Tomkins’ Rally At Drummond Ends Canadian Advance Auto Parts Series Swing
Drummondville, QUE — July 11, 2005 — His experience laid the ground work and his patience made it pay dividends. Both items weighed heavily on the outcome as Gary Tomkins rallied in the closing stages of the Budweiser 100 at Autodrome Drummond on Monday to score his first Advance Auto Parts Modified Super DIRT Series victory of the season.
The $6,000 triumph on Canadian soil also vaulted Tomkins and his no. 1 Elaine James Motorsports,Inc.-Pillsbury Collectibles team past Tim Fuller in the quest for a second straight overall Hoosier Tire-Sunoco Race Fuels Mr. DIRT Championship.
"We’ve always seemed to be just a little off this year so tonight it finally came together for a change," said Tomkins, 39, on the heels of his eighth career Advance Auto Parts SDS win at the seventh different track. "I still have to work tomorrow and its a long drive home but this win will certainly make it a much shorter trip."
Tomkins’ only struggles so far this year have been on the traveling tour as five feature wins on the weekend highlight his season to date. Win number six at Drummond may put him over the hump for the final 14 Super DIRT Series shows that stand between a second Mr. DIRT crown.
"Last year we kind of paced ourselves with bonus points waiting at the end. This time every race is important. You need to be consistent in the top-five but a few wins along the way will probably be the difference. So far we’ve stayed around the front but its always better to come away with a win," said Tomkins, who registered all four of his tour wins last year prior to August before edging Brett Hearn by seven points in the final championship standings.
Tomkins was quick right from the start, running behind only top-two time trialers Jimmy Phelps and Canadian speedster Mario Clair in the 35-car field. Phelps’ first career fast time on the series was for 17.719 seconds (81.269 mph) around the smooth 4/10-miler. He easily outdistanced tour rivals Pat Ward and Brett Hearn in the first of three heat race qualifiers before drawing six to start the main event outside row three.
Phelps pulled away form the 30-car pack during the early stages aboard the H&H Motorsports Mohawk Northeast-New England Race Fuels/Troyer entry and with no yellow flags slowing the action until lap 34, he was able to open up a commanding three-quarters of a straightaway advantage. Throughout the initial laps his closest chasers were Frenchmen Kayle Robidoux and Clair, and Elite 11 members Matt Sheppard and Tomkins.
The track was showing early signs of slickening up and during that first caution period for the slowing Sherlock Motorsports mount driven by Alan Johnson, ’A.J. Slideways’ pitted not for a flat tire but to change over from the soft to a hard compound tread. Back under green flag conditions, Phelps tried to regain his big margin although on this occasion Sheppard proved up to the task as he bolted into second place on lap 38 after beginning fourth on the restart. Five laps later Sheppard powered the no. 44s G-U Hardware-Advance Auto Parts-Adam Ross Cut Stone/Bicknell high around Phelps and forged a five car-length lead by the time he reached the front chute.
The no. 3b Original Pizza Logs/Bicknell Special of tour regular Chad Brachmann slowed between turns three and four to require a second yellow flag on lap 44 with Phelps, Robidoux, Hearn and Tomkins settling in behind to challenge. Billy Decker joined Brachmann pitside as he attempted to figure out a tire strategy to chase down Sheppard during the second half of the race.
At the midway mark Tomkins had passed Robidoux for fourth-place and grabbed third from a fading Phelps on lap 60. Sheppard retained his lead over Hearn and Tomkins when Robidoux’s machine lost a left-rear wheel to incur the third and final yellow flag on lap 73. Three-time Drummond high point man Steve Paine stood fourth ahead of ’04 DIRT Driver of the Year Tim Fuller when action resumed on lap 77.
Sheppard seemed to have the race under control with just 20 circuits remaining as he put a 10 car-length distance between himself and Hearn yet Tomkins muscled his way into second on lap 80 and cut the lead in half three laps later. Tomkins closed to within a single car-length with 10 to go as Sheppard could only slide through the turns while the no. 1 Beachy Motorsports machine found it easier to cling low in the turns as the laps dwindled.
