Dale Planck Captures Career First In Cornwall Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT Series showdown

Sun - July 09, 2006 -- Cornwall Motor Speedway

Cornwall, ON

Author: Tom Skibinski, DIRT NorthEast PR Director

For the past quarter-century Dale Planck has been chasing checkered flags around Northeastern short tracks. Nearly 200 wins have been recorded during that time yet none bigger than his first Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT Series victory Sunday at Cornwall Motor Speedway. “I’ve been racing a while now, won a lot of races and some championships but this is by far the sweetest victory ever,” said Planck, who scored his 15th career DIRT Modified win at Cornwall one week before his 36th birthday. His previous 14 have been logged during the past two seasons in small-block competition, with the Cortland,N.Y. driver also capturing Cornwall’s 358-Modified points title the past two years.

Planck’s first-ever tour triumph in the 12th Annual Akwesasne Mohawk Casino International 100 was worth $6,000 and earned him 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. Alan Johnson finished eight car-lengths back while past Cornwall champion Pat O’Brien, reigning overall Hoosier Tire-Sunoco Race Fuels Mr. DIRT Champion Tim Fuller and Super DIRT Series upstart Kyle Jacobs filled out the front-five in the 25-mile main that was contested in just 35 minutes.

Contracted DIRT touring regular Matt Sheppard paced the 43-car field in Integra Shocks Time Trials, circling the challenging quarter-mile in a one-lap record time of 12.882 sec. (69.865 mph). The talented Waterloo, New York chauffeur was the only driver to crack the 13-second barrier and shattered the previous mark set by Tim McCreadie (13.029 sec.) in the same event held in 2001. Sheppard earned the pole for the first of five qualifying heats yet Planck ---himself sixth fastest in time trials--- revealed his intentions early on as he sped past to record a convincing victory in the 10-lap preliminary event.

Come feature time, the pole-position waited for Jacobs as he was the last driver participating in the customary pre-race re-draw. He held back front row partner Matt Sheppard for only the first circuit while Planck had already charged into third with five laps complete after starting ninth in the 30-car field. Planck disposed of Jacobs on lap nine and moved in to shadow the leader after Sheppard caught up to traffic a dozen circuits in. With the first 21 laps running straight through under green, Planck took advantage aboard the no. 77x East End Auto Parts & Construction-Jacob’s Excavation/Bicknell entry and ducked under Sheppard as the lead duo crossed the stripe with 18 on the scoresheet.

Alex Fortier and ’05 race runner-up Stephane LaFrance tangled on the front chute to bring out the initial yellow flag on lap 22. The mishap scattered the leaders with Planck clinging to his advantage over Sheppard, Jacobs and O’Brien, who finished second in the Fourth of July SDS special held last Tuesday at Brockville Ontario Speedway. In search of a third straight Advance Auto Parts SDS triumph, Alan Johnson cracked the front-five a quarter of the way through and methodically worked his way into the runner-up slot over the next 15 circuits. But that’s as far as DIRT’s all-time winningest big-block Modified would get as he eventually settled for runner-up honors on Ron Morin’s racy quarter-mile clay oval.

Tom Sears Jr. slowed coming out of turn two in the no. 8j JIR Motorsports team car to force a second yellow flag to fly on lap 35. The lap before Johnson overtook Jacobs for third after switching to the outside lane and quickly moved the no. 14j NativePoker.Com-WPC Associates,Inc.-Pine Line Auto Sales/Bicknell entry of owners Jeff Rudalavage and Tony Laughing close enough to challenge on lap 39. O’Brien also swept past Sheppard and the halfway point Planck had opened up a sizable advanrage over Johnson, O’Brien and Sheppard with Jacobs remaining a solid top-five contender.

Johnson closed to within three car-lengths under green with 55 laps complete before Gary Tomkins looped in turns one and two to incur another slowdown just four laps later. This seemed to play into the hands of Johnson, although Planck blasted out to a comfortable lead when the remaining 22-car field got back up to speed. The fourth and final caution period took place for an off-track incident that sidelined head flagman Alain Leblanc. A stray rock struck Leblanc on his trusty perch, knocking him out cold and leaving the final 17 laps for assistant flagger and go-cart starter Rick Emond to control.

