Flag-To-Flag Wilkens Memorial Triumph At Merrittville For Alan Johnson In Advance Auto Parts Super Series Showdown

Mon - August 07, 2006 -- Merrittville Speedway

Thorold, ON

Author: Tom Skibinski, DIRT NorthEast PR Director

The scene brought back images of the 2002 season when Alan Johnson dominated the competition to claim his third career overall Hoosier Tire-Sunoco Race Fuels Mr. DIRT Modified Championship. Or maybe even flashbacks of the following season when DIRT MotorSports NorthEast’s winningest big-block driver captured four Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT Series wins and devastated the field by more than 200 points to clinch a second straight division crown. Offering possibly the clearest vision of all, the most recent triumph in the 14th Annual Trevor Wilkens Memorial 100 on Monday at Merrittville Speedway could be a sign of things to come as ‘A.J. Slideways’ claimed his first tour victory steering the first 2007 Bicknell copy coming off the line in nearly flag-to-flag fashion.

“Right now we’ve got the whole package and we’re racing as much as we can to keep it going,” said Johnson, 48, following his 11th DIRT Modified feature win of the year for the Jeff Rudalavage/Tony Laughing-owned no. 14J NativePoker.Com-WPC Associates,Inc.-Pine Line Auto Sales Team. His Advance Auto Parts SDS-high fourth extra-distance win of the season vaulted him past open-wheel rival Billy Decker and back into the points lead by 28 through 14 of the rain-reduced 25 Series races. “I’m not sure how long Jeff can keep up this hectic schedule but when you’re on a roll like this its hard to keep the car parked,” added Johnson, after scoring a convincing victory ahead of Pete Bicknell, Kenny Cosgrove, Gary Tomkins and Brett Hearn.

The only blemish all night for Johnson came during Integra Shocks Time Trials when reigning overall Mr. DIRT points king Tim Fuller posted the best single-lap mark of 15.909 sec. (75.429 mph) on the recently widened third-miler; a clocking a fraction slower than what A.J. recorded (15.803 sec.) one year earlier in a DIRT 358-Modified title race staged at the same Thorold, Ontario site. Johnson still was fourth quickest in the 34-car field on this Civic Holiday behind Hearn and Decker. All four drivers copped their respective qualifying heats but when Johnson selected the pole in the customary pre-race draw to determine feature race starting positions, the battle for runner-up laurels was all that really remained in a century grind that took only 38 minutes to confirm the final outcome.

Front row partner Todd Burley actually was computer scored ahead of Johnson as they crossed the line side-by-side on the opening lap. But after that there was no denying career DIRT big-block Modified win number 340 for the 1998 Merrittville small-block points champion. The first of four yellow flags flew on the second circuit when rookie campaigner Kenny Stafford left the track high coming off turn two. Caught up in the scramble was tour regular Jimmy Phelps, who exited into the pits for the duration with his Troyer mount suffering a broken rear-end. Johnson officially forced the only lead change on the ensuing restart with Burley, Decker, Hearn and Steve Paine the closest pursuers.

A quick second caution period took place on lap three with Tim Kerr, Dereck Lemyre and veteran Empire State invader Pat Ward involved in the turn four mishap. Back under green flag conditions Johnson began to open up a comfortable lead and needed only a dozen more laps to reach traffic. “The lapped cars weren’t really too bad tonight, sometimes they got two or three wide early on but I just waited for them to clear out to get by,” Johnson noted post-race. “Most of the time it was just a matter of watching their line and going the other way with it. The car could really go anywhere it needed to be out there.”

Decker, Burley and Hearn settled into front-running positions from the opening green while 11th-place starter Fuller was among the quickest after cracking the top-five with a quarter of the race complete. Seasoned Series regulars Danny Johnson, Dale Planck, Gary Tomkins and Paine sandwiched 8th-place driver Chad Brachmann as the leaders continued to contend in heavy traffic. Hearn overtook Burley on lap 32 and set his sights on runner-up Decker while Johnson extended his advantage to nearly a straightaway with 40 laps complete. Stafford slowed to bring out another yellow flag five laps later and by the midway point Hearn was on a mission after passing Decker for second. Fuller and a charging Tomkins followed in top-five positions with local small-block stars Cosgrove and Bicknell moving up to challenge using the inner-most lane.

The final yellow flag waved on lap 60 when Stafford looped his HS Edinger Trucking/Amsoil-sponsored TEO machine in turn four just after Tomkins had surged past Decker for third position. When the dust cleared, Fuller had also made his way past Decker with Cosgrove, Bicknell, Burley, Danny Johnson and Dale Planck filling out the top-10 with just a regular 35-lap feature race distance waiting to be coverered.