Tomkins kept his low line lap after lap and finally ducked under Sheppard exiting the final corner to officially complete the late-race rally on lap 93. From there the Clifton Springs, N.Y. pilot was able to carry a five car-length margin under the checkers over Sheppard followed by Paine, Hearn and Fuller. Decker, Phelps, Johnson, Justin Haers and Lebanon Valley Speedway regular J.R. Heffner filled out the top-ten.
"Last year Matt won his first Series race on his birthday (July 12) and today I got a win on my wife’s birthday," said Tomkins following his 51st DIRT-sanctioned big-block Modified feature win. "Getting back on the winning trail makes this a very special day all around."
While dominating last year’s tour stop at Drummond by leading all 105 laps in the extended main event, Sheppard settled for runner-up honors and his best SDS finish of the season. "I had a real good car and thought we were in good shape for awhile before some brake problems came near the end," said Sheppard, following his fourth top-five tally on the ’05 tour. "After the brakes went I figured it was just a matter of time before somebody caught me. Still, I just needed a few more laps but Gary seemed to be getting better almost every lap down the stretch."
Wheeling his yellowbird no. 7x Tallmadge Tire-Terrell’s Potato Chips-Geneva Homes-Pabst/TEO machine toward the front in the closing stages. Paine relied on his past track experience as much as anything to score his first top-five feature finish on the tour this season. "We had a good car starting out and it just got better as the race went on. You never know what could’ve happened with another few laps but regardless we’re happy with a solid finish up front. Hopefully, its the start of some better things to come this year," Paine added.
In one of the fiercest Super DIRT Series point battles waged in recent years, Tomkins (771 pts) now leads Fuller (761) with Decker (730), Hearn (727) and Ward (702) lurking in striking distance through 10 of 24 events.
Advance Auto Parts Super DIRT Series competition returns to the states for the ’Traffic Jam 100’ at Grandview Speedway on Tues., July 19. Gates will open at 5 p.m. with race time set for 7:30 p.m. Advance tickets remain on sale for Adults ($20) and Children 6-11 ($5), while children under the age of 6 will be admitted for free on Monday, July 11.
Advance Auto Parts Modified Super DIRT Series – Autodrome Drummond, July 11, 2005 Budweiser 100 Event Summary [*Official box score posted on www.dirtmotorsports.com and can be viewed by first selecting ’DIRT NorthEast’ on the corporate homepage then clicking ’Advance’ logo on homepage]
FEATURE
FIN STR CAR# DRIVER
1 6 1 Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY ($6,000)
2 4 44s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY
3 12 7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY
4 5 3 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ
5 7 m1 Tim Fuller/Edwards,NY
6 11 91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY
7 1 98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY
8 8 TEN Alan Johnson/Phelps,NY
9 14 3h Justin Haers/Phelps,NY
10 18 1h J.R. Heffner/Averill Park,NY
11 21 21 Yan Bussiere/Drummondville,QUE
12 3 22 Mario Clair/St-Edmond,QUE
13 10 42p Pat Ward/Genoa,NY
14 19 3b Chad Brachmann/Wheatfield,NY
15 20 7j Jeff Isabell/Pennellville,NY
16 22 44 Sebastien Gougeon/Drummondville,QUE
17 17 23x Dany Bilodeau/Victoriaville,QUE
18 29 20b Alain Beliveau/Granby,QUE
19 13 9j Andy Bachetti/Sheffield,MA
20 2 46 Kayle Robidoux/St-Constant,QUE
21 9 28 Steve Poirier/St-Mathieu-de-Beloeil,QUE
22 23 20 Stewart Friesen/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT
23 30 2 Alex Fortier/Victoriaville,QUE
24 25 39 Clement Therrien/Victoriaville,QUE
25 28 18p Pierre Berthiaume/Joliette,QUE
26 16 90 Martin Roy/Napierville,QUE
27 15 66 Yannick Ledoux/Granby,QUE
28 24 3c Claude Brouillard/Tracy,QUE
29 26 2x Mario Lajoie/Upton,QUE
30 27 1g Martin Gagne/Granby,QUE
DID NOT QUALIFY(5)
8j-Tom Sears,Jr./Clay,NY
18-Sean Beardsley/Central Square,NY
54-Steve Bernard/St Paul Abbotsford,QUE
63-Dominic Dufault/Ste-Victoire,QUE
66w-Wallace Stacey/Kahnawake,QUE
Lap leaders: Phelps (1-42), Sheppard (43-92), Tomkins (93-100).
