob Henry Jr. can be

credited with the final two yellows. On lap 12 he spun in the

second turn. Trying to overdrive back to the front, Henry Jr.

again looped out, this time over the third turn bank on lap 14.

Comfort held a full second advantage over Justin Haers in

second at the finish line. Steve Gray came home third followed by

Joe Beyea and Randy Chrysler.

Action returns to the "fast-track" on Wednesday, May 30,

when the Pennzoil World of Outlaws come to Rolling Wheels

Raceway. Joining the fast sprinters will be a full program of

DIRT Modifieds. Race time will be at 7 p.m. sharp, with time

trials for the Outlaws starting a half hour earlier, at 6:30

p.m..

POUR LANCE COFFEE & WATER/NEW ENGLAND FINANCIAL/PHELPS

CEMENT/RUMETCO SALES presents the "SPRING FLING" SUMMARY

PRO-STOCKS

HEAT 1: T. Faxon, R. Breed, M. Fritz, W. Ellison, J. Resch.

HEAT 2: J. Ortiz, A. Dembeck Jr., K. Sargent, B. Tanner, J.

Miller.

HEAT 3: T. Barron, M. Cooper, J. Langenback, P. Stefanski, J.

Daymon.

HEAT 4: J. Boyle, T.J. Fitzgibbons, J. Normoyle, S. Devos, B.

Irwin.

CONSI 1: L. Burnett, B. Guzzardi, J. Pascual, M. Williams, R.

Chrysler.

CONSI 2: J. McGuigan, M. Halichek, G. Stalker Jr., S. Miller, P.

Colesanti.

FEATURE (20-laps): ANDY DEMBECK JR., Tommy Barron, Jim

Langenback, Mike Halichek, Wayne Ellison, Jim Normoyle, Pete

Stefanski, T.J. Fitzgibbons, Butchie Irwin, Ricky Breed, Mike

Williams, Jay Resch, Bubba Tanner, Roger Chrysler, Jeff Daymon,

Beemer Guzzardi, Bill Pascual, Jason Boyle, Rich Colesanti, Jon

Miller, Jipp Ortiz, George Stalker Jr., Steve Devos, Ken Sargent,

Mike Fritz, Lee Burnett, Mike Cooper, Tom Faxon, Jim McGuigan,

Steve Miller, DNS: Joe Stefanski.

SPORTSMAN

HEAT 1: K. Comfort, J. Beyea, D. Allen, T. Juhl, J. Bowman.

HEAT 2: J. Haers, C. Brachmann, J. Mallory, B. Henry Jr., J.

Potter.

HEAT 3: S. Gray, R. Chrysler, R. Payne Jr., M. Potter, J. LaRock.

FEATURE (20-laps): KARL COMFORT, Justin Haers, Steve Gray, Joe

Beyea, Randy Chrysler, Chad Brachmann, Jay Mallory, David Allen,

Jim Bowman, Mark Potter, Jim Spano, Russ Hefti, Bob Henry Jr.,

Mike Lavarnway, Jim LaRock, Ryan Richardson, Gary Morrissette,

Chris Ostrowsky, Jason Potter, Tom Juhl, Eldon Payne Jr., Gary

Gallerie, Ron Loveless, Bob Conklin.

MODIFIED

HEAT 1: C. Bower, V. Coffey, J. Phelps, T. Fuller, F. Cozze, A.

Johnson.

HEAT 2: C. Shultz, T. McCreadie, V. Vitale, J. Johnson, B. Hearn,

S. Paine.

HEAT 3: J. Gabriel Jr., C. Hebing, R. Laubach, D. Hoffman, S.

Prentice, D. Johnson.

CONSI: A.J. Romano, K. Tremont, G. Tomkins, R. Smoker, P. Ward,

B. Decker, M. Colsten, T. Sears Jr., D. Axton, B. Varin.

FEATURE (50-laps): CHUCK BOWER, Danny Johnson, Vic Coffey, Tim

McCreadie, Steve Paine, Tim Fuller, Frank Cozze, Jim Gabriel Jr.,

Kenny Tremont, Jack Johnson, Alan Johnson, Gary Tomkins, A.J.

Romano, Doug Hoffman, Pat Ward, Bobby Varin, Dave Axton, Vince

Vitale, Rich Laubach, Ron Smoker, Chris Shultz, Mike Colsten,

Jimmy Phelps, Chuck Hebing, Billy Decker, Brett Hearn, Scott

Prentice, Tom Sears Jr.