Cornwall Checkers To Tomkins For 2nd Straight Advance Series Triumph
Cornwall, ONT – August 17, 2008 – By Tom Skibinski, Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series PR Director
For the second straight night Gary Tomkins hit on all cylinders and the end result was a command performance at Cornwall Motor Speedway to give him his second victory of the season in the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series show. Tomkins 16th career tour triumph was worth $6,000 in the 14th Annual Akwesasne Mohawk Casino International 100 and moved him into fifth on the Advance Series points chart through 18 events.
“It wasn’t from lack of trying before, we were trying everything we could, just weren’t getting results,” noted Tomkins, after matching his victory lane march taken the previous night on U.S. soil at Can-Am Motorsports Park. The wins were his second at both Cornwall at Can-Am, with each visit to the winner’s circle made in 2004. “This was definitely worth the wait as it certainly ends a lot of frustration.”
“Picked up this car a little while ago. We had a small-block (motor) in it and it was just sitting there. The guys at Bicknell said we want you to stick a big-block in it. We were so reluctant at the time but man, what a rocket,” gushed Tomkins, as he celebrated on the podium with crew chief Mike Payne.
Billy Decker extended his Advance Series points lead with a solid runner-up finish, followed by previous night’s second-place man Jimmy Phelps, Bert/KSE Racing Products Hard Charger and Syracuse Rite Aid 200 qualifier Carey Terrance, and his RezX Racing teammate Dale Planck. Charging from 19th in the 31-car starting field, Terrance also gained preferred starter status in the prestigious Rite Aid 200 Championship race on Oct. 12 of Super DIRT Week XXXVII at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse.
By luck of the draw, top-two 2008 Advance Series point-getters Planck and Decker filed into the front row to start the 100-lap Modified main. With Planck leading the way, action was stopped when a rare red flag was thrown on the second lap following a multi-car mishap in turn two. Contact between tour regulars Steve Paine (started 4th) and Frankie Caprara (7th) kicked off a chain-reaction that involved Frenchman Alex Fortier, rookie Mitchell Jock and second-generation pilot Stephane LaFrance, who was sidelined for the night.
Back under green flag conditions, Planck continued to pace the field around the slickening quarter-miler, with Tomkins already advancing from eighth to fifth in the Doug Dulen-owned Honeoye Auto Parts no. 84 Red Parker & Son Excavating/Bicknell machine. ’08 Advance Series winners Brett Hearn and Matt Sheppard were sandwiched in between as the leaders reached traffic after just 10 laps were scored, and with five more laps complete, Planck had cruised out to a straightaway advantage.
Charging from 29th to 9th in the Zach Aubertine-owned black no. 11 TEO mount, Danny Johnson suffered more mechanical problems to force him pitside for the remainder on lap 24. In six more laps Planck had suddenly stretched out his advantage to a half-track with 7.0-seconds counted off between the second-place car of Decker. By lap 35, the ‘Natural’ had lapped through 11th-place runner Billy Dunn, with Tomkins quietly moving into third.
Tomkins grabbed the second slot from Decker on lap 40 and when the first yellow flag unfurled on lap 48 for the parked mount of Fortier, the seemingly insurmountable 2/3-track advantage had finally evaporated. By the midway point, Tomkins continued to hone in on Planck, with Decker, Sheppard, Phelps and Terrance picking up their pursuit.
“I was really surprised (on the lap 49 restart) because we could see how far Dale was ahead looking at the lap counter the way they do things with positions here,” noted Tomkins, who eventually reeled in Planck and forced the only lead change on lap 62 in a low side maneuver as the leads navigated through turns three and four. “And I said ‘man, this guy’s gone.’”
“Then after the green flag came back out all the lapped cars were staying with him and I kept on coming up to him. I don’t know if I could’ve got him or something happened to him under that caution, sealed tires or what, but my car seemed to be getting better as the race went on,” Tomkins remarked afterwards.
Once out front, taking advantage of Planck’s tires that had glazed over, Tomkins was set back by just one more caution period for Big-Block rookie Larry Wight, who had looped to the infield exiting turn four at the end of lap 73. When the action resumed, 11 cars remained on the lead lap, yet with an open track ahead, none were able to run down the leader as the laps began to dwindle.