Bert Hard Charger: Yan Bussiere.
QUALIFYING
FAST AVE
TIME MPH CAR# DRIVER
1 17.719 76.189 98h Jimmy Phelps/Baldwinsville,NY
2 17.743 76.086 22 Mario Clair/St-Edmond,QUE
3 17.746 76.073 1 Gary Tomkins/Clifton Springs,NY
4 17.778 75.937 7x Steve Paine/Waterloo,NY
5 17.795 75.864 TEN Alan Johnson/Phelps,NY
6 17.816 75.775 3 Brett Hearn/Sussex,NJ
7 17.840 75.673 91 Billy Decker/Unadilla,NY
8 17.885 75.482 28 Steve Poirier/St-Mathieu-de-Beloeil,QUE
9 17.938 75.259 42p Pat Ward/Genoa,NY
10 17.966 75.142 m1 Tim Fuller/Edwards,NY
11 18.004 74.983 9j Andy Bachetti/Sheffield,MA
12 18.012 74.950 44s Matt Sheppard/Waterloo,NY
13 18.074 74.693 21 Yan Bussiere/Drummondville,QUE
14 18.135 74.442 63 Dominic Dufault/Ste-Victoire,QUE
15 18.185 74.237 20 Stewart Friesen/Niagara-o-t-Lake,ONT
16 18.214 74.119 3h Justin Haers/Phelps,NY
17 18.291 73.807 46 Kayle Robidoux/St-Constant,QUE
18 18.332 73.642 39 Clement Therrien/Victoriaville,QUE
19 18.354 73.553 1h J.R. Heffner/Averill Park,NY
20 18.409 73.334 8j Tom Sears,Jr./Clay,NY
21 18.601 72.577 7j Jeff Isabell/Pennellville,NY
22 18.627 72.475 66 Yannick Ledoux/Granby,QUE
23 18.631 72.460 3b Chad Brachmann/Wheatfield,NY
24 18.636 72.440 23x Dany Bilodeau/Victoriaville,QUE
25 18.642 72.417 3c Claude Brouillard/Tracy,QUE
26 18.729 72.081 54 Steve Bernard/St Paul Abbotsford,QUE
27 18.841 71.652 44 Sebastien Gougeon/Drummondville,QUE
28 18.969 71.169 1g Martin Gagne/Granby,QUE
29 19.185 70.367 18 Sean Beardsley/Central Square,NY
30 19.257 70.104 2 Alex Fortier/Victoriaville,QUE
31 19.305 69.930 18p Pierre Berthiaume/Joliette,QUE
32 20.729 65.126 90 Martin Roy/Napierville,QUE
33 -NT- ----- 66w Wallace Stacey/Kahnawake,QUE
34 -NT- ----- 2x Mario Lajoie/Upton,QUE
35 -NT- ----- 20b Alain Beliveau/Granby,QUE *Top-2 locked into pre-race feature draw.
Heat Races (10 laps, top 6 finishers transferred to feature, top 4 went to re-draw)
#1: Tomkins, Ward, Hearn, Sheppard, Bilodeau, Isabell, Gougeon, Friesen, Fortier, Therrien (DSQ, only 5 qualified).
#2: Paine, Decker, Haers, Fuller, Ledoux, Heffner, Bussiere, Brouillard, Berthiaume, Gagne (DNS), Stacey (DNS).
#3: Johnson, Poirier, Robidoux, Bachetti, Roy, Brachmann, Lajoie, Sears, Beardsley, Bernard, Dufault.