As the laps clicked off the track surface turned slicker with small-blockers Cosgrove and Bicknell demanded more attention from the capacity crowd. Bicknell muscled his way into the front-five and then ducked under Fuller with 30 laps still remaining in the show. Cosgrove followed on cue and overtook Fuller by lap 80 although Johnson’s commanding half-track lead appeared untouchable. With 10 laps to go Tomkins tested Hearn up high and shot past on the outside the following circuit to grab second place. Bicknell continued to break rank, sliding under Hearn on lap 93 and four laps later disposing of runner-up Tomkins with Cosgrove seeming to mirror every move, stealing third-place from Tomkins with the white flag in the starter’s hand. At the line it was Johnson in a landslide, taking his latest $6,000 win over Bicknell, who earned a guaranteed starting berth in the Eckerd 200 Championship during Super DIRT Week XXXV, Oct. 4-8, at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse. Cosgrove recorded a career-best third ahead of former Mr. DIRT champs Tomkins and Hearn.

“The car was pretty good and I just kept it out of trouble,” said Johnson, who finished sixth in round 13 of the Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT Series at Eldora (Oh.) Speedway on Saturday before settling for second-place behind younger brother Danny at Tri-City (Pa.) Speedway on Sunday in a 30-lapper to keep Rudalavage reeling. “After a while I just found a pattern and followed it. Fortunately, everything went our way tonight and that’s why we’re here again.”

Runner-up Bicknell was just as happy with four of his chassis designs placing in the top four spots in the first AAP big-block Modified Series race held at Merrittville since 1992. “Alan’s tough to beat wherever he goes so second is pretty good, but even better is our cars finishing in the top-four,” said Bicknell, Merrittville’s all-time Modified feature winner and 12-time DIRT 358-Modified track points champion. “Kenny was able to keep it lower than me so I had to use more front brakes to finally get underneath where there’s still a ton of bite left. We did a lot of work on the track, it’s been really rough lately and we wanted it smooth for the tour guys coming in tonight. That’s the way they like it, traveling so much you want to make as easy as possible on equipment.”

Arguably the easiest driver on equipment throughout the entire 100-lap affair was 16th-place starter Cosgrove, who settled into the inside groove early on and remained there undisturbed. “I have to thank Pete at the end, he moved me out of the way and I just followed him the rest of the race,” said Cosgrove, who ranks behind only points leader Larry Lampman Jr. and Bicknell in the current Merrittville standings with one feature win to his credit aboard the no. 9 White Oak Transport-Braun Construction/Bicknell entry. “It was a long race and I just had to stay patient and try to save the tires for the end.”

Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT Series Race #14 – Merrittville Speedway, August 7, 2006 ‘Toolneeds 14th Trevor Wilkens Memorial 100’ Modified Event Summary

FIN STR CAR# DRIVER

1 1 14j Alan Johnson/Phelps,NY ($6,000)

2 18 42 Pete Bicknell/St.Catharines,ONT

3 16 9 Ken Cosgrove/St.Catharines,ONT

4 13 1 Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY

5 6 20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ

6 11 19 Tim Fuller/Edwards, NY

7 9 73 Dale Planck/Cortland,NY

8 25 44s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY

9 3 91d Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY

10 4 27j Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY

11 5 7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY

12 2 62 Todd Burley/Spencerport,NY

13 7 42p Pat Ward/Genoa,NY

14 19 3b Chad Brachmann/Wheatfield,NY

15 10 rp23 Larry Lampman,Jr./Port Colborne,ONT

16 8 44c Frank Cozze/Wind Gap,PA

17 23 26 Rick Richner/Niagara Falls,NY

18 21 22 Dan Miller/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT

19 15 1f Adam Ferri/Port Colborne,ONT

20 28 96c Fred Carleton/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT

21 26 60 Kenny Stafford/Homer,NY

22 29 07 Tim Kerr/Picton,ONT

23 12 6j Joe Isabell/Pennellville,NY

24 24 xXx Todd Gordon/St.Catharines,ONT

25 20 15j Tim Jones/Sanborn,NY

26 17 123 Robbie Krull/Cambria,NY

27 27 44 Brian Stevens/St.Catharines,ONT

28 30 56 Dereck Lemyre/Hamilton,ONT

29 14 98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY

30 22 91 Travis Cunningham/Grimsby,ONT

LAP LEADER: Burley (1), A. Johnson (2-100).

CAUTIONS: 4 for 4 laps.

ECKERD 200 QUALIFIER: Pete Bicknell.

