JIM NARROW CLAIMS FIRST 358 WIN AT CAN-AM

CLARK, KELLER, VANTASSEL, PITTS AND BUSHEY OTHER WINNERS

A break in the usual rainy weekend weather saw a great crowd at the

Can-Am Speedway this past Saturday on Marcinko Trailer Sales and Dyke

Engineering night. Over 80 cars were in attendance and the fans were

treated to some the best racing of the season, with some new winners

visiting victory lane.

The best race of the night was without a doubt the 358 DIRT Modified

feature. The fans were on their feet and cheering throughout the entire

25 lap distance. Local racer Jim Narrow, from Calcium, battled for the

lead with the some of the best Can-Am has to offer. Pat O'Brien and Rick

Wilson tried everything that they have learned over the years, to steal

that first ever win away from Narrow but it was not going to happen on

this night at Can-Am. Narrow and Steve Bilow brought the full field of

24 cars to the green and it was Narrow who set the pace. Wilson moved

into the number two spot on lap six while O'Brien battled his way to the

front from starting position number 15. At the halfway point in the

event it was Narrow, O'Brien, Wilson, Tim McCreadie and Tim Fuller.

McCreadie, Fuller and Wilson came off turn two, three wide on lap 17 and

McCreadie would spin to the infield to bring out the final caution of the

race. Narrow held on for the very popular win in the Fastlube of

Watertown 27 followed by the Plooy Performance 24ka of Wilson, O'Brien in

the Pat's Radiator number 6, Fuller in the Kinney Drugs 19 and rookie

Lansing Petzoldt in the Wakefield General Store number 29.

The 15 lap DIRT Sportsman main saw a pair of rookies, Jason Blair

and Dave Surace on the front row. Blair looked strong in the early

portion of the event but it was another Narrow, Jeff who would take the

lead away on lap 6. Narrow, another rookie, would try to make it a

family sweep of the two DIRT sanctioned divisions on this night at Can-Am

by leading through the mid-way point. Narrow would hold on until lap 9

when Mike Clark took over the number one spot. With five laps to go

Clark was shown as the leader followed by Narrow and last weeks winner

Scott Britton. Clark would hang on for his first win of the season in

the River Valley Inn 545, Narrow had another great run to come home

second in the Fastlube of Watertown 27, followed by Kevin Fleming in the

E.D. Young number 6, the Britton Construction 45m of Britton and the

Custom Plans 117 of Rich Hall.

Nine cars would take the green in the IMCA Modified feature. Ron

O'Neil and Jim Graves led the pack into turn one with Graves showing the

way. Graves looked as though he may have been the man to beat on this

night but two time winner Rob Keller had other ideas and stole the lead

away on lap 5. The race would go caution free for the second week in a

row and Keller would pick up his third win in as many starts at Can-Am

this season followed by Graves with a great in second, Tom Horning, Glen

Irwin and Neil Edgar rounded out the top five.

Luke Gibeau and Ronnie McConnell brought the Late Models to the line

but as they entered turn one the two leaders got together and McConnell

spun onto the infield and Gibeau went to the pit area. When racing

resumed Stan Parker was the leader followed by Walt VanTassel and Jeff

Papin. VanTassel took the lead away at the halfway point with Papin

following him into second spot. The race went caution free after the

first lap mishap and VanTassel would claim his second win of the season

in the VanTassel Moving and Storage number 511, last years point champion

Papin was second followed by the P&S Builders 32x, the 20 of Tim Busler

and the Northern Federal Credit Union number 2 of last weeks winner Ben

Tucker.

In the Street Stock 12 lap feature Steve Rookey and Laurie Handschuh

paced the strong field of competitors with Handschuh picking up the lead

early. Her lead would be short though as Nick Makuch took over on lap 2.

The caution came out on lap 3 for a bad crash involving Brian Salisbury

who rolled a number of times coming out of turn four. Salisbury was

shaken but otherwise ok, but the car suffered severe damage. On the

restart Al Pitts got a run on Makuch and took over the lead. Pitts

opened up a comfortable lead and went on for the win in the Barstow

Motors number 88, followed by the North Country Welding 400 of Makuch,

the 18 of Bill Eisele, Terry Ingersol in the 747 and rookie Andy Wells in

the 37j.

Clint Middlemiss took the early lead in the Economy Stock feature

from front row starters Les Sanford and Irv Miller. Middlemiss held the

lead through lap 2 when the pink panther of Roger Bushey moved to the

front. A lap 6 caution for last weeks feature winner Kyle Sharp

tightened the pack but Bushey was strong and took his first win of 1997,

Middlemiss had a good run to come across in second followed by rookie

Randy Allen, Mark Baltz and point leader Rick Dusckas.

Next Saturday night will be McQuade and Bannigan night at the Can-Am

Speedway. Gates will open at 5:00 with racing getting underway at 7:00.

General admission is still just $8.00 for adult with kids 8 and under

always admitted free. For more information call the Speedway at (315)

658-4431.

PEPSI-COLA/MT. DEW

358 DIRT MODIFIED FINISH: Jim Narrow, Rick Wilson, Pat O' Brien, Tim

Fuller, Lansing Petzoldt, Jeff Sykes, Dale Eggleston, Steve Roberts,

Billy Wilcox, Tim McCreadie, Dave Barlett, BJ Vock, Rick Amo, Robert

Ostrander, Bob Melone, Paul Pekkonen, Bucky Hayes, Steve Bilow, Bob

Bennett, John Ramsey, Ed Chrysler, Bill Woodward DNS: Lee Gill, Kevin

Martin, Bob Thurston Jr.

FASTLUBE OF WATERTOWN

DIRT SPORTSMAN FINISH: Mike Clark, Jeff Narrow, Kevin Fleming, Scott

Britton, Rich Hall, Goerge McIntyre, Billy Caprara, Jason Blair, RJ

Gibbons, Rob Galloway, Scott MacCue, Dave Surace, Sam Vanderlinden, Steve

Hall, Todd Stewart, Dave O'Conner DNS: Todd VanTassel, Rick McCreadie

BERNHEISEL RACE CARS

IMCA MODIFIED FINISH: Rob Keller, Jim Graves, Tom Horning, Glen Irwin,

Neil Edgar, Debbie Stevenson, Ron O' Niel

LATE MODEL FINISH: Walt VanTassel, Jeff Papin, Stan Parker, Tim Busler,

Ben Tucker, Luke Gibeau, Scott Kelcey, Ronnie McConnell

APPLEDALE FARMERS MARKET

STREET STOCK FINISH: Al Pitts, Nick Makuch, Bill Eisele, Terry Ingersoll,

Andy Wells, Adam Moore, Steve Halliday, Will Glass, Steve Rookey, Laurie

Handschuh, Brian Salisbury, Dave Fetterly

ECONOMY STOCK FINISH: Roger Bushey, Clint Middlemiss, Randy Allen, Mark

Baltz, Rick Duckas, Craig Collier, Tim Guild, Charles Duffany, Irv

Miller, Les Sanford, Kyle Sharp, Ken Partridge, DNS; Andrew Howard