Decker King of ‘Budweiser 110’ In Rolling Wheels Advance Series Holiday Show
Elbridge, NY – September 1, 2008 – By Tom Skibinski, Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series PR Director
Billy Decker continued to stay steady on course in quest of his second Hoosier Tire Mr. DIRTcar Championship as he delivered for a second straight night in Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series competition with a dominating performance in the extended ‘Budweiser 110’ presented by Honeoye Auto Parts at Rolling Wheels Raceway Park.
Decker’s first-ever victory on Labor Day at the ‘Fast Track’ tied the single-season Advance Series win mark of 10 set by reigning overall Mr. DIRTcar Big-Block Modified points king Brett Hearn in 2002. Ironically, Monday was Hearn’s 50th birthday and Decker cut the celebration short after securing his second tour triumph of 2008 at Rolling Wheels, this one worth a cool $6 grand.
“That’s (record) nice to have, but I just hope we don’t end the season tied,” smiled Decker, after staging yet another dominating performance in a race that was lengthened to 115 laps due to a pair of late race yellow flags as fuel consumption became a factor beyond the century mark. “Any of our success has just been a product of all the work that goes into this program every day of the season.”
“There’s nothing like winning, it never gets old. I can’t thank John and Laura (Wight, owners) enough, we’re having a fun year that’s for sure,” remarked Decker, following his career-best 22nd DIRTcar Big-Block victory of the season.
Decker held off Gary Tomkins to take home his seventh career Advance Series trophy from Rolling Wheels, while Hearn settled for the show position ahead of Jimmy Phelps and Alan Johnson in round 21 of the 27-race tour championship.
Following an uncharacteristically mediocre third-place finish in his qualifying heat, Decker grabbed the number position in the traditional pre-race draw to fall in first on the 30-car starting grid. It still took the Unadilla, New York veteran eight laps to dial in the potent LJL Racing no. 91 Gypsum Wholesalers-Stadium Int'l-Quality Hardwoods/Bicknell entry as front row partner Justin Haers blasted by to lead the initial half-dozen circuits.
“We didn’t think the car was that great early but it got better in the feature,” said Decker, who nosed ahead of Haers just before Pennsylvanian Frank Cozze slowed in the second turn to force out the first of 10 caution periods at the end of lap eight. “I think we were lucky to start on the point tonight, that was definitely a big plus.”
Once out front, the ‘Franklin Flyer’ opened up a comfortable lead with Matt Sheppard the closest pursuer as a half straightaway advantage separated the duo from top-five runners Haers, Steve Paine and Phelps with 15 laps on the board. Paine grabbed third on lap 19 before Decker moved into traffic for the first time the following circuit.
Stewart Friesen’s night ended early when he slowed in turns three and four to bring out a second slowdown, and it was while the field ran under caution that Sheppard suddenly ducked pitside to replace a soft left-rear tire. Paine filled the vacant second-place slot with Hearn, Haers and Phelps coming across next in line.
A handful of yellow flags unfurled prior to the halfway point with Cozze ending his night after completing just 23 laps and Danny Johnson sticking around for just 35 aboard the no. 66 Mike Petruska mount. Sheppard had a right front tread go down and called it quits after 46 circuits, although Frankie Caprara returned to action despite a flat tire knocking him from eighth-place on the 48th trip around the fast 5/8-miler.
Through all the mishaps, Tomkins was making his presence known in the Honeoye Auto Parts no. 84 Red Parker & Son Excavating/Bicknell machine as he first cracked the front-five by lap 30 and secured the runner-up position 10 circuits later. Maybe more impressive was the run being made by Dale Planck as the Advance Series points runner-up was reeling in the top-10 after starting in the back row behind the wheel of a borrowed car from owner Jeff Brownell Sr. Electrical problems in the primary RezX Racing no. 77x Grow It Hydroseeding/TEO ride during his heat and a consolation round crash forced Planck to make the last minute change thanks to Brownell, who loaned the same ride to Paine, who also charged from 29th to finish fifth at Can-Am Motorsports Park two weeks ago.
