Danny Johnson Dominates Merrittville Modified Main
Posted Monday, Aug 06, 2007
Thorold, ONT — August 6, 2007 – By Tom Skibinski, Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series PR Director
He was the last driver to arrive at the track yet the fastest once the first green flag flew, and when the final checkered flag waved Danny Johnson was the first in line after dominating the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series Toolneeds 15th Trevor Wilkens Memorial 100 on Monday at Merrittville Speedway.
“Its not too often you get to go from green to checkers without even one caution,” said Johnson, 47, following his romp in the Civic Holiday Big-Block Modified special at the Thorold, Ontario oval. About the only time the second-generation pilot was slowed all night was crossing the border into the province of Ontario before the team hauler made a wrong turn en route to the track. “I guess a lot of guys didn’t plan for that and we just had a great hot rod here tonight.”
Front row partner Pete Bicknell nosed ahead of pole-sitter Johnson to complete the first circuit but Johnson pulled ahead for good the next time around and 30 minutes later was celebrating for the third time in the 2007 Advance Auto Parts Series. Just one caution period actually slowed the event on lap six when Randy Chrysler sat parked along the back chute. Johnson then proceeded to lap up to fifth-place finisher, older brother Alan Johnson, as the final 95 laps were run straight through under green.
Billy Decker improved from second to fourth during the final 10 circuits, finishing ahead of Integra Shocks Fast Timer Brett Hearn and Tim Fuller. Jimmy Phelps crossed the line sixth to earn preferred starter status for the Rite Aid 200 at Syracuse during Super DIRT Week XXXVI on Oct. 7.
A super tacky track greeted the 29 race teams that signed in with Hearn breaking a year and a half drought by collecting the Intergra Shocks Fast Time Award. Despite not a single lap yet turned aboard the Thompson Motorsports no. 27J Chiefs Tobacco & Gas-C&B Boating Adventures/Troyer, Johnson still posted the sixth quickest lap and then proceeded to cop the third and final qualifying heat in convincing fashion.
Johnson selected the pole-position start in the customary pre-race draw, with track owner Bicknell starting outside. Bicknell provided the only blemish on a near perfect night for D.J. as he edged him at the stripe to complete the first circuit. It was all orange the rest of the way, and all that remained uncertain was how many cars would finish on the lead lap when Johnson’s all-out assault was over.
After Chrysler was towed off the track following the lone yellow flag, Johnson, Fuller, Phelps, Bicknell and the most recent tour race winner Dale Planck filed into early top-five positions for the lap six restart. Blistering the tacky 1/3-miler, it only took Johnson 10 laps under green to reach the back of the pack and from there the ‘Doctor’ cut through traffic with surgical precision in a race that needed only a half-hour to complete.
The biggest movers on the night were veteran wheelmen Decker and Alan Johnson in a pair of Bicknell mounts, while points leader Hearn charged early in the Madsen Motorsports no. 20 TEO before settling for a top spot at the checkers. With a quarter of the race scored, Hearn had rocketed from 10th to fourth while Decker remained where he started in eighth as Johnson cracked the top-10 after beginning 15th on the grid.
By lap 35 Danny Johnson had opened up a ¾-straightaway advantage over his nearest challenger as 14 cars were scored on the lead lap. With the track showing few signs of slickening up, Hearn moved high around Planck for third on lap 39 yet needed another 20 circuits to track down Fuller and make the pass for second low on the front stretch.
Johnson put ninth-place runner Steve Paine down one on lap 65 and picked off ‘Super’ Matt Sheppard, who held down eighth-place, three laps later as runner-up Hearn still lagged a third of the track behind. More than a dozen laps clicked off before seventh running Planck finally went down to the leader and sixth-place chauffeur Phelps was the last to succumb to Johnson’s wrath with less than 10 to go.
“With the track conditions tonight and the bite that was up on the outside, you were able to drive like (diamond the corners) that all the way around,” said Johnson, who scored his only other Advance Auto Parts Series victory at Merrittville in August of 1990. Monday night marked his 64th career tour triumph, putting the Rochester, N.Y. native exactly 30 behind all-time AAP winner Hearn. “A lot depends on current conditions and how your car works, and the way the car worked under these conditions was really great.
“I have to thank Dave Thompson (owner) and his crew for giving me such a great ride … a Troyer car with a Morrsion motor tonight … and it really ran well. Everything worked out good for us tonight once we got to the track,” added Johnson, who passed Planck for fifth on the Advance Auto Parts Series points chart through 13 races.