That short distance remaining left plenty of time for Planck to regain a comfortable advantage over Johnson, leaving O’Brien, Fuller and Jacobs to settle into the front-five as the laps dwindled. Finishing further back were Sheppard, Bert ‘Hard Charger’ Jimmy Phelps (started 27th), Danny Johnson, Chris Jones and Brett Hearn rounded out the final top-10.

“It’s still hard to believe I finally won one of these,” said Planck, whose only other top-five feature finish this year was a runner-up to Jimmy Horton a month earlier at Susquehanna (Pa.) Speedway Park in mid-June. His recent win made him the 64th driver to claim an Advance Auto Parts victory since the premier Northeastern big-block Modified tour began in 1980 with point events offered towards the overall Mr. DIRT Championship. “We’ve had a good car all series, only its run decent in the beginning and then I’ve struggled at the end. Tonight I was good on the restarts but felt like I was slowing down on the longer green flag runs. Running at Cornwall a lot gave me a little hometrack advantage so once out front I just held on to the bottom and tried not to screw up. Right now I can only thank Ryan (Jacobs, car owner) and the whole, they gave me a really good ride and I wouldn’t be here today without their support.”

Runner-up Johnson opened the season with a pair of top-three finishes and entered the Cornwall event riding a two-race win streak. The Phelps, New York veteran was an early favorite to grab another checkered flag before Planck out-distanced him in the closing stages. “There’s certainly no shame in finishing second to Dale, he knows this track better than most and he also has a lot of other places figured out lately,” said Johnson, 48, who remains winless at Cornwall despite settling for second-place for the fourth time in the last seven SDS shows run there since 1999. “I really thought the track would turn a little blacker and get more slippery but it stayed good all night with some moisture at the end. You can never complain about second in any race on this tour, and this goes a long way to help out when it comes points and the big picture.”

Steering the no. 6 Gypsum Logistics-Newells Garage-730 Truck Stop/Bicknell machine, O’Brien started third and ended third, never dropping out of the top-five throughout the century grind at a place where he has garnered four season points championships including the his lone big-block crown in 1995. “Racing’s been pretty quick at these short tracks,” said O’Brien, who fell victim to Johnson’s patented charge at Brockville on Tuesday with just a dozen laps remaining in the tracks’ inaugural big-block tour event. “We ran good again tonight but in the end had just a third-place car out there. Everything seems to hinge on how you do in time trials and we were third fastest there as well.”

Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT Series Race #9 – Cornwall Motor Speedway, July 9, 2006 ‘Akwesasne Mohawk Casino International 100’ Modified Event Summary

FIN STR CAR# DRIVER

1 9 77x Dale Planck/Cortland,NY ($6,000)

2 8 14j Alan Johnson/Phelps,NY

3 3 6 Pat O’Brien/Kingston,ONT

4 14 19 Tim Fuller/Edwards, NY

5 1 11j Kyle Jacobs/Hogansburg,NY

6 2 44s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY

7 27 98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY

8 4 27j Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY

9 13 11 Chris Jones/Picton,ONT

10 7 20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ

11 5 66 Kyle Dingwall/Brockville,ONT

12 6 42p Pat Ward/Genoa,NY

13 19 90 Martin Roy/Napierville,QUE

14 *11 91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY

15 20 10 Stewart Friesen/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT

16 18 44 Frank Cozze/Wind Gap,PA

17 22 1 Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY

18 12 21 Yan Bussiere/Drummondville,QUE

19 28 73 Ryan Jacobs/Hogansburg,NY

20 26 7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY

21 10 151kb Brian McDonald/Cornwall,ONT

22 23 23 Laurent Ladouceur/Alexandria,ONT

23 16 8j Tom Sears,Jr./Clay,NY

24 25 3 Bill Mullin/Iroquois,ONT

25 15 95 Mark Hitchcock/Kingston,ONT

26 21 5 Dan Jalbert/Cornwall,ONT

27 17 115 Stephane LaFrance/Prescott,ONT

28 29 09 Alex Fortier/Brenceville,QUE

29 30 22 Mario Clair/St-Edmond,QUE

30 24 73a Alain Boisvert/Pointe-Clair,QUE

*Started last in back-up car.