While Tomkins ran uncontested at the front of the pack, positions directly behind him were up for grabs in the closing stages. Phelps wrestled fourth away from Sheppard on lap 86 and ducked under Planck for third on lap 94 before settling in behind Decker as the checkered flag waved. Meanwhile, Terrance got past Sheppard for fifth on lap 89 and slid around his partner Planck exiting turn four to complete lap 99 in fourth.
“So who knows, its hard to say if we could’ve caught Dale without that last caution,” added Tomkins, after the Clifton Springs, New York chauffeur posted his third top-three finish of the weekend. “What it is, is what it is, and we’re standing here right now next to the winning 84 car. I have to thank Mike and Tim, they’ve really been busting their butts on this thing and its finally starting to pay off.”
Success has been paying big dividends for runner-up Decker all season long, and his unmatched total of 15 top-five finishes in the initial 18 point races have put the Unadilla, New York pilot in a league of his own so far in 2008.
“We’re not totally big picturing it right now, we still want to win, just came up a little short and missed it by a little bit tonight,” admitted Decker, who has not finished outside the top-10 in tour competition yet this season aboard the potent LJL Racing no. 91 Gypsum Wholesalers-Stadium Int'l-Quality Hardwoods/Bicknell machine. “Cornwall was a little different than what we’re accustomed to and we didn’t make the right adjustments, that’s all there is to it.”
“Its just weird the way the track came in, we failed on adjustments, that’s all there is to it. This Gypsum Wholesalers car was pretty close, we finished second in a Super DIRT Series race so its not all bad. We’ll take it at this stage, its about consistency and running up front and we’re still managing to get that part done,” added Decker, who won the Advance Series race held last summer at the Cornwall oval.
Matching Tomkins, Decker and Planck with a trio of top-five finishes over the three-day weekend, Phelps was just as content with a third-place tally as it vaulted him into third-place in the Advance Series point standings past reigning overall Hoosier Tire Mr. DIRTcar points king Brett Hearn, who placed 11th in the last car on the lead lap.
“Once again we came on a little too late there and had what we needed at the end,” said Phelps, who ended his 2007 campaign in fourth-place on the final points chart. “We just gotta go back and work on how we can get a little better in the beginning.”
“To come out with a top-three, we’re really happy as it was a good points night (won heat). We’re getting into a rhythm now, it’s a good time for it. We’ve been pretty good everywhere we’ve went it seems like lately, so it’s a good feeling going into this last stretch. I have to thank everybody that makes this deal happen, a driver couldn’t ask for much more with such a dedicated group behind him,” added Phelps, who scored his lone win of the season at Merrittville (Ont.) Speedway in the H&H Motorsports no. 98H Mohawk N.E.-New England Race Fuels-Joe Gibbs Racing Oil/Troyer entry to open the month of August.
Point chasers in the 2008 Advance Auto Part Super DIRTcar Series take a two-week break from tour action before returning to the hub of DIRTcar Racing NorthEast for the traditional Labor Day holiday doubleheader at Cayuga County Fair Speedway on Sunday, August 31 and Rolling Wheels Raceway Park on Monday, September 1.
Point Standings (Thru Aug. 17, 2008)
1. Billy Decker 1,538
2. Dale Planck 1,369
3. Jimmy Phelps 1,319
4. Brett Hearn 1,296
5. Gary Tomkins 1,228
6. Matt Sheppard 1,210
7. Steve Paine 1,090
8. Frankie Caprara 1,014
9. Danny Johnson 972
10. Ryan Phelps 967
SKIDMARKS
All’s Well That Ends Well At Cornwall: Full fields and a fabulous fan base continue to make Cornwall Motor Speedway one of the marquee motorsports facilities riding under the DIRTcar Racing NorthEast umbrella. For the third consecutive night, a capacity crowd greeted Advance Series racers and great support was given by the locals as 16 of the 37 cars in attendance housed small-block powerplants, which are standard fare at Cornwall ever Sunday night throughout the summer months. Carey Terrance (4th) and Kyle Dingwall (6th) represented the host track well as they put forth gallant efforts against their big-block brethren.