QUALIFYING

FAST AVE

TIME MPH CAR# DRIVER

1 15.909 75.429 19 Tim Fuller/Edwards, NY

*$100 Integra Shocks Fast Qualifier Award

2 15.911 75.420 20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ

3 15.925 75.353 91d Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY

4 15.998 75.009 14j Alan Johnson/Phelps,NY

5 16.001 74.995 73 Dale Planck/Cortland,NY

6 16.010 74.953 44s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY

7 16.023 74.892 42p Pat Ward/Genoa,NY

8 16.061 74.715 rp23 Larry Lampman,Jr./Port Colborne,ONT

9 16.120 74.442 27j Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY

10 16.130 74.396 1 Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY

11 16.139 74.354 7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY

12 16.203 74.060 1f Adam Ferri/Port Colborne,ONT

13 16.222 73.974 44c Frank Cozze/Wind Gap,PA

14 16.286 73.683 41 Boyd MacTavish/St.Catharines,ONT

15 16.288 73.674 62 Todd Burley/Spencerport,NY

16 16.324 73.511 42 Pete Bicknell/St.Catharines,ONT

17 16.339 73.444 6j Joe Isabell/Pennellville,NY

18 16.341 73.435 56 Boyd MacTavish/St.Catharines,ONT

19 16.351 73.390 98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY

20 16.359 73.354 3b Chad Brachmann/Wheatfield,NY

21 16.383 73.247 9 Ken Cosgrove/St.Catharines,ONT

22 16.496 72.745 8j Tom Sears,Jr./Clay,NY

23 16.501 72.723 91 Travis Cunningham/Grimsby,ONT

24 16.534 72.578 22 Dan Miller/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT

25 16.545 72.529 26 Rick Richner/Niagara Falls,NY

26 16.580 72.376 15j Tim Jones/Sanborn,NY

27 16.603 72.276 60 Kenny Stafford/Homer,NY

28 16.605 72.267 38 Scott Wood/Thorold,ONT

29 16.646 72.089 37p Francisco Pereira/Etobicoke,ONT

30 16.704 71.839 xXx Todd Gordon/St.Catharines,ONT

31 16.717 71.783 44 Brian Stevens/St.Catharines,ONT

32 16.760 71.599 96c Fred Carleton/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT

33 17.272 69.477 07 Tim Kerr/Picton,ONT

34 -NT- ----- 123 Robbie Krull/Cambria,NY

Heat Races (8 laps, top-5 finishers transferred to feature, top 3 went to re-draw)

#1: Fuller, D.Johnson, Planck, Isabell, Cosgrove, MacTavish, Richner, Pereira, Kerr.

#2: Hearn, Burley, *Lemyre, Tomkins, Krull, Jones, Gordon, Sheppard, Sears.

#3: Decker, Paine, Ward, Phelps, Bicknell, Cunningham, Stevens, Stafford.

#4: A.Johnson, Lampman, Cozze, Ferri, Brachmann, Miller, Carleton, Wood.

*Disqualified after driver switch following time trials and not starting rear in heat.

Consolation Round (8 laps, top 11 finishers transferred to feature)

#1: Jones, +MacTavish, Miller, Cunningham, Richner, Gordon, Sheppard, Stafford, Stevens, Carleton, Kerr, Lemyre, Pereira, Sears (DNS), Wood (DNS).

+Disqualified due to weight infraction.

Advance Auto Parts Super Series Point Standings (through August 7, 2006)