LAP LEADERS: K.Jacobs (1), Sheppard (2-17), Planck (18-100).

CAUTIONS: 4 for 13 laps.

ECKERD 200 QUALIFIER: Dale Planck.

DID NOT QUALIFY(13)

007-Roy Tarbell/Hogansburg,NY

12-Lee Ladouceur/Maxville,ONT

19L-John Lazore/Hogansburg,NY

20x-Pierre Berthiaume/Joliette,QUE

54-Steve Bernard/St Paul Abbotsford,QUE

55-Perry Francis/Akwesasne,NY

57c-Kevin Fetterly/Massena,NY

61-Steve Poirier/St-Mathieu-de-Beloeil,QUE

66x-Carey Terrance/Hogansburg,NY

77g-Robbie Grant/Malone,NY

84-Dave Heaslip/Smiths Falls,ONT

96-Chico Dingwall/Brockville,ONT

99-Ron Valade/North Lancaster,ONT

QUALIFYING

FAST AVE

TIME MPH CAR# DRIVER

1 12.882 69.865 44s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY (Track Record)

*$100 Integra Shocks Fast Qualifier Award

2 13.136 68.514 1 Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY

3 13.145 68.467 6 Pat O’Brien/Kingston,ONT

4 13.159 68.394 19 Tim Fuller/Edwards, NY

5 13.188 68.244 10 Stewart Friesen/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT

6 13.191 68.228 77x Dale Planck/Cortland,NY

7 13.236 67.996 20 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ

8 13.247 67.940 61 Steve Poirier/St-Mathieu-de-Beloeil,QUE

9 13.297 67.684 7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY

10 13.318 67.578 42p Pat Ward/Genoa,NY

11 13.355 67.390 91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY

12 13.410 67.114 20x Pierre Berthiaume/Joliette,QUE

13 13.435 66.989 44 Frank Cozze/Wind Gap,PA

14 13.448 66.924 90 Martin Roy/Napierville,QUE

15 13.452 66.905 95 Mark Hitchcock/Kingston,ONT

16 13.458 66.875 98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY

17 13.471 66.810 84 Dave Heaslip/Smiths Falls,ONT

18 13.523 66.553 14j Alan Johnson/Phelps,NY

19 13.544 66.450 66 Kyle Dingwall/Brockville,ONT

20 13.569 66.328 73 Ryan Jacobs/Hogansburg,NY

21 13.585 66.250 8j Tom Sears,Jr./Clay,NY

22 13.614 66.108 27j Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY

23 13.637 65.997 11 Chris Jones/Picton,ONT

24 13.641 65.978 151kb Brian McDonald/Cornwall,ONT

25 13.653 65.920 11j Kyle Jacobs/Hogansburg,NY

26 13.664 65.867 5 Dan Jalbert/Cornwall,ONT

27 13.684 65.770 21 Yan Bussiere/Drummondville,QUE

28 13.696 65.713 19L John Lazore/Hogansburg,NY

29 13.706 65.665 99 Ron Valade/North Lancaster,ONT

30 13.725 65.574 66x Carey Terrance/Hogansburg,NY

31 13.757 65.421 22 Mario Clair/St-Edmond,QUE

32 13.769 65.364 115 Stephane LaFrance/Prescott,ONT

33 13.777 65.326 09 Alex Fortier/Brenceville,QUE

34 13.778 65.322 23 Laurent Ladouceur/Alexandria,ONT

35 13.785 65.288 12 Lee Ladouceur/Maxville,ONT

36 13.789 65.269 3 Bill Mullin/Iroquois,ONT

37 13.865 64.912 007 Roy Tarbell/Hogansburg,NY

38 13.870 64.888 55 Perry Francis/Akwesasne,NY

39 13.887 64.809 73a Alain Boisvert/Pointe-Clair,QUE

40 13.973 64.410 77g Robbie Grant/Malone,NY

41 14.107 63.798 54 Steve Bernard/St Paul Abbotsford,QUE

42 14.279 63.030 57c Kevin Fetterly/Massena,NY

43 -NT- ----- 96 Chico Dingwall/Brockville,ONT

Heat Races (10 laps, top 4 finishers transferred to feature, top 2 went to re-draw)

#1: Planck, Sheppard, Decker, Sears, Jalbert, Clair, Mullin, Phelps, Bernard.

