Decker Wins Series Race At Cayuga County
Alan Johnson Celebrates His Birthday With The Cayuga County Track Title
WEEDSPORT, NY...Billy Decker from Unadilla, NY, won his second Advance
Auto Parts Super DIRT Series feature last Sunday at the Cayuga County
fair Speedway. Alan Johnson, who has led the track points race the last
half of the season, finished off the season with a fourth place finish
and the track modified title.
In sportsman action all Matt Sheppard had to do was to start the
feature event. But Sheppard wanted more, taking the 20-lap victory and
his first Cayuga County fair Speedway Sportsman title.
Chuck Bower won the JE Pistons award for a fast time of 16.008 seconds
for a lap of 84.333 mph. Bower then proceeded to win the Exiss Dash
beating out Steve Paine, who leads in Exiss Dash points and was in his
eleventh dash of this year's series. In a pre-race draw Alan Johnson
drew the pole and Billy Decker the outside pole.
Decker took the lead at the drop of the green. Pole sitter Alan Johnson
was running second followed by Pat Ward, Chuck Bower and Vic Coffey.
On lap four the yellow flew when Ray Bliss Jr. made slight contact with
the outside third turn wall. The track crew was able to push start Bliss
and he returned to the back of the field. On the restart Decker
stretched out a seven car lead before the yellow flag interrupted the
race on lap 13 when Scott Ridley slammed the inside first turn wall and
sent Tim Dwyer spinning high in the first turn to avoid contact.
Decker kept the competition at bay as Johnson had his hands full with
pressure from behind, in third, by first Vic Coffey and then Tim
McCreadie. A third yellow flew on lap 16 when rookie Jeff Brownell's
number 29 coasted to a stop in the third turn. After the restart only
one lap was placed into the record books before the yellow flew again as
Darryl Ruggles made heavy side contact with the front stretch concrete
on the restart. Ruggles attempted to pilot his wounded car into the pits
but was unable to make the turn, causing yet another yellow.
The fifth yellow flew on lap 21 when Jimmy Phelps coasted to a stop in
the second turn. Billy Decker was leading Johnson, Tim McCreadie, Coffey
and Bower. The wildest incident of the night saw Marco Potvin's car
punted into a spin out of the second turn. Great driving by Brett Hearn
avoided more serious damage to both cars. Hearn maintained his position
while Potvin was relegated to the rear of the field .
The final yellow came on lap 30 when Danny Johnson slowed in the front
chute. Johnson then darted into and out of the pits. It seemed that his
car was not handling right all night and he was fighting a lose
condition.
Decker used the long green flag period, starting on lap 31 and lasting
right to the end of the race, lap 100, to build up a half track lead
over Tim McCreadie. McCreadie had passed Alan Johnson for the runner up
position on lap 32. He was joined at the front of the pack by his
father, Bob, who also passed Johnson on lap 37.
The final half of the race saw Decker stretch his lead. Bob was able to
pass his son Tim on lap 52 to take out after Decker. Decker had built
too big a lead by then that McCreadie's efforts were in vain.
Tim fell back some and found himself in a duel between himself, Alan
Johnson, Tim Fuller and Gary Tomkins, who started last on the field
after having to be push started at the firing line. More bad luck was to
fall on Tomkins as a left front flat began to slow his efforts and he
began to fall off the pace.
Bobby Varin joined the race at the front, passing Tomkins and taking on
Fuller. With less then ten laps to go Varin completed his pass for
fifth. At the front of the field Decker was so dominate he lapped both
Danny Johnson, Pat Ward, Hearn and Steve Paine.
At the finish line it was Decker by nearly half a track. Bob McCreadie
finished second followed by Tim McCreadie, Alan Johnson and Varin.
Johnson's fourth place finish earned him the 2000 Cayuga County Fair
Speedway track championship.
In the 20-lap Sportsman feature most people were wondering if young
Matt Sheppard could be stopped, as he has won all of the Sportsman
features at the speedway this past August. Mark Camuso was the early
leader, being passed for the lead by Jim LaRock on lap six. The sole
caution in the race flew on lap seven when Steve Nasholts made contact
with the outside first turn wall.