No. Driver Points Diff Money Wins Top-5 Top-10 Starts

1 14J Alan Johnson 1,121 0 $41,625 4 9 10 14

2 91 Billy Decker 1,093 (28) $34,725 3 9 11 14

3 19 Tim Fuller 1,084 (37) $29,700 2 10 11 14

4 20 Brett Hearn 992 (129) $26,150 2 7 9 14

5 1 Gary Tomkins 939 (182) $20,450 0 7 9 14

6 42p Pat Ward 923 (198) $13,250 0 3 10 14

7 27J Danny Johnson 901 (220) $16,650 1 1 9 14

8 98h Jimmy Phelps 861 (260) $13,200 0 3 10 14

9 44s Matt Sheppard 844 (277) $11,325 0 1 8 14

10 77x Dale Planck 843 (278) $16,675 1 2 8 13

11 7x Steve Paine 796 (325) $9,650 0 1 6 14

12 44c Frank Cozze 790 (331) $8,650 0 2 5 14

13 8J Tom Sears Jr. 603 (518) $5,825 0 1 2 12

14 10 Stewart Friesen 519 (602) $3,713 0 0 2 10

15 11 Kyle Jacobs 445 (676) $3,825 0 1 1 9

16 32c Vic Coffey 426 (695) $5,775 0 2 5 7

17 3 Justin Haers 408 (713) $3,400 0 0 2 8

18 Z Butch Tittle 364 (757) $2,650 0 0 0 9

19 39 Tim McCreadie 308 (813) $6,950 0 3 4 5

20 60 Kenny Stafford 285 (836) $2,000 0 0 0 6

21 42 Jimmy Horton 255 (866) $7,100 1 1 1 4

22 6J Joe Isabell 252 (869) $1,550 0 0 0 4

23 3b Chad Brachmann 242 (879) $2,925 0 1 1 5

24 42B Kevin Bates 200 (921) $1,200 0 0 0 4

25 73 Ryan Jacobs 197 (924) $900 0 0 0 3

26 6 Pat O’Brien 195 (926) $6,500 0 2 2 2

27 62 Todd Burley 192 (929) $1,900 0 0 1 3

28 14 Rick Laubach 166 (955) $900 0 0 0 4

29 R2 Rusty Smith 156 (965) $1,100 0 0 0 3

30 90r Martin Roy 156 (965) $1,050 0 0 0 3

31 42 Pete Bicknell 152 (969) $4,350 0 1 1 2

32 18 Sean Beardsley 149 (972) $1,125 0 0 0 4

33 22g Mitch Gibbs 149 (972) $963 0 0 0 4

34 99 Ryan Phelps 133 (988) $900 0 0 0 4

35 66 Jeff Heotzler 128 (993) $2,300 0 1 1 3

36 71 David VanHorn Jr. 124 (997) $1,000 0 0 1 2

37 33.3 Tommy Meier 120 (1,001)$500 0 0 0 2

38 66 Kyle Dingwall 115 (1,006)$800 0 0 0 2

39 21 Yan Bussiere 111 (1,010)$625 0 0 0 2

40 99b Chuck Bower 109 (1,012)$600 0 0 0 2

41 11 Chris Jones 106 (1,015)$1,100 0 0 1 2

42 30 Jamie Mills 105 (1,016)$900 0 0 1 2

43 19B Kenny Brightbill 102 (1,019)$600 0 0 0 2

44 26 Ryan Godown 100 (1,021)$700 0 0 0 2

45 88 Jeff Strunk 99 (1,022)$650 0 0 0 2

46 91d Kevin Hirthler 96 (1,025)$650 0 0 0 2

47 2 Ronnie Johnson 96 (1,025)$600 0 0 0 2

48 FX1 Frankie Caprara Jr. 95 (1,026)$625 0 0 0 3

49 20D Del Rougeux Jr. 94 (1,027)$800 0 0 0 2

50 00 Doug Manmiller 93 (1,028)$600 0 0 0 2

51 9 Ken Cosgrove 90 (1,031)$2,500 0 1 1 1

52 9 Bob McCreadie 90 (1,031)$600 0 0 0 3

53 151 Brian McDonald 89 (1,032)$600 0 0 0 2

54 88 Steve Hulsizer 89 (1,032)$600 0 0 0 3

55 115 Kenny Tremont Jr. 88 (1,033)$2,000 0 1 1 1

56 357 Billy Pauch 85 (1,036)$600 0 0 0 2

57 15 Brett Tonkin 83 (1,038)$600 0 0 0 3

58 09 Alex Fortier 83 (1,038)$600 0 0 0 2

59 21 Gary Edwards Jr. 81 (1,040)$1,000 0 0 1 1

60 95 Mark Hitchcock 81 (1,040)$600 0 0 0 2

61 XXX Todd Gordon 80 (1,041)$600 0 0 0 2

62 22 Mario Clair 80 (1,041)$600 0 0 0 2

63 47 Jerry Higbie 79 (1,042)$1,400 0 0 1 1

64 17d Danny O’Brien 77 (1,044)$1,200 0 0 1 1

65 93x Craig Mitchell 75 (1,046)$1,200 0 0 1 1

66 17T Todd Town 68 (1,053)$500 0 0 0 1

67 2 Frederic Gamache 65 (1,056)$800 0 0 1 1

68 46 Kayle Robidoux 62 (1,059)$600 0 0 1 1

69 72 Ray Swinehart 60 (1,061)$300 0 0 0 1

70 99 Mike Adderley 59 (1,062)$400 0 0 0 1

71 26 Rich Richner 58 (1,063)$300 0 0 0 1

72 777 Kevin Bolland 58 (1,063)$300 0 0 0 1

73 49 Billy Dunn 58 (1,063)$300 0 0 0 1

74 23x Danny Bilodeau 56 (1,065)$350 0 0 0 1

75 3g Gary Risch Jr. 55 (1,066) $500 0 0 0 1