#2: D.Johnson, Hearn, Bussiere, LaFrance, Tarbell, Heaslip, Tomkins, Berthiaume, Fetterly.

#3: O’Brien, A.Johnson, Jones, Cozze, Fortier, Lazore, Francis, Poirier, C.Dingwall (DNS).

#4: McDonald, K.Dingwall, Fuller, Roy, Paine, La.Ladouceur, Boisvert, Valade.

#5: Ward, K.Jacobs, Hitchcock, Friesen, Terrance, Le.Ladouceur, Grant, R.Jacobs.

Consolation Round (10 laps, top 5 finishers transferred to feature)

#1: Jalbert, La.Ladouceur, Mullin, Phelps, Fortier, Terrance, Bernard, Valade, Francis, Berthiaume, Heaslip (DNS), C.Dingwall (DNS).

#2: Tomkins, Boisvert, Paine, R.Jacobs, Clair, Tarbell, Lazore, Grant, Le.Ladouceur (DNS), Poirier (DNS), Fetterly (DNS).

Advance Auto Parts Super Series Point Standings (through July 9, 2006)

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

1 91 Billy Decker 681 0 $19,625 2 6 7 9

2 14J Alan Johnson 647 (34) $22,525 2 5 5 9

3 19 Tim Fuller 634 (47) $16,100 1 6 6 9

4 42p Pat Ward 601 (80) $9,800 0 3 7 9

5 1 Gary Tomkins 572 (109) $11,650 0 4 6 9

6 27J Danny Johnson 555 (126) $11,700 1 1 5 9

7 44s Matt Sheppard 545 (136) $7,900 0 1 5 9

8 20 Brett Hearn 529 (152) $11,750 1 2 4 9

9 98h Jimmy Phelps 528 (153) $7,200 0 1 7 9

10 7x Steve Paine 526 (155) $6,250 0 0 5 9

11 44c Frank Cozze 521 (160) $6,350 0 2 4 9

12 77x Dale Planck 495 (186) $12,175 1 2 4 8

13 10 Stewart Friesen 475 (206) $3,413 0 0 2 9

14 8J Tom Sears Jr. 445 (236) $4,625 0 1 2 9

15 32c Vic Coffey 426 (255) $5,775 0 2 5 7

16 3 Justin Haers 408 (273) $3,400 0 0 2 8

17 11 Kyle Jacobs 375 (306) $3,525 0 1 1 8

18 39 Tim McCreadie 308 (373) $6,950 0 3 4 5

19 Z Butch Tittle 222 (459) $1,500 0 0 0 6

20 60 Kenny Stafford 199 (482) $1,200 0 0 0 4

21 6 Pat O’Brien 195 (486) $6,500 0 2 2 2

22 3b Chad Brachmann 188 (493) $2,600 0 1 1 4

23 42 Jimmy Horton 168 (513) $6,500 1 1 1 2

24 42B Kevin Bates 142 (539) $900 0 0 0 3

25 6J Joe Isabell 141 (540) $600 0 0 0 2

26 99 Ryan Phelps 133 (548) $900 0 0 0 4

27 62 Todd Burley 131 (550) $1,500 0 0 1 2

28 66 Kyle Dingwall 115 (566) $800 0 0 0 2

29 99b Chuck Bower 109 (572) $600 0 0 0 2

30 11 Chris Jones 106 (575) $1,100 0 0 1 2

31 73 Ryan Jacobs 105 (576) $300 0 0 0 1

32 30 Jamie Mills 105 (576) $900 0 0 1 2

33 22g Mitch Gibbs 105 (576) $663 0 0 0 3

34 90r Martin Roy 98 (583) $650 0 0 0 2

35 2 Ronnie Johnson 96 (585) $600 0 0 0 2

36 FX1 Frankie Caprara Jr. 95 (586) $625 0 0 0 3

37 18 Sean Beardsley 95 (586) $600 0 0 0 3

38 9 Bob McCreadie 90 (591) $600 0 0 0 3

39 151 Brian McDonald 89 (592) $600 0 0 0 2

40 88 Steve Hulsizer 89 (592) $600 0 0 0 3

41 115 Kenny Tremont Jr. 88 (593) $2,000 0 1 1 1

42 14 Rick Laubach 86 (595) $300 0 0 0 2