Runner-up Decker got back on track, returning to the top-five for the first time since winning at Cornwall (Ont.) Motor Speedway on July 22 to retain third in the point standings. The Unadilla, N.Y. speedster moved in to challenge the front-five midway through the race before finding the fast way around steering the LJL Racing no. 91 Gypsum Wholesalers-Stadium Int'l-Quality Hardwoods/Bicknell entry.
“We set up way too tight and paid the piper, we just didn’t get going until around lap 50,” noted Decker, 42, who sped past Fuller for third on lap 90 before ducking under Hearn for second two laps later to complete the late-race rally. “I didn’t know how we were at the end compared to Dan, I know we made up a ton of ground. When we got in fourth Brett and Fuller had well over a straightaway on us, and we made up a lot of ground when they got caught in traffic. I don’t know how we stacked up at the end, (Danny) was just gone out of sight.”
Third-place finisher Hearn’s tour-high 10th top-five tally gave him some breathing room in the standings as he extended the margin to 15 points over Fuller, who settled for fourth-place at the line. “Amazing conditions tonight, everything you could ask for in a race track,” asserted Hearn, 48, who won the Advance Auto Parts Series race at Merrittville in 1991, yet his runner-up finish to Ron Smoker after a last turn, last lap pass the following year was just as memorable.
“Three and four-wide, you could go anywhere you wanted, you just had to find out where the car worked the best. It was a great race, probably one of the longest (green flag) runs I can ever remember in a 100-lap race. Inherently, a track gets slicker as the race goes on and we got a little looser at the end. Billy was a little better than we were but we’re happy with a front stretch finish. Every race you got to take one at a time. Tim Fuller is right there (in points) with me, so that position swap between him and I was meaningful.”
The mighty DIRTcar Modifieds return stateside for a pair of Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series events spread across New York to close out the week. Canandaigua Speedway stages the ‘Thursday Thunder Twin 50s’ on Aug. 9 before teams head east to the Capital District for the ‘Budweiser 100’ at Lebanon Valley Speedway on Saturday, Aug. 11. Each winner stands to collect the $6,000 top prize along with valuable points towards the overall Hoosier-Sunoco Mr. DIRTcar Championship for Big-Block Modifieds.
Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series Race #13 – Merrittville Speedway, August 6, 2007 Toolneeds 15th Trevor Wilkens Memorial 100 Big-Block Modified Event Summary
FIN STR CAR# DRIVER
1 1 27j Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY ($6,000)
2 8 91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY
3 10 20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ
4 3 19 Tim Fuller/Edwards, NY
5 15 14j Alan Johnson/Middlesex,NY
6 5 98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY
7 6 77x Dale Planck/Cortland,NY
8 11 44s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY
9 13 23 Larry Lampman,Jr./Port Colborne,ONT
10 4 7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY
11 9 49 Billy Dunn/Watertown,NY
12 19 26 Rick Richner/Niagara Falls,NY
13 17 22 Stewart Friesen/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT
14 7 3 Justin Haers/Phelps,NY
15 26 52 Todd Gordon/St.Catharines,ONT
16 21 t21 Roger Chrysler/Lewiston,NY
17 16 56 Dereck Lemyre/Hamilton,ONT
18 18 21k Randy Chrysler/Lewiston,NY
19 2 42 Pete Bicknell/St.Catharines,ONT
20 14 112 Frank Cozze/Wind Gap,PA
21 12 84 Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY
22 25 38 Scott Wood/Thorold,ONT
23 20 15j Tim Jones/Sanborn,NY
24 23 31 George Bosse/St.Catharines,ONT
25 22 80 Chris Steele/Fenwick,ONT
26 24 9 Ken Cosgrove/Thorold,ONT
27 27 54j Boyd MacTavish/St.Catharines,ONT
28 28 123 Robbie Krull/Cambria,NY
29 29 3b Chad Brachmann/Sanborn,NY
GATER NEWS LAP LEADERS: Bicknell (1), D.Johnson (2-100).
CAUTION: 1 (lap 6).
RITE AID 200 QUALIFIER: Jimmy Phelps (P).
BERT HARD CHARGER: Todd Gordon.