Three-quarters of the way through the race Decker and Tomkins had pulled away from the pack leaving Paine and Tim Fuller to battle for third with Hearn and Phelps spread out further back. Vic Coffey had improved from 15th to sixth until a broken tie rod sent the no. 32c Sweeteners Plus/Troyer Special behind pit wall for good following the eighth caution of the event on lap 77.
Up front the order remained intact and when the field reached the century mark 13 cars were scored on the lead lap. But that was soon to change as the new race distance ---extended from 100 to 110 laps in lieu of Advance Auto Part’s 10th year of series support--- left at least three fuel tanks dry as the final laps clicked off. Fuller was the first to run empty on lap 107, followed by Paine just before the ensuing lap 110 restart. And once the race surpassed the original prescribed length, Willy Decker came to a stop on the front chute before the field fired for a final time on lap 114.
“Scott (Jeffery, crew chief) and I talked about the longer distance all week and we changed the carburetor just for that reason,” divulged Decker, already a proven master of fuel mileage on the Syracuse Mile, where he has registered four victories in the prestigious Rite Aid 200 at the New York State Fairgrounds. “I was still worried a little at the end when those cars started dropping out. We had a lot of laps run under yellow and we had to be pretty close to running out ourselves ---just an inch left--- at the end. But Scott and the boys really work hard and applied the right stuff. That was a good race car and good things happen.”
While Decker continued to set a torrid pace in the Advance Series standings, race runner-up and fifth-place points earner Tomkins was just as happy posting his fifth top-three finish in the last six tour races.
“Its tough starting 12th when Billy’s on the pole,” said Tomkins, who also chased Decker across the line the previous night in the series stop across town at Cayuga County Fair Speedway. “I really had to use up my car a lot to get up there but I told Mike (Payne, crew chief) you can’t be disappointed finishing second. We’re real happy, it was a heckuva run and we had a heckuva race car tonight.”
“Obviously, we were off just a little bit but there’s no complaints here. When I sit in this car now I’m confident we’re going to finish well with it. My hats off to all the guys at Bicknell, they built us a super car, and Mike Mastin, he built us a super motor. It’s Doug Dulen’s (car owner) night tonight and he’s really stepped up our program. I wouldn’t be standing here without all these people.”
“Doug is a great, great fan of this sport. Thank God that he loves racing, especially the Modifieds. He’s been a great help to my career. He’s pretty much given us everything he can afford to and has really done a heck of a job for us,” Tomkins added.
A perennial pre-race favorite whenever he suits up for an Advance Series event, Hearn had to be content with his first top-five finish since capturing his landmark 100th career tour victory at Orange County Fair Speedway on July 31.
“We set up to be good at the end, we knew it was going to be a long race,” noted Hearn, who still owns an all-time best 15 Advance Series wins at Rolling Wheels with his last coming in autumn of ’07. “But we had some overheating problems so I couldn’t really run the car as hard as I wanted to through the middle part of the race. It’s been a while since we’ve been here on the front straightaway after a race so I’m pretty happy for the whole Wentworth team.”
“Have to thank Guy Madsen (car owner) and all the guys, they did a great job and third is pretty good. Rolling Wheels is a good track for us but we’ve got to do a little work. We’ve got some new (equipment) coming out soon and hopefully that will pick things up for us. This car is the one we ran every single race with last year for the championship. I haven’t raced it that much this year but its got a lot of miles on it,” said Hearn, with his ninth front-five finish of the season offering the Sussex, New Jersey star a glimmer of hope as he continues in his bid to defend the overall Hoosier Tire Mr. DIRTcar Championship through 21 races on the 2008 trail.
Point chasers in the 2008 Advance Auto Part Super DIRTcar Series return to action this Saturday, September 6 when Lebanon Valley Speedway hosts the first 200-lap event of the season with the Budweiser 200 presented by Benjamin Moore Paints taking center stage in New York State’s Capital district during Race of Kings Weekend.
Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series Race #21 – Rolling Wheels Raceway Park, September 1, 2008 ‘Budweiser 110 presented by Honeoye Auto Parts’ Big-Block Modified Event Summary
Feature
FIN STR CAR# DRIVER
1 1 91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY($6,000)
2 12 84 Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY
3 10 20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ
4 4 98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY
5 8 1j Alan Johnson/Middlesex,NY
6 29 @77x Dale Planck/Cortland,NY
7 21 02 Roy Bresnahan/Palermo,NY
8 2 3 Justin Haers/Phelps,NY
9 16 48too Dave Rauscher/Waterloo,NY
10 9 fx1 Frankie Caprara/Watertown,NY
11 7 29 Jeff Brownell Jr./Waterloo,NY
12 22 09 Willy Decker/Vernon,NY
13 5 7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY
14 11 19 Tim Fuller/Edwards, NY
15 20 91h Chad Homan/Macedon,NY
16 13 42b Kevin Bates/Lake Ariel,PA
17 25 88 Steve Hulsizer/Bridgeport,NY
18 3 99 Ryan Phelps/Fulton,NY
19 15 32c Vic Coffey/Leicester,NY
20 23 56 Pat Ward/Genoa,NY
21 28 44 Shannon Whaley/Pavilion,NY
22 27 99L Larry Wight/Phoenix,NY®
23 6 9s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY
24 30 49 Billy Dunn/Watertown,NY
25 *17 j66 Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY
26 18 44c Frank Cozze/Wind Gap,PA
27 14 1 Stewart Friesen/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT
28 24 6n Billy Pauch Jr./Frenchtown,NJ
29 26 99b Chuck Bower/Lansing,NY
30 19 93 Ryan Bartlett/Adams,NY
*Johnson started 23rd in back-up car that he qualified through consi;
@Planck drove back-up no. 29x Brownell car.
EVENT SUMMARY:
LAP LEADERS: Haers (1-7), B.Decker (8-115).
CAUTIONS: 10 for 26 laps.
HEAT WINNERS: Fuller, Hearn, R.Phelps, A.Johnson.
LAST CHANCE RACE WINNERS: Bresnahan, W.Decker.
Point Standings (Thru Sept. 1, 2008)
1. Billy Decker 1,753
2. Dale Planck 1,564
3. Jimmy Phelps 1,499
4. Brett Hearn 1,468
5. Gary Tomkins 1,432
6. Matt Sheppard 1,342
7. Steve Paine 1,208
8. Frankie Caprara 1,182
9. Justin Haers 1,105
10. Ryan Phelps 1,097
SKIDMARKS
Pauch Makes Rolling Wheels Tour Debut: Billy Pauch Jr. is the real ‘Kid’ and at the age of 21 he finally made his first Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series run at Rolling Wheels. The second-generation standout from Frenchtown, New Jersey steered the Growers Garden Center & Greenhouse no. 6n Fabrication by Tauschman/TEO entry for long-time owner Nick Noll at RWR on Monday and is expected to have a brand-new TEO Pro Car ready in time to contend at Super DIRT Week in Syracuse and Eastern States Weekend at Orange County in October. The deal recently came together after award-winning Area Auto Racing News photographer Bob Armbruster Jr. recommended Pauch since Noll had indicated he was looking to fill the vacancy. Already touring the Elbridge oval in a sprint car a few years back, the personable Pauch qualified for Rolling Wheels’ Modified main but logged only 14 laps to place 28th on the final scoresheet.
Pot Holes: A rare Advance Series stop for Integra Shocks Fast Timer Tim Fuller yet the former Mr. DIRTcar Big-Block Modified Champion adjusted well to the Labor Day conditions at Rolling Wheels. “Once you get a couple laps under you it all comes back pretty quick,” Fuller said. “I just keep forgetting some things that my crew is telling me to do” ….. Pulling into the track late was the Adam Ross Cut Stone hauler formerly owned by Randy Ross and now owned by Big-Block racer Dave Rauscher, who finished ninth in the lengthened ‘Budweiser 115’ and the last drive to complete the entire distance ….. 2002 Mr. DIRTcar Sportsman Champion Randy Chrysler made a return visit to Central New York, this time driving for his 19 year-old son and car owner Randy Jr. in a renumbered no. 88k Signal Cigarettes-Randy's Smoke Shop/Bicknell mount powered by a 358 cubic-inch JanCen powerplant. The ‘Tuscarora Twister’ said the car will be saved for specials only with remaining dates on the 2008 schedule still pending at this time after failing to qualify the car at Rolling Wheels ….. In the RWR pits without a ride was Shawn Donath, victim of a time trial crash suffered the previous night in the Advance Series show at Cayuga County. Donath relayed that the frame was bent on the Red Line Synthetic Oil no. 87 Behron Auto Glass/Troyer machine, which Troyer head Billy Colton declared junk when evaluating the recent wreckage. “We finally got some of the problems ironed out and things were starting to come together until Sunday night,” Donath said. “Now we’ve got two motors (Big, Small-Block) but nothing to put them in” ….. Commonly referred to as the silly season around the circuit, ride-swapping began in full swing on Monday at The Wheels with two more drivers signing up for competition in different cars. Willy Decker was back behind the wheel of Kyle Lewis’ no. 09 Stadium International/Bicknell car, the same one he finished sixth in last year’s Victoria 200 finale at Fulton, while Pat Ward climbed into the V&V Racing no. 56 Troyer entry traditionally driven by Vince Vitale…..