43 00 Doug Manmiller 83 (598) $600 0 0 0 2

44 95 Mark Hitchcock 81 (600) $600 0 0 0 2

45 17d Danny O’Brien 77 (604) $1,200 0 0 1 1

46 99 Mike Adderley 59 (622) $400 0 0 0 1

47 777 Kevin Bolland 58 (623) $300 0 0 0 1

48 49 Billy Dunn 58 (623) $300 0 0 0 1

49 21 Yan Bussiere 57 (624) $300 0 0 0 1

50 42 Pete Bicknell 57 (624) $350 0 0 0 1

51 88 Jeff Strunk 56 (625) $350 0 0 0 1

52 33.3 Tommy Meier 55 (626) $0 0 0 0 1

53 12J Danny Williams 54 (627) $300 0 0 0 1

54 8 Rich Scagliotta 53 (628) $300 0 0 0 1

55 R2 Rusty Smith 52 (629) $300 0 0 0 1

56 71 David VanHorn Jr. 52 (629) $300 0 0 0 1

57 66x Carey Terrance 50 (631) $300 0 0 0 1

58 19B Kenny Brightbill 50 (631) $300 0 0 0 1

59 20D Del Rougeux Jr. 50 (631) $300 0 0 0 1

60 2 Todd Stewart 43 (638) $300 0 0 0 1

61 21k Randy Chrysler 43 (638) $300 0 0 0 1

62 32 Jim Rasey 43 (638) $300 0 0 0 1

63 15 Brett Tonkin 43 (638) $300 0 0 0 2

64 23 Laurent Ladouceur 42 (639) $300 0 0 0 1

65 16 Lance Willix II 41 (640) $300 0 0 0 1

66 26 Ryan Godown 41 (640) $300 0 0 0 1

67 X Chad Phelps 41 (640) $300 0 0 0 2

68 3 Bill Mullin 40 (641) $300 0 0 0 1

69 5 Dan Jalbert 40 (641) $300 0 0 0 1

70 115 Stephane LaFrance 40 (641) $300 0 0 0 1

71 09 Alex Fortier 40 (641) $300 0 0 0 1

72 22 Mario Clair 40 (641) $300 0 0 0 1

73 73a Alain Boisvert 40 (641) $300 0 0 0 1

74 12 John Mulder 40 (641) $300 0 0 0 1

75 7J Jeff Isabell 40 (641) $0 0 0 0 0

76 44w Shannon Whaley 40 (641) $300 0 0 0 1

77 19k Joe Kubiniec 40 (641) $300 0 0 0 1

78 12 Brian Sage 40 (641) $300 0 0 0 1

79 7NY Bill Torissi 40 (641) $300 0 0 0 1

80 XXX Todd Gordon 40 (641) $300 0 0 0 1

81 357 Billy Pauch 40 (641) $300 0 0 0 1

82 86 Billy Pauch Jr. 40 (641) $300 0 0 0 1

83 12a Jack Johnson 40 (641) $300 0 0 0 1

84 37md Jer. Shingledecker 40 (641) $300 0 0 0 1

85 31 Jim Weller 40 (641) $300 0 0 0 1

86 2 Mark Flick 40 (641) $300 0 0 0 1

87 83 Brian Swartzlander 40 (641) $300 0 0 0 1

88 23 Jim Weller III 40 (641) $300 0 0 0 1

89 56 Vince Vitale 40 (641) $300 0 0 0 1

90 91d Kevin Hirthler 40 (641) $300 0 0 0 1

91 66 Jeff Heotzler 40 (641) $300 0 0 0 2

92 1H Tim Hindley 40 (641) $300 0 0 0 2

93 77g Robbie Grant 30 (651) $0 0 0 0 0

94 55 Perry Francis 30 (651) $0 0 0 0 0

95 20x Pierre Bethiamme 25 (656) $0 0 0 0 0

96 007 Roy Tarbell 20 (661) $0 0 0 0 0

97 96 Keith Dingwall 20 (661) $0 0 0 0 0

98 99v Ron Valade 20 (661) $0 0 0 0 0

99 86 Justin Mason 20 (661) $0 0 0 0 0

100 21p Derrick Podsiadlo 20 (661) $0 0 0 0 0

101 03 Zach Aubertine 20 (661) $0 0 0 0 0

102 17T Todd Town 20 (661) $0 0 0 0 0

Advance Auto Parts DIRT Modified Entries – July 9 (43)

CAR# DRIVER / HOMETOWN TEAM (Sponsor / Chassis / Engine)

