"DOCTOR J" PAYS A HOUSE CALL TO BREWERTON

BREWERTON, N.Y.. .7/10/97 . "Bob was strong tonight and I'm sorry about the

incident, but it was just racing," said Skoal Racing Super Dirt Series

winner Danny Johnson in victory lane at Brewerton Speedway on Thursday

night.

Johnson and Bob McCreadie were joined by Doug Hoffman, Kenny

Brightbill and Jack Johnson in a race long shootout in the stop at

Brewerton for the Budweiser-Primestar-F.X. Caprara Car Companies 97

lapper. Steve Bottcher took the early lead, but on the twelfth lap McCreadie went to the point and it was time for the remainder of

the field to play catch up.

The race was slowed in the early going with several minor caution

flags. However, this allowed the field to remain tightly bunched. While

McCreadie, Danny Johnson and Doug Hoffman were doing battle in the front

Alan Johnson and Kenny Brightbill were lurking. While these five drivers were involved in a major league tussle, Jeff

Hoetzler, Jack Johnson, and Botcher were among the contenders. Dirt stars

such as Tim Fuller, Jimmy Horton, and Brett Hearn had to rally from deep

in the pack. On the 35th lap Alan Johnson headed for the pits with heavy smoke pouring out of the right side.

Jack Johnson continued to work his way toward the front and by the

49th lap was running third behind McCreadie and Hoffman. At the halfway

point it was McCreadie, Hoffman, Jack Johnson, Danny Johnson, Jeff

Hoetzler, Ken Brightbill, Scott Prentice, and Tim Fuller holding down the top eight places. Danny Johnson continued to

work on the leaders and on the 50th lap found himself in second place.

Traffic began to play a key role in the final outcome as McCreadie

and Danny Johnson did battle. Hoffman and Jack Johnson refused to give

up. The key juncture of the race came on the 74th lap as McCreadie and

Danny Johnson, running first and second, came up on a lapped car. Contact was made as the pair tried to pass the slower

vehicle. Suddenly, Hoffman was in the lead and Jack Johnson found himself

in second place. On the 79th lap Jack Johnson's oil pressure went away

and he headed for the pits.

However, with 12 laps to go Hoffman's right rear tire went flat, he

slowed on the backstretch and Danny took the lead. A late yellow bunched

the field. However, down the stretch Brightbill kept McCreadie at bay.

McCreadie tried the low road down the stretch while Brightbill liked the outside.

At the checker it was Danny Johnson with the win followed by Kenny

Brightbill, Bob McCreadie, Jimmy Horton and Tim Fuller (in Tim

McCreadie's small block). Completing the top ten were Brett Hearn, Tim

McCreadie, Scott Prentice, Steve Bottcher and Jeff Hoetzler.

In the companion dwarf feature Troy Van Allen won his second feature

of the year as he passed Jim Gray on the 13th lap of the twenty-lap

feature event. Gray took the early lead while a second place battle

pitted Buddy Lewis, C.J. Crawford and Frank Doll Jr. With the race halfway through it was Gray and Van Allen followed

tightly by Doll and Crawford.

A late race yellow caused by David Orr's crash into the homestretch

wall bunched the field. Troy Van Allen held on for the win while Jim Gray

was second, C.J. Crawford third, Buddy Lewis fourth and Greg Furlong in

fifth.

Pit Stops-Modified heats went to Brightbill, Tim McCreadie, Steve

Paine in a photo finish with Bobby Varin and Hoffman...Pat Ward won the

12 car consolation...Jimmy Horton flipped in his heat and was forced to

go to the back up car...The Rush Hour show proved exciting to the fans and the action was over well before 10:30

p.m...Speedo the Clown and Transaurus were on hand to add to the

excitement...Jeff Hoetzler lost a cylinder in the early going...Those

drivers not qualifying for the main event included Bucky Hayes, Donnie Wetmore, and Gary Tompkins (damage in warm ups) while Tim

Fuller's car was out with mechanical problems.

Skoal DIRT 97 Lap Feature-Danny Johnson, Kenny Brightbill, Bob

McCreadie, Jim Horton, Tim Fuller, Brett Hearn, Tim McCreadie, Scott

Prentice, Steve Bottcher, Jeff Hoetzler, Pat Ward, Vic Coffey, Billy

Decker, Jeff Sykes, Gill Tegg, Dave Camara, Jim Phelps,Doug Hoffman, Steve Paine, Shawn Donnath, Jack Johnson, Tom Sears, Frank

Cozze, Bob Varin, Bill Gill, Alan Johnson, Steve Hulsizer, Dana Wagner,

Kenny Tremont, Ray Bliss, Gordy Button, Roger Phelps.

Dwarf Feature-Troy Van Allen, Jim Gray, C.J. Crawford, Buddy Lewis,

Greg Furlong, Jim Coher, Kevin Doll, Chuck Weiland, Bill Teliska, Ed

Bell, Darren Forbes, Scott Nash, Bob Bird, Ted Clinton, J.T. Harder, Jim

Fredenburg, Eric Crawford, Kelly Skinner, Frank Doll, David Orr, Alan Ziprich, Butch Wadsworth and Pat Pontello.