QUALIFYING
FAST AVE
TIME MPH CAR# DRIVER
1 15.383 78.008 20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ
*$100 Integra Shocks Fast Qualifier Award
2 15.551 77.165 77x Dale Planck/Cortland,NY
3 15.552 77.160 91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY
4 15.686 76.501 44s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY
5 15.736 76.258 84 Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY
6 15.786 76.017 27j Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY
7 15.789 76.002 3 Justin Haers/Phelps,NY
8 15.797 75.964 49 Billy Dunn/Watertown,NY
9 15.811 75.897 98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY
10 15.840 75.758 23 Larry Lampman,Jr./Port Colborne,ONT
11 15.873 75.600 112 Frank Cozze/Wind Gap,PA
12 15.874 75.595 14j Alan Johnson/Middlesex,NY
13 15.884 75.548 7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY
14 15.954 75.216 19 Tim Fuller/Edwards, NY
15 16.136 74.368 42 Pete Bicknell/St.Catharines,ONT
16 16.152 74.294 56 Dereck Lemyre/Hamilton,ONT
17 16.217 73.996 22 Stewart Friesen/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT
18 16.261 73.796 21k Randy Chrysler/Lewiston,NY
19 16.391 73.211 80 Chris Steele/Fenwick,ONT
20 16.404 73.153 31 George Bosse/St.Catharines,ONT
21 16.474 72.842 9 Ken Cosgrove/Thorold,ONT
22 16.498 72.736 123 Robbie Krull/Cambria,NY
23 16.500 72.727 t21 Roger Chrysler/Lewiston,NY
24 16.511 72.679 15j Tim Jones/Sanborn,NY
25 16.582 72.368 26 Rick Richner/Niagara Falls,NY
26 16.593 72.320 3b Chad Brachmann/Sanborn,NY
27 16.669 71.990 54j Boyd MacTavish/St.Catharines,ONT
28 16.970 70.713 52 Todd Gordon/St.Catharines,ONT
29 17.113 70.122 38 Scott Wood/Thorold,ONT
Heat Races (10 laps, top 6 finishers transferred to feature, top 4 went to re-draw)
#1: Sheppard, Hearn, Haers, Paine, Lampman, Lemyre, Richner, Steele, Gordon, Krull.
#2: Planck, Tomkins, Dunn, Fuller, Cozze, Friesen, Ro.Chrysler, Bosse, Wood, Brachmann (DNS).
#3: D.Johnson, Decker, Phelps, Bicknell, A.Johnson, Ra.Chrysler, Cosgrove, Jones, MacTavish.
Consolation Round (10 laps, all finishers transferred to feature)
#1: Richner, Jones, Ra.Chrysler, Steele, Bosse, Cosgrove, Wood, Gordon, MacTavish, Krull (DNS), Brachmann (DNS).
Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series Point Standings (Through Aug. 6, 2007)
Rank No. Driver Points Diff Wins Top-5 Top-10 Starts
1 20 Brett Hearn 1,048 0 3 10 12 13
2 19 Tim Fuller 1,033 -15 1 8 13 13
3 91 Billy Decker 966 -82 1 7 9 13
4 7x Steve Paine 919 -129 0 4 10 13
5 27j Danny Johnson 917 -131 3 6 8 13
6 77x Dale Planck 895 -153 1 3 9 13
7 98h Jimmy Phelps 885 -163 0 5 10 13
8 44s Matt Sheppard 843 -205 0 3 9 13
9 44 Frank Cozze 788 -260 1 2 6 13
10 14j Alan Johnson 763 -285 1 3 5 13
11 84 Gary Tomkins 739 -309 1 3 5 13
12 3 Justin Haers 596 -452 0 1 4 11
13 49 Billy Dunn 529 -519 0 0 1 11
14 32c Vic Coffey 376 -672 0 1 4 7
15 42p Pat Ward 331 -717 0 3 4 5
16 60 Kenny Stafford 326 -722 0 0 0 8
17 42b Kevin Bates 315 -733 0 0 1 7
18 6 Pat O'Brien 261 -787 1 1 2 4
19 1a Brian Weaver 250 -798 0 0 1 5
20 22g Mitch Gibbs 205 -843 0 0 0 5
21 3b Chad Brachmann 201 -847 0 0 3 4