09 Alex Fortier/Brenceville,QUE Holy Tek Canada-Gilles Parre Plomberie/Bicknell/Enders

007 Roy Tarbell/Hogansburg,NY RTI Packaging-Hilltop Tent Rental-REZ Racing/TEO/Kevlar

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

3 Bill Mullin/Iroquois,ONT Ryder Truck Rental-R&S Glass/Troyer/LaFrance Performance(Yves)

5 Dan Jalbert/Cornwall,ONT Club Sweet Dreams-Crysler Automotive/Bicknell/Crysler

6 Pat O’Brien/Kingston,ONT Gypsum Logistics-Newells Garage-730 Truck Stop/Bicknell/Enders

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./Bicknell/Morrison

10 Stewart Friesen/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT Quality Concrete-King Enterprises-Chiefs Tobacco & Gas/Troyer/Kevlar

11 Chris Jones/Picton,ONT Jones Motorsports/Bicknell/LaFrance Performance

11j Kyle Jacobs/Hogansburg,NY Quality Concrete-King Enterprises-Chiefs Tobacco & Gas/Troyer/Kevlar

12 Lee Ladouceur/Maxville,ONT Guy’s Auto Repairs/Bicknell/Lee Ladouceur

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

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

19L John Lazore/Hogansburg,NY JL Motorsports(Native Poker)-Chiefs Tobacco&Gas-G&R Auto Parts/TEO/Enders

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

20x Pierre Berthiaume/Joliette,QUE B&G Performance-JM Racing-SD Performance/Bicknell/B&G

21 Yan Bussiere/Drummondville,QUE Mike Telus Mobilite-Budweiser/TEO/Morrison

22 Mario Clair/St-Edmond,QUE JDL-Motel Drummond/Bicknell/Morrison

23 Laurent Ladouceur/Alexandria,ONT Mr. Radiator-Roxborough Bus Lines/Bicknell/Ladouceur

27j Danny Johnson/Rochester,NY JIR Motorsports-Oneidaview Pile Driving/Bicknell/Morrison

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

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

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

54 Steve Bernard/St Paul Abbotsford,QUE Robert Bernard Tire Service-Burrowes Insurance-Robert Transport/Bicknell/AMB

55 Perry Francis/Akwesasne,NY SpiritBead.ca-East End Auto Parts-NativePoker.com/Bicknell/A&B

57c Kevin Fetterly/Massena,NY Massena Dairy Queen-Seaway Mini Mart/Troyer/Fetterly

61 Steve Poirier/St-Mathieu-de-Beloeil,QUE Industries FM/TEO/AMB

66 Kyle Dingwall/Brockville,ONT Eastern Ontario Millwrighting-Harlenvino Transportation/Bicknell/Mike Blok(Eng.Res.)

66x Carey Terrance/Hogansburg,NY T&D Enterprises-Total Collision/TEO/LaFrance Performance

73 Ryan Jacobs/Hogansburg,NY East End Auto Parts & Construction-Jacob’s Excavation/Bicknell/Enders

73a Alain Boisvert/Pointe-Clair,QUE ESP Auto Auction/Bicknell/AMB

77g Robbie Grant/Malone,NY Jacobs Excavation-RPS Performance/Bicknell/Doobie Martin