76 23 Larry Lampman Jr. 55 (1,066) $325 0 0 0 1

77 4 Duane Howard 54 (1,067) $300 0 0 0 1

78 12J Danny Williams 54 (1,067) $300 0 0 0 1

79 8 F. Jashembowski 53 (1,068) $300 0 0 0 1

80 8 Rich Scagliotta 53 (1,068) $300 0 0 0 1

81 07 Tim Kerr 52 (1,069) $300 0 0 0 1

82 8g Keith Swartzlander 52 (1,069) $500 0 0 0 1

83 39 Clement Therrien 52 (1,069) $300 0 0 0 1

84 66x Carey Terrance 50 (1,071) $300 0 0 0 1

85 24 Chris Shultz 48 (1,073) $300 0 0 0 1

86 44sf Sebastian Gougeon 48 (1,073) $300 0 0 0 1

87 22 Dan Miller 46 (1,075) $300 0 0 0 1

88 3 Claude Brouillard 46 (1,075) $300 0 0 0 1

89 1F Adam Ferri 45 (1,076) $300 0 0 0 1

90 14w Ryan Watt 45 (1,076) $300 0 0 0 1

91 73 Rick Mill 45 (1,076) $300 0 0 0 1

92 10 Richie Eurich 45 (1,076) $300 0 0 0 1

93 66w Wallace Stacey 45 (1,076) $300 0 0 0 1

94 20h David Hebert 45 (1,076) $300 0 0 0 1

95 96c Fred Carleton 44 (1,077) $300 0 0 0 1

96 118 Mike DePalma 44 (1,077) $300 0 0 0 1

97 81 Rich Rutski 43 (1,078) $300 0 0 0 1

98 9 Mike Ketchum 43 (1,078) $300 0 0 0 1

99 53 Dave Franek 43 (1,078) $300 0 0 0 1

100 2 Todd Stewart 43 (1,078) $300 0 0 0 1

101 21k Randy Chrysler 43 (1,078) $300 0 0 0 1

102 32 Jim Rasey 43 (1,078) $300 0 0 0 1

103 23 Laurent Ladouceur 42 (1,079) $300 0 0 0 1

104 79 Jeremy Markle 41 (1,080) $300 0 0 0 1

105 16 Lance Willix II 41 (1,080) $300 0 0 0 1

106 X Chad Phelps 41 (1,080) $300 0 0 0 2

107 15J Tim Jones 40 (1,081) $300 0 0 0 1

108 123 Ronbbie Krull 40 (1,081) $300 0 0 0 1

109 44 Brian Stevens 40 (1,081) $300 0 0 0 1

110 56 Derrick Lemyre 40 (1,081) $300 0 0 0 1

111 91 Travis Cunningham 40 (1,081) $0 0 0 0 1

112 6 Tim Harris 40 (1,081) $500 0 0 0 1

113 77 Bob Trapper 40 (1,081) $300 0 0 0 1

114 19 Chuck McKee 40 (1,081) $300 0 0 0 1

115 11 Real LaFrance 40 (1,081) $300 0 0 0 1

116 72 Alain LaPlante 40 (1,081) $300 0 0 0 1

117 3 Bill Mullin 40 (1,081) $300 0 0 0 1

118 5 Dan Jalbert 40 (1,081) $300 0 0 0 1

119 115 Stephane LaFrance 40 (1,081) $300 0 0 0 1

120 73a Alain Boisvert 40 (1,081) $300 0 0 0 1

121 12 John Mulder 40 (1,081) $300 0 0 0 1

122 7J Jeff Isabell 40 (1,081) $0 0 0 0 0

123 44w Shannon Whaley 40 (1,081) $300 0 0 0 1

124 19k Joe Kubiniec 40 (1,081) $300 0 0 0 1

125 12 Brian Sage 40 (1,081) $300 0 0 0 1

126 7NY Bill Torissi 40 (1,081) $300 0 0 0 1

127 86 Billy Pauch Jr. 40 (1,081) $300 0 0 0 1

128 12a Jack Johnson 40 (1,081) $300 0 0 0 1

129 37md Jere. Shingledecker 40 (1,081) $300 0 0 0 1

130 31 Jim Weller 40 (1,081) $300 0 0 0 1

131 2 Mark Flick 40 (1,081) $300 0 0 0 1

132 83 Brian Swartzlander 40 (1,081) $300 0 0 0 1

133 23 Jim Weller III 40 (1,081) $300 0 0 0 1

134 56 Vince Vitale 40 (1,081) $300 0 0 0 1

135 1H Tim Hindley 40 (1,081) $300 0 0 0 2

Advance Auto Parts DIRT Modified Entries – August 7 (34)

xXx Todd Gordon/St.Catharines,ONT Blue Moon Potatoes-Darryl Johnson,Inc./Bicknell/ERD

07 Tim Kerr/Picton,ONT Hubert Kerr Construction-C.F. Evans Lumber/Bicknell/Murray

1 Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY Honeoye Auto Parts-Pillsbury/Bicknell/Mastin

1f Adam Ferri/Port Colborne,ONT LaFarge North America-All Source Heat Treating/Bicknell/New Generation

3b Chad Brachmann/Wheatfield,NY Original Pizza Logs/Bicknell/JanCen

6j Joe Isabell/Pennellville,NY JIR Motorsports-A&D Structures/Bicknell/Morrison

7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY Tallmadge Tire-Terrell’s Potato Chips-Geneva Homes-J&M/TEO/Finger Lakes