22 14 Rick Laubach 199 -849 0 1 2 3
23 66w Wallace Stacey® 192 -856 0 0 0 3
24 21 Yan Bussiere 167 -881 0 0 0 3
25 99a Mike Adderley 164 -884 0 0 1 4
26 13 Brett Tonkin 162 -886 0 0 0 4
27 t21 Roger Chrysler® 158 -890 0 0 0 3
28 48t Dave Rauscher 150 -898 0 0 0 4
29 99 Ryan Phelps 147 -901 0 0 0 3
30 56 Vince Vitale 130 -918 0 0 0 4
31 39 Clement Therrien 121 -927 0 1 1 2
32 42 Jimmy Horton 120 -928 0 0 1 2
33 62s Tom Sears Jr. 114 -934 0 0 1 2
34 42 Pete Bicknell 113 -935 0 0 1 2
35 X Chad Phelps 111 -937 0 0 0 3
36 83 Brian Swartzlander 108 -940 0 0 0 2
37 26 Rick Richner 106 -942 0 0 0 2
38 18 Sean Beardsley 104 -944 0 0 0 3
39 02 Roy Bresnahan 100 -948 0 0 0 2
40 1 Jeff Sykes 99 -949 0 0 0 2
41 26 Ryan Godown 98 -950 0 1 1 1
42 37x Tom Scheetz Jr.® 96 -952 0 0 0 2
43 99b Chuck Bower 94 -954 0 0 0 3
44 xXx Todd Gordon 92 -956 0 0 0 2
45 71 David VanHorn 92 -956 0 0 0 3
46 r2 Rusty Smith 92 -956 0 0 0 2
47 114 Duane Howard 91 -957 0 1 1 1
48 91d John Willman 90 -958 0 0 0 2
49 33.3 Tommy Meier 88 -960 0 0 0 2
50 115 Stephane LaFrance 86 -962 0 0 0 2
51 88 Steve Hulsizer 85 -963 0 0 0 3
52 24 Jim Witko Jr. 83 -965 0 0 0 2
53 1r Mike Ricci 83 -965 0 1 1 1
54 46 Jeremy Smith 82 -966 0 0 0 2
55 5 Jason Potter 81 -967 0 0 0 2
56 123 Robbie Krull 80 -968 0 0 0 2
57 95 Mark Hitchcock 80 -968 0 0 0 2
58 0 Russ Hefti® 79 -969 0 0 0 2
59 usa1 Richie Tobias 68 -980 0 0 1 1
60 23 Larry Lampman Jr. 65 -983 0 0 1 1
61 5 Chuck McKee 65 -983 0 0 1 1
62 42 Willy Decker 63 -985 0 0 0 1
63 22 Mario Clair 62 -986 0 0 1 1
64 55 Perry Francis 61 -987 0 0 0 1
65 1 Darwin Greene® 61 -987 0 0 0 1
66 118 Mike DePalma 61 -987 0 0 0 1
67 46 Kayle Robidoux 60 -988 0 0 0 1
68 47 Jerry Higbie 60 -988 0 0 0 1
69 2 Michel Dusseault 58 -990 0 0 0 1
70 90 Martin Roy 58 -990 0 0 0 1
71 7j Jeff Isabell 57 -991 0 0 0 1
72 22 Stewart Friesen 56 -992 0 0 0 1
73 21k Randy Chrysler 56 -992 0 0 0 1
74 16x Lance Willix II 56 -992 0 0 0 1
75 32 Cliff Ehrmann 55 -993 0 0 0 1
76 Z Butch Tittle 55 -993 0 0 0 1
77 172 Andre Gauthier 54 -994 0 0 0 1
78 66 Kyle Dingwall 54 -994 0 0 0 1
79 43 Jimmy Horton IV 54 -994 0 0 0 1
80 777 Kevin Bolland 54 -994 0 0 0 1
81 14r Ryan Odasz 53 -995 0 0 0 1
82 23 Danny Bilodeau 52 -996 0 0 0 1
83 327 Brad Missimer 52 -996 0 0 0 1
84 98 Kenny Wallace 52 -996 0 0 0 1
85 07 Chris Jones 51 -997 0 0 0 1
86 41 Boyd MacTavish 50 -998 0 0 0 1
87 007 Roy Tarbell 50 -998 0 0 0 1
88 00 Doug Manmiller 50 -998 0 0 0 1
89 7 Sam Crogan 50 -998 0 0 0 1
90 16 Mike Bowman 50 -998 0 0 0 2
91 73 Rick Mills 50 -998 0 0 0 1
92 115 Kenny Tremont 50 -998 0 0 0 1
93 73 Alain Boisvert 49 -999 0 0 0 1
94 126 Jeff Strunk 49 -999 0 0 0 1
95 24 Chris Shultz 49 -999 0 0 0 1
96 56 Dereck Lemyre 48 -1,000 0 0 0 1
97 48 Patrick Picotin 46 -1,002 0 0 0 1
98 12 Lee Ladouceur 46 -1,002 0 0 0 1
99 19 Kenny Brightbill 46 -1,002 0 0 0 1
100 89b Todd Burley 46 -1,002 0 0 0 1
101 96 Gino Clair 45 -1,003 0 0 0 1
102 99 Ron Valade 45 -1,003 0 0 0 1
103 28 Ric Hill 45 -1,003 0 0 0 1
104 44f Sebastien Gougeon 44 -1,004 0 0 0 1
105 66 Jeff Heotzler 44 -1,004 0 0 0 1
106 39w Chuck Tucker 44 -1,004 0 0 0 1
107 81 Eric Landry 43 -1,005 0 0 0 1