77x Dale Planck/Cortland,NY East End Auto Parts & Construction-Jacob’s Excavation/Bicknell/Enders

84 Dave Heaslip/Smiths Falls,ONT Armstrong Pumping-Int’l Cornwall Truck Dealership-Pennzoil/Bicknell/Doiron

90 Martin Roy/Napierville,QUE J.E. Fortin Racing-Thermo King-Centre du Camion Gamache/Bicknell/AMB

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

95 Mark Hitchcock/Kingston,ONT Jim’s Performance Plus-SG Wells Ford-Cruickshank/TEO/Jim’s Performance Ford

96 Chico Dingwall/Brockville,ONT Eastern Ontario Millwrighting-Harlenvino Transportation/Bicknell/Mike Blok(Eng.Res.)

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

99 Ron Valade/North Lancaster,ONT Glengarry Tire/Rozon Insurance/Bicknell/Ovide Doiron

115 Stephane LaFrance/Prescott,ONT Group Express-Trick Race Parts/TEO/Chevrolet

151kb Brian McDonald/Cornwall,ONT Quality Concrete-West Front Construction-East End Auto Parts/TEO/LaFrance Perf.

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 past Eckerd 200 champion Vic Coffey, four-time and defending Eckerd 200 titlist Billy Decker, third-generation big-block upstart Stewart Friesen, reigning overall Hoosier Tire-Sunoco Race Fuels Mr. DIRT champion Tim Fuller, ’04 Rookie of the Year Justin Hears, all-time Advance Auto Parts SDS race winner Brett Hearn, DIRT’s winningest big-block Modified driver Alan Johnson, Canandaigua (NY) Speedway record-setter Steve Paine, second-year tour mainstay Jimmy Phelps, rising star Matt Sheppard, former Mr. DIRT champion Gary Tomkins and 30-year open-wheel veteran Pat Ward.

Ontario Openers: It was a baker’s dozen that registered for the first time in 2006 Advance Auto Parts SDS competition Sunday in round eight at Cornwall. Area Ontario drivers making their initial run were Bill Mullin, Dan Jalbert, Dave Heaslip, Stephane LaFrance and the father/son tandem of Laurent and Lee Ladouceur. Top Frenchmen taking the haul from Quebec were Steve Poirier, Alain Boisvert, Steve Bernard, Alex Fortier and Mario Clair while John Lazore and Kevin Fetterly were the newest New Yorkers crossing the border to test their open-wheel mounts on foreign soil. Over half that contingent qualified for the 100-lap finale with Laurent Ladouceur (22nd), Mullin (24h), Jalbert (26th), LaFrance (27th), Fortier (28th), Clair (29th) and Boisvert (30th) all posting DNFs in the final rundown.

Poirier Powerless: Steve Poirier’s 2006 DIRT Modified debut was all set to get underway at Cornwall but instead his initial outing went up in smoke as the seemingly potent no. 61 Industries FM/TEO/AMB machine lost a motor without even a single lap completed in his third qualifying heat. Poirier, a six-time DIRT Modified points champion at Autodrome Drummond with another crown worn at Granby in Quebec, time trailed eighth quickest and was looking forward to a return to his old stomping grounds --- the big-block ranks. “I don’t miss the small-block racing, that’s why I got out,” said Poirier, 34, who racked up 59 big-block and 22 small-block feature wins following the DIRT circuit. The personable St-Mathieu-de-Beloeil, Quebec pilot has since joined the Empire Sprint Series and is not only the leading rookie candidate, he has copped three A-Mains and has risen among the top-five in the point standings. “There’s just so much difference between a Modified and Sprint car, the Sprints are very stiff and the Modifieds move around a lot more. Right now the schedule only leaves a couple Modified dates open but I hope to run Drummond again in mid-August and if the finances are there take another at Syracuse during Super DIRT Week.” Poirier will have to regroup after losing the same motor he had built for the Syracuse Mile last autumn.