8j Tom Sears,Jr./Clay,NY JIR Motorsports-Commercial Roofing & Sheet Metal,Inc./TEO/Morrison

9 Ken Cosgrove/St.Catharines,ONT White Oak Transport-Braun Construction/Bicknell/Cosgrove

14j Alan Johnson/Phelps,NY NativePoker.Com-WPC Associates,Inc.-Pine Line Auto Sales/Bicknell/Morrison

15j Tim Jones/Sanborn,NY King Oil-Nu Craft Windows/Bicknell/Fioravanti

19 Tim Fuller/Edwards, NY JL Motorsports(Native Poker)-Chiefs Tobacco&Gas-G&R Auto Prts/TEO/Enders

20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ Madsen Mtrsprts-Wentworth Custom Homes-BPG Racing-Kruger/TEO/Enders

22 Dan Miller/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT Infamous Pub Co.-Desks Plus-Garden City Auto/Bicknell/C&C Performance

rp23 Larry Lampman,Jr./Port Colborne,ONT Lampman Truck Caps-Young Auto Professionals/Bicknell/Engine Research

26 Rick Richner/Niagara Falls,NY Niagara Maintenance Contracting-Lazy Lakes Camping Resort/Bicknell/Gor-Den

27j Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY Quality Concrete-King Enterprises-Chiefs Tobacco & Gas/Troyer/Kevlar

37p Francisco Pereira/Etobicoke,ONT Pereira Racing/Bicknell/Tarnowski

38 Scott Wood/Thorold,ONT Henderson’s Pharmasave-Investors Group/Bicknell/Armstrong

41 Boyd MacTavish/St.Catharines,ONT Niagara Tools-Smith’s Speed & Pro Shop/TEO/McKey

42 Pete Bicknell/St.Catharines,ONT Chevron-Texaco-Merrittville Speedway-Bicknell Race Products/Bicknell/Morrison

42p Pat Ward/Genoa,NY Gypsum Express,Ltd.-Stadium International/Bicknell/Enders

44 Brian Stevens/St.Catharines,ONT Gaston’s Auto Sales-406 Auto Parts/Bicknell/Stevens GM Spec

44c Frank Cozze/Wind Gap,PA Waite’s General Contr-Carquest Auto-Bert Transmission/TEO/Feil-M2 Power

44s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY BKS/G-U Hardware-Currier Pastics-Adam Ross Cut Stone/Bicknell/FingerLakes

56 Dereck Lemyre/Hamilton,ONT Fire-Out Fire Protection-Everlast Windows & Doors/Bicknell/Phil Lemyre

60 Kenny Stafford/Homer,NY HS Edinger Trucking-Amsoil-Fast Line Performance/TEO/Chevy

62 Todd Burley/Spencerport,NY Mullen Industrial Handling-Trackman Replacement Rubber/Bicknell/JanCen

73 Dale Planck/Cortland,NY East End Auto Parts & Construction-Jacob’s Excavation/Bicknell/Enders

91 Travis Cunningham/Grimsby,ONT Bowens Automotive-Family Discount Depot/Bicknell/Cunningham

91d Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY Gypsum Wholesalers-Stadium Int’l-Quality Hardwoods/Bicknell/Enders

96c Fred Carleton/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT McKey Engines-Speed Palace Performance/Bicknell/McKey

98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY Mohawk Northeast-New England Race Fuels/Troyer/Bruneau-JanCen

123 Robbie Krull/Cambria,NY Bailly’s Covenience Store-Golding Trucking/Bicknell/Bob Krull

SKIDMARKS

2006 Tour 12: For the second straight year DIRT MotorSports™ has signed up the best big-block Modified teams in the Northeast to compete in every Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT Series show. The list of a dozen contracted drivers (in alphabetical order) includes popular Pennsylvania pilot Frank Cozze, four-time and defending Eckerd 200 titlist Billy Decker, reigning overall Hoosier Tire-Sunoco Race Fuels Mr. DIRT champion Tim Fuller, all-time Advance Auto Parts SDS race winner Brett Hearn, DIRT’s winningest big-block Modified driver Alan Johnson, five-time DIRT MotorSports NE Driver of the Year Danny Johnson, Canandaigua (NY) Speedway record-setter Steve Paine, second-year tour mainstay Jimmy Phelps, first-year full-time Series follower Dale Planck, rising star Matt Sheppard, former Mr. DIRT champion Gary Tomkins and 30-year open-wheel veteran Pat Ward.