108 25 Mike Kolka 43 -1,005 0 0 0 1
109 m40 Mark Forte 43 -1,005 0 0 0 1
110 38 Scott Wood 42 -1,006 0 0 0 1
111 72 Billy Price 42 -1,006 0 0 0 1
112 66 Fredrick Gamache 42 -1,006 0 0 0 1
113 7k Scott Kerwin 42 -1,006 0 0 0 1
114 10 Rich Eurich 42 -1,006 0 0 0 1
115 21 Clinton Mills® 42 -1,006 0 0 0 1
116 15j Tim Jones 41 -1,007 0 0 0 1
117 7 Patrice Demers 41 -1,007 0 0 0 1
118 23 Laurent Ladouceur 41 -1,007 0 0 0 1
119 84 Dave Heaslip 41 -1,007 0 0 0 1
120 41 Shawn Reimert 41 -1,007 0 0 0 1
121 111 Kevin Wills 41 -1,007 0 0 0 1
122 44 Shannon Whaley 41 -1,007 0 0 0 2
123 673 Joe Morel® 41 -1,007 0 0 0 1
124 55 Tim McCreadie 41 -1,007 0 0 0 1
125 31 George Bosse 40 -1,008 0 0 0 1
126 80 Chris Steele 40 -1,008 0 0 0 1
127 9 Ken Cosgrove 40 -1,008 0 0 0 1
128 19k Paul Kinney 40 -1,008 0 0 0 1
129 1 David Hebert 40 -1,008 0 0 0 1
130 2b Steve Bernard 40 -1,008 0 0 0 1
131 29 Gilles Bessette 40 -1,008 0 0 0 1
132 3 Bill Mullin 40 -1,008 0 0 0 1
133 19b Bryan Kressley 40 -1,008 0 0 0 1
134 118 Shawn Merkel 40 -1,008 0 0 0 1
135 33 Ray Swinehart 40 -1,008 0 0 0 1
136 85 Jim Robertson 40 -1,008 0 0 0 1
137 35 Adam Turner 40 -1,008 0 0 0 1
138 61 Bryan Rogers 40 -1,008 0 0 0 1
139 25 Bobby Herrington 40 -1,008 0 0 0 1
140 60x Bill Gill 40 -1,008 0 0 0 1
141 20 Jeff McGinnis 40 -1,008 0 0 0 1
142 54j Dave Just 40 -1,008 0 0 0 1
143 93 Richie Vinson 40 -1,008 0 0 0 1
144 19k Joe Kubiniec 40 -1,008 0 0 0 1
145 85 Dan Vauter 40 -1,008 0 0 0 1
146 47 Scott Prentice 40 -1,008 0 0 0 1
147 53 Dave Franek 40 -1,008 0 0 0 1
148 j66 Jared Petruska 40 -1,008 0 0 0 1
149 00 David Reutimann 40 -1,008 0 0 0 1
150 53e Carl Edwards 40 -1,008 0 0 0 1
151 45 Wayne Jelley 40 -1,008 0 0 0 1
152 93 Ryan Bartlett 40 -1,008 0 0 0 1
153 117 Kevin Hirthler 40 -1,008 0 0 0 1
154 25 Mike Kolka 40 -1,008 0 0 0 1
155 7j Joe Isabell 25 -1,023 0 0 0 1
Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series Modified Entries – August 6 (29)
CAR# DRIVER / HOMETOWN TEAM (Sponsor / Chassis / Engine)
3 Justin Haers/Phelps,NY Phelps Cement Products-SMV Motorsports-Jeff Jolly Masonry/Bicknell/Finger Lakes
3b Chad Brachmann/Sanborn,NY Original Pizza Logs/Bicknell/Honest Abe's
7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY Tallmadge Tire-Terrell's Potato Chips-Swarthout Recycling/Troyer/Finger Lakes
9 Ken Cosgrove/Thorold,ONT White Oak Transport-Ironwood Health Management Group/Bicknell/Cosgrove
14j Alan Johnson/Middlesex,NY Bully's Truck Stop-CFF,Inc./Bicknell/Morrison
15j Tim Jones/Sanborn,NY King Oil-Nu Craft Windows/Bicknell/Balancing Act
19 Tim Fuller/Edwards, NY JL Motorsports-Chiefs Tobacco & Gas-G&R Auto Parts/TEO/Enders
20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ Madsen Mtrsports-Wentworth Custom Homes-Kruger-WLR/TEO/Enders
21k Randy Chrysler/Lewiston,NY NECO Distributors-Randy's Smoke Shop-Joey's Sneaks/Bicknell/Chevrolet
t21 Roger Chrysler/Lewiston,NY Iroquois Water-Randy's Smoke Shop-Joey's Sneaks/Bicknell/Campbell
22 Stewart Friesen/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT Desks Plus-Garden City Auto-Players Athletic Lager Co./Bicknell/C&C Perform.