Consolation Round (10 laps, top 9 finishers transferred to feature)
#1: Isabell, Bussiere, Gougeon, Friesen, Brouillard, Therrien, Lajoie, Gagne, Berthiaume, Beliveau, Fortier, Beardsley, Sears, Bernard (DNS), Stacey (DNS), Dufault (DNS).
Provisional Starters: Beliveau, Fortier.
ADVANCE AUTO PARTS MODIFIED SUPER DIRT SERIES POINT STANDINGS
(through Drummond – July 11, 2005)
No. Driver Points Diff Money Wins Top 5Top 10Starts
1 1 Gary Tomkins 771 0 $21,800 1 5 8 10
2 M1 Tim Fuller 761 (10)$31,600 3 7 7 10
3 91 Billy Decker 730 (41)$19,525 1 3 7 10
4 3 Brett Hearn 727 (44)$21,900 2 5 7 10
5 42p Pat Ward 702 (69)$17,025 0 3 6 10
6 TEN Alan Johnson 660 (111)$15,800 1 2 7 10
7 44s Matt Sheppard 653 (118)$14,900 0 4 6 10
8 3h Justin Haers 626 (145)$11,550 0 1 6 10
9 7x Steve Paine 619 (152) $9,900 0 1 4 10
10 3b Chad Brachmann 564 (207) $7,625 0 1 4 10
11 20 Stewart Friesen 553 (218) $6,425 0 0 4 10
12 98h Jimmy Phelps 539 (232)$10,000 0 1 4 9
13 32c Vic Coffey 457 (314) $6,400 0 1 3 8
14 9 Bob McCreadie 350 (421) $5,100 0 1 1 7
15 8J Tom Sears Jr. 344 (427) $3,550 0 0 2 6
16 9J Andy Bachetti 342 (429) $6,060 0 1 1 6
17 44 Frank Cozze 311 (460) $5,800 0 1 3 5
18 29B Jeff Brownell Jr. 291 (480) $2,000 0 0 0 6
19 115 Kenny Tremont Jr. 291 (480)$11,050 1 2 2 4
20 18 Sean Beardsley 286 (485) $1,825 0 0 0 5
21 27z Ray Bliss 276 (495) $2,000 0 0 0 6
22151X Dale Planck 275 (496) $4,225 0 1 1 5
23 88 Jeff Strunk 244 (527) $2,200 0 0 1 5
24 7J Jeff Isabell 243 (528) $1,550 0 0 0 4
25 39 Tim McCreadie 215 (556) $3,200 0 1 1 4
26 85 Dan Vauter 204 (567) $1,725 0 0 0 4
27 99B Chuck Bower 202 (569) $2,700 0 0 2 3
28 Z Butch Tittle 175 (596) $1,200 0 0 0 4
29 27J Danny Johnson 170 (601) $1,750 0 0 0 3
30 99 Ryan Phelps 154 (617) $1,450 0 0 0 3
31 42 Jimmy Horton 147 (624) $7,400 0 1 1 2
32 12a Jack Johnson 145 (626) $3,100 0 1 2 2
3358Jr Bucky Kell 140 (631) $1,600 0 0 0 3
34 1J Bobby Varin 131 (640) $2,400 0 1 1 2
35 16 A.J. Romano 130 (641) $900 0 0 0 3
36 X Chad Phelps 120 (651) $900 0 0 0 3
37 74 Doug Hoffman 116 (655) $1,900 0 0 1 2
38 26 Ryan Godown 105 (666) $4,100 0 1 1 1
39 74 J.R. Heffner 104 (667) $900 0 0 1 2
40 48T Dave Rausher 101 (670) $600 0 0 0 2
Skidmarks:
* Upon arrival at Autodrome Drummond, the traveling DIRT NE staff was greeted by track Race Director Francis Potvin and General Manager Carl Labonte, nephew of former big-block Modified driver Denis Labonte. Following in the tire tracks of Merrittville Speedway owner and active 358-Modified runner Pete Bicknell, Drummond Promoter Yan Bussiere also competes in the small-block division weekly at both Autodrome Granby and Drummond. "We’re having a great season so far at Drummond with the grandstands averaging around 3,000 every week, which are the best crowds in the past five years," said Bussiere, 32, who lines up nightly sponsors and helps the track generate publicity throughout the week. On race nights he is recognized aboard the no. 21 Telus Mobilite-Budweiser/TEO entry. "Its a great atmosphere with a DJ adding a lot of music every night and we light up fireworks each show. I like promoting but I love racing even more," added Bussiere, who entered the small-block ranks to begin the new millennium and made his big-block debut in 2003.