SDS Roster Additions: Of the 34 teams signed up for the Wilken’s Memorial, nearly half were small-block entries with 100 show-up points on the line for all of Merrittville’s regular Saturday night DIRT 358-Modified competitors. While Bicknell and Cosgrove were the lone local campaigners to finish in the top-10, track points leader Larry Lampman Jr. (15th), Rick Richner (17th), Dan Miller (18th), Adam Ferri (19th) and Fred Carleton (20th) came home next in line.

A Bicknell Bank Shot: The fourth year of Merrittville ownership for the Bicknell and Williamson families began in the off-season with a resurfacing of the speedway to not only widen the historic 1/3-miler, but add some banking to the 55 year-old landmark. “We widened all four turns by about 10 feet and even moved the front stretch wall out eight more to give racers a smoother run-off area to get around in,” said Pete Bicknell, who never even needed the extra space up high as he clung to the lowside throughout much of the 100-lap main event on Monday. “The biggest change is the banking, especially between turns three and four. Hopefully, when guys try to make a run outside they can stay on the gas a little longer and make it stick. Down low has always been the place to be at Merrittville, lately some of the guys have been able to make it work up high in our regular 30-lappers.”

A Day Off In The Life: With Eldora running Saturday and Merrittville concluding the DIRT doubleheader on Monday, Sunday was an open date for traveling Series teams to spend in a variety of capacities. Danny Johnson (1st), Alan Johnson (2nd), Jimmy Phelps (5th), Sean Beardsley (11th), Brett Hearn (17th), Todd Town (21st) and Matt Sheppard (24th) chose to compete in the Schwab’s Ford Big Block Modified Challenge Series at Tri-City (Pa.) Speedway. Hearn actually led the initial 26 circuits before a flat tire forced him pitside and once again denied him career feature win #700. Johnson then led the final four laps in Dave Thompson’s Quality Concrete King Enterprises-Chiefs Tobacco & Gas/Troyer machine, defeating brother Alan for his second career win at Tri-City with his first logged in 1997.

Leading 2006 DIRT Modified Rookie of the Year contender Kenny Stafford, 17, went all the way back to his Homer, N.Y. homebase and uncovered no major engine problem, just a header that got knocked off in the Eldora feature go. In the meantime, he and his father changed the starter and also the rear-end after discovering a vibration in their most recent tour stop ….. Matt Sheppard experienced a broken rocker arm at Eldora and ran only a couple laps at the next night at Tri-City in the debut of a brand-new Bicknell ride ….. Pat Ward had more off-track trouble with his motorhome but managed to sneak a round of mini golf at Putt-Putt after and eight-hour haul immediately following Eldora’s final checkerd flag ….. Gary Tomkins along with Billy Decker and his crew chief Scott Jeffery visited the Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio on Sunday ….. Tim Fuller, accompanied by his wife Lori and daughter, drove all Sunday morning before taking in some fireworks over Niagara Falls in the evening ….. Dale Planck stayed overnight in Ohio then relaxed in Niagara Falls before spending some time at Planet Hollywood in the tourist district ….. Frank Cozze and crew broke a valve train and switched cars for Merrittille yet in between jobs still made time to visit Niagara Falls and take in some of the area attractions ….. the JIR Motorsports duo of Tom Sears Jr. and Joe Isabell ventured all the back to Central to pick up proper ID for their crew to cross the border in Canada the following day.

Homepage Highlights: The Official DIRT MotorSports NorthEast Web site at http://www.dirtmotorsports.com/DirtNE/SDS includes Advance Auto Parts Series driver biographies with individual statistics and pictures, race-by-race statistics, detailed track information and race coverage, series news and team press releases. There are also specific links to the 2006 DIRT MotorSports Media Guide, the Official Rulebook and the 2006 DIRT MotorSports Membership form.

Get Out The Word First: With RACEceiver now recognized as the Official Driver Communicator of DIRT MotorSports™ in 2006, fans, as well as the competing drivers, were able to hear first hand everything that was happening throughout the entire Merrittville show. 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 allows 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 various events.

Tracks Know The Score: In DIRT MotorSports™ ongoing effort to assist every sanctioned track with presenting the best possible race programs, DMS has teamed with AMB i.t. which continues to be recognized as the Official Timing System of DIRT MotorSports. 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 DIRT MotorSports events.

Eckerd Store Specials: Eckerd Pharmacies in New York and Pennsylvania will give away close to 1,000 free tickets for Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT Series/Eckerd 200 Qualifier Races held throughout the 2006 season. The popular Eckerd program is part of the promotion for the Oct. 8 Eckerd 200 Championship race at Super DIRT Week in Syracuse, N.Y. Each Eckerd Pharmacy promotion will feature DIRT driver appearances, race cars, the Eckerd “cut-away” Modified, free autograph cards and free tickets to Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT Series/Eckerd 200 Qualifier Races. Fans can find more information on the Eckerd promotion by visiting Eckerd Pharmacy online at www.eckerd.com. For race information, please visit www.dirtmotorsports.com.