UPCOMING EVENT
The lone event on the Advance Auto Part Super DIRTcar Series next week will be the $10,000-to-win Budweiser 200 at Lebanon Valley Speedway on Saturday, September 6. The first Advance Series 200-lap event of the season also marks the lead-off ‘Grand Slam’ stop, with a special points system used that rewards each winner 150 Series points while 50 points are awarded to start.
2008 Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series Schedule
NP=Non-Point event.
*All events subject to change.
DAY-DATE TRACK WINNER/RITE AID 200 QUALIFIER
Wed-Feb 13 Volusia Speedway Park-NP Billy Pauch
Thr-Feb 14 Volusia Speedway Park-NP Brett Hearn
Fri-Feb 15 Volusia Speedway Park-NP Dale Planck
Sat-Feb 16 Volusia Speedway Park-NP Jimmy Horton
Sat-Mar 22 Hagerstown Speedway Weather-Cancelled
Thr-May 1 Virginia Motor Speedway Matt Sheppard(G)
Sun-May 4 Rolling Wheels Raceway Billy Decker(G)
Sun-May 4 Rolling Wheels Raceway Dale Planck(G)
Sun-May 25 Cayuga Co Fair Speedway D.Planck/Danny Johnson(P)
Sat-Jun 7 Fulton Speedway B.Decker/Brett Hearn(P)
Thr-Jul 3 Ransomville Speedway B.Decker/Robbie Krull(P)
Thr-Jul 10 Brockville Ont Speedway B.Decker/Jimmy Phelps(P)
Fri-Jul 11 Autodrome Granby Brett Hearn(G)
Sat-Jul 12 Autodrome Drummond D.Planck/Steve Paine(P)
Wed-Jul 16 Grandview Speedway B.Decker/Jeff Strunk(P)
Thr-Jul 17 Georgetown Speedway H.J. Bunting III(G)
Thr-Jul 31 Orange Co Fair Speedway B.Hearn/Chuck McKee(P)
Mon-Aug 4 Merrittville Speedway Jimmy Phelps(G)
Sat-Aug 9 Canandaigua Speedway B.Decker/Vic Coffey(P)
Sat-Aug 9 Canandaigua Speedway B.Decker/Justin Haers(P)
Fri-Aug 15 Brewerton Speedway B.Decker/Gary Tomkins(P)
Sat-Aug 16 Can-Am Motorsports Park Gary Tomkins(G)
Sun-Aug 17 Cornwall Motor Speedway G.Tomkins/Carey Terrance(P)
Sun-Aug 31 Cayuga Co Fair Speedway Alan Johnson(G)
Sun-Aug 31 Cayuga Co Fair Speedway B.Decker/Frankie Caprara(P)
Mon-Sep 1 Rolling Wheels Raceway B.Decker/Roy Bresnahan(P)
Sat-Sep 6 Lebanon Valley Speedway West Lebanon,NY
Fri-Sep 12 Lernerville Speedway Sarver,PA
Sat-Sep 20 Canandaigua Speedway Canandaigua,NY
Sat-Sep 27 Rolling Wheels Raceway Elbridge,NY
Sun-Oct 12 New York State Fairgrounds Syracuse,NY
Sun-Oct 19 Orange Co Fair Speedway Middletown,NY