23 Larry Lampman,Jr./Port Colborne,ONT J&S Heating & AC-Young Auto Professionals/Bicknell/Engine Research
26 Rick Richner/Niagara Falls,NY National Vacuum Corp.-Lazy Lakes Camping Resort/Bicknell/Gor-Den
27j Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY Thompson Motorsports-Chiefs Tobacco & Gas/Troyer/Morrison
31 George Bosse/St.Catharines,ONT Frontier Auto Dismantlers-Priority Collision/TEO/Engine Research & Development
38 Scott Wood/Thorold,ONT Henderson's Pharmasave-Investors Group/Bicknell/Armstrong
42 Pete Bicknell/St.Catharines,ONT Chevron-Texaco-Merrittville Speedway-Bicknell Race Products/Bicknell/Morrison
44s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY Currier Plastics-Magee Transport-Adam Ross/Bicknell/Finger Lakes
49 Billy Dunn/Watertown,NY Number One Speed-Fast Lube of Watertown/Bicknell/Finger Lakes
52 Todd Gordon/St.Catharines,ONT Blue Moon Potatoes-Able Auto Wrecking-Barry Toth Trucking/Bicknell/ERD
54j Boyd MacTavish/St.Catharines,ONT Ken Young Paving-DJR Racing/Just Power/Childress
56 Dereck Lemyre/Hamilton,ONT Fire-Out Fire Protection-Everlast Windows & Doors/Bicknell/Phil Lemyre
77x Dale Planck/Cortland,NY East End Auto Parts & Construction-Jacob's Excavation/Bicknell/Kevlar
80 Chris Steele/Fenwick,ONT Central Collision Services-Mac Outpost Computers/Bicknell/Fioravanti
84 Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY Honeoye Auto Parts-Red Parker & Son Excavating/Bicknell/Mastin
91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY Gypsum Wholesalers-Stadium Int'l-Quality Hardwoods/Bicknell/Enders
98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY Mohawk Northeast-New England Race Fuels/Troyer/Bruneau
112 Frank Cozze/Wind Gap,PA Dag's Auto Parts-Pine Line Auto Sales/Bicknell/Morrison
123 Robbie Krull/Cambria,NY Bailey's Convenience Store-Good Guys Transmission/Bicknell/Spina's Engine Shop
SKIDMARKS
2007 Tour Travelers: For the third straight year tour officials once again signed up the best Big-Block Modified teams in the Northeast to compete in every Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series show. The star-studded group of drivers accepting contract extensions ---those finishing among the top-12 in the final overall 2007 Hoosier Tire-Sunoco Race Fuels Mr. DIRT Championship point standings--- are reigning Mr. DIRT points king and winningest Big-Block Modified driver Alan Johnson, current Advance Auto Parts SDS points leader Matt Sheppard, ‘05 Mr. DIRT champion Tim Fuller, all-time Advance Auto Parts Series race winner Brett Hearn, ‘04 Mr. DIRT titlist Gary Tomkins, third-year tour follower Jimmy Phelps, DIRT NorthEast’s winningest ’07 driver Danny Johnson, Canandaigua Speedway record-setter Steve Paine, full-time tour follower Dale Planck, Keystone State open-wheel veteran Frank Cozze, and recent additions Billy Decker and Justin Hears.
