DECKER, VITALE AND BARRON ALL CHAMPS AT CANANDAIGUA
CANANDAIGUA, NY.9/5/98..The 1998 Canandaigua track titles were determined last Saturday, on double point night at the track. Bobby Varin won the $3,000-to-win, 50-lap DIRT Modified feature, as Billy Decker laid claim to his first Canandaigua modified crown. Vince Vitale took the victory and the DIRT Sportsman points championship in the closest points race this year. Tom Barron actually wrapped up the title two weeks ago in the Street Stock division. This week Bobby Lutz claimed his second Street Stock feature at the speedway, taking the double points championship 15-lapper. Mike Archer won the Entry stock 10-lap main event.
With the full moon shining down brightly, the drivers on the track preformed well and were well behaved. The 50-lap DIRT Modified feature started with Scott Schrader taking command of the race. A yellow flag on the second circuit interrupted the flow of the race, as Steve Lead looped to the inside of the second turn wall. Bobby Varin used the side-by-side restart to lay claim to the lead from Schrader.
On lap 11 the yellow flew for a second and final time when Gary Tomkins slowed on the speedway with an ill working Bill Trout owned machine. He came to a complete stop in the third turn forcing officials to throw the yellow.
Varin began to draw away from the rest of the field, as only Steve Paine seemed to have enough to catch him. On lap 21, Paine drew low next to Varin, but could not complete the pass.
Then came Danny! Danny Johnson, aboard a new 1999 Troyer experimental chassis was flying through the traffic. On lap 29 he was able to pass Paine for the runner up spot as the front threesome negotiated lapped cars. Johnson seemed to be waiting for just the right time. On lap 39 he charged side-by-side with Varin, taking the lead by mere inches at the line. Varin, never one to quit, fought back, retaking the lead off turn two going down the backstretch.
Varin held on for the victory with Danny Johnson a very close second. Nearly half a straight away back Pat Ward was able to catch Paine and take third. Paine finished fourth and Billy Decker finished fifth, good enough to earn the 1998 track title for modifieds. Only eight cars remained on the lead lap of the twenty-six starters.
The 20-lap sportsman feature saw Mike Button take the early lead, with Vince Vitale second. If they had remained this way the track title for sportsman would have ended in a tie. However Vitale passed Button on a lap five restart to take the lead.
Six yellow flags slowed the race. Randy Holden caused the first yellow, on lap 4, when he stopped on the back stretch. Jerry Hears Jr. had a tire go flat on the restart, causing the second yellow. Keith Stell looped his mount in the first turn on lap 6, causing the yellow to come out for the third time in the race. Lap 15 saw a double yellow. At first Gary Hotelling spun in the first turn. The restart saw Steve Oplinger and Paul Guererri get collected in a multi-car scramble in the first turn. The final yellow of the race came on lap 18 when Steve Gray, running second at the time, blew the motor on his car, spewing oil through the third and fourth turns.
Vitale took the victory and the 1998 track title for sportsman. Button finished second followed by Todd Henderson, Lance Dusett and Chris Ridsdale.
The 15-lap street stock main saw pole sitter Tiger Chapman grab the lead at the drop of Tom Burton's green flag. As the first lap went into the record books Billy Brown and Carl Reynolds II came together in the first turn causing a yellow.
The restart saw Scott Fremouw take the lead from Chapman. But it would be Bobby Lutz, quickly moving through the pack, that would prove difficult for Fremouw to stop. Lutz slingshot past Fremouw on lap 11, just before a four car tangle in the first turn. Lutz held on for the win as the checkers-yellow combination flew when Betty Fremouw and Barron were involved in a last lap accident off the third turn.
Lutz took the victory with John Unaman taking second. Jim McGuigan finished third followed by outsider Tom Cannizzaro. Scott Fremouw rounded out the top five finishers.
The point season for Canandaigua Speedway is now concluded. Only a special 100-lap enduro and a 40-lap Mr. DIRT Street Stock championship remain and will be run on Saturday, September 19, starting at 4 p.m., gates open at 2 p.m..
UNIVERSAL JOINT SALES NIGHT SUMMARY
ENTRY STOCK
FEATURE (10-laps): MIKE ARCHER, Brad Steinruck, Dan Weisner, Leroy Lewis, Beatle Peters, Fred Salzburg, Gordon Withey, Tim Burnell, Jim VanArsdale, Todd Stanton, Mike Shaw, Mike Minutolo, Jim Brown.
STREET STOCKS
HEAT 1: T. Cannizzaro, J. Unaman, D. Conant Jr., Ri. Miller, S. Pesarek.
HEAT 2: B. Brown, J. McGuigan, J. Sullivan, L. Burnett, B. Boudereau.
HEAT 3: Ra. Miller, S. Fremouw, T. Barron, T. Chapman, B. Lutz.
FEATURE (15-laps): BOBBY LUTZ, John Unaman, Jim McGuigan, Tom Cannizzaro, Scott Fremouw, Les Whyte, Tiger Chapman, Randy Miller, Rick Miller, Jerry Sullivan, Chad Homan, Lee Burnett, Jim Burba, Lance Reagan, Dave Conant Jr., Betty Fremouw, Tom Barron, Brian Boudereau, Carl Reynolds II, Jim Stone, Steve Pesarek, Billy Brown.
SPORTSMAN
HEAT 1: V. Vitale, S. Oplinger, T. Henderson, D. Fallis, W. Czymmek, P. Guererri.
HEAT 2: C. Ridsdale, S. Gray, L. Dusett, M. Button, R. Holden, J. Haers Jr.
FEATURE (20-laps): VINCE VIATLE, Mike Button, Todd Henderson, Lance Dusett, Chris Ridsdale, Russ Lyons, Ricky VanNeil, Keith Stell, Todd Preston, Paul Guererri, Drew Fallis, Gary Hotelling, Wade Czymmek, Clay Parmelee, Dave McQuay, Jerry Haers jr., Steve Gray, Steve Oplinger, Bill Hebing, Randy Holden.
MODIFIED
HEAT 1: S. Schrader, C. Donk, T. Fuller, B. McCreadie, B. Turner, M. Phillips Jr.
HEAT 2: B. Varin, V. Coffey, D. Johnson, P. Ward, G. Tomkins, S. Paine.
HEAT 3: C. Hebing, S. Schultz, R. Bliss Jr., T. Griffin, D. Ruggles, M. Ward.
CONSI: B. Decker, S. Lead, B. Hoff, S. Boudinot, B. Simmons Jr., J. Burke, F. Hilton, A. Fisk.
FEATURE (50-laps): BOBBY VARIN, Danny Johnson, Pat Ward, Steve Paine, Billy Decker, Bob McCreadie, Charlie Donk, Chuck Hebing, Tim Fuller, Scott Schrader, Darryl Ruggles, Bryon Turner, Troy Griffin, Steve Lead, Mike ward, Scott Boudinot, Bill Hoff, Ray Bliss Jr., Bob Simmons Jr., Jim Burke, Vic Coffey, Steve Schultz, Gary Tomkins, Max Phillips Jr., Fran Hilton, Andy Fisk.