* Since Drummond first joined the DIRT circuit in 1988, the 54 year-old track has boasted a number of name drivers on its Modified roster over the years. Maybe none as recognizable as modern-day open-wheel winner Steve Poirier who captured six straight big-block Modified point titles at Drummond from 1998 to 2003. Just three summers ago Poirier became the first Frenchman to defeat the touring stars in a Super DIRT Series showdown on his hometurf. "That was easily my biggest win ever, it took some luck and everything going my way but I always knew there was a chance someday," recalled Poirier, now 33, after outlasting DIRT’s all-time best Alan Johnson and Brett Hearn to claim the dramatic victory. "Normally fans who cried for me always winning cheered that day. A lot of people still come up to me and say they were there that day. This year is tougher since we run only small-blocks at Drummond and Granby and have only used the big-block three times (Cayuga County, Fulton, Cornwall the previous night). And I had to replace the small-block motor with a big-block one for this event. We’ve got the Syracuse motor in tonight but the surface will probably get slick and it will be tough to get the power to the track." Poirier had his no. 28 Fondations 4 Saisons-Coffrages Jacques Constant/TEO ride solidly in a top-10 position until mechanical problems forced him pitside for the remainder on lap 69. With 45 big-block wins to his credit at Drummond, the St-Mathieu-de-Beloeil, QUE pilot was looking for his second victory of the year in Drummondville. "I’ve actually been doing better at Granby (2 wins) as I’ve already broken about 3-4 times at Drummond. I normally do well there and feel I have a chance to win every time out but so far nothing seems to go right," Poirier said.
* One of Poirier’s chief rivals on the Canadian circuit is local favorite David Hebert, the 2004 DIRT 358-Modified champion at Drummond in 2004. While leading the duel track point standings last week, Hebert was involved in a near fatal highway accident on July 6 which ended with three broken ribs, a sliced left hand and several stitches to his forehead. The cuts on his hand came when he was forced to break the front windshield in order to extricate himself from his company’s 18-wheeler after colliding with a passenger vehicle just minutes down the road from Sanair Super Speedway. In swerving to avoid a car turning in front of him, Hebert used his racing instincts to keep on the gas pedal and just clip the vehicle instead of t-boning the car which would have almost certainly resulted in death. Just two days after, Hebert climbed aboard his no. 31 small-block car and ran just one laps at Drummond to earn valuable points toward the season-ending championship. ’Mr. Small-Block’ himself, Pete Bicknell, was expected to drive Hebert’s no. 1 Freightliner-Provigo/Bicknell idle machine in the Super DIRT Series show at Drummond before business commitments kept him out of town. A quick phone call from Bicknell to J.R. Heffner, driver of the A.Colarusso & Son-PJR Contracting-J&D Sales & Service/Bicknell mount, sent Heffner packing in preparation for his first trip to Quebec. The Averill Park chauffeur easily qualified for the 100-lap nightcap and placed 10th when the final checkered flag
* Two-thirds of the top-15 finishers at Cornwall Motor Speedway on July 10 made their way to the head of the line the following night at Drummond to share in the unique $3,000 Winner’s Circle fund that has been set aside to be divided among the highest finishing drivers at each event. The distribution of this special $3,000 fund is based on the feature race finishing order: drivers placing in positions 1-5 will each earn $100, 6th – 10th-place finishers will receive $200 and 11th – 15th will pocket $300. Competitors are required to attend and attempt to qualify for the next Advance Auto Parts SDS event to collect payment of the Winner’s Circle bonus.