Weight Gain For LaFrance: Last year second-generation driver Stephane LaFrance finished second to Brett Hearn in Cornwall’s 100-lap AAP Super DIRT Series main. “I’ve got 167 feature wins between full-fender and open-wheel racing but that was still my biggest accomplishment,” beamed LaFrance, 37, son of DIRT NorthEast Hall of Famer Marcel LaFrance (Class of ’01). The younger driver is now enjoying his 22nd year of short-track competition with a career that has spanned the Street Stock, Late Model and DIRT 358-Modified divisions since taking off in 1985. “But this year I’m just hoping to qualify, and if I can do that finishing near the top-10 would be just as great.” Throughout the ’06 season LaFrance has been plagued by using a motor with steel heads, one that requires 200 lbs. of weight to be added which gives those cars utilizing aluminum headed powerplants an apparent advantage on paper. “I like tonight because everything is equal, every car has to weigh 2500 lbs. I don’t expect as much but at lease were all starting out on the same foot.”

O’Briens Off: While oldest sibling Pat O’Brien easily qualified for his second straight Super DIRT Series main, younger siblings were found elsewhere on Sunday night. Danny O’Brien decided to take Sunday night off as it wasn’t a track points race at Cornwall while youngest sibling Tim O’Brien ventured from Kingston, Ont. to Weedsport, N.Y. for competition in a Syracuse 358-Modified Championship qualifier at Cayuga County Fair Speedway. Pat took top honors as Tim reportedly crashed out in the 35-lapper at The Port while Chad Brachmann was the feature winner.

Fetterly Mixes Macadam: The DIRT/Asphalt Series has been dormant since the 1992 race season. Massena’s Kevin Fetterly rekindled some of the memories as he arrived late at Cornwall competing in a unique race for dirt-style Modifieds on the pavement at Sanair Super Speedway in St-Pie, QUE. Fetterly began in the back of the 10-car exhibition and worked his way up to fifth at the checkers running a Hoosier ‘Xtra-Hard’ compound on the right-rear in the 20-lapper.

Trivial Matters: Tire troubles affected a number of teams prior to the feature race start as they were sent scurrying around the pits in search of ‘hard’ Hoosiers while only extra-hards became available as the evening unfolded ….. Frank Cozze traveled the longest distance en route to Cornwall, roaming for 8-1/2 hours after running at New Egypt (NJ) Speedway the Saturday night before. It was a 36-second jaunt for Cornwall resident Brian McDonald to the same track ….. Bill Mullin was back after a short bout with a cancerous condition. “We just had this old car lying around, decided to fix it and go out and have some fun. I like these longer races the most, its just hard getting into them ….. Until Kevin Fetterly arrived late from afternoon racing at Sanair, Steve Paine was the last one to sign in pit side. Two flat tires on the Paine Motorsports hauler in the Watertown, N.Y. vicinity were the culprit.

Fulton Series Race Scratched: The Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT Series big-block Modified race that was cancelled on June 28 at Fulton Speedway will not be rescheduled. The next major special at Fulton Speedway will be on Tuesday, July 25 which will include the second-ever appearance by the World of Outlaws Sprint Series.

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 Cornwall 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-Jul 13 Orange Co. Fair Speedway (845/342-2573) Brett Hearn / 12noon-2:00pm 701 Rte 211 East - Middletown, NY

Wed-Jul 19 Grandview Speedway (610/754-7688) Brett Hearn / 12noon-2:00pm 1140 Town Square Rd - Pottstown, PA

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: Advance Auto Parts Modified teams packed up and headed further north past Montreal to Autodrome Drummond (Que.) to compete in the 29th Annual Budweiser 100 on Monday, July 10. The $6,000-to-win main event offers valuable points towards the overall Hoosier-Sunoco Mr. DIRT Championship plus a guaranteed starting berth in the Eckerd 200 Championship during Super DIRT Week XXXV on the Syracuse Mile in October.

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 Drummondville,QUE

Thr-Jul 13 100 Orange Co Fair Speedway Middletown,NY

Wed-Jul 19 100 Grandview Speedway Bechtelsville,PA

Sat-Aug 5 100 Eldora Speedway Rossburg,OH

Mon-Aug 7 100 Merrittville Speedway Thorold,ONT

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 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 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. 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.