DATE TRACK (PHONE) DRIVER/APPEARANCE ECKERD STORE ADDRESS

Thr-Aug 10 Canandaigua Speedway (585/394-0961) Vic Coffey / 12noon-2:00pm 539 North Main St – Canandaigua, NY

Wed-Aug 30 Brewerton Speedway (315/668-6906) Pat Ward / 12noon-2:00pm 8379 Thompson Road – Cicero, NY

Sun-Sep 3 Cayuga Co. Fair Speedway (315/834-6606) Matt Sheppard / 11:00am-1:00pm 113 Downer Street – Baldwsinville, NY

Mon-sep 4 Rolling Wheels Raceway (315/689-7809) Steve Paine / 11:00am-1:00pm 153 Grant Avenue – Auburn, NY

Sat-sep 9 Lebanon Valley Speedway (518/794-9965) Kenny Tremont / 10:00am-12noon 463 Albany-Shaker Rd – Loudonville, NY

Sat-Sep 30 Fulton Speedway (315/593-6531) Vic Coffey / 9:00am-11:00am 503 South Second St. - Fulton, NY

Mon-Oct 9 Super DIRT Week XXXV WINNER / 10:0am-12noon Eckerd, TBA

Next Event: The Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT Series continues activity back in the states when Canandaigua Speedway hosts round number 15 on Thursday, Aug. 10. The ‘Super Summer Sizzler’ 100-lapper pays out $6,000 to the winner plus offers valuable points towards the overall Hoosier-Sunoco Mr. DIRT Championship and a guaranteed starting spot in the Eckerd 200 Championship during Super DIRT Week XXXV at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse.

2006 Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT Series Schedule

NP=Non-Point event.

DAY-DATE LAPS TRACK WINNER/LOCATION

Wed-Feb 15 30-NP Volusia Speedway Park JIMMY HORTON

Thr-Feb 16 30-NP Volusia Speedway Park TIM FULLER

Fri-Feb 17 30-NP Volusia Speedway Park BRETT HEARN

Sat-Feb 18 50-NP Volusia Speedway Park BRETT HEARN

Sat-Mar 25 100 Hagerstown Speedway BRETT HEARN

Sun-May 7 50 Rolling Wheels Raceway BILLY DECKER

Sun-May 7 50 Rolling Wheels Raceway TIM FULLER

Sun-May 28 100 Cayuga Co Fair Speedway DANNY JOHNSON

Wed-Jun 14 100 Lernerville Speedway BILLY DECKER

Thr-Jun 15 100 Susquehanna Speedway JIMMY HORTON

Wed-Jun 21 100 Ransomville Speedway ALAN JOHNSON

Wed-Jun 28 100 Fulton Speedway Rain-Cancelled

Mon-Jul 3 100 Rolling Wheels Raceway Rain-Cancelled

Tue-Jul 4 100 Brockville Ont Speedway ALAN JOHNSON

Sun-Jul 9 100 Cornwall Motor Speedway DALE PLANCK

Mon-Jul 10 100 Autodrome Drummond BRETT HEARN

Thr-Jul 13 100 Orange Co Fair Speedway BILLY DECKER

Wed-Jul 19 100 Grandview Speedway ALAN JOHNSON

Sat-Aug 5 100 Eldora Speedway TIM FULLER

Mon-Aug 7 100 Merrittville Speedway ALAN JOHNSON

Thr-Aug 10 100 Canandaigua Speedway Canandaigua,NY

Wed-Aug 16 100 New Egypt Speedway New Egypt,NJ

Wed-Aug 30 100 Brewerton Speedway Brewerton,NY

Sun-Sep 3 100 Cayuga Co Fair Speedway Weedsport,NY

Mon-Sep 4 100 Rolling Wheels Raceway Elbridge,NY

Sat-Sep 9 200 Lebanon Valley Speedway West Lebanon,NY

Fri-Sep 15 100 Canandaigua Speedway Canandaigua,NY

Sat-Sep 23 200 Rolling Wheels Raceway Elbridge,NY

Sat-Sep 30 200-NP Fulton Speedway Fulton,NY

Sun-Oct 8 200 New York State Fairgrnds Syracuse,NY

Sun-Oct 15 100 Williams Grove Speedway Mechanicsburg,PA

Sun-Oct 22 200 Orange Co Fair Speedway Middletown,NY

*All events subject to change.

The DIRT MotorSports™ Advance Auto Parts Modified 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., DealMaker Auto Group and the University of Northwestern Ohio and the contingency sponsors are Bert Transmission, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, Brodix Cylinder Heads, DART Machinery, Holley HP Carburetors, Integra Shocks, MSD Ignitions, Miller Electric Manufacturing Company, Penske Shocks and Wrisco Industries.