By racing at Drummond, Brett Hearn, Tim Fuller and Alan Johnson each received $100, Matt Sheppard, Gary Tomkins, Jimmy Phelps, Stewart Friesen and Justin Haers earned $200, while Billy Decker and Steve Paine pocketed $300. Stephane LaFrance, Dale Planck, Kyle Jacobs, Roy Tarbell and Laurent Ladouceur were no shows. Upon attempting to qualify next week at Grandview Speedway on July 19, Tomkins, Sheppard, Paine, Hearn and Fuller will collect $100 each, Decker, Phelps, Johnson, Hears and J.R. Heffner will receive $200, with Yan Bussiere, Mario Clair, Pat Ward, Chad Brachmann and Jeff Isabell in line for $300 bonuses.
* With RACEceiver now recognized as the Official Driver Communicator of DIRT MotorSports™ in 2005, fans, as well as the competing drivers, were able to hear first hand everything that was happening throughout the entire Drummond 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.
2005 ADVANCE AUTO PARTS MODIFIED SUPER DIRT SERIES SCHEDULE
Day-Date Track (Laps) Location/Winner
Mon-Feb 14 Volusia Speedway Park (30L-NP)......................BRETT HEARN
Tue-Feb 15 Volusia Speedway Park (30L-NP)......................ANDY BACHETTI
Wed-Feb 16 Volusia Speedway Park (30L-NP)......................BILLY DECKER
Fri-Feb 18 Volusia Speedway Park (50L-NP)......................JAMIE MILLS
Sun-May 1 Rolling Wheels Raceway (100L)........................BRETT HEARN
Wed-May 25 Lowe’s Motor Speedway (50L)...........................TIM FULLER
Sun-May 29 Cayuga County Fair Speedway (100L)..............TIM FULLER
Wed-Jun 22 New Egypt Speedway (100L).............................BILLY PAUCH
Thr-Jun 23 Hagerstown Speedway (100L)...........................ALAN JOHNSON
Tue-Jun 28 Albany-Saratoga Speedway (101L)...................BILLY DECKER
Mon-Jul 4 Rolling Wheels Raceway (100L)........................TIM FULLER
Thr-Jul 7 Lebanon Valley Speedway (100L).....................KENNY TREMONT
Sun-Jul 10 Cornwall Motor Speedway (100L)......................BRETT HEARN
Mon-Jul 11 Autodrome Drummond (100L)...........................GARY TOMKINS
Tue-Jul 19 Grandview Speedway (100L).............................Bechtelsville, PA
Wed-Aug 3 Lernerville Speedway (100L).............................Sarver, PA
Thr-Aug 11 Canandaigua Speedway (100L).........................Canandaigua, NY
Wed-Aug 24 New Egypt Speedway (100L).............................New Egypt, NJ
Wed-Aug 31 Brewerton Speedway (100L)..............................Brewerton, NY
Sun-Sep 4 Cayuga County Fair Speedway (100L)..............Weedsport, NY
Mon-Sep 5 Rolling Wheels Raceway (100L)........................Elbridge, NY
Sat-Sep 10 Lebanon Valley Speedway (200L).....................West Lebanon, NY
Sun-Sep 18 Rolling Wheels Raceway (200L)........................Elbridge, NY
Sat-Sep 24 New Egypt Speedway (100L).............................New Egypt, NJ
Sat-Oct 1 Fulton Speedway (200L)....................................Fulton, NY
Sun-Oct 9 New York State Fairgrounds (200L)...................Syracuse, NY
Sun-Oct 16 Williams Grove Speedway (100L) .....................Mechanicsburg, PA
Sun-Oct 23 Bridgeport Speedway (200L) ............................Bridgeport, NJ
*NP = Non-Point event.
ADVANCE AUTO PARTS MODIFIED SERIES SPONSORS
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, Dynomax Performance Exhaust, Hoosier Racing Tire and Sunoco Race Fuels. Promotional Partners include Stacker 2®, AMB i.t., RACEceiver, Zippo Lighters and F.X. Caprara Car Companies and the contingency sponsors are DART Machinery, Bicknell Racing Products, Bilstein Shocks, MSD Ignitions and Wrisco Industries.