The restart saw Joe Beyea take the lead. One lap later he was joined in
the front by Sheppard, as these two would stage a duel for the lead. On
lap 11, Sheppard passed Beyea and then stretched out a seven car
advantage. On lap 17 Beyea crossed the start-finish line with what
sounded like a very sick motor. He ended his race on the backstretch,
pulling into the infield. This left Steve Gray to take out after
Sheppard. Sheppard held his advantage and took the victory and the 2000
track divisional title. Gray finished second followed by Jim Spano, and
two rookies in fourth and fifth, Bob Henry Jr and John Plumb.
This race ended the 2000 racing season at Cayuga County Fair Speedway.
Racing will continue at other regional track through Super DIRT Week,
October 3-8, at the New York State Fairgrounds. Tickets for that race
can be purchased through the DIRT Offices in Weedsport by calling
315-834-6606.
NEXTEL-SYRACUSE FRAME present the ADVANCE AUTO PARTS SUPER DIRT SERIES
NIGHT SUMMARY
SPORTSMAN
HEAT 1: B. Henry Jr., J. Spano, D. Fallis, M. Camuso, R. Hefti.
HEAT 2: S. Gray, J. Beyea, J. LaRock, G. Doust, C. Parmelee.
HEAT 3: J. Plumb, T. Juhl, M. Sheppard, R. Plantz, K. Wilson.
FEATURE (20-laps): MATT SHEPPARD, Steve Gray, James Spano, Bob Henry
Jr., John Plumb, Greg Doust, Drew Fallis, Tom Juhl, Clay Parmelee, Kyle
Wilson, Bob Haws, Tom Mettler, Mark Camuso, John Juhl, Ryan Richardson,
Frank Burnell, Bill Juhl, Henry Desormeau, Joe Beyea, Jim LaRock, Steve
Nasholts, Russ Hefti.
MODIFIED
TIME TRIALS: Chuck Bower 16.008, Steve Paine 16.034, Vic Coffey 16.128,
Billy Decker 16.141, Brett Hearn 16.150, Pat Ward 16.154, Gary Tomkins
16.218, Alan Johnson 16.243, Danny Johnson 16.302, Tim McCreadie 16.347,
Jimmy Phelps 16.364, Kenny Tremont 16.502, A.J. Romano 16.523, Vince
Vitale 16. 541, Ron Smoker 16.567, Darryl Ruggles 16.572, Tim Fuller
16.623, Marco Potvin 16.641, Bob McCreadie 16.643, Andy Bachetti 16.657,
Butch Tittle 16.660, Bobby Varin 16.683, Scott Prentice 16.696, Jeremie
Corcoran 16.719, Doug Hoffman 16.736, Ray Bliss Jr. 16.738, Dave Axton
16.772, Scott Ridley 16.809, Tom Sears Jr. 16.932, Tim Burnett 17.003,
Tim Dwyer 17.015, Jeff Brownell 17.100, Todd Milton 17.379
HEAT 1: G. Tomkins, T. McCreadie, B. Varin, B. McCreadie, D. Hoffman.
HEAT 2: A. Johnson, J. Phelps, T. Fuller, S. Prentice, R. Bliss Jr.
HEAT 3: D. Johnson, R. Smoker, V. Vitale, M. Potvin, J. Corcoran.
EXISS DASH: Chuck Bower, Steve Paine, Brett Hearn, Pat Ward, Billy
Decker, Vic Coffey.
CONSI: T. Sears Jr., K. Tremont, S. Ridley, B. Tittle, D. Ruggles, T.
Dwyer, A. Bachetti, T. Milton, J. Brownell.
FEATURE (100-laps): BILLY DECKER, Bob McCreadie, Tim McCreadie, Alan
Johnson, Bobby Varin, Tim Fuller, Vic Coffey, Chuck Bower, Doug Hoffman,
Steve Paine, Brett Hearn, Danny Johnson, Todd Milton, Pat Ward, Gary
Tomkins, Ray Bliss Jr., Jeremie Corcoran, Kenny Tremont, Butch Tittle,
Tim Dwyer, Marco Potvin, Vince Vitale, Tom Sears Jr., Andy Bachetti,
Scott Prentice, Ron Smoker, Jimmy Phelps, Darryl Ruggles, Jeff Brownell,
Scott Ridley.