Roster Additions: Of the 29 teams signed up for the Wilken’s Memorial, more than half of the cars were equipped with small-block powerplants. Mirroring last year’s holiday format, 100 show-up points were on the line for all of Merrittville’s regular Saturday night DIRTcar 358-Modified competitors. Larry Lampman Jr. (9th) was not only the highest finishing local, the defending track points champion earned a guaranteed starting berth in the 358-Modified Championship at Syracuse on Oct. 6 of Super DIRT Week at the New York State Fairgrounds. Rick Richner (12th) and Stewart Friesen (13th) came next with Bert ‘Hard Charger’ Todd Gordon crossing the line 15th four laps down.
Pot Holes: Crew chief Mike Burdick, in his second season serving as head wrench for Danny Johnson, missed the trip to Merrittville to work on the fleet of a half-dozen Thomspon Motorsports cars in the Watertown, N.Y. shop in preparation for a handful of Advance Auto Parts Series stops in the next 10 days. A change in carburetor following a disappointing 9th-place finish Friday at Brewerton (started 2nd) resulted in vast improvement just three days later…..Sinking Spring, Pa. legend Kenny Brightbill made the haul north to Canada despite not bringing his famous no. 19 Modified after suffering a blown motor on Friday at Georgetown (Del.) Speedway. Brightbill last competed at Merrtittville in an Advance Auto Parts Series show in the 1980s and on this night he joined Brett Hearn, Alan Johnson and Matt Sheppard signing autographs in the Dipper’s Turn 1 Bar area located behind the Turn 1 Grandstands. During heat race qualifying the ‘Shillington Slingshot’ even accompanied chief flagman Dave Farney high atop the starter’s stand…..Fellow Pennsylvanian Frank Cozze was expected to join the pre-race fanfare yet got caught up changing the seat to fit properly into the borrowed no. 112 ride from owner Jeff Rudalavage. After losing his fourth motor of ’07 in the tour race at Brewerton Speedway on Friday, Cozze was almost forced to miss the Merrittville event until landing a last-minute seat in the Dag's Auto Parts-Pine Line Auto Sales/Bicknell entry that Rudalavage himself runs regularly at Penn-Can (pa.) Speedway. Rudalavage teamed up with Alan Johnson last season to capture the coveted Mr. DIRTcar Modified Championship and his recent stint in the pits at Merrittville marked just the third tour event he’s attended in ’07 after Hagerstown and Grandview in the Keystone State. “I wanted to race at Fulton but the motor wasn’t ready yet so I went to a party with my wife,” said Rudalavage, who accounted for 60 years of trackside beside Cozze. The Merrittville event was Cozze’s third ever inside a Bicknell design without any success and he retired with after losing a plug wire with 52 laps complete…..A pair of 3rd-generation drivers were in competition on Monday night, Stewart Friesen in the Modified ranks and Brent Begolo in the entry-levell Hoosier Stock division. Friesen, son of Ransomville Speedway promoter Jamie Friesen and grandson of 1972 Cayuga County Fair Speedway Modified champion Stan Friesen, was entered in just his third DIRTcar event of the season after running two 358-Modified races at the family run Ransomville oval. Begolo, son of former Modified campaigner Jimmy Begolo and grandson of short-track veteran Jeno Begolo, is the latest to steer a 16-numbered ride adorned with Bugs Bunny on the side panels...Tour traveler Billy Decker and Merrittville regulars Todd Gordon and Billy Hogue, the defending track Hoosier Stock points champion, battled one-on-one in a special bike race held on the infield go-cart track immediately following Big-Block heat races that was won by Hogue…..100s of fans, drivers and officials enjoyed the pasta dinner provided by Club Castropignano in the turn one restaurant area, which was the backdrop for both the driver autograph tent and
the ‘As the Dirt Flies’ live interview session anchored by Merrittville P.A. Announcer Erik Tomas and guest host Shane Andrews, the voice of the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series…..Facility improvements continued to be made since last year’s appearance by the Advance Auto Parts Series stars to the 56 year-old Thorold speedplant. “We’ve made some type of improvement in just about every part of the track,” said track co-owner Pete Bicknell, as he prepped the track before buckling into his car for a qualifying run. He led the opening circuit in the feature before dropping out after running 80 laps. “From new lighting to a refinished kitchen, a lot of general maintenance along with plenty of drainage work took up most of our time.”
