JIMMY PHELPS WINS FIRST EMPIRE SERIES EVENT; PITCHER REPEATS IN SPORTSMAN
WEEDSPORT, NY...Last Sunday Jimmy Phelps earned his first DIRT Modified feature victory at the Cayuga County Fair Speedway since last entering victory lane back on June 23, 2002. His $2,000 victory came before a live television audience viewing the Empire Series Race #4 presented by Kinney Drug Stores. This was Phelp's first win in the Empire Series, although he has finished second a number of times.
In Sportsman action Jeremy Pitcher picked up his second feature win of the year, and his third career win at Cayuga County. Ron Hawker topped the Street Stocks main and Carl Wilkins Jr. won the 25-lap 4-cylinder Enduro.
The 35-lap DIRT Modified feature saw Phelps take the lead on the first lap from his fourth place starting position. He was able to hold off Derrick Podsiadlo and Chuck Bower. By lap four, Phelps held a 1.4 second lead over Bower. Alan Johnson was the car on the move taking third, with Gary Tomkins moving up to fourth.
On lap seven Phelps made his only mistake of the race, drifting extremely high in the third turn and brushing the wall. He continued to build his lead. By lap 11, he now led Johnson, who had passed Bower, by 3.4 seconds.
Back in the pack a number of drivers were making moves to advance through the pack. Gary Tomkins charged under Bower to take third on lap 12. Both Pat Ward and Tim Fuller were battling for fifth and sixth.
On lap 25 the yellow flew when Jim Burke slowed on the front straight with a flat tire. The lead that Phelps held was now gone and Alan Johnson would start on his rear bumper. During this yellow two lapped cars mistakenly drove around to the back of the pack. A effort was made to move them back, but they stayed were they thought they were put. A review of their finish is under investigation by DIRT officials.
When the race went green again Phelps held his own and shot out into a solid lead. Tim Fuller moved by Tomkins to take third and then began to keep Alan Johnson busy by making numerous attempts to pass him for the runner up position.
At the finish line it was Phelps with the win followed by Johnson, Fuller, Tomkins and Ward.
The 20-lap DIRT Sportsman feature saw John Juhl leading the first seven laps. On lap seven the yellow flew when Eric Richardson looped his number R12 in the fourth turn. Donnie Wetmore Jr. made an attempt to get by Richardson but made contact sending him into the outside wall and out of the race.
Jeremy Pitcher grabbed the lead on the restart. Better yet was Bob Henry Jr.'s move to take second from his fourth place restart spot.
The yellow would fly again, lap 14, when Michael Teachout spun around in the first turn. The restart saw Jim Livingston drop down and challenge Henry Jr. for second. On lap 16, Livingston held a solid second place in the running order.
At the finish line it was Pitcher taking his second feature win of the year at Cayuga County. Livingston, Henry Jr., Lance Willix II and Ryan Richardson rounded out the top five finishers.
Ron Hawker would lead all 15 laps in the Street Stock main. Hawker, the pole sitter, immediately grabbed the lead over multi-time feature winner dan Hoffman Sr. and never looked back.
Lap five saw Steve Woodworth perform a 360 degree spin in the first turn and continue on his way, dropping from third in the running order to last on the lead lap.
The yellow did come out on lap 13 when newcomer Bill Flask spun out in the exit of the second turn. This set up a two lap dash to the checkers. At the finish line it would be Hawker with the win followed by Hoffman Sr., Brandon Warner, Mike Holford and last week's feature winner Dave Marcuccilli in fifth.
DIRT NEWS: Last Week's hard luck driver had to be Todd Milton. After two nearly perfect runs in the last two weeks, only to break at the end of the events, could it get any worse for Todd Milton? The answer is yes!. Milton blew the motor on his potent number 96 machine during his heat race...It was announced two additions to this year's Cayuga County race schedule. On August 15, the CNY Mini-sprints will return for a second appearance in 2004. The next week the BOSS Street Stock Tour will be in town.
This Sunday the live television Empire Series Racing will return with a track starting time of 7 p.m.. A full card of DIRT Modifieds, Sportsman, Street Stocks and 4-cylinder Enduros will be on hand.
For more information contact www.dirtmotorsports.com/CCFS.
KINNEY DRUG STORES presents the EMPIRE SERIES RACE #4 NIGHT SUMMARY
ENDURO
FEATURE (25-laps): TOP 3- CARL WILKINS JR., Bill Werner, Carl Werner.
STREET STOCKS
HEAT 1: D. Hoffman Sr., D. Emmons, S. Woodworth, B. Warner, B. Flask.
HEAT 2: D. Marcuccilli, R. Hawker, M. Holford, J. Eldridge, L. Lewis.
FEATURE (15-laps): RON HAWKER, Dan Hoffman Sr., Brandon Warner, Mike Holford, Dave Marcuccilli, Leroy lewis, Jamie Eldridge, Steve Woodworth, Don Jones, Bill Flask, Mike Kazmierczak, Dave Emmons, Eric Chapman, DNS: Bob Kelly.
SPORTSMAN
HEAT 1: D. Wetmore Jr., E. Richardson, B. Henry Jr., M. Bowman, R. Relfe.
HEAT 2: L. Willix II, R. Hefti, J. Pitcher, T. Juhl, R. Richardson.
HEAT 3: G. Doust, J. Juhl, K. Bates, J. Livingston, J. Potter.
FEATURE (20-laps): JEREMY PITCHER, Jim Livingston, Bob Henry Jr., Lance Willix II, Ryan Richardson, Kevin bates, Greg Doust, John Juhl, Eldon Payne Jr., Russ Hefti, Mike Conrow, Eric Richardson, Jason Potter, Scott Nash, Mike Bowman, John Juhl II, Rob Relfe, Amy Pfeffer, Michael Teachout, J.J. Courcy, Tom Juhl, Amanda Garno, Donnie Wetmore Jr.
DIRT MODIFIEDS
HEAT 1: J. Burke, J. Phelps, M. Sheppard, D. Ruggles, B. McCreadie.
HEAT 2: P. Ward, R. Phelps, G. Tomkins, M. Ward, T. Sears Jr.
HEAT 3: D. Podsiadlo, V. Vitale, C. Bower, V. Coffey, S. Beardsley.
HEAT 4: A. Johnson, T. Fuller, J. Johnson, T. Milton, J. Haers.
CONSI: J. Pfeffer, B. Murphy, B. Dunn, J. Brownell Jr., M. Payne.
FEATURE (35-laps): JIMMY PHELPS, Alan Johnson, Tim Fuller, Gary Tomkins, Pat Ward, Matt Sheppard, Ryan Phelps, Vince Vitale, Jack Johnson, Chuck Bower, Bob McCreadie, Mike ward, Shawn Beardsley, Billy Dunn, John Pfeffer, Darryl Ruggles, Derrick Podsiadlo, Mike Payne, Jim Burke, Brian Murphy, Tom Sears Jr., Vic Coffey, Jeff Brownell Jr., Justin Haers, DNS: Todd Milton.