Pot Holes: Another race, another ride for Danny Johnson in round number 18 at Cornwall on Sunday. On this occasion, a broken jack shaft in the recent black no. 11 TEO entry owned by Zach Aubertine forced the ‘Doctor’ to jump into Lance Willix’s no. 16w Bicknell car just for Integra Shocks Time Trials. The no. 11 car was ready in time for Johnson to join the feature race grid, yet after rallying from 29th to 9th, the engine went sour to end his night in 27th after just 23 laps were run…..After a pair of dismal finishes at Brewerton (10th) and Can-Am (13th) for all-time Advance Series winner Brett Hearn, the ‘Jet’ climbed aboard his trusty Madsen Motorsports no. 20 Wentworth Custom Homes-Kruger-WLR/TEO used all last year for the Cornwall race yet the results remained the same as he could only muster 11th-place in Canada…..Recognized in the pit area during the event was DIRTcar Hall of Famer ‘Barefoot’ Bob McCreadie, on this night stationed alongside Pierre Dagenais helping to sort out his no. 124 Carriere Sabliere (Quarry Dagenais)/Bicknell machine.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Back to the states in just two more weeks, DIRTcar Racing NorthEast charter member tracks Cayuga County Fair Speedway and Rolling Wheels Raceway Park play host to a diverse doubleheader over the annual Labor Day holiday. The top touring stars arrive at the home of DIRTcar NE in Weedsport on Sunday, August 31 for Twin 54s at Cayuga County Fair Speedway before Rolling Wheels hosts a special $6,000-to-win 110-lapper for the Big-Blocks on Monday. September 1.
Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series
Race #18
Cornwall Motor Speedway
August 17, 2008
14th annual Akwesasne Mohawk Casino International 100’
Big Block Modified Event Summary
Feature
FIN STR CAR# DRIVER
1 8 84 Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY($6,000)
2 2 91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY
3 12 98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY
4 19 66x Carey Terrance/Akwesasne,NY
5 1 77x Dale Planck/Cortland,NY
6 5 96 Kyle Dingwall/Brockville,ONT
7 6 9s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY
8 21 99r Ryan Phelps/Fulton,NY
9 7 fx1 Frankie Caprara/Watertown,NY
10 15 3 Justin Haers/Phelps,NY
11 3 20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ
12 16 21 Yan Bussiere/Drummondville,QUE
13 18 40 Joel Doiron/Alexandria,ONT
14 24 5h David Hebert/St. Damase,QUE
15 11 14 Mitchell Jock/Akwesasne,NY®
16 27 71 Delbert LeGrow/Massena,NY
17 30 007 Roy Tarbell/Hogansburg,NY
18 23 99L Larry Wight/Phoenix,NY®
19 20 90 Martin Roy/Napierville,QUE
20 25 55 Perry Francis/Akwesasne,NY
21 9 09 Alex Fortier/Princeville,QUE
22 26 6 Pat O'Brien/Kingston,ONT
23 17 49 Billy Dunn/Watertown,NY
24 10 22 Mario Clair/St-Edmond,QUE
25 4 7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY
26 28 99 Ron Valade/North Lancaster,ONT
27 29 11 Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY
28 31 16 Gage Morin/St.Andrews,ONT®
29 22 95 Mark Hitchcock/Kingston,ONT
30 13 124 Pierre DagenaisGatineau,QUE
31 14 115 Stephane LaFrance/Morrisburg,ONT
DID NOT QUALIFY(6)
fx1x-Ryan Bartlett/Adams,NY
5-Jason Potter/Pulaski,NY
16w-Lance Willix II/Theresa,NY
17-Marc Therrien/Williamstown,ONT
19z-Jessica Zemken/Sprakers,NY
23-Laurent Ladouceur/Alexandria,ONT
EVENT SUMMARY:
LAP LEADERS: Planck (1-61), Tomkins (62-100).
CAUTIONS: 2 for 6 laps; 1 RED FLAG (lap 2).
HEAT WINNERS: J.Phelps, Jock, Fortier, Clair.
LAST CHANCE RACE WINNERS: R.Phelps, Hitchcock.
Added: Tarbell, Morin.
Point Standings (Thru Aug. 17, 2008)
1. Billy Decker 1,538
2. Dale Planck 1,369
3. Jimmy Phelps 1,319
4. Brett Hearn 1,296
5. Gary Tomkins 1,228
6. Matt Sheppard 1,210
7. Steve Paine 1,090
8. Frankie Caprara 1,014
9. Danny Johnson 972
10. Ryan Phelps 967
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 B.Decker/Carey Terrance(P)
Sun-Aug 31 Cayuga Co Fair Speedway Weedsport,NY
Mon-Sep 1 Rolling Wheels Raceway Elbridge,NY
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