Get Out The Word First: RACEceiver is the Official Driver Communicator of DIRTcar Racing. A compact radio receiver that conveniently fits into a driver’s pocket, a RACEceiver allows each driver to hear directions from series officials, which greatly enhances the safety and timeliness of events. A similar version available to fans will allow RACEceiver users to hear what information series officials are relaying to the drivers. For more information about RACEceiver, visit www.raceceiver.com, call 866/301-7223, or look for their sales trailers at select events.
Tracks Know The Score: In the ongoing effort to assist every sanctioned track with presenting the best possible race programs, DIRTcar has teamed with AMB i.t. which continues to be recognized as the Official Timing System of DIRTcar racing. AMB i.t. is the world’s leader in automatic race timing and scoring systems and the DIRT organization is proud to retain the company as a valued partner in the timing and scoring of all DIRTcar Racing events.
UPCOMING EVENTS
The mighty DIRTcar Modifieds return stateside for a pair of Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series events spread across New York to close out the week. Canandaigua Speedway stages the ‘Thursday Thunder Twin 50s’ on Aug. 9 before teams head east to the Capital District for the ‘Budweiser 100’ at Lebanon Valley Speedway on Saturday, Aug. 11. Canandaigua winners will pocket $3,000 each while the Lebanon Valley victor stands to collect the $6,000 top prize along with valuable points towards the overall Hoosier-Sunoco Mr. DIRTcar Championship for Big-Block Modifieds.
2007 Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series Schedule
NP=Non-Point event.
Day-Date Laps Track Winner/Rite Aid 200 Qualifier (Location)
Wed-Feb 14 30-NP Volusia Speedway Park Danny Johnson
Thr-Feb 15 30-NP Volusia Speedway Park -rain-
Fri-Feb 16 30-NP Volusia Speedway Park Tim Fuller
Sat-Feb 17 50-NP Volusia Speedway Park Danny Johnson
Sat-Mar 31 100 Hagerstown Speedway Tim Fuller(G)
Thr-May 3 60 Virginia Motor Speedway Danny Johnson(G)
Thr-May 31 75 Orange Co Fair Speedway Frank Cozze(G)
Sat-Jun 9 100 Fulton Speedway Alan Johnson(G)
Tue-Jul 3 50 Rolling Wheels Raceway Brett Hearn(G)
Tue-Jul 3 50 Rolling Wheels Raceway Gary Tomkins(G)
Fri-Jul 6 100 Ransomville Speedway D.Johnson/Billy Decker(P)
Tue-Jul 10 100 Brockville Ont Speedway Pat O’Brien(G)
Wed-Jul 18 100 Grandview Speedway B.Hearn/Ryan Godown(P)
Sun-Jul 22 100 Cornwall Motor Speedway Billy Decker(G)
Mon-Jul 23 100 Autodrome Drummond B.Hearn/Steve Paine(P)
Fri-Aug 3 100 Brewerton Speedway Dale Planck(G)
Mon-Aug 6 100 Merrittville Speedway D.Johnson/Jimmy Phelps(P)
Thr-Aug 9 2-50 Canandaigua Speedway Canandaigua, NY
Sat-Aug 11 100 Lebanon Valley Speedway West Lebanon, NY
Wed-Aug 15 60 New Egypt Speedway New Egypt, NJ
Sat-Aug 18 2-50 Can-Am Motorsports Park LaFargeville, NY
Sun-Aug 19 2-53 Cayuga Co Fair Speedway Weedsport, NY
Sun-Sep 2 2-53 Cayuga Co Fair Speedway Weedsport, NY
Mon-Sep 3 2-50 Rolling Wheels Raceway Elbridge, NY
Sat-Sep 8 200 Lebanon Valley Speedway West Lebanon, NY
Sat-Sep 22 3-50 Rolling Wheels Raceway Elbridge, NY
Sun-Oct 7 200 New York State Fairgrnds Syracuse, NY
Sat-Oct 13 2-60 New Egypt Speedway New Egypt, NJ
Sun-Oct 21 200 Orange Co Fair Speedway Middletown, NY
*All events subject to change.
ADVANCE AUTO PARTS MODIFIED SERIES SPONSORS
The Advance Auto Parts Super DIRTcar Series is brought to fans across the Northeast by several sponsors and partners, including series sponsors Advance Auto Parts, Hoosier Racing Tire and Sunoco Race Fuels. Promotional partners include AMB i.t., F.X. Caprara Car Companies, Rite Aid Corporation and the University of Northwestern Ohio and the contingency sponsors are Bert Transmission, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Brodix Cylinder Heads, Integra Shocks, MSD Ignitions, Miller Electric Manufacturing Company and Wrisco Industries.